Ruben Studdard to No Longer Wear Jerseys

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - "American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard said he no longer will wear the colorful jerseys that helped set him apart from other contestants on the Fox television show.

Studdard wore the jerseys emblazoned with the numbers 2-0-5 — referring to the area code for his hometown of Birmingham — throughout much of the competition, which he won last month on a vote by TV viewers.

But in an interview Sunday with The Birmingham News, Studdard said "a combination of things" led him to decide not to wear the shirts made by 205 Flava Inc. anymore.

"I will always represent the area 205, but 205 Flava is not indicative of what I am about," Studdard, 24, said while in Birmingham to record the video for his new single, "Flying Without Wings."

He would not elaborate further on his decision.

Willie Jenkins, an owner of 205 Flava, said Sunday he was stunned at the news. "I don't understand why this man would say what he said," Jenkins said. "I have been behind him 110 percent."

Jenkins said Studdard asked him about wearing a jersey to represent Birmingham after making the top 32 on the show. From then on, the store shipped jerseys to Studdard in Los Angeles every week when he needed them, Jenkins said.

Studdard's wearing the jerseys led to increased sales, but the men had no formal agreement that he would be paid for his endorsement.

"I want Ruben to be rewarded for his success via merchandise sales," said Alvin Garrett, Studdard's close friend and business partner for the Music Caterers entertainment company. "I don't want people to prosper if they are exploiting my friend."

Jenkins said he is talking with Studdard's entertainment company about an endorsement deal but none has been made.

THANK HEAVENS THE STORY WILL BE TOLD BY SOMEONE WHO KNOWS THE CULTURE

Sylvester Stallone is writing and will direct and star in a film about corruption in the LAPD and the murders of rap stars Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls.

Elie Samaha's Franchise Pictures will produce the pic.

Stallone is eyeing a Sept. 1 production start for the drama, which threads together a number of controversial recent events.

Stallone will play a real-life LAPD detective, Russell Poole, in the pic, which has the working title "Rampart Scandal." It will be told from different perspectives, in the vein of "Rashomon."

Pic begins with Poole's investigation of the murders of Shakur and Smalls. It follows Poole -- who vows to Smalls' mother he'll finger her son's killer -- as he unravels the intrigue and coverups surrounding the crime.

Stallone is talking with record mogul Suge Knight about playing himself in the pic.

Jeff Wald and Mark Skelly, who shepherded the material through development, will also produce.

Mikko Allane wrote an earlier version of the script.

Pic marks the latest teaming of Stallone and Franchise, which produced such pics as "Driven" and "Get Carter."

The project "scared off a lot of people," Stallone told DAILY VARIETY. "Elie was one of the few people who had the insight and temerity to step up."

The circumstances surrounding the murders of Shakur and Smalls continue to generate fierce debate.

Poole is featured in Randall Sullivan's book "Labyrinth: A Detective Investigates the Murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, the Implication of Death Row Records' Suge Knight, and the Origins of the Los Angeles Police Scandal."

He also appears in Nick Broomfield's recent documentary "Biggie and Tupac"; in that pic, Poole lays out the theory that Knight is responsible for Shakur's murder.

"Rampart" is "the story of one honest cop, at a time when the whole country is corrupt," Wald said.

Stallone has directed various films, including three installments of the "Rocky" franchise. (As reported by VARIETY)

Here are the new music releases for Tuesday, June 10, 2003:

* ANNIE LENNOX Bare (Arista)
* BB KING Reflections on Life (MCA)
* BRUCE COCKBURN You've Never Seen Anything (True North)
* CHICAGO Chicago II (DVD Audio) (Rhino)
* DROPKICK MURPHYS Blackout (Hellcat)
* GEORGE STRAIT Honkytonkville (MCA Nashville)
* MARY J. BLIGE TBA (MCA)
* MEMPHIS BLEEK M.A.D.E. (Def Jam)
* MEST TBA (Mest) (Warner)
* NOVEL The Word (Rawkus)
* PRIMUS Greatest Hits (Interscope)
* R.L. BURNSIDE First Recordings (Fat Possum)
* RADIOHEAD Hail To The Thief (Parlophone/EMI)
* RANCID TBA (Rancid) (Hellcat)
* RUGRATS GO WILD OST Rugrats Go Wild OST (Hollywood)
* STEELY DAN Everything Must Go (Reprise)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Parental Advisory (Universal)

'The Sopranos' Delayed, but Could Have Extra Episodes

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - In the category of good things come to those who wait, fans of "The Sopranos" most likely won't see new episodes of the mob drama until early 2004. The fifth season had been scheduled for a fall 2003 premiere.

When the show finally does return, though, it could be around for as many as six additional episodes beyond its usual complement of 13.

That's the word from series creator David Chase, who says the storyline he's planned for the coming season -- which he has previously said would be the last for "The Sopranos" -- couldn't necessarily be contained to 13 hours.

"I'd planned out an arc for Season 5 that would have ended the show," Chase tells the New York Daily News. "But as we're getting into it, we're finding there's a lot more material. We could cram it into 13 episodes, but I don't know that it's the right thing to do. So there may be additional episodes."

HBO and Chase are talking about making additional episodes. "I suspect they'll be okay with that," Chase says.

Chase wasn't too worried during the short but intense period when "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini threatened not to show up for work without a substantial raise.

"I just felt it would probably work out. And if it didn't, there's nothing you could do about it," Chase says.

The two sides settled the matter quickly, with Gandolfini getting more money per episode, though not as much as he had initially demanded.

The issue lingered briefly on the set of the show, but Chase says it went away fairly quickly once everyone got to work.

Michelle Branch Opens Up To 'Blender'

Nineteen-year old Michelle Branch delivers a candid interview in the June/July issue of Blender magazine, which features Jewel on the cover. The singer revealed that fame has caused problems in her love life.

"I think people assume that they can't ask me out for some reason," Branch said. "Once in a while, I'll play a show and there'll be a cute guy in the audience or something, but either he's wearing a shirt with my face on it or carrying a sign saying, 'If you want to, I can date you.'" Branch jokingly added, "I can only hope that I go on tour with a cute band."

Unfortunately for Branch's libido, her next outing has her serving as the opening act on the Dixie Chick's tour. She begins her supporting run for the Chicks on June 19 in Boston.

Branch will release her sophomore album Hotel Paper on June 24. The CD's first single "Are You Happy Now" climbs up 22 spots to Number 48 on the latest Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Today's New Releases

One of the year's funniest films (OLD SCHOOL), an unnecessary sequel (THE JUNGLE BOOK 2) and an Oscar winner/nominee (FRIDA) are all debuting on DVD or video today. Enjoy!

OLD SCHOOL - Three mid-life guys revist their roots and start a fraternity in this great "...ANIMAL HOUSE for the two-thousands." (Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Will Ferrell)

THE JUNGLE BOOK 2 - Yup, another mediocre Disney sequel to a classic film. **sigh**

TEAR OF THE SUN - I didn't see this war movie in theatres, but my friend Cory, who loves war movies, saw it and said it was okay. In the end it does star Monica Belucci, so I'll give it a watch. (Bruce Willis, Monica Belucci)

FRIDA - The true life story of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Sure, she was Oscar nominated, but Salma still can't act. (Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush)

BIKER BOYZ - An up-and-comer challenges the king of street racing in this WHO GIVES A RATS ASS film. (Laurence Fishburne, Derek Luke, Larenz Tate)

THEY - A student looks at her fear of the dark. (Laura Regan, Marc Blucas, Ethan Embry)

THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIES - This set contains The Brady Bunch and A Very Brady Sequel. (Shelley Long, Christine Taylor, Gary Cole)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: The Complete 4th Season - The complete fourth season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Alyson Hannigan)

Strange Planet - Three women and three men have one year to figure "it" out. It's not a great film, but it does star Naomi Watts! (Naomi Watts, Claudia Karvan, Alice Garner)

And that is a look at your new releases for today. And remember, it isn't mean or biting scarcasm if it's true.

THEY'RE BACK!

NBC bringing back the man-eating aliens of V for a three-hour TV movie titled V: The Second Generation. The new movie, from '80s miniseries creator Kenneth Johnson, takes place 20 years in the future as the resistance movement gains a mysterious new ally in their fight to save Earth.

Baywatch babe Pam Anderson to launch celebrity wake-up service

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Do you fancy being woken up every morning by Hollywood sex kitten Pamela Anderson, even if you don't happen to be her rocker fiance Kid Rock? Well, now you can be.

Blond bombshell Baywatch star Anderson, 35, has signed on to a celebrity wake-up service which allows customers to be gently roused by her dulcet tones for only 7.99 dollars per month.

"Hi, it's Pamela," purrs one of the musically-backed matinal greetings explaining that the star is "filling in for your alarm clock."

"I love animals, they're fuzzy, cute and fun to play with. Are you fun to play with? How about getting down on your hands and knees and barking like a dog. Now get your fuzzy ass out if bed and fetch my slippers.

"Have a great day, you animal," Anderson says.

Anderson is the first star to lend her voice to the messaging service, Celebrity Wake Up -- set up in partnership with Tinseltown's William Morris Agency and powered by communications giant IDT, the firm said.

"I wanted to launch Celebrity Wake Up with a voice the world would want to wake up to," said founder J.R. Getches.

Punters will be able to choose from seven early morning greetings from Anderson, who is as famous for her turbulent marriage to rocker Tommy Lee as for her television and film roles.

"Every second the sun releases enough energy to supply our planet with power for over a billion years -- and you can't get out of bed?," Anderson says in another of the messages.

"What kind of work ethic is that? A bad one, that's what kind. Now get up, get to work, and fuse with hydrogen -- or at least have some coffee."

In addition to the early morning calls, customers of the service can also conjure up a celebrity birthday call service for just five dollars, company officials said.

Anderson will be the first celebrity to offer her voice to the outfit for a month, but others are in negotiation to follow in her footsteps, the officials said.

Study: Smoking in Movies Encourages Teens

LONDON - Youngsters who watch movies in which actors smoke a lot are three times more likely to take up the habit than those exposed to less smoking on-screen, a new study of American adolescents suggests.

The study, published Tuesday on the Web site of The Lancet medical journal, provides the strongest evidence to date that smoking depicted in movies encourages adolescents to start smoking, according to some experts. Others said they remain unconvinced.

Many studies have linked smoking in films with increased adolescent smoking, but this is the first to assess children before they start smoking and track them over time.

The investigators concluded that 52 percent of the youngsters in the study who smoked started entirely because of seeing movie stars smoke on screen.

"This effect is stronger than the effect of traditional cigarette advertising and promotion, which accounts for only 34 percent of new experimentation," said Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine at the Institute for Health Policy Studies at the University of California, San Francisco, who was not connected with the research.

However, Paul Levinson, a media theorist at Fordham University in New York noted there are many reasons people start smoking and the study could not accurately determine how important each factor is.

"It's the kind of thing we should be looking at but ... the fact that two things seem to be intertwined doesn't mean that the first causes the second," said Levinson, who was not involved in the study. "What we really need is some kind of experimental study where there's a controlled group."

The Motion Picture Association of America, which rates movies and represents the movie industry, had no immediate comment.

The research, conducted by scientists at Dartmouth Medical School, involved 2,603 children from Vermont and New Hampshire schools who were aged between 10 and 14 at the start of the study in 1999 and had never smoked a cigarette at the time they were recruited.

The adolescents were asked at the beginning of the study which movies they had seen from a list of 50 movies released between 1988 and 1999.

Investigators counted the number of times smoking was depicted in each movie and determined how many smoking incidents each of the adolescents had seen. Exposure was categorized into four groups, with the lowest level involving between zero and 531 occurrences of smoking and the highest involving between 1,665 and 5,308 incidents of smoking. There were about 650 adolescents in each exposure group.

Within two years, 259, or 10 percent, of the youths reported they had started to smoke or had at least taken a few puffs.

Twenty-two of those exposed to the least on-screen smoking took up the habit, compared with 107 in the highest exposure group — a fivefold difference.

However, after taking into account factors known to be linked with starting smoking, such as sensation-seeking, rebelliousness or having a friend or relative who smokes, the real effect was reduced to a threefold difference.

The researchers also concluded 52 percent of the startup in smoking could be attributed to the movies.

Children of nonsmokers were particularly influenced by smoking in films. Those in the highest movie exposure category were four times more likely to start than adolescents in the lowest group.

In a separate critique of the study, also published by the Lancet, Glantz, who is also a prominent anti-smoking advocate and founder of the U.S.-based Smoke Free Movies campaign, called for an adult, or "R," rating for movies depicting smoking, noting that 60 percent of the total exposure to smoking in movies in the study were in youth-rated films.
 
Brendan McCormick, spokesman for tobacco manufacturer Philip Morris USA, said depictions of smoking in movies is driven by directors and producers. Tobacco companies do not provide products to moviemakers or pay for product placements, he said.

"We think that producers of films should think very carefully about including depictions of smoking, especially in movies that are likely to be seen by kids," McCormick said.

The study was funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute.

Letterman's Time Off Remains Unknown

NEW YORK - Among the many mysteries of David Letterman: how much time he's planning to take off this summer.

The CBS "Late Show" host turned over the reins to guest host Tom Arnold on Friday. Letterman's spokesman, Steven Rubenstein, said Monday that Letterman will make up his mind whether he's taking more time off as he goes along.

"I've worked since I was 11 years old," Letterman said on his show last week. "And I just feel like it's summer now, I'd like to take a day off."

He told band leader Paul Shaffer that he had "T.A.S.," or "tired ass syndrome."

The oddity is that Letterman rarely works Fridays anyway. He generally tapes his Thursday and Friday shows back to back on Thursday evening — so, by skipping Friday, he's basically leaving the office a few hours earlier.

Letterman missed five weeks of work earlier this year due to shingles, and was out after a heart bypass operation in 2000.

The time off is notable since he's competing against a workaholic. NBC "Tonight" show host Jay Leno missed his first night of work in a decade last month due to a job switch stunt with Katie Couric — he was host of "Today" that day instead.

Leno has expanded his advantage over Letterman in the ratings over the past few years.

"We were aware he was taking last Friday off," said Chris Ender, CBS entertainment spokesman. "We don't know what the situation is for next Friday. But we don't expect it to be a prolonged situation."

Harrison Ford Swaps Heroes for Humor

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - He's a Hollywood hero who doesn't say much but he finds lost Arks of the Covenant, battles poisonous snakes and space invaders and pretty much kicks butt from one end of the universe to the other.

Now Harrison Ford at the ripe age of almost 61 has decided to do something completely different: He wants to make you laugh.

It's not so much that the rugged, quintessentially American hero wants to reinvent himself. It's just that beneath that gruff exterior, that well-known dislike of interviews and all those "sexiest man alive" accolades, Harrison Ford has a sense of humor, and now he wants to show it.

He's only hung up his action hero hat until he starts shooting a fourth Indiana Jones movie next year. But in his new movie, "Hollywood Homicide," opening Friday in the United States, Ford is not only funny. He also has a screen sidekick in Josh Hartnett who rivals his own status as a heartthrob.

Ford even pulls off a joke about that, telling his screen lover at one point in the movie, "If I can find the ginkgo, I remember to take the Viagra."

He plays a cop -- again -- and as usual he gets the villain in the end after a series of thrilling car chases and stunts -- many of which he performs himself.

COMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Ford said he took the role as world-weary Los Angeles police detective Joe Gavilan because of the "comic opportunities."

"I was looking for a comedy because lately I've been doing more serious roles ... In the comedies I have done, mostly romantic comedies, I'm more or less the straight man. This was one situation where I can take advantage of the opportunity to push it a little bit," Ford told Reuters.

Hartnett plays Ford's unlikely partner -- a young detective who not only has trouble shooting straight but has a lucrative sideline as a yoga teacher and, this being Los Angeles, secret aspirations to be an actor.

"Much of the comedy is built on the difference between the two characters -- generational, attitudes about the (cop) business, their tastes in music," said Ford.

Ford is not exactly cracking jokes yet during media interviews and sometimes he looks as if he wishes he were back at his Wyoming ranch flying his helicopter.

Ford has often bristled at the suggestion that he plays heroes, preferring to describe his screen roles as "guys that behave well under difficult circumstances."

But the famously tight-lipped actor does raise a quizzical eyebrow when asked whether he identifies with his "Hollywood Homicide" character -- a man he describes as "better at work than at life."

"Maybe we have that in common," the twice-divorced superstar concedes. "I wouldn't be surprised ... He's not meant to be perfect in any aspect of life. Part of his charm is his failure to be perfect but nonetheless resolute and hard-working and focused on what he needs to do."

START WITH WONDERFUL

Ford took the role of Gavilan when the movie was still at the concept stage with no script. "I start with wonderful, and ask for it to get better. I knew a wonderful Russian lady architect. I would come to her with proposals for changes and refinements, and she would very patiently listen to my ideas and say 'no limit for better' and that's pretty much a maxim I live by," he said.
 
Although "Hollywood Homicide" follows Ford's Russian submarine drama "K-19:The Widowmaker," which was a box-office disappointment last year, he has starred in four of the 10 highest-grossing movies of all time -- "Star Wars," "The Empire Strikes Back," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Return of the Jedi."

In May he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, attending the ceremony with his constant companion of the past year, former "Ally McBeal" star Calista Flockhart.

Ford says he feels under no pressure to keep delivering blockbuster hits, nor any desire to direct ("too hard, takes too long"). But he has signed up for a long-awaited fourth Indiana Jones movie, although prying out details is as challenging as trying to find that Lost Ark.

"We start shooting summer of 2004, Steven (Spielberg) is going to direct. That's all I can say yet," he said.

Titanic Star Winslet Marries Mendes in Caribbean

LONDON (Reuters) - "Titanic" star Kate Winslet has married her director boyfriend Sam Mendes in an intimate Caribbean ceremony, her publicist said on Monday.

The Oscar-nominated British actress took the plunge while holidaying with Mendes in late May, he added.

"Present were Winslet's daughter, Mia, and three close friends," the couple said in a statement, describing the event as a "small ceremony."

British director Mendes -- best known for "American Beauty" -- made theater history in February when he became the first triple winner at Britain's prestigious Laurence Olivier awards.

Divorcee Winslet, 28, is best known for her performances in "Titanic," "Heavenly Creatures" and "Sense and Sensibility."

Her appearance on the cover of men's magazine GQ caused a storm in January, when editors admitted to heavily airbrushing out the voluptuous curves for which she is renowned.