Dreamworks exec Jeffrey Katzenberg talks the plot for SHREK 2.
Jeffrey Katzeberg has been busy talking up the Shrek sequel and Animated Movies scored a quote about what we can expect storywise: "'Shrek 2' is about coming to terms with the fact that everything that happened in the first Shrek was a gigantic mistake. Shrek was not meant to rescue Fiona. Her true love was meant to be Prince Charming. There was a whole plan of what was going to happen to Fiona, her future and her kingdom, and Shrek has made a fine mess of all of it. It begins with an invitation from Fiona's mom and dad, who, you recall, locked her away in a castle to await Prince Charming's kiss".
Now if you thought the fees Marlon Brando got for "Superman" or Anthony Hopkins scored for "M:I-2" were exorbitant, wait till you hear about this. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy and Cameron Diaz will be reportedly getting $10 million each for just 15 or 20 hours' worth of vocal work on "Shrek 2", plus a bonus $5 million if the film is a success.
Comic Actor Buddy Hackett Dead in L.A. at 79
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. comedian Buddy Hackett, a talk-show staple whose career stretched from the early days of television to such features as "The Love Bug" and "The Little Mermaid," has died in California.
Hackett, who was 79, was found dead on Monday at his Malibu beach house, his son, Sandy, told local Los Angeles media outlets. The cause of death was not immediately known.
Buddy Hackett's feature credits also included the 1963 ensemble comedy "It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World," and he recently co-starred in "Action," a critically acclaimed but short-lived TV series that satirized Hollywood.
Hackett, who was born in Brooklyn, New York, got his start by working as a stand-up comic at resorts in New York's Catskill mountains. After guest-starring on an early TV show, 1945's "Laff Time," he made his feature film debut two years later as the voice of a talking camel in "Slave Girl."
Following a two-year stint on Broadway in the comedy "Lunatics and Lovers," he landed the title role in the 1956 sitcom "Stanley," which co-starred Carol Burnett. He eventually became a favorite on TV talk and variety shows, and maintained a parallel career as a racy nightclub comic.
His feature career was dominated by work in family films, such as 1961's "Everything's Ducky," 1962's "The Music Man" and 1969's "The Love Bug." The hit Disney cartoon "The Little Mermaid," in which Hackett played the voice of Scuttle the seagull, introduced him to a new generation of fans in 1989. He reprised his role 11 years later in a direct-to-video sequel.
The Origin Of The Name "Canada"
After Columbus landed in the Western Hemisphere in 1492, European rulers sent explorers across the Atlantic to the Americas to claim territory and discover riches. The Spanish, Portuguese, English, Dutch and French all wanted a piece of the "New World" for themselves. Sometimes we forget that the "new world" was not new at all, but the ancient home of many people who were called "Indians" by the Europeans. Jacques Cartier came from the French court of King Francis I to explore North America. In 1534, on his first voyage, he explored the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In Chaleur Bay, he met aboriginal people for the first time. They were Micmac people, and their meeting was the first time that the French and the natives traded furs. For centuries to come, fur trading would be important in the development of the North American colonies.
When Cartier sailed farther up the gulf and into the Bay of Gaspé, he and his men were greeted warmly by a group from the Iroquoian nation of Stadaconé.
They had come from their home, which is now the site of Québec City, on a fishing expedition.
The story goes that Cartier asked the chief, Donnacona, what the land was called. The chief, who was inviting Cartier into their camp, replied "kanata," their word for village, as well as their name for the area around their home, Stadaconé.
Maybe Cartier understood Donnacona, or maybe he did not, but "Canada" has remained the name of the whole vast territory that comprises our country.
Cartier sailed back to France with two of Donnaconna's sons, then returned again to Canada. On his second voyage, he sailed up the St. Lawrence River and visited the site of Montréal. He opened the door to French settlement of the rich land, and later colonists followed.
At first the aboriginal people were friendly, but many became hostile when they understood that their old way of life could not survive with the arrival of so many strangers. The struggle to establish peace and understanding between the people of the First Nations and the European settlers has continued during the many centuries since Cartier's arrival.
The 'You're a Great Canadian' Canada Day Quiz 2003
True or false? Wilfrid Laurier was the first Prime Minister born in what is now Quebec
By Randy Ray and Mark Kearney
Canada Day is a time for enjoying a ball game, lounging around the pool or taking part in the fireworks and festivities at Parliament Hill. But let's not forget the other national pastime that commands the attention of Canadians -- politics.
Canadians of all stripes love talking, reading, and debating about the people and events that make up Canada's political scene. But while they may be familiar with the faces and issues, what do they know about our rich political heritage and the people who shaped it, especially all you political insiders on Parliament Hill and across the country?
On this Canada Day 2003, take a few moments to test your knowledge of the politicians, symbols and political events that are an integral part of Canada's history.
Score well and you might just deserve the title "Right Honourable." (The answers are below).
1. Canadian-born Andrew Bonar Law was once Prime Minister of which country?
a) Great Britain b) Australia c) Canada d) South Africa
2. When Canada was formed in 1867, what was the maximum yearly salary a Member of Parliament could earn?
a) $300 b) $600 c) $1,200 d) $3,000.
3. What was Prime Minister John Diefenbaker's middle name?
a) Herbert b) Albert c) Michael d) George e) Arthur
4. What is the name of the statue on the dome of the Manitoba Legislative Building in Winnipeg?
5. True or false? Wilfrid Laurier was the first Prime Minister born in what is now Quebec.
6. In which year was "O Canada" officially proclaimed as Canada's national anthem?
a) 1939 b) 1967 c) 1977 d) 1980 e) never
7. Red and white are the colours of Canada's national flag. Who designated them as Canada's official colours?
a) King George V b) Prime Minister Lester Pearson c) Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent d) Queen Elizabeth II
8. In addition to being Prime Ministers of Canada, what do Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir John Sparrow David Thompson have in common?
a) both were born in Kingston b) both died while in office c) they were elected to the House of Commons on the same day d) neither ever married.
9. E.B. Eddy was the founder of a successful lumber, paper and match business in Hull and in the late 1800s, served as the community's mayor. While mayor, which of the following can he take credit for?
a) introduction of a bill to create the city of Hull b) a 50-per-cent reduction in property taxes for Hull businesses c) opening the first tavern in Hull.
10. Where in Canada did women first have the legal right to vote?
a) Quebec b) Ontario c) Nova Scotia d) Manitoba
11. Who held the office of Prime Minister for the shortest period of time?
a) Alexander Mackenzie b) Sir Charles Tupper c) Joe Clark d) John Turner
12. What final alteration was made in 1965 before the red and white Maple Leaf flag was adopted?
a) the maple leaf was enlarged by one inch b) a deeper shade of red was used c) two points were removed from the base of the maple leaf d) the stem of the maple leaf was shortened.
13. What was flying atop the Peace Tower on Feb. 15, 1965 before the first official raising of Canada's Maple Leaf flag took place?
a) the Union Jack b) nothing c) Red Ensign d) the Governor General's standard
14. Who was the first Senator to serve as Canada's Prime Minister?
15. In what year did the Conservative Party and the Progressive Party merge to become the Progressive Conservative Party?
a) 1939 b) 1952 c) 1941 d) 1954
16. What did the federal government outlaw in September 1972 for safety reasons?
a) firecrackers b) open-wheeled go-carts c) smoking in airplanes d) expense accounts for politicians.
17. I was a champion of justice issues including women's rights when I was elected to the House of Commons in 1921. Who am I?
18. Three of the four original provinces that made up Canada on July 1, 1867 were Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia. Name the fourth.
19. Where did MPs meet after fire gutted the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings in 1916?
a) The East Block b) Ottawa City Hall c) the Museum of Nature d) Lansdowne Park
20. Unscramble the following letters to form the name of one of Canada's Prime Ministers: tarruh gmeenhi.
Randy Ray of Ottawa, a former Parliament Hill correspondent, and Mark Kearney of London, Ont., are the authors of The Great Canadian Trivia Books and I Know That Name! The People Behind Canada's Best-Known Brand Names. For more Canadiana, visit their Web site at www.triviaguys.com
ANSWERS
1. a) Great Britain, in 1922
2. b) $600
3. d) George
4. The Golden Boy
5. False. Sir John Abbott, Canada's third prime minister, was born in Lower Canada (now Quebec)
6. d) 1980
7. a) King George
8. b) both died while in office, Macdonald, on June 6, 1891 and Thompson, on Dec. 12, 1894.
9. a) a bill to create the city of Hull
10. d) Manitoba, where females won the right to vote in January 1916.
11. b) Sir Charles Tupper, who led the country for 69 days in 1896. John Turner came second, being PM for 80 days in 1984.
12. c) two points were removed from the base of the maple leaf reducing the number of points to 11 from 13.
13. d) the Governor General's standard.
14. Sir John Joseph Caldwell Abbott, who served as Canada's second Prime Minister from June 16, 1891 until Nov. 24, 1892.
15. c) 1941 under leader John Bracken of Manitoba
16. a) firecrackers
17. Agnes Macphail
18. New Brunswick
19. c) in the auditorium at the Museum of Nature, then known as the Victoria Museum
20. Arthur Meighen, Canada's ninth PM.
Sorry, The Stores Are Closed!
In Canada its Canada Day and the stores are closed. In America, and elsewhere around the world..well you are on your own!
Here are the new music releases for this week:
Monday June 30, 2003
* ASHANTI Chapter 2 (Universal)
* LEGALLY BLONDE 2 OST Legally Blonde 2 OST (Curb)
* THREE 6 MAFIA Da Unbreakables (Epic)
* THREE DAYS GRACE Three Days Grace (Jive)
Tuesday July 1, 2003
* GILLIAN WELCH Soul Journey (Stony Plain)
* MORCHEEBA Brixton to Belving (DVD Audio) (Warner)
* MORCHEEBA Parts Of The Process (Warner)
* NICKEL CREEK Nickel Creek (Warner)
* PETER TOSH Peter Tosh: Best Of 1978-1987 (EMI)
* PUNJABI MC Beware (Sequence)
* QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE Go With The Flow (CD Single) (Universal)
* ROBERT CRAY Time Will Tell (Sanctuary Records)
* ROSCOE Philaphornia (Capitol)
Chaplin fans strike gold with DVD set
Sydney Chaplin, the veteran stage actor and son of Charlie Chaplin, is finally getting a DVD player this week.
The occasion: the release on disc today of four of his father's most important films, groundbreaking comedies starring cinema's first comedic superstar.
The Gold Rush, Modern Times, The Great Dictator and Limelight have been remastered and restored under the supervision of the Chaplin family estate. They make their debut in lavish two-disc packages ($30 each) that include gobs of extras, including documentaries, extensive production notes, deleted scenes and rare home movies.
Though he has seen each of these films more times than he can count — mostly at his dad's home in Switzerland — Sydney Chaplin, 77, is plenty excited about watching them on DVD. "It's good that it keeps the films alive and preserves them," Chaplin says. "He made wonderful pictures. ... They deal with human problems, human feelings, much more so than most of the pictures coming out today."
The releases kick off a major DVD initiative in which Warner Home Video, working with French production company MK2 and Associated Chaplin (the family estate), will issue 15 Chaplin films and two collections of shorts. Subsequent releases are planned for the first quarter of 2004.
"This is one of our biggest campaigns of the year," says George Feltenstein of Warner Home Video. "Charlie Chaplin was the first superstar of cinema; he was, and still is, in a class by himself."
Accordingly, Warner is backing the release with a major marketing campaign. The studio arranged for a special screening of the cleaned-up Modern Times at the Cannes Film Festival. A documentary, Chaplin, was commissioned and shown at the American Film Institute's recent documentary film festival in Washington, D.C. And July 8 will be Chaplin Night on Turner Classic Movies, with back-to-back showings of all four films.
"One of the things we really needed to do was bring awareness of Chaplin to critical mass," Feltenstein said. "There's a natural interest in him — people may know of his character, his hat and cane — but they might not have seen his films. It's our job to pique that curiosity."
Russ Solomon, founder of the Tower Records and Video chain, says customers have been asking about the DVDs for weeks. "Chaplin is an icon," Solomon says. "Some of this stuff was available before, but only on VHS, in somewhat crappy prints. To come out on DVD, with nice cleaned-up masters, hopefully it will turn into kind of a cult item."
Chaplin at a glance
The Gold Rush (1925): Chaplin's most famous film, this silent cemented his role as the beloved "Little Tramp." The DVD includes both the silent original and the 1942 edit in which Chaplin added sound narration. Extras include the original score, remastered in surround sound, and an interview with his former wife, Lita Gray Chaplin.
Modern Times (1936): His final silent finds Chaplin at his slapstick best, as a factory worker tired of both his job and his tyrannical boss. Extras include the complete version of the nonsense song Chaplin sings in the cafe scene and an interview with the musical arranger David Raksin.
The Great Dictator (1940): Chaplin's first film with dialogue, in which he plays the dual roles of a kindly Jewish barber and a murderous dictator. The DVD includes rare home movies shot in color on the set.
Limelight (1952): Chaplin's final American film includes several of his children, including Sydney. DVD extras include home movies of Chaplin and his kids in London, and six minutes of Chaplin's unfinished 1919 film, The Professor.
OH BROTHER
Producers confirming Monday that, to jazz up the upcoming fourth season of CBS' Big Brother, contestants will be sequestered in the house without being told that some of their ex-girlfriends/boyfriends/spouses are also participating. The reality show premieres July 8.
Today's New Releases
Even though you might enjoy some time spent outside this week, celebrating the birth of our nation, I'll still tell you what movies are debuting today on disc and tape.
Personally, I'm outside!
How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days - A woman has to write an article about relationship breakups. (Kate Hudson [Andie Anderson], Matthew McConaughey [Benjamin Barry], Michael Michele [Spears])
Gangs Of New York - A man seeks vengenance for his father's death in 1860s NYC. (Leonardo DiCaprio [Amsterdam], Daniel Day-Lewis [Bill "The Butcher Poole], Cameron Diaz)
The Real Cancun - MTV's Real World hits the big screen for spring break. (Amber [Herself], Brittany [Herself], Heidi [Herself])
King Of The Hill: The Complete First Season - The complete first season of the TV series King Of The Hill. (Mike Judge (voice) [Hank Hill/Boomhauer], Brittany Murphy (voice) [Luanne], Kathy Najimy (voice) [Peggy Hill]).
Sean Connery tops bad film accent awards
LONDON (AFP) - Scottish actor Sean Connery created the worst accent in the history of cinema in the 1987 movie "The Untouchables", according to a poll conducted by British film magazine Empire.
His attempt at pulling off an Irish twang in his Oscar-winning performance as a cop was voted worse than US actor Dick Van Dyke's bid at playing a cockney chimneysweep in Disney's classic family film "Mary Poppins" (1964).
US actor Brad Pitt came third in the poll, for his role as an Austrian mountaineer in the 1997 film "Seven Years in Tibet".
Although James Bond star Connery won a supporting actor Oscar for his role as Jim Malone in Brian de Palma's film "The Untouchables", a jury of industry professionals crowned him top of their bad accent list, which appears in the magazine's July issue.
"Whether he's a Russian sub captain ("The Hunt For Red October") or even an English King ("First Knight" and "Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves"), always that baritone Highland burr remains," the verdict read.
In seventh position, Hollywood icon Julia Roberts was singled out for her linguistic performance in the 1996 movie "Mary Reilly".
Meryl Streep came 10th for her work in "Out of Africa" in 1985, where she played the role of South African author Karen Blixen, alongside Robert Redford.
Book: JFK Jr., Wife Were Having Problems
NEW YORK - John F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Carolyn, were having marital problems and were living apart when they died in an airplane crash in July 1999, a new book claims.
The August issue of Vanity Fair magazine contains excerpts from Edward Klein's new book, "The Kennedy Curse," which asserts Kennedy and his wife differed on whether to have a family, on drug use, on Kennedy's outgoing lifestyle and on their TriBeCa apartment.
At times, each feared the other was being unfaithful, the excerpts say. Most of the information is attributed to unidentified friends of the couple.
Kennedy married Carolyn Bessette on Cumberland Island, Ga., in 1996.
It had been reported earlier the couple had marital problems.
In 1999, Klein says, the couple began marriage counseling but after four months, Bessette Kennedy stormed out when the therapist mentioned her drug use. She began sleeping in a spare room of the apartment and Kennedy, "on the verge of calling it quits," moved into the Stanhope Hotel on Fifth Avenue.
Two days before they were killed, Klein says, they met for lunch at the Stanhope with Bessette Kennedy's sister, Lauren Bessette, who persuaded them to fly together to the wedding of Kennedy's cousin, Rory Kennedy, in Massachusetts. Lauren Bessette said she would go with them as far as Martha's Vineyard.
Ann M. Freeman, Bessette Kennedy's mother, did not immediately return a telephone call for comment Monday.
On July 16, 1999, Kennedy, 38, his wife, 33, and her sister, 34, were killed when the single-engine plane Kennedy was piloting crashed in the ocean near Martha's Vineyard.
Klein says when Kennedy graduated from flight school, he gave his instructors a photo of himself and inscribed it, in part, with, "People will only care where I got my training if I crash."
Klein is also the author of "All Too Human: The Love Story of Jack and Jackie Kennedy" and "Just Jackie: Her Private Years."
'The Harder They Come' Prepped for Another Reissue
NEW YORK (Billboard) - A remastered, two-disc version of "The Harder They Come" will hit stores on Aug. 5 to mark the 30th anniversary of the landmark reggae album's original release.
The first disc of the Universal Music Enterprises "Deluxe Edition" is a remastered version of the soundtrack to the 1973 film starring reggae great Jimmy Cliff as Ivan, an aspiring musician turned gangster. Both the film and the 12-song soundtrack, half of which was comprised of his songs, went on to make Cliff an international star.
The second disc collects some of reggae's most commercially successful singles to predate the April 1973 release of Bob Marley & the Wailers' Island debut, "Catch a Fire." Included are a number of additional tracks from the same artists on the original disc -- Cliff ("Vietnam"), Desmond Dekker ("Israelites") and the Maytals ("54-46 (That's My Number)").
Dana Smart, Universal's reissue supervisor for the project, says because "The Harder They Come" is a various-artists title, and because each song from the original soundtrack was used in the movie, he had to deviate slightly from the company's model for its Deluxe Editions.
In most cases, the lavish Deluxe Editions focus on a classic album by one artist, like Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On," and embellish the set with demos or live recordings from the album sessions or the era. But, the same approach couldn't be taken here: there just weren't any leftovers.
Smart chose tracks by many of the artists from the original soundtrack to make the project cohesive. "It was their music that was lifting reggae out of the Caribbean area into the mainstream," he told Billboard.com.
Smart says the second disc investigates "'What else is there from that time and place?' And there was a handful of songs that started to break reggae in the pop mainstream prior to Marley's arrival. So it's things like 'Israelites,' which was a pop hit -- even in the U.S. -- in '68; it's Johnny Nash's 'I Can See Clearly Now,' which isn't a reggae tune per se, but it has a definite Caribbean feel and really started opening ears to what that sound was like. The other Johnny Nash tune that's on there is 'Guava Jelly' -- not a hit, but that's a Marley composition, and album came out in '72, before anybody knew who Marley was in the U.S."
Catering to the many Jamaicans who had relocated to the U.K., both the movie and soundtrack were released there. in July 1972, prior to their U.S. debut. And while the album appeared in U.S. stores in February 1973 (on Mango/Island) -- two months before "Catch a Fire" -- it didn't hit the national charts until 1975.
In 2001, Universal reissued "The Harder They Come" in a single-disc format, remastering the album and restoring lyrics and jacket photos that were lost in the album's conversion to CD in the mid-'80s. The new disc finds the album remastered once again. The tracks on the second disc are also sonically restored.
New artwork is being added, as are essays by reggae historian David Katz, the film's director/co-writer Perry Henzell, Island founder and reggae icon Chris Blackwell and Clash bassist Paul Simonon.
Elvis' '2nd' to Complement Hits Collection
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Having celebrated Elvis Presley's career with the 2003 release of "ELV1S 30 #1 Hits," RCA/BMG has set an Oct. 7 release date for a companion hits collection, "Elvis 2nd to None."
The compilation will boast a host of additional No. 1 singles alongside other classic Presley tunes and a new remix.
Renowned DJ Paul Oakenfold has remixed the lesser-known Presley b-side "Rubberneckin"' for the album, following in the footsteps of Junkie XL, whose remix of "A Little Less Conversation" was the lead single for the "30 #1 Hits" release.
"Elvis 2nd to None" will include 30 tracks in all, mixed and mastered from the original master tapes. Among the other cuts set for inclusion are "That's All Right," "Viva Las Vegas," "Blue Suede Shoes," "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You," "Always on My Mind" and "Don't Cry Daddy."
"ELV1S 30 #1 Hits" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and has sold 2.9 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. The disc, which was accompanied in the U.S. by a national TV special and a DVD audio release, shipped more than 9 million copies worldwide, according to BMG.
BMG Heritage will on Tuesday release the four-disc box set "Elvis: Close Up," which is full of unreleased material ranging from stereo master tapes and film music to a complete concert recorded April 18, 1972, in San Antonio.