Bullet Time

On October 14th Warner Home Video will release The Matrix Reloaded!

This two-disc set includes a 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, English 5.1 and 2.0 and French 5.1 Dolby Digital surround tracks, English, French and Spanish subtitles, plus four new featurettes: "Preload" (go behind the scenes with the cast and crew), "Freeway Chase" (anatomy of the mind-blowing scene), "The Matrix Unfolds" (a look at the Matrix phenomenon) and "Enter the Matrix" (making of the groundbreaking video game), a look at "What is the Animatrix?", the "Get Me an Exit" still gallery with Matrix-inspired design advertising and the MTV Movie Awards "Reloaded" skit.

There will also be weblinks to the official Matrix online portal, but no other ROM features yet announced...stay tuned!

A Digital Christmas

The Griswolds are getting a special holiday edition on October 7th. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation will feature a new anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 2.0 surround track, an audio commentary with director and the cast including Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo, and the trailer.

Retail is just right for a stocking stuffer...only $19.95.

'American Idol 3' Sets First Audition Dates

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - FOX is getting an early start in searching for the next "American Idol."

Although the show isn't scheduled to return to the air in 2004, auditions for the third edition of the talent search will begin in August. "American Idol" scouts will set up shop in Los Angeles, Houston, Atlanta and New York to see what will most likely be thousands of would-be Kelly Clarksons, Ruben Studdards and Clay Aikens.

Tentative dates for the auditions are as follows:

* Los Angeles, date TBA
* Houston, Wednesday, Aug. 13
* Atlanta, Wednesday, Aug. 20
* New York, Monday, Aug. 25

Venues for each city will be announced later. Other audition cities may also be added at a later time. The show's web site, idolonfox.com, will carry updates on the audition process.

About 50,000 people flocked to seven cities last fall to try out for the second "American Idol." When the show ended in May, Studdard was the last man standing, narrowly beating Aiken to claim the title of American Idol. Both singers have since seen their debut singles hit the top of the Billboard charts; full-length albums from Studdard and Aiken are due later this year.

Linkin Park Explains Rejecting Download Of Single Tracks

Linkin Park, whose Meteora is one of the biggest selling rock albums of 2003, has joined the likes of Kid Rock, Metallica, and Green Day in nixing Internet sales and downloads of individual album tracks. The bands only want their full albums available for sale via Internet download.

Linkin Park singer Chester Bennington told LAUNCH that the band still wants fans to get the music via the Internet, but he said it has to be done in a way that works for fans and the bands. "We're all going to have to adjust,” says Bennington. “You know what I'm saying? Eventually everything is going to be purchased online. It's just a matter of how you're going to do it. You know? Do you sell albums by track or do you sell albums to download for one cost when you go in to download the music? Who knows? It's not up to me, it's up to the people to figure out the way they want to do it, and to do it in a way that's not going to destroy the bands that they love."

Bennington added that Linkin Park and the others think that downloading the album may be the better way to go, but they don't want to endorse or climb aboard a system that isn't proven. "Bands like us that have commercial success by selling records are in a different place than the bands that are in a lower playing field, so it's hard for us to really understand from our point of view,” Bennington says. “But we do understand that there's an issue there, and until everybody kind of figures it out and there's more education on how to fix it, we're not really going to run around and preach anything that we don't know is going to work for certain."

Linkin Park isn't afraid of the Internet. In fact, before the band got signed to Warner Brothers, they used technology to allow fans to download free MP3s, and used their website to assemble street teams to build a loyal core audience around the United States.

Linkin Park's Meteora, is still holding strong at Number 15 on the Billboard 200 album chart. The band has released its second single from the effort, "Faint," which follows in the footsteps of "Somewhere I Belong."

AWARDS ARE NOT ENOUGH

James Bond star Pierce Brosnan bestowed an honorary Order of the British Empire award by Queen Elizabeth for his outstanding contributions to drama and the British film industry.

Woo Hoo!

After today, and not including the original Star Wars Trilogy, the only film I want on DVD that has yet to come out is QUICK CHANGE.

That's after today because ONE, TWO, THREE comes out today!

AWESOME, baby! AWESOME!!!

One, Two, Three - Berlin 1961; weeks before "The Wall" was built. The contrast between East & West was never portrayed in a more black/white comparison. James Cagney is the ultimate "Capitalist"; Horst Buchholz the 110% "Communist". Add a beautiful 17-year old Southern Belle Executive's Daughter, Cagney's super sexy "bilingual" blond secretary, and an international cast of comedic actors, along with several "international incidents", and you have one of the best comedies Hollywood has ever produced! This movie is in my personal all-time top 20!

Here's what else is coming out today, Tuesday, July 15th, 2003:

Shanghai Knights - Buddies go from Wild West to Old London in next adventure. (Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson, Aidan Gillen)

Gods And Generals - Story of Confederate Gen. Stonewall Jackson in Civil War. (Jeff Daniels, Robert Duvall, Chris Conner)

Laurel Canyon - Conservative Harvard grad clashes with free spirit mom. (Frances McDormand, Kate Beckinsale, Christian Bale)

Pinocchio - Classic tale of a wooden puppet who longs to become a boy. (Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi, Carlo Ciuffre)

Friends: The Complete Fourth Season - The complete fourth season of the TV series Friends. (David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Matt Leblanc)

M*A*S*H: Season Four Collector's Edition - The complete fourth season of the TV series M*A*S*H. (Alan Alda, Wayne Rogers, Mike Farrell)

Schwarzenegger to Decide Soon on California Race

BERLIN (Reuters) - Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger said on Monday he would decide within the next month whether to run for California governor.

Speaking to journalists in Berlin ahead of the European premiere of his latest film, "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," the Austrian-born actor said his decision would depend on the political developments in his home state.

When asked about his political ambitions, Schwarzenegger, 55, said: "I can tell you that within the next month.

"But at the same time, something else could develop -- that's up to California. How that develops, if there will be a recall or not a recall and all those kind of things."

Republicans in California are leading a movement to remove the U.S. state's Democratic governor Gray Davis in a recall election. The organizers say they have collected signatures to force a vote in the autumn.

Schwarzenegger, who has eyed a political career on and off for years, has until recently insisted he was not thinking about running for governor. He has, however, said he is capable of leading and putting things in order.

'The Sopranos' Returns to Crowded Emmy Race

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Sopranos" are back as favorites to grab a piece of the action in this year's Emmy Awards, muscling in on a crowded field of TV politicians, cops, undertakers and spies vying for nominations for television's highest honors.

The critically acclaimed HBO mob drama, which sat out the 2002 Emmys due to a production hiatus but returned to the running with fresh episodes last season, is widely seen as a major contender for best drama and other categories when nominees are announced on Thursday.

"The Sopranos" has been nominated three times before as best drama, but the big prize has thus far eluded the show.

Other front-runners for a bid in the drama contest are NBC's three-time winner "The West Wing," Fox's breakout espionage thriller "24," perennial NBC nominee "Law & Order" and the HBO funereal family soap opera "Six Feet Under," which was last year's most nominated show.

But any of those series could be bumped out of the competition by the CBS hit "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," television's highest-rated drama, or HBO's gritty freshman series about Baltimore's inner-city drug scene, "The Wire."

Two other critically favored newcomers are likewise considered longshots in the drama competition -- the CBS missing-persons tale "Without a Trace" and NBC's crime series "Boomtown.

In the race for best comedy, the slate of nominees will probably bear a striking resemblance to 2002's contenders, including last year's winner, the NBC smash hit "Friends," and HBO's "Sex and the City," the 2001 comedy winner poised for its fifth consecutive nomination in that category.

'LAW & ORDER' SET TO BREAK RECORD

"Law & Order" stands to earn a best-drama bid for a record 12th straight year, surpassing "M*A*S*H" and "Cheers" for the most consecutive nominations for outstanding series by either a drama or comedy. Those three shows are currently tied at 11 consecutive nods each.

Awards pundit Tom O'Neil, host of the showbiz awards Web site GoldDerby.com and author of the book "The Emmys," said "Law & Order" has a special advantage by virtue of its longevity.

"I'll bet more than a quarter of the people voting on the Emmys probably have worked on 'Law & Order' in one way or another, and they have a very strong emotional attachment to the show," he said. "Remember, this is the industry voting on itself."

ABC's spy adventure "Alias" and the FX cable channel's cop show "The Shield," which earned its star, Michael Chiklis, an Emmy last year, also are expected to pick up nominations, primarily in the acting, directing, writing and crafts categories, according to GoldDerby predictions.

The Fox drama "24," starring Kiefer Sutherland, is tipped by some critics to emerge as this year's Emmy nominations darling, much the way "Six Feet Under" was in 2002.

In the performance categories, O'Neil said he considered two-time winner Edie Falco a shoo-in for a best actress nod again for her role as a mobster's wife on "The Sopranos" (it would be her fourth consecutive nomination).

He also said two dark horse candidates were likely to make a splash in this year's acting nominations -- Treat Williams for his role as a widower on the WB's "Everwood," and Tony Shalhoub, for his portrayal of an obsessive-compulsive detective on the USA Network comedy "Monk."

The 55th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be presented Sept. 21 during a Fox telecast from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.