Fans line up outside T.O. Stones show
TORONTO (CP) -- Lying on a patch of dried grass just outside Downsview Park, a tired-looking Haley Rose is gearing up for the massive Rolling Stones concert Wednesday.
The 20-year-old university student and two friends drove to the concert venue some 260 kilometres from Kingston, Ont., to find themselves first in line Monday evening for the big show.
But they weren't alone for long. Twenty-four hours before the all-day music festival was to begin, other fans were also in a queue waiting to enter the 320-hectare field that will host the spectacle.
By noon Tuesday, about two dozen people were camped outside one of three gates, some draped in Canadian flags, others in Stones T-shirts.
For Rose, the event is much bigger than an economic recovery project for Toronto in the aftermath of a SARS outbreak that hit the city in March.
"Nothing can beat Woodstock but this will be close," she said. "We planned our trip the second tickets went on sale. I saw the Stones in October and they were awesome. I want to see them again."
For others the inconvenience and stress of sleeping outdoors without any camping gear except blankets (in accordance with concert rules and regulations) is worth the chance of seeing their idols up close.
"It's a big band. I don't want to be in the back and have to watch screens. That's not why I came," said Erin Emms, from Orillia, Ont., who was ninth in line after arriving at 7 a.m. Tuesday.
Inside Downsview Park, a large sign emblazoned with the word Toronto in giant red letters hung over the concert stage, the middle "o" replaced with a picture of the Stones' trademark tongue logo. An enormous Canadian flag was draped across the back wall of the stage.
The Rolling Stones' production director said the band was looking forward to the show, which he promised would be monumental.
"This is a huge undertaking," Jake Berry said at a sunny outdoors news conference in front of the stage, where construction crews were busy with last minute details. "We're going to be the size of Woodstock."
However, Woodstock was planned in a year, he noted.
"We just call this Woodstock in a month here," he joked. "This is going to be superb. It's the biggest rock show in the world."
Further down the way, crews were busy setting up barbecue stations. Signs reading "Sticky Fingers," and "Award winning baby back ribs" adorned the section dubbed the Quarter Mile BBQ.
Chefs from as far away as Florida will be selling all Canadian beef products including things like steak on a bun.
"We're just trying to do a good job with beef," said Larry Murphy, from Alabama who will be serving beef all day Wednesday.
Up to 450,000 people were expected to attend the concert, which begins at noon Wednesday and is aimed at boosting Toronto's economy.
Nine video screens and 36 sound delay towers will ensure all attendees, including 45,000 U.S. ticket holders, can watch and hear the concert, said Berry.
The headline act Rolling Stones arrived in Toronto on Monday night to a welcoming party of about 100 fans waiting outside the Four Seasons hotel downtown.
The band will be playing a 90-minute set to close out the show, which begins at noon. Other acts include Justin Timberlake, AC/DC, the Guess Who, Flaming Lips and Isley Brothers.
Among the dignitaries taking part in the revelry: Premiers Ralph Klein of Alberta, Gary Doer of Manitoba, Lorne Calvert of Saskatchewan and Ernie Eves of Ontario, federal Health Minister Anne McLellan, federal Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief and Liberal leadership hopeful Paul Martin.
Prime Minister Jean Chretien wasn't scheduled to attend although some organizers said he may make a surprise appearance.
THE 'GIGLI' IS UP
By RUSSELL SCOTT SMITH
'I was shocked," says "Good Morning America'''s Joel Siegel. "It's very bad storytelling."
"It's horrible," moans Roger Friedman of Foxnews.com. "The worst movie ever made."
And those two made it to the end of Monday night's screening of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's ultra-hyped "Gigli." More than one person walked out.
The buzz on Ben and Jen's first movie is so bad - think Madonna's "Swept Away" - Revolution Studios even had trouble filling the L.A. premiere, giving seats usually reserved for stars to the fans waiting outside.
"It's definitely not a fastball down the middle," Revolution partner Tom Sherak admitted to The Post. "It's a curve ball."
So how to get people to see it?
"I think that our main point was always Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez," says Sherak.
Thus the trailers, the poster and endless promotion, which all have presented the movie as a gooey romantic comedy.
Turns out "Gigli" also contains stomach-churning violence and lots of gratuitous vulgarity. ("I counted Ben saying the F-word 15 times in the first 10 minutes!" Friedman says. )
Just so you know what you're getting yourself into, here's Pulse's guide to everything else you should know about "Gigli" that producers have been afraid to tell you.
1 - It's pronounced "jee-lee."
Not "giggly" or "jiggly," despite what you might think of J.Lo's backside. Revolution considered calling it "Tough Love," but went back to "Gigli," the last name of Affleck's character.
"We knew people would make fun of it," Sherak says, "but we decided that would be a good thing because it would get people talking.
"Of course, you can make yourself believe anything in this business."
2 - Yep, she's gay (Not that there's anything wrong with that).
You'd never know it from the trailer, in which J.Lo tells Ben, "You're not my type."
But her character is in fact a lesbian - at least at the beginning of the movie. Later, she changes her mind and beds down with Ben (who pulled off the same feat in 1997's "Chasing Amy").
3 - Al Pacino's role is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo.
Despite appearing in TV ads for "Gigli," Pacino is only on screen for about five minutes - a cameo he reportedly did as a favor to director Martin Brest, who directed his Oscar-winning role in 1992's "Scent of a Woman."
Even Christopher Walken - whom one critic dubs "the patron saint of bad movies" - shows up, delivering a rare bright spot, judging by the applause at Monday's screening.
4 - Yes, they airbrushed the poster.
The New York Post's Page Six report that the "Gigli" poster has been tinkered with to make J.Lo's butt look smaller and her breasts bigger wasn't entirely wrong.
"We didn't shrink her butt," says Sherak. "But in the original shot, her arm was alongside her body, blocking her curves. She didn't want people to think we were covering her up, so we manipulated it so her arm was on his shoulder."
5 - What chemistry?
Affleck and Lopez allegedly fell in love while making "Gigli" - but any on-screen proof is dampened by clunky dialogue.
Monday's audience burst into laughter during the seduction scene, when J.Lo spreads her legs for Ben and says, "It's turkey time. Gobble-gobble."
Brest and the studio decided to emphasize the romance, after test audiences didn't like the film's ending, in which (spoiler alert: don't read the rest of this paragraph) Ben's character died in a hail of bullets.
6 - It's finally here!
"Gigli" was supposed to open earlier this summer, but Revolution bumped it so the couple would have more time to publicize it - which they've certainly been making the most of.
The release was then moved again, from Wednesday to Friday, out of fear of bad reviews.
"We knew some people would like the movie and some wouldn't," Sherak admits.
Asked whether he likes "Gigli," Sherak launches into a long answer about what "nice people" the stars are. "I like watching them banter on screen," he says, "because I'm looking at two people I know and like so much."
But what about the movie?
"Well," he says, "I can't think of a single movie that I liked all the way through, can you?"
With reporting by Paula Froelich
"Nemo" Sinks Simba as Top 'Toon
Something fishy's going on at the box office.
It's only been nine weeks since audiences first found Finding Nemo, but already the Disney-Pixar joint has officially hooked the title of the highest-grossing 'toon of all time from Disney's The Lion King, according to box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.
The spunky G-rated underwater adventure reeled in $4.39 million over the weekend, bringing its total North American take to $313.1 million, surpassing The Lion King's $312.9 million in domestic ticket sales generated when that film was released in 1994.
"I don't think anyone expected this to happen, since The Lion King has held this distinction for so long and deservedly so," says Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations. "It's a milestone."
And what's extraordinary is how much faster Nemo managed to reach those numbers, especially considering its stars--Albert Brooks, Willem Dafoe, Ellen DeGeneres and Allison Janney--are hardly marquee types.
"It's the coolest G-rated movie ever," added Dergarabedian. "This is a movie everybody can get behind and is appropriate for all audiences. Any audience can see this movie...[and] it's benefiting from a year where people are looking for some quality films."
Swimming into theaters May 30, the computer-animated fish flick netted $70 million its opening weekend, the best ever debut for a 'toon. Nemo's been packing 'em in like sardines and drowning rivals ever since.
Just look at what the little clown fish and pals did to DreamWorks' Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.
Despite featuring the vocal talent of Brad Pitt, Michelle Pfeiffer and Catherine Zeta-Jones, the sailor 'toon grossed a paltry $6.9 million after opening over the July 4 holiday, but failed to come anywhere close to Nemo's $11 million catch that weekend.
"We're just thrilled," Disney Studios Chairman Dick Cook tells the Los Angeles Times. "It's going to be the biggest animated movie of all time, not only domestically but around the world."
The Lion King took more than six months after its June '94 premiere to reach its tally. Simba & Co's initial run lasted three and a half months and a gross of $267 million. But it didn't actually hit the $312.9 million mark until Disney decided to rerelease the African-set tale for a second 17-week run the following November.
That tally also excludes the additional $16 million made when the Mouse House released an Imax version of The Lion King last Christmas (counting those numbers, Simba technically retains his box-office crown with $328 million in the bank). The numbers also don't take into consideration the price of tickets, which have gone up considerably since The Lion King lorded over theaters.
But no matter, says Dergarabedian, who notes that while "Lion King has probably sold more tickets, Nemo is still playing and far from done, so we don't know what it's ultimately going to do in terms of box office."
Every one of the Disney-Pixar collaborations—Toy Story, Toy Story 2, A Bug's Life and Monster's Inc.--have opened at number one and toppped $100 million in domestic ticket sales, an impressive track record.
With its can't-miss reputation, Pixar is currently seeking a bigger slice of profits from Disney now that the two companies are renegotiating their existing deal. Under that agreement, the two companies share marketing and production costs and split profits 50-50. However, the Mouse House ends up taking home substantially more because Pixar pays a 12.5 percent distribution fee. Disney also gets extra revenue for marketing and distributing VHS and DVD versions of the 'toons.
Pixar Chairman Steve Jobs is looking to strike a new deal that would give his company ownership of all its films while paying a distribution fee of less than 10 percent to Disney. Such a move has been similarly compared to the handsome contract George Lucas struck with 20th Century Fox over the new Star Wars movies.
Under its agreement with Disney, Pixar has two more 'toons in the pipeline--The Incredibles, due out in 2004, and Cars, scheduled for release in 2005.
TORONTO SARS CONCERT ORDER OF PERFORMERS
1:30 p.m.
* Jim Belushi, Dan Aykroyd and Have Love Will Travel Revue
* Sam Roberts
* Kathleen Edwards
* La Chicane
* Tea Party
* The Flaming Lips
* Sass Jordan with Jeff Healey
* The Isley Brothers
* Blue Rodeo
5:45 p.m.
* Belushi-Aykroyd and Have Love Will Travel Revue
* Justin Timberlake
* The Guess Who
* Rush
* AC/DC
* Rolling Stones
Angels Forever?
They came, they saw, they didn't quite conquer. Failing to heat up the summer box office, Charlie's Angels Full Throttle will get another chance to rake in the cash on October 14th, when Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment releases the hyperkinetic sequel in separate PG-13 rated and Unrated versions. Each retails for $27.95, and here's a teaser of what to expect on the unrated version: 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, additional footage, a "telestrator" video commentary by director McG including a play-by-play dissection of scenes, multiple featurettes, a "Cameo-Graphy" to test viewers' knowledge of celebrity appearances and Pink's music video for "Feel Good Time." Watch for the full details in the weeks ahead.
Bond Is Back!
It may have taken a little while, but MGM Home Entertainment is finally set to re-release the Bond Collection 2 and Bond Collection 3 box sets on November 18th. Collection 1 is already available, and these remaining two sets will include the same special editions previously issued, even down to the cover art.
Collection 2 includes Diamonds Are Forever, For Your Eyes Only, From Russia with Love, THe Living Daylights, The World is Not Enough and You Only Live Twice. Collection 3 includes Die Another Day, Live and Let Die, Octopussy, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Thunderball and A View to a Kill. Each box retails for $124.95, while the individual titles have been newly repriced at $19.95 a pop. And - yep - after January 19th, Bond will go on moratorium yet again, so get 'em while you can. (Although word on the street is to expect newly remastered versions of all the flicks, most likely starting in 2005.)
Drunk Admits Driving on '20 Beers at Most'
BERLIN (Reuters) - An inebriated German driver's honesty cost him his license after he told police he had drunk "20 beers at most," authorities said Monday.
During a routine traffic check in the western city of Essen, police asked if the 25-year-old man had drunk anything. He answered: "Twenty beers at most if you want me to be perfectly honest, officer. But that's it, really."
Police carried out a breath test, confirming the man's claims, and confiscated his license. "I've no idea why he told them," said Raymund Sandach, a spokesman for Essen police. "Maybe because he was drunk."
Showbiz Auction Eyes $150,000 for Superman Suit
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When Superman donned his red cape in the 1950s, he ran faster than a speeding bullet and was able to leap tall buildings with a single bound, but not even he could have known that his S-emblazoned outfit might fetch $150,000 at auction.
Los Angeles-based Profiles in History opens the bidding in an auction of Hollywood memorabilia on Thursday with some 360 items for sale from the Superman costume George Reeves wore in the 1950s TV show of the same name to the gloves Arnold Schwarzenegger used in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day."
While the auction features mostly items from science fiction movies and television shows, one piece up for grabs is Mel Brooks' first writing screenplay of the 1968 film "The Producers," an adaptation of which is now a hit stage play. It is expected to fetch between $8,000 and $10,000.
The Superman costume is the auction's centerpiece because it is one of only two authentic George Reeves Superman suits known to exist, said Profiles' Chief Executive Joseph Maddalena.
"I can't think of a more important TV show costume," said Maddalena, adding he expects the auction to bring in around $1 million in total with the costume going for about $150,000.
Maddalena said collecting show business material has become increasingly popular because it is more affordable than antiques and fine art.
Collecting goes in waves and currently Hollywood's sci-fi material is hot, he said. Last year, Profiles auctioned Captain Kirk's Command Chair from the "Star Trek" TV series for $306,000.
Authenticating pieces is made easier by the fact that many people who made or wore them are living. "The industry kind of polices me, and I work within the industry. If the material wasn't real, they would hang me," he said.
Or perhaps they would send Superman to do the job.
Bids can be made in person at Profiles in History's Beverly Hills office or online at eBay live auctions.
Schwarzenegger Close to Pulling Out of California Race
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger, citing concerns about his family, is moving close to announcing that he will not run for California governor in a special October election, an aide said on Tuesday.
"There are still several things he needs to do to close the book on this, but that's the direction he is headed in right now," an aide, who asked not to be named, said.
"For all I know George Bush Sr., Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford could all call and say 'hey, we need you,' but I don't think a scenario is likely that would push him toward running."
Meanwhile, a federal judge in San Diego struck down a portion of the law for the Oct. 7 recall as unconstitutional but his ruling neither delays nor stops the two-part vote.
In the unprecedented election, Californians vote on whether to unseat Democratic Governor Gray Davis, who is unpopular for his handling of the state's record budget deficit.
After voting "yes" or "no" on the recall, voters could then go on to pick a replacement candidate. Under the ruling by San Diego Federal Court Judge Barry Moskowitz voters who declined to cast a ballot on the recall section of the ballot can also vote on a successor to Davis. The portion of the law that Moskowitz struck down had barred voters from voting on a successor if they had not participated in the recall vote.
Schwarzenegger, the former Mr. Universe turned Hollywood heavyweight, had initially suggested he would run as a Republican. Analysts said his name recognition and personal wealth gave him a strong shot at the job in a state where actor Ronald Reagan got his start in politics as governor.
FAMILY CONCERNS
Schwarzenegger's aide said the actor's wife, television news personality Maria Shriver, a niece of former President John F. Kennedy and a member of the nation's most prominent Democratic family, was against a run.
"She has concerns about their young children and the quality of life they would have by a father who would be engaged 20 hours a day in state government," he said.
"Now they are between five and 14, it's a time when you don't get those days back and it's a time when kids really need to be with their parents, and that's where I think she comes down."
The aide said Schwarzenegger, the star of the "Terminator" films, would make an announcement as early as this week.
Politicians have often cited family as the reason to leave the political stage -- for at least a while. Prior to the 1992 election, Al Gore said he would not run for president for family reasons, but when Bill Clinton asked him to run as his vice president, he had a change of heart.
Some analysts have said Schwarzenegger may also be wary of exposing himself to campaign attacks on his personal life.
A Schwarzenegger withdrawal from the race could open the way for former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordan, a moderate Republican who said he would not challenge the actor.
Also on Tuesday, multi-millionaire Republican Bill Simon Jr., who ran against Davis and lost in November, filed papers with the Board of Elections in preparation of trying once again. He said he had assembled his political team and was prepared to spend from his personal fortune to unseat Davis, a long-term veteran of California politics.
American Wedding Cake, Yes, but No More 'Pie'
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The pie is gone, and in its place is a humble, albeit small, serving of maturity and wedding cake for dessert.
Movie "American Wedding," the third and final chapter -- its backers say -- in the wildly successful series of raunchy, male coming-of-age comedies that started with 1999's "American Pie," debuts in theaters on Friday.
But there will be no "American Baby" after Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) tie the knot in "Wedding." Nor will there be an "American Divorce," the movie's makers said in recent interviews.
"All the characters have gone from A-to-B. There is no more journey for them to take." said series creator and writer Adam Herz, 30. "We've watched them grow from kids to adults."
Even Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott), the oversexed troublemaker among the group of 20-something friends -- Jim, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Finch (Eddie Kay Thomas) -- does a little growing up in "American Wedding."
When the first "Pie" hit theaters, it was in the vanguard of then-popular "gross-out" comedies. Several scenes pushed the boundaries of good taste including one in which Jim, a virgin, uses his mother's homemade pie as a sexual aid.
But in the end, "Pie" served up a rather sweet message about high schoolers losing their virginity, and the storytelling helped boost its U.S. and Canadian ticket sales to $101 million and made it a hit.
In 2001, "Pie 2" had the friends on college summer break and primed for a raunchy sex romp. While it raked in $145 million in ticket sales, "Pie 2" won only mixed reviews.
Herz said the storyteller in him was not pleased with "Pie 2," so for "Wedding" he went back to what worked in the first film. It wasn't the gross-out humor -- though there is plenty of that in "Wedding" including a running gag about shaving pubic hair -- but rather it was an emotional tale of what people will do for love and for the ones they love.
YOU GOT TO HAVE HEART
"It's more like the first movie," said Biggs, "It's a movie with heart."
Eugene Levy, who plays Jim's geeky yet emotionally available father, called the new movie's recipe "raunchiness underpinned by the sentimentality of the wedding."
As the movie picks up, Jim has decided to pop the big question to Michelle, with whom he finally hooked up at band camp in "Pie 2." She, of course, says "yes" to his proposal.
What follows is a walk down a rather well-worn pathway to the altar. There is the telling of the good news to friends, the meeting of the parents, the choice of a best man and bridesmaid and selection of a wedding dress, a caterer and a chapel -- which is difficult if the groom is Jewish and the bride is not.
But that pathway in a "Pie" movie is anything but well-worn. In this case, the walk includes sex in public places, a bachelors' night out in a gay bar and a war of words and pranks between Stifler and Finch for the affection of Michelle's sister, Cadence (January Jones).
While Jim and Michelle's wedding is the movie's climax, the love triangle between Stifler, Cadence and Finch provides much of the movie's tension. To win Cadence's devotion, Stifler must curb his overactive libido, and by the movie's end he has learned a thing or two about devotion to friends and family.
In fact, much of "American Wedding" is devoted to Stifler growing from a man who behaves like an adolescent to a man who behaves, at least sometimes, like a man.
"He is the last guy to really come of age," said Herz.