Linklater Gets DAZED Again

Paramount has announced that Richard Linklater will write and direct a new film similar in tone to DAZED AND CONFUSED. Whereas DAZED was about a highschool in Texas in the 1970s, the new film will be about a Texas college in the 1980s. Specifically, it will center on the troubles of a freshman who arrives at the school to join the baseball team. The film is expected to begin production in early to mid 2004. Sean Daniel and Jim Jacks of DAZED are producing.

MacFarlane Set for FAMILY GUY Movie

Seth MacFarlane that plans are under way to make a FAMILY GUY movie - unfortunately it's going to be direct to DVD. "It's all come down to the budget right now. We're hashing it out," McFarlane said. "Timeframe, you're probably looking at a year, a year-and-a-half down the line. It will take a while to make. If we could do it within a year it would be very exciting." MacFarlane expects all of the original cast members to return.

Letterman Bids Farewell to Zevon

LOS ANGELES - Singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, who died this week of lung cancer, received a warmhearted and poignant farewell from talk-show host David Letterman.

The star of CBS's "Late Show" spent several minutes of Monday night's broadcast reminiscing about his friendship with Zevon and his admiration for his music. Soon after Zevon announced last year that he was dying, Letterman turned over an entire program for a visit with him, and he showed clips from that show Monday.

Zevon, known for songs including "Werewolves of London" and "Excitable Boy," died Sunday at 56.

"He was a poet and a storyteller and a good friend of ours," Letterman said. "We all knew this was coming, hoping that it wouldn't, but yesterday afternoon in California the inevitable happened. So we're very sad about that."

He noted that Zevon had appeared as a guest on the program and Letterman's old NBC "Late Night" show more than a dozen times and had filled in for bandleader Paul Shaffer nearly two dozen times.

"People are always asking me what do I like about his music," Letterman said.

"It was just thundering and exciting and rhythmic and complicated and unusual rock 'n' roll," he continued. "It was not the kind of rock 'n' roll you would hear much of. And then the lyrics, oh my God, the lyrics were so vivid. Just very evocative and each song that you listened to was like watching a motion picture."

Shaffer and the band played Zevon's songs throughout the show, which ended with Letterman speaking to the camera, saying, "Goodnight, Warren, we'll see ya."

Hitler's Filmmaker Riefenstahl Dies at 101

BERLIN (Reuters) - Adolf Hitler's filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl, the last of Germany's famous Nazi-era figures, has died weeks after turning 101, the mayor of the town where she lived said on Tuesday.

"The registry office has been told of the death of Frau Riefenstahl," Rainer Schnitzler, mayor of Poecking, told Reuters. Riefenstahl had a house near the Starnberger See lake south of Munich.

Earlier, Celia Tremper, a journalist for Bunte magazine who said she has close links with Riefenstahl, said: "Frau Riefenstahl died without pain, she fell asleep in her bed on Monday night."

Riefenstahl, whose films of a Nazi party rally and the 1936 Berlin Olympics brought her prewar fame and postwar notoriety, had been too sick to give interviews or make media appearances in recent months.

Riefenstahl won awards at the Venice and Paris film festivals in the 1930s for her "Triumph of the Will," a documentary highlighting the meticulously choreographed, eerie grandeur of the Nazi Party's 1934 Nuremberg Rally.

She was then commissioned to make the official film of the 1936 Olympics. "Olympia" pioneered techniques such as mounting the camera on electric cars on rails to follow races.

Since the war, those films have haunted her, and she remained a villain to many for declining to apologize for them. Critics have accused her of failing to own up to being associated with the Nazis.

Riefenstahl always denied political involvement with the Nazi party or any romantic link with Hitler, although she admitted admiring him and seeking him out for a meeting in 1932.

New Music Releases For Tuesday, September 9, 2003

* ANDREW W.K. The Wolf (Island)
* DAVID USHER Hallucinations (EMI)
* DMX The Grand Champ (Def Jam)
* FRANK BLACK & THE CATHOLICS Show Me Your Tears (Sonic Unyon)
* HAWKSLEY WORKMAN Lover/Fighter (Universal)
* JANN ARDEN Love Is The Only Soldier (Universal)
* JOE HENRY Tiny Voices (Anti/Epitaph)
* JOHN MAYER Heavier Things (Aware/Columbia)
* SEAL Seal IV (Warner)

Shania nets four CCMAs

CALGARY (CP) -- The Canadian Country Music Awards had a solid dose of Shaniamania on Monday as the sultry songstress won four awards, but fan favourite Terri Clark was named entertainer of the year.

Shania Twain, nominated eight times in seven categories, picked up honours for best female artist, video, album and top-selling international album for Up!

"I really don't feel deserving of this," said the native of Timmins, Ont., who has now collected 23 CCMAs in her career. "I never dreamed that I'd ever be here. It seems so many great things have happened to me over the years, I just want to say thank you."

But Alberta-born Terri Clark provided the most emotion of the night, scoring an upset over Twain for the top entertainer award.

"I can't believe this -- you guys are awesome!" shouted Clark as she jumped up on stage and bowed to the crowd of 7,500 at the Pengrowth Saddledome.

It was the third straight year Clark has won the award, the only one voted on by country music fans. It was the fourth time Clark has won the entertainer's award, tying the record held by k.d. lang.

Clark also captured top single for the spunky I Just Wanna Be Mad, which topped international country charts earlier this year. Clark appeared stunned when her name was announced and the crowd jumped to its feet.

"This song has meant so much to me," said Clark, wiping away tears. "To all the mad women out there, I appreciate this."

Twain, who now lives a Swiss mansion with her producer husband Mutt Lange, paid tribute to the talents of the other nominees.

"There is so much humility in this room tonight -- there don't seem to be any airs and I love it," she said. "There is so much talent here and I'm so proud."

Newcomer Aaron Lines, whose debut single You Can't Hide Beautiful cracked the U.S. top five, won best male artist and the rising star.

"I want to thank Shania for not being up for this award," said Lines of Fort McMurray, Alta.

The SOCAN song of the year went to Rocket Girl, written by Jason McCoy and recorded by Manitoba indie band Doc Walker. The song, which was the last track added to Doc Walker's breakthrough album Curve, was earlier named best independent song.

"This is a big surprise," said McCoy, who wrote the tune after watching the movie October Sky, about a teenager whose love of rockets helps him to escape his coal-mining roots.

Doc Walker was also named top independent group on Sunday when artists not signed to major record labels were honoured. Gil Grand was best independent male artist and Lisa Brokop picked up the female independent award for the second year in a row.

On Sunday, Doc Walker was also named top independent group.

Twain's Up, which has sold more than a million copies in Canada alone, has been an international sensation. It was the first album in five years for Twain, who retreated from the limelight to have a baby after the phenomenal success of Come On Over, which sold 35 million copies worldwide.

Twain presented a lifetime achievement award to folk legend Sylvia Tyson, noting that her songwriting abilities paved the way for other Canadian women.

"Thank you, Shania, I promise not to kiss you," said Tyson, referring to the open-mouthed liplock between Madonna and Britanny Spears at the recent MTV awards.

Emerson Drive, which has lost several members since its first album scored two Top 5 releases in the United States, was named best group.

Sean Hogan of Sania, Ont., won best roots artist over East Coast heavyweights like Great Big Sea and Jimmy Rankin.

"I'm wearing my good-luck boots, I got married in them," said Hogan. "I guess I should wear them more often."

The Say Hay benefit concerts in Edmonton and Calgary, which raised about $2 million for drought-stricken prairie farmers last fall, were named the country event of the year.

Gil Grand was best independent male artist and Lisa Brokop picked up the female independent award for the second year in a row.

The awards show, hosted by Calgary crooner Paul Brandt, was broadcast on CBC television and on CMT in the United States.

CCMA WINNERS:

Fans' Choice Entertainer: Terri Clark
Single: I Just Wanna Be Mad, Terri Clark
Album of the year: Up, Shania Twain
Song: Rocket Girl (written by Jason McCoy/Denny Carr, recorded by Doc Walker)
Video: I'm Gonna Getcha Good, Shania Twain
Top-selling album: Up, Shania Twain.
Female artist: Shania Twain
Male artist: Aaron Lines
Group or duo: Emerson Drive
Roots artist or group: Sean Hogan
Rising star: Aaron Lines
Independent male artist: Gil Grand
Independent female artist: Lisa Brokop
Independent group or duo: Doc Walker
Independent song: Rocket Girl, Doc Walker (Jason McCoy/Denny Carr)

This Week's New Releases

This week's new releases feature one movie that couldn't find an audience when it played in theatres, even though it has some of Hollywood's biggest stars in it, and some movies that you should avoid unless you like what you read on the box. But remember, you can't judge a movie by it's cover!

Or it's under-cover...

CONFESSIONS OF A DANGEROUS MIND is supposed to be based on the memoirs of game-show creator-host Chuck Barris, the man responsible for The Newlywed Game and The Gong Show.

This movie doesn't only cover Barris's television career, but also his exploits as a government assassin.

Yes, you heard me right. TV Game show guy Chuck Barris claims to have been an assassin for the U.S. Government. In real life that claim is unsubstantiated, but has also not been disproved, so while watching the movie you can believe what you want. I believe him, it made the film more fun!

Sam Rockwell from the upcoming film MATCHSTICK MEN stars as Barris, while a trio of Hollywood's biggest stars, Drew Barrymore, Julia Roberts and George Clooney - who also directed - round out the cast. Plus there are some great cameos that I won't tell you about. I just don't want to ruin the surprise!

There are no surprises in MALIBU'S MOST WANTED, THE CORE or BULLETPROOF MONK. If you like what you read on the box for these films then rent them. But remember, you can't judge a movie by it's cover!

I have to admit that I'm not sure what to tell you about VIEW FROM THE TOP. Gwyneth Paltrow from SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE stars as a young woman who aspires to become a flight attendant in this film that is neither funny, nor dramatic. Even though I've watched it twice I still don't know if it wants to be a comedy or a drama. So I don't know what to tell you. I will say this, if it is supposed to be a comedy, even the comedy of AUSTIN POWERS star Mike Myers didn't make me laugh.

Two of my favourite TV series have DVD box sets now available: The animation series THE FAMILY GUY offers SEASON 3 in a Box Set and Tommy Douglas' grandson Kiefer Sutherland stars in Season Two of 24. With the season debut of 24 set for October 28th, this release gives you penty of time to catch all of the twists and turns on the best drama that is on TV right now.

Coming next week...

Anger Management - A calm man faces anger management with a dysfunctional therapist (Adam Sandler, Jack Nicholson, Marisa Tomei)

Confidence - A con man must pull off a scam for the mob. (Edwards Burns, Rachel Weisz, Andy Garcia, Dustin Hoffman).

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you on the couch!

Sammy Hagar Says There Is No Van Halen Right Now

Former Van Halen vocalist Sammy Hagar told Goldminemagazine that at this point in time, "there is not a Van Halen." He said that bassist Michael Anthony has had no contact with guitarist Eddie Van Halen or drummer Alex Van Halen for a year, and that Eddie himself "hasn't played music for I don't know how long." While he says that the Van Halen brothers are both still capable of putting together a great musical project, Hagar added that, "If there's no Sammy, no Mike, or no David Lee Roth...that is not Van Halen."

Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, responding to a fan question on his band's
official website, toto99.com, wrote that Van Halen has "an amazing record in
the can and...are still looking for THE lead singer." Asked if he would
consider taking the job, Lukather added, "I don't think I am the right guy,
nor would I want the media heat and hate that would come my way."

Polanski Finally Gets His Oscar

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Nearly six months after winning the best director
Oscar for "The Pianist," Roman Polanski was finally able to hold the statue
this weekend.

Harrison Ford, who starred in Polanski's 1988 movie "Frantic," physically
handed the prize to his friend on Sunday (Sept 7) at the Deauville film
festival. It was Ford who presented the award at the March 23 telecast of
the Oscars in Los Angeles earlier this year.

If the "Chinatown" and "Rosemary's Baby" director enters the US, he faces
arrest. In 1977 Polanski pleaded guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old
girl and was charged with rape and five other felonies.

Don't Expect Python Reunion, Cleese Says

LOS ANGELES - Don't expect to see a reunion of the surviving Monty Python comedians any time soon.

It's not that they hate each other said John Cleese. It's just that they've all become too busy with other projects to work together.

"It is absolutely impossible to get even a majority of us together in a room, and I'm not joking," Cleese said. "It just happens very, very seldom — every three years or something."

The closest they have come since 1999, when they celebrated the comedy group's 30th anniversary on a BBC reunion special, is working together on new sketches for the extra features on the recent DVD release of their 1983 film, "The Meaning of Life."

And even that was done remotely, for the most part.

Cleese, who lives in Santa Barbara, said Michael Palin, who has worked on several acclaimed travel documentaries, was in the Himalayas; American Terry Gilliam, the group's animator and director of "The Fisher King," was in Prague; Terry Jones was "God-knows-where" developing a British history documentary; and Eric Idle was in Canada awaiting the start of a movie that eventually fell through. Graham Chapman died in 1989.

"We stay in contact vaguely because there are often little things to discuss, but I don't think we've been in a room together for four years," Cleese said.

Sometimes their failure to get together has resulted in hard feelings.

"We had all sort of thoughts about doing a final stage tour," Cleese said. "And then Michael, who is painfully nice, who finds it impossible to say `No,' finally summoned up the courage to say `No,' at which point Eric became very cross about it."

"The Meaning of Life" DVD came out Sept. 2, and Cleese said he will watch it for the first time in many years — eventually.

"Sometimes I think people think in our old age we sit around watching our work, and we really don't," the 63-year-old said.

"I'm looking forward to, in the last week before I die — as I lie there in my bed, surrounded by my adoring family, all of them holding out checks for me to sign — I shall in those twilight hours start watching all my old programs again," he said, laughing.

Disney to Test Self-Destructing DVDs This Week

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If Walt Disney Co. gets its wish, an experimental type of DVD will begin flying off store shelves on Tuesday -- and self-destructing 48 hours later.

Disney movies on disposable DVDs are set to arrive in convenience stores, pharmacies and other outlets in a four-city test of whether Americans will pick up a limited-life DVD rather than dropping by a video rental store.

The red DVDs turn an unreadable black 48 hours after their packages are opened, exposing them to oxygen which reacts with the disc in a process similar to how Polaroid film develops.

The DVDs, which are being distributed by Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Disney's home video unit, will carry a suggested price of $6.99.

Some retailers are expected to sell them for as little as about $5 said Alan Blaustein, Chief Executive of Flexplay, which owns the self-destruct technology.

The advantage to the disposable DVD format -- known as EZ-D -- is that such discs can be sold anywhere and never need to be returned, potentially making any retailer a competitor with Blockbuster Inc.

"It should be 'aisle two, bread, aisle 4, EZ-D,"' said Flexplay's Blaustein, who predicted families would continue to rent videos and start buying the disposable DVDs as well.

The plan has stirred some criticism from environmentalists such as the Alliance for Safe Alternatives, which is asking callers to phone Disney and tell them to scrap the plan which they say will add needless waste to America's landfills.

The plan offers some recycling -- though not in-store -- and consumers will eventually be able to get a new disc in return for six used ones, the companies said.

Although the disposable DVD format does not make it harder for digital pirates to make illegal copies, Blaustein said by making DVDs cheaper the effort would also undercut the incentive to make such bootleg copies.

Music Firms Sue 261 Online Song Swappers

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A recording-industry trade group said on Monday it had sued 261 individuals for distributing hundreds of thousands of songs over the Internet without permission, and said many more suits are on the way.

The Recording Industry Association of America said it filed copyright-infringement suits in U.S. courts across the country, marking the first time the group has taken legal action against the millions of Internet users who copy music directly from each others' hard drives.

Until now, the trade group has focused its courtroom efforts on Kazaa and other "peer to peer" networks that enable such activity, which the industry blames for a decline in CD sales.

"Nobody likes playing the heavy and having to resort to litigation, but when your product is being regularly stolen there comes a time when you have to take appropriate action," RIAA President Cary Sherman said.

Those facing the lawsuits had opened up their hard drives to other users, making an average of more than 1,000 copyrighted songs available to others over peer-to-peer networks, Sherman said. Users who simply copied songs and did not share their own music collections were not targeted, he said.

One suit filed in New York includes computer "screen shots," which show a Kazaa user with the nickname "touchofcream" distributing songs by Frank Sinatra and Shania Twain.

"The conduct of Defendant is causing and, unless enjoined and restrained by this Court, will continue to cause Plaintiffs great and irreparable injury that cannot fully be compensated or measured with money," the lawsuit says.

Sherman said the RIAA continues to investigate online song copying and plans to file thousands more lawsuits.

The trade group also unveiled an amnesty program that would remove the threat of prosecution from those who promise to refrain from such activity in the future and erase all copyrighted music they have downloaded. The program will not be available for those who are already being investigated, he said.

SETTLEMENTS LIKELY

Under U.S. copyright law defendants could face penalties of up to $150,000 per song, but few settlements are likely to involve such large sums. The trade group has already settled several cases for around $3,000 each, Sherman said.

"We expect to hear people say, 'Well, it wasn't me, it was my kid.' If they would prefer that the lawsuit be amended to name the kid, we can certainly do that," he said.

The president of peer-to-peer service Grokster, which is fighting a courtroom battle of its own with the industry, said the tactic would only waste money and alienate music fans.

"I feel sort of like the Russians fighting Napoleon," Grokster President Wayne Rosso said, adding that traffic on his network is nearly back to levels it reached before the RIAA announced its intention to sue users in late June.

In addition to Grokster and Kazaa, defendants used the Gnutella, Blubster and iMesh networks, Sherman said. Nearly all had previously received instant-message warnings that the activity was considered illegal, he said.

Musicians' unions, songwriters and Texas Rep. Lamar Smith, who chairs an intellectual-property subcommittee, praised the RIAA's move.

Gigi Sohn, who as executive director of the Washington-based nonprofit Public Knowledge frequently clashes with the industry on copyright issues, said she was pleased that lawsuits were only filed against the most blatant violators. But the amnesty program could actually put Internet users at risk because it would not prevent lawsuits from music publishers or other copyright holders, she said, and legal, industry-sanctioned services do not yet provide a compelling alternative.

Separately on Monday, two industry-authorized music services reported strong business. Apple Computer Inc. said it had sold 10 million songs through its iTunes service since it launched in April, while RealNetworks Inc. said traffic on its Rhapsody service had more than doubled during the same period to 16.4 million songs temporarily "streamed" per month.

RIAA members include Vivendi Universal's Universal Music Group; Sony Corp.'s Sony Music; AOL Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Music; Bertelsmann AG's BMG; and EMI Group Plc.

Toymaker Sues Paramount Over 'Dickie Roberts'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wham-O Inc.'s famous outdoor water toy, Slip 'N Slide, figures prominently in Paramount Pictures' newly released film comedy starring David Spade, but the toy maker is not amused.

Wham-O filed suit against the Viacom Inc.-owned studio in federal court on Monday, claiming its trademarked yellow water slide was used in the movie, "Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star," without the company's permission.

The suit also names as a defendant the Happy Madison production company owned by Spade's former "Saturday Night Live" co-star Adam Sandler.

"Dickie Roberts," which opened as the No. 1 film at the U.S. box office over the weekend, stars David Spade as a former child actor-turned-parking valet who tries to rekindle his career by reliving his youth. He goes so far as to pay a suburban family to take him and teach him the ropes of being a "normal kid."

In one key scene that appears in Paramount's trailers for the PG-13 film, Spade's character launches himself belly first across a dry Slip 'N Slide -- not realizing it's supposed to be wet first -- then rolls over with red welts on his chest, crying "Oooooh, it stings." In another scene, Spade lubricates the toy with vegetable oil, then slides into a fence.

"Wham-O is concerned about the depicted misuse of its product in the film and its advertising, particularly the potential for injury to children and even adults who, after viewing the scene, might use the product in the same reckless manner," said Peter Sgromo, marketing director of Wham-O's toy division.

He said the movie "violates all safety guidelines that are clearly marked on the product and the packaging." Those guidelines limit the slide's use to children aged 5 to 12, weighing less than 110 pounds and under 5 feet tall. In addition, the product must be inflated, wet and connected to a hose before being used.

The suit goes on to say that advertising for the film may leave the public with the false impression that Wham-O in some way authorized or sponsored the Slip 'N Slide scenes.

Paramount's vice chairman and chief operating officer defended the film in a brief statement, dismissing Wham-O's claims as "entirely without legal merit."

The trademark infringement suit seeks a court order requiring Paramount to remove the Slip 'N Slide scenes from the film and its trailers. Barring that, Wham-O, whose brands also include the Frisbee and Hula Hoop, wants the film to carry a "don't-try-this-at-home" disclaimer.