A Mighty Daddy Day Care Wind with Holes and The Shape Of Things

This week's new films are split evenly down the line. There are two films
for kids and two for adults.

The first of the kids films stars Eddie Murphy, who used to be the funniest
person in the world. With the exception of SHREK, Murphy's recent films just
haven't been very funny at all. In DADDY DAY CARE Murphy himself doesn't
even seem all that interested in doing this little kiddy comedy. The only
time I personally laughed during the movie was the scene with a kid going to
the bathroom and saying that he "missed".

But, and this is a huge but, BUT I DON'T HAVE ANY KIDS. I suspect that those
with kids will enjoy DADDY DAY CARE immensely.

When Murphy and his buddy get fired from their job, they starts a day care
center for kids. The ending is happy, the characters are happy and the movie
itself seems happy, except for Murphy and except for me. But IF YOU HAVE
KIDS, I suspect that you will thoroughly enjoy DADDY DAY CARE.

And, for the record, I ask that you don't think I can't enjoy family films
just because I don't have any kids of my own. I completely enjoyed HOLES and
I didn't even know it was based on a very popular kids book when I saw it.

In HOLES an innocent teen is sent to a weird detention camp. This is a great
movie for people of all ages! And don't worry about knowing what the movie,
or the book it's based on, are about. Just sit back and enjoy it. Its a
change from the movies that are filled with nothing but killing and bad
language.

There is also no bad language in A MIGHTY WIND, the latest comedy from the
people who made THIS IS SPINAL TAP, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and BEST IN SHOW.
The premise of A MIGHTY WIND is that a trio of folk acts reunite for a
tribute concert. The reality of the movie is wonderful characters and
hilarious dialogue that will leave you laughing hours after the fact. The
cast features SCTV veterans Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara and Christopher
Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. I'm not sure that I can say that
this movie is for everyone as it moves a little slow at times, but if you
enjoyed THIS IS SPINAL TAP, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN or BEST IN SHOW, then you'll
love A MIGHTY WIND.

Without hesitation I can say that not everyone will love THE SHAPE OF
THINGS. In fact, I can say without fear of contradiction that most people
will think it is a vile, despicable little movie. I'll sum up the movie by
describing it as a story of love, seduction and betrayal, but its much more
than that.

I can't recommend THE SHAPE OF THINGS to you, but I also can't tell you not
to watch it. Its something like a cinematic car crash, you won't want to
watch it, but you might not be able to look away.

Consider yourself warned.

COMING NEXT WEEK

2 Fast 2 Furious - Police try to infiltrate the street racing circuit in
Miami. This is the sequel to The Fast And The Furious. (Paul Walker, Tyrese
Gibson, Eva Mendes)

Dreamcatcher - Four childhood friends reunite to save the Earth in this
movie based on a Stephen King book. Oh, this might be the worst movie of
2003. (Morgan Freeman, Jason Lee, Tom Sizemore)

Bend It Like Beckham - A young girl dreams of playing playing professional
soccer, but her parents want her to find a husband. (Keira Knightly,
Parminder Nagra)

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

Hayek Gets Her Coke and Drinks it Too

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) -- Following in the footsteps of another Latin beauty, Penelope Cruz, actress Salma Hayek is lending her talents to the Coca-Cola Co's. new ad campaign.

Directed by big-screen director Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects," "X-Men"), the new advertising spot, "Hollywood Restaurant," was produced in both English and Spanish and will run on national general market and Spanish-language television.

"As someone who is known to be true to herself and her roots, Salma Hayek personifies the spirit of the Coca-Cola Real campaign idea," said Esther Lee, chief creative officer of Coca-Cola North America. "This spot is also reflective of Salma's cross-cultural life as an actress who has made it in Hollywood and, at heart, a Hispanic who embraces the traditions of her Mexican homeland."

Shot on location at the trendy West Hollywood restaurant Koi, Hayek sneaks away from a dinner meeting to the kitchen, where she orders a taco and a Coca-Cola while laughing with the chef and wait staff.

Use of profanity increasing on TV

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Television is cussing up an increasingly blue streak, according to a study of the major broadcast networks.

"During the 2002-2003 season, the broadcast networks attempted to rewrite the book on language standards for television," the Parents Television Council, a watchdog group, said in a report released Monday.

The council said it studied all primetime entertainment series from a two-week period in 1998, 2000 and 2002 and found a jump in profanity on "virtually every network" and in every time slot.

The group called on the TV industry to "get serious about reducing the flood of vulgarity. ... Barring that, the FCC needs to get serious about enforcing broadcast decency laws," the group said of the Federal Communications Commission.

The study examined ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, WB and UPN.

During the so-called "family hour," from 8-9 p.m., foul language increased by 94.8 percent between 1998 and 2002, the study found. It rose by 109 percent during the 9 p.m. hour in the same period.

The smallest increase, 38.7 percent, occurred during the last hour of primetime, 10-11 p.m., when young children are least likely to be in the audience, the council said.

The group noted what it called "minor" improvements.

Foul language in the 8 p.m. hour on Fox fell 25 percent in the study period. But the study found profanity rose 75 percent during the 9 p.m. hour on Fox.

On ABC, offensive language decreased by 17 percent in the study period, mostly because of improvements during the latter two primetime hours. But profanity was up by 61.7 percent during the family hour, the study found.

An ABC spokesman Monday said the network had not seen the report and declined comment. A Fox spokesman declined comment.

In a similar, earlier study, the PTC found that sexual content on TV was less frequent but more explicit.

Dido Still Fond Of Eminem, But Doesn't Keep In Touch

Dido--who's climbing the charts with "White Flag," the first single from her new album Life For Rent--still appreciates the break that Eminem gave her by sampling "Thank You" for his 2001 hit "Stan." But while she continues to have warm feelings for Eminem, Dido told LAUNCH that they don't keep in close touch.

"We weren't really sort of phoning each other on a regular basis in the first place," Dido said. "I saw him, probably, like, a year and a half ago, or something like that. But if he was in the same place. [If] I found out he was in the same hotel, then, you know, I would totally go and say 'Hi,' 'cause apart from anything, I really like--not only did I like him, but I really liked all the people he works with. They were so sweet to me."

Life For Rent, Dido's follow-up to 1999's No Angel, comes out September 30.

Dido plans to kick off an extensive world tour in early 2004. The only appearance on her schedule for this year is October 3 at the FleetCenter in Boston.

Today's New Releases

Some of the world's biggest names release new discs today. I'm looking forward to hearing the Costello, Sting and Nickelback. The Limp Bizkit...not so much, but who knows!

Here are the new CD releases for Tuesday September 23, 2003:

* ELVIS COSTELLO North (Island)
* EMMYLOU HARRIS Stumble Into Grace (Nonesuch/Warner)
* LIMP BIZKIT Results May Vary (Interscope)
* MEAT LOAF Couldn't Have Said It Better (Capitol)
* NICKELBACK The Long Road (EMI)
* REFUSED Refused Are Fucking Dead (DVD) (Burning Heart)
* REFUSED The Shape Of Punk To Come (Burning Heart)
* REFUSED Songs To Fan The Flames Of Discontent (Burning Heart)
* REFUSED This Just Might Be The Truth (Burning Heart)
* REFUSED The E.P. Compilation (Burning Heart)
* RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Want (DreamWorks)
* STING Sacred Love (A&M/Universal)

Pink Gives New Album A 'Try'

Party diva Pink will on Nov. 11 release her third Arista album, "Try This." The set, which features a number of songs co-written with Rancid frontman Tim Armstrong, is the follow-up to her breakthrough album "M!ssundaztood."

Armstrong co-wrote and produced eight tracks on the set, including first single "Trouble," which will be sent to U.S. radio outlets Sept. 29 for airplay consideration. Armstrong also had a hand in "Tonight's the Night," "Save My Life," "Humble Neighborhoods," "Walk Away," "Unwind" and "Oh My God," which features X-rated rapper Peaches.

The album also has three songs -- "Catch Me While I'm Sleeping," "Waiting for Love" and "Try Too Hard" -- which were written or co-written by Linda Perry, Pink's collaborator for most of "M!ssundaztood." Billy Mann wrote and produced "God Is a DJ," while Damon Elliott co-wrote and produced "Love Song."

A video directed by Sophie Muller was recently filmed in Los Angeles and will be the subject of a Sept. 29 MTV "Making the Video" special.

"M!ssundaztood" contained the singles "Get the Party Started," "Just Like a Pill," "Don't Let Me Get Me" and "Family Portrait." It peaked at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 4.9 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Hobbit director to get 20 mln dlrs and star Naomi Watts for "King Kong"

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - "Lord of the Rings" film director Peter Jackson has won a huge 20 million dollar deal to remake "King Kong" and wants Australian actress Naomi Watts as his star, it was reported.

Daily Variety said Universal Studios will pay Jackson, acclaimed for the "Rings" trilogy, the last installment of which is due out in December, 20 million dollars against 20 percent of the movie's gross ticket receipts.

The daily said that news of the almost unprecedented pay-cheque deal has stunned Hollywood studio chiefs who are reportedly fuming about the deal which they fear could set a precedent for other top directors.

Most top Tinseltown film-makers get paid between 10 and 12 million dollars for a major picture, Variety said.

The industry press also said that New Zealander Jackson was eyeing fellow antipodean Naomi Watts for the lead role as the object of the giant ape's desire in the movie scheduled to hit the big screen in 2005.

Variety and Hollywood Reporters said that while no deal had yet been signed for the "Mulholland Drive" and "The Ring" star to take on the role of actress Ann Darrow in the movie, Jackson had made her an offer.

If British-born Watts, 34, is signed for the picture, she would follow in the footsteps of Fay Wray who starred in the original 1933 classic and Jessica Lange, who recreated the role in 1976.

Jackson, 42, who is still completing post production on "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," is expected to start writing the "King Kong" script in November and plans to shoot next summer.

He will be re-teaming up with his "Rings" writers Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens and the movie will be shot in New Zealand, Variety said.

Jackson has wanted to re-make the classic ape epic for years, but only won the go ahead from Universal earlier this year following his global success with the risky 270-million-dollar "Rings" project.

Gordon Jump of 'WKRP' and Maytag Ad Dies

LOS ANGELES - Gordon Jump, who played a befuddled radio station manager on the sitcom "WKRP in Cincinnati" and made his mark in commercials as the lonely Maytag repairman, died Monday. He was 71.
 
Jump suffered from pulmonary fibrosis, said his cousin, Katherine Jump Wagner. The illness causes scarring of the air sacs of the lungs, leading to heart or respiratory failure.

Wagner, of Arcanum, Ohio, said she learned of her cousin's death from her father, also named Gordon Jump. Her cousin was under hospice care at his home southeast of Los Angeles, she said.

Jump played Arthur Carlson in "WKRP in Cincinnati," which aired on CBS from 1978-82 and featured Gary Sandy, Loni Anderson, Tim Reid, Howard Hesseman and Richard Sanders as the ragtag station's crew.

A native of Dayton, Ohio, Jump began his career working at radio and TV stations in the Midwest. He worked behind the microphone and the camera, including jobs as a producer for Kansas and Ohio stations.

Jump portrayed the Maytag repairman "Ol' Lonely," a well-recognized advertising symbol, from 1989 until he retired from the role in July and another actor took over.

"Gordon was an incredibly talented actor and a remarkable human being," said Ralph Hake, chairman and chief executive officer of Maytag Corp.

Jump came to appreciate the attention he got for the ad campaign and the steady work it provided, Wagner said. But his heart was elsewhere professionally.

"What he loved more than anything was doing theater. He was a marvelous actor," she said, recalling a visit to Florida to watch him perform in "Norman, Is That You?"

Jump began his Hollywood career after moving to Los Angeles in 1963, appearing on series including "Daniel Boone," "Get Smart" and "The Partridge Family."

His dramatic roles included a part in the TV movie "Ruby and Oswald," about the assassination of President Kennedy, and "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes."

Jump is survived by his wife, four daughters and a son, Maytag said in a statement. He also had a brother, Wagner said.