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Stones CDs yanked from Cdn. stores
TORONTO -- At least three of the country's largest music retailers pulled Rolling Stones CDs, DVDs, T-shirts and other merchandise off store shelves Tuesday to protest an exclusivity deal with Best Buy and Future Shop.
That means anyone looking to buy Bridges to Babylon or Exile on Main Street at HMV's 100 stores, Music World's 102 or Sunrise Records' 30 will be out of luck.
The move comes after the band's management made a deal to sell the upcoming release of the Four Flicks DVD exclusively through the big box retailer.
The four-disc DVD, due out Nov. 11, documents the Forty Licks tour, which passed through parts of Canada earlier this year. Special features include behind-the-scenes footage of the band's Toronto rehearsals. It will retail for $39.99 exclusively at the 16 Best Buy and 107 Future Shop stores across Canada until at least early next year.
"If our customers aren't good enough to have access to their new release in our stores then maybe (The Stones) aren't worthy of having any products in our stores," said Humphrey Kadaner, president of HMV Canada.
This is the first time the CD and DVD shop has made such a bold move with an artist, but Kadaner said it won't be the last. The chain, he said, has to take a stand against major artist new release "retail exclusives" or risk not being able to service its customer base.
Next in line is John Mellencamp, who made a similar exclusivity deal with Best Buy for the release of his upcoming DVD Trouble No More: The Making of a John Mellencamp Album, he added.
"It's not just the Rolling Stones, any artists that choose to exclude HMV as a retailer for selling the product, this will be our response," he said.
The chain said it stands to lose up to $1 million in sales between now and Christmas. Canada is a particularly strong market for the Stones, who in July showed their appreciation by playing a special concert after Toronto's SARS outbreak.
Best Buy Canada defended its deal with the Stones saying the music industry is in a state of flux and companies have to find new ways of getting people to buy CDs.
"We support and applaud any innovative ways that retailers or artists or labels can create to create excitement around music," said Lori De'Cou, a spokeswoman for the company from its offices in Burnaby, B.C. "Music as we know is really a changing industry."
Sunrise Records became Stones-free on Tuesday in hopes of persuading other artists not to enter similar deals.
Tim Baker, head buyer for the southern Ontario-based chain, said the deal perhaps makes sense in the U.S. where big box stores like Best Buy account for 70 per cent of music sales. In Canada, however, the reverse it true.
"The traditional music retailers account for 70 per cent of the business," said Baker. "In other words (Stones' promoter) Michael Cohl has made a deal for Canada without thinking."
Cohl, a Torontonian, said the Rolling Stones wanted to offer their fans a deal for holidays.
"Best Buy made this possible with a four DVD set for $29.99 in the U.S. and $39.99 in Canada," he said in a statement.
Baker said the chain will keep all the merchandise, which includes Rolling Stones hats and wallets, for a few weeks in case the band's management changes its mind, otherwise the product will be sent back.
Marlon Brando Dictates His Will, Plans Funeral
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Hollywood legend Marlon Brando, who has been suffering from serious ill health, is reportedly making preparations for his death.
The 79-year-old actor has left instructions on dictated tapes specifying points in his will and details for his funeral, according to media reports.
Sources claim that Brando's tapes say he wishes to be cremated, with his ashes sprinkled among the palm trees on the Polynesian atoll known as Tetiaroa, an island he has owned since 1966.
The actor also wants Jack Nicholson to lead mourners at the funeral service, with King of Pop Michael Jackson saying a few words.
In February, Brando was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.
Brando, whose career has spanned more than five decades, won best actor Oscars for Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather" in 1972 and Elia Kazan's "On the Waterfront" in 1954. His most recent onscreen appearance was in the 2001 heist film "The Score" opposite Robert DeNiro and Edward Norton.
Moose tracks lead to Bob and Doug, eh?
By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY
Parents who catch Disney's Brother Bear when the animated feature opens wide Saturday might find that the bickersome moose brothers who amble through the Pacific Northwest adventure sound awfully familiar.
And, no, they aren't related to Bullwinkle. The antlered duo of Rutt and Tuke are voiced by Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas, creators of the flannel-shirted, beer-imbibing buffoons Bob and Doug McKenzie. The proletariat pair, who were born in 1980 as part of Canadian-bred skit show SCTV, parodied such national food concerns as back bacon and doughnuts and popularized catchphrases like "Take off, you hoser" and "Eh?" (Canadian for "you know?") on their "Great White North" segment.
Moranis and Thomas later parlayed their McKenzie fame into multimedia fool's gold, including a 1983 cult classic that combined Hamlet and ale, Strange Brew; a best-selling comedy album; and ads for Pizza Hut and Jiffy Lube. But this is the first time the doltish duo has impersonated wild animals. At least intentionally.
It's as good of an occasion as any to catch up with New York-based Moranis, 49, star of such films as Little Shop of Horrors and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, and Thomas, 55, an L.A. resident who appeared on the sitcom Grace Under Fire.
Q: The last time you probably did Bob and Doug was for Molson beer commercials in 1997.
Moranis: We could have built a special theater in Vegas for ourselves, but we would have gotten tired of them. By living 3,000 miles apart, we stay friends.
Q: Did Molson pay you in beer? Thomas: They sent us six cases a month that we didn't ask for. I'm not a big beer drinker, and it would stack up. I used to give it to the handyman as a tip.
Q: Did Disney give you any special gifts?
Thomas: They gave us manquettes (models) of our characters. We had to sign something saying we wouldn't sell it on eBay.
Moranis: I sold them out of the back of my car, instead.
Q: Bob and Doug were spawned as a subversive way to meet the Canadian government's requirement of having a certain amount of Canadian content on TV and radio. Do they still have the rules?
Moranis: They still do. The restrictions were more exaggerated in the beginning. With music, if the recording was made in Canada or the artist, producer, lyricist or composer were Canadian, it would qualify. Galt MacDermot, who wrote the music for Hair, was Canadian. So the songs from Hair were always on the radio.
Thomas: Canada has a national inferiority complex. It isn't enough that the whole cast and crew are Canadian. You have to make specific Canadian references. No wonder they flock to American TV.
Q: Did you agree right away to speak for moose, or were you holding out to be bears?
Thomas: Supporting character roles are forever. Leads come and go.
Q: Was it nice to revisit the McKenzies and be able to introduce them to younger generations? Do you ever tire of them?
Moranis: The essence of these characters is to fly by the seats of our pants. Having Dave in my headphones doing the character is no different from having phone conversations. We don't get tired of it. It's like getting tired of fun. Thomas: The directors gave us a lot of latitude. We didn't specifically give them the McKenzies. We adapted them to moose talk, like saying, "Trample off, you hoofer."
Q: The financing for a Strange Brew sequel fell through. But is it true you are planning to do an animated feature based on the McKenzies?
Thomas: We are working on it right now. It will probably be released direct to video.
Q: "Tuke" refers to tuque, the knit ski caps the McKenzies wear. Why the spelling change?
Thomas: Americans freak over the "que" spelling. They would think it was a French movie.
Q: Is Rutt a dirty moose term?
Thomas: (Silence)
Moranis: (Silence, then ) I don't know. Maybe it has something to do with rooting.
Q: If Rutt and Tuke rumbled with fellow cartoon animal sidekicks Pumbaa and Timon from The Lion King, who would win the fight?
Moranis: I guess it would depend on whether any agents were involved in that deal.
VERY SPECIAL EPISODE
R.E.M. performing in a Christmas episode of Boston Public December 19 on Fox. The band will perform an acoustic version of "Losing My Religion," while their new single "Bad Day" will play in the background during the episode.
LENNOX LORDS IT
Annie Lennox contributing a song to The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King soundtrack. The CD will be released November 25; the film opens December 17.
Courtney Love Charged on Two Drug Counts
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - Actress-singer Courtney Love was charged with two felony drug counts Tuesday in a complaint that specified she illegally possessed painkillers.
The two painkillers, hydrocodone and oxycodone, can be prescribed legally.
Love surrendered voluntarily and was booked by Beverly Hills police, district attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said.
She said bail was recommended at $20,000 and the court will consider whether Love is eligible for a drug diversion program.
"If she had prescriptions, we would not be charging illegal possession," Gibbons said.
The charges stem from an incident earlier this month when Love, 39, was arrested and booked on two misdemeanor drug counts after she allegedly tried to break into a Los Angeles home.
Hours after she was released, Beverly Hills police and paramedics were called to her home and took Love to a hospital for treatment of a drug overdose. The new charges relate to the overdose.
The performer is the widow of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide in 1994. She received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the 1996 movie "The People vs. Larry Flynt."
Rod Stewart Takes Swipe at McCartney, Sting, Elton
LONDON (Reuters) - Rocker Rod Stewart feels he has been unfairly criticized for dating a younger woman, especially when ex-Beatle Paul McCartney escaped censure despite taking a wife half his age.
Stewart, 58, told on Tuesday that the difference was that McCartney has a knighthood.
He also complained at being passed over for a Grammy award in favor of British rival Sting, calling him "Mr. Serious who helps the Indians," and nicknamed singer Elton John "Sharon."
Stewart, whose partner is 32-year-old model Penny Lancaster, was speaking ahead of next month's formal opening of London musical "Tonight's the Night," based round 22 of his chart-topping songs.
"What pisses me off is they never have a go at Paul McCartney for marrying a younger woman ... but they kill me because of Penny," he said.
McCartney, 61, is 26 years older than his wife Heather Mills, the same age difference as between Stewart and Lancaster.
"Perhaps it's because he's got a knighthood," Stewart added. "I don't know why I haven't got any honor. I do my bit for charity."
Stewart, currently riding high in the album charts, complained he had been passed over for America's Grammy awards in favor of more worthy rivals like Sting.
Elton John, another singer with a knighthood, also earned Stewart's disapproval for not inviting him to his parties. Dubbing him "Sharon," Stewart took a swipe at John's appearance and weight.
"My hair is nice and real and looks it, and hers doesn't. No, I take that back. He looks good at the moment, but he could lose a bit of timber," he said.
Warner Begins Looney Tunes Rollout with 4 DVDs
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Some new DVDs based on popular animated characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck hit retail shelves on Tuesday as part of Warner Bros. film studio's plan to reinvigorate its library of Looney Tunes cartoons.
The studio, owned by Time Warner Inc, also raises the curtain on a new movie, "Looney Tunes Back in Action," on Nov. 14 that puts the Looney Tunes gang in a live-action feature film starring Brendan Fraser and Jenna Elfman.
George Feltenstein, senior vice president of the classic catalog for Warner's home video group, said the DVD release culminates a roughly six-year effort to restore old cartoons, that in some cases date back to the 1930s.
"Every cartoon is restored on film. It's a very time consuming, very expensive process," Feltenstein said.
Warner Bros. plans to release one set of the classic cartoons a year for the foreseeable future, he said, adding that he is already working on the second set.
The four DVDs include two based on the classic cartoons with Bugs, Porky Pig, Sylvester, Tweety, Yosemite Sam and characters voiced by the legendary Mel Blanc, who died in 1989. The "Looney Tunes Golden Collection" is a four-disc set and the "Looney Tunes Premiere Collection" is a two-disc package.
Classic Looney Tunes cartoons were made from 1930 to 1969 and set themselves apart from Walt Disney Co. cartoons by their wild lunacy and slapstick humor.
The library includes some 1,100 cartoons in all, and Feltenstein said he tried to pick a cross section of the animated shows with different characters. He added that the Looney Tunes brand of comedy is enjoyed by kids who like the wacky humor and adults who enjoy the often smart jokes.
"They were made for adults, but perfectly appropriate for children," he said. "Fifty years from now, they will still be as relevant, as funny and as wonderful as they are now."
The two other DVDs are "Looney Tunes Reality Check" with 21 new cartoons and "Looney Tunes Stranger than Fiction" with 19 fresh "toons" featuring the original characters whose voices come from a variety of actors used for television.
"It varies from character to character and actor to actor, but it is always amazing to me how every one of them has mastered their (character's) voice," Feltenstein said.
Actress Reese Witherspoon Gives Birth to Son
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Legally Blonde" actress Reese Witherspoon has given birth to a boy that she and her husband, actor Ryan Phillippe, have named Deacon, a representative for the actress said on Tuesday.
The boy was born on Thursday, Oct. 23. The couple, who were wed in 1999, have a 4-year-old daughter, Ava Elizabeth.
Further details were undisclosed. The birth was first revealed on celebrity TV show Access Hollywood.
Witherspoon, 27, has been appearing in movies and on television since she was a teenager, and had her first breakout role in 1998's quirky drama "Pleasantville."
She gained star status as college sorority sister, Elle Woods, who sheds her ditzy image to attend Harvard Law School and graduate at the top of her class in 2001 comedy "Legally Blonde." The sequel "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde" proved to be another hit for the actress this past summer.
Witherspoon and Phillippe starred together in 1999 drama "Cruel Intentions." Phillippe, 29, has been seen in recent movies like 2001 Oscar-nominee "Gosford Park" and last year's hit in the independent movie arena, "Igby Goes Down."
Mmm...Ringtones: Vodafone Inks 'Simpsons' Deal
LONDON (Reuters) - There was nary a "d'oh!" heard from mobile phone-using fans of "The Simpsons" on Tuesday, as Vodafone signed a deal to offer ringtones, games and other content from the show.
In a move that would likely be met with a murmured "excellent" from the show's evil millionaire Mr. Burns, the world's largest mobile phone company by sales inked an agreement with mobile content firm THQ Wireless and Twentieth Century Fox, the show's owner.
Terms of the exclusive deal to offer "Simpsons" content to Vodafone customers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand were not disclosed.
The satirical tale of the yellow-skinned Simpson family and their neighbors in the fictional town of Springfield is set to become the longest-running sitcom in U.S. prime-time history this year.
Fox was not immediately available to comment on whether a ringtone of Burns answering the phone with the archaic greeting "Hoy hoy" -- the preferred salutation of telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell -- would be offered.