Buck discusses R.E.M.'s future
NEW YORK (AP) -- A band who's been around as long as R.E.M. will inevitable be asked, "When are you going to give it up?" Guitarist Peter Buck's answer is maybe next year, maybe never.
Buck says it depends on the day: sometimes he thinks it'll last another year, and sometimes he thinks he'll be doing it when he's 70.
"Right now I'm thinking it could last for a while. But I also sometimes wake up at 4 in the morning in a hotel and I can't sleep and I haven't seen my family in a couple of weeks and I just think, 'Ya know I could go home right now and be OK,'" Buck told AP Radio.
He knows a lot of people grew up with them. He says if you went to college in the '80s, "they'd give you your information booklet and an R.E.M. record." He says a lot of people who are 35 to 40 years old now, R.E.M. was the soundtrack of their lives. And he finds that moving. He says when he was 21 and "as stupid and shallow as every other 21-year-old on earth," he had to learn to do something meaningful to him, which in turn was meaningful to other people.
Bad Love
Sharon Stone's love scene with pint-sized Joe Pesci in "Casino" has been voted the worst of all time by the readers of Film magazine.
The unappealing assignation beat out the less-than-stiff competition from "Entrapment," in which the ancient Sean Connery bedded Catherine Zeta-Jones, who is 40 years his junior.
Snagging third place was Marlon Brando's tacky tryst with Maria Schneider in "Last Tango in Paris."
Describing the "Casino" scene, one Film reader cracked, "Could there be a more repulsive combination than these two? It's like one of the munchkins got a shot at Dorothy from 'The Wizard of Oz.' "
Other scenes that made the magazine's 10 worst include Madonna's creepy candle-wax session with Willem Dafoe in "Body of Evidence" and Halle Berry and Billy Bob Thornton's simulated sofa sex in "Monster's Ball."
Blockbusters may not be what they used to be
More movies reached "blockbuster" status — grossing $100 million at the box office — in 2003 than ever before.
But should that impress anyone? Ticket prices keep rising, and the cost to make and market a film keeps going up (now an average $89.4 million, according to the Motion Picture Association of America). So crossing that milestone doesn't mean what it used to: It takes fewer moviegoers to get there, and getting there doesn't automatically mean moneymaker.
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, for instance, took in $100.8 million. Trouble is, the film cost more than $160 million to produce and promote.
Though films like that can recoup their losses internationally and on video and DVD, many analysts and even studio executives say that it's time to redefine the term "blockbuster" — or throw it out. Some argue that the label should be reserved for movies that take in $200 million because that remains rarefied air: Six movies topped that mark in 2003.
Russell Schwartz, marketing chief for New Line Cinema, says even $200 million might not be a true measure. "Movies cost so much to make and market ... it's hard to say something is a hit just because it reaches a certain level of sales."
Many still maintain that $100 million remains a valid measure of success. The 25 films that took in more than $100 million last year brought in almost half of all ticket sales, according to box office trackers Nielsen EDI.
"No matter how you cut it, that's a lot of money," says Paul Dergarabedian of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. "It's big. And to me, that's the definition of a blockbuster."
Origin of 'the blockbuster'
Coined by the British military during World War II, "blockbusters" were aerial bombs dropped on German cities during raids. Similar to "bunker busters" used in attacks on Iraq, blockbusters were so named because the bombs — some in excess of 8,000 pounds — could level entire city blocks.
By the 1960s, the term made made its way into British playhouses, referring to plays that were so popular that they drew lines of theatergoers around the block.
The first Hollywood blockbuster was 1975's Jaws. With its $12 million budget and an unprecedented $4.5 million advertising campaign, Jaws was the first film released on 465 screens on the same date. Universal studios broke from the traditional practice of releasing a high-profile film in a few markets for a few months, then gradually rolling it out to other theaters across the country. It raked in a then-astonishing $7.1 million on its opening weekend. Billed as a "summer blockbuster," the film crossed the $100 million mark within a month. After two releases it took in $260 million, then the highest-grossing film of all time.
Blocking blockbusters: Bad word of mouth
What's a surefire way to topple an expected movie monolith? Bad buzz. Just ask the Hulk. Director Ang Lee spent $120 million on his computer-generated angry antihero. But after a strong $62.1 million opening weekend, Hulk went into a sulk its second weekend and went on to make just $132.2 million.
Box office watcher's tip: A drop in box office of 50% or more from opening weekend is a sign that people who saw it the first weekend didn't have good things to tell their friends.
Blockbusters this year that opened big but fell off badly:
The Matrix Reloaded ($91.8 million)
Hulk ($62.1 million)
The Matrix Revolutions ($48.5 million)
2 Fast 2 Furious ($50.5 million)
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle ($37.6 million).
TO THE BIG SCREEN
Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane inking deals to reprise the Producers roles they made famous on Broadway on the big screen. Shooting on the film adaptation is scheduled to begin in 2005 for release later that year.
Hefner Would Like Spears As a Girlfriend
NEW YORK - Now that Britney Spears is a single woman again, she already has at least one potential beau: Hugh Hefner.
The 77-year-old Playboy founder said he's interested in adding the pop singer to his bevy of beautiful blonde girlfriends.
"Britney would make a great girlfriend," Hefner told Us Weekly magazine for its Jan. 19 issue.
"Picasso had his pink period and his blue period. I am in my blonde period right now," he said. "I think it's related to those early movies that had such a great influence on me when I was a kid."
Hefner said he'd also like to see the 22-year-old Spears appear as a Playmate, as well as Catherine Zeta-Jones.
"They really epitomize the type of beauty that we like in the magazine," he said.
Spears got married in an impromptu Las Vegas ceremony early Saturday morning, then filed for an annulment 55 hours later. The groom, Jason Allen Alexander, is a childhood friend of hers from Kentwood, La.
George Harrison's Estate Sues Doctor
NEW YORK - A doctor forced a weakened George Harrison to autograph a guitar for the physician's teenage son two weeks before the ex-Beatle died of cancer, a lawsuit filed Tuesday alleges.
Filed by Harrison's estate, the suit alleges that the musician tried to resist the request by saying, "I do not even know if I know how to spell my name anymore."
The suit alleges that Dr. Gilbert Lederman responded by saying, "Come on, you can do this," and held Harrison's hand as the musician wrote his name on the guitar "with great effort and much obvious discomfort."
The estate seeks possession of the guitar and two cards it says Harrison signed as he was treated by Lederman, a Staten Island-based expert in treating large tumors with high doses of radiation. Harrison died in November 2001 after battling lung cancer and a brain tumor.
"This lawsuit is strictly allegations. Frankly, I think it's absurd," Lederman's attorney, Wayne Roth, said Tuesday. "He didn't coerce Mr. Harrison."
Harrison's wife and son believe a National Enquirer story about Harrison's death that featured Lederman's son holding the instrument was orchestrated by Lederman to raise the item's value, a lawyer for the Harrison estate said Tuesday.
"George was literally lying there dying and the doctor forced George to sign a guitar," Paul LiCalsi, an attorney for Harrison's estate, said Tuesday. "The doctor should not be permitted to profit from this behavior."
Roth said Lederman's son still plays the guitar and the family has no intention of selling it. The instrument, appraised in connection with a state investigation of Lederman's treatment of Harrison, is worth less than $10,000, Roth said.
The estate also accuses Lederman of violating Harrison's privacy by orchestrating invasive media coverage in the interest of promoting his medical practice.
Lederman conducted interviews about Harrison with several news outlets, many within hours of the ex-Beatle's death, the suit charges.
The state Health Department reprimanded Lederman for talking to the press about Harrison without his consent. Lederman accepted his censure, reprimand and a $5,000 fine, documents show.
Directors Snub 'Cold Mountain' in Best Film Race
LOS ANGELES, (Reuters) - The race for Oscars gold took an unexpected turn on Tuesday when a major list of nominees for best film director snubbed Anthony Minghella and his widely-hailed Civil War epic "Cold Mountain" but gave a nod to Gary Ross's horse racing saga, "Seabiscuit."
The widely-respected Directors Guild of America, an association representing movie directors, put Peter Jackson and his smash box office hit "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," on the list of best film director nominees along with Peter Weir for his seafaring epic, "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World."
Rounding out the list of five nominees were Clint Eastwood with crime thriller "Mystic River," and Sofia Coppola for her Tokyo romance, "Lost in Translation."
"Return of the King" now positions itself as an award front-runner, Oscar watchers said, as industry voters could reward Jackson for the combined trilogy that includes 2001's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" and last year's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. The nomination also marks Jackson's third consecutive DGA nod, the first time that has ever happened.
Still it was Minghella's absence and the inclusion of "Seabiscuit" that had Hollywood buzzing.
"It's a bit of cliche, but it really does mean the most when (a nomination) comes from your peers," Ross told Reuters.
The "Seabiscuit" nod follows Monday's nomination for best film producing team for Ross and co-producers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall from the Producers Guild of America.
The nomination was especially rewarding for "Seabiscuit," about the come-from-behind, Depression-era champion because it has been a dark-horse this Oscar race owing to its summer debut outside the fall season that is filled with Academy Award hopefuls.
The loss of Minghella and his critically acclaimed "Cold Mountain" from the DGA race proved to be a "shocker" for Tom O'Neil, host of award Website goldderby.com and author of "Movie Awards."
"We had presumed up to now that the race for best picture at both the Golden Globes and Oscars was between 'Cold Mountain' and 'Lord of the Rings,"' said O'Neil. "The news today means a major step back for 'Cold Mountain."'
"Cold Mountain" received a leading eight nominations for Golden Globe awards, which are given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and are perceived as instrumental in swaying Oscar voting. Globe winners will be named on Jan. 25.
Moreover, "Cold Mountain" is backed by Miramax Films and its chief Harvey Weinstein, who have waged widely successful campaigns in Oscar races since the 1990s, backing winners like Minghella's "The English Patient" and last year's "Chicago."
Some Oscar watchers attributed Minghella's absence to a timing issue as ballots for the DGA awards were mailed out on December 8, but "Cold Mountain" did not debut until Christmas day, Dec. 25, meaning ballots could have been returned early.
Only six times since 1949 has the winner of the DGA's honor not won the best director Oscar, and 10 of the past 14 PGA winners have claimed the best film Oscar, which is the U.S. film industry's top award given out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Oscars will be awarded on Feb. 29.
Fading in the Oscar pack appear to be Tom Cruise movie "The Last Samurai," director Tim Burton's "Big Fish," and low-budget film "In America," from Irish director Jim Sheridan.
Coppola's film appears to be the independent movie to beat this year. The director is the daughter of acclaimed filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola, himself a DGA winner for 1972's "The Godfather" which earned the best picture Oscar that year but failed to win the best director Oscar.
'Friends' Star Courteney Cox Expecting First Child
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Friends" star Courteney Cox, who has tried for years to become a mother, is expecting her first child with actor husband David Arquette, her publicist said on Tuesday.
Cox's spokeswoman said the 39-year-old actress was expecting a baby but gave no other details about the pregnancy which follows what Cox herself has referred to as "many miscarriages" over the years.
Cox and Arquette, who married in June 1999, have spoken publicly about their infertility troubles and said in a television interview last year that they were trying to conceive via in-vitro fertilization after a string of miscarriages.
Cox's pregnancy coincides with the last season of the hit TV sitcom "Friends" where her screen character Monica and TV husband Chandler, played by Matthew Perry, have been exploring adoption after being unable to conceive.
The final episodes of "Friends" are due to air this spring, ending a 10-year run as one of the top-rated U.S. television comedies.
Molitor, Eckersley elected to HOF
NEW YORK (AP) - In their final confrontation, Paul Molitor wanted to beat Dennis Eckersley so badly he bunted in the ninth inning to win a game that was meaningless to the Minnesota Twins.
When they see each other this summer, they'll be going into the Hall of Fame together.
The two tough competitors were chosen Tuesday in their first year of eligibility, the only players to gain election. And they thought back to that night at the Metrodome in August 1998.
"I was 43 years old,'' Eckersley recalled with a laugh. ``He dropped down a bunt and, guess what, it worked. He's a little weasel, that's what he is.''
Molitor turned 42 that night, and his single gave the Twins a 4-3 win over Boston, which was vying for the AL wild-card. Eckersley had a few choice words for Molitor that night. But the two always had great respect for each other.
``He had a way of being unpredictable,'' Molitor said. ``He could throw any pitch at any time, which added to his effectiveness. Not to mention he could throw it to a teacup.''
Molitor, a patient, proficient batter, is eighth on the career list with 3,319 hits, many in clutch situations. He also helped the Toronto Blue Jays win the second of two straight World Series titles in 1993, batting .500 with two home runs and eight RBIs as Toronto beat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. Molitor was named World Series MVP.
Molitor was picked on 431 of 506 ballots (85.2 per cent) cast by reporters who have been members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America for 10 or more years.
Eckersley, among baseball's most exuberant and colourful players, was selected on 421 ballots (83.2 per cent).
To gain election, a player must be chosen by at least 75 per cent of the voters (380).
Ryne Sandberg was third with 309 votes, 61.1 per cent, up from 49.2 last year. He was followed by Bruce Sutter (301), Jim Rice (276), Andre Dawson (253), Rich Gossage (206), Lee Smith (185) and Bert Blyleven (179).
Pete Rose, ineligible because of his lifetime ban from baseball, got 15 write-in votes, down three from last year.
Molitor, Seattle's hitting coach, became the first player elected to the Hall who spent more games at designated hitter than at any other position. He was a DH for 1,174 games (44 per cent), played 791 at third, 400 at second, 197 at first, 57 at shortstop and 50 in the outfield.
He hit 51 home runs and had 246 RBIs in his three seasons in Toronto. He joined the Jays in 1993 after 15 years in Milwaukee.
Molitor was a seven-time all-star who played from 1978-98 with Milwaukee, Toronto and Minnesota. He was primarily a DH in his final six seasons.
``It certainly extended by career and allowed me to accomplish some things offensively that I might not have otherwise,'' he said.
Eckersley, 49, joins Hoyt Wilhelm and Rollie Fingers as the only pitchers who were primarily relievers elected to the Hall by the BBWAA. The six-time all-star went 149-130 with a 3.71 in 361 starts, winning 20 games for Boston in 1978 and throwing a no-hitter for Cleveland against the Angels in 1977.
He was converted to a reliever when he moved from the Chicago Cubs to Oakland after the 1987 season, when he underwent treatment for alcoholism. He quickly became the game's dominant closer.
Eckersley is credited with coining the phrase ``walkoff homer'' - and one of the worst nights of his career included one. He allowed Kirk Gibson's famous game-winner in the opener of the 1988 World Series, which propelled the Los Angeles Dodgers to the title in five games.
``I had the ultimate walk off in the World Series, a lot of pain in those walking offs,'' Eckersley said.
He was the American League MVP and Cy Young Award winner in 1992, when he was 7-1 with 51 saves and a 1.91 ERA.
Eckersley was a big reason Oakland won three AL pennants and one World Series from 1988-90. In 1989 and 1990, he had seven walks and 128 strikeouts in 131 innings.
``I could do no wrong. It was like walking on water at one point,'' he said.
In all, Eckersley went 197-171 in 24 seasons with 390 saves, third behind Lee Smith (478) and John Franco (424).
``There's no way I would have gotten into the Hall just strictly as a reliever,'' he said. ``Being a starter had to have something to do with distancing me from some of the other relievers.''
Molitor, 47, hopes the Hall decided he should go in with a Brewers cap. Eckersley, who played for six teams, wouldn't say which team he preferred for the cap on his plaque, but he added, ``I liked playing for the Oakland A's.''
``As long as my moustache looks good, it's OK,'' he said.
Rose, who admits in his soon-to-be-released autobiography that he bet on the Cincinnati Reds while managing them, must be reinstated by December 2005 to appear on the BBWAA ballot. In the 13 seasons he has been ineligible because of the ban, he has been written in on 230 of 6,171 ballots (3.7 per cent).
``I am a little disappointed in the timing of it,'' Molitor said, referring to Rose's book. ``Does it take away from the current class? ... In my mind, I think it does a little bit.''
Eckersley didn't care, saying: ``Bad timing, but it doesn't bother me.''
Fifteen players will be dropped from next year's ballot because they failed to draw at least 5 per cent of the votes. That group includes first baseman Keith Hernandez (22 votes), who was on the ballot for nine years, and pitcher Fernando Valenzuela (19), who was on for two.
Five-time AL batting champion Wade Boggs is eligible for the first time next year.
Molitor and Eckersley will increase the Hall of Fame's members to 258. The BBWAA has elected 100 players, including 40 in their first year of eligibility. Induction ceremonies are July 25 in Cooperstown, the small village in upstate New York.
Apple Rolls Out Cheaper iPod, Launches Garage Band
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. on Tuesday said it would introduce a smaller and cheaper version of its popular iPod music player next month to challenge rivals in the market for flash-memory-based digital devices.
In a presentation at Macworld in San Francisco, Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said that Apple, known best for its stylish and easy-to-use Macintosh computers, had shipped 730,000 iPod units in the most recent quarter, bolstering its market-leading position among digital music players.
The new iPods, which are roughly the size of a business card, half an inch thick and weigh 3.6 ounces, along with a new version of its iLife digital lifestyle software and a new music program called Garage Band, extend Apple's digital hub strategy that Apple co-founder Jobs outlined more than two years ago.
"The iPod is clearly one of the most successful consumer electronics devices out there and is by far the most successful MP3 player," said Tim Bajarin, an analyst with market research firm Creative Strategies. "Steve does tend to be the one who drives innovation into the industry and then has everyone follow him afterward."
The charismatic Jobs, a consummate showman, unveiled the iPod and other goodies for the Mac faithful, with his characteristic flash. Musician John Mayer jammed on stage to demonstrate the Garage Band software, and a video featured testimonials from actor Elijah Wood, professional skateboarder Tony Hawk and musician Sheryl Crow.
LUG A POWERBOOK, NOT AN AMP
"Now instead of lugging an old amp around, you can lug a PowerBook around," Jobs quipped, referring to the six different vintage simulated guitar amplifiers that are built into the Garage Band software program.
Jobs said the iPod mini, which comes in variously colored anodized aluminum cases, is aimed at high-end flash memory MP3 music players, which he said accounted for about 30 percent of the overall MP3 player market.
Apple, based in Cupertino, California, said it continued to hold the No. 1 position in the MP3 player market , with 31 percent in terms of units for the months of October and November, and accounted for 55 percent of the MP3 player market when measured by revenue, according to Jobs.
Apple, which has about 2 percent of the personal computer market on a worldwide basis, said it had sold over 2 million iPod units since the launch of the popular digital music player two years ago, which has won a following for its huge storage capacity and sleek design.
The iPod mini is aimed at MP3 players such as those made by Rio Audio and others in an increasingly crowded market. It didn't take long for Apple to have fresh competition. Hours before Jobs' keynote, Rio Audio announced a new version of its Nitrus player that boasts 4 gigabytes of storage, or enough to store about 1,000 songs, the same as Apple's new iPod.
Moreover, a slew of souped-up portable music players that use the competing Windows Media Audio file format are slated to roll out at the Consumer Electronic Show this week in Las Vegas.
'ON FIRE'
The iPod has also received a boost from Apple's online music store, iTunes, which the company said has sold more than 30 million songs -- an increase of 5 million tracks from the sales numbers announced by the company less than a month ago.
"This thing is on fire," Jobs said of the iPod.
The new "iPod mini" will be priced at $249 -- $50 cheaper than the current entry-level iPod. Rather than flash memory, it uses a tiny hard disk drive to store songs, said Phil Schiller, Apple's head of marketing.
Jobs also said that the company would phase out its entry-level 10-gigabyte iPod and offer a 15 gigabyte model instead for the same price of $299.
The prices on the 20-gigabyte iPod and the top-of-the-line 40-gigabyte model, which is able to hold about 10,000 songs, remained at $399 and $499 respectively.
One of the most innovative software programs out of Apple in years, analysts said, was its Garage Band application. The program essentially turns a Macintosh computer into a musical instrument and recording studio.
In addition to more than 1,000 prerecorded loops, Garage Band has more than 50 instruments. Users can put together complete digital music tracks, as if assembling building blocks, Apple said.
"Garage Band might even have more long-term effect on Apple's sales," Bajarin said. "Steve has taken the consumer application (software) layer to its next level from playing music to allowing you to be part of making music."
Apple also rolled out a new Xserve storage system and Xserve computer servers that use the latest PowerPC G5 processor, instead of the G4 microprocessor.
Apple shares fell 8 cents to close at $22.09 on the Nasdaq on Tuesday.
Some New DVD Rumours
It seems that Columbia TriStar has been working on a new 3-disc Panic Room: Special Edition with the assistance of director David Fincher.
The official announcement should come in the next few weeks for release in either March or April.
The set is expected to include the film on Disc One in anamorphic widescreen (with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1), audio commentary with Jodie Foster, Dwight Yoakam and Forest Whitaker, and a second audio commentary with Fincher.
Disc Two will feature an in-depth look at the pre-production and shooting of the film, including in-depth documentaries and multi-angle features.
Finally, Disc Three will look at the post-production process, including editing, visual effects, sound design and more.
Also, The Force.net is reporting an interesting George Lucas quote in a new book that's been released. Interviewed for Robert J. Emery's The Directors: Take 4, Lucas reportedly says that when the original Star Wars Trilogy is released on DVD, he'll finally be able to release the films the way he originally intended. The site concludes that this confirms more changes to the original films as we've reported in the past. We'll just have to wait and see. September 2004's getting closer and closer every day.
Finally, it looks like Warner's Matrix Revolutions will street on April 6th.