The Great Moustache

Dark Horizons has a word from producer Brian Grazer about who would fill the moustache in the MAGNUM, P.I. movie. "Tom [Selleck] is and always has been Magnum. We're not even looking at anyone else. Tom's been trying to get a film version of Magnum made for years, so if anything, imagine's merely the steam to guide his loco. And really, could imagine anyone else carrying that moustache as well as he does?"

Die Soft?

About talked to DIE HARD 4 writer Mark Bomback, who says that the film will not be called DIE HARDEST as has been rumored. Star Bruce Willis, however, says that the writing team is having a hard time of coming up with an ending. “We’re talking about it," said Willis. "We’re having a contest to come up with the ending. The problem is… I have no idea, what can we do? Have two planets crash into each other? Juggle an asteroid maybe?”

Pregnant Debra Messing Out of 'Will & Grace' Finale

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Debra Messing, co-star of the NBC hit comedy "Will & Grace," has been ordered to stay off her feet for the rest of her pregnancy, forcing her to miss the show's final four episodes this season, the network said on Tuesday.

An NBC spokesman said production of the Thursday night sitcom has been quietly proceeding for the past three weeks without Messing, 35, who is eight months pregnant and expecting her first child with screenwriter-husband Daniel Zelman at the end of April.

Messing's spokeswoman, Annett Wolf, said the flame-haired actress is doing "great," though her doctor "ordered her to be careful and take it easy, and preferably bed rest." She added there were "no complications" with the pregnancy.

As a result, her character is being written out of the final episodes, including the one-hour season finale set to air April 29 with a guest appearance by singer-actress Jennifer Lopez.

Messing won an Emmy Award last year as best actress for her role as Grace Adler Markus, a straight interior designer who is best friends with a gay lawyer named Will.

The finale, which is being filmed this week, will center around the wedding of Grace's outlandish friend, Karen, who is played by Megan Mullally. She is getting married to a character played by British comedian John Cleese.

The network spokesman said he did not have details about how Messing's character was being written out of the show for the finale but said it would involve Grace being sick and unable to attend the wedding. Last season, Grace married her new love interest, played by Harry Connick Jr.

Although a previous story line involved Grace attempting to have a baby fathered by Will, Messing's character is not pregnant on the show, which requires producers to obscure her condition this season with a lot of shots of her sitting down and wearing loose-fitting clothes.

"Will & Grace," nearing the end of its sixth season, is one of NBC's top-rated shows in prime time and has averaged about 15.4 million viewers this season.

Veteran Broadcaster Alistair Cooke Dies at 95

LONDON (Reuters) - Legendary broadcaster Alistair Cooke, best known for his long-running radio series "Letter from America," has died at the age of 95.

A spokesman for the BBC said Tuesday that Cooke, who was credited with improving transatlantic understanding for more than half a century, died at his home in New York.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair paid warm tribute to Cooke. "He was really one of the greatest broadcasters of all time," he said.

"I was a big fan. I thought they were extraordinary essays. They brought an enormous amount of insight and understanding to world. We shall feel his loss very, very keenly indeed."

Cooke retired from the BBC in March after 58 years of Letter from America.

He said he had decided to quit the show -- the world's longest-running speech radio program -- due to ill-health and on advice from his doctors.

In a statement when he left, Cooke said he had thoroughly enjoyed his 58 years on the airwaves and hoped some of the enjoyment had passed over to the listeners "to all of whom I now say thank you for your loyalty and goodbye."

"ALISTAIR COOKIE"

Cooke -- a Briton who became an American citizen in 1941 -- first went to the United States in 1932 to study drama at Yale University on a Commonwealth Fund fellowship.

He was best known to many Americans for his show "Omnibus," which changed the face of U.S. television in the 1950s and for presenting "Masterpiece Theater" on public television.

He was even gently spoofed on the famous children's show "Sesame Street" as "Alistair Cookie."

Cooke joined the BBC in 1934 as a film critic and began reporting three years later.

Letter from America began in 1946, when Cooke was asked to give a weekly snapshot of life in America. During the following six decades, he provided listeners with insightful reports of the country's cultural and political affairs.

As a result of the program's huge success, he became known in America as the man who explained all things British, and in Britain as the man who explained all things American.

Born in Salford, northern England, in 1908, Cooke spent his last years living with his second wife in New York.

In presenting 2,869 shows, he had missed only three broadcasts. He wrote his letter every week on a typewriter in his flat overlooking New York City's Central Park.

Acting director general of the BBC, Mark Byford, described Cooke as "the outstanding commentator of the 20th century."
 
"Alistair Cooke was one of the greatest broadcasters ever in the history of the BBC," he said in a statement.

"(His) insight, wisdom and unique ability to craft words enabled millions of listeners in the UK and around the world to understand the texture of the United States and its people."

Leno Is NBC's $100 Million Man

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Jay Leno has signed a new deal with NBC that will keep him at the helm of "The Tonight Show" through at least 2009.

The new contract is said to be worth more than $100 million to Leno over the life of the deal. The host's most recent contract, a five-year pact signed in January 2001, had been set to expire at the end of next year.

Sources said the deal calls for Leno to pull in about $25 million-$27 million per year, a significant bump from his previous salary, estimated to be about $18 million per year. Leno, 53, has frequently said he does not touch his "Tonight Show" money, opting instead to live on earnings from his standup gigs. It was unclear late Monday whether Leno's new contract takes effect immediately.

Leno took over the "Tonight Show" reins from Johnny Carson in 1992. "Tonight Show" generates about $100 million in annual profits for NBC, according to a report in the February edition of Fortune magazine.

"Tonight Show" averages about 6 million viewers each week, compared to about 4 million for CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman." Letterman, however, is believed to still pull in a slightly fatter paycheck with an annual salary estimated at $31.5 million.

The Couch Potato Report

April 3rd, 2004

In the Couch Potato Report This Week there is Jack & Diane, Brother Bear, a house of sand and fog and a panic room you'll want to spend time in.

When I see a movie after everyone else has seen it and loved it, after every critic has given it a positive review, and after it has been hyped to death, I usually am left wanting more.

I am usually wondering what the big deal is. MR. HOLLAND'S OPUS was one such film and so was ABOUT SCHMIDT.

It is by pure coincidence that Jack Nicholson starred in that letter release and he now stars in another film I just don't see what all the hype was about.

Nicholson stars in the adult romantic comedy SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE along with the one and only Diane Keaton.

Nicholson plays a man who only dates women under 30 and is shocked to find he can fall in love with someone his own age. Keaton is the mother of Jack's girlfriend.

As long as Nicholson and Keaton are on screen discussing their would-only-happen-in-a-movie forced living conditions or discovering their mutual desires, I did get and completely enjoyed SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE. But when it strayed from Nicholson and Keaton together I just didn't see what all the hype was about.

To it's credit the film is charming and entertaining, but its too long and it keeps finding reasons to bring the Jack & Diane together, and then split them up.

They're terrific together but they spend way too much of the movie apart.

What happens in the film when the two leads are apart is not nearly as good as when they're together.

SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE is undeniably funny, and Diane Keaton is superb in it, but it's far from perfect.

I do recommend it because I like the fact that it's an adult romantic comedy, made by adults for adults. SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE is also worth seeing for the times when Jack & Diane are acting together, and because the supporting cast that includes Frances McDormand, Keanu Reeves, Amanda Peet and Jon Favreau are all terrific.

Just heed Public Enemy's warning and "Don't believe the hype."

When the Disney animated movie BROTHER BEAR was released in theatres last November it would have loved to have some of the hype given to SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE.

Instead, this coming of age movie about a boy who becomes a man by becoming a bear, quietly became an Academy Award nominee as one of the Best Animated Films of 2003. It wasn't nearly as good as the other two nominees, FINDING NEMO and THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE, but it is good enough to deserve the nomination.

After he kills a bear, a young hunter in prehistoric North America is turned into a bear himself and hunted by his own brother.

But no matter what the story is, how good the animation is, or anything else about BROTHER BEAR that is worth mentioning, the main reason to see this movie is because of a comedic moose duo.

Rick Moranis and Doug Thomas voice the moose in their McKenzie brothers personas from SCTV and STRANGE BREW, my favourite movie of all time.

They are why I enjoyed BROTHER BEAR, but the traditional hand-drawn animation is also very good. Your kids might not love it as much as FINDING NEMO, but just tell them to "Take Off, eh!"

The final new release in this week's Couch Potato Report is the superb HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG.

Jennifer Connelly followed up her Academy Award winning performance in A BEAUTIFUL MIND with this dark, slow moving story about how small mistakes can have disastrous consequences.

After losing her house for failing to pay a tax she never should have been charged in the first place Connelly is a woman who vows to get her house back by any means necessary.

Connelly's sad performance combines perfectly with Oscar winner Ben Kingsley's tense work making HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG a compelling psychological drama that you shouldn't miss.

You also shouldn't miss the new 3-disc Special Edition of David Fincher's film PANIC ROOM, especially if you are a fan of the film.

In this film from a few years back, Jodie Foster plays a New York divorcée who is forced to lock herself and her daughter in an impenetrable "panic room" when thieves enter her home.

Unfortunately this trio of tenacious burglars want what's in the panic room's safe.

From making of documentaries, to fly-on-the-wall footage and commentaries this new three-disc special edition of PANIC ROOM is a virtual film school that raises the bar on explaining everything that goes into the making of a movie.

When it first came out I only liked the film because Jodie Foster is my all-time favourite actress. After watching this new Special Edition of PANIC ROOM I like it because the film itself is great and the special features are incredible.

SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE, BROTHER BEAR, HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG and the SPECIAL EDITION of PANIC ROOM are available right now at your favourite local video store.

COMING NEXT WEEK IN THE COUCH POTATO REPORT

THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS is the not entirely satisfying third and final chapter in THE MATRIX trilogy.

In the remake of CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt are parents trying to raise 12 kids and manage their careers.

And

IN LIVING COLOUR: SEASON ONE is a 3 disc set that has the complete first season of the TV series that starred Jim Carrey and Damon Wayans.

I'll have more on those releases in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

'Family Guy' Rises from the Dead

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Fueled by DVD sales and strong ratings for its reruns, the animated series "Family Guy" is going back into production -- more than two years after the last original episode aired.

FOX, which had the series originally, has an option to air the episodes first; the Cartoon Network, the show's current home, will also air them. The new episodes -- at least 22 will be produced -- will be ready by spring 2005.

"I'm just incredibly excited that we're back in business on 'Family Guy,'" creator Seth MacFarlane says in a statement. "Now all those crazy kids who've been hounding me to bring the show back can stop bothering me and move onto more serious matters -- like saving 'Coupling.'"

The resurrection of "Family Guy," which was never a hit on FOX and last aired an original episode in February 2002, owes a lot to fan reaction in the show's afterlife.

The DVD compilation of seasons 1 and 2 of the show was the top-selling TV title on DVD last year; that and the more recent third-season DVD set have sold more than 2 million copies combined. It has also become a hit in Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" late-night lineup, often beating CBS' "Late Show" and NBC's "Tonight Show" among young males.

"This is incredibly exciting for everyone at Fox," says Gary Newman, president of 20th Century Fox TV, which produces the series. "The overwhelming response to 'Family Guy' this past year is a real tribute to Seth's vision and talent. ... We're thrilled for Seth, we're thrilled for his fans, and to be honest we're thrilled for our teenage kids who threatened to emancipate themselves if we didn't figure out a way to bring the show back."

"Family Guy" bounced around the FOX schedule numerous times in its three-year run. In its final season, airing opposite "Friends" and "Survivor" on Thursday nights, it averaged 4.7 million viewers. For the record the current occupant of that spot for FOX, "Tru Calling," brings in 4.4 million viewers.

Cue the Creepy Whistling

David Duchovny says that a sequel to THE X-FILES movie is pretty much a go.

"It's definiely happening," the actor said. "Chris has a great idea for the new movie and I expect we'll be able to begin shooting in the next year or so." Oddly enough, Duchovny also says he hopes that Mulder doesn't develop as a character in the film. "I hope not. I was really fighting against that in the final years of the show and I think the [that's] whole point. I think we're going to be introducing a new character in the film which will allow us to cast a major star, male or female, who will want to be part of an exciting supernatural thriller. I think the new movie will appeal to both our core fans and a broad audience. I'm very excited about it."

Toga! Toga! Toga!

Harold Ramis was on a Chicago radio station talking sports, like he sometimes call's in and does, and mentioned he's....working on a remake of "ANIMAL HOUSE"!

He's writing it. it's his way of introducing it and comedies back to the audience of today. Yes, Flounder will be in it - he jokes, but not the same actor. He does hope the original guys come back to do cameos though.

New CDs Being Released This Week

The following is a list of new CDs being released this week.

Damita Jo - Janet Jackson
Honkin' on Bobo - Aerosmith
Stranded in Suburbia - Melissa McClelland (This disc is awesome!!)
Me and Mr. Johnson - Eric Clapton
Strong - Tracy Lawrence
Little Things - Toby Lightman
Do You Imagine Things? - Alfie
Mad Love - Robi Rosa
New Religion - Capone & Noreaga
Home on the Range (soundtrack) - Various Artists
Music from The O.C. Mix 1 (soundtrack) - Various Artists
Jazz FM Presents (compilation)- Various Artists

Jack Black Takes on 'King Kong'

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Jack Black has been in cast alongside Naomi Watts in Peter Jackson's remake of "King Kong," the director said Monday.

Black will play Carl Denham, an adventurer filmmaker who is trying to make a name for himself in 1930s New York. Robert Armstrong played the role in the 1933 original. (Jackson has said he is pretending the 1976 update does not exist.)

Watts is playing Ann Darrow, an American actress who makes a living performing in Broadway song and dance shows. The project, which will shoot in Jackson's native New Zealand, is set up at Universal Pictures.

"I've been wanting to work with Jack Black ever since I saw him in High Fidelity," said Jackson, who is also writing the remake along with his "Lord of the Rings" co-screenwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. "He's a smart and versatile actor blessed with an abundance of energy and charm and I'm absolutely thrilled that he is joining us on 'Kong."'

Black earned a Golden Globe nomination this year for his starring role in last fall's hit comedy "The School of Rock." His other credits include "Orange County" and "Shallow Hal."

Jackson Tells Letterman Flicker of Breast 'An Accident'

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Returning to the television network which broadcast her infamous Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction, pop star Janet Jackson insisted on Monday the flicker of breast "was an accident."

Jackson appeared on the "Late Show with David Letterman" where she promoted her latest recording, "Damita Jo," due in stores on Tuesday.

In her first network interview since the Feb. 1 Super Bowl dcollet drama, Jackson wore a low-cut red dress equipped with a red buckle that showed off the singer's midriff.

"Welcome to the show. Now, that's almost malfunctioning isn't it?" the talk show host quipped about the dress soon after Jackson walked on stage.

Public outrage about Jackson's flash of nudity during the Super Bowl half-time show sparked a Federal Communications Commission probe, congressional action to stiffen fines for broadcast indecency and an industry-wide crackdown on sexually explicit material on TV and radio.

Peppered with questions about the bearing of her right breast at the end of her duet with Justin Timberlake, Jackson repeatedly told Letterman the incident was not intentional.

"It truly was an accident. It was very embarrassing for me to have so many people see this little breast," Jackson said softly in a voice reminiscent of actress Marilyn Monroe. "It was supposed to kind of happen like that, but I wasn't supposed to come out of it the way I did."

To which Letterman shot back: "What was supposed to happen ... clowns jumping out of a car?"

It's Not Very Good But People Seemed To Like It

The last of this year's five Best Picture Oscar nominees to get a DVD release, Warner Home Video has finally announced a June 8th release date for Mystic River, Clint Eastwood's dark, disturbing drama of child abuse and retribution. Warner will release the film in three different versions: anamorphic widescreen and full screen versions, plus a three-disc widescreen special edition that includes one disc for the movie, one for the extras and the third the film's original soundtrack CD. All three versions include English and French Dolby Digital 5.1 surround tracks and trailers, with the three-disc set also featuring an audio commentary with actors Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon, two behind-the-scenes featurettes and interviews with Eastwood, Robbins and Bacon.

From The "Why?!?!?!?" Category

The Greatest Movie of All Time gets the Greatest DVD of All Time? A day that will go down in infamy, on July 27th MGM Home Entertainment will release the Showgirls: V.I.P. Edition, a deluxe box set unlike any other. Featuring the NC-17 cut of the film presented in a new anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, extras include an audio commentary by Showgirls expert David Schmader, a video commentary by the Scores Girls for the "Cheetah Club" scene, a subtitle trivia track, an animated storyboard-to-film comparison, the original making-of EPK and theatrical trailers. Other extras in the box set include a deck of Showgirls playing cards, two Showgirls shot glasses, Elizabeth Berkley photo cards and a series of party games: "Sip or Strip," "Showgirls A-Z," "Bad Tipper" and "Champagne Room." Predictably, none of the film's original cast or filmmakers have participated in the extras.

I've Heard Good Things

Just in from Buena Vista Home Entertainment is the announcement of three recent theatrical comedies. Hitting DVD on June 15th is the critically-acclaimed indie The Station Agent, starring Peter Dinklage and Oscar nominee Patricia Clarkson. Presented in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1, extras include audio commentary by director Tom McCarthy and stars Dinklage, Clarkson and Bobby Cannavale, deleted scenes with optional commentary and trailers.

Due a week earlier on June 8th is the little-seen Julia Stiles comedy Carolina, co-starring Shirley Maclaine. Also presented in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby 5.1, extras include a featurette and trailers.

Last but not least is the Wayans Brothers family comedy My Baby's Daddy, which hits DVD on June 1st. Also getting the anamorphic widescreen treatment, extras include only trailers.

How You Doin'? De Matteo Set as 'Joey' Sister

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - After a lengthy search, Drea De Matteo of "The Sopranos" fame has landed the role of Joey Tribbiani's sister on NBC's upcoming "Friends" spinoff series, "Joey."

The comedy centers on the relationship between Joey (Matt LeBlanc), who moves to Los Angeles, and his sister Gina (De Matteo), a hairdresser who lives with her son.

Probably smarter than Joey, Gina has a way with men, much like Joey has with women. She's a strong woman who isn't afraid to speak her mind.

De Matteo is best known for her role on HBO's cult mob drama "The Sopranos," on which she plays Christopher's (Michael Imperioli) fiancee, Adriana, who is recruited by the FBI.

Her new gig on "Joey" will not interfere with her contractual obligations to the 10-episode sixth and final season of David Chase's hit series, sources said.

De Matteo, whose credits also include "Swordfish" and "Deuces Wild," next appears in "Go Go Tales" and "Assault on Precinct 13."

Actor, Author Peter Ustinov Dies at 82

GENEVA (Reuters) - Oscar-winning British actor and playwright Peter Ustinov, one of the world's best loved raconteurs and mimics, has died at the age of 82.

Author of more than a dozen books and even more theatrical works in a career spanning more than 60 years, Ustinov died of heart failure in a clinic near his home on the shores of Lake Geneva on Sunday night, his family said.

The actor and humorist, who was also well known for charity work, had been in hospital since shortly after Christmas when he was taken ill on his return from a holiday in Thailand.

"It was not a surprise, he was pretty ill. He had had a busy life and he was tired," his son Igor Ustinov told Reuters in a telephone interview. "But he certainly was not ready to go," he added.

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder was among those to pay tribute to his brilliance and compassion. "(He) was a role model for us all, not only as a great actor and artist...but above all as a man with a great heart, spirit and humor," he said in a letter to Ustinov's widow, Helene.

The United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF), with whom Ustinov had a long association, called him one of its "most effective and beloved" partners. "The children of the world have lost a true friend," said UNICEF chief Carol Bellamy.

Ustinov, who spoke more than half a dozen languages, won Oscars for his roles in the films "Spartacus" and "Topkapi."

The multi-talented entertainer, who was knighted by Britain's Queen Elizabeth but did not like to be known as "Sir Peter," finished his last film as an actor, about the life of 16th century Reformation leader Martin Luther, late last year.

Although confined to a wheelchair by diabetes and a weak heart, he continued to appear in public until his final illness, delighting television audiences across Europe with his witty stories and raising money for charities, particularly UNICEF for which he was an ambassador.

Just 18 months ago, Ustinov told Reuters he was happy to work until he dropped "as long as I can be guaranteed that I won't know in advance when it's going to happen."

RICHLY VARIED LIFE

He led a richly varied life as playwright, novelist, film director, academic and as an active campaigner against war.

He was Chancellor of the University of Durham and shortly before his death, the University of Vienna inaugurated the Ustinov Institute, dedicated to studying prejudice and its impact on people, politics and conflict resolution.

"This was something that inspired him a lot. He wanted his ideas for the future to become a reality," Igor said.

Raised in Britain of Russian parentage, Ustinov was a London revue star as a teenager and wrote his first play at 19. He made his first feature film at 25.

He starred in, produced and directed his own plays, including Romanoff and Juliet, in London, New York, Berlin, Paris and Rome. He wrote novels to fill in time while hanging around on Hollywood film sets.

Among his best-known film roles was that of Hercule Poirot in screen versions of the stories of British mystery writer Agatha Christie's most famous detective. He directed seven feature films, among them the much-applauded Billy Budd in 1962, staged opera and was a noted photographer.
 
"He was one of the funniest men I have ever met," said Ustinov's biographer John Miller. "He had enough careers for about six other men. He was phenomenally busy."

Ustinov was the first to admit that laughter had been a life-long drug, confessing: "I was irrevocably betrothed to laughter, the sound of which has always seemed to me to be the most civilized music in the world."

He was once asked what would be his ideal epitaph.

With a familiar twinkle in his eye, he swiftly decided on the perfect inscription for his tombstone: "Keep off the grass."

A Message From Sammy

Late Friday afternoon, Sammy Hagar's official website posted a message from the current lead singer of Van Halen, briefly addressing the reunion, the state of his solo band, and reconfirming that his birthday bash will take place at the Cabo Wabo Cantina this October.

"VH REUNION

Message From Sammy!

Sorry I couldn’t keep everyone up to speed on the VH stuff but until it was final we all swore to secrecy. So lay off my webmaster!!

First of all, the Wabos are great! They will be on pay through all this and everything is upfront with them. They might be doing gigs in Tahoe at the Wabo with other artists this year and writing new songs at our new studio (Red Rocker Recording).

We’re gonna have a blast at the opening of the Tahoe Wabo and the Tequila bash in Atlantic City. Then I’m off to VH rehearsals. I’m totally excited about the tour.

The music's a w e s o m e! "It’s About Time" 1st track, Yikessssssss!!

See ya at the b-bash in October!

Love ya,

Sammy"

Update: Van Halen Tour To Bow In June

Van Halen has confirmed the routing for its summer tour, as well as the
return of vocalist Sammy Hagar after an eight-year absence. The group's
official Web site features the greeting "Eddie, Alex, Mike & Sammy Hit
the Road" as well as a new photo of the foursome. The trek will play
North American arenas beginning June 11 in Greensboro, N.C., and
wrapping Aug. 19 in Los Angeles.

Van Halen -- guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen and
bassist Michael Anthony -- has not toured since 1998 and is currently
without a record deal after splitting from longtime home Warner Bros. in
2002. However, June will see the release of a greatest hits album via
Warner Strategic Marketing, featuring at least one new Hagar-voiced
track, "It's About Time."

A tour spokesperson says the upcoming shows will offer such David Lee
Roth-era classics as "Panama" and "Jump" plus Hagar-associated tracks
like "Why Can't This Be Love," "Right Now," "Dreams," "Top of the World"
and "Best of Both Worlds."

Tickets for some shows begin going on sale April 3 via Ticketmaster.
Van Halen's site will also be offering premium ticket packages for some
shows, with details to be announced Tuesday (March 30).

Here are Van Halen's tour dates:

June 11: Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Coliseum)
June 13: Hershey, Pa. (Hershey Park Stadium)
June 16: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
June 19: Worcester, Mass. (Centrum)
June 22: East Rutherford, N.J. (Continental Airlines Arena)
June 25: Hartford, Conn. (Civic Center)
June 26: Albany, N.Y. (Pepsi Center)
June 28: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
July 1: Pittsburgh (Mellon Arena)
July 2: Cleveland (Gund Arena)
July 3: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
July 6: Columbus (Schottenstein Center)
July 7: Indianapolis (Conseco Fieldhouse)
July 10: Detroit (Joe Louis Arena)
July 11: Auburn Hills, Mich. (Palace of Auburn Hills)
July 19: Chicago (venue TBA)
July 22: St. Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center)
July 26: Kansas City, Mo. (Kemper Arena)
July 28: St. Louis (Savvis Center)
July 31: Omaha, Neb. (Qwest Center)
Aug. 1: Denver (Pepsi Coliseum)
Aug. 5: Phoenix (America West Arena)
Aug. 7: Las Vegas (Mandalay Bay)
Aug. 10: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion)
Aug. 11: Sacramento, Calif. (Arco Arena)
Aug. 13: Oakland, Calif. (Oakland Arena)
Aug. 14: Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
Aug. 19: Los Angeles (Staples Center)

Berry, Half of Surf Duo Jan & Dean, Dies

LOS ANGELES - Jan Berry, a member of the duo Jan & Dean that had the 1960s surf-music hits "Deadman's Curve" and "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena," has died. He was 62. Berry had a seizure and stopped breathing Friday at his home. He was pronounced dead that evening at a hospital, said his wife, Gertie Berry.

He had been in poor health recently from the lingering effects of brain damage from a 1966 car crash.

Jan & Dean had a string of hits and 10 gold records in the 1960s with their tales of Southern California. Among them were 1964's "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena," about a hotrod racing grandma, and "Surf City," with its lines about taking the station wagon to a place where there are "two girls for every boy."

With Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, William Jan Berry co-wrote the lyrics for "Surf City" and "Deadman's Curve," which featured the driving guitar licks and falsetto crooning of the wildly popular surf music.

Berry's hit-making career with high school friend Dean Torrence was cut short in 1966 when Berry's speeding Corvette hit a parked truck and he suffered severe brain damage that left him partially paralyzed and unable to talk.

His recovery was slow, but eventually he was able to resume singing and writing songs.

In addition to his wife, Berry is survived by his parents, William and Clara Berry of Camarillo; three brothers and three sisters.

'Scooby-Doo 2' Tops Box Office Over Coens

LOS ANGELES - The Mystery Inc. ghostbusters might have to cut their budget for Scooby snacks. "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" took in $30.7 million in its opening weekend, good enough for an easy No. 1 finish but 43 percent below the $54.2 million debut the first "Scooby-Doo" managed in June 2002.

The Coen brothers' "The Ladykillers," starring Tom Hanks in a remake of the 1955 heist black comedy, premiered in second place with $13 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Kevin Smith's "Jersey Girl," with Ben Affleck as a widower raising a daughter debuted at No. 5 with $8.3 million.

"Never Die Alone," starring rapper DMX as a dead drug dealer whose life unfolds through audio tapes he left behind, opened weakly at No. 11 with $3.1 million.

Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" held solidly at No. 3 with $12.5 million, pushing its total to $315 million. Now playing in 3,214 theaters, "The Passion" will widen by 400 to 500 cinemas this Friday, with Gibson and distributor Newmarket counting on a surge in business through Easter.

The previous weekend's top movie, "Dawn of the Dead," tumbled to fourth place with $10.3 million, lifting its 10-day total to $43.9 million.

The overall box office was up for the fifth straight weekend, with the top 12 movies grossing $109.4 million, a 26 percent increase from the same weekend last year.

"Scooby-Doo 2" reunites the computer-animated Great Dane with stars Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Linda Cardellini and Matthew Lillard. Like its predecessor, "Scooby-Doo 2" received harsh reviews but managed to lure in the family crowd.

Rather than waiting for summer blockbuster season, Warner Bros. put the film out in March, a slower time at theaters, to avoid competing with its own family adventure "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" in June and "Shrek 2" in late May.

With less competition than "Scooby-Doo had in summer, the studio counts on the sequel having a longer shelf life as schools let out for Easter and spring break over the next couple of weeks, said Dan Fellman, Warner head of distribution.

"The Ladykillers" and "Jersey Girl" each played in fewer than half the number of theaters as "Scooby-Doo 2," which had a healthy $9,283 average in 3,312 cinemas. Playing in 1,583 theaters, "The Ladykillers" averaged $8,214, while "Jersey Girl" did $5,462 in 1,520 cinemas.

Buoyed by Hanks' star power, "The Ladykillers" had the best opening ever for a Coen brothers flick, topping the $12.5 million debut of their "Intolerable Cruelty" last fall.

It was a solid opening for "Jersey Girl," which appears to have dodged the taint of last summer's Affleck-Lopez bomb "Gigli." In just one weekend, "Jersey Girl" surpassed the $6 million total domestic gross of "Gigli," which hit theaters amid the tabloid frenzy over former sweethearts Affleck and Lopez's wedding plans.

In limited release, Nicole Kidman's "Dogville" opened well with $90,000 at nine theaters in New York City and Los Angeles. Directed by Lars Von Trier, the three-hour "Dogville" stars Kidman as a fugitive who finds refuge — then subjugation — among the narrow-minded residents of a Rocky Mountain town.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed," $30.7 million.
2. "The Ladykillers," $13 million.
3. "The Passion of the Christ," $12.5 million.
4. "Dawn of the Dead," $10.3 million.
5. "Jersey Girl," $8.3 million.
6. "Taking Lives," $6.5 million.
7. "Starsky & Hutch," $6.3 million.
8. "Hidalgo," $5.43 million.
9. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," $5.42 million.
10. "Secret Window," $5.4 million.

Janet Jackson Faces Music with 'Damita Jo' Release

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Janet Jackson may have ignited a furor by baring a breast during a live CBS telecast of the Super Bowl, but the pop diva literally faces the music next week when her new album, "Damita Jo," hits stores.

While Jackson's ardent fans will likely judge the album on its merits, it may be difficult to completely tune out the controversy over her notorious half-time performance.

Indeed, the cover of "Damita Jo" -- she says the title comes from her middle name -- features Jackson in profile clad only in jeans with her arms covering her breasts.

"Being an artist, she's very comfortable expressing herself creatively," her publicist, Stephen Huvane, told Reuters on Friday. "Janet's trying to stay focused on releasing the best record she can and by not obsessing on the controversy and the hoopla."

After keeping a low profile in the wake of her infamous "wardrobe malfunction," Jackson steps earnestly back into the limelight next week to promote the new Virgin Records album, which arrives in U.S. stores March 30 and overseas March 29.

She will return to CBS, owned by Viacom Inc., on March 29 on the "Late Show with David Letterman" for her first network interview since the Feb. 1 Super Bowl show.

Jackson also will give her first televised musical performance since the game on ABC's "Good Morning America" next week and will host NBC's "Saturday Night Live" next month. ABC is owned by the Walt Disney Co. and NBC by General Electric Co.

Although Jackson issued a mea culpa for a "costume reveal" that she said went further than intended, CBS effectively barred her from the Grammy Awards a week later when she refused the network's demands to make an on-air apology.

Public outrage surrounding her flash of nudity also sparked a Federal Communications Commission probe, congressional action to stiffen fines for broadcast indecency and an industry-wide crackdown on sexually explicit material on TV and radio.

FANS DON'T CARE

Nevertheless, the judgment of music consumers rests on different factors, experts said.

"It (Super Bowl) will never be forgotten, but it will be forgiven. The audience that listens to and loves Janet are going to still buy her records, go to her concerts and watch her TV specials," said Ann Stephenson, chief executive of New Jersey-based image consulting firm Stephenson Group.

The Super Bowl faux pas was "not a career buster," she said, "but it was probably smart to keep a low profile for a while. ... Based on her past performances this could be her best re-coming-out party."

Radio stations started playing one single, "Just A Little While," around the time of the Super Bowl. But after getting an initial boost, the track's airplay lost momentum, never getting past No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Jackson's label, owned by EMI Group Plc, has since released a second single, "I Want You," targeting Jackson's core R&B audience, which has fared better.

Industry watchers expect "Damita Jo" to sell 200,000 copies its first week, about a third of the retail volume logged by her last album, "All For You," in its first week in 2001. That release went on to sell 3 million copies, regarded as a commercial success but far short of earlier works.

"You can't really throw stones at her if she didn't sell as much in 2001 as she did in 1986. It's hard for pop artists to stay relevant. Let's give her credit for still being in the conversation," said Geoff Mayfield, director of sales charts for Billboard magazine.
 
Some believe the new album will get a huge push when Jackson embarks on a marketing campaign and when a video is released in the United States.

In an interview for April edition of "Upscale" magazine, Jackson said she "pushes the envelope" with her latest album in terms of exploring sexuality as a theme.

Update: Van Halen Tour To Bow In June

Van Halen has confirmed the routing for its summer tour, as well as the return of vocalist Sammy Hagar after an eight-year absence. The group's official Web site features the greeting "Eddie, Alex, Mike & Sammy Hit the Road" as well as a new photo of the foursome. The trek will play North American arenas beginning June 11 in Greensboro, N.C., and wrapping Aug. 19 in Los Angeles.

Van Halen -- guitarist Eddie Van Halen, drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony -- has not toured since 1998 and is currently without a record deal after splitting from longtime home Warner Bros. in 2002. However, June will see the release of a greatest hits album via Warner Strategic Marketing, featuring at least one new Hagar-voiced track, "It's About Time."

A tour spokesperson says the upcoming shows will offer such David Lee Roth-era classics as "Panama" and "Jump" plus Hagar-associated tracks like "Why Can't This Be Love," "Right Now," "Dreams," "Top of the World" and "Best of Both Worlds."

Tickets for some shows begin going on sale April 3 via Ticketmaster. Van Halen's site will also be offering premium ticket packages for some shows, with details to be announced Tuesday (March 30).

Here are Van Halen's tour dates:

June 11: Greensboro, N.C. (Greensboro Coliseum)
June 13: Hershey, Pa. (Hershey Park Stadium)
June 16: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
June 19: Worcester, Mass. (Centrum)
June 22: East Rutherford, N.J. (Continental Airlines Arena)
June 25: Hartford, Conn. (Civic Center)
June 26: Albany, N.Y. (Pepsi Center)
June 28: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
July 1: Pittsburgh (Mellon Arena)
July 2: Cleveland (Gund Arena)
July 3: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
July 6: Columbus (Schottenstein Center)
July 7: Indianapolis (Conseco Fieldhouse)
July 10: Detroit (Joe Louis Arena)
July 11: Auburn Hills, Mich. (Palace of Auburn Hills)
July 19: Chicago (venue TBA)
July 22: St. Paul, Minn. (Xcel Energy Center)
July 26: Kansas City, Mo. (Kemper Arena)
July 28: St. Louis (Savvis Center)
July 31: Omaha, Neb. (Qwest Center)
Aug. 1: Denver (Pepsi Coliseum)
Aug. 5: Phoenix (America West Arena)
Aug. 7: Las Vegas (Mandalay Bay)
Aug. 10: San Jose, Calif. (HP Pavilion)
Aug. 11: Sacramento, Calif. (Arco Arena)
Aug. 13: Oakland, Calif. (Oakland Arena)
Aug. 14: Fresno, Calif. (Save Mart Center)
Aug. 19: Los Angeles (Staples Center)

Weekend Movies: 'Jersey Girl' and 3 Others Too

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood's major movie studios roll out four new films in theaters on Friday including kids comedy "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" to challenge last week's box office champ, zombie flick "Dawn of the Dead."

Also looking to grab a share of ticket sales is art house romance, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," starring Jim Carrey, which opened last week to No. 6 in U.S. and Canada but earned a healthy $6,042 per theater at 1,353 sites.

"Dawn of the Dead" debuted at more than twice the number of theaters, 2,745, giving it a far better shot at the coveted No. 1 spot last week, where it landed with a $27 million haul.

This weekend, the numbers add up for Warner Bros. "Scooby-Doo 2" playing in more than 3,300 theaters against a dearth of kids movies. Warner Bros. is a unit of Time Warner Inc.

The movie follows 2002 hit "Scooby-Doo" about a group of four teen ghost hunters and their dog, Scooby, who bumble their way through mysteries but always catch their crook.

The first "Scooby" opened in the summer to a $54 million weekend and went on to take in $153 million at domestic box offices. "Scooby-Doo 2" features the same cast, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze, Jr., Matthew Lillard and Linda Cardellini, as well as the computer animated mutt, Scooby.

In this version, they are asked to unmask a villain who is scaring the town of Coolsville with a machine that conjures up the gang's old foes like The Black Knight Ghost. It is rated PG for some scary action, rude humor and language.

Among the other three new entries, all are opening in far few theaters and face stiff competition from current movies.

Comedy "The Ladykillers," starring Tom Hanks and distributed by Walt Disney's. Buena Vista Pictures, debuts in about 1,600 theaters. From directors Joel and Ethan Coen ("Fargo"), it is based on a 1955 movie of the same name.

Hanks portrays a scholarly southern gentleman with penchant for crime who is leading a band of hapless crooks in a scheme to tunnel into a vault that holds cash from a riverboat casino. But he and his men run into trouble when devout Christian, Mrs. Munson (Irma P. Hall), from whose basement he and his men are hatching their plan, discovers their scheme.

Given an R-rating for language and sexual references, the sophisticated storytelling of the Coens' movies and Hanks in the lead role, "Ladykillers" will likely appeal to adults.

"Jersey Girl," from director Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, aims for younger adults with a story about Ollie Trinke (Affleck) whose life as a single father is changed after he strikes up an affair with a woman (Liv Tyler).

It is rated PG-13 for language, sexual content and frank dialogue, and is being distributed by Disney unit Miramax Films. It debuts in just over 1500 theaters.

Finally, aimed at black audiences is crime drama "Never Die Alone," from Twentieth Century Fox specialty film unit Fox Searchlight. Fox is a unit of News Corp. Ltd's Fox Entertainment Group .

The movie stars rapper-turned-actor DMX as a street smart criminal named King David who wants to be redeemed from his past crimes but finds himself the target of revenge.

It is based on the novel of the same name by Donald Goines and is rated R for strong violence, drug use, sexuality and language. It debuts in about 1,200 theaters.

'Law & Order' Losing Veteran Jerry Orbach - Sources

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Is it time for the "Law & Order" troops to throw a goodbye party for Briscoe?

Sources say "Law & Order" veteran Jerry Orbach will depart Dick Wolf's long-running crime drama at the end of the season after 12 years on the beat as wise-cracking Detective Lennie Briscoe. However, Orbach may still remain in business with Wolf with a role on the upcoming fourth installment of the franchise: "Law & Order: Trial by Jury."

As for the flagship series, there is no word yet about a replacement for Orbach, but one scenario involves his character's partner, Detective Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin), being promoted.

"'Law & Order' has a 15-year track record of Dick Wolf never commenting on casting changes during the season," a spokesman for the show said Thursday. Indeed, "Law & Order" has famously weathered many cast changes since it bowed in 1990. At present, Orbach is the longest-serving member of the current "Law & Order" cast members, having signed on during the show's third season in 1992.

Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz Split

LOS ANGELES - Tom Cruise and Penelope Cruz have ended their three-year relationship. The couple, who spent long periods apart while filming, "broke up at the end of January and it's amicable," said Lee Anne DeVette, Cruise's sister and publicist.

Robert Garlock, Cruz's spokesman, told People magazine that neither star is dating anyone else and the two "remain good friends."

Cruise, 41, starred in last year's "The Last Samurai" and appears alongside Jamie Foxx in the upcoming Michael Mann-directed thriller "Collateral."

Cruz, 29, appeared in last year's "Gothika" and the recently released Italian film "Non ti Muovere (Don't Move)." She is to star alongside Charlize Theron in the upcoming "Head in the Clouds."

Garlock said Cruz had not become a Scientologist like Cruise "but she has taken (church) courses and she's found them beneficial." He said Cruise's religion was not involved in the split.

Cruise and Cruz met on the set of the 2001 film "Vanilla Sky."

Spidey Swings Early

Sony Pictures announced at ShoWest that SPIDER-MAN 2 - the sequel to the hugely successful Sam Raimi-helmed 2002 picture - will swing into theaters two days early to take full advantage of the Independence Day holiday.

The movie, previously scheduled for a July 2nd release, will now open June 30th. SPIDER-MAN 2 reunites the original film's cast of Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Kirsten Dunst as love interest Mary Jane Watson, and James Franco as Harry Osborne, son of the first film's villain, Norman Osborne/Green Goblin. In 2, Maguire must struggle to contend with his feelings for Mary Jane while keeping her out of the many arms of the insane Dr. Otto Octavius.

Also returning are J.K Simmons as irate newspaper mogul J. Jonah Jameson, Rosemary Harris as the constantly imperiled Aunt May, and Sam Raimi mainstays Ted Raimi and Bruce Campbell. New to the cast are Alfred Molina as Octavius/Dr. Octopus; Daniel Gillies as John Jameson, JJJ's astronaut son and MJ's new beau; and Dylan Baker as Dr. Curt Conners, the one-armed alter ego of another Spidey villain, the Lizard.

To commemorate the release of the first SPIDER-MAN film, comic shops around the country participated in a nationwide program called FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, which has become a much anticipated annual event. Keeping with that tradition, July 3rd has been named 2004's FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. Sony's move is not expected to upset the comic industry's plans for celebration.

NOTHING COMES BETWEEN THEM

Calvin Klein tapping Hilary Swank as the new face of his "Sensual Support" lingerie line. The undies ad campaign kicks off this fall.

David Lee Roth to Appear on 'Sopranos'

LOS ANGELES - There's another "isn't that so-and-so?" cameo coming up on "The Sopranos": Former Van Halen lead singer David Lee Roth makes a quick appearance in this Sunday's episode.

Roth and his wild long, white hair are playing cards with Tony Soprano and a bunch of Soprano's cronies, including Silvio — played by another musician, E Street Band member Steve Van Zandt.

The singer tells Rolling Stone, "You know 20 years ago, Tony Soprano was driving around Jersey in his Iroc-Z just blasting the Van Halen."

Meanwhile, Van Halen's Web site posts cities where the band will perform, with a promise of "more info coming soon!!"

However, the posting doesn't say which of Van Halen's three singers — David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar or Gary Cherone — will be fronting the band. The biographical information section lists only the Van Halen brothers — drummer Alex and guitarist Eddie — and bassist Michael Anthony.

Publicists for Roth and Hagar did not respond to requests for comment.

'Idol' Judge Simon Cowell Denies Obscene Gesture

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Simon Cowell, the often brutally acerbic judge on the Fox television hit "American Idol," insists it was an innocent posture, not an obscene gesture.

Contrary to suggestions that he was directing an insult to fellow judge Paula Abdul by putting his middle finger to the side of his face during Tuesday's broadcast, Cowell denied flipping her the proverbial bird on prime-time TV.

"I certainly would never make a gesture like that toward Paula or on national television," Cowell said. "Sometimes I lean on my index finger. Sometimes a different finger. Sometimes two at the same time, or, God help me, even the whole hand. I never even thought about it until now."

Likewise, a spokesman for Fox Broadcasting Co., a unit of News Corp. Ltd., said network censors saw nothing offensive about Cowell's hand position.

"Our standards and practices people looked at it and felt it was a completely benign body posture," the spokesman said. "It wasn't a gesture."

He added that the "posture" in question, which came during the live East Coast broadcast of the show from Los Angeles Tuesday night, was "not edited or cut out" for the tape-delayed feed to the West Coast.

In any case, Cowell demonstrated once again that he was hardly at a loss for words to express himself, calling the performance of one contestant "nauseating."

Cowell and Fox were responding to queries raised after pictures of Cowell with his middle finger to his face were widely circulated online by Internet columnist Matt Drudge.

But Drudge was not the only person who noticed the odd head-finger alignment. The Federal Communications Commission has "received a few complaints" about the incident, spokesman Richard Diamond told Reuters. The agency typically reviews such complaints to determine if an investigation is warranted.

Elvis Costello signs book deal

NEW YORK (AP) -- Elvis Costello has agreed to a two-book deal with Simon & Schuster, but don't expect any juicy music industry gossip.

In a statement issued Tuesday, the publisher said Costello had "resisted the rewards for writing a traditionally scurrilous and scandalous biographical memoir."

The first book, scheduled for fall 2005, will be a "series of intimate narrative chapters taking their cue from the styles, themes and characters found in a number of Costello's lyrics."

The second book will be a "work of comic philosophy" entitled "How to Play the Guitar, Sing Loudly and Impress Girls ... or Boys."

Costello, inducted in 2003 into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is known for songs including "Watching the Detectives," "Alison" and "What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding." Earlier this year, Costello and T Bone Burnett were nominated for an original song Oscar for "Scarlet Tide," from the film "Cold Mountain."

The 49-year-old singer married jazz musician Diana Krall in December.

Weezer Deluxe

Ten years ago, a band with an unusual name debuted with an album that continues to influence modern rock. Now 1994's self-titled Weezer (commonly referred to as "The Blue Album") is presented in a two-CD Deluxe Edition (Geffen/UMe), released March 23, 2004. Also marking that 10th anniversary, more than a decade's worth of Weezer video history has been collected for the DVD Video Capture Device: Treasures From The Vault 1991-2002, issued by Geffen/UMe on the same date. With previously unreleased and seminal elements on each, fans can finally both see and hear Weezer before the band even began recording its celebrated debut album.

Disc One of Weezer - Deluxe Edition presents the original album 96k/24-bit digitally remastered. Weezer, produced by Ric Ocasek (The Cars), peaked in the pop Top 20, went triple platinum, and spun off the Modern Rock hits "Undone - The Sweater Song," "Buddy Holly" and "Say It Ain't So."

Disc Two is filled with associated international b-sides (including live acoustic tracks), rarities, demos and garage recordings as well as a movie track.

Previously unreleased are the "kitchen tapes" for "Undone - The Sweater Song," "Paperface" and "Only In Dreams," and pre-production recordings for "Lullaby For Wayne" and "I Swear It's True." In addition, Weezer - Deluxe Edition features the album artwork as the band originally intended and an expansive booklet with new liner notes and numerous photographs.

Weezer spawned two classic MTV Video Music Award-winning videos from then little-known director Spike Jonze-and "Undone - The Sweater Song" and "Buddy Holly" join every other Weezer music video and more on Video Capture Device: Treasures From The Vault 1991-2002.

With over three hours of material, the DVD brings together those famed videos; the clips for "Say It Ain't So," "Hash Pipe" and "Photograph" (rarely seen) and others, plus new videos created especially for Video Capture Device. Also included is never before seen live footage-from the band's early days to the Enlightenment Tour '02--including rare acoustic performances, and never before seen studio footage. Yet another special DVD feature offers optional bandmember commentary on many of the selections.

Ten years after its debut album, Weezer (singer-songwriter-guitarist Rivers Cuomo, guitarist Brian Bell, bassist Scott Shriner and drummer Pat Wilson) is currently in the studio preparing its fifth album.

Monty Python's 'Life of Brian' Set for Re-Release

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Coming back soon to a theater near you -- a controversial film about a Jewish guy from Nazareth who is worshiped as the Messiah and crucified by the Romans.

No, it's not Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ." It's Monty Python's "Life of Brian."

Inspired by the runaway success -- and public furor -- over Gibson's portrayal of the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus, the creators behind the 1979 biblical satire about an anti-Roman activist who spends his life being mistaken for a prophet are planning a 25th anniversary re-release next month.

"Life of Brian" will open at the end of April in Los Angeles and New York before expanding to other cities across the country, Rainbow Film Company president Henry Jaglom, whose distribution arm is reissuing the film, said on Tuesday.

Jaglom, a writer-director whose partner, John Goldstone, produced the original film, said trailers for the comedy would appear in theaters starting on Good Friday.

"We decided this is an important time to re-release this film, to provide some counter-programing to 'The Passion,"' Jaglom told Reuters. "I intend it, hopefully, to serve as an antidote to all the hysteria about Mel's movie."

He said marketing for the re-release would play off Gibson's film by adapting such taglines as "Mel or Monty" and "The Passion or the Python" -- "we want to give people a choice."

The members of the Monty Python comedy troupe -- John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, Terry Jones and the late Graham Chapman (who played Brian) -- all shared writing credits on the film and won back theatrical rights to it several years ago. Jaglom said the surviving members "all agreed this was a good time" to re-release the film and would help promote it.

Owing to a heavy turnout by Christian moviegoers and weeks of intense media attention, Gibson's film opened to blockbuster success on Feb. 25 -- Ash Wednesday. "The Passion" has gone on to generate nearly $300 million in North American ticket sales alone, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.

"Life of Brian," stirred an uproar all its own 25 years ago, with some Christians condemning the film as blasphemous. The film only got made when former Beatle George Harrison stepped in to finance the picture after EMI Films withdrew from the project, fearing that it was too controversial.

The movie focused on the fictional Brian of Nazareth, a Jew who is born in the manger next-door to Jesus and grows up to join an anti-Roman separatist group called the Judean People's Front but ends up being mistaken for the Messiah. The film's creators have said it was meant as a spoof on Bible films and intolerance rather than Christianity.

But that distinction was lost on some who were offended by the irreverent flavor of the film, including a scene in which several crucifixion victims sing and whistle the tune "Look On the Bright Side of Life" while hanging on crosses.

Former Corporate 'Slave' Prince Signs with Sony

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Prince, who used to complain that he was a "slave" to one former record label, has signed with Sony Corp's Columbia Records unit after several years as an independent artist, both parties said on Tuesday.

The worldwide deal initially covers only the funk veteran's upcoming album, "Musicology," which Columbia will release in the United States on April 20. The album coincides with Prince's first tour in six years, which begins on March 27 in Reno, Nevada.

"I look forward to working closely with Prince as we bring Musicology to audiences across the country and throughout the world," said Don Ienner, president of Sony Music U.S.

Somewhat cryptically, Prince, 45, added in the statement: "I am really an artist and musician at heart, that's what I do. Musicology has no boundaries or formats. It is long overdue to return to the art and craft of music -- that's what this album is about. School's in session."

Prince enjoyed his greatest success with Warner Bros. Records, which signed him as a fledgling artist in 1977 and released such big sellers as "Dirty Mind" (1980), "Purple Rain" (1984) and "Sign O' The Times" (1987). At one stage, he renegotiated a lucrative contract that also made him a vice-president at the label.

But the relationship soured in the early 1990s, with Prince claiming that Warner Bros. could not keep up with his prolific output. To drive the point home, he performed with the word "Slave" scrawled across his face.

He embarked on the indie road in 1996 with a 3-CD release, "Emancipation," which he quickly followed up with more increasingly idiosyncratic albums. He returned to the major leagues for one of them, 1999's "Rave Un2 the Joy Fantastic," which was handled by Bertelsmann AG's Arista Records unit.

Sammy Hagar returns to Van Halen

After months of speculation, Van Halen are hitting the road for the first time in six years with a familiar face back in the lineup -- Sammy Hagar.

Hagar, who split with the group in 1996, is back in the fold after he and the other members of Van Halen met last November and put aside their past differences.

Since then, the reunited quartet have recorded several songs which will appear on a forthcoming best-of album, sources told Livedaily.com.

The band hasn't toured since 1998 when they hit the road behind "Van Halen 3" with former Extreme vocalist Gary Cherone. The Cherone experiment ended up being a commercial failure and he left the band shortly after work began on a follow-up release in 1999.

The upcoming summer tour will kick off in Hershey, PA on June 13, and other confirmed stops include Detroit, East Rutherford, Greensboro, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, St. Louis, St. Paul, Wilkes-Barre and Worcester.

There is no word on Canadian dates as yet, but more shows are expected to be added shortly.

Harmer No Longer A Farmer

It took a looming deadline for Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah Harmer to come up with the direction for All Of Our Names, her new solo collection of roots-pop-folk that hits record stores today.

Harmer had just two days to write a tune about greed for a CBC radio show about the seven deadly sins. That song, recorded in the basement of the Toronto home of her boyfriend/keyboardist /soundman Marty Kinack, became the new tune Took It All.

"I was cruising down the highway listening to the song and it was pretty brand new to me and I thought, 'Marty and I can do this! We know what we're doing!
We're adults now!' '' said Harmer, 33, the onetime frontwoman for Kingston rockers Weeping Tile.

"So I called him and was, like, 'Let's make the whole record. I'll get a bunch of gear. We'll set up in my house.' "

Sure enough, Names -- the followup to Harmer's highly praised 2000 major-label solo debut, You Were Here -- was mostly recorded at her farm house in Quaker Valley, Ont., just north of Kingston.

"I have cables all over the place, down through the staircase, into the living room," said Harmer, sipping a juice during a chat yesterday morning in the newly refurbished Drake Hotel on Queen Street W.

"But they're pretty much tucked away. They're kind of running along the ceilings and the floors. It was a bit of a flea-market look. But I'm really glad we did it the way we did. There's a certain energy when you're recording at home."

In addition to being excited about today's release of Names, Harmer was feeling bolstered by a successful stint at South By Southwest in Austin, Tex., from which she had just returned on Sunday.

"All my clothes smell like beer, so it went really well," she said with a laugh. "It was great. We played three shows and saw lots of great music. I was just thinking, 'You never get to go to a city where you know (so many people).' It was like a mini-Toronto."

Her latest tour will also include five weeks of shows in the U.S., where You Were Here sold 80,000 copies (compared to 100,000 in Canada) and was called the best debut of 2000 by TIME magazine.

"I do feel like I have fan base now, that's for sure," said Harmer of her U.S. profile.

Avril Lavigne a temper girl

Avril Lavigne lashed out at fellow teen queen Hilary Duff and then trashed a photo of herself on air during an angry interview with a Boston radio station last week.

The Boston Herald reported it was an ever-the-rebel Lavigne who appeared on the MIX 98.5 morning show, firing off when the subject of "goody two-shoes" Duff -- who was not present -- came up.

"You," she said to Duff over the airwaves, "can go screw yourself."

The 19-year-old Napanee native told show host John Lander she has never dissed her fans for adopting her popular but short-lived tie-and-tank look, as Duff is reported to recently have admonished her for doing, saying instead she thinks it's a compliment when they emulate her style.

"I'm like, 'Who are you to talk about me? You should know better,' " said Lavigne. "Don't talk trash with me."

Lavigne then spotted a photo of herself on Lander's studio wall which she proceeded to rip down and throw out.

"I hate that (bleeping) photo," said Lavigne.

Lavigne first struck back at Duff (who is reported to have called Lavigne mean-spirited and said "I was like, 'You should be happy that these people like you and look up to you!' ") in a recent interview with Newsweek, calling her a "mommy's girl."

"I'm sure she's really nice and sweet," she said sarcastically. "I'm sure she's all smiles."

Lavigne is currently promoting her eagerly awaited sophomore album Under My Skin, due out May 25.

Lavigne and Duff may seem dramatically different, but they have at least one thing in common besides their singing careers. The trio of hitmakers known as the Matrix pitched in to help write songs on both their debuts, Duff's Metamorphosis and Lavigne's 14 million-selling Let Go.

'STAR WARS' 'TOON RETURNS

The 'toon version of "Star Wars" begins its rocket-fueled finale this week.

But the series creator, Genndy Tartakovsky - best known for the animated-action series "Samurai Jack" - never thought the "Star Wars" series would make it to TV.

"It seems like things like this don't happen in real life," Tartakovsky said. "When the Cartoon Network approached me and asked me if I wanted to do an animated 'Star Wars,' I couldn't believe it."

The latest installment of "Star Wars: Clone Wars," the Cartoon Network's 20-episode "micro-series" - each episode is about three minutes - airs Friday (9:30 p.m.) after a hiatus of several months.

The series, commissioned by "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, follows the side adventures of some well-known and not well-known characters in the "Star Wars" universe.

"Lucas has been great," said Tartakovsky. "I think he likes it because he kind of sees somebody else having fun with [the 'Star Wars' mythology]."

The cartoon takes place between the 2002 film "Attack of the Clones" and the sixth installment of the double trilogy set to hit theaters in 2005.

Van Halen Summer Tour A Go

The long-rumored Van Halen summer tour is finally getting off the ground. The group's official Web site reports that Van Halen will play shows on dates yet to be announced in Detroit; East Rutherford, N.J.; Greensboro, N.C.; Hershey, Pa.; Kansas City, Mo.; Las Vegas; Philadelphia; St. Louis; St. Paul, Minn.; Wilkes-Barre, Pa.; and Worcester, Mass.

There has also yet to be a formal announcement as to who will fill the group's lead singer slot, although it appears Sammy Hagar has won back the job. Hagar replaced original vocalist David Lee Roth in 1985 and remained in Van Halen until 1996. Roth returned to the fold for a brief, disastrous stint that year to record two new songs for a greatest hits album, but did not collaborate with the band further.

Former Extreme frontman Gary Cherone took over lead vocal duties for 1998's "Van Halen III" and a tour later that year, the band's most recent to date. In a bizarre twist, Roth and Hagar embarked on co-headlining U.S. tour in 2002.

As a band, Van Halen is surrounded by numerous other uncertainties, from guitarist Eddie Van Halen's battle with cancer to its lack of a record deal. The group split with Warner Bros. in early 2002 after spending its entire career recording for the label.

Hagar has a handful of shows booked with his band the Waboritas into early May. Promoters previously confirmed to Billboard.biz that Van Halen had holds for late summer dates in several U.S. arenas. In recent weeks, the group also signed a deal for representation with the William Morris Agency.

Stones Revisit Singles Heyday with Boxed Sets

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - As the Rolling Stones extend their record-breaking gap between studio albums into a seventh year, their former label is stepping up with a series of reissues.

ABKCO Records will on May 4 release the first of three boxed sets collecting all the U.S. and U.K. singles and EPs from the band's heyday in the 1960s.

"The Rolling Stones Singles 1963-1965" will feature 12 discs, three of them reproducing EPs that were only released on vinyl in the U.K., "The Rolling Stones," "Five By Five" and "Got Live If You Want It!"

Each disc approximates the black vinyl look of the original 45, and is individually packaged in a picture sleeve using original artwork. The suggested retail price for the first set will be $59.98, a spokesman said.

The second box, "The Rolling Stones Singles 1965-1967," will come out in the summer, and the third box, "The Rolling Stones Singles 1968-1971," in the fall. Exact dates have not been scheduled yet.

ABKCO, owned by the Stones' former manager, Allen Klein, re-released 22 of their early albums on dual-layer, hybrid Super Audio CDs in 2002 to coincide with the launch of their "Licks" world tour. It will release "The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus" on DVD in Christmas 2005, ABKCO representatives said recently.

The Stones, who famously lost their 1960s copyrights to Klein, were not directly involved with the singles project, a label spokesman said. But ABKCO executives have been in daily contact with Keith Richards' manager, Jane Rose. The Stones guitarist has been the most sanguine about losing the copyrights, having once described it as "the price of an education." Klein, in turn, has said Richards is his favorite Stone. They also share a birthday.

The first disc features the debut single, "Come On" the b-side "I Want To Be Loved," which were recorded in May 1963 and released the following month.

The final disc is "Got Live If You Want It!" -- not to be confused with a 1966 U.S.-only live album of the same name but with different songs from a later concert. The EP was recorded in Britain in March 1965 and released three months later.

The first track, "We Want the Stones!" consists of the crowd chanting that line, and the Stones credited themselves, under their Nanker-Phelge pseudonym to claim royalties. The versions of "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" and "Pain in My Heart" have also never before been released on CD.

Even though their first U.S. chart-topper "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" was released in the United States two weeks before the live EP hit U.K. stores, it will be included on the second box.

The Stones' last studio album, "Bridges to Babylon," was released in September 1997. Amid rumors that they will tour next year, the band's members are working on an unspecified project that necessitated the cancellation of drummer Charlie Watts' plans to tour Europe in the summer.

Muppets Bringing Peace to the Middle East

TEL AVIV, Israel (Hollywood Reporter) - Where countless politicians and diplomats have failed, Elmo, Cookie Monster and their "Sesame Street" buddies are on a mission to promote peace and tolerance in the Middle East.

A programing experiment using the Muppet characters was launched six months ago and was widely welcomed by parents, educators and the media. But the Muppets are not without their critics in Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan.

Sesame Workshop partnered with local producers to create "Sesame Stories," an adventurous initiative to use new and existing "Sesame Street" characters to foster respect and understanding among children in the region.

Gary Knell, president and chief operating officer of Sesame Workshop, says in an interview that producers knew that not everybody would be open to the idea of Elmo & Co. teaching Israeli kids to respect Palestinians and vice versa.

"It's a highly charged environment, and the press is going to reflect some of that," Knell says. "Yes, some Israeli reports accused us of being lackeys of the Palestinians, while another article accused us of being lackeys of the Bush White House and charged that Elmo was carrying the will of the White House to the Middle East. A Jordanian Internet site accused us of being Zionist lap dogs."

Knell stresses that the majority of media reports about the Muppets experiment had been positive.

"Sesame Stories" is now airing as three parallel productions on Jordan Television, the HOP! Channel in Israel and the Ma'an Network in the West Bank and Gaza.

Daniella Hellerstein, whose family emigrated to Israel three years ago from the United States, says she encourages four young kids to watch the show.

"I like the overall message -- tolerance and respect -- and I support the effort 100%," she says. But she adds: "My children don't completely appreciate the point of the characters -- they don't differentiate between the Jewish and Arab characters."

Havi Livne, another mother in the region, welcomes the show unreservedly. "Suddenly, a program is dealing with Arabs not just as terrorists. For me, it opened a window to talk with the children about something very important. And it's very important for me to know it's shown in the Palestinian Authority and Jordan."

Ayman El Bardawil, director of Ramallah-based independent broadcaster Al Quds Educational Television, a co-producer of the Palestinian Authority version, reports that "the children are happy about it. The feedback we've been getting is very good."

Sesame Workshop's Knell says that there have been problems other than inflammatory media reports to overcome during the past months. Just living and working in such a highly charged environment is a challenge for the producers. "One day there was a bus bombing (in Israel), and our producers dropped everything to get to the scene because they feared their children might be on the bus.

"Then one of the Palestinian writers -- on his way to a production meeting --was strip-searched in the street by Israeli soldiers. Now you know he's not coming into that meeting in a good mood."

The Couch Potato Report

In the Couch Potato Report This Week there's a pair of failed box office releases
looking for success on video and DVD and one movie that made a Splash over 20 years ago.

"If you smell what The Rock is cookin'!"

If that quote means something to you then you know who The Rock is. If you are
wondering who’s cooking what, then you might not know that The Rock is one of the biggest - both in stature and size - professional wrestlers of all time.

After a mildly successful starring film debut in 2002’s THE SCORPION KING (after a brief role in THE MUMMY RETURNS) The Rock is now starring in THE RUNDOWN, a movie about a bounty hunter and a fugitive who team up to find a treasure.

For a man who’s 6’5 and 255 pounds The Rock is surprisingly light on his feet in THE RUNDOWN. He has charm and humor as well as the toughness it requires to play a cinematic bounty hunter.

Movie goofball Seann William Scott - who played Stiffler in the AMERICAN PIE films, is the fugitive, the one and only Christopher Walken is the bad guy, and the
delicious Rosario Dawson rounds out the cast.

The plot of THE RUNDOWN isn't great, but parts of the movie are clever and the cast knows they are starring in WAR & PEACE, so they seemed relaxed and look like they enjoyed themselves making the movie.

THE RUNDOWN doesn’t take itself too seriously and as a result it’s an exceptionally entertaining action film, if you can smell what I’m cooking.

You’ll be able to smell this week’s other major new release from the moment you walk into the video store.

Oscar winner Halle Berry is a criminal psychologist who wakes up in mental hospital in GOTHIKA.

Berry is a criminal psychologist who wakes up to find herself a patient in the same prison for the criminally insane which she works. She has no memory of the murder of her husband that she's accused of committing.

But instead of utilizing that premise and turning into a suspenseful, tense movie
GOTHIKA is a smelly train wreck.

It starts out alright, but then the wheels start coming off, one by one culminating
in one of the most insulting and idiotic endings of all time.

GOTHIKA is a very silly murder mystery and not worth your time.

On the other hand SPLASH is worth your time. It has been for 20 years. To
commemorate the fact that this movie about a man who falls in love with a mermaid has reached the two-decade milestone there is now a 20th Anniversary Edition DVD available.

This new DVD features the original auditions of stars Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah, a commentary on the film and it’s success by Ron Howard and a new making of featurette.

And if nothing else, this 20th Anniversary Edition of SPLASH gives us another chance to enjoy the comedic brilliance of the late John Candy.

Finally this week is a DVD that won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I don’t drink
tea, so I’ll take this Weezer DVD instead if you don’t mind.

WEEZER - VIDEO CAPTURE DEVICE 1991-2002 has most of the music videos the band has made, including Undone - The Sweater Song, Buddy Holly, El Scorcho (directors cut), Hash Pipe, Keep Fishin', and other cool stuff like “Weezer Goes To NY: The Making of The Blue Album”, “Weezer Goes To Van Nuys: The Making of Pinkerton”, "Stoopid Fresh" (green album preparations)”, "How Not To Do An Interview" and much, much, much, much more!

There will also be a selection of 5 "Raw Nuggets" from 1991-2002, generally rougher footage, but still of very cool events, plus a selection of the TV ads crafted over the years to promote the release of the band's albums. There will be optional band commentary on all the music videos and on about half of the "Documentary" and "Raw Nuggets" pieces.

I just have three words to sum up how psyched I am: Sweet. Sweet. Sweet!

THE RUNDOWN, GOTHIKA, the 20th Anniversary Edition of SPLASH and WEEZER - VIDEO CAPTURE DEVICE 1991-2002 are available right now at your favourite local video store.

COMING NEXT WEEK IN THE COUCH POTATO REPORT

Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton star in SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE. Jack is an older man who falls for his younger girlfriend's mother.

In the animated Disney film BROTHER BEAR an angry young man is transformed into a bear.

And

A woman vows to get her house back by any means necessary in the superb HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG. It stars Oscar winners Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley.

I'll have more on those releases in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

Here's a complete look at what's on Weezer's "Video Capture Device":

Videos:

Undone - The Sweater Song
Buddy Holly
Say It Ain’t So
El Scorcho (directors cut)
The Good Life
Pink Triangle (home made no budget)
Hash Pipe
Island In The Sun (Marcos Siega)
Island In The Sun (Spike Jonze)
Photograph
Dope Nose
Keep Fishin’
Slob (indie style low budget)

Documentary, B-roll, and Live stuff:

Undone - the Sweater song (Alternate version)
"Weezer Goes To NY: The Making of The Blue Album"
In The Garage (live)
Jamie (Live)
"Buddy Holly News"
"Saction" (spring 1995 tour action)
Say It Ain't So (B-roll version)
Say It Ain't So (live - Dave Letterman)
"Weezer Goes To Van Nuys: The Making of Pinkerton"
El Scorcho (live)
The Good Life (B-roll version)
Pink Triangle (Live and Acoustic)
Mykel and Carli (Live)
My Brain (Live)
"Outlog"
"Stoopid Fresh" (green album preparations)
"How Not To Do An Interview"
Dope Nose (B-roll version)
"Eurotrash" (2002 tour action)
Take Control (Live)
Fall Together (Pre-Show Warmup)
Prodigy Lover (demo session)

Also, there will be a selection of 5 "Raw Nuggets" from 1991-2002, generally rougher footage, but still of very cool events, plus a selection of the TV ads crafted over the years to promote the release of the band's albums. There will be optional band commentary on all the music videos and on about half of the "Documentary" and "Raw Nuggets" pieces.

Today's New Releases

Here are the new CD releases for Tuesday, March 23, 2004:

* 36 CRAZY FISTS A Snow - Capped Romance (Roadrunner)
* ALAN PARSONS Ultimate Alan Parsons (BMG Heritage)
* ALL THAT REMAINS This Darkened Heart (Razor & Tie)
* ANDRE ETHIER Andre Ethier With Christopher Sandes Featuring Pickles and Price (Sonic Unyon)
* ANTERRABAE Shakedown Tonight (Razor & Tie)
* BABYFACE A Love Story (Arista)
* BEETHOVEN'S WIG Beethoven's Wig 2: More Sing - Along Symphonies (Rounder)
* BOB DYLAN Live 1964: Concert at Philharmonic Hall (Legacy)
* BRITNEY SPEARS Britney Spears: In The Zone (DVD) (Zomba)
* BUENA YERBA Presient Alien (Razor & Tie)
* CARL THOMAS Let's Talk About It (Bad Boy)
* CASSIDY Split Personality (J Records)
* CHACHI JONES Claustrophilia (Imusic)
* CHICAGO Chicago X (DVD) (Rhino)
* CYPRESS HILL Till Death Do Us Part (Sony)
* ELVIS PRESLEY Ultimate Gospel (BMG Heritage)
* FLEETWOOD MAC Rumours (Delux Edition) (Rhino)
* FLEETWOOD MAC Fleetwood Mac (Expanded) (Rhino)
* FLEETWOOD MAC Tusk (Delux Edition) (Rhino)
* GLENN MILLER The Glenn Miller Centennial Collection (Arista Associated Labels)
* HALL & OATES Ultimate Hall & Oates (BMG Heritage)
* HENRY MANCINI The Very Best of (BMG Heritage)
* HIGH HOLY DAYS All My Real Friends (Roadrunner)
* JACKSOUL Resurrected (BMG/Vik)
* JEM Finally Woken (ATO Records)
* JOHNNY CASH Life (Columbia)
* JUST JACK The Outer Marker (TVT)
* KNOC-TURN'AL The Way I AM (Elektra)
* LIL' WAYNE The Carter (Universal)
* LISA MISKOVSKY Falling Water (Stockholm)
* LOU REED Animal Serenade (Warner)
* N.E.R.D. Fly or Die (EMI)
* ORGY Punk Statik Paranoia (Universal)
* PETER, PAUL & MARY Carry it On: A Musical Legacy (DVD) (Warner)
* SANDRA BOYNTON Rhinoceros Tap (Cold Snap/Universal)
* SARAH HARMER All of Our Names (Cold Snap/Universal)
* SCOOBY-DOO 2 OST Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleached (CD+DVD) (Warner)
* SCOOBY-DOO 2 OST Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleached (Enhanced + Collector Cards) (Warner)
* SHAKIRA On Stage, Off the Record (DVD/CD) (Epic)
* SIGUR ROS Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do (Geffen)
* SNOW PATROL Final Straw (Interscope)
* SOEL Momento (Warner)
* SOIL Redefine (J Records)
* TARRALYN RAMSEY Tarralyn Ramsey (Universal)
* TEEDRA MOSES Complex Simplicity (TVT)
* THE VINES Winning Days (EMI)
* THE WILKINSONS Highway (Maple Music)
* USHER Confessions (Arista)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS It Came from the Garage (Sony Music Direct)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Lunatic Works Vol. 3 Loaded Music for Loaded Minds (Imusic)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind OST (Hollywood)
* WAYLON JENNINGS Ultimate Waylon Jennings (BMG Heritage)

Bond's glass half empty

HOLLYWOOD -- James Bond is in limbo but Pierce Brosnan is neither shaken nor stirred.

"We've reached an impasse with the producers. They seem to be paralyzed and can't move forward," says Brosnan who starred as 007 in the last four Bond films.

It had been announced that Brosnan would do a fifth Bond film for the franchise, but the Irish actor insists "it is nowhere near a done deal but they know where to find me.

"I was prepared to do a fifth film and then walk away, and we had started negotiations, so I want to follow through but conversations and telephone calls have dried up."

Brosnan feels "the bar for these movies was raised so high with the last one and they don't seem to know how to improve on it. They don't have a script or a director so the rumours that we will begin filming in the fall are just rumours."

Brosnan, who stars opposite Julianne Moore in the romantic comedy Laws of Attraction opening April 30, is heading off to Mexico City to begin filming The Matador with Greg Kinnear and Hope Davis.

Brosnan Unsure About Spears Bond Rumor

LOS ANGELES - If pop singer Britney Spears is going to be a Bond girl, it's news to James Bond's Pierce Brosnan. The actor says he knows nothing about Spears becoming a Bond girl, in spite of rumors to that effect.

Brosnan says, "Bless her cotton socks and good luck to her." If given a choice, Brosnan says he'd like Keira Knightley or Monica Belucci to be in a Bond movie.

While the 21st Bond movie is supposed to be in theaters November of next year, Brosnan says the producers are having a hard time of it. He says "there's a certain sense of paralysis that has kind of blanketed production at the moment. The last Bond broke all records. They don't know what to do."

Add to that the matriarch of the Bond empire, Dana Broccoli, recently passed away. Brosnan calls the Broccoli's death "a terrible loss." But, when things do get moving and the next Bond movie is ready to be filmed, Pierce Brosnan will be there. The actor has appeared in four Bond movies and says they know where to find him, "if they want to set sail with a fifth."

Rush Guitarist Charged in Hotel Fight

NAPLES, Fla. - The lead guitarist for the rock band Rush was charged Monday with two counts of battery, more than three months after a New Year's Eve scuffle with sheriff's deputies at a Naples hotel.

Deputies said the fight started when the guitarist's son refused to get off the stage at The Ritz-Carlton, where the house band was performing.

Alex Zivojinovich, whose stage name is Alex Lifeson, tried to intervene when deputies escorted his son off the property, deputies said. They accused Rush's founding member of pushing a female deputy down a stairwell and spitting in another deputy's face.

Justin Zivojinovich, 33, was charged with one count of resisting with violence, and Alex Zivojinovich's wife was later charged with resisting arrest.

After his arrest that night, Alex Zivojinovich, 50, left jail with a bloodstained shirt and told reporters his nose was broken in the altercation. The two charges he faces are each punishable by up to five years in prison if he is convicted.

Zivojinovich's attorney declined to comment Monday.

Madonna Announces 'Re-Invention Tour'

NEW YORK - Madonna will begin a world tour in Los Angeles on May 24, with stops in New York City, London and Paris, it was announced Monday.
 
"I'm happy to confirm the rumors. Madonna will be going out on tour this spring and summer," her manager, Caresse Henry, said in a statement.

The singer has started rehearsals for the Re-Invention Tour, Henry said, "and she can't wait to get back on stage to recreate her songs from the earliest days of her career up until the present."

Dates on the tour include: Los Angeles, May 24; Las Vegas, May 29; San Jose, Calif., June 8; Washington, June 13; New York City, June 16-17; Boston, June 27; Philadelphia, July 4; Chicago, July 11; Toronto, July 18; Atlanta, July 24; Fort Lauderdale, Fla., July 28; Miami, Aug. 1; London, Aug. 18; and Paris, Sept. 1.

Additional shows will be announced at a later date.

Report: Sony, McDonald's in Talks on E-Music Deal

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Instead of fries, how about a little Beyonce or Bruce Springsteen to go with your Big Mac?

In the latest blend of e-music with the food-and-beverage industry, Japanese electronics giant Sony is working out a deal to promote the upcoming launch of its download music service through fast-food chain McDonald's Corp., the Los Angeles Times reported on Monday.

According to the newspaper, McDonald's is expected to commit about $30 million in advertising to the partnership in exchange for unspecified discounts to license some songs from Sony's new download service, Sony Connect.

Those songs would then be offered to McDonald's patrons for free with the purchase of certain menu items, with customers receiving codes they can use online for the downloads.

Both Sony and McDonald's declined comment on the report. But the restaurant chain acknowledged it is exploring tie-ins with a variety of companies "in the areas of music, sports, fashion and entertainment."

News of an impending partnership with McDonald's comes as Sony seeks to gain a foothold in the burgeoning Internet music market against such rivals as Apple Computer's iTunes and RoxioInc.'s Napster.

Sony, whose record labels are home to such acts as Beyonce, Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Gloria Estefan, and Offspring, announced in January that it would launch Sony Connect this spring, offering some 500,000 songs for downloading at 99 cents per tune.

Having pioneered portable music with the Walkman, Sony is hoping to use Connect to help spur sales of its new generation of digital music players, thus reclaiming lost market share from Apple's dominant iPod.

The Times said McDonald's had been in talks on a similar marketing effort with Apple but switched plans after a last-minute overture from Sony.

The reported Sony-McDonald's venture comes less than a week after cafe chain Starbucks Corp. unveiled plans to offer its customers an opportunity to record five songs for $6.99, plus additional tracks at 99 cents a piece, while waiting for their cappuccino or latte orders. Starbucks is teaming up with Hewlett-Packard Co. for that project.

Last October, Apple announced a marketing alliance with PepsiCo Inc. to promote its iTunes service.

Under that tie-in, Apple said it would offer 100 million free song downloads to consumers who find winning codes under the caps of their soft drinks.

Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said recently that iTunes was on track to sell about 70 million to 75 million songs by the end of April -- short of its original goal.

Jobs said that song redemptions for the Pepsi promotion had fallen short of the company's initial expectations.

Still Spinning

Kirsten Dunst told THE CALGARY SUN that SPIDER-MAN 3 will shoot sooner than you think. "A minimum of three films was always the plan," said the titular Mary Jane. "I've never made any secret of that. We'll probably shoot Spider-Man 3 during the first three months of 2005...Spider-Man 2 is a much better film and I had even more fun making it, so I can hardly wait to begin work on Spider-Man 3".

Bond, Legolas Bond

Moviehole is reporting that Orlando Bloom is now the leading contender to take over the James Bond franchise. "They are pulling out all the stops to get him. Orlando would be perfect for the part as he's got the looks, the charm, the accent and the high profile that would make Bond even more popular. They want to move away from the traditional image of James Bond - the older, suave gentleman - and believe a younger, trendier actor will attract friends."

OOPS!

Britney Spears injured her knee during a concert in Moline, Illinois, Thursday night, forcing her to cancel two weekend dates.

Johnny Cash Movie May Start Filming Soon

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Producers of an upcoming movie on the life of country music singer Johnny Cash say they may start shooting in June.

The movie stars Joaquin Phoenix as the "Man in Black" and Reese Witherspoon as his wife, June Carter Cash.

The movie is titled "Walk the Line" after Cash's 1956 hit, "I Walk the Line." It is scheduled to cost 20th Century Fox roughly $28 million.

The movie aims to chronicle the late singer's life, from his days on a cotton farm in Arkansas in the late 1940s, to his early stardom with Sun Records in Memphis. It will also explore his troubled time as a superstar in Nashville in the late 1960s.

Cash died Sept. 12 at age 71, four months after his wife of 35 years, June Carter Cash, died at age 73.

Despite all the time Cash spent in Tennessee, Memphis is no lock to be the location for filming, producers said.

Linn Sitler, of the Memphis & Shelby County Film and Television Commission, says Louisiana is trying to outbid Memphis with tax breaks and incentives.

'Dead' Ousts 'Passion' From No. 1 Spot

LOS ANGELES - Audiences feasted on zombies as the fright flick "Dawn of the Dead" ruled the box office, debuting with $27.3 million and bumping "The Passion of the Christ" from the top spot.

Mel Gibson's "The Passion" took in $19.2 million, slipping to second place after three straight weekends on top, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"The Passion" raised its domestic total to $295.3 million since opening Feb. 25. The movie passed "The Sixth Sense," which earned $293.5 million, to take over 18th place on the all-time domestic chart.

Opening in third place with $11.4 million was the serial-killer thriller "Taking Lives," starring Angelina Jolie and Ethan Hawke in a tale of an FBI profiler tracking a murderer who assumes victims' identities.

In narrower release, Jim Carrey's "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" premiered at No. 6 with $8.6 million. Carrey plays a man reliving recollections of a soured romance after he hires a company to erase his memories of his lover, played by Kate Winslet.

The overall box office rose for the fourth straight weekend, with the top 12 movies grossing $109.7 million, up 33 percent from the same weekend a year ago.

Much of that lift is due to "The Passion," which pulled Hollywood out of an early-year slump.

"We anticipated it would open well and contribute to the total box office, but certainly not at this magnitude," said Rob Schwartz, head of distribution for Newmarket Films, which released "The Passion."

Hollywood revenues for the year are at about $1.8 billion, 3 to 4 percent ahead of last year's, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"Dawn of the Dead" stars Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames in a remake of George Romero's 1979 horror tale about survivors holed up in a shopping mall from a plague of flesh-eating zombies.

Opening in 2,745 theaters, "Dawn of the Dead" averaged a healthy $9,945 a cinema. "Taking Lives" averaged $4,218 in 2,705 theaters, while "Eternal Sunshine" did $6,334 in 1,353 cinemas.

Remakes have a spotty box-office history, though horror updates such as last year's hit "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" tend to hold less risk because scary movies have a built-in audience.

"They are dicey," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, which released "Dawn of the Dead." "But I think the horror genre, that's a genre that's an audience pleaser. Clearly, everyone's going because they want to see the zombies."

Scary movies tend to drop steeply in subsequent weekends after hardcore horror fans have seen them. But "Dawn of the Dead" cost just $26 million to make, so surpassing its production budget with the opening weekend gross puts it on track to turn a solid profit.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Dawn of the Dead," $27.3 million.
2. "The Passion of the Christ," $19.2 million.
3. "Taking Lives," $11.4 million.
4. "Starsky & Hutch," $10.7 million.
5. "Secret Window," $9.6 million.
6. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," $8.6 million.
7. "Hidalgo," $8.5 million.
8. "Agent Cody Banks: Destination London," $6 million.
9. "50 First Dates," $4.3 million.
10. "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," $1.5 million.

Christopher Eccleston Is New 'Dr. Who,' BBC Says

LONDON (Reuters) - Actor Christopher Eccleston has been named by the BBC as the new "Doctor Who" to front the cult science-fiction television series when it returns next year.
 
Eccleston, who starred alongside Nicole Kidman in the horror movie "The Others," will be the ninth TV Time Lord to control the Tardis in a 13-part series.

"It signals our intention to take Doctor Who into the 21st century, as well as retaining its core traditional values - to be surprising, edgy and eccentric," executive producer and writer Russell T Davies said late on Friday.

British-born Eccleston, 40, shot to fame with "Let Him Have It" for his portrayal of Derek Bentley, a mentally retarded British man who was hanged in the 1950s for a murder he did not commit.

Eccleston was snapped up by Hollywood for "Shallow Grave" and has starred in British TV series such as "The Second Coming."

The hugely-popular Doctor Who show ran for 26 years from 1963. The new series will be filmed in Cardiff later this year.

Teen Singer Stone Exhibits Plenty of 'Soul'

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - For 16-year-old newcomer Joss Stone, the rules don't apply.

Without the usual push at radio, the S-Curve Records artist's debut EP, "The Soul Sessions," has jumped from the bottom half of the Billboard 200 to No. 64 this week. The success is attributed to music video exposure and a unique marketing strategy.

S-Curve president Steve Greenberg, who executive- and co-produced the project, explains that releasing an EP before a full studio album opened doors that are usually closed to new artists.

"If you put out a regular studio album with a single to pop radio, the world is really going to judge her based on how the single does," Greenberg says. "With 'Sessions,' we made a record that stood on its own, that clearly wasn't made for the sole purpose of having hit singles."

The singer's collection of soul covers arrived in September 2003 and served as an introduction to the Devon, England, singer's upcoming album of original material.

"I thought it was just going to be a word-of-mouth thing," Stone recalls. "That was the idea -- like an underground, five-dollar thing. It kind of turned into something completely different."

Co-produced by soul veteran Betty Wright, the release is long for an EP, with 10 tracks. It is a foray into soul from the '60s and '70s with classics like the Isley Brothers' "For the Love of You" and more obscure cuts like Carla Thomas' "I've Fallen in Love With You."

"We wanted to pick songs that she could do radically different from the original," explains Greenberg, who recalls that the whole recording process took just four days. "We really tried not to do a karaoke record."

Though it's not every day that a teenage ingenue records with such veteran musicians as Timmy Thomas, Stone says, "I don't really know any different. Everyone's saying, 'Oh, it must be weird being 16 and doing this,' but I really have no idea what it's like to be any older."

TELEVISION PLAY

Instead of a hit radio single, music TV channels MTV and VH1 picked up Stone's version of the White Stripes' "Fell in Love With a Girl" -- renamed "Fell in Love With a Boy" -- last month.

Since being added to video rotation, Stone has sold 31% of her 263,000-unit total in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Her label says the record has shipped 570,000 units.

"It zoomed for us. Sales tripled during the post-Grammy, Valentine's Day period," says Vince Szydlowski, senior director of product for Virgin Entertainment Group. He adds that the video airplay has been "phenomenal. Getting her in front of millions of viewers has certainly helped."

Amazon.com group merchandising manager Jeff Somers says that Stone jumped from No. 20 to No. 13 on its top-seller list in one day.

"With MTV and VH1 building her presence in the U.S., we're seeing a resurgence in her popularity," he says. "For us, she's been popular since her release in September. Our customers tend to look for an artist that has something unique about them, and she certainly falls into that category."

The video sparked TV appearances on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "Last Call With Carson Daly" and a featured segment on MTV's "Total Request Live."

Stone also performed with Elton John, at the pop star's request, during his annual Oscar bash with "In Style" Feb. 29.

Stone has performed showcases in Germany, France and Italy and will open for Sting at London's Royal Albert Hall in May.

"I can't wait to do that," Stone says. "Royal Albert Hall is really posh, so it's going to be funny -- a bit of a laugh."

Stone's album of original material is slated to arrive in September. The singer says she has been writing the material for it since she was 14.

GOODBYE EDD

Tonight Show announcer/sketch comic Edd Hall signs off tonight after a 12-year run with Jay Leno - hoping there's an earlier timeslot in his future.

"I've got a couple of things I'm working on but nothing signed, nothing solid," said Hall, who spent 10 years with David Letterman before joining the "Tonight Show" in May 1992.

"Sitcoms are the direction I'm going in . . . My acting coach said, 'Where you need to go is as a TV dad,' " says Hall, the father of three young children. "And that's where I'm looking, primarily."

Hall said he's been thinking of leaving the show for a while now.

"At the beginning of the show, I was hired as a principal performer to do sketches as well as announcing, and in the beginning, for the first six or seven years, I was on three to four times a week in sketches," Hall said.

"In the last few years they've sort of phased out the sketches, using correspondents around the country, and I kind of felt like, 'OK, now I am just the announcer.'

"It's a good job and is high profile, but I had to ask myself if I wanted to stay here, or if now was the chance to get out and test my chops," he said. "It's a decision that's been a few years in the making."

NBC's announcement of Hall's departure, coupled with the hiring of Howard Stern sidekick "Stuttering John" Melendez as his replacement, fueled rumors that Hall had been fired.

"A lot of the press was thinking I got fired, but I'm mainly leaving because I want to go off and pursue acting," he said. "NBC and the show have been so supportive. My contract isn't really up until mid-May, and I asked to get out of it early because it's pilot season.

"They were very obliging, even though, at that point, they didn't have anyone to replace me."

Hall said he was initially surprised that NBC selected Melendez as his successor.

"When they first told me there was a little bit like, 'Hello?' But after it was announced, I called John and congratulated him and we spoke for about 20 minutes," he said.

"I'm going to be interested in how they work him into the show - he's a sweet guy and I'm sure he's going to do great."

Hall will receive a nice sendoff on tonight's show (11:35 p.m./Ch. 4), including a retrospective of his memorable bits.

"It's exciting and terrifying at the same time," he said. "I've been very lucky in show business. I was at NBC for 25 years . . . There are very few show-biz jobs that last that long."

JON H-ANCHORS FOR MORE

It's four more years of "The Daily Show" for Comedy Central cut-up Jon Stewart.

The brainy comic has signed a deal to remain the anchor of the cable channel's popular news satire through 2008.

"Jon is really focused on his work," said outgoing Comedy Central chief Larry Divney yesterday. "He really enjoys it. I call him a pundit and he says, 'stop,' I call him a humorist and he says, 'stop.' "

Stewart's current deal is believed to expire at the end of this year and several networks, including Fox, are purported to have met with him in the last few months to discuss new shows.

"We weren't privy to his conversations with [other networks] or what kind of money they were talking about," Divney said. "We just put what we thought would be our best foot forward based on what our resources are.

"I think he likes having his platform of creative freedom, and he likes where the network is and the company that he keeps," Divney said.

Stewart took over "The Daily Show" in January 1999 from then-host Craig Kilborn and has turned the news lampoon/talk show into one of the most sought after gigs for politicians and movie stars to appear on as guests.

In a strange twist, since Kilborn's departure, the show has even become a primary news source for many viewers in their 20s and 30s.

Stewart has also become something of a well-known political pundit, known for his quirky insights into politics and skewering the media.

So far this year, viewership has averaged about 1 million for the nightly 11 p.m. broadcast - an all-time high for the show.

'Dead' Entering Hallowed Ground at Box Office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The sacred will battle the profane at the box office this weekend.

Newmarket Films' "The Passion of the Christ," which has handily topped the mount for the past three weekends, will face off with "Dawn of the Dead," Universal Pictures' remake of the 1978 zombie classic, which trumpets the ad line: "When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the earth."

As of Wednesday, "Passion" had pulled in more than $273 million. Having earned $32.1 million last weekend, a 40% decline this weekend -- still a tenacious hold -- would see "Passion" attracting another $19 million-plus.

That scenario could leave room for "Dawn of the Dead" to rise to the top spot. Directed by first-time feature filmmaker Zack Snyder, "Dawn" reprises the premise of George Romero's classic in which a handful of embattled survivors are trapped in a suburban shopping mall surrounded by hungry zombies. The target audience for the R-rated flick are younger, thrill-seeking males -- and a multiethnic cast that includes Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber and Mekhi Phifer should also lure in urban audiences.

Horror genre fans are a loyal lot. Last October, New Line Cinema opened its remake of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" in 3,106 locations to $28 million. However, zombies may not have quite the appeal of chain saw-weilding maniacs, and tracking suggests "Dawn of the Dead," which is rising in 2,744 locales, could perform more like "Jeepers Creepers 2" and "Resident Evil," which bowed to $15 million and $18 million, respectively. However, if "Dawn" does bust out and hit the $20 million mark, then it will go mano a mano with "Passion."

"Dawn of the Dead" could lose some thrill-seekers to Warner Bros. Pictures' "Taking Lives." A more upscale thriller directed by D.J. Caruso ("The Salton Sea"), the atmospheric R-rated tale stars Angelina Jolie as an FBI profiler working a serial killer case in Montreal. Sporting a cast that includes Ethan Hawke, Olivier Martinez and Kiefer Sutherland, the film is likely to attract a somewhat less rabid and probably more female first-weekend audience than "Dawn," and so it could find itself checking in with a number somewhere in the low-teen millions as it debuts in 2,705 locations.

"Taking Lives," which appears to be interesting younger females, also will find itself battling it out with the second weekend of Sony Pictures' "Secret Window," starring Johnny Depp. That thriller, about an embattled writer, bowed last weekend in the second spot to $18.2 million. A 40%-50% decline in its second weekend would find "Window" collecting another $9 million-$11 million.

Meanwhile, Focus Features is employing a somewhat more controlled release for the weekend's third wide release, "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet in a memory-impaired romance. "Sunshine" is making its first appearance in 1,353 locations as it attempts to build itself a constituency.

The movie has a major box office star in Carrey, whose last film, the broad comedy "Bruce Almighty," pulled in $248 million domestically. But Carrey's fans have not always stuck with him when he has ventured into more adventurous territory like 1999's "Man on the Moon," which only grossed $34.6 million domestically.

However, the R-rated "Sunshine," directed by Michel Gondry ("Human Nature") also boasts a secret weapon in screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, an Oscar nominee for both 1999's "Being John Malkovich" and 2003's "Adaptation." Kaufman is a genuine star in the specialty-films market, and Focus is betting that by combining Carrey's more discerning fans with Kaufman's followers, it can settle in for a long run following what is shaping up as a $6 million-$9 million opening.

FROM THE DIGITAL BITS

Yeah, we know this is going to get some people's undies in a bunch again... but we can say with some confidence now that when Lucasfilm and Fox release the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD in September, the films ARE going to include new footage.

We've confirmed "unofficially" with three separate sources, each in positions to know, that at least SOME new footage is being added to the films, and that more special effects enhancements, tweaks and fixes are being done.

We're also told that Lucasfilm MAY include additional deleted scenes for the trilogy on the bonus disc, separate from the material added into the films themselves (rather like they've done with Episodes I & II).

We've been told of at least a few changes that are being made, but we're going to wait to confirm them better before we post anything. Keep in mind that we have no idea how extensive or minor the whole of the additions and changes will be. Hopefully, we'll learn more from Lucasfilm in the near future. So, okay... we're now officially intrigued. We'll post more when we can.

FROM DAN

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

The War Returns to This World

Tom Cruise will star in a remake of THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, with Steven Spielberg directing.

Spielberg will direct from a script by Josh Friedman and rewritten by David Koepp, which is based on H.G. Wells' novel. The novel was originally set in the 19th century, when atmospheric disturbances are detected on Mars. No one knows what to make of the reports until an invasion force lands outside London.

At first, the world laughs at the Martians because they cannot adjust to the Earth's increased gravity. However, they soon learn their lesson when giant death machines begin laying waste to the world.

Spielberg and Cruise hope the film could start late in 2005. Meanwhile, Spielberg will likely direct THE RIVALS, which effectively scuttles any plans for INDIANA JONES IV, which has stalled because George Lucas threw out Frank Darabont's script.

Dreamworks and Paramount will fianance the pic. Cruise's C/W Productions will produce.

Uncertain Spies

In a recent interview Pierce Brosnan talked about the future of his career as James Bond.

"I’m certainly willing to come back for a fifth and final one," says Brosnan. "But I think the producers are certain a kind of paralysis has set in. And they don’t know where to go, how to go with this film. So if it happens, great. If it doesn’t, I’ve done my four - the contract was for four...”

Dumb But Funny

Coming soon on DVD is Sledgehammer!: Season One, which streets on July 27th. Presented in 4:3 full screen, extras include audio commentary with creator Alan Spencer, all new cast and crew interviews, original commercials and episode info.

Three's Season Two

On May 4th comes Three's Company: Season Two, which will handedly top the featureless Season One set with over two hours of bonus material.

In addition to remastered 4:3 full screen transfers and restored Dolby 2.0 stereo tracks, goodies include the never-before-seen pilot episode made before Joyce DeWitt and Suzanne Somers were cast, the all-new "John Ritter: Always Leave Them Laughing" documentary, audio commentary on the episode "Days Of Beer And Weeds" with Chris Mann, author of Come and Knock on Our Door," the featurette "Eight Years Of Laughter: A Tribute To John Ritter," a blooper reel, the "Best Of Janet: Season Two," "Best Of Chrissy: Season Two" and "Best of the Ropers: Season Two" montages, a trivia game, two still galleries and talent bios.

California Judge Delays Courtney Love Drug Case Again

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (Reuters) - A hearing to determine whether Courtney Love will be tried on drug charges was postponed on Tuesday, but not before the singer-actress had disrupted the proceedings and was admonished by the judge to keep quiet.

It was the fourth time a Beverly Hills judge has put off hearing the felony case stemming from Love's Oct. 2 trip to a local hospital for what police called "a medical emergency."

Superior Court Judge Elden Fox reset the hearing for April 15 after Love's new lawyer said he needed more time to prepare his case and obtain evidence from investigators.

Love, 39, has pleaded innocent to illegally possessing prescription painkillers.

She faces two charges in a separate case stemming from her pre-dawn arrest earlier the same day outside a boyfriend's home, where police said she was breaking windows.

The frontwoman for the now-defunct rock band Hole arrived in court on Tuesday in a sheer pink-and-red dress and a turquoise sweater with her attorney Michael Rosenstein, who took over the case last month.

She called out: "Hello Judge Fox," and later blurted out when prosecutors objected to delaying the case: "I've got the bottles with me. I've got the prescriptions on me."

Fox admonished her not to interrupt, saying: "Ms. Love, you're not doing yourself any service."

At one point, Love handed a book, "A History of Women, Renaissance and Enlightenment Paradoxes," to a reporter seated behind her, pointing out that the table of contents listed female journalists, witches and prostitutes consecutively.

When asked whether she would be able to make the new court date, Love told the judge: "I'll be right here."

She is scheduled to appear Wednesday night on the CBS "Late Show with David Letterman" for an interview and to perform a song from her debut solo album, "America's Sweetheart," the first release from Love in six years, the network said.

Quebec films dominate Genie noms

TORONTO -- Two Quebec films have received a total of 20 Genie nominations in categories including best picture, best actor and best director.

The Genie Awards, Canada's equivalent to the Oscars, will be handed out at a gala ceremony May 1, to be televised this year not by the CBC but by CHUM Television.

Leading the pack with 11 nods is La Grande seduction, Jean-Francois Pouliot's gentle comedy starring Raymond Bouchard about a small, financially strapped Quebec fishing village that hatches a plot to lure a resident doctor. It was a box office smash in Quebec and was nominated for 13 Jutra Awards but lost out to Deny Arcand's The Barbarian Invasions (Les Invasions barbares) which scooped up all the major categories.

Arcand's film is tied with Charles Martin Smith's The Snow Walker, also a best-picture contender, for nine Genie nominations. The Barbarian Invasions, about a group of aging Quebec intellectuals reminiscing about their hedonistic youth, has already won a heap of international awards, including the Oscar for best foreign film, and was a major winner at last year's Cannes Film Festival as well as the Toronto International Film Festival.

The Snow Walker, starring Vancouver actor Barry Pepper, is based on a Farley Mowat story about a cocky bush pilot who crashes in the remote Arctic in the 1950s and whose survival is aided by his passenger, an ailing young Inuit woman.

Other leading nominees from Quebec include Seraphin: Un homme et son peche, with six, and La Face cachee de la lune, with four, including best picture. Falling Angels has six as well while Guy Maddin's The Saddest Music in the World has three.

Also in the nominations race are The Gospel of John, Marion Bridge, Norman Jewison's The Statement and the family holiday movie Blizzard, with Christopher Plummer getting a supporting-actor nod as Santa Claus. Other nominated actors include Pepper, Barbarian Invasions star Remy Girard, Molly Parker, Sarah Polley, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Roy Dupuis, Marie-Josee Croze, Olympic Dukakis and Inuit newcomer Annabella Piugattuk.

Traditionally the Genie Awards gala is telecast in prime time by the CBC where it has earned miserable ratings. This year, however, the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, which also oversees TV's Gemini Awards, has a new co-producer in CHUM, which plans to air the event on Citytv, Star, Access and ASN, under the motto "Our stars, our stories, our screens."

The Genie nominees are being unveiled this year after some major changes were made to the system that chooses them.

The Academy says under its revisions, the previous double jury has been replaced by a single jury that reviews all entries. In addition, the secret ballot has been replaced by a process of open discussion and consensus. The Academy is also planning to reinstate the best foreign actor and actress categories to better reflect the growing number of Canadian-international co-productions.

The changes come after director David Cronenberg complained bitterly last year that the jury system was flawed and that foreign actors were discriminated against.

Nominees in key categories for the 24th annual Genie Awards, honouring the best in Canadian cinema:

Best motion picture:
--La Face cachee de la lune
--La Grande seduction
--Les Invasions barbares
--Owning Mahowny
--The Snow Walker

Best actor:
--Raymond Bouchard (La Grande seduction)
--Remy Girard (Les Invasions barbares)
--Philip Seymour Hoffman (Owning Mahowny)
--Robert Lepage (La Face cachee de la lune)
--Barry Pepper (The Snow Walker)

Best actress:
--Rebecca Jenkins (Marion Bridge)
--Micheline Lanctot (Comment ma mere accoucha de moi durant sa menopause)
--Molly Parker (Marion Bridge)
--Sarah Polley (My Life Without Me)
--Karine Vanasse (Seraphin: Un homme et son peche)

Best supporting actor:
--Benoit Briere (La Grande seduction)
--Roy Dupuis (Seraphin: Un homme et son peche)
--David Hayman (The Wild Dogs)
--Christopher Plummer (Blizzard)
--Stephane Rousseau (Les Invasions barbares)

Best supporting actress:
--Marie-Josee Croze (Les Invasions barbares)
--Olympia Dukakis (The Event)
--Emily Hampshire (A Problem With Fear)
--Meredith McGeachie (Punch)
--Annabella Piugattuk (The Snow Walker)

Best director:
--Denys Arcand (Les Invasions barbares)
--Robert Lepage (La Face cachee de la lune)
--Guy Maddin (The Saddest Music in the World)
--Jean-Francois Pouliot (La Grande seduction)
--Charles Martin Smith (The Snow Walker)

Wakka, Wakka, Wizard?

Word is that ABC is developing a new version of THE WIZARD OF OZ using the Muppets.

The only human character will likely be that of Dorothy, while the rest of the Muppets take the other key roles. The telepic will be based on L. Frank Baum's original novel and not the 1939 musical.

Whitney Houston into drug rehab

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Grammy-winning pop singer Whitney Houston has entered a drug rehabilitation facility, her publicist said.

Houston "thanks everyone for their support and prayers," publicist Nancy Seltzer said in a statement Monday. She declined to offer any further details.

Houston, 40, admitted in a December 2002 television that she had abused drugs in the past, but told interviewer Diane Sawyer on ABC's Primetime that she had managed to get beyond that time through prayer.

Houston's husband, R&B singer Bobby Brown, was sentenced to 60 days in jail in late February for violating probation. One of the violations included a December misdemeanour battery charge for allegedly striking Houston, leaving her with a bruised cheek and a cut inside her lip.

In January 2000, Houston left behind a bag at Keahole Kona International Airport in Hawaii that allegedly held roughly 15 grams of marijuana and three partially smoked marijuana cigarettes.

In 2001, a petty misdemeanour drug charge relating to the incident was dismissed against Houston after a drug counsellor filed an assessment with prosecutors stating that Houston did not require treatment for substance abuse.

Brown and Houston have been married since 1992 and have a 10-year-old daughter, Bobbi Kristina.

This Is THE COUCH POTATO REPORT!

In the Couch Potato Report This Week there's two films based on the lives of
real people, 21 grams and a complete failure.

Movies based on real people are always interesting. If it has the words
"Based On A True Story" on the video box or DVD sleeve it is usually going
to be worth your time.

That's definitely true about this week's first new release.

VERONICA GUERIN is the "Based On A True Story" cinematic telling of the life
and work of Irish journalist Veronica Guerin.

Guerin was a well-known reporter who was murdered in 1996 by the drug
dealers she was attempting to expose. The fact that many of us in North
America don't know her, or her story, makes this an interesting movie. I
suspect that anyone who knows Guerin's work and life story might be a bit
disappointed.

VERONICA GUERIN is a movie that's worth your time as Cate Blanchett does her
usual tremendous job as the leading character. Unfortunately the movie lets
her down.

We get to see Guerin at work, but there is no explanation given whatsoever
to regarding why she risks her life, and the lives of her family, for the
stories she's working on.

At the end of VERONICA GUERIN I was entertained but not satisfied. I wanted
to know more about her.

If the point of the picture was to leave me wanting more, it succeeded. If
it wanted me to know all about Veronica Guerin - the person - then it
failed.

So think of VERONICA GUERIN as a unsatisfactory "Based On A True Story"
film, but a great introduction to the person who was Veronica Guerin.

For the complete Veronica Guerin experience do a Google-search on her after
you've seen the film and you'll get some of the answers you crave.

No type of internet search engine will get you quick answers to some of the
questions posed in the film 21 GRAMS.

The first half of 21 GRAMS is a bit confusing, quite disorientating and even
irritating. The movie takes it's sweet old time weaving together the stories
of the three main characters in a chronologically random fashion.

If you like your movies to unfold in front of you from start to finish then
stay away from 21 GRAMS.

Eventually we find out that a horrific car accident has brought the lives of
three strangers together.

Oscar winner Sean Penn stars along with Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro,
who were both nominated for their work in this picture. All three actors
give, very honest, bold performances and if the movie just told the story in
a straight line then perhaps it would have been very powerful.

MEMENTO and PULP FICTION told their stories out of order and were
captivating from start to finish. Once you've realized what's happening in
21 GRAMS there just isn't enough to recommend.

21 GRAMS is a pretty good film with some great acting, but it just falls a
bit short of what it could have been.

It's not a failure, but it isn't truly successful either.

On the other hand, the 80 minute film version of Dr. Seuss' classic 72 page
book THE CAT IN THE HAT is a complete failure.

Starring the exceptionally talented Mike Myers this live-action version of
the famous Dr. Seuss story is padded out with special effects and a few
risqué moments that were not in the original book.

The movie version of THE CAT IN THE HAT is an insult to one of the most
beloved characters in children's literature, and a bigger insult to Dr.
Seuss.

Should you find yourself in in the mood to be entertained by a talking cat
who will help to break up the boredom of a rainy day just pick up the book

Another movie based on a good book has been getting a lot of attention these
days.

So with Mel Gibson's THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST ringing up box-office bucks
across North America to the tune of over $250 million, it's never been a
better time to re-visit MONTY PYTHON'S LIFE OF BRIAN.

This classic film takes on the story of the Messiah in a hysterical,
satirical way.

The story follows the misadventures of Brian, who was born just down the
street in Bethlehem on the same night as another famous baby.

LIFE OF BRIAN culminates with the the classic finale song, "Always Look on
the Bright Side of Life."

Originally released in 1979 LIFE OF BRIAN remains one of Monty Python's
funniest achievements.

Its not for everyone, but then again neither is Mel Gibson's THE PASSION OF
THE CHRIST.

VERONICA GUERIN, 21 GRAMS, DR. SUESS' THE CAT IN THE HAT and MONTY PYTHON'S
LIFE OF BRIAN are available right now at your favourite local video store.

COMING NEXT WEEK IN THE COUCH POTATO REPORT

There's a whole bunch of failed box office releases.

GOTHIKA is about a criminal psychologist who wakes up in mental hospital.
Halle Berry, Penelope Cruz, Robert Downey Jr. topline the cast.

A bounty hunter and a fugitive team up to find treasure in THE RUNDOWN.
Wrestler The Rock and AMERICAN PIE'S Seann William Scott star along with the
luscious Rosario Dawson.

In HONEY a dancer must choose to dance or not to dance after being
blackmailed by her mentor. I don't have to see this to know that this HONEY
has more to do with Poo than Pooh. DARK ANGEL'S Jessica Alba leads a cast
that also includes Mekhi Phifer and rapper Lil' Romeo.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

New CD Releases

Here are the new discs coming out on Tuesday, March 16, 2004:

* ALECIA NUGENT Alecia Nugent (Rounder)
* BIG BOI OutKast Presents - Big Boi's Boom Boom Room (DVD) (Arista)
* BUSTED A Present for Everyone (Island)
* DAVID BYRNE Grown Backwards (Nonesuch/Warner)
* FLESHCRAWL Made of Flesh (Metal Blade)
* GODSMACK The Other Side (Universal)
* JACKSON BROWNE The Very Best of Jackson Browne (Rhino)
* JHENE My Name is Jhene (Epic)
* JOE JACKSON Afterlife (Outside Music)
* MADONNA Love Profusion (Maxi Single) (Warner)
* NEIL YOUNG Greendale (DVD AUDIO) (Warner)
* R.E.M. Perfect Square (DVD) (Warner)
* SLAID CLEAVES Wishbones (Rounder)
* SNAP The Cult of Snap! 1990-2003 (Popular)
* SUGABABES Three (Island)
* SUGARHILL GANG The Best of Sugarhill Gang (DVD) (Rhino)
* THE WALKMEN Bows & Arrows (Warner)
* TIFFANY VILLAREAL Tiffany Villareal (Universal)
* USHER Yeah (Arista)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS The Mayor of Sunset Strip - Soundtrack (Shout! Factory)
* WIL Both Hands (EMI)
* ZERO 7 When It Falls (Palm/Quango)

DIAPER DUTY

Charlie Sheen and actress-wife Denise Richards welcoming baby girl Sam Sheen on Tuesday night, March 9th in Los Angeles. The tyke, who weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces, is the couple's first child.

CARTOON COVERGIRL

Marge Simpson will be featured on a special limited-edition Maxim magazine covers for the April issue. The cartoon mom will be featured on one-third of the limited-edition covers; Paris Hilton will grace the remaining two-thirds.

The Simpsons gets season four on DVD

The Simpsons may take over a decade to release the entire series on DVD, but another step will be made this summer when The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season comes from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.

All 22 episodes of the 1992-1993 season including the perennial favorite Marge vs. the Monorail (written by Conan O’Brien). Each episode will be presented in its original fullscreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound as well as audio commentary on each episode. Additional extras include a an introduction by Matt Groening, a voiceover featurette with James L. Brooks, an Animation Showcase, a multi-angle feature, animatics, commercials and deleted scenes.

The set will arrive on June 15th!

Trainspotting gets super-sized

The brilliant film Trainspotting has been doomed to the curse being released early in the format’s life and therefore not quite up to snuff. Miramax will correct this in the summer with a new two-disc special edition.

Presented in anamorphic widescreen with audio in both Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS, the disc will feature an audio commentary, deleted scenes, two featurettes, interviews from Cannes, a still gallery and theatrical trailers.

The DVD arrives on June 1st.

Teenage New Zealand Oscar-nominee set to star in "Star Wars" sequel

LOS ANGELES (AFP) - New Zealand schoolgirl Keisha Castle-Hughes, who this year became the youngest ever best actress Oscar nominee, will star in the next episode of the blockbuster "Star Wars" movies, reports said.
 
The 13-year-old actress, who made her Oscar nominated screen debut last year in "Whale Rider," has found herself a heavyweight Hollywood agent and a role as the Queen of Naboo in filmmaker George Lucas' "Star Wars: Episode III."

Castle-Hughes has signed on with top Tinseltown talent managers Creative Artists Agency for her Hollywood roles but will remain represented in New Zealand by Auckland Actors, according to reports in the Daily Variety and Hollywood Reporter.

In her acting debut in "Whale Rider," Castle-Hughes, who lost the Oscar to South African Charlize Theron, took on the role of a feisty Maori girl battling tradition and her grandfather to take over the leadership of her tribe.

The sixth chapter in the 27-year-old sci-fi classic "Star War" series, which has developed a major cult following, is due for release in May 2005.

Apple Sells 50 Million Songs Over Internet

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. said on Monday it has sold 50 million songs over the Internet in the 11 months since it launched its iTunes Music Store, putting it at least halfway toward its goal for the year.

Apple, which charges 99 cents a song, said it is currently selling 2.5 million songs per week, which would translate into 130 million songs per year, or about $130 million in annual revenue.

It's still not clear if Apple will meet its goal of 100 million songs downloaded during the first year of the new service. At the current rate, Apple will likely sell about 18 million more songs before the April 28 deadline, putting it at the 68 million mark.

But the Cupertino, California-based company said that the 50 million songs excluded an undisclosed number of songs redeemed through a PepsiCo. Inc. promotion to give away 100 million free songs. Not all of the songs given away are expected to actually be downloaded, or redeemed.

Rob Schoeben, vice president of applications marketing at Apple, declined to predict how many songs iTunes customers will have downloaded for its one-year anniversary in April but said that it has continued to steadily increase. For instance, the download rate was about 1.5 million songs per week in December.

"We're not predicting where we'll be on April 28 but the numbers are very strong," Schoeben said.

ALL EYES ON IPODS

While the sale of songs is a positive for the company and the industry, analysts noted it is actually the music store's effect on Apple's iPod digital music player, more than the service itself, that has helped the company's revenues and earnings.

The company sold 730,000 iPods in the December quarter and in February said it had 100,000 orders for its new iPod mini.

Apple, known for its Macintosh computers, launched its iTunes music store for Mac users in April 2003. It expanded the service to personal computer users running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system -- a pool vastly larger than users running Apple's own operating system -- in October 2003.

Downloads of iTunes songs do not translate directly to the bottom line because of the costs of paying royalties to musicians and music companies, analysts have said. In 2003, Apple had revenues of $6.21 billion and earned 20 cents per share.

First Albany Corp. analyst Joel Wagonfeld said in a recent research note that he does not expect the store to be profitable for 12 to 18 months.

The primary financial benefit of the music store for Apple is its ability to drive sales of the iPod digital music player, said Tim Bajarin, an analyst at Creative Strategies, a high-tech research consulting company.

In the fourth quarter, the iPod digital music player accounted for about 13 percent of overall sales.

"It's a razor-razorblade scenario," Bajarin said, in which the songs are the low-cost razors and the iPods represent the lucrative blades. "In Apple's case, the blades drive the selling of the razors."

That's important because the iPods are highly profitable for the company and sell for $249 to $500. "Running the store at break-even or even at a minimal loss, is a no-brainer," he said.

Apple shares fell $1.17, or nearly 4.3 percent, to $26.39 Monday on the Nasdaq.

Geffen Records Prevails Over Axl Rose Lawsuit

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday cleared the way for Geffen Records to release a greatest-hits album next week from the rock band Guns N' Roses over the objection of its lead singer, Axl Rose.

Rose sued Geffen, a unit of Universal Music Group under Vivendi Universal, seeking to prevent the best-of collection from being released, claiming he was not consulted on the choice or remixing of material for the album.

He was joined as a plaintiff in the suit, filed last Friday, by two band members from the original lineup -- guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan -- even though their rights to the Guns N' Roses name was signed over to Rose years ago when they left the group.

But U.S. District Judge Dale Fischer denied their request for a temporary restraining order, allowing Geffen to issue the album as planned next Tuesday. A hearing on a motion for a preliminary injunction was set for next month.

"Their lawsuit is meritless," Universal Music spokesman Peter LoFrumento said. "Fortunately, since the court has denied their application for a temporary restraining order, the album will be released as scheduled on March 23."

According to the lawsuit, Rose objected to the selection of songs for the compilation album, the timing of its release, the album's artwork and the re-mastering of the original tapes.

The album features 14 tracks in all and eight of Guns N' Roses' hit singles, including "Welcome to the Jungle, "Paradise City" and "Sweet Child O' Mine" from the mega-selling 1987 album "Appetite for Destruction."

The group's last studio album, "The Spaghetti Incident?," was issued in 1993. A 2002 MTV appearance by a reconstituted Guns N' Roses, with Rose as the lone member from the band's heyday, helped spark interest in the group's new lineup, but a subsequent U.S. tour was cut short.

The suit, which accuses Geffen of trademark infringement and breach of contract, says the label is barred under its contract with Guns N' Roses from altering its master recordings without the band's permission.

A statement from Rose's manager added that the greatest-hits set "will hinder the release of the band's long-awaited new studio album, 'Chinese Democracy."'

Geffen officials had no further comment on the dispute. But a source familiar with the situation said the label has been waiting seven years for Rose to deliver "Chinese Democracy" and has poured $13 million into production of that album after repeated promises that he was about to finish the project.

"Every year there's been a new reason why Axl is not done with the record," the source told Reuters, adding that Geffen went ahead with the greatest-hits package only because Rose failed to come through with "Chinese Democracy." "Had he delivered this record like he promised seven years ago, this would not be happening right now."

A representative for Rose was not immediately available for comment.

Prince Joins Rock Royalty at Hall of Fame Induction

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Prince was crowned as musical royalty on Monday as he joined the late George Harrison among eight inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Also honored at the 19th annual induction were Texas boogie-woogie blues group ZZ Top, singer/songwriter Jackson Browne, English rock-jazz fusion band Traffic, rocker Bob Seger, R & B vocal group The Dells and Jann Wenner, co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine.

Prince kicked off the star-studded festivities with an electrifying performance of "Let's Go Crazy," "Sign 'O' The Times," and "Kiss," that brought the formally dressed audience in the ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to its feet.

He was introduced by Alicia Keys and OutKast.

"There are many kings. King Henry the 8th, King Solomon, King Tut, King James, King Kong," said Grammy Award-winner Keys. "But there is only one Prince."

"When I first started out in this music industry I was most concerned with freedom," said Prince, whose 1984 "Purple Rain" sold 17 million copies. "I wish you all the best on this fascinating journey. It ain't over."

Harrison, who died of cancer in 2001 and was already enshrined as a member of the Beatles, became the third of the Fab Four to be inducted as a solo artist, following John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

After the break-up of the Beatles, Harrison showed his solo prowess with triple album "All Things Must Pass," and demonstrated his humanitarian interests and talent as a producer by organizing the 1971 "Concert for Bangladesh."

He was to be presented by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, who were bandmates of his in the Traveling Wilburys, a super-group he helped form late in his career.

Traffic, comprised of Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Dave Mason and the late Chris Wood, a great jam band known for songs like "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "Feelin' Alright," were presented by Dave Matthews.

Bruce Springsteen was to introduce Jackson Browne, whose hits included "Running on Empty," "Doctor My Eyes," and "Take It Easy," co-written with Glenn Frey of the Eagles.

Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards was presenting ZZ Top -- Billy Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard, the one beardless member of the rollicking Texas trio whose fame was boosted by the hot rockin' videos such as "Legs," and "Sharp Dressed Man," they turned out for MTV.

Seger, whose hard-driving hits include "Old Time Rock and Roll," the soulful "Night Moves" and "Hollywood Nights," was to be presented by fellow Detroit rocker, Kid Rock.

The Dells, who formed in a Chicago suburb in the 1950s, had their first hit, "Oh, What a Night," in 1956 and have had at least one single make the pop charts in every decade since the 1950s -- a feat matched only by the Isley Brothers.

Wenner, who rules Rolling Stone as its executive editor and publisher, was to be presented by the musical Stones' famous frontman, Mick Jagger.

'Passion' Earns More Than $250 Million

LOS ANGELES - "The Passion of the Christ" was the top film for a third straight weekend, taking in $31.7 million and pushing its total beyond a quarter of a billion dollars.

Mel Gibson's dramatization of Christ's final hours climbed to $264 million in the United States and Canada after 19 days in theaters, according to studio estimates Sunday.

With solid receipts expected through Easter on April 11, "The Passion" is on track to gross between $350 million and $400 million, said Rob Schwartz, head of distribution for Newmarket Films, which handled the release.

That would put it on par with "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which took in another $2.05 million over the weekend to push its total to $371.2 million.

Johnny Depp's psychological horror tale "Secret Window," based on a Stephen King story about an author accused of plagiarism by a stalker, debuted in second place with $19 million.

The weekend's other two big releases had so-so openings. Frankie Muniz's spy caper "Agent Cody Banks: Destination London" was No. 5 with $8 million, barely half the $14.1 million opening weekend of "Agent Cody Banks" last year.

Premiering in narrower release, David Mamet's military thriller "Spartan," starring Val Kilmer, finished in 10th place with $2 million.

"The Passion" lifted Hollywood to its third-straight uptick in revenues after a long slump in January and February. The top 12 movies grossed $104.1 million, up 15 percent from the same weekend last year.

Before "The Passion" opened, Hollywood revenue was running 7 percent behind last year's. Revenues now are 3 to 4 percent ahead of 2003's, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"'The Passion' has single-handedly made what was turning out to be a pretty lousy year into a really good year so far," Dergarabedian said.

Playing in 3,221 theaters, "The Passion" averaged $9,830 a cinema, a huge number for a movie in its third weekend. "Secret Window" averaged $6,296 in 3,018 theaters, "Agent Cody Banks" did $2,691 in 2,973 cinemas and "Spartan" averaged $2,440 in 832 locations.

Starring Jim Caviezel as Christ, "The Passion" continues to draw well among church groups that helped make it a religious blockbuster, but the film is packing in much broader audiences, said Newmarket's Schwartz.

"It's a large cross-section of America," Schwartz said. "It's not just church groups going at this point. It's way beyond that."

Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore's romantic comedy "50 First Dates" had a $5.3 million weekend and pushed its total to $106.6 million, following "The Passion" as the second movie released in 2004 to cross the $100 million mark.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Passion of the Christ," $31.7 million.
2. "Secret Window," $19 million.
3. "Starsky & Hutch," $16 million.
4. "Hidalgo," $11.7 million.
5. "Agent Cody Banks: Destination London," $8 million.
6. "50 First Dates," $5.3 million.
7. "Twisted," $3.1 million.
8. "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," $2.4 million.
9. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," $2.05 million.
10. "Spartan," $2 million.

Rolling Stone Wood Admits He's Lucky to Be Alive

LONDON (Reuters) - Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, whose drug and drink fueled lifestyle is the stuff of legend, is surprised he did not die 26 years ago around the time close friend The Who drummer Keith Moon overdosed.

"I should have died around when Keith Moon did in 1978," Wood, 56, told Britain's Sunday Mirror newspaper. "Yeah, because me and Keith, we were hitting it really hard.

"I used to say to Keith, 'You're meant to take one of those tablets, not the whole bottle.' Keith would take literally a whole bottle of Valium. So it didn't surprise me when he died, when he OD'd."

Doctors have told Wood if he does not quit his 30-a-day cigarette habit he is at risk of catching the respiratory disease emphysema.

"The doctors said that if I give up smoking now I can nip it in the bud -- I still have powerful lungs. But they say if I smoke for another year, I could get emphysema and -- boom -- my lungs could collapse," Wood told the Sunday Mirror.

Alanis lyric censored in U.S.

Alanis Morissette's Canadian record label has decided not to service a cleaner version of her new single, "Everything," to radio stations next week. The song from her forthcoming album, "So-Called Chaos," begins with the line, "I can be an asshole of the grandest kind."

In America, Morissette has replaced the a-word with the n-word -- nightmare. The original version will still be on the album.

"We've decided here that we're sticking with 'asshole,' " says Warner Music Canada's Steve Coady, vice-president, radio promotion. "I think her home really is at Hot AC and CHR, and the song will cross over to AC, but if there's backlash -- and there will be at AC radio -- and we get people saying, 'I love the track but I can't (play it) because of...' then we'll service an edit. But out of the gate, we'll go with the original version."

The Ottawa-born Morissette, who boldly sang about about wine, dining and 69-ing and if you're thinking of her when you f**k her on 1995's "Jagged Little Pill," originally resisted making the change to her song.

"It did get to the point, post-nipplegate Janet Jackson, where they were basically saying that they wouldn't play the song," she says. "The thought of people not hearing the song, based on my shooting myself in the foot, by taking a stance of 'my artistic integrity will not be f**ked with and I will not sing another word,' it really isn't a huge compromise for me to have one version that's played on radio and then have the original version on the record.

"And I understand some parents not wanting their seven year old son or daughter hearing the word 'asshole' even though they probably use it already (laughs)."

The word 'asshole' seems so tame considering what radio stations did play (albeit bleeped) from "You Oughta Know," Morissette's breakthrough hit in 1995 which propelled "Jagged Little Pill" to sales of more than 30 million copies worldwide. Comedian Denis Leary had a cult hit back in 1993 with his single/video "Asshole" and Gene Simmons' solo album, also due May 18, is entitled "Asshole."

The word is just a tiny point in the "Everything" lyric, which is actually about Morissette's focus on being a whole person, as opposed to a good person, to be all parts of herself, including the "asshole" or "nightmare."

The video, shot in Los Angeles with director Meirt Avis (U2, Bruce Springsteen), was inspired by Spanish band Jarabe de Palo's "Bonito," whose video was sent to Morissette by Maverick's Guy Oseary.

"We flew lead singer (Paul Donés) and his brother (Marc Donés), who directed it, into LA from Spain and they collaborated with Meirt, who directed my video," says Morissette. "We all sat around, all four of us, and came up with a bunch of ideas. The main crux of it is my walking down a street and all these people and situations come in and out while I'm walking and singing the song."

Morissette is resigned to the silliness of it all, and admits it was actually quite comedic throwing out ideas for an "asshole" substitute. "One of them was 'crack ho,'" she laughs uproariously. "I won't be using that one."

She finally settled on "nightmare."

"One of my worst fears would be for an old boyfriend of mine to consider me a nightmare," explains Morissette. "I just feel like men use that word so much more than women do. Men say 'Oh God , she's a nightmare,' I just want to shake them, and say, 'What specifically are you talking about, that she required that you tap into your emotional self?' (laughs). So it was good to use that word in the spirit of busting my own resistance for it."

Global TV cancels low-rated Mike Bullard Show effective immediately

TORONTO (CP) - Global doesn't got him anymore.

Late-night talk show host Mike Bullard, who jumped from CTV to Global television last year only to see his ratings plummet, has had his show cancelled.

"Unfortunately, and in spite of a major promotion effort by Global, the program has not demonstrated the degree of success that merits a continued run," Doug Hoover, senior programming vice-president at Global, said in a statement Friday. "We continue to hold Mike in the highest of esteem and wish him much well-deserved success in the future."

The news was broken to Bullard on the studio set Friday morning. The cancellation was effective immediately, with reruns scheduled to air Friday night and all next week. Bullard was not immediately available for comment.

Rick Camilleri, chief operating officer at CanWest Global Communications Corp., said the broadcaster is still fully committed to the production of variety and entertainment programming that showcases Canadian talent. But he had no details Friday on the eventual replacement for Bullard's show.

Camilleri added only that in the weeks ahead Global would be developing "a different type of program" that would be used in Bullard's old midnight time-slot.

Ed Robinson, programming vice-president at CTV and Bullard's former boss, declined comment, preferring to stay out of it.

"It's just that the ratings weren't very good," said David Hamilton, Global's vice-president of publicity. Recent national numbers were in the 72,000 range.

Bullard debuted on Global November 24, five months after his high-profile departure from rival CTV where for six years his show aired in prime time on the Comedy Network and late night on the main network.

Critics offered several reasons for the gruff comic's slide. First, there was the five-month wait to return to the air, during which time many of his fans became hooked on CTV's replacement, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, a news parody import from the U.S. Then there was Bullard's open criticism of his former employer.

"I was the scapegoat for every mistake and didn't get credit for anything else," Bullard was quoted as saying in the days before he launched on Global in November. "The response was always 'Mike's nuts.' " He said he even had to use his own money to buy a plane ticket to visit some network affiliate stations.

His move to Global was also encouraged by CanWest president Leonard Asper's promise of 195 episodes a year, compared to 140 at CTV.

But his Global debut was less than stellar, drawing just 82,000 viewers across Canada, compared to 130,000 or so he enjoyed at CTV.

After a three-week hiatus over the Christmas holidays, Bullard came back January 12 with a new set and a new executive producer in veteran David Rosen, but still netted ratings in the 85,000 range compared to Stewart's 250,000-300,000. Asper admitted he was stumped but chalked it up to the new show still trying to find its legs.

There have also been suggestions that Bullard's sarcastic style, which included picking on members of the studio audience, was not embraced as well as the more self-effacing approach of American counterparts like Conan O'Brien. But at one point, Bullard was quoted as saying he didn't care about the dwindling numbers because he had a multi-year contract at Global.

Michael Nolan, a media expert at the University of Western Ontario, recalled a history of failed Canadian attempts to mount a late-night talkfest - with such CBC hosts as Peter Gzowski, Ralph Benmergui and Alex Barris - and said he doubted whether the all-American genre has caught on in Canada.

"I think (Bullard's) quite good but he has a style that may not go over with everybody," Nolan said.

"I sort of wonder, if you compare him to American talk shows, if he has too much edge for a consistent night talk show. I think he's got too much bite sometimes."
 
Nolan added that the Canadian audience is used to a high-quality American product with major Hollywood personalities as guests. Canadian counterparts to Jay Leno and David Letterman are viewed as simply outclassed.

Seven years ago, while still working as a Bell Canada employee and part-time stand-up comic, Bullard, a native of Mississauga, Ont., landed the job as host of Open Mike in prime time on the fledgling Comedy Network. Warmly received at the outset, Bullard's show moved to the main CTV network for a late-night rebroadcast.

After initial telecasts from a cramped studio at the back of Wayne Gretzky's downtown restaurant, CTV later provided him with a more spacious facility in its new mid-town studio, the refurbished former Masonic Temple.

Almighty 'Passion' to Stay Atop Weekend Box Office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - As moviegoers continue to render unto Mel Gibson the things that are Gibson's, the director's "The Passion of the Christ" should once again reign as the king of kings atop the box office mountain -- despite the arrival of three new films.
 
Newmarket Films' R-rated passion play fell just 36% in its second weekend, pulling in another $53.2 million to bring its 12-day gross to $213.9 million.

As of Wednesday, "Passion's" purse had grown to $228.1 million, and it ranked No. 39 among all-time domestic box office grossers. If its momentum holds this weekend, a 35%-40% decline would see the film pick up another $32 million-$36 million. That, in turn, will boost its cumulative grosses to the $265 million range, kicking it up the all-time chart by at least 15 notches.

In the process, it will surpass IFC Films' 2002 "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," which has held the record as the most successful independent film ever with its $241.4 million tally. For Bob Berney, who oversaw "Wedding's" rollout, and now, as president of Newmarket, is handling the "Passion" play, it should be a particularly sweet weekend.

Meanwhile, Sony Pictures is eyeing the No. 2 spot for its new thriller "Secret Window," starring Johnny Depp. The PG-13 suspense tale about a solitary writer who is stalked by a stranger accusing him of plagiarism is based on a novella by Stephen King and is written and directed by David Koepp, who cut his teeth as a director on 1996's "The Trigger Effect" and 1999's "Stir of Echoes."

But the movie's not-so-secret calling card is Depp. After his Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," Depp is on a roll. Sony moved up the film's scheduled release from April 23 -- in part, it said, because of strong test scores and also to capitalize on Depp's current heat -- and is hoping the movie can break out in what is quickly becoming a cluttered field.

"Secret Window" should open with a take that could range from high-teen millions to low-$20 millions.

Last weekend's No. 2, "Starsky & Hutch," Warner Bros. Pictures' comic riff on the '70s crime-fighting duo, will probably check in at the third position. "Starsky" opened to a very muscular $29.1 million, and even if it coasts downward as much as 50%, it could well bring in another $15 million.

That would leave last weekend's opener from Disney, "Hidalgo," and this weekend's new arrival from MGM, "Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London," fighting it out for fourth and fifth position as both aim at the kid market. With the first wave of spring vacations beginning to kick in around the country, it could be a heated contest as more school-age kidsdecide how to spend their free time at the multiplex.

"Banks" stars Frankie Muniz of Fox's "Malcolm in the Middle" as a teenage spy who, this time around, is dispatched to London to save the world in a PG adventure directed by Kevin Allen ("The Big Tease"). It follows the original "Cody Banks" by exactly one year. On March 14 last year, the first "Banks" film opened to $14 million and went on to take in $47.8 million to become what MGM hopes is a budget franchise. The new film, however, is probably looking at a first-weekend gross in the $10 million-plus range.

That could put it in a dead heat with "Hidalgo," which opened last weekend to $18.8 million. A 40% drop would find the equine saga running in the low-teen millions as it enters its second stretch.

Finally, Warners is launching "Spartan," a suspense thriller written and directed by David Mamet. The R-rated tale follows a government agent, played by Val Kilmer, as he attempts to rescue the U.S. president's kidnapped daughter, played by Kristen Bell. The clever Mamet can be an acquired taste, though, as he demonstrated with films like "Heist" and "The Spanish Prisoner."

Nirvana's Cobain Considered Quitting Before Suicide

LONDON (Reuters) - In the months before he shot himself, American rock legend Kurt Cobain was considering quitting his band Nirvana to work with his wife, singer Courtney Love, according to a previously unpublished interview.

Nirvana's tragic frontman said he had a stronger musical affinity with Love's own band, Hole, than he had found with any other musicians, according to Britain's "Uncut" magazine, which will publish the interview next Monday ahead of the 10th anniversary of his death.

"I'd like to (collaborate with Love)," he said in the interview eight months before his suicide. "But to tell you the truth, I would rather just quit my band and join Hole.

"When I have played music with them, there's a level of connection that's a little bit higher than with anyone else I ever played with," he added.

Nirvana's surviving founders, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic, have had a turbulent relationship with Cobain's widow, clashing with her in court over the band's musical legacy.

Cobain, 27, killed himself with a shotgun in April 1994 in his Seattle home, where he was recovering from a drug and alcohol overdose.

With punk-influenced music and angst-ridden lyrics, Nirvana led the grunge movement that emerged from Seattle to become one of the most powerful forces in 1990s rock.

Cobain said in the interview, originally intended for French television, that he was thinking of moving away from his grunge roots toward acoustic music.

"It might be nice to start playing acoustic guitar and be thought of as a singer and a songwriter, rather than a grunge rocker," he said. "I could sit down on a chair and play acoustic guitar like Johnny Cash or something, and it won't be a big joke."

Barbra Streisand Heads Back to the Big Screen

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - She may have given up singing in public, but Barbra Streisand hasn't bowed out of the limelight altogether.

The 61-year-old performer seems headed back to movie screens for the first time in eight years to play Ben Stiller's mom in a sequel to the hit comedy "Meet the Parents." A spokesman for Universal Pictures said Friday Streisand is in final negotiations for the role.

The sequel, "Meet the Fockers," is set to go into production April 5 with Jay Roach back as director. The film is slated for release on Dec. 22, the studio spokesman said.

All the principal cast members from "Meet the Parents" -- Stiller, Robert De Niro, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo -- are returning for the sequel, along with Dustin Hoffman, who has been cast as Stiller's father.

Stiller starred in the original box office hit film as accident-prone male nurse Greg Focker, who goes through hell when he visits the childhood home of his intended fiance, Pam Byrnes (Polo) to meet her mother (Danner) and father (De Niro), an overly protective former CIA agent with a lie-detector in the basement. Greg ultimately wins them over.

In the sequel, a clash of cultures ensues when the straight-laced, conservative Byrnes family meets the liberal, relaxed Fockers.

Streisand's last movie performance was in the 1996 feature "The Mirror Has Two Faces," which she produced, directed and starred in opposite Jeff Bridges. Before that, she starred in, directed and produced the 1991 drama "The Prince of Tides," with Nick Nolte.

The veteran entertainer won an Academy Award as best actress for her 1968 film debut as Fanny Brice in the musical "Funny Girl," tying the Oscar vote that year with Katharine Hepburn for "The Lion in Winter." Streisand was nominated again for her role opposite Robert Redford in the bittersweet 1973 romantic drama "The Way We Were."

Streisand bid farewell in September 2000 to her sell-out career as a public performer, though she emerged two years later to sing at a Hollywood fund-raiser for the Democratic Party. She released her 58th album, "The Movie Album," last October.

Janet Jackson to Perform on ABC Morning Show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Janet Jackson is set to perform live -- well, with a time delay -- on ABC's "Good Morning America" later this month in what would be her first televised concert since baring her breast at the Super Bowl.

The announcement on Friday, a week after Jackson was booked on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," comes even as ABC said it is sticking with plans to develop a prime-time interview special hosted by another combatant in the current broadcast culture wars, radio "shock jock" Howard Stern.

ABC, owned by Walt Disney Co., said Jackson will perform several songs at a free, outdoor concert to be telecast from Manhattan's Battery Park on "Good Morning America" March 31, one day after her new album, "Damita Jo," is released.

She also will be interviewed by "GMA" hosts Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson for a segment that is bound to give the nation's No. 2 morning program a boost in its bid to close the ratings gap with the top-ranked "Today" show on NBC.

One source said "GMA" producers had been planning to have Jackson on the show since November, months before she shook up the broadcast industry by exposing her right breast at the end of her notorious Super Bowl halftime duet with Justin Timberlake, carried live on CBS on Feb. 1.

In light of that controversy, ABC will present the concert portion of Jackson's appearance on a five-second delay, a rare step for a network news show, a network spokesman said.

The tape-delay has become de rigueur for many high-profile entertainment broadcasts in the aftermath of Jackson's flash of nudity, which sparked a Federal Communications Commission probe, congressional action to stiffen fines for broadcast indecency and an industry-wide crackdown on sexually explicit material on TV and radio.

Jackson herself was effectively barred by Viacom Inc.-owned CBS from the Grammy Awards telecast a week after the Super Bowl. She subsequently bowed out of plans to star in an ABC TV movie about singing great Lena Horne after Horne objected to being portrayed by Jackson.

CONTROVERSY CUTS BOTH WAYS

Still, the broadcast networks have not shied completely away from the radioactive hype surrounding Jackson.

Last week, NBC, a unit of General Electric Co., announced that it had booked Jackson as host and musical guest for the April 10 broadcast of "Saturday Night Live."

An ABC spokeswoman said it is going ahead with plans, first revealed in January, to develop an hourlong prime-time interview special moderated by Stern, who reportedly has been singled out by federal regulators planning to impose heavy fines on broadcasters in a number of indecency cases.

Stern's New York-based show was dumped last month from six radio stations owned by Clear Channel Communications Inc., which said the ribald radio host had violated the media giant's new "zero tolerance" policy toward indecency.

Stern has fought back, saying Clear Channel buckled under pressure from the FCC and that he is the victim of a conservative backlash inspired by Jackson's breast-baring stunt. On Friday's show, Stern said that this past Monday he had invited FCC Chairman Michael Powell to be a guest on his upcoming ABC show, but Powell declined.

An ABC spokeswoman said she did not know if any other guests have been lined up for Stern to interview, and no air date for the program has been set.

Magazine Names Chris Rock As Funniest Man

NEW YORK - He's not on television regularly anymore, but Entertainment Weekly has judged Chris Rock to be the funniest man in America.

The 38-year-old comedian is now on a stand-up concert tour, which will culminate in an HBO special.

"Watching Rock in 2004 — 21 years into his comedy career — is like watching a great prize-fighter in peak condition," the magazine said.

Comedy Central's Jon Stewart was second on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 25 funniest Americans, and Will Ferrell came in third.

Larry David, Dave Chappelle, Ellen DeGeneres, Bill Murray, Jim Carrey and Jack Black also were praised by the magazine.

And here's a Top 10 list David Letterman isn't going to like: He was No. 11. Of course, it might make him feel better to know Jay Leno wasn't mentioned at all.

Charity Way to Go-Go for George Michael

LONDON (Reuters) - Pop singer George Michael's career has made him so wealthy he wants to donate all the money raised from any of his future releases to charity.

The singer's new album "Patience" will be the last fans can buy in record shops -- in future if they want to listen to his new songs Michael wants them to download them from the Internet and make a charitable donation.

"I've been very well remunerated for my talents over the years so I really don't need the public's money," he told BBC Radio 1 on Wednesday.

"I'd really like to have something on the Internet which is a charitable donation optional site, where anyone can download my music for free. I'll have my favorite charities up there and people will hopefully contribute to that."

The singer, who in a career spanning nearly two decades has sold more than 75 million records, hopes his decision will also help reinvigorate his life.

"It takes the pressure off to have a collection of songs every so many years, which is what nearly killed me.

"I'm not pretending I won't be famous any more, but in the modern world if you take yourself out of the financial aspect of things, you're not making anybody any money, you're not losing anybody any money.

"Believe me, I'll be of very little interest to the press in a certain number of years."

Michael shot to fame in the early 1980s with Wham! In 1998 the singer was fined for lewd conduct after being arrested in a public toilet -- an event that prompted him to acknowledge publicly that he was gay.

The Couch Potato Report

This week in The Couch Potato Report a classic film, a classic setting
in a mediocre film, and a TV show called Futurama.

Director Steven Spielberg has a resume that includes that class films
JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF the THIRD KIND, E.T. - THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL
and THE INDIANA JONES TRILOGY.

But in 1993 Spielberg topped all he had done before.

He released a summer blockbuster called JURASSIC PARK that was the
number one money earner for the year and a picture called SCHINDLER'S
LIST that he refers to as "the most satisfying experience of my
career."

Not only was SCHINDLER'S LIST satisfying for it's director, but it was
a cinematic triumph that engaged and informed movie lovers. It swept the
Academy Awards and was deservedly named that year's Best Picture.

Adapted from the book by Thomas Keneally SCHINDLER'S LIST was filmed on
location in Poland with a meticulous emphasis on absolute authenticity.

It's a film about heroism with an unlikely hero who risked his life and
went bankrupt to save more than 1,000 Jews from certain death in
concentration camps.

As it reads in the Talmud, and as included in the movie, 'Whoever saves
one life, saves the world entire.'"

SCHINDLER'S LIST is not light entertainment as it will make you feel
like you are actually a part of one of the darkest, most horrific
periods in history.

The story of the Holocaust needs to be told over and over again, in
hopes that future generations can understand the horrors perpetrated on
an entire race of people and prevent future occurrences.

"Schindler's List" is perhaps one of the best and most effective
vehicles for telling that story that you may ever experienced.

It debuted on DVD this week and the disc includes the VOICES FROM THE
LIST documentary that offers never-before-seen testimonies from actual
Schindler survivors, and THE SHOAH FOUNDATION STORY with a
behind-the-scenes look at works and accomplishments of the survivors of
the Shoah Visual History Foundation.

SCHINDLER'S LIST is a classic film that will never be forgotten. Julia
Roberts new movie MONA LISA SMILE is a forgettable film based on a
classic story.

Whether it's GOODBYE MR. CHIPS, TO SIR WITH LOVE, FAST TIMES AT
RIDGEMOUNT HIGH or DEAD POET'S SOCIETY, every generation has a great
film about a teacher. A film that reminds us all of a teacher we
admired.

MONA LISA SMILE wants to be this generation's great film about a
teacher, but it doesn't come close to the standards set by those other
films.

It raises a number of interesting possibilities but then ignores them
all in favor of taking the "safe" path.

MONA LISA SMILE is just a mediocre film, even though it stars a bevy of
very talented actresses.

I hope young stars Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal
learned more in real life about surviving Hollywood from seasoned
veteran Julia Roberts than they did in the movie.

MONA LISA SMILE might entertain you, but I thought it was just bland
and I didn't enjoy it at all.

What I thoroughly enjoyed was watching FUTURAMA - VOLUME 3. This box
set features 22 episodes of the underappreciated animated television
series from Matt Groening, the creator of THE SIMPSONS.

Although I know people who just don't like the show about a pizza
delivery guy named Fry who's accidentally cryogenically frozen in 1999
and wakes up a thousand years later, just as it is about to become the
year 3000, I find it hilarious.

FUTURAMA is ever--irreverent, boundlessly inventive, warmhearted, and
chock-full of in-jokes, sight gags, and fleeting references to all
manner of pop-culture icons and obscure genre classics.

The show never quite found the mainstream appeal of its stablemate The
Simpsons, and I'll be the first to admit that it is simply a stablemate,
but when it is funny, it is superb comedy.

As with the two previous DVD sets FUTURAMA - VOLUME 3 includes a
selection of bonus features including deleted scenes, storyboards,
commentaries on every episode, animatics, "How to draw" tips, and more.

SCHINDLER'S LIST, MONA LISA SMILE and FUTURAMA - VOLUME 3 are all
available now at your local video store.

COMING NEXT WEEK IN THE COUCH POTATO REPORT

Mike Myers stars in the un-Seuss-ian DR. SEUSS' THE CAT IN the HAT.
Sadly, the exceptional, timeless book about a talking cat who helps to
break up the boredom of rainy day did not translate well to film.

21 GRAMS is a film that you may have to watch twice just to piece it
all together. Personally, once was enough for me as three strangers
affect each other's lives forever. Sean Penn stars along with the Oscar
nominated Benicio Del Toro and Naomi Watts.

and

VERONICA GUERIN is the story of a Dublin journalist murdered by her
subjects. It stars Cate Blanchett and Brenda Fricker.

I'll have more on those releases in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

New Music Releases

Here are the new CD Releases for Tuesday March 9, 2004:

* ARTHUR RUBINSTEIN Arthur Rubinstein Remembered (Arista Associated Labels)
* ARTURO TOSCANINI Toscanini the Maestro (Arista Associated Labels)
* BAD PLUS Give (Columbia)
* BEVERLEY MAHOOD Moody Blue (EMI)
* BLONDIE The Curse of Blondie (Sanctuary Records)
* BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION Here Come The Brides (Sanctuary Records)
* BRITNEY SPEARS Toxic (Zomba)
* CANDI STATON Candi Staton (EMI)
* CEE-LO Cee-Lo Green Is The Soul Machine (Arista)
* CHEB MAMI Du Sud Au Nord (Virgin)
* CLANNAD Best of Clannad (BMG Heritage)
* DAVE GAHAN Live Monsters (DVD) (Warner)
* DEAD KENNEDYS Live at the Deaf Club (Manifesto Records/Navarre)
* ENRICO CARUSO Caruso Voice of the Century (Arista Associated Labels)
* GLENN LEWIS Back For More (Epic)
* HARRY BELAFONTE Platinum & Gold (BMG Heritage)
* JIM CROCE Facets (Shout! Factory)
* JUDAS PRIEST Metalogy (Legacy)
* MAFALDA ARNAUTH Encantamento (EMI)
* MATTHEW SWEET Platinum & Gold Collection (BMG Heritage)
* MERLE HAGGARD Platinum & Gold Collection (BMG Heritage)
* MORGAN HERITAGE Live in Europe (Rounder)
* MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATRE 3000 Mystery Science Theatre 3000 Vol. 5 (DVD BOX SET) (Warner)
* POINTER SISTERS Platinum & Gold Collection (BMG Heritage)
* QUARTETTO GELATO Travels the Orient Express (Linus Entertainment)
* RACHEL STEVENS Funky Dory (Polydor)
* RICK ASTLEY Platinum & Gold Collection (BMG Heritage)
* SARGENT GARCIA La Semila Escondida (Virgin)
* SCOOBY-DOO 2 OST Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleached (Warner)
* SCOOBY-DOO 2 OST Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleached (Limited Edition) (Warner)
* SHOCKWAVE The Ultimate Doom (Razor & Tie)
* SONDRE LERCHE Two Way Monologue (EMI)
* SORAYA Soraya (EMI)
* T.I. Trap Muzik (Atlantic)
* TELSA Into the Now (Sanctuary Records)
* THE COOPER TEMPER CLAUSE Kick Up the Fire (RCA)
* THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR LIVES TBA (The Soundtrack Of Our Lives) (Warner)
* THE VON BONDIES Pawn Shoppe Heart (Warner)
* VAN CILBURN Van Cilburn Concert Pianist (DVD) (Arista Associated Labels)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS The Prince & Me (Hollywood)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Bad Boy's 10th Anniversary - The Hits (Bad Boy)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Night Train to Nashville (Lost Highway/Universal)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS You Need This (Maple Nationwide)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Bob's Big 80's (EMI)
* WYNTON MARSALIS The Magic Hour (Blue Note)

DJ Danger Mouse Speaks Out On 'Grey Album'

On the heels of the recent virtual civil disobedience "Grey Tuesday," which led to more than 1 million downloads of Danger Mouse's unsanctioned "The Grey Album," the artist was the subject of a Q&A keynote address yesterday (March 7) at the inaugural M3 Summit in Miami. The recordings feature vocal tracks from Jay-Z's "The Black Album" laid atop beats created using the Beatles' "White Album."

"I knew I could never release the album commercially," said the 26-year-old artist, whose real name is Brian Burton. Once he completed the album, which he describes as a "deconstruction and reconstruction" that took about two weeks to make, he says he made a few CDRs and gave them to friends.

Copies of the disc found their way into specialty record stores. Additionally, Burton did promote the CD, but did not sell it, on his Web site. It quickly became a media sensation. From there, Burton says he knew that it was only a matter of time before he "received some kind of legal letter in the mail. But I never worried about it. When I was making the album, I wasn't thinking if what I as doing was legal or not. I wasn't trying to challenge copyright laws with this album. It was more a creative -- an artistic -- process."

And while EMI, which owns the Beatles catalog, sent the artist a cease-and-desist order one month ago, Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella label has taken no action. "I wish 'The Grey Album' could have been a regular, commercial release -- even though I knew it never could or would," Burton notes. "Only time will tell what's next for this record."

While Burton understands that such a recording is "scary" for labels, he says this type of thing can't be stopped. "Stealing music is wrong. [Illegal] downloading is wrong," he explains. "But people protested about this record because it was not made commercially available."

When asked by Billboard if there was any one thing that has surprised him about all the media attention, Burton said, "Every day is unbelievable. I'm surprised that this many people like the CD. What I made was a f***ed-up recording. It confirms that people want that which they cannot have."

Following the Q&A, Danger Mouse treated M3 Summit attendees to his first-ever "Grey Album" DJ set poolside at the Surfcomber Hotel in South Beach.

Godzilla vs. The Gold Watch

Japan's Toho Company has announced that, due to slumping box office sales, they will retire Godzilla for at least a decade after this last film celebrating 50 years. "We have done all we can to showcase Godzilla, including using computer-graphics technology. And yet we haven't attracted new fans," executive producer Shogo Tomiyama said. "So we will make the 50th anniversary film something special, a best-of-the-best, and then end it for now." GODZILLA: FINAL WARS premieres in December in Japan.

Simpsons-Related Dear Abby Column Pulled

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Somewhere in Springfield, state unknown, Bart Simpson is in detention, filling a chalkboard with the words "I will not write a fake letter to Dear Abby."

Well, it probably wasn't Bart's handiwork, but he'd no doubt approve of the prank that forced Dear Abby's editors to pull next Monday's advice column, which included a letter that mirrored an episode of "The Simpsons."

"It did sound too similar not to be a hoax," said Kathie Kerr, a spokeswoman for Kansas City-based Universal Press Syndicate.

The syndicate sent the column to newspaper subscribers last week. A day later, a newspaper editor called after noticing one of the letters to Abby sounded "awfully familiar," said Sue Roush, one of the column's editors.

The column is titled "Wife meets perfect match after husband strikes out." In the letter, the writer describes herself as a 34-year-old mother of three who has been married for 10 years to a man who is "greedy, selfish, inconsiderate and rude."

The writer says her husband, Gene, gave her a bowling ball for her birthday — complete with the holes drilled to fit his fingers and embossed with his name. Undeterred, the woman decides to learn to bowl and heads to the local lanes, where she meets another man, Franco, who is "kind, considerate and loving."

They fall in love and Franco proposes.

"I no longer love Gene," writes Stuck in a Love Triangle. "I want to divorce him and marry Franco. At the same time, I'm worried that Gene won't be able to move on with his life. I also think our kids would be devastated. What should I do?"

After the letter raised the suspicions of the newspaper editor, Universal Press Syndicate did some research and discovered that Gene seemed a lot like Homer Simpson's thoughtless character in an episode titled "Life on the Fast Lane."

In both the letter and the Simpsons episode, the husbands grow suspicious when they stumble across bowling gloves — obvious gifts to their wives from the other man.

In the television show, Homer responds by ineptly professing his love for Marge, who later goes to him at the nuclear power plant where he works. He lifts her up and carries her out of the plant as his co-workers watch and cheer.

"Obviously, it has no basis in reality," said Fox Network spokesman Scott Grogin.

Jeanne Phillips, who writes Dear Abby, told "Stuck" to tell her husband why she strayed. "To save the marriage," she wrote, "he might be willing to change back to the man who bowled you over in the first place."

Phillips was traveling and her editors told The Associated Press she could not immediately be reached for comment.

Actor, Storyteller Spalding Gray Confirmed Dead

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Actor and storyteller Spalding Gray, best known for writing and starring in the autobiographical film monologue, "Swimming to Cambodia," was confirmed dead on Monday after going missing for nearly two months.

The body of the 62-year-old Gray was pulled out of the East River off Brooklyn on Sunday.

"We made a positive identification of Spalding Gray by dental and other X-rays," said Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office.

No official finding had yet been made for cause of death, said Borakove, who added his family had been notified.

Gray was reported missing by his wife, Kathleen Russo, last seen on Jan. 10 near his apartment in New York's Soho neighborhood. He had left his wallet and credit cards at home.

He had a history of depression and suicide attempts. Gray was involved in a severe automobile crash in Ireland in 2001 and his recovery had been difficult, his wife had said.

The night he disappeared, he called his 6-year-old son to say, "I love you," his wife told local media.

Gray got his start in show business as a teenager when he staged a one-man show about his angst-ridden youth in Rhode Island.

Long involved with experimental theater, Gray and actorsWillem Dafoe and Jill Clayburgh were among the 1970s founders of the Wooster Theater Group in New York, staging new works and interpretations of classics at The Performing Garage.

Gray, who honed his autobiographical monologues at The Performing Garage, caught the public's eye with the 1987 movie version of "Swimming to Cambodia," directed by Jonathan Demme.

The wry and poignant monologue was based on Gray's travels in Southeast Asia, where he went to play a small role in the 1984 movie, "The Killing Fields."

His monologues were entertaining, introspective stories in which Gray would expose his intimate feelings, neuroses and fears in a vulnerable and captivating style.

He touched on such painfully private topics as his youth, his break-up with his longtime girlfriend and decision to marry Russo, his efforts to write a novel, his devastating accident, his search for a cure to a rare eye disease he suffered, the suicide of his mother and his own thoughts of suicide.

Other monologues of his that were made into movies were "Monster in a Box" (1992) and "Gray's Anatomy" (1996).

Gray made his "mainstream" Broadway stage debut as the Stage Manager in the 1988 revival of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," an experience that inspired "Monster in a Box."

Gray also frequently played character roles in films including "Kate & Leopold," (2001), "Beyond Rangoon" (1995), "The Paper," (1994), and David Byrne's "True Stories" (1986).

Gray is also survived by three children and his brother, Rockwell Gray, an English professor.

'American Idol' Reject Gets Record, Video Deal

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Only in America could a bad singer become so popular that he gets a recording contract and a music video deal.

Independent music label Koch Records said on Monday that William Hung, who has become famous for his less-than-stellar performance of the song "She Bangs" in an audition for the Fox reality TV series "American Idol," has agreed to a record deal. Hung was first offered the contract in February.

Koch said Hung's album, tentatively titled "The True Idol," will be released April 6, and cable channel Fuse Music Network said it would air Hung's "She Bangs" music video.

The album, which will also include versions of Ricky Martin's "Shake Your Bon Bon" and Elton John's "Rocket Man," will initially ship with a 40-minute "making of" DVD.

With his bad singing and stiff dancing featured in commercials for "Idol," Hung has become a pop culture icon in recent weeks. The University of California at Berkeley engineering student has been spoofed on "Saturday Night Live" and is set to appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" next month.

Spring movie preview

Good news, filmgoers: The dog days of the movie season are over!

Spring is the time of year when Hollywood unveils its first blockbusters and prestige flicks -- and tries to keep most of the dreck to a minimum.

Here's a look at 10 of the most highly anticipated movies of the next few months or so:

10: SCOOBY DOO 2: MONSTERS UNLEASHED

All together now: Rooby-rooby roo! The animated mutt and the rest of the Scooby gang are back together again, this time to face old enemies from their past, including The Pterodactyl Ghost, The Black Knight and The 10,000 Volt Ghost.

CREDITS: Lovers of the original, don't despair: We doubt they've changed anything about the first Scooby's formula.

DEBITS: Haters of the original, despair: We doubt they've changed anything about the first Scooby's formula.

WE SAY: Hey, somebody's gotta give Matthew Lillard and Freddie Prinze Jr. some work, don't they? Uh, don't they? (Cue sound of crickets chirping)

RELEASE DATE: March 26

9: 13 GOING ON 30

In this body-switch movie, a 13-year-old girl in 1987 wakes up one day to discover she's now 30, living in the year 2004 and inhabiting the hot body of TV siren Jennifer Garner. Love comes in the form of a boyhood pal who's grown up to be Mark Ruffalo.

CREDITS: Even if the movie turns out to be a headache-inducing, saccharine mess, at least you can still watch Garner; the popularity of body-switch movies may have jumped since last year's Freaky Friday.

DEBITS: Then again, are we really clamouring for a return to the days when Big, Vice Versa and Dream A Little Dream came out back-to-back-to-back?

WE SAY: Sure, we'll bite ... Garner's earlobes. This is one for the tweens, who should find it an "out-of-body experience." Ouch.

RELEASE DATE: April 23

8: THE LADYKILLERS

Those dastardly Coen brothers are at it again -- this time remaking an old British black comedy of the same name. Tom Hanks plays Professor Goldthwait Higginson Dorr III, a conman who plans a heist with his incompetent cohorts. But when his elderly landlady (Irma P. Hall) discovers the scheme, the gang plots to kill her. Incompetently, of course.

CREDITS: The Coens are back to their deliciously misanthropic ways after the disappointing Intolerable Cruelty.

DEBITS: Will people buy Hanks as a cad? Come to think of it, they did back when he was doing Bosom Buddies ...

WE SAY: Hanks + Coens = A big killing with audiences. Or Hankoens.

RELEASE DATE: March 26

7: VAN HELSING

Fearless vampire killer Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) not only has to hunt down Dracula (Richard Roxburgh) and assorted vampires, but he's also pitted against the likes of the Wolf Man (Will Kemp) and Frankenstein's Monster (Shuler Hensley) in 19th-century London.

CREDITS: The hyperkinetic, FX-laden trailer promises that this definitely isn't your father's Dracula.

DEBITS: This smacks a little too much of that awful movie version of The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen; co-star Kate Beckinsale's other trip into the supernatural, Underworld, was bloody bad.

WE SAY: You should stake your reputation on this becoming a monster hit.

RELEASE DATE: May 7

6: THE STEPFORD WIVES

In this remake of the 1975 cult classic based on the book of same name, the Eberharts (Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick) move to the swanky new community of Stepford, Conn., where everything seems a little too perfect. Why are all the wives so bland, characterless and subservient to their husbands?

CREDITS: The good cast also includes Glenn Close, Christopher Walken, Faith Hill, Bette Midler and Jon Lovitz. Okay, maybe not the last two so much.

DEBITS: Can this relatively high-concept flick catch on with audiences more used to big explosions, car chases and window-shattering shootouts?

WE SAY: A chick flick that guys can enjoy? Sign us up. And grab us a sandwich while you're at it.

RELEASE DATE: June 11

5: KILL BILL: VOL. 2

In the second part of Quentin Tarantino's bloody revenge saga, we finally get to see whether the Bride (Uma Thurman) avenges herself against Bill (David Carradine) for trying to assassinate her on her wedding night.

CREDITS: While the first was a satisfactorily bloody romp, there's been buzz this half is more akin to the Tarantino of Pulp Fiction -- either way, it's all good.

DEBITS: We mourn what likely will be the absence of morning star-wielding, psycho schoolgirl Go Go Yubari, who was killed off -- in a pretty permanent sort of way -- in Vol. 1.

WE SAY: We wouldn't want to be in Bill's shoes on opening night -- but we'll certainly relish seeing what happens to him.

RELEASE DATE: April 16

4: HELLBOY

Meet Hellboy (Ron Perlman), a demon who was summoned by Nazis in the '40s but is now dedicated to keeping the world safe from paranormal menaces. Now he and his band of super-powered freaks must save us from the evil machinations of Nazi wizard Rasputin (Karel Roden).

CREDITS: Movies based on comic books are all the rage -- and this is a good one to adapt; the fine cast (Selma Blair, John Hurt and David Hyde-Pierce) and impressive effects are good signs the filmmakers are going for quality here.

DEBITS: A potential franchise-starter rests on the shoulders of ... Ron Perlman?!

WE SAY: Looks like this is gonna be a hell of a ride.

RELEASE DATE: April 2

3: HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN

The third instalment takes a darker turn, as Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and pals Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) face a potential new threat to the titular boy wizard's life: Titular escaped prisoner Sirius Black (Gary Oldman).

CREDITS: The buzz is that new director Alfonson Cuaron has really done some wondrous things with the franchise; more classy British actors -- including Oldman, Emma Thompson and David Thewlis -- have joined the cast.

DEBITS: At the rate he's growing, girls will soon find out exactly what it means to be subjected to Harry's "magic wand and bag."

WE SAY: Somebody has to fill the fantasy epic void -- who better than Harry Potter?

RELEASE DATE: June 4

2: SHREK 2

Irascible ogre Shrek (voice of Mike Myers), his bride Fiona (Cameron Diaz) and their donkey pal Donkey (Eddie Murphy) meet her horrified parents. Disapproving papa King Harold (John Cleese) then decides to band with Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) and Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas) to break up the happy couple.

CREDITS: The new additions to the stable of fairy-tale characters look like winners; an animated Eddie Murphy is the only good Eddie Murphy these days.

DEBITS: This sequel has a lot to live up to -- the original was a critical success and blockbuster hit.

WE SAY: Rival studios are going to turn green with envy when Shrek 2's box office is tallied up.

RELEASE DATE: May 21

1: TROY

This retelling of the ancient tale features Brad Pitt as Achilles, an apparently invulnerable Greek warrior charged with bringing the kidnapped Helen (Diane Kruger) back from the impregnable city of Troy.

CREDITS: Those looking for a Gladiator-style epic are sure to be wowed by Troy -- it's got everything, including battles, a love story, more battles, shadowy politicking and, yes, even more battles; the solid cast features Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Brian Cox, Sean Bean and Peter O'Toole.

DEBITS: There's always the possibility this is just one of those cheesy, old, '50s sword and sandal "epics" just dressed up with modern-day effects and sensibilities.

WE SAY: Where do we enlist? Troy has a chance to be the hit of the spring -- if it can fend off that grumpy Shrek dude.

RELEASE DATE: May 14

COMPLETE RELEASE SCHEDULE (all dates subject to change)

March 12
* Agent Cody Banks 2
* Monsieur Ibrahim
* NASCAR 3D: The IMAX Experience
* Secret Window
* Spartan
* The Reckoning
* Lost Skeleton Of Cadavra

March 19
* Dawn Of The Dead
* Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
* Dopamine
* Nathalie
* Taking Lives

March 26
* Jersey Girl
* The Ladykillers
* Luck
* Kitchen Stories
* Scooby-Doo 2

April 2
* Envy
* Hellboy
* Home On The Range
* The Prince & Me
* Dogville
* Walking Tall

April 9
* The Alamo
* Broken Wings
* Ella Enchanted
* The Girl Next Door
* Mayor Of Sunset Strip
* Tibet: Cry Of The Snow Lion
* The Whole Ten Yards

April 16
* Connie And Carla
* Hero
* I'm Not Scared
* Kill Bill: Vol. 2
* The Punisher

April 23
* 13 Going on 30
* Bon Voyage
* The Cremaster Cycle n Man On Fire
* Saved!
* Shaolin Soccer
* Without A Paddle

April 30
* Breakin' All The Rules
* Godsend
* Laws Of Attraction
* Mean Girls
* Paperclips
* The Saddest Music In The World
* Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... And Spring

May 7
* Crimson Gold
* New York Minute
* Van Helsing
* Twist

Whipped

About.com spoke with Steven Spielberg, who assures fans that INDIANA JONES IV will still happen, despite George Lucas dismissing Frank Darabont's script. “Of course it will still happen,” Spielberg said. Spielberg also refused to discuss the script's problems. “I won’t go into it with you now, but it will definitely still happen.”

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King comes to home video May 25

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The march to Middle-earth will be shorter this time for the home-video release of the final chapter in The Lord of the Rings.

The Return of the King comes to DVD and VHS on May 25, New Line Cinema announced Monday. That's about three months quicker than the first two parts of the fantasy trilogy, both of which hit video in late summer.

The announcement comes a week after The Return of the King bulldozed its way through the Academy Awards, earning a record-tying 11 Oscars, including best picture and director for Peter Jackson, and sweeping every category in which it was nominated.

The awards bring added prestige, but for a franchise whose theatrical receipts are pushing $3 billion US, the Oscar attention was scarcely needed to boost sales.

"That is significant and valuable and adds to the imprimatur and pedigree of the trilogy, but the films have already achieved such high levels of acknowledgment and acceptance," said Stephen Einhorn, president of New Line Home Entertainment. "I do not think it materially affects the demand for the films."

New Line had held off until August for home-video releases of The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers in the last two years to feed into anticipation for the theatrical release of the next film in J.R.R. Tolkien's epic.

With the trilogy concluded, New Line decided to roll the conclusion out earlier on home video.

That's good news for fans anxious to finally stage marathon viewings at home of all three films in Jackson's monumental adaptation of Tolkien's tale, which follows the quest of a band of hobbits, humans, elves and other mythical allies to destroy a ring of ultimate evil and defeat a wicked tyrant.

New Line also plans an extended version of The Return of the King on home video around the Christmas holidays, similar to the longer cuts of the first two films. The three extended versions will push the saga's running time to more than 11 hours.

The initial DVD release of The Return of the King will include the three-hour, 20-minute theatrical version plus a range of behind-the-scenes material and trailers and TV spots for the trilogy.

'The Passion' Soars Beyond $200 Million

LOS ANGELES - Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" took in $51.4 million in its second weekend to remain the top movie, racing past the $200 million mark in just 12 days.

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson's action comedy "Starsky & Hutch" debuted in second place with $29.05 million, while Viggo Mortensen's horse-racing adventure "Hidalgo" opened at No. 3 with $19.6 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"The Passion," Gibson's bloody re-enactment of Christ's crucifixion, has grossed $212 million so far in the United States and Canada. The movie is expected to top $300 million, said Bob Berney, president of Newmarket Films. The independent distributor was hired by Gibson to release "The Passion" after Hollywood studios passed on it.

The film, which stars Jim Caviezel as Christ, held up strongly, with receipts down just 39 percent from its huge opening weekend of $83.8 million. Movies debuting to such high numbers often drop 50 percent or more in their second weekends.

"The Passion" propelled Hollywood to a second straight weekend of rising revenues after a prolonged slump. The top 12 movies grossed $131.5 million, up 39 percent from the same weekend last year.

Before "The Passion" opened, box-office revenues had been running 7 percent behind last year's. Two big weekends for "The Passion" have pulled the industry virtually even with last year's receipts, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The Academy Awards gave a solid bounce to best-picture winner "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," which climbed back into the top 10 with $3.2 million, raising its total to $368.3 million.

"The Passion" rode a storm of debate over its grisly violence and accusations of anti-Semitism to become the first religious blockbuster since the 1950s epics "The Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur."

Its success indicates Christian crowds rarely targeted by filmmakers will flock to theaters when a movie suits them.

"I think it does show there's an ignored market, but the way I look at it, it's film by film. To make this work, you have to have a brilliant film. The audience is very discerning," Berney said.

In the next week, "The Passion" will climb past the $228 million total take for "Signs," the top-grossing movie Gibson has been connected with. Even adjusting Gibson's "Lethal Weapon" grosses for inflation, "The Passion" will be his biggest hit.

"Here's one of the most popular movie stars in the world. Who would have thought he would out-gross all his big summer blockbusters with a movie about the crucifixion?" said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations.

After studios declined to handle "The Passion," Gibson orchestrated a marketing scheme that rallied Christian leaders and church groups, which spread the word and snapped up blocks of tickets.

Fueling the frenzy was criticism from some Jewish and Christian leaders, who said "The Passion" could revive the notion that Jews collectively were responsible for Christ's death.

"Starsky & Hutch," an update of the 1970s TV show, stars Stiller and Wilson as buddy cops hunting a cocaine dealer. "Hidalgo" stars Mortensen as an Old West cowboy who becomes the first Westerner invited to compete in a horse race across the Arabian desert.

"Starsky & Hutch" distributor Warner Bros. and "Hidalgo" studio Disney were happy to finish a distant second and third to "The Passion."

"I've never seen anything quite like `The Passion,'" said Disney head of distribution Chuck Viane. "To have two other movies come in and open as strongly as they did in the face of a steamroller, you can't complain."
 
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Passion of the Christ," $51.4 million.
2. "Starsky & Hutch," $29.05 million.
3. "Hidalgo," $19.6 million.
4. "50 First Dates," $7.7 million.
5. "Twisted," $5 million.
6. "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," $4 million.
7. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," $3.2 million.
8. "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," $2.85 million.
9. "Miracle," $2.6 million.
10. "Monster," $2.25 million.

Rock's Hall of Fame Preps for 19th Ceremony

NEW YORK (Billboard) - There is an unwritten rule in the music business: Getting a Grammy Award means you have won the approval of your peers. Getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame means you've become a respected and enduring legend.
 
During the past 18 years, the Hall of Fame honor has gone to such an elite group that it is little wonder the induction ceremonies have produced unforgettable moments -- reunions of disbanded superstar groups, emotional and historically rich speeches and once-in-a-lifetime, all-star jam sessions.

The magic will continue with the 19th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony March 15 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York. This year's inductees are Jackson Browne, the Dells, George Harrison, Prince, Bob Seger, Traffic and ZZ Top.

Stars set to induct the honorees include Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Tom Petty, OutKast and Alicia Keys. VH1 will tape the event for broadcast March 21.

A lifetime achievement award in the non-performer category will be presented to Jann Wenner, co-founder and editor-in-chief/publisher of Rolling Stone and chairman of Wenner Media.

In 1983, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation was created. Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder of Atlantic Records and considered by many the "godfather" of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, invited record-company leaders, top managers, attorneys and other influential industry people to take part.

A select group of people joined the foundation's board of directors. They included Ertegun as chairman, Wenner as vice chairman, Sire Records co-founder and president Seymour Stein as president, attorney Suzan Evans as executive director and attorney Allen Grubman as secretary/treasurer.

NO BROADCAST

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation eventually bought the rights to the Hall of Fame name. And the board immediately decided against a TV broadcast of the induction ceremonies.

The inaugural Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction dinner took place in 1986 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, which has been, for the most part, the longtime home of the event.

"My only regret was that we didn't start a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame sooner," Stein says. "We were having so much fun in the music business it didn't occur to us to have one sooner. We don't tend to realize the value and importance of rock 'n' roll. Music is the thing that unites us around the world, and so much of it is American and rock 'n' roll."

As annual induction dinners continued, the idea of a physical museum to enshrine the history of rock 'n' roll gained momentum.

"Our goal was to build a museum, but in the beginning we envisioned buying a brownstone in New York City and filling it with memorabilia," Evans reveals.

But interest in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum quickly grew to such an extent that the foundation received offers to fund and house it from several cities, including Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Memphis, New York, Atlanta, New Orleans and San Francisco. Cleveland -- home to pioneering rock DJ Alan Freed, who is credited with coining the term "rock 'n' roll" -- landed the museum.

Designed by noted architect I.M. Pei, the museum is a striking, 150,000-square-foot structure, anchored by a 162-foot tower. "I.M. Pei was our first choice as the architect," Ertegun notes. "When I asked him to do it, I said to him, 'Be sure to tell your children about this offer before you turn it down.' And of course, his children said that he had to do it. He gave us what is probably one of the greatest achievements of his career."

Builders broke ground for the museum in 1993. A star-studded concert televised on HBO marked its opening in 1995.

STRIKING A BALANCE
 
Wenner says, "The biggest challenge was getting it right, because we were starting something new. We took our time, because we wanted to get it right. We wanted a balance of making it serious with a historical purpose as well as it popular and attractive to visitors." The museum prides itself on presenting the ultimate history of rock 'n' roll, according to chief curator Jim Henke. In addition to permanent exhibits (including those devoted to Hall of Fame inductees), it features limited-edition exhibits, educational programs and special events.

"We have a Hall of Fame series in which we bring inductees to play in this little theater that seats about 160 people and answer questions from the audience," Henke says. Music notables who have participated in the series include Aretha Franklin, Al Green, Ray Davies of the Kinks, Dickey Betts of Allman Brothers Band fame, the Band (minus Robbie Robertson), record producer Jerry Wexler and the songwriting duo of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

For years, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies remained somewhat cloaked in the kind of mystique similar to exclusive club events. That changed in 1996, when VH1 began televising the ceremonies.

"We resisted televising it for a long time," Evans says. "The artists enjoyed the feeling that they could say anything, knowing it wasn't going to be televised. But then people started criticizing us for being 'elitist' and not sharing this event with everybody."

WORKING CLASS

Charlize Theron swings back into blond-bombshell mode, Renée Zellweger will channel Janis Joplin, and "Rings" master Peter Jackson is going ape.

The gold statues are still at the engravers, but it's already back to work for these newly minted Oscar winners.

Early next week, Jackson returns to his native New Zealand to prepare for a remake of the classic 1933 film "King Kong."

Jackson will pocket a whopping $20 million for helming the monster movie, starring Oscar nominee Naomi Watts as the damsel-in-distress.

Redoing "King Kong" has long been a dream for Jackson, who was forced to postpone the project back in 1996 because it conflicted with a couple of similarly ape-themed films.

"I'm making movies today because I saw this film when I was 9 years old," Jackson has said. "It has been my sustained dream to reinterpret this classic story for a new age."

The Oscar-winning "Rings" screenwriting fellowship - Jackson, his real-life partner Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens - have reteamed to tweak the ape tale.

While the 1930s original featured then-groundbreaking stop-motion special effects, its 21st-century update will be heavily computer-generated, with rumors that actor Andy Serkis - whose face and body were the model for Gollum in the "Rings" trilogy - will serve as the basis for Kong's features.

Sean Penn will next appear opposite Watts in the drama, "The Assassination of Richard Nixon," before teaming up with her compatriot Nicole Kidman for another assassination-plot movie, "The Interpreter."

Sydney Pollack's political thriller - in which Kidman plays a U.N. interpreter and Penn a skeptical FBI agent - is set to begin filming tomorrow at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Meanwhile, Best Actress Oscar-winner Charlize Theron is back to her stunning best in HBO's made-for-TV movie, "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers."

Theron plays Swedish glamour girl Britt Ekland, Sellers' second wife and sometime co-star, in the biopic, set to air in December.

"She looks gorgeous, totally glamorous again," says an HBO spokeswoman.

"She's very playful in the scenes. The film shows [Sellers and Ekland's] meeting and their wedding and their life together - I think she had fun with the role."

Fans who sighed at Theron's lingering Oscar-night kiss with her Irish fiancé Stuart Townsend can look forward to the lovebirds pairing up on-screen for the just-wrapped 1930s-set romantic epic, "Head in the Clouds."

Theron plays a hedonistic photographer who shares a Paris apartment with Townsend's schoolteacher until his political activism drives a wedge between them.

"Cold Mountain's" Best Supporting Actress Renée Zellweger will play Janis Joplin in a biopic tentatively titled "Piece of My Heart," due in 2005.

Next month, Zellweger starts shooting in Toronto on "Cinderella Man" - a Depression-era drama in which she plays the wife of Russell Crowe's boxer and folk hero, Jim Braddock - and she next appears on-screen in December as the titular ditz in the sequel, "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason."

Tim Robbins, meanwhile, follows up his Oscar-winning turn in the brooding drama "Mystic River" with a sci-fi romance - Michael Winterbottom's "Code 46," with Oscar nominee Samantha Morton - and a cameo in the 1970s-set Will Ferrell comedy "Anchorman," set for release in August.

As for Sofia Coppola, who won a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for her sophomore effort, "Lost in Translation," she's weighing her options.

Backstage at the Oscars, she told reporters she was going to use her win as inspiration for her next project. "I want to get back to writing and write another screenplay," she said.

THE FAMILY GUY WILL RETURN!!

THE FAMILY GUY creator Seth MacFarlane has confirmed that the show will return to the airwaves with new episodes.

New episodes are being produced to air sometime in 2005; there has not been a premiere date slated yet. The show could potentially air around the same time as MacFarlane's new toon series for Fox, AMERICAN DAD.

However, MacFarlane doesn't know if the new episodes will first air on Fox, which originally aired the show, or Cartoon Network, which has aired reruns since April of last year.

"Cartoon Network will be involved regardless," MacFarlane said. "Whether it goes there permanently or winds up on Fox first and then Cartoon Network remains to be seen. So, at the very least it will be on Cartoon Network, which is great, because at the end of the day, that's where we built our biggest fan base. So I'm happy either way."

MacFarlane also said that he has several scripts leftover from the show's first run that he will incorporate into the fourth season and he has hopes of getting back the original cast, including Seth Green and Mila Kunis.

Production on the new episodes will begin in April.

May 25th, Baby!

The theatrical version of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King will arrive on DVD on May 25th.

Watch for the official announcement on Monday.

Janet Jackson to Host NBC's 'Saturday Night Live'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - She may not be ready for prime time just yet, but Janet Jackson has been booked on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" next month, her first planned network TV performance since baring her breast at the Super Bowl.

NBC said on Thursday that the 37-year-old pop diva will host and perform on the April 10 edition of the show, which is broadcast live on the East Coast from New York City. Jackson previously appeared on "SNL" as a musical guest in 1994.

Jackson's last U.S. television appearance was her notorious Super Bowl halftime performance on Feb. 1, which ended with duet partner Justin Timberlake ripping open her costume to expose her right breast during CBS's live coast-to-coast telecast.

A public uproar over the flash of nudity sparked inquiries by lawmakers on Capitol Hill and the Federal Communications Commission, as well as an industry-wide crackdown by television and radio broadcasters on sexually explicit material.

Jackson, herself, was barred by CBS from the Grammy Awards telecast a week later after she rebuffed the network's demands to issue an on-air apology as a condition for appearing on that show. She subsequently bowed out of plans to star in an ABC TV movie about singing great Lena Horne after Horne objected to being portrayed by Jackson, saying she was offended by the Super Bowl incident.

Jackson's next album, "Damita Jo," is due out later this month.

A spokesman for "Saturday Night Live" said he knew of no plans by the network to carry the April 10 show on a special tape-delay, as CBS did for the Grammys and ABC did for the Oscars as a precaution against unplanned vulgarities in the aftermath of Jackson's halftime show.

"SNL" already has lampooned the incident with a recent promo in which guest host Megan Mullally of "Will & Grace" ripped off the breast pocket from "American Idol" star Clay Aiken. And in a parody of ABC's "Nightline," Ted Koppel (played by Darrell Hammond) stymied several Democratic presidential contenders by wanting to talk about nothing else but Jackson.

"Saturday Night Live" has itself run afoul of network censors for profanity, such as the notorious 1981 utterance of the "f" word by Charles Rocket and a similar incident involving Norm Macdonald.

'Schindler's List' Makes DVD Debut

BURBANK, Calif. - Director and filmmaker Steven Spielberg got reacquainted Wednesday with some of the Jews whose survival he depicted in the Oscar-winning "Schindler's List."

To mark the film's DVD release next Tuesday, Spielberg and cast members including Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes toured the Survivors of the Shoah Visual History Foundation, the Holocaust-education facility Spielberg created after completing "Schindler's List."

Accompanying them were five Holocaust survivors who were among 1,100 Jews saved by German industrialist Oskar Schindler, played by Liam Neeson in the 1993 film, which won seven Academy Awards, including best picture and director.

The foundation is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

"Steven Spielberg, in my opinion, revived the history of the Holocaust, which was practically forgotten by that time," said Lewis Fagen, 80, of Boca Raton, Fla., who was a teenager when Schindler put him and his parents to work in his factory, saving them from the Nazi genocide.

For all the acclaim the film received, "Schindler's List" was just a "prelude to what has become the most important work of my life aside from my family," Spielberg said of the foundation.

The foundation plans to make some 120,000 hours of videotaped interviews available for viewing at universities and other research centers around the world.

"These survivors, once thought to be victims, have become educators," Spielberg said.

Sony, Marvel Planning 'Spider-Man 3' Movie

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Anticipating a successful summer blockbuster with the movie "Spider-Man 2," film studio Sony Pictures Entertainment and comic book publisher Marvel Enterprises Inc. are already planning a "Spider-Man 3."

Speaking to financial analysts and reporters on a conference call on Tuesday, Marvel's film chief Avi Arad said a "Spider-Man 3" movie would likely be in theaters in 2007.

"(The) best-case scenario I can tell you (is) 2006. It is a big movie, and we would rather play it safe and talk about 2007 at this point," Arad said.

A Sony Pictures spokesman on Wednesday confirmed that the two companies had already started development plans for a third "Spider-Man" movie, but declined to offer further details.

Sony Pictures is a unit of Japanese electronics firm SonyCorp. Sony and Marvel will roll out "Spider-Man 2" on July 2 this summer as a sequel to 2002's hit "Spider-Man," starring Tobey Maguire as the crime-fighting superhero who first appeared in Marvel comic books.

"Spider-Man" was the highest-grossing film of 2002, amassing over $800 million in worldwide ticket sales, and it still holds the box office record for the biggest three-day domestic debut ever with $115 million in ticket sales.

Meanwhile, Sony and Marvel remain snarled in a web of litigation over their original "Spider-Man" collaboration.

Marvel sued Sony Pictures in February 2003 seeking at least $50 million in compensatory damages and termination of their joint "Spider-Man" licensing venture.

Marvel has accused Sony of trying to hijack the Spider-Man brand by claiming exclusive merchandising rights to the character and "cross-promoting" the superhero with other Sony features in alleged violation of their partnership.

Sony counters that Marvel sought to cheat the studio out of millions of dollars through shady accounting practices and was using its litigation as leverage to pressure the studio into renegotiating the terms of their licensing deal.

The case was submitted last August to a court-appointed referee and is expected to formally heard by retired California appeals court justice Richard Neal this fall.

Elvis Lives!

The Shady Rest retirement home in Mud Creek, Texas is about to get "all shook up" when Elvis Presley returns in Bubba Ho-Tep, last year's instant cult classic from director Don Coscarelli (Phantasm). In the film The Onion hailed as "Winning! Satisfying! Wacky!", Bruce Campbell stars as an aging and cantankerous Elvis who swings his feeble hips while combating a blood-sucking mummy intent on taking over the world. (Er, something like that.) MGM Home Entertainment will give the film a lavish special edition on May 25th, complete with anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, two audio commentaries with Coscarelli and Campbell and a second with The King himself, the "Making-Of," "To Make a Mummy," "To Score a King" and "Fit For a King" featurettes, an animated still gallery, original Bubba Ho-Tep short story reading by Joe R. Lansdale, the original theatrical trailer and an easter egg.

MGM has also just announced the release of Best Foreign Film Academy Award nominee Osama, which will hit stores on April 27th. Presented in anamorphic widescreen and original Pashtu mono, extras include the "Sharing Hope and Freedom" featurette and the trailer.

Polly Wanna Cracker?

The Ben Stiller juggernaut continues on DVD with the release of Along Came Polly, his hit comedy with Jennifer Aniston that will get the special edition treatment on June 8th from Universal Studios Home Video. To be made available in separate anamorphic widescreen and full screen releases, each includes Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 surround tracks, audio commentary with director John Hamburg, making-of and "Rodolfo Goes Hollywood" featurettes, deleted scenes and an alternate opening with optional commentary, outtakes, and theatrical trailers.

Reality Doesn't Bite

Also due on June 8th is the Stiller-directed Reality Bites: 10th Anniversary Edition, which will include a commentary with Stiller, deleted scenes, filmographies and trailers.

Back to School

Rounding out today's news is the latest batch of catalog announcements from Paramount Home Entertainment. Just in time for summer vacation is a collection of three cult favorites, all themed around beaches, blankets and bingo. Due on June 1st are Funny About Love, the Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon reunion flick Back to the Beach, and Summer School, starring Mark Harmon. Each is newly remastered in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1, and feature no extras.

Paramount will also release three new children's titles on May 25th: Blue's Clues: Blue Talks, SpongeBob SquarePants: SpongeGuard On Duty and Dora the Explorer: Super Silly Fiesta. Each release is presented in 4:3 full screen and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo, and all include bonus episodes, plus interactive games on the Blue's Clues and Dora discs, and storyboards on SpongeBob.

Also just announced is a May 18th street date for the recent John Woo action flick Paycheck, starring Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman. Although full specs have not yet been announced, the flick will be available in separate anamorphic widescreen and full screen versions.

STILL LOVIN' RAY

Les Moonves says he is optimistic that Everybody Loves Raymond will return to CBS for another season, but has discussed spinoff possibilities just in case. Raymond is the second most popular comedy on TV behind Friends and averages almost 18 million viewers a week, per Nielsen Media Research.

Paul Martin says he supports CBC after MP Keyes voices criticism

SMITHS FALLS, Ont. (CP) - Prime Minister Paul Martin reaffirmed his support for the CBC on Tuesday, after a member of his cabinet was quoted as saying the public broadcaster is a "monster."

"The fact is I have always been a supporter of public broadcasting and will continue to be so," Martin said during a stop in this eastern Ontario town. When asked if he plans any changes to the mandate or funding of the institution in the lead-up to an election, he replied no.

On Tuesday, Toronto Star "writer" Antonia Zerbisias revealed she had received a transcript of comments by Revenue Minister Stan Keyes during a commercial break last Wednesday on CBC Newsworld's Counterspin.

With the tape still rolling, Conservative Party finance critic Monte Solberg said that while Newsworld has its purpose, the main network was an expensive and unnecessary proposition.

Keyes, a former broadcaster at CKVR in Barrie, Ont., and Hamilton's CHCH, said that CBC "has become a monster, quite frankly."

Solberg replied that it's a "huge expense" and "ratings have fallen like a stone."

Then, according to the transcript the Toronto Star received, Keyes said: "It's a billion dollars we have put towards CBC television and we witness direct competition between a public broadcaster and the private sector."

NDP Leader Jack Layton, who was also a guest on the show, said sarcastically that Fox would take over the whole media operation.

"Good God, George Bush's mouthpiece: I mean really, they'll buy it if it's up for sale."

The response from Keyes was: "No, we can regulate it and make sure that doesn't happen."

Keyes was unavailable for comment Tuesday, but his director of communications, Peter Graham, confirmed that he made the comments.

"It was a personal comment, and that was it," said Graham.

"It's certainly not a policy statement or a future direction of policy for the government. The minister would never step out of bounds in the sense of commenting on one of his colleague's portfolios."

In a statement Tuesday, Layton said the Liberal government's recent commitment to review the foreign ownership rules for cable companies makes the minister's remarks even more ominous. NDP arts critic Wendy Lill said there is no private broadcaster that could do everything the CBC does for Canadians.

"CanWest Global and CTV have already shown they won't produce shows in French or in Aboriginal languages," she said. "And we certainly know that foreign corporations like Fox Television won't be interested in producing Canadian stories. We need the CBC."

Whack! HBO Series 'The Sopranos' Returns

NEW YORK - "The Sopranos" is back, and all is wrong with the world. The TV drama every other drama series is measured against is returning to face the ultimate challenge: getting measured against its own past.

Great news! It measures up — especially after last season, which didn't.

Last season, "The Sopranos" was gripped by tension. Week after week, the pressure built. As if resigned to inevitable doom, mobster Tony Soprano and everyone around him — and, to a large extent, the series — sank into a funk.

Sure, there were moments of explosive (if temporary) release. But just two of the 13 episodes delivered a solid dramatic payoff: when Tony offed Ralphie and then offed his head, and in the finale when Tony waged war with his wife, Carmela, and she threw him out of his house.

That was way back yonder in December 2002. Now, as "The Sopranos" begins its fifth season Sunday at 9 p.m. EST on HBO in America and The Movie Network and Movie Central in Canada, it seems headed on a different, more rewarding track.

(Spoiler warning: "Sopranos" fans who want a pristine viewing experience should stop reading here.)

Make no mistake, any hour of "The Sopranos" beats an hour of nearly anything else on film. But the four new episodes made available for review do more than introduce fresh turmoil into Tony's life. They introduce a welcome new theme enhancing last year's gloom: a sense of general befuddlement.

Tony (series star James Gandolfini), his wife (Edie Falco), and other key characters have lost their bearings. Too much has changed, too much is uncertain. Can they regain their footing before it's too late? That seems to be this season's prevailing question.

One cause of shattered equilibrium is the arrival of several new mobsters who, jailed during the crackdown on organized crime in the 1980s, are out after serving their time.

"Class of 2004," Uncle Junior (Dominic Chianese) sums up sourly — "old rats on a new ship."

What will be the impact of these new "rats" on "The Sopranos"?

"We could be looking at a period of potentially violent power struggles," declares a Mafia expert on a TV interview show Tony is watching — to which Tony grumbles, "They gotta paint everything the worst, these TV news people."

It isn't long before former mob boss Feech La Manna (Robert Loggia) is telling Tony, "Now that I'm out, I'd like to get back in the game."

Tony warily agrees, but adds, "I don't want you stepping on anybody's toes."

"Me?" oozes Feech in his gravelly voice, "I'm Fred Astaire."

Also back on the streets (in the second episode) is a cousin, Tony Blundetto (played by Steve Buscemi), whom Soprano wants back in the family business.

No thanks, says "Tony B." Once a rising star in the mob, he now intends to go straight.
 
He wants to be a massage therapist, and he doesn't mean running a massage parlor. In the meantime, he takes a job with a linen supply firm whose accounts include the Bada Bing. He's literally handling Tony's dirty laundry. Will he be able to resist Tony's entreaties to handle more?

The life of Tony's nephew Christopher (Michael Imperioli) hangs in the balance: He's kicked booze and drugs. But how long can he hold out?

And Christopher's fiancee Adriana (Drea de Matteo) remains caught between a rock and a hard place: The FBI is forcing her to inform on Christopher and the rest of the mob. How long can she reconcile her two conflicting lives, not to mention her guilt?

Even Tony's psychiatrist, Dr. Melfi (Lorraine Bracco), is confronting new issues, thanks to Tony, her longtime client who now wants to be more.

Sunday's episode begins with a scene recalling previous season openers: the morning newspaper in the Soprano driveway. But Tony, no longer living there, isn't fetching it.

A bit later, the series adds to its gallery of odd and powerful images with a glimpse of raw potential violence that is all the more unexpected for its having no connection with organized crime.

Message: More than ever before, everything is on the loose, and danger could be lurking anywhere.

No wonder Tony — who now bunks in, of all places, the shabby house of his despicable late mother — drifts back home on any pretext. There he scraps with Carmela, barks at sullen son A.J. (Robert Iler), chugs orange juice out of the carton as if he still ruled the roost, and pretends none of the fault is his.

It's all part of a scramble for some sense of normality, for getting back a world that's familiar and reliable. Happily for viewers, the search on "The Sopranos" this season could come with many new pitfalls.

The Couch Potato Report

This week in The Couch Potato Report, its the good, the bad and the ugly.

Lets start with the good.

If you like your movies to be a lot more entertaining than the majority of releases then you should spend some time with SCHOOL OF ROCK.

In SCHOOL OF ROCK a failed musician masquerading as a substitute teacher who creates a band out of a 4th grade class.

The comedic force that is Jack Black has previously starred in HIGH FIDELITY and SHALLOW HAL. In those pictures he wasn't meant to be all things to all people. In fact, he would best be described as "an acquired taste."

But in SCHOOL OF ROCK he rises above what could have been a silly and formulaic family film. That comes courtesy of director Richard Linklater - who also made the rock and roll film DAZED AND CONFUSED.

The director and star infuse the "will he learn from his mistakes" formula with such a passion - and a respect for the rock music of the 1970's - that SCHOOL OF ROCK is an above average slice of irresistible fun.

Last November 22nd a group of former and current National Hockey League stars had fun on an outdoor hockey pond in front of over 50,000 people.

Now you can relive one of the most memorable events in Canadian sports history with the the two disc HERITAGE CLASSIC DVD set.

This once in a lifetime event featured Wayne Gretzky, Guy Lafleur, Mark Messier and Larry Robinson taking to the ice, together, once again.

With the HERITAGE CLASSIC DVD you get to go behind the scenes, inside the dressing rooms and on to the ice.

You also get both games that were played at Commonwealth Stadium that day in their entirety.

The HERITAGE CLASSIC DVD is a great way to enjoy a great day in hockey history. Just go to shopcbc.ca to get yours. Or you can wait another month before its available in stores.

COLD CREEK MANOR is available at a store near you right now, but it's a bad movie.

In the movie a family moves to the country from New York city and renovates an old mansion. But all is not well at COLD CREEK MANOR and eventually the family discovers its secrets.

Starring Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone, Stephen Dorff and Juliette Lewis I suspect that COLD CREEK MANOR was supposed to be a shocking thriller with a great cast.

It wasn't. It isn't. It will never be.

The movie has no thrills, no chills. Nothing.

Simply put, COLD CREEK MANOR was one of the worst movies of 2003.

One of the worst. But it wasn't the absolute worst. Nope, the honour of the worst film of 2003 goes to DUPLEX.

Yes DUPLEX is the worst film released in 2003. Worse than COLD CREEK MANOR and much worse than GIGLI.

DUPLEX is about a couple who are new homeowners forced to deal with a little old lady who lives in a rent controlled apartment upstairs.

But instead of taking advantage of a very funny premise DUPLEX is an ugly, unfunny, thoroughly unmemorable film.

I couldn't be more disappointed to say that as the picture stars Ben Stiller of MEET THE PARENTS, the luminescent Drew Barrymore from THE WEDDING SINGER and it was directed with the same vengeful tongue that Danny DeVito used when he made THE WAR OF THE ROSES.

But every comedic opportunity in DUPLEX is squandered.

In the end I found myself just angry at the movie as there is absolutely no payoff whatsoever.

In a week with some good, some bad and the ugly DUPLEX is just an ugly, ugly movie.

The good SCHOOL OF ROCK, the bad COLD CREEK MANOR and the ugly DUPLEX are available at a store near you. The HERITAGE CLASSIC DVD is available online at shopcbc.ca. It will be in stores on March 23rd.

COMING NEXT WEEK IN THE COUCH POTATO REPORT

Steven Spielberg's Academy Award winning classic film SCHINDLER'S LIST finally debuts on DVD.

Julia Roberts stars in MONA LISA SMILE as a professor at a women's college who fights the school's old beliefs system. Julia Stiles, Kirsten Dunst and Maggie Gyllenhaal also star in what isn't a LITTLE WOMEN for a new generation.

FUTURAMA - VOLUME 3 features 22 episodes of the underappreciated animated television series from Matt Groening, the creator of THE SIMPSONS.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch.

Not Intimidating At All

Variety is reporting that the actual name of the upcoming BATMAN film is BATMAN BEGINS, not BATMAN: INTIMIDATION or INTIMIDATION GAME. Apparently the Warners had a brief bout of stupidity and thought that giving the film a code name would keep fans from finding out details about the film.

Great Big Sea's sixth CD a 'condolence' to friends who've lost loved ones

TORONTO (CP) - Leave it to Great Big Sea to turn a year of adversity into something hopeful and fun.

After losing three friends to cancer and the early retirement of a founding band member, frontman Alan Doyle said the band coped by writing very bright music for Something Beautiful. "This was not a get-it-done record. This was more a response to a year that was less than perfect," he said in a recent interview during a stopover in Toronto.

"Across the board they were extremely bright songs and hopeful. In retrospect they were probably written, not intentionally, but to make ourselves feel better."

The events spawned a writing spree for Doyle and bandmates Sean McCann and Bob Hallett. Recorded in the band's home of St. John's, Nfld., the album, Great Big Sea's sixth, features 10 original songs, one cover and one traditional tune.

The title track Something Beautiful, says Doyle, was written as a condolence to friends who lost someone special. The rest are similar in theme; an emotional response to someone in grief to ease their pain. The opening track, Shines Right Through Me, begins "These days I feel a change."

"What's cool about that song being first is that it really offers to people that the brightest light in their lives could be something that's right next to them," says Doyle. "People who've heard the song assume it's about a man and a woman or a couple, it's really about the three of us and how during difficult times that the best solace that we found was in each other. We looked to the guys who were standing on stage with us to be lightened."

The three - Doyle, Hallett and McCann, founding members of the band - hired bassist Murray Foster, formerly of Moxy Fruvous and drummer Kris MacFarlane to record the album. Darrell Power left the band last year saying he wanted to devote more time to his family.

Despite several blows, the band, which released its first album in 1993, hasn't lost any of its good humour. A glance at the liner notes reveals their usual mischievousness. No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani is the first person listed in the thank-yous.

"In her studio, apparently she has a big poster of us in front of the vocal booth," deadpans Doyle. After about 30 seconds of silence, he clears his throat, "Sorry, wait now. WE have a poster of HER in our studio."

That reputation of being good-natured and eternal optimists, says Doyle, is part of the band's bloodline.

"Coming from where we come from, there's not a lot of downer songs. In some places traditional music is a downer. People have recorded their history in song in a very dark way," he begins. "But Newfoundlanders, who for over 400 years of recording community events and shipwrecks and tragedies and garden parties and marriages, are well known for doing very well when times are shitty, for dealing with strife in a very positive way."

Even the band's namesake reflects the history. Great Big Sea is a jovial ditty about a tidal wave that crashed into a town and caused massive destruction.

The band will tour the U.S. in March before heading off to Europe. They plan a full Canadian tour in the fall.

Tracks by Late Who Member May Be on Album

LONDON - The late John Entwistle may be heard on The Who's next album, the band's first in 21 years, a band member said Monday.

The band wants to use a bass line Entwistle recorded during rehearsals shortly before the 57-year-old bass player was found dead in his Las Vegas hotel room on June 27, 2002. Coroners determined that he died of a combination of cocaine use and heart disease.

The two surviving band members, singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend, have hired musicians to fill in for Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon, who died from an accidental overdose in 1978.

"You get an instinct for what their input would have been and I think Pete's musical ability will write a bass part that would be John's bass," Daltrey said Monday in an interview with Virgin Radio.

"We've got a rehearsal tape of John playing one of the songs. We are thinking about using it on the album."

Daltrey, 60, recalled that Entwistle had been in the band for 38 years.

"How can we carry on without John? What is extraordinary is when you get up there and there's two of us and there's Pino Palladino on bass, you can still hear John playing because the music is so structured."

'SEINFELD' CO-STARS AGREE TO DVD DEAL

A potentially bitter dispute over royalties between Jerry Seinfeld and his three co-stars has been settled - allowing the release of a DVD collection of "Seinfeld" with newly filmed interviews and other material.

Jason Alexander, who played George Costanza, told the Toronto Globe and Mail over the weekend that a deal "has very recently been worked out."

Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus (who played Elaine) and Michael Richards (who played Kramer) had refused to provide extra material for the DVD collection because Seinfeld and Castle Rock Television, which produced the series for NBC, refused to pay them or offer a share in the royalties.

The "Seinfeld" producers have now agreed that the three co-stars can earn royalties from the DVD collection.

"We are currently in negotiations so that we are participants in the DVD, and that's a happy arrangement because we didn't really want to create this sort of negative impression of our experience," said Alexander, who's been starring in the Los Angeles stage production of "The Producers."

The three co-stars have no share in the royalties, which reportedly have netted Seinfeld more than a billion dollars.

"I'm not ashamed to talk numbers," Alexander said. "I would say in the years that we've been in syndication, Julia, Michael and I have probably individually seen about a quarter of a million dollars out of residuals, whereas our brethren have seen hundreds of millions of dollars.

Billy Was Great, Too Bad For Bill

It was a welcome sight to watch Billy Crystal hosting the Oscars again. After the okay job that Steve Martin did - versus the abortion that was the Whoopi Goldberg years - Billy proved why he is the Academy's go to guy right now.

Will he be back next year? Yes, unless he says no thanks.

As for Bill Murray's loss to Sean Penn, Penn won because he has a career that people in Hollywood respect and he has never won. Putting my adoration for Bill Murray and "Lost In Translation" aside, Bill's performance was much better than Penn, but Penn has been better longer.

Bill Wins Next Time

You can guarantee that the next time Bill has a performance that isn't necessarily Oscar-worthy, he'll be nominated and he'll win. The Oscar owes him now and they will make good.

I, for one, can't wait. Both until next year's Oscars and for the day when Bill Murray finally wins.

Avril Plans Mall Blitz

Avril Lavigne is planning a 21-city shopping mall tour in support of her sophomore album, "Under My Skin." The free acoustic performances will be announced in each city via radio and E-mail messages sent to fans pre-registered through her official Web site just 48 hours prior to her appearance.

The only confirmed stops are in Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver; dates and details of those appearances have not been revealed.

Due May 25 via Arista, "Under My Skin" features production by Don Gilmore (Linkin Park) and Butch Walker, and includes a guest appearance by former Evanescence guitarist Ben Moody. Walker produced the first single, "Don't Tell Me," which was written by Lavigne with her guitarist, Evan Taubenfeld. The track is due at U.S. radio in mid-March.

"Under My Skin" is the follow up to her smash 2002 debut, "Let Go," which reached No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and spawned the hits "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi." The set has sold 6 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As previously reported, Lavigne will be among the performers at Canada's 2004 Juno Awards. She is nominated for the Juno Fan Choice award, as well as in the music DVD of the year category for her release, "My World."

Boldly Going

William Shatner will guest star on four of the final six episodes of THE PRACTICE for this season, playing Danny Crane, a power hungry, eccentric legal legend and chief partner of a rival law firm. Vince Colosimo will play his junior partner.

Not Bad, Huh?

I guess I technically went 6 for 6, but since I wouldn't vote for anyone but Bill Murray in the Best Actor race I will only take credit for getting 5 of 6 right.

Overall, I still did pretty damn good!

If you missed them, here were my predictions and reasons:

BEST PICTURE
Dan's Pick - THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
Why? - The trilogy was such a success that they have to reward it with the Oscar. They HAVE to!

BEST DIRECTOR
Dan's Pick - Peter Jackson, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING
Why? - See above. They just HAVE to!

BEST ACTRESS
Dan's Pick - Charlize Theron - MONSTER
Why? - No one else in this category has even been mentioned since even before the nominations were announced. When a performance has that much buzz - like Hilary Swank in BOYS DON'T CRY - they usually win.

BEST ACTOR
Dan's Pick - Bill Murray - LOST IN TRANSLATION (Common sense tells me that Sean Penn will win as he has a lot of people talking about him, but I just can't vote against Bill Murray)
Why? - I just can't vote against Bill. He was the best thing in a movie in 2003. Whether he wins or not, he has my vote.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Dan's Pick - Renée Zellweger - COLD MOUNTAIN
Why? - She didn't win in 2003 for "Chicago" and since people like her and "Cold Mountain" has to win something, this is what it, and Renee, will win.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Dan's Pick - Tim Robbins - MYSTIC RIVER
Why? - Like Charlize Theron, no one else in the category has been talked about.

List of 76th annual Academy Award winners

(AP) - List of winners at the 76th annual Academy Awards, presented Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles:

Best Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Actor: Sean Penn, Mystic River.
Actress: Charlize Theron, Monster.
Supporting Actor: Tim Robbins, Mystic River.
Supporting Actress: Renee Zellweger, Cold Mountain.
Director: Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Foreign Film: The Barbarian Invasions, Canada.
Adapted Screenplay: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens & Peter Jackson, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Original Screenplay: Sofia Coppola, Lost in Translation.

Animated Feature: Finding Nemo.
Art Direction: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Cinematography: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Sound Mixing: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Sound Editing: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.

Original Score: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Howard Shore.
Original Song: Into the West from The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Fran Walsh, Howard Shore and Annie Lennox.

Costume: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Documentary Feature: The Fog of War.
Documentary (short subject): Chernobyl Heart.
Film Editing: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of The King.
Makeup: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Animated Short Film: Harvie Krumpet.
Live Action Short Film: Two Soldiers.
Visual Effects: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.

Oscar winners previously announced this year:

Honorary Academy Award: Blake Edwards.

Gordon E. Sawyer Award (technical achievement): Peter D. Parks.

Academy Award of Merit (technical achievement): Digidesign.

Academy Award of Merit (technical achievement): Bill Tondreau.

'Passion' Hauls in $117.5M in Five Days

LOS ANGELES - Mel Gibson's gamble on "The Passion of the Christ" paid off enormously, riding a storm of religious debate to a $117.5 million haul in its first five days, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"The Passion," which debuted on Ash Wednesday, rocketed to the No. 1 box-office slot for the weekend with $76.2 million from Friday to Sunday. It was the seventh-best three-day opening ever, behind "Spider-Man" at $114.8 million and such Hollywood franchises as "The Matrix Reloaded" and the first two "Harry Potter" movies.

"The Passion" put up the second-best five-day figures for a movie opening on Wednesday, behind last year's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" at $124.1 million and ahead of "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" at $105.6 million.

The first movie released in 2004 to cross the $100 million mark, "The Passion" easily passed the weekend's No. 2 flick, "50 First Dates" at $88.7 million, as the year's top-grossing film.

Once considered a niche film that would appeal mainly to conservative Christians, the bloody chronicle of Christ's crucifixion swelled to blockbuster proportions as Gibson rallied church groups to support it and accusations of anti-Semitism brought mainstream attention.

"It's an event movie," said Bruce Davey, Gibson's partner in his film company Icon Productions. "It all began with the grass-roots campaign we started, but the controversy has obviously helped in creating awareness."

Some Jewish and Christian leaders have said they fear "The Passion" will revive the notion that Jews collectively were responsible for Christ's death.

Gibson has denied such accusations, and key cast members — including Jim Caviezel, who plays Christ, and Maia Morgenstern, a Jewish actress who plays Mary — said Gibson approached the film with great respect for Judaic traditions.

Gibson put up the movie's $25 million budget and will reap most of the returns. Hollywood studios passed on the movie, so Gibson put it in theaters through independent distributor Newmarket Films, which will get a cut of Gibson's profits.

"The Passion" provided a box-office jolt for theaters, whose ticket sales were running 7 percent behind last year's. After four straight weekends of declining revenue, the top 12 movies took in $132.1 million, up 53 percent from the same weekend a year ago.

"The Passion" took in more money than the rest of the top 12 combined, with other new movies making barely a ripple.

The Ashley Judd crime thriller "Twisted" debuted at No. 3 with $9.1 million from Friday to Sunday. "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," a prequel to the 1980s hit, opened in fifth place with $5.9 million. The horror spoof "Broken Lizard's Club Dread" premiered at No. 10 with $3 million.

Playing in 3,043 theaters, "The Passion" averaged a whopping $25,041, compared to $3,367 in 2,703 cinemas for "Twisted."

The success of "The Passion" is more remarkable considering it was shot in two dead languages, Aramaic and Latin, and plays with English subtitles. The movie's violence, including a savage depiction of Christ's scourging and crucifixion, also did not deter movie-goers, who lifted "The Passion" to the second-best R-rated opening ever behind "The Matrix Reloaded" at $91.8 million for its first weekend.

"'The Passion' is the most unlikely blockbuster I've ever seen. I don't have enough adjectives in my repertoire to describe it," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "Even nonbelievers probably felt the need to see this film because it's undeniably about one of the most important events in history, and everybody is talking about it."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Passion of the Christ," $76.2 million.
2. "50 First Dates," $12.6 million.
3. "Twisted," $9.1 million.
4. "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen," $6.1 million.
5. "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights," $5.9 million.
6. "Miracle," $4.4 million.
7. "Eurotrip," $4.1 million.
8. "Welcome to Mooseport," $3.35 million.
9. "Barbershop 2: Back in Business," $3.1 million.
10. "Broken Lizard's Club Dread," $3 million.

'Lord of the Rings' Goes 11 for 11 And Sweeps The Oscars

LOS ANGELES - "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" swept to a record-tying 11 Academy Awards on Sunday, including best picture and director, becoming the first fantasy to win the top Oscar.

In the acting categories, all the winners took home their first Oscars: Charlize Theron won best actress for her performance as serial killer Aileen Wuornos in "Monster," and Sean Penn was named best actor for playing a vengeful ex-hoodlum who falls back on his criminal ways in "Mystic River."

Tim Robbins won the supporting-actor prize for his performance as an emotionally crippled murder suspect in "Mystic River," and Renee Zellweger took supporting actress as a hardy Confederate survivor in "Cold Mountain."

After the first two installments of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy were shut out of major awards, "Return of the King" swept all 11 categories in which it was nominated. It matched the record 11 wins of "Titanic" and "Ben-Hur" and became only the third movie to sweep every nominated category, following "Gigi" and "The Last Emperor," which both went nine-for-nine.

"I'm so honored and relieved that the academy and the members of the academy that have supported us have seen past the trolls and the wizards and the hobbits in recognizing fantasy this year," said Jackson, 42, who just a few years ago was an obscure New Zealander known mainly for one admired art-house film ("Heavenly Creatures"), a run-of-the-mill Hollywood horror tale ("The Frighteners") and a scattering of cult splatter flicks ("Bad Taste," the puppet massacre "Meet the Feebles").

Canadian composer Howard Shore took his second Oscar for writing "Lord of the Rings" music, having won two years ago on Part 1 of the saga, "The Fellowship of the Ring."

"Into the West," the wistful tune of farewell from "Return of the King," won the best-song Oscar. The song was written by Fran Walsh, the film's co-screenwriter; Howard Shore, its music composer; and Annie Lennox, who sings the tune.

Zellweger won for playing a character in frumpy clothes and a layer of dirt from working the fields, a year after "Cold Mountain" co-star Nicole Kidman received the lead-actress Oscar for wearing a fake nose to simulate Virginia Woolf's plain-Jane features in "The Hours." And best-actress winner Theron, in "Monster," gained 30 pounds and was disguised behind dark contact lenses, false teeth and splotchy makeup.

"I hope it's a trend, meaning interesting parts playing women who are multifaceted and really rich in their journeys. It's what interests me most," Zellweger said backstage. "The more you can change yourself, the more removed the character is from your own experiences, the more rewarding it is."

Robbins won with his first-ever acting nomination, though he had been nominated as best director for 1995's "Dead Man Walking."

"In this movie, I play a victim of abuse and violence," Robbins said. "If you are out there and are a person who has had that tragedy befall you, there is no shame in seeking help and counseling."

Sofia Coppola won the original-screenplay prize for her quirky tale of friendship in Tokyo, "Lost in Translation."

The $340 million blockbuster "Finding Nemo," the story of a clownfish on a mission to rescue his wayward son from a dentist's aquarium, earned the Oscar for animated feature.

"I'm going to be forever grateful to the cast and crew of `Finding Nemo' for giving their incomparable talents to this little fish story I had," said Andrew Stanton, director of "Finding Nemo," the latest film from the makers of "Monsters, Inc." and the "Toy Story" flicks.

Director Errol Morris' "The Fog of War" — a portrait of Robert McNamara, U.S. defense secretary for much of the Vietnam War — won the Oscar for feature-length documentary. Morris compared U.S. military action overseas today with the Vietnam era.

"Forty years ago, this country went down a rabbit hole in Vietnam — millions died," Morris said. "I fear we're going down the rabbit hole once again."

Filmmaker Blake Edwards received an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement. The ceremony included a spirited montage of clips from Edwards' films, including "The Pink Panther," "Breakfast at Tiffany's" and "Victor/Victoria."

Edwards said: "My mother thanks you, my father thanks you, and the beautiful English broad with the incomparable soprano and promiscuous vocabulary thanks you," the latter a reference to his wife and frequent star, Julie Andrews.

Billy Crystal, returning as host for the first time in four years, did a superb job and opened with his usual montage of nominees, having himself inserted into spoofs of key Oscar contenders, including Diane Keaton's screeching nude scene in "Something's Gotta Give."

He joked that for the first time, the show was being simulcast in Aramaic, a poke at "The Passion of the Christ," Mel Gibson's divisive religious film that took in $117.5 million in its first five days. The movie was done in Aramaic and Latin, with English subtitles.

Crystal said that the first time he hosted the Oscars 13 years ago, things were different from today: "Bush was president, the economy was tanking and we'd just finished a war with Iraq."

With all the awards for "Return of the King," produced in New Zealand, Crystal joked: "It's now official. There is nobody left in New Zealand to thank."

The Oscars returned to full-glamour mode after two years in which Hollywood's prom night was muted by world events — the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks in 2002 and the Iraq war in 2003.

With the passage of time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences figured it was safe to make merry again for the 76th annual Oscars.

"Return of the King," the closing chapter of Jackson's epic adapted from J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-earth saga, dominated earlier Hollywood awards.

The best-picture win was the first ever for the fantasy genre, generally overlooked by Oscar voters who favor heavy drama over otherworldly stories. Only a handful of fantasy or science-fiction tales have earned best-picture nominations, among them "The Wizard of Oz," "Star Wars," "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" and the first two "Lord of the Rings" installments, "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Two Towers."

While "Return of the King" scooped up technical awards, it was shut out in the acting categories, which the film's Oscar-winning costumer designers lamented backstage.

"It's a sad day they haven't been recognized, but they do know themselves they have done a beautiful performance that people will cherish for generations potentially," said Richard Taylor, who shared the costume-design Oscar with Ngila Dickson.

At the Razzies, It's a Bennifer Sweep

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - And the Razzie goes to: "Gigli," "Gigli" and, oh yes, "Gigli." Plus another three for good measure.

In a virtual sweep of the awards that "honor" the worst of the very worst in Hollywood -- a sort-of anti-Oscar, theJennifer Lopez-Ben Affleck mega-flop was accorded the Golden Raspberry on Saturday as worst film of the year.

And in an almost unprecedented wash, "Gigli," the first on-screen collaboration for the couple, whose overhyped engagement went down in flames, mowed down the competition in all the top categories.

No one was left out: worst actor Affleck, worst actress Lopez, worst director and screenwriter Martin Brest in a double whammy, and worst screen couple (yes, them again).

There was some small consolation for the "Gigli" perpetrators in the worst supporting actor and actress nods going to Razzie king Sylvester Stallone and another veteran, Demi Moore.

Stallone was cited for an unprecedented 10th Razzie for "Spy Kids 3D: Game Over," while Moore's work in "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" had Razzie voters' jaws hitting the floor.

The latter film was also cited as worst sequel.

And in a new category, the Mike Myers vehicle "The Cat in the Hat" was named "worst excuse for an actual movie." (All concept, no content). It came into the competition with an impressive eight nominations.

RAZZIE TODAY, OSCAR TOMORROW?

There was some consolation for the artistic vandals responsible for "Gigli." The record for most Razzies, now in their 24th year, still belongs to "Showgirls" and "Battlefield Earth" which amassed seven each.

And on an encouraging note, they could look to this year's Oscar darling Sofia Coppola, multi-nominated for "Lost in Translation" and a winner for best original screenplay.

The former actress won twin Razzies back in the 90s for her turn as Al Pacino's daughter in "Godfather III." At the time viewers laughed or even applauded when she took a bullet in the chest in the film's climax, then intoned "Dad?" before dropping dead.

The Razzies are chosen by the 617 Golden Raspberry Award Foundation members throughout 39 U.S. states and 15 foreign countries, who mail in ballots for the final tally.

The awards themselves, a handcrafted gold spray-painted golf-ball-sized raspberry atop a mangled reel of Super 8 film, are handed out on the eve of the Academy Awards in a less-than-glittering ceremony in a conference room at a Sheraton hotel in Santa Monica, California.

Organizers peg their estimated street value at $4.89 -- although this being Hollywood, you really can't put a price on fame.

'Barbarian Invasions' Wins Foreign Film Oscar

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Barbarian Invasions" won the Oscar for best foreign language film on Sunday, the first Canadian film ever to win the coveted award.

And for both Canada and director Denys Arcand, the third time was a charm. Past nominations included "The Decline of the American Empire" in 1986 and "Jesus of Montreal" in 1989. Arcand directed both those films as well.

"The Barbarian Invasions" centers on a dying womanizer spending his last days surrounded by family, friends and former mistresses.

The lone contemporary-set film among the nominees, it was widely considered the frontrunner for the Oscar and was also nominated for its screenplay.

There was a measure of controversy about its use of footage from the 9-11 World Trade Center attacks, which some criticized as exploitative, but it was not sufficient to keep the Canadian production from winning the Oscar.

"Barbarian" was a sort of sequel to "The Decline of the American Empire" for which Arcand reassembled that film's cast.