'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 - Renιe 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.