New Star Wars DVD Details

According to FYE, the 4th disc in the Star Wars DVD Box Set will include:

Star Wars: The Independent Films feature length documentary - The story of Star Wars is the story of the most successful independent series film ever produced. It's the story of a Hollywood outsider named George Lucas and a low-budget labor of love space saga that defied the odds and reinvented the rules. It's the story of a revolution born of a dream. It's the story of an independent filmmaker who had to innovate and invent an entirely new way of creating motion pictures. It's the story of a fundamental paradigm shift in the creative process made, not by the studio system, but by a single filmmaker with a simple dream. (150 min.)

The Evolution of Characters featurette - Get an in-depth look at how all your favorite characters came to be with exclusive concept art and discussion with George and the people who shaped what ultimately became out favorite heroes and villains. Includes a separate still/video gallery cut to Star Wars music with access to artwork and classic scenes for each major character. (30 min.)

The Influence of Star Wars featurette - Without Star Wars, there would be no... The groundbreaking special effects that were pioneered to make Star Wars movies not only helped viewers escape to a galaxy far, far away, but they changed the way every movie was made thereafter. Experience never before seen effects innovations from the films and learn how pivotal the films were to modern effects wizards and filmmakers. (20 min.)

Lightsabers/Fights featurette - Forget laser pistols, the lightsaber is the coolest weapon in the Star Wars galaxy. What were George's influences for creating the lightsaber? How did Mark Hamill, Alec Guiness, and Darth Vader stunt people approach wielding a saber? How did the effects guys figure out the lightsaber beam? How did each fight escalate from the previous one? And what influences did this creation have on movies thereafter? (10 min.)

1977 Featurette - Transport people back in time to the opening of each Star Wars film. Menus will showcase all the pop culture features from the 1977 opening such as: TV references, toy ads, promotional partner commercials, news clips, songs inspired by Star Wars, Star Wars magazine and newspaper coverage, classic video game demos. (20 min.)

Star Wars Battlefront X-Box Video Game Demo (15 min.)

Teasers and Trailers from the original theatrical releases of each of the movies along with the 1997 re-releases. (15 min.)

TV Spots from the original theatrical releases of the movies along with the 1997 re-releases (5 min.)

Episode III Behind the Scenes Preview

Section One - The Creator: Finally the birth of Vader. George talks about finally bringing Vader back to the series and teases about Anakin's descent to the Dark Side and the powers of seduction in play. Section Two - The Costume: Black is back. For the last Star Wars movie ever and the birth of the ultimate villain, a new costume was forged. This segment answers some key questions: who created it? was it made for Hayden? Section Three - The Actors: Finally I get to become Vader. Key interviews with the cast (including Hayden) and crew sharing their thoughts and experiences about working on the last Star Wars film and finally seeing the completion of the Saga. (10 min.)

Stills - A comprehensive gallery of posters from around the world, classic artwork, and never-before-seen photos from all three films (approximately 300 images.)

DVD-ROM Features - DVD ROM link to exclusive Star Wars website.

So there you go... certainly sounds interesting. By the way, each of the movie discs will also reportedly include a credit roll Easter egg. Just so you know, all of this does jive what we've heard from other retailers recently, so it sounds like the real deal. Throw in the audio commentaries we've reported on previously, and you've got a nice little package.

ABBA Says 'No' to Reunion - at Any Price

LONDON (Reuters) - Nothing -- not even $2 billion -- could tempt ABBA back together again. After 30 years, the Swedish supergroup might even have trouble remembering the words of its pop classics.

The sight of the group's outrageous stage outfits is enough to make its 58-year-old songwriter Bjorn Ulvaeus cringe nowadays.

Thirty years to the day after ABBA won the Eurovision song contest with "Waterloo," the bearded Ulvaeus is fiercely proud of its music -- but the group will never strut its stuff again.

Four years ago, ABBA was offered $1 billion to reunite. The answer was 'No.' But what if that figure doubled?

"No, not even if you did that," Ulvaeus told Reuters.

"It is never going to happen again. I think it is a bit too long now. We split up in 1981. People haven't seen us as a group since then and it would come as such a disappointment to them."

As for the spangly jumpsuits, Ulvaeus said: "I haven't squeezed into them for years. I still had a couple of them in the wardrobe and would get into them on a Saturday evening -- but not any more. They are in a museum now."

Tuesday marked another ABBA milestone -- the musical "Mamma Mia," which is based on their hit songs, celebrated five years playing to packed houses in London.

ABBA songs may be staple fare in karaoke bars around the world but songwriter Ulvaeus would need prompting.

"I cannot remember a whole lyric of any that I have written," he confessed.

"I am translating them into Swedish now for the first time because we are doing a production in Sweden at the beginning of next year. I find that I don't know them by heart -- not one of them."

ABBA once ranked alongside Volvo as Sweden's most famous export. The "Mamma Mia" show could prove even more profitable than the 350 million ABBA albums sold around the world.

"It's possible," Ulvaeus said." "'Mamma Mia' is going to run for a longer time than ABBA did. So who knows? We will see."

With 11 productions running and six more in the pipeline, it has grossed over $750 million worldwide and has been seen by more than 10 million people.

The musical weaves in ABBA music to tell the story of a single mother living on a Greek island with her daughter, who is getting married.

Reading her mother's diary, she finds any one of her mother's three lovers could be her father. All get invited to the wedding.

Ulvaeus reckoned the timing was perfect.
 
"I think the world perhaps was ready for something happy, a comedy. The big musicals in the '80s and the beginning of the '90s were rather somber - like "Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables" -- wonderful musicals but of a different kind."

Ulvaeus still shakes his head in wonderment.

"I am fiercely proud, amazed and astonished. I thought this would be a little show running for perhaps a year in a small theater in London."

The two couples who made up the group's acronym -- Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny and Anni-Frid -- have long since divorced but all is sweetness and light between them now.

"We do indeed stay in touch," he said. "I met Agnetha last week. We have a grandchild who is 3. We meet much more often these days than we did perhaps 10 years ago."

Brosnan done with 007: Pierce pal

HOLLYWOOD -- Pierce Brosnan is finished with James Bond, according to his friend, neighbour and one-time 007 co-star, Michael Madsen.

"Pierce lives right down the beach from me. Our kids play together," Madsen said during interviews for his own new movie, Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill: Vol. 1.

"And he told me he doesn't want to do another one.

"I also heard that they bought him out. I really don't know but an impasse is an impasse."

Madsen said he was told that Brosnan will be replaced with an Australian, although he did not know who and could not confirm if it was Hugh Jackman, who has been touted as a possible future Bond. So has Englishman Clive Owen.

Madsen's comments seem to put in stone something that Brosnan has only hinted at. The Irish-born actor admitted last month that, while he was willing to do his fifth Bond picture if the filmmakers could get a decent script written and find a director for the project, the negotiations were not going well. Neither was the script development.

"We've reached an impasse with the producers," Brosnan said in March. "They seem to be paralyzed and cannot move forward. If they want me, they know where to find me.

"I was prepared to do a fifth film and then walk away. I made that very clear to the producers. We had started negotiations and I want to follow through, but conversations and telephone calls have dried up."

Madsen said he himself is interested in the new Bond because he was supposed to get a role in it. He last worked with Brosnan as Bond in Lee Tamahori's Die Another Day (2002), playing Damian Falco. Now Madsen is wary.

"Well, I was going to do it with Pierce but, now that Pierce is out of the Bond picture, I don't know what is going to happen. If (producer) Barbara Broccoli calls me up and says: 'Michael, I want you to be in the James Bond picture,' I'll probably go do it, but I'm not going to call her.

"I don't know the new Bond guy. I've never seen anything he's done. I don't even know what he looks like. I can't remember the guy's name. I would have to feel like he's going to be a good Bond for me to want to do it."

Madsen, who plays the assassin Sidewinder in the Kill Bill films, said that watching Brosnan on Die Another Day taught him how torturous it is for the star on a 007 set.

"You know, making a Bond film is not an easy thing to do. That's a heavy shoot, man. That's a long, long, big, big, heavy thing. The Bond thing is a tremendously gigantic production and the last one was hugely successful.

"For Pierce, that was the fourth one that he did. He's tired, man. You know, he's James Bond. He doesn't have to do another one. Why would you? Why would you bother?"

BROSNAN'S BOND YEARS: Pierce Brosnan, who will be 51 on May 16, reinvigorated the James Bond franchise with GoldenEye (1995) and continued with Tomorrow Never Dies (1997), The World Is Not Enough (1999) and Die Another Day (2002). His final 007 credit may end up being the 2004 video game, James Bond 007: Everything Or Nothing, which features Brosnan's voice.

The Couch Potato Report - April 10th, 2004

In the Couch Potato Report This Week there's a revolution with mixed results, 12 for the price of a dozen and two more great TV series debut on DVD.

By the time most film trilogies get to the third chapter the filmmakers usually have little left to say and even less left to show us. THE LORD OF THE RINGS, INDIANA JONES and STAR WARS trilogies are exceptions to that rule, but prime examples of trios that have run our of gas before concluding are THE GODFATHER, BACK TO THE FUTURE, AMERICAN PIE and MAD MAX.

Those films do all have something to offer in their own right, but they’re nowhere near the quality of their pedigree. They just don’t have much of the magic that drew us to their series in the first place.

Many filmgoers added THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS to the latter list when it came out last November. Personally, I sort of enjoyed this not entirely satisfying third and final chapter in THE MATRIX trilogy.

Make no mistake, it has none of the originality or personality of the original MATRIX and it lacks the WOW action factor that propelled THE MATRIX RELOADED, but I liked THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS.

I won’t bother to explain the plot as by this point you’re either familiar with THE MATRIX films or you’re not. What I will reiterate is that THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS is a highly adrenalized action film that has some superb and seamless special effects.

But there is no denying that the Wachowski Brothers' trilogy goes out with a whimper instead of the mesmerizing conclusion many were waiting for after Part Two.

The film is available as a two-disc DVD and those discs have several in-depth documentaries, a featurette, a 3-D Matrix timeline and much more.

THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS might not have hit a home run with all of the series fans, but as I mentioned, it's not entirely unsatisfying.

The remake of CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN with Steve Martin in the Clifton Webb role of the father is totally satisfying; sort of in the way Pabulum was when we were babies. It is what it is and you’ll enjoy it.

Martin stars with Bonnie Hunt of JERRY MAGUIRE as parents trying to raise 12 kids and manage their careers. Twelve messy, messed up and mischievous kids.

CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN is an enjoyable family flick that stars a bevy of today’s most popular young actors – including SUPERMAN’s Tom Welling, Ashton Kutcher from THAT 70’S SHOW, Piper Perabo of COYOTE UGLY and pop-princess Hilary Duff. It isn’t a great movie, an important movie or even a surprising movie, but it is a crowd-pleaser.

The TV show IN LIVING COLOUR pleased crowds from 1990 until 1994. This original, bawdy, hilarious sketch comedy show succeeded by exploiting stereotypes and then proving how ridiculous they could be, without being politically correct or preachy.

Led by Keenan Ivory Wayans, his brother Damon, David Allen Grier and some guy named James – who would later become Jim - Carrey the writing was spectacular, the performers were incredibly talented, and they had natural comedic chemistry.

Now IN LIVING COLOUR: SEASON ONE is being released as a 3-disc set and we can watch Homey the Clown, Fire Marshall Bill, The Men On Film and The Fly Girls anytime we’d like.

I, for one, couldn’t be happier, even if Homey don’t play dat!

Finally this week, if you were a fan of a brilliant little TV show called FREAKS AND GEEKS that came and went too quickly in 1999 then you’ll be happy to know that there is a new DVD box set now available that has all 18 episodes of the show. This 6 DVD set has a wide array of extras that include the director's cut of the pilot with never-before-seen footage, deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, and outtakes.

Simply put if you went to high school in the early 80’s you’ll relate to FREAKS AND GEEKS as it’s the most realistic approach you will ever see about our time getting an education.

The show is colourful and hilarious and you will easily identify with the characters as you laugh at them while laughing at yourself.

It was an awesome show that makes a superb DVD set.

THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, IN LIVING COLOUR: SEASON ONE and FREAKS AND GEEKS are available right now at your favourite local video store.

COMING NEXT WEEK IN THE COUCH POTATO REPORT

Just ahead of the theatrical release of Volume II, Quentin Tarantino’s KILL BILL: VOLUME I is being released on video and DVD. Uma Thurman plays a wronged bride and a former assassin who awakes from a coma with a vengeful desire to, …Kill Bill.

In TIMELINE a group of students go back in time to Medieval France to save their professor.

And

PAUL MCCARTNEY – MUSIC & ANIMATION is a trio of short films that celebrate nature, animal welfare, and the imaginative innocence of childhood.

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 CD Releases For The Week

Even though I think the Tears For Fears reunion CD has been delayed here are what I'm told are to be the new CD released for Tuesday, April 6, 2004:

* AMBULANCE LTD. Ambulance - LP (TVT)
* BARBIE & FRIENDS Barbie's Hit Mix (Warner Strategic Marketing)
* BEN KWELLER On My Way (RCA)
* BLONDIE The Curse of Blondie (Sanctuary Records)
* CHRISTINA AGUILERA Stripped... Live In The U.K. (DVD Video) (RCA)
* D.R.I. Dirty Rotten Hits (Cleopatra Records/Navarre)
* DELTA GOODREM Innocent Eyes (Epic)
* DILATED PEOPLES Neighborhood Watch (EMI)
* DIRT BAG TBA-WW Dirt Bag (Zomba)
* EURYTHMICS Be Yourself Tonight (RCA)
* EURYTHMICS In The Garden (RCA)
* EURYTHMICS Peace (RCA)
* FOLLY Insanity Later (Razor & Tie)
* GIOARIA Like a Dream (ISBA)
* I 20 Self Explanatory (EMI)
* IGGY POP Sister Midnight (re-release) (Cleopatra Records/Navarre)
* IGGY POP AND THE STOOGES Search And Destroy (re-release) (Cleopatra Records/Navarre)
* INFORMATION SOCIETY Pure Energy- The Very Best Of (Cleopatra Records/Navarre)
* J-KWON Hood-Hop (Arista)
* JACK BLADES Jack Blades (Sanctuary Records)
* JAMES CARTER Live at Bakers (Warner)
* JETHRO TULL Stormwatch (EMI)
* JETHRO TULL Bursting Out (Live) (EMI)
* JOHNNY THUNDERS Anthology (Cleopatra Records/Navarre)
* KENNY ROGERS & THE FIRST EDITION Anthology (Cleopatra Records/Navarre)
* MICHAEL GORDON Light is Calling (Nonesuch/Warner)
* ONE WAY SYSTEM Punker Than F*ck- The Best Of (Cleopatra Records/Navarre)
* PAT MCGEE BAND Save Me (Warner)
* PETEY PABLO Still Writing In My Diary: 2nd Entry (Zomba)
* PETEY PABLO TBA Petey Pablo (DVD) (Zomba)
* PITBULL DAYCARE Unclean (Cleopatra Records/Navarre)
* PROJET ORANGE TBA Projet Orange (Le Groupe/BMG)
* RACHEL YAMAGATA In Search of Edith (Arista)
* RAUL MALO, PAT FLYNN, ROB ICKES AND DAVE POMEROY The Nashvile Accoustic Sessions (Cmh/Navarre)
* RYAN TYLER TBA Ryan Tyler (RCA Country)
* SERGE LAMA Serge Lama - TBA (Warner)
* SWEETBACK Stage 2 (Epic)
* TAMIA More (Elektra)
* TEARS FOR FEARS Everybody Loves A Happy Ending (Arista)
* THE CLIPSE Hell Hath No Fury (Arista)
* TOOTS & MAYTALS Strength in Numbers (V2)
* TOOTS & MAYTALS True Love (V2)
* TREY ANASTASIO Trey Anastasio - TBA (Elektra)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS V-3: The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (Zomba)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Part 1: African Prayer (Warner Strategic Marketing)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Part: 2 Long Walk to Freedom (Warner Strategic Marketing)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Part: 3 Amandla (Warner Strategic Marketing)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Lullaby: A Windham Hill Collection (Windham Hill)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Pink Panther's Penthouse Party (Capitol)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS The Girl Next Door (Soundtrack) (Lakeshore Records/Navarre)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Lunch At Allen's (EMI)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Wanna Be (VP)
* VARIOUS ARTISTS Sweet Love Volume 7 (VP)
* WARRANT Cherry Pie- And All The Hits (re-release) (Cleopatra Records/Navarre)
* WATERBOYS This Is The Sea (EMI)
* WILLIAM HUNG Inspiration (Koch)

'VAN DYKE' REUNION

CBS is putting together a reunion of the "Dick Van Dyke Show" that is being billed - with good reason - as the classic series "159th episode."

The special will pick up Rob and Laura Petrie, played by Mary Tyler Moore, 40 years later.

In the episode, Alan Brady (Carl Reiner) wants Rob and Sally to write his eulogy before he dies. He wants the chance to do a rewrite.

All the surviving cast members have agreed to return for the show, set to air May 11.

'Vega Brothers' Rumors Reemerge
 
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Back in 2002, stories broke that Quentin Tarantino had plans to make a film prequel on the criminally minded Vega brothers -- Michael Madsen's Vic of "Reservoir Dogs" and John Travolta's Vincent -- that would be titled "The Vega Brothers."

Yet, nothing ever happened. Then, at last year's San Diego Comic Con, Tarantino himself quashed the rumors saying, "I might write it still, but I'm not sure if I can do it as a movie anymore. I think the time might've passed it by, and Michael and John would be too old for their parts. I mean, it's supposed to be a prequel and 'Reservoir Dogs' was over 10 years ago already."

But it looks like the film may happen after all. During interviews for "Kill Bill Vol. 2," Madsen revealed that after Tarantino quashed the idea, "he went off to Mexico for a couple of days and, I'm not sure what he did down there, but when he came back" Tarantino had figured out a solution to the age problem.

"I was in a hotel in San Diego and he called me on the phone and said, 'I think I figured out how to make the "Vega Brothers."' And I said, 'Really?' And he said, 'Yeah, listen to this ...' and he pretty much told me the plot of the film in about 20 minutes," Madsen says. "I couldn't repeat it to you because it's really confusing but it did make sense, but only he could tell it in a way that made sense. If I tried to tell you, everybody would be very confused."

"So, he's going to do it and he has the idea and the idea works very well. I think it's just going to be a matter of getting the screenplay finished and actually getting out to shoot it because I think we're going to do this World War II thing first," adds Madsen, referring to "Inglorious Bastards," in which Madsen will also appear.

If Tarantino ever does get the script done, John Travolta says he's also ready to jump on board.

"I heard it though a journalist that said Michael Madsen had said something about it. But that's up to Quentin. I don't question him. I wouldn't even ask him," Tarantino says during interviews for "The Punisher." "Someone said I had to vie to be in one of [Tarantino's] films [now] and I said 'I didn't the first time, why would I have to that this time?' He'll let me know."

Sharp Sails Solo On New Set

Formerly a member of modern rock hitmakers Weezer and the Rentals, Matt Sharp says his upcoming solo album is a labor of love that brought him peace of mind. A plaintive country affair in decidedly stark contrast to his past work, the self-titled release is due April 15 through online retailers and May 4 via traditional outlets on the independent In Music We Trust label.

"Certainly, there is very little in common between the music I am most well known for and [my] debut," Sharp tells Billboard.com. "I guess the main thing is that coming towards the end of [the tour for the Rentals' 1999 release] 'Seven More Minutes,' there was a point where I looked into my CD collection and realized that most of the music that I was listening to wasn't the same kind of music that I was writing and performing."

What he was listening to was Kris Kristofferson and Willie Nelson, which didn't jive with his David Lee Roth-like onstage antics with the Rentals. "It seemed like the best thing for me to do was to take a break," he explains. "Go away for a while and do some thinking and start asking questions about how I can get to a place where I can write the kind of music that I was most inspired by."

After considering a possible third Rentals album, which he says would have been a "very direct punk kind of record," Sharp packed up a van full of recording equipment and rented a house in Leipers Fork, Tenn., a one-restaurant, one-gas-station town located just under an hour outside of Nashville, with former Cake guitarist Greg Brown and producer Josh Hager.

"I just didn't want to get to a place where I started to feel dishonest about what I was doing," he says. "I didn't want to continue to make a certain kind of music only because it would be easy for people to understand because that is how they understand me. To me, to continue on because it is financially viable, [there] doesn't seem to be a lot of honor in that."

A preview of the 11-track album can be heard at Sharp's official Web site, which boasts a free download of the meditative "Just Like Movie Stars," an album track reminiscent of Nick Drake.

"I think that people should expect that the album itself is going to be quite a different experience than anything I've done in the past, as far as the mood and tone of the record," says Sharp. "It is a very sleepy record. It is kind of a Sunday morning record. And saying that, I think they should also expect the concerts to be more of a lighter affair."

"The record was written and recorded during a darker time in my life and I am really enjoying where I am at now," he adds. "So, even though [the songs] are sparse and contemplative, a lot of times they still have a sense of joy about them."

An extensive tour is planned for the fall, with a handful of solo dates scheduled later this month on college campuses. Sharp says he feels safe playing in the university setting, which he describes as "an environment where people are just used to being attentive and being polite."

At one such mid-February show at California State Fullerton, fans were treated to a surprise appearance by Sharp's former Weezer bandmate and estranged friend Rivers Cuomo. The pair performed the newly written track "Time Song" and the Weezer hits "Undone (The Sweater Song)" and "Say It Ain't So."

"It was quite a surreal day," says Sharp. "I guess it is somewhat of a second act. We started hanging just before that show and started writing at his place and just started rediscovering our friendship and enjoying each other's company. We decided to try to approach that through writing music, which is kind of how we began. So, it seems like a good way to reintroduce ourselves after we've had all of these turbulent waters under the bridge."

Dead?

The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that Producer Lawrence Gordon says that there will likely be no more sequels to TOMB RAIDER. "I don't think the financiers will do it," he says. "I don't think the last film did the business we expected. Of course, I'd love to do another one. Angelina Jolie is perfect as Lara Croft."

Reunited

The New York Post is reporting that the series finale of FRIENDS will be available on DVD on May 11, five days after it airs on NBC.

More Killing of Bill

Quentin Tarantino told Empire Online that he's considering a couple of sequels to the KILL BILL duology. “Yeah, I’ve been thinking about revisiting the story in a couple of ways,” said the director. “I’ve been thinking about doing it as an anime feature that would tell the entire origin of Bill.” Tarantino also says he's thinking about doing an entire movie about Nikki, the five-year old daughter of Vernita Green, The Bride's first victim in the first film.

BYE FOR NOW

Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick ending their run on Broadway's The Producers Sunday night. The two will now star in the big screen version, expected to hit theaters in 2005.

..."Spidey" Trailer Trumps Trump

Spider-Man does what ever a spider can. But how about swinging with New York's rich and famous?

Sony Pictures has announced plans to debut the latest trailer for its upcoming summer blockbuster Spider-Man 2 on Thursday night at 9 p.m. during NBC's The Apprentice, starring another Big Apple icon, real estate mogul Donald Trump.

According to USA Today, the new Spidey 2 preview is two and a half minutes long--a far cry from most movie advertisements on the tube which usually run only 30 seconds.

And unlike the short teaser that hit theaters during the holidays, it features much more never-before-seen footage of the film--including snippets of Alfred Molina's multi-tentacled villain Doc Ock, aka Doctor Octopus and, of course, more shots of Spidey's alter-ego, Peter Parker (played by Tobey Maguire) struggling with the burden of his superpowers and considering giving up his suit.

After airing 40 minutes into the Don's highly-rated reality series, the new trailer will begin showing in multiplexes on Friday.

For Sony marketeers, utilizing a block of time on the boob tube to get Spidey senses tingling is a must these days given the short attention spans of today's moviegoing public who are constantly distracted by TV and the Internet.

"We've got to look at unconventional ways to get our message across," Geoffrey Ammer, Sony's head of worldwide marketing, told USA Today. "Running your trailer in a theater is a great place because you've got a captivated, moviegoing audience. But if you want to reach a broader, more general audience, you need to go beyond the theater."

With box office tallies now firmly cemented as a favorite American pastime among the press and general public, the studio isn't taking any chances with its Marvel superhero franchise, especially since it's already begun development on a third installment and is plotting upwards of six big screen Spidey adventures.

It is hoped that the web of advertising will help the sequel trump the amazing gross of its predecessor which raked in a record $115 million in its opening weekend in May of 2002 on its way to a global haul of more than $800 million.

And a primetime spot on one of TV's hottest shows would go a long way toward achieving that goal, considering 22.8 million viewers watched last week's episode of The Apprentice.

By contrast, a trailer screening ahead of this week's box office winner pulled in a much smaller audience, roughly 4 million people.

Of course, there's a fine line between promoting your movie, and giving away too much of the plot--the latter of which could up alienating moviegoers if they think they've seen it already.

Which is why some studios have resorted to literally showing full scenes of their pictures on TV and the Internet--a strategy which aims to entice viewers without making them feel like they're being marketed to.

To that end, Universal recently presented the first 10 minutes of its R-rated horror remake of Dawn of the Dead on USA Networks in March. The flick went on to knock The Passion of the Christ out of the top spot at the box office and has since made $51.5 million.

Warner Bros. also presented exclusive clips of its Harry Potter movies on the WB network while Sony hyped its thriller Darkness Falls by broadcasting five minutes over the Net.

With all the advertising hoopla, fans of the wallcrawler aren't likely to miss the new flick when it swings into theaters.

Spider-Man 2, which was set to open on Friday, July 2, will now hit theaters two days earlier on Wednesday June 30 to take advantage of the Fourth of July holiday.

Furtado's 'Forca' Is Official Song of Euro 2004

LISBON (Reuters) - Canadian-born singer Nelly Furtado's 'Forca' has been chosen as the official song of the Euro 2004 soccer championship being held in Portugal, tournament organizers said on Monday.

Furtado, who was born in Canada to Portuguese emigrant parents from the Azores, will sing the song as part of the entertainment before the final at the Stadium of Light on July 4 and is likely to release a new version in Portuguese.

"My understanding is that there will be a Portuguese version and that it will be released in June in time for the start of the event," UEFA marketing director Alan Ridley said at a news conference to launch the song on Monday.

Euro 2004, one of the world's largest sporting events, runs from June 12 to July 4. Holders France are among 16 finalists at the tournament, which takes place every four years.

Disney Film Studio Hopes for Texas-Size 'Alamo'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Walt Disney Co. is hoping its new movie "The Alamo" will put up a good fight at U.S. box offices this Friday after a quarter in which it failed to deliver a hit and lost a lucrative film deal with the makers of "Finding Nemo."

The $98 million "Alamo," a re-telling of 1836's legendary battle in Texas' fight for independence from Mexico, is a huge bet for the studio. Movies have fueled Disney's earnings for the past several quarters with hits like "Nemo," which it co-produced with Pixar Animation Studios Inc.

In January, Pixar walked away from renewing a long-term film deal with Disney that had produced five smash hits with $2.5 billion at box offices globally. Last week, Disney debuted its animated "Home on the Range" to poor ticket sales of $14 million and No. 4 placement at domestic box offices.

"A lot is riding on the Alamo," said Paul Degarabedian, head of movie-tracking service Exhibitor Relations. "This is a movie that they have a lot invested in. They've really been pushing it on the marketing side." The Alamo debuts April 9.

Degarabedian said Disney's box office results so far this year are similar to 2003 except for one crucial bit. Last year, it released comedy sensation "Bringing Down the House" in the first quarter to $132 million in domestic ticket sales.

Disney's six movies this year had brought in $197 million in ticket sales by April 4, while the five films last year had grossed $286 million by the same point, he said. He added that most of the studio's fortunes rested on the summer.

SOME HOT, MOST NOT

In a teleconference with investors last week, Disney's chief executive officer Michael Eisner said the movie studio group "is on fire," but the heat has been lukewarm at best through 2004's first three months.

"Range" cost $80 million to $100 million to produce and may lead Disney to take a financial charge, some analysts said -- although others expect it to gain speed overseas.

Western-style epic "Hidalgo" cost $85 million to $90 million to make, and its box office is only at $60 million.

Disney's top-grosser so far this year is ice hockey movie "Miracle" with a comparatively small $63 million in ticket sales, but it was made on a relatively low budget.

Eisner said last week word-of-mouth and expected reviews for "Alamo" looked good. "I won't oversell it because I don't want to disappoint," he told investors on a conference call.

Studio chief Dick Cook told Reuters at the "Alamo" premiere in San Antonio that "No one movie makes or breaks a studio ... that is crazy."

But a poor performance by "Alamo" would put pressure on Eisner, Schwab SoundView analyst Jordan Rohan said in a research note.

Moreover, poor performance could also nudge the board toward negotiating with Comcast Corp., the cable company eager to buy Disney, Rohan said.

"With or without Eisner, if Comcast takes over Disney at a premium, the stock will go up," Rohan added.

Beyond "Alamo" the bottom line may look less black this year partly because 2003 was so good.
 
"Last year was just a phenomenal year," said David Miller, financial analyst at Sanders Morris Harris.

In 2003 the studio had an internal rate of return on its movies of 25 percent, excluding "Nemo," Miller said, quoting chief financial officer Tom Staggs. This year, Miller expects between 9 percent and 13 percent.