New Music Packs 'Shrek 2' Set
A host of new songs by the Counting Crows, Tom Waits, Eels and others will highlight the soundtrack to the animated feature "Shrek 2." Due May 11, the Geffen/DreamWorks set will also boast musical numbers from the film, including songs featuring Eddie Murphy, Antonio Banderas and Jennifer Saunders.
As previously reported, Pete Yorn contributes a cover of the Buzzcocks' "Ever Fallen in Love." Meanwhile, Butterfly Boucher's cover of David Bowie's "Changes" features the original artist.
Although the full track listing is not yet available, the set will feature confirmed new songs by Frou-Frou and Joseph Arthur, as well as the Lipps, Inc classic "Funkytown" and the previously released Dashboard Confessional song "As Lovers Go."
Murphy, reprising his role in the "Shrek" franchise as the cocky donkey, teams with Banderas (Puss-in-Boots) on a duet of "La Vida Loca." Saunders, best known for her role in the U.K. comedy series "Absolutely Fabulous," sings "Fairy Godmother Song," aptly named for her character in the film.
The follow-up to the wildly successful 2001 film "Shrek" reunites the vocal talents of Murphy with Mike Myers (Shrek), Cameron Diaz (Fiona) and John Cleese (King Harold). Joining the cast for the sequel are Julie Andrews, Rupert Everett and Larry King.
The DreamWorks Animation film is due May 21 in U.S. theaters. For a preview, visit the movie's Web site, shrek2.com.
Here is a listing of confirmed "Shrek 2" tracks:
"Accidentally in Love," Counting Crows
"I Need Sleep," Eels
"Little Drop of Poison," Tom Waits
"Ever Fallen in Love," Pete Yorn
"Changes," Butterfly Boucher featuring David Bowie
"You're So True," Joseph Arthur
"As Lovers Go," Dashboard Confessional
"Funkytown," Lipps, Inc
"Fairy Godmother Song," Jennifer Saunders
"La Vida Loca," Eddie Murphy and Antonio Banderas
Smith Wants to Kid Around for 'Simpsons' Movie
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Yeardley Smith, who plays the squeaky-voiced Lisa Simpson on "The Simpsons," hopes that the series' writers will maintain her character's childlike qualities for the feature film.
"If they just make her too esoteric, too philosophical, too bright, too much the voice of reason then she really becomes insufferable," she tells the AP. "You have to always, always, always remember that she's 8 and that she's a huge 'Itchy and Scratchy' fan, that she loves Krusty the Clown. And that in spite of her beliefs and her issues, she's a kid."
Although the screenplay is currently in the works, the film won't be made until the series is over, which is at least two years away. Fans of the yellow-skinned family will have three more years to wait on top of that though, since, as Smith explains, "animation takes forever."
According to industry sources, the primary cast all have agreements in their contracts that hold them to doing three movies based on the show in the future. Besides Smith, "Simpsons" regulars include the voices of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer.
The show has been renewed to run through 2005, which would be its 16th season, making the series the longest running comedy series in U.S. television history except for NBC's "Saturday Night Live." In 1997, "Simpsons" beat "The Flintstones" as the longest-running prime time animated series.
Smith has appeared in a number of films already, including 1991's "City Slickers" and 1997's "As Good As It Gets."
Beasties take on Bush on new CD
The Beastie Boys mix partying and politics on their upcoming album "To the 5 Boroughs," the rap group's first album since 1998's "Hello Nasty," Billboard reports.
The 15-track album, due for release this summer, is politically charged with critiques of U.S. President George Bush and U.S. foreign policy.
However, the Beasties trademark humour remains intact, with references to the likes of Herman Munster, Jabba the Hut, Foghorn Leghorn and "Three's Company" landlord Mr. Furley.
The album, which features many programmed backing tracks and only a few songs using live instrumentation, will be preceded by the single "Ch-Check It Out."
The Beasties are expected to tour in support of the new album. They have already confirmed August 7-8 performances at the Summer Sonic Festival in Japan.
FRIENDS' PROM FLASHBACK WINS
AOL users have voted "The One with The Prom Video" as their all-time favorite episode of "Friends."
The episode airs tonight on NBC, which had asked AOL users to vote for their favorite "Friends" episodes. For the past six weeks ending tonight, NBC has aired them, from the sixth-favorite to tonight's all-time classic.
In "The One with The Prom Video," which first aired in February 1996, Monica and Rachel drag out a home video from the night of their senior prom, which reveals:
-- Monica (Courteney Cox Arquette) was once very fat; Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) had a much bigger nose; and Ross (David Schwimmer) always had deep feelings for Rachel.
-- Rachel, discovering Ross' true feelings for her, decides to give their romance another chance.
Series creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane and executive producer Kevin Bright chose 40 clips from their six favorite "Friends" episodes, which were then posted on AOL back in January.
About 1.6 million votes were cast for the six favorite "Friends" clips - and 2.5 million "video streams" of the clips were downloaded, according to an AOL spokeswoman.
The series resumes with original episodes next Thursday - leading up to the series finale on Thursday, May 6.
'Alamo' Should Repel Invaders at Box Office
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The battle of "The Alamo" gets under way at the box office this Easter weekend.
More than 40 years after John Wayne staged his own defense of the famed Texas fort, Disney has restaged the San Antonio showdown between the Mexican Army and the embattled group of Texans that included Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie.
The movie boasts an unforgettable title -- who doesn't remember the Alamo? -- and the release carries a PG-13 rating to broaden its appeal. But it's shaping up as a brutal weekend as five new wide releases try to establish a foothold against the four films that opened wide last weekend.
Additionally, Newmarket Films' "The Passion of the Christ" is looking divine. As Holy Week proceeds, Mel Gibson's religious drama has been picking up disciples. While it ranked No. 5 last weekend, it moved up to second place in the rankings on Monday and Tuesday, and anecdotal evidence suggests that a lot of believers plan to make a visit to the movie part of their Good Friday observances. So "Passion," which took in $10.6 million last weekend, could actually hold to that figure in its seventh weekend of release, and possibly even better it. And that could pose problems for the heavy slate of competitors arrayed against it.
"Alamo" is still likely to take the top spot. Laying siege to 2,609 locations, the film is expected to claim something in the $15 million territory, maybe even a few million more. That might prove to be something of a Pyrrhic victory, though. The movie, which Ron Howard originally planned to direct as an R-rated venture, has been a long time coming. With John Lee Hancock ("The Rookie") taking over the director's reins, the film -- which stars Billy Bob Thornton as Crockett, Dennis Quaid as Sam Houston and Jason Patric as Bowie -- had originally been scheduled as a December release before it was shifted into 2004.
While "Alamo" is attracting interest among older males, the male audience has plenty of other options. Sony Pictures' "Hellboy," which commanded the last box office round with a $23.5 million gross, could settle somewhere around the $13 million mark. MGM's revenge actioner "Walking Tall," which had to settle for second place last weekend, will probably slip further down the list. And Warner Bros.' new arrival, "The Whole Ten Yards," looks to be making a bid for younger males.
A sequel to the 2000 odd-couple comedy "The Whole Nine Yards," which opened to $13.7 million and went on to collect $57.3 million domestically, the new "Yards" returns Bruce Willis as a former mob hit man and Matthew Perry as a nervous dentist. Howard Deutch -- who has helmed similarly mismatched-pair comedies like "Grumpier Old Men" -- handled directing chores on the PG-13 comedy, which opens in 2,654 locations.
Meanwhile, a whole other battle will be taking place for the potential female audience. 20th Century Fox is rolling out "The Girl Next Door," an offbeat comedy about a teenager (Emile Hirsch) who discovers that the girl next door (Elisha Cuthbert) is not only the object of his fantasies but also a former porn star. Luke Greenfield ("The Animal") directed the R-rated film, which appears to be speaking primarily to older teen females.
Younger girls, possibly with their moms in tow, might opt for Miramax Films' "Ella Enchanted," a slightly askew PG-rated fairy tale starring Anne Hathaway ("The Princess Diaries") and directed by Tommy O'Haver ("Get Over It"). But both it and "Girl" also will be competing with the second weekend of Paramount Pictures' "The Prince & Me," so that could keep both of the new female-skewing features below the $10 million mark.
Finally, Fox Searchlight's comedy "Johnson Family Vacation," starring Cedric the Entertainer and Vanessa Williams, should carve out its own niche. Directed by Christopher Erskin, the PG-13 comedy about -- what else?-- a family vacation gone awry, opened Wednesday to get a jump on the competition, a shrewd move in a logjam of a weekend.