Actor Tony Randall Dies at 84
NEW YORK - Tony Randall, the comic actor best known for playing fastidious photographer Felix Unger on "The Odd Couple," has died. He was 84.
Randall died in his sleep Monday night at NYU Medical Center of complications from a long illness, according to his publicity firm, Springer Associates.
He is survived by his wife, Heather Harlan Randall, who made him a father for the first time at age 77, and their two children, 7-year-old Julia Laurette and 5-year-old Jefferson Salvini.
Randall won an Emmy for playing Unger on the sitcom based on Neil Simon's play and movie. The show ran from 1970-75, but Randall won after it had been canceled, prompting him to quip at the awards ceremony: "I'm so happy I won. Now if I only had a job."
The show's charm sprang from Randall's chemistry and conflict with Jack Klugman as sloppy sportswriter Oscar Madison, with whom he's forced to share an apartment after both men get divorced.
Before that, Randall was best known as the fastidious "best friend" figure in several Rock Hudson-Doris Day movies, including 1959's "Pillow Talk" and 1961's "Lover Come Back."
The actor became a fixture on David Letterman's late-night talk shows, appearing a record 70 times on the "Late Show" alone. He made fun of his own prim image by taking part in Letterman's wacky antics, including allowing himself to be covered in mud.
And in 1993, when Conan O'Brien took over the time slot at NBC that Letterman had vacated for a new show at CBS, Randall was a guest on O'Brien's debut episode.
After "The Odd Couple," Randall had two short-lived sitcoms, one of which was "The Tony Randall Show," in which he played a stuffy Philadelphia judge, from 1976-78.
From 1981-83, he played the title role in the sitcom "Love, Sidney," as a single, middle-aged commercial artist helping a female friend care for her young daughter.
The show was based on a TV movie in which Sidney was gay; in the TV show, the character's sexual orientation was implied, but never specified. This occurred more than a decade before the much-hyped coming-out on "Ellen" in 1997, which made Ellen DeGeneres' character the first openly gay central figure on a network series.
For his television work, Randall got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998.
In an effort to bring classic theater back to Broadway, Randall founded and was artistic director of the non-profit National Actors Theatre in 1991, using $1 million of his own money and $2 million from corporations and foundations. The company's first production was a revival of Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," starring Martin Sheen and Michael York, which hadn't been staged on Broadway in 40 years.
The next year, Randall's production of Ibsen's "The Master Builder" didn't exactly draw raves. AP Drama Critic Michael Kuchwara called it "deadly earnest — and dull."
Subsequent performances included "Night Must Fall," "The Gin Game" and "The Sunshine Boys," in which Randall reunited with Klugman, in 1998. Randall also starred in his company's Tony Award-winning staging of "M. Butterfly."
The actor also was socially active, lobbying against smoking in public places, marching in Washington against apartheid in the '80s, and helping raise money for AIDS research in the '90s.
Born Leonard Rosenberg on Feb. 26, 1920, Randall was drawn as a teenager to roadshows that came through his hometown of Tulsa, Okla.
"One night, the entire town turned out to see the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo perform Swan Lake and Sheherezade," he wrote. "I — and most of the audience — had never seen a ballet before. We stood and cheered, thinking it was a 'once in a lifetime' event."
Randall attended Northwestern University before heading to New York at 19, where he made his stage debut in 1941 in "The Circle of Chalk."
After Army service during World War II from 1942-46, he returned to New York, where he appeared on radio and early television. He got his start in movies in 1957.
He was married to his college sweetheart, Florence Randall, for 54 years until she died of cancer in 1992.
"I saw her in a bank — I never saw another girl in my life. She was gorgeous, the most beautiful girl I ever saw," Randall said in a TV interview in 1995.
Later that year, he married Harlan, who was 50 years his junior. Randall met her through his National Actors Theatre; former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani performed the ceremony.
Harlan gave birth to their first child, Julia Laurette Randall, in April 1997. Their second child, Jefferson Salvini Randall, was born in June 1998.
The Couch Potato Report - May 18th, 2004
In The Couch Potato Report this week there is an animated miracle, a film called
miracle, and some Disney magic.
Up first, MIRACLE. This is the based on the true story of 1980 U.S. Olympic Gold Medal winning hockey team.
Now let me stop here and tell you that the movie isn't as "Rah, rah, rah, USA is number one!!!" as you think it's going to be.
Instead it gets many of the details right in telling the improbable story of a group of unknowns who won the Olympic Gold when they weren’t even expected to be a factor.
The best part about MIRACLE is the fact that it looks and feels right in every detail. It captures the downbeat mood of post-Watergate America and shows how an obsessed hockey coach named Herb Brooks managed to assemble a once-in a-lifetime team and convince them they could beat their vastly superior Russian opponents.
The story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team is a great story and MIRACLE just lets the actual story unfold. It is a Hollywood movie, but the Hollywood factor is toned way down.
I especially liked how they used the majority of Al Michael’s actual calls of the games from 1980, and Kurt Russell is tremendous as coach Herb Brooks.
While this might not actually be "The Best Sporting Event In History," as it has been advertised, it is a great film.
As for what is "The Best Sporting Event In History,” well the easy answer is Canada’s win at the 1972 Summit Series, but I also enjoyed the Blue Jays 1992 and 1993 World Series victories.
But I digress.
If you watch MIRACLE and actually find it too "Rah, rah, rah, USA is number one!!!", then you should cleanse your palette with THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE.
You’ll get a kick out of it when it pokes fun at America.
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE is a unique film that isn’t easily surmised, but I would use the word great to describe it. I would also use spectacular, awesome, and superb.
Come to think of it, I would actually combine all of those words to describe THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE.
What’s it about, you ask? Well, when a bicyclist is kidnapped from the Tour de France by some mysterious gangsters his grandmother travels to the city of Belleville, where she tracks him down with the help of a musical trio.
In addition to the characters, music plays a central part in the film. There are only a few spoken sentences in the entire movie. Most of the soundtrack is a mix of squeaks, barks, and the jazzy music of Benoit Charest.
This is a film that is wonderful, whimsical, bizarre, surreal and very touching. It
is a movie that is not to be missed.
THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE is a hand-drawn animated film that is unlike any of the classic animated films that we’ve loved for years from Walt Disney.
But that’s okay. Disney has given us enough superb animation to last a lifetime.
Some of that animation is now available to own on DVD as part of THE WALT DISNEY TREASURES COLLECTION.
MICKEY MOUSE - IN LIVING COLOUR: VOLUME 2 is an infectious 2-disc set includes that includes 26 original Mickey Mouse colour cartoons, a limited edition collectible lithograph, and many, many, many extras.
THE CHRONOLOGICAL DONALD - VOLUME 1 features all 36 of Donald's starring shorts, from "Donald and Pluto" in 1936 to "Chef Donald" in 1941, along with a wide array of insight into the character and the production of the cartoons.
ON THE FRONT LINES is another WALT DISNEY TREASURE release and it delivers Disney's war effort productions to DVD. ON THE FRONT LINES has 32 short subjects and exclusive declassified material. This 2 disc set contains some cartoons that truly have to be seen to be believed.
The final WALT DISNEY TREASURE release this week is TOMORROWLAND: DISNEY IN SPACE AND BEYOND. While watching it you'll go back in time to the beginning of the future and enjoy four episodes and a theatrical short that delve into the mysteries of the universe and space travel.
You'll also get a rare look at Walt Disney's last film, "EPCOT," in which he reveals his concepts and plans for the Disney World and EPCOT projects.
Every single moment in the releases from THE WALT DISNEY TREASURES COLLECTION are a true delight to enjoy and a great slice of history to own.
But I still can’t figure out what Goofy is. Mickey is a Mouse, Pluto a dog and
Donald is a duck. What is Goofy?!?
Other than fun and entertaining to watch, I just have no idea.
Oh well.
MIRACLE, THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE and the WALT DISNEY TREASURES - MICKEY MOUSE: IN LIVING COLOUR, VOLUME 2, THE CHRONOLOGICAL DONALD, ON THE FRONT LINES and TOMORROWLAND are available now at your favourite local video store.
COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT
The third chapter in THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy: THE RETURN OF THE KING is set to dominate sales and rental charts the same way it did the Oscars.
This final film in the trilogy features the last battle between good and evil.
Oh I hope good wins!
There is little good to say about the Ray Romano’s film WELCOME TO MOOSEPORT. On TV Everybody Loves Raymond, but I suspect few of you will like this movie about a plumber who runs for mayor against an ex-President. Gene Hackman plays the ex-president, although I don’t know why.
Also next week, in CLUB DREAD an inept staff at island resort must battle killer.
This is the latest film from the comedy troop BROKEN LIZARD who also gave us the hilarious SUPER TROOPERS. I’m not sure if this film is supposed to be a comedy, but it is not a comedy. A movie needs to be funny to qualify as a comedy, and this film is not funny. Not at all! It is extremely boring, and will be painful to watch for everyone who saw and enjoyed SUPER TROOPERS.
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 are the new CD Releases for Tuesday, May 18, 2004:
* ALANIS MORISSETTE So-Called Chaos (Maverick)
* ANDY GRIGGS TBA Andy Griggs (RCA Country)
* CHARLIE MARS TBA Charlie Mars (V2)
* CHARLOTTE MARTIN TBA Charlotte Martin (RCA)
* HANSON Underneath (True North)
* HEATHER HEADLEY TBA Heather Headley (RCA)
* JERMAINE DUPRI Greenlight (Arista)
* KELLIE COFFEE TBA Kellie Coffee (RCA Country)
* LENNY KRAVITZ Baptism (EMI)
* LONDONBEAT Back in the High Life (BMG Associated Labels)
* MORRISSEY You Are The Quarry (Sanctuary Records)
* MY MORNING JACKET Acoustic Citsuoca (BMG)
* MYSTIKAL TBA Mystikal (Zomba)
* OUT OF YOUR MOUTH Draghdad (BMG Canada/Vik)
* PINMONKEY TBA (Pinmonkey) (RCA Country)
* RACHEL YAMAGATA Happenstance (Arista)
* TORI AMOS Welcome To Sunny Florida (DVD Video) (Sony)
Norah Jones unveils lengthy U.S. tour itinerary
Norah Jones will support her recently released sophomore album, "Feels Like Home," with a three-month tour of U.S. arenas and amphitheaters.
Jones and her backing group--known as The Handsome Band--launch the run in mid-August, and dates are set through mid-November. Tickets for almost all shows will hit the box office on Friday (5/21); details appear below.
Before the tour begins, Jones will give a pair of July performances in California--one in Santa Barbara on July 9, the other in Universal City on July 10--as part of a tribute to country singer Gram Parsons, who died of a drug overdose more than 30 years ago. In addition to Jones, those shows will also feature Lucinda Williams and Steve Earle.
Released in February, "Feels Like Home" is the follow-up to 2002's "Come Away With Me." The new set, which features the single "Sunrise," sold more than 1 million copies during its first week in stores, and debuted atop The Billboard 200 album chart.
"Come Away With Me" producer Arif Mardin returned to work with Jones on the new album, as did bassist Lee Alexander and guitarists Adam Levy, Kevin Breit, Tony Scherr and Jesse Harris (who wrote and co-wrote a number of songs on "Come Away With Me"). Drummer Andrew Borger and background vocalist Daru Odam rounded out the studio ensemble.
Guests include Dolly Parton, Levon Helm and Garth Hudson of The Band, and jazz drummer Brian Blade.
"Come Away With Me" earned Jones five Grammy trophies last year: Album of the Year, Record of the Year (for "Don't Know Why"), Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (for "Don't Know Why") and Best Pop Vocal Album.
Tour Itinerary
July 2004
9 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl
10 - Universal City, CA - Universal Amphitheatre
August 2004
12 - Antioch, TN - Starwood Amphitheatre (on sale 5/21)
13 - Birmingham, AL - Verizon Wireless Music Center (on sale 5/21)
14 - Atlanta, GA - Chastain Park Amphitheatre (sold out)
16 - Raleigh, NC - Alltel Pavilion (on sale 5/21)
17 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (on sale 5/21)
19 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater (on sale 5/21)
20 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion (on sale 5/21)
21 - Atlantic City, NJ - Boardwalk Hall (on sale 5/21)
23 - Burgettstown, PA - Post Gazette Pavilion (on sale 5/21)
24 - Rochester, NY - Finger Lakes P.A.C. (on sale 5/21)
30 - Saratoga, NY - Saratoga P.A.C. (on sale 5/21)
31 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center (on sale 5/21)
September 2004
1 - Hartford, CT - Meadows Music (on sale 5/21)
3 - Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach (on sale now)
4 - Philadelphia, PA - The Mann Center (on sale 5/21)
5 - Holmdel, NJ - P.N.C. Bank Arts Center (on sale now)
7 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center (on sale 5/21)
8 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre (on sale 5/22)
10 - Milwaukee, WI - Marcus Amphitheater (on sale 5/21)
11 - Saint Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center (on sale 5/21)
12 - Tinley Park, IL - Tweeter Center (on sale 5/21)
24 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks (on sale 5/21)
25 - West Valley City, UT - USANA Amphitheater(on sale 5/21)
28 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena (on sale 5/21)
29 - Portland, OR - Theater of the Clouds (on sale 5/21)
October 2004
1, 2 - Berkeley, CA - Greek Theatre (on sale 5/21)
4, 5 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint (on sale 5/21)
6 - Santa Barbara, CA - Santa Barbara Bowl (on sale 5/22)
9 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl (on sale 5/23)
10 - Chula Vista, CA - Coors Amphitheater (on sale 5/21)
11 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion (on sale 5/21)
14 - Austin, TX - The Backyard (on sale 5/21)
15 - Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Pavilion (on sale 5/21)
16 - Selma, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre (on sale 5/22)
18 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Center (on sale 5/21)
19 - North Little Rock, AR - Alltel Arena (on sale 5/21)
20 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Centre (on sale 5/21)
22 - Saint Louis, MO - Savvis Center (on sale 5/21)
23 - Kansas City, MO - Municipal Auditorium (on sale 5/21)
November 2004
3 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse (on sale 5/21)
4 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena (on sale 5/21)
5 - Cincinnati, OH - U.S. Bank Arena (on sale 5/21)
6 - Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena (on sale 5/21)
8 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson Boiling Arena (on sale 5/21)
9 - Memphis, TN - FedEx Forum (on sale 5/21)
10 - New Orleans, LA - Lakefront Arena (on sale 5/21)
12 - Tampa Bay, FL - Ford Amphitheater (on sale 5/21)
13 - Orlando, FL - Silver Spurs (on sale 5/21)
14 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheater (on sale 5/21)
Green Day Rears 'American Idiot'
Green Day's first studio album in four years will be titled "American Idiot," a spokesperson confirms to Billboard.com. The set is tentatively due Sept. 14 via Reprise. It's the follow-up to 2000's "Warning," which debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 998,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong will also donate two songs to the forthcoming "Live Freaky, Die Freaky" motion picture soundtrack, which will feature a duet between Kelly Osbourne and A.F.I.'s Davey Havock. Described by filmmaker John Roecker as "a sexy, gory puppet movie" on its official Web site, "Live Freaky" will be released by Hellcat Films and Epitaph.
Green Day's other members, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool, will appear in roles previously planned for drummer Josh Freese and guitarist Twiggy Ramirez, who backed out due to touring obligations with A Perfect Circle.
Along with No Doubt, Foo Fighters, Bad Religion and others, Green Day is expected to lend a track to "Rock Against Bush Vol. 2," the second in a series of politically minded compilations due this August.
Here are Green Day's tour dates:
Aug. 7: Tokyo (Summer Sonic Festival)
Aug. 8: Osaka, Japan (Summer Sonic Festival)
Aug. 27: Leeds, England (Leeds Festival)
Aug. 29: Reading, England (Reading Festival)
'Scrubs' Gets Two More Years in Surgery
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - NBC has given a two year renewal to erratically rated, but critically acclaimed comedy "Scrubs." The announcement came on Monday (May 17), shortly before the network announced its 2004-05 schedule to advertisers.
Next season, "Scrubs" will remain at 9:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday nights, following the highly anticipated new computer animated comedy "Father of the Pride" from DreamWorks TV. The new deal will position the comedy to run at least through the 2005-06 season.
"This show just keeps getting better each season and we're looking forward to even better things for at another two more years," says Jeff Zucker, president, NBC Universal Television Group. "'Scrubs' has done everything we've asked of it on every level and this renewal is well-deserved."
Bouncing between Thursday nights and Tuesdays after the arrival of "The Apprentice," "Scrubs" averaged nearly 10.3 million viewers per episode. The medical comedy, which stars Zach Braff, Donald Faison, John C. McGinley, Judy Reyes and Sarah Chalke was particularly successful in retaining the 18-49 audience delivered by its lead-in, "Frasier."
"I am thrilled that one of my first acts in my new capacity here at Touchstone Television has been to secure a two year renewal of this critically-acclaimed hit series," says Mark Pedowitz, president, Touchstone Television, which produces the show. "The talent in front of and behind the camera on 'Scrubs' is second to none and we couldn't be happier for [creator] Bill Lawrence and everyone involved with the show. Further, I am grateful to NBC for their continued support."
Chainsaw vs. Machete
Bruce Campbell told Sci Fi Wire that there is some validity to the rumors that he would appear as Ash in the sequel to FREDDY VS. JASON. "As I've been explaining to people, this wouldn't be a movie where you could just make a phone call and go, 'Let's do it,' and then it all happens," Campbell said. "You've got three franchises. [That] means you have 17 lawyers, each going, 'Yeah, look at my franchise. Yeah, look at my franchise.' So you have to get past that. Then you have to get past the question of 'how will the characters be treated?' What would you do with Ash? There's no way I'd be in it if I lost. No way. The good guy has to win, especially in that movie. You couldn't kill two whole franchises, but we could sure maim them."
Touchy, Much?
Dark Horizons says that Barb Streisand keeps walking off the set of MEET THE FOCKERS because Dustin Hoffman keeps calling her 'Barb.' "Dustin Hoffman knows that Barbara Streisand HATES being called "Barb" with a passion," said DH's scooper, "so apparently he purposely keeps calling her that as a joke. When the director tells Streisand what she is supposed to do next, Hoffman chimes in with "Did Barb understand that? Do you get that, Barb?" Craig reckons Dusty is doing it all good-naturedly, but Barbara has apparently walked off the set in a huff twice because of this".
STILL DEAD
Andy Kaufman a no-show at a special party at Hollywood's House of Blues Sunday night marking the 20th anniversary of his death. Kaufman once vowed to fake his demise and come back 20 years later to put on a show.
'Kill Bill Vol. 2'; 'Hellboy,' more Columbia; Warner Elvis box set
Quentin Tarantino's bloody, bravura ode to Asian chop socky films concludes in Kill Bill Vol. 2, which will make its DVD debut on August 10th. Although Tarantino is planning a mega-set of both films for release sometime in the future, for now Buena Vista Home Entertainment will give the flick a fairly slim edition, complete with anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1 tracks, "The Making of Kill Bill Vol. 2" featurette, premiere party footage, deleted scenes and trailers.
Hell Hath No Fury...
Just in from Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment is their latest batch of new announcements, all due to hit shelves on July 27th.
First up is a two-disc mega-set of Guillermo del Toro's Hellboy, which will feature an anamorphic widescreen transfer, Dolby Digital 5.1 surround track, audio commentary with del Toro, a documentary and four featurettes, deleted and alternate scenes, outtakes, multiple still galleries with concept art, storyboards and production photos, and theatrical trailers.
Columbia will also use the release of Hellboy to promote a new special edition of del Toro's highly acclaimed horror thriller The Devil's Backbone. Presented in anamorphic widescreen transfer and its original Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, extras include commentary with del Toro, four deleted scenes with optional commentary, six featurettes, a storyboard comparison, a still gallery and theatrical trailers.
Making its DVD debut on July 27th is the classic Gary Cooper western They Came to Cordura. Featuring both 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and 4:3 pan & scan transfers and a Dolby Digital 1.0 mono track, there are no extras aside from bonus trailers. Retail will cost you $19.95 worth of greenbacks.
Rounding out Columbia's July 27th lineup is another TV on DVD debut, The Jeff Foxworthy Show: The Complete First Season. Presented in 4:3 full screen and Dolby 2.0 stereo, there are no extras aside from episode synopses. List price will list for$29.95, pardner.
King of Rock
Conspiracy theorists will have plenty of new evidence to sift through on August 3rd, when The King will return - at least in newly remastered, digital form. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll, Warner Home Video will release six of Elvis Aaron Presley's most popular movies: It Happened at the World's Fair, Double Trouble, Speedway, Spinout, Harum Scarum and The Trouble with Girls. Each is newly remastered in anamorphic widescreen and includes an Elvis Presley trailer gallery.
'Hee Haw' Picks, Grins Its Way to Video
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Saaa-lute! The straw hats and braying cartoon donkey of "Hee Haw" are back. Time-Life is releasing full "Hee Haw" shows for the first time on VHS and DVD on Tuesday, the 35th anniversary of the show's first season.
With its pickin', grinnin' and hayseed humor, "Hee Haw" was an American TV institution, on the air almost continuously from 1969 to 1997. The hourlong program started on CBS for two years, then went into syndication until 1993 and finally wound up on cable's old Nashville Network.
"'Hee Haw' won't go away," said Roy Clark, host or co-host of the show for its entire run. "It brings a smile to too many faces."
The format was folksy comic skits interspersed with performances by country music stars like Vince Gill, Garth Brooks, Willie Nelson and Alan Jackson. There were no serious issues debated, no cliffhangers, no drama and no wardrobe malfunctions — just down-home silliness accompanied by grins and guitars.
"Everywhere I go, people talk about it," Clark said.
The show's most memorable prop was the cornfield where guests and the show's regulars told jokes.
Example:
Grandpa Jones to Junior Samples: "I saw you riding on a mule and your wife was walking behind you. Why was that?"
Samples: "My wife ain't GOT no mule."
There were 24 years' worth of original "Hee Haw" shows — 14 years more than "Friends" and 15 more than "Seinfeld." All the shows were taped in Nashville, home of country music and the Grand Ole Opry.
Critics mostly hated the show because of its Dogpatch look, simple humor and twangy country music. And sometimes the show still gets criticized for perpetuating stereotypes.
There was a bevy of curvy Southern belles such as Barbi Benton, Gunilla Hutton (who played Nurse Good Body) and Misty Rowe. The men were most often harmless rubes in straw hats and overalls.
But TV viewers embraced it, and even non-country stars such as Sammy Davis Jr. and Regis Philbin were among the celebrities eager to appear on the show.
"They just wanted to be part of the fun," Clark said.
Clark, who played the hapless clerk at the show's Empty Arms Hotel, was joined by singer Buck Owens as co-host for 17 seasons. There were about 600 original episodes.
The show even had an impact on the national lexicon. The phrase "pickin' and grinnin'" became popular after a segment with Clark and Owens playing guitar while smiling and telling jokes.
A video based on the show has been on the home market for 10 years, but it featured just parts of the program and no music. The new product, costing $14.95, has full "Hee Haw" shows including music performances. There will be at least four one-hour programs.
"The viewers were sort of part-owners of the show," Clark said. "They identified with these clowns, and we had good music.
Fallon Signs Off of 'Saturday Night Live'
NEW YORK - Say goodbye to Jimmy Fallon on "Saturday Night Live." Fallon announced that he was leaving the comedy show at the end of his "Weekend Update" segment with Tina Fey on Saturday, the show's last original episode of the season.
It was no surprise to NBC executives.
"He had made it clear that he wanted to move on and we wish him all the best," Jeff Zucker, president of the NBC Universal Television Group, said Monday.
"SNL" gave Fallon a fond send-off, with a long skit featuring one of his signature characters, a nasally voiced and obnoxious radio disc jockey.
Fallon, 29, joined "Saturday Night Live" in 1998.
Shrek Finds More Beauty in Being Ugly in 'Shrek 2'
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Even a big green ogre, especially one named Shrek, can go through growing pains.
"Shrek 2," the computer-animated sequel to the 2001 hit "Shrek," debuts on Wednesday with its makers promising a thoughtful, twisting and turning tale complete with all the fairy-tale mockery that made the first movie a smash hit.
In "Shrek," the antennae-eared monster (voice of comedian Mike Myers) and his sidekick donkey (Eddie Murphy) saved the beautiful Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) from a fire-breathing dragon. Along the way, it poked fun at just about every fairy tale written by the Brothers Grimm or dreamed up by Disney.
The irony, and genius, of "Shrek" was that its happily ever after ending was similar to those in the fairy tales it mocked. Fiona morphed from princess to ogress and married her hero Shrek. The movie's ribald humor and ultimately sweet message -- love comes in many different forms -- thrilled audiences.
"Shrek" won the first Oscar ever given for a full-length animated movie. It earned around $267 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices and a total $455 million worldwide.
If "Shrek 2" does become as big a hit as the first, it will be welcome news to DreamWorks, the studio formed 10 years ago by Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg which has had a mixed success rate.
It has been widely reported that many industry experts think DreamWorks' Big Three may be contemplating an initial public offering of stock, and could use a strong box office performance to bolster its prospects.
Audiences turning out for "Shrek 2" find that in it the fairy-tale world of happy endings clashes with responsibility in the real world. "I wanted to make 'Shrek 2' a more complicated and intricate story," said director/screenwriter Andrew Adamson, "and ... I didn't want to disappoint the fans."
Early reviews and audience reactions are solid. And, in the end, Adamson should be able to live, well, happily ever after.
INNER BEAUTY, SOUR PUSS
"Shrek 2" opens with the couple on a romantic honeymoon. When they return to Shrek's cabin in the swamp, donkey is waiting for them. His love life with the tamed, fire-breathing dragon hasn't fared as well and Shrek's with Fiona.
Fiona's human parents soon summon the couple to her home in the land of Far Far Away. But her parents don't know she married an ogre, nor that she decided to live as an ogress.
Still, being the dutiful daughter she is, Fiona tells Shrek there is no way she will ignore their request. Shrek, being the good guy he is, agrees to meet the in-laws. So all head to Far Far Away, which looks a lot like Hollywood. A Far Far Away sign is fixed high atop the surrounding hills and a shopping district seems oddly akin to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills.
Once there, audiences learn Fiona was to have married the suave Prince Charming (Rupert Everett). Fiona's father, King Harold (John Cleese) hires a swashbuckling swordsman, Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas), to send Shrek packing.
The king's plans go awry, however, after Shrek and donkey befriend Puss and find a secret potion makes Shrek a handsome human and restores Fiona's looks. The question for the couple, now, is whether being beautiful will make them truly happy.
"Shrek 2" zeros in on a cultural obsession with image, and there's no better place to do that than in Hollywood. But, rather than getting too serious, the film provides a lot of jokes along the way, especially from the Zorro-like Puss.
"These movies have such a wonderful edge to them, while still being appropriate for kids," said Julie Andrews, who supplies the voice for Fiona's mother, Queen Lillian.
Indeed, the hallmark of the most successful animated movies like "Shrek" has been their broad appeal to both kids and adults. Early reviews are solid, if not as strong as the first.
Show business newspaper "Daily Variety" said, "Lightning strikes twice, but not as brilliantly as before," and also calls the sequel "welcome." "The Hollywood Reporter" wrote that while "Shrek 2" lacks some of the magic of the first, it "has a most definite kick" and predicts "it will be a major hit."
But "Charming" Everett disagrees. "I think it's way better than the first," he said. "These films, cartoons now, are the only ones that say anything interesting about us."
NBC Aims to Spin Out Success with New TV Lineup
NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - With mega-hit "Friends" in retirement, NBC on Monday unveiled a new lineup building on some of its biggest names, including a fourth "Law & Order" series, "Friends" spin-off "Joey," and the return of TV's latest star, Donald Trump.
NBC said it will launch a total of six fresh dramas and five new comedies, including the animated series "Father of the Pride" -- about lions in Siegfried & Roy's Las Vegas act -- for the 2004-05 season, as it seeks to maintain ratings dominance over its target audience of viewers aged 18 to 49.
Altering its programing schedule for every night but Saturday and Sunday, NBC's new prime-time slate, which will roll out in late August following the Summer Olympics, amounts to one of its biggest shake-ups in years.
But just five new shows -- three dramas and two sitcoms, including "Joey" -- will get a traditional September launch and six new scripted shows will debut later in the season under the network's new year-round programing strategy.
As part of that strategy, NBC, newly merged with Vivendi Universal Entertainment, is deciding in advance how its mid-season offerings will fit into the schedule so that it can get a jump on selling advertising time for those shows.
"We are now committed to 52 weeks a year of original programing ... and we are going to introduce what normally would have been some of the strongest components of a fall schedule all year long," said Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Universal Television Group.
NBC, owned by General Electric Co., is the first of the major networks to unveil its new lineup as broadcasters kick off their "upfront" sales of commercial time to advertisers. The upfront market typically accounts for 70 percent to 80 percent of all ad sales by the networks, reaping roughly $9 billion for prime-time shows last year.
HEAVY DOSE OF REALITY
Reality shows figure prominently on NBC's schedule as well, with the launch of boxing spectacle "The Contender," the return of gross-out stunt show "Fear Factor" and new editions of hit tycoon contest "The Apprentice," starring real estate magnate Donald Trump. The network also will air a fourth edition of last summer's unscripted summer sensation "For Love or Money" and a new installment of "Average Joe."
The heavy dose of reality marks a turnaround of sorts at NBC, which had long seen comedy as its bread and butter and was viewed as a relative latecomer to the burgeoning genre of unscripted shows compared to rival networks CBS and Fox.
"Today, comedy is in a challenged state," Kevin Reilly, the new NBC entertainment president, said in a conference call with reporters, adding that launching a flurry of new sitcoms each fall has largely failed in recent years.
"Ironically, the best way to get comedy on the schedule right now is to keep it off in the short term," he said.
"Joey," starring Matt LeBlanc reprising his "Friends" role as the big-hearted aspiring actor, will get the plum time slot formerly occupied by its sitcom predecessor, leading off NBC's potent Thursday night lineup of "Must-See TV." "Friends" ended its 10-year run this month as television's top-rated comedy.
'JOEY' PILOT PLAYS WELL
An advance screening of the entire "Joey" pilot, rare for upfront presentations, seemed to play well among advertisers and media buyers in attendance, drawing plenty of laughs.
The second new comedy set for an August launch is "Father of the Pride," NBC's first animated show on prime time since the short-lived 2000 series "God, the Devil and Bob."
"Pride" will fill the Tuesday night slot held by "Frasier," which ended its 11-year run last week. NBC also has locked in its Tuesday night comedy "Scrubs" for more two more seasons.
Two freshman Tuesday comedies failed to be renewed -- the Whoopi Goldberg comedy "Whoopi" and "Happy Family."
NBC's mid-season offerings include the fourth installment in the long-running cop and courtroom franchise, "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," from producer Dick Wolf, who just renewed his NBC contract for the first three "Law & Order" series.
In one big change for the franchise, Jerry Orbach, who has played detective Lennie Briscoe for 12 years on the original series, is moving to the cast of "Trial by Jury."
On the drama front this fall, NBC plans to launch the airport ensemble series "LAX," starring Heather Locklear, the cop show "Hawaii" and "Medical Investigation." The new limited-run thriller "Revelations" will join "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" on the midseason schedule, along with "Medium," starring Patricia Arquette as a woman who sees dead people.