HE'S ON HIS WAY TO JOINING ADRIANA
Here's some advice for Christopher Moltisanti from The New York Post:
* Take a long vacation.
* Don't accept any rides upstate.
* Watch your back.
It's just a hunch to them, but The new York Post has a theory that Christopher is looking more and more like a goner in this weekend's season finale of "The Sopranos."
And just because such predictions usually turn out wrong, that doesn't mean that they're going to shy away from making them.
"Sopranos" fans know not to forgettaboutitt. They like nothing more than to endlessly analyze their favorite show. And no single episode of any series is as highly anticipated as a "Sopranos" season finale.
"The Sopranos" ends its fifth season Sunday night at 9 on HBO. The one-hour episode - No. 65 - is titled "All Due Respect."
Here's the tantalizing description that was posted on HBO.com last week: "Tony's [James Gandolfini] crew circles the wagons as Johnny Sack [Vincent Curatola] turns up the heat; Carmela [Edie Falco] counts her blessings; Christopher [Michael Imperioli] is freaked out by an unexpected visitor; Benny's [Max Casella] connection to the plumbers union comes in handy; A.J. [Robert Iler] demonstrates his business acumen; and Tony ponders whether to execute a 'sacrifice bunt.' "
Decoding HBO's episode synopses is always an iffy proposition. But having said that, here's the case against Christopher:
* Tony has to be questioning the competence of a member of his inner circle whose dearly departed fiancee had been meeting clandestinely with the feds for more than a year, right under her boyfriend's nose.
* When Tony caught Christopher resorting to heroin in order to cope with Adriana's death, he beat him savagely. And if memory serves, Tony was pretty clear last season, when he staged an intervention and packed Christopher off to rehab, about the penalty for Christopher if he resumed his drug habit.
* Christopher's a screw-up. In the latest example, Tony had to step in and place Paulie Walnuts in charge of a cigarette hijacking operation that Christopher apparently botched.
* Christopher's an out-of-control hothead. He's already threatened Tony at least twice this season - once, when he showed up at the Bada Bing brandishing a pistol, and again just in the last episode, when he raved to Adriana that he ought to kill Tony for favoring the other Tony, Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi).
And what if Christopher begins to question Tony's decision to murder Adriana? How mad might he get then?
* If Tony is contemplating a "sacrifice bunt," it's doubtful he's thinking about baseball. Does it mean he has to offer someone up to the New York mob? Might he offer his hotheaded, screwup of a nephew, who's not really his nephew anyway?
* And who's the "unexpected visitor" who shows up at Christopher's door? That doesn't sound too promising for Christopher's future.
That's the case so far. And even if Michael Imperioli has made no plans to appear in a network sitcom this fall, it sounds like a pretty safe bet.
William Hung Inspires DVD
"Idol" reject also headed for big screen
William Hung is going to spend much of 2004 stretching his fifteen minutes of fame. Next up for the University of California engineering student turned American Idol reject, whose Inspiration album debuted at Number Thirty-four in April, is the DVD Hangin' With Hung on June 29th.
Hangin' will include new interviews with Hung; the "She Bangs" video and the making of it; the Fuse network special Idol Worship and several other Hung TV appearances; and behind-the-scenes footage from his appearance at Southern California's Wango Tango concert and the Inspiration recording sessions.
"It's more about the life of William Hung," said the twenty-one-year-old Hung, who was in Toronto on Sunday to "sing" "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at the Blue Jays-Rangers game to a mixed reaction from fans.
He also revealed that he will begin work on his second album and will be shooting a movie in August in Hong Kong. When Hung was asked for more information about both projects, his mother signaled to him and he then responded "no comment" and "confidential, sorry."
Pressed about the album, Hung added, "It will include original songs and cover songs. There will be more bands this time. That's all I can tell you."
The new album will be aided by the singing lessons he is currently taking. As to whether Hung currently thinks he's a good singer, he answered, "No comment."
Lisa Loeb CD Reflects Split
"The Way" tells tales of a breakup in the making
For the past year, Lisa Loeb and Dweezil Zappa's relationship has been beamed into living rooms across the country, courtesy of the Food Network's cooking show Dweezil and Lisa. Now, in the wake of their recent breakup, Loeb returns to the subject matter of "Stay (I Missed You)," her chart-topping hit that first introduced her to audiences a decade ago.
Loeb's fourth album, The Way It Really Is, is due August 3rd, and it plays a bit like a novella of a decaying romance. "We just ended a six-year relationship, and it was time to move forward to the next stages," she says. "My past albums are a similar deal: very prophetic, and I don't even know it when it's happening."
The songs, which include "Fools Like Me," "Window Shopping," "Will You Wander," and "Probably," were written over the past couple years and reveal different stages of a pending split. Loeb characterizes them as personal, but not too personal. "I always hated it when writers wore their heart on their sleeve," she says. "Sometimes when people write songs it's painfully honest to the point where it's not cool artistically -- just annoyingly painfully honest. I didn't want to make a record like that, but I definitely tried to open up my own experience into my songs.
"The theme of the entire record is seeing life the way it is and being able to take action based on that," she continues. "Whether you're seeing that you're in love with somebody and wanting to move forward or seeing that the situation isn't right and wanting to move away."
Loeb initially dubbed the album "Half and Half," because of the "jacuzzi to the pool" sonic shifts. "There's everything from quiet folky songs, like Nick Drake, to something like 'Diamonds,' which is very influenced by Jimi Hendrix's 'Manic Depression,' but it probably doesn't sound that way because it was me," says Loeb, laughing. "But the guitar was heavier. And then there's songs that are more bizarre production-wise like 'Window Shopping,' where it goes between something like alternative Eighties music to something like Tom Waits falling out of a closet."
Loeb also just released Catch the Moon, a children's record that found her reuniting with Elizabeth Mitchell -- the two performed as the folk duo Liz and Lisa while students at Brown University. The pair updated children standards such as "Big Rock Candy Mountain" and "La Manitas." "I just had a new niece born so kid's music was in the air and it seemed like a good thing to do," says Loeb. "Like everybody else, I'm always looking for kids music that's not really annoying."
Fresh Cake
Sacramento's Cake will issue a new album titled "Pressure Chief" on Sept. 7, according to the band's official website.
The album, Cake's fifth, is the band's first since 2001's "Comfort Eagle."
Straight to Hell
HELLBOY will hit on DVD on July 20, courtesy of Columbia TriStar. The two-disc special edition will have introductions by director Guillermo del Toro and Selma Blair, a two hour feature, as well as commentaries from del Toro, Blair, creator Mike Mignola, Ron Perlman, Jeffrey Tambor and Rupert Evans. A new feature will also be included that will allow users to stop in certain parts of the movie and compare the screen to a HELLBOY comic book panel.
More Green
A scooper at Dark Horizons says that Jon Zack will write SHREK 3: "Shrek and Fiona are King and Queen now and they hate it so Fiona tries to get friend Arty (aka. King Arthur) to do so but he's still in college. From what he tells me Arthur, Gwenivere and Lancelot are supposed to be portrayed as a couple of jocks and a cheerleader and they have to find the holy grail for some rather odd reason.
Miss Australia Wins Miss Universe Pageant
QUITO, Ecuador - A 20-year-old Australian involved in modeling and dancing won the Miss Universe title Tuesday night in a two-hour pageant watched by television viewers around the world.
Jennifer Hawkins, a 5-foot-11 blonde with blue eyes, was chosen from among 80 beauty queens.
Miss USA Shandi Finnessey of Florissant, Mo., was named first runnerup during the pageant at a convention center of the northern outskirts of Quito, an event that organizers aid drew 7,500 spectators.
Hawkins and Finnessey hugged before the winner was announced. Hawkins then received the crown from outgoing Miss Universe Amelia Vega, of the Dominican Republic, and strolled down the runway to the cheers of the crowd.
Besides her modeling and dancing pursuits, pageant officials said she also choreographs a dance team that tours Australia. Her interests include surfing, camping and watching ballet.
The three other finalists were Miss Puerto Rico Alba Reyes, Miss Paraguay Yanina Gonzalez and Miss Trinidad & Tobago Danielle Jones.
The finalists were announced after 10 semifinalists paraded in swimsuits.
Before the pageant began, singer Gloria Estefan defended the contest from critics who consider such events frivolous.
"A beautiful woman has very great powers to convince, and we have seen many misses who have done a great job," said the Cuban-American singer, who performed at the Miss Universe finals Tuesday night. "The new Miss Universe should do a spectacular job helping the needy."
The panel of judges included Emilio Estefan, actress Bo Derek and supermodel Petra Nemcova.
Kwame Jackson, who was runner-up on the U.S. reality show "The Apprentice," was dropped as a judge at the beauty event. Jackson was disqualified Monday by pageant organizers for greeting beauty queens he bumped into in the lobby of their hotel.
"Just being here makes me feel like a winner and if I get to be one of the finalists, it will be great and I will feel like one of the proudest women in the world," Miss Spain Maria Jesus Ruiz said Monday.
But she did not make the cut.
Ecuadoreans were hoping the two-hour show would showcase the beauty of their country and attract tourists to this small Andean nation.
Ten minutes of the program spotlighted the country's attractions — ranging from the unique flora and fauna of the Galapagos Islands to snowcapped volcanoes, highland Indian communities and the lush vegetation of its Amazon jungle.
"Ecuador is going to shine for what it is, an unforgettable place, when you see the videos we have made for the show," said Daisy Fuentes, who hosted the program along with Billy Bush.
Moore's Anti-Bush Film Set for June 25 U.S. Debut
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Film director Michael Moore's anti-Bush documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" will hit U.S. theaters on June 25 after backers Bob and Harvey Weinstein struck distribution deals for the controversial, Cannes festival award-winning film, the parties said on Tuesday.
Lions Gate Entertainment Corp. and IFC Films, major players in the arena for independent movies, will release Moore's movie to theaters, and cable television network Showtime will handle the sale of rights for pay-TV.
"Fahrenheit 9/11" caused a firestorm of publicity in May after the Walt Disney Co. refused to allow its Miramax Films unit, which is run by the Weinstein brothers, to release the movie to theaters claiming it was too politically charged.
"Fahrenheit 9/11," which won the coveted Palm d'Or, the top prize at last month's prestigious Cannes film festival, looks at America's reaction to the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.
And it attempts to link President Bush and his family to powerful Saudis, including the family of Osama bin Laden.
"I think, for a large segment of the population, it is going to be a must-see film," said Jon Feltheimer, Lions Gate chief executive. "Forget the controversy, if you look at the body of Michael Moore's work. It's really good filmmaking."
IFC Entertainment President Jonathan Sehring echoed much of Feltheimer's sentiment and said his company has a mission of being a place where independent filmmakers can come to get their voices heard by a wide audience.
"This film will cause debate, but that is also what this country is founded on," Sehring said.
MOORE'S VOICE
Moore won the U.S. film industry's top honor, the Oscar, for 2002 documentary "Bowling for Columbine" about gun use, and at the ceremony that is watched by millions of television viewers he launched into a speech against the war in Iraq.
He has said he is no fan of President Bush and wanted "Fahrenheit 9/11" to be released ahead of the November presidential election so that it might influence the outcome.
"Everybody knows who I am and where I stand. Oh no, I'm not trying to pretend I'm being even-handed with Bush," he told Reuters in May when the controversy erupted.
In a statement announcing the distribution deal, Moore seemed to take a swipe at Disney, thanking Lions Gate and IFC for "bringing good family entertainment" to audiences.
Neither the Weinsteins nor Moore were available to comment, a spokesman said.
Last week the Weinsteins cut a deal with Disney to buy back the film rights for the cost of the film, estimated at $6 million.
Sources near the early dealmaking said the Weinsteins were seeking agreements under which they retained ownership of the film and the distribution partners helped fund film prints and marketing then shared in box office receipts.
Both Feltheimer and Sehring declined to comment on the financial details.
The new distribution partners did say that they already had significant interest from theater chains wanting to show the film and who were not shying away from the controversy.
Sehring said they had originally wanted to release "Fahrenheit 9/11" on July 2 in about 500 theaters, but moved it up on the calendar. He said the number of theaters showing it had yet to be determined.