Trek TOS on DVD!
Paramount has finally announced the DVD release of Star Trek: The Original Series - The Complete First Season for 8/21.
The 8-disc set (no SRP, but expect the price to be about $100) will include all 29 episodes of the show's first year in broadcast order (full frame video with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio). Extras on the first season will include the The Birth of a Timeless Legacy featurette (on how the show began), the Life Beyond Trek: William Shatner featurette (an interview with the actor who played Kirk on how the show has affected his life), the To Boldly Go... featurette (a discussion with cast and crew members on key episodes of the season), the Reflections on Spock featurette (a similar interview with actor Leonard Nimoy on how the role has influenced him), the Sci-Fi Visionaries featurette (on some of the famous Sci-Fi writers that have contributed to the series), original preview trailers for each episode and a photo 'log' (gallery). All these extras are contained on the 8th disc. In addition, the episodes Where No Man Has Gone Before, The Menagerie, Part I, The Menagerie, Part II and The Conscience of the King will all feature text commentary by Michael and Denise Okuda.
The studio has also announced the DVD release of Trekkies 2. Look for that on 8/21 as well (for about $19.99). The film will be presented in its original full frame aspect ratio with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio. Extras will include audio commentary (with filmmakers Roger Nygard, Denise Crosby and Mike Leahy, and composers JJ Holiday and Billy Sullivan), 20 deleted scenes and 2 short films by Trek fans Brian Dellis and Gabriel Koerner (both of whom appear in Trekkies 2).
Eddie Murphy Raw is coming on DVD!!!
No details are available yet, but Eddie Murphy: Raw and a new two-disc special edition of Star Trek: Generations are being released by Paramount Home Video on DVD on on September 7th.
Also, a Collector's Edition reissue of the Kevin Bacon 80's classic Footloose is coming out on September 28th.
But wait, there's more from Paramount this summer. For you classic fans, Paramount will also unleash six romantic favorites on August 31st. Swoon to remastered transfers and no extras for The Black Orchid, Broadway Bill, Come Back Little Sheba, The Country Girl, Desire Under the Elms, The Rose Tattoo and The White Dawn. Retail will cost you $14.95 a pop.
All-American Girl Is Also On The Way
The dream of every red-blooded, (heterosexual) American boy in suburbia, The Girl Next Door will hit DVD on August 24th from Fox Home Entertainment. Starring the sexy Elisha Cuthbert, the box office bomb is due for release in separate R-rated and Unrated edition, each is presented in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby 5.1 surround and includes an audio commentary with director Luke Greenfield, a subtitle trivia track and theatrical trailers. The Unrated version also drops the optional 4:3 full screen version on the R-rated release in favor of an additional audio commentary with actors Emile Hirsch and Cuthbert, the "Eli XXXperience" and "A Look Next Door" featurettes, deleted scenes with optional commentary, a still gallery, and uncut "dirty" theatrical trailers.
Go On A Magic Carpet Ride
Walt Disney Home Video has just announced the full specs for two of their biggest releases of 2004, both already announced.
Debuting on October 5th for the first time ever is Aladdin, which will of course get the Disney Platinum Collection treatment. "A Whole New World of Picture and Sound!", the film will include the deleted song "Proud of Your Boy" reintegrated back into the feature (a la The Lion King and Beauty & the Beast) and a THX-certified, family-friendly 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital 5.1 "Enhanced Home Theater" remix.
The extensive extras include two audio commentaries with the filmmakers (participants not specified), a pop-up Fun Facts Track, deleted scenes, "The Making of Aladdin" documentary that is accessible directly or via an extended branching version that allows you to delve off into areas of interest, an "Aladdin Art Review" with animators giving you key audio insight into the conceptualization and animation process; the Virtual DVD Ride: Aladdin's Magic Carpet" interactive game, additional "Bizarre Bazaar" game, the "Inside the Genie's Lamp" 3-D tour, also with an interactive game, "Genie's Magical Journey" short that expands upon the film's original end credit sequence, multiple music videos including a new version of "A Whole New World" by the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, theatrical trailers and extensive still galleries with concept art, sketches, unused animation and advertising materials, and the usual Disney Song Selection access feature.
And diehard fans can also pick up the Aladdin Special Edition Collector's DVD Gift Set, which includes the Platinum Edition release plus all-new sketches by the original animators, a highly collectible film frame from the movie and the exclusive DVD Companion Book.
Hitting stores three weeks later on October 26th is a new two-disc reissue of Mulan. Also presented in THX-certified, family-friendly 1.66:1 anamorphic widescreen, along with Dolby Digital 5.1 English, French, Spanish and Mandarin surround tracks, the extras are copious. Fans can feast upon the never-before-heard deleted song "Keep 'Em Guessing," an audio commentary with the filmmakers (participants not specified), deleted scenes including an alternate ending, the "Disney Pedia: Mulan's World" featurette, three music videos, "Mulan Fun Facts" trivia, and a whole second disc worth's of documentary material broken into multiple parts: "The Journey Begins," "Story Artists Journey," "Design," "Production," "Music" and "International Mulan." Other extras include early presentation reels, storyboard-to-film comparisons, extensive still galleries with concept art, pencil sketches, unused animations and advertising materials, and finally theatrical trailers.
A Beastie Boys Lyrical Guide To The 5 Boroughs And Beyond
During their many years as New York's foremost musical ambassadors, the Beastie Boys have taught a generation of fans what it's like to rhyme and steal their way through Gotham. For fans from all corners of the globe, the Beasties' rhymes did more than a lifetime's worth of "I Love NY" ads to offer a tantalizing taste of the Big Apple. Paul's Boutique alone has more references to the NYC subway than an MTA map.
So now, as the Beasties deliver yet another love letter to their hometown with this week's release of To the 5 Boroughs, we take a look at the many lessons the Beasties have taught us about life in New York.
The lyric: "I think her name's Lucy, but they all call her loose/ I think I thought I seen her on 8th and forty-deuce" — "She's Crafty," from Licensed to Ill
The lesson: Eighth Avenue near 42nd Street, in the shadow of the Port Authority bus terminal, was home to a wide assortment of adult entertainment, including peep shows, pornography retailers and characters of ill repute. While there is much less local color of this variety now (the area was cleaned up years ago), the association remains.
The lyric: "He's even more over than my mayor, Ed Koch" — "Johnny Ryall," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: Edward Koch was the hugely popular mayor of New York from 1978 to 1989, and his tenure was approaching its end at the time of Paul's Boutique's release.
The lyric: "Washing windows on the Bowery at quarter to four" — "Johnny Ryall," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: Although it's now the site of many high-income apartment buildings, the Bowery remains synonymous with skid row, and back in 1989, homeless people (also known as "squeegee men") would often wash car windows at stoplights for change.
The lyric: "Shea Stadium, the radium, EMD squared/ Got kicked out of the Palladium. You think that I cared?" — "The Sound of Science," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: Shea Stadium in Queens is the home of the New York Mets. The Palladium was a nightclub on East 14th Street from which the Beasties were supposedly banned for life. It was recently razed and has been replaced by a dormitory for New York University.
The lyric: "Jump the turnstile, never pay the toll" — "3-Minute Rule," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: To get on the subway, one normally passes through a turnstile by paying with a Metrocard (which recently replaced the city's world-famous tokens). Of course, if you jump over the turnstile, you can save a lot of coin. You may also be arrested.
The lyric: "Your old lady left you and you went insane/ You blew yourself up in the back of the 6 train" — "Hey Ladies," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: The 6 train is the Lexington Avenue local subway line, which travels from Pelham Bay Park in the Bronx to the Brooklyn Bridge/ City Hall stop in Manhattan. It's also the same train referenced in the title of Jennifer Lopez's first album, On the 6.
The lyric: "You got your finger on the trigger like the Son of Sam, I am" — "Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: In 1976 and '77, David Berkowitz, a serial killer nicknamed Son of Sam, terrorized New York, killing six people and wounding several others.
The lyric: "Bum cheese on rye with ham and prosciutto/ Got more Louie than Phillip Rizzuto" — "What Comes Around," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: Phil Rizzuto played shortstop for the New York Yankees from 1941 to 1956 and later served for many years as a color commentator. He's also well known for the unintentionally hilarious TV ads he hosted for the Money Store, a lender, throughout the 1980s.
The lyric: "So I'm out pickin' pockets at the Atlantic Antic" — "Shadrach," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: The Atlantic Antic is an annual street festival that takes place on Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights, a fairly well-heeled section of Brooklyn (where Beastie MCA was raised). It's considered a prime location for picking pockets.
The lyric: "D- train ride, Coney Island vacation" — "B-Boy Bouillabaisse," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: The D subway line, which runs from 205th Street in the Bronx to Stillwell Avenue/ Coney Island Avenue in Brooklyn, is one of the better ways to get to Coney Island, a legendary seaside amusement area.
The lyric: "Pickpocket gangsters paying their debts/ Caught a bullet in the lung from Bernie Goetz" — "B-Boy Bouillabaisse," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: Bernard Goetz is the infamous "subway vigilante," who shot four teenagers attempting to rob him on the subway in 1984.
The lyric: "The Bronx is up and I'm Brooklyn down" — "B-Boy Bouillabaisse," from Paul's Boutique
The lesson: The Bronx is north of Manhattan and Brooklyn is south — uptown and downtown, respectively. When taking the subway, this is useful information, as many trains run Brooklyn- or Bronx-bound.
The lyric: "Like Harlem World battles on the Zulu Beat Show/ It's Kool Moe Dee vs. Busy Bee, there's one you should know" — "Root Down," from Ill Communication
The lesson: The Harlem World Battle was a historic battle tape from the "Zulu Beat Show" (WHBI-FM, New York, 1983-1985) that featured rappers Kool Moe Dee and Busy Bee.
The lyric: "Second by second and minute by minute/ It's like lotto, you gotta be in it to win it " — "Putting Shame in Your Game," from Hello Nasty
The lesson: "You gotta be in it to win it" is a self-explanatory tagline used to advertise the New York State lottery.
The lyric: "A curveball's what my pitch is/ So here we, here we come/ Like dum-ditty-dum/ I keep all five boroughs in stitches" — "The Negotiation Limerick File," from Hello Nasty
The lesson: New York is divided into five boroughs (constituent political divisions): the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island — hence the new album's name. Most New York natives identify strongly with their borough of birth, and the differences between Staten Islanders and Brooklynites, for example, are sometimes easily discernable. To impress all five boroughs would be an impressive feat.
Stars to come out in force for Ray Charles memorial
Remembrance plans for soul great Ray Charles - who died last week at his Beverly Hills, CA, home - include a public memorial as well as an invitation-only funeral, according to a press release his camp issued on Tuesday.
The public memorial and viewing is scheduled to take place in the Los Angeles Convention Center's South Hall from noon to 7 p.m. PT on Thursday (6/17). There, the public will be invited to sign a book of condolences.
On Friday (6/18), the invitation-only funeral is scheduled to take place at the First AME Church in Los Angeles. Willie Nelson, B.B. King, Clint Eastwood, Stevie Wonder, Glen Campbell, Cicely Tyson, Billy Preston and Rev. Jesse Jackson are among Charles' friends and associates who will honor him during the two-hour ceremony. The Crenshaw High School Elite Choir will be among the program's other participants.
After the Friday service, Charles' funeral procession will pass by his studios at 2107 Washington Blvd., a site that was declared a Los Angeles historical landmark earlier this year.
Charles died last Thursday morning (6/10) of complications from acute liver disease. He was 73.
FUTURE DIVA?
Oscar-nominated actress Minnie Driver signing a contract with Rounder Records to release a pop-folk album titled Everything I've Got in My Pocket in September.
ISN'T IT IRONIC?
Alanis Morissette telling Us Weekly that she is engaged to actor Ryan Reynolds. The couple haven't set a wedding date.
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Kiefer Sutherland wants to play his grandfather T.C. Douglas but no deal yet
TORONTO (CP) - Actor Kiefer Sutherland wants to play the lead in a planned CBC-TV movie about the life of T.C. Douglas but the film's schedule and Sutherland's contract with 20th Century Fox for his hit TV series 24 haven't meshed, says his actor-mother Shirley Douglas.
Tommy Douglas is the former Saskatchewan premier and federal NDP leader and is considered the father of universal health care in Canada. And Sutherland is his grandson. CBC has announced the two-part miniseries, tentatively titled The Tommy Douglas Project, as part of its 2004-2005 prime time schedule. It is to be produced by Saskatchewan's Mind's Eye Entertainment and directed by John N. Smith (The Boys of St. Vincent) from a script by Bruce M. Smith (The Sleep Room).
Shirley Douglas hopes it all works out but says it's up to Fox whether or not her son will get the time to make the biopic or if they need him for a 24 film.
"He's on hiatus right now and he's gone to New Zealand to do a movie," she says. "And if he could do it, it would be a year from now."
She says he would love to take on the part.
"Kiefer doesn't often say that he knows he can play a role. And he feels very strongly that he can play this. Oh, I would love it."
Slawko Klymkiw, CBC's chief programmer, will say only that the casting is a "work in progress."
Duran Duran Regrouping for a New Album
NEW YORK - Duran Duran, who regrouped last year for a successful tour, are reuniting again — this time, for a new album on a new record label.
Lead singer Simon LeBon told The Associated Press that the band has almost finished working on the untitled disc, which will be released in the fall on Epic Records. It will mark the first time the original band members — LeBon, John Taylor, Nick Rhodes, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor — have recorded an album together since 1983's "Seven & the Ragged Tiger."
Working together again has been seamless, LeBon said. "It's very similar to how it worked 20 years ago. Everybody's a little bit more open to how they feel about stuff."
The British pop quintet was among the biggest rock acts in the world in the early '80s, with hits including "Girls On Film," "Rio," "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "The Reflex."
But they started going their own ways with side projects in 1985. Guitarist Andy Taylor and bassist John Taylor formed The Power Station with the late Robert Palmer; their hits included "Some Like It Hot" and "Get It On." LeBon, keyboardist Rhodes and drummer Roger Taylor recorded an album under the name Arcadia.
By the late '80s, Roger Taylor and Andy Taylor had left Duran Duran entirely.
The men reunited and starting recording new music in 2001, but only recently got a record deal.
They're working with producers Rich Harrison, who has worked with superstars including Usher, Alicia Keys and Beyonce, as well as Don Gilmore, who's produced tracks for multiplatinum acts like Good Charlotte and Linkin Park.
LeBon says the band is not trying to copy the Europop sound that sold them millions of records.
"I don't think it would work if we tried to repeat that," he said.
Yet at the same time, he said it was important for Duran Duran to keep enough of their own musical heritage so that their old fans could relate to their new music.
"We wouldn't want to lose them by trying too hard by trying to connect with a new audience," he said.
Whether or not the album clicks with listeners remains to be seen. But judging from the sold-out performances Duran Duran gave at venues last year — where shrieking fans sang along with every word — LeBon says he has "no doubt that we will get the attention when we release our stuff because I know there's a huge, huge demand for (new music)."
And LeBon says the group is closer than ever — even though they still have their disagreements.
"We're like any people who get very close. Sometimes you argue with each other. But the fact is we inspire each other musically," he said. "Nobody else does it for me. It's just very special."
Britney Spears Cancels Tour Due to Knee Injury
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop princess Britney Spears on Tuesday canceled an upcoming North American summer concert tour due to a severe knee injury she suffered while shooting a video for her latest single last week.
News of her tour cancellation came just as another high-profile female solo act, Courtney Love, postponed her summer concert dates as she faced mounting legal problems due to drug possession charges and assault charges in two states.
Spears, 22, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on her left knee in New York last Wednesday, must remain off her feet for six weeks with her knee in a hard brace, followed by at least eight to 12 weeks of rehabilitation, her Jive Records label said in a statement.
Consequently, Spears' 36-city "Onyx Hotel Tour," which had been set kick off June 22 in Hartford, Connecticut, and run through Aug. 15 in Bakersfield, California, has been called off, Jive said, adding she "hopes to revisit those cities in the future."
The tour was being promoted by Clear Channel Entertainment, a unit of Clear Channel Communications .
The singer's knee gave out last Tuesday while she was performing choreography on a late-night video shoot in Manhattan for her latest single, "Outrageous."
A previous knee injury while performing in Illinois forced Spears to cancel some concert dates earlier this year.
Spears shot to superstardom as a teenager with her 1999 debut album "...Baby One More Time." Her latest album, "In the Zone," was released in November.
Jackson Paid $23 Million in 1990s Molest Case -Report
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Michael Jackson, who faces a trial on child molestation charges, paid more than $23 million to a boy and his family in the mid-1990s to settle similar accusations, Court TV reported on Tuesday.
Though it has long been reported that the 45-year-old singer paid millions of dollars to settle a civil lawsuit by the boy, Court TV said it had obtained a copy of the legal agreement and was making it public for the first time.
A spokeswoman for Jackson said she was trying to find out if the documents shown on camera by Court TV were "the actual agreement" in that case. She added the release of the information appeared aimed at influencing potential jurors against the entertainer.
"That settlement had a very strict confidentiality agreement that was negotiated by parties," spokeswoman Raymone Bain said. "We are going to abide by that and not comment."
She added: "Whoever released this agreement, whether it is the actual agreement or not, did it deliberately and willfully with the intent to influence potential jurors in the current case, which is outrageous and an act of desperation."
The papers, which were signed by Jackson and his then-attorneys, Johnnie Cochran and Howard Weitzman, in January of 1994, show that Jackson agreed to set up a $15.3 million trust fund for the boy, as well as pay him a seven-figure lump sum.
According to the court documents, Jackson also agreed to pay the boy's parents $1.5 million each and pay $5 million, plus expenses, to their attorney. Court TV said the moonwalking entertainer also had to pay his own lawyers an unspecified amount for their work on the case.
Jackson was indicted in April on a 10-count indictment that charges him with committing lewd acts on a boy under the age of 14 as well as child abduction, extortion and false imprisonment.
He has pleaded innocent and his attorney, Thomas Mesereau, has vowed to vindicate Jackson at trial, which is tentatively scheduled to begin in September.