Weekend Movies: 'Village' Aims to Scare Audiences

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Four major movies enter a crowded market on Friday led by director M. Night Shyamalan's mystery "The Village" which looks to be the weekend's box office champ despite a rash of mostly scary reviews.

"The Village" from The Walt Disney Co. debuts in 3,730 theaters, or 863 more than its next closest rival, Denzel Washington thriller "The Manchurian Candidate" in 2,867 venues, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations Inc.

The theater count, plus Shyamalan's strong following and box office history, give "Village" an edge over Oscar-winner Washington's obvious ability to draw crowds.

Comedy "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" is in 2,135 theaters and family film "Thunderbirds" is in 2,057 theaters.

After a rough year at box offices, Disney looks for a hit from Shyamalan, who enjoys a strong following among the young men who make up the core audience of movie-goers. Fortunately for Disney, those audiences rarely listen to critics.

"It's tedious instead of provocative and so unconvincing as to be preposterous," wrote the Los Angeles Times in one of several negative reviews the film received.

The Seattle Times called it "affecting but uneven," while filmcritic.com said "generally excellent filmmaking and clever plot twists redeem things on the whole."

But Shyamalan is, undoubtedly, successful at the box office. "The Sixth Sense" hauled in $294 million at U.S. and Canadian box offices and 2002's "Signs" racked up $228 million.

"If you had to categorize ("The Village"), you could say it is a suspenseful, period love story," he told reporters in a recent interview.

In the film, an isolated farming utopia in Pennsylvania has cut itself off from contact with the outside world and made a deal with creatures living in the surrounding woods: you don't bother us, and we won't bug you.

But when Lucius (Joaquin Phoenix) tests this rule, the creatures begin an assault on the town. He, his young lover, Ivy (Bryce Dallas Howard) and all the townsfolk are in peril.

ELECTION YEAR THRILLER

"Manchurian Candidate," a remake of a classic 1962 film about brainwashing and political assassination starring Frank Sinatra, is winning good reviews and has left early audiences stunned as they contemplate this year's elections.

"I expected it to be provoking," the movie's producer Tina Sinatra, Frank's daughter, said in recent interviews. "When you have a political backdrop and you've got this particular climate, we knew it would support the film," she added.

The reviews for "Manchurian" have been solid, with The New York Times saying director Jonathan Demme has "made a political thriller that manages to be at once silly and clever, buoyantly satirical and sneakily disturbing."

Washington plays a Gulf War veteran who commanded a platoon of soldiers that was lost for three days. In his troop is an aspiring politician who saves the men from being massacred.

Or does he? Fast forward 13 years and the politician, now Congressman Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber), is running for vice president. Washington's character, Bennett Marco, thinks he has been brainwashed into believing Shaw's heroics.

He comes to believe the events never really happened. Indeed, he thinks they were concocted to make Shaw a medal winner and eventual U.S. President.

Behind the plot is a private equity fund called Manchurian Global that has investments in the defense industry, and Marco has to expose their scheme before Shaw is put into office.

For a light movie experience, there is road-trip comedy "Harold & Kumar." For kids, "Thunderbirds" is based on the British TV series about the adventures of the Tracy family, who command a fleet of international, ultrasonic rescue vehicles.

All four new films that opened on Friday are hoping to unseat last week's No. 1 movie, "The Bourne Supremacy."

Paramount Pictures is behind "Manchurian Candidate," while New Line Cinema is releasing "Harold and Kumar" and Universal Pictures backs "Thunderbirds" as well as "Bourne."

Commuters, Bryan Adams feels your pain.

The Canadian rock superstar was stopped in downtown Toronto traffic yesterday while shooting a video for his new single, Open Road.

The Toronto Sun got an exclusive peek and interview.

On a small street dressed to look like New York City, the Vancouver singer sat stalled in a classic silver Mustang. Acting bored, he mouthed along to the song's lyrics about breaking out and hitting the open road.

Unlike folks gridlocked in real life, Adams gets to walk away.

Beforehand in his trailer, Adams told the Sun: "The concept is that the traffic is stopped and I can't go anywhere. I get out of my car and go into a building, past all the people who are controlling it. I get into this boardroom and start opening up a winch, which opens up the road."

He says the clip is not so much about traffic as "power, authority, holding everyone back. It's an anti-establishment statement."

Open Road is the lead single from the upcoming Bryan Adams album, Room Service, which hits stores Sept. 21. You can hear it for yourself today, when the song is delivered to radio stations.

This rock track is instantly recognizable as Adams, sounding a lot like his smash 1984 hit Run To You crossed with that other classic Canadian road trip song, Tom Cochrane's Life is a Highway.

Truckers, it's time for a new mixed tape.

Adams' music always does big business, in Canada and around the world. To date, he has sold more than 65 million records. Besides Celine Dion, few Canadians can match his global recognition and South Park spoof-ability factor.

Adams, 45, not only sounds the same as ever, he looks forever teen. For the video clip, he sported a leather jacket and jeans, his hair slightly shorter now but still slightly spiked.

Maybe it's the fame that keeps him young, or perhaps keeping a motorcycle. (He says he stills rides even after having been shot in the back with an air rifle in the streets of London, England, last year.)

Or maybe it's the travel. Adams still routinely tours the world, living out of suitcases. This is where he recorded Room Service.

"I had a big studio which used to travel with me, but you couldn't move it from place to place.

"I would need to rent a house for six months and work. This time, I got rid of that system and got it into two suitcases. It's the marvel of digital technology."

Bryan Adams says Room Service is his most global record.

The song Open Road, for example, was completed over two continents while he toured.

"The basic track was recorded in Vancouver, at the Warehouse studio," he said.

"The vocal was done in Paris, and my guitarist Keith (Scott) did his part backstage in Lethbridge, Alberta."

No word on whether Adams penned anything new sitting in the car between takes.

The video for Open Road should be ready for telecast in about two weeks.

'Batman Begins' Trailer Gives Glimpse of Cowl

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Warner Bros. has sent out the bat signal. The first teaser trailer for the highly anticipated "Batman Begins" is now available for public delectation.

The fifth Caped Crusader installment revisits the mythos behind the comic book superhero. "Batman Begins" explores why Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is driven to take up the cowl for his own particular brand of vigilantism in Gotham.

Little is known of the plot, but on the side of good are the following: Michael Caine as the trusty butler Alfred, Katie Holmes as love interest Rachel, Liam Neeson as mentor Henri Ducard, Morgan Freeman as former Wayne Enterprises board member and Gary Oldman as Lieutenant James Gordon.

Of course, Batman's life would be hollow without the bad guys, who include: Ken Watanabe as Ra's Al Ghul, Tom Wilkinson as crime leader Falcone, Rutger Hauer as a businessman who has designs on Wayne Enterprises and Cillian Murphy as the Scarecrow.

The latest of the Batman adventures is scripted by David Goyer and Christopher Nolan, who will direct. Goyer also wrote big-screen adaptations for the "Blade" trilogy.

Get your fill of the trailer now at www.batmanbegins.com, since the film isn't scheduled for release until June 17, 2005.

Everclear Best-Of Boasts Unreleased Songs

Two previously unreleased tracks bolster "Ten Years Gone - The Best of Everclear 1994-2004," due Sept. 28 via Capitol. Along with such hits as "Santa Monica," "I Will Buy You a New Life" and "Father of Mine," the collection features "New Disease" and "Sex With a Movie Star."

Both of the tracks were recorded in the sessions for the Art Alexakis-led band's last album, 2003's "Slow Motion Daydream." Japanese versions of the set carried "New Disease" as "Your New Disease" (also available online to domestic owners of the enhanced disc).

Also included are a pair of songs the band placed on movie soundtracks. "Local God" was among the cuts on Capitol's modern-rock heavy 1996 "Romeo + Juliet," while Everclear's cover of Thin Lizzy's "The Boys Are Back in Town" was included on Polygram's 1999 "Detroit Rock City" soundtrack.

As previously reported, Alexakis is representing Portland, Ore., as an elected delegate at the Democratic National Convention, which closes tonight (July 29) in Boston. Now the sole remaining original member of the band, he is planning a fall Everclear tour followed by a new studio album in 2005.

Here is the "Ten Years Gone - The Best of Everclear 1994-2004" track list:

"Wonderful"
"Santa Monica"
"Everything to Everyone"
"AM Radio"
"Volvo Driving Soccer Mom"
"I Will Buy You a New Life"
"Learning How To Smile"
"Strawberry"
"Local God"
"Summerland"
"Fire Maple Song"
"When It All Goes Wrong Again"
"Heroin Girl"
"The Boys Are Back in Town"
"Father of Mine (Radio Mix)"
"Brown Eyed Girl"
"Sex With a Movie Star (Good Witch Gone Bad)"
"The New Disease"
"New York Times"
"Song From an American Movie Pt.1"
"Rock Star"

Weezer leader heading back to school

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo is heading back to school once the band finishes up work on their fifth studio album, Rolling Stone reports.

Cuomo will be going back to Harvard University to resume his English Literature studies this fall.

He originally began studying at the Ivy League school in the fall of 1995, but left in 1997 following the dismal sales performance of Weezer's sophomore album "Pinkerton."

Weezer's as-yet-untitled new album, produced by Rick Rubin, is due in late 2004 or early 2005.

Weezer Frontman Chronicles 'Epiphany'

Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo has revealed details of the creative struggle to realize the band's fifth album, preparation for which has dragged on much longer than originally planned. In a nearly 2,000-word essay posted on his personal Web site, Cuomo chronicles the radical lifestyle changes he says led to a spiritual and musical "epiphany."

The shift came in the wake of Weezer's re-emergence with 2000's "The Green Album," which Cuomo says sold more than 2 million copies worldwide. But its 2002 follow-up, "Maladroit," "was not the big hit that it had threatened to be," after which Cuomo "fell into a life of ego and vice."

"I asked myself, 'Is my life really supporting the production of the music I know I am capable of creating?' I had to admit that music no longer gave me the feeling of sublime ecstasy that it once had," he says. "Although I had already written another large pile of songs for our fifth album, I put all plans to record on hold. There was a revolution brewing in my mind, soon to be triggered by the man we had hired a few months earlier to produce the album, Rick Rubin."

Cuomo goes on to describe how Rubin introduced him to the love poetry of Hafiz and Vipassana meditation in February 2003. "In accord with my understanding of these teachings, I abruptly dropped all of my business responsibilities and hard-won power, and isolated myself once again," he says. "I fasted and lost 15% of my weight. I took a vow of complete celibacy. I gave away or sold most of my possessions, my house and my car and lived in an empty apartment next to Rick Rubin's house for the rest of the year. I moved to settle outstanding lawsuits and reconcile myself with enemies. I apologized to many people. I volunteered six days a week at Project Angel Food in Hollywood, preparing meals for people with HIV."

"Since then, I have found that the areas of tension in my mind -- the fear, the anger, the sadness, the craving -- are slowly melting away," Cuomo continues. "I am left with a more pristine mind, more sharp and sensitive than I previously imagined possible. I am more calm and stable. My concentration and capacity to work have increased greatly. I feel like I am finally much closer to reaching my potential."

Weezer's official Web site says the band is still in rehearsals in anticipation of hitting the studio. "The music I have created over the last six months has brought me much enjoyment," Cuomo says.

However, the singer is returning in the fall to Harvard, which he last attended in 1997, potentially affecting the release of the as-yet-untitled new set. "It is understood that the school break wouldn't interfere with the album's release, as most albums have a 3-4 month period of planning, marketing, etc, before release anyway -- about the amount of time the semester would require," Weezer's site said earlier this month.

Regina teacher Manoah Hartmann voted from Canadian Idol

TORONTO (CP) - Performing the Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams wasn't enough to save Regina teacher Manoah Hartmann from the Canadian Idol chopping block Thursday night.

The 25-year-old Victoria native received the least number of votes following Wednesday's singing competition, which was watched by over two million people, said broadcaster CTV. The station said it received 2.2 million votes.

Not that anyone cares, but there are now eight contestants vying for the Idol title.

MGM Mum on Whether Brosnan Will Return as Bond

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mum's the word, 007.

Film studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc on Thursday kept its lips pursed as tight as any secret agent with a license to kill on whether Pierce Brosnan would play James Bond in the next superspy movie set for release in November 2005.

The Irish-born actor has portrayed the fictional hero of the multi-billion dollar film franchise four times since 1995's "GoldenEye," but this week he said he has holstered his gun for good.

"That's it," he told Entertainment Weekly magazine in a story published on Tuesday on its Web site. "I've said all I've got to say on the world of James Bond."

"Bond is another lifetime," the 51 year-old actor said, adding: "Behind me."

But in the world of covert espionage (i.e.: Bond movies and Hollywood deals), things are rarely what they appear. MGM, which along with EON Productions owns the Bond movie rights and distributes the films, has not yet counted Brosnan out.

MGM Vice Chairman Chris McGurk told reporters and financial analysts the company and EON are still developing the 21st Bond film in the 42 year-old series. A script was complete, a director was being hired and then they would see about Bond.

"At that point, we're going to address the casting issues. It's the same process we went through with 'Die Another Day,"' which was the most recent Bond movie, McGurk said.

"We're deep in development, and right now, we're still targeting November 2005" as the release date, he added.

Brosnan completed his contract to portray the British superspy, codenamed 007, with the 2002 film that co-starred Halle Berry. Until the Entertainment Weekly interview, he had often told reporters he was open to another turn as Bond.

Hollywood insiders speculate Brosnan may be starting negotiations for the next movie in the press. His media representative referred calls to MGM, which declined to comment beyond McGurk's statement.

Since 1962's original Bond flick, "Dr. No" starring Sean Connery, five actors have played the spy first made popular in Ian Fleming's novels.

Connery ("Goldfinger" and "Thunderball") Roger Moore ("The Spy Who Loved Me") and Brosnan have been the most successful. The other two Bonds were Timothy Dalton and George Lazenby.

"Die Another Day," was the biggest Bond box office hit racking up a total of around $425 million in worldwide ticket sales, and in 2003's second quarter MGM took in another $140 million from the film's DVD and home video sales.

Beck Gets A Hand From Jack White

Beck's next DGC/Geffen album will boast an appearance by White Stripes singer/guitarist Jack White on an as-yet-untitled song. The new album, also without a title, is due in late October, according to Beck's spokesperson. A tour is expected to follow, with dates to be announced.

White's guest spot returns the favor of Beck's cameo appearance in the Stripes' 2003 video "The Hardest Button to Button," one of the most played clips of last fall on MTV2.

The follow-up to 2002's "Sea Change" reunites Beck with production team the Dust Brothers, with whom he had not worked since 1999's "Midnite Vultures." The Dust Brothers were also behind the boards for 1996's "Odelay," which won a Grammy for best alternative music performance.

"Sea Change" debuted at No. 8 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 574,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Before the new album's release, Beck can be heard covering Daniel Johnston's "Things Last a Long Time" on the tribute album "The Late, Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Covered," due Sept. 21 via Gammon.

Prince assails record companies during rare appearance on Canadian TV

TORONTO (CP) - Rock superstar Prince used a rare appearance on Canadian television Wednesday to attack record companies for what he calls their "restrictive" control of the music industry.

With computer technology allowing people to record and distribute their own music, the days of record companies making money off artists are numbered, he said during a 20-minute interview at a MuchMoreMusic taping. "Kids today, I mean, they're so talented and sophisticated," Prince said. "They can create their own albums on laptops. They can deliver it through the Internet. They can even be their own distribution service."

"I mean, what do we really need record companies for?" asked the performer, who lives in Toronto part-time with his wife, Toronto-born Manuela Testolini.

The Grammy winner got the audience of about 80 going before the interview with a three-song performance with his band. He even invited the foot-stomping crowd to dance alongside him on stage.

About 20 fans took him up on the offer as Prince gyrated and sang in front of several cameras.

Hours later, he was to perform his second concert in as many nights at the Air Canada Centre.

Even by MuchMusic standards, this was not a typical day. A quick scan of the audience hovering around the stage revealed many of them to be MuchMusic employees.

Veteran VJ Bill Welychka, the host of the show, said there "really is a sense of royalty" in the air with Prince in the building.

"What can I say?" Welychka said. "Everyone's really excited to see him because he's no less than a legend."

MuchMoreMusic's Intimate and Interactive with Prince airs Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT.

Sony, BMG Combination Gets U.S. Antitrust Approval

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. antitrust authorities on Wednesday approved a deal for record companies Sony Music and BMG to merge, creating a rival to market leader Universal Music.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said it would not oppose the combination of Sony Music, a division of Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp., and BMG, a unit of German media conglomerate Bertelsmann AG.

"Upon further review of this matter, it now appears that no additional action is warranted by the commission at this time," the agency said in a letter to each of the companies.

BMG said in a statement that the reviews by U.S. and European antitrust officials had been "diligent."

"We now look forward to creating a global recorded music company comprising many of the world's most successful artists as well as a vast catalog of recordings," BMG said in its statement.

Combining the Sony Music and BMG creates a company with revenues of as much as $5 billion and brings under one roof such artists as Britney Spears, Usher, Elvis and Beyonce.

The FTC approval comes a week after the European Commission endorsed the deal. The EC imposed no conditions, but warned that it would look closely at any further proposed consolidation in the industry.

The Couch Potato Report - July 27th, 2004

This week in The Couch Potato Report a good movie based on a comic book and a really bad film based on a film.

BATMAN. SPIDER-MAN. DAREDEVIL. THE PUNISHER. THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN. BLADE. CATWOMAN. THE CROW. THE ROAD TO PERDITION. HULK. MEN IN BLACK. SUPERMAN. X-MEN. HOWARD THE DUCK.

The list of movies made from comic books is long.

The list of good movies made from comic books is much shorter.

I am happy to report that the "good" list is now one longer due to the inclusion of the film HELLBOY.

In the comic book, and movie, HELLBOY is the son of Satan. He is summoned to earth by a fictional version of the Russian Mystic Grigori Rasputin. Rasputin is working for the Nazis during the second World War.

When he is first introduced HELLBOY isn't a menacing devil, but rather a toddler-like creature with red skin, horns, a tail, and a large stone right hand.

Raised by the U.S. Military, Hellboy becomes the primary agent for the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence, alongside several other superhuman agents, in the fight to save humanity.

HELLBOY is an exciting action-packed movie. The story and action are fast-paced and completely engaging. There are colourful characters, witty humor, thrilling action sequences and eye-popping special effects and Ron Perlman from TV's BEAUTY AND THE BEAST is well cast in the lead role.

All that said, if you don't like movies based on comic books, you're not going to like this movie. In the end, it's a good film for those who likes films like this, but it doesn't rise above its pedigree the way that the X-MEN and SPIDER-MAN films have.

Still, those of us who are fans of movies based on comic books can easily add HELLBOY to the list of good movies made from comic books.

There's another new release this week that is primarily for fans only. That release is the 4-disc box set for SLEDGE HAMMER!

SLDEGE HAMMER was a television show that ran from 1986 to 1988. It was a TV cop show parody that wanted to be a cross between the DIRTY HARRY films and the classic series GET SMART.

While it didn't always achieve the quality of those two franchises, from time to time it was the funniest thing on TV.

This new DVD box set features all 22 episodes from Season One of SLEDGE HAMMER!, including the unaired pilot. There is also a commentary from creator Alan Spencer; a new 32-minute documentary on the series called "Go Ahead, Make Me Laugh." That documentary features new interviews with the cast and crew of the series.

SLEDGE HAMMER! wasn't a series for everyone, and this new box set isn't either. But if you remember the show fondly, you'll understand my review even more when I say "Trust me, I know what I'm doing!"

I'm sure that the actors, cast, crew, writer and director knew what they were doing when they were making the film THE WHOLE TEN YARDS.

They knew they should just take the money and run!

Take the money and run away, as far away as possible, from this horrible, horrible film.

When THE WHOLE NINE YARDS came out in the year 2000 it featured TV FRIEND Matthew Perry as a mild-mannered Montreal dentist whose new next-door neighbor just happened to be a notorious mob hit man out on parole.

Bruce Willis from the DIE HARD films played the hit man, and his chemistry with Perry along with the work of actresses Amanda Peet and Natasha Henstridge and the rest of the film's cast made THE WHOLE NINE YARDS a very funny, enjoyable film.

So enjoyable in fact, that when I heard they were making a sequel, I was actually looking forward to it.

Boy was I disappointed. Boy am I still disappointed!!

THE WHOLE TEN YARDS is so bad, so awful, that it is a total and complete waste of your time. I'd skip it altogether on The Couch Potato Report, but I want to make sure you to hear just how bad it is so you don't waste your time, like I did.

Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Natasha Henstridge and Amanda Peet should all have to do hours and hours of community service to make up for how bad this thing is!

The story is uninteresting, the actors look bored and I can't even be bothered to say anything else about it.

Except that I hate ending this week's Report on such a negative, so let me say something positive about THE WHOLE TEN YARDS and be done with it.

Ummm..okay, I got it. Here is the positive: actress Natasha Henstridge, who was born in Springdale, Newfoundland, and raised in Fort McMurray, Alberta, looks amazing in the film. She doesn't have anything to do and seems completely bored in the picture, but she looks amazing.

There. That's a positive note to end on.

HELLBOY, SLEDGE HAMMER! * SEASON ONE and THE WHOLE TEN YARDS are all available now at your favourite local video store.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

HIDALGO is about a man and his horse that compete in a grueling desert race. The film stars Viggo Mortensen from THE LORD OF THE RINGS Trilogy AND the legendary Omar Sharif from Dr. Zhivago. If you don't expect very much going in, you might enjoy it. MIGHT enjoy it.

You also MIGHT enjoy 13 GOING ON 30. This female version of the role reversal premise perfected in the movie BIG features the incredible Jennifer Garner from TV's ALIAS as an awkward teen who skips her adolescent years. With a little help from movie magic, she begins life again at 30.

Garner is perky, fun, and even epervescent in the film, but the film itself is none of those things. It's entertaining enough, but it just wasn't any fun.

I'll have more on 13 GOING ON 30, HIDALGO and some other 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!

Michael Moore plans next movie

What do you do to follow up a project that's the most successful movie of its kind ever made, having earned $100 million and counting? If you're documentarian Michael Moore, you go to the hospital. According to the Associated Press, Moore now has a title for his next work-in-progress, an exposé of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and other health care woes called ''Sicko.'' Thanks to the runaway success of ''Fahrenheit 9/11,'' he's also having a much easier time raising production money than ever before.

Even if ''Fahrenheit'' hadn't been a hit, however, he'd have gone ahead with ''Sicko'' just the same. ''I've never let that get in the way, anyway," Moore said of the difficulty of getting documentaries financed. ''Even if this movie hadn't done as well, that movie was going to get made, because I think the American people are clamoring to see the HMOs punished.''

''Sicko'' will mark a return to the guerrilla-theater stunts that first made Moore famous, in movies like ''Roger & Me'' and his TV series ''The Awful Truth'' and ''TV Nation.'' The idea comes from an ''Awful Truth'' segment in which Moore staged a mock funeral at an HMO that had refused to pay for an organ transplant a man needed to survive. The shamed HMO ended up funding the operation after all.

In a recent EW cover story, Moore described how he'll adapt that segment to the big screen. ''I go after these HMOs and these pharmaceutical companies. The style of the film is like 'Run Lola Run,''' he said. ''I don't know if I can run that fast for hours, but I just thought, What if we were just relentless motherf---ers, because I can't think of anything more evil than these HMOs. We try to see how many lives we can save in 90 minutes.''

Kim Mitchell joins Toronto FM station

Rocker Kim Mitchell is becoming a disc jockey at a Toronto radio station.

The classic rock station Q107 announced yesterday Mitchell will be the new afternoon drive radio host beginning August 9.

Mitchell was in the studio as morning host John Derringer announced the news and he told listeners he's excited about the possibilities. He'll be heard weekdays between 2 p.m. and 7 live from the studio at the Hard Rock Café, by Dundas Square. The station plans to celebrate his arrival with a special edition of their monthly "Breakfast With Derringer" live broadcast on Aug. 27.

"I'm looking forward to bringing my experience as a musician, artist and entertainer to the microphone at Q107," Mitchell says on the station's website. "I am rocked and ready, let's go!"

The Peterborough native began his career as singer-guitarist in Max Webster. His later solo work during the early 1980s included songs like "Patio Lanterns", "Go For A Soda", and "Rock And Roll Duty".

Billy Idol plots concerts as work continues on new album

With work still underway on his first new studio set in more than a decade, Billy Idol has lined up a handful of live performances.

The spiky-haired rocker has nailed down four mid-September shows so far, all of which are set in the West, and plans to add a few more dates to the run, according to organizers. Details are shown below.

Idol and longtime guitarist Steve Stevens continue to work on an album that will be Idol's first collection of new material since 1993's "Cyberpunk." The two recently teamed with veteran A&R man John Kalodner, who has played a key role in fostering the careers of rock acts such as Aerosmith and Bon Jovi.

Though no release date is set, Kalodner, in a message posted at his website, said that the album probably will surface "in winter or spring of 2005."

"The style will be classic Billy Idol hit songs," Kalodner wrote. "He invented an amazing style and he's sticking to it."

In 2001, Idol released a greatest-hits collection, which moved about 500,000 copies in the states. The CD version of his VH1 "Storytellers" appearance with Stevens followed in 2002.

Idol rose to stardom during the '80s thanks to hits such as "White Wedding," "Rebel Yell," "Dancing with Myself" and "Cradle of Love," among others.

'Simpsons' Tackles Homersexual Marriage

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) First, Homer Simpson learned to respect homosexuals after gay antique dealer John (voiced by John Waters) saved him from a herd of angry reindeer in "Homer's Phobia." Then, in "Three Gays of the Condo," Homer moved to Springfield's gay neighborhood, moved in with a pair of flamboyant housemates and even enjoyed a same-sex smooch. Homer's ties to the gay community will get even tighter this coming season.

Over the weekend, fanatics flocked to a panel at San Diego's Comic-Con convention hoping to get information about the upcoming season of "The Simpsons" and got an earful about the latest scandal to hit Springfield.

"We have a show where, to raise money, Springfield legalizes gay marriage," producer Al Jean told clamoring fans. "Homer becomes a minister by going on the Internet and filling out a form. A longtime character comes out of the closet, but I'm not saying who."

Instantly, speculation has centered on the possibility that Waylon Smithers is the most likely candidate for outing, but is Smithers really in the closet? The musical loving, Malibu Stacy collecting, bootlicking Smithers has made his intentions clear to his employer, Montgomery Burns, on numerous occasions.

On the other hand, the show has gone to occasional lengths to obfuscate Smithers' sexual identity. In "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular," Ambassador Henry Mwabwetumba of the Ivory Coast sent in a presumably fake letter asking what the "real deal" with Waylon Smithers was.

After a series of clips of Smithers' homoerotic exchanges with Mr. Burns, noted actor Troy McClure declared, "As you can see, the real deal with Waylon Smithers is that he's Mr. Burns' assistant. He's in his early 40s, is unmarried, and currently resides in Springfield. Thanks for writing."

Will this episode find Lenny and Carl moving from platonic life partners to spouses? Will either Patty or Selma decide that they'll never meet a man who lives up to the standards set by MacGyver? Will Ms. Hoover and Ms. Krabappel find love? Will the Sea Captain return from a long voyage with a new First Mate?

"It's Homer," says Matt Groening. We think he's joking, but you won't know for sure until "The Simpsons" returns for its 16th season this fall.

R.E.M.'s In A 'New York' State Of Mind

The first single from R.E.M.'s next Warner Bros. album will be "Leaving New York," which is tentatively set for a Sept. 27 commercial release in the United Kingdom. A group spokesperson had no information regarding the single but confirms the as-yet-untitled album will arrive Oct. 5 in North America.

It will be the follow-up to 2001's "Reveal," which debuted at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 411,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Among the other tracks being eyed for the new release are "Wanderlust" and "I'm Gonna DJ."

The song "Final Straw," which was previously released online and debuted during R.E.M.'s 2003 tour, will appear on the "Future Soundtrack of America" compilation, due Aug. 17 via Barsuk Records.

R.E.M. is planning a fall tour in support of the new disc, which is expected to encompass some concerts in swing states in the run-up to the U.S. presidential election.

As previously reported, R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck can also be heard guesting on Irish rock act the Thrills' new album, "Let's Bottle Bohemia," due Sept. 14 via Virgin.

Sopranos creator can take his time on Season 6, HBO chairman says

NEW YORK (AP) - No Sopranos family members will be knocked off in 2005. That's because HBO has announced that the sixth and final season of the popular mob drama won't premiere until sometime in 2006.

"It's like the Harry Potter book," HBO chairman Chris Albrecht said last week. "You'll wait very long and be happy when you get it." The announcement was made during the Television Critics Association press tour in Los Angeles.

Albrecht said The Sopranos creator and executive producer David Chase can take all the time he needs to write, hinting the final season could become longer than the 10 episodes Chase committed to in January.

The Sopranos wrapped up its fifth season recently.

"Until the last episode of The Sopranos airs, I'm always hopeful," Albrecht said.

Other HBO shows that will live on include a fifth season of Larry David's comedy, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and sophomore seasons of the dark dramas Carnivale and Deadwood.

Report: No More Bond for Brosnan

NEW YORK - Pierce Brosnan appears to be turning in his license to kill, says Entertainment Weekly. "That's it," Brosnan told EW.com. "I've said all I've got to say on the world of James Bond."

In an interview on the magazine's Web site, posted Tuesday, the Irish-born actor said 2002's "Die Another Day" was his last mission on her majesty's secret service.

"Bond is another lifetime behind me," Brosnan said.

But the 51-year-old's statement might be a negotiating ploy. Original Bond Sean Connery quit for a whole movie before being lured back for bigger bucks. If true, England-based Eon Productions, which produces the Bond flicks, must find another star to carry 007's Walther PPK in the 21st Bond movie, scheduled for release next year.

Speculation surrounds Brits Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Gerard Butler, Jude Law and Ewan McGregor, as well as Aussies Hugh Jackman, Heath Ledger and Eric Bana.

For Brosnan, playing Bond will always be a fond memory.

"We went out on a high," Brosnan said, "and I look back affectionately at that time and doing those four movies. But I've said all I gotta say on it."

Jay-Z Tops MTV Music Video Award Nominations

MIAMI (Reuters) - Rap artist Jay-Z tops the race for this year's MTV Video Music Awards with six nominations for his video "99 Problems."

The music television network said on Tuesday that R&B star Beyonce, pop-punkers No Doubt and hip-hop duo OutKast followed hot on Jay-Z's heels. Beyonce had four nominations for "Naughty Girl" and one for "Me, Myself and I." No Doubt had five for "It's My Life" and OutKast received five nods for "Hey Ya."

The 2004 MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live from Miami on Aug. 29, the first time the award show has taken place outside New York or Los Angeles in its 20-year history.

Dave Sirulnick, one of the show's two executive producers, said that, in another first for the show, the stars would not roll up to the red carpet at Miami's American Airlines Arena in the usual stretch limousines but on boats.

...Harry Potter 3 comes to Muggle-Vision

The third installment in the Potter series is coming to DVD in November from Warner Home Entertainment as a two-disc special edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Harry returns to a Hogwarts on high alert. The murderer Sirius Black has escaped and he seems to be heading towards the school in search of Harry. But a new professor who knew Harry’s parents knows that there is more to the escape and that the danger to Harry and Hogwarts is greater than anyone imagines.

No details are available on the features, but the disc will be available in separate fullscreen and anamorphic widescreen versions.

Both will arrive on November 23rd.

Matt Damon 'Bourne' Again Atop Box Office

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "The Bourne Supremacy," a spy thriller starring Matt Damon as an amnesiac killer, was the No. 1 choice of moviegoers across North America over the weekend, selling about $53.5 million worth of tickets in its first three days, outpacing the launch of its 2002 predecessor, according to studio estimates issued on Sunday.

Last weekend's champion, the Will Smith sci-fi thriller "I, Robot," slipped to No. 2 with $22.1 million, taking its 10-day total to $95.5 million.

The other new wide entry in the top 10, "Catwoman," a poorly reviewed movie starring Halle Berry as the feline superheroine, opened at No. 3 with a disappointing $17.2 million.

"The Bourne Supremacy," budgeted at a relatively modest $75 million, was directed by British filmmaker Paul Greengrass ("Bloody Sunday") for Universal Pictures, a unit of General Electric Co. -controlled NBC Universal. Bourne plays an agent hunted both by his former CIA colleagues as well as by European thugs. Joan Allen co-stars.

Its predecessor, "The Bourne Identity," also starring Damon, opened at No. 2 in June 2002 with $27 million and finished with more than $210 million worldwide. That film, directed by Doug Liman, went onto become a big hit on home video. Both films were based on books by Robert Ludlum.

"Catwoman," budgeted in the high $80 million-range, has long suffered from bad buzz among comic-book purists, and critics' reviews were pretty catastrophic too. Berry, who won an Academy Award in 2002 for "Monster's Ball," dons bondage gear to take on an evil cosmetics tycoon.

Directed by Frenchman Pitof, a visual effects maven, the film also stars Sharon Stone, who has not had a hit since 1992's "Basic Instinct."

"We're a little disappointed," said Dan Fellman, president of domestic theatrical distribution at Time Warner Inc.'s Warner Bros. Pictures, which released "Catwoman." He said he had hoped the movie would open in the $20 million range.

"I, Robot" was released by Twentieth Century Fox, a unit of News Corp.'s Fox Entertainment Group Inc.

Episode III Finally Has A Title

starwars.com is pleased to announce that Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith is the full title of the next Star Wars film, scheduled for release on May 19, 2005.

The Sith are masters of the dark side of the Force and the sworn enemies of the Jedi. They were all but exterminated by the Jedi a thousand years ago, but the evil order continued in secrecy. They operated quietly, behind the scenes, acting in pairs - a Master and an Apprentice - patiently biding their time before they could take over the galaxy. In Episode III, they'll finally exact their revenge on the Jedi.

The title was publicly revealed Saturday in a special presentation to a packed audience of Star Wars fans at Comic-Con International in San Diego, California. "For some time now, the naming of a new Star Wars movie has taken on some special meaning among core fans, who love to take part in guessing games before a title is announced, and then engage in debate once it is," said Steve Sansweet, Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations for Lucasfilm. "Let the debates begin."

The title wasn't the only surprise for those in attendance at the presentation.

While the Star Wars Trilogy is the biggest news for Force-fan videophiles, Sansweet announced the fall debut of Ewoks and Droids adventures on DVD. 20th Century Fox Home Video will release these animated adventures as well as the pair of made-for-television Ewok live action movies (The Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor) this November and December.

September 21, of course, is the release date for the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD.

The presentation included clips of some of the bonus material found in the boxed set, as well as a first look at the animated menus that organize the wealth of information and options within. Jim Ward, Vice President of Marketing for Lucasfilm and Executive Producer of the DVDs spoke about the upcoming release, and announced that the epic feature-length documentary, Empire of Dreams: The Story of the Star Wars Trilogy, would appear as a special edited-for-television edition on the A&E network this fall.

In other DVD news, Sansweet confirmed a projected release date for the much-asked-about Star Wars: Clone Wars DVDs. The incredibly successful 20 chapters of the Cartoon Network animated shorts will be making their home video debut next spring, around the same time as the airdate for the final batch of Clone Wars shorts from Genndy Tartakovsky and Paul Rudish.

But before that, an essential George Lucas film will make its DVD debut. Sansweet took the opportunity to screen the theatrical trailer to THX 1138: The George Lucas Director's Cut , as well as premiere an all-new trailer to the Comic-Con audience. This video will soon make its way to the official THX 1138 website, which will soon be posting a theater list for the select cities that will be exhibiting the film prior to its DVD release.

On the Episode III front, the biggest news was the confirmation of the Episode III title, and the availability of a shirt with said title at StarWarsShop.com.

Sansweet also welcomed two very special Revenge of the Sith guests: Producer Rick McCallum, and the Chosen One himself, Hayden Christensen.

Fans in attendance also got a first look at Hasbro's forthcoming packaging design for Episode III product. The stylized visage of Darth Vader looms large over a chaotic field of molten lava.

Star Wars Spectacular debuted an advance look at two pieces of Episode III-related video that will be found as bonus material in the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set. "Episode III: Making the Game" went behind-the-scenes on LucasArts' forthcoming tie-in video game. An edited version of "The Return of Darth Vader" revealed the gleaming Darth Vader armor from Episode III and showed Christensen donning the armor for the Dark Lord's debut.

FOR THE RECORD, HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT EPISODE III SO FAR

After three long years of relentless fighting, the Clone Wars are nearly at an end. The Jedi Council dispatches Obi-Wan Kenobi to bring General Grievous, the deadly leader of the Separatist droid army, to justice. Meanwhile, back on Coruscant, Chancellor Palpatine has grown in power. His sweeping political changes transform the war-weary Republic into the mighty Galactic Empire. To his closest ally, Anakin Skywalker, he reveals the true nature of power and the promised secrets of the Force in an attempt to lure him to the dark side.

Weekend Movies: 'Bourne' and 'Catwoman' Square Off

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two action movies with vastly different approaches hit theaters nationwide on Friday as Matt Damon in "The Bourne Supremacy" battled Halle Berry in "Catwoman" for box office dominance.

"Bourne Supremacy," like its 2002 predecessor, "The Bourne Identity," relies on old Hollywood action -- car chases and hand-to-hand combat -- compared to the slick special effects, costumes and futuristic sets of comic-book-inspired "Catwoman."

Audiences will get a nearly equal crack at seeing the films as Universal Pictures lined up 3,162 theaters for "Bourne" and Warner Bros. put "Catwoman" in 3,117 theaters, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The pair face their strongest competition from last week's No. 1 movie, science-fiction thriller "I, Robot" which took in $52 million in the United States and Canada.

The first "Bourne" proved to be a solid success for Universal and Damon. It earned more than $210 million worldwide for the studio, making the sequel -- in a year when sequels have performed well in theaters -- a relatively safe bet.

Moreover, the first movie earned strong reviews for Damon, who shed his good-boy image and clean-cut looks to take the role of stone-cold killer and trained assassin, Jason Bourne.

"He's got a dark past, and people don't look at me and necessarily think that," Damon told reporters in a recent interview.

As audiences learned in the first "Bourne" film, the assassin Bourne suffers from amnesia and after nearly suffering the fate of his victims has escaped to never be bothered again.

LOOKING FOR REVENGE

Or so he thought. In the second movie, Bourne is living peacefully in a remote beach town in India when the film begins.

He starts to go after his former adversaries, and when he learns they are stationed in Berlin, he seeks revenge.

But as Bourne is starting to act, his memory begins to come back to him in flashes and as the movie progresses, he learns more about who he once was and what he did.

As he seeks vengeance for a murder that affected him, he also must consider his own past.

"(When) something terribly wrong happens to you, your first instinct is to go to get revenge, but ... if you start to look at your own life and take responsibility for your own actions, the most important thing you do to rejoin the human race is start by atoning for the things that you've done," Damon said.

Berry, too, seeks a little revenge as the comic book heroine and feline fatale in "Catwoman."

She has proved she can kick butt with the best of the men as Jinx in the James Bond movie "Die Another Day" and Storm in the "X-Men" films, but comic book movies have been aimed primarily at young men. As a result, putting a woman behind the mask represents a sizable risk for Warner Bros.

The movie has earned generally poor reviews, with the New York Times, for one, saying Berry is "doing her utmost to persuade the Academy to take back her Oscar."

Goldman Sachs financial analyst Anthony Noto estimated the movie's production budget was around $100 million and in written research on Friday said that, given the competitive weekend and early, poor reviews, "'Catwoman"' likely carries a negative financial implication" for Warner Bros.

In the movie, Berry is a meek graphic designer for a cosmetics company who learns that a new anti-aging product isn't all it's cracked up to be, and she pays for that knowledge with her life.

But she is resurrected as Catwoman, with mysterious powers and sets out to settle the score with the people who thought they had killed her.

In the end, you won't care.

Springsteen, Dylan, Pixies Salute Zevon

Live recordings by Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, as well as newly recorded cuts by Jackson Browne, the Pixies and Ry Cooder will be featured on an upcoming tribute to the late Warren Zevon. Planned for a fall release by Artemis, the collection is being produced by Jorge Calderone, who worked closely with Zevon on his final album, "The Wind."

The title, release date and track list for the album is still being finalized, according to a label spokesperson.

Springsteen, who was among the guests on "The Wind," has contributed a version of Zevon's "My Ride's Here" recorded in Toronto last year. Dylan, who took to performing several Zevon songs on the road in 2003, has offered his take on "Mutineer" to the collection.

In a move that the notoriously sardonic Zevon would probably have appreciated, comedian Adam Sandler has recorded the artist's best-known song, "Werewolves of London," for the compilation.

Jackson Browne donates version of "Poor Poor Pitiful Me," a 1978 top 40 hit for Linda Ronstadt, while the Pixies take on "Ain't That Pretty At All" and Cooder teams with David Lindley for "Monkey Wash/Donkey Rinse."

Singer/songwriter Jill Sobule adds a previously released cover of "Don't Let Us Get Sick," while her Artemis labelmate Steve Earle's "Reconsider Me" and Don Henley's "Searching for a Heart" are both tabbed for inclusion. Among several other tracks that will round out the set will be a cut from actor-turned-recording artist Billy Bob Thornton, who also appeared on "The Wind."

Calderone is planning to add his own touch to the tribute with his rendition of the heartbreaking "Keep Me In Your Heart," one of the songs he co-wrote with Zevon for "The Wind."

Talking to Billboard.com in the wake of a pair of Grammy wins for "The Wind" -- best contemporary folk album and best rock performance by a duo or group for the duet with Springsteen, "Disorder in the House" -- Zevon's son Jordan said there were a few unrecorded songs by late artist and Calderone that he believed would come to light at some point.

"There are songs that he and Jorge collaborated on and we're all gonna get behind Jorge and keep nudging him to record those," he said in February. "I know that Dad gave Jorge his blessing to take those songs and work with them and record them, so hopefully he will."

Jordan Zevon has taken one of those songs, "Studabaker," and recorded it for inclusion on the tribute, and tapped longtime friend/Wallflowers lead singer Jacob Dylan to add backing vocals.

Beck, Dust Brothers hook up again

Beck has some familiar faces working with him on his brand new album.

MTV reports Beck has reunited with veteran hip-hop producers the Dust Brothers on his latest effort, who were previously at the controls for 1996's "Odelay" and 1999's "Midnite Vultures."

The as-yet-untitled album, which has been recorded and is now in the mixing stage, is scheduled to hit stores in October.

Beck's last album, "Sea Change," was released in 2002.

Oscar winning composer Jerry Goldsmith Dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Academy Award-winning composer Jerry Goldsmith, who created the memorable music for scores of classic movies and television shows ranging from the Star Trek and Planet Of The Apes series to The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Perry Mason, has died. He was 75.

Goldsmith died in his sleep Wednesday night at his Beverly Hills home after a long battle with cancer, said Lois Carruth, his personal assistant.

A classically trained composer and conductor who began musical studies at age six, Goldsmith's award-dappled Hollywood career — he was nominated for 17 Academy Awards, won one, and also took home five Emmys — spanned nearly half a century.

He crafted an astonishing number of TV and movie scores that have become classics in their own right. From the clarions of Patton to the syrupy theme for TV's The Waltons, Goldsmith sometimes seemed virtually synonymous with soundtracks.

He took on action hits such as Total Recall, which he considered one of his best scores, as well as the Star Trek movies and more lightweight fare, like his most recent movie theme for last year's Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

Goldsmith's output also spilled into television, with the themes for shows including Kildare, Barnaby Jones and Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Goldsmith also wrote a fanfare that is used in Academy Awards telecasts.

He won his Oscar for best original score in 1976 for The Omen. He also earned five Emmy Awards and was nominated for nine Golden Globe awards, though he never won one.

Some of his motion picture scores were adapted for ballets. Goldsmith also composed orchestral pieces and taught occasional music classes at local universities.

He is survived by his wife, Carol; children Aaron, Joel, Carrie, Ellen Edson and Jennifer Grossman, six grandchildren and a great-grandchild.

Live Aid On DVD

The most legendary rock spectacle of all time, Live Aid defined a decade, raised millions for famine relief and turned Bob Geldolf into saint. Now, on November 1st, almost twenty years after the historic live event in 1985, Warner Home Video has announced that they will release the entire concert on November 2nd.

The unforgettable global event, staged in London and Philadelphia on Saturday, 13 July 1985, was watched on television by over 1.5 billion people around the world. Featuring performances by U2, Sting, David Bowie, Madonna, Queen, Duran Duran, Neil Young, Sade, The Cars, Bryan Ferry, Simple Minds, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello and more, Warner has scoured the vaults and will remaster the event in its original 4:3 full screen and Dolby Digital 5.1 from the best-quality materials available. Also to be included on this four-disc set are additional performances from other parts of the globe, as well as the documentary "Food, Trucks & Rock 'n' Roll."

Glass Tiger take to the road to celebrate 20th anniversary, new songs

TORONTO (CP) - Remember the song Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone)? How about Someday?

Glass Tiger hopes so. The popular '80s band is trying for a comeback with a 20th anniversary CD and DVD called No Turning Back. The quintet - original members Alan Frew on vocals, Sam Reid on keyboards, Al Connelly on guitar, Wayne Parker on bass and newcomer Chris McNeill on drums - will also embark on a national tour starting in September.

To be released August 24, the CD will include two new songs, No Turning Back and Give It Away.

"Our writing is as strong as ever, with the same spark and verve that we had back when Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) was crafted," said frontman Frew. "Our performances have never been tighter, and we are playing at the highest level."

The CD will also feature radio versions of the band's hits as well as some rarities and alternative versions. The DVD will include 13 of Glass Tiger's music videos and some behind the scenes footage.

Glass Tiger became a household name in the mid-1980s with the release of its debut record The Thin Red Line.

With Bryan Adams on backup vocals, the song Don't Forget Me (When I'm Gone) became a smash hit in Canada, as well as the U.S. where it reached No. 2 on the Billboard Chart. The album set a record for the fastest selling debut recording in Canadian history.

The band has five Juno awards and a Grammy nomination to its credit.

Jessica Simpson excited about Vancouver sushi, but says she doesn't eat fish

VANCOUVER (CP) - Seafood continues to mystify pop star Jessica Simpson, who plans to investigate Vancouver sushi when she's in town.

"I'm not a fish person," she said, before listing sushi consumption as one of the things she is looking forward to during her day off in Canada's raw fish mecca. "Oh yeah, but I eat shellfish," explained Simpson, as she prepares for a show in Vancouver on Friday, one of her first Canadian dates in years and the only one on her current tour.

Shrimp maki it is. Or maybe vegetable rolls would be safer for the diva who shocked even grade schoolers when she thought Chicken of the Sea brand tuna might be some sort of sea chicken and not tuna at all.

Her equally thoughtful husband, former boy band member Nick Lachey, tried to reason with Simpson as she ate the mystery meat from the can on her reality show, Newlyweds.

"I don't eat fish. Not a fish eater, that's why I was confused for a split second."

She said she also can't wait to go shopping in Vancouver, which should prove less of a challenge for the clothes-loving diva.

Certainly it won't be as difficult as selling tickets to her concert. A few days before her show at GM Place, some 2,500 seats were still available.

She said criticism doesn't faze her anymore, not after being ripped in the press for having an IQ deficit more glaring than her bleach blond hair. Exposing her flaws on a reality show actually boosted her self-esteem, she said.

"Honestly, I think it helped me. It helped my career and it helped my self esteem. Not having to look perfect in the public was the best thing that ever happened to me. Everything that was expected from me just wasn't there anymore," she said in her southern drawl, her new malti-poo puppy yipping in the background.

For the uninformed, a malti-poo, Simpson confided, is a maltese poodle.

She said people identify with her now that they've seen she's a real person who fights with her husband and says silly things sometimes.

"It made me more on their level. It was great for people to see a celebrity who walks the red carpet and is on the cover of a magazine not having the perfect life."

Simpson has evolved into quite the self-assured young woman in the past few years, which saw her make the jump from makeshift stages in mall parking lots to headlining stadium shows.

It wasn't easy to get up in front of people at first, she said, because she had a lot of zits.

She can now be seen gushing about the traumatic pimple plague during prime time in commercials for an acne cream.

"Skin is a huge part of your self-esteem. It's something you can't hide. If you're a bit overweight you can wear a baggy sweatshirt and feel bit better about yourself," she says.

Finding the topical solution that now makes up one of her many endorsement deals not only cleared up her skin, it also helped the diva "heal on the inside."

She says she can't wait to show off her glowing skin, all of it, when the cameras finally get shut off and the final cuts of Newlyweds are done.

"We need some time alone to run around naked. I'm really looking forward to it," she said.

Now that Simpson and Lachey aren't newlyweds anymore, life is just beginning for the couple, she said.

Simpson has to decide whether she will sacrifice her blond locks in the name of art and take on the role of Daisy in the Dukes of Hazzard.

"I don't love myself as a brunette, but I'll have to go darker," she said stoically.

Fox Back on 'CSI,' Eads' Fate Uncertain

LOS ANGELES - Jorja Fox, the "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" star who was fired for skipping work in a salary dispute, is returning to the hit CBS drama.

Fox reached an agreement with the network and will be back on the set next week, a source close to the production said Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Co-star George Eads also lost his job when he also failed to report last week for the start of production on the fifth season.

Eads' situation remained unchanged Thursday. But a public apology — in which the actor said he merely overslept and wasn't angling for more money — may have opened the door to talks, the source said.

"It's a big misunderstanding, straight up," Eads told the Television Critics Association on Wednesday. "I want all this to work out. 'CSI' is a part of who I am."

A CBS spokesman declined comment. Calls seeking comment from the actors' publicists were not immediately returned Thursday.

Fox and Eads, who play investigators Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes on the forensics drama set in Las Vegas, were being paid a reported $100,000 each per episode.

CBS chief Leslie Moonves said earlier this week that the firings were fair business decisions. "There comes a point where we feel a contract is a contract," he said.

Deals with Fox and Eads were renegotiated after two years and a raise was offered for this fifth season although there was no contractual obligation to do so, Moonves said.

Other actors in the "CSI" cast, including Marg Helgenberger and William Petersen, were not involved in the dispute. Petersen is also a producer on the series.

A salary holdout last year by another CBS star, Emmy-winning Brad Garrett of "Everybody Loves Raymond" paid off for the actor. But CBS' hard line on the "CSI" actors indicated the network didn't see them as crucial to the ensemble drama.

"CSI" was the top-rated drama last season and the No. 2 show in viewers just behind "American Idol." The show and its spinoffs "CSI: Miami" and the upcoming "CSI: NY" are key elements of CBS' schedule.

What Who anthem next?

The big question about expanding the CSI franchise to a fourth, fifth or even sixth series is this: Will the producers run out of Who songs before they run out of cities?

Rock legends The Who provide the signature licks for CSI (Who Are You?) and CSI: Miami (Won't Get Fooled Again). The surviving members of the group, Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend, rocked CBS' "upfront" to advertisers in New York this past May.

Executive producer Anthony Zuiker told critics in Los Angeles this weekend that choosing a third Who anthem was a little trickier.

"We had four songs in contention," he said. Zuiker's choice was Behind Blue Eyes. Viacom/CBS top executive Les Moonves, obviously a Who fan himself, chose Baba O'Reilly.

"And I said, 'Yes sir,' " said Zuiker. "I'll be darned, that man is always right."

While the lyrics to Baba O'Reilly don't seem to fit a forensic crime series as well as the other two CSI songs (it's a spiritual love song), Zuiker feels there is some common ground. "We'll choose the appropriate lyrics," he said. Hey -- it has to work better than Squeeze Box.

CSI: NY, starring Gary Sinise and Melina Kanakaredes, premieres Sept. 22.

Kirsten Dunst, Jake Gyllenhaal split

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Kirsten Dunst and Jake Gyllenhaal, the young stars of two of Hollywood's big summer movies, have ended their romance.

Dunst, the co-star of "Spider-Man 2," and Gyllenhaal, who appears in the disaster epic, "The Day After Tomorrow," have gone their separate ways, his publicist told The Associated Press Tuesday.

Annett Wolf wouldn't provide details of why they stopped dating, but confirmed they broke up "some time ago." Dunst's representative, Stephen Huvane, didn't immediately return a call for comment.

"It's been a while, but they have remained the best of friends," Wolf said.

The 22-year-old Dunst and Gyllenhaal, 23, began dating about two years ago after being introduced by his sister, Maggie Gyllenhaal, who appeared with Dunst in "Mona Lisa Smile."

Carlton CD Due in Fall

"Harmonium" shows singer-songwriter's darker side

Vanessa Carlton will release Harmonium, the follow-up to her 2002 Grammy-nominated debut Be Not Nobody, on October 19th. The album's first single "White Houses," featuring Fleetwood Mac's Lindsey Buckingham on acoustic guitar, will hit radio in August.

Carlton recorded the album in San Francisco with boyfriend and Third Eye Blind frontman Stephen Jenkins co-producing, and it promises to be much darker than its predecessor.

"I'm singing about suicide, insomnia and paranoia," Carlton told Rolling Stone last year, during the sessions. "There's nothing piano recital-y about it. It's goth."

"I think I'm more evolved, more secure in who I am," she continued. "I'm beyond the diary-confessional chapter of my writing."

They Are Back! Are They?

Asia plans to release a new studio album titled "Silent Nation" on Aug. 31, which is its first release for InsideOut Records. The label describes the 10-song set as "a conscious return to the melody-rich, hard-rock style of Asia's early albums, particularly 1982's self-titled blockbuster and the 1983 follow-up 'Alpha.'"

Rhino Box Surveys Fertile '80s Underground

The fertile alternative and college scenes of the 1980s that fueled the commercial modern rock explosion of the following decade are the basis for Rhino's latest comprehensive musical survey. Due Oct. 5, "Left of the Dial: Dispatches From the '80s Underground" boasts 82 tracks spread across four discs from a diverse cast of U.K., Australian and American artists.

The collection is impressive and educational in its sheer depth and diversity. Punks (Dead Kennedys, Minor Threat, Bad Brains) share space with the Paisley Underground (Prefab Sprout, Dream Syndicate), electronic popsters of "Madchester" (New Order, Happy Mondays, Stone Roses), miserable romantics (the Smiths, the Cure), beautiful noisemakers (Pixies, Sonic Youth, Ministry, Mission Of Burma), jokers (Camper Van Beethoven, the Dead Milkmen) and a new generation of rock poets (the Replacements, X, Kate Bush).

But while the styles and genres are widely dissimilar, commonality is found in the impression each act made on the era's cutting-edge music fans. The success of "Left of the Dial" (named after a Replacements song about college radio) comes in identifying, in most cases, the precise song from which those careers sprouted and took root.

Many of the included acts went on to become familiar, even household names. Obviously falling into that category are R.E.M. ("Radio Free Europe"), the Red Hot Chili Peppers ("Hollywood (Africa)") and the Pretenders ("Message of Love").

Other examples are more nebulous, such as the Sugarcubes ("Birthday"), which featured pre-artisté Björk on vocals. Or Killing Joke ("Wardance"), whose Youth became an in-demand producer (Crowded House, the Verve, Dido).

Some songs found on "Left of the Dial" represent massive hits or artistic peaks the acts never again rivaled. Examples include the Church's "Under the Milky Way," a smash pop single that proved to be an unmatchable albatross for the Australian group; or Suicidal Tendencies' epic skate punk ode to the frustration of misunderstanding, "Institutionalized," which predated a chase of thrash metal glory that delivered the group to a different audience.

While a handful of cuts might seem obscure to any but the most knowledgeable, many -- Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart," Jane's Addiction's "Jane Says," Black Flag's "Rise Above," among them -- stand firm as the epoch of an influential musical revolution.

Augmenting the music on "Left of the Dial" -- which carries a suggested list price of $64.98 -- are liner notes by music critic Karen Schoemer (Newsweek, The New York Times), interviews with SST Records founder/Black Flag guitarist Greg Ginn and Twin/Tone Records co-founder Peter Jesperson. Also featured are personal essays by Factory Records co-founder Tony Wilson and Dream Syndicate member/Down There Records founder Steve Wynn.

Here is the full "Left of the Dial: Dispatches From the '80s Underground" track list:

Disc one
"Radio Free Europe," R.E.M. (Athens, Ga.)
"Going Underground," the Jam (Woking, England)
"A Forest," the Cure (Crawley, England)
"Holiday in Cambodia," Dead Kennedys (San Francisco)
"I'm in Love With a German Film Star," Passions (London)
"I Will Dare," the Replacements (Minneapolis)
"That's When I Reach for My Revolver," Mission Of Burma (Boston)
"Johnny Hit and Run Pauline," X (Los Angeles)
"Just Like Honey," the Jesus And Mary Chain (Glasgow, Scotland)
"Black Celebration," Depeche Mode (Basildon, England)
"Tell Me When It's Over," the Dream Syndicate (Los Angeles)
"Hollywood (Africa)," the Red Hot Chili Peppers (Los Angeles)
"Temptation," New Order (Manchester, England)
"Ghosts," Japan (London)
"A Song From Under the Floorboards," Magazine (Manchester, England)
"Oblivious," Aztec Camera (Glasgow, Scotland)
"Don't Want To Know if You Are Lonely," Hüsker Dü (St. Paul, Minn.)
"Rise Above," Black Flag (Hermosa Beach, Calif.)
"Back in Flesh," Wall Of Voodoo (Los Angeles)
"Cattle and Cane," the Go-Betweens (Brisbane, Australia)

Disc two:
"Message of Love," the Pretenders (London)
"Vienna," Ultravox (London)
"Freak Scene," Dinosaur Jr. (Amherst, Mass.)
"This Charming Man," the Smiths (Manchester, England)
"Stigmata," Ministry (Chicago)
"Ways To Be Wicked," Lone Justice (Los Angeles)
"Wardance," Killing Joke (Notting Hill, England)
"Enola Gay," Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (Liverpool)
"Mirror in the Bathroom," the English Beat (Birmingham, England)
"Fairytale in the Supermarket," the Raincoats (London)
"Behind the Wall of Sleep," the Smithereens (Carteret, N.J.)
"Political Song for Michael Jackson To Sing," Minutemen (San Pedro, Calif.)
"Punk Rock Girl," the Dead Milkmen (Philadelphia)
"Still in Hollywood," Concrete Blonde (Los Angeles)
"Love Will Tear Us Apart," Joy Division (Manchester, England)
"Blister in the Sun," Violent Femmes (Milwaukee)
"Lake of Fire," Meat Puppets (Tucson, Ariz.)
"Amplifier," the dB's (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
"When Love Breaks Down," Prefab Sprout (Newcastle, England)
"Goo Goo Muck," the Cramps (New York)
"This Corrosion," Sisters Of Mercy (Leeds, England)
"Senses Working Overtime," XTC (Swindon, England)

Disc three:
"The Cutter," Echo & The Bunnymen (Liverpool)
"Pay To Cum!" Bad Brains (Washington, D.C.)
"Birthday," the Sugarcubes (Reykjavik)
"Madonna of the Wasps," Robyn Hitchcock 'n' the Egyptians (London)
"We Care a Lot," Faith No More (San Francisco)
"Teenage Riot," Sonic Youth (New York)
"To Hell With Poverty," Gang Of Four (Leeds, England)
"Fa Cé-La," the Feelies (Hoboken, N.J.)
"Ana Ng," They Might Be Giants (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
"Swamp Thing," the Chameleons UK (Middleton, England)
"The Mercy Seat," Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (London)
"I Look Around," the Rain Parade (Los Angeles)
"All That Money Wants," Psychedelic Furs (London)
"Under the Milky Way," the Church (Sydney)
"Rise," Public Image Ltd. (London)
"Kundalini Express," Love And Rockets (London)
"Gravity Talks," Green On Red (Los Angeles)
"Adrenalin," Throbbing Gristle (Manchester, England)
"She Bangs the Drums," the Stone Roses (Manchester, England)

Disc four:
"Monkey Gone to Heaven," Pixies (Boston)
"Uncertain Smile," (original 7" version)," the The (Swadlincote, England)
"Bela Lugosi's Dead," Bauhaus (Northampton, England)
"Christine," Siouxsie And The Banshees (Bromley, England)
"Straight Edge," Minor Threat (Washington, D.C.)
"I Want To Help You Ann," the Lyres (Boston)
"Our Secret," Beat Happening (Olympia, Wash.)
"Jane Says," Jane's Addiction (Los Angeles)
"World Shut Your Mouth," Julian Cope (Liverpool)
"Running up That Hill," Kate Bush (Bexleyheath, England)
"Sex Beat," Gun Club (Los Angeles)
"Take the Skinheads Bowling," Camper Van Beethoven (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
"Institutionalized," Suicidal Tendencies (Venice, Calif.)
"Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops," Cocteau Twins (Grangemouth, Scotland)
"24 Hour Party People," Happy Mondays (Manchester, England)
"I Want You Back," Hoodoo Gurus (Sydney)
"Suburban Home," Descendents (Los Angeles)
"A Pair of Brown Eyes," the Pogues (Kings Cross, Ireland)
"Jet Fighter," the Three O'Clock (Los Angeles)
"Moving To Florida," Butthole Surfers (San Antonio, Texas)
"A New England," Billy Bragg (Barking, England)

New Alias?

Cinescape is reporting that ALIAS creator J.J. Abrams may replace the departed Joe Carnahan as director for MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE 3.

Does Whatever a Raimi Can

SPIDER-MAN 2 director Sam Raimi talked to the BBC about the upcoming second sequel: "I just finished this morning [Monday July 12] -- I mean the basic story. I'd been working on it with my brother....It's going to follow the natural progression of the growth of these two individuals, Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker...I'm not certain if Harry will become the Goblin or not..."

BACK ON THE JOB

Exclusive sources telling E! News Live that Jorja Fox will report back to work at CSI and it was just a misunderstanding with CBS.

Coming Soon On DVD

Warner Home Video is rumoured to FINALLY be at work on a Blade Runner: Special Edition.

The bad news is that instead of a 3 or 4-disc ultimate edition, featuring all of the different versions of the film, it will likely just be one of the studio's 2-disc editions, featuring only the recent "director's cut" version of the film, the Channel 4 On the Edge of Blade Runner documentary and perhaps a few other odds and ends. Look for it sometime in the first half of 2005.

Oh well.

Spidey's Webbing His Way Home

Expect Columbia TriStar's Spider-Man 2 in mid-November as a 2-disc set (note that a more elaborate special edition is already in production for release at a later date).

Also coming from Columbia TriStar in November are the first two seasons of TV's Seinfeld, complete with extras featuring all of the show's cast members.

And if you are a moron and need to own a moronic movie, the recent summer piece of trash known as White Chicks is due on disc in October.

What about Shrek 2?

The folks at Animated-News.com have scored an early look at the menus for DreamWorks' Shrek 2, along with a few details on the extras.

As with the original film's DVD release, this 2-disc set - streeting on November 5th - will feature both anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and full frame versions of the film, along with Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 Surround audio.

Extras will include a pair of audio commentary tracks (one with directors Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon, and another with producer Aron Warner and editor Mike Andrews), along with behind-the-scenes featurettes, interactive games and much more. We expect further details to be announced soon by the studio.

And on the subject of another long-awaited DVD release, the Integral Naked website has just posted a new (and rare) audio interview with Matrix co-director Larry Wachowski, in which he gives some interesting details about Warner's forthcoming (and yet to be announced) Matrix Trilogy special edition DVD box set.

According to the site (and interview), the set is planned for release in October.

Brothers Larry and Andy reportedly declined to do audio commentary on the films themselves, apparently "fearing that whatever they said would turn into dogma." So they've tapped friends and fellow I.N. über-thinkers Ken Wilber and Cornel West to do the commentary on all 3 films for the set.

And there you go! Start saving up for all of these now!

Online gambling site includes Canadian Idol odds on its roster

TORONTO (CP) - A gambling company in the Caribbean has taken note of the popularity of Canadian Idol.

BetWWTs.com says 18-year-old Kalan Porter is the one most likely to win the record deal at nine-to-five odds. That means for every $5 gamblers put up for the blond-haired student from Medicine Hat, Alta., they'd win $9. Wild card winner Elena Juatco, a 19-year-old from Vancouver, is considered the second most likely to win at seven-to-two odds.

She's followed by 23-year-old Theresa Sokyrka, of Saskatoon, at four-to-one odds.

Wednesday marked the beginning of the next round of competition on the show. That's when the Top 10, whittled down from 9,000 who auditioned, will begin to be eliminated.

Broadcaster CTV will be adding some celebrities to mix this year with Gordon Lightfoot and Lionel Ritchie scheduled to make appearances later in the season. They will be helping the wannabe-pop stars practise songs from their respective songbooks.

Thousands of new definitions in latest revision of Canadian Oxford Dictionary

TORONTO (CP) - Canadians have a new word for a selfish hockey player (puck hog), a boy-crazy older woman (cougar) and the colourless rows of cubicles that make up the modern workplace (cube farm).

These entries are among thousands of updated words and meanings in the second edition of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, which hits stores at the end of the month. Although some may seem so common that they barely merit a special mention, editor Katherine Barber said it is precisely those types of words that need to be recorded.

"Once these words become part of general vocabulary, you can't remember not having them," she said.

This update to the tome first released in 1998 adds only words and phrases the editors feel have become firmly entrenched in the language.

"We have a rule of thumb for the new dictionary entries - we have to have 15 examples from 15 different sources before we put it in the dictionary," Barber said, adding it takes about 10 years of use for a word to make the move from fringe expression to dictionary-worthy.

"We can't put every ephemeral word in the dictionary. We have to be convinced it's sticking around in the language," she said.

Barber pointed out Canadians' unique use of English continues to provide her and the other lexicographers on the project with new entries.

"Canadians are using Canadian English all the time without realizing it. We have about 2,200 Canadianisms in the dictionary," she said. "Most people don't realize 'butter tart' is a Canadianism, 'eavestrough' is a Canadianism."

For the past few years, editors have been surveying samples of the printed word across the country - everything from newspapers to grocery store flyers - and coming up with possible new entries for this revision. The mutability of the language means it's a never-ending job.

Barber's team encountered several surprises when researching this edition. For example, the everyday word for the orange simulated cheese-flavoured snack, Cheezies, is made-in-Canada. South of the border, they're called "cheese puffs" or "cheese twists."

"It's the ordinariness of (Canadianisms) which tends to surprise us," she said.

And the challenge goes beyond making sure there's a u in colour. Barber said Canadian English has a host of alternative word meanings, spellings and even pronunciations to contend with.

The context for Canadians is different as well, said Barber, pointing out that the vast hockey and curling vocabularies her team included isn't likely to be found in the equivalent American or British reference book.

"Hardly anyone puts curling vocabulary in dictionaries," she said.

But she rejected the idea that the dictionary, which she has worked on since 1991, is shaping the language.

"We don't delude ourselves into believing that just because a word is in the dictionary that people will keep on using it," she said.

In addition to new words and meanings, the latest edition includes a reference list of Canadian prime ministers and new biographical entries for 100 notable Canadians - including one horse. This revised dictionary includes a brief item on Northern Dancer, the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby.

Since its release six years ago, the Canadian Oxford Dictionary has sold more than 190,000 copies. The new edition includes 300,000 definitions.

Here are some of the new entries in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, second edition:

Canadianisms:
- Alberta clipper
- double-double
- May Two-Four

Sports:
- puck hog
- beer league
- sno-pitch

Sex:
- studmuffin
- sexcapade
- cougar

Technology:
- hacktivist
- netizen
- blog

Health:
- SARS
- West Nile Virus
- erectile dysfunction

Slang:
- geek chic
- jiggy
- SOL

Family:
- co-parent
- commuter marriage
- nanny cam

Fired 'CSI' Actor Denies Salary Holdout

LOS ANGELES - Fired "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" actor George Eads says he wasn't staging a salary holdout when he missed work — he overslept. He hoped what he called a "big misunderstanding" with CBS and its chief, Leslie Moonves, will be resolved by the end of the week and he will be back to work on the hit drama, Eads said Wednesday.

"Yeah, definitely, I look forward to going back," he told a Television Critics Association meeting. He was on hand to publicize his upcoming TV movie "Evel Knievel," airing July 30 on TNT.

Eads and "CSI" co-star Jorja Fox were dumped by CBS last week after failing to show up for the start of production on the upcoming fifth season. The network said they had demanded raises beyond their contracts.

The actors reportedly were making $100,000 per episode for the series, which airs about 24 episodes a season.

CBS had no immediate comment on Eads' remarks, network spokesman Chris Ender said Wednesday. A call to Fox's publicist was not immediately returned.

"They think it's about money and it's not," Eads said. "I overslept. ... I woke up white as a sheet 3 1/2 hours after I was supposed to be on the set."

He called in, said he was on his way and was told, "Don't bother," Eads said. The Texas native compared himself to a football star who makes a similar error.

"It's like I'm the quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys and I overslept the first day of practice," he said. "I'd expect the coach to have me run hills and run wind sprints until the sun goes down, not you know, completely fire me."

Asked if CBS had sought an apology from him, he replied: "Let me tell you, I've apologized nine ways to Sunday. It's a big misunderstanding, straight up."

"I want all this to work out. 'CSI' is a part of who I am," Eads said.

Eads said he wants to speak with Moonves to resolve the issue but had yet to reach him. He compared getting hold of Moonves, a top executive with CBS parent company Viacom, to reaching the mysterious Charlie in "Charlie's Angels."

"If after I've spoken to him from my heart he knows exactly what the situation is, he's the boss. It's still up to him."

At a session last Sunday with the TV critics, Moonves called the firings a fair business decision.

"There comes a point where we feel a contract is a contract. ... We all have to look out for the future of the network television business," said Moonves, co-president and co-chief operating officer of Viacom.

Eads echoed those comments Wednesday, saying he agreed "a contract is a contract."

Sony-BMG merger approved by EU

BRUSSELS -- Independent record companies Tuesday threatened to go to court to challenge Sony and Bertelsmann's creation of the world's second largest music company after failing to convince European Union antitrust regulators to block the deal.

The European Commission unconditionally approved the 50-50 joint venture between Japan's Sony Music and BMG, the German media giant's music unit, late Monday after finding insufficient evidence the deal would harm consumers.

The deal is expected to win U.S. antitrust clearance within days, bringing Sony artists like Aerosmith, George Michael and Barbra Streisand and BMG's Avril Lavigne and Elvis Presley under one roof.

In its decision, the commission indicated it believed its initial concerns about competition in the market were not entirely unfounded.

"The commission will keep a close watch on the music sector as it becomes even more concentrated and would very carefully scrutinize any further major concentration in the industry," it said.

The deal will reduce the number of music "majors" from five to four. Sony and BMG argued they needed to join forces to deal with declining CD sales and the threat from illegal downloading on the Internet.

But independent labels fear the merger will make it even tougher for their artists to gain exposure and shelf space in a market increasingly dominated by mega-stores.

Martin Mills, chairman of the Beggars Group label and board member of Britain's Association of Independent Music, noted BMG posted record operating profits of around $37.2 million US in the first half of this year.

"This merger is not about economic necessity in a changing market, as BMG's stellar figures demonstrate," he charged. "It is about the desire to dominate and to control the outlets at media and retail through which news of wonderful new music is disseminated."

Impala, a group representing 2,000 smaller labels, is considering challenging the deal in court, said spokesman Jean-Luka Monte.

But antitrust lawyers noted such challenges by third parties are extremely rare, with very little likelihood of success.

"It's about as close to zero as you can get," said Stephen Kinsella, an international business expert with the Herbert Smith law firm in Brussels.

Universal Music holds the top spot in Europe, with Sony-BMG pulling ahead in the United States. The rivals control about a quarter each of the $32 billion US global music market.

The other two majors are EMI and Warner Music, with about 30 per cent of the global market between them.

Four years ago, EMI and Warner scrapped a proposed hookup in the face of EU charges that fewer majors could reduce competition and lead to higher prices and less choice for consumers.

A renewed courtship was cut short last year when former Universal Music chief Edgar Bronfman Jr. stepped in to buy Warner for $2.6 billion US.

Similar concerns emerged in the EU's initial appraisal of the Sony BMG deal, with antitrust chief Mario Monti's team suggesting "tacit collusion" in setting CD prices among the five majors.

But after closed-door hearings and an internal review, the commission backed down, saying it "had to conclude . . . that the evidence found was not sufficient to demonstrate in a successful way that co-ordinated pricing behaviour existed in the past."

Reducing the number of majors to four "would not yet create a collectively held dominant position" in recorded music, it said.

The reversal of the EU's position on the merger reflects new hurdles instituted by the commission since European courts overturned three merger-blocking decisions in 2002.

FAMILIAR RECASTS ON 'CSI'

CBS is seeking two new actors who are remarkably like the two they just fired —George Eads and Jorja Fox — from TV's top-rated drama, "CSI," in a salary dispute.

A casting call sheet circulated yesterday among Hollywood talent agencies saying the network is looking for a male character and a female character who, based on descriptions, won't differ much from Eads' Nick Stokes and Fox's Sara Sidle.

According to the sheet, both characters will be in their "late-20s to mid-30s" and should be "sexy, edgy and intelligent" — in other words, not far from the characters played by Eads and Fox, who were fired last week after demanding pay increases and reportedly threatening not to show up for work.

Eads and Fox were reportedly pulling in about $100,000-per-episode, or roughly $2.2 million a year.

CBS chief Les Moonves told reporters earlier this week that the network wasn't sure if "CSI" would replace Eads and Fox.

Moonves said the actors could be replaced, or that co-stars like Gary Dourdan (Warrick) and Paul Guilfoyle (Brass) could have their roles beefed up.

Photos of both Fox and Eads were still posted on CBS' "CSI" Web site as of late yesterday.

Graham is Golden for Extended 'Scrubs' Stint

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) From the underbelly of the porn industry to the bloody dark alleys of Victorian London, Heather Graham has done acting stints in some dysfunctional environments, but wait until she meets the doctors of Sacred Heart. The "Boogie Nights" co-star has signed on for an eight-episode guest-starring role on NBC's "Scrubs."

"Heather Graham is a first-class actress whose beauty and comic sensibilities will mesh perfectly with the unique humor of 'Scrubs,'" says NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly.

As had been rumored, the actress will play an attending psychiatrist on the medical comedy. Creator Bill Lawrence is already looking forward to weaving Graham into the plotlines for the fourth season of "Scrubs."

"I've always found Heather incredibly funny and can't wait to start writing this character for her," Lawrence says. "Although her character will be a professionally competent shrink, her personal life will be a train wreck. She'll shine the light on all the other characters' dysfunctional behaviors and will be a foil for Dr. Cox and a mentor to Elliot."

Graham will make her first "Scrubs" appearance in the show's season premiere, which comes on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

In addition to more serious roles in "From Hell" and "Drugstore Cowboy," Graham has appeared in a variety of big screen comedies including "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" and "Bowfinger." She made a visit to FOX's "Arrested Development" this past season, adding to a television resume that includes the second season of "Twin Peaks" and several episodes of "Growing Pains."

Portman Readies for Re-Shoots of Third 'Star Wars'

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) -- Natalie Portman says she's planning to do re-shoots for the third "Star Wars" movie beginning next month in London.

The actress, who portrays Padme, the wife of the future Darth Vader and mother to Luke Skywalker, says she'll be happy to start a new project after finishing the yet-untitled third part of the six "Star Wars" films by George Lucas.

"It's been like 10 years of my life from when I signed on to when it finally will come out," Portman says. "And being 23, that's really significant obviously. I mean, it is a huge portion of my life and I've met some amazing people and it's been a really unique experience. So obviously, I look back on it and it obviously was part of forming who I am now and I am happy to start something new."

Portman talked to Zap2it.com in an interview Monday (July 19) about "Garden State," an indie film starring and directed by Zach Braff from "Scrubs." That film, coming out July 30, has been a film festival hit. She portrays an oddball girl in New Jersey who has a bizarre family and falls in love with Braff's character.

Although she's mostly recognized for her appearances in "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" and "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones," she appreciates it when people recognize her smaller films.

"I appreciate when anyone ever is excited about any role," Portman says. "Some people have a bit of snobbery about, 'You should have seen this small artsy film I did instead of the big blockbuster' but I think they all have their own values. I'm always equally flattered and really appreciate when people recognize me from anything."

Although she's unsure what she's re-shooting, it's a common thing to do for a big special effects film. Scheduled for release next May, she finished principal photography with co-stars Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor last year. The film has the usual Lucas veil of secrecy around it.

"I haven't been told anything, so for all I know, it could be like walking or an insert shot of my hands, or it could be a whole new storyline," Portman laughs. "So I will be as surprised as you are."

Portman is a stickler about not autographing anything that is "Star Wars"-related unless it's for a charitable cause, because if she signs a lot of items, it devalues things she'd give to charity. Portman graduated last year from Harvard after majoring in psychology, and also will be seen Dec. 2 in Mike Nichol's drama "Closer" with Julia Roberts and Jude Law.

Also, Portman knows nothing about rumors that she is wanted for the role of Lois Lane in the next "Superman" film. "I know there's rumors about it online because reporters keep asking about it but I don't really know," she tells Zap2it "I haven't read it or anything."

TV On DVD

We've got new details for you today on a number of DVDs just announced by 20th Century Fox. To start with, the 4-disc In Living Color: The Complete Second Season streets on 9/28.

Roswell: The Complete Second Season streets on 10/5 on 6 discs, which include audio commentary tracks (by the writers, producers and directors), the A Little Something Extra for the Fans video montage, a storyboard to scene comparison, and the featurettes Here with Me: Making of Roswell Season 2, The Shiri and Majandra Show, and Art of Composing Roswell.

The Garfield Movie will street on 10/19 including a behind-the-scenes featurette, sneak peeks of additional films and the Baha Men Holla music video.

Arrested Development: The Complete First Season also debuts on 10/19 on 3 discs, including the unaired pilot episode, audio commentary tracks, deleted/extended scenes, audio of original songs, behind-the-scenes featurettes, video of The Museum of Television & Radio Q&A (with creator Mitchell Hurwitz and the cast), promos, Easter eggs and more.

Greg the Bunny: The Complete Series arrives on DVD from Fox on 10/19 as well on 2 discs, including 2 unaired episodes, audio commentaries, deleted/extended scenes, promos, behind-the-scenes featurettes, interviews, a publicity gallery, Easter eggs and much more.

The big title in this batch is That 70s Show: The Complete First Season, which is due on 10/26 as a 4-disc set, including audio commentary on 8 episodes, featurettes, a trivia quiz, cast audition tapes, promos, a Cheap Trick music video and 2 Easter eggs.

Moving into November, the studio will release The Simple Life on 11/2.

Remember Alf? He’s back. In DVD form

Lion’s Gate is about to unleash aliens on us in the form of Alf: Season One on DVD this fall.

On September 22, 1986, a brown furry lovable alien named Gordon Shumway crashed his spaceship into the Los Angeles home of the Tanners (Willie, Kate, Lynn and Brian). They immediately took him into their home and their hearts, and named him ALF, short for Alien Life Form. For four years ALF lived with the Tanners, always elusively avoiding houseguests, chasing the family cat (Lucky), eating everything in sight, and breaking anything of value… but the Tanners always loved the old ALFer.

The season one set includes all the episodes in fullscreen and Dolby 2.0 Stereo, the pilot and a gag reel are also included.

The set is crashing to Earth on August 10th.

Michael Jackson Denies Surrogate Mother Report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Beleaguered pop star Michael Jackson on Tuesday flatly denied a magazine report that he is about to become a father to quadruplets by way of a surrogate mother.

"This is not true, and we are not going to further comment on stories of this nature," publicist Raymone Bain told Reuters when asked about the report in Us Weekly magazine.

Bain also denied that Jackson, who is facing a trial later this year on child molestation charges, was to be the father of any children born through a surrogate-mother arrangement. "This is not true. None of this is true," she said.

But a spokeswoman for Us Weekly said the magazine stood by its story, which cited unnamed sources close to Jackson as saying he recently spent time in Florida with an identified woman who was pregnant with quads she was to bear for the singer.

The 45-year-old performer already has three children -- Prince Michael I and daughter Paris Michael by his former wife, Debbie Rowe, and Prince Michael II, the child he notoriously dangled from the balcony of a Berlin hotel in November 2002.

Jackson later revealed in a television documentary that Prince Michael II had been born to a woman who was essentially a stranger to him. "I used a surrogate mother and my own sperm cells," he told British interviewer Martin Bashir. "She doesn't know me."

It was in that same interview that Jackson ignited a public furor by saying he saw nothing wrong with having other children spend the night with him in the bedroom of his Neverland ranch home in California.

One youth who appeared in that documentary is now at the center of the child molestation case pending against the performer.

Jackson is charged in a 10-count indictment 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 a trial is set for Sept. 13.

Report: Michael Jackson to Be Father of Quadruplets

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pop star Michael Jackson, facing a trial on child molestation charges, is about to become a father to four more children -- quadruplets -- by way of a surrogate mother, Us Weekly magazine reported on Tuesday.

Citing unnamed sources close to the self-proclaimed "King of Pop," the magazine said Jackson recently spent time with the pregnant mother-to-be in Florida, where he stayed in a $4,000-a-night luxury hotel suite in Miami Beach.

The magazine said Jackson's spokeswoman Raymone Bain declined to confirm or deny the story, saying, "We do not respond to these kinds of stories."

Bain could not be immediately reached for comment by Reuters.

Jackson, 45, already has three children -- Prince Michael I and daughter Paris Michael by his former wife, Debbie Rowe, and Prince Michael II, the child he notoriously dangled from the balcony of a Berlin hotel in November 2002.

Jackson later revealed in a television documentary that Prince Michael II had been born to a woman who was essentially a stranger to him. "I used a surrogate mother and my own sperm cells," he told British interviewer Martin Bashir. "She doesn't know me."

It was in that same interview that Jackson ignited a public furor by saying he saw nothing wrong with having other children spend the night with him in the bedroom of his Neverland ranch home in California.

One youth who appeared in that documentary is now at the center of the child molestation case pending against the performer.

Jackson is charged in a 10-count indictment 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 a trial is set for Sept. 13.

'SURVIVOR: CANADA'?

"Survivor" could be headed to Canada, eh.

Series creator Mark Burnett says the venerable CBS reality show could be hitting the Great White North as soon as fall 2005, which would be its 11th installment.

"We could be heading to Canada for 'Survivor,' " Burnett told the Toronto Sun, but stopped short of making a definite commitment.

Should "Survivor" ever head up north, it would mark a radical departure for the show, which has always been set in hot climates.

The warm settings allows its female participants to scamper around in skimpy outfits — and some male contestants, like big, hairy Richard Hatch, to walk around buck-naked (much to the consternation of contestants and viewers alike).

Burnett is no stranger to Canada, having begun his career as a producer of "Eco-Challenge" in British Columbia.

The Couch Potato Report - July 20th, 2004

This week in The Couch Potato Report I'll talk about a classic TV show that has becomes a classic comedy and two other non-classic releases.

I admit it.

I've never seen an episode of the 1970's TV show STARSKY & HUTCH. I grew up in Germany and we didn't get American TV shows, actually for a few years we didn't even have a TV.

So I've never seen the show.

I do know that it ran from 1975 until 1979, and it was more dramatic than funny.

I also do know that tough Starsky and educated Hutch were plainclothes cops taking on dope dealers, muggers and other thugs.

I am also aware that the duo was aided by their red 1974 Torino and informant Huggy Bear and that both bachelors' private lives played a part within the show.

But I only know that because I read it on the Internet Movie Database.

So, since I've never seen the show STARSKY & HUTCH, I won't spend any time this week comparing the show to the just released on video and DVD film version.

I'm just going to spend this time talking about how much I enjoyed the film.

With Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson of MEET THE PARENTS and ZOOLANDER, along with Vince Vaughn from DODGEBALL and OLD SCHOOL and rap star Snoop Dogg as Huggy Bear, the film version of STARSKY & HUTCH is blessed with a great cast.

Since it is a "buddy cop film" it follows the patented recipe where two cops, who are complete opposites, dislike each other to begin with, but end up finding a common bond that allows them to work as a team.

Luckily there are a few special ingredients in this cinematic recipe and there are some parts that will surprise you and make you laugh out loud.

Thus, the story isn't the point of this film. The mocking-yet-loving jabs at the '70s, including the homoerotic overtones of Starsky and Hutch's partnership, are what this movie is about.

More importantly, it's about making us laugh. And it does that quite often.

Sure, I've never seen one episode of the TV series, but I have seen and enjoyed the movie based on it.

And I highly recommend the movie version of STARSKY & HUTCH.

I can't recommend the film CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN, although it does contain a spunky, energetic performance from Lindsay Lohan of MEAN GIRLS.

Lohan plays Lola, the eldest daughter of a single mother who moves the family from New York City to New Jersey.

As if it isn't hard enough adjusting to a new suburban town and new school, a group of pretty, popular, snobby girls antagonize Lola from the day she arrives.

I am a 36 year-old male, and I Feel confident enough to say that this film wasn't made for people of my age and gender.

This is a film that's perfect for teenage girls, but almost no one else. Consider the fact that it's called CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN a sign.

You should also consider the fact that there are virtually no extra features on the DVD of the film THE HUMAN STAIN as a sign.

A sign that the three main actors involved in the picture wanted to put this failure behind them and not acknowledge it by looking back at it or commenting on it.

Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman and Ed Harris are the heavyweight actors behind this cinematic failure.

THE HUMAN STAIN is the story of a professor with a terrible secret whose affair with a young female janitor is uncovered, unleashing a secret that he had harboured for over fifty years.

Once the secret is out, there are a series of devastating consequences.

Devastating as also an apropos word to use to describe the film.

Devastatingly horrid.

Anthony Hopkins looks like he can't wait for it to be over. Nicole Kidman looks great, as always, but is she trying to be sultry? Sexy? A femme fatale? I sure couldn't tell. Even the always-reliable Ed Harris is wasted in this picture.

If you are curious about THE HUMAN STAIN, my suggestion is you read Philip Roth's acclaimed novel and skip this cinematic catastrophe.

STARSKY & HUTCH, CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN and THE HUMAN STAIN are all available now at your favourite local video store.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

In the movie version of the comic book HELLBOY the son of Satan is raised on earth to fight evil. Ron Perlman and Selma Blair star in this film that is, obviously, not a documentary.

The 4-disc box set for SLEDGE HAMMER! Features all 22 episodes of Season One of the mid-80's TV cop show parody. It also has a commentary from creator Alan Spencer; the unaired pilot; "Go Ahead, Make Me Laugh" * a new 32-minute documentary on the series with new interviews of cast and crew and a 16-page booklet.

Finally next week is the film THE WHOLE TEN YARDS. This sequel to the very funny film THE WHOLE NINE YARDS is so bad, so awful, and so much a waste of your time. I'd skip it all together, but its important for you to hear just how bad it is so you don't waste your time, like I did.

Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry, Natasha Henstridge and Amanda Peet should all have to do hours and hours of community service to make up for how bad this thing is!

I'll have more on it, and those other 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!

Inside Move: 'Hobbit' could end up nestling with 'Rings'

With Sony apparently unable to construct a final offer for MGM, it's looking increasingly likely that Time Warner will swoop in and grab the prize.

Bagging the Lion would give Time Warner a nice little bonus -- worldwide theatrical and television rights to J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit." What a sweet addition to New Line's "The Lord of the Rings" franchise. Hey Peter Jackson, what are your plans after "King Kong"?

The conglom's deal is cleaner -- one buyer offering Time Warner stock -- and more tax-efficient. It would be chairman-CEO Richard Parsons' first major acquisition after a string of asset sales to cut debt.

Sony Corp. chairman Nobuyuki Idei, speaking at an event in Korea Thursday, acknowledged "some complications" in the Japanese giant's merger talks with MGM. Reuters quoted Idei as saying, "It's up to the MGM management now."

The statements, which one insider ascribed to a "lost in translation" effect, caused a mild tizzy at both companies, which are still talking -- particularly since the holdup isn't on the MGM side at all, but still resides at Sony. The conglom and its two equity partners, Texas Pacific and Providence Equity, are struggling to get onto the same page. Since Sony isn't the one putting up the cash, it can't control the process.

Van Halen Is Back!

For years I've waited for Sammy Hagar to rejoin Van Halen.

He's finally back, although we still haven't been given an explanation, and Van Halen is now on tour!

And today, THREE NEW SONGS are available on the new 2 disc "The Best Of Both Worlds" compilation.

Here's the complete track listing!

Disc: 1
1. Eruption
2. You Really Got Me
3. Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love
4. Jamie’s Cryin’
5. Runnin’ With The Devil
6. Beautiful Girls
7. Dance The Night Away
8. And The Cradle Will Rock...
9. Everybody Wants Some
10. Unchained
11. Dancing In The Street
12. (Oh) Pretty Woman
13. Hot For Teacher
14. Jump
15. Panama
16. I’ll Wait
17. Why Can’t This Be Love
18. Dreams
19. Best Of Both Worlds
20. Love Walks In

 
Disc: 2
1. When It’s Love
2. Finish What You Started
3. Feels So Good
4. Black And Blue
5. Poundcake
6. Runaround
7. Right Now
8. Top Of The World
9. Can’t Stop Loving You
10. Not Enough
11. It’s About Time (NEW!)
12. Learning To See (NEW!)
13. Up For Breakfast (NEW!)
14. Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love (Live)
15. Jump (Live)
16. Panama (Live)

And for all you fans, here's another Van Halen related story:

Summer Concerts: Playing and Paying

Van Halen and back-again lead singer Sammy Hagar are selling thousands of tickets for their summer tour, and that means big-time cash for… former lead singer David Lee Roth? That's right, because top musicians don't have to play onstage to get well paid. It's all about doing the rights thing, and as the summer concert season heats up, so are the rights fights.

As entertainment attorney Barry Littman explains, Roth gets paid even though he's not touring with Van Halen because, legally, he is a composer of all of Van Halen's early original work.

"If you have an immensely successful concert that's focused on David Lee Roth-Van Halen tunes, he's going to see more money than if Van Halen never went on tour," Littman notes. "The composers of the song are listed and each of them will have the right to get paid for anybody else performing their song live."

Equal legal credit is a common practice in the music industry. A lot of bands, like REM, U2 and Coldplay, their big thing is to make all of the band members the owners of the songs. That way, there's no confusion, no dispute over who owns the songs. They can all perform them, they all get the royalties and they all get the money.

But some bands, like The Calling, who made it big with "Where Ever You Will Go," don't share the credit equally. Last year, The Calling's ex-bassist Billy Moeler and ex-drummer Nate Wood slapped singer Alex Band and guitarist Aaron Kamin with a lawsuit, after Moeler and Wood claimed they were not being compensated fairly for their work on The Calling's 2002 tour.

When you look at the songs on ‘Camino Palmero,' which was The Calling's first album, (the credits are) Alex Band and Aaron Kamin. They own the songs, so when they perform them in concert, or whatever they do from here on out, they don't have to pay anybody.

"So much of the money in music is in the writing of the songs," says songwriter Seth Swirsky, who's penned hits for artists like Celine Dion and Taylor Dayne. Seth is also a Beatles aficionado who recognizes the financial importance of having your name right next to the title of the song. "If you notice the song writing credits, it's Lennon-McCartney," Swirsky observes. "This is why John Lennon and Paul McCartney made so much more money than George Harrison and Ringo Starr."

Meanwhile, this summer, Slash and Duff McKagan, formerly of Guns N' Roses, hope to make money when they tour as the band Velvet Revolver, with Stone Temple Pilots front man Scott Weiland. And, as Littman reminds us, "Slash can play any Guns N' Roses song with any band that he wants to put together."

So even though Sash and Duff are currently in the middle of this bitter lawsuit against Axl Rose, they will still make him money all summer long by playing Guns ‘N Roses tunes on the road.

New Tunage

Here are the (other) new music releases for Tuesday, July 20, 2004:

ANCIENT Night Visit (Metal Blade)
ASHLEE SIMPSON Autobiography (A&M)
BY DIVINE RIGHT Sweet Confusion (Linus Entertainment)
CATTLE DECAPITATION Humanure (Metal Blade)
DJ SHADOW In Tune & On Time (Island)
DREAM THEATER Images and Words: Live in Tokyo/5 Years in a LIVEtime (MVA)
HILARY & HAYLIE DUFF Our Lips Are Sealed (Hollywood)
HOWIE BECK Howie Beck (True North)
INCAPACITY Ninth Order Extinct (Metal Blade)
INXS I'm Only Looking: The Best of INXS (MVA)
JET Rare Tricks (Elektra)
KOMEDA Kokomemedada (Stockholm)
LESS THAN JAKE B is For B-Sides (Warner)
LLOYD Southside (Def Jam)
OST She Hate Me (Milan)
OST A Home At The End Of The World (Milan)
PAUL SIMON Paul Simon (Expanded) (Rhino)
PAUL SIMON There Goes Rhymin' Simon (Expanded) (Rhino)
PAUL SIMON Still Crazy After All These Years (Rhino)
PAUL SIMON One Trick Pony (Expanded) (Rhino)
PAUL SIMON Hearts And Bones (Expanded) (Rhino)
STATIC-X Beneath, Between, Beyond (Rarities) (Warner)
TAL BACHMAN Staring Down The Sun (Sextant Records)
THE HIVES Tyrannosaurus Hives (Universal)

Just Die Already!!

DIE HARD 4, originally titled DIE HARD 4: DIE HARDEST, has gone through some changes. Doug Richardson (HOSTAGE, DIE HARD 2) has come on board as screenwriter on DH4.0 (or D.H. Four Point Oh).

Yes, that's seriously the title. Filming is expected to begin between spring and summer 2005. Reginald Vel Johnson will also return as Al Powell.

FRESH FACES

Kiefer Sutherland will be the only 24 regular returning for the fourth season, which premieres on Fox in January. Meanwhile, former 24 cast member Reiko Aylesworth is joining CSI in a recurring role as a lab-based detective.

Network Says Profile of Director Shyamalan Was Hoax

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Sci Fi cable network and parent company NBC Universal acknowledged on Monday that a special purported to be an unauthorized documentary on director M. Night Shyamalan was really part of a "guerrilla marketing" hoax that went too far.

The three-hour program, which aired on Sunday, was falsely promoted as a "disturbing expose" of the filmmaker that Shyamalan first cooperated with, then tried to have shut down when producers delved too deeply into his personal life.

It turns out Shyamalan was in on the entire production, cooked up to generate publicity for his upcoming film, "The Village," a supernatural thriller set for release July 30 by Walt Disney Co.-owned Touchstone Pictures, according to Sci Fi Channel and NBC Universal.

The faux documentary, titled "The Buried Secret of M. Night Shyamalan," was concocted as part of a "guerrilla marketing" campaign emulating a promotional strategy that helped turn the low-budget 1999 thriller "The Blair Witch Project" into a box office hit, Sci Fi spokeswoman Jean Guerin told Reuters.

In this case, the strategy worked a bit too well, leaving a number of entertainment journalists grumbling after they were duped into writing stories reporting the purported conflict between Shyamalan and "documentary" producers as fact.

Guerin said Sci Fi has often presented its promotional campaigns and ads as "a puzzle for people to figure out."

"The intention is never to hurt the press, to have them go along with you, so I think that's where it sort of took a wrong turn," she said.

By aiming to deceive journalists, "this particular campaign went one step too far," NBC Universal spokeswoman Rebecca Marks said. "It's not consistent with our publicity and marketing policy. It's misleading."

Sci Fi insisted that Touchstone was not involved in the campaign, but studio officials were not immediately available for comment.

Shyamalan, whose previous films include "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs," issued a statement suggesting the cable channel merely got carried away "by thinking out of the box."

"I was, of course, involved in the production of the special but had nothing to do with the marketing of it," he said. "If the Sci Fi Channel erred in their marketing strategy, it was totally out of enthusiasm."

Marks said development of "Buried Secret" began before the Sci Fi was acquired by NBC as part of the broadcaster's recent merger with Vivendi Universal Entertainment. NBC Universal is owned by the General Electric Co. .

Asked when NBC Universal became aware of the nature of the special, Marks said, "They're reviewing the situation to find out and taking steps to make sure it doesn't happen again."

The special was directed Nathaniel Kahn, who earned an Oscar nomination for a documentary about his father, the late architect Louis Kahn.

Apple Rolls Out Cheaper iPods

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. on Monday introduced lower-priced versions of its iPod digital music player with longer battery life, positioning itself against rivals trying to use lower prices to undercut iPod sales.

Apple said the new model iPod has up to 12 hours of battery life, compared with eight hours in previous models. Poor battery performance in some iPods has drawn criticism.

The 20-gigabyte model, which can hold about 5,000 songs, has a list price of $299, lower than the previous price of $399 for a 20-gigabyte iPod. The 40-gigabyte model costs $399.

"Apple is closing the pricing gap between iPod and competitors," said Steve Lidberg, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities. "Combined with a longer battery, Apple addresses the two biggest issues it had with the product."

The Cupertino, California, company, best known for its Macintosh computer, has turned to digital music as it has failed to make major gains in the highly competitive personal computer market. But in digital music players, Apple also faces strong competition from Dell Inc. and Sony Corp.

iPod claims a 50 percent market share in digital music players. Its sales almost tripled in the previous quarter. Analyst Lidberg expects shipments of 1.2 million iPods this quarter, more than tripling its sales last year.

Greg Joswiak, vice president of hardware product marketing at Apple, said it expects "a very strong growth" in the third quarter, helped by the upgrade. Traditionally the third quarter is stronger than the second quarter due to back-to-school sales, he said.

Joswiak shot down market rumors of 60-gigabyte models in the pipeline. "We have no plans in regard to announcing 60-gigabyte models," Joswiak said. "We are trying to create a much more compelling lineup with two models for 20 and 40 gigabytes at extremely compelling prices."

As part of a pilot program, Duke University plans to give iPods loaded with school calendars and other information to its 1,800 incoming freshmen. Students can download class materials to listen to anything from audio examples of textbook exercises to Spanish songs.

iPod users can now change the playback speed of audio books. The new iPods, which are thinner, also offer improved menu programs.

Apple's iTunes online music service is the most popular legal download site, claiming 70 percent of all songs bought online.

The stock fell 23 cents, or less than 1 percent, to close at $31.97.

'X-Men' Director to Remake 'Superman'

LOS ANGELES - After a couple of false starts, "Superman" is ready to leap to the big screen again with a new director: "The Usual Suspects" filmmaker Bryan Singer.

The role of "Superman" himself, however, has not yet been determined.

Singer, 38, has already proven adept at comic-book adaptation with "X-Men" and "X2: X-Men United." He said the original Christopher Reeve movie is a favorite.

"My interest in 'Superman' dates back many, many years," Singer said in a statement late Sunday. "In fact, it was the (1978) Richard Donner classic film that was my day-to-day inspiration in shaping the 'X-Men' universe for the screen. I feel that 'Superman' has been late in his return and it is time for him to fly again."

Recently, "Charlie's Angels" director McG dropped out of the current "Superman" project, making way for Singer to take over. Tim Burton, who re-imagined "Batman" in the late 1980s, took a run at a re-imagined "Superman" around 1996 with star Nicolas Cage, but the movie fell apart in pre-production.

Singer's "X-Men" movies, from the Marvel Comics universe ('Superman' is from rival DC Comics), helped ignite the current trend of superheroes who battle super-ordinary life problems while grappling with eccentric bad-guys.

"We have always been committed to bringing 'Superman' back to the screen, and we're very happy to have Bryan on board this project," said Jeff Robinov, production chief for Warner Bros. Pictures.

Jon Peters, whose credits include 1989's "Batman" and the 1988 TV retrospective "Superman: 50th Anniversary," will produce the new 'Superman' movie.

The Man of Steel hasn't been the star of a feature film since 1987's "Superman IV: The Quest for Peace," despite aggressive efforts by Warner Bros. to resurrect the series.

"Superman" does live, however, on the small screen. The WB network's "Smallville" has become a hit by chronicling the teenage years of Clark Kent as he grows into his powers.

R.E.M. Bang on New Album

Stipe promises a chaotic, political album for October

R.E.M. will release their thirteenth album in October, just before the presidential election. And Michael Stipe wouldn't have it any other way.

"For better or worse, the current state of the world has had a profound impact on the way I'm writing," says the singer, who is in the midst of finishing up the record in Miami with guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills. "But this isn't a downer of a record. Even the most depressing R.E.M. song is going to have a glimmer of hope in it. That's just me, I can't help myself. But there's some stuff on here that's pretty hard-core, and fairly political."

The political tracks include a fleshed-out version of the Internet-only release "Final Straw," which was written prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and "I'm Gonna DJ," about the 1999 World Trade Organization riots in Seattle, but the Iraqi war served as the creative impetus for much of the new material.

"At this time, as an American, I feel like the angriest pacifist in the world, and I don't think I'm alone in that," says Stipe. "It's not an easy time to live through.

R.E.M. dabble in more than just politics, as Stipe characterizes "Leaving New York" as a love song and "Wanderlust" as a pop song. "There's been a lot of pop music in 2004 that's really seductive, and you don't have to think all that much about it," he says. "I'm all for that."

The album -- produced by Pat McCarthy, who handled 1998's Up and 2001's Reveal -- features the debut of R.E.M.'s new full-time drummer, former Ministry basher Bill Rieflin.

"Peter brought him in," says Stipe. "He thought he could pull us in a different direction, and [Rieflin] really responds to the singer, which is great."

The band has yet to plot tour plans for the fall, but Stipe promises that either he or the band will continue to work with political organizations like MoveOn.org up until the election "in some capacity." In the meantime, he's looking forward to the reaction that fans will have to the group's new-found anger.

"It may be the most chaotic bunch of songs we've ever thrown together," he says. "They're going to surprise our fans and shock others."

Grohl Seeing Double For Next Foos Album

The Foo Fighters are building a studio in Los Angeles to record their next RCA project, frontman Dave Grohl tells Billboard. The group recorded its past several albums in Grohl's basement in Virginia.

"I think it's going to be a two-record set," he says. "It's going to be 10 acoustic songs and then 10 tracks that are just koo-koo, really heavy." He adds that the Foos already have a lot of acoustic material that the band has never recorded.

The album will be the follow-up to 2002's "One by One," which debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 1.1 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It was named best rock album in February at the 46th Grammy Awards.

For now, the lone date on the Foos' calendar is an Aug. 28 appearance at San Diego's Street Scene Festival.

As for his previously announced work on the upcoming Nine Inch Nails album, Grohl says NIN leader Trent Reznor called to ask if he would play, and they went into Sound City Studio in Van Nuys, Calif., the next day. "It sounds incredible," Grohl says of the NIN material. "It is [Trent's] first [studio] album in five years. I looked at him and said, 'What have you been doing?'"

Will Smith's 'I, Robot' Debuts at No. 1

LOS ANGELES - Will Smith has the summer crowd well programmed. Smith's sci-fi thriller "I, Robot" was his latest No. 1 July debut, opening with $52.25 million and bumping "Spider-Man 2" from the top spot at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates Sunday.

If the numbers hold when final figures are released Monday, "I, Robot" would be Smith's best debut ever, coming in just ahead of "Independence Day," "Men in Black" and "Men in Black II," all July premieres that opened in the $50 million to $52 million range.

"My God, this guy opens movies," said Bruce Snyder, head of distribution at 20th Century Fox, which released "I, Robot." "He's just so likable, he takes something like science fiction, which can be a little cold, and he makes it warm and entertaining."

After two weekends in first place, "Spider-Man 2" slipped to No. 2 with $24.2 million, lifting its total domestic haul to $301.7 million after just 19 days. The movie crossed the $300 million mark three days faster than the original "Spider-Man," according to distributor Sony.

The weekend's other new wide release, Hilary Duff's romance "A Cinderella Story," premiered in third place with $13.8 million.

Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" held on at No. 5 with $7 million, raising its domestic total to $93.8 million. Moore's assault on President Bush over the Sept. 11 attacks has become the undisputed box-office champ among documentaries, passing the $84.4 million domestic haul of the IMAX film "Everest."

"I, Robot," inspired by the short-story collection of Isaac Asimov, stars Smith as a police detective in 2035 who suspects a robot has committed a murder.

Along with the "Men in Black" movies and "Independence Day," "I, Robot" joins "Wild Wild West" and last year's "Bad Boys II" in Smith's string of summer smashes.

"He's Mr. July," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "He's the perfect summer action star. He's a guy who seems like somebody fun to hang out with, but you know the guy can kick some butt when he has to."

"A Cinderella Story" stars Duff as a saintly California teen slaving away for her odious stepmother and stepsisters in a modern update of the fairy tale.

The movie drew mainly from Duff's teen and preteen fan base, with young girls and mothers making up most of the audience, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros., which released "A Cinderella Story."

In narrow release, Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger's "The Door in the Floor" had a healthy debut, taking in $444,983 in 47 theaters. The family drama was adapted from John Irving's novel "A Widow for One Year."

"Maria Full of Grace," which won the award as audience favorite at last January's Sundance Film Festival, also opened strongly in limited release, taking in $124,000 at seven theaters. The drama centers on a young Colombian woman who signs on as a "mule" carrying heroin to the United States.

Here is the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "I, Robot," $52.25 million.
2. "Spider-Man 2," $24.2 million.
3. "A Cinderella Story," $13.8 million
4. "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," $13.4 million.
5. "Fahrenheit 9/11," $7 million.
6. "King Arthur," $6.9 million.
7. "The Notebook," $5.45 million.
8. "White Chicks," $3.4 million.
9. "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," $3.2 million.
10. "The Terminal," $3.1 million.

CBS Exec Defends Firing of 'CSI' Stars

LOS ANGELES - The firing of two "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" stars in a salary dispute was fair and intended to help the TV industry draw the fiscal line, CBS chief Leslie Moonves said Sunday.

Actors Jorja Fox and George Eads, who play investigators Sara Sidle and Nick Stokes on the hit CBS crime drama, were dumped last week when they failed to report for work on the upcoming season, he said.

"There comes a point where we feel a contract is a contract. ... We all have to look out for the future of the network television business," said Moonves, co-president and co-chief operating officer of CBS parent company Viacom.

Among the major broadcast networks only CBS and NBC avoided losses last year, he told the Television Critics Association.

Deals with Fox and Eads were renegotiated after two years and a raise was offered for this fifth season although there was no contractual obligation to do so, he said. The actors reportedly wanted a raise in their $100,000-per-episode pay.

Discussions had been under way with their lawyers and there were certain "veiled threats about their not showing up," Moonves said.

A call seeking comment from the actors was not immediately returned Sunday by their publicist.

Production will be halted this week while script revisions are made, Moonves said. The roles played by Fox and Eads have not been recast but the network is "looking at certain people," Moonves added.

Another cast member, Marg Helgenberger, reported to work as scheduled last week, he said. Co-star William Petersen is a producer on the series, and was on call for next week.

Asked if he was concerned about damage to one of TV's top-rated series, Moonves said, "Of course." Later, he said it was possible cast members Eric Szmanda and Paul Guilfoyle might play bigger roles.

Last year, "Everybody Loves Raymond" star Brad Garrett successfully staged a salary walkout. Asked to compare the "CSI" actors' situation with that of the Emmy-winning Garrett, Moonves was vague.

"We did a negotiation, we brought him (Garrett) back into the fold," Moonves said. "We're very happy we did."

In a subsequent session with the critics' group, "CSI" co-creator Anthony Zuiker said CBS executives make the business decisions on the show.

Zuiker said he was "saddened by the news," but expressed confidence in the ability of the series' executive producers, Ann Donahue and Carol Mendelsohn, to keep the series on track.

"It is show business and the show must go on," said Zuiker, who was on hand to publicize the second "CSI" spinoff, called "CSI: NY." The other spinoff is "CSI: Miami."

When "CSI NY" cast members were asked to comment on the actions by Fox and Eads, only Carmine Giovinazzo was game.

"I'd be shining Moonves' shoes and caddying for him every weekend if I was making that much money," the actor said.

Sony, BMG to Lay Off 2,000 Staffers -Sources

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - About 2,000 staffers worldwide will be let go as a result of the upcoming merger between recording industry giants Sony Music and Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), sources said.

The combined company is expected to reap cost savings of $300 million-$360 million a year, according to industry insiders.

The European Union's antitrust division is expected to announce approval of the merger as soon as Tuesday. The international restructuring of Sony BMG is expected to be complete by June 2005 and will mostly affect back-office operations, sources said.

Representatives from Sony and BMG declined comment Friday. Sony's artist roster includes Jessica Simpson, Destiny's Child and Audioslave. BMG acts include recent U.S. chart-toppers Usher, Avril Lavigne and Velvet Revolver.

The board of directors of the combined Sony BMG will comprise members of both companies. Andrew Lack, chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, will helm the merged company as CEO, with BMG chairman and CEO Rolf Schmidt-Holtz serving as the chairman of the board.

News that EU antitrust chief Mario Monti would approve the merger leaked last month. The EU's main concerns, according to the antitrust office's sealed 51-page statement of objections, have been fixed pricing on CDs and market collusion. Only four years ago, the EU opposed a deal between EMI and Warner Music Group for the same reasons.

Insiders said Monti's decision to allow the union of Bertelsmann AG and Sony Corp.'s music divisions came after the commission concluded that the evidence of price collusion and market dominance was not solid enough to justify blocking the merger.

If the merger is passed by U.S. regulators, the combined Sony BMG would be the world's second-largest music company, behind Universal Music Group.

The new entity will be 50%-owned by both groups and based in New York. The merger includes both companies' recorded music businesses but not music publishing, physical distribution or manufacturing operations. Sony's recorded music business in Japan also would be excluded.

Tom Cruise on Urgent 'Mission' for New Director

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Mission: Impossible 3" has a new mission: finding a replacement director for the blockbuster Tom Cruise franchise.

Joe Carnahan ("Narc") has dropped out of the director's seat because of "creative differences," the standard Hollywood explanation in such cases.

The film remains scheduled to begin shooting as planned next month in Berlin, said Rob Friedman, vice chairman of the Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group.

Carnahan came on board to direct the latest sequel in the popular franchise in February 2003 after David Fincher exited the project in favor of "Lords of Dogtown," which Catherine Hardwicke is now directing. Carnahan won acclaim in 2002 for his violent cop thriller "Narc," on which Cruise served as an executive producer.

In "M-I:3," Cruise is set to reprise his role as secret agent Ethan Hunt, with Scarlett Johansson, Carrie-Anne Moss, Kenneth Branagh and Ving Rhames rounding out the cast. The 1996 original was directed by Brian De Palma, and the 2000 sequel by John Woo.

The news comes shortly after Paramount announced it was shifting the release date of the film by seven weeks, moving it from its original slot in the first week of May to June 29, 2005. Cruise returns to theaters Aug. 6 with Michael Mann's thriller "Collateral," co-starring Jamie Foxx.

CBS Head Says Would Fight Fines Over Janet Jackson

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Viacom Inc. co-president and CBS chairman Leslie Moonves vowed on Sunday to fight any fines levied against CBS-owned TV stations for airing Janet Jackson's breast-baring Super Bowl performance in February.

In defiant remarks to television critics at their annual summer meeting, Moonves said the government's crackdown on indecency on the airwaves since Jackson's notorious flash of nudity on his network is "coming dangerously close to infringing" on free speech.

He said the notion of fining stations for airing the live Super Bowl halftime telecast on Feb. 1 is "patently ridiculous, and we're not going to stand for it."

"We're going to take it up to the courts if that happens," Moonves said, when asked about media reports that the U.S. Federal Communications Commission staff has proposed fines totaling $550,000 against 20 CBS-owned stations over the Super Bowl telecast.

Sources said the 227 affiliate stations that aired the show but are not owned by Viacom would be spared fines under the FCC recommendations. The National Football League championship, one of the year's most watched TV broadcasts, drew nearly 90 million viewers.

Jackson's costume was ripped away by duet partner Justin Timberlake, briefly exposing her breast, at the end of a provocative halftime dance number that concluded with the lyric: "I gotta have you naked by the end of this song."

The incident ignited a public outcry that led to an FCC probe, congressional action to stiffen fines for broadcast indecency and industry-wide moves to curtail sexually explicit material on TV and radio.

CBS and its sister cable music network MTV, which produced the halftime show, have insisted they did not know in advance about what Timberlake later called the "wardrobe malfunction." CBS has since instituted a five-second delay on most of its live events.

A coalition of U.S. broadcasters, artist groups and media organizations filed a joint FCC petition in April warning federal regulators that harsher policies on indecency were having a chilling effect on free speech in the industry.

Moonves said he was hopeful that another frequent target of FCC action, shock jock Howard Stern, would renew his contract with Infinity Broadcast Inc., the Viacom unit that syndicates his ribald radio show.

'Simpsons' to Have Own Super Bowl Controversy

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) On Sunday, Feb. 6, 2005, FOX will host Super Bowl XXXIX. And while the announcers will more than likely go out of its way to not mention Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's "wardrobe malfunction" from this year, don't expect the same of the post-game entertainment.

FOX will air an original "Simpsons" episode following the game entitled "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass."

In the hapless way that Homer has, he will stumble across a new career as a "victory dane choreographer." After working for defensive tackle Warren Sapp, basketballers LeBron James and Yao Ming, and figure skater Michelle Kwan (all voicing themselves), he's called upstairs to choreograph the Super Bowl halftime show. In over his head, Homer turns to neighbor Ned for help. Together they create a clean and classy production, only to have America turn on them for such a "blatant display of decency."

Other voices signed for this season include Ray Romano as Homer's new best friend, Kim Cattrall as Marge's old pal from high school who's now a journalist, and architect Frak Gehry, author Thomas Pynchon and rapper 50 Cent as themselves.

"The Simpsons" 16th season with premiere Sunday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. ET with the annual "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween special.

"CSI" Axes Two Stars

It could be another gruesome CSI crime scene. Except this one doesn't involve dead bodies. Just axed actors.

George Eads and Jorja Fox, who played two of the younger, hotter forensics experts you'll find poking around a corpse, have been whacked from TV's top-rated drama series, Daily Variety reported on its Website Thursday.

The firings came after both Eads and Fox reportedly made it known to their bosses that, in the tradition of employees everywhere, they'd like to make more money.

Eads expressed his desire for a bigger paycheck by skipping the first day of shooting Thursday for CSI's fifth season, Variety said.

Fox, who did show up for work, drew the wrath of CBS execs for failing to, as Variety put it, "reply to a letter asking her if she had any plans to not show up for work."

In both cases, CBS invoked breach of contract. Eads and Fox each had two years left on their TV standard seven-year contracts.

Not pausing for a moment at their chalk outlines, Variety said the network has already begun searching for Eads' and Fox's replacements.

"The network is not commenting," CBS told E!

Eads, 36, played hair and fiber guy Nick Stokes on CSI. Like Fox, he had been with the show since its October 2000 debut.

Fox, 35, played material and elements point person Sara Sidle on the series.

If it sounds as CBS is trying to put the fear of God into its star employees, it may just be.

Last summer, the network steamed as Everybody Loves Raymond costars Patricia Heaton, Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle called in sick for a variety of ailments over the first 10 days of production. Brad Garrett just stayed away--period.

The cast's health, not to mention Garrett's attendance, improved considerably once they were awarded raises.

The Eyeball, though, has not always been as amenable--particularly if the players aren't name-brand stars. It once threatened to gut the cast of Becker (Ted Danson, not included) if its actors didn't end a work stoppage.

Sometimes not even stars have been immune. In 1982, Dukes of Hazzard pin-ups John Schneider and Tom Wopat went to war over merchandising revenue. The Duke boys, Bo and Duke, subsequently were shown the highway, and replaced by two "fake" Dukes, Coy and Vance. (Duke and Wopat returned the following season.)

None of Thursday's wrangling is likely to bolster the mood of CSI main man William Petersen. The actor/producer, who saw his show earn an Emmy nomination Thursday as Outstanding Drama Series, has been griping for months about CBS' franchising of CSI, as evidenced in CSI: Miami and the upcoming CSI: New York.

Last spring, Petersen warned that this coming TV year would be his last on the show, which was TV's top-rated drama, averaging more than 25 million viewers each week last season.

'Robot' Rages Against Spidey at Box Office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - There may be no place for Spider-Man in the future -- at least the future as imagined by "I, Robot," which opens across North America Friday.

Starring box office phenomenon Will Smith, 20th Century Fox's futuristic action film could knock the webbed one down to street level.

As the weekend approaches, "I, Robot," inspired by the Isaac Asimov stories, has been tracking extremely well with all segments of the moviegoing population. Projections are that its three-day gross should top $40 million and could rise as high as $50 million if crowds flock as expected.

Set in the year 2035, "I, Robot" dramatizes a world where robots are an everyday household item that everyone trusts except for Smith's character, who believes that one of them has killed a scientist.

Directed by Alex Proyas ("Dark City," "The Crow"), the PG-13 film should benefit from Smith's allure as well as the movie's sci-fi themes. Smith's success as a summer box office draw is unparalleled. He has consistently scored during the dog days with everything from the "Men in Black" and "Bad Boys" franchises to "Wild Wild West" (a $27.6 million opening in 1999 and $49.7 million over the four-day Fourth of July weekend) and "Independence Day" ($50 million opening in 1996). His track record alone points toward an opening that easily tops $40 million.

That, of course, means "I, Robot" should knock Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man 2" out of the top spot that it has held for the past two weekends, and it could also affect the future grossing potential of the Spidey epic, which stands at $272.7 million in domestic grosses. According to one distributor, if "I Robot's" grosses go as high as tracking suggests, the record-breaking Spidey sequel could have trouble topping the domestic gross of its 2002 predecessor, which amounted to $403.7 million domestically. For its third weekend, "Spider-Man 2" is expected to take a 50% drop, which would see it bring in about $23 million.

Funnyman Will Ferrell could also be facing a significant drop with his DreamWorks picture "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy." The comedy, which scored with critics and audiences, bringing in a better-than-expected $28.4 million during its opening frame, is likely to drop 50% to $14 million. Last weekend's other new release, Disney's "King Arthur," which opened to a disappointing $15 million, also is likely to suffer from "I, Robot's" broad appeal as well as its bid for the action audience.

Friday's other new wide release is "A Cinderella Story," a counterprograming effort from Warner Bros. Pictures, starring tween idol Hilary Duff. Because of Duff's appeal, the PG-rated film could get into the teenmillions range. The actress scored last year with "The Lizzie McGuire Movie," which earned $17 million for its May 4 opening. Since "I, Robot's" appeal to young girls is probably somewhat limited, the modernized "Cinderella," directed by Mark Rosman, may find some breathing room.

In limited release, Focus Features bowed "The Door in the Floor" on Wednesday in select markets. The film deals with the issue of losing a child and appeals primarily to older filmgoers. Starring Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger, who have earned critical applause for their roles, the R-rated film is set to expand throughout the month.

Sony Pictures Classics will bow "Touch of Pink," starring Kyle MacLachlan and Jimi Mistry. The comedy centers on a gay Canadian man living in London whose life is upset when his devoutly Muslim mother comes to visit.

Sony Classics also unveils "Zhou Yu's Train" Friday in New York and Los Angeles. The PG-13 romantic drama stars Gong Li as a woman who must choose between two men.

HBO Films and Fine Line is releasing "Maria Full of Grace," the debut effort from screenwriter-director Joshua Marston, in select markets. The Spanish-language drama about female drug mules has been a darling on the festival circuit for some time.

CRTC approves Al-Jazeera network

OTTAWA (CP) -- The Arabic Al-Jazeera network has been cleared for viewing by Canadians.

In a decision bound to stir controversy, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, the federal regulator, granted the network approval Thursday for distribution by cable companies.

While cable companies want the network, the Canadian Jewish Congress and others argue that Al-Jazeera, often called the CNN of the Arab world, broadcasts anti-Semitic programs.

Support for broadcasting the network came from the Canadian Cable Television Assoc., including the powerful Rogers Cable, in part because the network can be picked up now using "grey-market" technology that the CRTC considers illegal.

Al-Jazeera broadcasts 24 hours a day from Qatar on the Persian Gulf.

The network regularly receives video and audio tapes said to have come from al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden and other prominent terrorists in the Middle East.

While the CRTC approved the Arabic network, it turned down an application to offer Italy's RAI International as a digital specialty service through cable or satellite.

More than 100,000 Italian-Canadians signed petitions favouring the RAI application to broadcast 24 hours a day in Canada.

HBO's 'The Sopranos' Leads Emmy Series Nominations

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - HBO's mobster saga "The Sopranos" led the field of prime-time series announced on Thursday as contenders for U.S. television's highest honors, with 20 Emmy nominations, including a nod for best drama.

"Sopranos," rubbed out by "The West Wing" in three previous Emmy Award matchups, will compete again with the NBC political drama and two other nominees from last year -- Fox espionage thriller "24" and TV's highest-rated drama, CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

Also joining this year's roster of best-drama contenders is first-time challenger "Joan of Arcadia," the CBS show about a teen-age girl who talks with God.

"I think it's a healthy surprise and it's good for the industry," said Dick Askin, chairman of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, of the rookie show's nomination.

The nomination of "West Wing," starring Martin Sheen as fictional U.S. President Bartlet, puts the show in the running for re-election to a record fifth term as best dramatic series. The only other prime-time show in Emmy history to claim five best series victories was the long-running comedy "Frasier," which bowed off NBC last season.

HBO's popular but newly departed "Sex and the City" was the most nominated sitcom, gaining recognition in 11 categories, including best comedy series.

Fox's offbeat family sitcom "Arrested Development," a low-rated but critically favored freshman show, also snagged a best-comedy nomination, breaking into an otherwise familiar pack of returning Emmy contenders.

The other nominees were NBC's "Will & Grace," HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," and last year's champ, CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond," headed into a ninth and final season.

While "Sopranos" clinched the most nominations of any series, the most nominated program overall with 21 nods was the HBO miniseries "Angels in America," which starred Al Pacino.

Nominated as best made-for-TV movie, and in six other categories, was "The Reagans," which CBS gave to sister cable channel Showtime after an outcry from conservatives who complained it cast the late president in an unfair light.

NEW FACES

The acting nominations contained a few surprises, including first-time nods for some familiar faces and a nomination for an actor who died.

The late John Ritter gained posthumous recognition for his role as a harried family man in ABC's comedy "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter." Other comic acting nominees went to Kelsey Grammer for his title role on "Frasier," Matt LeBlanc for playing Joey on NBC's last season of "Friends," Larry David for playing himself on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and last year's winner, Tony Shalhoub, for "Monk."

Nominated for best actor in a drama were "Sopranos" heavy James Gandolfini, who won last year; Sheen for "West Wing;" James Spader for departing ABC legal hour "The Practice;" Kiefer Sutherland as a government agent in "24," and Anthony LaPaglia for "Without a Trace."

Dramatic best actress contenders were multiple winner Edie Falco as a mob wife in "The Sopranos;" Allison Janney as the White House press secretary on "The West Wing;" Jennifer Garner as the alluring spy on ABC's "Alias," and two first-time nominees -- Mariska Hargitay on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and Amber Tamblyn for "Joan of Arcadia."

Comedy actress nods went to Bonnie Hunt for ABC's now-canceled "Life with Bonnie," Sarah Jessica Parker for "Sex and the City," Jane Kaczmarek for quirky Fox sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle," Jennifer Aniston for "Friends" and Patricia Heaton for "Raymond."

The 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Garry Shandling, will be broadcast live on ABC from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sept. 19.

MOONLIGHTING

David Letterman and his World Wide Pants Inc. set to produce Strangers with Candy: The Movie, the company's first feature film based on the Comedy Central show starring Amy Sedaris.

Get Some Wood

Buena Vista has just re-announced their Ed Wood: Special Edition for release on 10/19.

The disc will reportedly include audio commentary (with director Tim Burton, actor Martin Landau, the co-writers, the costume designer and the cinematographer), 5 deleted scenes, the Let's Shoot This F#%@R! documentary, a music video, 4 featurettes (including Making Bela, Pie Plates Over Hollywood, The Theremin and When Carol Met Larry) and the theatrical trailer. Video will be 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen, with audio in Dolby Digital 5.1.

Near as we can tell, it's the same as the disc that was originally (nearly) released earlier this year.

Where Will You Be?

The first big summer blockbuster has been announced for DVD release, and it is the Roland Emmerich eco-friendly epic The Day After Tomorrow. Due for release on October 5th from Fox Home Entertainment, this $180-mllion grossing hit will get separate anamorphic widescreen and full screen special editions, each with two audio commentary tracks by Emmerich and the effects team, deleted scenes, trailers, and a ROM exclusive behind-the-scenes featurette and more. The release will also come housed in a limited edition lenticular cover.

C-C-Changes

What would a day be without some Star Wars news? As fan anticipation for the upcoming DVD box set, due on September 21st, begins to reach near-fever pitch, the Lucasfilm PR machine is beginning to kick into overdrive. Fans will recall seeing the recent DVD trailer, but a new French DVD trailer has also been unveiled, which has mouths watering due to what have been described as noticeable CGI "enhancements" that were not in the 1997 Special Edition versions.

How much will Lucas really change this time around? We'll have to wait until September 21st to find out. But fans will recall that this is not the first time the digital pioneer has tinkered with his films, resulting in different video versions.

Idiot Box
 
Following the recent high profile merger of Universal and NBC, Universal Studios Home Video has announced to the trades that the deal will make way for the studios most extensive TV on DVD offerings in the format's history.

At last due for release on DVD, beginning this fall, is a very aggressive slate of some of the biggest TV hits of the past two decades. Titles due to in time for the holidays include first season sets of Miami Vice, The Munsters, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Bionic Woman, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Night Gallery and Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories.

More recent TV programming also set to make its debut this year include Donald Trumps' mid-season smash The Apprentice, plus Las Vegas, starring James Caan, more Law & Order, the all-new version of Battlestar Galactica, and the telefilms Traffic and Spartacus. Street dates, specs and pricing have not yet been announced, but watch this space in the coming weeks for further details.

Brits Said to Give Best Awards Speeches

LOS ANGELES - Come Thursday, newly announced Emmy nominees will have two months to think about the acceptance speeches they might get to deliver. A bit of advice: Start acting British. Please.

British award winners offer short, witty, self-deprecating remarks. Or, if they're in Laurence Olivier's league, they might recite lushly poetic monologues that leave us both agog and entertained.

Americans, on the other hand, can be garrulous, humorless and intent on thanking every one except their dog sitter and the valet who parked the limo.

Freed of scripts and cue cards, finally given the chance to speak for themselves, they appear intent on demonstrating why writers will always have a job in Hollywood.

The viewer, hoping for a spontaneous flash of personality from a favorite, is left to ponder just who Media 8, PMK, Newmarket and Toni G. are, and why they mean so much to lovely Charlize Theron (a South African native who clearly has adopted American ways as well as the accent). They all made it into her best-actress Oscar speech this year.

Lucky them. Unlucky us.

"Winners need to give a performance at the podium equal to the one they're being honored for, otherwise (voters) will think they made a terrible mistake," said Tom O'Neil, author of "The Emmys" and host of goldderby.com, an awards prediction Web site.

(Political outbursts may also make some question — or cheer — their choice, but that's another subject altogether.)

Perhaps we're being too hard on our homegrown artists out of some misguided deference to accented English. Maybe the British themselves find the comparison unfair.

Actually, no, according to one.

"I think they are quite different," said Welsh-born Hilary Mckendrick of Los Angeles, who worked in media and the arts.

American speeches are "much more personal and people do seem to stretch back in their memories to find people they've known from kindergarten to thank," she said. "The European habit is to be a bit more professional."

Just so, agreed another Brit.

"It's something I think we do better," said journalist Richard Evans, an Englishman who works for the BBC and lives in Virginia. "These actors have been through training and taught to speak and express their thoughts. It's all part of the education."

Veteran Academy Awards producer Gil Cates diplomatically suggests another reason for the differences.

"The Brits are visitors, and visitors tend to be a little more careful," suggested Cates. "They're in our living room and Americans are at home."

The foreign eloquence makes our stars' uninspired, laundry-list approach even more conspicuous. And the trend is entrenched.

When Jack Nicholson won best-actor honors for 1975's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," he thanked his collaborators "Saul and Michael and Louise and Brad and Lawrence and Bo."

In 2002, best-actress winner Halle Berry's speech began with an emotional recounting of the role of black women in cinema, then devolved into a recitation of 17 supporters, including her lawyer, twice. And she still risked offending people by not naming them.

Such dry, often long and rambling speeches are so endemic that a frustrated Cates offered a $2,500 TV set in 2001 for the shortest Oscar speech.

"I have a television, so I'm going to spend some time here to tell you some things," said exuberant best-actress winner Julia Roberts, refusing to let the orchestra cut off her speech.

Compare Hollywood's brand of oratory to Olivier's lyrical acceptance of an honorary Oscar in 1979.

"In the great wealth, the great firmament of your nation's generosity, this particular choice may perhaps be found by future generations as a trifle eccentric, but the mere fact of it — the prodigal, pure, human kindness of it — must be seen as a beautiful star in that firmament which shines upon me at this moment," Olivier said, in part.

The entire speech by Oliver, who died in 1989, was less than 200 words, nearly a third fewer than Theron's but much more fulfilling.

Dry humor more your cup of tea? "I went to visit Jane Austen's grave in Winchester Cathedral to pay my respects and to tell her about the grosses," actress-writer Emma Thompson quipped on accepting an Oscar for the screenplay of 1995's "Sense and Sensibility," based on Austen's novel.

Even the American theater world can be upstaged, as an Irishman proved when he was honored for his work in the play "Frozen" at the recent Tony Awards.

"Any of the actors in this category would be standing here if they had my part," Brian F. O'Byrne said self-effacingly. Then, with boisterous charm: "I have the best part on Broadway. If you are listening at home on television, I've just said that, so it's true. So you better come and see our show."

A few more passionate words about how a drama like "Frozen" can wow theatergoers as much as the liveliest musical and then O'Byrne slipped away — leaving the audience sadly ignorant as to his agent's identity.

To be fair, American actors can rise to the challenge.

Phylicia Rashad, the one-time "Cosby" star who won a Tony for her work in a revival of "A Raisin in the Sun," made a lovely, heartfelt statement.

She's learned that achievement requires "effort and grace, tremendous self-effort and amazing grace," Rashad told the audience last month.

"In my life, that grace has taken numerous forms. The first was the family into which I was born. Parents who loved and wanted me and a mother who fought fearlessly, courageously, consistently, so that her children, above all else, could realize their full potential as human beings."

Spontaneity can be a distinctive hallmark of American performers.

Sometimes it's charming. "This is for all the fat girls!" exclaimed Camryn Manheim as she accepted an Emmy for "The Practice" in 1998.

Sometimes it's not. "I'd like to thank my husband Parker (Stevenson) for giving me the big one for the last eight years," Kirstie Alley said on winning a trophy for "Cheers" in 1991.

Manheim's speech was "genuine and reflected her attitude and personality," said Don Mischer, who will produce the Sept. 19 Emmy Awards airing on ABC. He advises nominees to speak "about how you feel ... what the award means in your life."

He also likes to remind potential winners the greatest speech in U.S. history, Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, didn't break 300 words.

Still, the inclination to thank an endless array of family and friends is certainly American, noted Evans.

"There's a natural British reticence about one's personal life. All of us have moms and dads and Aunt Lucys, but you don't have to be so public about those kinds of emotions," he said. "You Americans wear all that on your sleeve."

Mom, and Media 8. Sounds like a winner.

VH1: O.J's Car Chase Iconic of the '90s

LOS ANGELES - O.J. Simpson's slow-speed police chase may be the iconic moment of the 1990s, but "Where's Waldo?" may be the funniest — at least according to the VH1 nostalgia series "I Love the '90s."

The 10-hour program, which started with two installments Monday and runs through Friday, devotes one hour to each year of the decade, chronicling all the pop culture touchstones from Sinead O'Connor to "Beverly Hills, 90210."

Producer Karla Hidalgo said the cornerstone of the era begins in 1994, with Simpson fleeing police before his double-murder arrest.

Since the "I Love the ..." series, which has also documented the 1970s and 1980s (twice), involves comedians and other pop-culture figures cracking wise about the past, the producers said they weren't sure they wanted to include the famed double-homicide in the retrospective.

"At first we weren't sure how to deal with that," Hidalgo said. "But when we started talking about it with our interviewees, what they remembered was mostly watching it and their initial reaction to it, everything from disbelief to `Go, O.J., go!' — not really grasping exactly what had happened."

She said one panelist described it as "the moon landing of the 1990s."

Hidalgo said she thinks the funniest moment in the series is supplied by the puzzle book "Where's Waldo?"

"People had fun with that book. We gave it to pretty much anyone who would participate in finding Waldo, and people could not find him. And finally when they did find him it was just this immense excitement from everybody, from J.C. Chasez the 'N Sync guy to Wendy the Snapple lady."

TV Favorites Vie with Newcomers in Emmy Race

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Prime-time politicians and gangsters are back in a crowded field of TV dramas vying for Emmy nominations this week, while the critically acclaimed but low-rated sitcom "Arrested Development" is looking to break through in the race for best comedy.

NBC's White House saga "The West Wing," a four-time winner for best drama, is heavily favored to clinch yet another chance at reelection as television's most honored dramatic series when Emmy nominations are announced on Thursday in Los Angeles.

"West Wing" is one of several perennial Emmy favorites widely expected to resurface as a contender for an entertainment award competition famous for its sense of deja vu.

"It would be a huge surprise if they surprise us, but they never do," said TV critic Ray Richmond of The Hollywood Reporter.

Other front-runners for this year's best-drama sweepstakes are three returning nominees bested by "West Wing" last year -- HBO mob series "The Sopranos," Fox espionage thriller "24" and television's highest-rated drama, the CBS detective show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

"The West Wing" could prove especially irresistible to the Emmy-sponsoring Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in the midst of a heated, real-life presidential race, Emmy handicapper Tom O'Neil told Reuters.

Last year's most-nominated show, HBO's funeral home drama "Six Feet Under," is out of the running due to an extended hiatus between seasons, leaving room for a relative newcomer to snag one of the five remaining slots in the best-drama contest.

Emmy experts point to three likely first-time drama nominees -- the CBS missing persons series "Without a Trace," the FX cable network's plastic surgery tale "Nip/Tuck" and HBO's gritty western "Deadwood."

Other possibilities are NBC's long-running legal drama "Law & Order" and the FX cop show "The Shield."

CRITICS ROOT FOR ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT

Perhaps the most watched Emmy race this year is in the category for best comedy series, where critics are rooting heavily for the offbeat Fox show "Arrested Development."

The series, starring Jason Bateman as a widower struggling to manage the affairs of his dysfunctional family when his dad lands in prison, is heading into its second season with rave reviews but low ratings and could use some Emmy attention to boost its fortunes.

"'Arrested Development is the big question this year," said O'Neil, author of "The Emmys" and host of the awards show Web site GoldDerby.com. "If the show is snubbed, we're going to hear an industry outcry."

Otherwise, the competition for best comedy is especially tight this year given the sentimental clout of three newly departed longtime hits -- NBC's "Friends" and "Frasier" and HBO's "Sex and the City." Richmond said all three have to be considered favorites to clinch Emmy nominations this year.

But O'Neil gives better odds to last year's comedy champ, CBS's "Everybody Loves Raymond," now headed for its ninth and final season, as well as HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm from "Seinfeld" co-creator Larry David and NBC's "Will & Grace."

Younger-skewing critical darlings such as NBC's "Scrubs" and the WB's "Gilmore Girls" are considered relative longshots for recognition by the academy, which labors under "a notorious geezer age bias," O'Neil said.

The 56th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Garry Shandling, will be telecast live on ABC from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on Sept. 19.

Bryan Adams not slowing down

Bryan Adams wasn't kidding when he sang he'd be 18 'Til I Die.

Despite his current 45 years, the gravel-voiced Canadian rocker is proving to be a musician with a chronic case of the teens, touring the world like a backpacker, playing gigs and recording two new albums for release this fall.

He loves to travel so much that the only way a reporter can get some questions answered is by e-mail. Five questions, no more. He doesn't like interviews.

"I like to ponder things rather than be my usual flippant self," he said to the Edmonton Sun's Mike Ross.

WORLD TRAVELS

So, when he's asked how it feels to still be rocking at his age, he's full of enthusiasm.

"It's great," he writes. "We do 10 shows a month every month somewhere in the world. It's amazing. Last month was Germany, Ireland and England, the month before was Norway and Denmark. We've got to a place that we can tour practically anywhere and it's an amazing thing to be able to do.

"At the beginning of the year we did a tour of India, Sri Lanka and Dubai. It's like backpacking around the world with a semi-trailer of band equipment."

Adams, who divides his home life between Vancouver and London, is a master of both rock anthems -- Summer of '69, Cuts Like a Knife -- and sappy love songs -- Everything I Do (I Do It For You), Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman. Guns N' Roses he ain't.

"Wherever I go I am constantly reminded of Canada and being Canadian," he writes. "Recently I was in India and I was stopped by customs. They took me into a room with a few security guards and asked to see my ID. When I pulled out my Canadian passport, the guy looked at me and mumbled something to his mate and then waved me out of the room. It was weird, but I guess he must have mistaken me for someone else."

Adams, who has sold close to 100 million records over the past 20 years, easily fills the largest arenas in the world. At the peak of his career, he paired with Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Tina Turner and Sporty Spice.

DODGY RELATIONSHIP

So why the humble tour of sweaty, 3,000-seat hockey palaces? Why the low profile?

Adams, who's developed a dodgy relationship with the media, turns the question back.

"You don't write and you don't call so what do you expect," Adams replies mischievously.

While he hasn't curtailed his gruelling tour schedule, Adams did scale the size back a couple of years ago after his acoustic unplugged tour. That more intimate musical experience marked a turning point in his career.

Now, at the top of his game, he wanted to keep it fresh for himself.

"The show is different than anything we've done in Canada before," he writes. "For that reason it'll be interesting.

"I've been touring a lot and finishing two albums. The first album is called Room Service, because it was recorded on tour in dozens of hotels around Europe while I was touring. The second one was also recorded on tour and is entirely acoustic. I hope to release it the same time as Room Service."

Lindsay Lohan signs record deal

NEW YORK (AP) -- Lindsay Lohan, the 18-year-old star of Mean Girls, Freaky Friday and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, has signed a record deal with Tommy Mottola's Casablanca Records.

"It's a long-term recording contract," Peter LoFrumento, a representative for Casablanca's parent company, Universal Music Group, said Monday.

No other details were released, but if her singing voice -- heard on the Freaky Friday and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen soundtracks -- is an indication, Lohan's tunes will probably be pure pop.

"Right now she needs to get into the studio and get down to work," LoFrumento said.

Dave Grohl drumming for NIN

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl is lending out his drumming skills once again, this time for the forthcoming Nine Inch Nails album "Bleedthrough," MTV.com reports.

Grohl was behind the kit for a recording session at Sound City Studios in Van Nuys, California, on Friday.

The session will likely appear on the album, which has no scheduled release date as yet.

The former Nirvana drummer has also been behind the kit for albums by Queens of the Stone Age, Garbage and Killing Joke.

The Couch Potato Report - July 13th, 2004

This week in The Couch Potato Report, a Canadian Oscar winner, one film to skip, and one to see if you've seen the film before it.

Denys Arcand's Oscar winning Canadian film THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS is the first film I'll peel this week. And I'm happy to let you know about it's appeal as it is very funny and incredibly moving.

THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS is the follow-up to writer-director Arcand's 1986 drama THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE.

That seminal Canadian film features four men and four women, all coming from the academic world, discussing their professional and sex lives around a diner.

THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS is a sequel that surpasses the original.

One of the male professors learns he's rapidly dying of cancer. His estranged son then assembles friends and family to guide him through his last days.

The father, Remy, played by Remy Girard, is wonderful in the film.

He is an old womanizer who happily talks about his sexual conquests, while his ex-wife and former lovers chime in.

His bed-ridden tirades cover even more topics than the original film and his bedside companions come from all walks of life, and each provide a unique contrast to the other characters.

What I liked most about THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS is how it doesn't pander to your emotions.

Not once is the film's goal to make you cry.

The fact that you genuinely care for the characters may induce tears, but that is due to your emotions, not anything fale contained withing the script.

You may also cry because you're laughing so hard. The film is quirky and funny, in a way that only old friends can be.

THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS has raunchy, honest humour and real honest characters.

While it may not be a perfect film, the French-Canadian subtitled film LES INVASIONS BARBARES est tres manifique!

Those words, in French, English, Sanskrit, or any language will probably never be used to describe this week's next new film.

Meg Ryan from SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and WHEN HARRY MET SALLY plays the real life person Jackie Kallen. She was the first big-time female boxing promoter.

Jackie tries to turn a street punk into champ in the less-than-classic film AGAINST THE ROPES.

Let me hit you with the right hook up front, AGAINST THE ROPE is a cliché ridden boxing film. With the exception of the fact that it has none of the style or grace of even the most average pugilist picture.

AGAINST THE ROPES is one part "based on a real person" movie and one part big bout ROCKY style action flick. But neither half equals a whole movie.

And I know that Meg Ryan is supposed to be "acting" in this movie, but what's with the accent?

I didn't buy Meg Ryan in this film, although I still consider myself to be a fan of hers. I also didn't buy AGAINST THE ROPES, either as a movie or as a DVD priced to own.

It's just a waste of time.

If you spent yime with the original AGENT CODY BANKS film, you will probably like it's sequel: AGENT CODY BANKS 2: DESTINATION LONDON.

Frankie Muniz from TV's MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE returns as the pint sized 16-year-old Secret Agent and he gives us another entertaining performance.

In this fun for the whole family film Banks has to go to London to stop a mind control system from taking over the world.

It isn't the most believable movie you'll see this year, but, like I said, if you liked the first film, you'll like this one.

For my money, the SPY KIDS franchise is much better, but Muniz is good at what he does too.

By the way, if your kids enjoyed the first movie because of the presence of pop princess Hilary Duff, you should know that she's no longer a part of Cody
Banks' world.

Either with or without Duff's Stuff, AGENT CODY BANKS 2: DESTINATION LONDON is a fun family film that the kids can enjoy and parents might not mind sitting through either.

Enjoy!

THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS, AGAINST THE ROPES, and AGENT CODY BANKS 2: DESTINATION LONDON are available now at your favourite local video store.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

In the comedic remake of the 1970's TV show STARSKY & HUTCH the two legendary cop partners meet and get their first case together. Bear in mind that with Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson starring it is a bit funnier than the TV Series.

CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE DRAMA QUEEN has the super busy Lindsay Lohan playing a popular teen who moves from Manhattan to New Jersey. Think of this as perfect for teenage girls, but hardly anyone else.

Finally, next week, Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman and Ed Harris are the heavyweight actors behind the box office failure THE HUMAN STAIN. As is often the case, Philip Roth's acclaimed novel just didn't translate well to the big screen. But what a cast!

I'll have more on those, and some other 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 Tunage

Here are the new CD Releases for Tuesday, July 13, 2004:

AARON CARTER TBA AARON CARTER (Zomba)
ANGIE STONE Stone Love (J Records)
BILLY OCEAN PLATINUM & GOLD COLLECTION (BMG Heritage)
BRICE LONG TBA BRICE LONG (RCA Country)
ELVIS PRESLEY ALOHA HAWAII (RCA)
NATALIE IMBRUGLIA TBA NATALIE IMBRUGLIA (BMG Associated Labels)
NICK CARTER TBA NICK CARTER DVD (Zomba)
PHIL VASSAR TBA PHIL VASSAR (RCA Country)
R. KELLY TBA R. Kelly DVD (Zomba)
SMITY TBA SMITY (J Records)
SYLEENA JOHNSON TBA SYLEENA JOHNSON (Zomba)

CRIA files appeal in song swap case

TORONTO -- The Canadian Recording Industry Association, which represents the country's major music producers, filed an appeal Monday hoping to overturn a decision last March which protected the identities of people who copy music online.

In arguments filed with the Federal Court of Appeal, the organization said Federal Court Judge Konrad von Finckenstein erred in his interpretation of the country's copyright laws.

Comparing the action to using photocopy machines in public libraries, von Finckenstein said in his March 31 decision that uploading songs to shared folders on a home computer was permissible under the law.

He dismissed CRIA's request to compel five Internet service providers -- Shaw Communications Inc., Rogers Cable Communications Inc., Bell Canada, Telus Communications Inc. and Videotron Ltd. -- to disclose the names of 29 people allegedly distributing music.

He said the music association had no legal entitlement to those identities, which are hidden by online aliases.

Lightfoot's surprise return to the stage

ORILLIA, Ont. (CP) — Gordon Lightfoot performed Sunday night for the first time since being knocked down by an aneurysm in 2002.

The impromptu performance came at the Mariposa Folk Festival, after a couple thousand fans were told not to leave at the end of a Gordon Lightfoot tribute.

What the audience didn't know was that Lightfoot was backstage, ostensibly to hear the other musicians perform his songs.

When organizers asked if he would make an appearance onstage to say hello to the crowd, Lightfoot said he would sing too.

"I'll just have John (Andersen, Lightfoot's driver) get the guitar out of the car," he told a stunned group that included musicians and festival organizers.

The crowd was on their feet instantly with a loud standing ovation for what would turn out to be Lightfoot's first public singing appearance since he was stricken with an aneurysm while performing at the Orillia Opera House on Sept. 7, 2002.

The Canadian legend left the stage with a bow after playing just the one song — 'I'll Tag Along.'

The singer said he hoped to resume performing in a couple of months.

Future Past?

Staring August 3 through November, NBC Universal is planning to release several classic series on DVD: MIAMI VICE, BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY, MURDER, SHE WROTE, MAGNUM, P.I., THE MUNSTERS, COLUMBO, AMAZING STORIES and NIGHT GALLERY. NBC/Uni is also planning to release the more-modern SLIDERS and HBO series DREAM ON, as well as current series THE APPRENTICE, LAS VEGAS, AMERICAN DREAMS, the BATTLESTAR GALACTICA mini-series and all seasons of LAW & ORDER.

Isabel Sanford of 'The Jeffersons' Dies

LOS ANGELES - Actress Isabel Sanford, best known as "Weezie," Louise Jefferson on the television sitcom "The Jeffersons," died of natural causes, her publicist said Monday. She was 86.

Sanford died Friday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she had been hospitalized since July 4, said Brad Lemack. Her daughter, Pamela Ruff, was at her side, he said.

Her health had waned after undergoing preventive surgery on a neck artery 10 months ago, Lemack said. He did not give a cause of death.

Sanford co-starred with Sherman Hemsley from 1975 to 1985 on CBS' "The Jeffersons," a spin-off of the popular series "All in the Family," in which she also appeared.

In 1981, Sanford became the first African-American woman to receive an Emmy for Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her work on "The Jeffersons."

"Isabel was our queen and that's what we called her on the show," said Marla Gibbs, who played the Jeffersons' maid Florence Johnston.

Gibbs said that even before the hit sitcom, Sanford's comedic talents were evident during acting auditions.

"Isabel would come in and just light up the room and start telling stories and having everybody in stitches," Gibbs said.

Sanford, a native New Yorker, was joined by "Jeffersons" creator Norman Lear and others in January when she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

"Here with stars in my eyes — something that I dreamed about when I was 9 years old," she said at the time. "There are others that deserve it, but let everybody get their own."

She enjoyed getting fan mail from people who saw "The Jeffersons" for the first time in reruns, Lemack said.

"She was just amazed and so pleased that the show had that kind of lasting power and entertainment because she loved to make people laugh," he said.

Sanford made her feature film debut in the 1967 classic, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner."

Recently, Sanford lent her voice to "The Simpsons" and appeared in commercial campaigns for Denny's restaurants and retailer Old Navy.

Besides her daughter, Sanford is survived by two sons, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Rolling Stones 'Jump Back' with Hits Reissue

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The Rolling Stones will next month release their post-'60s hits package "Jump Back" in North America for the first time.

The set was released internationally in November 1993 by Virgin after the Stones signed with the label. Scheduled for an Aug. 24 release, it has been digitally remastered and enriched with track-by-track liner notes from songwriters Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

"Jump Back" is billed as the only Stones collection to feature all of the group's post-'60s hits in one place. All but two of the 18 tracks reached the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart (1971's "Bitch" and 1978's "Respectable" being the exceptions). The album hosts three of the Stones' eight Hot 100 chart-toppers: 1971's "Brown Sugar," 1973's "Angie" and 1978's "Miss You."

Other top-shelf hits featured are "Start Me Up" (No. 2, 1981), "Emotional Rescue" (No. 3, 1980), "Harlem Shuffle" (No. 5, 1986), "Mixed Emotions" (No. 5, 1989), "Tumbling Dice" (No. 7, 1972), "Beast of Burden" (No. 8, 1978), "Undercover of the Night" (No. 9, 1983) and "Fool To Cry" (No. 10, 1976).

The album is rounded out by "Waiting on a Friend" (No. 13, 1981), "It's Only Rock'n'Roll (But I Like It)" (No. 16, 1974), "Rock and a Hard Place" (No. 23, 1989), "Wild Horses" (No. 28, 1971) and "Hot Stuff" (No. 49, 1976).

Meanwhile the Stones' former label, ABKCO Records, has set a July 27 U.S. release date for the second in its series of three boxed sets containing all the group's early singles as CD-sized reproductions of the original releases. It will be released a week earlier internationally.

The new set, "The Rolling Stones Singles 1965-1967," includes such tracks as "Satisfaction," "19th Nervous Breakdown" and "Paint It, Black." The first set, released earlier this year, was limited to 30,000 copies.

SUPERMAN Loses A Director...Again

Warner Bros has lost McG again as the director of SUPERMAN V, which was scheduled for late 2004. The director has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the project for some time, although the latest attempt was considered solid.

According to Warner, they and the director split amicably after they were unable to reach an agreement over budget and location. McG wanted to shoot in New York, while Warner wanted it shot in Australia, saving millions of dollars.

"When I flew to New York to scout," McG said in a statement, "I became enamored with our greatest American city. It was clear to me that this was Metropolis. As a filmmaker, I felt it was inappropriate to try to capture the heart of America on another continent. I look at Superman as a character that embodies all that is beautiful about America."

Another reported disagreement between McG and Warner was over casting; Warner wanted a Big Name, while McG wanted unknowns. As a result, no casting has taken place.

McG's exit will undoubtedly fire up the rumor mill again; indeed, it began last week when the Superman logo reportedly appeared on director Michael Bay's website. Bay has been rumored for the project for years, and McG's exit opens the door for him, although both Bay denies any involvement in the project.

With McG's exit, Warner may opt to scrap J.J. Abrams' script, as they are not tied to it, even with McG's leaving.

A NEW LOOK

Matt LeBlanc, star of the NBC spinoff "Joey," confessed yesterday he's still finding it hard to say goodbye to his old "Friends."

"When I first got to the stage, I kept waiting for the door to open and for Chandler to walk in," said LeBlanc, who will reprise his beloved "Friends" character this fall in the Thursday night time slot just abandoned by "Friends."

"Joey" is being shot on the very same Warner Bros. Television set in Burbank where LeBlanc and his five mythical Manhattan pals made TV magic for 10 seasons before finally signing off this spring.

"As the [first week of shooting 'Joey'] went on, I really got comfortable with these new voices there, and it feels like we're going to have a lot of fun," LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc's Joey Tribbiani will be a New York fish out water as he moves to Hollywood to pursue his acting career. The ensemble now includes Joey's sexy sister Gina (played by Drea de Matteo, "The Sopranos") and brilliant nephew Michael (Paulo Costanzo).

Executive producer Kevin Bright said viewers shouldn't expect to see any "stunt casting" — guest appearances by former "Friends" — in the rookie season of "Joey."

"The chances are rather small because I think we want our first focus to get 'Joey' working on its own," said Bright, although adding that former "Friend" David Schwimmer will be directing one "Joey" episode.

Show writers have already fessed up to one major structural blunder, having to recast the actress originally set to play Joey's neighbor.

NBC executives said an announcement on the new actress could be made as early as this week. "Joey" producers said they're still tinkering with the role, only promising that the character will still be married, as previously reported.

"We wanted to explore a friendship between a married woman and a single guy," said executive producer Shanna Goldberg-Meehan. "We thought that would be interesting."

LeBlanc said he likes his new co-workers, but still pines for the old days.

"It's like getting a divorce from someone you're still in love with," LeBlanc said of the "Friends" finale. "It's very sad, it's very tough — I could go on for an hour."

'Spider-Man 2' Fends Off Ferrell, Arthur

LOS ANGELES - Spider-Man fended off an anchorman and a king at the weekend box office to hold on to its supremacy. "Spider-Man 2" took in $46 million in its second weekend, pushing its total to $257.3 million after just 12 days, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Will Ferrell's broadcast-news comedy "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" premiered a strong No. 2 with $28 million, but "King Arthur," starring Clive Owen, had a so-so opening of $15.2 million to come in third.

The weekend's other new wide release, the girl-power flick "Sleepover," debuted a weak No. 10 with $4.2 million.

Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" was a healthy holdover in its third weekend, at No. 4 with $11 million and raising its total to $80.1 million. Moore's assault on President Bush over the Sept. 11 attacks, "Fahrenheit 9/11" appears headed beyond $100 million, which would make it the first documentary to cross that mark.

Twelve days into its run, "Spider-Man 2" had grossed about $20 million more than the original "Spider-Man" had at the same point. That improves its chances of exceeding the $403.7 million total domestic take for "Spider-Man," the top-grossing movie of 2002.

"We're on the right path, but that's a big number. I wouldn't be comfortable saying anything beyond that," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony, which released both "Spider-Man" movies. "I'm almost afraid to jinx it."

The solid opening of "Anchorman" follows Ferrell's holiday smash "Elf" last fall, lifting the former "Saturday Night Live" comedian to Hollywood's upper ranks.

"You can add him to the list of talent that can open a movie," said Jim Tharp, head of distribution for DreamWorks, which released "Anchorman."

"King Arthur," directed by Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day") and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, opened on the same weekend that Bruckheimer's blockbuster "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" debuted a year ago.

But since its Wednesday debut, "King Arthur" had taken in $23.6 million, just a third of the $70.6 million Wednesday-Sunday haul of "Pirates of the Caribbean."

"King Arthur," a different take on the Arthurian legends that drops the sword-and-sorcery themes and sets the story toward the end of Roman rule in Britain, is the latest in a string of anemic debuts for distributor Disney.

It follows such Disney commercial duds as "Around the World in 80 Days," "The Alamo," "Raising Helen" and "Home on the Range."

Disney head of distribution Chuck Viane said that like "Troy," a historical epic whose overseas revenues far outpaced its domestic gross, "King Arthur" should perform well internationally. Owen and co-star Keira Knightley have strong appeal in Europe, he said.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Spider-Man 2," $46 million.
2. "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy," $28 million.
3. "King Arthur," $15.2 million.
4. "Fahrenheit 9/11," $11 million.
5. "The Notebook," $6.53 million.
6. "White Chicks," $6.5 million.
7. "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," $5.4 million.
8. "The Terminal," $5 million.
9. "Shrek 2," $4.5 million.
10. "Sleepover," $4.2 million.

The ACADEMY Is Back

Warner Bros and Village Roadshow are developing an eighth sequel to POLICE ACADEMY.

The project is out to writers currently; no direction for the story has been set.

ACADEMY creator Paul Malansky said, "I felt it was time to start again. I saw that STARSKY & HUTCH and a number of other revivals were doing really well. POLICE ACADEMY has such a great history. I thought, 'Why not?'"

Malansky also said that the actors from the first films are interested in returning. He plans on blending those characters with a new cast.

Malansky is executive producing with Bruce Berman. Jerry Weintraub is producing.

NO FLIPPING!

Garry Shandling to host the 56th Annual Primetime Emmys Sept. 19 on ABC. Emmy nominations will be announced July 15.

'Spider-Man 2' Set for $40 Million-Plus Weekend

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Spider-Man 2" once again will dominate the box office this weekend, riding its stellar reviews, strong performances and special effects to new records for a second straight week.

The film, which is likely to reap an additional $40 million-$45 million for the three days beginning Friday, already has earned the title of fastest movie to cross the $200 million mark. On Wednesday, eight days after it opened, the film beat its predecessor's record of $200 million in nine days. The real race this weekend will be for the No. 2 spot as rising stars Will Ferrell and Keira Knightley face off in a battle of period pieces.

Fresh off two of last year's biggest films, Ferrell and Knightley will offer audiences very different fare with the former "Saturday Night Live" star playing a womanizing, hard-drinking '70s anchorman in DreamWorks' comedy "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and the British-born actress inhabiting the role of Guinevere in Disney's "King Arthur."

Both stars scored surprise hits last year: Ferrell's "Elf" earned $173 million off a $31.1 million opening weekend, and Knightley's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" grossed $305 million after a $46.6 million opening.

The likely winner of this race is "Anchorman," which is tracking very well among both young men and women. Ferrell's other 2003 film, "Old School," also from DreamWorks, earned $75 million, and the southern California-born actor has a slew of films in the works, positioning him to become one of Hollywood's top box office stars. "Anchorman," co-starring Christina Applegate, from a script co-written by Ferrell and first-time director Adam McKay, could reap opening grosses equal to that of "Elf," with most insiders positioning it in the $30 million range. Rated PG-13, "Anchorman" will bow in 3,091 theaters Friday.

In contrast, "King Arthur" the medieval period piece from director Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day") and producer Jerry Bruckheimer, opened Wednesday to $4.8 million on 3,003 screens, expanding to 3,086 Friday. With that opening-day gross, the film is on track to earn $30 million for the five-day period, with three-day grosses estimated in the low-$20 million range. The PG-13 film lacks the tremendous star power usually typical of summer fare. Knightley's co-stars are Clive Owen, Stellan Skarsgard and Ioan Gruffudd. Also potentially hampering "Arthur's" success is a number of lackluster reviews. But the familiar story of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table might lure in enough fans to keep the production, rumored to cost more than $100 million, in the black. International business is expected to be very strong.

The third wide release of the frame is MGM's PG-rated tween comedy "Sleepover." Starring Alexa Vega of "Spy Kids" fame, "Sleepover" revolves around four girls trying to improve their popularity by entering into an all-night scavenger hunt against the cool girls at school. Hoping to generate some of the heat earned from recent tween comedy "Mean Girls," which earned $24 million in its opening weekend, and the upcoming "A Cinderella Story" starring Hilary Duff, "Sleepover" is targeting the avid preteen moviegoer. But with a marketplace crowded with "Spider-Man 2" and Knightley's appeal in "King Arthur," "Sleepover" has had trouble generating much interest. Insiders put its three-day gross in the $6 million range.

The other box office star, "Fahrenheit 9/11," which has grossed $60 million in its two weeks in release, will expand for a second time, opening in an additional 286 theaters, possibly bringing in an additional $9 million.

Two documentaries bow Friday in limited release: Sony Pictures Classics opens the PG-13 "Riding Giants," a surfing film from "Dogtown and Z-Boys" filmmaker Stacy Peralta, and IFC will release "Metallica: Some Kind of Monster," which centers on the trials and tribulations of heavy metal band Metallica as they cut "St. Anger," their first album after a six-year hiatus.

Bowie Has Heart Surgery, Back Home Recovering

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British rock legend David Bowie underwent emergency heart surgery for a blocked artery last month but is now recovering and hopes to return to work in August, his publicist said on Thursday.

Bowie, 57, sought treatment in a German hospital on June 25 after complaining of a pinched nerve during a European concert tour, publicist Mitch Schneider said in a statement.

He underwent an angioplasty operation for an acutely blocked artery and was able to leave the clinic earlier this week. He is now convalescing at home with his family and hopes to start work next month.

"I'm so pissed off because the last 10 months of this tour have been so ... fantastic. Can't wait to be fully recovered and get back to work again. I tell you what, though, I won't be writing a song about this one," Bowie said in the statement.

Only two days before the surgery, Bowie had been forced to cut short a concert in Prague after playing for an hour and telling fans he had nerve problems in is shoulder.

London-born Bowie has been one of Britain's most enduring and fascinating rock stars since his break-out hit "Space Oddity" in the early 1970s.

He reinvented himself as many times as Madonna, changing from the glam-rock androgynous "Ziggy Stardust" persona in 1972 to "Aladdin Sane" in 1973 and on to the elegant Thin White Duke in the late 1970s. Songs like "Golden Years," "Changes" and "Let's Dance" made him a hit in both Britain and the United States.

In 1992 he married Somalian supermodel Imam and the couple have a young child.

Downloading doesn't help music sales: Survey

The music industry hopes a new study will dispel the argument that people who download music are just song samplers who will eventually go out and buy the CD version.

Commissioned by the Canadian Recording Industry Association, the Pollara Inc. survey estimated more than 180 million tracks are downloaded every month by Canadians.

The results suggested that between the fall of 2001 and spring 2004, the number of people who admitted using Kazaa jumped from 8 to 26 per cent. It found that almost half of those who visit file-sharing sites downloaded between 20 and 100 songs in the past month.

Meanwhile, 28 per cent of the people surveyed who reported buying less music in the last 12 months said the decline was mainly due to downloading, file sharing and CD burning.

Fifty-two per cent of music consumers who don't download said they paid for music in the past month. Thirty-five per cent of downloaders said they'd bought tunes in the past month.

When those who'd purchased were asked how they heard about the CD, only 2 per cent cited downloading.

The 1,200 people were surveyed between March 12 and April 5. Only people who'd either bought music or downloaded from file-sharing sites in the past six months were surveyed. There is a 2.5 per cent margin of error, 95 out of 100 times.

New Weezer Album Moving Slowly

Weezer is still in the demo stages of work on its fifth studio album, despite initial plans to hit the studio several months ago. "The extensive demo work that [frontman] Rivers [Cuomo] has been doing for most of the spring is now winding down -- later than expected, but the extra work he put in has apparently really paid off in the songs," reads a post on the band's official Web site.

Weezer is still hoping to release the as-yet-untitled set by the end of the year or early 2005, even "though things are behind where we originally thought they'd be at this point." Rick Rubin has been enlisted to produce.

"The next few weeks will be transitional, but there isn't yet a solid schedule in place," the site reports. "The goal is to shift from the current 'demo' situation into band rehearsals, where the guys will get their parts sorted out on the songs, and then move on to the recording session."

Potentially complicating matters is the possibility that Cuomo may re-enroll for a semester at Harvard, which he last attended in 1997. "This has been discussed by the band, and its understood that the school break wouldn't interfere with the album's release, as most albums have a 3-4 month period of planning, marketing, etc, before release anyway -- about the amount of time the semester would require," the site says.

Of late, Cuomo had been posting cover songs on his own Web site, including John Denver's "Annie's Song" and "Tomorrow," from the musical "Annie." But he recently removed the MP3s from his site, reporting that "there are concerns in Weezer's camp about the legality of posting cover songs."

Ash vs Jason vs Freddy

According to Ronny Yu, director of FREDDY VS JASON, he was very interested in directing the epic battlefest Freddy Krueger vs. Jason Voorhees against EVIL DEAD'S Ash, but Sam Raimi wouldn't release the Ash character played by Bruce Campbell. You can still get your NIGHTMARE fix this fall when Freddy Krueger himself hosts a reality show, based on viewers' worst nightmares.

Knightley Offers 'Arthur' Fans a Feisty Guinevere

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Watch out, King Arthur! This is a new Guinevere for a new kind of audience.

"King Arthur," the movie based on historical accounts of a real Arthur who helped save ancient Britain from being overrun by invading Saxons, opened in North America on Wednesday.

The film is set before Arthur is king or Guinevere is queen, and in place of the familiar characters from romantic tales of Camelot come a host of new ones including a younger Guinevere.

Gone are her songs and conflicted passions, and in their place is a warrior princess, portrayed by 19-year-old British actress Keira Knightley, who girds herself in leather bands and body paint, tempting a reluctant Arthur into fighting for his crown and leading him into battle.

Knightley's Guinevere knows what she wants, knows how to get it, and sex is not necessarily her weapon of choice.

"As a moviegoer today, what I want to see is strong women," Knightley told Reuters in a recent interview. "I don't want to see a woman who is totally the plaything of all the guys and who sits back while they do all the action."

This new Guinevere does all her sword fighting and arrow flinging in a tight-fitting leather bikini, giving fans of the traditional queen a chance to poke fun at just how accurate her version can be. But Knightley has a defense already planned.

"It would have looked pretty stupid if I'd turned up at the (battle) in full armor. You would have said, 'Where did she get all of that from?,"' she said.

She said the original costuming called for her to wear something akin to the men's battle dress, but she wouldn't have it. Ancient Celtic legends that the sight of a woman's body could stop a warrior helped support her, historians said.

GUINEVERE'S NEW TRICKS

"They learned every dirty trick in the book, and invented some new ones," historian and film advisor John Matthews said of the women of 5th Century AD, when "King Arthur" is set.

The story is based on a blend of history and legend, and it centers on a half-Roman, half-Briton leader named Lucius Artorius Castus who led a band of Sarmatian warriors fighting for the Roman Empire. The soldiers battled Celts in the north of the British Isles as Rome began to retreat.

In the movie, Arthur's band is sent on a mission to save a Roman boy as another invading force, the Saxon, descends. When they find the Roman family, they also discover a captive Briton, Guinevere.

They save her, and she turns Artorius Castus from a warlord battling Britons and their leader, Merlin, against invading Saxons. In this "King Arthur," after an epic battle Artorius Castus becomes a king of Britons and the legend is born.

By the reckoning of producer Jerry Bruckheimer ("Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"), Knightley's "feisty" nature fits this new Guinevere like a leather glove.

He cast her as a co-star in "Pirates," which proved to be her breakout role in the U.S. after years of work on British television and a leading part in 2003 independent film success, "Bend It Like Beckham."

She says she has been protected by the crush of press and paparazzi this past year by keeping busy and working non-stop.

"It has been pretty easy to be a bit blind to a lot of that," she said, but adds she is getting "a bit tired" of the gossip about this boyfriend or that.

"Most of it is untrue, anyway. It's entertainment for other people, but reading stuff about (myself) is not what entertains me," she said.

And if audiences don't buy her brand of an entertaining Guinevere, and her rising star falls fast, Knightley seems unfazed. "At least I can safely say I had a good run while it lasted," she said, sounding like a true showbiz warrior.

Fatboy Slim Pulls Into 'Palookavile'

Bootsy Collins and Blur's Damon Albarn are among the guests appearing on the next Fatboy Slim album, "Palookaville." Due Oct. 5 via Astralwerks, the set is the fourth studio release from the artist also known as Norman Cook.

The onetime Housemartins bassist-turned-DJ leans on Collins to provide vocals on a remake of the Steve Miller Band's "The Joker," which will be the album's first single. The original track reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1974.

Collins contributed to the Fatboy Slim track "Weapon of Choice," on 2000's "Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars." Slim was in turn among the guests on Collins' latest album, "Play With Bootsy."

Albarn appears on the cut "Put It Back Together," while Blackalicious member Lateef is heard on two tracks, "Wonderful Night" and "The Journey." Manchester, England, DJ/remixer/producer Justin Robertson and Brighton, England-based band Johnny Quality also guest on the set.

"Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars" bowed at No. 8 on Billboard's Top Electronic Albums chart and No. 51 on The Billboard 200. The set has sold 278,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Directed by Spike Jonze, the Christopher Walken-starring video for "Weapon of Choice" won a Grammy award for best short form music video, along with six MTV Video Music Awards.

In March, Fatboy Slim headlined a free performance for hundreds of thousands on Flamengo Beach in Rio de Janeiro. On Aug. 28, he will be among the acts playing England's annual dance music festival Creamfields. Set for Old Liverpool Airfield in Speke, Merseyside, the event will also feature Paul Oakenfold, the Chemical Brothers, Timo Maas, Goldfrapp and Massive Attack, as well this week's holder of the No. 1 U.K. album, New York act Scissor Sisters.

Here is the full "Palookaville" track list:

"Don't Let the Man"
"Slash Dot Dash"
"Wonderful Night" featuring Lateef
"Long Way From Home" featuring Johnny Quality
"Put It Back Together" featuring Damon Albarn
"Masochistic Baby"
"Push and Shove" featuring Justin Robertson
"North West Three"
"The Journey" featuring Lateef
"Jingo"
"Song for Chesh"
"The Joker" featuring Bootsy Collins

Cake Bakes New Fall Album

Modern rock act Cake has just wrapped recording of a new album. Due Oct. 5 via Columbia, the 11-track "Pressure Chief" will be the band's second studio album for the Sony-affiliated label and fifth to date.

The Sacramento, Calif.-based group recorded the set in a converted house in its hometown, marking its first foray outside of the confines of a conventional commercial studio. "It's representative of the place we're from," trumpeter Vince DiFiore says. "A dry and dusty place."

Among the songs that have made the cut are opening track "Wheels" and the electronic influenced "No Phone." Of the folk-ish "The End of the Movie" and "She'll Hang the Baskets," wry and often-cryptic frontman John McCrea says, "There's something funny about disillusionment and something subversive about joy."

At deadline, Cake had a handful of dates on its itinerary, starting with a July 18 appearance at Boulder, Colo., radio station KBCO's World Class Rockfest, alongside the Finn Brothers, Mindy Smith and Keller Williams, among others. Also on tap is a Sept. 19 performance at the Austin (Texas) City Limits Music Festival. A full tour in support of "Pressure Chief" is expected.

The album will be the follow-up to 2001's "Comfort Eagle," which debuted at No. 13 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 537,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The album featured "Short Skirt/Long Jacket," which peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.

Rhino Revamps Costello's 'Cruel,' 'Blue,' 'Kojak'

With the next trio of Rhino's Elvis Costello reissues around the corner, details have emerged about the extra content that will bolster 1981's "Almost Blue," 1984's "Goodbye Cruel World" and 1995's "Kojak Variety." Like each in the label's Costello upgrades, the titles boast the remastered original album on one disc and a full second disc of live cuts, B-sides, alternate takes and demo recordings.

Rhino and Costello have approached this reissue program not chronologically, but subjectively. The nature of the plan has allowed a stylistic examination of his oeuvre and his idiosyncratic penchant for exploring various genres. In the new round, due Aug. 3, the earliest and latest albums are linked as covers projects.

"Almost Blue," which peaked at No. 50 on The Billboard 200, is widely regarded as Costello's "country album." Although somewhat maligned at the time of its original release, Costello's treatment of such songs as Merle Haggard's "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down" and the Jerry Chesnut-written/George Jones-popularized "Good Year for the Roses" has proven to be effective and enduring.

The second disc boasts more than 15 tracks not included on Ryko's 1994 version of the album. Among the newly appended cuts is a version of "Stranger in the House" with Jones and "We Oughta Be Ashamed" with Johnny Cash. Also new are live versions of "Girls Talk," "Motel Matches" and one-time B-side "Radio Sweetheart."

"Kojak Variety" -- the only title in this batch not among the albums revamped and reissued by Rykodisc in the early '90s -- was Costello's second album for Warner Bros. Although it was the follow-up to 1994's acclaimed "Brutal Youth," which found Costello reunited with the Attractions, only Attractions drummer Pete Thomas appears on the set. Such noted musicians as multi-instrumentalist Marc Ribot, guitarist James Burton, keyboardist Kevin Killen, bassist Jerry Scheff and drummer Jim Keltner comprise the backing band.

The album found Costello crooning such numbers as Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "Strange," Little Richard's "Bama Lama Bama," Bob Dylan's "I Threw It All Away" and the Kinks' "Days." The bonus disc comprises 20 tracks, including a version of the Beatles' "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" and an alternate take of the album's Drew Baker/Danny McCormick blues classic "Pouring Water on a Drowning Man."

Collaborations include a take of "That's How You Got Killed Before" with the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (a version of which appeared on the latter's 1990 set "The New Orleans Album") and Gershwin's "But Not For Me" with renowned harmonica player Larry Adler.

Bridging the sets is "Goodbye Cruel World," an album of originals that is often reviled among the Costello faithful. Nonetheless, it reached No. 35 on The Billboard 200 and produced a hit single in "The Only Flame in Town," which features Darryl Hall. An alternate version and a live take of the song appear on the bonus disc.

The work of producers Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley has been blamed by Costello for the album's weaknesses, and the set's best cuts -- "The Comedians," "Inch by Inch," "The Deportees Club" -- have come across better when he's presented them in different live arrangements or when covered by others.

Among the bonus disc cuts are Costello's demos and live recordings of several more album tracks, seemingly seeking to prove that point. And it's probable that Costello's new liner notes -- exhaustive and unique to each title -- will further explain his contentions with the original album and defend his songs.

Other than Nick Lowe's appearance on "Baby It's You," a holdover from the Ryko edition, the only other guest appearance comes from another Langer/Winstanley-produced act: Costello covers Madness' "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)" with the ska pop group's help.

As previously reported, Costello will simultaneously release two new albums Sept. 21 on two different labels. Lost Highway will issue an as-yet-untitled new rock album with the Imposters, while "Il Sogno," his first full-length orchestral work, will emerge via Deutsche Grammophon.

Bat Trailer Is Coming

Cinescape.com has confirmed that the new BATMAN BEGINS trailer will show before Will Smith upcoming I, ROBOT, which begin its theatrical run on July 16.

Doohan Has Alzheimer's, Agent Says

SEATTLE - James M. Doohan, the actor who played Scotty on the '60s "Star Trek" TV series, has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, his agent confirmed Tuesday.

Doohan, 84, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's "within the last couple months," agent Steven Stevens told The Associated Press.

He said Doohan is in the beginning stages of the disease, a progressive neurological disorder that afflicted former President Ronald Reagan, who died June 5.

Doohan also has suffered for some time with Parkinson's disease, diabetes and fibrosis, the latter due to chemical exposure during World War II when he was a soldier in the Canadian military, Stevens said.

He lives in Redmond, a suburb northeast of Seattle. A telephone number wasn't listed, and a call to his son, Chris Doohan, of California, wasn't immediately returned Tuesday.

Stevens said he last saw Doohan in January in Los Angeles when the actor made a cameo appearance in the upcoming horror film "Skinwalker: Curse of the Shaman."

"He didn't have any energy and he seemed very frail. But as soon as they yelled `action,' he was the same old feisty Scotty," said Stevens, who has represented Doohan for 28 years.

Doohan's career spans more than 50 years, but he's best known for his role as the USS Enterprise's affable chief engineer, Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery "Scotty" Scott, in the original 1966-69 "Star Trek" TV series.

He's also appeared in several "Star Trek" movies.

Doohan has lived in Redmond for almost a dozen years with his wife, Wende. They have a 4-year-old daughter and two older sons, and Doohan has four children from a previous marriage, Stevens said.

Doohan is scheduled to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Aug. 31.

He plans to attend a three-day "Star Trek" farewell convention, Aug. 28-30, in Hollywood, Stevens said. All surviving members of the original Enterprise crew are scheduled to attend, including William Shatner, who played Capt. James T. Kirk, and Leonard Nimoy, who was Mr. Spock.

Brando Cremated in Private Service in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Acting great Marlon Brando was cremated in a private funeral attended only by family and cloaked in the kind of secrecy that shrouded the last years of his life, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

The service, which relatives managed to keep under wraps until a day after the fact, was held in Los Angeles on Monday, said Seattle-area attorney David Seeley, who represented Brando and his business interests for the past four years.

Seeley said he was not privy to details of the ceremony and knew of no plans for a public memorial service.

"All I can tell you is ... anything that's going to occur in the future is a private family matter," Seeley told Reuters. "They're keeping it under a closed, need-to-know basis."

The actor's older sister, former actress Jocelyn Brando, was quoted by Foxnews.com columnist Roger Friedman as saying, "There will be no service of any kind."

She added: "If someone wants to do something, that's their business. But Marlon would have hated it. He would not have liked it, and we don't want to do anything he didn't want to do. He's off on his trip, whatever that is."

The low-key aftermath of Brando's death was in keeping with his intensely private nature late in life after a celebrated, half-century career in such memorable films as "A Streetcar Named Desire," "On the Waterfront" and "The Godfather."

Seeley also dismissed widely circulated media reports that the enigmatic actor, who died last Thursday at age 80, had left behind precise, taped instructions for how he wanted to be memorialized.

According to accounts in the British press, the two-time Oscar winner had requested that a final service be led by his friend and neighbor, Jack Nicholson, that certain people not be invited and that his ashes be scattered over the Tahitian atoll he bought in 1966.

"None of that is true as far as I'm aware," Seeley said. "He left a will that's going to be probated, and that's the document that's going to control how everything gets distributed."

Seeley said that Brando was not married at the time of his death, and that he had nine children, including those he adopted and his deceased daughter, Cheyenne, who committed suicide in 1995.

A spokeswoman for UCLA Medical Center said last week that the performer had died of lung failure. His sister told Foxnews.com that Brando had suffered from the chronic lung ailment pulmonary fibrosis.

Amy Lee's Fallen into grace

Don't cry for Amy Lee.

Not that most people would, mind you, considering her band Evanescence was the breakout pop music story of the past two years, selling more than 15 million copies of its debut Fallen, and earning a pair of Grammys along the way.

But in the midst of that, Lee's bandmate and longtime friend Ben Moody left the group -- part way through a European tour -- he helped form with her in Little Rock, Arkansas almost a decade ago.

The last time the pair spoke was when they accepted the best new artist Grammy this past February.

Again, weep not for Lee and what she may have lost.

"It's not like you think," the vocalist says, from her recently purchased home. "I don't know how to put it because I don't want to hurt anybody.

"It's not that we were best friends and then all of a sudden he left the band -- it's nothing like that.

"We were best friends when I was 14 -- I am now 22 and we haven't been best friends for years.

"It had become a real show. We were working partners, and by the time the album came out even, the only real thing we had in common was artistic.

"The fact that he left the band, it wasn't like it killed me and hurt my feelings and made me feel like I lost a friend, it was actually more of a relief because he'd been so unhappy on tour recently that it was making everyone else unhappy.

"We all hope he's happier now."

Lee certainly seems to be.

Other than still having to tour an album that's a year and a half old while itching to get to work on a followup, her life these days is far from the dark, introverted stuff of Fallen.

"To be honest, it's the best it's ever been for me," Lee says.

"It's kind of weird. It's kind of weird to wake up and not have anything eating away at you that there's something really wrong, because I'm really used to that.

"For whatever reason, whether it be a bad relationship that you can't get out of, or a situation that you can't avoid or something.

"Obviously I still have problems in my life, everybody has problems but everything's going well."

That everything includes her relationship with Shaun Morgan from the band Seether.

The two acts are currently touring together and Lee appears on Seether's new disc performing the track Broken with Morgan as a duet.

"I was a little scared of the whole working together thing, because you never want to push it too hard, you never want to spend way too much time together," she says, noting it's great to see the world with her boyfriend.

"It's cool that we did this one song together, but I think it's going to be the only one."

Lee hints there are other people she'd like to write songs with for Fallen's followup, but says right now she's enjoying writing by herself -- her three bandmates are also writing separately -- and revelling in her newfound artistic freedom sans Moody.

Whenever it comes out, the new album, she says, will reflect that freedom.

"What I want to do is just be free completely of any kind of structure," she says. "I don't want to have to make our songs a certain way.

"When we did Fallen -- I love all of those songs and I really wouldn't change them -- but at the same time they all follow certain rules.

"Not to say that I'm going to make -- I hope not -- some record that's so out there that no one understands it. That's not me at all either.

"First and foremost, the human heart is the main focus."

The Couch Potato Report July 6th, 2004

This week in The Couch Potato Report, there is almost 33% of new reviews!

The past few months have been busy for us all.

Some weeks, who has time to watch movies?!?!

Well, other than me that is.

So this week, just in case you’ve finally found the time to catch up on some releases you’ve missed, and because there isn’t one single new release that is worth mentioning, I’m going to look back on some of the more notable releases of the past six months.

And we’ll do it chronologically.

So, off we go to January 24th, when I recommended a movie to you.

Movie. Spelled M-O-V-I-E.

Okay, I got it right!! I can spell the word movie!

It's unlikely any actual spelling bee would offer such an easy word to spell. I know that for a fact as I've seen the spelling bee documentary SPELLBOUND. And you should see it too! It is wonderful.

Now who would have thought that a documentary about spelling-bee contestants could be wonderful, or even as suspenseful as a Hitchcock thriller?

But it is.

SPELLBOUND follows eight kids from their early victories in regional spelling bees to the national competition in Washington, D.C.

And none of their words are as easy as movie. M-O-V-I-E.

Look, I spelled it right again!

But enough about my ability to spell, just search out SPELLBOUND at your local video store. It is a riveting, wrenching, must-see movie.

That title again: S-P-E-L-L-B-O-U-N-D.

Another title to search out, and spell for your local video store proprietor is SWIMMING POOL.

If you feel like watching a movie that you can discuss and dissect afterward than SWIMMING POOL is your movie.

The erotic thriller that is SWIMMING POOL offers a potent, voyeuristic charge as it takes you through a seductive tale of murder and complicity.

A delicate dance of trust, curiosity, and gradual understanding ensues, until a twist ending that forces you to reevaluate everything you've seen.

Every single thing!

Jump into SWIMMING POOL. You might not feel refreshed, but you will feel engaged.

On February 7th I said that if you knew Bill Murray only from his comedies CADDYSHACK, GHOSTBUSTERS and GROUNDHOG DAY, and not his sole dramatic turn in THE RAZOR’S EDGE, then you should prepare to be surprised by LOST IN TRANSLATION.

Murray is Bob Harris, a once popular American actor who now finds more acceptance and money from the people of Japan than from his own country.

He goes to Tokyo to shoot some whisky commercials for a big payday.

Contrast this with Charlotte, a young wife who is staying at the same hotel while her photographer husband does a multiple-day photo shoot.

Both Bob and Charlotte are married people, but they are also very lonely people. And neither one of them can sleep.

The entire plot of LOST IN TRANSLATION is about these two people getting to know each other.

Bob, in his early-fifties, is old enough to be Charlotte's dad, but that doesn't matter here. It's not about age. It's about the place and time.

The two find each other, spend time with one another, and even sleep in the same bed together.

Most filmmakers would have to include a physical love affair to round out a story like this. Writer-director Sophia Coppola doesn't. She only allows Bob and Charlotte to go so far.

If they go any further is all up to you, depending on how you perceive what takes place.

I’ve continued watching LOST IN TRANSLATION since I recommended it and it still entertains and moves me.

Just like the TV Show FREAKS & GEEKS.

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 box set 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.

If you went to high school in the early 80's you'll relate to FREAKS AND GEEKS as its 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.

Another TV show that received a positive review back in April was THE OFFICE – THE SECOND SERIES.

THE OFFICE takes place in the offices of a fictional British paper merchant.

The writing is subtle and deft, yet broad and daft at the same time.

The ensemble cast are so perfect together that the documentary feel of the show sometimes feels very real.

That cast is led by co-director and co-writer Ricky Gervais who plays David Brent, the office manager.

Gervais steals every scene he’s in as he is so letcherous and idiotic that you can’t help but laugh at what he does, and how funny HE thinks he is.

This SECOND SERIES picks up where the FIRST SERIES left off and we see the continuation of the fall of David Brent.

That fall allows for some darker comedic moments, which like the rest of the series, have to be seen to be believed.

Yes, I enjoyed raving about THE OFFICE. Almost as much as THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE.

This is a unique film about a bicyclist who is kidnapped from the Tour de France by some mysterious gangsters.

Once that ocurrs the bicyclist's grandmother travels to the city of Belleville, where she tracks him down with the help of a musical trio.

In addition to the very unique characters, music plays a central part.

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 not to be missed.

The final item I’ll recap in this look back at the last six months edition of The Couch Potato Report is SCTV.

SCTV, the greatest comedy show of all time, is debuting on DVD!

The cast of SCTV reads like comedic royalty: John Candy, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Martin Short, Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy and Harold Ramis.

These are some of the funniest people in the world, who created some of the funniest characters and moments in the world.

SCTV was produced right here in Western Canada and TV Guide recently named it "One of the 50 best television shows of all time."

I’ll do them one better.

Plain and simple, SCTV is the best TV Show of all time!

SEINFELD, I LOVE LUCY, THE SIMPSONS, MONTY PYTHON’S FLYING CIRCUS, MAGNUM, P.I., or any other show you could name might deserve honourable mentions, but SCTV was, and is the best TV show ever!

The brand new SCTV five-disc box set includes several "Great White North" segments; "Play It Again, Bob," starring Rick Moranis as Woody Allen and Dave Thomas as Bob Hope; the ill-fated made-for-SCTV "Polynesiantown" starring Johnny LaRue, who also turns up in “Street Beef.” There is also "The Sammy Maudlin Show", “Money Talks with Brian Johns”, “Mel’s Rock Pile,” with Rockin Mel Slurrip, and much much more!

Also included in the SCTV box set are new interviews with most of the cast; a tribute to the late John Candy; the 1999 SCTV reunion event at the Aspen Comedy Arts Festival; plus commentaries and an insightful 24-page photo booklet.

The SCTV Box Set is the comedy release of the year. Period, end of story!

SPELLBOUND, SWIMMING POOL, LOST IN TRANSLATION, FREAKS & GEEKS, THE OFFICE – THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON, THE TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE and SCTV are the releases that I recommend you check out, should you have some time to catch up on the best of the past 6 months on video and DVD.

If you don’t have the inclination, or you’ve seen all of those already.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

I can’t wait to tell you about Denys Arcand’s Oscar winning Canadian film THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS.

It concerns an old college professor who learns he's rapidly dying of cancer, but the film has just as much humour as drama and it is a wonderful movie.

What I primarily loved about the film is that not once does it pander to tear-jerking effects, nor does it attempt to offer a squeaky-clean resolution.

Also next week, Meg Ryan from SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE and WHEN HARRY MET SALLY plays a female boxing manager who tries to turn a street punk into a champ in the less-than-classic film AGAINST THE ROPES.

And in AGENT CODY BANKS 2: DESTINATION LONDON Agent Cody Banks goes undercover in London.

Seriously, who cares!?!?!?

I’ll have more on those, and some other 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!

StatsCan: Radio thrived in 2003

OTTAWA (CP) -- In the era of music downloading and Internet radio, conventional radio -- led by FM stations -- continued to thrive last year, says Statistics Canada.

And AM radio managed a significant turnaround, said the agency.

"Air time sales by private radio broadcasters jumped 8.4 per cent to $1.2 billion, the second largest year-over-year increase in the last 15 years," the agency said Monday.

Operating expenses grew by 3.7 per cent, less than half the revenue increase of 8.2 per cent.

"As a result, profits before interest and taxes represented 19.1 per cent of their revenues, up from 15.6 per cent in 2002."

In fact, "in the last six years, private radio has generated a higher profit margin than private television," the agency said.

FM stations increased air time sales by 9.8 per cent in 2003, the highest since 1998. Their 25.2 per cent profit margin before interest and taxes in 2003 was consistent with returns for the previous five years.

"The performance of AM stations paled by comparison," Statistics Canada said.

Air time sales grew by 4.5 per cent, and their profit margin was 1.6 per cent.

However, "modest as they may appear, the 2003 results represent a significant turnaround for AM radio. This segment of the industry has sustained losses before interest and taxes every year since 1990. Air time sales by AM stations declined every year during that period with the exception of 1997 and 1998."

For the third consecutive year Calgary and Ottawa-Gatineau were the most profitable large markets, with profit margins of 29.2 per cent and 27.2 per cent respectively.

The whole industry had a weekly average of 9,009 employees in 2003, a small increase from 8,934 workers in 2002.

Connery to write autobiography

After saying he would never pen the story of his life, actor Sean Connery is set to write his memoirs, the BBC.com reports.

Publisher HarperCollins confirmed that Connery will receive a six-figure sum for his autobiography, which will be published in late 2005.

Connery, 73, said: "It's rather scary, but utterly exhilarating, and I'm looking forward to it."

The book, said to be "more honest than most celebrity memoirs, will trace the actor's life from his humble beginnings in Edinburgh to world fame in the James Bond films and his Oscar-winning turn in The Untouchables.

'Anchorman' Will: Film at 11

LOS ANGELES — This just in: Will Ferrell is a selfish, chauvinistic, jazz-flute-playing dog-punter.

Ferrell's co-stars from Anchorman, which opens Friday, reveal that the comedian has a violent temper, does not speak with colleagues and demands to be referred to as "the next Orson Welles."

In case you're just joining us, their comments — like most of the lines in the film — are made with tongue firmly in cheek.

"We had some shots that took hours because we couldn't keep a straight face," says Ferrell, who plays Ron Burgundy, a pompous 1970s newscaster with a knack for jazz flute and reading anything that scrolls across his teleprompter. "We'd improvise and say more and more ridiculous things until we were all cracking up."

Ferrell and his fake news crew at KVWN-San Diego are hoping audiences do, too. In a summer dominated by action and epics, goofball humor is trying to eke out a profitable corner of the market. Dodgeball, with Ferrell's "frat pack" buds Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, was a surprise No. 1 hit last month.

Ferrell is no slouch at turning goof to gold, either. He made surprise hits out of last year's Old School and Elf. And Anchorman, which he co-wrote with director Adam McKay, has vintage Ferrell absurdities: a mentally disabled weatherman who refers to Iowa as the "middle east," a gang brawl between rival news teams and a terrier that gets drop-kicked over a freeway overpass — and still gets the last laugh.

Here to blow the whistle on Ferrell is the cast of News Channel 4: Christina Applegate as Veronica Corningstone, an ambitious reporter adjusting to a male-dominated newsroom; David Koechner as Champ Kind, a sports anchor with an unhealthy fondness for Burgundy; Paul Rudd as Brian Fantana, a "man on the street" reporter who never goes on the street; and Steve Carell as Brick Tamland, a weatherman with an IQ of 48.

Q: As actors, how do you find the stooge inside each of you?

Rudd: "You have to strip away the layers of yourself to find that chauvinist. It's not just something you can just show up and read the lines."

Ferrell: "We had a retreat in Big Bear for a month. It had nothing to do with the film. But it was fun."

Carell: "A retreat?"

Koechner: "I'm sorry. I was supposed to tell you. But I didn't."

Ferrell: "It was a blast, though. Sorry you couldn't make it."

Q: Will, what was your motivation for writing Anchorman?

Ferrell: "Adam and I thought it would be funny to make fun of the ego and sexism of the '70s. There was so much of it. We thought it would be good to let the ladies know, 'Hey, see? It could be worse.' "

Koechner: "Or it could go back to the way it used to be."

Applegate: "For some people, it already has."

Rudd: "No one told you to speak, Christina."

Q: You're going to be interviewed by hundreds of TV reporters in an effort to get them to say nice things about your movie. Why make fun of them in the film?

Carell: "Because everyone who is a journalist is an idiot."

Q: We've heard reports of minor scuffles on the set. Is that true?

Ferrell: "No, that's not true. I would not call them minor. We had daily fistfights, all started by the lady."

Q: Did the conflicts affect the film's quality?

Koechner: "Not at all. This movie is a modern-day Citizen Kane. Same themes, same ... stuff. The man you see sitting there is Orson Welles. One day he'll be pushing Gallo wine and fish sticks."

Ferrell: "And weighing 400 pounds. That's my goal."

Q: I don't remember Citizen Kane punting dogs.

Applegate: "The dog was a metaphor."

Ferrell: "The thing about that is, it was a very difficult scene. It's not easy to punt a dog and make it look just right. We needed a lot of dogs. Like 800 of them."

Koechner: "And you know who brought them up, all crammed in a truck? PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). They were pretty helpful."

Ferrell: "When we finally got the scene finished, we had about a hundred dogs left. We asked what should we do with them, and PETA said to just let them loose in the desert. So that's what we did."

Rudd: "But we don't want people to get the wrong idea. The credits read 'No animals were harmed in the filming of this movie. Except dogs.' "

Q: Co-star Fred Willard says Ferrell is funny because he's an "everyman jackass." What makes Will funny?

Ferrell: "I'm going to get that guy."

Applegate: "Will isn't afraid to be that loser that everyone pulls for. He is that loser."

Rudd: "You know how most people think most of their thoughts in private, so they can say something smart and not sound stupid? Will doesn't bother."

Koechner: "He's not afraid to do the wildest scene. And it takes courage to be that dumb."

Carell: "I don't find Will Ferrell funny."

Ferrell: "I think it's my outdoorsy good looks, combined with charm and a certain ... something. It's just a hint of ..."

Applegate: "Musk?"

Ferrell: "Musk."

Graham Scrubs In

Heather Graham is in negotiations with NBC to join the cast of SCRUBS next season as a regular.

If she signs on, Graham would play a new therapist at Sacred Heart Hospital that "wreaks havoc among the other staffers."

Coincidentally or not, Graham and SCRUBS star Sarah Chalke are currently filming the movie CAKE together.

'Spider-Man 2' Tops Holiday Box Office

LOS ANGELES - "Spider-Man 2" pulled in a record $180 million in its first six days and obliterated other box-office highs over the long Fourth of July weekend.

The "Spider-Man 2" haul was well above the previous best six-day opening of $146.7 million set last year by "The Matrix Reloaded."

"I think our hope was to go into the heart of the summer and grab the biggest six days possible. That's pretty much what happened," Jeff Blake, vice chairman for "Spider-Man 2" distributor Sony, said Monday.

Last weekend's top film, Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," fell to second place with $21 million over the four-day weekend, raising its total to $60.1 million. The film, Moore's assault on President Bush's response to the Sept. 11 attacks, could become the first documentary ever to top $100 million.

Doubling its theater count to 1,725, "Fahrenheit 9/11" held up strongly despite the onslaught of "Spider-Man 2," which debuted in 4,152 cinemas.

"We feel great that we were able to absorb the blow of Spidey and come back fighting," said Tom Ortenberg, president of Lions Gate Films, one of the distributors of "Fahrenheit 9/11."

Hollywood had a record Fourth of July weekend, with the top 12 movies taking in $158.5 million from Friday to Sunday, beating 2002's previous high of $139 million.

"Spider-Man 2" took in $115.8 million from Friday to Monday, according to Sony estimates. That put it far ahead of the previous best four-day holiday gross of $95.6 million set by "Shrek 2" over Memorial Day weekend this year.

With $152.6 million in its first five days, "Spider-Man 2" also shattered the $129 million record of "Shrek 2" for biggest Wednesday-Sunday debut.

From Friday to Sunday, "Spider-Man 2" took in $88.3 million, missing out on the best three-day weekend record of $114.8 million held by the first "Spider-Man."

The first movie opened on Friday, so its initial business all came on the weekend, while the sequel already had rung up about $64 million in ticket sales Wednesday and Thursday. "Spider-Man 2" also had a comparatively quiet Sunday on the Fourth of July, when many people focused on outdoor activities such as parades, picnics and fireworks.

"Spider-Man 2" originally was scheduled to open the Friday before the Fourth of July, but the studio moved it up two days to get a jump on the holiday weekend.

"If they didn't have a good movie, I think they would have waited," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations Co. "But they were confident enough to put it out on Wednesday and let the buzz build, and it really paid off."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations: (Final figures will be released Tuesday.)

1. "Spider-Man 2," $115.8 million.
2. "Fahrenheit 9/11," $21 million.
3. "White Chicks," $12 million.
4. "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story," $10.45 million.
5. "The Notebook," $10.3 million.
6. "The Terminal," $10.2 million.
7. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," $8.1 million.
8. "Shrek 2," $7.9 million.
9. (tie) "Garfield: The Movie," $3.6 million.
9. (tie) "Two Brothers," $3.6 million.

Making You Buy It Twice

Miramax has officially announced the DVD release of Kevin Smith's Clerks: 10th Anniversary Edition. The 3-disc set will street on 9/7.

The set will include the original theatrical version of the film as well as the extended, Sundance version. Both will feature audio commentary by director Smith and the cast and crew (the Sundance version will feature video commentary as well).

The video/audio specs are listed as 1.85:1/16x9 enhanced and Dolby Digital 5.1, but I don't know if this applies to both versions or just the theatrical version. Extras will include the 150-minute Snowball Effect documentary, an animated missing scene, the Mae Day: The Crumbling of a Documentary featurette, the original unaired Clerks TV pilot, Jay & Silent Bob TV spots, the Flying Car short film seen on the Tonight Show, video of the 10th Anniversary screening Q&A, original audition tapes, theatrical trailers and TV spots, music videos for Soul Asylum's Can't Even Tell and Girls Against Boys' Kill the Sex Player, a still photo gallery, DVD-ROM "enhanced" playback, Kevin Smith's original journals, and 7 articles about the film by critics and film historians. Knowing Smith, you can bet there's lots of hidden material as well, and other items not listed in the press release.

A mention should also be made of the fact that Miramax is also releasing Smith's Jersey Girl on DVD on 9/7, but we're told that the director is working on a more elaborate special edition version that will be released at a later date.

Stake Through the Heart

Ready to stake its claim this October 19th for more booty is the summer disappointment Van Helsing. This $190-million production grossed a good but not great $116 million this summer, which likely curtails any hoped-for franchise but will ensure that the Stephen Sommers-directed pic finds a healthy life on DVD.

Universal Studios Home Video will release the CGI-fueled monster mash in separate anamorphic widescreen and full screen versions, each with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround tracks plus two audio commentaries with Sommers and producer Bob Ducsay, and actors Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh and Shuler Hensley, the "Creating the Characters and the Monsters," "Van Helsing's Monster Map," "New World Technology vs. Old World Monsters," "You Are in the Movie" and "Anatomy of a Scene: The Masquerade Ball" featurettes, a "The Filmmaker's Diary" chronicle, deleted scenes, outtakes, the "Designing Van Helsing" 360-degree IPix set tour, time-lapse set comparisons, a "Love Bites" parody and theatrical trailers. And PC enhanced content includes more expansive and interactive set tours and more to be announced.

Ferrell is Hollywood's hottest comic

Here's some breaking news: Will Ferrell is the hottest comic actor working in Hollywood today.

He stars as the titular macho newsman in Anchorman: The Legend Of Ron Burgundy, opening Friday. The comedy, set in the 1970s, features Burgundy and his sexist, all-male Channel 4 news team having to adjust to the arrival of a new, female anchor, Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate).

With Anchorman coming out, and a slew of other high-profile projects to follow -- including film roles in Bewitched, The Producers and The Confederacy Of Dunces -- what better time to consider why we love Ferrell so much? Ahem, in a completely platonic, manly, macho way, of course. Hey, uh, how about that football game the other night?

1. He was on SNL -- and his movies don't suck!

That is, if you don't count A Night At The Roxbury, the piece of crap that made Stuart Saves His Family seem like an Ingmar Bergman movie. Where most other Saturday Night Live alumni fail -- see the likes of Dana Carvey (The Master Of Disguise), Dan Aykroyd (any movie he's made over the past 20 years), Chevy Chase (ditto) -- Ferrell has succeeded. His major roles so far have come in Old School, a funny mid-life crisis take on fraternity life, and last year's Elf, the subversive Christmas blockbuster that was a great, big lump of coal amid all the Yuletide saccharine.

2. His cameos steal the show

Another reason for his success is that, upon leaving SNL, he eased himself into feature films, unlike marginal talents such as, say, David Spade and Tim Meadows, one-trick ponies who couldn't sustain full-length movies. Instead, Ferrell took scene-stealing cameos and supporting roles, such as male model Derek Zoolander's evil arch-nemesis Jacobin Mugatu in Zoolander, the much-killed Dr. Evil henchman Mustafa in the Austin Powers films and his asinine depiction of real-life journalist Bob Woodward in the Nixon comedy, Dick.

3. His characters are hilarious

We aren't afraid to place Ferrell among the company of such greats as Phil Hartman, Carvey, Eddie Murphy and Mike Myers when it comes to the pantheon of SNL performers and their characters. Still need convincing? How about his frighteningly perfect portrayal of George W. Bush, right down to the president's patented head-shaking chuckle? Or his exasperated take on Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek, who seems ready to strangle his idiotic contestants? Or his buffoonish impression of Robert Goulet, who sings lounge versions of nasty rap songs? And who could forget his bang-on sendup of notoriously verbose kiss-ass Hollywood interviewer James Lipton? Heck, even that Spartan cheerleader stuff was funny the first few times. As the faux Lipton would say, "Well played, Will Ferrell! You are a DELIGHT!"

4. He is a man without shame

If it can elicit a laugh, Ferrell will do it -- even if he looks ridiculous. Check out his drunken, naked run in the streets in Old School, his thong in A Night At The Roxbury, and his grotesque stripteases on Late Night With Conan O'Brien. One of his best SNL sketches -- a parody of a Behind The Music profile of Blue Oyster Cult -- features Ferrell as a band member wearing a tight, partly unbuttoned shirt that lets his big potbelly sag out while he bangs a cowbell with a drumstick. Now that's comedy.

5. That Anchorman trailer is damned funny

Old School and Elf were nice appetizers, but Anchorman looks like it will really vault Ferrell through the stratosphere: Just check out that brilliant trailer where you'll be privy to this priceless exchange between the mustachioed Ron Burgundy and Veronica Corningstone during a restaurant encounter.

BURGUNDY: "What are your hopes, what are your dreams, what are your passions?"

CORNINGSTONE: "To be the first female anchor."

BURGUNDY: "And I'd like to be King of Australia. Seriously, you sound like an insane person."

Greece Captures European Championship

LISBON, Portugal - Greece won the European Championship in one of the biggest upsets in soccer history, beating host Portugal 1-0 Sunday on Angelos Charisteas' goal early in the second half.

Charisteas scored in the 57th minute with a header off a corner kick from Angelos Basinas.

Giourkas Seitaridis went on a speedy run down the right and was stopped by a block by Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo, with the ball rolling over the end line. Basinas floated the corner kick into the 6-yard box, and Charisteas timed his run perfectly to outjump Jorge Andrade and beat goalkeeper Ricardo Pereira from 5 yards.

"We are the best team in Europe. This is a unique moment," Charisteas said. "It's the greatest moment of my career. When I scored, I thought we could not lose."

The unheralded Greeks, a soccer outsider given little chance of advancing from a first-round group that included Spain, Portugal and Russia, had been to only two major tournaments before this, the 1994 World Cup and the 1980 European Championship, failing to win a game. Sunday's victory came just over a month before Athens hosts the Olympics, from Aug. 13-29.

When referee Markus Merk blew the final whistle, about 15,000 Greek fans in the Stadium of Light cheered.

Eusebio, the greatest player in Portugal's history, stood on the podium as 50,000 Portuguese fans watched in disappointment as their heroes received the second-place medals. Portugal also was in a major final for the first time.

In Athens, thousands of jubilant fans waving Greek flags and honking car horns poured into the streets. Thousands of fans, some crying and embracing, gathered in Omonia Square, many waving Greek flags and singing the national anthem. Some cried and embraced. Others spread out the national flag on the street and bowed in front of it.

No host had ever lost a European Championship final and only two have lost World Cup finals, Brazil in 1950 and Sweden in 1958.

"We couldn't take advantage of our chances," Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said. "There were shots that could have gone in, which would have changed the result. Unfortunately, they didn't go in."

Greece upset the Portuguese 2-1 in the tournament opener on June 12, ousted defending champion France 1-0 in the quarterfinals on a goal by Charisteas, then beat the favored Czech Republic 1-0 in the semifinals on an overtime header by Traianos Dellas, nearly identical to Charisteas' goal Sunday. The Greeks did not allow in their final 343 minutes of the tournament.

Portugal, which dominated possession, nearly tied the score with 16 minutes remaining but with goalkeeper Antonios Nikopolidis out of position, Ronaldo lobbed the ball over the crossbar.

Dellas blocked Ronaldo's shot with 10 minutes to go, and Nikopolidis allowed a rebound of Ricardo Carvalho's 25-yard shot, but Portugal didn't have anyone in front.

The game was briefly delayed with about five minutes to go when a fan dressed in black ran onto the field. Security chased down the man, who waved a banner with the emblem of the Spanish club Barcelona, then threw it at Portugal star Luis Figo.

Greece, led by Germany's Otto Rehhagel, became the first team to win the quadrennial European title with a foreign coach.

Late Marlon Brando Remembered As a Genius

LOS ANGELES - The words are pretty simple: "Stella!" and "I coulda been a contender ..." or even "The horror ... the horror ..." But these lines, when spoken by the late Marlon Brando, revolutionized the way actors behaved onscreen and ignited a generation of performers to unleash their inner passion before the cameras.

Brando, who died at age 80 on Thursday, revolutionized Hollywood's image of a leading man playing street-tough, emotionally raw characters in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "On the Waterfront" and then revived his career a generation later as the definitive Mafia don in "The Godfather."

"I was shocked and deepy saddened at the loss of the greatest acting genius of our time. What will we do without Marlon in this world?" said his "Godfather" co-star Al Pacino, one of the generation of stars influenced by his work.

Al Martino, who got shaken around by Brando as the singer Johnny Fontane in "The Godfather," said the actor was more than kind to him, especially since Martino lacked acting experience. But that didn't mean he went easy on the crooner.

"The method actor in Brando almost brought me to my knees. He slaps me and I tell you, my teeth shattered," Martino said.

Brando was the bridge between the heroic and upstanding screen purity of earlier stars such as Cary Grant, Gary Cooper and Henry Fonda and a generation of conflicted anti-heroes played by the likes of Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman.

"He influenced more young actors of my generation than any actor," longtime friend and "Godfather" co-star James Caan said Friday. "Anyone who denies this never understood what it was all about."

The reclusive Brando died of lung failure at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at UCLA Medical Center, according to hospital spokeswoman Roxanne Moster.

"Marlon would hate the idea of people chiming in to give their comments about his death. All I'll say is that it makes me sad he's gone," "The Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola said Friday.

Brando's attorney, David J. Seeley, said funeral arrangements would be private.

For generations of movie lovers, Brando was unforgettable — the embodiment of brutish Stanley Kowalski in 1951's "A Streetcar Named Desire," famously bellowing "STELLA!" at his estranged love with a mix of anguish and desire.

Then came his mixed-up, washed-up boxer Terry Malloy of 1954's "On the Waterfront," who laments throwing fights for his gangster brother with the line, "I coulda been a contender ... I coulda been somebody ..."

The key to Brando's craft was Method acting, a practice learned at Stella Adler's renowned Actors Studio in New York. The technique eschewed grandiose theatricality in favor of a deeper psychological approach, often through near-continuous rehearsal that led many actors to behave like their characters even when offstage.

Brando's personally combative nature only increased as he grew older. It might best be defined by his line from 1953's "The Wild One," in which Brando, playing a motorcycle gang leader, was asked what he's rebelling against.

"Whattaya got?" was his character's reply.

While his early roles were marked by an overt, almost predatory, sexuality that made him a rebellious film icon, Brando let his good looks fade as he gained weight and became increasingly reclusive in later years.

He was pushy, difficult, temperamental and demanding — and his preference for repeated takes came to be regarded as excessive and costly.

Even though the studios had written off the star in the early 1970s, he went on to create the iconic character of Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather," which reinvigorated his career and earned him his second best-actor Oscar.

His first came years earlier for 1954's "On the Waterfront," and Brando showed up in a tuxedo and graciously accepted it.

But his stunt at the 1973 Oscar ceremony cemented his status as one of the movie industry's most bizarre talents. Brando sent a woman who identified herself as Sasheen Littlefeather to reject his "Godfather" trophy on his behalf and read a diatribe about Hollywood's poor treatment of American Indians.

It was roundly booed — and torpedoed much of the comeback good will his performance had earned among studio honchos.

Regardless of his personal peculiarities, nothing could diminish Brando's reputation as an actor of startling power and invention.

Brando's private life was tumultuous. His three wives were all pregnant when they married him. He fathered at least nine children.

His family life turned tragic with his son's conviction for killing the boyfriend of his half-sister, Cheyenne Brando, in 1990. Five years later, Cheyenne committed suicide, never having gotten over her depression and the killing.

The native of Omaha, Neb. moved around the country throughout his youth. He was constantly being reprimanded for misbehavior at school, and had a talent for playacting, both in elaborate pranks and in plays and recitations.

He took up the study of acting at 19 and appeared in numerous stage shows. His first film was director Stanley Kramer's "The Men" in 1950. To research the story of paraplegic war veterans, he spent a month in a veterans hospital.

His impact on screen acting was demonstrated by Academy Award nominations as best actor in four successive years: as Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951); as the Mexican revolutionary in "Viva Zapata!" (1952); as Marc Anthony in "Julius Caesar" (1953); and as Terry Malloy in "On the Waterfront" (1954). Besides his win for "The Godfather," he also had Oscar nominations for "Sayonara" (1957), "Last Tango in Paris" (1973) and "A Dry White Season" (1989).

Although he remained a leading star, Brando's career waned in the 1960s with a series of failures. Then came 1972's "The Godfather," which became an overwhelming critical and commercial success.

Brando's jowly, raspy-voiced Corleone became a film icon, down to the subtlest mannerisms: the Mafia chief stroking a cat sweetly as he plotted violence, the contemplative brush of fingers against his bulldog jaw.

He maintained a working relationship with Coppola, who chose him for another memorable role, the insane Col. Kurtz in 1979's "Apocalypse Now," who uttered the line "The horror ... the horror ...'

Most of his later films were undistinguished. A hundred pounds heavier, he hired himself out at huge salaries for such commercial enterprises as "Superman" and "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery."

But the ceaseless spotlight never made him conform.

"I am myself," he once declared, "and if I have to hit my head against a brick wall to remain true to myself, I will do it."

'Spider-Man 2' Set to Top Five-Day Mark

LOS ANGELES - Unofficial estimates Sunday put the gross for "Spider-Man 2" in the $150 million to $155 million range since the film opened Wednesday, which would shatter the record for best Wednesday-Sunday opening set in May by "Shrek 2" with $129 million.

"Spider-Man 2" distributor Sony declined to provide weekend estimates Sunday, saying it would wait to report numbers Monday. But other studios generally were tracking "Spider-Man 2" at about $90 million for the three-day weekend, which followed an estimated $64 million take on Wednesday and Thursday.

Official figures Monday could vary considerably, since the timing of the Fourth of July on a Sunday throws off the formulas studios use to calculate weekend grosses. Studios base their numbers on actual Friday and Saturday grosses, with estimates added for Sunday's take.

"People are very distracted on the Fourth. Usually it's barbecues and fireworks, not movies," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

At around $90 million, the movie's estimated Friday-Sunday haul would fall well short of the record $114.8 million opening weekend of "Spider-Man" two years ago. The original "Spider-Man" opened on Friday, though, while the sequel debuted Wednesday, and millions of fans already had seen it before the weekend. "Spider-Man," which opened in early May, also didn't have the handicap of a Sunday holiday.

Besides breaking the five-day debut record, "Spider-Man 2" was poised to shatter the previous high for best first six days, held by "The Matrix Reloaded" at $146.9 million.

If estimates from other studios are right, "Spider-Man 2" passed that mark in just five days. The film will pad its six-day figure Monday, when many people will be off work for the holiday and free to catch movies during the day.

Last Wednesday, "Spider-Man 2" took in $40.5 million, a record single-day debut that beat the previous high of $39.4 million set by "Spider-Man."

Last weekend's top film, Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11," held up strongly, taking in an estimated $17 million from Friday to Saturday. Doubling its theater count to 1,725, "Fahrenheit 9/11" pushed its total to $56.1 million and has a good shot at becoming the first documentary to top the $100 million mark.

"I can't predict, but I think we have a terrific chance," said Tom Ortenberg, president of Lions Gate Films, one of the distributors of "Fahrenheit 9/11," Moore's assault on President Bush's actions regarding the Sept. 11 attacks. "Regardless, the picture is an overwhelming success."

No other wide-release films debuted against "Spider-Man 2," but three new movies did well in narrow release.

Debuting in 16 theaters, Kevin Kline's Cole Porter film biography "De-Lovely" took in $289,000 from Friday to Sunday for an impressive average of about $18,000 a theater.

In 20 theaters, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy's "Before Sunset" grossed $229,000, averaging about $11,500 a cinema. The film reunites Hawke and Delpy with director Richard Linklater in a follow-up to their 1995 sleeper hit "Before Sunrise."

Robert Redford's "The Clearing," in which he plays a kidnapped businessman, opened in 56 theaters and took in $458,836, averaging $8,194.

A Flap Over 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight'

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African lawyers are suing U.S. entertainment giant Walt Disney Co for infringement of copyright on "The Lion Sleeps Tonight," the most popular song to emerge from Africa, the lawyers said on Friday.

If Disney loses, South African proceeds from its trademarks -- including Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck -- could be seized by the courts, lawyers representing relatives of the song's composer said.

The lilting song, initially called "Mbube," earned an estimated $15 million in royalties since it was written by Zulu migrant worker Solomon Linda in 1939, and featured in Walt Disney's "Lion King" movies.

However, Linda's impoverished family have only received about $15,000, the lawyers said.

Disney executives in South Africa were not immediately available for comment.

Linda sold the worldwide copyright for "Mbube" to a local firm, but under British laws in effect at the time, those rights should have reverted to his heirs 25 years after his death in 1962, copyright lawyer Owen Dean said.

This means Linda's surviving three daughters and 10 grandchildren were entitled to a share of royalties from the song, which has since been recorded by at least 150 musicians.

"We are claiming ten million rand ($1.6 million) in damages from Disney at the moment," Dean told reporters. "The court attached use of Disney trademarks in South Africa to the case last week. We believe our legal position is very sound."

The court will issue a summons to Walt Disney in Los Angeles early next week.

If the case is successful, legal action may also be launched against Disney and other companies in the United Kingdom or Australia, where British copyright laws would have applied, Dean added.

It would also have widespread implications for other South African musicians, authors and artists who may have sold their rights without being aware of their entitlements. "The family are entitled to royalties. There has also been a misappropriation of South African culture -- the song is thought to be American," Dean said.

Linda's grandson Zathele Madonsela, 16, told reporters the case was very important for his family, who live in poverty in the Johannesburg township of Soweto.

"Life is difficult, we are really struggling," he said.

Executors of the family's estate are also seeking a further 6 million rand damages from three local companies who have benefited from income either from the "Lion King" films or the song.

The Mbube song was adapted by U.S. folk singer Pete Seeger, who called it "Wimoweh" as he misheard its Zulu lyrics. U.S. songwriter George David Weiss rewrote the song as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."

'Godfather' Star Marlon Brando Dies at 80

LOS ANGELES - Marlon Brando, who revolutionized Hollywood's image of a leading man playing street-tough, emotionally raw characters in "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "On the Waterfront" and then revived his career a generation later as the definitive Mafia don in "The Godfather," died at 80.

The reclusive Brando died of lung failure at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at UCLA Medical Center, according to hospital spokeswoman Roxanne Moster.

"Marlon would hate the idea of people chiming in to give their comments about his death. All I'll say is that it makes me sad he's gone," "The Godfather" director Francis Ford Coppola said Friday.

Brando's attorney, David J. Seeley, said funeral arrangements would be private.

For generations of movie lovers, Brando was unforgettable — the embodiment of brutish Stanley Kowalski in 1951's "A Streetcar Named Desire," famously bellowing "STELLA!" at his estranged love with a mix of anguish and desire.

Then came his mixed-up, washed-up boxer Terry Malloy of 1954's "On the Waterfront," who laments throwing fights for his gangster brother with the line, "I coulda been a contender ... I coulda been somebody ..."

The key to Brando's craft was Method acting — a practice learned at Stella Adler's renowned Actors Studio in New York. The technique eschewed grandiose theatricality in favor of a deeper psychological approach, often through near-continuous rehearsal that led many actors to behave like their characters even when offstage.

"You never stopped being the character, you never stopped being in that mode," said Eva Marie Saint, Brando's co-star in "On the Waterfront."

"He WAS that fighter," Saint said. "He was so sensitive. You just felt that when he looked in your eyes, he knew everything about you. In the beginning, it was a little uncomfortable."

But, she said, she eventually came to regard him as "a prince."

"He was so generous, so kind," Saint said. "He was an original. Each take was different." Even so, she never saw him again after the movie was finished.

Brando's personally combative nature only increased as he grew older. It might best be defined by his line from 1953's "The Wild One," in which Brando, playing a motorcycle gang leader, was asked what he's rebelling against.

"Whattaya got?" was his character's reply.

While his early roles were marked by an overt, almost predatory, sexuality that made him a rebellious film icon, Brando let his good looks fade as he gained weight and became increasingly reclusive in later years.

He was pushy, difficult, temperamental and demanding — and his preference for repeated takes came to be regarded as excessive and costly.

Even though the studios had written off the star in the early 1970s, he went on to create the iconic character of Don Vito Corleone in "The Godfather," which reinvigorated his career and earned him his second best-actor Oscar.

His first came years earlier for 1954's "On the Waterfront," and Brando showed up in a tuxedo and graciously accepted it.

But his stunt at the 1973 Oscar ceremony cemented his status as one of the movie industry's most bizarre talents. Brando sent a woman who identified herself as Sasheen Littlefeather to reject his "Godfather" trophy on his behalf and read a diatribe about Hollywood's poor treatment of American Indians.

It was roundly booed — and torpedoed much of the comeback good will his performance had earned among studio honchos.

Regardless of his personal peculiarities, nothing could diminish Brando's reputation as an actor of startling power and invention.

He was the bridge between the heroic and upstanding screen purity of earlier stars such as Cary Grant, Gary Cooper and Henry Fonda and a generation of conflicted anti-heroes played by the likes of Robert De Niro, Jack Nicholson and Dustin Hoffman.

"He influenced more young actors of my generation than any actor," longtime friend and "Godfather" co-star James Caan said Friday. "Anyone who denies this never understood what it was all about."

Brando's private life was tumultuous. His three wives were all pregnant when they married him. He fathered at least nine children.

His family life turned tragic with his son's conviction for killing the boyfriend of his half-sister, Cheyenne Brando, in 1990. Five years later, Cheyenne committed suicide, never having gotten over her depression and the killing.

After a heavily publicized trial, Christian was found guilty of voluntary manslaughter and use of a gun. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

Before the sentencing, Marlon Brando delivered an hour of rambling testimony in which he said he and his ex-wife had failed Christian. He commented softly to members of victim Dag Drollet's family: "I'm sorry. ... If I could trade places with Dag, I would. I'm prepared for the consequences."

Afterward, Drollet's father said he thought Brando was acting and his son was "getting away with murder."

Marlon Brando Jr. came from the American heartland, born in Omaha, Neb., on April 3, 1924. Nicknamed "Bud" to distinguish him from his father, Brando and his family moved around the country throughout his youth. He was constantly being reprimanded for misbehavior at school, and had a talent for playacting, both in elaborate pranks and in plays and recitations.

After getting expelled from military school, Brando at 19 moved to New York and stayed with his sister Frances, an art student.

He took up the study of acting in the city, and appeared in such plays as "I Remember Mama," and "Truckline Cafe." The latter was directed by Elia Kazan, who would hire him for the play "A Streetcar Named Desire" in 1947 and later the movie.

The Tennessee Williams play made Brando famous, but the actor was uncomfortable with the attention. He hated the clamor of fans and suffered through interviews.

At the end of his two-year contract for "Streetcar" he never appeared in another play.

His first film was director Stanley Kramer's "The Men" in 1950. To research the story of paraplegic war veterans, he spent a month in a veterans hospital.

His impact on screen acting was demonstrated by Academy Award nominations as best actor in four successive years: as Kowalski in "A Streetcar Named Desire" (1951); as the Mexican revolutionary in "Viva Zapata!" (1952); as Marc Anthony in "Julius Caesar" (1953); and as Terry Malloy in "On the Waterfront" (1954). Besides his win for "The Godfather," he also had Oscar nominations for "Sayonara" (1957), "Last Tango in Paris" (1973) and "A Dry White Season" (1989).

Although he remained in Hollywood, he refused to be part of it.

"Hollywood is ruled by fear and love of money," he once said. "But it can't rule me because I'm not afraid of anything and I don't love money."

His combative reputation seemed to increase with every film.

He sometimes refused to memorize his lines and would hide them on various props or on the chests of other actors facing away from the camera. He claimed it increased the spontaneity of the line readings.

While working on the musical "Guys and Dolls," he reportedly infuriated co-star Frank Sinatra — who was notoriously impatient with reshoots — by insisting on take after take after take, coolly and endlessly redoing scenes while Sinatra bristled.

A remake of "Mutiny on the Bounty" in 1962, with Brando as Fletcher Christian, seemed to bolster his reputation as a difficult star. He was blamed for a change in directors and a runaway budget, though he disclaimed responsibility for either.

The "Bounty" experience affected Brando's life in a profound way: he fell in love with Tahiti and its people. Tahitian beauty Tarita, who appeared in the film, became his third wife and mother of two of his children. He bought an island, Tetiaroa, which he intended to make part environmental laboratory and part resort.

Although he remained a leading star, Brando's career waned in the 1960s with a series of failures.

Coppola, then a relatively new filmmaker with little Hollywood sway, wanted him for Mafia leader Corleone in "The Godfather" in 1972, but Paramount studio chiefs vowed never to hire the troublesome actor. They finally relented on the condition that Brando would consent to the indignity of a screen test, something usually reserved for newcomers.

They thought Coppola would be too embarrassed to ask or the request would sour Brando's interest in the role. But Coppola manipulated the politics to his own benefit, persuading Brando with the white lie that it was a "makeup" test for the cameras, not an acting test.

The film was an overwhelming critical and commercial success. Brando's jowly, raspy-voiced don became a film icon, down to the subtlest mannerisms: the Mafia chief stroking a cat sweetly as he plotted violence, the contemplative brush of fingers against his bulldog jaw.

But Brando knew how to bite the hand that fed him. Aware of his mistreatment by the studio and reportedly sore about his earnings for "The Godfather," he refused to show up to shoot a brief flashback scene at the end of the sequel.

He did maintain a working relationship with Coppola, who chose him for another memorable role, the insane Col. Kurtz in 1979's "Apocalypse Now."

In the early '70s, one of his greatest performances was overshadowed by an uproar over the erotic nature of Bernardo Bertolucci's "Last Tango in Paris." In his memoir, "Songs My Mother Taught Me," Brando wrote of being emotionally drained by "Last Tango," an improvised film that included several autobiographical speeches.

Most of his later films were undistinguished. A hundred pounds heavier, he hired himself out at huge salaries for such commercial enterprises as "Superman" and "Christopher Columbus: The Discovery."

But the ceaseless spotlight never made him conform.

"I am myself," he once declared, "and if I have to hit my head against a brick wall to remain true to myself, I will do it."

The Godfather Has Passed Away

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Marlon Brando, who revolutionized American acting with his Method performances in ``Streetcar Named Desire'' and ``On the Waterfront'' and went on to create the iconic characterization of Don Vito Corleone in ``The Godfather,'' has died.

He was 80.

Brando died at an undisclosed Los Angeles hospital Thursday, attorney David J. Seeley said Friday. The cause of death was being withheld, Seeley said, noting the actor ``was a very private man.''

Brando, whose unpredictable behavior made him equally fascinating off the screen, was acclaimed the greatest actor of his generation, a two-time winner of the Academy Award who influenced some of the best actors of the generation that followed, among them Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson.

He was the unforgettable embodiment of the brutish Stanley Kowalski of ``A Streetcar Named Desire,'' the mixed up Terry Malloy of ``On the Waterfront'' (which won him his first Oscar) and the wily Corleone of ``The Godfather.''

NBC red-faced over Saddam coverage

NEW YORK -- NBC's "Today" show was embarrassed Thursday when it aired Katie Couric batting a badminton shuttlecock while its rivals showed the first footage of Saddam Hussein's court appearance.

"We made a mistake," said executive producer Tom Touchet. "In retrospect, I'd do it completely differently."

The first footage of Iraq's former leader since his capture by the U.S. seven months ago came into newsrooms shortly after 8:30 a.m. EDT. ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS' "The Early Show" and the cable news networks all showed the pictures immediately.

NBC stuck with feature stories on a Robert Redford movie and badminton, showing Saddam at the 9 a.m. newscast that opens the third hour of "Today."

Touchet gave no further explanation of the error. "Today" changed the West Coast feed of the broadcast to lead with the Saddam pictures.

Meanwhile, ABC scored a coup when anchor Peter Jennings attended Saddam's court hearing. CBS' Dan Rather reported on the appearance from an outside location.

NBC's Tom Brokaw, who had traveled to Iraq for this week's handover of sovereignty, left Iraq for the United States before the hearing because he was told only a pool reporter would be allowed in, NBC News spokeswoman Allison Gollust said.

If Brokaw was allowed -- like Jennings -- "maybe we would have done it differently," she said.

ABC said Jennings was permitted in by Salem Chalabi, director of the Iraqi Special Tribunal. Jennings had specifically asked for permission in an interview with Chalabi earlier this week, a spokeswoman said.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour was also in the court hearing. Like Jennings, she received permission from Chalabi, the network said.

John Burns of The New York Times was the pool reporter, in charge of reporting details from the inside to fellow journalists who are not allowed in.

It was a good week for Jennings and Amanpour: both also attended Monday's surprise ceremony where Iraq reclaimed sovereignty.

Sadiq Rahim, working for the widely circulated Iraqi newspaper Azzaman, was called a day before to attend the trial but was refused entry minutes before the start of the hearing, said Ahmed Abdul-Majeed, the paper's editor in chief.

"It is a surprising situation which pleads a logical interpretation," Abdul-Majeed said.

British television stations gave heavy coverage to Saddam's court appearance. Most used it as their lead story, and some conducted an analysis with linguists and body language experts to examine Saddam's words and demeanor.

Spider spinning

The Spider-Man franchise is loosely plotted out to at least six instalments -- but don't expect any of the key actors or director and guiding light Sam Raimi to last that long.

Raimi says three is enough for him, even if the series remains as popular as the 2002 original was and the current first sequel is expected to be.

"I can't imagine that I'd have the strength to direct another one after the third one," Raimi says in Los Angeles, where Sony Pictures Studios has already begun preliminary production on Spider-Man 3, with a tentative 2007 release date.

The stars are all poised to return, Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Kirsten Dunst as Spidey's achy breaky love Mary Jane Watson, and James Franco as young industrialist Harry Osborn, Peter's best friend and Spider-Man's worst enemy.

"I really want to take Peter Parker to the next step in his journey," Raimi says of his enthusiasm for part three. "I'm very curious about him myself: What will happen? I have some things that might happen and I really think I know the character very well."

After that? Let somebody else worry about it, Raimi says of the long-term.

Dunst is just as adamant that she won't be back as Mary Jane Watson either. "Three's enough. I think. You know, don't wear out a good thing too much. It will be it, yeah! I'm only contracted to three and I don't see me signing on to a fourth and a fifth and a ...."

Dunst is hoping that the filmmakers will not kill off Mary Jane in Spider-Man 3. Too cliched, she says.

"I don't know what will happen. I hope she doesn't die in the third. That's kind of an obvious way to go: 'We have to end it so let's just kill her!'

"It would actually be really interesting if Spider-Man died," she adds with a mischievous grin. "Why doesn't the superhero ever die? It would be so sad and beautiful. I think that, if Mary Jane was alone and pregnant and he dies, she could give birth to a Spider-Baby and carry on the series with another young boy, or something like that. Because I doubt that Tobey would come back for a fourth or a fifth either."

Maguire did leave open the possibility, however, as unlikely as it seems to him now.

"Well, I don't know if I would make a statement like that," Maguire says when told of how final both Raimi and Dunst made their position seem.

"But I don't anticipate doing a fourth movie, you know. Look, I think that three's probably enough for me, but you never know. If they sent me a script that was better than any other script I've ever read and offered me a piece of Sony Corporation ... (he smiles, knowing he has already taken in a reported $20 million for his re-negotiated salary for Spider-Man 2 and stands to make even more next time) ... Never say never, you know. Sony's a big corporation."

'Spider-Man 2' Takes in Record $40.5M

LOS ANGELES - "Spider-Man 2" took in $40.5 million in its first day, a record debut that positions the film to challenge more box-office highs through the Fourth of July weekend.

"We are off to a phenomenal start on what looks to be a magical six days for `Spider-Man 2,'" Jeff Blake, vice chairman of the film's distributor Sony, said Thursday.

Ticket sales Wednesday surpassed the previous debut record of $39.4 million that the original "Spider-Man" grossed in its first day two years ago.

Factoring in rising admission prices over the last two years, though, the sequel sold a few hundred thousand fewer tickets. The new movie also played wider, in 4,152 theaters, 537 more than "Spider-Man."

"Spider-Man 2" could go on to shatter other debut records, including the best three-day weekend gross of $114.8 million for "Spider-Man," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

With the long holiday weekend, the film likely will set a record for biggest first six days, topping the $146.9 million haul for last year's "The Matrix Reloaded," Dergarabedian said.

On Friday or Saturday, the film also might have a shot at breaking the single-day gross record held by "Shrek 2," which raked in $44.8 million in its second day. "Shrek 2" also holds the record for highest gross in its first five days at $129 million, another mark "Spider-Man 2" could approach.

The opening-day figure for "Spider-Man 2" was more remarkable since it came on a Wednesday, when business is slower than on weekends. The first "Spider-Man" debuted on a Friday.

"We're in uncharted territory looking at midweek numbers this big," Dergarabedian said. "I remember when $40 million was a big opening weekend for a movie not that long ago, and now that's a single day in the middle of the week."

The best previous debut for a movie opening on Wednesday was $34.5 million last December for "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King."

With "Spider-Man" filmmaker Sam Raimi returning to direct, the sequel has received almost universally good reviews.

Tobey Maguire is back as the Marvel Comics superhero, a brooding college kid struggling to make ends meet and juggle long nights of crime fighting with the demands of school. Kirsten Dunst, James Franco and other key cast members also are back, and Alfred Molina co-stars as Spider-Man's new nemesis, Doc Ock.

Maguire's casting initially turned some heads in Hollywood, since he was a rising serious actor who did not fit the usual mold of the beefy movie superhero. The $403.7 million domestic total for "Spider-Man" silenced any casting critics.

"He's not about the brawn. It's about the pathos and brain," Dergarabedian said. "Tobey Maguire had credibility as an actor going in, and he hasn't lost any credibility by doing `Spider-Man.' "Seabiscuit' came out after `Spider-Man,' and he's so good that when you saw him in that movie, you didn't go, `Oh, that's just Spider-Man on a horse.'"

Sony originally scheduled "Spider-Man 2" to debut the Friday before July 4, then moved it up two days to get a jump on the holiday weekend.

With many people off work Monday, the film should draw big audiences that day. Business on Sunday might be slow, though, since that's the Fourth of July, when many people will opt for barbecues, parades and fireworks displays instead of going to the movies.

A rainy Sunday might boost business, but Rory Bruer, Sony's head of distribution, said, "I'm not praying for rain."

"We've had such astounding reviews throughout the country, and I think people are totally keyed in to what an incredible film Sam Raimi has delivered," Bruer said. "Come rain or shine, they want to come see this movie."

Cosby Has Harsh Words for Black Community

CHICAGO - Bill Cosby went off on another tirade against the black community Thursday, telling a room full of activists that black children are running around not knowing how to read or write and "going nowhere."

He also had harsh words for struggling black men, telling them: "Stop beating up your women because you can't find a job."

Cosby made headlines in May when he upbraided some poor blacks for their grammar and accused them of squandering opportunities the civil rights movement gave them. He shot back Thursday, saying his detractors were trying in vain to hide the black community's "dirty laundry."

"Let me tell you something, your dirty laundry gets out of school at 2:30 every day, it's cursing and calling each other n------ as they're walking up and down the street," Cosby said during an appearance at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition & Citizenship Education Fund's annual conference.

"They think they're hip," the entertainer said. "They can't read; they can't write. They're laughing and giggling, and they're going nowhere."

In his remarks in May at a commemoration of the anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education desegregation decision, Cosby denounced some blacks' grammar and said those who commit crimes and wind up behind bars "are not political prisoners."

"I can't even talk the way these people talk, 'Why you ain't,' 'Where you is' ... and I blamed the kid until I heard the mother talk," Cosby said then. "And then I heard the father talk ... Everybody knows it's important to speak English except these knuckleheads. You can't be a doctor with that kind of crap coming out of your mouth."

Cosby elaborated Thursday on his previous comments in a talk interrupted several times by applause. He castigated some blacks, saying that they cannot simply blame whites for problems such as teen pregnancy and high school dropout rates.

"For me there is a time ... when we have to turn the mirror around," he said. "Because for me it is almost analgesic to talk about what the white man is doing against us. And it keeps a person frozen in their seat, it keeps you frozen in your hole you're sitting in."

Cosby lamented that the racial slurs once used by those who lynched blacks are now a favorite expression of black children. And he blamed parents.

"When you put on a record and that record is yelling `n----- this and n----- that' and you've got your little 6-year-old, 7-year-old sitting in the back seat of the car, those children hear that," he said.

He also condemned black men who missed out on opportunities and are now angry about their lives.

"You've got to stop beating up your women because you can't find a job, because you didn't want to get an education and now you're (earning) minimum wage," Cosby said. "You should have thought more of yourself when you were in high school, when you had an opportunity."

Cosby appeared Thursday with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, founder and president of the education fund, who defended the entertainer's statements.

"Bill is saying let's fight the right fight, let's level the playing field," Jackson said. "Drunk people can't do that. Illiterate people can't do that."

Cosby also said many young people are failing to honor the sacrifices made by those who struggled and died during the civil rights movement.

"Dogs, water hoses that tear the bark off trees, Emmett Till," he said, naming the black youth who was tortured and murdered in Mississippi in 1955, allegedly for whistling at a white woman. "And you're going to tell me you're going to drop out of school? You're going to tell me you're going to steal from a store?"

Cosby also said he wasn't concerned that some whites took his comments and turned them "against our people."

"Let them talk," he said.

The Canadian National Anthem

English:

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Français:

Ô Canada!
Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix!
Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

'Big Brother 5' houseguests unveiled

Who would be willing to sacrifice their privacy for a chance to win $500,000 U.S.? 'Big Brother' fans got their answer today as CBS revealed the identities of the 13 'Big Brother 5' houseguests.

Comprised mostly of swinging singles in their 20's, this year's selection of competitors features only two married players and one who is engaged.

Old folks didn't fare well in the selection process either as Mike Lubinski, a single dad and commercial printer from Michigan, is the only houseguest over 40-years-old.

The houseguests do come from a variety of backgrounds though. There is a web designer, a volunteer firefighter, a yoga instructor, a registered nurse, a mortician and a model.

Here is the official list:

Adria Okins
30
Married
Web Designer
Birmingham, Ala.

Jase Wirey
28
Single
Volunteer Firefighter
Decatur, Ill.

Lori Valenti
26
Single
Yoga Instructor
Boston

Will Wikle
26
Single
Registered Nurse
Tupelo, Miss.

Karen O'Neil Ganci
30
Married
Portrait Artist
Saddle Brook, N.J.

Mike Lubinski
41
Single Dad
Commercial Painter
Eastpointe, Mich.

Jennifer Dedmon
21
Single
Restaurant Hostess
San Antonio, Texas

Marvin Latimer
36
Single
Mortician
Conway, S.C.

Diane Henry
22
Single
Cocktail Waitress
Burlington, Ky.

Michael Ellis
23
Engaged Dad
Security Officer
Durant, Okla.

Holly King
20's
Single
Model
Los Angeles

Drew Daniel
22
Single
Recent College Graduate
Urbana, Ohio

Scott Long
26
Single
Sales Representative
Pittsburgh, Pa.

CBS has also announced some changes to the 'Big Brother' house itself. There is a cloud or fluffy bedroom, a wood and cement one. In the cement bedroom, the beds are actually made out of concrete. The houseguests will also not have a basketball court to use this year. It has been replaced by a putting green and a kick boxing station. Small sharks populate the fish tank.

'Big Brother 5' debuts with a special 90-minute broadcast on Tuesday, July 6 (8:00-9:30 PM, ET/PT) on CBS. Following the premiere, 'Big Brother 5' will be broadcast each week on Tuesdays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT), Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) and Saturdays (9:00-10:00 PM, ET/PT).The Thursday broadcast will feature the live eviction of one of the houseguests.

On the 'Big Brother' series, a group of strangers will live together in a house outfitted with dozens of cameras and microphones recording their every move 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As the outside world watches on television and the Internet, the HouseGuests will vote each other out, one by one, until only one remains and goes home a half million dollars richer.

Music biz loses Net royalties fight

The music industry's efforts to recoup money lost from Internet piracy were thwarted yet again Wednesday.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Internet service providers don't have to pay royalties to composers and performers for music downloaded or heard via online radio by web customers.

In a 9-0 judgment Wednesday, the court said companies providing wide access to the web are merely "intermediaries" who are not bound by federal copyright legislation.

At issue was an effort by the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) to force Internet service providers to pay a tariff -- known as Tariff 22 -- for music accessed in the online world whether downloaded or streamed for online radio.

The case dates back to 1995, a few years before Napster revolutionized the way fans get their hands on tunes.

The judges noted, however, that Canadian copyright law is archaic and invited Parliament to update it to meet the needs of the modern information age.

It's a message that's been reiterated by several courts in the past few years.

SOCAN said Wednesday's ruling contained some good news for the organization, which collects royalties on behalf of 70,000 Canadian composers, songwriters, lyricists and publishers.

The Supreme Court left the door open for recording artists to sue specific websites that distribute their music without authorization.

That could apply even to sites in other countries, as long as the end users are Canadian or there is some other "real and substantial" connection to Canada.

"We're pleased. Now we can proceed with phase two of this process to have a royalty set," said Paul Spurgeon, general counsel for SOCAN. "We're going full steam ahead."

The case has been closely watched -- by international as well as domestic observers -- because of its potential impact on the recording and computer industries worldwide. A different decision could have seen foreign ISPs paying Canadian copyright holders.

Opposing the effort was the Canadian Association of Internet Providers, including the Canadian subsidiaries of some of the world's high-tech giants like Bell, Sprint, AOL, MCI, IBM and Yahoo.

The service providers, or ISPs, argued that artists should seek royalties directly from websites that offer their works, not from the companies that provide wider-ranging access to the web.

Luc Lavoie, vice-president of Quebec media holding company Quebecor Inc., welcomed the high court ruling on Wednesday.

"We're absolutely pleased by it, but it doesn't mean the fight against piracy is over," said Lavoie, whose company owns Montreal-based Videotron, a major Internet service provider.

Lavoie said ISPs have been wrongly targeted by music companies.

"There's no difference between doing this (piracy) or using the telephone," said Lavoie.

"You cannot blame the telephone company because criminals are speaking to one another over the phone."

He said ISPs are fighting music piracy with a wide-ranging information campaign.

SOCAN's battle contrasted with the legal route taken by the recording industry in the United States, where the usual tactic has been to sue particular file-sharing services and the individual customers who download music from them.

The attempt to collect instead from ISPs was significant because they provide an easier target for litigation than tracking down a myriad of individual websites and customers.

"ISPs have the deepest pockets," explained Casey Chisick, a copyright and entertainment lawyer in Toronto.

He said while SOCAN can now go after online radio sites and other various websites that play music, it will be an expensive process to recoup royalties.

"The trouble is that it becomes a lot more difficult and a lot less streamlined," he said. "The transaction costs could be huge."

Justice Ian Binnie, writing for the Supreme Court, noted the United States, Australia and the European Union have updated their copyright rules to deal specifically with Internet issues.

Canadian judges are struggling to apply legal principles first enunciated in the 1880s to "technologies undreamed of by those early legislators," wrote Binnie.

His interpretation was that -- as a general rule -- the Copyright Act does not impose legal liabilities on ISPs, as long as they act as true intermediaries and take no hand in determining web content.

They could become liable, however, if they are formally notified that a particular website is violating the law, and if they refuse to block access to it.

The best way to deal with that, Binnie said, would be for Parliament to legislate specific rules for "notice and take down," as the United States and Europe have done.

The court also laid down broad rules for potential lawsuits against file-sharing and other services that actually stockpile and distribute music to web customers.

Binnie said a range of factors would have to be taken into account in such cases, including where the content originates, whether the ISP is located in Canada and whether the end user is in Canada.

Those principles could provide a blueprint for future legal efforts to combat music downloading.

They do not, however, deal directly with other contentious issues such as the availability of child pornography on the web -- a hot-button issue in the recent federal election.

The judgment Wednesday was based on copyright considerations and did not touch on the separate Criminal Code provisions on child porn.

It hasn't been a very good year for Canada's music industry. In March, the Canadian Recording Industry Association, which represents record labels, lost a bid to access names and addresses of people it believed were uploading music to the Internet for others to copy freely.

The organization is appealing the decision.

Lost Frank Zappa Unearthed

Joe's Corsage, the first in a series of unreleased Frank Zappa recordings, is available at zappa.com. The album consists of demos from 1965 -- the year before Zappa's Mothers of Invention released their debut album, Freak Out! -- with bits of interviews interspersed throughout.

"We wanted to stay as close to the bone as we could," says Gail Zappa, Frank's widow. "Frank Zappa was a composer, and he had a bad habit, which was writing music. To support that habit, he became a bandleader and began playing other things that he liked to hear in different context, and you can hear that throughout his music."

Joe's Corsage (the title a play on Zappa's 1979 multi-part concept album, Joe's Garage) is the beginning of an avalanche of unreleased material, which will include complete albums like the guitar-solo-based Trance-fusion and the synth-heavy Dance Me This, as well as live recordings and "other little nuggets the fans know about and have been waiting for." Zappa died of cancer in 1993.

"We're sitting on forty album projects in various stages of completion," says Gail Zappa, who adds that the material was put on ice due to a ten-year deal with Rykodisc. "That period ends in October, so we'll open the doors to the vault."

Douglas Coupland solves our image problem

Born on an army base in Germany and raised in Vancouver, Douglas Coupland seemed reluctant for many years to market himself as a Canadian.

In 1991, he set Generation X, his first and most famous novel, in Palm Springs, Calif. His more recent novel, All Families Are Psychotic (2001), is largely set in Florida. But with his latest book Souvenir Of Canada 2, just published by Douglas & McIntyre, and a related art installation titled Canada House that opens tomorrow at the Design Exchange, he comes out of the closet to embrace his Canadian identity.

"Youth culture is completely globalized; it's only when you are in your 30s that you are allowed to be Canadian," he says.

A conceptual artist as well as a writer, he locates this identity mostly in the artifacts of our commercial culture — objects, places, bilingual packaging, buildings and logos that resonate for Canadians as they do for no other peoples.

Billy Bee honey, the Massey-Ferguson tractor, the Sherwood hockey stick, the Robertson screwdriver, Oka cheese, the Eaton's catalogue, the purple Crown Royal bag, plastic Canada geese, and the moose-patterned sweater are to Coupland what the wind-twisted pines of Georgian Bay were to the Group of Seven. Soul food.

"When I see something beautiful, I want to eat it," he says.

Souvenir Of Canada 2, a followup to a similar book he produced two years ago, is filled with photographs of these iconic objects, along with short, quirky texts that deconstruct their meaning and incidentally reveal details about Coupland and his family.

We read about his grandmother, the first woman to drive a car in Sudbury, his taxidermist brother, his doctor father, and are shown a photograph of his mother, wearing the dress she wore to Expo '67. We also see Mom's well-organized kitchen cupboards, featuring the usual Janus-faced Canadian brands such as Canada Corn Starch/Fecule de maïs and Blue Ribbon pure marjoram/marjolaine.

Coupland is 42 now, but he is still close to his family, both emotionally and physically; the Ron Thom-designed house he bought himself in North Vancouver is a short walk from the home of his uncomprehending parents.

"When my father comes over, the only thing he recognizes is the television set," he says, referring to his high-concept modernist furnishings.

In Toronto last week, Coupland took part in a panel on creativity at the Design Exchange, and explained that his art projects are often sparked by finding some telling or bizarre object on a beach, a back alley or in a dumpster. "You have a nugget or kernel of something strange — let's see where it goes, let's develop it," he explained. "I refuse to be bored."

His collections fill his studio at 1000 Parker St. in Vancouver, a sort of art factory where he works with the assistance of a half-dozen friends from his days at Emily Carr College of Art and Design.

In Souvenir Of Canada 2, he devotes 27 pages to Canada House, an installation of Canadian objects he set up in an about-to-be demolished house in Vancouver, having spray painted the interior white.

It displays, too, his unique furniture-with-a-message. "The Treaty Couch," for example, has two seating portions, a broad one upholstered in tartan (a reference to the United Kingdom), another extremely narrow with upholstery made from a Cowichan Indian sweater.

Only a few people ever saw the original Canada House, which was created for the book.

The public will get a chance to see Canada House at the Design Exchange, where the piece has been recreated (admission is free on Canada Day).

Souvenir Of Canada 2 oscillates between the frivolous and the serious. The pages on Coupland's visit to the Terry Fox museum in Port Coquitlam, B.C., are serious and moving. His photograph of the dead runner's shredded sock is presented as though it were the Shroud of Turin.

Coupland has lately been working in the Star library collecting material for a photo book on Terry Fox, to be published next spring by Douglas & McIntyre.

"I can only look at this stuff for about 20 minutes at a time before losing it," he said, when I found him in the Star's library last week, after his talk at the Design Exchange. "These images never lose their initial impact."

He currently has a little essay on Amazon.ca about Canadian stamps and has written a one-man play for the Royal Shakespeare Company in England, which he will perform at Stratford-upon-Avon in October. "It's called September 10, 2001 and it's about the day before the world changed," he says.

In November, his new novel Eleanor Rigby will be out from Random House. "Eleanor Rigby is the loneliest woman in the world — then she gets a phone call," he says when asked about the novel's subject.

Two of his eight novels are in film development and he is preparing to have art exhibitions in New York, London and at the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.

When asked about how he maintains his astonishing productivity, he shakes his head: "I'm as lazy as dirt. I like to sleep as much as possible."

Of course, being self-deprecating is so Canadian.

Score 7 for music biz

At the end of the first half, the music industry is ahead by a touchdown. Nielsen SoundScan figures through June 27 show total album sales up nearly seven points (6.9%) over last year: 305.7 million compared with 285.9 at this point in 2003. But sales are still off 2% compared with 2002.

• Also up: sales of downloaded songs. When Nielsen SoundScan began tracking them a year ago, sales totaled 303,000. They now average more than 2 million a week; this week's total was 2.6 million. Most-downloaded song in the past year: Outkast's Hey Ya, 321,162 downloads.

• Sharply down: First-week sales for American Idol winner Fantasia's first single, I Believe, numbered 142,000. That's enough to become the No. 1-selling single, but it's less than half the initial sales for 2003 winner Ruben Studdard's Flying Without Wings (286,000) and slightly more than a third of 2003 runner-up Clay Aiken's This Is the Night (393,000). 2002 winner Kelly Clarkson's A Moment Like This sold 236,000 its first week. The figures for 2004 runner-up Diana DeGarmo's Dreams will be available next week.

• Big Kiss: Rapper Jadakiss enters the Billboard album chart at No. 1 after selling 246,000 copies of Kiss of Death. Usher and the Beastie Boys rank second and third, followed by the debut of JoJo's self-titled album, Prince, Gretchen Wilson, the debuts of the Spider-Man 2 soundtrack and Wilco's A Ghost Is Born, Velvet Revolver and Avril Lavigne.

Garner is free of complexes in 'Elektra' role

For months, Jennifer Garner tried to ignore the flattering remarks she heard on the set about her performance in Daredevil.

Garner, who played the superhero-to-be Elektra Natchios in the 2003 comic-book adaptation, shrugged the comments off as confidence-boosters.

"This was my first movie where I had a major role," the star of TV's Alias says. "I thought they were just being nice. They even said they could see there being an Elektra movie. But I thought there was no way they'd make that before they made Daredevil 2."

But that project has been shelved while Garner settles into Vancouver to film Elektra, the superhero spinoff due in theaters in February.

The film, which also stars Terence Stamp and Goran Visnjic of Welcome to Sarajevo, picks up right where Daredevil left her — seemingly dead at the hands of the villain Bulls-eye. But as in all comic books, heroes and villains are never truly gone. "I wasn't killed, just really, really hurt," she says. "The movie picks up with my recovery."

Filmmakers haven't decided if Daredevil will make an appearance, but fans of the heroine's comic book will be relieved to know that Elektra, directed by Reign of Fire's Rob Bowman, will follow its origins.

In Daredevil, many devotees were angry to find the assassin in a black costume. She returns to her trademark red leather outfit for Elektra.

And filmmakers plan to keep her character, who straddles the line between villain and superhero after her father is murdered, a dark protagonist. The movie follows her training as an assassin by The Hand, a group of mystical ninjas.

After her turn as a wide-eyed innocent in the romantic comedy 13 Going on 30, Garner says she was interested in trying something a little more menacing. "I kind of like to hopscotch around" in film genres, Garner says. "I'm fascinated by characters who are coping with anger and loss."

While the Web is buzzing over plotlines and characters, Garner has been blissfully unaware of the rumor mill.

"We're really in the woods up here," she says of the Canadian location. "We're at the top of a mountain where my cell phone won't even work. It's nice to be so isolated and peaceful."

Not that she won't remain busy. While Garner has no films lined up after Elektra, she plans to return for the fourth season of Alias, which runs on Sundays on ABC.

"I love doing movies, but it's nice to have a place to come back to," she says. "That's my family."

RETURN TO THE MOTHERSHIP?

William Shatner considering reprising his role as Captain Kirk on UPN's Star Trek: Enterprise next season, according to sci-fi magazine Starburst.

ALREADY?

After just four albums, Britney Spears to release a greatest-hits album in November. The disc will also include a new single.

Kidman: Men Aren't Beating Down the Door

LONDON - Being a single mother makes it difficult to find a mate — even when you're Nicole Kidman.

"I'm hoping to meet someone and be happy with them. But that's not as easy as it sounds. I'm a 37-year-old woman with two children. Men aren't beating a path to my door," she said in an interview published Wednesday in the latest issue of Now magazine.

"I don't want to sound like a woman from a lonely hearts club and I don't want to advertise. The children are my priority. I take them around with me — movies or baseball games or local shows — and that's not so appealing for any new man on the scene, is it?" she said.

The Oscar-winning star of "The Hours" has been single since breaking up with rock star Lenny Kravitz earlier this year.

She denied rumors that she might get back together with ex-husband Tom Cruise, with whom she split in 2001. The pair share custody of their children, 11-year-old Isabella and 9-year-old Connor.

"That whole part of my life is over and done with. We'll always be in contact because of our children," she said. "But I'm single and there's no one out there for me at the moment."

Kidman, who recently starred in a remake of "The Stepford Wives," also wanted to dash speculation that she's suffering from an eating disorder. She has looked painfully thin in recent photographs, but said her hairstyle was to blame.

"I've been wearing it up a lot lately and that seems to make my face look smaller and make my body look even thinner," she explained. "When I wear it down ... then my boy-like figure looks a little fuller. That's the only explanation I can come up with."

Teen Caught with Camcorder at 'Spider-Man 2'

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A 16-year-old boy was caught early Wednesday using a camcorder tape the first showing of "Spider-Man 2" at a Los Angeles theater, the Motion Picture Assn. of America (MPAA) said.

The teen was spotted by a projectionist scanning the audience with night vision goggles. The boy, who was not identified because he is a minor, was arrested on suspicion of violating a California law that went into affect in January, barring the videotaping of movies in commercial theaters.

The MPAA, which represents the interests of the major Hollywood studios, said the projectionists and other employees at the Pacific Winnetka in the suburb of Chatsworth may be eligible for awards of up to $500 under a new program that seeks to enlist theater employees and owners in the fight against digital piracy. The rewards program was instituted earlier this month by the MPAA and National Association of Theater Owners.

Movies captured via camcorder are a source for the copies illegally traded on the Internet and sold worldwide as bootleg DVDs. The MPAA seized 52 million illegally duplicated optical discs worldwide in 2003, when optical-disc piracy reportedly costs the industry $3.5 billion in lost revenue.

"In theaters nationwide there are now thousands of eyes looking for camcording pirates and this incident proves that pirates who use these devices in theaters will be caught," said James Spertus, director of MPAA's U.S. anti-piracy operations. "The swift actions of theater employees will help reduce the number of camcorded films that are made available to organized crime syndicates in Russia, Malaysia and around the world, which in turn convert the recordings into illegally solid optical discs."

After allegedly using the camcorder at a midnight screening, the teen and two friends were escorted out of the theater and turned over to Los Angeles police, according to the MPAA.

"Hundreds of people have put tens of thousands of hours into making a truly great picture and the notion of having it stolen and sent out for free around the world is just plain wrong," said Jeff Blake, vice chairman at Sony Pictures Entertainment, which released "Spider-Man 2."