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 &