'X-Men' Director to Remake 'Superman'

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

R.E.M. Bang on New Album

Stipe promises a chaotic, political album for October

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grohl Seeing Double For Next Foos Album

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

CBS Exec Defends Firing of 'CSI' Stars

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tom Cruise on Urgent 'Mission' for New Director

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

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

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

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

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

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

CBS Head Says Would Fight Fines Over Janet Jackson

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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