Jon Stewart Bitchslaps CNN's 'Crossfire' Show

In what could well be the strangest and most refreshing media moment of the election season, "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart turned up on a live broadcast of CNN's "Crossfire" Friday and accused the mainstream media — and his hosts in particular — of being soft and failing to do their duty as journalists to keep politicians and the political process honest.

Reaching well outside his usual youthful "Daily Show" demo, Stewart took to "Crossfire" to promote his new book, "America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction", but instead of pushing the tome, Stewart used his time to verbally slap the network and the media for being "dishonest" and "doing a disservice" to the American public. After co-host Tucker Carlson suggested that Stewart went easy on Senator John Kerry when the candidate was a guest on "The Daily Show," Stewart unloaded on "Crossfire," calling hosts Carlson and Paul Begala "partisan hacks" and chiding them for not raising the level of discourse on their show beyond sloganeering.

"What you do is not honest. What you do is partisan hackery," Stewart said. "You have a responsibility to the public discourse, and you fail miserably.

"I watch your show every day, and it kills me. It's so painful to watch," Stewart added as it became apparent that the comedian was not joking. He went on to hammer the network, and the media in general, for its coverage of the presidential debates. Stewart said it was a disservice to viewers to immediately seek reaction from campaign insiders and presidential cheerleaders following the debates, noting that the debates' famed "Spin Alley" should be called "Deception Lane."

"The thing is, we need your help," Stewart said. "Right now, you're helping the politicians and the corporations and we're left out there to mow our lawns."

While the audience seemed to be behind Stewart, Begala and Carlson were both taken aback. The hosts tried to feed Stewart set-up lines hoping to draw him into a more light-hearted shtick, but Stewart stayed on point and hammered away at the show, the hosts, and the state of political journalism. Carlson grew increasingly frustrated, at first noting that the segment wasn't "funny," and later verbally sparring with the comedian.

"You're not very much fun," Carlson said. "Do you like lecture people like this, or do you come over to their house and sit and lecture them; they're not doing the right thing, that they're missing their opportunities, evading their responsibilities?"

"If I think they are," Stewart retorted.

The conversation reached its most heated moment when Carlson said to Stewart, "I do think you're more fun on your show," to which Stewart replied, "You're as big a dick on your show as you are on any show."

"That went great," Stewart could be heard sarcastically saying as the show went off the air (a transcript of the show is available on CNN.com).

In an era when the media is increasingly fragmented and viewers can surround themselves with programming that falls right in line with their own views, be they on the right or the left, Stewart's blast seemed especially on point. It seems fitting that the tirade came on a day when much of the media attention focused on the presidential race was directed at the mention of Vice President Dick Cheney's daughter during the last presidential debate, as opposed to the issues addressed at that debate.

Britney Spears Announces She's Taking A Break From Her Career

Britney Spears is taking a break — again. She made the announcement late Friday in a "letter of truth" she posted on her fan site.

Her knee gave out on her during the "Outrageous" video shoot (forcing the cancellation of her summer tour) for a reason, she said — so that she would "have no choice but to stop" and give her body some rest. She said she feels like she's missed out on too many of "the simple things" — like being able to watch such movies as Mandy Moore's "Saved" and re-runs of "Sex and the City" because of her nonstop work schedule, which kept her "going and going and going."

"It's amazing what advisors will push you to do, even if it means taking a naive young blonde girl and putting her on the cover of every magazine," she wrote. Now, she'd like to "take some time off to enjoy life."

"My prerogative right now is to just chill and let all of the other overexposed blondes on the cover of Us Weekly be your entertainment," she wrote. "Good luck girls!"

Spears also said that her next project would be focusing on being a wife and hopefully a mother. "I can't wait to start my family!" she wrote.

Spears last took a hiatus following her world tour that ended in July 2002. But though she had planned to take six months off, the break ended after three months, when she started to work on In the Zone.

Destiny's Child Sets 'Fulfilled' Track List

Destiny's Child has confirmed the track list for its highly anticipated new album, "Destiny Fulfilled." Due Nov. 23 via Columbia, the 11-track set has gotten a huge early boost from the single "Lose My Breath," which has climbed to No. 4 in just five weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. A 12-inch vinyl single for the track will be released Nov. 2.

Other tracks set for inclusion on "Destiny Fulfilled" are "Soldier" featuring T.I. and Lil' Wayne, "Is She the Reason" and "Through With Love." Production was supplied by Rodney Jerkins, Rockwilder, Mario Winans and Rich Harrison, among others.

The new album is Destiny's Child's follow-up to 2001's "Survivor," which hit No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and featured the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 singles "Bootylicious" and "Independent Women Pt. 1."

The group has already begun lining up major partners to promote "Destiny Fulfilled," including McDonald's, which will sponsor Destiny's Child's next tour. The Destiny Fulfilled & Lovin' It outing kicks off in April 2005 and will hit 70 cities.

The partnership kicks off in November with a commercial promoting World Children's Day in conjunction with the Ronald McDonald House charity. Over the next 18 months, Destiny's Child will participate in a variety of "I'm Lovin' It" campaign tie-ins, encompassing radio, television, print and Internet spots, as well as special merchandising and other promotions.

Here is the track list for "Destiny Fulfilled":

"Lose My Breath"
"Soldier" featuring T.I. and Lil Wayne
"Cater 2 U"
"T-Shirt"
"Is She the Reason"
"Girl"
"Bad Habit"
"If"
"Free"
"Through With Love"
"Love"

[After Lois tries to feed Stewie his broccoli "airplane style"] "Damn you, Damn the Broccoli, and Damn the Wright Brothers!"

— Stewie Griffin, from Fox's FAMILY GUY

CBC series reveals Top 10 in countdown to who is the Greatest Canadian

TORONTO (CP) - It's gone from 140,000 to 50 to 10. And five weeks from now, the name of The Greatest Canadian will be unveiled during the wrap-up of the CBC-TV series of the same name, which debuted Sunday night.

In the opening episode, host Wendy Mesley announced the top 10 contenders for the title, after whittling down the list from 50, those figures who got the most votes of the 140,000 submitted by the public in a contest held last spring.

So the Top 10 are: NDP political legend T.C. Douglas, hockey star Wayne Gretzky, TV sports personality Don Cherry, founding prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald, one-legged runner Terry Fox, medical pioneer Dr. Frederick Banting, prime minister and Nobel peace prize winner Lester Pearson, telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell, TV science host and environmentalist Dr. David Suzuki and, former PM Pierre Trudeau.

"Prime Minister if you're watching, congratulations!" Mesley said coyly. "You've shaken hands with several people on the list."

Not surprisingly, the 40 runners-up represent an eclectic and sometimes curious list, including Rick Mercer, John Candy, Avril Lavigne, Bret (Hitman) Hart, Tecumseh, Laura Secord, Mike Myers, Stompin' Tom Connors, Louis Riel and even The Unknown Soldier.

Beginning Monday night and continuing twice weekly until Nov. 28, CBC will telecast hour-long specials in which current celebrities have been assigned to advocate their assigned contender. Up first Monday night, for example, MuchMusic personality George Stroumboulopoulos will make the case for Tommy Douglas, the prairie politician often described as the father of Canadian medicare. Stroumboulopoulos calls Douglas "a real rebel and a rebel WITH a cause."

On Monday, Nov. 29, the winner will be announced in a final special.

Doug Bennett of Doug and the Slugs has died in Calgary

CALGARY (CP) - Doug Bennett, the lead singer of the prolific Canadian band, Doug and the Slugs, died over the weekend at the age of 53.

He was admitted to hospital in Calgary on October 9th, suffering acute symptoms from what his former band member, Simon Kendall, called a long-standing illness in a statement released Sunday. He lost consciousness soon after his arrival and died on Saturday. Bennett was born in Toronto and moved to Vancouver in 1973. He formed Doug and the Slugs four years later.

The band released four gold albums and performed from New York to the far north as one of the premier Canadian touring acts in the 1980s.

A prolific songwriter, Bennett wrote a number of hits for the band including; Too Bad, Day By Day, Making It Work, Tomcat Prowl, among others.

May he rest in peace.

Stars of 'The Office' in Two-Hour Special

The bad news: David Brent, the comically cringe-worthy hero of "The Office," was laid off from his job as a manager of a paper-supply company on season two of this hilarious BBC mockumentary series.

The good news: He took his termination money and financed a rock video starring himself.

The bad news: Nobody bought his record and he lost everything.

The great news: Brent is back in a two-hour special that will bring "Office" fans up to date on everyone from the Wernham Hogg company, while bringing closure to these losers with remarkable grace.

Ricky Gervais (also co-writer and co-director) is back as Brent, who now sells cleaning products door-to-door while milking what he pretends is fame from prior TV exposure on "The Office" series.

He also has a way of often popping into the old workplace with appalling frequency.

"He's here more often now that he doesn't work here," David's former colleague Gareth (Mackenzie Crook) tells the camera.

Airing Thursday at 9 p.m. EDT on cable's BBC America, "The Office Special" finds David at his insufferable best, and never more so than on his video, included here (he performs the long-ago hit, "If You Don't Know Me By Now").

All in all, this is a real "Office" party!

'Shark Tale' Wins Third Straight Weekend

LOS ANGELES - Movie-goers stuck with fish and football over puppets and prancers as "Shark Tale" and "Friday Night Lights" retained the top two box-office spots for another weekend.

The animated "Shark Tale" was No. 1 for the third straight weekend, pulling in $22.1 million, studio estimates showed Sunday. With the family audience almost entirely to itself, "Shark Tale" had climbed to a 17-day domestic total of $118.8 million.

The football flick "Friday Night Lights" came in at No. 2 for a second weekend with $13.1 million, lifting its 10-day gross to $38.7 million.

The puppet parody "Team America: World Police" debuted in third with $12.3 million. No. 4 was "Shall We Dance?" starring Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez and Susan Sarandon, with $11.6 million.

It was a so-so debut for "Team America" from "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who crafted a foul-mouthed, bloody action comedy using puppets to satirize everything from U.S. global military muscle to Hollywood political activism.

"Coming out, you want to tell people what you just saw because it's so unique," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "Leading up to the election, because it is a rather political movie, if it gets some word of mouth going, it'll hang in there, no pun intended."

The movie had caught a lot of buzz for its raunchy humor, celebrity bashing and a puppet sex scene that nearly brought it an NC-17 rating, which would have restricted audiences to those 17 and older. The sex scene was toned down so the movie could win an R rating.

Critics generally praised "Team America" for its irreverent humor, but the movie came in on the low end of distributor Paramount's box-office expectations of a $12 million to $15 million debut.

"The heat on the picture seemed to be building as we got closer to opening, but the weekend wasn't that disappointing," said Wayne Lewellen, Paramount's head of distribution.

A remake of a Japanese hit, "Shall We Dance?" stars Gere as a discontented family man who finds renewed lust for life when he begins dance lessons and strikes up a friendship with a beautiful dance teacher, played by Lopez.

Distributor Miramax opened "Shall We Dance?" in a relatively narrow 1,772 theaters. The strategy paid off as the movie averaged a solid $6,559 per theater, the highest average among movies in wide release.

"Team America" debuted in 2,539 theaters and averaged $4,844.

"Shall We Dance?" played to older viewers, and women made up two-thirds of the audience.

"For a generally female date type of audience, this was a perfect movie for this past weekend," said Mike Rudnitsky, head of distribution for Miramax. "There's not much competition out there for that demographic."

A handful of limited release movies debuted poorly. Robin Williams' sci-fi tale "The Final Cut" grossed $235,000 in 117 theaters for a weak $2,009 average.

"Stephen King's Riding the Bullet," based on a short story by the horror master, took in $101,107 in 100 theaters, averaging $1,011.

The funeral comedy "Eulogy," whose ensemble cast includes Ray Romano, Zooey Deschanel, Debra Winger and Piper Laurie, did $45,000 in 22 theaters for a $2,045 average.

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

1. "Shark Tale," $22.1 million.
2. "Friday Night Lights," $13.1 million.
3. "Team America: World Police," $12.3 million.
4. "Shall We Dance?", $11.6 million.
5. "Ladder 49," $8.6 million.
6. "Taxi," $7.7 million.
7. "The Forgotten," $6 million.
8. "Raise Your Voice," $3 million.
9. "The Motorcycle Diaries," $1.7 million.
10. "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," $1.3 million.

Scholars Grapple With Godzilla Legacy

LAWRENCE, Kan. - He's attacked other monsters and terrorized Japan for decades. Now Godzilla is confronting academics who want to wrestle with his legacy.

The University of Kansas plans to pay homage to the giant lizard later this month, organizing a three-day scholarly conference for the 50th anniversary of his first film.

It's not just about celebrating campy creature features. Planners want to provoke discussion of globalization, Japanese pop culture and Japanese-American relations after World War II.

"I would like people to take Godzilla more seriously," said Bill Tsutsui, a history professor at the University of Kansas and author of the book "Godzilla on My Mind," which discusses the history of the monster's movies.

The conference that begins Oct. 28 will offer speeches, panel discussions and free screenings of Godzilla films, including "Gojira," the Japanese movie that started Godzilla's career in November 1954.

Atop the movie theater will be an inflatable 28-foot Godzilla balloon. Items from Tsutsui's collection of Godzilla memorabilia will be on display in the university's main library.

The notion of a serious Godzilla conference drew puzzled looks on campus.

"It's kind of odd," freshman Kathleen Schafer said. "I didn't think scholars would be interested."

But historians, anthropologists and other academics are coming from universities such as Duke, Harvard and Vanderbilt.

Among the fans in attendance will be Andrew Kar, a technical writer from St. Joseph, Mo., who has been hooked on monster movies since childhood.

"When you're a 35-year-old man and you're still enjoying these films, you have to ask yourself why," he said. "For some of us, it translates. For others, it's gibberish."

Japan's Toho Co. has produced 27 Godzilla films in five decades, with a 28th movie, "Godzilla: Final Wars," to be released in December. An American "Godzilla" was released in 1998, though many aficionados don't consider it a true Godzilla movie.

Yoshikuni Igarashi, director of east Asian studies at Vanderbilt, sees Godzilla films as important cultural artifacts.

For example, the first Godzilla film came only eight months after the United States tested a hydrogen bomb in the South Pacific.

The movie — in which H-bomb testing disturbs Godzilla's undersea habitat and transforms him into a behemoth with fiery, radioactive breath — reflects anxiety and a feeling of helplessness in the face of a nuclear threat, Igarashi said.

The franchise was widely known for its campy special effects. Godzilla films featured men in dinosaur suits stomping around miniature urban landscapes and some monster battles that, Tsutsui acknowledged in his book, seem more like professional wrestling matches.

When an American version of the first film was released in 1956 — re-edited to include new scenes featuring Raymond Burr of "Perry Mason" fame — the New York Times dismissed it as "cheap cinematic horror-stuff."

"It is true there were some bad, bad films produced, particularly in the late '60s and early '70s," said Igarashi, who plans to lecture at the conference on the 1964 movie "Godzilla vs. the Thing," in which Godzilla battles the giant moth, Mothra, and its offspring.

Two Japanese foundations provided $35,000 to help fund the conference.

Takao Shibata, the Japanese consul general in Kansas City, Mo., said the meeting will help educate people about his nation but acknowledged: "The idea of this kind of serious analysis of the evolution of Godzilla — it never occurred to me."

Johnny Depp Says He's No Heartthrob

LONDON - Johnny Depp reckons he's no great movie pinup — he just has a "weird job." Arriving Sunday for the premiere of his latest movie, "Finding Neverland," at London's Leicester Square, Depp played down his movie-star image as fans lining the red carpet screamed his name.

"I wouldn't say I'm a heartthrob," he said, as his companion, French singer and actress Vanessa Paradis, looked on. "I just have a very weird job."

Depp has been touted to win his first Oscar for his role as "Peter Pan" creator J.M. Barrie, but the 41-year-old actor dismissed such talk.

"I can't say that occupies my every thought or every moment," he said. "That's not my job to think about that, but if people want to say that, that is really sweet."

Co-star Kate Winslet, who plays the mother of the four young brothers who inspired Barrie to write "Peter Pan," also gave a knock to Depp's reputation as a movie hunk.

"Everybody asks me this, whether I'm slightly annoyed that I didn't get to kiss Johnny Depp," said Winslet, 29. "We would have laughed."

NBC Changing 'LAX' Flight, Sends 'Hawaii' to Standby

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC will reroute the airport drama "LAX" from Monday to Wednesday in time for sweeps month, making room for a new reality series, "The $25 Million Dollar Hoax."

Beginning Oct. 27, "LAX" will air Wednesdays at 8 p.m., replacing fellow rookie series "Hawaii," which NBC has put on hiatus. "LAX," which stars Heather Locklear and Blair Underwood, has not made much headway against tough competition from ABC's "Monday Night Football" and CBS' "CSI: Miami" in its three weeks on the air.

Stepping into "LAX's" Monday 10 p.m. slot is "Hoax," a three-episode prank showcase in which a fake lottery winner sets out to deceive family and friends. "Hoax," which begins Nov. 8, will be hosted by Ed McMahon and George Gray ("The Weakest Link"). It is based on a British format.

The detective drama "Hawaii" has found little traction Wednesday at 8 p.m., facing stiff competition against ABC's new hit "Lost," not to mention CBS' "60 Minutes" and UPN's "America's Next Top Model." The series will continue production on its 13-episode order in Hawaii.

In its new slot, "LAX" will also take over lead-in duties for "The West Wing," which returns to its usual 9 p.m. spot.

Sony's 'Spidey 2' DVD Lures Corporate Muscle

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Already having ensnared more than $370 million at the U.S. box office, "Spider-Man 2" is spinning a whole new $100 million marketing and promotional web to back the release of the film on DVD and VHS on November 30.

The marketing campaign for the two-disc DVD -- featuring more than 10 hours of exclusive content -- includes national television, print and radio advertising through January, shopping mall promotions and billboards as well as promotions with eight brand partners, according to Sony's Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment unit.

Energizer Batteries, Embassy Suites, Activision, Orville Redenbacher, Red Baron, Crest SpinBrush and sister companies Sony Electronics and Sony Music have all signed on for one of the studio's largest marketing and promotional campaigns for a DVD release.

"It's comparable to the first 'Spider-Man' (home video release) in size. What's different this time is the breadth of promotional partners," Columbia TriStar vp marketing Tracey Garvin said. About half of the $100 million support for the DVD release comes from the promotional partners.

Another element of the campaign will be "Spider-Man 2" TV spots and a nearly three-minute trailer featured on Regal Entertainment's 6,000 screens.

Embassy Suites will promote the film through national cable television and print, online and direct-mail advertising. Activision will run an integrated national television and print advertising campaign supporting both its video game and the DVD release.

Angelina Jolie Named Sexiest Woman by Esquire

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Angelina Jolie, who manages to mesmerize men -- and fight off robot invaders -- with just one eye in her latest movie, has been named the "sexiest woman alive" in the latest edition of Esquire magazine.

Jolie, featured as the alluring, courageous fighter pilot with an eye patch in "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," was the top pick of the magazine's editors and mostly male readers to grace the cover of Esquire's annual "Women We Love" issue.

The 29-year-old Jolie, who also lends her voice and sexy persona to a vampish fish named Lola in the computer-animated undersea adventure "Shark Tale," received 7 percent of all votes cast by readers.

Fellow Oscar winner and "Catwoman" star Halle Berry ran a close second with 6 percent. Newlywed pop princess Britney Spears made the cut this year at No. 3.

In an Esquire interview accompanying a cover photo of the actress, Jolie acknowledged her image as being "kind of wild or bad or weird or crazy."

"The tattoos, the blood, cutting myself -- it's all very much who I am," she said. "If you knew me privately, you might think I was even wilder than my reputation. But I'm also much softer. I'm a soft woman. Softer than people think."

She also reveals that she recently bought an airplane and is taking flying lessons, a hobby she embraced because she and her 3-year-old adopted son share a fascination with planes.

"I have to concentrate on my son," she said. "That's why I have lovers right now and not a boyfriend. I don't want my son to start calling somebody Daddy unless that person's gonna stay."

Jolie's marriage to actor Billy Bob Thornton ended in divorce in May 2003. She will next be seen as Alexander the Great's mom in Oliver Stone's upcoming epic "Alexander."

Rounding out the field of leading contenders for sexiest woman in the magazine's November issue, which hits newsstands this week, were TV/pop personality Jessica Simpson, sultry R&B singer Beyonce, Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron and former "Friends" star Jennifer Aniston.