ALF Will Talk Some More
TV Land has just ordered six new episodes of ALF'S HIT TALK SHOW featuring the cat-loving alien Alf, also known as Gordon Shumway.
HIT TALK SHOW debuted as a special in July 2004 and ratings were good enough to bring it back to the screen. Ed McMahon, long-time TONIGHT SHOW's sidekick, will be Alf's co-host.
ALF'S HIT TALK SHOW will debut on November 5 at 11 p.m.
'The Grudge' Scares Up $22M to Stay No. 1
LOS ANGELES - Halloween spirit possessed movie-goers as Sarah Michelle Gellar (news)'s fright flick "The Grudge" remained the top draw for the second straight weekend with $22.4 million. The film biography "Ray," which has drawn Academy Awards buzz for Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles in the title role, debuted in second place with $20.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The horror tale "Saw," about a serial killer who puts victims through grisly morality trials, opened at No. 3 with $17.4 million. The cast includes Cary Elwes and Danny Glover.
In narrower release, Nicole Kidman's "Birth" had a so-so debut, coming in at No. 11 with $1.7 million in 550 cinemas to average $3,091 a theater. Kidman plays a widow about to remarry when she encounters a 10-year-old boy claiming to be the reincarnation of her dead husband.
By comparison, "Ray" debuted in 2,006 theaters with a healthy $10,020 average, while "Saw" averaged $7,516 in 2,315 cinemas.
"The Grudge," starring Gellar as an American student tormented by a hateful spirit lurking in a Tokyo house, lifted its 10-day domestic gross to $71.3 million. A remake of a Japanese horror hit, "The Grudge" cost just $10 million to produce.
Scary movies tend to plummet in their second weekend because hardcore horror fans catch them in the first few days. Halloween weekend helped shore up "The Grudge," whose receipts fell just 43 percent, a relatively strong hold from its $39.1 million debut.
"The Grudge" and "Saw" drew mostly younger viewers looking for Halloween scares. The audience for "Ray" was older, with three-fourths of viewers age 30 and over.
Films that play to older crowds tend to stick around longer at theaters, and distributor Universal Studios is counting on the movie's Oscar prospects to extend its appeal through awards season.
Interest in Charles has surged since his death last June and Foxx has received enormous acclaim for his uncanny re-creation of the blind singer's mannerisms and spirit.
"This is the most talked about performance of the year," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "His performance even transcends the movie itself."
Director Taylor Hackford, who had Charles' full support on "Ray," struggled for 15 years to get the movie made. Financed independently, the finished film was shopped around futilely among Hollywood studios until it found a home at Universal.
"Nobody wanted this movie, so as a result we are celebrating like you can't even believe," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. "We expect a long life for this movie."
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. "The Grudge," $22.4 million.
2. "Ray," $20.1 million.
3. "Saw," $17.4 million.
4. "Shark Tale," $8 million.
5. "Shall We Dance?" $6.3 million.
6. "Friday Night Lights," $4.1 million.
7. "Ladder 49," $3.3 million.
8. "Team America: World Police," $3.1 million.
9. "Surviving Christmas," $2.6 million.
10. "Taxi," $2.15 million.
Stefani Revisits '80s Pop on Solo Album
NEW YORK (Billboard) - To hear No Doubt frontwoman Gwen Stefani tell it, she's just a girl from Orange County following a dream.
"I'm just like you, except I write songs," Stefani says. "I feel like I'm doing something right. And right now, I feel like I'm in a good place in my life."
Indeed. Stefani -- rock star, pop culture icon, fashion entrepreneur (clothing line L.A.M.B.), actress (Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator," due in December), wife of Bush vocalist/guitarist Gavin Rossdale -- is gearing up for the next chapter in a prolific career.
Her solo debut album -- or as she prefers to call it, "my side project" -- "Love, Angel, Music, Baby" arrives November 23 in North America (and a day earlier in Europe) from Interscope.
The disc will also be available in a deluxe limited edition. This fabric-wrapped, gold-embossed Digipak, with a case designed by Stefani/L.A.M.B., will retail for less than $30.
PERSONAL CONCEPT
"Gwen is the kind of person with the potential to move the needle of popular culture," Interscope Geffen A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine says. "She comes from a different place; she has her own lane. This is her very own concept album."
Stefani is more direct. "This is my dance record," she says of the set. "I had always wanted to do a dance record, but 'dance' is misleading (because) the definition of 'dance music' around the world is so different."
Stefani's "dance record" -- not to be confused with today's four-on-the-floor underground club music -- is steeped in all things '80s, from Lisa Lisa and Debbie Deb to Depeche Mode and the Cure, from Prince and Club Nouveau to Missing Persons and L'Trimm.
Stefani credits No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal with exposing her to these sounds. "I was a strict ska girl until I met Tony," she says. "He was always listening to all this stuff that you would hear when you went dancing at Knott's Berry Farm -- like I did."
She adds, "Everyone I worked with (on this album) was under strict instructions as far as inspiration goes. I wanted to recapture the feeling I had when I first heard those songs."
"Love, Angel, Music, Baby" includes the work of numerous producers, songwriters and musicians: Dr. Dre and Eve ("Rich Girl"), the Neptunes ("Hollaback Girl"), Wendy & Lisa and New Order's Peter Hook and Bernard Sumner ("Real Thing"), Dallas Austin ("Cool"), OutKast's Andre 3000 ("Long Way to Go"), Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis ("Harajuku Girls") and Kanal ("Serious"). Stefani co-wrote all the tracks on the album.
Lead single "What You Waiting For?" -- which ascends the Billboard Hot 100 to No. 63 this week -- was penned with Linda Perry.
COLLABORATIVE EFFORT
"It wasn't about me having to create every part," Stefani says of the album. "It was about me driving the car, making the rules. Because I let so many other people in, this record is less of me than a No Doubt record. I see it as one big collaboration."
Stefani -- who has collaborated with Eve ("Let Me Blow Ya Mind") and Moby ("South Side") in recent years -- acknowledges that she had a goal: "I was not looking to make an art record. I was looking to make a specific record that would be everyone's guilty pleasure. There was no room for anything but singles on this album."
Whether Stefani takes "Love, Angel, Music, Baby" on the road remains to be seen. "Touring is something I've done a lot of in my life, and right now it's about doing stuff I've never done before -- like dancing to my own song in a club," Stefani says. "But I can't picture myself touring without No Doubt."
Speaking of No Doubt (as she often does), Stefani hopes hardcore and casual fans alike will welcome her album. "I have all the respect for everyone (who has) ever supported No Doubt around the world," she says. "But if I'm being honest, when I'm making songs I'm only thinking of myself. I had a specific thing I wanted to try (with this album), and now I'm ready to share it with people."
Elton John Blames Tantrums on Creativity
LONDON (Reuters) - Pop star Elton John says he doesn't mean to throw tantrums -- it just comes with the territory of being creative.
John told Britain's Sunday Times magazine that his behavior had changed since beating drug and alcohol addictions 14 years ago, yet "the rage and the temper are still there ... but it's part of being creative."
The British superstar, famous for his outbursts, grabbed headlines last month when he cursed and shouted at Taiwanese photographers for surprising him as he arrived at Taipei airport, calling them "rude, vile pigs."
At a London award ceremony a week later, he launched into a foul-mouthed tirade at pop star Madonna, accusing her of charging fans outrageous prices to see her lip-synch in concert.
"Anyone who lip-synchs in public on stage when you pay 75 pounds ($134) to see them should be shot," he said.
John, 57, said he was working to rein in his temper.
"I don't seem to have anger -- I have rage. There are still times, especially when I'm tired, when the bad temper and the irrationality come out. And I hate that. Because I'm trying to change it."
The 30-year veteran of the music business also said he has grown weary of the industry's excess.
"People slag me off because I'm a larger-than-life character, and that's part of my thing from the past.
"I'm not happy being in the limelight much. I don't want to be at every party. I used to love it. I hate it now. My life's changed."