Esthero Returns!

Esthero, the sultry singer featured on Black Eyed Peas' "Weekends," will follow her We R in Need of a Musical Revolution! EP (due December 7th) with the full-length Wikked Lil' Grrrls early next year. The album boasts collaborations with Cee-Lo and Sean Lennon.

The twenty-five-year-old Toronto-based singer is something of a romantic, as she wants Wikked to be released on Valentine's Day. However, because the holiday falls on a Monday and CDs are typically released on Tuesday, she'll settle for one minute later. "I'm hoping it will come out at midnight," she says.

Esthero released her debut, Breathe From Another, seven years ago, and the new one has been two years in the making, as she amassed some forty songs that mix hip-hop, jazz, rock and soul. She co-produced all the songs, except for one done entirely by Dr. Dre cohort Camara Cambon (Eminem, Mary J. Blige).

Raised in a small town in Ontario, Esthero moved to Toronto in her early teens, began working with musician/producer Doc and landed a deal with the Sony-affiliated WORK Group. At eighteen, she released Breathe, a mild international success, selling approximately 250 copies worldwide, but after WORK was absorbed into Epic, Esthero was without a label. She then quietly signed with Reprise after making an appearance at the Coachella Festival in August of 1999.

Her club track, "O.G. Bitch," hit Number One on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart last month, prompting the rushed release of the six-song We R in Need. "It is specifically for the fans," Esthero says of the EP, "who have been waiting."

[during a company sexual harassment training video] Narrator: Remember, nothing says "good job" like a firm, open-palm slap on the behind.

— From Fox's FAMILY GUY

Lui Meets JOEY

Lucy Lui will make a return to TV as a guest star on the NBC FRIENDS' spinoff JOEY. Lui will play will play Lauren, a tough-talking TV exec producer for the nighttime soap where Joey recently scored a role as the father of one of the show's main characters. Lui will appear in at least two episodes of the comedy.

This will mark the reunion of Lui and JOEY star Matt LeBlanc, who played her love interest in CHARLIE'S ANGELS.

Lucy Lui will first appear in episode "Joey and the Plot Twist" airing December 9 at 8 p.m. on NBC. Her second appearance will air in January.

FOX Unveils Its 2005 Schedule

FOX just released its 2005 updated schedule with return dates for household names such as 24 but also for newbies like POINT PLEASANT.

And sadly, the schedule is TRU CALLING free.

Mondays
8:00 TRADING SPOUSES
9:00 24 (2-Hour Season Premiere on Sunday, Jan. 9; Time period premiere on Monday, January 10)

Tuesdays
8:00 AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere Jan. 18)
9:00 HOUSE

Wednesdays
8:00 THAT '70s SHOW
8:30 THE SIMPLE LIFE 3: INTERNS (Season Premiere Jan. 26)
9:00 AMERICAN IDOL (Season Premiere January 19; 1-hour episodes through February)

Thursdays
8:00 THE O.C.
9:00 POINT PLEASANT (Series Premiere Jan. 20)

Fridays
8:00 THE BERNIE MAC SHOW (All-new episodes start Jan. 14)
8:30 THE BERNIE MAC SHOW (Encore episodes start Jan. 14)
9:00 JONNY ZERO (Series Premiere Jan. 14)

Saturdays
8:00 COPS
8:30 COPS
9:00 AMERICA'S MOST WANTED: AMERICA FIGHTS BACK
11:00 MADtv

Sundays (through January)
7:00 KING OF THE HILL
7:30 MALCOLM IN THE MIDDLE
8:00 THE SIMPSONS
8:30 ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT
9:00 MY BIG FAT OBNOXIOUS BOSS

Pierre Berton, Canadian cultural icon, enjoyed long and colourful career

(CP) - When hardly out of his teens, Pierre Berton's adoring mother wrote a book about him called It's a Boy! No one would publish it, since he was a total unknown.

Berton changed all that, publishing dozens of books and casting a towering media shadow across Canada as newspaper columnist, Maclean's magazine editor and broadcast personality. He died Tuesday at age 84 of heart failure at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital.

The hallmark of the Berton image was his enthusiasm and immense energy. He loved flamboyant style - thick white sideburns, huge butterfly-like bow ties and dramatic opera cloaks.

In his heyday, he sometimes churned out 15,000 words a day - including a 1,200-word daily column for the Toronto Star - while also reading and answering all his mail and taking calls from anyone who phoned.

"You never know when you're going to get a usable idea," he said.

On the side, Berton wrote the erotic novel Masquerade under the pseudonym Lisa Kroniuk, began a 40-book series of paperback histories for children and produced several books of children's fiction, most notably the perennial bestseller The Secret World of Og. His longtime friend and colleague Elsa Franklin says The Secret World of Og, which was about his children, was his favourite book.

Of all his honours and accolades, Berton particularly cherished a letter from a young Og fan: "I'm six years old, and this is the best book I ever read in my whole life."

During his long and varied career, Berton became rich - he hit millionaire status relatively early - and was showered with awards.

"I was underpaid for the first half of my life," he said. "I don't mind being overpaid for the second half."

He had at least 12 honorary degrees, three Governor General's Literary Awards for non-fiction, two National Newspaper Awards and two ACTRA Nellies for broadcasting. He was a Companion of the Order of Canada and chancellor of Yukon College.

Eminent among his books, several of which gained international prominence, were The Mysterious North and Klondike: The Last Great Gold Rush, both of which won Governor General's Awards.

Later came The Comfortable Pew, a controversial and critical volume on the Anglican Church, the railway books The National Dream and The Last Spike and the War of 1812 works titled The Invasion of Canada and Flames Across the Border.

In 1995, the second volume of his autobiography, My Times, was published, spanning 1947-1995. It opens with his move to Toronto to join Maclean's magazine and covers his most famous and prolific period.

It coincides with a time of tremendous social change in Canada and abroad and Berton clearly sees himself in the thick of it. Sometimes he takes credit for being the catalyst for reform, though he also notes his exposes of certain injustices were often ignored.

His final book was Prisoners of the North, published in September.

Berton was not without his critics, those who chided him for writing pop-history that was more flamboyant than serious, for relying on others to do the drudgery of historic research and for using his TV and radio image to help promote his books.

But he endeared himself to some younger Canadians just this year, when he said publicly he had been smoking marijuana since the 1960s. He even demonstrated for the CBC satire show, Rick Mercer's Monday Report, his technique for rolling the perfect marijuana joint.

Pierre Francis de Marigny Berton was born July 12, 1920, in Dawson City, Yukon, a frontier environment that stimulated his sense of adventure and hunger for facts, excitement and achievement.

As he recalled in Starting Out: 1920-1947, the first volume of his autobiography in 1987, it was the promise of the 1898 gold rush that lured his parents, Frank and Laura, to the Yukon where his father worked as a government mining recorder.

Berton also wrote of his young life in the Yukon in Drifting Home, the 1973 book considered by many to be his best.

The family of four, including younger sister Lucy, moved to Victoria in 1932 after the Depression forced Frank Berton to retire on half pension of $48 a month.

Friends of his teenage years remember a six-foot Boy Scout with a large, ruddy face, a natural show-off who loved to sing and recite verses, often applauding himself.

He entered the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and served an apprenticeship on the student newspaper, where he also met Janet Walker, his future wife.

"His mouth got him into trouble," recalled a friend of that time. "He was much brighter than anyone else, and irrepressible."

Berton's parents were horrified when Pierre announced he would become a journalist rather than a scientist. He joined the Vancouver News-Herald upon graduation and at 21 became the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily.

"You won't have a red cent as long as you live," warned his disappointed mother, who with her son's help wrote I Married the Klondike in the 1950s.

During the Second World War, Berton spent four years in the army, rising from private to captain.

Married on March 22, 1946, Pierre and Janet moved a year later to Toronto where he hit the fast track to a long and exciting career.

At 31 he was promoted to managing editor of Maclean's. In 1957 he became a key member of the CBC's public affairs flagship program Close-Up and a permanent panelist on Front Page Challenge, to become TV's longest-running program.

When Maclean's threatened to fire him if he refused to give up his broadcasts, he resigned and joined the Toronto Star as associate editor and columnist.

He left in 1962 to start his own TV program The Pierre Berton Show, which ran until 1973. He also appeared as host and writer on My Country, The Great Debate, Heritage Theatre and The Secret of My Success.

Berton also rejoined Maclean's as freelance columnist in 1962. But he was soon in trouble again, writing that "premarital sex isn't always a bad thing (and) what is bad is the sense of guilt, shame and sin."

Some readers praised his honesty but so many expressed vehement digust that Maclean's fired him.

Nevertheless, the magazine said in 1987, "more than any other writer, Berton has turned Canadian history, once considered dull, into a pageant as colourful as his famous plaid jackets."

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he wrote a column in the Toronto Star.

Sometimes they were about crazy adventures with his growing family - the children were Penny, Pamela, Patricia, Peter, Paul, Peggy and the adopted Perri. But he also reported on underworld thugs and exposed how unscrupulous businesses ripped off their customers.

While young parents with a modest income, the Bertons moved to Kleinburg north of Toronto, gradually establishing a rustic but rambling estate.

In the early years they coped with a concrete floor, bare walls and single-paned windows. Carrying on the P tradition, friends calls Janet Pjanet or, as more than one put it, PoorJanet.

"My luxury is my home and my property," Berton said of the simple, book-filled house that grew and grew and the spread that eventually included trees, shrubs, man-made hills, ponds, fish, ducks, old railway cars, a swimming pool and baronial barbecue to feed 150 friends.

He donated to the United Church of Canada and contributed generously to the New Democratic Party.

Although always generous to his family, Berton did not believe in inherited wealth and some years ago arranged to leave his 3.5-hectare property to the Ontario Heritage Foundation to be used as a retreat for struggling writers.

On his 80th birthday, he became the subject of a media event when reporters and photographers were invited to his regular workout at his favourite Toronto health club. Stepping off the treadmill he remarked on how, as a kid, he never thought he'd live to be 45, much less 80.

"Eighty? The year 2000? Impossible!" is what he said his view was in college. "Yet here I am. A survivor."

He avoided computers and insisted on banging out his prose on one of six old Smith Corona electrics he somehow continued to keep in working order. He said the books are what he wanted to be remembered for.

"Because I enjoy them," he said. "I can hardly wait to get there and do my work, because I've been thinking about it all night. I have it all in my head so I sit down and type it up."

He attributed his longevity to growing up in the ruggedness and fresh air of the Yukon and to having parents who were also long lived. But he said he was fairly philosophical about growing old.

"I think when you're dead, you're dead. No need to worry about it."

Here are some books that were written by Pierre Berton:

1954 - The Royal Family

1956 - The Mysterious North

1958 - Klondike - The Last Great Gold Rush

1959 - Just Add Water and Stir

1960 - Adventures of a Columnist

1962 - Fast, Fast, Fast Relief

1963 - The Big Sell

1965 - The Comfortable Pew

1966 - The Cool, Crazy, Committed World of the Sixties

1968 - The Smug Minority

1970 - The National Dream - The Great Railway 1871-1881

1971 - The Last Spike - The Great Railway 1881-1885

1973 - Drifting Home

1975 - Hollywood's Canada

1976 - My Country

1977 - The Dionne Years - A Thirties Melodrama

1978 - The Wild Frontier - More Tales from the Remarkable Past

1980 - The Invasion of Canada - 1812-1813

1981 - Flames Across the Border - 1813-1814

1982 - Why We Act Like Canadians

1983 - The Promised Land

1986 - Vimy

1987 - Starting Out: 1920-1947

1988 - The Arctic Grail

1989 - The Mysterious North (Revised)

1990 - The Great Depression 1929-1939

1992 - Niagara, A History of the Falls

1995 - My Times: Living with History 1917-1995

1996 - Farewell to the 20th Century: A Compendium of the Absurd

1996 - The Great Lakes

1997 - 1967: The Last Good Year

2002 - The Secret World of Og

2004 - Prisoners of the North

Comments on the death Tuesday of Pierre Berton:

"Pierre Berton was the most remarkable writer of Canadian historical events in the last 50 years. So much of our nationhood and our collective identity as Canadians were created by him." - Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson.

"(He was) such an important writer in the days when there weren't any. He was also an enormously generous man." - Author Alice Munro.

"He emphasized the importance of our history as distinct from American history or British history or French history. ... And without having written down that record of life within this country, we would all be poorer." - Writer Alistair MacLeod.

"I just called him and asked him if he would come on the show and teach Canada how to roll a joint. He immediately said 'Yes, come up to the house. I'd be happy to do so.' " - Rick Mercer, recalling his invitation to Berton to appear on CBC-TV's Monday Report in October.

"He chronicled the history of Canada, and he made history exciting." - Mercer.

Indie Filmmakers Toast Wine-Tasting Comedy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A wine-soaked road comedy and a cocaine-fueled drama led the list of contenders on Tuesday for the Independent Spirit Awards, the American art-house world's version of the Oscars.

Writer/director Alexander Payne's "Sideways," starring Paul Giamatti as a sad-sack bachelor who travels around California wine country with his manic buddy, picked up six nominations.

The Spanish-language drama "Maria Full of Grace," about a Colombian woman who seeks a better life in America by becoming a drug courier, followed with five. The film marked the feature debuts of its writer/director, Joshua Marston, and lead actress, Bogota native Catalina Sandino Moreno.

The Spirit Awards, now in their 20th year, honor low-budget films based on such criteria as original, provocative subject matter and the degree of independent financing. Winners will be unveiled on Feb. 26, the day before the Academy Awards.

Four films nabbed four nominations apiece: "Brother to Brother," a drama about a young gay black man forced to live on the streets; "Primer," a $7,000 tale of discovery that won the top prize at the Sundance Film Festival; "Robbing Peter," which ponders the natural human tendency toward crime; and "Kinsey," starring Liam Neeson as famed sex researcher Alfred Kinsey.

Some high-profile indie films found themselves lower in the pack, including the Che Guevara road venture "The Motorcycle Diaries," and the upcoming "The Woodsman," starring Kevin Bacon as a pedophile, with three nods each, the offbeat high-school comedy "Napoleon Dynamite," and the dramas "Garden State" and "The Door in the Floor," all with two each.

The nominations are a huge boost for art-house movies, which must compete with big-budget flicks for theater screens and media attention, said "Sideways" producer Michael London.

"These awards, for better or worse, they mean everything," he said, adding they were a "huge first step" toward getting recognition from other awards.

"Sideways," released by Fox Searchlight Pictures, has earned $10 million at the North American box office after spending a month in limited release. The film cost about $16 million to make, London said.

Marston, who visited imprisoned drug couriers in the United States and South America during his three years of research for "Maria Full of Grace," said the nominations were "perfectly timed" since the DVD goes on sale next Tuesday. The film grossed about $6.5 million from North American theaters. It was released by Fine Line Features.

"Sideways" and "Maria Full of Grace" will compete against each other in the feature, director, screenplay and supporting female (Virginia Madsen and Yenny Paola Vega, respectively) categories. Additionally, "Sideways" was cited for supporting male (Thomas Haden Church) and male lead (Giamatti). "Maria" star Moreno was cited for female lead.

Other feature contenders were "Baadassss!" "Kinsey," and "Primer." The respective directors of "Baadassss!" and "Primer," Mario Van Peebles and Carruth, were listed in the director's race as was Brazilian Walter Salles for "The Motorcycle Diaries."

Historic Game Show Winning Streak Comes to End

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The longest winning streak in television game show history ended on Tuesday when "Jeopardy!" champion Ken Jennings lost after he collected more than $2.5 million in 74 victories.

Jennings walked away with $2,520,700 in cash, in what the syndicated TV show's distributors said was a record for the most money ever won on a television game show, as well as the most victories.

The 30-year-old software engineer from Salt Lake City started his winning streak in June, fielding questions on everything from Shakespeare to hip-hop music in an impressive run that made him a household name and boosted "Jeopardy!" audience ratings by 22 percent over the same period last year.

He was brought down by what seemed a relatively easy question: Which U.S. company's white-collar employees mostly worked only four months a year?

Jennings answered FedEx. His opponent, California realtor Nancy Zerg, gave the correct answer -- tax preparer and financial services company H&R Block.

Some commentators noted Jennings' losing episode was broadcast at the end of the key November "sweeps," when U.S. networks roll out their best shows to boost audience ratings that are used to set advertising rates.

"Industry wags speculated that producers must not have had enough Jennings episodes to get through the sweeps and wanted to make sure his final appearance coincided with its end," wrote Washington Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes.

Asked about his defeat, Jennings said: "Nancy was great. Her timing was just right on. It was not a fluke. She knew things I didn't know."

Jennings said he had made a lot of safe choices before appearing on the show. "I never took a chance or did something that for me would be a dream. And being on 'Jeopardy' has been that dream."

"Jeopardy!" debuted on U.S. television in 1984 and can be seen in several countries around the world.

Kazaa owners launch defence in file-swap copyright infringement case

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - The owners of file-swapping giant Kazaa claimed Tuesday their software, which allows users to exchange copyrighted music and movies online, is no different from video recorders as they launched their defence in a landmark music piracy case in Australia.

Lawyer Tony Meagher was outlining his defence strategy on the second day of a civil case in which the Australian recording industry is suing Kazaa's owners for widespread copyright infringements by the global network's estimated 100 million members.

Kazaa members download three billion files each month, record industry lawyers said Monday. Those files can include songs, movies and other copyrighted material.

Meagher cited a 1984 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said electronics giant Sony wasn't liable when people used its Betamax videocassette recorder to copy movies illegally because the technology had significant uses that did not violate copyrights.

The same case was cited in August when the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that two other leading file-swapping networks, Grokster Ltd. and StreamCast Networks Inc. were not legally liable for the songs, movies and other copyright works their users swapped online.

"It is plain (Kazaa) has lawful uses," Meagher told Federal Court judge Murray Wilcox.

In another key element of the defendants' defence in the three-week trial, Meagher said that even though the peer-to-peer software that underpins Kazaa allows users to breach copyright, the owners of Kazaa do not authorize piracy and cannot stop it.

"We are not in a position to control and we do not control use," Meagher said.

A licence agreement that all Kazaa users have to agree to before downloading the Kazaa software tells them they must not use the network to distribute copyrighted material, but the record industry says Kazaa makes no effort to enforce the agreement.

Mindy McCready pleads guilty to drug charge

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) -- Mindy McCready, who had a No. 1 hit in 1996 with "Guys Do It All the Time," pleaded guilty Monday to purchasing painkillers with a false prescription.

The country singer was fined $4,000, sentenced to three years of supervised probation and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

McCready, who turns 28 today (Tuesday), was accused of fraudulently obtaining OxyContin at a Brentwood pharmacy in February, using a friend's name on the prescription.

Her other hits include "Ten Thousand Angels" and "A Girl's Gotta Do (What a Girl's Gotta Do)."

OUT OF LINE

Hot-blooded hotel heiress Paris Hilton is making an unauthorized stop in "South Park" this week.

On the Comedy Central show, the girls of South Park's fourth grade idolize Hilton, and each one owns Paris' "very special toy set" - a kit that comes complete with video camera, night-vision filter, play money and losable cell phone.

When word reaches the girls that Paris might visit South Park, they try to impress their idol by getting the town's boys to help make their own "videos"

The real Hilton - who made waves last year when a pornographic video of her surfaced on the Internet - did not participate in the making of the "South Park" episode.

JENNINGS' LAST 'JEOPARDY' LEAKS ON 'NET

The Ken Jennings watch continues — with rampant speculation about when the record-setting "Jeopardy!" whiz will finally lose.

Jennings, who's amassed nearly $2.5 million in 74 consecutive victories since last June, is widely expected to bow out sometime this week.

Kottke.org, the Web site that broke the story of Jennings' defeat last September, has now posted what it claims is audio of Jennings losing — complete with groaning from the studio audience and an excited Alex Trebek lauding a new "Jeopardy!" champ.

Jennings has been confirmed as a guest on tonight's "Late Show with David Letterman," which could be indicative that something big is about to happen — or has already happened.

Jennings, a 31-year-old software developer from the Salt Lake City area, began his "Jeopardy!" run early last June. After a short summer hiatus, he returned in early August and picked up right where he left off, racking up win after win.

Jennings has been able to continue his winning ways because the show dropped its old "five-and-out" rule (winners could only win five consecutive games before being forced to leave).

Ratings for the show, which were strong to begin with, have risen dramatically since Jennings began his streak — and have dipped on the few "theme" weeks when Jennings wasn't on the show.

The apparent end of Jennings' run has conveniently coincided with the November sweeps period, which is used by networks and local stations to set advertising rates.

Meanwhile, Jennings is getting the "Biography" treatment from A&E, which will air a segment on Jennings tomorrow at 10 p.m.

Jennings himself is interviewed for the "Biography," along with his wife, Mindy, and past "Jeopardy!" champs including Robin Carroll, Eddie Timanus and Brad Rutter.

The Couch Potato Report - November 30th, 2004

In The Couch Potato Report this week, there is a movie about a hero that isn't called hero and one movie about a hero that is.

When the original SPIDER-MAN movie was released in 2002 I enjoyed it, but I didn't really like it. My problem was with the fact that every time the lead character broke the plane of gravity his actions looked fake.

Even though director Sam Raimi and his cast did do a great job of bringing the legendary comic book character to the big screen, I just wasn't able to get past how fake I thought the computer effects were.

I still can't. Most of the original SPIDER-MAN film looks fake, and even though I like the movie, I find it hard to watch.

So you can imagine my trepidation when SPIDER-MAN 2 came out in theaters this past June. Oh, how I wanted the computer effects to be great!

I am happy to report that even though there are still a few parts of the film that look less that realistic, the overall movie is superb!

Now, should you be unfamiliar with the Spider-Man story thus far, here is a brief recap. Not a recap of the legacy created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko in the Marvel comic books, but a recap of the first movie.

Tobey Maguire is Peter Parker, a brainy high school outcast who transforms into an amazingly agile, web-shooting superhero named Spider Man, after he is bitten by a "super-spider."

The radiant Kirsten Dunst is Mary Jane Watson, Parker's girl-next-door unrequited sweetheart. At the end of the first movie, he shunned her for fear that she would get hurt if his enemies knew he loved her.

In the first movie, that enemy was The Green Goblin. Spidey's nemesis in SPIDER-MAN 2 is the deranged, mechanically tentacled "Doctor Octopus" or "Doc Ock."

But it isn't the foe that is the most compelling part of SPIDER-MAN 2, it is the dilemma that Peter Parker has to face within.

He has to decide if he should continue his obligatory, lonely life of crime fighting, or pursue love and happiness with Mary Jane?

And in a rare move here on The Couch Potato Report, I'm going to tell you the ending of the movie.

Yes, he throws away his super human gifts and movies into the suburbs with the girl of his dreams to live happily ever after.

Oh no, wait, that is THE INCREDIBLES. Oops!

Of course I'm not going to tell you the ending of SPIDER-MAN 2, or any other movie for that matter.

But I will tell you that the action sequences in this movie are great!

Yes, there are times when the computer effects aren't good enough to keep up with the action and the superb storyline, but they are so few and far in between that they never stop the film in its tracks, unlike the effects in the first SPIDER-MAN.

What also pleased me about SPIDER-MAN 2 is the fact that the script stays true to the original Marvel comic book mythology.

Spider-Man in the movie is as he was on the page for so many years before, a kid who just happens to have super powers.

SPIDER-MAN 2 is fast-paced, witty, and even a bit poignant at times. Most of all, it is fun! I liked it a lot.

I also liked the film HERO a lot.

And not the 1992 film HERO with Dustin Hoffman, Geena Davis and Andy Garcia about a down on his luck man who rescues passengers from a crashed jet but sees someone else take the credit.

No, I am speaking of the superb 2002 martial arts film HERO that finally got a North American theatrical release this year, and is debuting on DVD and video this week.

That is the HERO I am referring to.

In that HERO, a nameless warrior - played by Jet Li from ROMEO MUST DIE - arrives at an emperor's palace with three weapons. Each one of them belonging to a famous assassin who had sworn to kill the emperor.

The nameless man explains how he acquired the weapons.

Then the emperor counters with his own interpretation of what might really have happened.

In a wonderful cinematic achievement each of the stories unfolds in red, blue, white or another dominant color.

HERO is a true delight for the eyes at it combines sweeping cinematography and superb performances. It also possesses emotion that deepens with every well choreographed action sequence.

Yes, I liked the film HERO a lot and if you are a fan of the Academy Award winning film CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON from a few years ago, I think you will enjoy HERO as well.

And they say that a hero can save us.
I'm not gonna stand here and wait.
I'll hold on to the wings of the eagles.
Watch as we all fly away.

SPIDER-MAN 2 and HERO are now available at your favourite local video store.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

DODGEBALL: A TRUE UNDERDOG STORY was one of the funniest and most entertaining films of the year, and it's about exactly what you think it is: dodgeball. Vince Vaughn of OLD SCHOOL and a group of misfits rise to the challenge at dodgeball tournament. Ben Stiller of MEET THE PARENTS is Vaughn's nemesis.

Assassin Jason Bourne has many nemeses, or adversaries in THE BOURNE SUPREMACY. Matt Damon reprises his role as the title character and in this second of two stories he takes on the CIA for his own survival.

Survival is the goal in every hour of the TV series 24. Now, 24: SEASON THREE is a seven disc box set that features the complete third season of the series 24. Kiefer Sutherland, Elisha Cuthbert, Dennis Haysbert as star.

I'm Dan Reynish and I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next week on The Couch!

DVD KICKS 'MATRIX'

Some critics weren't big fans of "The Matrix" movies — and they speak their mind freely on the new 10-disc DVD "The Ultimate Matrix Collection."

The eccentric Wachowski brothers, who directed the three "Matrix" movies and who have never spoken publicly about their work, instead invited three critics to do the talking for them, asking them to provide feature-length commentaries for the DVD set (which will be released Dec. 7).

And in what's believed to be an industry first, they mostly trash the films — particularly the trilogy's second and third installments — in the nearly seven-hour-long commentary track.

"Is anyone else as stupefied by this as I am?" asks John Powers of Vogue magazine when the hero Neo, played by Keanu Reeves, meets with the Oracle (Gloria Foster) in the second film, "The Matrix Reloaded."

"It's just dreadful," says David Thompson, a British critic who wrote "The Autobiographical Dictionary of Film."

The harshest criticisms in "Reloaded" come during the notorious rave sequence, where hundreds of people writhe sexually in the underground Zion City.

"Now comes one of the funniest scenes in contemporary cinema," says Powers. "It looks like a beer commercial with all the slow-mo."

Todd McCarthy, chief film critic of Variety, harshly pans a lengthy car chase for which directors Larry and Andy Wachowski had a 1.6-mile section of freeway built outside San Francisco.

"In narrative terms," McCarthy gripes, "not much has happened at all."

They are slightly kinder to "The Matrix Revolutions" — but not much.

"I'd rather play The Matrix video game than watch this," complains a bored Powers during the climactic battle in the Zion docks.

The critics reserve most of their praise for the original "The Matrix" and opine that the sequels were pointless.

"I think if the whole series ends there, you've got nearly a masterpiece," says Thompson.

"You've got a hell of a film, a film that could stand alone for having a vision you couldn't shrug off."

But the publicity-shy Wachowskis don't let the critics have the last word.

In addition to the commentary track from the critics, the DVD set includes a second commentary track contributed by a pair of philosophers: Ken Wilbur, whose works include "Sex, Ecology, Spirituality," and Princeton University Professor Cornel West, who makes cameo appearances in the second and third films as a member of Zion City's ruling council.

The philosophers, not surprisingly, defend the films.

"Most of the critics are just too lazy to figure [them] out," says West.

Andy Patrizio, who comments on DVDs for the ign.com Web site, says the unusually critical commentary tracks are sure to spark controversy among fans.

"Some of their comments will probably not go over with the easily offended crowd," he wrote.

Channel-surfers paying less attention to TV

Viewers are watching prime-time programming almost as much as they did 10 years ago, but they appear to be paying less attention, according to a new study by Knowledge Networks, a consumer-research company whose clients include networks and advertisers.

Growth in channel switching, up 42% since 1994, and multitasking, such as talking and eating, "indicate lower attentiveness," says company vice president David Tice.

Increased channel switching, most often during ad breaks and between programs, may indicate viewers are more intent on controlling what they watch.

Trends in prime time are moving too slowly to cause alarm among advertisers, Tice says: "Viewing behavior is changing, but not drastically." The July survey of 696 viewers ages 18-49 (comparisons with 1994 are limited to the first hour of prime time) found:

• More people are watching alone, partly a result of more TVs in the home. More TVs mean more viewing, a plus for networks and advertisers, but solo viewers are more likely to switch channels.

• Viewers are more likely to change channels during reality shows than scripted programs.

• Growth in other prime-time TV uses, like video games (up from 1% in 1994 to 6%) and recording shows (from 14% to 17%), have reduced viewing of regularly scheduled shows (from 85% to 82%).

Jeffrey Cole, head of the Annenberg School Center for the Digital Future at the University of Southern California, says channel switching, multitasking and digital video recorder usage threaten traditional commercials. "I think TV advertising is in its final phase as a medium that delivers national audiences to advertisers in 30-second blocks."

But Artie Bulgrin of ESPN, a Knowledge Networks client, says TV generally remains a passive medium, and if advertisers "understand who their audience is and make their messages relevant to that audience, the 30-second spot will be around a while."

OSCAR ON MY MIND

Universal is rushing Oscar contender "Ray" to DVD just in time for Oscar balloting February 1.

The biopic of singer Ray Charles will hit vidstores just 13½ weeks after it debuted at the box office, where it has grossed nearly $60 million thus far.

The single-disc DVD will be priced at $29.98, with a limited two-disc special edition also available for $44.98.

No details about bonus features were immediately available.

Last year Universal released "Seabiscuit" in December, enhancing the studio's awards campaigning for the film.

MGM is putting its awards candidate "De-Lovely" on DVD December 21, timed with a limited theatrical re-release, and DreamWorks is releasing the DVD of "Collateral" on December 14.

I Love Music!

Here are the new music releases for Tuesday, November 30th, 2004.

-- 4MULA 1 Let's Get It (Sobe)
-- Afroman Jobe Bells (Christmas album) (Hungry Hustler)
-- Arch Enemy Dead Eyes See No Future (EP) (Century Media)
-- Carpathian Forest We're Going to Hollywood for This: Live (Special Limited Edition) (Music Video Distributors)
-- The Chapters Bleeding All Over This Town (Has Anyone Ever Told You?)
-- Kelly Clarkson Break Away (RCA)
-- Dirty Vegas ONE (Capitol)
-- Robert Downey Jr. The Futurist (Sony Classical)
-- Drovers Dreamland (Fundamental)
-- The Egon All Theory and No Action (Has Anyone Ever Told You?)
-- The Exies Head for the Door (Virgin)
-- Fairburn Royals The Whistler (Two Sheds)
-- Dino Felipe I'm You (Schematic)
-- Finesse & Runway Finesse & Runway (Schematic)
-- The Flesh The Flesh (Gern Blandsten)
-- Gerald Levert Do I Speak for the World? (Atlantic)
-- Jay Z & Linkin Park MTV Ultimate Mash-Ups Presents: Collision Course (CD/DVD combo) (Roc-A-Fella/Warner Bros.)
-- Local Division Pure Electric Light (EP) (Aeronaut)
-- Wynton Marsalis Unforgivable Blackness (Blue Note)
-- Modern Day Zero Coming Up for Air (Bullet 339)
-- Paradise Boys The Young and the Guest List (Princehouse)
-- Patton/Kaada Romances (Ipecac)
-- Rupee 1 on 1 (Atlantic)
-- S'Cool Girls S'Cool Girls S'Cool Girls S'Cool Girls (EP) (Aeronaut)
-- Sleepytime Gorilla Museum Sleepytime Gorilla Museum of Natural History (Web of Mimicry/Revolver)
-- Styrofoam Nothing's Lost (Morr Music)
-- T.I. Urban Legend (Atlantic)
-- Urban Mystic Ghetto Revelations (Warner Bros.)
-- Various Artists African Underground Vol. 1 - Hiphop Senegal (Nomadic Wax)
-- Various Artists The Free Design ‘Redesigned' (Vol. 2) (Light in the Attic)

"Silly customer, you cannot hurt a Twinkie!"

— Apu, Fox's The Simpsons

More Information About SPIDER-MAN 3

Even if SPIDER-MAN 3 is still in the early stages of conception, Sam Raimi can bring up-to-date the fans about the upcoming sequel.

Raimi and his brother have finished a 50-page document to flesh out SPIDER-MAN 3. Sam Raimi is now ready to work with a storyboard artist to work out some of the visuals and with Alvin Sargent to work on a first draft of the screenplay.

There may be 50-pages worth of work done so far but Raimi he's still toying around with different possibilities for a chief villiain or villains to confront Spider-Man. Raimi says he still needs to figure out what life lessons Peter Parker will experience, what obstacles will be in his path and if he'll be able to overcome these conflicts.

SPIDER-MAN 2 will be released on DVD on November 30 while SPIDER-MAN 3 is set to hit theaters on May 4, 2007.

Det. Mike Logan Back On TV?

NBC is considering Chris Noth for a role on Law and Order: Criminal Intent, according to Broadcasting and Cable magazine.

Lucas Wants TV 'Star Wars' Film Banned

Moviemaker George Lucas wants his first Star Wars sequel banned, as he is so disappointed with its quality. The one-off, two-hour-long The Star Wars Holiday Special was originally screened on the CBS network in 1978 and tells the story of Chewbacca's journey home with Hans Solo to celebrate Life Day with his family.

During the course of the much-maligned movie, Carrie Fisher's beautiful Leia is seen reducing Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker to tears with a song.

A contributor on the Star Wars website comments, "The Holiday Special has always been the red-headed step child of the Star Wars family." While a source at LucasFilm adds, "The Holiday Special was the biggest f***-up ever. The Force was definitely not with Mr. Lucas the day that doozy was born."

Tommy Douglas 'father of universal health care' voted Greatest Canadian

TORONTO (CP) - T.C. (Tommy) Douglas, former Saskatchewan premier, former leader of the federal New Democratic Party and touted as the father of the country's universal health-care system, has been voted The Greatest Canadian.

The late politician emerged victorious in the public contest initiated by CBC Television this fall and which climaxed in an hour-long prime-time special Monday night. "I feel that Tommy Douglas is getting the recognition he deserves," declared a jubilant George Stroumboulopoulos, the TV host designated as Douglas's official advocate. "When we started this campaign in the summer, folks had never even heard of Tommy Douglas."

Douglas's victory came at the end of a show in which the other advocates were asked to throw their support, political leadership convention style, to another candidate when theirs was voted off. But it was a moral support only, not affecting the public tally.

Despite an impassioned two-hour debate among designated celebrity advocates for the top 10 contenders, which CBC aired Sunday night, the post-weekend standings remained virtually unchanged.

In second place was one-legged runner Terry Fox, with former prime minister Pierre Trudeau placing third.

The remaining finalists, in order of ranking, were Nobel Prize winner Sir Frederick Banting (co-inventor of insulin), environmentalist and science broadcaster David Suzuki, former PM and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lester Pearson, CBC hockey broadcaster Don Cherry, the country's founding prime minister Sir John A. Macdonald and, bringing up the rear, telephone pioneer Alexander Graham Bell and hockey great Wayne Gretzky.

A total of 1.2 million votes were cast by the Canadian public via telephone, e-mail or text messaging. Since Saturday, more than 342,000 ballots were turned in before the Sunday midnight voting deadline, according to a CBC spokesperson. The only change triggered by Sunday night's impassioned TV debate was that both Pearson and Trudeau enjoyed 37 per cent increases in their tallies, the official said.

Executive producer Mark Starowicz said he had high hopes for the enterprise but that it turned out even better than he expected. He insisted there really was a national groundswell of support for the project, that it wasn't just CBC-induced hype.

"We had 4,000 schools plugged into this entire thing," Starowicz said. "Practically every school's got projects, demonstrations. You've got the city of London, Ont., mobilizing, Toronto naming Tommy Douglas Day. People got carried away. It's great."

Douglas was born in Scotland in 1904 and moved to Canada with his family in 1919. An ordained minister, his first church was in Weyburn, Sask., where he witnessed the suffering caused by the Depression and decided that political action was needed.

He was a member of Parliament from 1935 until 1944, when he became premier of Saskatchewan as leader of the CCF, forerunner to the NDP. He announced the medical insurance plan in 1959.

Liz Jeffrey, director of the McLuhan Global Research Network at the University of Toronto, felt the Greatest Canadian exercise itself was more significant than the outcome. She was also particularly fascinated by the orators' negative attacks in the final debate.

"All those silver-tongued presenters were far better at the attack ad than they were at presenting the merits of their own candidate."

Speaking prior to learning the outcome of the voting, Jeffrey said if Douglas won it was because of the symbolism of his chief accomplishment in health care.

"He gets the visionary side of this, of coming up with the idea, at least at a political level," said Jeffrey. "You can't blame Tommy Douglas for the health-care crisis."

She said that was expressed when, during the Sunday debate, Stroumboulopoulos, whipped out his red-white plastic health card and waved it about.

To delirious cheers, Stroumboulopoulos dramatically argued that if Douglas, who died in 1986, were removed from the national equation "you remove the caring, sharing legacy of everything that we value. . .you remove this, and this is our most treasured, treasured national characteristic!"

Not surprisingly, Jeffrey said she and her colleagues at U of T's McLuhan program were rooting for Marshall McLuhan himself but were shocked when the internationally renowned media guru failed to make even the earlier top 50 CBC list.

The series debuted Oct. 18 and aired twice weekly from then on with prime-time specials advocating each of the 10 finalists.

The Final Showdown, the debate special also hosted by Wendy Mesley and Shaun Majumder, was taped Saturday for Sunday night telecast, on a specially built set with a live studio audience. It featured highlights of the various campaigns as well as celebrity guests who helped back up the candidates' official advocates.

Starowicz dismissed the inclusion of at least two CBC employees on the final 10 list, Cherry and Suzuki.

"It's a big country. Half of it's been on the CBC payroll, it seems, anyway," he replied with a laugh. "Trudeau worked for it once."

As he watched the boisterous studio audience that gathered for the final weekend debate, the veteran CBC producer was impressed with the energy that was demonstrated.

"I love seeing what you normally don't think is a typical CBC audience. I mean this was Canada from ordinary suburbs, ordinary places, sports mixed with politics."

He said that as far as he was concerned, it didn't matter in the slightest who won, that what was important was that Canadians got engaged on the issue of what values they wished to treasure in their country.

"Unity, diversity, compassion, caring for each other. I mean this is not an American list. There's nothing Darwinian in this room. I was a very generous list."

The final standings in CBC-TV's The Greatest Canadian contest:

1. T.C. Douglas.

2. Terry Fox.

3. Pierre Trudeau.

4. Sir Frederick Banting.

5. David Suzuki.

6. Lester Pearson.

7. Don Cherry.

8. Sir John A. Macdonald.

9. Alexander Graham Bell.

10. Wayne Gretzky.

George Clooney Sidelined by Ruptured Disk

LOS ANGELES - George Clooney is suffering from a ruptured disk that kept him from promoting his new film, "Ocean's Twelve," this week.

Clooney had been scheduled to travel to New York Sunday for appearances on shows including "Good Morning America," "The Daily Show" and "Charlie Rose," his spokesman, Stan Rosenfield, said Monday.

But Clooney told Rosenfield on Saturday that his condition had worsened and he would be unable to travel. Rosenfield said he didn't have information on how or when the injury occurred.

The former "ER" star, whose sequel to the caper film "Ocean's Eleven" opens Dec. 10, was being treated by a doctor, Rosenfield said. He declined to provide details.

Asked when Clooney, 43, might be back on the publicity trail to talk about the movie, Rosenfield said, "Hopefully next week."

"Ocean's Twelve" co-stars Julia Roberts, who gave birth to twins, a boy and girl, on Sunday.

CRTC incentives will increase ads

OTTAWA (CP) -- Viewers could end up watching a lot more TV ads under an incentive program designed to encourage broadcasters to produce more Canadian dramas.

Depending on how and where the dramas are made, TV stations could broadcast up to eight minutes more advertising for every hour of original Canadian drama they produce, says the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

The exact amount of additional advertising would depend on such things as the level of Canadian participation in the production, how much is spent and when the drama is broadcast.

"Broadcasters who choose to take advantage of this incentive program will apply for conditions of licence that will allow them to broadcast additional minutes of advertising if they meet the commission's criteria," the CRTC said in a news release Monday.

Under the plan, broadcasters could earn the right to air between 30 seconds and eight minutes of additional advertising for each hour of original Canadian drama they broadcast.

For instance, broadcasters who increase their Canadian drama audience share by a set amount could increase the amount of advertising they air by 25 per cent.

They'd get a further 25-per-cent increase if they spend a pre-determined amount of money producing the drama.

The CRTC estimates the changes will give the biggest broadcasters $80,000 for each additional advertising minute they air during prime time.

For the largest English-language networks, the incentives would apply only to qualifying drama in excess of 26 hours per year. Drama programs that do not receive funding from the Canadian Television Fund would be exempt.

"This will encourage broadcasters to invest directly in the creation of new independently-produced drama projects," said the CRTC.

The commission promises additional measures soon to help French-language TV maintain original French drama programming in peak viewing hours.

Band Aid Single Released in Britain

LONDON - A new, star-studded recording of the 1984 charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" hit British record stores Monday, many of which opened early in anticipation of large crowds.

The single features artists including Coldplay's Chris Martin, former Beatle Paul McCartney, U2's Bono, and Dido, and will raise money for victims of the ongoing strife in the Sudan, where fighting has killed thousands of people and created 1.8 million refugees.

HMV Records, one of Britain's largest music retailers, opened more than 200 stores an hour early, at 8 a.m., and reported strong early-morning sales for the single.

"There wasn't a huge rush of people, but a steady stream of customers this morning," said Gennaro Castaldo, a spokesman for HMV. "I don't know that it's going to be the smash success that the original was, but I think it will do quite well and raise quite a bit of money for Africa."

Castaldo said he expects the single to sell at least one million copies and to top the singles charts in Britain for several weeks.

Twins Sarah and Kirsty Burgess, 21, were the first in line to buy the single at HMV's flagship store in London on Oxford Street, the city's main shopping street.

"I thought I would come along because it's a great cause," said Kirsty. "I was about one when the first single was released, but I've heard it about 100 times. Hopefully, this one will raise lots of money, too."

HMV and other retailers were selling the song for 3.99 pounds ($7.55). The song retails for 1.49 pounds ($2.82) at online distributors.

Apple's iTunes, the popular online music store, was not carrying the single because it declined to sell the song for more than the service's $1.50 base price. An Apple spokesman in London declined on Monday to comment on its dispute with the Band Aid trust over the cost of the recording.

The original single was released 20 years ago and was a smash success, raising millions of dollars for victims of starvation in Ethiopia. It featured artists including Boy George, Duran Duran, and Phil Collins. Bono is the only artist to appear on both versions of the song.

The new track also includes Robbie Williams, Jamelia, Ms. Dynamite, Will Young and members of the bands Busted, the Darkness and Sugababes.

A 'Band Aid' solution

It's Christmas time, and there's no need for bickering. But that hasn't stopped Bono and The Darkness' Justin Hawkins. Both singers participated in Band Aid 20, the re-recording of Do They Know It's Christmas, a generous and genuine act.

But while Coldplay's Chris Martin was re-doing the song's opening lyric and Blur's Damon Albarn was serving tea to the likes of Joss Stone and the Sugarbabes, Bono and Justin were arguing over who would sing the line: "And tonight thank God it's them, instead of you!"

They really shouldn't have bothered. The line made famous by Bono's passionate delivery in the original version -- and ultimately redone by the U2 singer is a ridiculous sentiment -- is a perfect example of why the tune shouldn't have even been re-recorded at all.

It feels wrong to knock Do They Know It's Christmas. Since its release during the horrific Ethiopian famine in 1984, the single has sold more than 50 million copies and raised millions to help "feed the world." Who could possibly be against helping starving Africans?

Not me. But I think there are better ways to do it than with a patronizing piece of pop pap.

Bono knows it, which is why he campaigns to get First World governments to drop the debt of underprivileged nations. Chris Martin also understands that it takes more than a $5 donation and a sing-along to balance out our world of plenty: He works with Oxfam to Make Trade Fair.

Certainly, these worldly artists can see how this beloved holiday song glosses over the tragedy of global hunger like a tasty yet nutritionally void turkey glaze.

Think about some of these lyrics: "Do they know it's Christmas time?" Uh, most Ethiopians are Muslims. I doubt they care much about Jesus' birthday on a good day. "There won't be snow in Africa this Christmas time." Really? Is that because of the drought? And of course, that famous "thank God it's them" line Bono and Justin both wanted to sing. What kind of prayer is that?

That kind of naivete should be left in the '80s, like wearing satin shorts with sport socks. Today, it just seems ignorant. Like so many holiday pleas, it's also a blatant call to care only when your God is watching.

Do They Know It's Christmas v.2004 is as much about marketing a new crop of British pop stars as it is about changing the world. Teenage singer Joss Stone wasn't even born when the original topped the charts -- she referred to world-famous Band Aid organizer Sir Bob Geldof as "Bob Gandalf." Sir Paul McCartney was allowed to play bass, but was considered too old to sing. Rapper Dizzie Rascal added some lines (e.g.: "Give a little help to the helpless") that do nothing to expand the song's meaning and are generally considered a blemish.

I bought the original Band Aid 7, but won't be paying to download the new version. And not just because I now know it's a bad song.

The fact there are still starving children means too many of us washed our hands once the song dropped off the charts. Some money raised from Band Aid 20 will be directed to Sudan, where they are starving not from drought but displacement caused by a civil war, one brewing since 1985, when we were all feeling smug watching Live Aid.

Buying a CD to make the unpleasant images on the news go away for a while so we can open our presents guilt-free is not the way to "feed the world." It's nothing more than a band-aid.

NATALIE'S NAUGHTY BITS

In "Closer," Natalie Portman shows audiences a side of her they haven't seen before - but not quite as much of it as director Mike Nichols had originally planned.

Her character, Alice, makes a living as an exotic dancer, and Portman threw herself into preparing for the role before shooting began.

To research a scene involving a chance encounter with Clive Owen's character, Larry, at the strip club where she works, Portman visited a few clubs and took lap- and pole-dancing lessons.

When it came time to bare all, the raven-haired beauty insists, "It felt pleasing."

It may have felt that way, but it certainly didn't look pleasing - not to Portman, anyway.

When Nichols' original cut featured a full-frontal shot of the 23-year-old actress, she reportedly ordered him to remove the offending frames.

Nichols, who has been like a second father to Portman ever since their first collaboration on an all-star production of "The Seagull," agreed that the footage was gratuitous and needed to go - much to the disappointment of male fans everywhere.

"He's as or more protective of me than my parents are," Portman has said. "So doing sexual, physical stuff for him felt very uncomfortable."

English Canada's greatest Canadians different from Quebec list

QUEBEC (CP) - While English-speaking Canada argues over the greatest Canadian, a survey suggests Quebecers believe their greatest ever citizen is Rene Levesque, the legendary premier who shaped the sovereignty movement for so many years.

Levesque's top billing differs greatly from his No. 69 ranking in a list of greatest Canadians as compiled by people across the country - a position that puts him far below singer Shania Twain and actor William Shatner.

CBC-TV will reveal its greatest Canadian on Monday following a Sunday afternoon Newsworld marathon featuring the top 10 finalists and a debate Sunday evening on the main network.

While the CBC's Greatest Canadian contest was promoted in English and French ads and a bilingual website, early plans to broadcast it in both languages were abandoned.

Former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau is the only Quebecer who cracked the top 10 in the Greatest Canadian list, with others like NHL great Maurice (Rocket) Richard and singer Celine Dion coming in further down.

A Leger Marketing survey conducted Nov. 19-22 for TVA suggests Levesque, who helped co-found the Parti Quebecois in 1968 and was premier from 1976-85, is the most admired Quebecer ever.

The top five in Leger's poll of 4,253 Quebecers was rounded out by veteran TV personality Janette Bertrand, paralympic athlete Chantal Petitclerc, Dion and Rev. Emmett Johns, who has been helping street kinds in Quebec for years.

Trudeau was in eighth position, while Richard was No.10 in the survey, which was released Thursday.

Levesque rose to power in the 1960s, giving a democratic expression to an emerging Quebec separatist movement just as it threatened to bring armed insurrection to Canada.

But Levesque's appeal reaches far beyond the sovereignty movement in French-speaking Quebec, where his name pops first to mind among sovereigntists and federalists on the streets, in cafes or in the halls of government.

"It was more about restoring pride to our people, about giving us the confidence to take our proper place in the world," Eric Tanguay, a 31-year-old former sovereignty supporter, said as he did some Christmas shopping recently in a Quebec City mall.

"Now ask me who was the worst Quebecer and Canadian, and I'll tell you: Pierre Elliott Trudeau," Tanguay said. "He had nothing but disdain for Quebecers. He had no respect for us."

A native of Montreal who frequently clashed with Levesque over their competing visions of Quebec and Canada, Trudeau is as controversial in Quebec as he is in Western Canada, with a legion of admirers and critics.

It's impossible to think of Trudeau without Levesque, according to Benoit Bouchard, a former Conservative cabinet minister and political enemy of both men.

"Since the beginning of Confederation, these are probably the two Quebecers who have made the greatest mark on Quebec and the country as well," said Bouchard, who is retired in Saguenay, Que.

"It's difficult to find people who have that many dimensions to them."

Many other men and women who spring to Quebecers' minds after Levesque did not make the Canadian top 100.

Playwright Michel Tremblay's groundbreaking Les Belles Soeurs was translated into 20 languages and is performed with the classics at acting schools across Canada. He's not on the list.

Joseph-Armand Bombardier invented the snowmobile, still the only means of winter transportation in vast tracts of northern Canada. He also created the Canadian transportation empire that still carries his name. He did not make the top 100.

Oscar-winning director Denys Arcand is arguably Canada's most important filmmaker and he still lives and works in Canada, unlike a dozen other Canadian entertainers who made the top 100.

Even with Quebecers who made the preliminary list of 100, it's easy to find controversy.

If Wayne Gretzky is top-10 material, why do Richard and Mario Lemieux, a player arguably as talented as the Great One, rank 23rd and 38th respectively?

In Quebec, Richard's suspension from the 1955 Stanley Cup final was seen as a slap by the English-speaking masters of the NHL against a francophone hero.

"Richard was a great man, and a great man right to the end," said retiree Nicole Gosselin.

"He played for not much salary, he played with great heart and through tremendous adversity. What better hero is there than him?"

Added Bouchard: "Lemieux was probably the best hockey player in terms of talent, in terms of genius, artistry, magic. Gretzky had what I would call national charisma. Gretzky remains a national image."

Bouchard said language and cultural barriers prevent many great Quebecers from becoming great Canadians.

"It's incredible," he said. "That's where we see that values, environment, culture, everything, is different.

"You have to be a Quebecer running a government in Ottawa to see just how deep the divisions go."

While four women reached the top-10 Leger Marketing list, no women are on the top-10 Greatest Canadian list.

Dion, one of the best-selling singers of all time, has her supporters in her home province.

"If I had to pick one person, it would be her," said Andree Boucher, a physical fitness consultant in Quebec City. "I would give anything to spend one day in her skin."

Back on the political front, some people say former premier Jean Lesage, widely considered as the architect of the Quiet Revolution, should have been recognized.

Lesage took control of schools away from the Roman Catholic Church and made the first serious demands that Ottawa give more power to Quebec. He modernized Quebec through investment and education.

Gerald Larose, leader of the Conseil de la souverainete, said it's difficult to find political leaders who would be considered great in Quebec and Canada.

"Unlike Trudeau, Brian Mulroney tried to reconcile Quebecers with Canadians when he was prime minister and he was hated for it," said Larose.

The former labour leader said ex-premier Jacques Parizeau would get his vote for his part in the Quiet Revolution, just above Lesage and Levesque.

Most Quebecers who made the top 100 CBC list are known for international accomplishments.

Retired general Romeo Dallaire, admired for his stand against the Rwandan genocide, does not spring to mind as a great historical figure among many Quebecers.

Writer Mordecai Richler is resented by many francophones for his biting commentary.

New book is about blunt realities of dating: He's Just Not That Into You

NEW YORK (AP) - So you've been dating this guy, and it seemed to be going so well. Long dinners. Cuddly walks in the park. Flirty text messages. And then, suddenly, he just stopped calling.

Your mind races for an explanation. Is he lying in a hospital bed? With amnesia? Did his house burn down with his address book inside it? Or maybe he's wounded from a previous relationship and just needs a little time?

Oh, for heaven's sake, say the authors of a hugely popular new book. Enough with the excuses! Face the truth, girlfriend, and the truth will set you free:

HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU.

With that simple message, emblazoned on the cover of a slim, pink volume, Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo have shot up bestseller lists. Launched in September with a printing of 30,000, He's Just Not That Into You is now in its 14th printing, at 1.2 million copies and counting. It's been featured (twice) on The Oprah Winfrey Show, with Winfrey shouting over and over to dating-challenged women in the audience: "He's Just Not That Into You!!"

So what, you might ask, is so revolutionary about advice that's so common sense it could be coming from your mother?

"It's just a wake-up call," says Tuccillo, a former writer for Sex and the City who also happens to be single and dating in New York. "It's just a clear-as-a-bell, funny, simple wake-up call."

It all began with a story meeting at Sex and the City. Behrendt, a standup comic and writer, had been serving as consultant to the show. A woman on the staff started talking about a guy she liked who'd been running hot and cold. The other women launched into thoughtful analyses of the man's every action, and Behrendt just blurted out - you guessed it! - "He's just not that into you."

"We all started shrieking!" Tuccillo says. "Because women never talk to their friends like that. We started playing 'Stump Greg' ... like what about the guy who's caring for his sick mother? And he answered, 'If that was me, you'd be the bright spot in my day, and I'd make sure you knew it."'

As die-hard Sex and the City fans know, the incident became a much-discussed episode, with Cynthia Nixon's character, Miranda, on the receiving end of the blunt verdict delivered by Berger, a boyfriend of Carrie's (Sarah Jessica Parker).

But even more important, Tuccillo says, it became obvious that this should be a book. Behrendt recalls that he went home and told his wife, "You know that crazy Liz? She wants me to write a book with her on this. And my wife said: 'She's right. You should."'

It is not like most self-help books you've seen. Only 165 pages, it is funny and blunt. Its cover delivers the message succinctly: an answering machine, set to a big fat zero. There are pithy chapters on all the ways a man can show you that he's just not ... well, you know.

-He's Just Not That Into You if ... He's Not Calling You. ("With the advent of cellphones and speed dials it is almost impossible NOT to call you. Sometimes I call people from my pants pocket when I don't even mean to.")

-He's Just Not That Into You if ... He's Not Asking You Out. ("Sadly, not wanting to see you in person is massive as far as dating obstacles go.")

-He's Just Not That Into You if ... He's Not Having Sex With You. ("Get a big red crayon. Colour in this flag. You've just made a big red flag. Good, because that's what a man not wanting to have sex with you is.")

The book also lays waste to some tried-and-true excuses women often let men get away with. Like, he's just too busy. ("The word 'busy' is the relationship Weapon of Mass Destruction. It seems like a good excuse. ...") Or, he doesn't want to ruin the friendship. ("Unfortunately, in the entire history of mankind that excuse has never ever been used by someone who actually means it.")

And, not to focus solely on male behaviour, it leaves women with some key advice on how to act when feeling hurt and angry. "One simple rule, ladies, always be classy. Never be crazy. It will ensure that you never have that awful memory of cutting his clothes in half or leaving his dog by the side of the road."

Although Behrendt and Tuccillo say they've received mostly excellent feedback, inevitably some people don't like the book. They don't get the humour, they don't like the title, they don't like the tone. "But hey," Behrendt says, "it's just advice, it's not a mandate. I'm not a doctor or a therapist." Though, he adds, some therapists have praised the book, too.

And asked why the book is directed only at women - hey Greg, aren't there guys out there who need to hear "SHE'S Just Not That Into You?" - Behrendt has a simple reply.

"Sure, we could have written that book," he says. "And about eight guys would have bought it."

'National Treasure' Retains No. 1 Spot

LOS ANGELES - "National Treasure" continued to strike box-office gold, taking in $33.1 million from Friday to Sunday to retain the No. 1 slot over the busy Thanksgiving weekend.

"The Incredibles" remained in second place with $24.1 million, while Tim Allen and and Jamie Lee Curtis' holiday comedy "Christmas With the Kranks" debuted at No. 3 with $22.7 million over the three-day weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Premiering Wednesday, "Christmas With the Kranks" took in $32 million over the five-day holiday period.

The weekend's other new wide release, Oliver Stone's historical epic "Alexander," had a so-so debut of $13.4 million, coming in sixth behind two holdovers, "The Polar Express" (No. 4 with $20.1 million) and "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" (No. 5 with $17.8 million).

Since debuting Wednesday, "Alexander" grossed $21.6 million.

In limited release, the French-language film "A Very Long Engagement" opened strongly with $106,000 in four theaters. A love story set in World War I and its aftermath, the film stars Audrey Tautou, reuniting with her "Amelie" director Jean-Pierre Jeunet.

It was a healthy holiday for Hollywood, with the top 12 movies grossing $215 million from Wednesday to Sunday, the second-best Thanksgiving period ever behind 2000's haul of $232.2 million.

With "National Treasure" and "The Incredibles," distributor Disney had the top two films over one of the busiest moviegoing weekends of the year. The one-two punch has helped lift Disney from a box-office slump that lasted most of 2004, with such duds as "The Alamo," "Around the World in 80 Days" and "King Arthur."

Starring Nicolas Cage as an adventurer who steals the Declaration of Independence to uncover clues to a hidden fortune, "National Treasure" raised its 10-day total to $87.9 million.

The cartoon superhero tale "The Incredibles," from "Finding Nemo" creator Pixar Animation, pushed its total since debuting Nov. 5 to $214.7 million, the fifth movie released in 2004 to top $200 million.

Action-packed but carrying family-friendly PG ratings, "National Treasure" and "The Incredibles" have drawn broad audiences.

"`National Treasure' is a blessed movie. It plays matinees loaded with kids and families, and evenings just loaded with adults," said Disney head of distribution Chuck Viane. "It happened with 'The Incredibles' in the same exact way."

With six of the top 10 movies rated PG or G, competition for the family crowd was fierce, but the movies all managed to find a solid slice of the audience.

"Christmas With the Kranks" succeeded despite poor reviews, and distributor Sony and producer Revolution Studios expect its holiday theme will sustain the movie through the end of the year.

The movie benefited from the family appeal of Allen, who starred in the holiday hit "The Santa Clause" and its sequel, and Curtis, fresh off last year's comic romp "Freaky Friday."

"Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis are the poster adults for children's movies," said Tom Sherak, a partner in Revolution Studios, whose founder, Joe Roth, directed "Christmas With the Kranks." The movie is based on John Grisham's novel "Skipping Christmas."

"Alexander," starring Colin Farrell as the Greek conqueror, also got bad reviews, but the R-rated movie served as counterprogramming over a weekend dominated by family flicks.

"We're certainly different than any other movie out there," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released "Alexander."

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. "National Treasure," $33.1 million.
2. "The Incredibles," $24.1 million.
3. "Christmas With the Kranks," $22.7 million.
4. "The Polar Express," $20.1 million.
5. "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie," $17.8 million.
6. "Alexander," $13.4 million.
7. "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason," $6.8 million.
8. "Finding Neverland," $4.7 million.
9. "Ray, $3.9 million.
10. "After the Sunset," $3.3 million.

Actress Julia Roberts Gives Birth to Twins-Report

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Julia Roberts gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, in a Los Angeles hospital on Sunday, People magazine reported on its Web site, citing an anonymous source.

A magazine spokeswoman said Roberts, 37, gave birth around 3 a.m. PST (6 a.m. EST) to Phinnaeus Walter and Hazel Patricia.

A spokeswoman for the star did not return phone calls.

Roberts, who won an Oscar for her role in "Erin Brockovich" (2000), married the twins' father, cameraman Danny Moder, 35, in 2002 on Roberts' ranch in Taos, New Mexico.

The two had been splitting their time between homes in Taos, New York, and the Los Angeles area.

The actress was hospitalized late last month after experiencing early contractions. Doctors advised her to remain on bed rest until she gave birth.

Roberts, who has starred in scores of films including "Pretty Woman" (1990) and "My Best Friend's Wedding" (1997), will appear in two films opening next month: "Ocean's Twelve," with George Clooney and Brad Pitt, and "Closer," directed by Mike Nichols.

Roberts, who has no other children, was married to country music star Lyle Lovett from 1993 to 1995.

Julia Roberts Awaiting Birth of Twins

TORONTO - A pregnant Julia Roberts was confined to bed last month after experiencing a series of early contractions.

The 37-year-old actress is expecting twins — a boy and a girl — in early January.

With two films coming out in early December — Mike Nichols' "Closer" and "Ocean's Twelve," the Steven Soderbergh-directed sequel to 2001's star-studded heist caper — Roberts is conducting phone interviews while contemplating her pregnancy.

"I'm enormous," she says. "Let me tell you something, my babies weigh 6 pounds each. That's 12 pounds of just baby in me right now and I still have miles to go before I sleep with them. They're bionic. It's pretty amazing."

"Closer" is a romantic drama about two couples played by Roberts, Clive Owen, Jude Law and Natalie Portman. The movie contains some explicit sexual language.

"It becomes about the emotion and not about bad words or hard words to say or raunchiness or shock value or anything else," Roberts said. "It becomes about two people in this house whose lives are kind of falling apart. Then it's like afterward when you're able to have a coherent thought that you go, `I can't believe that I just said all of those bad words.'"

As to the pregnancy — "I feel great," she said.

Roberts married cinematographer Danny Moder in July 2002 at her home in Taos, N.M. The twins would be the first children for Roberts, who won the best actress Oscar in 2001 for "Erin Brockovich."

"Closer" is set for release Dec. 3. "Ocean's Twelve," also starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, will be in theaters Dec. 10.

Hey, Teacher! We All Need Some Compensation

LONDON (Reuters) - A group of former London schoolchildren who sang on Pink Floyd's 1979 classic "Another Brick In The Wall" have lodged a claim for unpaid royalties.

Twenty three teenage pupils from Islington Green School secretly recorded vocals for the track, which became an anthem for children with the chorus "We don't need no education."

On hearing the song, the headmistress banned the pupils from appearing on television or video -- leaving them no evidence and making it harder for them to claim royalties -- and the local school authority described the lyrics as "scandalous."

The album sold over 12 million copies and the single became number one in Britain and America.

Royalties expert Peter Rowan told Reuters he was appealing to a music royalties society on behalf of one former pupil and was working with other members of the class. He said he was still trying to contact the majority of the group.

"They are owed their money and we lodged the first claim last week," Rowan told Reuters. "I've been working on it for almost two years."

Music teacher Alun Renshaw took the schoolchildren to a nearby recording studio without the permission of the headmistress after being approached by the band's management.

The lyrics "We don't need no education, we don't need no thought control, no dark sarcasm in the classroom -- teachers leave them kids alone" were described by the Inner London Education Authority as scandalous.

The school was paid 1,000 pounds ($1,860) and later given a platinum record of the song but the pupils were paid nothing.

Rowan said the money would come from a music royalties society and not Pink Floyd. He expected the 23 pupils to receive about 200 pounds each.

The application for royalties was initially hindered by the lack of evidence but Renshaw said Margaret Maden, then the school headmistress and now a university professor, had supported their application.

"We had to provide evidence to show they were part of the song and Mrs Maden helped us with that," he said.

Renshaw told the Evening Standard newspaper the band's offer had been "an interesting sociological thing and also a wonderful opportunity for the kids to work in a live recording studio.

"I sort of mentioned it to the headteacher, but didn't give her a piece of paper with the lyrics on it."

'Baywatch' Voted Worst U.S. TV Import

LONDON - "Baywatch," the sun-bleached saga of Californian life guards, was voted the worst-ever U.S. television import in a British survey released Thursday.

"Baywatch," which starred Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff, ran from 1989 to 2001 and was once ranked the world's most popular program, with viewers in 140 countries.

Broadcast magazine's poll of about 20 program buyers from British terrestrial, cable and satellite channels acknowledged the appeal of a "series about a muscular lifeguard and his crew of pneumatic young helpers with raging hormones," but condemned "Baywatch" for scripts "of mind-numbing predictability: beachgoer is saved from drowning."

Second place in the poll went to "The Anna Nicole Show," the reality program featuring Playboy Playmate turned model Anna Nicole Smith.

Southern-fried 1970s hit "The Dukes of Hazzard" ranked third, followed by futuristic James Belushi vehicle "Wild Palms" and anthropomorphic action series "Manimal."

The same survey ranked the 25 best U.S. imports, with "The Simpsons," "Dallas," "MASH," "24" and "The Larry Sanders Show" leading the pack.

"Broadcast'"s 10 Worst U.S. Imports:

1. "Baywatch"
2. "The Anna Nicole Show"
3. "The Dukes of Hazzard"
4. "Wild Palms"
5. "Manimal"
6. "The Jerry Springer Show"
7. "Knots Landing"
8. "Falcon Crest"
9. "The Bold and the Beautiful"
10. "Extreme Makeover"

Top-Selling Author Arthur Hailey Dies in Bahamas

NASSAU, Bahamas (Reuters) - Top-selling British author Arthur Hailey, whose novels sold 170 million copies around the world, died in his sleep at his Bahamas home, his wife said on Thursday. He was 84.

The author of several bestsellers that became blockbuster movies, like "Airport" and "Hotel," had been ailing since suffering a stroke two months ago. But he had enjoyed dinner with two of his six children just a few hours before he died.

"He had a wonderful life. His greatest ambition was to see his name on a book and he certainly achieved that," said his wife Sheila.

Born in Luton, England, in 1920 as the only child of working class parents, Hailey began writing after World War II, when a meal served on a DC-4 flight triggered a story idea that was to propel him to fortune.

He began to wonder what would happen if the flight crew went down with food poisoning and penned his story "Flight Into Danger" -- the first of his successful works.

Hollywood producers bought several of his books and he flirted with script writing himself before deciding that novels were his forte. He was known for his intricate research and wanted his readers to be both entertained and informed.

He went on to see his books published in 38 languages in 40 countries.

"Wheels," "The Moneychangers" and "Strong Medicine," were some of his other novels that were made into movies.

Hailey emigrated from Britain to Canada after the war and worked in marketing and public relations before launching his literary career.

It took him about three years to complete each book. After publishing "Detective" in 1997, when he was 77 years old, he decided to retire.

He and his wife lived at Lyford Cay, Nassau, for more than 40 years.

Hailey was never influenced by critics or literary awards. During his career, he chiseled out just 600 words a day. "I have never been able to write quickly or easily. I am too self-critical for that. I am never satisfied," he once said.

R.E.M. To Reissue Catalog

R.E.M. will reissue their entire Warner Bros. catalog on February 15th, with each two disc set including the original album and a bonus DVD featuring the record remixed in 5.1 surround sound, as well as unreleased documentary and video footage.

The reissues span from R.E.M.'s 1988 Warner debut Green to this fall's Around the Sun, and mark the band's transition from indie favorites to one of the world's biggest bands.

"These days, there are R.E.M. fans who think 'Stand' or even 'Losing My Religion' is the first song the band ever wrote," bassist Mike Mills told Rolling Stone in 1991. "The people who listen to Top Forty are generally not R.E.M. record buyers -- or they weren't until the last year or two. It's kind of surprising to listen to the fourteen-year-old girls call up and go, 'How long have you been together? I like your first record.' And it's like 'No, no. See, the first record came out when you were about one year old.'"

Typical of the bonus material is the extra disc for Out of Time, which includes the unreleased documentary Time Piece, a blend of band member interviews and commentary on songs from the album that made R.E.M. a household name.

R.E.M. finish their U.S. tour Sunday with a show at Albuquerque's Kive Auditorium, before heading to Europe in January.

There Will Be A Fierce Year-End Competition

With the crucial holiday-sales season already under way, the record labels may be relying on an unsuccessful strategy to boost their year-end numbers: releasing all of their biggest records in just a few weeks in November. Though new albums from System of a Down and Beck have been delayed until next year, retail experts say that the crush of major acts including Eminem, U2, Gwen Stefani, Snoop Dogg and Destiny's Child threatens to keep all but a couple of artists from scoring blockbuster sales.

"We believe the consumer has only a certain amount of money to spend," says Virgin Megastores' Jerry Suarez. "Just because the labels release a lot of records doesn't mean the consumer inherited a lot of money. Everything can't sell a million copies its first week, and consumers have to make a choice." Suarez notes that Destiny's Child, who bumped up their release date one day, to November 15th, following a leak, may have fared better had their album come out in October, rather than going head-to-head with an unbeatable Eminem.

"The retailers were hoping we'd stagger the releases more," says one label exec. "But no matter how you look at it, we do our biggest volume at the end of the year. There are more people in the stores, and everyone thinks their artist has a chance to rise above the clutter."

Releasing big albums for the holidays is nothing new. But in previous years, blockbusters were spread out over three or four months, rather than three or four weeks. "We've had seven or eight weeks this fall where sales have gone down," says Billboard charts editor Geoff Mayfield. "If some of these albums had dropped sooner, the artists would have had a better chance of at least one week at Number One."

Worse yet, the pressure is on for the labels not to squander their first chance since 2000 to end the year with a rise in sales. In the first nine months of 2004, sales were up 5.8 percent from last year. But following a soft September and October, that margin has narrowed to four percent. "By the time we're done," says Mayfield, "we may only be up two or three percent. But I don't want to be too much of an alarmist; it's better than three years of decline."

Godzilla's Farewell at 50?

It's taken 50 years, 29 movies and, owing to one monster-sized tail, who-knows-how-many accidentally knocked over craft-service tables, but Godzilla is finally getting his Hollywood coming-out party.

In the coming days, the made-in-Japan leading lizard will ride in a parade, get starred on Hollywood Boulevard and storm the red carpet for a Grauman's Chinese Theatre movie premiere.

He'll also say goodbye. Or so it's been said.

"It's the latest last movie," says Ed Godziszewski, publisher of Japanese Giants magazine.

"It" is Godzilla Final Wars, billed as "the last Godzilla film."

Well-versed in kaiju eiga (that's Japanese for "monster movie"), Godziszewski is skeptical that audiences have seen the last of the big guy.

"Even when Godzilla is killed in a movie he's never really dead," Godziszewski says.

There is no indication that Godzilla breathes his last atomic breath at the end of Final Wars. But there are pledges from his bosses at Japan's Toho Studios that their star is headed for retirement.

The move comes as fandom wraps a year spent commemorating Godzilla's golden anniversary. It was 50 years ago this month--on Nov. 3, 1954--that Gojira, a serious-minded, black-and-white horror film about a giant creature who doesn't mind where he steps in Tokyo, opened in Japan. In 1956, the movie was redubbed, recut, recast - with Raymond Burr no less - and exported to the United States under its new title: Godzilla, King of the Monsters!.

Toho has gone on to produce 28 cult-inspiring films, including Final Wars. In all, Godzilla has starred in 29 films if you count 1998's U.S.-made Godzilla, which most fans frankly don't.

As Godziszewski points out, Godzilla has taken breaks before--he's even been killed before--only to return to make life heck for puny humans and assorted atomic freaks of nature.

"No matter what happens in the end to conclude the movie, Godzilla will never actually die," Godziszewski says.

Tsutomu Kitagawa, however, is emphatic that Godzilla is going away for good this time. Kitagawa is the ultimate Godzilla insider, in that he's been inside the Godzilla suit for five of the last six Japanese-produced films.

"[Shogo] Tomiyama, the producer, and the staff of the movie are doing their best to make this the best movie because it's the final movie," Kitagawa said this week of Final Wars, through a translator. "They put everything in this movie."

Indeed, few parts of the world are safe in Final Wars, with New York, Paris, Shanghai and Sydney all taking hits.

Kitagawa will be on hand, and in character, for Monday night's Grauman's Chinese invite-only screening, the first time a Japanese-made Godzilla movie has premiered outside of Japan. (The movie opens for paying customers in Japan on Dec. 4.)

Other Godzilla firsts: Monday morning's unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; Sunday night's scheduled appearance (in float form) at the 73rd annual Hollywood Christmas Parade; Thursday's Thanksgiving at Peggy Aiken's house in Sacramento, California.

Technically, that last one's a first for Kitagawa, not Godzilla--although how many holiday dinners can a skulking monster possibly have been asked to attend?

Stateside for the last week attending a Godzilla film festival in San Francisco, Kitagawa will be at Casa Aiken at the invitation of Keith Aiken, of the Japanese fantasy film and TV site, Henshin!Online (www.henshinonline.com). Peggy Aiken is Keith Aiken's understanding maternal unit.

"She said, 'Well, you've been a fan since you were a kid, so I guess it's come to this,' " Aiken said of his mother's reaction to having Godzilla over for dinner.

Aiken said the traditional turkey and fixings will be served.

After 50 years, and another looming retirement, Godzilla deserves the drumstick.

Musicians demand Ottawa protect them from music piracy

OTTAWA (CP) - Some of Canada's best know musicians gathered on Parliament Hill on Wednesday to call on the federal government to update its antiquated copyright law.

Artists such as Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, rocker Tom Cochrane and blues singer Jully Black said the industry is being devastated by Internet piracy and counterfeit CDs. The Copyright Act, drafted in 1908, is ill-equipped to address the issues of the 21st century and what the president of the Canadian Recording Industry Association called "some of the biggest loopholes that any business has ever had to contend with."

"The current Copyright Act . . . damages the industry, the economy and our artists' careers," said Graham Henderson, noting even the Supreme Court of Canada has recommended the federal government update copyright law.

"Downloading, file-swapping, peer-to-peer networks - these are all euphemisms for piracy, pure and simple. It is devastating to the Canadian music industry."

A spokeswoman for Heritage Minister Lisa Frulla said the minister met early Wednesday with representatives of the musicians and discussed the issue.

"Copyright has to balance the rights of creators with the needs of users," said Marianne Goodwin.

Last March, a joint report from the Heritage and Industry departments suggested copyright reform is needed and they would be seeking authority from cabinet this fall to begin drafting amendments.

"Work is proceeding on that timetable," said Goodwin.

Henderson said music sales have dropped by a third - almost $500 million - in just a few years.

The industry tracked illegal downloads of Tragically Hip music for a month this year. Henderson said there were 2.8 million attempts to download Tragically Hip music, compared with 1,000 legal purchases through the online music store Puretracks.

"That translates to about a quarter-million records in a month," said Henderson.

The practice is hard enough on established artists; it can be devastating to debut acts.

One artist, Hawksley Workman, had to contend with 1.7 million illegal attempts to download music from his second album.

"That type of piracy has the effect of a brick wall on a career," said Henderson. "The sales of his records were nothing like what they could have been but for that piracy."

Henderson said piracy has also cost the industry thousands of jobs and countless lost career opportunities.

"The laws are so out-of-date in Canada that you can do those sorts of things with music and, even if we catch you, chances are the courts are going to let you go," he said.

The Liberals promised during the federal election campaign to protect artists with new legislation.

"We are asking ministers and MPs to move forward immediately with this new, vital legislation," Henderson said.

But Prof. Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa law school, says proposed reforms will directly affect millions of Canadians who may have no interest in music.

"Millions don't download," said Geist, "yet the reforms will have a direct and adverse impact on their interests, including education, research, libraries, consumer rights, and privacy."

Rather than pushing for harmful copyright reforms, Geist said the industry would be better off pushing for greater government support for the creation of music, what he called the true engine driving the Canadian industry.

"Canadian artists in particular have fared remarkably well under the private copying system with millions in income generated as compensation for the private copying that occurs," Geist said.

The reasons for reduced sales are far more complex than simply music downloading, he added.

The artists, members of the Music in Canada Coalition, also noted that the three-year, $95-million Canada Music Fund expires this year. They called on Ottawa to provide long-term sustainable funding to the music industry.

Eminem Tops Charts Ahead of Holiday Season

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Eminem topped music charts for a second week, warming up a recent cold spell for record companies who hope the rapper and big releases from acts like U2 and Gwen Stefani will ignite a hot holiday season

"It's been soft, but things are getting better and I think we're going to have a good fourth quarter," John Sullivan, chief financial officer of Trans World Entertainment Corp., a retail music chain operator, said on Wednesday.

Eminem's "Encore" sold about 871,000 albums in the United States in the week ended Nov. 21, according to Nielsen SoundScan, bringing his 10-day total to 1.6 million units.

That just about matched the first 10-day sales tally of Eminem's last album, "The Eminem Show," in 2002, which has gone on to sell a total of 9.3 million units.

Overall U.S. album sales for the week totaled 15.3 million compared with 16.6 million in the year-ago week, marking the industry's 10th consecutive down week.

Total year-to-date U.S. album sales have increased, however, totaling 545.8 million units compared with 529.0 million last year.

Ranking second behind Eminem was Destiny's Child's "Destiny Fulfilled," selling 497,000 units, while Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz landed at No. 3 with "Crunk Juice," which sold an estimated 363,000 units. Rounding out the top five were Clay Aiken's "Merry Christmas With Love," which sold 270,000 units and Shania Twain's "Greatest Hits," which sold 232,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Retailers expect to reverse the recent downtrend starting this week, the kick-off to the holiday retail season.

"The past few weeks have been weak, but this week looks like it's going to be quite strong with both Eminem and U2," said Duncan Brown, chief operating officer for Newbury Comics, a Boston-based operator of 25 stores in New England. "And here in Boston, we're also blessed to have the world championship baseball team," he added, citing brisk sales of new DVD titled "2004 World Series-Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals."

"The DVD's really been helping sales," he said.

U2's new album, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," the band's follow-up to its 2002 Grammy winner "All That You Can't Leave Behind," was released to stores on Tuesday and is expected to hit 1 million units in its first week, helped by a promotional campaign of epic proportions.

Media appearances, free concerts and the group's tie-in with Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod and iTunes music service have created more buzz than for any other album this year. Under Apple's deal, its iTunes Music Store got exclusive rights to the band's new songs during their first weeks in release. Apple is also selling special edition U2 iPods.

"I would imagine that with the visibility U2 has, we will be selling a lot of records," Brown said.

Gwen Stefani's debut solo album "Love, Angel, Music, Baby" is also is expected to draw a big tally, and is predicted to land around No. 3, behind Eminem this week.

Critics Blast 'Alexander' But Novelist Defends It

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - While critics savaged Oliver Stone's long-waited epic "Alexander," novelist and social activist Gore Vidal rallied to the $160 million movie's defense saying it was "barrier-breaking" because of its frank depiction of bisexuality.

Stone's film opened on Wednesday to near universal pans from critics who called it everything from a "noble failure" to an "indifferent epic."

The Charlotte, North Carolina, Observer said the movie was "an act of hubris so huge, that, in Alexander's time, it would draw lightning bolts from contemptuous gods."

Vidal said the critics failed to see it was a seminal movie because of its treatment of Alexander's bisexuality.

The film, based on historical accounts, deals matter-of-factly with the ancient Macedonian king's affairs with both men and women -- an issue many in Hollywood predicted would harm its box office chances.

In an interview with Reuters, Vidal said the film was "a breakthrough in what you can make films about. Movies are always the last to register changes in society and this movie does it."

Vidal's novels and plays, including the hit drama "The Best Man," often deal with once taboo gay themes. He said American filmmakers had thrown up a wall against showing bisexuality out of fear of alienating the public.

"But I don't see why they should be so upset since the public practices it," he said.

Daily Variety called the film, "at best an honorable failure, an intelligent and ambitious picture that crucially lacks dramatic flair and emotional involvement."

The Los Angeles Times said "'Alexander' could have been a movie worth remembering. what we get is an indifferent epic."

HBO FINDS A 'FRIEND'

Lisa Kudrow is the second former "Friends" cast member to land a new show.

HBO has ordered 13 episodes for a series starring Kudrow as a one-time sitcom star who is trying to revive her career.

Kudrow and former "Sex and the City" executive producer Michael Patrick King co-wrote the pilot script for the new series, to be called "Comeback," and will executive produce the series.

In the pilot, directed by King, Kudrow was joined by co-stars Robert Michael Morris, Damian Young, Laura Silverman, Malin Akerman and Robert Bagnell

"Comeback" is the first half-hour show picked up by HBO since "Sex and the City" bowed out last spring.

Matt LeBlanc stars in "Joey," a "Friends" spin-off.

FIGHTING IRISH U2 resist the Rock Hall honor

U2 are almost certain to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in December, entering the Hall in their first year of eligibility. But the band, one of 16 nominees for up to seven new inductions in the class of 2005, doesn't want the honor — not yet, anyway. ''We're definitely too young,'' bassist Adam Clayton, 44, tells USA Today. ''We tried very hard to get out of it,'' says Bono, also 44. ''Our respect for the people on that [selection] committee is the only reason we'd turn up. Others deserve it before us. We are humbled by the support for us and the esteemed company, but this is no time to look back.''

Acts become eligible for the Hall 25 years after the release of their first albums. (In U2's case, that 1980 debut was Boy.) With Tuesday's release of the band's much-hyped How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, the musicians say they're not ready for a career summation award. ''We're in the middle, so this doesn't quite seem credible,'' says guitarist The Edge, 43. ''We've got another 25 years,'' says drummer Larry Mullen Jr., 43. ''They need to change the rules. We're still creative and still out there competing on every level. It would be great to get this when we're 75 and we can bring the grandkids along.''

Signs that fans still eagerly await the band's new music were apparent on Monday, as the band crisscrossed Manhattan on the back of a flatbed truck, performing for crowds on the sidewalks, as they filmed their video for the new single ''All Because of You.'' The parade ended in Brooklyn's Empire-Fulton Ferry State Park, at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge, where the band drew an estimated 6,000 fans to a free, 45-minute concert that included six songs from Atomic Bomb. MTV taped the concert and will air it on Dec. 10.

After extended hiatus, Was (Not Was) is again

After more than a decade of dormancy, eclectic Detroit funk act Was (Not Was) is preparing to re-emerge with a December/January club tour, a best-of album and a new studio set.

The brief tour gets underway Dec. 27 in Southern California, and so far is scheduled to visit nine cities. According to the group's publicist, the lineup will include Don Was, David Was, vocalist Sweet Pea Atkinson, sax player David McMurray, guitarist Randy Jacobs and a drummer to be determined.

The outing, dubbed the Life After Meth tour, will help pave the way for the planned spring 2005 release of a new Was (Not Was) album, tentatively titled "Boo!", as well as the best-of collection. Release dates haven't been announced for either set.

Was (Not Was) issued its self-titled debut album in 1981, and followed it with 1983's "Born to Laugh at Tornados," which featured guest vocals from both Mel Torme and Ozzy Osbourne.

The group's most commercially successful album was 1988's "What Up, Dog," which spawned the hits "Walk the Dinosaur" and "Spy in the House of Love." It was followed by 1990's "Are You Okay?"

Don Was (Don Fagenson) and David Was (David Weiss) went their separate ways in 1993. Don went on to produce Bonnie Raitt's Grammy-winning "Nick of Time" album, and also worked with Elton John, Kris Kristofferson, the B-52's, Elton John and others. David produced two soundtracks for "The X-Files" and scored two network dramas.

The pair began working on new Was (Not Was) material in 2002, and the live band re-formed for a gig at the Sundance Film Festival in the winter of 2004.

Tragically Hip to become latest members of Canadian Music Hall of Fame

WINNIPEG (CP) - Tragically Hip guitarist Robby Baker was suitably honoured and humbled by Tuesday's announcement that the renowned rockers will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

But he was also a little nervous about what the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences might be trying to tell the group of Kingston, Ont., natives after more than 20 years in the business.

"Do we get a watch or something?" Baker asked at a news conference in Winnipeg to name the latest inductees.

"If you're putting us out to pasture, it's not going to work. Our best work is right now and what's lying ahead of us, so we're not retiring.

"But thank you, it's a real honour."

The Hip will be inducted into the hall of fame at a gala Juno Awards dinner April 2 and during the televised awards broadcast April 3 in Winnipeg.

Academy president Melanie Berry said the band is being recognized for redefining music in Canada.

"They have created a genre that stands alone and transcends musical stereotypes," said Berry.

Baker, frontman Gordon Downie, drummer Johnny Fay, guitarist Paul Langlois and bassist Gord Sinclair have earned widespread critical acclaim throughout their career.

Their lyrics are known for their patriotic roots, from their hit song named after the small Ontario village of Bobcaygeon to hockey references peppered throughout their 10 albums.

They also lent their support to the Canadian Football League's championship Grey Cup game Sunday with an energetic half-time performance outdoors in Ottawa.

They have sold over six million albums in Canada and are currently touring the country to promote their latest release, In Between Evolution. Tuesday's announcement corresponded with a tour stop in Winnipeg.

When Langlois learned the band was being inducted into the hall of fame, his first reaction was surprise, followed by modest hope they were not leapfrogging ahead of other worthy musicians.

"We don't necessarily feel old enough to receive this kind of award," said Langlois.

He credited the band's highly regarded live performances as the key to its longevity, noting the group has also successfully developed its own sound that is ever-evolving.

"We've just done our own thing and let people decide and let them figure out how to describe us."

The Hip has largely steered clear of "industry functions" such as the Junos in the past.

But Langlois said the band is pleased with the academy's transformation in recent years that has seen the awards show travel the country, focus on live performances and become more accessible to fans.

He shares Baker's insistence that the group is not looking at their hall of fame induction as a winding down of their career.

"We do feel at the top of our game," said Langlois. "The main thing on our minds right now is presenting this new record on tour, but then the next thing after that is the (next) new record and writing new songs."

The Hip will join more than 30 other hall of famers, a group that includes Glenn Gould, Joni Mitchell, Anne Murray, the Guess Who, Oscar Peterson, Rush and Neil Young and the Band.

Nirvana's Box Set Finally Released

SEATTLE - Nirvana's box set, delayed three years by litigation, was finally released Tuesday, introducing hundreds of thousands of fans to rare recordings and even living-room video of the grunge rockers.

The four-disc set, "With the Lights Out," includes 81 tracks, 68 of them previously unreleased. It was initially planned for release in 2001 — for the 10th anniversary of the album "Nevermind" — but a dispute between Courtney Love, the widow of frontman Kurt Cobain, and the surviving bandmates delayed the project. The sides settled their legal issues in September 2002, allowing work on the box set to resume.

"I'm personally delighted to see it out," said Love's lawyer, O. Yale Lewis. "Between the greatest hits, released earlier, and this box set ... it will provide the fans forever (with) a good mosaic of the music of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana."

Universal's Geffen label recorded close to 400,000 advance orders of the box set, which officially listed at $60 but was selling at about $40 at many music stores. Another 100,000 copies were expected to sell by the end of the first week. The set will be followed in a few years by a "best-of-the-box" release, Lewis said.

The set features three CDs, beginning with a Led Zepplin cover recorded in 1987, and a DVD of rare performance and rehearsal footage — including nine songs rehearsed at the home of bassist Krist Novoselic's mother when Cobain was only 20. The DVD also includes the first performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," the song that launched Nirvana and Seattle's grunge scene onto the national stage in 1991.

"It is a true Nirvana fan's dream," said Seattle disc jockey Andrew Harms, whose station, 107.7 FM, devoted the weekend to the rare tracks. "You get to see how the band progresses. The whole box set tells a story, and it goes all the way to the end."

Cobain biographer Charles Cross agreed that the set tells Nirvana's story aptly — a story that ended with Cobain's spiraling heroin use and suicide in 1994.

"It's not always a pretty story," he said. "The band wasn't always pretty, or always in tune. This is not Nirvana unplugged. It's Nirvana unedited."

Seattle music writer Gillian Gaar first heard Nirvana when she was reviewing a Sub Pop Records compilation album in the late 1980s. She was so unimpressed she didn't bother to mention the band in her piece, though she discussed almost every other song on the compilation.

That changed when she heard the band's first album, "Bleach." She wound up becoming a big fan — and would later spend six years working on the box set, tracking down rare recordings and helping create a 60-page booklet that accompanies every edition.

"I started working on it in 1998 and never imagined it would take six years," she said. "We were working with a 2001 release date, for the 10-year anniversary of Nevermind. Then the lawsuits happened. All this work we had done was put on hold, and we thought, 'Are we ever going to get back to this?'"

Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl wanted to release the box set earlier, but Love disagreed, arguing that a best-of-Nirvana CD should come out first. They wound up in court, but settled; the box set was delayed to make way for the best-of disc.

Gaar found the final product satisfying, but sad.

"The DVD starts with them in this little room rehearsing, then at the end they're again in a little room rehearsing," Gaar said. "There seems to be an underlying sadness coming through. That was part of the soul of the band in a way, that there was always a melancholy bittersweet feeling running through their music. Even the title, 'With the Lights Out,' seems to me to be a little sad."

The title comes from "Smells Like Teen Spirit," which includes the refrain: "With the lights out/ it's less dangerous/ here we are now/ entertain us."

'Alexander,' 'Kranks' Join Holiday Parade

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Alexander," Oliver Stone's ode to a Grecian warrior, rides into battle Wednesday, when the R-rated epic about the young conqueror will face a phalanx of films with broad family appeal, including the Thanksgiving holiday weekend's other newcomer, the Tim Allen comedy "Christmas With the Kranks."

Last weekend, two PG-rated Disney releases -- "National Treasure," an adventure movie from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and Pixar Animation's "The Incredibles" -- proved potent competitors. "Treasure" opened at No. 1 with a $35.1 million haul, and previous champ "Incredibles" took in $26.5 million to place third in its third weekend.

On Monday, the two films claimed the first and second positions, respectively, for the day. With "Treasure" collecting nearly $3 million and "Incredibles" $1.7 million, the weekend's No. 2 movie, "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie," from Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon Movies, slipped to third place, with $1.5 million.

Although no one appears quite sure how the pecking order will play out this weekend, the top-grossing film is likely to command a figure in the $40 million range for the five days. The other contenders in the top five are expected to register numbers in the $20 million-$30 million spectrum.

Sony Pictures' "Kranks," which not only hails from Revolution Studios but was directed by Revolution founder Joe Roth, will compete with the other family-oriented PG films as it opens Wednesday in 3,933 theaters. Based on a John Grisham novel with a screenplay by Chris Columbus, it also stars Jamie Lee Curtis, Erik Per Sullivan and Dan Aykroyd in a tale about a family that tries, unsuccessfully, to ignore the holidays.

Allen has established credentials as a holiday draw. His 1994 comedy "The Santa Clause" opened on a nonholiday weekend in November to $19.3 million, and its sequel, "The Santa Clause 2," opened on another nonholiday weekend in November 2002 to $29 million.

"Alexander," on the other hand, will be one of the few R-rated films in wide release. Among those movies, its main competition is Universal Pictures' "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason," which was fifth last weekend with $10 million.

But the sword-and-sandals saga, produced by Intermedia Films and released by Warner Bros. Pictures, also has a running time of nearly three hours, which will limit the number of times it screens at the 2,445 theaters where it will be playing. In May, Warners opened another big fat Greek movie, the Brad Pitt starrer "Troy," to a three-day gross of $46.8 million. But "Troy" entered a relatively open market, which is not the case for "Alexander," which stars Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie, Val Kilmer and Anthony Hopkins.

Meanwhile, Miramax Films' Oscar hopeful "Finding Neverland" will expand into 513 theaters. And Warner Independent Pictures' "A Very Long Engagement," led by the "Amelie" twosome of director Jean-Pierre Jeunet and actress Audrey Tautou, opens in limited engagements in hopes of establishing its awards season credentials.

Rather to Resign 'CBS Evening News' Post

NEW YORK - Dan Rather, whose nearly 24-year tenure as anchor of the "CBS Evening News" was clouded by a recent questionable report on President Bush's National Guard service, said Tuesday he will step down in March.

Rather said his last broadcast as anchor would be March 9, the 24th anniversary of when he assumed the position from Walter Cronkite.

The 73-year-old newsman said he will continue to work for CBS, as a correspondent for both editions of "60 Minutes."

"I have always been and remain a `hard news' investigative reporter at heart," he said in a statement. "I now look forward to pouring my heart into that kind of reporting full time."

He made no mention of the National Guard story in announcing the change, saying he had agreed with CBS executives last summer to leave sometime after the Nov. 2 election. But he was forced to fight for his professional life after anchoring a September "60 Minutes Wednesday" story about Bush's service that turned out to be based on allegedly forged documents.

A report on what went wrong with the National Guard story, from a two-man independent investigative panel, is due imminently.

CBS didn't talk about potential successors. Newsmen John Roberts and Scott Pelley have long been considered in-house candidates, but the network will also probably look outside.

Rather has been with CBS News for more than four decades and made his name as a reporter covering the Nixon White House.

"He has been an eyewitness to the most important events for more than 40 years and played a crucial role in keeping the American public informed about those events and their larger significance," CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves said.

Rather's announcement comes eight days before his NBC rival, Tom Brokaw, steps down as "Nightly News" anchor and is replaced by Brian Williams.

The triumvirate of Rather, Brokaw and ABC's Peter Jennings has ruled network news for more than two decades. Rather dominated ratings after taking over for Cronkite during the 1980s, but he was eclipsed first by Jennings and then by Brokaw. His evening news broadcast generally runs a distant third in the ratings each week.

His hard news style was mixed with a folksy Texan style that led him to rattle off homespun phrases on Election Night. But odd incidents dogged him: In 1987 he walked off the set, leaving CBS with dead air, to