BETAMAX-STYLE DEATH MATCH FOR DVD
A high-tech DVD format battle for the hearts, minds and wallets of consumers is shaping up to be a 21st century version of the 1980s VHS/Betamax brawl.
Sometime around 2006, a new generation of DVD players made to work with High Definition television sets will land on store shelves. One group will only play a format of High Definition signals called Blu-ray, and the other something known as HD DVD.
Blu-ray is being championed by Sony (the loser in the Betamax wars) and supported by Dell, HP, Hitachi, Pioneer, Philips and Samsung. HD DVD has the backing of brands like Toshiba, NEC and Sanyo.
The new machines are expected to cost around $2,000 for a Blu-ray player and about $1,000 for a HD DVD box at first. But with the battle lines formally drawn, the war about to unfold will come despite the hard lessons learned from the Betamax/VHS conflict 20 years ago, which cost companies like Sony untold millions and left consumers fuming when the had to throw away their Betamax machines.
"The point is that consumers' memories don't stop each manufacturer's desire," says consumer electronics expert Peter King, of Strategy Analytics. "Each one has big investments in [their chosen technology], think that they've got a winning product, want it adopted as the industry standard, and will fight tooth-and-nail to do so."
Both formats hold much more information than conventional DVDs, which means the movies on them will look sharper and clearer on those high-tech rectangular High Definition TVs that are already beginning to replace the conventional tube sets that most consumers now own.
The technology on both machines is basically the same. They both use blue lasers, which have shorter wavelengths than conventional red lasers and allow the discs to save more data. The difference comes in the kind of electronic language each machine uses to encode data on the discs and the amount of data that can be stored.
Blu-ray discs can hold twice the information — at least an entire feature film and all the extras to go along with it — while HD DVDs can only hold one feature film. But Blu-ray discs will need all new equipment to be manufactured, so they are expected to cost more, while HD DVDs can be fashioned in the same factories where conventional DVDs are made, leading to lower prices on store shelves.
Years ago, the deciding factor in the VHS/Betamax fight was which format had more movies, and it may also ultimately decide which disc becomes the new industry standard.
Last week, Disney said it would release its movies on Blu-ray discs (and continue to release them on regular DVDs) but kept the door open just in case HD DVDs eventually win the battle. Disney's announcement came about two weeks after several studios — including Warner Bros., New Line Cinema, Paramount and Universal — agreed to release their films on HD DVD.
U2, O'Jays Are Rock Hall of Fame Inductees
NEW YORK - Irish rockers U2, R&B singers The O'Jays and soul balladeer Percy Sledge are among five musical legends to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during the foundation's 20th annual induction ceremony next year, the organization announced Monday.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation will hold its induction ceremony March 14 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in Manhattan.
U2, which became one of the planet's most popular bands in the 1980s with their megahit "The Joshua Tree," is still making the charts: Their November release, "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," is the No. 2 album according to Billboard.
The O'Jays had eight No. 1 R&B hits during the 1970s and '80s, including "Love Train" and "Use Ta Be My Girl." Sledge will forever be associated with "When a Man Loves a Woman," one of the songs that made him a figure in deep Southern Soul in the late 1960s.
The Pretenders and blues guitarist Buddy Guy will also join the organization's Class of 2005.
The artists beat out an impressive list of nominees including Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, which would have been the first rap group to be inducted; "Centerfold" singers the J. Geils Band, and the late country singer Conway Twitty.
Also, Frank Barsalona and Seymour Stein will be inducted in the non-performer category.
Barsalona is credited with creating the first legitimate rock and roll booking agency. His roster included acts like Led Zepplin, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and The Who.
Stein, who is chairman and co-founder of Sire Records, is noted as one of the most successful executives in the recording industry. He is known for signing artists like Madonna, The Ramones and The Talking Heads.
Musicians, industry professionals and journalists vote on the nominations, which were announced in September. Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.
Philbin to Sub for Clark on New Year's Eve
NEW YORK - Regis Philbin will fill in as host of ABC's "New Year's Rockin' Eve 2005" for Dick Clark, who suffered a mild stroke last week, the network announced Monday.
Philbin, co-host of the syndicated "Regis & Kelly," has made subbing for ailing entertainers something of a specialty, coming to David Letterman's aid when Letterman underwent heart bypass surgery in 2000 and recovered from an eye infection in 2003.
Clark remains hospitalized following his stroke, spokesman Paul Shefrin said, but is "getting better every day."
In a statement, Clark said his doctors advised against the New Year's Eve duties, saying it was too soon.
The 75-year-old Clark has been host of a New Year's Eve special for 32 years.
Philbin will be joined by singer Ashlee Simpson, who's hosting the West Coast part of the show. Besides Simpson, performers include Big & Rich, Ciara, Earth, Wind & Fire, Good Charlotte and Billy Idol.
"It's the greatest `temp job' in the world," Philbin said.
'Sideways' Leads Globes With 7 Nominations
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The road-trip flick "Sideways" led Golden Globe contenders Monday with seven nominations, including best musical or comedy film, three acting nominations and best director, while Jamie Foxx scored a record three nominations.
The Howard Hughes biography "The Aviator" landed six nominations including best dramatic feature and best director.
Other best drama nominees were the caustic sex tale "Closer"; "Finding Neverland," the story of "Peter Pan" creator J.M. Barrie; "Hotel Rwanda," a tale set against the genocide in that country; "Kinsey," a film biography of sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, and the boxing saga "Million Dollar Baby."
Along with "Sideways," best musical or comedy nominees were the whimsical romance "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; the animated superhero adventure "The Incredibles"; "The Phantom of the Opera," adapted from the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, and the Ray Charles film biography "Ray."
"Ray" star Foxx was nominated for best musical or comedy actor for that film, for supporting actor for "Collateral" as a taxi driver whose cab is hijacked by a hit man, and as best actor in a TV movie or miniseries for "Redemption."
Other stars have received two nominations in a single year, but Foxx was the first to receive three.
"The Aviator" star Leonardo DiCaprio earned a nomination as best dramatic actor for his role as Hughes. Other nominees were Javier Bardem as a paralyzed man seeking the right to die in "The Sea Inside"; Don Cheadle as a hotel manager sheltering refugees in "Hotel Rwanda"; Johnny Depp as playwright Barrie in "Finding Neverland" and Liam Neeson as the title character in "Kinsey."
Dramatic lead actress nominees were Scarlett Johansson in "A Love Song for Bobby Long," playing a teen who finds an unlikely extended family; Nicole Kidman as a woman visited by a boy claiming to be her dead husband in "Birth"; Imelda Staunton as the title character in the abortion drama "Vera Drake"; Hilary Swank as a boxer in "Million Dollar Baby" and Uma Thurman as a vengeful former assassin in "Kill Bill — Vol. 2."
Along with Foxx, "Sideways" star Paul Giamatti was nominated for best actor in a musical or comedy for his role as a loser in love on a road trip with a buddy.
Giamatti said the sad-sack character doesn't even like himself, which makes his appeal a mystery. "And he doesn't like many other people either," said the actor. "He's not particularly likeable. Maybe that's what people liked about him. You don't get to see many people like that in the central role of a film ... kind of misanthropic."
Other nominees were Jim Carrey as a man who pays to have memories of his ex-girlfriend erased in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"; Kevin Kline as composer Cole Porter in "De-Lovely" and Kevin Spacey as singer Bobby Darin in "Beyond the Sea."
Musical or comedy actress nominees included Annette Bening as a London stage diva in "Being Julia"; Ashley Judd as composer Porter's wife in "De-Lovely"; and Emmy Rossum as a musical stage ingenue in "The Phantom of the Opera."
"I got cast right before I was 17 and I'm now 18 and it's just really a thrill for me," said Rossum, who played the role of the manipulated young diva Christine. "I was thrilled to even get the part. I never thought I would and never even dreamed I would get this far with it."
Other nominees were Kate Winslet as Carrey's ex-girlfriend in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" and Renee Zellweger as the title character in the romantic sequel "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason."
Contenders for best film director included Alexander Payne for "Sideways" and Martin Scorsese for "The Aviator."
"People tell me that they like the fact that the movie is just about people, that it's just a human film, a human comedy, and they find it refreshing," said Payne, director of the 2002's Golden Globe-winning "About Schmidt," who added that he's always surprised by award honors. "My filmmaking is always filled with hopefulness but certainly never certainty."
The remaining directing nominees: Clint Eastwood for "Million Dollar Baby," Marc Forster for "Finding Neverland" and Mike Nichols for "Closer."
Eastwood also was nominated for his musical score on "Million Dollar Baby," while his star in that film, Swank, received a second nomination for best actress in a TV miniseries or movie for "Iron Jawed Angels."
Also nominated for supporting actor were Morgan Freeman as an ex-boxer in "Million Dollar Baby," David Carradine as ringleader of a hit-man squad in "Kill Bill — Vol. 2," Thomas Haden Church as a bridegroom on a pre-wedding spree in "Sideways," and Clive Owen as a brutish lover in "Closer."
Supporting actress nominees were Cate Blanchett as Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator," Meryl Streep as a scheming politician in "The Manchurian Candidate," Laura Linney as the wife of the title character in "Kinsey," Virginia Madsen as a deceived lover in "Sideways," and Natalie Portman as a stripper in "Closer."
Foreign language film nominees were France's "The Chorus" and "A Very Long Engagement," China's "House of Flying Daggers," Brazil's "The Motorcycle Diaries" and Spain's "The Sea Inside."
Three of the best actress nominees for TV musical or comedy series were co-stars of ABC's smash hit "Desperate Housewives": Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and and Felicity Huffman. The other nominees: Debra Messing of "Will & Grace" and Sarah Jessica Parker for "Sex and the City."
The best TV miniseries or movie nominees: "American Family: Journey of Dreams," Iron Jawed Angels," "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," "The Lion in Winter" and "Something the Lord Made."
Best TV drama series picks were "24," "Deadwood," "Lost," "Nip/Tuck" and "The Sopranos." Best comedy series nominees were "Arrested Development," "Desperate Housewives," "Entourage," "Sex and the City" and "Will & Grace."
Golden Globes are handed out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a comparatively small group of about 90 reporters for overseas news outlets. Yet with a nationally televised awards ceremony on NBC (set for Jan. 16) and a solid knack for picking eventual Academy Awards winners, the Globes wield a fair amount of sway among the 5,800 Oscar voters.
The Globes last January correctly predicted eventual Oscar winners in all key categories, including best-picture champ "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and actors Sean Penn, Charlize Theron, Tim Robbins and Renee Zellweger.