The Couch Potato Report - February 1st, 2005

In The Couch Potato Report this week, the legend, the man, the movie, RAY!

Oh, and there are two other films too.

In 1980 I went to see a movie called THE BLUES BROTHERS because it co-starred Carrie Fisher from STAR WARS and John Candy of SCTV fame.

I had no idea that The Blues Brothers - as played by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi - were popular characters from SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, I went to hear Candy's classic line from the trailer ("We're in a truck") and because, like most young men of that time, I had a crush on Carrie Fisher.

In addition to Candy and the eye candy the movie was also full of some great musicians. Aretha Franklin! Cab Calloway! And Ray Charles!

I was unaware of who Aykroyd and Belushi were and I also didn't know who any of those singers were.

Yet when I went in to a record store not long after seeing the movie I bought the soundtrack album to THE BLUES BROTHERS because I wanted to hear the music again.

Over the years I have watched the movie a few dozen times, but I have listened to the soundtrack hundreds of times.

The movie served as my introduction to Ray Charles. I didn't know him then, but I know him now.

That fact that I know him, admire him, and love his music is what scared me when I sat down to watch RAY, the Hollywood film about Ray Charles life.

Even though the film's director - Taylor Hackford - had produced the great film LA BAMBA about the life of Richie Valens, and he had entertained me with his movies AGAINST ALL ODDS and WHITE NIGHTS, he was also the director who bored me with his recent films PROOF OF LIFE and THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE.

So that made me nervous.

Then there was Jamie Foxx, the man given the task of portraying the musical legend.

Foxx had delivered great dramatic turns in ALI, COLLATERAL and ANY GIVEN SUNDAY, but I primarily knew him as a comedian from the TV show IN LIVING COLOUR.

As I sit here right now, I am pleased to tell you that all of my fears were unfounded!

Both Hackford and Foxx highly deserve the Academy Award nominations they received for their work in RAY.

The movie RAY is a warts-and-all look at the man, the musician and the businessman who was Ray Charles.

RAY does celebrate Ray Charles, but it doesn't shy away from his heroin addiction and frequent infidelities. It also doesn't waver in it's goal to detail the hostility that Brother Ray suffered due to the racism of 1950s and '60s in America.

RAY would have been a great film to see due to the man at it's core, but one other reason to watch it is so you can bear witness to the amazing performance of Jamie Foxx in the title role.

For once, all of the hype you are hearing about a performance is completely justified.

Foxx is absolutely amazing in the picture!

Wow! I've been praising RAY for a few minutes already, and I haven't even mentioned the music yet!

Hearing "I Got a Woman," "What'd I Say," "Georgia on My Mind," "Unchain My Heart" and "I Can't Stop Loving You" helped remind me why a movie about Ray Charles was a movie worth making and worth seeing in the first place.

The man had an unprecedented 50-year career, and when we lost him last year, we lost a powerful musician, and a great man.

It was my pleasure to watch it RAY, and I take pride in admitting to you that RAY is a fitting eulogy to a great man.

A man I discovered, when I went to laugh at John Candy and stare at Carrie Fisher.

Thanks for everything, Brother Ray!

I don't have any thanks to give to THE GRUDGE, our next new release this week.

As THE RING was in 2002, THE GRUDE is another Hollywood remake of a successful Japanese horror film. Unlike THE RING, THE GRUDGE won't duplicate the success of the original on this side of the world.

The film is set in Tokyo, where there is an house that looks ordinary enough, but something bad once happened there.

Unaware of the house's issues, people continue to enter, visit and live in the house. Invariably, they end up on the bad end of the house's "grudge."

Sarah Michelle Gellar from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER plays a social worker in this film, but she really isn't given much to do so her work doesn't really add up to much.

In the end THE GRUDGE is just a haunted house film that is full of horror movie clichés.

A cat jumps out at you, weird sounds abound, people go where they shouldn't, and there are more than a few "make you jump" moments.

If you are looking for a very entertaining Hollywood version of a Japanese horror film, just watch THE RING, in fact, the original version of THE RING is much better than the original version of THE GRUDGE as well.

For the record, THE RING TWO will open in theaters at the end of March.

Also at the end of March, major league baseball players will be at training camp getting ready for the 2005 Major League Baseball Season!

In fact, we are less than two weeks away from the opening of Spring Training!!

If you are like me, and you need a baseball fix now, our final new release this week should appease you.

Bernie Mac is the man known as MR. 3000 in the movie of the same name.

Mac plays an unlikable baseball star who is forced to come out of retirement at the age of forty-seven to get three hits in order to get in to the Hall Of Fame.

As he attempts to correct his record, his selfish past returns to haunt him, along with a former flame.

MR. 3000 isn't your basic, 100% predictable sports movie, but it isn't far off.

I liked it, but I wasn't expecting much.

RAY, THE GRUDGE and MR. 3000 are now available at your favourite local video store.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

The animated film SHARK TALE features Will Smith playing a young fish who lies about killing a shark to become a celebrity. Renee Zellweger, Angelina Jolie, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese also lend their voices to this very entertaining film.

DeNiro and Scorsese didn't just lend their voices to the film RAGING BULL, they gave everything that had to this classic 1980 film. The 2 disc DVD set RAGING BULL - SPECIAL EDITION features a look at what they did, and more.

The three disc box set of MIAMI VICE - SEASON ONE includes all 22 episodes from the 1984-85 season, plus the two-hour pilot; a series introduction by creator Michael Mann and a wealth of features including the series' back story and a look at the music that was included in the show.

If you love TV on DVD, next week will also see the release of THE FRESH PRINCE OF BEL AIR - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON and FULL HOUSE - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON.

Our final new release next week is THE NOTEBOOK. In this touching love story a young couple in love is forced apart by World War II. Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdams, Gena Rowlands and James Garner star.

I'm Dan Reynish and I'll have more on THE NOTEBOOK, MIAMI VICE, RAGING BULL, and those other new 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!

Mariah Frees Herself

Pop diva Mariah Carey is set to return this spring with a dance-heavy R&B album, The Emancipation of Mimi. The record, which Carey calls "the real essence of who I am," was titled after the nickname used by those closest to her.

"'Mimi' is a nickname that my friends and loved ones call me, so I wanted to think about that and make it representative of where I'm at as an artist," explains Carey. "It was like, 'OK, this is the fun side, the real me, and not the image and the baggage that comes with the whole "Mariah Carey" thing.' It's a reflection of this being a celebratory moment in my life."

This optimism is in contrast to the drama the diva has experienced of late. While in the studio in November, Carey posted a note on her Web site, stating that for a period she had felt "imprisoned by my insecurities . . . For the first time in my life, I feel free and unashamed to be who I really am." When asked about these issues, Carey replies, "That's just how I've been since I was a child. I come from a bi-racial family, and I moved thirteen times when I was growing up. I had, you know, not the average childhood. Then certain relationships I was in were not that great for someone who does have insecurities . . . And it intensifies when you become famous and you're under a microscope."

The first, club-ready single off Emancipation, "It's Like That," was produced by longtime friend Jermaine Dupri. "I'm really excited about it -- Jermaine and I have such great chemistry in the studio," Carey says. "This song to me is a fun party record, like 'We're just going out, having a good time and not being stressed about anything.'"

The Neptunes' Pharrell Williams also helped set the upbeat tone. "It became like a party atmosphere: He was working with Snoop on his record in one room, and with Nelly in another, and then we all ended up collaborating together," says Carey. "I'd never worked with the Neptunes before, but I'd wanted to since they worked with Jay[-Z]. Then when other female artists worked with them, I was like, 'Now I won't be the first girl!' [laughs] It was a fun moment for us, to finally get in the studio and feel each others' vibe." Snoop and Carey were reunited for the first time since 1999's "Crybaby" (Rainbow), which the singer calls "one of my favorite songs."

In addition to the dance-friendly tracks, Emancipation brings the searching ballads that Carey is known for. "I love [the single] as a first look," she says, "but there are also songs with a little bit of meaning behind them." She dubs the "inspirational" record "Fly Like a Bird" the album's "most introspective moment, and the most powerful vocally and lyrically." The pastor from Carey's church, Pastor Clarence Keaton, actually speaks on the track. "So it's a really special song for me," she confesses. Carey also describes the process of recording these slower tracks as freer and "much more organic." "I went in with live musicians, and I sang the songs with the band: I would sing different guitar riffs with the guitar players," she explains, "and tell the horn players what I was hearing."

With more than a few young pop stars taking to lip-syncing these days, Carey's powerhouse voice puts all that "acid reflux" talk to shame. Performing regularly live, she claims, actually helped rather than hurt her vocals on the new record. "I went on tour [for 2002's Charmbracelet], and that got me in a great place vocally," Carey says. "I would do an entire show of my songs, which are really demanding, and then I would take two days off and sleep and rest and hang out -- that was excellent for my voice. So when I went back into the studio, I was able to experiment vocally and go back to singing in more of a belting register and a higher register -- and yet still do the breathy, soft things that I like."

A tour in support of Emancipation is in the works for this summer. But Carey worries about how to keep her fans happy. "I always want to make sure the fans are happy when they leave, and they've heard all their favorite songs," she admits. "And it's hard because I've had a lot of records! But I think once the fans get this album, they're going to want to hear the new songs."

Meanwhile, Carey is shooting the video for "It's Like That," directed by Brett Ratner (Rush Hour, Red Dragon), this week in Las Vegas. When asked if the honesty of Emancipation will call for more of a stripped-down look, Carey laughs. "I don't think people really want to watch a video of me looking how I look when I'm recording -- which is, like, boxer shorts, no makeup and a tank top," she says. "To me, videos are like dress-up moments. We all want to look good, you know."

The Projects That Time Forgot

In an era when just about every major artist has parallel movie and music careers alongside shoe deals, cosmetics and clothing lines, it's inevitable that a few projects will fall off the plate. Like that punk album from Beck, the rock-inspired solo debut from DMC (of Run-DMC), Joey Fatone's comedy album and "American Idol" reject Frenchie's debut, to name a few.

Then there are cases like Fiona Apple's third album, Extraordinary Machine, which is finished but in limbo because her label has reportedly refused to issue it. That project spawned a Web site (freefiona.com) dedicated to securing its release, which is still not scheduled. Fans haven't set up a site to push along the solo debut from former Rage Against the Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha, which has been more than three years in the making. A spokesperson said the untitled work, reportedly featuring contributions from DJ Shadow and Trent Reznor, does not have a release date.

Some projects, such as the long-rumored, mysterious Nine Inch Nails side band Tapeworm, attain a mythical quality, while others, like the decade-in-the-making Chinese Democracy from Guns N' Roses, are so long overdue that they've turned into punch lines.

On the heels of the recent release of what was the most legendary lost album of all time, Brian Wilson's Smile — which he finally completed, nearly 30 years after he and the Beach Boys started — we decided to check in on a few of the projects that haven't made it to the finish line ... yet.

Victoria Beckham
Project: Damon Dash-produced album
Status: Was it really just a year and a half ago that Roc-A-Fella boss Damon Dash was hyping the former Posh Spice as the new face of his music and fashion empire? Though tracks were laid down with such acts as M.O.P., the hip-hop-heavy album, executive produced by Dash, was shelved due to tensions between the Roc fella and Beckham's management, as well as a contractual disagreement with her U.K. label, according to sources

Beyoncé
Project: Dangerously in Love sequel
Status: In December 2003, Beyoncé told MTV News that she was planning to release the sequel to Dangerously in Love the following March. "I recorded about 45 songs for Dangerously in Love," the singer said at the time. "I love so many songs, and they are just kind of going to waste sitting there." With Destiny's Child currently promoting Destiny Fulfilled, a rep for Beyoncé said there is no update on when a second solo album might drop.

Dr. Dre, Timbaland
Project: Chairmen of the Boards
Status: More than three years ago, Timbaland spilled the beans that he and Dr. Dre were cooking up a supergroup called Chairmen of the Boards. "I want to do a Dr. Dre/ Timbaland album," he said. "We're trying to do something real crazy." The project was to feature artists from Tim's Beat Club roster and Dre's Aftermath posse. "We'll pick artists we feel like we should do the beats for and put it out and promote it," Tim said. Well, "we're still waiting for [Dre's] main project," said David Saslow from Dre's label, Interscope Records, of the rapper/producer's long-awaited Detox album. "There's no time for other projects."

Jonathan Davis, Korn
Project: Book with horrormeister Clive Barker, video game
Status: According to Davis' manager, Peter Katsis, funding for an interactive DVD/coffee table book featuring Barker's paintings and Davis' music fell through. And as for Davis' "Pop Scars" video game, "as he was developing it, he saw a bunch of other fighting games and it seemed like the idea should have come together quicker," Katsis said. Davis is still at work on some other games, details of which have not yet been announced.

P. Diddy
Project: Techno and gospel albums
Status: Shortly after his 2002 acquittal on bribery and gun-possession charges, Diddy announced that he was going to release an album of gospel songs called Thank You. The collaboration with Hezekiah Walker was to feature Faith Evans, Brandy and Carl Thomas alongside such gospel acts as Fred Hammond and Mary Mary. The album was never released, but Bad Boy's Carla Guerrero said it is "still in the works," although no release date has been set. The rap impresario also announced in 2003 that he was working on a techno-inspired dance album called Divided Soul. He previewed a collaboration with Kelis titled "Let's Get Ill" on the beach at the American Dance Music Awards in March 2003, but then the heat came off the project. He played to sold-out crowds at clubs in Ibiza last summer and has hooked up with such techno producers as Deep Dish, Felix Da Housecat and Erick Morillo for the album. "He's still working on it and there's just a couple more songs to finish," Guerrero said. "He's just waiting for the right time to release it," which she expects will be this summer. Mark your calendars.

Limp Bizkit's Extracurricular Activities
Projects: Fred Durst's directorial debut and electronica album; Wes Borland's Eat the Day
Status: For a minute, it looked like Fred Durst was going to parlay his experience at lensing videos for bands like Puddle of Mudd into a movie-directing career. Just two years ago, the Limp Bizkit frontman was attached to as many as four films, including "The Lords of Dogtown," a fictionalized version of the 2001 documentary "Dogtown and Z-Boys." That one was assigned to Catherine Hardwicke ("Thirteen") when co-producer David Fincher ("Fight Club") decided the movie had become too big a project to assign to a first-time director. At last count, the Bizkit singer was still involved in "Runt," about a high-school outcast, and the thriller "Life Without Joe," though neither has gone into production. Those two are "still being talked about, but new ideas are gaining more steam," said Peter Katsis (who manages Durst as well as Korn), without elaborating. And whatever became of Durst's '80s-inspired electronica side project, Pacifica? "We're not sure what name it will take," Katsis said, "but he's postponed working on solo stuff because of the new Limp Bizkit album."

Meanwhile, past and current Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland spent more than a year searching for a singer for his band Eat the Day. But after listening to more than 1,000 demos and announcing Adam Yas of the Oakland, California, band Stalking Tom as his singer, Borland pulled the plug on the project shortly before rejoining Bizkit. He briefly toyed with doing an album with Filter's Richard Patrick, but that too went up in smoke. Borland has shelved Eat the Day for now to concentrate on the new Bizkit album.

William Hung
Project: Movie debut
Status: The "American Idol" whipping boy's Cantonese-language action comedy, "Where Is Mama's Boy?," was just released in Singapore, but the singer's personal assistant said a release date for the movie in the U.S. has not yet been nailed down. Hung is also working on his English-language film debut, which also has not yet been scheduled for release.

R. Kelly, Baby
Project: Album, movie
Status: Kelly and Baby both hyped a sequel to the Pied Piper's hookup with Jay-Z, The Best of Both Worlds, but the record isn't on anyone's release schedule just yet (and they probably won't be using that comparison if and when it does materialize). The pair also teamed up to write a script for a movie titled "Eye Contact" that they planned to shoot in October 2004, followed by a joint Cash Money/ Kelly tour. However, when asked recently if the album was coming out, Baby said, "I don't think so. Kelly has got his situation going on and I am doing my thing right now. The album is done, but right now I'm focusing on my album and my [Cash Money] acts." Baby's spokesperson said that "Eye Contact" hasn't been shot yet.

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes
Project: N.I.N.A. album
Status: The late rapper's debut solo effort, Supernova, was released overseas in 2001 but never made it to American shelves. Frustrated, Lopes signed with Tha Row under the name N.I.N.A. and recorded an album for the label shortly before her death in April 2002, which a spokesperson for Tha Row boss Marion "Suge" Knight told MTV News was slated for release in September of that year. More recently, a spokesperson for Tha Row did not return repeated calls for comment about the album's release.

The Matrix
Project: Debut album
Status: The debut album from super-producer trio the Matrix (Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera) was slated for release in late 2004 but was quietly shelved, perhaps forever. "They finished it, did a video and it was amazing, but we decided not to go forward," said manager Sandy Roberton of the untitled album, for which the trio recruited a male and a female singer. "We realized that, because of all the activity they had as producers, trying to turn them into artists and touring and all that would be a nightmare." Singer Katy Perry has signed a solo deal with Columbia Records and is expected to use some of the songs on her upcoming debut; male singer Adam Longlands is signed to the Matrix's publishing company, but does not currently have an album slated for release. Meanwhile, the Matrix are working with Vanessa Carlton, Shakira, Ricky Martin and Barefoot, the first act signed to JT Records, the label recently formed by Jessica/ Ashlee manager/dad Joe Simpson.

Trent Reznor, Maynard James Keenan
Project: Tapeworm
Status: For more than four years, reports have circulated about this legendary hookup between Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and Tool/ A Perfect Circle singer Maynard James Keenan. Fans got a sneak preview of one song when APC performed "Vacant" at a 1999 concert, a move that reportedly irritated the notoriously secretive Reznor. At different points, Tapeworm also featured NIN guitarist Danny Lohner, 12 Rounds bassist/drummer Atticus Ross and former NIN keyboardist Charles Clouser. The group had reportedly booked time in Atlanta's Southern Tracks Studios to record the album in August of 2002, but a spokesperson for Reznor said recently that the band is "not a functioning project," and the music is not likely to be released.

3LW
Project: Sitcom, reality show
Status: In December of 2003, 3LW were reported to be planning to turn their Disney movie, "The Cheetah Girls," into an ABC sitcom. The group was also planning on turning the recording process of their next album into a reality show. The trio are just now starting work on the album with Jermaine Dupri and plans for the shows are on permanent hold, according to a spokesperson.

New Tunage

Here are the new CD releases for Tuesday, February 1st, 2005:

3rd Force Driving Force (Higher Octave)

Bonnie & Clyde Ness & Babs Double LP (Bad Boy)

Paul Brady Say What You Feel (guest Bonnie Raitt) (Compass)

Brazilian Girls Brazilian Girls (Verve Forecast)

Precious Bryant The Truth (Terminus)

Bobby Caldwell Perfect Island Nights (Music Force Media)

Caribbean Jazz Project Here and Now: Live in Concert (two CDs) (Concord)

Tommy Castro Soul Shaker (Blind Pig)

Chiara Civello Last Quarter Moon (w/song "Trouble" co-written by Burt Bacharach; guests Steve Gadd, Mike Mainieri, Daniel Jobim, others) (Verve)

Coachwhips Peanut Butter & Jelly Live at the Ginger Minge (Narnack)

Joe Cocker Heart & Soul (w/Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, others) (New Door/UME)

Jeff Coffin Mu'tet (Flecktones saxophonist) Bloom (guests Bela Fleck, Victor Wooten, Kirk Whalum, DJ Logic and more) (Compass)

Bill Connors (ex-Return to Forever guitarist) Return (first album in 20 years) (Tone Center)

Lars Danielsson Libera Me (ACT/HighNote)

Downchild Come on in (Downchild Music)

Mannie Fresh The Mind of (Chopped and Screwed) (Universal)

Nanci Griffith Hearts in Mind (New Door/UME)

Rigmor Gustafsson with the Jack Terrasson Trio Close to You (ACT/HighNote)

Ed Harcourt Strangers (Astralwerks)

Scott Henderson Live! (two CDs) (Tone Center)

HIM Love Metal (Universal)

Roger Hoover & the Whiskeyhounds Panic Blues (new songs plus five bonus tracks from out of print CD "Golden Gloves") (Bandaloop)

The Impossible Shapes Horus (Secretly Canadian)

Johnny Boy Threat to Society (Thump)

Sonya Kitchell Cold Day (Velour)

Jess Klein Strawberry Lover (Rykodisc)

KOMA Sinonimo de Ofender (Locomotive)

Jack Logan and The Monday Night Recorders Nature's Assembly Line (Orange Twin)

Kevin Mahogany Big Band (Mahogany Jazz/Zebra)

Cass McCombs PREfection (Monitor)

Jason Moran Same Mother (ICE #215) (Blue Note)

Mr. Spade Real Talk (West Coast Mafia)

Kelly Joe Phelps Tap the Red Cane Whirlwind (Rykodisc)

Pilot Scott Tracy Any City (Alternative Tentacles)

Dafnis Prieto About the Monks (Zoho)

The Red Tops Left for Dead... (Universal Warning)

SNMNMNM As Best as We Can! (Unschooled)

Tierra Santa Apocalipsis (Locomotive)

Tishamingo Wear n' Tear (w/bonus audio & video material; includes cover of Lynyrd Synyrd's "Poison Whiskey") (Magnatude)

Unwritten Law Here's to the Mourning (guest Adrian Young of No Doubt) (Lava)

Leon Ware A Kiss in the Sand (guest James Ingram) (Kitchen)

Vanessa Williams Everlasting Love (covers album of ‘70s love songs; guest George Benson) (Lava)

The Yuppie Pricks Broker's Banquet (Alternative Tentacles)

VA Chillout 06 (Nettwerk)

VA Gangster Love Volume 2 (Thump)

VA Grammy Nominees 2005 (Capitol)

VA Tunnel Trance Force America (Varèse Sarabande)

OST Because of Winn-Dixie (Nettwerk)

OST Days of Our Lives: Love Songs (NBC soap opera; original songs w/vocals by cast members) (Varèse Sarabande)

OST Imaginary Heroes (Sigourney Weaver/Jeff Daniels film; score by Deborah Lurie) (Sony Classics/Milan)

OST Ray: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Vol. 2 (Charles' re-recorded versions of his classic tunes) (Rhino)

DVD Henry Rollins Shock & Awe: The Tour (spoken word performance) (Image Entertainment)

DVD The Roots A Sonic Event (guests Mobb Deep, Skillz, Jean Grae, Young Gunz and more) (Image Entertainment)

DVD VA The MC: Why We Do It (live performance and behind the scenes footage w/Jay-Z, KRS-One, Slick Rick, Common and more) (Image Entertainment)

Letterman Pays Special Tribute to Carson

NEW YORK - David Letterman paid tribute to Johnny Carson on Monday by telling his jokes. On his first "Late Show" since Carson's death on Jan. 23, Letterman's opening monologue was comprised entirely of jokes that Carson had quietly sent to him over the past few months from retirement in California.

Letterman didn't tell the audience until after the monologue was over who wrote the jokes. His guest on Monday's show, former Carson producer Peter Lassally, had revealed a few days before Carson had died that the retired "Tonight" show host missed his nightly monologue and had written jokes for Letterman.

"I moved to Los Angeles from Indianapolis in 1975, and the reason I moved is because of Johnny Carson and the `Tonight' show," Letterman said. "And I'm not the only one. I would guess that maybe three generations of comedians moved to be where Johnny was because if you thought you were funny and you wanted to find out if you could hit major league pitching, you had to be on the `Tonight' show."

Letterman said his first "Tonight" appearance led to his first NBC show.

"Truthfully, no stretch of the imagination, I owe everything in my professional career, whatever success we've attained, to Johnny Carson, because he was nice enough to give me the opportunity, and throughout my career, was always very supportive."

The entire show was devoted to Carson, filled with reminiscences from Lassally and Letterman.

At the end, Carson's old bandleader Doc Severinsen and his band — including put-upon sax player Tommy Newsome — performed one of Carson's favorite songs, "Here's That Rainy Day."

When Carson retired in May 1992, it set up a battle between Letterman and Jay Leno over who would succeed him. NBC chose Leno — but the joke pipeline was an indication that Carson privately considered Letterman the better host.

Letterman's CBS show was in reruns last week, allowing Leno the jump on a late-night Carson tribute. Leno's highly rated show last week included former Carson sidekick Ed McMahon and comics Bob Newhart and Don Rickles.

Letterman said everybody who's doing a talk show, himself included, is secretly doing Carson's "Tonight" show.

"The reason we're all doing Johnny's `Tonight' is because you think, `Well, if I do Johnny's "Tonight" show, maybe I'll be a little like Johnny and people will like me more,'" he said. "But it sadly doesn't work that way. It's just, if you're not Johnny, you're wasting your time."

Don't Take Off Yet ... Eh? SCTV Only Gets Funnier!

On SCTV: Volume 3 Martin Short Joins The Cast In This Third Volume Of Nine 90-Minute Episodes, also Starring John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara And Dave Thomas, Plus Bonus Material Galore!

IN STORES MARCH 1ST

"Now 'SCTV' has come to DVD. That is reason enough for the technology to exist." -- Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES, CA - Welcome back to Melonville as Shout! Factory announces the release of the final nine 90-minute episodes from "SCTV"'s acclaimed first season on NBC. Originally airing during the 1982-83 television season, the episodes in Volume 3 contain some of the funniest and most memorable "SCTV" skits and guest musical performances. "The self-contained comedy universe was, simply put, the most creative, surreal, and inspired TV comedy of its decade" (IMDB). With the addition of comic genius Martin Short to the last three shows, the five discs of Volume 3 showcase the star-studded cast -- Short, John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara and Dave Thomas -- at the top of their game. SCTV: Volume 3 also includes an abundance of bonus material, with two new documentaries, two audio commentaries, an interview segment with John Candy, Museum of Television and Radio Festival cast interview, and more. SCTV: Volume 3 will be available on March 1st for $89.98 (suggested retail price).

Volume 3 features some of the most unforgettable SCTV programming: Bob & Doug McKenzie finally get their own television special, "The Great White North Palace," the station gives back to the community with a "Pre-Teen World Telethon," William Shakespeare and Francis Bacon are brought together in "The Adventures of Shake 'n' Bake," and the station debuts a new soap opera, "Days of the Week." Also in Volume 3 , Jimmy Buffet debuts as "The Fishin' Musician," Hall & Oates make an appearance on "The Sammy Maudlin Show," and the station includes "sports" programming with "Battle of the PBS Stars."

Cast members Short and O'Hara sat down recently to reminisce for "SCTV Remembers," and producers Andrew Alexander and Patrick Whitley share behind the scenes stories in "The Producers" - both documentaries created exclusively for this DVD set. In addition, SCTV: Volume 3 includes some rare footage of Candy at home with his young family, as well as a special photo gallery with rare and never-before-seen photos of the brilliant comedian taken by his wife, Rose. Bonus material also includes footage from an SCTV alumni panel which took place at the Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival in 1997.

SCTV (an acronym for Second City Television), began in 1976 as a simple show featuring comedic performers from the famed, improv-oriented Second City Theatre in Toronto. Unbelievable as it seems today, SCTV was the first television show based entirely upon the concept of satirizing the medium of television itself, which enabled the writers and performers - whose on-screen ranks included at various points Harold Ramis, Robin Duke, Tony Rosato and Martin Short - to skewer everything from feature films, promos and commercials to such familiar local television staples as late-night horror movie hosts and the backstage goings-on at the fictional SCTV station itself. Originally created for syndication as a 30 minute show, SCTV was picked up five years later by NBC and ran for two seasons of 90 minute episodes, then moved to Cinemax for a last season of 45 minute episodes.

SCTV Network/90: Volume Three (1981)

For SCTV fanatics, the fun continues with this newest DVD release. As with the first two sets, this five-disc package focuses on the 90-minute NBC shows that initially aired in the early Eighties. Referred to as SCTV Network/90, we get nine of those programs from their third cycle.

DVD ONE:

When I mention SCTV to non-fans, the easiest way to get them to remember it is to mention Bob and Doug McKenzie. Those characters gave the show its greatest fame, a subject at the heart of Great White North Palace (aired October 11, 1981). Rather than simply exploit their popularity, SCTV chose to mock the phenomenon.

Many of the “Network/90” shows featured “runners”. These were ongoing themes or stories that were told sporadically throughout the episode. “Palace” presents possibly the most dominant of the runners, as very little addition material appears. We get a couple of advertisement spoofs plus hilarious episodes of “You! With Libby Wolfson” and “Nightline: Melonville”, but otherwise it’s all connected to the McKenzie craze.

That’s a daring choice, and one that succeeds terrifically in this fine episode. We get a deft look at the crass exploitation of a fad, and the use of the station regulars works well. I always like the episodes that focus on the alleged “behind the scenes” operations of SCTV, and this one fares particularly well as owner Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty) ruthlessly uses the McKenzies for all they’re worth. It’s a strong show and a good start to this cycle.

One reason SCTV worked so well was because its creators rarely pandered to the audience. They made shows that amused themselves; if anyone else liked it, that was gravy. Unfortunately, this led to a few examples of self-indulgent sketches, a problem that mars Pre-Teen World Telethon (aired April 23, 1982).

One of the more mediocre episodes, this one lacks any great pieces. Its runner offers some laughs, as we see the youngsters behind a kiddie show run the “First Annual Pre-Teen World Telethon For Pre-Teen World” when they lose government funding. I always liked “Pre-Teen World” concept, so although this one doesn’t ever soar, it presents a fair number of good moments.

However, it also demonstrates my idea that this episode suffers from self-indulgence. At one point, we get a musical performance from the “Recess Monkeys”, a band of alleged pre-teens played by Rick Moranis, John Candy and Eugene Levy. Though they sing in character and muck up the instrumentation a bit, they actually sound pretty decent – much better than we’d expect from kids, and the song itself is catchy. The sequence is cute but feels like an attempt by those involved to get themselves a spot in which to play.

Another sketch suffers from indulgence: Maudlin’s Eleven. This parody of the original Ocean’s Eleven is a fun concept, and it has some good moments. However, it goes on too long and is just too obscure for something this extended. (I will applaud the amazing production design. It’s amazing what the show did on a regular basis, and here we get cool elements like Bobby Bittman’s car and even a Hofner bass for a stripper’s band!)

Overall, “Pre-Teen” remains mediocre. “The Adventures of Shake ‘n’ Bake” exists mostly for its title, as the sketch mostly flops. A newscast that deals with Earl Camembert’s (Levy) hyping of a possible kidnapping is funny, and the trailer for “Prickley Heat” also works. It’s not a bad episode, but it fails to maintain any consistency.

DVD TWO:

In early 1982, unknown Pia Zadora won a Golden Globe award for “New Star in a Motion Picture” over talent like Kathleen Turner and Elizabeth McGovern. This bizarre choice caused an uproar; folks questioned the veracity of the awards as some thought the fix was in for Zadora. That incident allowed for the set-up to the runner in The People’s Global Golden Choice Awards (aired May 1, 1982). We watch SCTV’s inferior programming win scads of prizes over better choices It’s an inspired concept that fares nicely, partially because we get to see so many of the “station regulars” interact with each other and with impersonated celebrities like Bob Hope (Dave Thomas) and Elizabeth Taylor (Catherine O’Hara).

Much of the rest of the show rebounds from the mediocrity of “Telethon” with a number of good sketches. We get one of the better “Fishin’ Musician” sketches, as we meet Gil Fisher’s (Candy) wife Whitey (O’Hara) and they take reggae band Third World antique hunting. In a fun continuation of the cycle’s first episode, we see the fallout of the “GWN Palace” flop; here, the McKenzies get back their show, but with only half the airtime.

If forced to pick a dud, I’d go with “The Merv Griffin Show – the Extended Edition”. Reworked versions of films were a novelty in 1982, so this one makes fun of Spielberg’s longer cut of Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Like the film’s reissue, this one goes on too long and beats a good concept into the ground. Despite that misfire, “Globe” stands as a solid show.

SCTV never emphasized topical humor, but it involved enough then-current subjects to mean that the comedy’s occasionally difficult to understand for anyone not around during its era. That problem affects 3D Stake From the Heart (aired May 14, 1982), a show that focuses on Francis Coppola’s largely-forgotten bomb One from the Heart. The program’s main sketch includes enough funny stuff with Dr. Tongue and Bruno to offer some entertainment, but it relies too much on Heart-related issues to become sufficiently universal.

”Stake” suffers from another negative distinction: it marks the debut of SCTV’s running soap opera, “The Days of the Week”. Had “Days” existed as a one-off sketch, it might have been a decent little spoof. However, it kept going… and going… and going. Granted, that became part of the gag; it acted as an ongoing parody of the genre. However, “Days” consistently provided little return for all the time invested into it. Don’t get me wrong - it did have its amusing moments, and I know it has some fans who adore it. Nonetheless, I’ve long considered “Days” to be SCTV’s biggest flop due to its over-extended run.

Possibly the oddest – and most entertaining – part of “Heart” comes from a sketch called “Just for Fun”. Its premise involves a talk show with many very notable names, but the host (Thomas) only wants to discuss babes. Here he chats with Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Aaron Copland, and Betty Friedan. It’s a one-joke sketch, but it’s a good one.

We also see the end of the marriage between Tex (Thomas) and Edna Boil (Andrea Martin), as he leaves her in the middle of a commercial. This leads Edna to search for a replacement, with amusing results. Despite that winner, “Heart” is one of the less exciting episodes.

DVD THREE:

We can tell that no really prominent runner shows up in Pet Peeves/The Happy Wanderers (aired May 21, 1982) since it presents two titles. “Pet Peeves of the Stars” indeed acts as a runner in that those spots pop up occasionally throughout the show; we hear the petty annoyances of Morgan Fairchild, Luciano Pavarotti, Bob Hope, and Elizabeth Taylor. It’s a good bit but not anything amazing.

We do find the debut “The Happy Wanderers”, the polka show led by Yosh (Candy) and Stan Schmenge (Levy). It’s a funny concept brought out successfully.

Indeed, this episode comes chock full of good sketches, though not many great ones. On the negative side, we get more “Days of the Week”. Actually, that series will continue through the rest of the cycle, so I’ll stop griping now. Otherwise, we get a nice “Donahue” spoof in which he looks at porn, and the wonderful “Second Nose Job”. One of the better newscasts comes from a “Nightline: Melonville” in which a drunken Floyd Robertson (Joe Flaherty) angers Mayor Tommy Shanks (Candy). Outside of “Days”, nothing here flops.

Due to their usual refusal to license their songs, Led Zeppelin significantly mar this episode. It’s four or five minutes shorter than normal because some bits had to be removed. We lose the musical performance by Linsk Minyk (Rick Moranis) on the “Wanderers” since he played “Stairway to Heaven”, and an entire ad called “Stairways to Heaven” – in which many different acts play that classic – also gets the boot. It’s too bad the DVD can’t include this stuff, but if they don’t have the rights, there’s not much they can do.

Musical guest stars became a prominent part of SCTV when they moved to NBC, but none of their efforts ever worked as well as Chariots of Eggs (aired June 5, 1982). Hall and Oates show up here to play “Did It In a Minute” and also chat on “The Sammy Maudlin Show”. There they interact with director Bobby Bittman (Levy) as they promote their new flick, “Chariots of Eggs”. This leads to a deft parody of both Chariots of Fire and now-forgotten semi-lesbian movie Personal Best. It’s an inspired affair across the board.

On the negative side, we get one of the series’ odder – and more misbegotten – sketches with “Murder in the Cathedral”. This purports to be a NASA production of the TS Eliot work. I guess that’s an intriguing concept, but in reality, the sketch drags miserably and never goes anywhere.

The remaining aspects of “Eggs” all fall solidly in the “mediocre” category. The episode of “Mrs. Falbo’s Tiny Town” in prison is pretty decent, and the “Revenge” TV show gets some laughs. Otherwise, there’s not much that stands out here.

DVD FOUR:

Although SCTV went through a number of cast changes over the years, it stayed stable for its first 24 “Network/90” episodes. That’s no longer the case once we get to Battle of the PBS Stars (aired July 16, 1982), as it brings in Martin Short to the group. “Stars” finds Short tossed into the mix actively from the very start, as he pops up in many of the show’s sketches.

Rather than ease Short into the show, he gets a lead character for “I Was a Teenage Communist”. A wonderful spoof of both the Fifties’ Red Scare as well as the era’s cheesy horror flicks, this one neatly integrates musical guest Dave Edmunds. (Trivia: the song he plays doesn’t come from the Fifties, though it might sound like an oldie. It was a then-new composition from a Mr. B. Springsteen of New Jersey.) Short shows no signs of intimidation and blends with the cast immediately.

Unusually, “Stars” includes additional guests, as Pittsburgh Steelers Joe Greene and Rocky Bleier appear in a couple of sketches. First they spoof enormous meals with the “Big Dude TV Dinner” sketch; that’s an odd one since no SCTV cast members appear in it. Then we get “The Big Dude and the Kid”, a spoof of “The Pittsburgh Steeler and the Kid”, a TV movie spun off from Greene’s hit Coke commercial. Greene and Bleier couldn’t act well, but the regular cast – with Short in another prominent part – make it amusing.

Add “The Battle of the PBS Stars” to the list of successful sketches. Back in the Seventies, we got a series called “Battle of the Network Stars”; TV actors would compete in various fluffy activities. “PBS” deftly mocks that series and gives us indelible moments like a boxing match between Mr. Rogers and Julia Child.

It’s good stuff, and it illustrates the generally high quality of this episode. A couple of the sketches meander a bit; “Wok on the Wild Side” isn’t a classic by any stretch. Still, the show stays positive most of the time.

Unfortunately, we head back to self-indulgence with Rome, Italian Style (aired October 15, 1982). The title sketch is a lot like “Maudlin’s Eleven”: it offers a great concept but not much else. This parody of Italian flicks rambles badly and feels more like a triumph of production design than anything else. The participants make it look like an old Italian flick, but it usually ain’t funny.

A few elements elevate this episode, though. It’s a one-joke sketch, but “Mr. Know-It-All: The Life of Nostradamus” is consistently funny due to an obnoxious performance from Dave Thomas. It’s also amusingly self-referential, as it actually discusses its one-joke nature.

We get our first taste of Short’s Jerry Lewis in “Martin Scorsese’s Jerry Lewis Live on the Champs Elysees”. Slightly mean-spirited, it’s still damned funny, especially when Lewis berates his musical director (Thomas). Another slam of a personality comes via a look at photographer “Norton Sheeff”. This parodies Norman Seeff, a shutterbug who shot the cast for Life magazine – and apparently didn’t endear himself to them. This is an obscure reference, but it’ll make much more sense for fans who watched the extras from the Volume Two set of DVDs.

Overall, “Italian” is a spotty episode. The major elements like the title sketch are weak, and the smattering of successes aren’t quite enough to make it a good program. There’s some good stuff here, but not a lot. DVD FIVE:

Finally, we head to The Days of the Week/Street Beef (aired October 22, 1982). Unusually, this one includes no musical guest. However, we get a kindred spirit on board, as Bill Murray guests in many of the sketches. He starts with a winner via an ad for “DiMaggio’s on the Wharf”, a San Francisco restaurant run by Joltin’ Joe; strike him out and win a free dinner.

Murray also makes a Graduate-style turn in this episode’s “Days of the Week” and plays a major part in the show’s main runner: Caballero’s programming changes and the “Street Beef” program with Johnny LaRue (Candy). LaRue meets hoodlum Donny (Murray) at a bar and picks him up as a bodyguard. It’s fun to see LaRue finally turn the tables on Caballero, and it creates a true sense of continuity throughout the episode.

Otherwise, this is a pretty average show. On the positive side, there’s an ambitious and clever spoof of movie serials that takes some cues from Raiders of the Lost Ark but goes down strange alleys. “Carl’s Cuts” presents a great spoof of Deliverance, and “How Nosy the Short-Haired Terrier Dog Got His Name” is a weird but hilarious “Afterschool Special” parody. A couple of the sketches fall flat, and not much of it really soars, but it’s a generally decent show.

Fans didn’t know it at the time, but the end of Cycle Three would mark the end of an era. After “Days/Beef”, three cast members formally left: Moranis, O’Hara and Thomas. O’Hara did a couple of return appearances as a guest, but I don’t think Moranis or Thomas ever returned to the show in any capacity.

But all of that’s an issue for the next set of DVDs. Volume Three presents a high level of good comedy. I must admit it’s not quite up to the standards of the first two sets, as a few more duds creep into the mix here. Nonetheless, average SCTV beats the best work done by almost everybody else, and there’s a lot to enjoy in this package.

The DVD Grades: Picture C+/ Audio C-/ Bonus B-

SCTV Network/90 appears in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 on these single-sided, double-layered DVDs; due to those dimensions, the image has not been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Don’t expect any revelations, as picture quality remained consistent with the prior two sets.

Consistently erratic, I should say. At times, the sketches could look absolutely terrific. Witness some of the bright and vibrant outdoors shots from the “Carl’s Cuts” Deliverance parody. On the other hand, matters occasionally became really fuzzy and muddy, such as during parts of “Maudlin’s Eleven”. Volume One was erratic partially because it includes a lot of older footage, but that’s not the case here. Variable production values caused the mix of problems.

For the most part, the shows remained somewhat loose and indistinct much of the time, especially in wider shots. They usually were acceptably defined, despite some really blurry moments like “Eleven”. Some moiré effects and jagged edges cropped up at times, and some edge enhancement marred parts of the production. Source flaws appeared as well, mainly through some occasional video interference and pixelization. A few examples of specks also popped up for filmed footage. However, these stayed minor and infrequent.

Colors varied but seemed fairly solid. At times the hues came across as surprisingly vibrant and dynamic, though these elements didn’t appear consistent. Sometimes the tones became a bit muddy and flat. Overall, though, the colors provided some of the transfer’s best elements. Black levels actually came across acceptably well, as they looked moderately deep, but shadow detail was somewhat thick and excessively opaque. Ultimately, SCTV provided a pretty spotty image, but given the source material, I thought the DVD replicated the show in an acceptable manner.

I felt the same about the monaural soundtrack of SCTV. Actually, the whole thing didn’t present single-channel audio, as some brief moments blossomed into stereo. This occurred for the music at the very end of “Fishin’ Musician” sketches. I believe this occurred due to rights issues; I think the stereo music represented pieces replaced from the original shows. Otherwise, I noticed no signs of sound from the side speakers.

Intentional sound, at least, as I sometimes heard bleed-through to the sides. Speech and other information occasionally spread unnaturally to the right or left speakers. This clearly wasn’t meant to work that way. In addition, some audio interference created a few pops and noises that appeared in the sides and created distractions.

Nonetheless, the audio remained acceptable for an older show like this. Dialogue appeared acceptably distinct and accurate; occasional examples of edginess occurred, but no problems related to intelligibility happened. Effects were similarly flat and insubstantial, but they didn’t suffer from any distortion and they appeared perfectly adequate.

The music offered erratic quality. The shows used a mix of cues that sometimes sounded pretty robust and lively, but on other occasions they came across as somewhat tinny and lackluster, but occasionally the tunes appeared more robust and full. Somewhat surprisingly, a few of the numbers from musical guests sounded blah. Prior discs presented reasonably dynamic tunes, but here they were a bit on the dull side. Some hiss appeared in addition to the various pops and interference I already mentioned. The audio was decent given its age and source, but I thought the distractions and weaker music meant Volume Three offered slightly inferior audio than on the prior set.

This package includes a mix of extras spread across its five platters. Two episodes present audio commentary. For “Pre-Teen World Telethon”, we hear from cast member Joe Flaherty plus writers Dick Blasucci and Paul Flaherty, while “Rome, Italian Style” includes remarks from Blasucci and writer Mike Short. For their respective pieces, the participants all sit together and provide running, screen-specific remarks.

The Flaherty/Blasucci/Flaherty conversation is a major disappointment. Very little information pops up along the way. The most interesting note connects to “Pre-Teen World”, which Joe states he didn’t like; he thought it was too weird to play young kids at their age. Otherwise, the useful material pops up exceedingly infrequently. Instead, mostly the track consists of dead air and laughter. It’s not a good commentary and is barely worth the effort even for die-hard fans like me.

In the Blasucci/Short chat, we don’t get a great discussion, but it’s easily the better of the pair. They provide general anecdotes about their experiences and also let us know a few details connected to this episode’s sketches. Mostly we hear non-specific remarks, though, as they talk about cast changes and working with the different participants. They repeat a fair amount of information that we’ve heard on previous sets, but they make this a reasonably useful piece.

The rest of the extras spread across the various discs. On DVD One, we find SCTV - The Producers, a 29-minute and nine-second featurette. It includes comments from executive producer Andrew Alexander and supervising producer Patrick Whitley, both of whom were interviewed separately. They discuss the series’ origins, early challenges and evolution of characters and situations, monetary problems and issues finding airtime, the show’s time in Edmonton, the eventual move to NBC and related concerns, difficulties holding things together with the changes, and various forms of politics. Inevitably, we hear material related elsewhere, but they present an alternate perspective. That makes the producers’ comments intriguing and informative.

Next we go to DVD Two’s That’s Life with John Candy. The six-minute and 36-second clip comes from the early Eighties and spotlights Candy’s career to that point. He chats with an interviewer about his success, his characters, and his family. We also get a look at Candy’s rural home and see him there. The piece doesn’t provide tons of information, but it’s a decent little archival slice.

DVD Three includes only a John Candy Photo Gallery. This presents 52 stills and combines shots from sketches with some behind the scenes snaps. At the end, it focuses on “Vikings and Beekeepers”; that area features shots without Candy in them, which makes them odd additions.

Over on DVD Four, we discover SCTV Remembers, a 24-minute and 57-second program. It includes comments from Catherine O’Hara and Martin Short as they sit and chat together with occasional prompting from an off-screen interviewer. They discuss their long history together as well as some of their work and characters. A good amount of information pops up, but even when we don’t learn anything, the pair have so much fun together that they make this piece a joy to watch. It’s consistently amusing and entertaining and stands as the highlight of the DVD’s extras.

Lastly, DVD Five includes a program called SCTV at the Museum of Television and Radio. An event that took place March 4, 1997, this 69-minute and 59-second piece collects a mix of show personnel for a panel. We see Alexander, Martin Short, O’Hara, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Robin Duke, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, and producers Del Close and Bernie Sahlins. They cover the usual mix of subjects like the show’s roots, characters, sketches, and general anecdotes. A lot of funny material pops up, but the main attraction comes simply from the presence of so many cast members all in one place. The show remains consistently fun to watch.

Volume Three of SCTV marked some personnel changes, but for the most part, the show still offered the same high-caliber of comedy. Inevitably, a few duds appeared, and the introduction of the much-maligned – by me, at least – “Days of the Week” causes problems, but we continue to find a lot of truly inspired material. The DVDs present picture and audio that can only be described as mediocre, but there’s little than could be done; the problems result from old, cheap source footage. We get a fairly good collection of extras despite one bad audio commentary. Ultimately, I think there’s a lot to love about Volume Three and I definitely recommend it.

LETTERMAN SAYS HIS GOOD-BYE TONIGHT

David Letterman, who was on vacation when Johnny Carson passed away on January 23rd, returns tonight with a Carson-appreciation show and a long look at the impact the late "Tonight Show" host had on his career.

Letterman has lined up former "Tonight Show" bandleader Doc Severinsen, who will perform, and Carson's former executive producer, Peter Lassally.

Letterman credits Carson, a fellow Midwesterner, with giving him his big break.

Dave guest-hosted for Carson on the "Tonight Show" before NBC — with a push from Johnny — named Letterman the host of "Late Night," which followed the "Tonight Show" at 12:30 a.m.

Carson appeared twice on "Late Show" after Letterman moved to CBS — but never appeared with Jay Leno on the "Tonight Show" after he retired in 1992.

Leno's tribute to Carson last Monday was a big ratings magnet, boosting the usual audience for the "Tonight Show" by more than 50 percent.

In fact, just about all the news and entertainment shows marking Johnny's passing — including Larry King's CNN talk show and a number of NBC specials — have been huge ratings getters.

Carson, 79, died from emphysema.

The 'Lost' episodes

A show-by-show guide to 'Lost'

Forget about Desperate Housewives: In our opinion, Lost is the new show to watch.

For those of you who have been trapped on an island somewhere, Lost is about, well, people trapped on an island somewhere. It's a high-concept series that follows the adventures of a band of plane-crash survivors, with intricate flashbacks into their troubled pasts. And there's definitely something weird afoot on the island, where an unseen monster makes its presence felt from time to time.

The show manages to juggle its huge cast -- 14 or so regulars, with lots of guest stars -- while deepening the mystery with each episode. Theories abound: Where are they, really? How could they have survived the crash? Why are dead people and polar bears suddenly appearing on the island? And why isn't the fat guy losing any weight?

Now, with the show in repeats until Feb. 9, we figure it's the perfect time to play catchup. Consider this a sort of Coles Notes to Lost. We give a rundown of every episode and tell you which theory we're leaning toward in each.

THEORIES
1. They're all dead and in Purgatory
2. They're part of a scientific experiment
3. They're hallucinating everything it's a dream
4. They're on a Forbidden Planet-like island, where their thoughts are physically manifested
5. They're being pitted in the ultimate battle of Good vs. Evil

SHOW-BY-SHOW GUIDE

1. PILOT (Part 1)
A plane flying from Australia crash lands, leaving 48 survivors trapped on a mysterious tropical island where bestial noises erupt from the jungle. Doctor Jack (Matthew Fox), Kate (Evangeline Lilly) and former rock star Charlie (Dominic Monaghan) find the plane's cockpit, where some unseen monster rips the pilot out and chews him up good.
FLASHBACK
The harrowing crash is recalled through Jack's eyes.
COMMENTS
When a man gets sucked into the plane's engine, causing it to explode, you know you're not watching the usual 8 p.m. network fare.
RATING: A
THEORY: 1

2. PILOT (Part 2)
When a small band of survivors go searching for the source of a signal picked up on their transceiver, they're attacked ... by a polar bear?! Also, our heroes find a gun, handcuffs and Vincent, the dog of young Walt (Malcolm David Kelley).
FLASHBACK
The crash through Charlie's eyes: He's revealed to be a drug addict, as he rushes into the plane's bathroom to get a fix.
COMMENTS
Former model Lilly shows off her lithe body with a gratuitous scene where she strips down to her bra and panties ... The creepy message on the transceiver -- in French, saying "They're all dead" -- has been repeating for 16 years ... Young Walt reads a comic book featuring a polar bear. Coincidence?
RATING: A
THEORY: 5

3. TABULA RASA
Jack and Hurley (Jorge Garcia), the tubby comic relief, discover that Kate is a Canadian criminal who was captured by a U.S. marshal (Fredric Lane) badly injured in the crash. In order to relieve his suffering -- a hunk of shrapnel lodged in your chest will do that to ya -- Jack shoots the marshal.
FLASHBACK
Kate's seedy past, where she's apparently in hiding in Australia and captured by the marshal.
COMMENTS
Kate as a canny international criminal? It's hard to suspend our disbelief -- Lilly's prettiness, and average acting ability, work against her on this one. Still, this is her first acting role, and she has shown lots of potential.
RATING: B-
THEORY: 1

4. WALKABOUT
The taciturn, mysterious Locke (Terry O'Quinn), Kate and single dad Michael (Harold Perrineau) go hunting for wild boar -- and instead run into the unseen monstrosity in the jungle. But Locke lives to tell about it and returns unscathed -- apparently deeply moved by the experience.
FLASHBACK
Locke's past as a shirt-and-tie-wearing drone at a box company. The episode's big twist reveals he's a paraplegic in a wheelchair, lending the climactic scenes of him rising to his feet a powerful emotional wallop.
COMMENTS
By far the series' best hour, featuring a superb performance by O'Quinn, who makes Locke more sympathetic than previous episodes let on ... His full name is John Locke, the same as the great 17th-century anti-authoritarian philosopher.
RATING: A+
THEORY: 4

5. WHITE RABBIT
Jack, suffering from insomnia, apparently sees his dead father walking around the island and goes in search of his coffin. He does find it -- but it's empty. He also discovers a valley that contains fresh water and more plane wreckage.
FLASHBACK
Jack again -- he travels to Australia to find his alcoholic dad, who has drunk himself to death. Mysterious Korean Jin (Daniel Dae Kim) appears briefly at the airport queue as Jack tries to get his father's coffin on board the plane.
COMMENTS
A big letdown from the previous episode, this one highlights Jack's blandness, a problem shared by the female lead, Kate ... The number of survivors is culled to 46 when a throwaway character drowns.
RATING: C-
THEORY: 4

6. HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN
Michael is badly beaten by Jin, who thinks he's stolen a watch that has sentimental value to him. Afterward, Jin's wife Sun (Yunjin Kim) reveals to Michael that she can actually speak English. The camp splits up, with some heading for Jack's valley -- where two 40-year-old corpses are found in a cave -- and others staying on the beach.
FLASHBACK
Sun's turbulent history with her husband, who goes under her father's shady employ in order to win her hand in marriage. Sun has a chance to leave the emotionally distant Jin at the airport in Australia, but stays because she still loves him.
COMMENTS
You have to wonder how Sun's ability to speak English will play out -- maybe she'll be used as a spy of some sort if the rumoured split of the camp comes to pass.
RATING: A
THEORY: 5

7. THE MOTH
Locke offers to help Charlie beat his drug addiction -- and when the cave collapses, trapping Jack, Charlie goes to the rescue. His new sense of self-worth allows him to finally kick the habit.
FLASHBACK
Charlie's raucous past as a member of the rock band Driveshaft, his poor relationship with his brother and their drug addiction are highlighted.
COMMENTS
Actually features the painfully un-ironic line, "You used to be about the music!" ... Locke's motives for helping Charlie are a mystery -- Locke once again straddles the line of creepy manipulator and hard-love spiritual guru ... Somebody knocks out Sayid (Naveen Andrews) when he tries to find the source of the French transmission.
RATING: C+
THEORY: 5

8. CONFIDENCE MAN
After bitchy babe Shannon (Maggie Grace) suffers an asthma attack, Jack and Sayid (Naveen Andrews) suspect Sawyer (Josh Holloway) might be hoarding her medication. Sayid tortures Sawyer to get him to talk. As it turns out, he doesn't have the meds, but Shannon is saved by Sun's homeopathic remedy.
FLASHBACK
Sawyer turns out to be a con artist trying to bilk a couple out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. He has a sudden change of heart when he sees their cute little son.
COMMENTS
And here we thought Sawyer was a one-note bad boy. The letter he's seen reading from time to time is revealed to be one he penned as a child to a con artist who destroyed his family ... How did the torture scene, involving splinters and fingernails, get past the censors? Not that we're complaining.
RATING: B+
THEORY: 5

9. SOLITARY
Feeling pangs of remorse for torturing Sawyer, Sayid exiles himself from the group and explores the island. He is captured by Danielle (Mira Furlan), the looney French woman who has been sending the signals. Sayid manages to escape, stealing maps and charts.
FLASHBACK
Sayid's history as an Iraqi Republican guard is explored, as he helps a female prisoner with whom he's fallen in love apparently escape execution.
COMMENTS
How much of what Danielle is saying is true and how much is just insane gibberish? She's been alone for years, her son Alex has disappeared and she says she murdered the other members of her team because they became "sick" ... Ethan (William Mapother, who is a cousin of Tom Cruise) makes his first appearance, hunting boar with Locke.
RATING: B
THEORY: 2

10. RAISED BY ANOTHER
Pregnant Claire (Emilie de Ravin) begins having nightmares of someone trying to kill her. When Hurley starts a census using the passenger manifest, the survivors realize Ethan, who claims he's from Ontario, couldn't have been on the plane. The very weird Ethan shows up at the end, menacing Claire and Charlie.
FLASHBACK
Claire's sorry past is revealed, where she's left by her deadbeat boyfriend and is told by a creepy psychic that it is imperative her unborn baby not fall into the wrong hands and that she raise the child.
COMMENTS
One of Claire's dreams features Locke with one white and one black eye -- harkening to his conversation with Walt in the Pilot about backgammon and how there are two sides, one good and one evil.
RATING: A-
THEORY: 5

11. ALL THE BEST COWBOYS HAVE DADDY ISSUES
The survivors mount a search for the missing Claire and Charlie. Jack and Kate manage to track down Ethan, who beats Jack to a bloody pulp. They find Charlie hanging from a tree, but while Jack is able to revive him, Claire remains missing. Meanwhile, Locke and Boone (Ian Somerhalder) discover a metallic hatch hidden deep in the jungle.
FLASHBACK
We see more of Jack's arrogant, alcoholic father -- and how the son tattles on Dad when he causes the death of a patient.
COMMENTS
By now, the show's "Did they actually do that?" spell is so potent you're convinced that Charlie has been killed off ... Jack's backstory this time around is a vast improvement over the White Rabbit episode.
RATING: B+
THEORY: 5

12. WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE
Kate and Sawyer fight over a locked metal briefcase that belongs to her. Jack and Kate dig up the marshal's rotted corpse to get the key -- and inside the case are money, guns and a small toy airplane. Meanwhile, Sayid enlists the French-speaking Shannon's help to decipher his stolen maps and charts.
FLASHBACK
More Kate backstory -- now she's involved in a bank heist, where she manipulates her accomplices into helping her steal that toy airplane from the bank's vaults.
COMMENTS
Lilly's babe factor works against her being the potentially cold-blooded femme fatale the show wants her to be. Still, this enriches her mystery, as she reveals the toy belonged to the man she loved -- and killed ... The serene, matronly Rose (L. Scott Caldwell) -- not seen since Walkabout -- makes a return, as she consoles Charlie over the loss of Claire.
RATING: B-
THEORY: 1

13. HEARTS AND MINDS
When Boone wants to confess to his stepsister Shannon that he and Locke have found the hatch, Locke ties him up and leaves him in in an effort to teach him to "let go." Boone only frees himself when he fears the unseen monster has attacked and killed Shannon -- but it turns out this was only a hallucination.
FLASHBACK
The sickest yet, as Boone is revealed to have had the hots for his screwed-up sis for years -- and when he tries to collect her in Australia, they succumb to their desire in a hotel room. Ewwwww!
COMMENTS
The source of Boone's hallucination is the salve Locke rubbed on his head wound ... Boone's flashback also features Sawyer getting arrested at a police station ... Sayid's compass goes wonky, showing that North isn't really North on the island.
RATING: A-
THEORY: 3

14. SPECIAL
Michael becomes even more resentful of the bond Locke forms with his young son Walt. But when Walt's life is threatened by another polar bear, he and Locke team up to save him. Later, as Locke and Boone return to the jungle, they encounter a shaken Claire, apparently escaped from her captor.
FLASHBACK
We learn Michael is a struggling artist/contractor, who's shut out of his son's life by the boy's manipulative lawyer mom.
COMMENTS
The comic book makes another appearance, with that same shot of the polar bear ... It's clear Walt has powers of some kind that he can use to make things he desires appear.
RATING: B
THEORY: 4

Eastwood Becomes Oscar Favorite After DGA Win

Clint Eastwood has become the odds-on favorite to claim the Best Director Oscar next month after beating rival Martin Scorsese again at the Directors Guild Awards (DGA) on Saturday. Eastwood claimed the Best Picture prize over Scorsese, Taylor Hackford, Marc Forster and Alexander Payne for his acclaimed boxing movie Million Dollar Baby. Only six DGA winners in the past 57 years have failed to go on to win Oscar gold. Other directors who were recognized by the Guild jury at this year's awards ceremony were Byambasuren Davaa and Luigi Falorni, whose gripping Story Of The Weeping Camel earned them the Documentary prize; Walter Hill, who claimed the honor of Best Dramatic Series for TV western series Deadwood; and Tim Van Patten, who was honored in the Best Comedy Series category for Sex And The City. Meanwhile, longtime Oscars producer Gil Cates, a former DGA president, became only the third recipient of the DGA Presidents Award at the Beverly Hilton hotel gala.

'Happy Days' Gang Reunites for Special

You know the main reason for TV reunion specials. It's to let viewers get a look at the show's stars today and then react one of two ways: Either "Gosh, they look old," or "Gosh, they look REALLY old." Take a look at "The `Happy Days' 30th Anniversary Reunion," which ABC is airing 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. EST Thursday.

It brings back original cast members Scott Baio, Tom Bosley, Erin Moran, Don Most, Marion Ross, Anson Williams and Henry Winkler. Also Ron Howard, of course, who scarcely more than a year ago appeared on an "Andy Griffith Show" reunion special. Also: Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams, who have done at least two reunion specials honoring their "Happy Days" spinoff, "Laverne & Shirley."

"Happy Days" began its run on Jan. 15, 1974 (which, by traditional, non-ABC math computes to 31, not 30, years ago). Set in Milwaukee in a problem-free version of the 1950s, this sitcom centered on high schooler Richie Cunningham (Howard, though he left the show in 1980), his family and friends, particularly charismatic dropout Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli (Winkler).

Long before "Happy Days" left ABC's lineup in 1984, viewers could recite the show in their sleep, which was maybe part of its charm. Same with the "Happy Days" reunion special, with its reunion show essentials: cast recollection, clips, blooper reel and overall schmaltz.

'Hide and Seek' No. 1 at Box Office

LOS ANGELES - Robert De Niro's fright flick "Hide and Seek" had a strong debut in its opening weekend, taking in $22 million to become the top movie and fending off a rush of Academy Awards contenders.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Ice Cube's road-trip comedy "Are We There Yet?", slipped to second place with $17 million, lifting its 10-day total to $39.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Director Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby" led Oscar hopefuls with $11.8 million, coming in at No. 3 during its first weekend of wide release and raising its total domestic gross to $21.1 million.

Cashing in on its seven Oscar nominations last week, the boxing drama expanded to 2,010 theaters, up about 1,800 the previous weekend.

"Million Dollar Baby" is in a neck-and-neck race for best picture and director at the Oscars with Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator," which was No. 6 for the weekend with $7.5 million, pushing its total to $68.2 million.

"The Aviator," a film biography of Howard Hughes that leads the Oscar field with 11 nominations, was in 2,503 cinemas, an increase of 242.

Eastwood won top honors over Scorsese Saturday from the Directors Guild of America. Eastwood also earned the Golden Globe directing prize, while "The Aviator" won for best dramatic film at the Globes.

In its 15th week of release, best-picture nominee "Sideways" broke into the top 10, coming in seventh with $6.3 million as it expanded to 1,694 theaters, up about 1,000. The road-trip comedy has taken in $40 million playing in relatively narrow release.

The weekend's only other new wide release, Tara Reid and Christian Slater's scary movie "Alone in the Dark," bombed with just $2.5 million, finishing well out of the top 10. Viciously trashed by critics, the movie stars Reid as an anthropologist and Slater as a paranormal investigator battling mutant monsters.

"Hide and Seek" also received harsh reviews, but like many other fright films, it drew the faithful horror crowd, which is rarely dissuaded by critics if a movie looks like it has some decent scares.

Horror films often nosedive in their second weekend, but De Niro's presence could give "Hide and Seek" more staying power, said Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for 20th Century Fox, which released the movie.

De Niro plays a father in the film coping with the potentially murderous "imaginary friend" of his daughter, played by Dakota Fanning.

"Because of the cache of De Niro, which makes it quite a bit above the normal things-that-go-bump-in-the-night movie, I think we'll fare well," Snyder said.

Among other key Oscar nominees:

- The J.M. Barrie tale, "Finding Neverland," which earned seven nominations including best picture, grossed $2.7 million to raise its total to $35.9 million. The film widened to 1,258 theaters, up 389.

- "Hotel Rwanda," with a best-actor nomination for Don Cheadle and supporting-actress nomination for Sophie Okonedo, took in $1.8 million in 417 theaters, 98 more locations than the previous weekend. The genocide drama lifted its total to $8.1 million.

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. "Hide and Seek," $22 million.
2. "Are We There Yet?", $17 million.
3. "Million Dollar Baby," $11.8 million.
4. "Coach Carter," $8 million.
5. "Meet the Fockers," $7.6 million.
6. "The Aviator," $7.5 million.
7. "Sideways," $6.3 million.
8. "In Good Company," $6.2 million.
9. "Racing Stripes," $6 million.
10. "Assault on Precinct 13," $4.2 million.

'The Incredibles' Sweeps Annie Awards

GLENDALE, Calif. - It was an incredible night for "The Incredibles." The Pixar Animation Studios film about a family of superheros who save the day swept the 32nd annual Annie Awards on Sunday, winning top honors for best animated feature, best directing and best voice acting for Brad Bird, the film's director who voiced the diminutive seamstress Edna Mode.

The Annie Awards are presented by the International Animated Film Society to honor outstanding animation in television and film. Winners, including last year's "Finding Nemo," have typically gone on to win the Academy Award for best animated feature. The film was distributed by The Walt Disney Co.

In the voice acting category, Bird beat Antonio Banderas, who provided the voice for Puss in Boots in the DreamWorks Animation film "Shrek 2." He also edged out Samuel L. Jackson, who was nominated for his voicing of the cool superhero Frozone in "The Incredibles."

The film also took awards for writing, production design and music for the throbbing score composed by Michael Giacchino.

Two of the Annie nominees for best theatrical feature — "The Incredibles" and "Shrek 2" — are nominated for an Oscar for best animated film at the Feb. 27 Academy Awards.

Among the other winners on Sunday were Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants" for best animated television production, and actress Brittany Murphy for giving voice to the character "Luane" in the Fox TV show "King of the Hill."

The awards were presented at the Alex Theater. Among the presenters were comic book legend Stan Lee and Debra Jo Rupp, co-star of the Fox sitcom "That 70's Show." The awards were hosted by Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants.

Carson's Hometown Turns Out for Memorial

NORFOLK, Neb. - Johnny Carson didn't want a public memorial in Los Angeles, but people from the Nebraska town where the comedian was raised gathered Sunday at the high school auditorium that bears his name for a last chance to say goodbye.

Far from a somber tribute, the event was mostly high-spirited and included a monologue, a jazz ensemble playing the "Tonight Show" theme and stage props such as a desk and guest chairs where those who had known Carson talked about him.

Carson, host of "The Tonight Show" for 30 years, died last Sunday of emphysema at his Malibu, Calif., home. He was 79.

At Carson's request, there was no public memorial in Los Angeles. The king of late-night television was a fiercely private man who made few public appearances following his retirement from television in 1992.

But residents in Norfolk said they wanted a chance to say goodbye. Many had known the late-night comic from high school. The memorial drew more than 1,000 people to the high school theater named after Carson.

Lois Voecks said Carson sat behind her in homeroom and performed magic for students during Friday convocations.

"We used to see him later in the hallway, and we would look back at him and say, 'That's the same guy? He seems just like us,'" she said.

Jeff Burkink, who was principal of Norfolk High School in the 1980s when Carson gave $600,000 to the school to build a new performing arts center, said Carson never forgot his roots.

Burkink said he met Carson in 1976 when the comic came back to town to give the high school's commencement address.

"He was nervous," Burkink said. "He said he didn't want to be a flop in his hometown. But the minute he stood up there, he was humorous and relaxed. He was right at home with a microphone."

Former Norfolk Mayor Jim Miller recalled being with Carson as a crowd of townspeople cheered during a 1976 parade in Carson's honor.

"He turned to his wife and said, 'Honey, I really think they like me.' And he meant it. It was heartfelt," Miller said.

Born in Iowa, Carson was raised in Norfolk from the age of 8 until he left after high school to join the Navy and serve in World War II.

It was in Norfolk that Carson first showed a flair for show business, performing magic as the "Great Carsoni" in Elk's and Moose lodges starting when he was 14.

Fame did not diminish Carson's fondness for his hometown. His known donations to causes in the town amounted to more than $5 million, including $2.27 million for a regional cancer radiation center.

The entertainer also gave $100,000 to the Elkhorn Valley Museum in Norfolk and later donated 11 boxes of his personal items — including awards and his Presidential Medal of Freedom — to the museum for a permanent display.

HAWAII LOSING 'LOST'?

The producers of "Lost" are close to telling the state of Hawaii to take a hike.

The hit ABC drama, which is filmed entirely in the island state will likely relocate unless state and studio executives can find ways to offset the high cost of filming in Hawaii.

"Nobody wants to move, but this is a business, and we must consider options to cut expenses," producer Jean Higgins told a reporter.

The sentiment is shared by ABC/Touchstone executives, who say that the series is losing about $500,000 an episode, or $11 million for the season's 22 episodes. Season one filming ends in April.

Hawaii production costs can be as much as 35 percent higher than in Los Angeles. State officials are taking steps to try to keep the highly watched weekly drama.

'Traffic' Drummer Jim Capaldi Dies of Cancer

LONDON (Reuters) - Legendary rock drummer and Hall of Fame inductee Jim Capaldi died on Friday after a brief fight with stomach cancer, his publicist said.

The 60-year-old Capaldi, born in England of Italian immigrant parents, died in his sleep at the London Clinic in the early hours with his wife and family at his bedside.

Capaldi, whose driving rock rhythms and songwriting ability helped make groundbreaking band Traffic a household name in the 1960s and 70s with -- among others -- Steve Winwood and Dave Mason -- also had an illustrious solo career.

"Steve rang me when he heard this morning. He is very upset. They were very close and had plans to record and tour again. He was praying Jim would recover from his illness," Winwood's manager Mick Newton told Reuters.

Capaldi was inducted into the U.S. Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in March 2004, just five months before being diagnosed with terminal cancer.

When Traffic finally broke up in 1974 after releasing 11 albums -- including the iconic songs 40,000 Headmen, Dear Mr Fantasy and Paper Sun -- Capaldi was already doing solo work.

He moved to solo success with the albums Fierce Heart and Some Come Running while touring with his own band The Contenders.

Capaldi was already working on his 12th solo album when Winwood -- who also scored major solo successes -- called him back to collaborate on a new album.

One thing led to another and Traffic reformed in 1993 followed by a major five-month tour of the United States in 1994, including appearing at Woodstock and playing alongside The Grateful Dead.

In 1998, Capaldi teamed up with fellow Traffic founder Mason to tour again.

Capaldi was five times winner of BMI or ASCAP awards for the most played songs in America and cooperated closely with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Bob Marley, Carlos Santana and the Eagles among others.

In 1975 he married Brazilian-born Aninha and spent much time with her helping the street children of her native country.

Chris Rock Hip-Hops Into Oscar Gig

BURBANK, Calif. - Chris Rock's eyes darted around the room, studying the chattering group of international print journalists. He licked his lips, clasped his hands ... and only dropped one F-bomb as they questioned him in a variety of accents.

"I'm never proper or careful, but I never curse in front of my mother, either," Rock told the writers. So he's not worried about getting bleeped on worldwide TV when he hosts the Feb. 27 Oscar ceremony.

"I don't think people are nervous," Rock said later during an interview with The Associated Press. "I just came off tour in America, a million people came to see me. They weren't nervous."

Shooting a glance at Oscar show producer Gil Cates, he asked, "Are you, Gil?"

Cates didn't flinch.

Neither has the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, although having the acerbic Rock as host is certainly a change of pace. The academy is known for its sedate style and the predominantly older, white membership that fills the Oscar night audience.

Rock mimicked the typical question he gets these days: "Oh, a black comic, how are you going to make it whiter? I'm like, `Dude, look around, can you get any whiter?'"

He honed his off-the-cuff style during a three-year run on "Saturday Night Live," plus the club circuit and hit HBO specials.

"How do I say this without sounding like an egomaniac?" he said. "I don't know a comedian that sells more seats than me in the red states and blue states, so I don't see where I have to change that much."

At least some of Rock's cockiness stems from the positive response he received during his recent "Black Ambition" tour.

"When I'm in West Palm Beach, Fla., there are old Jewish people at the show," he said. "When I'm in New Mexico, it's Mexicans. Wherever I'm at, the people show up."

Hip-hopping into the traditional footsteps of such Oscar emcees as Billy Crystal and the late Johnny Carson appealed to Rock, although he revealed he turned down the chance to host the Oscarcast several times before, believing it was "an old man's gig."

But he's 39 now, and it feels right.

"I like the tradition of the Oscars," he said. "I like that some of the greatest comedians ever have hosted the show."

How did Cates choose Rock as host? "Billy is doing a show in New York," he said, "Steve Martin is doing a movie."

Rock cut him off. "Ellen DeGeneres has crabs. Jay Leno's got a gig. They got to the R's. Burt Reynolds said no."

Creating an immediate buzz on Oscar night is Rock's No. 1 challenge.

"A great monologue does it," he said. "The secret to hosting awards shows is like sports — get a big lead and run out the clock. Then kind of hand off the ball and assist the show."

As a kid in Brooklyn, N.Y., Rock tuned in the Oscar show for the host's monologue, then tuned out.

"Any black people nominated? No, oh, back to bed," he said.

Not the case this year. Jamie Foxx is a best actor nominee for "Ray" and a supporting actor nominee for "Collateral" — two of this year's record five acting nominations for black performers.

"If he doesn't win, I will steal the sound editing Oscar," Rock declared.

Cates reminded him that award usually has multiple winners.

"They're all punks," Rock shot back.

Rock isn't a member of the academy, despite acting in "Head of State," "Bad Company," "New Jack City," "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka!" and, of course, "Pootie Tang."

Why not?

"If you're darker than a paper bag, you can't get in," he said.

Working a live audience is Rock's forte, a good thing since the Oscars are broadcast in real time around the world. ABC has not yet decided whether there will be a delay on the broadcast to protect against stray profanities, as there was in last year's post-Janet Jackson crackdown.

An Emmy-winning writer himself for his cable specials, Rock hired his own writing staff, and expects contributions from famous pals David Spade, Adam Sandler and Eddie Murphy.

"I've been kissing --- for years and now I'm going to reap the rewards," he said, cackling. "I've been paying for a lot of dinners and now I want jokes, damn it!"

How will Rock know if he's killing the Kodak Theatre audience on Oscar night?

"I'll probably pay more attention to the musicians in the pit than the stars because they're the closest you're going to get to normal people in the audience," he said.

"If I can get them laughing, I know I got the whole world laughing."

Lowdown: Andre 3000 helps out Esthero

The mystery man on Esthero's long-awaited follow-up to 1998's "Breath From Another" debut is Andre 3000 of Grammy-winning duo Outkast.

Up until recently, the identity of the big hip hop star on her song "Junglebook" has been under wraps. The album, "Wikked Lil' Grrls," is tentatively scheduled for a March 1 release in Canada.

The song, which has a light African pop feel, is a piece of escapism about living in the jungle. "I told him what it was about," says Esthero, whose album is a sexy, sophisticated blend of jazz, pop and urban musics. "It's basically a fantasy song of being tired of your surroundings and the idea of moving to the jungle and living in a tree fort, dancing with fireflies -- the desire for magic to be back in your life."

The Toronto-based singer envisioned Andre on the track, but wanted him to get a sense of the album. She gave him four songs from "Wikked," including the title track from her teaser EP, "We R in need of a musical ReVoLuTIoN!," plus "Every Day Is A Holiday (With You)," a song she co-penned with her friend, Sean Lennon.

"I wanted Andre to want to be a part of the record, not just part of a song," explains Esthero. "I thought it would be a big mistake to just send him the song because I don't know if he would've done it, but he called me a couple of days later and said., 'What are we doing and when?'"

Last July, she flew down to Atlanta's famed Stankonia Studios, where Andre laid down his vocal. After hanging out in the lounge as the singer created, he emerged with a cool part about making love like animals and feelin' cannibal. "I'll eat you alive," he sings on the otherwise tame song.

"When I heard the line, I thought he said, 'I'll eat you all night,' and I was laughing. I said to him, 'I don't think you can say that,' and he said, 'Noooooo, I'm saying, 'I'll eat you alive -- like a cannibal,'" she recounts. "He's so talented. It's so great to be around him, so humble, so fun. I'll remember the night in the studio with him forever."

Wikked also includes a plaintive gospel blues track called "Gone," with Cee-Lo Green of Goodie Mob. Esthero had worked with the group back in 1998 for a remix of Breath's "World I Know (Country Livin')" for the Slam soundtrack. On the other end of the spectrum is a pure happy pop track, "Everyday Is A Holiday (With You)," one of two songs co-written two years ago with Lennon at his New York home.

"The song was inspired by something Sean had already written, a song called "Happiness,' which we call The Muppet Song," says Esthero. "It had like that Henry Mancini (vibe), so I started writing something like that. The song was pretty much done. He helped me write the bridge and we sat there at the piano and just laid some background vocals and ideas, and that was that. He's got a beautiful left hand. He made the song come to life."

"Working with Esthero is like mainlining inspiration," says Lennon. "She's like inter-venus music. If songwriting is a highway, Esthero is a souped-up pink Lamborgini. If you don't wear a seat-belt, you get musical whiplash. 'Every Day...' was a garden already in bloom, she simply wanted someone to walk through it with. Lucky me."

Hollywood Braced for Closest Race in Years

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Academy members' eagerly awaited choices for best picture suggest a tight Oscar race rivaling the suspense of the 1999 derby, when "Shakespeare in Love" enjoyed a shock triumph over "Saving Private Ryan."

Tuesday's picks -- "The Aviator," "Sideways," "Finding Neverland," "Million Dollar Baby," and "Ray" -- turned out to be right in line with nominations and awards from a number of Oscar bellwethers, including the Golden Globes, the Critics Choice Awards and the Producers Guild of America Awards.

Miramax and Warner Bros.' "The Aviator" had landed the Golden Globe for best picture (drama), was a Critics' Choice best picture nominee, won the PGA's best picture award, and will compete for a the best ensemble cast prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Feb. 5.

Fox Searchlight Pictures' "Sideways" went home from the Globes with a best picture (musical/comedy) win, was the Critics' Choice best picture winner and received a SAG best ensemble nomination.

Miramax's "Finding Neverland," Warner Bros.' "Million Dollar Baby," and Universal's "Ray" each received best picture nominations at the Golden Globes and Critics' Choice Awards. They will also compete for SAG's ensemble cast prize.

The films come into the race with certain advantages, but also face some specific problems. The critically acclaimed "Sideways," for instance, must confront the Academy's historic tendency not to take comedy seriously. Since 1934, only nine films that can be described as comedies or dark comedies have won the best picture Oscar, including "American Beauty" (1999), "Shakespeare in Love" (1998) and "Forrest Gump" (1994).

"The Aviator" has an advantage in that it's the only epic film in this year's best picture race. Epics have been one of the Academy's favorite genres over the years. At the same time, there's speculation that this could be the year the Academy finally acknowledges director Martin Scorsese with a best director win.

Scorsese's record of having been overlooked by the Academy, by the way, can be documented all the way back to 1974 when "Mean Streets" received no Oscar nominations. In 1976, "Taxi Driver" was nominated for best picture, but lost to "Rocky." In 1980, "Raging Bull" received best picture and director nominations, but Scorsese lost to Robert Redford, whose "Ordinary People" also won best picture. In 1988 Scorsese was nominated for directing "The Last Temptation of Christ," but lost to Barry Levinson for "Rain Man." In 1990, "Goodfellas" received best picture and director nods. Scorsese lost to Kevin Costner, whose "Dances With Wolves" also won best picture. And in 2003, "Gangs of New York" was a best picture and director nominee. Roman Polanski won best director for "The Pianist" and "Chicago" captured best picture.

Immediately after the nominations were revealed, London odds makers Ladbrokes Limited cited "Aviator" as its favorite to win best picture with odds of 4-5 and Scorsese as the favorite to win best director with odds of 4-6.

Excitement over best actor or actress prospects can also create momentum for a best picture contender. In the case of "Aviator," there's Leonardo DiCaprio in the best actor race. "Baby" has Clint Eastwood. "Neverland" has Johnny Depp. "Ray" has Jamie Foxx, the favorite according to Ladbrokes with odds of 1-4.

"Sideways," however, isn't in the best actor race. That slot went to Don Cheadle for MGM/United Artists' "Hotel Rwanda." Paul Giamatti's not being nominated for "Sideways" stands as one of this year's major surprises given the critical acclaim he received throughout the awards season to date.

On the best actress front, there's only one match-up with the best picture nominations, and that's Hilary Swank for "Baby." Ladbrokes is quoting 1-1 odds for Swank and 2-1 odds for Annette Bening for Sony Pictures Classics' "Being Julia."

Swank won the Globe for best actress-drama and Bening won the best actress-musical or comedy Globe. They were competing head to head in the Critics Choice Awards, where Swank was victorious. The last time these two actresses slugged it out was in 2000 when Swank won the best actress Oscar for "Boys Don't Cry" and Bening lost for "American Beauty."

There's also a strong best actress candidate in Fine Line Features' "Vera Drake" star Imelda Staunton, who has done well with critics groups all season. The odds are longer for Catalina Sandino Moreno for Fine Line's "Maria Full of Grace" and Kate Winslet for Focus Features' "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind."

The predictability of the best picture Oscar nominations carried through to a large extent in other key categories, too, although there were a few surprises. In the best director race, for instance, Mike Leigh's nomination for "Vera Drake" came straight out of left field since none of the critics groups and other awards organizations had recognized him. But Academy members showed they understand the role a director plays in obtaining an awards worthy performance from his actors. Leigh was previously nominated in 1997 for writing and directing "Secrets & Lies" and in 2000 for writing "Topsy-Turvy."

There was, on the other hand, no directing nomination for Marc Forster for "Neverland." Although critics groups didn't embrace Forster, he did score key nominations in the Globes, Critics' Choice and Directors Guild of America races.

The Academy's final ballots go into the mail Feb. 3 and are due back by 5 p.m. Feb. 22. The 77th annual Academy Awards will take place Feb. 27.

Jay & Silent Bob do Degrassi and North of 60 returns on coming week's TV

(CP) - "I got to make out with Caitlin Ryan. . .for hours!"

So boasted indie filmmaker Kevin Smith about his featured guest role on CTV's Degrassi: The Next Generation.

Well, not quite hours but he does have one smooching scene with the dishy Stacie Mistysyn who plays Caitlin, but only because Caitlin was drunk and afterwards she. . .well, let's not spoil it for both Smith and Degrassi fans. The first of three episodes airs Monday night.

Smith has made no secret of his longstanding adulation for the Degrassi franchise and in particular of a crush on Mistysyn, and so agreed last year to come to Canada, with Jason Mewes - his "hetero life-mate" and co-star in the popular Jay and Silent Bob movies - to basically play himself (albeit an unmarried version of Smith). Before the kiss, Caitlin, who is in a relationship with Joey (Pat Mastroianni), admits she thought Smith was gay.

In the story arc, they're shooting a new film called Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh? on location at Degrassi High, using students as extras, and Smith becomes involved in Caitlin's personal relationship problems.

Smith was limited to acting. He offered to write and direct the episodes but he's not Canadian and that would have put the series' Telefilm funding at risk. Watch for another riotous cameo, though, by Alanis Morissette whose character makes out with Jay. Degrassi is the top-rated shows on Noggin, a U.S. cable channel aimed at the teen crowd.

-

Following its debut at last fall's Toronto International Film Festival, Shake Hands With the Devil, filmmaker Peter Raymont's searing documentary about Romeo Dallaire and his return to the site of the 1994 Rwanda massacre, pops up commercial-free on CBC's The Passionate Eye next Monday night.

Lt.-Gen. Dallaire, as many viewers probably already know, was the first Canadian commander ever of a United Nations mission to Africa when he was sent to Rwanda in 1993. But the world body and its member nations left him twisting in the wind with no money, no military resources and no mandate with which to intervene in the looming tribal war between Hutus and Tutsis in which 800,000 people were slaughtered in a 100-day genocide.

As the hour-long film shows, blame was sprinkled around liberally, to include not just Dallaire but the Belgians, the Catholic Church and the West in general. The experience left Dallaire depressed, haunted and even suicidal but this film, based on his own bestselling book of the same title, takes him back to the site of his trauma to face his demons and hopefully lead to a catharsis.

Shake Hands With the Devil was on the playbill for this year's Sundance festival and is scheduled for a home video release March 1.

-

North of 60 continues to do even better as an occasional TV movie-of-the-week than it did as a weekly series for six years.

The fifth movie in the franchise, airing on CBC on Sunday, is called Distant Drumming and has already gathered some honours at the American Indian Film Festival in California. Angry at the way "white justice" treated him in Calgary when he was falsely convicted of murder, Teevee (Dakota House) returns to Lynx River anxious to make some big changes in the law enforcement system.

But Michelle and Peter (Tina Keeper and Tom Jackson) are concerned: would a Dene police force be answerable to Canadian law or to Teevee as both the newly empowered chief and head of Lynx River Resources? Meanwhile, when an Edmonton tourist is murdered, Michelle gets some investigative competition when Teevee brings in another native officer and expert on aboriginal justice (Jennifer Podemski).

-

The man with the beard and cigar is recognized worldwide, and has been for nearly a half-century. But Fidel Castro, who rose up to became dictator of Cuba in 1959 and remains so today, also remains an enigma to all but a few.

Through the decades, he has confounded American presidents from Eisenhower to Bush, while surviving a CIA-backed invasion, countless assassination plots, an economic Embargo - even the collapse of his benefactor, the Soviet Union.

How has he done it?

Through interviews with relatives, childhood friends, fellow rebel leaders, Bay of Pigs veterans, human rights activists and journalists, American Experience: Fidel Castro paints a revealing portrait of an enduring leader. Produced by veteran filmmaker (and Cuba native) Adriana Bosch, this fine PBS documentary airs 9 p.m. Monday (check local listings).

Snubs and Surprises of Nominees

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) -- "Kinsey" squeaked out only one nomination, "The Polar Express" didn't make it in animated feature and "House of Flying Daggers" didn't make it as a best foreign picture.

Those are some of the biggest surprises of the year, when looking to see what and who got snubbed in the 77th Academy Award nominations that were announced on Tuesday.

Obviously, the 5,808 members of the Academy didn't stomach the bisexual biopic of "Kinsey" very well because at one point it was considered a surefire nominee for best picture, and for star Liam Neeson and supporting actor Peter Sarsgaard. Director and writer Bill Condon won a writing Oscar for "Gods and Monsters" and was previously nominated for "Chicago," yet the only nomination for "Kinsey" went to Laura Linney for supporting actress, playing Alfred Kinsey's wife. She's a previous nominee for "You Can Count on Me" in 2000.

Two movies, "Closer" and "Hotel Rwanda," won two acting nominations each, but neither film made it on the best picture list. And "Closer" nominees didn't include superstars Julia Roberts or Jude Law, a previous winner and nominee, and instead picked supporting actors Clive Owen and Natalie Portman, both first-time nominees.

In the same way, "Sideways" earned supporting actor nods for Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen, but star Paul Giamatti was snubbed, like he was last year for "American Splendor."

"The Aviator" and "Million Dollar Baby" each earned three acting nominations, but that doesn't give either picture a lead because last year's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" won best picture easily without a single acting nominee.

"Fahrenheit 9/11" director Michael Moore may have shot himself in the foot for not competing in the best documentary category and instead shooting for best picture and screenplay. He didn't get into either category. Instead, the documentary category is between a personal story about a man who finds out that the priest who abused him as a boy has moved in next door, "Twist of Faith"; a guy who eats fast food and harms his health, "Super Size Me"; a film about children in brothels in India, "Born into Brothels"; the life and violent death of gangsta rap star Tupac Shakur, "Tupac: Resurrection" and a film about a camel and a nomadic family in Mongolia, "The Story of Weeping Camel."

Jim Carrey's two films of the year included the children's fantasy "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" (four noms) and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (two noms), but none for Carrey.

Many past Oscar winners with showy roles were snubbed, such as Al Pacino for "The Merchant of Venice," Jeremy Irons for "Being Julia" or "The Merchant of Venice," Christopher Walken in "Around the Bend," Tom Hanks or Catherine Zeta-Jones for "The Terminal," Nicole Kidman for "Dogville" or "Birth," Cloris Leachman for "Spanglish," Kevin Kline for "De-Lovely," Renee Zellweger for "Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason," Meryl Streep or Denzel Washington for "Manchurian Candidate," Robin Williams in "The Final Cut" and Sean Penn for "The Assassination of Richard Nixon."

Past Oscar nominees who at one time were likely contenders for the list, but have been left off this year, include John Travolta for "A Love Song for Bobby Long," Tom Cruise in "Collateral," Sigourney Weaver for "Imaginary Heroes," Javier Bardem for "The Sea Inside," Gena Rowlands and James Garner for "The Notebook," Peter O'Toole for "Troy" and Billy Murray for "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou." (No, no one thought that Julianne Moore would get a nomination for "The Forgotten.")

No movie about Hollywood history has ever won the top prize, so that may hurt the chances for "The Aviator" which is about billionaire Howard Hughes trying to make it as a director and dating movie starlets.

And Oscar history doesn't bode well for "Sideways," either, because the last best picture to win that was a comedy was "Annie Hall" in 1977.

Some critics thought "The Incredibles" would make it into the top five best picture contenders, rather than just be relegated to best animated feature. "Beauty and the Beast" made it in the top five one year, but that was before the animated feature category was created.

This year, "Team America: World Police" wasn't eligible for animated feature because it was all puppetry, and "Ghost in the Shell 2" and "Polar Express" seemed like they would make it in the list, but didn't. Disney's "Home of the Range" and the successful "SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" also didn't make on the list.

The popular "House of Flying Daggers" from China didn't make the best foreign language film list, but it did get a nomination for best cinematography. Korea's "Tae Guk Gi" and Lars von Trier's "Five Obstructions" from Denmark seemed to be easy nominees, but neither made the list.

Past musical nominees "Moulin Rouge" and "Chicago" seemed to have paved the way for "The Phantom of the Opera," but it didn't translate to a best picture or acting performances and earned nominations only for art direction, song and cinematography.

Mel Gibson didn't lobby for his "The Passion of the Christ" and he didn't get a best director nomination, but earned three nominations for cinematography, musical score and makeup.

Oddly enough, once again it seems that a best picture nominee directed itself because the director and best picture categories don't match up. "Finding Neverland's" director Marc Forster didn't get a best director nod, while "Vera Drake's" Mike Leigh didn't get a best picture nomination but it's his fifth nomination. It's happened many times before, but it gives Leigh a major disadvantage.

Reynolds' Fiance To Appear In His Next Movie

Canadian singer Alanis Morissette is set to make a cameo in Ryan Reynolds', her fiance, next movie. Ryan Reynolds, who can currently be seen on screen in BLADE TRINITY, will start in the movie JUST FRIENDS, which started filiming this week. In the movie Reynolds play a record executive who comes face to face with an old crush from his home town.

Morissette's cameo would "have her beats the snot out of me," Reynolds says. Anna Faris and Amy Smart also star in JUST FRIENDS.

Sxrubs On DVD!!

Buena Vista has officially announced that Scrubs: The Complete First Season due on May 17th.

Look for the set to include 24 episodes, never-before-seen "dream sequences," a retrospective documentary and more on 4 discs.

Singer Lisa Brokop finds new groove, asks Hey, Do You Know Me? on CD

TORONTO (CP) - On her new record, Hey, Do You Know Me?, singer Lisa Brokop hopes to become reacquainted with country music fans who still think of her as that cutie teen who sang Take That or Give Me a Ring Sometime.

"People who would have remembered one of my first records, to compare that to now, I've grown so much and I'm a completely different person," the 32-year-old singer-guitarist said recently from Nashville where she was preparing for a tour of Western Canada, beginning Wednesday in her hometown of Vancouver.

Brokop got her start as a teenager, releasing her first album at age 17.

Shortly afterwards she landed a lucrative record deal with Capitol Records. Executives were impressed when they heard her play a few short gigs at a showcase in country heartland Nashville as well the lead in the film Harmony Cats.

The union led to two well-received CDs, Every Little Girl's Dream and a self-titled one with radio hits She Can't Save Him and Before He Kissed Me.

Brokop and Capitol then split. The young singer took some time off and tried her hand at songwriting.

"I didn't know that songwriting was going to be so important for me," she said. "It's really a huge part of my career now."

Fast forward to 2005 and Brokop has been through three record labels as well as a run at putting out a CD independently.

But now Brokop, who has won several Canadian Country Music Awards, seems to have found a new groove. She's signed to Curb Records, home to a slew of hot country artists such as LeAnne Rimes and Tim McGraw.

Two songs from her current CD, released in early January, have been burning up the radio waves. Wildflower and Hey, Do You Know Me? made it to the top 5 on Country Music Television Canada's popular weekly countdown show.

As well, Terri Clark is going to put one of Brokop's songs, Travelling Soul, on her next record due out in March. Reba McEntire put Brokop's Secret on her last disc.

"She's definitely made a huge comeback," says Dayna Bourgoin, music director for Country Music Television Canada, which plays and has helped fund Brokop's videos since the mid-1990s.

"She's always been there. She didn't completely disappear . . . but it really did take her quite a few years to break through."

Bourgoin suspects Brokop, like so many others, got stuck in line behind the Shania-train of the 1990s.

Luckily, adds Bourgoin, Brokop has kept honing her craft.

"She just sings so powerfully. It comes from her heart. Our viewers definitely respond to her."

Brokop, who has lived in Nashville for the past decade, admits she's needed to "hop around" a little bit to find her footing in a turbulent industry.

"You don't know everything at 16," she said of her early days. "I'm much more savvy now. I've learned a lot over the years. I'm getting better at spotting a fly in the ointment."

Now managed by her older brother Dean, Brokop is hoping fans are willing to "get to know" her adult self on the current CD.

"It's a little bit deeper then maybe some of my music in the past," she admits. "That just comes from the growth that I've had in the last few years as a songwriter and personally too . . . a little heartbreak here and there doesn't hurt when you're writing songs."

Here are Lisa Brokop's tour dates:

Jan. 26: Vancouver
Jan. 27: Kamloops, B.C.
Jan. 28: Calgary
Jan. 29: Edmonton
Feb. 1: Moose Jaw, Sask.
Feb. 2: Regina
Feb. 3: Yorkton, Sask.
Feb. 5: Winnipeg

Ray Charles Finally Gets His Due in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ray Charles was an international star for five decades, but in Hollywood the complicated piano man was long considered box-office poison.

When director Taylor Hackford started pitching a project about the "genius of soul" more than 15 years ago, no studios were interested. Music-themed pictures are a tough sell, especially when the subject is an old, blind, black man.

"Ray" eventually got made and received an official seal of approval on Tuesday with six Academy Award nominations, including best picture, director and actor.

Jamie Foxx's eerie lead performance made him an Oscar front-runner long before the film was released to commercial and critical acclaim in late October, a few months after Charles died of liver disease.

The film has otherwise been an underdog every step of the way, since 1987 when Hackford met Charles and eventually acquired the rights to his life.

"I must say there's a little bit of sweet revenge to all those people that turned us down," Hackford told Reuters after the nominations were announced.

He was far from resentful, recognizing that if the picture had been made a while ago, it would not have starred Foxx, "and no one could have played this role like that."

Hackford and fellow producer Stuart Benjamin spent more than a decade shopping the concept to uninterested Hollywood studios. Even though Hackford had produced the 1987 moneymaker "La Bamba," about the short life of Latino rocker Ritchie Valens, most music-based projects fall flat at the box office.

Denver billionaire Philip Anschutz eventually joined the project, with the intention of bringing a studio on board. There were still no bites. So Anschutz funded the production himself, with the budget coming in at about $35 million.

Charles cooperated with the project every step of the way, even as it touched on his drug abuse and womanizing, Hackford said. That was a pleasant change, he said, from Chuck Berry, "who did everything possible to inhibit us getting the real picture of the man" in the 1987 documentary "Hail! Hail! Rock 'N' Roll."

"With Ray ... there wasn't anything that I couldn't delve into," Hackford said. "There were no limitations that he placed on me, which was an incredible gift."

Foxx, a classically trained pianist, said the most instructive experience in preparing for the role was in observing Charles during unguarded moments from a distance.

"It was watching him when he was talking to other people, watching his mannerisms, watching how he orders his food, how he talks to his kids, how he conducts business," Foxx said.

"He made me feel comfortable, but at the same time you feel anxious," Foxx recounted. "The minute we met each other and started playing the piano to each other, it was a given that he was giving his blessing."

It wasn't until after the movie was completed in the middle of 2003 that producers elicited some interest.

Ron Meyer, president of Universal Studios, a unit of General Electric Co.-controlled NBC Universal, said he used to hitchhike across Los Angeles as a young teen to sneak into Charles' concerts in Hollywood. As a studio boss, he snapped up the rights to the film early last year.

The film grossed $73 million at the North American box office and will come out on DVD on Tuesday.

"I can't tell you how many people said people will never buy tickets to see this movie, and they were wrong and the audience proved them wrong," Hackford said. "And now this, where your peers -- the people who actually make movies and understand what goes in to making movies -- recognize this, it's just another vindication."

Oscar Snubs Michael Moore, Mel Gibson

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Moore's attempt to turn voters against President Bush failed and on Tuesday he lost his gamble as well for a coveted best-picture Oscar nomination for his incendiary documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11."

The omission from the coveted category marks a major misfire for the liberal firebrand who withdrew his anti-Bush polemic from contention in the documentary category, which he won two years ago with "Bowling for Columbine," in order to focus on the big prize. No documentary has ever won the best picture Oscar.

Conservative filmmaker Mel Gibson, who performed a miracle by turning an Aramaic-speaking Jesus into a worldwide box office star with "The Passion of the Christ," also was shut out of the major award categories.

The Biblical saga generated zero buzz among Oscar prognosticators, and Gibson declined to campaign for the film he directed and funded with his own money after all the studios passed. It did, however, land three minor Oscar nominations for makeup, cinematography and score.

Earlier this month, "Passion" won a lowly People's Choice Award for best film drama to go with the two Oscars Gibson won in 1996 for producing and directing "Braveheart."

Frank Pierson, the president the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that awards the Oscars, declined to comment on what Moore's reaction would be, saying, "I'll have to call him and ask."

As for Gibson, Pierson noted that while the Australian-raised actor did not get nominated for a major prize he earned enough money from "Passion" to "set up his own studio."

The Moore snub does not mean that Hollywood has suddenly dumped its liberal orthodoxy, said conservative commentator Mark Smith.

"Perhaps Hollywood decided, 'We don't want to be reminded of our bitter defeat in November (in the presidential election), and the best way to forget it is not to talk about Michael Moore at this year's Oscars,"' said Smith, author of "The Official Handbook of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy."

Moore and Gibson were not the only notable omissions when the Academy Award contenders were announced at daybreak.

Golden Globe nominee Paul Giamatti was not nominated for his lead role as a grumpy oenophile in "Sideways," even though Thomas Haden Church and Virginia Madsen were cited for their supporting roles in the comedy.

Both Church and Madsen said they were deeply disappointed as he was key to the film's success.

While "Finding Neverland" tied with "Ray" for second place among nominees with seven nods, its Swiss director, Marc Forster, did not make the cut. Forster and "Closer" Director Mike Nichols were the only Golden Globe nominees shut out of the Oscar race.

Two-time Oscar winner Kevin Spacey had campaigned aggressively for his Bobby Darin movie, "Beyond the Sea," a labor of love he directed, produced, co-wrote and starred in. But Oscar was deaf to Spacey this time.

COMIC GUY NAMED

The elusive real name of Comic Book Guy will finally be revealed in "Simpsons" episode No. GABF02, Act 1.

The blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment airs in the show after the Super Bowl on Feb. 6.

In the episode, Homer inadvertently performs a wild, crowd-pleasing dance at a local carnival and is hired by several major sports figures to choreograph their victory dances.

He is so successful that he gets tapped to choreograph the Super Bowl halftime show.

Comic Book Guy, the snobbish know-it-all, pops up in the episode clad in a "Nerds do it Rarely" T-shirt. Since the series began in 1991, his real name has never been used, although in an interview a few years ago series creator Matt Groening joked that his name was "Louis Lane."

National Film Board leads Canadian trek to Oscars with two nominations

TORONTO (CP) - Canada is Oscar-bound this year, thanks to a pair of short films co-produced by the National Film Board.

Ryan is writer-director Chris Landreth's innovative use of digital animation to look at the career and tragic decline of Ryan Larkin, a brilliant former NFB animator who ended up a panhandler on the streets of Montreal. Landreth was also nominated in the animated short category in 1996 for The End.

"It is a great honour to be recognized for this film - it was a labour of love for almost four years," said Landreth. "An Oscar nomination is a wonderful validation - it was an incredible experience the first time and I look forward to returning."

Ryan has already won more than 30 international awards, from Cannes to Canada.

Hardwood, written and directed by Hubert Davis, was nominated in the documentary short category. Making his directorial debut, Davis, son of former Harlem Globetrotter Mel Davis, uses interviews, archival and home movies to explore his father's relationship with his family.

"A nomination for my first film - amazing," said Davis. "It is very gratifying to turn the camera onto my family, tell our Canadian story and then have it received so well."

The film board views the nominations as a special 65th anniversary gift, having won the first of 10 Oscars back in 1941 for Churchill's Island.

"All of Canada is going to the Oscars," boasted Jacques Bensimon, government film commissioner and NFB chairman, in a statement released only moments after the nominations were announced.

"The National Film Board is Canada's public film producer and we're proud to share our 66th and 67th Academy Award nominations with each and every Canadian."

Other Canadian connections to Oscar in 2005 include the