NEW CD RELEASES FOR MARCH 1, 2005

Jessi Alexander Honeysuckle Sweet (Columbia)

Solomon Burke Make Do with What You Got (produced by Don Was; songs written by Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Dr. John and others) (Shout! Factory)

C-Universum C-Universum (54º40' or Fight!)

Jim Camacho Stalker Songs (TMG)

Clairdee Music Moves (DeClare)

Coralie Clement Bye Bye Beauté (guest members of Nada Surf) (Nettwerk)

Elvis Costello The Delivery Man (two CD deluxe edition w/enhanced CD) (Lost Highway/UMG)

Cradle of Filth Nymphetamine (Deluxe Edition) (two CDs; includes bonus tracks, video and artwork) (Roadrunner)

Bart Davenport (ex-Loved Ones singer) Maroon Cocoon (Antenna Farm)

Deveroa Chyba Do Stran (54º40' or Fight!)

Mark Dignam Box Heart Man (Times Beach)

Doves Some Cities (Capitol)

Kathleen Edwards Back to Me (Rounder)

El Pus Hoodlum Rock (Virgin)

Shelly Fairchild Ride (Columbia)

Richie Furay I Am Sure (w/guest members of Poco) (Friday Music)

Geography Life in Binary (Universal Warning)

Julie Gold The Girl I Found (guest Lesley Gore) (Gadfly)

Adam Green Gemstones (Sanctuary)

Half-Handed Cloud Thy Is a Word, and Feet Need Lamps (Asthmatic Kitty)

Jeff Hanson Jeff Hanson (Kill Rock Stars)

Heartless Bastards Stairs and Elevators (Fat Possum)

The Hermit Wonderment (Nettwerk)

Hip Hop Hoodios Agua Pa' La Gente (Jazzheads)

Lily Holbrook Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt (w/cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Mama, I'm Coming Home") (Narada)

Ivy (members of Fountains of Wayne and Tahiti 80) In the Clear (w/guests James Iha of Smashing Pumpkins/A Perfect Circle and Girls Against Boys' Scott McCloud) (Nettwerk)

Shooter Jennings Put the ‘O' Back in Country (Universal South)

Jack Johnson In Between Dreams (Universal Motown)

Judas Priest Angel of Retribution (Epic)

Killswitch Engage The End of Heartache (Deluxe Edition) (two CDs w/six bonus tracks, 2 videos and new artwork) (Roadrunner)

Julie Larson Wakening (Artmuse)

Le Concorde Universe and Villa (W.A.R.?)

Amos Lee Amos Lee (produced by Lee Alexander (Norah Jones' bassist/songwriter) (Blue Note)

O'Donel Levy In the Name of Love (Room 302)

Little Wings Grow (K Records)

Jennifer Lopez Rebirth (Epic)

Maksim Maksim (Blue Note)

The Mars Volta Frances the Mute (Universal Motown)

James "Jimbo" Mathus Knockdown South (enhanced CD) (Knockdown South)

Matt Bianco featuring Basia Matt's Mood (first album w/original line-up in 20 years) (Decca)

Eric Matthews Six Kinds of Passion Looking for an Exit (Empyrean)

Montag Alone, Not Alone (Carpark)

Norma Jean O God the Aftermath (Solid State)

O'2L Doyle's Brunch (Peak/Concord)

Jamie O'Neal Brave (Capitol)

Oojami Urban Dervish (Ark 21)

Our Own Somewhere Wherever You Go EP (Has Anyone Ever Told You?)

Judith Owen Lost and Found (guests Cassandra Wilson and Keb' Mo') (Century of Progress)

Pentaphobe Sa'iyr: A Tribal Metamorphosis (Ark 21)

Populuxe deep in an american evening... (Volume & Tone)

Ragz Mo' Rocka Rising of the Phoenix (3:33 Records)

Kurt Rosenwinkel Deep Song (w/Brad Mehldau and Joshua Redman) (Verve)

Tom Russell Hotwalker (original music set to spoken word recordings from Jack Kerouac, Lenny Bruce, Charles Bukowski and more) (HighTone)

Kate Ryan Stronger (Fuel)

David Singer and the Sweet Science The Stars Burn Out (Engine Studios)

Soel Memento (Warner Bros.)

Some Other Place To Be Continued (54º40' or Fight!)

Regina Spektor Soviet Kitsch (Warner Bros.)

Marvin Stamm & Ed Soph The Stamm/Soph Project Live at Birdland (Jazzed Media)

Ticonderoga Ticonderoga (54º40' or Fight!)

Transistor Transistor In Name and Likeness (Level-Plane)

Ronan Tynan Ronan (Universal Classics)

The Vacancy Heart Attack (A-F)

Waawe All Fabulous Things Turn Out to Happen (54º40' or Fight!)

Watchers The Dunes Phase EP (Gern Blandsten)

Kanye West College Dropout: Video Anthology (CD/DVD combo) (Island Def Jam)

Phil Woods Groovin' to Marty Paich (Jazzed Media)

Bill Wyman and the Rhythm Kings Just for a Thrill (guests Mark Knopfler and Procul Harem's Gary Brooker on classic blues and rock covers) (Fuel)

Savina Yannatou Sumiglia (ECM)

VA Connections 2 (w/rare tracks from Tom Waits, Charlie Musselwhite, Camper Van Beethoven and more) (Jackalope)

VA Innocent Words Records Compilation Vol. 3 (charity compilation for the Riley's Hospital for Children Project) (Innocent Words)

OST Be Cool (John Travolta/Uma Thurman sequel to "Get Shorty" w/songs by Black Eyed Peas, Christina Milian, Commodores, James Brown and more) (TVT Soundtrax)

OST Million Dollar Baby (Clint Eastwood film) (Varèse Sarabande)

OST Robots (animated film w/new songs by Fountains of Wayne, Earth, Wind and Fire, Ricky Fante and Blue Man Group) (Virgin)

What's in Store for Next Year's Oscars?

LOS ANGELES - "Million Dollar Baby?" Old news. Jamie Foxx? Ancient history. It's time to set odds on which films will dominate next year's Academy Awards, based on what's visible in Hollywood's ever-changeable lineup for 2005.

Granted, no one's seen these movies, and some haven't even started shooting, so who knows which might have that touch of Oscar gold, or which won't manage to be ready in time to qualify?

But there are keys to early Oscar handicapping. Does it have Gwyneth Paltrow in it? Does it feature a woman pretending to be a man? Does it have Gwyneth Paltrow pretending to be a man?

Beyond that, the best signposts are a film's heavyweight-drama quotient and pedigree of talent. How many past Oscar winners are involved? Does a cover-girl performer efface her looks for a stark and sober story? Is it a "master" filmmaker tackling a "momentous" subject?

These are subjective criteria, but as a studio mogul noted in "Barton Fink": "I guess we all have that Barton Fink feeling. But since you're Barton Fink, I'm assuming you have it in spades."

For this crystal-ball exercise, we're looking for that Oscar feeling, and we figure people such as these — Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Ron Howard, Roman Polanski — must have it in spades.

And the Oscar could go to:

"Cinderella Man" — Oscar winners Russell Crowe and Renee Zellweger star in the story of Depression-era boxer Jim Braddock, who gets a second chance in the ring. The academy loves underdog stories, Ron Howard ("A Beautiful Mind") directs and Crowe punches people out.

"Memoirs of a Geisha" — Rob Marshall ("Chicago") directs this adaptation of the novel about an orphan girl (Zhang Ziyi) who becomes a queen-bee madame kept in style by powerful men. Sex, sumptuous sets, exotic locales, a beautiful leading lady poised for a breakout role. Sex.

"Kingdom of Heaven" — Ridley Scott ("Gladiator") directs the saga of a battling knight (Orlando Bloom) in Jerusalem during the Crusades. Scott revived the moribund Roman epic. If anyone can make a Crusades story palatable in this politically correct age, he's the man.

"War of the Worlds" — Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise spin the spectacle of sci-fi spectacles, a new take on H.G. Wells' invaders-from-Mars classic. Everyone secretly loves to see the world toasted, and it co-stars that adorable Dakota Fanning.

"All the King's Men" — Sean Penn stars in this update of Robert Penn Warren's novel loosely based on political kingfish Huey Long. Penn in the meatiest role since his Oscar win for "Mystic River," backed by Anthony Hopkins, Kate Winslet, Patricia Clarkson, Jude Law and James Gandolfini. Can you say dream cast?

"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" — Johnny Depp has scored Oscar nominations as a sashaying pirate and a repressed Edwardian playwright. Can he earn another as Willy Wonka? Tim Burton's remake offers endless visual possibilities, and the story of candyman Willy playing tour guide to children is a beloved one for academy boomers.

"Jarhead" — Sam Mendes ("American Beauty") aims for another mix of drama and macabre humor with this tale of an elite sniper unit in the Gulf War. British theater vet Mendes has a keen outsider's eye for stories about Americans. And enlisting Jamie Foxx to co-star doesn't hurt.

"King Kong" — "Lord of the Rings" maestro Peter Jackson directs a remake of the great ape biopic, with Naomi Watts as the new Fay Wray. After elevating the fantasy genre to Oscar glory by treating hobbits with dead earnestness, Jackson's madman enough to do the same for a giant gorilla.

"The New World" — Colin Farrell tries to put "Alexander" behind him in this colonial tale of John Smith and Pocahontas, from director Terrence Malick ("The Thin Red Line"). Malick hardly ever makes movies, but when he does, they're awesome.

"Oliver Twist" — For his first film since winning the best-director Oscar for "The Pianist," Roman Polanski has a go at Charles Dickens' classic of an orphan among pickpockets. Oscar winner Ben Kingsley as the nefarious Fagin. Doesn't everyone prefer Sir Ben in "Sexy Beast" demeanor rather than "Gandhi" mode?

"The Producers" — Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reunite for a movie based on a stage hit based on a movie, about con men bilking investors on a Nazi musical. A best-picture trophy for producer Mel Brooks would make a nice companion bookend for his screenplay Oscar on the 1968 original.

"Walk the Line" — Joaquin Phoenix is the man in black, Johnny Cash, with Reese Witherspoon as wife June Carter. In the same way people went, "Huh? Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles? ... Oh, yeah. I see it," Phoenix bears a curious resemblance to Cash. But can he lip-synch?

"Untitled Steven Spielberg Project" — The director goes for another twofer in one year, this one featuring Eric Bana in a drama chronicling events at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were killed by Palestinian militants. It's his most "important" film since "Saving Private Ryan."

Record Industry Sues 753 for Song Swaps

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A recording industry trade group on Monday said it has filed another wave of copyright infringement lawsuits against 753 people it suspects of distributing songs over the Internet without permission.

To date, the Recording Industry Association of America has sued over 9,000 people for distributing songs over "peer to peer" networks like eDonkey and Kazaa, in an effort to discourage the online song copying that it believe has cut into CD sales.

The trade group represents big record labels like Warner Music, EMI Group Plc, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Vivendi Universal's Universal Music Group.

'Million Dollar Baby' Oscars No Ratings Knockout

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A U.S. television audience of more than 41 million people watched the Oscar show capped by the triumph of boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" -- a respectable showing but hardly the ratings knockout ABC had hoped for, first figures showed on Monday.

The three-hour, 10 minute Oscar broadcast averaged 41.5 million viewers, down 5 percent or 2 million viewers from last year, when box-office powerhouse "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," was the big winner, according to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research.

Sunday's Academy Awards also registered a 3 percent decline from last year in ratings for the network's target audience of young adults -- those aged 18 to 49 -- the group most coveted by advertisers.

The latest Oscar ratings might be considered lackluster in light of the intense hype surrounding the Oscar producers' choice of provocative comedian Chris Rock to host the proceedings, one of several moves aimed at attracting a larger, younger audience.

On the other hand, Sunday night's best-picture champion, "Million Dollar Baby," had nowhere near the popular following that "Return of the King" brought to the Oscar ceremony last year.

Last year's average viewer tally of 43.5 million was the largest Oscar viewership in four years.

The highest-rated Academy Awards ceremony in recent history remains the 1998 show, when blockbuster "Titanic" dominated the awards.

A record low of just 33.1 million tuned in for the 2003 ceremony, which coincided with the start of the U.S.-led military campaign to topple Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussein.

The Oscars are television's single most watched entertainment broadcast of the year.

By comparison, NBC's Golden Globe Awards in January averaged 16.8 million viewers, the Grammy Awards show on CBS last month drew 18.8 million and ABC's Emmy telecast last September eked out a mere 14 million.

Rock, making his first appearance as Oscar host, received mixed reviews for a performance that many critics said failed to live up to its hype.

While some critics credited Rock with raising the show's energy level, others thought his humor fell flat. The Washington Post's Tom Shales called Rock's performance "strangely lame and mean-spirited" and predicted he would not be back.

Rock and Penn Clash Over Law

Oscars host Chris Rock infuriated 2004 winner Sean Penn at Sunday night's Academy Awards, when he doubted the acting ability of Penn's latest co-star Jude Law. The comedian placed Law as a 'second choice' for casting agents after Tom Cruise in between award presentations at the ceremony in Hollywood's Kodak Theater. Rock said, "You want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law? Wait. You want Russell Crowe and all you can get is Colin Farrell? Wait. Alexander is not Gladiator. You want Denzel Washington and all you can get is me? Wait. Denzel's a fine actor. He would have never made Pootie Tang." When Penn arrived on stage to present the Best Actress trophy to Hilary Swank, he took time to defend Law, his co-star in All The King's Men, which is currently filming in New Orleans, Louisiana. Penn says, "Jude is one of our finest actors. What Jude and all other talented actors know is that for every great, talented actor, there are five actresses who are nothing short of magic." Backstage, Rock said he had spoken to Penn about their disagreement. He explains, "Sean said because he's working with Jude on a movie right now he felt the need to... I don't know. It's kind of funny."

Holly Celebrated With Anniversary Set

Universal Music International is prepping what it calls the definitive audio/video collection of a lost rock'n'roll icon. Due April 25 in the United Kingdom, "The Music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets" will boast a DVD collecting archive footage and new interviews and a bonus 20-track audio disc.

In North America, the DVD/CD package will be released via Universal's Geffen label and will be titled "The Definitive Collection." At deadline a specific release date for the region has not been confirmed.

The release marks the 50th anniversary of Holly's first appearance opening a set of Texas shows for Elvis Presley and Bill Haley & the Comets.

The DVD will include clips of Holly and his band performing such well-known hits as "That'll Be the Day," "Peggy Sue," "It's So Easy," "Rave On" and "Maybe Baby." Also featured will be 1957-58 appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Among the interviews are conversations with Crickets drummer Jerry (J.I.) Allison, backing vocalists John Pickering and Ray Rush, early Crickets bassist Joe Mauldin, and guitarists Sonny Curtis and Tommy Allsup. It was Allsup who gave Ritchie Valens his seat on the plane that crashed in Clear Lake, Iowa, on Feb. 2, 1959, killing him, Valens and the Big Bopper (Jiles Perry Richardson).

Rare audio interviews with late producers Dick Jacobs and Norman Petty, the latter also being Holly's manager, are also included on the DVD.

While the CD includes most well-known Holly songs, its track listing was chosen by those who played, sang and wrote on or inspired the original recordings.

Last year, Geffen issued a remastered version of Holly's first two albums, 1957's "The 'Chirping' Crickets" and 1958's "Buddy Holly," in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of rock'n'roll that was spearheaded by a celebration in Memphis. Both discs were augmented by additional tracks.

Here is the "The Music of Buddy Holly and the Crickets" bonus CD track list:

"That'll Be the Day"
"Not Fade Away"
"Everyday"
"Peggy Sue"
"Listen to Me"
"Oh Boy"
"Send Me Some Lovin'"
"It's Too Late"
"Maybe Baby"
"Rock Me My Baby"
"Rave On"
"Well...All Right"
"Think It Over"
"Lonesome Tears"
"It's So Easy"
"Early in the Morning"
"It Doesn't Matter Anymore"
"Raining in My Heart"
"Peggy Sue Got Married"
"Crying, Waiting, Hoping"

'Black Woman' Tops 'Hitch' at Box Office

LOS ANGELES - "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" got its revenge against mixed critics' reviews by earning $22.7 million and taking first place at the weekend box office.

The drama-comedy is based on a script by Tyler Perry from his play of the same name and also features him cross-dressed as a gun-toting grandmother and in two other supporting roles. The film's strong debut pushed Will Smith's romantic comedy "Hitch" to the second spot with a weekend haul of $21 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Films contending for top honors at the Academy Awards also continued to draw healthy audiences with best picture nominees "Million Dollar Baby," "The Aviator" and "Sideways" ranked among the top 11 films.

Final figures were to be released Monday.

"Diary of a Mad Black Woman" follows Kimberly Elise's character, Helen, who is kicked out of her house by her husband on their 18th wedding anniversary so his longtime mistress can move in. Helen recovers from heartbreak by reconnecting with her cantankerous grandmother Madea, played by Perry, and by relying on her faith.

The film received some poor reviews, with The Associated Press giving it a single star in its four-star rating system and National Public Radio describing it as "half inspired and half really, really terrible."

Showing in 1,483 theaters, "Diary of a Mad Black Woman" averaged a healthy $15,307 a cinema.

Perry, who has gained a strong following among blacks with his plays, should be given credit for the film's success, said Tom Ortenberg, president of Lions Gate Films Releasing.

"The performance of the film is really a testament to Tyler Perry," Ortenberg said. "He's a cultural phenomenon that is taking America by storm. In the next few weeks, those unfamiliar with Tyler will become familiar with Tyler."

Audiences in exit polls gave the film an A-plus rating and the vast majority said they would recommend the PG-13 rated film to others, Ortenberg said.

"Every once in a while there is a film that comes out of nowhere and grabs the No. 1 spot and certainly 'Diary of a Mad Black Woman' has done that," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "It shows the power that the urban audience wields at the box office."

"Hitch," another PG-13 rated film, played widely in 3,571 theaters and its $122 million over three weeks made it the first film in 2005 to crack the $100 million mark.

"Million Dollar Baby," which stars best-actress nominee Hilary Swank as a bullheaded boxer, ranked sixth with an estimated $7.2 million. Fellow best-picture nominees "The Aviator," a biopic about Howard Hughes, finished in ninth with $3.9 million, while the drinking road-trip movie "Sideways" ranked 11th with $3.5 million.

The latest Wes Craven horror film, "Cursed," debuted in fourth place with $9.6 million, while the weekend's other new film, the action-comedy "Man of the House" starring Tommy Lee Jones, opened in fifth place with $9 million.

Revenues from the top 12 movies were estimated at $105.4 million, down 24.6 percent from the same weekend last year. The comparison was skewed because Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" debuted last year with $83.8 million.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc.

1. "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," $22.7 million.
2. "Hitch," $21 million.
3. "Constantine," $11.8 million.
4. "Cursed," $9.6 million.
5. "Man of the House," $9 million.
6. "Million Dollar Baby," $7.2 million.
7. "Because of Winn-Dixie," $6.8 million.
8. "Are We There Yet?", $4 million.
9. "The Aviator," $3.9 million.
10. "Son of the Mask," $3.8 million.

Dan Recaps Dan's Predictions

Last week as the headline for my Oscar Predictions in The Couch Potato Report I wrote:

"He (Dan) seems a bit confident, even though everyone else is saying it is too close to call!"

As it turned out it wasn't too close to call as, with one slight exception, I managed to get 5 out of my 6 predictions correct.

This is what I predicted in the six major categories:

BEST ACTOR - Jamie Foxx - RAY
BEST ACTRESS - Hilary Swank, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Morgan Freeman, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS
BEST PICTURE - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
And
BEST DIRECTOR - Clint Eastwood, MILLION DOLLAR BABY

The category I got wrong was BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS.

No excuses, but if I had only paid attention to what I wrote, I would have been a perfect six for six for the second year in a row.

What I wrote was:

"...as I said earlier regarding the BEST ACTOR category, biographies of remarkable, real-life individuals are heavily represented among Oscar winners.

Since Katharine Hepburn won more Academy Awards than any other actor it would seem to make sense that a victory would be in the cards for Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Hepburn in THE AVIATOR..."

I also wrote:

"...I usually get this category wrong."

Yet I still went with Virginia Madsen for SIDEWAYS.

Had I been paying attention to myself, I would have predicted a victory for Cate Blanchett in THE AVIATOR.

But I don't always listen to myself.

Now had you listened to me, you would have had five out of six as well.

Congratulations to us both!

'Baby' Is Oscar Heavyweight With 4 Wins

LOS ANGELES - The boxing saga "Million Dollar Baby" was the Academy Awards heavyweight Sunday, claiming best picture and three other trophies, including honors for director Clint Eastwood, lead actress Hilary Swank and supporting actor Morgan Freeman.

The night meant more heartbreak for Martin Scorsese. "The Aviator" came away with the most Oscars — five, including the supporting-actress prize for Cate Blanchett — but Scorsese lost the directing race for the fifth time.

Eastwood, who at 74 became the oldest directing winner ever, noted his mother was with him when his Western "Unforgiven" won the 1992 best-picture and directing Oscar.

"She's here with me again tonight, so at 96, I'm thanking her for her genes," Eastwood said. "I figure I'm just a kid. I've got a lot of stuff to do yet."

Scorsese matched the record of Oscar futility held by a handful of legendary filmmakers such as Alfred Hitchcock and Robert Altman, who also went 0-for-5 in the directing category.

Swank became a double Academy Award winner Sunday for "Million Dollar Baby," while Jamie Foxx took lead actor for "Ray." The wins for Freeman and Foxx made it only the second time blacks won two of the four acting prizes.

Swank, who previously won the best-actress Oscar for "Boys Don't Cry," once again beat out main rival Annette Bening, nominated for the theater farce "Being Julia." Bening had been the front-runner for "American Beauty" five years ago but lost to underdog Swank.

"I don't know what I did in this life to deserve all this. I'm just a girl from a trailer park who had a dream," said Swank, who played an indomitable boxer.

Swank joined Vivien Leigh, Helen Hayes, Sally Field and Luise Rainer as the only actresses with a perfect track record at the Oscars: Two nominations and two wins.

Foxx won for his uncanny emulation of Ray Charles in "Ray." As he had at earlier awards triumphs, Foxx led the Oscar audience in a rendition of the call-and-response chant from Charles' 1959 hit "What'd I Say," whose funky electric-piano grooves play over the opening credits of "Ray."

"Give it up for Ray Charles and his beautiful legacy. And thank you Ray Charles for living," said Foxx, who climbed to Oscar glory after an early career built mainly on comedy, including his TV series "The Jamie Foxx Show" and the raunchy sex flick "Booty Call."

Foxx had been a double Oscar nominee, also picked in the supporting category for the hit man thriller "Collateral."

Playing Katharine Hepburn in "The Aviator," Blanchett had the spirit of the Oscars' most-honored actress on her side. Hepburn, the love of Hughes' life in the 1930s before she began her long romance with Spencer Tracy, earned 12 nominations and won a record four Oscars.

"Thank you, of course, to Miss Hepburn. The longevity of her career I think is inspiring to everyone," said Blanchett. She added thanks to "Aviator" director Scorsese, saying, "I hope my son will marry your daughter."

Oscar host Chris Rock said Blanchett was so convincing that Sidney Poitier, Hepburn's co-star in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," showed up at Blanchett's house for supper.

The wins by Freeman and Foxx followed Denzel Washington and Halle Berry's triumph three years ago for "Training Day" and "Monster's Ball," the only other time blacks claimed two acting Oscars.

"It means that Hollywood is continuing to make history," Freeman said backstage. "We're evolving with the rest of the world."

The superhero action comedy "The Incredibles" won the animated-feature prize, beating 2004's biggest box-office hit, the fairy-tale sequel "Shrek 2." It was the second-straight animated Oscar for Pixar Animation, which won a year ago for "Finding Nemo."

"I don't know what's more frightening, being watched by millions of people, or the hundreds of people that are going to be annoyed with me tomorrow for not mentioning them," said Brad Bird, writer-director of the "The Incredibles."

The latest win dabs salt on the Walt Disney Co.'s wounds over the looming expiration of its distribution deal for Pixar films, which ends after next year's "Cars." The back-to-back Oscars underscore Pixar's growing ascendance and the weakening position of animation pioneer Disney, which has yet to win the animated-feature Oscar with any of its homegrown films and whose biggest recent cartoon hits have all been made by Pixar.

Unlike last year, when "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" dominated the awards as expected and flat-out front-runners took all four acting prizes, the 77th Oscars shaped up as a mixed bag, with only Foxx a virtual lock to win.

"Boy, am I glad there wasn't a fourth episode of `Lord of the Rings,'" said John Dykstra, who shared the visual-effects Oscar for "Spider-Man 2."

With no huge hits among top nominees, Oscar organizers worried that TV ratings could dwindle for the live ABC broadcast. The Oscars tend to draw their biggest audiences when blockbusters such as "Titanic" or "Return of the King" are in the mix, stoking viewer interest.

Producers of the show hoped the presence of first-time host Rock might boost ratings, particularly among younger viewers who may view the Oscars as too staid an affair. Rock had mocked the Oscars a bit beforehand, calling awards shows "idiotic," but he was on his best behavior in his opening monologue.

Rock chided some celebrities by name and included one mild three-letter word, but his routine was fairly clean for the comedian known for a foul mouth in his standup act.

"The only acting you ever see at the Oscars is when people act like they're not mad they lost," Rock said. He recalled the year when Halle Berry won and fellow nominee "Nicole Kidman was smiling so wide, she should have won an Emmy at the Oscars for her great performance. I was like, if you'd done that in the movie, you'd have won an Oscar, girl."

Organizers also tried to spice up the show with new presentation tactics, including herding all nominees on stage at the same time, beauty-pageant style, for some awards.

The first prize of the night, for art direction, was awarded that way, with a total of nine nominees from five films spread across stage behind presenter Berry. The Oscar went to "The Aviator," whose awards also included cinematography, film editing and costume design.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" took the original-screenplay award for Charlie Kaufman. "Sideways" won the adapted-screenplay prize for director Alexander Payne and his writing partner, Jim Taylor.

"My mother taught me to write, and she died before she could see any of this, so this is for you, mom," Taylor said.

"The Sea Inside," the Spanish film based on the true story of a bedridden euthanasia lobbyist, won as best foreign-language film, while "Born Into Brothels," which examines the lives of children of prostitutes in Calcutta, India, received the Oscar for feature-length documentary.

2005 Academy Awards

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Winner: Million Dollar Baby - Clint Eastwood, Albert S. Ruddy, Tom Rosenberg

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Jamie Foxx for Ray

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Hilary Swank for Million Dollar Baby

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Morgan Freeman for Million Dollar Baby

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Cate Blanchett for The Aviator

Best Achievement in Directing
Winner: Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Winner: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, Pierre Bismuth

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Winner: Sideways - Alexander Payne, Jim Taylor

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Winner: The Aviator - Robert Richardson

Best Achievement in Editing
Winner: The Aviator - Thelma Schoonmaker

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Winner: The Aviator - Dante Ferretti, Francesca LoSchiavo

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Winner: The Aviator - Sandy Powell

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Winner: Finding Neverland - Jan A.P. Kaczmarek

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Winner: Diarios de motocicleta - Jorge Drexler("Al Otro Lado Del Río")

Best Achievement in Makeup
Winner: Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events - Valli O'Reilly, Bill Corso

Best Achievement in Sound
Winner: Ray - Greg Orloff, Bob Beemer, Steve Cantamessa, Scott Millan

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Winner: The Incredibles - Michael Silvers, Randy Thom

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Winner: Spider-Man 2 - John Dykstra, Scott Stokdyk, Anthony LaMolinara, John Frazier

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Winner: The Incredibles - Brad Bird

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Winner: Mar adentro - Alejandro Amenábar(Spain)

Best Documentary, Features
Winner: Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids - Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Winner: Mighty Times: The Children's March - Robert Hudson, Robert Houston

Best Short Film, Animated
Winner: Ryan - Chris Landreth

Best Short Film, Live Action
Winner: Wasp - Andrea Arnold

Rock Comes Out Swinging As Oscar Host

LOS ANGELES - Apropos for an Oscar ceremony in which a boxing movie was one of the leading nominees, host Chris Rock came out swinging Sunday night, unleashing his acerbic wit on anyone and everyone in Hollywood — including himself.

Rock kept it clean compared to the profanity that fills his standup comedy routine. But he slung the mud in a way that kept the audience laughing.

"All right! Sit your a---- down!" he shouted after walking on stage in a white tie and tux and receiving a standing ovation from many in the star-studded crowd.

Then he let 'em have it.

His main point: Filmmakers should wait for better talent instead of rushing bad movies into theaters.

"Clint Eastwood's a star, OK? Tobey Maguire's just a boy in tights," Rock joked. "You want Tom Cruise and all you can get is Jude Law? Wait. You want Russell Crowe and all you can get is Colin Farrell? Wait. 'Alexander' is not 'Gladiator.'"

But Rock wasn't afraid to include himself in that assessment. "You want Denzel (Washington) and all you can get is me? Wait," he joked. "Denzel's a fine actor. He woulda never made 'Pootie Tang.'"

One of the raunchier moments — though an intentionally goofy one — came with help from Adam Sandler, who like Rock is a fellow "Saturday Night Live" alum.

Sandler took the stage to present the adapted-screenplay Oscar, and it was announced that Catherine Zeta-Jones would be joining him. But Zeta-Jones never came out.

So Rock strode calmly from the wings and offered to read Zeta-Jones' teleprompter lines — which he did in a playfully stiff manner, making fun of the often awkward exchanges that take place between presenters at awards shows.

The dialogue went like this:

Sandler: "Catherine, may I just say your dress looks incredibly sexy tonight."

Rock: "Why thank you, Adam. It's Versace."

Sandler: "Well, with you in it, it should be Ver-sexy."

When Rock said teasingly that Sandler needed a spanking for being so naughty, Sandler responded, "Sign me up, Mrs. Douglas."

Robin Williams got in on the act, too. Before announcing the winner of the best animated feature award, he stopped to rip a large piece of white tape from his mouth. The stunt appeared to confirm reports that producers had censored his gags.

Then he made fun of those who connect cartoon characters with pro-gay messages.

Getting down to business, the first category, art direction, provided the first chance for producer Gil Cates to show off some of the new logistical tricks he implemented to jazz up the broadcast.

The nominees walked out on stage together en masse, then stood around on a floor illuminated by dozens of LED screens, waiting to find out who would be the winner. After hearing presenter Halle Berry announce their names, Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo stepped forward and accepted their statuettes for "The Aviator." The losing nominees quietly exited.

Asked backstage what he thought about receiving the award in this new format, Ferretti responded, "I liked to be there, to be on the stage — also because we won."

Later, Cate Blanchett announced the nominees in the best makeup category while standing in an aisle in the audience. The winners — who happened to be seated right next to her — were Valli O'Reilly and Bill Corso for "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," who made their acceptance speech standing at a microphone a few feet away.

And Scarlett Johansson announced some of the earlier technical Oscar winners while standing in a Kodak Theatre balcony.

But the evening began in a traditional manner, with a montage of scenes from decades of classic films, including "Gone With the Wind," "Singin' in the Rain," "Animal House" and "The Sixth Sense."

NEW NIGHT

Looking to expand its programming schedule, HBO announcing the fifth and final season of Six Feet Under will shift from Sundays to Monday nights when it returns in June.

Berry Good Loser at the Razzies

Halle Berry was a good winner. She might be an even better loser.

Berry checked her ego at the door at the 25th Annual Razzie Awards, showing up Saturday in Hollywood to personally accept a spray-painted golf ball dis-honoring her work as Worst Actress in Catwoman.

"I want to thank Warner Bros. for casting me in this piece of [excrement]," Berry told the audience.

Berry's speech mocked her teary Oscar thank-yous from 2002 when she was honored as Best Actress for Monster's Ball.

"I'd like to thank the rest of the cast--to give a really bad performance like mine you need to have really bad actors," she said.

Indeed, Berry, who took the stage at the Ivar Theatre with her Academy Award in one hand, the Golden Raspberry in the other and her agent in tow, had company in Razzie hell. Catwoman was one of the night's big winners, as it were, taking four awards, including the ultimate dis, Worst Picture.

The other big "winner" was Fahrenheit 9/11, which also claimed four Razzies. Michael Moore's popular and polemic documentary on President Bush and post-9/11 politics was not itself ridiculed. Voting members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, a consortium of 675 dues-paying film buffs from around the world, reserved their scorn for the featured talking heads.

To whit, President Bush was named Worst Actor; Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Worst Supporting Actor; and Britney Spears, seen in a brief clip voicing support for the President, Worst Supporting Actress. Bush scored a second Razzie win for Worst Screen Couple category, a needling shared with now Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice and the titular hero of the children's book My Pet Goat.

The White House contingent did not attend the Razzies ceremony. Aside from Berry, neither did any of the other scorned winners, including Arnold Schwarzenegger, named Worst Razzie Loser of Our First 25 Years for his knack of racking up nominations (eight in all), but never quite converting them to wins. Until now, that is.

As one might expect, star appearances at the Razzies are rare. The last name act to take his medicine--and his golf ball--in person was Freddy Got Fingered's Tom Green, proving himself a better sport than filmmaker in 2002.

Berry's act of bravery was the product of her upbringing, she told the audience. "When I was a kid, my mother told me that if you could not be a good loser," she said, according to the Associated Press, "then there's no way you could be a good winner."

The failed feline heroine will bounce back Sunday as a scheduled presenter at the 77th Annual Academy Awards.

Good egg or no, Berry said she has no intention of becoming a Razzies regular. Quipped the actress, per the AP: "I hope to God I never see these people again!"

Here's a complete look at the razzed winners of the 25th annual Razzie Awards:

Worst Picture: Catwoman
Worst Actor in a Leading Role: President Bush, Fahrenheit 9/11
Worst Actress in a Leading Role: Halle Berry, Catwoman
Worst Supporting Actor: Donald Rumsfeld, Fahrenheit 9/11
Worst Supporting Actress: Britney Spears, Fahrenheit 9/11
Worst Screen Couple: President Bush and either Condoleeza Rice or his pet goat, Fahrenheit 9/11
Worst Remake or Sequel: Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed
Worst Director: Pitof, Catwoman
Worst Screenplay: Catwoman
Worst Razzie Loser of Our First 25 Years: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Worst Musical of Our First 25 Years: From Justin to Kelly (2003)
Worst Comedy of Our First 25 Years: Gigli (2003)
Worst Drama of Our First 25 Years: Battlefield Earth (2000)

Shout! Factory reveals more SCTV

This volume offers nine 90 minutes show from the fourth season to feed the demand for more SCTV. Broadcast on NBC in 1982, these episodes introduce new cast member Martin Short and chronicle the height of success for characters Bob and Doug.

It is here where The Shmenge Brothers (John Candy and Eugene Levy) make their first appearance and the Great White North gets the “special” treatment in the “Great White North Palace” featuring Tony Bennett. Celebrities Bill Murray and Carl Perkins join the fray and musical guests Bennett, Jimmy Buffett and Hall and Oates offer classic performances.

The set contains commentaries, the featurettes The Producers, That's Life with John Candy, SCTV Remembers, Part 3 and Television Festival Presents SCTV and a John Candy Photo Gallery.

The set arrives with an $89.98 suggested retail price on March 1st.

New movies already seen as bombs

You won't find many reviews for either of this weekend's major movie releases.

Sony Pictures refused to screen its Tommy Lee Jones comedy Man of the House for critics. Alliance Atlantis wouldn't preview its new Christina Ricci werewolf flick Cursed either.

Sony is following orders from Revolution Pictures which created Man of the House and Alliance Atlantis is heeding directives from Miramax's Dimension Pictures.

Revolution even screened its road trip comedy Are We There Yet?

So, hard as it is to comprehend, the company must consider Man of the House far inferior.

Man of the House had a production budget in excess of $40 million US plus a $25 million marketing budget and is being released on 2,300 screens across North America.

It stars Jones, Cedric the Entertainer and Anne Archer as well as hotties Christina Milian, Kelli Garner, Vanessa Ferlito, Monica Keena and Paula Garces as cheerleaders under the protection of Tommy Lee Jones.

Dimension's Cursed has been a troubled project for almost two years.

It's been rewritten, reshot and re-edited so many times that director Wes Craven and writer Kevin Williamson are distancing themselves from it.

It started out to be an R-rated horror comedy in the vein of the Scream movies Craven and Williamson collaborated on. It's now a PG-13 flick.

Cursed cost Dimension $38 million plus a $25 million marketing campaign. It will be released on 3,000 screens.

When a studio refuses to screen a film for critics, it essentially reviews the film itself, admitting it's a dog that needs one clear day before reviews and word-of-mouth start chipping away at audiences.

Cursed has the better chance of making some pocket change this weekend, given that White Noise, Hide & Seek and Boogeyman have all made upwards of $50 million.

Horror movies are popular and Cursed has slick production and the Scream cache.

All Man of the House has going for it is Jones and without a black suit and Will Smith, he has limited box-office clout.

Smith's Hitch and Keanu Reeves' Constantine will rule the box-office again.

Thompson shot himself while on phone

ASPEN, Colorado (AP) - The widow of journalist Hunter S. Thompson said her husband killed himself while the two were talking on the phone.

"I was on the phone with him, he set the receiver down and he did it. I heard the clicking of the gun," Anita Thompson told the Aspen Daily News in Friday's editions.

She said her husband had asked her to come home from a health club so they could work on his weekly ESPN column - but instead of saying goodbye, he set the telephone down and shot himself.

Thompson said she heard a loud, muffled noise, but didn't know what had happened. "I was waiting for him to get back on the phone," she said.

Hunter Thompson, famous for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and other works of New Journalism, shot himself in the head Sunday in the kitchen of his Aspen-area home. He was 67.

His son, daughter-in-law and six-year-old grandson were in the house when the shooting occurred.

Anita Thompson, 32, said her husband had discussed killing himself in recent months and had been issuing verbal and written directives about what he wanted done with his body, his unpublished works and his assets.

His suicidal talk put a strain on their relationship, she said.

"He wanted to leave on top of his game. I wish I could have been more supportive of his decision," she said. "It was a problem for us."

WHAT A DRAG!

John Travolta in drag? As bizarre as it sounds, Travolta is the front-runner to play the overweight laundress Edna Turnblad in the new film adaptation of "Hairspray," knocking out Harvey Fierstein, who originated the role on Broadway.

And many involved with the show aren't pleased.

"All the creators of 'Hairspray' very strongly wanted Harvey for the movie," says Tom Meehan, co-writer of the Broadway production. "This is a decision New Line made; they can do what they want."

Travolta's publicist had no comment.

What New Line wants, says Meehan, is for "Hairspray" to be a blockbuster Christmas release for 2006. New Line refused comment on the casting negotiations, first reported in yesterday's Variety.

But Meehan said it was widely known among the show's creators that the studio had also been considering Tom Hanks and Jack Nicholson. "They were thinking big," he says, laughing. "It got pretty wild."

Edna was first played in the 1988 John Waters film by the late drag queen Divine, who famously ate real dog excrement in Waters' trash-terpiece, "Pink Flamingos."

Michael McKean, Bruce Vilanch and Fierstein have all interpreted Edna on Broadway, but Fierstein was considered the true soul of the hit musical, based on the demented yet sweet movie about kids in racially segregated '60s Baltimore.

Fierstein wouldn't comment on Travolta's possible casting, other than to say, through a spokesperson, that since he gets royalties, "the bigger a hit 'Hairspray' is, the happier I am."

Travolta "is certainly a good marketing hook," says Hollywood Reporter columnist Martin Grove, even if he "may not be the first name to come to mind." Travolta's career has gone through truly steep low points ("Perfect," "Battlefield Earth," "Look Who's Talking!"), but he's built a decades-long career on playing characters that are cool in an off-kilter way: the dim rebel Vinnie Barbarino on "Welcome Back, Kotter," Danny Zuko in "Grease," Tony Manero in "Saturday Night Fever" and the smack-addled hit man Vincent Vega in "Pulp Fiction," his 1994 comeback.

"Edna Turnblad is not a character you associate with him," says David Poland, editor of Movie City News. "He's never played high camp. But now he's aging. It's time for him to start playing senior adults, instead of clinging to the macho stuff."

And there are few things less macho than donning a polyester housecoat and technicolor make-up - which was traumatic even for Divine, who spent almost his whole life in drag.

As Edna, Divine was stuck "in my flip-flops and hideous housedress, with varicose veins drawn on my nubbly shaved legs and everything wrong with me accentuated, schlepping along in these pin curls."

Even Travolta's champions, Grove and Poland, say cross-dressing could prove too much for the actor.

"I just saw him at the premiere for his new movie, 'Be Cool,' and he is a big, macho guy," says Grove. "He does not look like he would enjoy being in drag."

"He's never played in this realm before. He plays characters at a lower note," says Poland. "In many ways, it's why he's still a star."

Yet for all the complaining about Travolta's likely casting, even co-writer Meehan understands the bottom line.

"Harvey is not the world's greatest singer or dancer; he's just a great, great performer," says Meehan.

"We all agree that we'd love to have a successful movie, so we're not going to walk away."

Coming Soon?

Here's some cool information from our industry sources on great DVD titles currently being worked on (or planned) by the folks at 20th Century Fox.

The first title we should mention is the one we get the most requests for by far - the long-awaited Office Space: Special Edition. It's currently in production, and is being actively worked on by director Mike Judge. Look for it sometime later in 2005.

There's also work being done on a special edition of David Cronenberg's The Fly. With any luck, it'll be ready in time to be a Halloween release.

You Denzel fans will be thrilled to learn that Tony Scott's Man on Fire has being given 2-disc special edition treatment. It's tentatively planned for release around Father's Day (so watch for an announcement soon). Expect this to be a great SE, complete with an alternate ending and a version of the film that's some 20 minutes longer than the theatrical cut.

A lot of you have asked about a more elaborate edition of Alien Vs. Predator. It's not on the radar at the moment, but that could change depending on how well the current DVD version sells. There is a 2-disc "extreme" edition currently available in the U.K., but it doesn't include any of the unrated material.

A lot of you have also been asking about the Mel Brooks promotion that Fox had planned for March (High Anxiety was among the titles expected). As we mentioned the other day, this has been delayed indefinitely. The reason apparently is that Fox wants to really give these films the attention they deserve on DVD. Special editions are planned, they're just going to take some time to realize.

No movement yet on the classic Batman TV series, which is still tied up legally with Warner and D.C. Comics.

Likewise, there's been no work started yet on the Space Above And Beyond TV series, although the current plan is to try to get this out in early 2006.

Finally today, let's talk about the BIG Fox title you probably want to know about. No, not Episode III (although you can likely expect that to hit DVD in time for the holidays). We're talking about James Cameron's Titanic. Our industry sources have confirmed that a SERIOUS special edition is currently being worked on by Fox. You can expect it to follow a similar pattern to New Line's Lord of the Rings films on DVD - a 2-disc version and a more elaborate 4-disc edition. Both will feature a sparkling new anamorphic widescreen transfer of the film. Among the many extras you can expect are lots of deleted scenes and tons of "behind-the-scenes" material. Watch for it to be announced later this year for release in the 4th Quarter. As expected, it'll be released by Paramount here in the States, and Fox internationally.

Oddmakers Make Underwood Early 'Idol' Favorite

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Carrie Underwood is no "American Idol" underdog. In fact, the 21-year-old Oklahoma native with the voice made for country is the competition's favorite, according to odds supplied by online oddsmakers BetWWTS.com.

The set of odds, established in the immediate aftermath of the first set of "American Idol" eliminations on Wednesday (Feb. 23) night, have Underwood as an 11/4 favorite. Mario Vazquez, a 27-year-old New Yorker who wowed the judges with a Michael Jackson cover, was the second pick with 7/2 odds. Anwar Robinson and Vonzell Solomon, both gifted with much early exposure, were a joint third choice at 6/1.

The good people at BetWWTS.com are much less enthusiastic about Joseph Murena and Janay Castine, both longshots at 50/1. Things also don't look particularly good for Celena Rae, installed at 35/1.

Lest you doubt the oddsmakers' credibility, the odds at the start of the Final 12 last "American Idol" season had Fantasia Barrino as the top choice and Diana DeGarmo as a popular second option. BetWWTS.com also tapped Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken as early favorites.

The next round of "American Idol" performances begins on Monday (Feb. 28) with four more eliminations next Wednesday.

Westerberg Anthology, 'Mats Reissues On The Way

Paul Westerberg will be the subject of a solo retrospective this spring via Rhino. According to the artist's official Web site, the 20-track set will feature two new songs, B-sides and rare tracks, Westerberg's soundtrack contributions and highlights from his post-Replacements releases.

The artist is in the midst of a North American tour backed by the three-piece His Only Friends band, which rolls into Tempe, Ariz., tomorrow (Feb. 25). Earlier this week in Los Angeles, confessed Westerberg fanatic Lucinda Williams joined the band for a cover of the Kitty Wells-popularized "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels."

While appearing on Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones' Los Angeles radio show earlier this week, Westerberg revealed he recently recorded a song with Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, which is expected to appear in Cameron Crowe's forthcoming film "Elizabethtown."

And while the likelihood of a Replacements reunion remains slim ("It can't be the Replacements without Chris [Mars] the drummer, and he's moved on into art and doesn't really want to come back," Westerberg told Jones), a host of reissues are in the works.

Rykodisc, which owns the rights to the band's Twin Tone releases, will reissue the Replacements first four albums in the fall, bolstered with rare bonus tracks. Rhino will give the same treatment to the group's late-period albums for Warner Bros.

Asked last summer if there were unreleased gems still in the archives, Westerberg told Billboard.com, "There probably are, but that haven't already been bootlegged in some way? The real fans have probably heard most of it. The only stuff that might be [unreleased] is cassettes of things that I have from real early on -- down in the basement kind of stuff when we were rehearsing."

Westerberg admitted he still reflects fondly on the 'Mats' early days, especially "when we were riding in the van and we ripped the seats out and would just listen to tapes and listen to Black Flag. [We would] sort of slam dance and stuff around in the back of the van and be drinking hard liquor at noon and it was just, you know, carefree times. We didn't give a damn."

Presley Asks 'Now What' On Sophomore Set

Preceded by a cover of Don Henley's "Dirty Laundry," Lisa Marie Presley will return with her second solo album this spring. Due April 5 from Capitol, "Now What" boasts 10 original songs in addition to her version of the 1983 Henley hit, and guest appearances by pop singer Pink and Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones.

Presley wrote six of the album's tracks with in-demand songwriter Linda Perry, who has worked with everyone from Gwen Stefani and Christina Aguilera to Unwritten Law and Courtney Love. "You went with who I am," Presley writes to Perry in the album's liner notes, "and I don't think I've ever had so much fun in the writing process."

The artist also co-wrote material with Gus Penaloza, Michael Lockwood and Eric Rosse, who reprises his role as her producer on the new album. Jones adds guitar to the virulent "Idiot," while Pink adds vocals to "Shine."

Presley's take on the Henley/Danny Kortchmar-written "Dirty Laundry" (which Henley took to No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100) is already getting substantial exposure in a series of television promos for the hit ABC series "Desperate Housewives." Further on-air promotion will come with appearances on the syndicated "Oprah Winfrey Show" (March 28), ABC's "Good Morning America" (March 29), CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" (April 1) and the syndicated "Ellen DeGeneres Show" (April 5).

At deadline the artist had only one concert appearance on her schedule, a March 20 show at the House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif.

"Now What" is the follow-up to 2003's "To Whom It May Concern," which debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200. The set has sold 588,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Here is the "Now What" track list:

"I'll Figure It Out"
"Turbulence"
"Thanx"
"Shine"
"Dirty Laundry"
"When You Go"
"Idiot"
"High Enough"
"Turned To Black"
"Raven"
"Now What"

SMELLS LIKE PILOT SEASON

Emmy winner Camryn Manheim is testing out her comedic chops in a pilot for the WB, while Mark-Paul Gosselaar has landed his first post-"NYPD Blue" gig, and Natasha Henstridge has been cast in ABC's "Pros and Cons."

Also Wednesday, Fox has ordered the comedy project "Dirtbags," from Will Gluck, Matt Boren and Doug Segal. Comedy reps the first pilot to come out of the net's Creative Writer Development and "Naked TV" programs. And UPN greenlit the pilot "Wingwoman."

Manheim will star in the WB project, which comes from scribes Anne Flett Giordano and Chuck Ranberg, as the single mother of three kids. Pilot presentation follows Manheim's character as she relocates to soccer mom suburbia.

Eric and Kim Tannenbaum will exec produce alongside Flett Giordano and Ranberg for Warner Bros. TV and the Tannenbaum Co.

Manheim scored the Emmy for her portrayal of Ellenor Frutt on "The Practice." Her other recent credits include guest spots on "Strong Medicine" and "Two and a Half Men."

Gosselaar, meanwhile, has been picked to play the lead, Michael, in Fox's untitled wedding chapel pilot from scribe Jeffrey Lieber.

Hourlong project revolves around a brother and sister who operate a wedding chapel in Las Vegas. Warren Littlefield has come on board to exec produce the Spelling TV pilot, along with Lieber, Aaron Spelling and E. Duke Vincent.

Gosselaar spent the last several seasons as Det. John Clark on "Blue." His other credits include "Hyperion Bay," "D.C." and "Saved by the Bell."

Littlefield is also behind "Wingwoman," which he'll exec produce with Adam Chase ("Friends"), Mark Burg and Oren Koules ("Two And A Half Men") for Paramount Network TV and the Littlefield Co. and Evolution Entertainment.

Project follows the exploits of a woman who helps men talk to other women.

Henstridge ("Species") will star as Charlie on "Pros and Cons," the Touchstone/Bad Robot drama about ex-criminals who work inside the FBI. J.J. Abrams, Raven Metzner, Stu Zicherman and Thom Sherman exec produce.

Henstridge's other credits include "The Whole Ten Yards" and the series "She Spies."

As for "Dirtbags," laffer revolves around twentysomething pals in a blue-collar Boston suburb. Gluck ("Luis," "Method & Red") will exec produce with Boren and Segal.

Concept was originally staged at "Naked TV," a partnership between Fox and the Naked Angels Theater Co. (Daily Variety, Feb. 23).

"When I saw the play, I was floored by how original the world was and how well-defined the characters were," Gluck said. "It became clear that whatever the medium, Matt Boren and Doug Segal are incredible storytellers and have the passion and talent to make something great."

Twentieth Century Fox TV is producing the laffer. Separately, Gluck is also exec producing another sitcom pilot with Pam Brady for Fox.

With the success of last year's crop of "Naked TV" performers, Fox announced last month that it had renewed its deal with Naked Angels. This year, freelance journalist Tony Horkins, novelist Veronica Chambers, director Segal and playwrights Patricia Cotter, Evan Smith and Aida Croal are all creating concepts for a "Naked TV" showcase this April.

Peterson to be honoured on postage stamp

MONTREAL - Canada Post plans to honour jazz icon Oscar Peterson this summer by issuing a postage stamp in his honour on his 80th birthday.

The stamp marks the first time a living individual – other than the Queen or a member of the royal family – will be honoured on a postage stamp for his personal achievement, says Charles Verge, president of the Royal Philatelic Society of Canada.

Oscar Peterson would be the first living individual, save members of the British royal family, to be honoured with a stamp for his personal achievements.

"I've always believed that Canadians prefer seeing stamps that they have a relationship with," Verge told CBC Arts Online Thursday. "Most Canadians don't remember dead politicians of 200 years ago and are not interested in them. They would be interested in seeing people who have some relationship to their knowledge base."

Modern personalities also help attract people to the hobby of stamp collecting, Verge said, noting that Canada Post recently picked singer Bryan Adams's portrait of the Queen for a new stamp.

Though Adams must have talent to have been selected to photograph the monarch, his celebrity as an internationally known musician has "brought that particular stamp into the domain of Bryan Adams fans," Verge said. It has also racked up "a large amount of sales."

Early on, Canada Post had a policy that the only living person who could be depicted on a stamp was the sovereign. The policy gradually grew to include members of the royal family. Over the years, the agency has also portrayed other living Canadians.

"There are many living individuals on stamps," Verge said, pointing out that hockey players, theatre actors and Canadian astronauts have all been depicted on postage commemorating landmark anniversaries of institutions like the NHL, the Stratford Festival or the Canadian Space Agency.

"Here we're saying that Mr. Peterson is being honoured for Mr. Peterson, basically," Verge said.

South of the border, the U.S. maintains its policy that no living person – save the president – shall be honored on postage, and that prominent individuals are only eligible for commemorative stamps 10 years after the person's death.

Other countries are much more liberal about whom they honour on postage. Austria, for example, has issued stamps featuring Peterson as well as actor and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Canada Post has scheduled the Peterson stamp for issue on Aug. 15, the Montreal-born pianist's birthday.

"We are recognizing a legendary Canadian, someone whose life work is established," Cindy Daoust, marketing manager for Canada Post, told the Montreal Gazette. "His legacy as a pianist and as a composer is solid."

Though the stamp advisory committee has approved the suggestion, it has yet to determine the design or what image is to be used, she added. "This is still very much a work in progress.

Canada Post is "not going to rush and put everybody on stamps," Verge said, suggesting that the agency may be using this stamp as a trial run.

"You won't see Avril Lavigne or Shania Twain or Celine Dion on stamps tomorrow," he said. "It doesn't mean that they will never be on [Canadian] stamps. It just won't happen tomorrow."

Feature film to explore drama of Villeneuve father and son in Formula One

MONTREAL (CP) - For most of his career, Jacques Villeneuve avoided answering questions about his late father, flashy Ferrari driver Gilles Villeneuve.

But the 1997 world champion from Iberville, Que., has finally agreed to participate in a feature film that will look at the human drama in the lives of the father and son Formula One drivers.

The film, simply called Villeneuve, is to begin production in 2006 and has a budget of more than $30 million, said producer Gabriella Martinelli.

"When I started my career, it was difficult to talk about my father," Villeneuve said Thursday at a packed news conference at his downtown restaurant Newtown. "I was getting a lot of attention from the media and public, but not because I had achieved anything.

"That was a bit embarrassing. People looked at me like they were seeing my father's ghost. I was very proud to be Gilles Villeneuve's son, but I wanted to achieve something myself."

He said the pressure eased after he won the 1997 championship with the Williams team and he opened up more after making an exhibition run in his father's old Ferrari, while wearing his father's helmet, last summer in England.

Villeneuve said the film will dissolve the notion that he resented his father.

"No one knows about my relationship with my dad," said Jacques, who was 11 when Gilles died. "The misconception was that people thought I hated him and didn't want to be part of his life and that's totally wrong. He was always my hero.

"But I was doing the same job as him and I was doing it for myself. I tried to keep them separate and that's not what people wanted to hear. They wanted to hear Gilles again and were annoyed that I wasn't willing to give them that."

While Jacques didn't get the chance to learn much about driving from his father, he said the two shared a passion for speed and risk. But cars, drivers, tracks and rules have evolved so that racing is safer these days.

"If he was driving in the 1990s, he'd still be a driver and if I was driving in the 1970s, I'd be dead," Jacques said.

The film, made by Capri Films, will follow the career of Gilles, the dashing driver from Berthierville, Que., who was killed in a crash during practice for the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982, and the rise of his son Jacques to become world champion.

The film is based on the book Villeneuve: The Life of the Legendary Driver, by Gerald Donaldson. It is to be directed by Montrealer Christian Duguay while Malcolm Clarke of Britain will write the script.

"This is a human drama with a backdrop of Formula One racing," said Duguay. "It's the story of Gilles from his son's point of view."

Villeneuve, now driving for the Sauber Petronas team, will act as a consultant to the filmmakers, but actors will be hired to play the drivers.

Craig Pollock, Villeneuve's agent, said he had received at least 10 requests over the years from people who hoped to do a film or TV mini-series on the father and son, but they were all turned down.

"This was different - Jacques will have his say," said Pollock. "This film would happen whether you like it or not.

"Everything about Gilles is in the public domain and neither Jacques nor the family could stop it. So the best thing is to be involved, to act as consultant and try to control what happens inside the script."

Tarantino Bloodying 'CSI' Team

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Call it "Kill Gil."

Quentin Tarantino has signed to direct the season-finale episode of primetime's most-watched series, CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

Tarantino also has come up with an original story for the episode, which is expected to shoot in early April and air May 19, according to "CSI" executive producer Carol Mendelsohn.

Tarantino has long been a fan of the stylish forensic drama as series creator/executive producer Anthony Zuiker learned when he bumped into Tarantino at an awards show during "CSI's" first season. They have pursued him to direct an episode for some time, and after members of the "CSI" crew ran into Tarantino a few weeks ago while the show was doing some location shooting in Las Vegas, the stars finally aligned for him to helm the show's fifth-season closer, Mendelsohn said.

"He knows everything there is to know about 'CSI,' and he is into the whole mythology of 'CSI,"' Mendelsohn said. "Quentin came in a couple of weeks ago. We had a story meeting with the writers. He had a great idea, and it was so much fun to have him in the room. . . . We are positively giddy."

Zuiker, in particular, "worships Quentin," she added.

Mendelsohn said the story will involve a plot that finds one of the key members of the CSI team, led by Gil Grissom (William Petersen), in serious jeopardy.

"There will be more bugs and blood this time," Mendelsohn joked.

Tarantino, who earned an Oscar for co-writing the screenplay to his 1994 smash "Pulp Fiction," directed a 1995 episode of "ER" and appeared as a guest actor on ABC's "Alias" in 2002 and last year. His other features include the "Kill Bill" films, "Jackie Brown" and "Reservoir Dogs."

The Couch Potato Report - February 24th, 2005

In The Couch Potato Report this week, I offer you my Academy Award predictions, and two alternatives to all of the Oscar hype.

On Sunday night the eyes of the world will be focused on one address: 6801 Hollywood Boulevard, at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue in Hollywood, California.

For on that night at The Kodak Theatre The 77th Annual Academy Awards will be awarded in 24 categories.

The six major categories are BEST ACTRESS, BEST ACTOR, BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS, BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR, BEST DIRECTOR and BEST PICTURE, and those are the categories I am going to focus on right now and give you my predictions of who is going to win.

Some have called this the most unpredictable year at the Academy Awards in a long time, but it really isn't.

Especially in the BEST ACTOR category where the nominees are Don Cheadle - HOTEL RWANDA, Johnny Depp - FINDING NEVERLAND, Leonardo DiCaprio - THE AVIATOR, Clint Eastwood - MILLION DOLLAR BABY and Jamie Foxx - RAY

Not only am I telling you that Jamie Foxx will win for RAY, but I will also plainly state that if Foxx doesn't walk away with the trophy, it will be seen as the biggest Oscar blunder since SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE won for BEST PICTURE over SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

Biographies of remarkable, real-life individuals are heavily represented among Oscar winners.

Plus, an overwhelming number of actors have won the top acting awards for portraying characters with physical or mental disabilities or diseases.

A few examples are Cliff Robertson in 1968 for CHARLY, Jack Nicholson in 1975 for ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST, Dustin Hoffman in 1988 for RAIN MAN, Daniel Day-Lewis in 1989 for MY LEFT FOOT, Al Pacino - SCENT OF A WOMAN in 1992, Tom Hanks for PHILADELPHIA in 1993, and for FORREST GUMP in 1994, and Jack Nicholson again in 1997 for AS GOOD AS IT GETS.

Plus, even though DiCaprio, Cheadle, Depp and Eastwood are all also playing real-life people, some even with physical or mental disabilities or diseases, Jamie Foxx is also a shoo in to win because he is playing Ray Charles, one of the most beloved American entertainers of the past century.

Jamie Foxx may be the one sure thing this year, but if you look at some of the trends that the Academy voters have followed over the years, there seems to be clear indications as to who will win in the other five major categories as well.

For instance, it helps an actress's chances of winning the BEST ACTRESS Oscar if the character dies during the movie, is a prostitute, an alcoholic or addicted to drugs, or is a murderess.

Some examples of that Oscar truism are Elizabeth Taylor for BUTTERFIELD 8 in 1960, Jane Fonda in 1971's KLUTE, and Charlize Theron in Monster in 2003.

The nominees in the BEST ACTRESS category this year are: Annette Bening - BEING JULIA, Catalina Sandino Moreno - MARIA FULL OF GRACE, Imelda Staunton - VERA DRAKE, Hilary Swank - MILLION DOLLAR BABY and Kate Winslet - ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND.

The two frontrunners are Annette Bening and Hilary Swank, who also competed against each other in this category in 1999.

That year Swank won the BEST ACTRESS Oscar for her work in BOYS DON'T CRY, even though Bening was pregnant, and her film AMERICAN BEAUTY won BEST PICTURE and four other statuettes.

Sadly, for Bening, after Sunday night the score will now be Swank - 2, Bening - 0.

Sad for Bening, but good for movie lovers as Swank's performance is just that good.

Should you be looking for a dark horse to come along and surprise pundits like myself, this is the category it could happen in.

It is possible that Hilary and Annette will split the vote, meaning the incredible Imelda Staunton will win for her performance in VERA DRAKE.

However, that is quite unlikely as Swank has all of the buzz in the movie industry right now, and she does have the Academy's history of voting patterns behind her.

Let me move now to the BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR category, where another voting pattern of the Academy is going to pay off this year for a beloved actor.

That pattern is how the Academy likes to award an Oscar for an entire body of work.

The nominees for BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR are Alan Alda - THE AVIATOR, Thomas Haden Church - SIDEWAYS, Jamie Foxx - COLLATERAL, Morgan Freeman - MILLION DOLLAR BABY and Clive Owen - CLOSER.

This year expect Morgan Freeman to claim the prize.

Freeman was nominated in this category in 1988 for STREET SMART and he was nominated as BEST ACTOR in 1990 for DRIVING MISS DAISY and in 1994 for THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION.

Freeman has been the heart and soul of too many movies to list, he has been the voice of reason in too many more, and in BRUCE ALMIGHTY he even played God.

Freeman's work in MILLION DOLLAR BABY is a steady and as brilliant as always, but it isn't the best performance that he's ever given.

Yet just like Paul Newman in THE COLOUR OF MONEY, Al Pacino in SCENT OF A WOMAN and the work Sean Connery did in THE UNTOUCHABLES, Freeman will take home Oscar gold because of his body of work.

We move on now to the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS.

I can tell you two things that are facts about this category: 1) First-time nominees often win this Award, and 2) Even though I correctly predicted that Renee Zellweger would win this award last year for COLD MOUNTAIN, I usually get this category wrong.

That said, the Academy Award nominees for BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE are Cate Blanchett - THE AVIATOR, Laura Linney - KINSEY, Virginia Madsen - SIDEWAYS, Sophie Okonedo - HOTEL RWANDA and Natalie Portman - CLOSER.

As I said earlier regarding the BEST ACTOR category, biographies of remarkable, real-life individuals are heavily represented among Oscar winners.

Since Katharine Hepburn won more Academy Awards than any other actor it would seem to make sense that a victory would be in the cards for Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Hepburn in THE AVIATOR.

But some in the movie community have called Blanchett's performance "over the top", so the buzz is against her.

In addition to the negative buzz, the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS category has a few trends that are all it's own.

This award is usually given to a young actress for their first nomination, such as Marisa Tomei in 1992 for MY COUSIN VINNY, Anna Paquin in 1993 for THE PIANO and Mira Sorvino's 1995 win for MIGHTY APHRODITE.

By that logic I should tell you that Sophie Okonedo will win for HOTEL RWANDA, and some prognosticators are saying that these days.

But this category has another trend.

The BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS award has also been given for a performance that is seen as comeback, a la Kim Basinger in 1997's L.A. CONFIDENTIAL.

Granted, Okonedo is very strong in HOTEL RWANDA, but the buzz all seems to be behind this year's comeback kid, Virginia Madsen.

Madsen was a star in such eighties and nineties films as ELECTRIC DREAMS, DUNE, THE HOT SPOT, CANDYMAN and THE RAINMAKER, but her profile over the last few years has been well below the radar of the Academy.

Plus, prior to this year, the only nomination she has ever received was due to her work in 1992's CANDYMAN. That year she was singled out as BEST ACTRESS by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

Yes, they are a reputable and respected group to be sure, but they are not the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts And Sciences, so Virginia's nomination this year in the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS category will correctly be seen as her first.

Since she is a first time nominee AND her work can be seen as a comeback. I say that she will win.

But, just remember, even though I got it right last year, this has traditionally been my weakest category for predicting the Academy Award winners.

Whereas guessing the BEST PICTURE winners has been a strong suit of mine.

This year I see no reason to feel that pattern will end.

The nominees for BEST PICTURE are THE AVIATOR, FINDING NEVERLAND, MILLION DOLLAR BABY, RAY and SIDEWAYS, but there are only two films to remember. This category is a race between Martin Scorsese's THE AVIATOR and Clint Eastwood's MILLION DOLLAR BABY.

Over the past decade the BEST PICTURE race has been the one that has been the easiest to predict. The one exception was in 1998, when the aforementioned SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE beat the far superior SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.

SCHINDLER'S LIST, FORREST GUMP, BRAVEHEART, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, TITANIC, AMERICAN BEAUTY, GLADIATOR, A BEAUTIFUL MIND, CHICAGO and THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING all had the two things that are required to be named the BEST PICTURE of the year at the Academy Awards: momentum and buzz.

This year MILLION DOLLAR BABY has all of the buzz and all of the momentum.

All of it!

Even if this was originally intended to be the year that Martin Scorsese's career was recognized, due to Oscar history, THE AVIATOR has to be seen as the second place finisher.

No movie about Hollywood has ever won the top prize. Even Billy Wilder's classic SUNSET BOULEVARD didn't win best picture!

Clint Eastwood's UNFORGIVEN was named BEST PICTURE in 1992, and this year his MILLION DOLLAR BABY will take the top prize again.

The only question remaining now is: Does Eastwood also win for BEST DIRECTOR?

Does he beat out Scorsese's work in both of the top two categories?

Yes.

But Scorsese is in incredible company. Some of the greatest directors of all time have never won an Academy Award for BEST DIRECTOR. The list includes Charlie Chaplin, Howard Hawks, D. W. Griffith, Brian De Palma, Cecil B. DeMille, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, Terrence Malick, Robert Altman, Spike Lee, Stanley Kubrick, Tim Burton, Tim Burton, Blake Edwards, Arthur Penn, George Lucas, Ridley Scott, David Lynch, Peter Weir, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, Sam Peckinpah, and Martin Scorsese.

The last name on the list was nominated in 1980 for RAGING BULL and again in 1991 for GOODFELLAS. He should have won both times.

He was also nominated in 1989 for THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST and in 2002 for GANGS OF NEW YORK.

Still, the great Martin Scorsese has never won an Oscar.

With the epic THE AVIATOR on the release schedule, 2004 looked to be the year that Hollywood would reward him for an unprecedented career.

Sadly, this won't be Martin Scorsese's year, yet again.

Even though Clint Eastwood has won before, and the beloved Scorsese hasn't, Eastwood's work on MILLION DOLLAR BABY is the favourite to win.

That is partially due to the fact that Eastwood won the Directors Guild of America's Best Film Director award for MILLION DOLLAR BABY.

The winner of the DGA award has gone on to win the Academy Award in 50 of the past 56 years.

Because of his incredible career, and due to the fact that the Academy likes to award an Oscar for an entire body of work, Martin Scorsese would seem to (finally) be guaranteed an Oscar come Sunday night.

But the only guarantee in this year's Oscar races is Jamie Foxx. All everyone else can do is hope.

Of course, I am not hoping anything, I sit here quite confident that my choices will all win, due to the reasons I've given you. So, to recap, my predictions in the six major categories for the 77th Annual Academy Awards are:

BEST ACTOR - Jamie Foxx - RAY
BEST ACTRESS - Hilary Swank, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Morgan Freeman, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS
BEST PICTURE - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
And
BEST DIRECTOR - Clint Eastwood, MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Sorry Marty!

Now if you find yourself sick and tired of all of this Oscar talk, and you would rather just sit and watch something that will never win an Academy Award, I offer you two alternatives.

The new special edition DVD release of HALF BAKED and SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON.

Let's start with the very stupid, very juvenile, very funny comedy HALF BAKED.

The movie is about four pothead buddies, one of whom is thrown in jail.

His buddies - including Dave Chappelle from CHAPPELLE'S SHOW and Jim Breuer of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - have to come up with the money to free their buddy.

As I said, HALF BAKED is very, very stupid, but if you like films about stoners, like DAZED AND CONFUSED and the repertoire of CHEECH AND CHONG, then you will find HALF BAKED much to your amusement.

You will also be amused with the additional features that are now available in the HALF BAKED - FULLY LOADED EDITION DVD. There is an Alternate Ending, ten Deleted Scenes and a Director's Commentary with Tamra Davis.

Whatever you do, just make sure you have some snacks handy in case you get the munchies!

The other Academy Award alternative I have for you this week is from a franchise that was actually nominated for an Oscar once.

Yes, the movie version of SOUTH PARK - BIGGER, LONGER AND UNCUT was nominated for BEST ORIGINAL SONG.

In SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON you can join Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny as they discover a government secret, accidentally get sent to Afghanistan and get into an extreme slugfest when 'Big Gay Al' returns. Some of the episodes are: It Hits the Fan, Cripple Fight, Super Best Friends, Scott Tenorman Must Die and Cartmanland.

Call it dumb fun, call it a guilty pleasure, or whatever you'd like. I just call it funny.

If you need an alternative to this weekend's Oscar festivities The HALF BAKED - FULLY LOADED EDITION and SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON are both available now on DVD.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

Walt Disney's classic 1942 film BAMBI debuts on DVD in a special Platinum Edition 2-disc set.

In THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE SpongeBob and Patrick set out to save Bikini Bottom. If you think this is a movie just for kids, I offer this phrase: You are only as young as you feel. Feel young, enjoy SpongeBob!

The word "enjoy" will never be used in conjunction with EXORCIST: THE BEGINNING. In this prequel to the classic horror film Father Merrin has his first encounter with demonic forces. Stellan Skarsgard, James D'Arcy and Izabella Scorupco star.

Eric Idle stars in THE RUTLES 2 - CAN'T BUY ME LUNCH. Yes, Pre-Fab Four are back!

SCTV is back as well. In the box set SCTV - VOLUME 3 the series reacts to the success of "The Great White North" segments featuring Bob and Doug McKenzie and Martin Short joins the cast.

I'm Dan Reynish and I'll have more on SCTV - VOLUME 3, and those other releases, in seven days.

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

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

Imbruglia 'Days' Away From Third Album

Australian vocalist Natalie Imbruglia will release her third album, "Counting Down the Days," April 4 internationally via Sony/BMG's new Brightside imprint. According to a spokesperson for RCA, which issued Imbruglia's previous two albums here in North America, the set is not yet on the release schedule here.

The 12-track "Counting Down the Days" will be led by the single "Shiver," which will be released commercially on March 21. An accompanying video, shot in Kiev by director Jake Nava, can be streamed from Imbruglia's official Web site.

Among the contributors were producer Ben Hillier (Doves, Blur), Imbruglia's husband, Silverchair's Daniel Johns, as well as Faultline's David Kosten, who co-wrote the closing track "Honeycomb Child."

The album is the follow-up to 2001's "White Lilies Island," which debuted at No. 35 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 171,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The single "Wrong Impression" peaked at No. 7 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart.

Imbruglia will make a series of U.K. TV appearances next month, including performances on March 16 on "CDUK" and March 26 on "Top of the Pops."

Here is the track list for "Counting Down the Days":

"Starting Over"
"Shiver"
"Satisfied"
"Counting Down the Days"
"I Won't Be Lost"
"Slow Down"
"Sanctuary"
"Perfectly"
"On the Run"
"Come Home"
"While You're Sleeping"
"Honeycomb Child"

SHOW TIME

Prince, who won the Oscar in 1984 for his Purple Rain score, set to make his first appearance as an presenter at this Sunday's 77th Academy Awards. Last year's Best Actor winner, Sean Penn, has also been tapped as a presenter.

Springsteen Returning Favor to Bono

NEW YORK - Bruce Springsteen is returning the favor to Bono. U2's talkative frontman, who gave memorable stream-of-consciousness speeches inducting Bob Marley and Springsteen into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, will be saluted by Springsteen when the Boss inducts U2 next month.

Springsteen's no slouch in the induction speech department himself: He slyly noted last year how inductee Jackson Browne's audience always seemed to be filled with women.

Justin Timberlake will board the "Love Train" to pay tribute to the O'Jays in this year's ceremony. B.B. King and Eric Clapton will team to induct bluesman Buddy Guy, Rod Stewart will speak about "When a Man Loves a Woman" singer Percy Sledge and Neil Young will honor the Pretenders.

The 20th annual ceremony will be held March 14 at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. Highlights will be televised March 19 on VH1.

Explore The Life Aquatic

The latest Wes Anderson outing The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou will be getting two releases on DVD later this spring.

A single disc version will be available from Buena Vista with an audio commentary and deleted scenes along with the film in anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1. A second Criterion version of the film will also be available with a second disc including a video journal, musical performances of Seu Jorge, a featurette and interviews.

Both versions arrive on May 10th and will be priced at $29.99 and $32.99 respectively.

The Couch Potato Report

The Report will appear this week on Thursday and it will contain Dan's Oscar prediction.

Apple releases cheaper photo IPods, more roomy IPod mini

CUPERTINO, Calif. (AP) - Apple Computer Inc. on Wednesday released new versions of its popular IPod digital music player, cutting prices and expanding memory capacities.

The price of the four-gigabyte IPod mini was cut $50 to $199 US. A new six-gigabyte version will sell for $249.

The 60-gigabyte IPod Photo, which can display photos on its small colour screen or when connected to a TV set, was cut from $599 to $449. A new 30-gigabyte model for $349 replaces a 40-gigabyte version for $499.

Apple also said it expects to start selling a cable that allows the transfer of photos straight from a digital camera to an IPod photo, eliminating the need for a computer. The IPod Camera Connector is expected to be available in late March for $29.

Razzies Still Knocking Hollywood Down

LOS ANGELES (AP) — They started as an Oscar night joke. A quarter-century later, they're still a joke, but they come a night before the Oscars.

On Saturday the Golden Raspberry Awards, better known as the Razzies, will deliver their 25th annual spanking of all things bad in Hollywood.

"Catwoman," "Alexander" and "Surviving Christmas" among contenders for 2004's worst picture.

Normally a modest affair at a Santa Monica magic shop, the Razzies ceremony this time will be held in a 300-seat theater in the heart of Hollywood to mark the 25th year.

Razzies founder John Wilson also recently published "The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst," his take on the 100 most awful — yet perversely fun — movies to watch. Among his picks: "Mommie Dearest," "Showgirls," "Jaws: The Revenge" and "Rambo: First Blood, Part II."

The Razzies started in 1981, after Wilson had suffered through a double feature of the musicals "Can't Stop the Music" and "Xanadu." That gave him the idea for an Oscar-night potluck gathering in his living room, with Wilson handing out ballots beforehand for friends to choose the worst of Hollywood for the previous year.

Standing at a cardboard podium in the tackiest secondhand tuxedo he could find, Wilson bestowed the first of the Razzies' worst upon "Can't Stop the Music."

The joke became an annual tradition, which Wilson later moved to the day before the Oscars. Today's Razzies are chosen by about 675 voters from around the world.

Last year's big winner was "Gigli," which took the Razzies for worst picture, plus lead actor, actress and worst screen couple prizes for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.

Sylvester Stallone is the all-time Razzies champ, receiving a record 10 awards, including worst actor of the century. Madonna is close behind with nine Razzies.

"It's so hard to find anything to laugh about these days," Wilson said. "I don't think it's a bad thing to take dreck and turn it into laughter. And when it's at the expense of somebody like Sylvester Stallone, too bad, Sly."

Thompson Probably Planned Suicide

DENVER - Journalist Hunter S. Thompson did not take his life "in a moment of haste or anger or despondency" and probably planned his suicide well in advance because of his declining health, the family's spokesman said Wednesday.

Douglas Brinkley, a historian and author who has edited some of Thompson's work, said the founder of "gonzo" journalism shot himself Sunday night after weeks of pain from a host of physical problems that included a broken leg and a hip replacement.

"I think he made a conscious decision that he had an incredible run of 67 years, lived the way he wanted to, and wasn't going to suffer the indignities of old age," Brinkley said in a telephone interview from Aspen. "He was not going to let anybody dictate how he was going to die."

Thompson, famous for "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and other works of New Journalism, spent an intimate weekend with his son, Juan, daughter-in-law, Jennifer, and young grandson, William, the spokesman said.

"He was trying to really bond and be close to the family" before his suicide, Brinkley said. "This was not just an act of irrationality. It was a very pre-planned act."

The family is looking into whether Thompson's cremated remains can be blasted out of a cannon, a wish the gun-loving writer often expressed, Brinkley said.

"The optimal, best-case scenario is the ashes will be shot out of a cannon," he said.

Other arrangements were pending.

Kelly Clarkson mounts inaugural headlining tour

Singer Kelly Clarkson, the first-season winner of Fox-TV's "American Idol," works the North American theater circuit this spring behind her sophomore album, last year's "Breakaway."

Clarkson's 34-city outing kicks off with a late-March, three-night stand in Tulsa, OK, and dates stretch through late May. Tickets for most shows will hit the box office this month. Details are shown in the itinerary below.

"Nothing makes me happier than being out on the road," Clarkson said in a statement. "I can't wait to see the fans and perform the new material. Playing in these small venues will be a great opportunity for me to connect with my die-hard fans in an intimate setting. I'm really excited and I know it's going to be awesome."

Released in November, "Breakaway" follows Clarkson's 2003 debut, "Thankful," which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart. The new set's title track went to No. 1 on the Mainstream Top 40 radio chart, and currently sits at No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 3 on the Adult Top 40 chart. Follow-up cut "Since U Been Gone" holds the No. 3 slot on the latest Mainstream Top 40 chart.

The "Breakaway" single and "Since U Been Gone" are both streaming at Clarkson's website.

Clarkson scored her first No. 1 hit, "A Moment Like This," in 2002. The song went on to be the top-selling single of the year.

Tour Itinerary

March 2005
28-30 - Tulsa, OK - Performing Arts Center (on sale 2/26)
31 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre (on sale 2/26)

April 2005
2 - Omaha, NE - Civic Music Hall (on sale 2/26)
3 - Saint Louis, MO - Keiner Plaza (on sale 2/26)
5 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre (on sale 2/26)
6 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theatre (on sale 2/26)
8 - Indianapolis, IN - Murat Theatre (on sale 2/26)
9 - Cleveland, OH - Palace Theatre (on sale 2/25)
11 - Columbus, OH - Palace Theatre (on sale 2/26)
12 - Detroit, MI - State Theatre (on sale 2/26)
14 - Rosemont, IL - Rosemont Theatre (on sale 2/26)
16 - Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall (on sale 2/19)
17 - Kitchener, Ontario - Centre in the Square (on sale 2/19)
19 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre (on sale 2/19)
21 - Montreal, Quebec - Place des Arts (on sale 2/26)
22 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre (on sale 2/26)
24 - Wallingford, CT - Oakdale Theatre (on sale 2/26)
25 - Newark, NJ - New Jersey Performing Arts Center (on sale 2/26)
27 - New York, NY - Hammerstein Ballroom (on sale 2/26)
28 - Providence, RI - Providence Performing Arts Center (on sale 2/26)
30 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre (on sale 2/26)

May 2005
1 - Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall (on sale 2/19)
3 - Clemson, SC - Littlejohn Coliseum (on sale 3/5)
4 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre (on sale to be announced)
6 - Boca Raton, FL - Mizner Park Amphitheatre (on sale 2/26)
7 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall (on sale 2/26)
9 - Houston, TX - Verizon Wireless Theater (on sale 3/5)
10 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Live (on sale 2/25)
13 - Chula Vista, CA - Coors Amphitheatre (on sale to be announced)
16 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre (on sale 2/25)
18, 19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern LG (on sale 3/6)
24 - San Jose, CA - Civic Auditorium (on sale 2/26)
26 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre (on sale 2/25)
28 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Hall (on sale 2/26)
29 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Queen Elizabeth Theatre (on sale 3/4)

Foos Draft A Pair Of Jones' For New Album

Foo Fighters have landed guest appearances by Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and singer/songwriter Norah Jones for their upcoming double album, which will feature one disc of rock tracks and another of songs recorded in acoustic settings. With basic tracks completed, the band will now focus on overdubs and final vocals, with an eye on releasing the album this summer.

"We've recorded a lot of music for this record," guitarist Chris Shiflett writes on the Foos' message board. "It's over 40 songs or versions of songs. Of course, that'll get narrowed down to about half of that number for the final track list."

Shiflett gushes about the appearance of John Paul Jones, who contributed mellotron, piano and mandolin to several songs. "That guy is like royalty but he was so down to earth and cool, it was incredible," he says. "Of course, we managed to sneak in a few Zeppelin trivia questions and he even riffed 'Kashmir' on the mellotron for a minute."

Norah Jones' appears on a song with "a really cool Elvis Costello vibe to it," according to Shiflett. "Her voice is beautiful and fits the song really nice." Addressing fans who scoffed at the artist collaborating with a loud rock band, Shiflett said, "Trust me, it's really good. You'll see soon enough."

At present, the Foos have three international festivals on their performance slate, beginning July 7 at the Quart Festival in Kristiansand, Norway. As previously reported, frontman Dave Grohl plays drums on Nine Inch Nails' upcoming album, "With Teeth," due May 3 via Interscope.

Punk Trio Blink-182 on 'Indefinite Hiatus'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - California pop-punk trio Blink-182, famed for its practical jokes and disdain for clothing, has gone on "indefinite hiatus," with no plans to work together again, its Geffen Records label said Tuesday.

Singer-guitarist Tom DeLonge, singer-bassist Mark Hoppus and drummer Travis Barker want to "spend some time enjoying the fruits of their labors with loved ones" after a decade of working together nonstop, the statement added.

"While there is no set plan for the band to begin working together again, no one knows what tomorrow may bring," it said.

San Diego-based Blink-182, cast in the same mold as Grammy-winning punk combo Green Day, enjoyed major success with such tunes as "What's My Age Again?" and "All the Small Things," winning an MTV Video Music Award for the latter tune.

The group toiled in obscurity for years before hitting the big time with its 1997 major-label debut album "Dude Ranch," which sold 1 million copies. The 1999 follow-up, "Enema of the State," cemented its success, bolstered by the unlikely suicide ballad, "Adam's Song."

But for the most part, Blink-182 was best known for its goofball antics, including running naked through the streets of Hollywood for the "What's My Age Again?" video. It topped the U.S. pop charts in 2001 with the cheekily titled album "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket."

Barker, considered the band's linchpin on stage, kept busy with two other bands, Box Car Racer (along with DeLonge) and the Transplants, as well as a boutique record label.

The Wall Street Journal reported in 2003 that DeLonge bought a $5 million home in a gated community outside of San Diego because fans were bugging him at his former abode. Hoppus, meanwhile, co-owns a clothing company.

Miramax's Weinsteins, Disney Near Break-Up

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Brothers Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein will meet with executives of Walt Disney Co. this week to iron out the details of their exit from Oscar-winning powerhouse Miramax Films, a source with knowledge of the talks said on Tuesday.

The brothers founded the Disney unit and guided it to best film Oscars -- the top U.S. movie honors -- for the likes of 2002's "Chicago," but have for years had a contentious relationship with Disney chief executive Michael Eisner.

The pair have been in talks to exit Miramax since last year, and it appears the Oscar ceremony this coming Sunday, Feb. 27, will be their swansong with Miramax, which is backing best picture nominees "The Aviator" and "Finding Neverland."

"They are continuing negotiations this week," the source said, "A deal is imminent."

A Disney spokeswoman was not immediately available. Miramax would say only that there was nothing new to report in the ongoing negotiations.

Under plans being considered, the Weinsteins would leave their posts as co-chief executives but remain as consultants to help market certain upcoming films, the source said.

Some of those titles include comic book themed "Sin City" and kids' movie "The Adventures of Shark Boy & Lava Girl" -- both from director Robert Rodriguez -- as well as drama "Proof," starring Gwyneth Paltrow.

The Weinsteins would be free make their own movies and find a new distribution partner.

Disney would pay the Weinsteins around $100 million to settle their contract, which expires on Sept. 30, 2005, although a final amount has yet to be determined.

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Disney would retain the Miramax library of some 800 films with titles that include 1998's Oscar winner "Shakespeare in Love," starring Paltrow, and director Quentin Tarantino's popular "Pulp Fiction" and "Kill Bill: Vol. 1" and "Vol. II" titles. Libraries are a highly lucrative means of generating cash from sales of DVDs, videos and television rights.

Disney would retain the Miramax brand name, which the Weinsteins had sought to keep because it is based on their parent's names, Miriam and Max.

Miramax would become a slimmer unit with an annual budget around $300 million, far less than the $700 million Miramax under the Weinsteins but closer to the budgets of the art-house movie wings of Hollywood's other major studios.

Staff, which now numbers less than 300 people, would be cut, although a final number has yet to be determined, the source said.

The employee count has fallen steadily since Miramax said in August of last year it was laying off 13 percent of its then 485-member staff. Just last month, Miramax Chief Operating Officer Rick Sands left to join DreamWorks SKG.

The Weinsteins have been a major film force in New York, where Miramax is based, and in Hollywood for more than two decades. Based on the success of low-budget hits like "sex, lies and videotape," the brothers sold their company to Disney in 1993 for around $75 million.

Since then the Weinsteins have increasingly pursued more expensive films like last year's Oscar contender "Cold Mountain," while Disney wanted the unit to stay closer to its low-budget, independent roots.

Tension between the Weinsteins and Disney came to a head last May when Disney refused to release Michael Moore's controversial anti-Bush documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," which Miramax had backed. The Weinsteins acquired the film from Miramax and found an independent distributor to release it.

Raptors Rock Nets 100-82

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. - The sight of his old team made Vince Carter look like the player the Toronto Raptors wanted to get rid of. Carter struggled in his first game against the team that traded him to New Jersey earlier this season, missing 17 of 25 shots while being outplayed by Jalen Rose in Toronto's 100-82 victory over the Nets on Tuesday night.

Rose shot 12-for-15, scored 30 points and did a fine defensive job on Carter, who seem to be pressing in a game that he acknowledged meant a lot to him.

Rose led the Raptors on a 14-4 run early in the fourth quarter, and New Jersey never recovered. Chris Bosh had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and Milt Palacio added 13 points for Toronto, which had six players in double figures.

Carter scored 22 points, and Jason Kidd added 20 for the Nets, who had no one else in double figures.

Carter seemed loose before the game as he discussed last weekend's slam dunk contest won by J.R. Smith of Atlanta. Carter said he has a dunk in his repertoire that no one had seen yet, a specialty he plans to keep under wraps until the next time he enters the dunk contest.

But once the game began, Carter missed several drives, was off-target with his jumper, committed four turnovers and missed four free throws.

Toronto led 71-64 after three quarters, getting 20 points from Rose on 8-for-10 shooting. Carter was 6-for-20 for 15 points.

Rose had a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter as the shot clock expired before Carter came up with his lone highlight-reel move of the night, spinning 360 degrees as he drove beneath the basket before spinning in a reverse layup.

But Rose answered by driving around Carter for a layup, then stealing the ball from Carter as he was double-teamed. The steal led to a 3 by Donyell Marshall that made it 79-66, and Carter followed by missing a running jumper to make the Nets 1-for-9 in the period.

Carter fouled Marshall on a 3-point attempt with 5:09 left, and Marshall made two of the free throws for a 17-point lead. That was it for the Nets, who were without starting center Nenad Krstic (viral infection) and Rodney Buford (left ankle), leaving them with only 10 players in uniform, one of whom, Jabari Smith, made his first career start.

Notes:@ Bosh, 20, became the third-youngest NBA player in NBA history to reach 1,000 career rebounds. Only Kevin Garnett and Tracy McGrady reached the plateau at a younger age. ... Krstic has a viral infection, and the team was worried he had mononucleosis before tests came back negative. "Hopefully antibiotics and rest will be the cure," coach Lawrence Frank said. Krstic will miss Wednesday night's game at Milwaukee, and Rodney Buford (left ankle) also will sit out against the Bucks. "He's not ready to roll," Frank said. We'll give him two more days and see where he's at."

'Star Wars' Bosses Warn Websites Again

Movie bosses financing forthcoming prequel Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith are threatening to take legal action against internet sites that leak pictures and plot details. Currently, various websites are displaying photographs of a pregnant Padme Amidala, played by Natalie Portman, and a new android villain named General Grievous. Other shots online include an aggressive light-saber duel between Anakin Skywalker and his former mentor Obi-wan Kenobi - which leaves Skywalker horribly scarred and propels him to don the black suit of Darth Vader. Producers of the film had issued a warning to various internet sites last year, and have now renewed their threat of legal action. Revenge Of The Sith is due to hit American cinemas on May 19.

The Couch Potato Report

The Report will appear this week on Thursday and it will contain Dan's Oscar prediction.

Hurley Chased To Star in 'Harry Potter V'

Movie bosses are pursuing Elizabeth Hurley to play a wicked witch in forthcoming sequel Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix. The 39-year-old British beauty is being lined up to play evil Bellatrix Lestrange, a member of Potter nemesis Voldemort's gang, in the fifth film of the popular wizard series. A source says, "The producers have tried to keep details of the cast under wraps but they have always wanted someone beautiful and mystical to play Bellatrix and they reckon Liz can pull it off." Before Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix hits screens audiences will first be treated to fourth film Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, due for release in November.

Having trouble keeping up with all the "Law & Orders"?

Well, a new Web site popped up last week that keeps track of all — and we mean all — the versions of "L&O" that are on every day.

Original and repeats.

The site is called "When is Law & Order On?", and the answer to that question seems to be almost all the time.

From "Criminal Intent" to "SVU" to the original "L&O," the site shows that the series is on sometimes 10 hours a day across NBC, TNT and USA.

It is hard to tell if the site is purely practical — or something of a joke about how creator Dick Wolf's cops-and-courts franchise has taken over TV.

It is full of listings info — including synopses of each episode that will air over the next week.

It even provides a bar chart showing how many episodes a day are on the air. (For the record, there is no such thing as a day without "Law & Order.")

The creator of the bare-bones site gives little information about his identity — or what motivated him to provide this public service.

"My name is William, and one day I thought it would be neat to know when 'Law & Order' is on," he wrote on his site.

'Simpsons' character comes out of the closet

Marge Simpson's sister is out of there.

In a twist that shocked few, chain-smoking Patty revealed she's gay on last night's much-hyped episode of The Simpsons.

As Homer put it: "Big surprise! Here's another surprise -- I like beer!"

Last night's episode, There's Something About Marrying, saw Springfield legalize gay marriage to attract tourists. When Rev. Lovejoy refuses -- "I can't marry two people of the same sex any more than I can put a hamburger in a hot dog bun" -- Homer becomes a minister in the hopes of generating -- as the town's mayor put it "hot gobs of gay green."

In the end, Patty remains single since her bride-to-be turns out to be a man disguised as a woman.

"I like girls!" Patty declares before leaving him/her at the altar. Can a cameo by the ladies of The L Word be far behind?

'Gonzo' Godfather Hunter S. Thompson Kills Himself

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hunter S. Thompson, a renegade journalist whose "gonzo" style threw out any pretense at objectivity and established the hard-living writer as a counter-culture icon, fatally shot himself at his Colorado home on Sunday night, police said. He was 67.

Thompson's son, Juan, released a statement saying he had found his father dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at the writer's Owl Creek farm near Aspen.

Thompson, famed for such adrenaline-packed narratives as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," turned his drug and alcohol-fueled clashes with authority into a central theme of his work, challenging the quieter norms of established journalism in the process.

He also cultivated an aura of recklessness, starting with the blurb on his book "Hell's Angels," in which he called himself "an avid reader, a relentless drinker and a fine hand with a .44 Magnum."

A longtime gun enthusiast, Thompson had a shooting range on his property.

"Hunter prized his privacy and we ask that his friends and admirers respect that privacy as well as that of his family," said the statement released on behalf of Juan and Thompson's wife, Anita.

By his heyday in the 1970s, Thompson had distilled his style of invective-laced, outlaw journalism into a slogan: "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

"Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," adapted from a two-part article written for Rolling Stone magazine in late 1971, chronicled Thompson's drug-fueled misadventures in Las Vegas while ostensibly covering a motorcycle race in the desert.

'WRITER OF SIGNIFICANCE'

The book established Hunter as a cult celebrity and became the basis for a 1998 Hollywood adaptation, starring Johnny Depp as Thompson's alter-ego, Raoul Duke.

Thompson's refracted coverage of the Super Bowl and the 1972 presidential race also inspired the 1980 movie "Where the Buffalo Roam," with Bill Murray as the self-proclaimed doctor of gonzo journalism.

He was also caricatured as "Uncle Duke" in the comic strip Doonesbury, right down to his signature aviator glasses and cigarette holder.

Although Thompson's later work got mixed reviews, critics credited him with pioneering a style of invective-laced and hyperbolic political commentary that was uniquely American.

A 1994 essay in Rolling Stone written as an obituary for former President Richard Nixon was typical. At a time when many commentators offered a more generous re-assessment of Nixon's legacy, Thompson called him "a liar, a quitter and a bastard. A cheap crook and a merciless war criminal."

"I think Thompson has remained a writer of significance, because, essentially a satirist, he has displayed an utter contempt for power -- political power, financial power, even showbiz juice," novelist Paul Theroux wrote in 2003.

Raised in a middle-class family in Louisville, Kentucky, Thompson's father died when he was 14, and by 18 he had been jailed for his part in a robbery.

After a stint in the Air Force working as a sports editor, he became a foreign correspondent for the New York Herald Tribune in Puerto Rico.

In 1965, Thompson broke through with an article about the Hell's Angels that he turned into a critically hailed book.

It was his association with Rolling Stone that turned both into literary icons -- even though Thompson initially considered the upstart San Francisco-based magazine "a bunch of faggots and hippies."

Loverboy still going strong

In a heated round of word association with a buncha teens-twentysomethings of the '80s, pairing the terms "red leather pants'' and "headbands'' will inevitably end in one particular exclamation: Loverboy!

After all, what other Canadian rock album featuring a bright red, leather-clad butt sold 300,000 copies in this country alone? And even that's barely a fraction of the 14 million copies of the Vancouver group's first five albums that were moved worldwide.

Vocalist Mike Reno and company (lead guitarist Paul Dean, keyboardist Doug Johnson, drummer Matt Frenette, and late bassist Scott Smith) earned themselves a record six Juno Awards back in 1982, sealing Loverboy's reputation and elevating them to the ranks of popular, respected bands like Journey and Kansas.

It's been 25 years since Loverboy's inception and, with the exception of new bassist Spyder, not a whole lot has changed. The five are hitting hard onstage with all their greatest hits, including such radio staples as Turn Me Loose and Workin' For the Weekend.

Reno acknowledges the difficulty in transcending the tender nostalgia undoubtedly consuming much of the audience, but feels that 25 years of experience onstage has enabled the band to work the crowd right and thus share their new material.

"We get 'em pretty riled up," he says. "They're pretty focused on what we're playing and we throw (new songs) in at the right time."

The band still plays over 100 shows a year, and has had the opportunity to visit some really amazing places. For Reno, the culture shock of Japan has proved the coolest. "They treat you like gods," he explains incredulously, relaying tales of constant gifts, gifts and more gifts. Things onstage are just as bizarre: "They clap for about three seconds and then stop because they don't want to take up your stage time."

Ever-charitable and humanitarian, it was five years ago that Loverboy initiated the annual Rockin' For Research, which raises money for juvenile diabetes - a condition guitarist Dean was diagnosed with at age three. Though Loverboy hasn't played it every year, they continue to have a hand in things and to date, Rockin' For Research has raised over a million dollars.

As if that weren't enough, generous Reno was recently inspired to throw a pair of his trademark red leather pants up on online auction site EBay to raise even more dough for charity. Yes, they were worn, and yes, they sold - for almost $800 US - to a proud new owner, a Loverboy superfan from South Dakota named Kelly. It was Reno's pleasant surprise; the two are well-acquainted through her unusual vacations. He says, "Every year since I can remember, she's followed Loverboy around for eight or nine shows."

At each show she takes photos, gets them developed almost immediately and drops off a folder at the hotel for each band member the next day - such sweet devotion.

But back to that game of word association - Reno is adamant that Loverboy remains famous for more than just headbands and red leather.

He says, "Hopefully they think of high energy rock 'n' roll because that's what we're known for."

Meet The "Cool" Crowd

Growing up in the 1970s, future movie producers Stacey Sher and Michael Shamberg loved those goofy all-star-cast comedies - "like 'Smokey and the Bandit,'" Shamberg says.

But the "Smokey" all-stars - Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jackie Gleason, Dom DeLuise and Terry Bradshaw - have nothing on the Hollywood dream team that Sher and Shamberg have assembled for "Be Cool," the free-wheeling and silly sequel to 1995's blockbuster hit "Get Shorty," which opens on March 4.

Witness Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel, Vince Vaughn, Cedric the Entertainer, the Rock, Christian Milian, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, OutKast's Andre 3000 and Anna Nicole Smith (playing Danny DeVito's wife).

And at the center of it all is John Travolta, who's