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 back as Chili Palmer, super-smooth loan shark turned movie mogul - a character that Travolta likes to call "a street James Bond."
When we last saw him in "Shorty," Chili had conquered Hollywood. But in "Be Cool," also based on an Elmore Leonard novel, he moves on to the record business - "an industry," Travolta says, "that's even more cutthroat than movies."
Before long, Chili is crossing swords with all sorts of outrageous characters - and that's where the all-star cast comes in.
"I wanted to throw the greatest party of 2005 that everyone would want to come to," recalls director F. Gary Gray ("The Italian Job").
The Rock was the first to RSVP - partly because he's such a John Travolta fan.
"He's just amazing - Vinny Barbarino!" says the Rock. "But I drove John crazy. By day 18 of working together, I was still like 'You remember in "Grease," when you did that thing?'"
Sher says the other big names came onboard after they heard that the Rock, who normally gets star billing, had been willing to take a supporting role.
Once filming started, celebs like James Woods, Fred Durst and former Lakers coach Phil Jackson stopped in for cameos.
"After a while," Sher recalls, "We were like, 'Let's shoot for the moon.'"
And they succeeded - signing up everyone on their wish list.
Here are some highlights.
JOHN TRAVOLTA
Even a fellow '70s icon like Harvey Keitel used to worship John Travolta back in the day.
"When I was a young guy living in New York in the early '70s, with no money and no work, there were two guys that helped me make it through - Johnny Carson and John Travolta on 'Welcome Back, Kotter,'" Keitel recalls.
Uma Thurman was just a child back then, of course, but she still remembers when Travolta swaggered onto the big screen in "Grease."
"I was 12 years old when I had that 'Grease' experience," Thurman says. "And all the girls know what that was."
Thurman grew up to dance with Travolta in "Pulp Fiction," and in a nod to that classic, the duo hit the dance floor again in "Be Cool."
But this time, Travolta says, the dance scene is completely different.
"I said it would have to be something Chili would feel good dancing to. In 'Pulp Fiction,' our characters were hoping for death," he says. "But in this one, we're dancing for life. That was novelty dancing. This is traditional dancing. "
UMA THURMAN
"I found the script incredibly funny and enjoyable, but the main initial hook was to team up with John again," says Thurman, explaining why she signed up for "Be Cool."
Though Thurman is best known for her serious acting chops, watching Travolta in "Grease" made her a huge fan of musicals.
"It sort of bit me with that fire," she says. "Now I love musical theater and dance and song. I'll basically do anything to dance in a movie."
So it's little surprise that her dance scene with Travolta was one of the highlights for her in "Be Cool."
"John is the best partner you could get to dance with in the whole world," she says. "He makes it so easy."
She'll get to hit the dance floor even more in her next project - as Ulla in the movie version of "The Producers," with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.
"I dance every day, so I'm beyond overjoyed," she says.
She's also singing, at least for the moment.
"I would say that I'm a poor but passable singer," she says. "When I signed on, they said they would have someone sing for me if I needed it. No one's mentioned it, so I feel I must be passing."
THE ROCK
Elmore Leonard is a pro wrestling fan, so when he was writing the novel "Be Cool" in the late 1990s, he based one of the characters on one of the sport's biggest stars, the Rock.
"My agent told me about it," recalls the Rock.
"He read me the description: 'Elliott, 30, good looking, talented, wants to be an actor, raises one eyebrow and - dot-dot-dot - is gay."
That didn't put him off, however.
"We got a call from the Rock's agent," Sher recalls. "And he said the Rock loved that Elmore was making fun of him, and he really wanted to be in the movie."
The Rock winds up with the movie's funniest moments, including one audition scene that Travolta loves.
"To see the Rock, dead serious, doing a two-character scene about cheerleaders from 'Bring It On' as a monologue," Travolta says, "that's as good as it gets."
The Rock also got to meet Leonard while making the movie.
"When I did, I said, 'Elmore, where did the gay part come in?," he recalls.
"He just said, 'I thought it would be interesting.'"
ANDRE 3000
Director Gray first met Andre 3000 (aka Andre Benjamin) when he directed him and his OutKast partner, Big Boi, in videos for songs such as "Southernplayalisticadillacmusik."
"He told me I had a future in movies if I wanted it," Andre recalls.
And now he's taking Gray up on it.
After releasing the most successful OutKast record ever, "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" in 2003, Benjamin moved to Hollywood and threw himself into movies.
"I thought, 'Before I completely hate music, I'd rather just take a break,'" Andre says.
Andre will soon be everywhere. He and Big Boi have shot an OutKast musical set in a 1930s speakeasy that will air on HBO later this year, and he's currently in Toronto filming "Four Brothers," a thriller with Mark Wahlberg and directed by John Singleton.
But "Be Cool" is Andre's official movie debut, playing an over-the-top gangsta rapper character that he based on real people he knows in the music business.
"I have homeboys just like that, with the baggy pants down to your knees, and four or five pagers and all these platinum chains," says Andre, who did such a good job developing the part that it grew from just one line (in the first draft of the script) to a big supporting role.
Andre's character was so small at first, he didn't even have a name. But after it grew, so Gray offered a $200 prize for whomever "could come up with the most ghetto name," in Andre's words.
Cedric the Entertainer won the contest, slapping him with the moniker, "Dabu."
CHRISTINA MILIAN
A Grammy-nominated singer, Milian, 23, is best known for her duet with Ja Rule, "Between You and Me."
But now she's breaking out on the big screen, with roles in "Be Cool"and "Man of the House,"which opens this weekend.
It's the chance she's been waiting for since she started performing at the age of 9.
"I hope this will be a really big break-out moment for me," Milian tells The Post. "In 'Be Cool,' I'm getting to fulfill all my dreams in this one film. I'm acting and singing and working with all these A-list actors. I'm still trying to catch up with myself. It's so crazy."
Not only does she work with John Travolta - "I had this big crush on him," she admits - she also got to share a microphone with Aerosmith's Steven Tyler.
"He's soooo sexy," she says. "We shot that scene at a live Aerosmith concert, so there were 30,000 fans there to see the band. I was really nervous, but when I got on stage, it was a whole other situation. The chemistry was there and it felt like I was with the band for my entire life. It was quite a moment - maybe the highlight of my life."
Bono, Shankar Among Nobel Peace Prize Nominees
U2 singer Bono and Indian sitar master Ravi Shankar are among 166 nominees for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, a list that also includes Pope John Paul II and former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
"We have received 166 nominations so far, of which 29 are organizations," says director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute Geir Lundestad. "The geographical scope is wide."
As usual, he declined to name any candidates for the prize, which last year went to Kenya's Wangari Maathai, the head of a tree-planting movement and the first environmentalist to win. Some names have been made public or leaked privately by people nominating them.
The 10 million Swedish crown ($1.43 million) prize will be announced in October and awarded on Dec. 10.
Many Nobel watchers believe the 2005 award will go to an individual or a group involved with relief efforts after the devastating Dec. 26 tsunami, such as Save the Children or Oxfam.
The deadline for mailing nominations for the award, named after Swedish dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel, passed on Feb. 1. Those who can make nominations include members of parliaments, former Nobel laureates and some university professors.
The Nobel committee broadened its interpretation of peace last year by picking an environmentalist. Another unorthodox pick would be a musician, such as Bono or Shankar.
The pope, nominated many times, is unlikely to win since the five-member awards committee is widely believed to object to his conservative moral teachings, like opposing birth control.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko is nominated for his role in his country's peaceful "Orange Revolution," former Czech President Vaclav Havel is on the list as he has been several times before, and one group, "Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005," wants the prize split between 1,000 women around the world.
The number of nominations might rise with some arriving late even if they are postmarked by Feb. 1. Also, committee members can make nominations at their first meeting after the deadline. Last year, a record 194 candidates were nominated.
Coming Up At The Movies This Year!
In the world of Animation and Comedies:
The Barnyard: The director of ACE VENTURA: WHEN NATURE CALLS offers up this CGI-animated tale of farm animals that sound like Kevin James, Courteney Cox Arquette and Danny Glover. What I don't see here is A Pixar film, which means I'm not really interested.
Paramount Pictures, holiday.
Madagascar: The director of ANTZ offers up this CGI-animated tale of shipwrecked zoo animals that sound like Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett-Smith and David Schwimmer. What I don't see here is A Pixar film, which means I'm not really interested.
DreamWorks, May 27.
Robots: You've seen the trailers already, and know that you get robots that sound like Halle Berry, Mel Brooks and Greg Kinnear. What you maybe didn't know is that our own Brian (MONKEY MAN) Lynch had a hand in punching up the script, which makes me want to give it a look.
Fox, March 11.
A Scanner Darkly: If you're a Philip K. Dick fan, or you read the weekly SQUIB CENTRAL here, you already know about this movie. If not, know that SCHOOL OF ROCK's Richard Linklater is using a similar, but improved, version of the animation technique he used in WAKING LIFE. And finally Winona Ryder returns to the big screen. Maybe it's just me, but I've missed her. Pot-smokers Keanu Reeves and Woody Harrelson also star.
Warner Independent Pictures, Sept. 16.
Steamboy: From the director of AKIRA, which should be enough to intrigue you. Here, Otomo's movie is a blend of hand-drawn animation and 3-D computer effects, in a story set in Victorian England--a young inventor prodigy must harness the energy in a mysterious metal ball to save London.
Triumph Releasing, March 18.
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride: It's got Tim's name over the titles, but this stop-motion tale is directed by Mike Johnson. Still, if you liked A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, this'll be right up your alley. It stars voicework from Burton troup-ers Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
Warner Bros., Sept. 23.
Wallace & Gromit: If you've seen WALLACE & GROMIT on TV before, you know what you're getting, just longer. And since it's co-directed by Oscar-winner Nick Park and Steve Bob, it should be funnier, too.
DreamWorks, Oct. 7.
Comedy
Après Vous: All I can tell you is the title means "after you." "Daniel Auteuil stars as a Parisian restaurant manager who saves a distraught man from killing himself and then feels responsible for the man's future happiness. José Garcia and Sandrine Kiberlaine also star. Directed by Pierre Salvadori."
Paramount Classics, summer.
April's Shower: "A chef struggles to provide the perfect shower, but her complicated relationship with the bride-to-be and the eclectic guests make for a chaotic get-together. Trish Doolan directed and co-stars with Maria Cina and Randall Batinkoff."
here!/Regent Releasing, April 1.
Art School Confidential: From the makers of GHOST WORLD. Graphic novelist Dan Clowes really had some room to flesh out this story of a freshman at a prestigious East Coast art school, since the original story was only about 20 pages long. If it even approaches GHOST WORLD in quality, and the source material certainly does, it should be something special.
United Artists, TBA.
The Bad News Bears: Richard Linklater's presence here makes me think the movie won't be too tame a remake, which is the one fear in seeing an un-PC movie like the original get made over. Billy Bob Thornton as Buttermaker also gives me hope.
Paramount Pictures, summer.
Balls: Would any American film with this story have the, er, 'nads to title the movie the same way? In this German flick, a soccer-playing German bakery worker gets tossed off his local team because he's gay.
here!/Regent Releasing, Aug. 12.
The Baxter: "Michael Showalter directed and stars in this tale about a quintessentially nerdish accountant who can't believe that he's about to marry a beautiful, sophisticated woman." In short, it's a fantasy.
IFC Films, summer.
Be Cool: You know, Elmore Leonard's sequel to GET SHORTY wasn't all that great, actually. But the movie looks fun enough, and that scene of Travolta and Thurman dancing will surely suck people in. Don't get me wrong, the book--about Chili Palmer entering the music biz--was still decent, it just didn't quite have the zing of the original. I know everyone else loved THE ITALIAN JOB, but I hope director F. Gary Gray does better here than he did there.
MGM, March 4.
Beauty Shop: Queen Latifah stars in a kinda-sequel to THE BARBERSHOP. Tell me Jimmy Fallon's nowhere to be found in this and I'll be happy.
MGM, March 30.
Bewitched: I don't know... not only do I not really need a remake of the old TV show, but I really don't need a movie that's about a movie version of the old TV show. Especially with Nicole Kidman trying hard to be as warm and funny as Elizabeth Montgomery. Why is there a good chance I'll still see it, though? Will Farrell.
Columbia Pictures, July 8.
Casanova: Heath Ledger plays the legendary lover who faces his most daunting adversary — a woman who refuses him. I can't imagine what that must have been like. Directed by Lasse Hallström.
Touchstone Pictures, Dec. 25.
CSA: The Confederate States of America: I caught this last November at the Hamptons Film Festival and it was decent, if a little too serious of a parody.
IFC Films, July/August.
D.E.B.S: Sara Foster, Jordana Brewster (above), Meagan Good and Devon Aoki star in director Angela Robinson's satire about a group of sexy, crime-fighting, secret-agent teens. Any movie with Meagan Good is good by me, but that title... it just calls to mind B.A.P.S., and that's never a good thing.
IDP/ Destination Films/Samuel Goldwyn Films, March 25.
Death of a Dynasty: "Damon Dash's mockumentary goes behind the scenes at hip-hop mecca Roc-a-Fella Records and features appearances by Jay-Z, Dr. Dre and Flavor Flav. As long as Brigitte Nielsen isn't here, too...
TLA Releasing, March.
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo: Is it funny only to me that Mike Bigelow is the director? The original might only have been funny to me, too, but as long as Rob Schneider sticks to what he knows, he does stupid comedy better than just about anyone.
Columbia Pictures, Aug. 12.
Dorian Blues: "A high school outcast awkwardly comes out to his family, a priest and a social worker, then embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery while attending NYU. Michael McMillan stars. Directed by Tennyson Bardwell."
TLA Releasing, June.
The Dukes of Hazzard: Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg? Stifler and a Jackass as Bo and Luke? Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke? So far, the only casting I'm sold on is Willie Nelson as uncle Jesse. But until I hear who's playing Cooter, or Roscoe P. Coltrane, I'm wary...
Warner Bros., summer.
The Edukators: "A trio of young Germans' habit of breaking into expensive homes and rearranging the furniture as an act of political rebellion turns dangerous. Daniel Brühl ("Good Bye Lenin!") stars. Directed by Hans Weingartner."
IFC Films, May 27.
Elizabethtown: Finally a new Cameron Crowe flick. And luckily, the story, a romantic look at Orlando Bloom as a down-in-the-dumps industrial designer and Kirsten Dunst as the sharp flight attendant who helps him through his father's memorial in Kentucky, sounds much more like a good Crowe flick than VANILLA SKY. Even better, no appearance from Ashton Kutcher.
Paramount Pictures, July 29.
Fever Pitch: I was okay last time Nick Hornby's excellent-but-British novel got remade as an American story, but I don't know... Hornby's extreme love of his Arsenal is now changed to Red Sox obsession, and most of us have had enough of the Red Sox for a while. Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly.
Fox, Oct. 7.
Formula 17: "A gay 17-year-old journeys to Taipei, locks eyes with a notorious playboy and attempts to win his heart."
Strand Releasing, June.
The 40-Year-Old Virgin: Judd Apatow, of FREAKS AND GEEKS fame, directs THE DAILY SHOW's Steve Carell as a middle-aged electronics store employee whose friends decide it's time for him to go all the way? Yeah, it hopefully doesn't get much better than this in comedy this year.
Universal Pictures, Aug. 19.
Fun With Dick and Jane: Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni turn to crime after getting knocked out by a corporate scandal. Based on an old George Segal-Jane Fonda movie, this is directed by GALAXY QUEST's Dean Parisot. And if he could make a movie with Tim Allen that entertaining, he should be able to work wonders here.
Columbia Pictures, June 24.
A Good Woman: This might not be for me, despite the presence of Scarlett Johansson. It's based on Oscar Wilde's "Lady Windermere's Fan," and details misunderstandings and betrayals on the Italian Riviera of the 1930s.
Lions Gate Films, TBA.
Le Grand Rôle: "A journeyman actor's talents are tested when he must conceal from his seriously ill wife that he did not land a role in a famous American director's film. Directed by Steven Suissa. Stéphane Freiss, Bérénice Bejo and Peter Coyote star."
First Run Features, TBA.
Guess Who: Speaking of Ashton Kutcher... he's here, in a remake of GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER, as a guy about to marry Bernie Mac's daughter.
Columbia Pictures, March 25.
Happy Endings: No, it's not about successful massages, but since it's from THE OPPOSITE OF SEX's Don Roos and it explores the diversity and complexity of modern life through a multiplicity of stories involving adoption, sperm donors and pansexual couplings, it'll no doubt not be far off. Lisa Kudrow, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Tom Arnold star.
Lions Gate, July 15.
Herbie: Fully Loaded: I was tempted to say "HERBIE's not the only one," since this movie co-stars Lindsay Lohan, but I figured I'd take the high road. Instead, I'll just wonder how Michael Keaton got suckered into appearing here.
Walt Disney Pictures, June 24.
The Honeymooners: Cedric the Entertainer and Mike Epps play Ralph Kramden and Ed Norton. The trailer seems fine and all, but it's just one more TV remake I didn't really ever need to see.
Paramount Pictures, March 11.
The Ice Harvest: John Cusack is back to GRIFTing, along with Billy Bob Thornton. Their presence alone makes me happy, as does the fact that this is directed by Harold Ramis.
Focus Features, Nov. 4.
Ice Princess: Damn you, Michelle Trachtenberg, for making a movie I'll never want to see. Would another EURO TRIP be so bad, compared to this story about a smart girl who wants to be a championship figure skater against her mother's wishes?
Walt Disney Pictures, March 18.
In Her Shoes: "Motherless sisters (Cameron Diaz and Toni Collette) fight over a man but reconcile with help from their previously unknown grandmother (Shirley MacLaine)." Despite direction from Curtis Hanson, there's not one thing in the preceeding sentence that makes me want to see this.
Fox, April 8.
Intimate Stories: "An old man, a traveling salesman and a young mother with a baby cross paths on the roads of southern Patagonia. With Antonio Benedicti, Javier Lombardo, Javiera Bravo. Directed by Carlos Sorin."
New Yorker Films, March 4.
Jiminy Glick in Lalawood: How is it that the so-unfunny Martin Short character in the fat suit now has a big-screen movie on the way? Really, I like to think my sense of humor is pretty well-rounded, from base to sophisticated, but this character just makes me cringe. Since when is demeaning humor so celebrated?
MGM, May.
Just Like Heaven: Mark Ruffalo, I still feel bad that you accepted a role in 13 GOING ON 30, since you're capable of so much more. I don't know if this is it, with you as a man who reluctantly discovers that the San Francisco apartment he's sublet comes complete with a spirited young woman (played by Reese Witherspoon, above) who may or may not be a ghost, but we'll see.
DreamWorks, fall.
Kicking & Screaming: I can't remember the last good kids' soccer movie (LADYBUGS? Uh, no.) but Will Ferrell gives it a go anyway, coaching against his overly competitive father (Robert Duvall).
Universal Pictures, May 13.
King's Ransom: "To avoid losing his fortune to his ex-wife, an arrogant businessman plots his own kidnapping. Anthony Anderson stars. Directed by Jeff Byrd."
New Line Cinema, March 22.
Kung Fu Hustle: SHAOLIN SOCCER's Stephen Chow makes this update of THEY CALL ME BRUCE. Okay, not really, but it is a parody of historical action flicks, anyway.
Sony Pictures Classics, March 25.
Last Holiday: Wayne Wang, what are you doing? Sir Alec Guinness is rolling around in his Jedi-coffin-thing, with this remake of his old flick starring Queen Latifah and LL Cool J.
Paramount Pictures, TBA.
A Lot Like Love: A lot like something I don't want to see... Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet are in some sort of romantic comedy or other, but really, any of us who saw the trailer for Kutcher's last romantic comedy, let alone any of the movie itself, know better than to check this out.
Touchstone Pictures, April 22.
Mail Order Wife: "Faux documentary in which the filmmaker pays for an obnoxious doorman from Queens to get a beautiful bride from overseas in exchange for the right to film them. Directed by Andrew Gurland and Huck Botko."
Tartan Films, March 11.
Man of the House: Well, in the trailers, Tommy Lee Jones has proven to be as adept at comedy as he is at playing Two-Face. But there's Cedric the Entertainer for laughs and cheerleaders for other thrills.
Columbia Pictures, Feb. 25.
The Man Who Copied: "Lazaro Ramos stars as a Brazilian copy machine operator who spends his nights fantasizing by drawing comic book art." Which just means he doesn't have high-speed Internet if this is how he's fantasizing.
TLA Releasing, April.
The Man: The omnipresent Samuel L. Jackson joins up with Eugene Levy as they try to track down a murderer. Expect yelling, and laughs, respectively.
New Line Cinema, fall.
Matador: Want to see Antonio Banderas before Melanie got ahold of him? This '86 Pedro Almodóvar movie has him playing a bullfighter.
Sony Pictures Classics, fall.
Melinda and Melinda: Woody Allen's new flick tells the same story twice, once from a humorous point of view and once from the dramatic. Wonder which side Will Ferrell will be better at?
Fox Searchlight, March 23.
Millions: TRAINSPOTTING's Danny Boyle gets back to crime and away from the zombies of his 28 DAYS LATER with this tale of a train robbery goes wrong.
Fox Searchlight, March 11.
Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous: This movie will allow me to stick to my firm rule about never, ever seeing a movie with the word "FABULOUS" in the title. Especially when my secondary rule is to avoid Sandra Bullock flicks.
Warner Bros., March 25.
Monster-in-Law: Can Jane Fonda out-MONSTER J-Lo? Maybe. Poor Michael Vartan somehow got stuck in a movie dealing with both.
New Line Cinema, May 6.
Must Love Dogs: Diane Lane and John Cusack, and everyone's favorite generic romantic comedy co-star, Dermot Mulroney all appear here.
Warner Bros., summer.
Nanny McPhee: Emma Thompson wrote and stars in this adaptation of Christianna Brand's NURSE MATILDA books about a magical woman who comes to live with a widower and his seven ill-mannered children. Who would you expect the widower in this sort of movie to be? That's right, Colin Firth.
Universal Pictures, TBA.
Nina's Tragedies: "The graphic journal entries of a melancholy 14-year-old Israeli boy chronicle his infatuation with his beautiful, young and recently widowed aunt. Aviv Elkabets and Ayelet July Zurer star. Written and directed by Savi Gabizon."
Wellspring, February.
Old New Borrowed and Blue: "A young Danish woman's wedding plans become more complicated with the arrival of a carefree Swede whose earlier disappearance landed the woman's sister in a psychiatric ward. Sidse Babett Knudsen, Björn Kjellman and Lotte Anderson star. Directed by Natasha Arthy."
Newmarket Films, TBA.
The Pacifier: Vin Diesel rips off Hulk Hogan's MR. NANNY, and adds a dash of Arnold's KINDERGARTEN COP. But, you know, he's handled by the director of BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE, so expect it to be... much worse than the trailer.
Walt Disney Pictures, March 4.
The Perfect Man: Well, Heather Locklear is finally breaking down and playing a mom. Even worse, her daughter is Hilary Duff. Mr. Big is saddled with this sappy comedy, too.
Universal Pictures, Aug. 12.
The Pink Panther: Steve Martin takes over as Inspector Clouseau, and while the trailer looks like it's going for very broad comedy, I still have interest in it. As long as THE CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN guy doesn't repeat the formula he used in that movie.
MGM, Sept. 23.
Prime: Uma Thurman is the older woman to some lucky younger bastard.
Universal Pictures, TBA.
Rebound: That's exactly what Martin Lawrence tries for here as he coaches some young kids. Lots of that going around.
Fox, April 15.
The Ringer: Now, there has to be one good dumb, un-P.C. comedy a year (more than one would be good, too) and this one, with Johnny Knoxville as a guy who fakes his way into the Special Olympics, could just be it. As long as they don't go too sappy, which'll probably happen.
Fox Searchlight, TBA.
Rumor Has It: How's this for a cast in Rob Reiner's new fim: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine and Mark Ruffalo all star in this family dramedy.
Warner Bros., April 15.
Saint Ralph: "A high school freshman, convinced that only a "miracle" can save his mother's life, begins training for the Boston Marathon with help from a reluctant Catholic priest."
IDP/Samuel Goldwyn Films, March 25.
Saving Face: "A Chinese American surgeon from Queens makes her first tentative steps toward a lesbian relationship just when her widowed 48-year-old mother turns up on her doorstep, pregnant. Michelle Krusiec, Joan Chen and Lynn Chen star. Written and directed by Alice Wu."
Sony Pictures Classics, May 27.
Schultze Gets the Blues: "An accordion-playing retired German miner breaks with old habits and trades polka for Louisiana zydeco. Horst Krauss, Harald Warmbrunn and Karl-Fred Müller star. Directed by Michael Schorr."
Paramount Classics, Feb. 18.
Sex, Politics & Cocktails: "Julien Hernandez directs and stars as a 30-year-old Cuban director, dissatisfied with his love life, who takes a walk on the gay side."
here!/Regent Releasing, March 25.
Shopgirl: Steve Martin looks maybe 5 years too old to play the title character, but since he wrote the excellent novella, and adapted it here, he can do whatever he wants. How about setting a release date, Touchstone?
Touchstone Pictures, TBA.
Sky High: An academy for the children of superheroes is a nice premise for a film, especially one starring Bruce Campbell. Forget the director's SURVIVING CHRISTMAS pedigree, this one, co-starring Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston, could be decent.
Walt Disney Pictures, Aug. 3.
Son of the Mask: Oh, Alan Cumming, I like to think you're better than this. Jamie Kennedy, you're probably not.
New Line Cinema, Feb. 18.
Torremolinos 73: "The erotic "education" films produced by a struggling encyclopedia salesman and his wife in 1973 Spain become porn hits in Scandinavia. Javier Cámara and Candela Peña star. Directed by Pablo Berger."
First Run Features, April 1.
Undertaking Betty: Chris Walken in a funeral home comedy? Nice. Alfred Molina, Brenda Blethyn and Naomi Watts also star.
Miramax Films, TBA.
Untitled Jim Jarmusch: Bill Murray stars in quintessentially cool director's latest film. Which means it might not be as boring as Jarmusch's other films.
Focus Features, TBA.
Untitled Mike Judge Futuristic Comedy: They shouldn't even change the title, this one does it for me. A man played by Luke Wilson participates in a hibernation experiment and wakes up 1,000 years later to discover he's the smartest guy on Earth. Mike Judge, it's about time.
Fox, Aug. 5.
Up and Down: "Prague serves as a melting pot for a series of parallel stories dealing with immigration and estranged families. Petr Forman, Emilia Vasaryova and Natasa Burger star. Directed by Jan Hrebejk ("Divided We Fall")."
Sony Pictures Classics, Feb. 25.
A Wake in Providence: "A young Italian American actor (Vincent Pagano) living in California returns home to Rhode Island for his grandfather's funeral with his African American girlfriend (Victoria Rowell) as a reluctant surprise for his family. Directed by Rosario Roveto Jr."
Indican Pictures, March 11.
Wannabe: "A New York model moves to L.A. to be an actress and befriends a struggling singer-songwriter. With Pell James, Steven Strait and Kip Pardue. Directed by Meiert Avis."
Lions Gate Films, TBA.
Wedding Crashers: Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson team up? As a pair of divorce mediators who pick up women by going to weddings where they weren't invited? AND Chris Walken shows up, too? Oh, you bet.
New Line Cinema, July 22.
You I Love: "A Moscow anchorwoman finds herself in an unusual love triangle when she discovers her ad exec boyfriend in bed with another man. Directed by Olga Stolpovskaya and Dmitry Troitsky."
Picture This!, Feb. 11.
Gordie Sampson wins five awards at East Coast Music Awards in N.S.
SYDNEY, N.S. (CP) - Gordie Sampson walked away with so much pewter he could probably go heavy metal.
The Cape Breton singer-songwriter beat a steady path to the winner's podium Sunday night, winning five East Coast Music Awards before an adoring home crowd at Sydney's Centre 200.
"Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow," Sampson exclaimed after taking the stage for the fifth and final time.
Sampson, of Big Pond, N.S., swept every category he was nominated in - including male artist of the year and album of the year for Sunburn.
The title song won both single of the year and pop recording of the year, and Sampson teamed up with Blair Daly and Troy Verges to take the SOCAN songwriter award for crafting it.
"This is the most important award for me," he said after receiving the songwriting award. "The songs are the essence of what we do."
Sampson, who performed Sunburn during a slick, performance-heavy show broadcast nationally by the CBC, said he's concentrated in recent years on honing his craft.
It's obviously worked. The songwriting award was his fifth in the last six years.
"There's no Songwriting for Dummies book," Sampson said. "What you have to do is write a lot and make it a living. You have to do it every day."
George Canyon also had a big night. Besides hosting the show, the lantern-jawed country singer from New Glasgow, N.S., won three times, including the rising star award and the coveted entertainer of the year award - the only one voted on by fans.
"I feel like a million bucks," a beaming Canyon said after his album, One Good Friend, won for top country recording.
"I've been fighting the flu since I landed here in Sydney, but right now I'm feeling nothing but the fuzzies."
Canyon rose to prominence after finishing second at last year's Nashville Star, a country talent search in the United States.
"I still can't believe I get to do this. I can't believe you guys are letting me do this," he said, gesturing to a row of reporters throwing questions.
The Trews, a hard-rocking quartet from Antigonish, N.S., received five nominations but won just once - for group of the year.
"This is a big honour - we've never really won an award before," singer Colin MacDonald told the crowd.
It's been a breakthrough year for Sampson, who also produces records at his studio in Point Aconi, N.S., and whose songwriting prowess has attracted the attention of heavy hitters in Nashville.
Paris, a song from Sunburn, has been recorded by country superstar Faith Hill for potential inclusion on her next album.
"This is probably the busiest, most extensive music work year I've ever had," Sampson said after winning his first award of the night.
"Just trying to juggle things has been an art in itself, but it's alright now," he said holding up his trophy, a stylized pewter treble clef, for male artist of the year.
Nathan Wiley, a wispy singer-songwriter from Summerside, P.E.I., was named alternative artist of the year for his second album High Low.
"This is the first award of the night and it's going to P.E.I. - and that's who I'm doing it for," Wiley said seconds after leaving the stage in a segment of the show not broadcast.
The Cottars, The Joel Plaskett Emergency, Canyon, Wiley and The Trews were among the performers on the show, which included a touching tribute to Cape Breton's Rita MacNeil.
Thirty years after she recorded her first album, MacNeil was recognized as one of Atlantic Canada's most popular musical exports when she was given a lifetime achievement award.
Jimmy Rankin, Matt Minglewood, Shaye, the Men of the Deeps and Dutch Robinson sang songs written by the shy, soft-spoken singer from Big Pond.
MacNeil wiped tears from her eyes as she watched from the crowd before taking the stage to a standing ovation.
"You sure know how to ruin a girl's makeup," she said, before thanking everyone "for allowing me to live my dream."
"I'm proof you can make it. Be true to what you do."
Newfoundland's Great Big Sea won for video of the year - a record 19th East Coast Award for the popular celtic rock band.
A capacity crowd of about 5,000 took in the show, including Tory MPs Peter MacKay and Belinda Stronach. Ottawa's latest power couple sat together prominently in the front row.
Winners of the 2005 East Coast Music Awards
SYDNEY, N.S. (CP) - Here are the winners from the 2005 East Coast Music Awards on Sunday night:
FACTOR Album of year: Sunburn, Gordie Sampson.
Female artist of year: Natalie MacMaster.
Group of year: The Trews.
Male artist of year: Gordie Sampson.
CBC Galaxie rising star: George Canyon.
Single of year: Sunburn, Gordie Sampson.
SOCAN songwriter of year: Gordie Sampson, Blair Daly, Troy Verges (Sunburn.)
Video of year: When I Am King (Great Big Sea.)
Aboriginal recording of year: Something To Dream Of (Forever).
Alternative recording of year: High Low (Nathan Wiley.)
Bluegrass recording of year: XB ... A Mandolin Collection (J.P. Cormier.)
Blues recording of year: The Salty Sessions Vol. 2 (Hot Toddy.)
Classical recording of year: The Great Square of Pegasus (Jasper Wood.)
Vibe marketing country recording of year: One Good Friend (George Canyon.)
Francophone recording of year: Derange (Grand Derangement.)
Folk recording of year: Two-Bit World (Dave Gunning.)
Gospel recording of year: This Christmas (The LaPointes.)
Instrumental recording of year: X8 ... A Mandolin Collection (J.P. Cormier.)
Jazz recording of year: Duane Andrews (Duane Andrews.)
Pop recording of year: Sunburn (Gordie Sampson.)
Rock recording of year: Truthfully Truthfully (Joel Plaskett.)
Roots/traditional recording of year: On Fire! (The Cottars.)
Roots/traditional solo recording of year: Blueprint (Natalie MacMaster.)
Urban single recording of year: Shake Ya Caboose (Pimp Tea.)
Entertainer of year: George Canyon.
Lifetime achievement award: Rita MacNeil.
CNN Headline News Undergoes Big Changes
NEW YORK - For a network that has built its reputation on predictability, CNN Headline News is undergoing some dramatic changes on Monday.
The network will debut a new prime-time lineup that dispenses with its usual continuous "wheel" of news. Like all-news radio stations, Headline News has run half-hour newscasts throughout the day and evening for its entire 23-year history.
The new lineup includes an hour-long entertainment program, a legal talk show with Nancy Grace as host and an hour-long newscast at 9 p.m.
"By the time you get to prime-time in this day and age, most people are aware of the headlines of the day and want some different, distinctive programming," said Ken Jautz, executive vice president of the CNN News Group.
Translation: Headline News' ratings sag during the evening. But the network is pleased with daytime ratings, and that format is remaining the same.
Grace's show, at 8 p.m. ET, is the highest-profile launch. The former prosecutor is a frequent substitute for Larry King on CNN, and the new schedule allows her to continue this and not compete with King.
Karyn Bryant and A.J. Hammer are the hosts of "Showbiz Tonight" at 7 p.m. ET, the hour many of the syndicated entertainment programs air. They'll focus on Academy Award coverage this week and have interviews with the casts of "24" and "Lost."
Following Grace will be a traditional newscast, with Mike Galanos and Erica Hill. The timing is designed to not compete with newscasts on CNN, Jautz said.
CNN Headline News is also revamping its onscreen look. A few years ago, the network instituted a graphics-heavy format with several different elements, designed to appeal to computer-savvy viewers. The network is stepping back, making pictures the dominant element on the screen.
'Hitch' Edges 'Constantine' at Box Office
LOS ANGELES - Keanu Reeves went to hell and back, but he could not unhitch Will Smith from the top of the box office. Smith's romance "Hitch" remained the No. 1 weekend movie with $31.8 million, narrowly beating Reeves' demonic thriller "Constantine," which debuted in second place with $30.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The girl-and-her-dog tale "Because of Winn-Dixie" won bragging rights as the weekend's family-film winner over the baby-with-superpowers comedy "Son of the Mask." "Because of Winn-Dixie" opened at No. 3 with $10.85 million, and "Son of the Mask" opened at No. 4 with $7.7 million.
Hollywood continued its strong early-year showing, with the top 12 movies taking in $119.1 million, up 13 percent from President's Day weekend last year.
If those figures hold when final numbers are released Tuesday, that would make it the second-best President's Day weekend ever, behind the $123.8 million total in 2003, when "Daredevil" and "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" led the box office.
"Hitch," with action star Smith playing a "date doctor" for romantically hopeless men, pushed its 10-day total to $90.1 million and will become the first movie released in 2005 to top the $100 million mark.
The movie's weekend haul was down just 26 percent from its $43.1 million debut, a solid performance given that revenues for big-studio films often plunge 50 percent or more in the second weekend. Smith's presence made "Hitch" an easy sell for the male audience, which normally leaves romantic comedies to women.
"This is one of those romantic comedies that appeals to men and women equally because of Will Smith," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.
"Constantine," adapted from the DC Comics' "Hellblazer" series, stars Reeves as the title character, a man who dispatches hell's minions back to the underworld.
Executives at "Constantine" distributor Warner Bros., which also released Reeves' "Matrix" franchise, said they were satisfied with the opening weekend even though the movie did not take the No. 1 spot. Like "The Matrix" flicks, "Constantine" carried an R rating, limiting the under-17 audience to those accompanied by an adult.
"For an R-rated movie, this is fabulous," said Dan Fellman, Warner head of distribution. "In trying to look for some comparison, it was only our goal to reach the opening of the original `Matrix,' and we exceeded that."
"The Matrix" had an opening weekend of $27.8 million in April 1999.
Best-picture contenders for next weekend's Academy Awards continued to hold well, with the boxing drama "Million Dollar Baby" coming in at No. 5 with $7.2 million, raising its total to $54.7 million.
The Howard Hughes epic "The Aviator" was ninth with $4.2 million, lifting its domestic gross to $88.1 million. The wine-country comedy "Sideways" finished 10th with $3.9 million, increasing its total to $58.1 million.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Tuesday.
1. "Hitch," $31.8 million.
2. "Constantine," $30.5 million.
3. "Because of Winn-Dixie," $10.85 million.
4. "Son of the Mask," $7.7 million.
5. "Million Dollar Baby," $7.2 million.
6. "Are We There Yet?", $6.5 million.
7. "Boogeyman," $5.5 million.
8. "Pooh's Heffalump Movie," $4.4 million.
9. "The Aviator," $4.2 million.
10. "Sideways," $3.9 million.
'Carousel' Star John Raitt Dies at 88
LOS ANGELES - John Raitt, the robust baritone who created the role of Billy Bigelow in the original New York production of "Carousel" and sang with Doris Day in the movie "Pajama Game," died Sunday. He was 88.
Raitt, the father of singer Bonnie Raitt, died from complications of pneumonia at his Pacific Palisades home, his manager, James Fitzgerald, said in a statement.
Raitt had become well known on the West Coast for his handsome presence and ringing voice when in 1944 he was invited to New York to try out for the role of Curly in the road company of "Oklahoma!" He was rushed from Penn Station to the St. James Theater and an audition with Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers.
In 1995, Raitt recalled: "I hadn't sung since California, so I said, 'Do you mind if I warm up?' I sang Figaro's aria from 'The Barber of Seville.' Then I sang all of Curly's songs.'"
There was silence when he finished. The problem was not his voice, which was both melodic and powerful, but his height. At 6 feet 2 was he too tall for Curly? Hammerstein reasoned: "I'm a tall man. Why can't Curly be tall?" Raitt was hired for the Chicago company of "Oklahoma!"
Rodgers and Hammerstein had been working on their second collaboration, "Carousel," and they chose Raitt for the role of the doomed hero Billy Bigelow.
Raitt astounded the opening-night audience in 1945 with his dynamic soliloquy, which he called "practically a one-act opera which took six and a half minutes to sing." He said Hammerstein had been inspired to write it when he heard the newcomer sing Figaro at the audition.
Raitt's star status on Broadway was assured, and after the long run in "Carousel" he appeared in "Magdalena," "Three Wishes for Jamie" and "Carnival in Flanders." He lacked a big crossover to film until "The Pajama Game" in 1954.
"The Pajama Game" became a successful movie with Raitt and several others in their stage roles and Doris Day for popular appeal. The numbers "Hey, There," "Steam Heat" and "Once a Year Day," choreographed by Bob Fosse, helped make the 1957 film a delight. Despite his good notices, it was Raitt's only starring movie (he had played two minor roles while briefly under contract to MGM in 1940).
In his later years, Raitt was overshadowed by the fame of his blues-singing daughter. He delighted in her success and approved of her campaigning for civil rights, peace and other causes. "She used to be known as John Raitt's daughter; now I'm known as Bonnie Raitt's father," he observed.
After she had become a big attraction in pop music, they sometimes appeared together, singing duets with her song "Blowing Away" and his "Hey, There."
"He treats every show with equal thrill and passion," Bonnie Raitt once said. "He puts the same into it no matter whether it's a charity breakfast for 50 people or opening night of a Broadway show.
"He never sold out for the quick buck. If he did Vegas, he would have been a bigger star, but he didn't want to sing for drunks and hecklers, and neither do I."
John Emmett Raitt was born Jan. 10, 1917, in Santa Ana, Calif. At Fullerton Union he excelled in track, winning a scholarship to the University of Southern California. He concluded his college education at the University of Redlands in 1940.
His deep, resonant voice developed early, and he sang at service clubs and churches throughout Southern California. His professional debut came in 1940 as a chorus singer in "HMS Pinafore" with the Los Angeles Civic Light Opera, where he would be a frequent star in later years.
With little operatic training, he sang lead roles in "The Barber of Seville" and "Carmen" at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. That led to the fateful meeting with Rodgers and Hammerstein.
Raitt remained a top musical star, touring with Mary Martin in "Annie Get Your Gun," and lead roles in "Destry Rides Again," "Man of La Mancha," "Kismet" and "Zorba" as well as "Oklahoma!" "Carousel" and "The Pajama Game." He played in summer stock from 1959 to 1984, keeping his fee moderate so theaters could afford him. "I liked the work, and if I upped the price, I wouldn't get the work," he reasoned in a 1995 interview.
In his 80s, he continued touring with a one-man show, "An Evening with John Raitt," and made appearances with Bonnie on the Boston Pops broadcast and her own concerts.
Bonnie and two brothers, Steven and David, were born to Raitt's first marriage to Marjorie Haydock. They divorced in 1971. A second marriage to Kathleen Smith Landry ended in divorce in 1981. That year, he learned from an old friend that Raitt's high school sweetheart had recently been widowed.
"Having played Zorba, I believe in grabbing at life," he recalled. "So I called her and this sweet voice answered. 'I'm free now,' I told her, 'and I'm coming to dinner.'"
Raitt and Rosemary Kraemer were married in 1981. Bonnie sang "Safe in Your Arms" at the wedding. Raitt sang "My Heart's Darling" at her 1991 wedding to actor Michael O'Keefe.
Pepsi Wins Movie Product Placement 'Oscar'
LONDON (Reuters) - PepsiCo Inc. may be only the world's No. 2 soft drinks maker, but in terms of product placement on the big screen it outranked every other brand on the planet in 2004.
Brandcameo, a product placement offshoot of consultants Brandchannel (www.brandchannel.com), awarded its top tongue-in-cheek "accolade" to the maker of Pepsi, Aquafina and Mountain Dew on Sunday after the Pepsi brand featured in no less than one in five No. 1 U.S. movie box office smashes last year.
Featuring in movies as diverse as "Alien vs. Predator" and "Dodgeball," Pepsi beat arch-rival Coca-Cola and its ubiquitous Coke brand into second place, where it tied with Motorola and Nike.
While Pepsi actually only featured in seven No. 1 U.S. movie hits, the scale of this achievement is illustrated by the fact that only 37 movies topped the list last year.
Product placement is a lucrative business that really kicked off at the seminal moment in Steven Spielberg's 1982 classic "E.T." when the protagonist alien consumes a trail of Reese's Pieces that lead him to the house of the little boy that befriends him. Sales of the Hershey-made candy soared.
Nowadays, consumer products companies can pay top dollar for a placement on the billboard a car crashes into in a Hollywood blockbuster, or to supply James Bond's latest gadget-laden car.
"Ford reportedly paid millions of dollars for "Die Another day," said Abram Sauer, analyst at Brandchannel.
"These days, product placement agencies are trying to find a way of measuring the value of placement so they can charge for it. And now Ford has opened its own office in LA with the sole purpose of getting Fords featured (in movies)."
NOT ENOUGH BRANDS?
While product placements can have spectacular results when an item is first launched, its effects are harder to demonstrate when a placement is used to help maintain a brand.
So while computer and mobile entertainment maker Apple -- a mainstay in any branding poll -- gets a Brandcameo "Lifetime Achievement" award for almost 20 years of product placement from "Short Circuit" and "Star Trek IV" in 1986 to "Garfield" in 2004, Apple's computer market share has hovered resolutely around the 2 percent mark.
Brandcameo's awards -- timed to capitalize on the massive interest in the Academy Awards to be made on Feb. 27 -- run to several categories, but perhaps the most interesting point is that movies actually tend to under-emphasize the impact of branding in our lives.
Of course, documentary films such as "Fahrenheit 9/11" and "Super Size Me" often lampoon or criticize the products or companies "placed" in them, as Halliburton and McDonald's found to their cost.
But the irony is that there are far more products and brands on display in documentaries - and in real life -- than in movies like "Die Another Day" or "Minority Report" that come under fire for their heavy use of product placement.
"People who complain about product placement say that movies are becoming too branded. That can mean the products are featured too unrealistically -- there are just too many products on display," Sauer said.
"But if you take a documentary that has no sets, and no one arranging things for the set, you get a lot more brands."
'Sideways' Wins Writers Guild Award
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - In an important pre-Oscar test, wine country comedy "Sideways" was named best adapted screenplay and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" won for best original screenplay at the Writers Guild of America awards on Saturday night.
"Eternal Sunshine," a complicated comedy fantasy about falling out of love written by Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry and Pierre Bismuth, beat original screenplays for "The Aviator," "Garden State," "Hotel Rwanda" and "Kinsey."
"Sideways," by Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, based on Rex Pickett's novel, won over "Before Sunset," "Mean Girls," "Million Dollar Baby" and "The Motorcycle Diaries."
The Writers Guild awards often are considered predictors of who will win in the writing categories at the Oscars, which take place next Sunday.
In television, the award for best TV movie or miniseries adapted screenplay went to HBO's "Angels in America," which Tony Kushner adapted from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play of the same name.
Another HBO TV movie, "Something the Lord Made," by Peter Silverman and Robert Caswell, won for best original screenplay.
Actress Sandra Dee Dead at 63 in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actress Sandra Dee, a perky blonde teen matinee idol of the 1950s and 1960s who played the title role in the surfer film "Gidget," died Sunday in Thousand Oaks, California, a hospital spokeswoman said.
Dee died shortly before 6 a.m. at Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center near Los Angeles, spokeswoman Cynthia Mead said. She was 63. A family spokesman, Steve Blauner, told Reuters that Dee's death was caused by complications from kidney disease.
Dee's son, Dodd Darin, whose father, Bobby Darin, was also a popular movie idol and pop singer of the same era, told CNN his mother had been hospitalized for two weeks prior to her death for kidney disease and pneumonia.
A former child actress and model, Dee made her film debut in "Until They Sail" in 1957. She rose to stardom in the 1959 film "Gidget," about a teenage girl who falls for a surfer. The same year Dee and Troy Donahue starred as teenage lovers in the popular film "A Summer Place."
In 1960, Dee married Darin. Together the young duo starred in "Come September" (1961), "If A Man Answers" (1962), and "That Funny Feeling" (1965). Dee also took over the title role from Debbie Reynolds in the popular "Tammy" film series, starring in "Tammy and the Doctor," (1963) and "Tammy Tell Me True" (1961).
Dee and Darin divorced in 1967 and her career faded shortly thereafter. She never remarried. Her popularity was briefly revived after the film "Grease" (1978) patterned a lead character after her and named one of its signature songs "Look At Me, I'm Sandra Dee."
She was portrayed last year by Kate Bosworth in the film "Beyond the Sea," which also starred Kevin Spacey as Darin.
Lucas To "Cameo" in New 'Star Wars' Movie
Star Wars director George Lucas will make a cameo appearance in the upcoming final film in the sci-fi series. Lucas is set to follow in the footsteps of Lord Of The Rings film-maker Peter Jackson by briefly appearing before cameras in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith, playing Baron Papanoida in an opera house scene. Jackson has immortalized himself on screen in all three Lord Of The Rings films, playing hobbit Albert Dreary, an uncredited Rohirrim Warrior and an unnamed Mercenary On Boat in The Fellowship Of The Ring, The Two Towers and Return Of The King, respectively.