U2 announces fall leg of tour
U2 has announced the details of the upcoming fall leg of their “Vertigo 2005” tour, and it includes three Canadian stops.
According to U2.com, the Irish rockers will begin the four-month, 33-date stint in September with two shows at Toronto’s Air Canada on September 12 and 14, and will make their way to Ottawa’s Corel Centre on November 25 and Montreal’s Bell Centre on November 26.
At this time, no other Canadian dates have been scheduled.
The fall leg will wrap up south of the border at Portland's Rose Garden on December 19.
Tickets will go on sale this week for select dates. No opening act has been announced for the 3rd leg as yet.
U2 will play two sold out shows at Vancouver’s GM Place on April 28 and 29.
U2 are touring in support of their latest album, “How To Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.”
Here’s the full 3rd leg itinerary, according to U2.com:
12th September Toronto - Air Canada Centre
14th September Toronto - Air Canada Centre
20th September Chicago - United Center
21st September Chicago - United Center
23rd September Minneapolis - Target Center
25th September Milwaukee - Bradley Center
03rd October Boston - Fleet Center
04th October Boston - Fleet Center
07th October New York - Madison Square Garden
08th October New York - Madison Square Garden
10th October New York - Madison Square Garden
16th October Philadelphia - Wachovia Center
17th October Philadelphia - Wachovia Center
19th October Washington - DC MCI Center
20th October Washington - DC MCI Center
22nd October Pittsburgh - Mellon Arena
24th October Detroit - Palace of Auburn Hills
28th October Houston - Toyota Center
29th October Dallas - American Airlines Arena
01st November Los Angeles - Staples Center
02nd November Los Angeles - Staples Center
13th November Miami - American Airlines Arena
16th November Tampa - St. Pete Times Forum
18th November Atlanta - Philips Arena
25th November Ottawa - Corel Centre
26th November Montreal - Bell Centre
07th December Hartford - Civic Center
09th December Buffalo - HSBC Arena
10th December Cleveland - Gund Arena
14th December St. Louis - Savvis Center
15th December Omaha - Qwest Center
17th December Salt Lake City - Delta Center
19th December Portland - Rose Garden
'Mrs. Doubtfire' Sequel in Doubt
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) -- Robin Williams says he doubts his famous drag role of "Mrs. Doubtfire" will be made into a sequel.
Although Fox dusted off the idea for a sequel to the 1993 comedy which made $219 million last year, Williams tells Zap2it.com he questions whether it will happen.
"No, I don't think so," Williams says. "But they're trying to write it."
Williams starred in the original as the husband in a bitter divorce who poses as a female housekeeper to spend time with his kids. The original film also starred Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan and Harvey Fierstein. Williams' friend Bonnie Hunt is taking a stab at the screenplay.
"I think if she can do it right, it'll be OK," Williams says. "If they don't do it right, it's not worth doing it."
The big question is why his character would dress up again. "How will she get away with it? The first one was so much fun because the conceit was pretty good and the makeup was great. The really good news now is that that make-up has come along. The make-up's just gotten better and better and better."
The film won the Oscar for best make-up and Williams won a Golden Globe for the character.
Dan Rather Signs Off
The sailing hasn't always been smooth, but there's no doubt an era is ending as Dan Rather leaves the "CBS Evening News" anchor desk.
The much-awarded journalist leaves that role Wednesday, March 9 -- 24 years to the day he assumed it. "Face the Nation" host Bob Schieffer then takes over on an interim basis as CBS management decides how, and with whom, it wants the program to proceed over the longer haul. Rather will stay with CBS News, returning full time to investigative reporting for the newsmagazine "60 Minutes."
"I feel good," Rather says about approaching the end of his nightly run. "I've had a very interesting several weeks of work. I went to the tsunami zone, flying out on New Year's Eve and spending the next seven to 10 days there. I came back for the presidential inauguration, then went to Iraq for 10 days. I was particularly pleased I was able to get outside Baghdad into the so-called Triangle of Death.
"Then I covered the elections in Iraq and flew back in time for the State of the Union address. It's the kind of work I like ... grab a notebook and a pen, get a crew, and get out of the office and do some reporting."
Rather says his time in the anchor chair has been "much, much longer than I ever believed possible when I came into the job. My strongest sense is one of humility, being able to have such a responsibility and challenge and honor for as long as I have. I'm eager to move on to a new phase of my professional life and have more command of my work time."
Since joining CBS News in 1962, Rather has been part of history at the scenes of events such as John F. Kennedy's assassination, the Vietnam War and the clash at Tiananmen Square. Recently, he was the focus of controversy for reporting a "60 Minutes" story on President George W. Bush's National Guard service record. Source documents were questioned; an internal examination was finalized in January, by which time Rather had announced he was leaving "CBS Evening News." The report's producer was fired, and three executives were asked to resign.
"Look, I can be as dumb as a brick wall about some things," Rather claims, "but I'm smart enough to realize if you fight long enough, every fighter gets hit and sometimes knocked down. If you try to practice journalism as I have and I do, you're gonna take your licks.
"Sometimes they hurt, but that's a small price to pay for the tremendous satisfaction I've had from being able to make a living doing what I dreamed of doing. I've tried to pour myself into my work with passion, respect for the truth, and ethical behavior. My mantra is 'Keep coming, keep fighting, keep trying, keep smiling.'"
Famous for his unique turns of phrase, Texas native Rather isn't sure how his last "CBS Evening News" will reference his exit. "I hope not too much will be made of it," he says. "I want it to be something graceful and classy, because that's how I think of CBS News."
Although the waters have been choppy lately, Rather reasserts his "sense of appreciation and loyalty to CBS News. I recognize some people think it's been to a fault; I do not agree with that. I trust the people I work with, I believe in them, and I've tried to communicate that to every man and woman who works here. I stand by them and stand with them, and always proudly so. There's been a whole lot more sunshine than there have been storms."
'The Office' Crosses "The Pond" in Both Directions
The British comedy hit The Office, starring Ricky Gervais, is coming full circle. After launching on the BBC and finding a home on cable channel BBC America, where it won two Golden Globes awards last year, rights to the show were snatched up by NBC, which plans to air a U.S. version of the comedy, starring Steve Carell in the Gervais role, beginning March 24. (Gervais is an exec producer.) Now, the BBC announced today (Friday), the U.S. version will cross the Atlantic in the opposite direction and begin airing on the digital channel BBC Three later this year.
'The Pacifier' Tops Weekend Box Office
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Vin Diesel's family-friendly comedy "The Pacifier" pulled in $30.2 million on its opening weekend to rank as the nation's top-grossing movie, turning his action-star image — and box-office expectations — upside down.
Proving he's more than biceps and tattoos, Diesel's performance as a Navy SEAL turned baby sitter easily outdistanced the weekend's other major opening, "Be Cool" with John Travolta.
"Be Cool," the sequel to the 1995 comedy "Get Shorty," took in $23.5 million for Travolta's largest weekend opening, according to studio estimates.
"'Pacifier' did better than anyone expected, but you can't underestimate the family audience," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations Co., which tracks box-office figures. "I think people like to see a fish-out-of-water story — an action star in a very unexpected role."
In the Disney comedy, Diesel plays a tough guy who's brought down to size when he's forced into the role of a father figure. The PG-rated makeover recalled another action star's detour into comedy — Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Kindergarten Cop," in which the actor known for the violent "Terminator" and "Conan" roles played a police officer facing a classroom of kids.
Diesel proved "the old axiom that funny is money," said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution. Moviegoers want "to laugh and escape for a few hours."
The film earned an average $9,653 per theater, well ahead of "Be Cool," which averaged $7,307.
Holding the third spot was Will Smith's romantic comedy "Hitch," which took in $12.5 million to push its four-week total to $138 million.
"Diary of a Mad Black Woman," the top film last weekend, dropped to fourth place. Its $12 million box office was off 45 percent from the previous week. The drama-comedy is based on a script by Tyler Perry from his play of the same name and features him as a cross-dressed, gun-toting grandmother.
Big-studio films often plunge 50 percent or more in the second weekend.
In its 12th week, "Million Dollar Baby" appeared to get a lift from its haul of Academy Awards, including best picture. The film grossed $8.5 million to secure the fifth spot at the box office, up from $7.2 million and No. 6 in last weekend's rankings.
Miramax's "The Aviator" dropped out of the top 10, falling to 11th with $2.3 million.
Among film's with limited release, Warner Independent's "The Jacket," a time-travel story with Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley, was No. 10 with $2.7 million.
Final figures were to be released Monday.
Revenue from the top 12 movies was estimated at $111 million, down 16 percent from the same weekend last year, when Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" banked $53 million in its second weekend.
Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at North American theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations:
1. "The Pacifier," $30.2 million.
2. "Be Cool," $23.5 million.
3. "Hitch," $12.5 million.
4. "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," $12 million.
5. "Million Dollar Baby," $8.5 million.
6. "Constantine," $6 million.
7. "Cursed," $3.9 million.
8. "Man of the House," $3.5 million.
9. "Because of Winn-Dixie," $3.4 million.
10. "The Jacket," $2.7 million.