Another strong performance by Allen
New Line Home Entertainment has announced that on July 26th, writer-director Mike Binder's The Upside of Anger will be released to DVD only 137 days after its theatrical premiere. Starring Kevin Costner and Joan Allen, this poignant romantic dramedy was made on a modest budget and earned a modest box office. It deserves to find a second life on DVD. In addition to the anamorphic video presentation of the film's 2.35:1 aspect ratio and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, expect extras to include a commentary by Binder and Allen, deleted scenes with optional commentary, and a featurette entitled Creating the Upside of Anger.
10 years of Toy Story
Toy Story - hard as it may be to believe – is 10 years old. And to celebrate, a special tenth anniversary double DVD is in the cards from Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
While the full specs are still in the works, expect an audio commentary along with a newly created making of featurette and countless other special editions. No word on how many of these extras will overlap supplements from the already great set available now. A slew of obligatory promotional material for the upcoming film Cars will also be included on the disc.
The DVD will arrive on September 6th.
NBC Gives Ex-Pop Stars 'One More Time' on Stage
LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) "American Idol," meet VH1 Classic.
NBC has greenlit production on a stateside version of the British series "Hit Me Baby One More Time," in which former chart-topping singers get another chance to show their musical chops before a live audience. The show is scheduled to debut Thursday, June 2.
"This exciting new series will reunite the audience with some of their favorite classic musical performers and groups, who will play their hits and then compete against each other in an entertaining battle of the bands," says Craig Plestis, who oversees alternative programming for NBC.
In the show, pop stars from the past few decades will sing one of their own hits and cover a current song. Audience voting will determine the winner.
NBC has ordered just three episodes thus far but could increase that number if it does well. The British show has performed solidly for commercial broadcaster ITV.
Vernon Kay, host of the U.K. show, will repeat that role for NBC. There's no word yet on the list of performers; ITV's show featured the likes of Tiffany, Howard Jones, Dr. and the Medics and Belinda Carlisle, along with former members of Cutting Crew, T'Pau, Kajagoogoo and Haircut 100.
Journey Readies New Album, Tour
The theme of Journey's 30th anniversary summer tour will tie directly into the title of the veteran band's 13th album, "Generations."
"We'll play songs from the very first record and everything else from there on out, including music from the new album," guitarist Neal Schon says of the group's planned three-hour show. "We're going to be taking fans through a time trip here."
Taking a page out from Prince's 2004 Musicology tour, Journey will include a copy of "Generations" with each ticket purchased at most shows on its North American tour. A traditional retail release of the album will follow once the trek is complete. Although the band has spent its entire career on Columbia, it is unknown what label will issue the new set.
The tour, which will open June 26 in Irvine, Calif., will celebrate the anniversary of the band's 1975 self-titled debut. At this time 29 dates are confirmed for the run, which is expected to stretch into October.
"Generations" was recorded earlier this spring by the band's current lineup, which is completed by bassist Ross Valory, keyboardist Jonathan Cain, singer Steve Augeri and drummer Deen Castronovo. Augeri has been in the fold since 2001, taking over the frontman role from Steve Perry, who led the band during its most commercially successful years in the late 1970s and 1980s.
As previously reported, the new album was recorded in Sausalito, Calif., with producer Kevin Elson, who was behind the boards for the band's 1980's "Departure," the 1981 smash "Escape" and that year's live set "Captured." It's the follow-up to 2001's "Arrival," which peaked at No. 56 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 186,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
"There's a real sense of harmony and melody on this album filled with heartfelt lyrics," Cain says. "It has the ballads that people would expect from us and the rock-n-roll that I think has the Journey signature sound to it. I don't think it's going to disappoint anyone."
Here are Journey's tour dates:
June 26: Irvine, Calif. (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre)
June 29: San Diego (Coors Amphitheatre)
June 30: Tucson, Ariz. (Casino Anselmo)
July 2: Kelseyville, Calif. (Konocti Harbor Resort)
July 7: Muskegon, Mich. (Heritage Park)
July 9: Indianapolis (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre)
July 11: Lansing, Mich. (Common Ground Festival)
July 15: Walker, Minn. (Moondance Jam)
July 16: Chicago (Northerly Island Amphitheatre)
July 17: St. Louis, Mo. (UMB Bank Pavilion)
July 20: Cleveland (Blossom Amphitheatre)
July 22: Goddard, Kan. (Lake Afton Park)
July 23: Kansas City, Kan. (Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre)
July 30: Paso Robles, Calif. (California Mid-State Fair)
July 31: Saratoga, Calif. (Mountain Winery)
Aug. 2: Denver (Universal Lending Pavilion)
Aug. 3: Albuquerque, N.M. (Journal Pavilion)
Aug. 9: Sturgis, S.D. (Buffalo Chip Campground)
Aug. 10: Sioux Falls, S.D. (Sioux Empire Fairgrounds)
Aug. 12: Clarkston, Mich. (DTE Energy Music Theatre)
Aug. 13: Twin Lakes, Wis. (Country Thunder USA)
Aug. 17: Kingston, R.I (Ryan Center)
Aug. 24: Toronto (Casino Rama)
Aug. 26: Holmdel, N.J. (PNC Bank Arts Center)
Aug. 27: Saratoga Springs, N.Y. (Saratoga PAC)
Aug. 28: Wantagh, N.Y. (Jones Beach Amphitheatre)
Sept. 7: Vienna, Va. (Wolf Trap)
Sept. 8: Kettering, Ohio (Fraze Pavilion)
Sept. 24: Biloxi, Miss. (Beau Rivage Casino)
Furtado At Work On Third Album
Canadian vocalist Nelly Furtado is recording her third album in Los Angeles and says she hopes it will be finished "in the next couple of months," she writes on her official Web site. "It's got lots of surprises, so I can't tell you too much right now, but let's just say it's a whole lot of fun."
Furtado says she has already collaborated with the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams, Swollen Members, Jellestone and K'naan. Some of the tracks being eyed for inclusion are "Friend of Mine," "Vice," "Let My Hair Down," "Weak," "Hands in the Air," "Go," "Chill Boy and "Pretty Boy."
The as-yet-untitled new set will be released later this year or in early 2006 by Geffen/Interscope following its absorption of Furtado's former home, DreamWorks. It will be the follow-up to 2003's "Folklore," which debuted at No. 38 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 397,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
MTV Movie Awards Get "Mean"
MTV wants its Jimmy Fallon.
The Fever Pitch star has been tapped for a second hosting stint at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, which are set to tape June 4 and air June 9. He previously hosted the Movie Awards back in 2001 and also served as host of the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards.
"Jimmy makes the MTV Movie Awards better," executive producer Joel Gallen said in a statement. "He's funny, he's original, and his enthusiasm is contagious. He's already emailed me tons of ideas and we can't wait to get started."
The former Saturday Night Live star will preside over a ceremony where cliquey teens and disgruntled newsmen are the big contenders to go home laden with awards.
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy, starring Will Ferrell, and Mean Girls, starring Lindsay Lohan, each racked up a hefty four nominations.
Meanwhile, Lohan's Mean Girls costar and onscreen rival Rachel McAdams earned a leading five nominations, including Best Female Performance and Breakthrough Performance, Female. Lohan, who nabbed the Breakthrough Performance, Female prize last year, is also in contention for the Best Female Performance honor.
The MTV Movie Awards are known for honoring movies and performances that are overlooked by more traditional awards shows, such as the Oscars and the Golden Globes.
Hence, while Uma Thurman's kick-ass moves in Kill Bill: Volume 2 may not have been worthy of an Academy Award, she's gunning for the Best Fight honor for the second year in a row, based on her throwdown with Daryl Hannah.
And while Brad Pitt has yet to take home an Oscar, his performance in Troy puts him in contention for a golden popcorn statuette for Best Male Performance.
This year, the MTV Movie Awards include two new categories: Best Frightened Performance and Best Videogame Based on a Movie.
Nominees for the Best Frightened Performance include Sarah Michelle Gellar for her terrified turn in The Grudge and Cary Elwes for his fearful fronting in Saw. Videogame contenders include Spiderman 2 and The Incredibles--two of the films also in the running for Best Movie.
Perhaps the most signature categories at the MTV Movie Awards are Best Kiss and Best Villain. McAdams is up for both awards, based on her lip-lock with Ryan Gosling in The Notebook and her evil ways in Mean Girls. Other Kiss contenders include Natalie Portman and Zach Braff's smooch in Garden State, while other Villains include Tom Cruise's devious turn in Collateral.
Here's a complete list of the nominees for the 2005 MTV Movie Awards:
BEST MOVIE:
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Napoleon Dynamite
Spider-Man 2
Ray
The Incredibles
BEST MALE PERFORMANCE:
Jamie Foxx, Ray
Will Smith, Hitch
Brad Pitt, Troy
Matt Damon, The Bourne Supremacy
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Aviator
BEST FEMALE PERFORMANCE:
Uma Thurman, Kill Bill Vol. 2
Lindsay Lohan, Mean Girls
Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Rachel McAdams, The Notebook
Natalie Portman, Garden State
BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE:
Antonio Banderas, Shrek 2
Dustin Hoffman, Meet the Fockers
Will Ferrell, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Ben Stiller, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Will Smith, Hitch
BEST ONSCREEN TEAM:
Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried, Mean Girls
Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Spencer Fox and Sarah Vowell, The Incredibles
Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Vince Vaughn, Christine Taylor, Justin Long, Alan Tudyk, Stephen Root, Joel David Moore and Chris Williams, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
John Cho and Kal Penn, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle
BEST VILLAIN:
Tom Cruise, Collateral
Ben Stiller, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story
Rachel McAdams, Mean Girls
Jim Carrey, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
Alfred Molina, Spider-Man 2
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE, MALE:
Jon Heder , Napoleon Dynamite
Tim McGraw, Friday Night Lights
Zach Braff, Garden State
Freddie Highmore, Finding Neverland
Tyler Perry, Diary of a Mad Black Woman
BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE, FEMALE:
Rachel McAdams, Mean Girls
Ashanti, Coach Carter
Elisha Cuthbert, The Girl Next Door
Bryce Dallas Howard, The Village
Emmy Rossum, The Day After Tomorrow
BEST ACTION SEQUENCE:
Destruction of Los Angeles, The Day After Tomorrow
The Subway Battle, Spider-Man 2
Beverly Hills Plane Crash, The Aviator
The Moscow Car Chase, The Bourne Supremacy
The Desert Terrorist Assault, Team America: World Police
BEST FIGHT:
The Battle of the News Teams, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Daryl Hannah vs. Uma Thurman, Kill Bill Vol. 2
Brad Pitt vs. Eric Bana, Troy
Ziyi Zhang vs. The Emperor's Guards , House of Flying Daggers
BEST KISS:
Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling, The Notebook
Natalie Portman and Zach Braff, Garden State
Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Jennifer Garner and Natassia Malthe, Elektra
Elisha Cuthbert and Emile Hirsch, The Girl Next Door
BEST MUSICAL PERFORMANCE:
Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo, 13 Going On 30
Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
John Cho and Kal Penn, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
Jon Heder, Napoleon Dynamite
BEST FRIGHTENED PERFORMANCE:
Cary Elwes, Saw
Sarah Michelle Gellar, The Grudge
Jennifer Tilly, Seed of Chucky
Mya, Cursed
Dakota Fanning, Hide and Seek
BEST VIDEO GAME BASED ON A MOVIE:
Spider-Man 2
Van Helsing
Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Incredibles
"Chappelle's Show" Shut Down
Chappelle's Show is a no-go, bitch!
In a surprise announcement Wednesday, Comedy Central said that the highly anticipated third season of Dave Chappelle's show will not make its May 31 premiere date.
"Comedy Central has suspended production on the third season of Chappelle's Show until further notice," network spokesman Tony Fox said in a brief statement. "All parties are optimistic that production will resume in the near future."
No official reason was given for the shutdown, but sources told E! News that Chappelle has been MIA from the set for weeks. There was no indication on how long the suspension would last.
In December, the network said that Chappelle's Show was behind schedule after Chappelle fell ill, forcing the network to postpone the expected February debut of new episodes.
"Dave--and his entire production crew for that matter--got a bit of a late start on writing season three," Fox told the New York Post. Production was slated to resume in January.
Last August, Chappelle, 31, reupped with Comedy Central in a massive two-year deal, valued at $50 million by the Hollywood Reporter. The deal also set a new Industry precedent--reportedly giving the funnyman a large cut of backend DVD sales.
Featuring Chappelle's often raunchy standup, offbeat sketches and killer parodies of Prince and Rick James, Chappelle's Show has steadily built a huge following since its debut in January of 2003. By the end of season two, the half-hour show was often pulling in more than three million viewers, a substantial number for basic cable. The first season currently ranks as the all-time top-selling TV show on DVD. (Paramount has indefinitely pushed back the release of the second season--the studio hopes to time the DVD to the start of season three.)
In addition to his gig at Comedy Central, Chappelle had been working on a book for Hyperion. There has been no word on the book's status; there's also no word on the reported Rick James biopic for Paramount in which Chappelle would portray the late R&B wild man.
Springsteen's 'Devils' bows at No. 1 on U.S. charts
LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Bruce Springsteen notched his seventh No. 1 album on the U.S. pop charts Wednesday with "Devils & Dust," which was released in DualDisc format with the full album on one side and DVD content on the other side.
The Columbia Records release bowed on top of the Billboard 200 after selling 222,000 copies in the week ended May 1, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "The Boss" last debuted at No. 1 with 2002's "The Rising," which opened with sales of 525,000 and has sold 2.1 million to date. His first album to reach the top of the chart was 1980's "The River."
Just over a week ago, Springsteen launched a solo U.S. tour in support of "Devils & Dust" in Detroit. The outing next visits Oakland, Calif. Thursday. A European leg opens May 24 in Dublin.
After making history last week as the first male artist from a pop or rock group to bow at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with his debut solo effort, Matchbox 20 frontman Rob Thomas' "... Something To Be" (Melisma/Atlantic) fell to No. 4 with 145,000 copies.
In between, Mariah Carey's former chart-topper "The Emancipation of Mimi" (Island/IDMJ) held steady at No. 2 with sales of 197,000 copies, taking its total to 828,000.
Newcomer Bobby Valentino, the first R&B act on rapper Ludacris' Def Jam-based Disturbing Tha Peace label, entered the chart at No. 3 with a 180,000-copy debut for "Disturbing Tha Peace Presents: Bobby Valentino."
Buoyed by the success of the former Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart-topper "1 Thing," Amerie's sophomore Rise/Columbia/Sony Urban Music set, "Touch," opened at No. 5 with sales of 124,000. The singer's 2002 debut, "All I Have," started at No. 9 with 89,000 and has sold 623,000 to date.
50 Cent's "The Massacre" (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope) slipped one to No. 6 on a 10% slide to sales of 114,000 copies, taking its haul to 3.4 million.
Jo Dee Messina's "Delicious Surprise" (Curb) landed at No. 7 with 99,000 copies, giving the country singer the first Billboard 200 top 10 title of her career. Messina's last album, 2000's "Burn," opened at No. 19 on the big chart with 61,000 units; it has sold 1.2 million to date.
Mike Jones' "Who Is Mike Jones?" (Swishahouse/Asylum/Warner Bros.) dropped five to No. 8 with 81,000 copies, while Il Divo's self-titled Sony bow also fell five, to No. 9, with 74,000. Gwen Stefani's "Love, Angel, Music, Baby" (Interscope) fell four positions to close out the top 10 after selling 71,000 copies.
Among other notable debuts on the chart were Ben Folds' "Songs for Silverman" (Epic), which moved 50,000 copies to give the artist his career-best debut on The Billboard 200 at No. 13. First season "Nashville Star" winner Buddy Jewell scored a No. 31 entry with his sophomore Columbia effort "Times Like These," which opened with 26,000 units.
After a six-year absence, Mint Condition returned to The Billboard 200 with "Livin' the Luxury Brown" (Image) at No. 45. Sales of 20,000 copies gave the group its highest placement on the list.
Just one slot back on The Billboard 200, New Order debuted at No. 46 with "Waiting For the Sirens' Call" (Warner Bros.), which also shot straight to No. 1 on Billboard's Top Electronic Albums tally.
Overall U.S. album sales were up 3.6% over the previous week at 10.6 million units, about 0.5% lower than the same week last year. Sales for 2005 trail last year by about 9% at 186 million units.
Loews Goes Reel Time
Hate going to the movies and having a commercial-a-thon break out?
This might be the news you've been waiting for.
Coming soon to a theater near you: actual start times for feature presentations.
In response to gripes from customers about the increasing number of ads, PSAs, promotions and sneak previews running before a film, Loews, America's third-largest theater chain, has announced that it will soon start publicizing the real times that movies unspool.
But there's a catch. Beginning next month, Loews will include in its newspaper and Web listings a note alerting customers that "the feature presentation starts 10 to 15 minutes after the posted show time."
"It has been a long-standing tradition to show coming attractions and advertising before the feature, and we believe most of our customers understand this practice," Travis Reid, president and CEO of Loews Cineplex, says in a press release.
He added: "Recently however, some of our customers have suggested that we also publicize the start time of the movie. In response to those requests, we are pleased to communicate the start time of the overall show, as well as the approximate start time of the feature."
That's one way of putting it.
Traditionally, moviegoers would sit through cutesy "Let's All Go To the Lobby"-type spots attempting to coax the audience to concession stands, followed by a handful of coming-attraction trailers. In recent years, as local movie houses have expanded into megaplexes, exhibitors have begun to wring every ounce of revenue from each showing. First, more trailers were added. Then came the now standard slideshows of local merchants interspersed with lame-o trivia and Muzak-esque "movie tunes." There were also short films designed to hawk everything from Coca-Cola to the Los Angeles Times. Now, exhibitors routinely air long-form commercials that have little to do with the theatrical experiences, including spots for automobile manufacturers, perfume makers and credit card companies.
Loews isn't the only offender. Regal Entertainment touts what it calls "The 2wenty," a 20-minute block of advertising and "preshow entertainment" that mixes informercials for DVDs and TV movies with behind-the-scenes visits with stars--the idea being to make it entertaining enough that people don't notice they're being marketed to.
Audiences have finally begun to rebel, launching www.captiveaudience.org, a campaign petitioning theater chains to end the practice, and Commercial Alert, a Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit dedicated to reducing the over-commercialization of American culture.
"Stating when the actual movie starts is an improvement, but doesn't change our opinion that TV commercials have no place in movie theaters," Jason Thompson, director of Captive Motion Picture Audience of America, tells E! Online. "We don't get commercials on HBO, pay-per-view or other movie services that we pay for, so why should we tolerate them in theaters?"
Ditto Commercial Alert's executive director, Gary Ruskin, who points to a study by Connecticut-based research firm Insight Express that stated a majority of moviegoers don't want to see premovie ads.
"These premovie ads are very unpopular...We're talking about an industry that seems hell-bent on alienating its core customers," Ruskin says. "The moviegoing experience is turning into an infomercial experience."
Even politicians are now entering the fray. Andrew M. Fleischmann, a Connecticut state representative, made headlines last month when he introduced a bill calling for exhibitors to post the actual start times. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Loews will begin its reel time experiment in Connecticut. New York City Councilwoman Gale A. Brewer sponsored similar legislation.
Despite its new initiative, Loews still expects people to arrive well before the feature gets rolling.
"We still think people enjoy coming early, getting their popcorn, finding their sets, talking amongst one another," John McCauley, Loews' senior vice president of marketing, tells the New York Times.
And Madison Avenue will be there waiting.