Diana's Loyal Fans Mark Somber Anniversary

LONDON - Princess Diana's most loyal fans gathered outside her former home Wednesday to remember the eighth anniversary of her death and to revile the woman who succeeded her as the wife of Prince Charles.

Britain's royal family planned no special observances. Her sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, "will be going about their business as normal," said a spokesman at Clarence House, Prince Charles' official residence. The spokesman declined to be identified, in keeping with royal policy.

Outside Kensington Palace, Diana's home after her divorce from Charles, bouquets of roses, carnations and lilies were placed on the fence by her fans. The number of people at the site at any one time was in the dozens, in contrast to the throngs who piled up mounds of flowers in the days after Diana's death.

There were messages from Australia, Argentina and the United States, and pictures of Diana from every stage of her life. Some of the mourners wiped tears from their eyes; even more wiped sweat from their foreheads on a warm summer morning.

Diana died in a car crash in Paris on Aug. 31, 1997, along with boyfriend Dodi Fayed and chauffeur Henri Paul. The only survivor was Diana's bodyguard, Trevor Rees-Jones, who was badly hurt.

Many of those who came to Kensington Palace Wednesday were upset that Charles in April married the former Camilla Parker Bowles — the woman the princess had blamed for the failure of the marriage.

In a gesture to the sensitivities of the Dianaphiles, Camilla took the title of Duchess of Cornwall rather than using Diana's title of Princess of Wales.

"Every year is hard but it's been more so this year because Charles married. I can't even say her name," said Julie Cain.

"She (Diana) is our queen of hearts. You never forget your queen of hearts," said delivery driver Raymond Nurse, 44. "Camilla — they will forget her, she's rubbish — but not our Diana."

Nurse and his wife, Lisa, 37, are members of the Diana Circle, a group set up to honor her memory, and came bearing pink lilies and a photo of Diana. "We'll be here next year and the year after that," Nurse said.

One of the many anti-Camilla messages taped to the gates at Kensington Palace said, "Adulterers will be punished on judgment day."

Cain, 42, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, spent the night in a London park next to the palace waiting to pay her respects.

"We camped out overnight and we do it every year because we have to try to keep Diana's memory alive," said Cain. "There's certain people within a certain family that just want to eradicate her from history. As long as I've got breath in my body I'll be coming here."

About 50 people gathered to hear Father Frank Gelli, the former curate of St. Mary Abbots Church nearby, conduct a brief prayer service.

The priest said afterward he believed it had been a difficult year for some of the Diana supporters.

"I want to say of course that a priest must be a reconciler, not a divider, I don't want to say anything that would be antagonistic but I do realize that there has been some hurt and hurt should be catered for."

Standing near Gelli was retired clown Edward Larki, 85, who came in white face makeup, plaid suit, a magenta tie and a yellow bowler hat. He came dressed that way, he said, because he had met the princess several times and "this is the only way Diana knew me — as a clown."

Joining in the bitterness which marked the occasion, Larki said that he never got close to Charles, "I would knife him for what he did to Di."

'Virgin' Waxing Scene Easy - for Co-Stars

LOS ANGELES - The day that had to be Steve Carell's most difficult while filming "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" was the easiest for the guys who played his friends.

In a scene where Carell gets his chest hair waxed, the former "Daily Show" star wasn't acting. His co-stars weren't either.

"It was really like the easiest day of filming for us because we just had to stand there and watch, and all of the reactions were pretty organic," Paul Rudd told reporters.

Rudd, best known as Phoebe's husband in the last season of "Friends," also co-starred with Carell in last year's "Anchorman."

Carell — who punctuated the painful rips by shouting things like " Kelly Clarkson!" — made the "Jackass"-style scene funnier with his reactions, Rudd said.

"The first few times it was just like, oh my God. What makes it funny was also Steve's reaction, because it takes a second for the pain to hit," he said.

Studios Hope to Salvage Disappointing Year

LOS ANGELES - Hollywood's long, dreary summer finally is over. Now it's on to the good stuff. And it better be good, if film studios hope to salvage what's shaping up as the worst year for movie attendance since the late 1990s.

After a summer season that left audiences generally uninterested, the fall and holiday lineup offers the promise of fresh films with an exotic cast of characters that includes country music legends, a great ape, teen wizards and a Japanese geisha.

The long-awaited adaptation of the best seller "Memoirs of a Geisha," director Rob Marshall's follow-up to "Chicago," stars Ziyi Zhang as a poor Japanese girl who becomes a geisha goddess.

Many people define "geisha" as a high-end prostitute, but Zhang discovered a rich artistic and social fabric behind the geisha culture.

"From my opinion, `geisha' means a woman skilled in the arts. Like dancing, singing and playing musical instruments," said Zhang, making her first English-language movie after such Chinese martial-arts hits as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero."

"They are also skilled in the art of conversation," said Zhang, who underwent two months of geisha "boot camp" to learn complicated dances, the proper way to wear kimonos and the art of pouring tea.

Other big films include Steven Spielberg's "Munich," a thriller about the slayings of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics; "All the King's Men," starring Sean Penn as the Southern political boss of Robert Penn Warren's classic novel; "Jarhead," a Gulf War tale with Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Foxx; " Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," an animated yarn featuring the voices of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter; "The New World," Terrence Malick's epic set in colonial America with Colin Farrell; and "Elizabethtown," Cameron Crowe's romance starring Kirsten Dunst and Orlando Bloom.

Also, "The Weather Man," with Nicolas Cage as a TV forecaster who has a stormy personal life; "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," starring 50 Cent as a street hood aiming for a rap-music career; "Oliver Twist," Roman Polanski's fresh take on the Charles Dickens orphan-boy classic, featuring Ben Kingsley; the animated "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," the big-screen debut of TV's cheese-loving Brit and his faithful dog; and "In Her Shoes," a sister-act tale from director Curtis Hanson ("Wonder Boys," "L.A. Confidential").

"In Her Shoes" follows two sisters, one a knockout ( Cameron Diaz) who has leeched all her life off her workaholic sibling ( Toni Collette), and the grandma ( Shirley MacLaine) who helps them reconnect after a bitter estrangement.

"My character, she's kind of gotten away with her looks, gotten away with her ability to charm people and find her way without having to work," Diaz said. "And she's kind of coming to the end of that rope, as well as having nothing to fall back on, having bitten the hand that's always fed her."

Science-fiction and fantasy are shaping up as some of the season's biggest attractions, led by "The Lord of the Rings" mastermind Peter Jackson's new take on "King Kong," starring Naomi Watts as the beauty who steals the heart of the gigantic primate.

The fourth " Harry Potter" tale casts the young hero (Daniel Radcliffe) into an international wizardry competition that leads him to another showdown with dark sorcerer Voldemort ( Ralph Fiennes).

The British fantasy franchise gets its first English director in Mike Newell ("Four Weddings and a Funeral"). For all the magical trappings of "Harry Potter," Newell enjoyed injecting a sense of his own classroom days into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"Aside from everything else, these are school stories," Newell said. "In a middle-of-the-road English education, the teachers are embattled, the school is a very kind of anarchic place and a very funny place, as well. Where two sets of people — one of which is becoming adults and one of which is trying to avoid going back to becoming children — clash.

"The anarchy of youth, it is really rich stuff. I loved that. I loved doing the school side of it."

Hollywood's current love affair for fantasy continues with "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," adapted from C.S. Lewis' "Chronicles of Narnia" series.

The film, whose cast includes Tilda Swinton and Jim Broadbent, follows the adventures of four English children in World War II who battle an evil witch enslaving a magical land of giants, talking animals and centaurs.

"Narnia" director Andrew Adamson (the "Shrek" movies) figures the recent surge in fantastical stories has something to do with the real-world stories audiences see all the time on TV and on the big screen.

"There has been an awfully lot of reality programming in the last 10 years and natural-disaster movies. I do think there's somewhat of a backlash," Adamson said. "People do want to be taken to new worlds. They're kind of tired of this one and want to go somewhere where they can let their imagination run free a little bit."

Fall's fantasyscape also includes the video-game adaptation "Doom," starring The Rock as part of a commando force taking on creatures from another realm on Mars; and "Serenity," a sci-fi adventure whose behind-the-scenes story is a drama unto itself.

After scoring with the TV version of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Joss Whedon created a smart, funny show called "Firefly," about misfits living on the edge of the law aboard the rickety space ship Serenity 500 years in the future.

"Firefly" lasted only 14 episodes but its cult audience kept interest alive. Now Whedon has directed the big-screen continuation "Serenity," reuniting the "Firefly" cast.

"I took the overreaching arc I was headed toward in the TV show and made that the plot of the movie," Whedon said. "I had to jettison or streamline plenty of things. It's two totally different mediums, and you've got to respect that. A TV show can kind of meander its way along and find a little piece of something for everybody. A movie is more about the momentum of the main story."

Sarah Jessica Parker also returns to the big screen in "The Family Stone." After her TV series "Sex and the City," Parker is on familiar turf as a Manhattan woman in love, though her character is the flipside of Carrie Bradshaw. Parker plays a career woman who makes a terrible impression on her fiance's relatives when meeting them for the first time.

Unlike loose and lively Carrie, Parker's character is a tightly wound woman who "is really at a loss to navigate basic interactions that so many of us feel confident about," the actress said. "So many people feel fairly comfortable around new people. They can figure out a room or say something inappropriate then navigate back from it. She doesn't have those skills."

Also trying something different are Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash in director James Mangold's "Walk the Line," a portrait of the early years of the country star who died in 2003.

"I'm not a singer by any means," said Phoenix, who did his own singing (as did Witherspoon). "If it was a fictional character where it was a made-up voice, it might have been harder. But I had a specific voice to go after, so I had to work specific muscles and really work at hitting certain notes. It was nice to have a recognizable voice as a goal."

Also on the musical front: "Rent," director Chris Columbus' follow-up after making the first two "Harry Potter" flicks; and "The Producers," Susan Stroman's adaptation of Mel Brooks' Broadway show that won a record 12 Tonys. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprise their roles.

Charlize Theron and Keira Knightley each have two wildly different films coming. Both actresses step into full action mode, Theron with "Aeon Flux," adapted from the animated sci-fi TV show, Knightley with "Domino," a casino-heist caper inspired by the real-life story of actor Laurence Harvey's daughter, who quit her modeling career to become a bounty hunter.

"It's one of those things you hear about and think, `God, this is an absolutely insane story. It's so crazy it has to be true,'" said Knightley, noting that while Domino Harvey's career switch is true, the casino heist is make-believe. "She's an amazing woman to turn her back on everything that certainly we in today's society would think she could want."

Knightley also headlines the 18th century period piece "Pride & Prejudice," a new adaptation of Jane Austen's classic about love, marriage and Britain's rigid social-class structure.

Theron also stars in "North Country," a drama about a single mother who takes groundbreaking legal action over sexual harassment by co-workers at a Minnesota mining company in 1989.

"If you were a single mom, there's no way to support yourself and your kids by working in a hair salon," Theron said. "It's about a woman who decides to go and do what was considered a man's job, but was treated quite horribly for it and decides she has to fight for her rights when everyone thinks she should just shut up and take it."

Steve Martin also has a twofer season with "Cheaper By the Dozen 2," reprising his role from the 2003 family hit as patriarch of a family of 12 kids, and "Shopgirl," adapted from his short novel.

"Shopgirl" stars Claire Danes as a Saks clerk wooed by a rich older man (Martin) and a younger guy ( Jason Schwartzman). The story originated with Martin's long-held interest in how people go about looking for love.

"There was a time in my life when I was very interested in relationship psychology," Martin said. "Relationships end, but they don't end your life. But people do often spending more time finding out about failed relationships than finding successful ones."

Though he had not envisioned any movie prospects when he wrote the book, Martin said once he had adapted it into a screenplay, he felt should go ahead and act in the film, as well.

"I would have felt a little funny if another actor was playing this role," Martin said.

CBC, union to resume labour talks

TORONTO (CP) -- In the first major break in the two-week-old CBC lockout, both sides will sit down for "some preliminary talks" Wednesday, says CBC spokesman Jason MacDonald.

The development was confirmed by chief Canadian Media Guild negotiator Arnold Amber on Tuesday afternoon.

The public broadcaster locked out 5,500 of its employees, who are members of the CMG, on Aug. 15 after negotiations on a new contract broke down.

"The parties, through their chief negotiators, have had some good discussions over the last few days and have agreed it's time to get the negotiating committees back together," says a message on the guild website.

The union says smaller groups from both committees will begin the work to create the necessary dialogue to move towards agreement on the key outstanding issues.

"Talking's always better than walking," said Amber with a chuckle. "You know, you have to start somewhere. This is a start. It's all to the good."

Juliana Hatfield on a twisted trip to 'China'

BOSTON (Reuters) - Even when she's in love, Juliana Hatfield is miserable. Not that she always realizes it.

The durable singer-songwriter, who says she is "always frustrated and anxious and pissed-off and depressed," has just released a cathartic, aggressive album with sonic dissonance worthy of Neil Young or John Cale.

Life was actually going well when Hatfield, 38, recorded "Made in China," a low-budget effort on her own label, Ye Olde Records. She collaborated on the project with her boyfriend, a guitarist 15 years her junior, and says she was "having a great time" with the youngster. But her subconscious had other ideas.

"In looking back at the relationship, I can see that there are all these things happening, that I didn't want to admit or acknowledge, and I think that stuff got into the music," Hatfield told Reuters in a recent interview before playing to a small but ardent hometown crowd at the Paradise club.

"You can feel that in the music, just the unease and the distrust of the things that satisfy people, and make people feel good."

ALONE AGAIN, NATURALLY

Several months after the album was recorded, Hatfield and her boyfriend, Joe Keefe, ended their 18-month romance, by mutual consent, she says. It was her longest and most fulfilling relationship, and now she has a lasting souvenir: he played on eight of the 12 tracks alongside his bandmates in local band the Unbusted, and co-wrote two of the songs.

Hanging out with Keefe and his equally youthful buddies was a pleasant experience for Hatfield, who sought his help in harnessing a deep source of energy she says has been trapped inside her since she was 12 years old.

Now she is back to her default setting: alone, sharing her digs in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with her Labrador retriever and tomato plants. Her eerie, newfound skinniness notwithstanding, she swears she is not miserable, and has even cut her therapy sessions to twice a month.

Only one song on the new album is about Keefe, "Digital Penetration," a joyous ode to her "island boy." Keefe is from Martha's Vineyard, and he saw her perform there when he was 14, though Hatfield stresses they did not meet then.

Her favorite song from the album is "Oh," one of four tracks on which she plays all the instruments. It sounds as if it could be a Neil Young outtake, which was not a conscious style choice. But she cites Young, as well as the Rolling Stones' Keith Richards and Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis as her favorite guitarists "in that they're all sorta sloppy."

Hatfield claims to be a "disgrace to guitar players everywhere" because she never practices and is insecure about her inability to play fast.

ALIVE, NOT BITTER

The album title is drawn from a line in the song "What Do I Care," in which she disdainfully recalls her days as a commodity on Atlantic Records in the 1990s.

Back then, she enjoyed such hits as "My Sister" and "Spin the Bottle," and it seemed that Hatfield -- along with female rockers like Liz Phair, Aimee Mann and Bjork -- might become a permanent resident on radio playlists.

That was not to be. Hatfield returned to the indie world, and an accordingly more selective audience, but she doesn't mind. It's another theme that comes through in the song, with the line "You're over me, but I'm alive. So what do I care?"

"I'm totally fine with my place in the universe, even though sometimes I question it and I get frustrated," she said in the interview. "I still think that the path I'm on is the path I'm supposed to be on. I really do. I'm not bitter."

Still, she is sick of touring -- which is not really a big money-earner anyway -- and plans to focus more on recording, writing and drawing, as well as "my own development as a person, just getting healthier in my head and heart."

Her talents as a photographer are evident on the sleeve for "Made in China." The cover is a shot of her torso, one of a series taken a few years back as part of a bizarre experiment "to lose weight just to see what happens." Inside the sleeve, she is sitting naked in the bathtub of a posh European hotel, having just had a good cry because she was, yes, miserable.

MTV Brings Back 'Unplugged' for Keys

MIAMI - Alicia Keys has resurrected "MTV Unplugged." The singer and pianist has performed an acoustic set for the dormant MTV series, to air Sept. 23 (10 p.m. ET). MTV also announced Tuesday that the show will first premiere Sept. 15 on Overdrive, MTV's broadband network.

"I've always been a very big fan of the show and when they stopped doing it, I was like, what happened to 'MTV Unplugged?' I specifically went in there and said we have to do an 'Unplugged,'" Keys told AP Radio.

Keys' performance, filmed July 14 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, is a group effort. Mos Def, Common and Damian Marley are her guests, as well as Maroon 5's Adam Levine.

"Adam Levine and I remade the Rolling Stones' classic 'Wild Horses' and it is right up my alley, that whole style" Keys said. "It has a style of its own but still stays very true to the classic arrangement and I love it."

Previous bare-bones performances on "Unplugged," which debuted in 1989, include those by Eric Clapton, Nirvana and Jay-Z. Dashboard Confessional and Shakira were two of the most recent acts on the series back in 2002.

After Keys' "MTV Unplugged" episode airs, it will be released as a CD and DVD on October 11.

Hollywood turns dramatic, talks Oscar for fall

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After a summer when weary action flicks and television remakes failed to fire up movie fans, Hollywood hopes to turn things around this autumn with films that put new faces and the Oscar race in the spotlight.

The summer season ends this weekend and box office experts expect ticket sales to be down about 10 percent from last year's record $3.9 billion as films like "Stealth," "The Island" and to a lesser extent "Bewitched" failed to be big hits.

One refrain heard around Hollywood was that this summer's films were just not good enough and that fans want originality rather than reruns.

The upcoming schedule features only two sequels officially designated as "part two" -- thriller "Saw II" in October and family comedy "Cheaper by the Dozen 2" in December -- although titles like November's " Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" certainly qualify as follow-ons.

"Lords of the Rings" director Peter Jackson's remake of a signature Hollywood film, "King Kong" opens in December and he promises a fresh take on the beauty and the beast classic.

As is typical of fall when teens head to school, the film industry goes light on the comic book action and kid comedy that fill the summer and focus more heavily on human dramas that appeal to older audiences.

October's "The Weather Man" starring Nicolas Cage fits in the drama niche with a tale about a father in a mid-life crisis. It is funny, but the humor is dark. And, though its message is life affirming, it could make audiences uneasy.

"'The Weatherman' is like a mirror," director Gore Verbinski told reporters. "You see yourself in it, and some people don't like to look at themselves.

In September, Gwyneth Paltrow reprises her role in the award-winning play "Proof" as a woman caring for her mentally ill father played by Anthony Hopkins. Early buzz for the long-awaited film has Paltrow rehoning the acting skills that earned her a best actress Oscar for "Shakespeare in Love."

Also in September, former "Lord of the Rings" king Viggo Mortensen is a small town husband who gets targeted by the mob in thriller "A History of Violence," Nicolas Cage has "Lord of War" in which he plays an arms dealer with a moral conscience.

WAR-WORRIED TINSELTOWN

War and Middle East politics seem to be weighing on Hollywood's mind with widely anticipated "Jarhead" hitting screens in early November followed later that month by "Syriana" and in December Steven Spielberg's "Munich."

"Jarhead" is based on Anthony Swofford's best-selling book, and it details his days as a U.S. sniper in the 1991 Gulf War. Directed by Sam Mendes of Oscar-winning "American Beauty" fame, it stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx and Peter Sarsgaard.

Another Oscar winner, Stephen Gaghan who wrote drug dealing drama "Traffic," gives audiences "Syriana," which tells three disparate stories that revolve around oil and Arab politics. It stars George Clooney, Matt Damon and Amanda Peet.

For "Munich," Spielberg re-visits the 1972 massacre of 11 Israeli athletes after they were taken hostage by Palestinians

during the Munich Olympics. Like the other two war films, it is high on this year's award watchlist.

Several low-budget and independent films venture into the war and politics as well including "The War Within" about a Pakistani engineer turned terrorist. "Paradise Now" looks at two Palestinians recruited to be suicide bombers.

Director Tim Burton whose "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was one of this summer's fresh surprises brings out a tale of tortured love in September with "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride." It uses the stop-action puppetry -- not computer generated animation -- he employed in "Nightmare Before Christmas."

"The technique reminds me more of an art form and less of a business in a sort of way," Burton told Reuters.

OSCAR RACES, NEW FACES

Art, not commerce, is the key driving force in the Oscar race, and George Clooney's October movie "Good Night and Good Luck," a black-and-white film about newsman Edward R. Murrow and Sen. Joe McCarthy's war on communism, figures prominently.

On September's watchlist are "The Constant Gardner" and "Capote" with Philip Seymour Hoffman as the American writer. Must-see October titles are Cameron Crowe's "Elizabethtown" and "Shopgirl," based on the novel by comedian Steve Martin.

The Oscar race picks up in November with former 007 Pierce Brosnan in "The Matador," Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix in the Johnny Cash biopic "Walk the Line" and musical "Rent."

December features the widely anticipated "Memoirs of a Geisha," "Brokeback Mountain," "All the Kings Men" and a film based on Mel Brooks popular Broadway musical "The Producers," which in turn was based on Mel Brooks' popular film.

The star-making machinery also uses awards season to launch new talent, and Hollywood is watching Sundance festival sensations such as writer/director Noah Baumbach and his "The Squid and the Whale" in October and actor Lou Pucci in September's "Thumbsucker."

Autumn is not only about serious dramas and Oscars. Hollywood has some fun, too. Big budget thrillers like "Flight Plan" with Jodie Foster, sci-fi adventure "Serenity," Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist" and comedy "The Man" fill screens in September. October has animated "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" for kids, "In Her Shoes" for adults, and "The Fog" and "Saw II" for Halloween frights.

In November and December, Hollywood and its box office watchers have high hopes for movies like animated "Chicken Little," the fourth "Harry Potter" movie and "The Chronicles of Narnia: the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," based on the beloved C.S. Lewis fantasy novel for children.

'Napoleon' Says Role Unleashed Inner Nerd

DELAWARE, Ohio - The star of the cult hit "Napoleon Dynamite" said making the film gave him the chance to "celebrate the nerd within me."

Jon Heder, who plays the film's curly haired, awkward namesake, appeared with Aaron Ruell, who plays Napoleon's older brother Kip, at Ohio Wesleyan University in nearby Columbus Sunday.

They said they could relate to the movie, which follows Idaho outcasts trying to find their place in the world.

"We created Kip and Napoleon from ourselves and from people we knew and experiences we had," said Heder, 27. "It was fun to celebrate the nerd within me."

The movie's low budget — it was made for $400,000 over 22 days — forced the cast and crew to improvise.

"All of our clothing came from thrift stores or Wal-Mart, and we did our own stunts," said Ruell, 29.

"Napoleon Dynamite" grossed more than $45 million at the box office and has made more than $104 million in DVD sales.

The movie also has opened new opportunities for Heder and Ruell, both Mormons who met at Brigham Young University's film school.

Heder stars alongside Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo in "Just Like Heaven," which is to be released Sept. 16. Ruell is working on an untitled feature film that he wrote and will direct.

Longoria Voted Sexiest TV Star Of All Time

Desperate Housewives actress Eva Longoria has beaten off competition from Jennifer Aniston to be voted the sexiest TV beauty of all time.

The 30-year-old Latina, who claims she was the "ugly duckling" of her family growing up, was honoured for her sexy performance as Gabrielle Solis in the hit US drama.

Aniston, who played Friends's Rachel Green for ten years, came second in the survey by British supermarket Sainsbury's, followed by Sex And The City's Kim Cattrall as man-eating Samantha Jones in third place.

The Top Five Sexiest Female TV Stars Of All-Time are: 1. Eva Longoria - Desperate Housewives 2. Jennifer Aniston - Friends 3. Kim Cattrall - Sex And The City 4. Pamela Anderson - Baywatch 5. Sarah Michelle Gellar - Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

Apple plans announcement; some see new music player

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Computer Inc. on Monday said it will announce a new product in early September and fanned expectations it will introduce an updated iPod Shuffle music player with much more capacity.

Apple is known for its marketing prowess and keeps new products under tight wraps before unveiling them at carefully staged events.

The company is widely expected to introduce a relatively roomy four-gigabyte iPod which uses sticks of flash memory, the type of storage used in digital cameras, rather than a hard disk drive. That would hold about 1,000 songs.

In an email invitation showing a picture of a jeans pocket, Apple alluded to its original 2001 announcement for the portable iPod, saying, "1,000 songs in your pocket changed everything. Here we go again."

Apple plans a San Francisco news conference on September 7 at 10 a.m. PDT (1700 GMT). Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris declined to comment further.

Apple introduced its portable music player in late 2001 with the promise that it could hold 1,000 songs. The first iPod was powered by a hard disk drive, but this year Apple introduced the "Shuffle" with flash memory to hold data.

Industry analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies Inc. in Campbell, California, said the news could be a new 4-gigabyte Shuffle, which would have four times the memory of the current model.

"The obvious news may be the higher density iPod Shuffle," he said. "But (Apple CEO Steve Jobs) may have something else up his sleeve. Steve loves surprises," he said.

Recent analyst reports out of Asia have noted that Apple plans to buy as much as 40 percent of the flash memory chips produced by South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the world's second largest chip maker and the largest maker of flash memory used in music players.

Apple currently sells three types of iPods: the classic high-capacity hard-disk iPod capable of storing up to 15,000 songs on 60 gigabytes; the iPod Mini, which comes in two versions, either four- or six-gigabyte hard disk models; and the Shuffle.

Cupertino, California-based Apple has come to dominate the digital music player market, accounting for some three-quarters of industry sales this year, according to analysts estimates.

Apple shipped 6.2 million iPods in its latest quarter.

McCartney's publishing catalog is a pop treasury

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Paul McCartney founded MPL Communications, one of the world's biggest privately owned music publishing companies, as the home to his solo compositions following the 1970 breakup of the Beatles.

And while MPL -- the acronym stands for "McCartney Productions Ltd." -- has certainly focused on McCartney's work, it has grown to represent almost a century of copyrights from the likes of Buddy Holly, Jerry Herman, Frank Loesser, Meredith Willson and Harold Arlen.

MPL's catalog holdings include Nor-Va-Jak (which contains many of Holly's songs), Desilu Music (Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball's company), Edwin H. Morris & Co. (a major standards catalog), Meredith Willson Music and Frank Music (which includes songs by Loesser).

"We've been predominantly a catalog company, and catalog is still the cornerstone of the company and will still be in the future since there's no substitute for incredible standards and classic songs that are timeless," says Bill Porricelli, senior VP of promotion and new product development.

"But we felt we needed a new dimension in the last few years, so we signed a couple of staff writers, Russ DeSalvo and Martin Briley, and they've had some good success with us in film projects and various artist covers -- and have added a new dimension to the company."

Porricelli notes that MPL has been "very successful and consistent" in working with movie studios, TV producers, ad agencies and sheet music companies in exploiting its copyrights. Recent noteworthy catalog placements in films have included MPL songs "Let the Good Times Roll" and "Route 66" in "Ray"; "After You've Gone," "Bugle Call Rag" and "Milenburg Joys" in "The Aviator"; "Sitting on Top of the World" in "Cold Mountain"; "Grazing in the Grass" in "Anchorman"; "Unchained Melody" in "Alfie"; and "The Christmas Song" in "Christmas With the Kranks."

Upcoming film placements include "It's So Easy" in "Brokeback Mountain" and "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" in "The Matador."

But MPL is seeking newer means of exposing its catalog besides traditional methods.

"Like every publisher, we're taking a more proactive approach to the new media," Porricelli says, "which is very critical. We're in the process of redoing our Web site to make it more user friendly for industry people and fans alike in acquiring information. And you can license MPL material on the Internet. There will be links to our sheet music partners like Hal Leonard, and if you want to buy Paul McCartney CDs, you can do that through the Web site as well."

Porricelli also cites increased licensing of MPL copyrights to ringtone companies.

"Every publisher has to look at alternate means of revenue, and with new media it seems another market is opening up every few months -- and we want to be part of it," he says.

But he adds that the company is still geared toward more traditional means of promotion.

"It's very important to put out promotional samplers of both our new and existing and recognizable songs," he says. "We've received so much good response in the past (with samplers) and continue to do them on a regular basis to keep our songs in people's consciousness and introduce new material to the industry."

Porricelli notes that there's "only a couple handfuls of really exceptional projects every year" in film and TV production, "and every publisher desperately wants to be part of them. We rely on our relationships, but we also need to stay ahead of the curve and know about things right from the outset since competition is so stiff on these special licensing opportunities."

Nowhere is this more important at MPL than with its founder's catalog. MPL for the first time just placed a McCartney song in a TV commercial. "Fine Line" -- the first single from McCartney's album "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard," which bows September 13 via Capitol Records -- is part of a national Lexus campaign that began in late August.

"Having a national spot with Lexus gives us enormous exposure and gets more people aware of the album and tour, which MTV and VH1 simply can't do at this point due to the nature of their programing," says Porricelli, who notes that Lexus is sponsoring McCartney's ensuing U.S. tour."

But MPL also wants to maintain its successful record of placing McCartney catalog copyrights in major films like "Jerry Maguire" ("Junk"), "50 First Dates" ("Another Day") and "The In-Laws" ("Live and Let Die," "I'm Carrying" and "A Love for You").

The company recently produced "Listen to What the Man Said," a 20-song McCartney sampler spanning the writer's entire post-Beatles career up to his last album, 2001's "Driving Rain."

Porricelli says McCartney's catalog has potential beyond placement in film and TV. He points to Jenn Cuneta's dance hit "Come Rain Come Shine," which employed a rare McCartney-authorized usage of "Silly Love Songs" -- with producers Andy & the Lamboy sharing co-writing credit with Paul and Linda McCartney.

"They did a completely new lyric and turned ("Silly Love Songs") into a dance track," Porricelli says. "Paul liked it a lot and gave them authorization to release it. But it's basically 'Silly Love Songs' with a new lyric, so we experiment with new things now and we're much more open to licensing opportunities that make sense."

THE HOT SEAT WITH CAMERON CROWE

"I gave her my heart, and she gave me a pen." "Show me the money!" "All I need are some tasty waves, a cool buzz, and I'm fine."

When it comes to penning highly quotable lines, director and writer Cameron Crowe had us at hello. His knack for tapping into the Zeitgeist turned movies like "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," "Say Anything," "Almost Famous" and "Jerry Maguire" into instant pop culture classics.

On October 14th Crowe will be back with his first feature film in four years: "Elizabethtown," in which a young man (Orlando Bloom) heads back to Kentucky - and an eccentric group of relatives - for his dad's funeral. Along the way, he meets flight attendant Kirsten Dunst and, as you might imaginge, witty romantic complications ensue.

Q: In "Almost Famous," you chronicled your past as a young rock writer. Is "Elizabethtown" autobiographical too?

A: Sort of. It's inspired by things that happened when my dad died, but it's kind of a banquet plate full of characters.

Q: So what's it about, in a nutshell?

A: It's a bunch of different things. It's a love story and a folk tale about how loss can open doors to the greatest things in life, and it's four days in life of this guy who goes back to Kentucky to bury his dad he didn't really know very well.

Q: How did the idea first come about?

A: My wife [Nancy Wilson] is a musician - she plays in Heart - and she talked me into joining her on her tour bus. I woke up one morning on the bus, and looked out the window, and there was Kentucky. This is a place that's a big part of my family history - I hadn't been back since my dad's funeral. And I just had to get off the bus.

I rented a car, and I just got lost in Kentucky for days, with no intention of writing. Of course, that's when the ideas really come. The whole idea of this movie really arrived there. It's a story about discovering your family roots, and who you are, and your whole lineage. And how this feeling of what it's like to be truly alive can come from tragedy, or chaos, or failure.

Q: So then how'd you end up with a British actor, Orlando Bloom, in the lead role?

A: I auditioned a lot of guys and Orlando I had worked with before. The one commercial I had ever done was with him, and I really enjoyed working with him. He really soaks up music, and I knew I wanted that. There's a lot of music in this movie, even more than in "Almost Famous," which is all about rock.

Q: So you didn't have trouble thinking of Orlando as an elf.

A: I didn't have any archery associations - he's simply a man. [laughs]

Q: Before you settled on Orlando, Ashton Kutcher was up for the role. What happened?

A: I did have a detour with Ashton. This has happened to me before - I think the part ends up in the hands of the guy who's destined to play it. Tom Hanks was originally Jerry Maguire. Brad Pitt was originally Billy Crudup's character in "Almost Famous." With Ashton, it seemed like it was going to work out, and I think we just figured it wasn't quite the right thing. I think there's a big performance in Ashton, and he's inching toward it.

Q: Did Orlando have problems with the accent?

A: He really worked on it, he's completely diligent and only spoke in the [American] accent. It was wild because he basically left "Kingdom of Heaven," got off the plane in Kentucky and started being this rather un-bronzed guy. He pretty immediately fell into it.

Q: Country musician Patti Griffin has a cameo in this movie - any others?

A: Loudon Wainwright plays Uncle Dale, Orlando's uncle. And My Morning Jacket play the band Ruckus in the movie - that's his cousin's band.

Q: Will we spot any shout-outs to your other movies?

A: There are some motifs in the movie that kinda call back other movies I've done. Like the phone call. For me, John Cusack in "Say Anything" is the king of the phone call scene. And in tribute to him, I've written other phone call scenes. I started writing this one, and it got longer and longer, and it was like, either cut it out or turn it into something big.

Q: And you did the latter.

A: Yeah, it's this big conversation - one of those all-night calls where you're getting to know someone, and you go into deeper water where you're admitting all these truths. And then you agree to meet the next day, and it's that kind of thing where you don't really know the person yet and you're kind of embarrassed to have admitted all these things. And now you have to deal with fact that you've told them all these secrets. And you kind of don't remember what they look like, and here they are in different clothes.

Q: How is your directing style changing as you get older?

A: I'm trying get more visual, to not depend on dialogue all the time. Hal Ashby was a music lover, and Wes Anderson is the same way - they're music lovers who also paint with visuals, and the two come together in their stuff. I like visuals that tell the story more than I used to. Say what you will about "Vanilla Sky," it was a turning point for me in terms of using visuals. And on this movie, I think we really shot Kentucky in a cool way.

Q: You tend to include an airport scene in your movies. Why?

A: I guess the appeal is that it's kind of a passageway. It's this hermetically sealed capsule where you've come from someplace, and you're going someplace and you're stuck in time with other people. I've done that so much, just sitting and watching the flow of human traffic. It's my favorite thing to do. I've gotta stop writing it into scripts! But I've really enjoyed shooting airports and doing scenes in airports. It sort of peaks with Kirsten playing a flight attendant, I think.

Q: So are you a good flier?

A: I'm a terrible flier - but I'm great in the airport.

The score
Name: Cameron B. Crowe
Birthdate: July 13, 1957
Born in: Palm Springs, CA
Married to: Musician Nancy Wilson of rock group Heart
Big break: Writing for Rolling Stone magazine while in high school
First script: "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" (1982)
Awards: Best Original Screenplay Oscar for "Almost Famous" (2000)
Cameos: Club interviewer in his own film, "Singles" (1992); bus passenger in Spielberg's "Minority Report" (2002)

ODDS ON OSCARS

Two-thirds of the way through the year, only two serious candidates for the Best Picture Oscar have yet emerged: "Crash" and "Cinderella Man." But the next four months are Hollywood's favorite time for prestige pictures, bringing us the return of Oscar favorites Steven Spielberg, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Crowe and Sean Penn. Here's a tip sheet for the early Oscar favorites.

Good Night. And Good Luck (Oct. 7)

George Clooney's second effort as a director tackles up-to-the-minute issues, taking on Sen. Joe McCarthy through the eyes of Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn). Though the film is small in scale and shot in black and white, no political story gets Hollywood more excited than an attack on McCarthyism.

Prospects: Best Picture and Screenplay, Clooney for Best Director

Elizabethtown (Oct. 14)

Crowe's first film since the uneven "Vanilla Sky" is a hugely anticipated return to semi-autobiography for the writer-director of "Almost Famous," which won him a screenwriting Oscar. Orlando Bloom stars in this comedy-drama about a workaholic who buries his father but is cheered up by a stewardess (Kirsten Dunst). "Lord of the Rings" elf Bloom hasn't proven he's an actor yet, but with all the armor he's been lugging around lately, he hasn't had a chance.

Prospects: Crowe for Best Director and Best Screenplay

Northcountry (Oct. 14)/Walk the Line (Nov. 18)

This year's "Ray" wannabe is "Walk the Line," starring Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash and Nashville-bred Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash. Phoenix got an Oscar nomination for his campy work in "Gladiator," but can he rule the screen the way Cash ruled country music? Director James Mangold's films have been hyped before ("Cop Land," "Girl, Interrupted") but he's never had much success. An equally juicy role goes to Charlize Theron in "North Country," about a landmark sexual harassment suit among miners that features Oscar favorite Frances McDormand. Beautiful women who play deglamorized blue-collar types are practically guaranteed Oscar glory.

Prospects: "North Country" for Best Picture, Phoenix for Best Actor, Witherspoon and Theron for Best Actress, McDormand for Best Supporting Actress

Jarhead (Nov. 4)

Based on Marine sniper Anthony Swofford's memoir of the 1991 Persian Gulf War, "Jarhead" has everything you look for in an Oscar film: a literary pedigree, an Oscar-winning director ("American Beauty" helmer Sam Mendes) and an acclaimed cast featuring Jamie Foxx, Peter Sarsgaard and Jake Gyllenhaal.

Prospects: Best Picture, Foxx and Sarsgaard for Best Supporting Actor, Mendes for Best Director

The New World (Nov. 9)

Reclusive director Terrence Malick ("Badlands," "The Thin Red Line") retells the story of Capt. John Smith and Pocahontas (newcomer Q'Orianka Kilcher). But Malick's films are weirdly muted, and Hollywood's been tiring of perennial almost-star Colin Farrell.

Prospects: Best Screenplay, Malick for Best Director, Kilcher for Best Actress

Breakfast on Pluto (Nov. 18)

Neil Jordan's latest will make Cillian Murphy a star, if he isn't one already on the strength of his attention-grabbing turns in "Batman Begins" and "Red Eye." Murphy is said to be spectacular as a rocking Irish drag queen in the IRA-themed drama. Ever since 1992's "The Crying Game," Jordan pretty much owns the IRA cross-dressing subgenre.

Prospects: Best Picture and Screenplay, Murphy for Best Actor, Jordan for Best Director

Rent (Nov. 23)/The Producers (Dec. 21)

Inspired by the success of "Chicago," two big Broadway musicals are coming to the screen. The tragic, AIDS-themed "Rent" is directed by "Harry Potter" helmer Chris Columbus with Rosario Dawson and Taye Diggs as stars. There's also "The Producers," which brings back stage stars Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, and adds Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman.

Prospects: Best Picture for either, Lane for Best Actor, Dawson for Best Actress

Memoirs of A Geisha (Dec. 9)/Brokeback Mountain (Dec. 9)

A film Spielberg originally was set to direct went to Chicago's Rob Marshall instead: "Geisha," another literary adaptation, stars the indestructible "Crouching Tiger" star Ziyi Zhang. And "Crouching Tiger" director Ang Lee is back, too, with the gay-cowboy drama "Brokeback Mountain," starring Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in a film that has to be better than its log line.

Prospects: Best Picture, Ang for Best Director, Zhang for Best Actress

All The King's Men (Dec. 16)

Another politically hot December film, this remake of the 1949 Best Picture winner about sleazy politics is sure to take a whack at the Bush White House. It stars another committed lefty, Sean Penn, along with Jude Law and Anthony Hopkins. Top screenwriter Steven Zaillian takes his first directing job.

Prospects: Best Picture, Zaillian for Best Director and nods for Oscar favorites Penn, Law and/or Hopkins

Munich (Dec. 23)

The Christmas season brings out the really big gun: Steven Spielberg, who examines the Israeli agents assigned to assassinate the terrorists who killed Israeli athletes during the 1972 summer Olympics in Munich. Originally titled "Vengeance," the script is tightly guarded. But it's written by leftist playwright Tony Kushner and is said to have found inspiration in a book slanted against the Israelis. So observers assume it's going to cast a harsh eye on the Mossad's actions. The star is "Layer Cake" breakout Daniel Craig.

Prospects: Best Picture and Screenplay, Spielberg for Best Director

Studios Mull Changes to Movie 'Windows'

LOS ANGELES - Someday the phrase "Coming soon to a theater near you" could be replaced with "Coming soon to a Wal-Mart near you." The tradition of major films debuting first in theaters, then across staggered release "windows," including pay-per-view, home video, cable and, finally, broadcast TV, is being openly questioned.

Robert Iger, CEO-elect of The Walt Disney Co., recently suggested the day could come when a DVD is released while the movie is still in theaters. The millions of dollars that studios spend marketing first-run movies would serve double duty promoting the more profitable DVDs, making for a faster and more efficient return on investment.

"Consumers have a lot more authority these days and they know that by using technology they can gain access to content and they want to use the power that they have..." Iger told financial analysts earlier this month. "We can't stand in the way and we can't allow tradition to stand in the way of where the consumer can go or wants to go."

Iger's remarks are heresy to theater owners who fear people with flat screen, high-definition, surround sound systems in their living rooms will abandon the megaplex.

"Mr. Iger knows better than to tell consumers — or Wall Street analysts — that they can have it all, everywhere, at the same time," said John Fithian, president of the National Association of Theater Owners. "He knows there would be no viable movie theater industry in that new world — at least not a theater industry devoted to the entertainment products of Hollywood."

Theaters have already seen profits shrink as movies move more quickly to home video. Studios and theaters split profits in the early weeks of a movie's run, with the theater making most of its money from concessions. The theater's split gets larger the longer the movie plays, giving studios an incentive to release films on DVD even earlier.

Studios make the majority of their profits from home video sales, with theatrical runs serving largely as marketing for the DVD.

That has led some to question business models that have not kept pace with technology or consumer demands.

"Why do we make the assumption that five months later people are still interested in your product?" said Todd Wagner, co-owner with Mark Cuban of 2929 Entertainment.

"If I hear a song on the radio, they don't say, `Five months from now you can buy the CD.'"

The gap between a movie's opening weekend in theaters and its debut on home video has been narrowing from about six months in 1994 to about four months in 2004.

Some studios release their DVDs even sooner. The action sequel "XXX: State of the Union," which fizzled at the box office, hit video shelves 11 weeks after its theatrical debut.

Many studios announce the release date of a movie on home video while the film is still in theaters — a practice that infuriates theater owners.

"This is something that drives us nuts," Fithian said. "When Wal-Mart starts putting up signs a month and a half or two months into the movie's run, that just kind of tells the consumer: 'Wait — it's coming.'"

Before Iger's remarks, studio executives spoke of releasing DVDs simultaneous with a theatrical run only in the context of fighting piracy. Many studios are already premiering films around the world on the same date to undercut pirates who distribute illegal copies of films in China, Eastern Europe and elsewhere.

In the United States, studios are pressured by a box office slump and a DVD glut that has led to a sharp decline in sales for new releases that compete for shelf space with old TV show box sets and older hits.

New technology is adding to the competition as cable operators promote video-on-demand services and phone companies, such as SBC and Verizon, are creating high-speed Internet networks that will make on-demand viewing even easier.

Advances in wireless are also challenging old business models. In Europe, Sony Pictures has released a full-length version of "Spider-Man II" for viewing on a cell phone.

For some industry players, simultaneously releasing a movie in theaters and on DVD makes perfect sense.

"Most packaged entertainment — books, CDs, games — most all of these make their debut at retail," said Ted Sarandos, chief content officer of Netflix Inc., which rents DVDs by mail. "It isn't that radical a proposition that movies could follow that same path."

In April, 2929 Entertainment, which owns two television networks, a chain of movie theaters and film and television distribution companies, announced a partnership with Oscar-winning film director Steven Soderbergh to direct six films and release them simultaneously in theaters, on TV and on DVD.

Wagner, the company's co-owner, said under his model, theater owners share in the revenue made from distributing films on DVD and other media.

"We want the exhibitors to be a part of this because they should be and from my perspective, they always should have been," Wagner said.

Wagner also disputes the notion that people would stay away from theaters if they could watch the same movie at home.

Wagner and Cuban own the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, which still draws a crowd when games are broadcast on radio and TV.

"It didn't kill professional sports when it was available simultaneously on different mediums," he said. "They cross promote each other and they're all doing just fine."

MTV Video Music Awards Splash Down in Fla.

MIAMI - MTV dodged two major disasters — one from nature, the other from the barrel of a gun — as the Video Music Awards unfolded Sunday night with flashy performances, over-the-top bling and a few blasts from the past.

The annual bash was briefly overshadowed by Hurricane Katrina, which hit southern Florida on Thursday and killed several people. As the storm passed, a celebratory mood took over the city — until early Sunday morning, when rap mogul Suge Knight was targeted by gunfire at a Kanye West party.

MTV vowed that neither event would affect the ceremonies — and they didn't.

"The theme of tonight is, anything can happen," proclaimed host Diddy, whose entrance included dancers, pyrotechnics and a cascading waterfall — a spectacle that rivaled the show's actual performances.

Ludacris managed to turn his hedonistic "Pimpin' All Over the World" into a multicultural Mardi Gras-like extravaganza, complete with steel drummers, African dancers and, of course, around-the-way booty-shaking girls.

When it comes to booty shaking, Luke of 2 Live Crew fame is the king with his infamous dancers, and he brought a bevy of women a dance with Diddy and R&B heartthrob Omarion.

But one of the biggest surprises was a performance from MC Hammer, recapturing some of his glory while shaking to his '90s hit, "U Can't Touch This."

Another flashback moment came in a tribute to Diddy's protege, the late Notorious B.I.G., that featured Diddy "conducting" a string orchestra as the legendary rapper's songs played. Snoop Dogg came out at the end and delivered a verse on the B.I.G. hit "Warning."

West and Kelly Clarkson were among the early winners. Clarkson won for best female video for "Since U Been Gone," while West won for "Jesus Walks."

"I guess they're saying, 'We're going to give him his award early so we don't have to worry about nothin'," said West, referencing his infamous American Music Awards tantrum last year.

Green Day, who arrived in the vintage green convertible from their "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" video, won best rock video for the clip — one of the eight awards they were nominated for, making them the most nominated act of the year.

"It's great to know that rock music still has a place at MTV," said lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong, speaking of hip-hop's recent takeover.

The evening's most inexplicable moment may have come from R. Kelly, who remains a chart-topper even though he's awaiting trial on child pornography charges.

On a bedroom set that looked like a scene from a Tyler Perry play, Kelly deliberately lip-synced highlights of his five-part soap opera infidelity song, "Trapped In The Closet," then debuted a new chapter involving a cheating wife, a cheating husband and his boyfriend.

Some of the night's more decadent moments came during the pre-show arrivals. Lil Jon came by sea, on what looked to be a three-story, pimp-my-yacht contraption. The prison-bound Lil' Kim arrived on the white carpet in a Rolls Royce Phantom, though she looked somewhat demure in her low-cut mauve dress — no pasties or dangling appendages this year from the diminutive rapper.

"I might show some leg," teased the star, who is due to start serving a year-and-a-day sentence in September on a perjury charge. When MTV personality Sway delicately asked if she had anything to say to fans who "might not see you for a while," Lil Kim said: "You can write me letters."

"Entourage" star Jeremy Piven couldn't help but tease her about her upcoming bid as they presented best rap video, which was won by Ludacris.

"You know, she's about to go to the big house, for lying," he said of Lil Kim. "I'd like to place a call to the warden and upgrade your situation."

The much-hyped white carpet was one of one of the Diddy-designed elements of the show. Another was the "Diddy Fashion Challenge" — in which he vowed to give away $50,000 each to the charities of the best dressed female and male at the event. Amerie, Gwen Stefani and Eva Longoria were the three female finalists; Usher, West and a pimped-out Snoop Dogg were the male finalists. Diddy himself was out of the running, though you wouldn't know it — he made three wardrobe changes in the first half-hour.

The awards typically snowball into a weeklong party with decadent A-list bashes, but Hurricane Katrina forced the cancellation of some events. Several stars, like West, were late arriving to Miami because of the weather.

Knight, the Death Row Records founder who has been at the center of some of hip-hop's most violent moments, was shot in the leg early Sunday morning at a star-studded party thrown by West. His injuries were not life-threatening; no arrests were made.

2005 Video Music Awards Winner's list:

Video Of The Year
Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Best Male Video
Kanye West, "Jesus Walks"

Best Female Video
Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone"

Best Rock Video
Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Best R&B Video
Alicia Keys, "Karma"

Best Dance Video
Missy Elliott with Ciara & Fat Man Scoop, "Lose Control"

Best Rap Video
Ludacris, "Number One Spot"

MTV2 Award
Fall Out Boy, "Sugar, We're Going Down"

Best Hip-Hop Video
Missy Elliott with Ciara & Fat Man Scoop, "Lose Control"

Best Special Effects In A Video
Gorillaz, "Feel Good Inc."

Best Pop Video
Kelly Clarkson, "Since U Been Gone"

Best Group Video
Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Best Choreography In A Video
Gwen Stefani, "Hollaback Girl"

Best Art Direction In A Video
Gwen Stefani, "What You Waiting For?"

Best Editing In A Video
Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Best New Artist In A Video
The Killers, "Mr. Brightside"

Best Cinematography In A Video
Green Day, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams"

Breakthrough Video
Gorillaz, "Feel Good Inc."

'40-Year-Old Virgin' Retains No. 1 Spot

LOS ANGELES - Steve Carell's second time at the top of the box office was almost as good as the first. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," starring Carell as a middle-aged man who has never had sex, remained the No. 1 movie with $16.4 million, a strong hold from its opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Terry Gilliam's "The Brothers Grimm," a fantasy starring Matt Damon and Heath Ledger as the 19th century fairy-tale siblings, debuted in second place with $15.1 million.

"The Cave," an underground monster movie featuring Morris Chestnut, Piper Perabo and Cole Hauser, opened weakly at No. 6 with $6.2 million.

The weekend's other new wide release — the romance "Undiscovered," featuring Ashlee Simpson and Pell James as gal pals who fabricate media buzz to help a friend's music career — flopped with just $690,000, finishing far out of the top 10.

A movie slump continued, with the top-12 films taking in $82.8 million, down 2.5 percent from the same weekend last year.

Hollywood is having its worst year since the late 1990s, with summer attendance expected to come in 12 percent behind last year, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

There have been bright spots amid the slump, notably the racy R-rated comedies "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "Wedding Crashers," which are holding well on the strength of good reviews and word of mouth.

"Wedding Crashers," starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn as buddies who intrude on strangers' nuptials to pick up women, remained the No. 5 film with $6.25 million, lifting its seven-week total to $187.7 million.

The release of "The Brothers Grimm" was delayed for a year as Gilliam feuded over the final version with brothers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, the heads of Miramax Films, whose Dimension banner released the movie.

"The Brothers Grimm" is among a rush of long-delayed Miramax movies now being released as the Weinsteins prepare to depart Disney-owned Miramax for a new film company they have formed.

For Gilliam ("The Fisher King," "Twelve Monkeys"), it was his first film since 1998's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." "Brothers Grimm" got mixed reviews at best, though.

"It's a respectable opening," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations. "You can't underestimate the following that Terry Gilliam has."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," $16.4 million.

2. "The Brothers Grimm," $15.1 million.

3. "Red Eye," $10.4 million.

4. "Four Brothers," $7.8 million.

5. "Wedding Crashers," $6.25 million.

6. "The Cave," $6.2 million.

7. "March of the Penguins," $4.6 million.

8. "The Skeleton Key," $4.4 million.

9. "Valiant," $3.35 million.

10. "The Dukes of Hazzard," $3.05 million.

McCready Accused of Violating Probation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Country music singer Mindy McCready is accused of violating her probation on a drug conviction, authorities said.

A spokeswoman for the Pinellas County sheriff's department said McCready was jailed Friday on an arrest warrant issued earlier this month.

According to the warrant, McCready left Tennessee without getting permission from her probation officer and didn't report to the officer during July.

Authorities said it is McCready's second probation violation, which means she cannot post bail this time and likely will have to serve time in jail.

The probation violations stem from charges brought against the singer last year, when she pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining the painkiller OxyContin. She was fined $4,000, sentenced to three years of supervised probation and ordered to perform 200 hours of community service.

McCready violated her probation in May when she was charged with driving under the influence in Nashville.

A few days later, McCready's boyfriend, William McKnight, was charged with attempted murder after allegedly breaking into her home and beating her.

McCready was released from a Florida hospital last month after an apparent suicide attempt at an Indian Rocks Beach hotel, authorities said.

The 28-year-old singer had a No. 1 hit in 1996 with "Guys Do It All the Time."

Farley Gets Posthumous Walk of Fame Star

LOS ANGELES - Comedian Chris Farley was a motivational speaker, a rabid fan and a topless dancer on "Saturday Night Live." On Friday, the late comic was the toast of his castmates as they honored him with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

"I think it's sweet that everyone still has a real nice place in their hearts for him, they still remember him," said actor-comedian David Spade, who appeared with Farley during his 1990-95 reign on the show.

"He goes down as one of the greats. And I still think about him every day," Spade said.

Fans, friends and family surrounded Farley's star, the walk's 2,289th, in front of the Improv Olympic West theater where the actor used to perform. Among other celebrities in attendance were "SNL" alums Chris Rock and Adam Sandler.

"I think every fat comedian owes him 80 bucks that's working today," Rock said.

Farley, whose physical comedy, wild antics and large appetite lent comparisons to another "SNL" alum, John Belushi, died on Dec. 18, 1997, from an accidental overdose of morphine and cocaine. He was 33.

Best known on "SNL" for his characterization of a slovenly motivational speaker named Matt Foley, Farley also drew laughs as an obsessed Chicago Bears football fan and a topless Chippendales dancer.

Born on Feb. 15, 1964, Farley grew up in Madison, Wis. He joined the Second City Theatre troupe before joining "SNL."

Farley later starred in several movies, including "Black Sheep" (1996), "Beverly Hills Ninja" (1997) and "Wayne's World" (1992).

A special DVD edition of Farley and Spade's 1995 hit "Tommy Boy" will be released Tuesday.

A happy beginning for 'Grimm' at box office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - With summer drawing to a close in Hollywood, the studios will try to draw weekend crowds at a time when the focus is more on back to school than moviegoing.

"The Brothers Grimm," from Miramax Films' Dimension label, at one point looked as if it might become just another throwaway film quickly released by Miramax before company founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein officially depart at the end of next month. But now it's in a position to lead the box office with an opening in the mid- to high-teen millions.

Instead of appealing only to film buffs and fans of director Terry Gilliam, "Grimm" looks as if it will lure in the highly coveted young female audience -- those wanting a glimpse of Matt Damon and Heath Ledger in period garb.

Damon and Ledger play sibling con artists who travel the countryside telling villagers that they will protect them from unseen nasties -- for a price. But their mettle is tested when they come across a too-real curse in a haunted forest. Monica Bellucci co-stars in the PG-13 film.

Sony Pictures' Screen Gems division will open "The Cave" using a release date strategy that benefited its end-of-summer release "Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid" last year. But insiders are not expecting the new horror picture to beat the $13 million opening that "Anacondas" registered: a bow in the $8 million-$10 million range seems more likely.

The PG-13 film from director Bruce Hunt and starring Cole Hauser, Piper Perabo and Morris Chestnut revolves around bloodthirsty creatures threatening a group of divers trapped in an underwater network of caves.

Lions Gate was banking on the rising success of Ashlee Simpson as the catalyst for box office grosses for its "Undiscovered." But with her career stalling somewhat during the past year after a few media slip-ups, industry insiders are not placing many bets on the teenage romantic comedy from Irish music video director Meiert Avis.

The film follows a group of aspiring entertainers trying to establish careers in Los Angeles. Pell James, Steven Strait and Shannyn Sossamon co-star. With teen girls showing more interest in "Grimm," "Undiscovered" is unlikely to generate much heat. Insiders say the PG-13 film isn't expected to top $5 million.

As far as holdovers go, Universal Pictures' "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which opened at No. 1 last weekend with $21.4 million, is likely to hang in there for its sophomore session amid good reviews and word-of-mouth, while DreamWorks Pictures' "Red Eye" and Disney's "Valiant" are likely to drop more precipitously in their second sessions.

In limited release, Freestyle Releasing will unveil "American Pie" knockoff "Dirty Deeds" in 64 theaters. Starring Milo Ventimiglia, Lacey Chabert and Charles Durning, the PG-13 film centers on a high school senior who tries to become the first student ever to complete a series of twisted challenges called the "dirty deeds."

Sony Pictures Classics will bow "The Memory of a Killer" in Los Angeles and New York. The R-rated crime thriller that played at last year's Toronto International Film Festival centers on an aging contract killer from Italy who has the first signs of Alzheimer's disease.

Crowe Reaches Settlement With Hotel Worker

LOS ANGELES - Russell Crowe has reached a settlement with a Manhattan hotel employee who claimed the actor threw a phone at him, according to a statement released Thursday by the actor's publicist.

The Academy Award winner allegedly struck concierge Nestor Estrada in June while Crowe was in New York to promote his movie "Cinderella Man," in which he portrayed a boxer.

"Both sides expressed satisfaction at the resolution," the statement said.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.

The 41-year-old Australian movie star publicly apologized on the "Late Show with David Letterman" shortly after the incident, saying it was "possibly the most shameful situation that I've ever gotten myself in in my life, and I've done some pretty dumb things in my life."

Crowe was angered by a malfunctioning phone at the Mercer Hotel and at 4 a.m. threw it and struck Estrada in the face.

Crowe is married to actress Danielle Spencer and they have a young son together. He was trying to call home to Australia and got mad because the phone wasn't working.

Prosecutors charged Crowe with second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon — the telephone. Crowe, who's free on his own recognizance, is scheduled to return to court Sept. 14.

Dr. Dre Hoping To 'Shock' On Next Album

It's been six years since hip-hop legend Dr. Dre's last studio album, and its planned follow-up, reportedly titled "Detox," seems no closer to completion. But one of his key collaborators tells Billboard.com Dre is continuing to work on new music and still plans to release another album, even if it takes several more years to do the job right.

"There will be another Dr. Dre solo album, without a doubt," says bassist Mike Elizondo, who began working with the artist on the 1999 album "Dr. Dre -- 2001" and has since been a fixture on Dre-produced recordings by Xzibit, Eminem and the Game.

"Dre has very high standards," Elizondo responded when asked what is taking so long. "He wants to shock the world and put something out that no one would have ever thought possible from a hip-hop artist. He's definitely going to take his time and make sure it's right, but there will be a collection of songs that will come out as a Dr. Dre solo album."

However, the timetable for finishing the album remains murky. Asked if Elizondo had played on any of the tracks to date, he replied, "We've been working. There's a team assembled and we'll definitely continue moving forward on that."

"Dr. Dre -- 2001" debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 7 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Seinfeld a dad for third time

NEW YORK (AP) - Jerry Seinfeld and his wife, Jessica, have a new addition to the family.

A son, Shepherd Kellen Seinfeld, was born Monday morning, Seinfeld's publicist, Stephen Rubenstein, said Thursday. The couple, who were married in 1999, have a two-year-old son, Julian, and a four-year-old daughter, Sascha.

"Jerry and Jessica are both thrilled," said Rubenstein. "The baby is great; they are all home now."

The 51-year-old comedian has in the past worked babies into his standup routine: "Make no mistake about why these babies are here - they are here to replace us."

Brad Pitt gets bounty on his head

CALGARY - A pair of Edmonton radio stations have put a bounty on Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Sister radio stations K-Rock and 96X have offered $10,000 if Pitt will come alone to one of their stations, an additional $10,000 if he's accompanied by Jolie and $50,000 if Jennifer Aniston arrives as well.

In the unlikely event any of the superstars actually appear, the money will be donated to the charity of their choice.

The stunt has angered the Edmonton acting community and the Edmonton chapter of ACTRA has insisted the station stop the promotion. The production moves to Edmonton for three weeks on Sept. 5.

Rumours abound that Newcap Radio management, owners of K-Rock and 96X, have received a cease-and-desist order from Warner Bros., the company releasing The Assassination of Jesse James.

Rob Mise, operations manager for Newcap Radio, says he hasn't received a cease-and-desist order, but adds "we won't be surprised when it arrives. We have our legal department on standby."

Mise insists his stations aren't doing anything illegal.

"This was always meant as a way to raise money for charity. It's an old radio stunt that has traditionally brought stars to radio and TV stations."

Calgary stations Vibe and CJAY92 have a low-key version of the Edmonton promotion.

Morning man Jerry Forbes says he's offered to "send $5,000 to Angelina's international children's charity if Brad will just phone in and say hello to our listeners. We have had word from people close to Brad that this could possibly happen."

Chad Martin of Vibe 98.5's Poghouse morning show says his station is also willing to donate cash if Pitt calls.

"We're not getting people saying they will try to get Brad to do this," says Martin. "What we're getting are hundreds of e-mails from listeners telling us where they've sighted Brad."

'Alias' Fans Fight for Vartan

Fans of hit TV series Alias have launched a campaign to save Michael Vartan's character, even though producers have failed to confirm they're killing him off. Vartan, who plays his former girlfriend Jennifer Garner's on-screen lover Michael Vaughn on the show, reportedly shot his final scenes last week, according to the New York Post. Insiders claim Vaughn will be killed off in the upcoming series, which will also see pregnant Garner coping with impending motherhood both in real life and on the crime drama. The news has prompted some fans to launch www.mvcampaign.com, which has been set up to stop any potential Vartan departure. In a posting on the fansite, one devotee states, "Many of us feel that if this were to occur, it would be showing the show, the viewers, and Mr. Vartan a huge lack of both respect and loyalty. We have decided to take action and do something to express our feelings."

Cruise Speared on Cover of New Magazine

Movie star Tom Cruise is bracing for his most savage critical attack yet in a new magazine article about his loyalty to Scientology. A doctored photograph of the actor in his underwear appears on the front cover of US pop and politics magazine Radar with five arrows appearing to pierce his skin, suggesting the article inside, by investigative journalist Kim Masters, will leave him wounded. The controversial piece is headlined, 'Risky Business: the untold story of Scientology's movie-star martyr.' In the accompanying article, Masters speaks to a handful of former Scientologists and business acquaintances of Cruise, who all link the actor's recent passion for the controversial religion to the fact he has risen through the Church to a level just under leaders like his close friend and Scientology chief David Miscavige. One former Scientologist, who worked closely with the religion's celebrity members, claims Cruise is close to becoming a member of the Church's mythical Sea Org level or something similar. She says, "You feel so good, it's like you're high on coke. If you look at him, he has that dedicated glare that Sea Org members have." High-level Scientologists insist the Sea Org level never existed and such claims are ridiculous. The article also suggests Cruise's War Of The Worlds director, Steven Spielberg, was far from happy about the actor's Scientology-heavy interviews and romantic gestures for new girlfriend Katie Holmes at a time when he should have been promoting the summer blockbuster. Producer Marvin Levy coyly remarks, "It (the non-War of The Worlds talk) certainly took some of the emphasis away from where we would have liked it." Levy also tells Masters that Spielberg was upset when he saw Cruise's famous sofa leaping episode on Oprah in May, as he declared his love for Holmes. Masters writes, "When Spielberg later watched Cruise's manic declaration of love, Levy says, he sensed that the film's carefully orchestrated media plan might be slipping off the rails."

New Robbie Williams album due in October

LONDON (Billboard) - British pop star Robbie Williams, a virtual unknown in America despite huge international success, will release his sixth solo album in Europe on October 24.

"Intensive Care" (EMI), which Williams has been recording in Los Angeles for the past two years, marks the follow-up to the 2003 chart-topper release "Escapology."

It is unknown when, or if, "Intensive Care" will be released in North America. Despite a strong promotional push in an attempt to expand Williams' global reach, "Escapology" flopped across the Atlantic, selling just 136,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The new album's first single, "Tripping," is described by Williams on his Web site as "something like a mini-gangster opera." It will be issued to European radio outlets beginning September 5 ahead of its October 3 release at retail.

Williams, a former member of boy-band Take That, is one of Europe's biggest hit-makers, with 18 top 10 singles and six No. 1 albums in the United Kingdom alone. According to EMI, he has shifted 35 million albums worldwide.

Williams will play a one-off show October 9 at the 12,000 capacity Velodrom in Berlin. The concert will be simultaneously broadcast at cinemas across Europe. Television broadcasts are also being lined up.

Talking Heads Refurbish Catalog For DualDisc

The Talking Heads have expanded their eight studio albums with previously unreleased content for their release as DualDiscs. Due Oct. 4 via Rhino, the sets will be packaged together in a white molded plastic box that holds eight jewel cases. Each album has also been remastered by Talking Heads keyboardist Jerry Harrison.

The group's 1977 debut, the appropriately named "Talking Heads: 77," will include a 5.1 mix of a previously unreleased acoustic version of "Psycho Killer" and an alternate 5.1 mix of "Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town." The DVD side sports a live clip of "Pulled Up" taped in 1978 in Berkeley, Calif., and "I Feel It in My Heart" shot in 1976 at New York's now-defunct the Kitchen.

The follow-up, "More Songs About Buildings and Food," is bolstered by alternate versions of "The Big Country," "I'm Not in Love" and "Thank You for Sending Me an Angel," as well as a "1977 version" of "Stay Hungry." The DVD pulls "Warning Sign" from the aforementioned Berkeley show plus "Found a Job" from a 1978 gig at New York's Entermedia Theatre.

Best known for "Cities" and "Life During Wartime," 1979's "Fear of Music" is expanded here with alternate versions of those tracks as well as "Mind," and an unfinished outtake of "Dancing for Money." The DVD side includes performances of "Cities" and "I Zimba" from the German TV show "Rockpop" in 1980.

"Remain in Light" is beefed up with four unfinished outtakes: "Fela's Riff," "Unison," "Double Groove" and "Right Start." "Rockpop" performances of "Once in a Lifetime" and "Crosseyed and Painless" are utilized for the DVD side. The 1983 album "Speaking in Tongues" features an alternate 5.1 mix of "Burning Down the House" as well as videos for that tune and "This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody)."

"Little Creatures" is filled out with previously unreleased early versions of its most notable tracks, "Road to Nowhere" and "And She Was," plus videos for both songs. The 1986 companion to "True Stories," directed by Heads vocalist David Byrne, includes a bonus Pop Staples Vocal Version 5.1 mix of "Papa Legba" and videos for "Wild Wild Life" and "Love for Sale."

The Heads' final studio album, "Naked," tacks on a 5.1 mix of "Sax and Violins" as well as its video and a clip for "Blind."

As previously reported, the Talking Heads and the spin-off group the Tom Tom Club are represented on the Sire Records box set "Just Say Sire," due Sept. 13 via Rhino.

'Old School' sequel gets go-ahead

"Old School" writers Todd Phillips and Scot Armstrong are getting ready for a reunion.

Variety reports DreamWorks has given the duo the go-ahead for "Old School 2," a follow-up to the hit 2003 comedy starring Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn and Luke Wilson as middle-aged frat boys.

Phillips and Armstrong previously collaborated on the original "Old School" and last year's "Starsky & Hutch."

Casting for the planned sequel has yet to be announced.

"Wake Me Up" video shows young couple torn apart by the conflict in Iraq

Green Day are making their most powerful anti-war statement yet with the riveting video for American Idiot's fourth single, "Wake Me Up When September Ends." Starring Evan Rachel Wood of Thirteen and Jamie Bell of Billy Elliot, the seven-minute clip chronicles a young man's decision to leave his girlfriend and join the Army -- which deploys him to Iraq, where he watches terrified and helpless as his fellow soldiers are wounded in battle.

"I didn't do it to be political," says director Samuel Bayer. "I did it to be emotional. I find it extremely tragic that eighteen-year-old kids with their whole lives ahead of them are joining the military and seeing horrors that, even if they survive this, they may never get over."

MTV premiered the video this month, and it's been airing since in a five-minute edited version (MTV2 plays the uncut original). It's the fourth MTV hit off American Idiot, which came out last September and has sold 3.9 million copies to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "It's just a really well-structured, thought-out clip," says Peter Baron, vice president of label relations at MTV.

"There is a message in the video, but I don't think it's really an overt message -- it's about these kids and their relationship. I think that's why it works with our audience. It's just a story that's tugging the heart."

Although singer Billie Joe Armstrong wrote "Wake Me Up" for his father, who died of cancer in 1982, the band had no problem letting Bayer turn the ballad into an anti-war statement. "It's my interpretation," says Bayer, who also directed Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" video. "I sent the idea to them, and they loved it. I'm not taking a political stance about whether the war in Iraq is right or wrong, but I'm definitely saying war is a terrible thing."

Crowe Finalizes 'Elizabethtown' Soundtrack

The full track list has been confirmed for the soundtrack to "Elizabethtown," Cameron Crowe's highly anticipated new film. Due Sept. 13 via RCA, the project features exclusive tracks from Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, and, as previously reported, My Morning Jacket.

Previously released cuts are turned in by Wheat, Ryan Adams, Elton John ("My Father's Gun," which is also used in an extended trailer on the Elizabethtown Web site) and the Hollies, among others.

Another track, "Same in Any Language," was written for the film by Crowe and his wife, Nancy Wilson, who also supplied original music. It is performed here by Atlanta band I Nine, which recently signed to J Records.

Members of My Morning Jacket also appear in "Elizabethtown" as the band Ruckus, which performs the Lynyrd Syknyrd favorite "Freebird" with disastrous results during one scene.

"Elizabethtown" stars Orlando Bloom as a down-on-his-luck shoe designer who turns over a new page when he returns to his Kentucky hometown for his father's funeral. It will open Oct. 14 in U.S. theaters.

Here is the "Elizabethtown" track list:

"60B (etown theme)," Nancy Wilson
"It'll All Work Out," Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
"My Father's Gun," Elton John
"io (This Time Around)," Helen Stellar
"Come Pick Me Up," Ryan Adams
"Where To Begin," My Morning Jacket
"Long Ride Home," Patti Griffin
"Sugar Blue," Jeff Finlin
"Don't I Hold You," Wheat
"Shut Us Down," Lindsey Buckingham
"Let It Out (Let It All Hang Out)," the Hombres
"Hard Times," eastmountainsouth
"Jesus Was a Crossmaker," the Hollies
"Square One," Tom Petty
"Same in Any Language," I Nine

The MTV Video Music Awards could be minus a certain Hollaback Girl.

Despite six nominations, Gwen Stefani is going to skip this year's awards because, according to the New York Daily News, she is miffed about not getting a performance slot.

Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" is up for Moon Men for Video of the Year, Best Female Video, Best Pop Video and Best Choreography; her clip for "What You Waiting For?" is in contention for Best Art Direction and Best Editing. Her half-dozen nods tie her with Missy Elliott and are second only to Green Day's eight nominations.

Still, Stefani was not among those listed on MTV's latest rundown of performers, a slate that includes Green Day, Coldplay, the Killers, Shakira, Kanye West, Ludacris, Mariah Carey, 50 Cent and Kelly Clarkson; but the Daily News says Stefani and rocker hubby Gavin Rossdale won't be jetting to Miami for the Aug. 28 shindig.

Reps for Stefani's label and management issued no comments on the report Friday. An MTV spokesperson is quoted in the Daily News saying, "We love Gwen, and we hope she will be able to join us, as we know her fans would love to see her on this big night--especially since she's heavily nominated."

Us Weekly music editor Shirley Halperin has a theory on the behind-the-scenes drama.

Halperin reports her sources say Stefani and her band would "love to play the show, but as of now, [they] aren't planning on even being there because they know MTV won't let them play after they performed at the Teen Choice Awards."

Those awards were televised Tuesday on Fox.

"I think that for the last few years there has been some competition between the MTV Awards and the Teen Choice awards," Halperin says. "The MTV Awards obviously has more cachet, and MTV expects its performers not to play a competing broadcast event around the time of the VMAs."

Stefani, whose solo release, Love, Angel, Music, Baby, has gone double platinum, apparently signed on to the Teen Choice Awards months ago and wanted to honor that commitment. She has won five trophies with her band, No Doubt, and shared another with Eve in 2001 for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind."

Even if Stefani does not show, MTV expects around 10,000 fans for the awards, which will take place at Miami's American Airlines Arena with the recently renamed Diddy as host

MPAA Axes "Saw II" Poster

Talk about giving--and taking--the finger.

The Motion Picture Association of America has given a thumbs down to the poster for the upcoming slice-and-dice horror sequel Saw II featuring severed fingers as the Roman numerals.

The film's distributor had already sent out an advance poster, or one-sheet, with the graphic image to online media.

But now the MPAA, a trade group whose decency guidelines not only result in movie ratings but also apply to promotion materials, says the posters and other promotional material with the severed fingers are "unacceptable."

In a statement, the organization said it had not cleared the image and had asked the distributor to recall the artwork.

Marilyn Gordon, director of the MPAA's Advertising Administration, said if her department had been able to review the one-sheets before they were disseminated, it would have deemed the "materials for the film Saw II [that] display dismembered fingers is unacceptable."

If that wasn't bad enough, the MPAA says that some Websites were selling the unauthorized poster and others had begun running an unapproved theatrical trailer. The trailer was accompanied by an R rating, but it had not been vetted by the MPAA's Classification and Rating Administration, or CARA.

"It is essential that film distributors comply with the rules of the Advertising Administration so that parents retain the confidence they have in the ratings certified by CARA and that advertising and publicity material associated with rated films is appropriate for all audiences," says Gordon.

While reps for Lions Gate declined to comment, Gordon says the company has begun to comply with the MPAA's request and contacted Websites asking them to take down the images in question.

"We thank Lions Gate for its actions taken to correct the issues for the advertising for Saw II," Gordon added.

However, as of Tuesday morning, the official movie site, www.saw2.com, still displayed the severed fingers, along with the tag line: "Oh yes, there will be blood." And EBay had more than a dozen auctions featuring Saw II posters and even T-shirts with the offending digits.

The sequel was green-lighted just days after Saw opened last year and became a surprise hit. Directed by James Wan and starring Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Leigh Wannell and Monica Potter, the indie thriller about a sadistic serial killer known as Jigsaw cost just $1.2 million and raked in more $100 million worldwide.

Saw II picks up with a new detective trying to track down Jigsaw. The sequel stars former New Kid on the Block Donnie Wahlberg, along with Tobin Bell and Shawnee Smith. It hits theaters on Oct. 28, just in time for Halloween.

Meanwhile, in related news, Elwes sued the producers of Saw last week, accusing them of screwing him out of a slice of the movie's back-end profits. The British actor seeks a percentage of grosses "equal to the highest-paid actor" on the production, as well as $500,000 in damages.

Home Video Isn't Just for the Home Anymore

"Home video" or "home entertainment" are quickly being obsolete terms given the proliferation of devices that now allow consumers to watch video on-the-go.

According to Home Media Retailing magazine (whose title may also be heading for obsolescence just months after it was adopted to replace Video Store magazine) portable entertainment has become a major growth area.

The magazine quoted Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment as saying, "Whether it's a business traveler with a laptop or kids in the back of the family minivan, people are creating their own personal entertainment environments wherever they go."

The magazine also cited figures from Autobytel's Automotive Information Center indicating that 22 car models now offer DVD players as standard features and another 20 percent offer them as options.

Sales of portable DVD players, it noted, rose 50 percent in the 12-month period ended June 30 from the same period a year ago.

Jessica Alba To Star In "I Dream Of Jeannie"

Jessica Alba has been cast in the upcoming big screen production of "I Dream of Jeannie." Ananova.com is reporting the 24-year-old former star of TV’s "Dark Angel," will be joined by Saturday Night Live’s Jimmy Fallon, as the new Jeannie and Major Nelson, originally played by Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman during the 1960’s. Other actresses considered for the part of the magical blonde bombshell, were Lindsay Lohan, Kate Hudson and Jessica Simpson, however producers ultimately chose Alba for the role.

Jodie Foster eyes 'Brave' new role

Jodie Foster is in talks for the lead role in the urban thriller "The Brave One," Variety reports.

The movie centres on a woman who struggles to recover from a brutal attack and sets out for revenge and justice.

The role would see Foster in familiar territory -- she played rape victim Sarah Tobias in 1988's "The Accused," for which she won the Best Actress Oscar in 1999.

"The Brave One" is tentatively scheduled to begin shooting this winter.

Foster will next be seen in the airline thriller "Flightplan," and is currently shooting the new Spike Lee film "The Inside Man" with Denzel Washington and Clive Owen.

Summer shows fail to excite viewers

The chill hasn't been for lack of trying. Through June and July, broadcast and cable networks generated a blizzard of premieres. Yet combined, they've created only one true blockbuster: ABC's Dancing with the Stars.

Granted, getting even one hit the size of Dancing is no small accomplishment. But while Dancing was huge while it lasted, it lasted only six weeks, and there's been precious little to sustain viewers' interest since it exited in July. What's missing are longer-running, midlevel hits like Amazing Race and Simple Life, which were top 10 performers last August.

Instead, this year we've been treated to a dismal array of reality shows that either start well and then fade, such as Fox's So You Think You Can Dance, or start badly and vanish, such as Fox's Princes of Malibu and NBC's The Law Firm. And, of course, there's ABC's Welcome to the Neighborhood, which didn't start at all. Who can blame viewers for sitting the summer out? (Related story: Summer of TV's disconnect)

Nor has reality provided the only disappointments. Fox failed with The Inside, a dark drama that went dark after a handful of episodes. ABC flopped with Empire, a huge project that was perceived as a desperate summer dump. And to make matters worse, the network bungled the repeat run of Lost, chasing viewers away by skipping episodes.

In other summers, you could have turned to HBO for relief. But this year, the network crashed with The Comeback. And it lessened whatever momentum it might have gotten out of the final season of Six Feet Under by starting the so-over Under on Monday before moving it back to Sunday.

Things on TV are never all bright or all bleak. TNT's The Closer may not be a blockbuster, but its 6 million viewers have put it on top of the cable ratings. And you have to give FX credit for Over There, a wonderful series that probably was ill-timed.

So what went wrong? For starters, too many networks gave us too much of the same thing, as everyone from ABC to VH1 clogged the airwaves with variations on The Apprentice and The Osbournes. On some nights, it seemed as if every camera that wasn't recording the faux life of some C-list celebrity was helping some fame-seeking contestant compete for a job. Next summer, leave the want ads to newspapers.

To be fair, we all may have been a little bit spoiled by success. In June, we had just come away from a wonderful season, climaxed by the much-discussed finales of 24, Lost, Desperate Housewives and American Idol. Many viewers apparently needed a rest, and those who didn't probably had unfair expectations of what summer could provide.

So we'll make the networks a deal. You don't have to be hot next summer. Just try not to freeze us out.

The Couch Potato Report - August 22nd, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a sequel that isn't very good, a TV show that is, and an extended version of a film that is even better!

Up first is THE RING TWO. The film isn't as good as the original as an unmarked videotape continues its cycle of violence. Naomi Watts is back in the lead role, but the film offers nothing that is worth seeing, Watch the original, skip the sequel.

The sequel to ALF - SEASON ONE is ALF - SEASON TWO! The show remains one of my favourites from the 1980s and this four disc set includes all 25 episodes from the TV series about an Alien Life Form living on earth.

It still makes me laugh!!

I never laughed at Russell Crowe in GLADIATOR, but I did enjoy it!

Now the GLADIATOR - EXTENDED EDITION DVD offers us an all-new, widescreen extended version of the film, including 17 minutes of additional footage, and a three hour and twenty minute documentary that includes some never-before-seen footage.

The film is awesome, and this version is great. It doesn't make the film better, but you have more of it to enjoy.

And enjoy it you will!

The GLADIATOR - EXTENDED EDITION, ALF - SEASON TWO, and THE RING TWO are all available right now.

COMING UP IN THE NEXT COUCH POTATO REPORT

One of my all-time favourite films finally debuts on DVD! So, expect me to gush about QUICK CHANGE.

The classic film THE BLUES BROTHERS is celebrating its 25th Anniversary with a new edition. I suspect I will gush about that as well.

I know I will gush about the HOLY SCHNIKE EDITION of TOMMY BOY. I will also explain the phrase "Holy Schnike."

I'm Dan Reynish and I will have more on those, and some other releases in seven days.

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

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

Influential synth pioneer Robert Moog dead at 71

Robert A. Moog, the synthesizer pioneer who invented the Moog, has died at the age of 71.

Moog had been diagnosed with brain cancer in April. He received radiation treatment and chemotherapy, but died Sunday at his home in Asheville, N.C.

Moog (which rhymes with vogue) created and marketed the first commercial modular synthesizer in 1964, while studying engineering physics at Cornell University.

The instrument allowed musicians to generate a range of sounds - both naturalistic and otherworldly. It was small, light and versatile, and was quickly embraced by musicians.

The first record to feature a Moog was Cosmic Sounds by the Zodiac. The instrument was quickly picked up by other musicians, such as the Beatles, looking for ways to fuse their psychedelic drug experiences with their music. The Beatles used a Moog on their 1969 album Abbey Road, and a Moog was the source of the eerie sound on the soundtrack to the 1971 movie A Clockwork Orange.

Keyboardist Walter (later Wendy) Carlos, a friend of Bob Moog, demonstrated the range of the synthesizer by using it as his only instrument on the 1968 album Switched-On Bach - one of the best-selling classical music recordings of all time.

"Suddenly, there was a whole group of people in the world looking for a new sound in music, and it picked up very quickly," composer Herb Deutsch said Monday. He is the Hofstra University music professor emeritus who helped develop the Moog prototype back in the 1960s.

"The Moog came at the right time," he said.

Popularity of the Moog surged in the 1970s, being used in extended keyboard solos in songs by groups like Manfred Mann, Yes and Pink Floyd.

"The sound defined progressive music as we know it," said Keith Emerson, keyboardist for the rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer.

It also heavily influenced the development of 1970s funk, hip-hop, disco, and early techno.

In the 1980s, the Moog was used less, as digital synthesizers took over, but later the instrument experienced a bit of a revival. In 2004, a New York concert promoter staged the first Moogfest, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Moog, and featuring members of Yes and Parliament/Funkadelic.

In 1973, Robert Moog, who had initially set up shop in suburban Buffalo, N.Y., sold his company. Five years later, he moved to a remote plot outside Asheville N.C. - a scenic Appalachian Mountain city and centre for new-age pursuits that Rolling Stone magazine once dubbed "America's new freak capital."

Despite traveling in circles that included jet-setting rockers, he always considered himself a technician.

"I'm an engineer. I see myself as a toolmaker and the musicians are my customers," he said in 2000. "They use the tools."

Robert Moog is survived by his wife Ileana and five children.

Some influential or memorable albums featuring the Moog:

Cosmic Sounds, the Zodiac
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones, the Monkees
Switched-On Bach, Walter Carlos
The Well-Tempered Synthesizer, Walter Carlos
Moog Power, Hugo Montenegro
Abbey Road, the Beatles
The In Sound from Way Out, Perrey and Kingsley
Christmas Becomes Electric, the Moog Machine
Popcorn, Hot Butter
A Clockwork Orange (soundtrack), Walter Carlos
Star Wars (soundtrack), Patrick Gleeson
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Ricochet, Tangerine Dream
Innervisions, Stevie Wonder
X, Klaus Schulze
Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome, Parliament
Who's Next, the Who
Pet Sounds, Beach Boys
Beggar's Banquet, Rolling Stones
Moving Pictures, Rush

Shania, Phair Rock 'Housewives' Soundtrack

The new Shania Twain single "Shoes" will lead the album "Music From and Inspired by Desperate Housewives," due Sept. 20 via Hollywood. Its accompanying video will feature Twain alongside "Desperate Housewives" cast members Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross.

The album features a host of previously unreleased covers, including the Indigo Girls' version of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson," Liz Phair's take on the Rolling Stones' "Mother's Little Helper," Gloria Estefan's recasting of the Candi Staton-popularized "Young Hearts Run Free" and Martina McBride's cover of the Tom T. Hall-penned country favorite "Harper Valley P.T.A."

In addition, there are newly recorded tracks from Anna Nalick, Leann Rimes, Macy Gray, Joss Stone and k.d. lang, plus a new original from SheDaisy ("God Bless the American Housewife") and interspersed dialog from the "Housewives" stars.

The new season the show premieres Sept. 25 on ABC.

Here is the track list for "Music From and Inspired by Desperate Housewives":

"Dialog / Mary Alice"
"God Bless the American Housewife," SheDaisy
"Dialog / Edie"
"Shoes," Shania Twain
"Band of Gold," Anna Nalick
"Dialog / Lynette"
"Mother's Little Helper," Liz Phair
"Mrs. Robinson," Indigo Girls
"Harper Valley P.T.A.," Martina McBride
"Dialog / Bree"
"Running Out of Time," Leann Rimes
"Treat Me Right (I'm Yours for Life)," Joss Stone
"One's on the Way," Sara Evans
"Dialog / Gabrielle"
"Boom Boom," Macy Gray
"Young Hearts Run Free," Gloria Estefan
"Dialog / Susan"
"Damsel in Distress," Idina Menzel
"Dreams of the Everyday Housewife," k.d. lang
"Dialog / Mary Alice"
"Theme," Danny Elfman

Olivia Newton-John's Boyfriend Missing

LOS ANGELES - The Coast Guard is investigating the disappearance of Olivia Newton-John's longtime boyfriend, who failed to return from a sport-fishing trip off the California coast seven weeks ago.

Patrick Kim McDermott, 48, was listed as missing after he left San Pedro, 20 miles south of Los Angeles, on June 30 for the overnight trip.

Coast Guard officer Nathan Henise told The Associated Press on Monday that McDermott's personal belongings were found on the commercial vessel.

"We're treating it as a missing person case," Henise said. "Everyone is being interviewed, everyone on the boat."

McDermott was aboard the "Freedom," which embarked with 23 passengers and three crew members, said Frank Liversedge, landing manager at the boat's pier.

Liversedge said he called police and the Coast Guard after learning McDermott was missing and found his wallet and the other belongings in a fanny pack on the boat.

McDermott signed the passenger manifest when he boarded and was last seen eating in the galley, Chief Warrant Officer Scott Epperson told a news conference Monday afternoon. No one has told investigators they saw McDermott getting off, Epperson said.

Investigators have no leading theory of what happened and have not developed any meaningful leads, he added.

Newton-John urged anyone with information on McDermott's disappearance to contact authorities.

"I'm hopeful that my treasured friend is safe and well, and I'm grateful to the officials who are working so hard to find Patrick, whom I love very much," she said in a statement. "I ask anybody with information that could help to please, please come forward."

Gavin de Becker, a spokesman for Newton-John, said the singer was in "close and frequent contact" with McDermott's family and friends, as well as investigators.

Authorities said McDermott's family became concerned when he didn't attend a July 6 event. They contacted the Coast Guard after his car was found in the marina's parking lot on July 11.

McDermott, a cameraman, and Newton-John, 56, have been together for nine years.

Newton-John, who starred in the 1978 film "Grease" opposite John Travolta, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. After she beat the disease, she recorded the album "Gaia," documenting her experience.

'Gladiator' DVD a real killer

It is fascinating, five years later, to see how well Ridley Scott's Gladiator stands up as it matures: It is a masterwork, a thrilling if brutally violent entertainment with a rich storyline and deep character development. And despite the ancient setting in the Roman Empire of 180 A.D., the film's contemporary themes of power abuse and military recklessness ripen in the light of current affairs.

As a result, the new three-disc DVD set, Gladiator: Extended Edition, is important because it reinforces the historical significance of the film. Tomorrow's release, in a gorgeous new enhanced widescreen transfer, boasts an expanded set of extras, including a new documentary that runs longer than the film itself.

There is controversy, however. The film has been extended by 15 minutes and 56 seconds (not the full 17 minutes promised). Is this just a blatant cash grab, a push to sell more DVDs of a movie already well served in the digital format?

In an intro, Scott seems to distance himself: "This is not the director's cut," he says, adding that the true director's cut is the theatrical version (also presented in the new set as an alternative). "This has a lot of scenes in it that were removed during the editing process and might be worth seeing."

Some of the 13 new scenes are worth seeing, especially when best actor winner Russell Crowe, as Maximus, visits the field hospital to survey the carnage in the aftermath of the victory over Germania. Serving "the glory of Rome" exacts a toll. There are other more subtle yet key additions, such as showing Joaquin Phoenix, as Commodus, attack the bust of his murdered father with a sword, or letting Tomas Arana, as Quintus, explain to Maximus why he obeyed bad orders as a soldier. The scenes enrich the meaning of later events.

Also new is a commentary that teams Scott with Crowe. The two feed off each other beautifully, giving Crowe the platform for intelligent insight into the acting and filmmaking process and into the layers of meaning in the film.

Crowe, that rapscallion, also makes mischief, revealing that the hapless goof caught wearing jeans on screen in the Germania battle scene was the second assistant director Adam Somner. "You little bastard," Crowe says with a laugh, "I'd recognize that squatty walk anywhere."

Even better is his anecdote about how he conspired with Scott to pump up Phoenix's shattered confidence when the actor wanted to quit in his first days on set. The therapy included verbal shock therapy, at the victim's request: "Why don't you just try acting, you little maggot," Crowe says he told Phoenix from off-camera just before Phoenix was to perform. Meanwhile, Richard Harris plied Phoenix with drinks. It worked. The reluctant co-star became an Oscar nominee.

The documentary, Strength And Honour: Creating The World Of Gladiator, is a major addition, too. The piece is authoritive and thorough and not just self-promotion.

On the third disc, there is a collection of more conventional extras, most of them already familiar. Put it all together and fans of Gladiator are caught in a dilemma. You may own the earlier DVD -- but this new one is significantly better.

AN UN-ORIGINAL 'SIN'

Robert Rodriguez doesn't just write and direct such dazzling-looking movies as "Sin City" and "Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D." He does everything but serve lunch to the crew, working as an editor, director of photography, special effects supervisor and even composer.

He told The New York Post about the upcoming "Sin City" director's cut DVD and his next project with his friend Quentin Tarantino, who served as guest director of one segment on "Sin City."

What's cool on the "Sin City'' DVD?

There's two of them. The first one [out last week] is sort of the standard bare-bones one. The real one I'm still putting together. We shot all the material from three different "Sin City" books knowing I would have to take stuff out to make it flow as a single feature. The second disc will have all three stories separated with their own title cards. Each is like a 45-, 50-minute movie, so it's got its full length put back in. It could be a total of an extra 20 to 30 minutes."

Then there'll be a 20-minute film school [featurette] about how I did the lighting and the special effects and all the green-screen stuff. There's also an 18-minute uninterrupted take when Quentin's there directing and it feels like you're sitting there on the set.

You direct, edit, write and produce your films. Why take on so many roles?

You just love your material so much you just want to be hands-on and give it all that tender loving care. [The jobs] are all different and they all pull at different parts of your creativity and it's all going towards the master project. You try to make it as personal as you can especially in this day and age where movies have just gotten so much bigger. You go in the other direction, making it as homemade as you can.

How do you direct actors in a digitally enhanced movie?

They totally trust you if you prove to them that you know what you're doing. It's also very freeing for them. You just present to them in the context that it's like theater. They're gonna be on a blank stage with a few minimal props. And the rest is imagined. That they can relate to very easily.

You make films for Miramax, but Bob and Harvey Weinstein are leaving to start a new company. Will you go with them?

Yeah, they just give us that freedom when I go to them and say, "I got a movie I want to do; it's really strange, it's all the stuff you're not supposed to do," they say good, go do it. It's just that simple.

What are you working on for your next project?

I'm doing another crazy movie with Quentin for the Weinstein company called "Grindhouse." It's a double-feature horror film. He directs one, and I direct the other, and we have fake trailers in between. It's like a late-'60s, early-'70s exploitation double feature. We're writing it right now over at Quentin's house. We watch old movies, old horror-thriller exploitation movies, and get lots of ideas. We're gonna be shooting it in the fall.

SHE WENT NUDE FOR BILL MURRAY

'Broken Flowers," Jim Jarmusch's charming comedy, features Bill Murray, Sharon Stone, Julie Delpy and Tilda Swinton.

But the scene that has everybody talking stars a 20-ish (she won't give her age) New York actress named Alexis Dziena.

Murray is Don Johnston, a ladies' man who sets off on a journey to find the ex-girlfriend who sent him a disturbing letter about a 19-year-old son he knows nothing about.

One stop is the home of ex-lover Laura (Stone) and her sex-kitten daughter, Lolita (Dziena).

It's here that the young woman provides brief but explicit nudity — front and back.

The scene lasts maybe 10 seconds, but it elicits gasps from audiences, not to mention hot buzz on the Internet.

So, Cine File asked Dziena, how did Bill Murray — the man, not the character — react to seeing so much of her?

"I can't really answer," she says with a girlish giggle. "Probably he was feeling whatever he portrayed on screen."

And how did Dziena (pronounced Da-zeena) feel seeing herself naked on the big screen?

"My manager and my mom were sitting next to me, and I was biting my manager's hand and putting my foot in my mom's lap," she confesses.

"Then it was over, and I said it wasn't so bad. It's a lot scarier in concept."

Dziena spoke with Cine File from L.A., where she's shooting an ABC-TV dramatic series, "Invasion," debuting Sept. 21.

Her character: "The wild daughter of the local sheriff."

Dziena used to be an item with Michael Pitt, the hunky actor who plays the Kurt Cobain character in "Last Days."

They split up a year ago, "but we're still friends."

She has a new boyfriend, but doesn't want to talk about him.

Dziena was born and raised in Manhattan, where she lives with her real-estate-selling mother.

In her spare time, the actress writes plays, paints and plays piano and cello.

She's also learning drums. "I like it, but I don't think my neighbors do."

Oh, yes. The small tattoo we see on her butt in "Broken Flowers" was painted on just for the movie.

Yearwood Returns With New Album, Tour

Save for a handful of one-off performances and appearances, Trisha Yearwood has not been on the road in three years. That will change this fall with a 27-date tour that will open Sept. 29 in Mesa, Ariz., and run through a Nov. 19 show in Robinsonville, Miss.

Yearwood will be touring in support of her new album, "Jasper County," due Sept. 13 from MCA Nashville. The Garth Fundis-produced set is the follow-up to 2001's "Inside Out."

"I've never taken this long to make a record," Yearwood says. "I've never recorded as many songs. I'd never completely started over on an album like I did on this one. Overall, it was a two-year process to make this record."

In fact, Yearwood and Fundis scrapped an album's worth of material and decided they could do better. "Once we did that, we were able to get to the next layer of songs, to dig a little deeper," she says. "When we got into the second set of sessions, it felt instantly right. That's when I knew. You could just feel that it was special."

The album is led by the single "Georgia Rain," which is No. 1