'Family Guy' DVD for the fans

A new animated comedy DVD -- Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story -- is a big shout out and thank you to the fans of the show.

"Fans saved the show," says Family Guy writer-producer Chris Sheridan, who collaborated on the feature-length, 88-minute movie. It debuted on DVD this week under the banners: "All-new, outrageous, uncensored!" and "Pee-in-your-pants fun!"

Sheridan says: "We wanted to say thanks."

The adult-oriented, animated Family Guy series was revived in May after being cancelled by Fox. Two factors were crucial: DVD box sets of earlier seasons sold millions, and re-runs set records on the Cartoon Network. Fox could not ignore the millons in fresh revenues.

So that saga is savagely lampooned in The Untold Story, along with a fresh Stewie adventure in which he joins the talking dog Brian and the sex-crazed neighbour Quagmire on an epic trip to San Francisco.

The movie is actually three new episodes bound together by a framing device in which the members of the Griffin clan are stars going to their movie premiere. The Griffins are allowed to break the fourth wall and exist outside their own show, allowing for the Fox insults.

"The fans are just clamouring for it," Sheridan told The Toronto Sun about the revived show and now the new DVD during a Toronto visit with co-writers Steve Callaghan and Mike Henry (who is also the voice of Cleveland).

"Four years ago, the first time we were cancelled, we told Fox they were making a mistake, and the second time we were cancelled that they were making a bigger mistake. And it's sort of great to be here now. We were right and they were wrong."

Callaghan, known as the "voice of reason" in the writers room, does want to tone down the Fox criticism.

"As much fun as we had at the network's expense," he says, "they deserve a lot of credit for picking the show back up. Because it would have been very easy for pride or ego or whatever to get in the way of their making the decision they did. We're glad to have our jobs back and we're thankful to them and they're good sports about us giving them a hard time."

As for the caustic jokes, "we're calling it like it is," says Henry. "They basically made a mistake and we're calling them on it -- because that's what we tend to do."

The three Stewie episodes may eventually be broadcast separately, but they are joined here to create a full story in which the venomous baby searches for his roots.

"Bottom line," Sheridan says, "he is the most popular character (on Family Guy). It felt natural, in doing the movie, to make Stewie the central character of it. You feel that, if he wasn't the centre of it, people would be disappointed. And Stewie would be damn pissed! So that was a conscious effort."

The finding-himself story was more challenging than having Stewie once again try to kill Lois or take over the world, Sheridan says. "It's more emotional and more character-driven than if it became an action sequence. There are action sequences within it, but I don't think you could drive this movie if it wasn't emotionally based -- like any movie."

Smart folks writing smart jokes

Family Guy writer-producer Chris Sheridan figures he knows the secret to the show's phenomenal success.

"I think the mystery ingredient, to some extent, is that we have a lot of smart writers on the show," he tells the Sun during a recent Toronto visit.

"And there are a lot of smart people who watch Family Guy. The reality is that smart people who get a Benjamin Disraeli joke actually like fart jokes, too, and in other circles probably wouldn't admit it. But it's funny sometimes. It's funny to hear someone fart."

The classy trash factor has led to a bonanza in DVD box set sales. Family Guy: Volume 1 (which is comprised of seasons one and two) and Family Guy: Volume 2 (which is season three) are already in stores and selling millions. Volume 3 (the 2005 revived season, which launched May 1) is set for DVD release on Nov. 29.

The new DVD, Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story, is a single DVD with the feature-length Stewie movie plus a group commentary headed up by creator Seth MacFarlane, as well as a risque "bonus uncensored audio track" and other less significant extras.

The writers get away with more extreme situations and saltier language than in the regular show. But even on the regular Family Guy, they push the limits.

"Look," says Sheridan, "you get away with a lot in animation. Stewie does horrible, horrible things but he's really cute and so you get away with it.

"On the DVD, he kills (I'm censoring this to avoid playing the spoiler). Yet he's a baby. He's screaming. He's cussing. But, you put a pacifier in his mouth and he suckles himself to sleep. And I think that's the beauty of that character, because he can be a monster and yet he's still a little baby and you've got to love him!"

Myers to play Keith Moon in biopic

Mike Myers is set to star as Keith Moon in an as-yet-untitled film about the renowned drummer of The Who, Variety reports.

The Canadian actor had shown interest in playing Moon a few years ago, but was too busy tackling the roles of four characters in "Austin Powers in Goldmember."

The Who singer Roger Daltrey is producing the movie, which he has been working on and off for almost 10 years.

The film is now being fast tracked, and the next step is the selection a director.

Back in 2002, Britain's Sun tabloid quoted Daltrey as saying Myers would be perfect to play the lead in a biopic on the life of Moon, who died in 1978 in what was at the time described as an accidental overdose.

"Mike is a genius," Daltry reportedly told the tabloid.

"I can really see him as Keith. He's amazing when you meet him, so clever."

During his short life (he was 32 when he died), Moon became famous for his chaotic drumming style, bizarre sense of humour and penchant for destroying hotel rooms.

Myers last appeared on screen in 2003's "The Cat in the Hat."

The odd couple

NEW YORK — Walking along 42nd Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue this past month, you could have turned in either direction and spotted Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.

At Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, the actors are represented as the characters who brought them together on stage: Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, the bumbling protagonists of Mel Brooks' The Producers.

Across the street, Broderick and Lane have been rehearsing in the flesh for a new production of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple. Previews begin next Tuesday at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, where the show, directed by Joe Mantello, opens Nov. 4. If you haven't nabbed a ticket yet, as they say in Max and Leo's business, break a leg.

Like The Producers, Simon's 40-year-old comedy finds Lane and Broderick stepping into roles made famous by other performers. Art Carney and Walter Matthau introduced unlikely roommates Felix Ungar and Oscar Madison on Broadway, while Jack Lemmon and Matthau played them on screen. For millions of TV viewers, Tony Randall's fussy Felix and Jack Klugman's gruff Oscar became definitive incarnations.

But the stiffest competition for the new couple — Broderick as Felix; Lane as Oscar — may be themselves. Though their only joint project prior to The Producers was the animated Disney flick The Lion King, their rapport in Brooks' hit musical established them as a showbiz dream team.

"There's this mythology about Nathan and Matthew, though they've just done one play together," Mantello says. That mythology may take on new proportions in December, when The Producers: The Movie Musical arrives, with Broderick, Lane and Broadway co-stars Roger Bart and Gary Beach reprising their roles alongside Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell.

For now, Broderick, 43, and Lane, 49, seem content to be the hottest duo treading the boards this fall.

Q: I've heard you two described as an iconic team. Do you have a sense of being viewed that way?

Broderick: I feel like we've had this history in vaudeville, like we came up through the circuit together.

Lane: It's unusual. It doesn't happen much anymore. The last team you can really think of is (Jackie) Gleason and (Art) Carney on television. I guess you could say Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. Well, Owen Wilson, he'll team with anyone.

Broderick: So will I. How about Chris Farley and -

Lane: David Spade? Were they an iconic team?

Broderick: They did four or five movies together.

Lane: That doesn't make them iconic. (Pause) You know, to us, it's just about being two actors who respect each other and enjoy working together. We became friends doing The Producers.

Broderick: That show was a perfect fit, right from the shoot for the poster. Maybe we won't have it here. Then we'll have the big breakup.

Q: Let's not get ahead of ourselves. How did the idea to work together again in The Odd Couple come about?

Broderick: I've always loved that play, and in the back of my mind, I knew that some day I wanted to do it. I like all of Neil's plays, and I hadn't worked with him in 20 years or something.

Lane: When I was a kid, I joined the Fireside Theater Play of the Month Club, and the first play they sent me was The Odd Couple. So it's always been in the back of my head as well. We mentioned it to Manny (Azenberg, Simon's longtime producer) while we were doing The Producers.

Broderick: We were just starting, still in previews.

Lane: Then (Simon) wrote this letter where he said, "I really want you to play Oscar and (Broderick) to play Felix. I'm not going to give the rights to anyone else; I want you guys, so let's work out the timing." What a great way to be able to honor him, with one of his best plays. We both have a history with him, obviously. (Broderick starred in Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues on Broadway, and the latter on film, while Lane's credits include the original Broadway production of the playwright's Laughter on the 23rd Floor and the national tour of his Broadway Bound.)

Q: What was it like working with him on an older piece?

Broderick: He changed a line here or there, but it was different from working with him on original plays. In those days, he would wander off and come back with a whole new scene.

Lane: Every once in a while, he would still come over with a new page and say, "What do you think?" He couldn't resist. But we all decided to just do the original play. Don't update it, don't give them cellphones, you know? It's a period piece, a comedy set in the '60s about divorce.

Q: A lot of people are most familiar with The Odd Couple through the television series. Do you think they'll find surprises in this production?

Lane: The TV show was wonderful but doesn't have much to do with the play. Especially Tony's take on Felix. The show incorporated Tony's love of opera, and it really became a much more flamboyant character through his performance, which was great. In the play, I mean, he is this obsessive-compulsive type, but he's also an extremely distraught man who has lost his marriage. It's gotten so bad that his wife says, "You have to leave, I can't take this anymore." And that kills him, because that was his whole life.

Broderick: Both characters have some distance from their divorces in the TV series. Both are more comfortable with it; they go on dates. This is more about taking that first step.

Lane: Yeah, even in my case. I don't think (Oscar) was a guy who cared that much about how the house was taken care of. But now that there isn't someone there to take care of things, it's really gone to seed. He gives this impression of, "Yeah, life's fine; I go on, I like playing poker and drinking and having a cigar with my friends, and I have a great job." But when his kid calls him, it hurts a little. And he gets into a little thing with his wife; he's $800 behind in alimony.

Broderick: That's a lot of money back in 1965. Our rent is $240.

Lane: How about that?

Q: So the comedy isn't as broad or consistently wacky as it was in The Producers?

Lane: Not at all. It's all about behavior. There's a very sweet quality to it.

Broderick: And a musical, by nature, is different. In The Producers, most of our scenes were short. There were a couple of quick jokes, and then something else happened or you sang. In this play, we're sitting around blathering.

Lane: I think it's more than blathering.

Broderick: It is — it's a lot more, which makes it challenging. You have to figure out how to keep it alive and interesting for long stretches. You're not thinking "one more minute and then a tank is going to roll on with a Nazi in it."

Q: Speaking of Nazis, are you pleased with how the new screen adaptation of The Producers turned out?

Lane: I haven't seen the entire movie put together, but I've seen bits and pieces and liked everything I saw. They had these test screenings recently that went extraordinarily well.

Broderick: It looks a lot like the (stage version), which I think is very smart. They didn't reinvent it too much.

Lane: We're not Chicago, if you consider that the template for a modern movie musical that works. We're not dark and sexy — well, Uma's sexy. But we're a comedy. You couldn't suddenly make it all dark and gritty.

Q: Then it's not structured so that the story takes place inside Leo Bloom's head, like Chicago shown through the perspective of Renee Zellweger's Roxie?

Broderick: Hmmm. Maybe I just could have gotten hit on the head on the way to the office, and suddenly I'd see people dancing around and singing -

Lane: And then you wake up in a hospital room in a coma at the end. The doctor says, "He'll never sing again." Good night, everybody!

Q: But we'll be seeing so much of you in the coming months, between the movie and the play.

Broderick: Are we overexposing ourselves?

Lane: I don't think we're overexposed. We're not J. Lo and ... whoever.

Broderick: I don't know. Two people on the street came over yesterday and said they had just paid $250 for tickets to the show, and they didn't seem too happy about it. "Well, I just spent $250 to get a ticket to see your show. That's a lot of money." You know, I don't think we're going to be that good.

Lane: Oh, don't say that. Try to be positive.

Weekend update: 'SNL' in 31st season

Saturday Night Live returns this weekend, kicking off its 31st season on NBC (11:30 p.m. ET/PT). But the show will be back minus one of its key players: Tina Fey, writer and Weekend Update co-anchor.

Fey, 35, gave birth to baby Alice on Sept. 10. Fey's husband, Jeff Richmond, is a composer for SNL.

Creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels says Fey's absence is open-ended. "She knows that she should come back when she feels up to it. I don't have any idea when that will be."

It could be weeks and weeks, or "it could be months and months," he says. "I just hope it's not years and years."

So who will do the Weekend Update news sketch, which last season — after Jimmy Fallon left — was co-anchored by Fey and Amy Poehler?

"Amy and someone," Michaels says. "I don't know who."

He's also not sure about another key player: Maya Rudolph, 33, who is seven months pregnant. Lorne says he met with the comedian last week in Los Angeles, and she is awaiting her doctor's approval to travel to New York for the Saturday Night Live premiere.

"All I want is the audience to sort of get a glimpse of her so that everybody understands why when she disappears," he says. "She's such an essential part of the show that I can't imagine her not being there and Tina not being there. I'm just in denial about all of it."

After 30 years, Michaels doesn't seem too worried. But that blasé-sounding attitude doesn't mean he's bored. "I sort of feel, with having completed the 30th season, that it's a new beginning.

"I'm just setting out to do shows with people I think are really funny and we can sort of be — 'reinvention' is too strong a word. I think we're at the end of one cycle, and now there's a lot of new energy at the show. I'm hoping it'll spill onto the air."

Two new "featured players" are in the cast this season:

• Bill Hader, originally from Tulsa, was a member of the Second City Los Angeles comedy troupe and most recently was a "field agent" on MTV's Punk'd.

• Andy Samberg, a native of Berkeley, Calif., was one of three writer/performer/filmmakers dubbed "The Lonely Island," whose films were showcased on Channel101.com.

Michaels says he expects the two to "make their mark quickly."

The season premiere will be hosted by Daily Show alum Steve Carell, star of the feature film The 40-Year-Old Virgin and NBC's comedy The Office (Tuesday, 9:30 p.m. ET/PT). Carell co-starred with Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Jim Carrey in Bruce Almighty.

Musical guest for the season premiere will be hip-hop artist Kanye West, who made headlines during a Hurricane Katrina benefit performance on nationwide TV when he accused President Bush of not caring about the plight of black people.

Michaels says that Robert Smigel has a new cartoon and that there will be the usual political satire, but he's not sure exactly what the topic will be. "God knows there has been a lot we could have done in the last six weeks. That tends to get written in the last two days."

Lohan Bares All for Vanity Fair

Lindsay Lohan is set to bare all for an upcoming Vanity Fair cover. The 19-year-old Mean Girls star, who has been the subject of weight loss shock stories in the US media for the past year, is keen to show off her healthy figure - and she has chosen to get naked for the style magazine. According to America's In Touch magazine, Lohan shot the top secret cover photo on a beach in Malibu, California last week - and it was actually her idea to pose naked. A source says, "It was Paris Hilton's recent Vanity Fair cover, where she's topless and covering her breasts with her arms, that inspired Lindsay to push the envelope even further." In some of the Vanity Fair photos, Lindsay mimics her idol, Marilyn Monroe.

Record industry sues hundreds for file-sharing

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A trade group representing the U.S. music industry said on Thursday it filed lawsuits against 757 people it claims used online file-sharing networks to illegally trade in copyrighted songs.

The latest round brings the total copyright infringement lawsuits filed against individuals to 14,800 filed by the U.S. music industry.

Of the 757 filed on Thursday, about 64 were filed against individuals using college networks, said the Recording Industry Association of America, which represents labels like Sony/BMg and Vivendi Universal's Universal.

Eddie Vedder goes 'Wild' with Stones

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The Rolling Stones got a lift from Pearl Jam vocalist Eddie Vedder during their performance of "Wild Horses" at Pittsburgh's PNC Stadium Wednesday.

Earlier in the evening, Pearl Jam played an hour-long opening set featuring such hits as "Alive," "Even Flow," "Daughter," "Black," "Jeremy" and "Better Man."

The band previously opened four Oakland, Calif., shows for the Stones on the 1997 Bridges to Babylon tour, the last of which saw Vedder join the band for "Waiting on a Friend." Pearl Jam's fall tour resumes Friday and Saturday in Atlantic City, N.J., while the Stones' A Bigger Bang trek moves on Saturday to Hershey, Pa., where Beck is the opening act.

Eisner leaves mixed legacy as Disney chief

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When Michael Eisner hands over the keys to Disney's Magic Kingdom on Friday after 21 years of running the media giant, he'll leave behind a stormy legacy -- brilliant early success mixed later with executive turmoil, an operational slump and a shareholder revolt.

But industry experts say that ironically, as Eisner says farewell as Disney's chief executive officer, the company has begun to return to the double-digit earnings growth that marked his first decade running Disney with late president Frank Wells.

Under new CEO Bob Iger, Disney will continue facing challenges settling issues at its movie studio -- including landing a new distribution deal with Pixar Animation Studios. But with a new park in Hong Kong open, and a turnaround at TV broadcaster ABC in progress, Eisner is leaving on a high note.

"His legacy is brilliance, mixed with turmoil," said Hal Vogel, a veteran Wall Street analyst and money manager who has tracked the media industry for years.

There is no doubt that Eisner's tenure has been successful. In the 21 years since he joined a then struggling Disney, the company has gone from $1.5 billion in annual revenues to nearly $31 billion today.

The stock price was $1.33 in 1984 and traded at around $24 a share on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday. Disney has split its shares since 1984, and Disney said $10,000 of its stock 21 years ago would now be worth more than $200,000.

When Eisner ran the company alongside No. 2 executive Frank Wells, it seemed Disney could do no wrong. Along with studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg, they reinvigorated Disney's vaunted film animation group, cranking out movies like "The Lion King."

SUCCESS TO MISSTEPS

The early successes peaked in 1995 when Disney agreed to acquire Capital Cities/ABC, which owned the ABC and ESPN TV networks, in a $19 billion deal. A year earlier, Wells died in a helicopter crash.

Katzenberg left Disney after failing to ascend to Wells' job. Eisner instead hired Hollywood superagent Michael Ovitz to be president, but he departed in 1996 after clashing with other Disney executives and his former friend, Eisner.

Katzenberg later sued Disney for bonus money and settled for an amount reported to be around $250 million, and Ovitz got a severance package with an estimated value at $140 million.

"After Frank died, you can't say the company did much of anything that was all that brilliant," said one former Disney executive who asked to remain unidentified.

Although ESPN has proven highly valuable, ABC stumbled badly until this past year when hit comedy "Desperate Housewives" and drama "Lost" sparked a viewership rebound and higher advertising revenues.

Wall Street viewed Disney as paying too much in 2001 when it agreed to acquire Fox Family Channel from Rupert Murdoch's News Corp Ltd. for $5.2 billion, including debt.

The company had been an ambitious player on the Internet, but in 2001, it shuttered its uncompetitive GO.com Web portal and took over $800 million in quarterly charges.

Like others, Disney's theme parks suffered from a tourism slump after the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, although they have since rebounded.

The missteps caused Roy Disney, nephew of company founder Walt Disney, to launch a campaign to oust Eisner. The board made many of the changes Roy Disney advocated, although Eisner leaves on his own terms.

Iger still faces issues ahead. ABC's recent hits need support from new shows like presidential drama "Commander in Chief" to keep ratings momentum going.

And the studio must rejuvenate its Miramax Films specialty division and its animated division, perhaps signing a new distribution agreement with Pixar Animation Studios Inc. after Eisner alienated Pixar CEO Steve Jobs.

Gervais Lurks in Background for 'Extras'

NEW YORK - Ricky Gervais is fascinated by how a camera can skew the flow of ordinary life.

On "The Office," his hilarious British "mockumentary" series, he explored the effect of a film crew on David Brent, the fame-lusting office manager who clowns it up as cameras occupy his dreary workplace for a TV reality show.

Now, on his new comedy "Extras," Gervais has turned his attention to actor manque Andy Millman and the show-biz obscurity of being an extra. Portrayed by Gervais (who also played Brent), Andy is what is called "background talent." His workdays are spent on London film shoots helping fill the frame with his unnoted presence — and laboring to justify his marginal status.

Extras, as Gervais explains, "are just bodies. They're pushed in and told where to stand. It's like hanging drapes." He chortles with delight. "We try to show how Andy is desperate for respect."

On the next episode (10:30 p.m. EDT Sunday on HBO) Andy's role is that of a nameless prisoner in a film about modern-day genocide directed by, of all people, Ben Stiller.

"If I find a little orphan child in a war zone, how do I help him?" poses Stiller, who's afflicted by severe high-pretension. His lofty solution: "Make this movie. Make people think. Change attitudes."

Meanwhile, Andy tries to wangle from Stiller a line or two of dialogue by approaching the bereaved war victim whose story Stiller is filming. Then he anxiously waits.

"I can't push it," Andy frets to Maggie, his chum and fellow extra. "I can't go up to him and remind him, `Sorry to interrupt you again while you're thinking about your slaughtered loved ones, but that line — you done anything about it?'"

"It might seem a wee bit insensitive, eh?" allows Maggie. Not that Andy can hold off bugging him very long.

Ashley Jensen is perfect as the dimwitted Maggie, while Stephen Merchant is a whiz as agent Darren Lamb who, after five years, has failed to score Andy a single speaking role. ("I'm as annoyed as you are," he assures Andy pleasantly.)

As it happens, Merchant is not only Gervais' co-star, but also his behind-the-scenes partner, having co-written and co-directed "The Office" and now "Extras."

They met eight years ago when Gervais, working at an alternative radio station in London, took him on as an assistant.

Gervais must have needed help. The Reading, England, native was already a self-confessed sloth and budding late bloomer. After graduating from college in philosophy, he had performed in one rock band, managed another, and been a talent booker for a student union. Once they got around to it, he and Merchant created "The Office."

Wildly successful in Britain, "The Office" turned Gervais (pronounced jer-VAZE) into an unsuspecting star.

And as a cult sensation in the United States, it spawned an Americanized version for NBC last season that currently airs Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. With Steve Carell playing a Yank equivalent of Brent, the U.S. edition operates independently of Gervais — who has been plenty busy with his new series.

At first glance, "Extras" may seem overly similar to "The Office." But first impressions can deceive.

"Brent was essentially an idiot who wasn't that bad but just wanted to be popular," says Gervais, "whereas Andy has a different theme: The world owes him a living."

David Brent was a doughy bloke with a goatee and a cajoling grin. Andy Millman shares that gift of glib, often loutish, gab. But he has lost the foppish goatee and gained a measure of unrealized ambition. He craves stardom, and thinks he's entitled. Comparing Robert De Niro to himself, he thinks: not better, just luckier.

In short, he's ripe to be taken down a few pegs, and is, with regularity.

"He was born smart, and he can't let it go," says Gervais. "He'd rather make a joke than listen. He's clever, but he hasn't applied it as well as some other people."

Making matters even worse, Andy has a conscience. For instance, he just can't bring himself to fire that pitiable agent.

Preparing to move Andy forward for a second season of six more episodes, Gervais remains fascinated by fame and how so many people chase it. But he disavows his own.

"It's the one thing I actively don't like: just being recognized," says Gervais, a 44-year-old chap who, casually dressed for this interview in slacks and sports shirt (shirttail out), gives the strong impression he is on no star trip.

"What I love is the work," he insists. "I get excited by the creativity, not because I think I have the best ideas in the world. I'm excited, because they're MY ideas."

But having said that, Gervais, who is often given to reflective comic riffs, confides his fear that the sum of creativity allotted him might fail to be in synch with his lifespan.

"It's like Keats: `When I have fears that I may cease to be, before my pen has gleaned my teeming brain...' You don't want to die before you've got out all your ideas. But you don't want to run out of ideas before you die.

"You've got to time it right," he goes on. "It's like the perfect meal: You don't want to have toast left over, with no bacon. You've got to time it JUST right: `The End,'" whereupon he plops his head on an imaginary writing desk. Then he cackles with laughter. No end in sight for his funny ideas.

Senators turning up heat on P2P pirates

WASHINGTON (Hollywood Reporter) - Lawmakers pushed federal authorities Wednesday to crack down on peer-to-peer services that pirate copyrighted works, while one P2P operator told them pressure from the recording industry was forcing him to change his ways.

Sens. Arlen Specter, R-Penn., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., told officials with the Justice Department and the U.S. Copyright Office that they wanted recommendations for government action on the issue.

They spoke at a Capitol Hill hearing on the services following the Supreme Court's June decision in MGM v. Grokster that file sharing networks could be liable when their users copy music, movies and other protected works without permission.

Feinstein, in particular, was upset over what she views as inaction by the Justice Department.

"We have a unanimous Supreme Court decision, and peer-to-peer use is increasing," she said. "To me, that's a signal we need a strong law to protect copyright companies."

Debra Wong Yang, the U.S. attorney for California's central district, defended the department's actions, pointing out several investigations DOJ has undertaken that have led to arrests and convictions.

"Our mind-set is to go after those who are distributing the bulk of the material," said Yang, who chairs the new Subcommittee on Cyber Crime and Intellectual Property of the department's Advisory Committee.

That failed to mollify Specter or Feinstein, who appeared to want her department to be much more active.

"Why not go after both levels?" Specter asked. "Why not get tough? That's what Sen. Feinstein wants to do, and I think it's a good idea."

Yang told the lawmakers that the department is concentrating on netting the big fish because it does not have the resources to go after every infringer.

"It's got to either be made legal or shut down," Feinstein said. "What bothers me is the information we're being given that the activity is increasing."

Despite the fact that some lawmakers view it as a lack of action, the Grokster decision claimed at least one victim as the developer of the eDonkey P2P application said he is planning to call it quits.

"I'm not an anarchist," said Sam Yagan, president of MetaMachine Inc., which created eDonkey and Overnet. "I'm throwing in the towel."

EDonkey was one of several that received "cease and desist" letters from the RIAA this month. Yagan said his company planned to convert to a "closed" P2P environment once it reaches a settlement deal with the Rceording Industry Assn. of America, the trade group that represents the major U.S. labels.

The decision to remake eDonkey was prompted by the cost it would take to litigate in the post-Grokster world, not that the company would fail on the merits. Yagan told the committee he thought the litigation after the Grokster case was misguided because "off-shore, underground, rogue P2P operators" will benefit the most because they have lost "a handful of their most legitimate competitors."

Kermit, Muppets stamp set unveiled

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Most frogs settle for lily pads. Kermit the Frog has hopped onto a U.S. postage stamp.

The green leader of the beloved Muppets troupe was on hand Wednesday for a first-day issue ceremony featuring 11 postage stamps honouring the Muppets and their late creator, Jim Henson, at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences in suburban North Hollywood.

"On behalf of the Muppets, it is a great honour to be featured on our own set of stamps," Kermit said through a human intermediary.

Henson, Kermit, Miss Piggy, the Swedish Chef and Dr. Bunson Honeydew and his assistant Beaker are among the puppets honoured in the Postal Service set. The 37-cent stamps will be released Thursday.

Kermit and his friends aren't the first puppets to make it onto postage stamps. Charlie McCarthy managed the feat in 1991, along with ventriloquist Edgar Bergen.

It's been 50 years since Kermit the Frog's television debut on Henson's 1955 show Sam and Friends. Birthday events include a 15-month, 50-stop world tour that begins next month and includes a run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

CBC TABLED A SETTLEMENT OFFER WITH SIGNIFICANT COMPROMISES IN EFFORT TO END LABOUR DISRUPTION

On Wednesday, CBC tabled a settlement offer on the outstanding issues to the CMG. It contains significant compromise on the key issues in an effort to end the current labour disruption and conclude a collective agreement.

We understand the impact that the current labour dispute has had on our audiences, our staff, our managers and our partners across the country. We want to get our services back on-air and online immediately.

To that end, we believe our offer is a significant compromise and addresses the concerns voiced by the CMG and our employees over the course of these negotiations. Our offer includes considerable movement on the key issues – Contract Employees and Workforce Adjustment. It also includes further standardization of hours of work and improved overtime provisions for some employees, continuation of the long service gratuity for current permanent employees, implementation of Job Evaluation and a generous monetary package for employees in addition to numerous positive developments that have been negotiated.

We have been bargaining now for 16 months. It’s time to resolve our differences at the bargaining table so we can get back to doing the work we do best - creating outstanding public broadcasting for Canadians.

Here are the highlights of the CBC's proposal:

SEPTEMBER 28 SETTLEMENT OFFER HIGHLIGHTS

Wages - Increases for employees will include:

Upon Ratification - 3.0% increase

Upon Ratification - A pensionable lump-sum payment equivalent to 3.5 percent of base earnings for all time worked between April 1, 2004 and date of ratification

January 9, 2006 - Implementation of new job evaluation pay scales and job evaluation retroactivity

April 1, 2006 - 2.0 percent general wage increase

April 1, 2007 - 2.5 percent general wage increase

April 1, 2008 - 2.5 percent general wage increase

Restriction of Total Number of Contract Employees

CBC has offered to restrict the total number of contract positions to a maximum of 90 additional contract positions per year. Our commitment that no current permanent employee will be required to revert to or accept contract status as a result of this proposal continues.

Full Pension Eligibility for Contract Employees

Full pension (after two years of service) for contract employees on par with permanent full time employees and the ability for existing contract employees to retroactively buy back eligible service if they opt to join the pension plan. For contract employees who choose not to join the pension plan, they will continue to receive payment in lieu so they can plan for their own retirement.
Full Severance Benefits and Greater Notice Period for Contract Employees

Employees on contract for a year or greater will receive severance benefits equal to current permanent employees and improved notification of renewal/non-renewal of their contract.
Same Benefits as Permanent Staff for Contract Employees and Temporary Employees

Contract and temporary employees will receive the same benefits as permanent full time employees.

Cross-Component Bumping in Some Situations

As in our previous offers, we reiterated that employees must possess the demonstrated occupational qualifications to do a job before they re-deploy into that position. However, the Corporation has agreed to allow cross component bumping (i.e between radio and television) when an employee has worked at least 6 of the last 12 months in an equivalent position in the other component. This is a significant improvement for employees in the current Unit 1 bargaining unit who cannot move between components today.

Other improvements for employees in the Corporation’s offers

More Standardized Hours of Work and Improved Overtime Provisions

The Corporation has proposed that the regular work week for all employees currently in the Unit 1 and Unit 2 bargaining units will be 38 ¾ hours per week (exluding self-assigned employees). In addition, overtime will now be paid after 7.75 hours for daily assigned employees and 38.75 hours for weekly assigned employees, which represents an improvement for many employees. Employees in the current Unit 3 bargaining unit will continue to work their 36.25 hour workweek.

Long-Service Gratuity

The Corporation has proposed that all current permanent employees who enjoy the benefit of the long-service gratuity will continue to do so under the same terms and conditions as they do today.

Over Seventeen Million Dollars In Job Evaluation Payments

After a considerable amount of time spent working in collaboration with the union formulating a job evaluation plan, defining and rating jobs to ensure "equal pay for work of equal value", CBC has committed to increase its CMG payroll by $2.4 million and to provide a total of $15 million in retroactive payments to employees in the bargaining unit upon implementation of Job Evaluation on January 9, 2006. Additionally, employees red-circled as a result of Job Evaluation will have their salary protected and will be entitled to a lump sum payment equal to the full amount of a general wage increase.

The payments for job evaluation retroactivity will be paid as follows:

All current employees in the bargaining unit will receive a lump sum payment in recognition of the rationalization of pay scales. A total of $4.5 million will be paid to these employees.

In addition, employees in the bargaining unit whose jobs have increased in value as a result of Job Evaluation will receive an additional lump sum payment.

A total of $10 million will be paid to these employees.

A total of $500,000 will be paid to bargaining unit employees who have retired since the commencement of Job Evaluation.

A commitment that CBC’s current permanent employees will continue to be permanent and will continue to have a wide range of career opportunities.

Rather than just communicate this to you, we will also include this as our commitment in collective agreement language.

Numerous work-life balance initiatives such as leaves of absence and alternative work arrangements, and deferred salary leave.

Other positive developments for CBC employees:

- including deferred salary leave,
- alternate work arrangements,
- a simplified dispute resolution and grievance process,
- a process to ensure Respect in the Workplace, streamlined probation arrangements and job evaluation implementation.

Fiona Apple's 'Machine' needed a push to get going

NEW YORK — Fiona Apple is curled up on a couch, fighting back tears. But it's not what you think.

When the diminutive, doe-eyed singer/songwriter rose to fame as a teenager in the late '90s, many perceived her as angry, troubled or at least colorfully neurotic. Her precocious lyrics reveled in baiting and scorning lovers, while in interviews, she regaled reporters with accounts of having been raped as a girl.

Apple, now 28, clearly hasn't lost her flair for drama. But these days, she is more likely to attract it than be consumed by it.

Consider the story behind Extraordinary Machine, Apple's first new CD in six years. Recording sessions began in 2002, with Apple and longtime producer Jon Brion working on and off. Apple says both she and her label were less than thrilled with the results.

"Sony didn't think there was a hit," says the singer, who is signed to Epic Records, a division of Sony Music. "And I wanted to redo some songs."

Producer Mike Elizondo (Eminem, 50 Cent) came on board, and Apple says the label suggested "that I could maybe hand in one song at a time. But I thought that was an incredibly bad idea, because it implied that if they didn't like what I handed in, they could try to change it. Or they could say, 'You can't have any more money, and we're shelving it.' "

(Epic spokeswoman Lois Najarian says: "Things were definitely miscommunicated during the time when Fiona was switching producers, and unfortunately she was led to believe that the label was only allowing her to record one new version at a time. That was surely not the case.")

Recalls Apple: "At that point I said, 'I quit.' " But an anonymous admirer had other ideas. While on her new computer one day, Apple discovered that some of her early, Brion-produced tracks had been leaked online. "It was the weirdest feeling, like somebody had taken my diary and printed it."

The singer soon learned that fans had started a "Free Fiona" movement and sent letters, apples and drawings of apples to Sony's offices. "I remember thinking it was ridiculous and funny. Here I was, jobless, sitting around in my bathrobe watching TV. But then I started crying, because I thought, 'Oh, my God, these people care so much.' I feel so moved by that."

Apple's gift to the faithful, the finished version of Machine, arrives Tuesday, and the album — including the biting single Parting Gift—

confirms that she hasn't lost her flair for confessional candor. "I started writing songs and continue to write because it's how I deal with my life. I don't make up stories."

She prefers not to discuss in specific terms how ex-boyfriends such as filmmaker Paul Thomas Anderson influenced her lyrics. "I've been in other relationships since Paul. He's been a big part of my life, and he's a very good friend now. But the songs are informed by all my relationships. There are certain lines that are directly about one person or situation, so directly that I'm sure those people recognize it. And that may be why I do this, to get my point across — though not in a mean way."

The singer won't say whether anyone special is keeping her company these days, other than her dog, Janet, a pit bull mix she took in "because no one claimed her or wanted her." She has resolved to forge ahead with her career for the time being.

"For a while I was looking forward to having to get another job," Apple says. "I had this fantasy about applying to this place in upstate New York, Green Chimneys. They do occupational therapy with kids, using farm animals. I thought that was something I could be passionate about. But music just kept on coming back."

BOND? JAMES BOND?

Per Daily Variety, final screen tests for the new James Bond taking place this week. Some of the names rumored to be in the running include Goran Visnjic and Daniel Craig.

Beastie Boys turn 24 with 'Solid Gold Hits' set

NEW YORK (Billboard) - On the occasion of the Beastie Boys' 24th birthday, Capitol will on November 8 release "Solid Gold Hits," a 15-track compilation that will also be available as a limited-edition CD/DVD featuring as-yet-unspecified music videos.

The Beasties were previously anthologized on the 1999 double-disc set "The Sounds of Science," which included all but five tracks here. "Triple Trouble," "Ch-Check It Out" and "An Open Letter to NYC" are drawn from last year's album "To the 5 Boroughs," while Fatboy Slim has remixed "Body Movin."'

The lone oldie left off "Science" that has been revived for "Solid Gold Hits" is "No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn" from 1986's breakthrough album "License To Ill."

Due to the fact that the Beasties have been off the radar since completing the tour in support of "To the 5 Boroughs" and that no new or rare material is featured on "Solid Gold Hits," there is renewed fan debate over the trio's future.

Here is the track list for "Solid Gold Hits":

"So What'cha Want"
"Brass Monkey"
"Ch-Check It Out"
"No Sleep 'Till Brooklyn"
"Hey Ladies"
"Pass the Mic"
"An Open Letter to NYC"
"Root Down"
"Shake Your Rump"
"Intergalactic"
"Sure Shot"
"Body Movin"' (Fatboy Slim remix)
"Triple Trouble"
"Sabotage"
"Fight for Your Right"

Flight attendants outraged over Jodie Foster film

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Labor unions representing most of the nation's 90,000 flight attendants have urged their members to boycott a new Jodie Foster film that portrays a flight attendant and a U.S. air marshal as terrorists.

They said that casting cabin crew members as villains in the movie "Flightplan" was irresponsible in light of heightened security concerns since the September 11, 2001 attacks, in which suicide hijackers used airliners as guided missiles.

The Walt Disney Co. film, which was the No. 1 release at the North American box office last weekend, stars Foster as an airline passenger who awakens from an in-flight nap to find her young daughter missing. It turns out that one of the flight attendants aboard is involved in a terrorist plot hatched by the plane's air marshal.

A union statement issued on Tuesday also complained that other flight attendants in the film are shown as being "rude, unhelpful and uncaring."

"This depiction of flight attendants is an outrage," said Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) International President Patricia Friend. "Flight attendants continue to be the first line of defense on an aircraft and put their lives on the line day after day for the safety of passengers."

An AFA spokeswoman in Washington said the unions worry that moviegoers will take away impressions that will make it more difficult for flight attendants to "earn the trust and respect of passengers."

"It's just so irresponsible," the spokeswoman, Corey Caldwell, told Reuters on Wednesday.

She said the portrayal of airline cabin crew members as evil-doers adds further insult to long-standing Hollywood stereotypes that have depicted flight attendants as sexualized bubble heads or as harsh, humorless disciplinarians.

A Disney spokesman said that in making "Flightplan," which grossed nearly $25 million last weekend, "there was absolutely no intention on the part of the studio or filmmakers to create anything but a great action thriller."

"We are confident the public will be able to discern the difference between fiction and the incredible job real-life flight attendants do on a daily basis," the spokesman said.

The AFA called for the boycott along with two sister unions -- the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) and the Transport Workers Union Local 556, which represent cabin crew members from American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, respectively. The three unions together represent 80,000 of the 90,000 flight attendants who work for U.S. carriers.

Film with word "Muslim" in title stirs controversy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Comedian Albert Brooks says a very unfunny thing happened on his way to making a new film called "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World" -- the studio panicked over the title.

Brooks says the studio -- Sony -- got so worried the comedy's title, with its use of the word Muslim, might bring reprisals that it decided not to release the picture. That forced the comedian to find a new distributor for a movie that pokes fun at American ignorance of the Muslim world.

"Fear is playing a major part in Hollywood production," Brooks said in an interview, adding he started getting bad vibes when the studio "jokingly" asked him if the movie could be called "Looking for Comedy."

He said the suggestion came after Newsweek triggered a storm in May by publishing a short item that a Koran was flushed down a toilet by guards at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The magazine later retracted the article, saying it could not substantiate the report.

Sony said doubts about the title were only part of much larger problems. Sources close to the company said executives did not find the movie funny and passed on it.

Sony, which is owned by Sony Corp., said in a statement, "To those looking for truth in this manufactured controversy, here it is: We made our decision to pass on Brooks' movie the same way we did to accept 'Fahrenheit 9/ll' -- on the merits, with neither fear nor favor."

Brooks is an old hand at making sweetly satiric comedies like "The Muse," "Modern Romance" and "Lost in America" that poke fun at himself, his anxieties and the narcissistic show-business world he inhabits.

In "Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World," he plays a comedian sent by the State Department to India and Pakistan with a couple of minders to find out what makes Muslims laugh, so everyone can get along better in the post-9/11 world.

He says he got the idea before U.S. President George W. Bush appointed close adviser Karen Hughes to be undersecretary of state for public diplomacy charged with countering the negative U.S. image among Muslims.

Brooks says most of the jokes in the movie are aimed at Americans and there are no religious references at all, even though he was allowed to film in a mosque in India.

"I steered clear of religion in this movie. There's no mention of the Koran -- the whole point of the movie is looking for comedy, not looking for God. I was allowed to film in the biggest mosque in India and when I told the imam the plot of the movie he started to laugh."

Brooks added studio executives at Sony were not as supportive as the imam. "One told me that if a mullah in Iran saw a poster for the movie and took it the wrong way, I could be in deep trouble. I told him that I have trouble getting posters put up for my movies in Sherman Oaks," a Los Angeles suburb.

The film will now be distributed by Warner Independent, the art-house unit of Warner Brothers, with a January release date. It says it likes the title because it tells the story of the film and is funny.

Kevin Smith re-edits 'Mallrats' for DVD

For better or worse, Kevin Smith lets it all hang out. That's why he just restored the worst version of his biggest failure for the 10th Anniversary Extended Edition of Mallrats.

"It's not very good," the 35-year-old New Jersey filmmaker told The Toronto Sun with a mischievous chuckle in a telephone interview from his home in Red Bank.

The newly re-edited version of Mallrats restores the long, rambling prologue to the movie that was in his shooting script, Smith says. It also extends the overall running time by 37 minutes and turns the comedy into a shambling (if occasionally brilliant and funny) mess. For example, it now takes about half an hour for Jason Lee, as the lovable slacker, to drag his butt to the mall.

"If people didn't like this movie, this DVD is not going to make them like it any more," Smith says. "It'll make them go: 'See, we were right!'"

So why the paradoxical delight in presenting this version of his second movie, the controversial link between the hits Clerks and Chasing Amy?

First of all, Smith says, fans can, on the same DVD, opt for the original, 95-minute theatrical release, the one that became a cult favourite. Every possible extra has now been jammed in. This is it for Mallrats.

"What I've always liked about the collection format," Smith says of the appeal of video, laserdisc and now DVD, "is the idea that you can present all this stuff and nothing is wasted. Because, not for nothing did we spend two or three days shooting all that opening footage. And, even though it doesn't work, I would hate to see it sit on a shelf somewhere in a corner when you could put it out.

"There are movies like the first Spider-man that had a bunch of cut footage that they didn't wind up putting out on the DVD. I found that disappointing because I would like to see what they felt didn't work about that movie.

"I'm just not one of those people who say: 'Let's bury the mistake!' I think I'm more like, 'Let's show everybody how stupid we were!' "

Re-editing Mallrats also turned out to be an invaluable learning tool, as was making the movie in the first place.

"The thing I walked away with on this 10th anniversary DVD was how rankly amateurish we were going into Mallrats. It was weird being in the middle of that footage. Both Mosier (producer Scott Mosier) and I were just like: 'My God, we were terrible!'

"And it was especially nice to do it in advance of shooting the next movie. We're doing Clerks 2 next."

Smith & company matured as a filmmaking team, Smith says. "Clerks is a first movie. The movie is what it is because of its budget and us being nascent filmakers. Mallrats really was a film school to a large degree, the film school I dropped out of (in Vancouver). It was where I learned, oh, we need coverage (alternate angles and closeups in scenes); and we need to be a lot more visually interesting; and it's not about turning on a camera and letting things happen in front of it.

"Unfortunately, it cost them $6 million to teach me all that, which I could have done a lot cheaper by going to NYU (New York University) film school. But it would have taken me far more time. So, yeah, it was kind of invaluable. I used to pick on Mallrats as the $6-million casting call for Chasing Amy. But it was much, much more. It was us kind of learning what never to do again."

Too many movie stars made him do Clerks 2

Kevin Smith is doing Clerks 2 to get away from famous movie stars, including his pal Ben Affleck, who co-starred in his last movie Jersey Girl. It is also one of the reasons he walked away from a planned big-screen version of The Green Hornet, Smith tells the Sun.

Says Smith: "The cynical take on it is: 'Well, Jersey Girl didn't work so he's going back to the well.' And those people are not exactly wrong. It's just that they're missing the target but hitting the tree.

"Jersey Girl didn't work (it bombed at the box office after the latest twist in the Bennifer fuss hit the headlines) but it's not why I'm going back to Clerks. Coming off Jersey Girl, it's just that I don't want to work with famous people for a while. I don't like having a movie that is kind of at the mercy of the people that you've cast.

"Jersey Girl, I don't think it's the rule but it's not quite the exception. It was tough to watch that movie getting brought down by somebody's relationship, something that I have no (control) over. So Jersey Girl did have an influence on me doing Clerks 2 but it wasn't the obvious."

As for The Green Hormet, it was the famous people problem plus a lack of confidence that he could handle a $70-million production. "Green Hornet was a bit of that, but it was more than this movie is way too big for someone like me. I don't have enough talent to pull that off."

Garner Inadvertently Reveals Baby's Sex

BURBANK, Calif. - Jennifer Garner may have let the cat out of the bag.

The "Alias" star appeared on the "Tonight Show" Tuesday night and refused to answer Jay Leno when he asked if she was having a boy or a girl. But, later in the show, Garner talked about her expanding belly.

"You can just start to feel really pregnant, like you are the hugest person on the face of the planet," she said. "I felt bigger and bigger, like she _".

The audience cheered and Garner laughed as she stopped in mid-sentence.

A sense of humor has served the actress well, especially since her pregnancy has been written into the show. Her character, Sydney Bristow, discovers that she's pregnant with fellow agent Michael Vaughn's baby.

"My stand-in has a bump, and my stunt double has a bump," she revealed. "The other day, I walked in, and my stunt double looked a little different to me." It turned out they increased the size of her bump.

Garner married actor Ben Affleck in June. The baby is the first child for both.

Today in Entertainment History

On Sept. 28, 1958, Dore Records released "To Know Him Is To Love Him" by the Teddy Bears.

• In 1968, Janis Joplin's manager announced Joplin would leave Big Brother and the Holding Company in November after fulfilling current obligations. Joplin said she and the band "weren't growing together anymore."

• In 1975, 40,000 people got to see Jefferson Starship and Jerry Garcia and Friends perform for free in San Francisco. "Jerry Garcia and Friends" ended up being the Grateful Dead, who had not performed together in more than a year.

• In 1988, singer John Denver offered the Soviet Union $10 million dollars to put him on the Soyuz space shuttle.

• In 1991, jazz trumpeter Miles Davis died of pneumonia, respiratory failure and a stroke. He was 65.

• Also in 1991, Garth Brooks became the first country artist to have an album debut at number one on the album charts, with "Ropin' The Wind."

• In 1995, Bobby Brown was caught in gunfire outside a Boston bar. Brown was unhurt, but his brother-in-law-to-be was killed.

Today's birthdays:

• Actor William Windom ("Murder, She Wrote") is 82.

• Actor Arnold Stang is 81.

• Blues singer Koko Taylor is 77.

• Actress Brigitte Bardot is 71.

• Singer Ben E. King is 67.

• Actor Joel Higgins ("Silver Spoons") is 62.

• Actor Jeffrey Jones is 59.

• Writer-director-actor John Sayles is 55.

• Actress Sylvia Kristel ("Emmanuelle," "Private Lessons") is 53.

• Actress-comedian Janeane Garofalo is 41.

• Country singer Matt King is 39.

• Actress Mira Sorvino is 38.

• TV personality Moon Zappa is 38.

• Singer Sean Levert of Levert is 37.

• Actress Naomi Watts is 37.

• Country singer Mandy Barnett is 30.

• Actress Hilary Duff is 18.

• Actress Skye McCole Bartusiak is 13.

CBC, union meet labour minister, continue talks in Ottawa area

The CBC and its largest union have agreed to continue talks to find a solution to their labour dispute after meeting with the federal labour minister.

Joe Fontana urged CBC management and leaders of the broadcaster's largest union to find a solution to the disruption now in its seventh week.

Fontana told negotiating teams in Gatineau, Que. - just across the Ottawa River from Ottawa - that the "current situation is unacceptable."

Senior representatives present at the meeting included Arnold Amber, president of the Canada Media Guild branch representing CBC workers and CBC president Robert Rabinovitch.

The Guild represents 5,500 employees - including journalists, technicians and other staff - that the CBC locked out on Aug. 15, after more than a year of negotiations.

Since then, managers have provided reduced coverage on the CBC's radio, TV and web services. The lockout affects all CBC centres except those in the province of Quebec and Moncton, N.B.

In a communiqué Friday, Amber said, "We need some assistance to get the contract done and we need the right people in the room. If the main decision-makers from CBC senior management are there, this thing could be settled within five days after Monday." Following Monday's meeting, CBC released a statement that it "welcomes efforts to move negotiations with CMG to a conclusion."

Fontana commented that "Both parties have demonstrated a willingness to resolve this dispute. They have agreed, at my invitation, to remain in the building and resume negotiations on the remaining issues - I will be meeting jointly with the parties later today to get a status of their talks."

Mediator Elizabeth MacPherson, the head of the Federal Mediation Conciliation Service, will assist the union and the CBC in their deliberations.

While the talks were going on, about 500 CBC workers from Toronto, Sudbury and Ottawa rallied outside Parliament as MPs returned from summer break.

Dunst Confirms 'Spidey 3' Villain Identities

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Although the Internet has been abuzz with the supposed identities of the two "Spider-Man 3" villains to be played by Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace, Sony and Marvel have kept the names under wraps.

Now Mary Jane herself has confirmed Spidey's latest nemeses.

"We have really great people though as the villains in this film, Thomas Haden Church and Topher Grace -- Venom and Sandman," says Kirsten Dunst while promoting her film "Elizabethtown."

"Maybe I wasn't supposed to say that," she says, checking with her rep, who assures her the information has already been released.

The "Interview with a Vampire" actress is a little shaky on the information at first, saying that Church would play Venom and Grace would take on Sandman, before reversing her claim when a journalist expresses disbelief. "It's the other way around. You're right," she concedes.

Dunst can be forgiven since she has yet to receive a script for the film that will begin shooting in January.

"But I know the general story," she adds. "There's a lot that they're trying to fit into this one."

For those like Dunst who are unfamiliar with the universe of Marvel miscreants, Sandman is a career criminal whose irradiated body can turn into a sand-like substance.

In the case of Venom, an alien symbiote that once masqueraded as Spider-Man's costume takes over ex-reporter Eddie Brock -- who has a beef with Spider-Man over a journalism-related embarrassment. The symbiote gives his body and hatred strength, creating a supervillain that looks like a black-and-white version of Spider-Man with a wicked smile.

After years of playing Lowell Mather on the aviation sitcom "Wings," Church returned to the spotlight with his Oscar-nominated portrayal of Jack in 2004's "Sideways." Grace is best known as the scrawny Eric Forman on "That '70s Show." He's received acclaim for his film roles in "Traffic," "P.S." and "In Good Company."

Dunst, who plays redheaded actress Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker's love interest in the first two "Spider-Man" films, will return for the third installment, which is scheduled for a Spring 2007 release. She recently wrapped shooting Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette" and next stars opposite Orlando Bloom in Cameron Crowe's "Elizabethtown," which opens nationwide on Friday, Oct. 14.

New Wonder Album Finally Hitting Stores

After numerous delays, Stevie Wonder's first new album in 10 years, "A Time 2 Love," will finally arrive Oct. 18 via Motown. The set was most recently due for release June 14; first single "So What the Fuss" featuring Prince has been at radio since May and a second single, "From the Bottom of My Heart" has been garnering airplay for nearly as long.

Among the guests on the 15-track set are India.Arie and Paul McCartney on the title cut, Bonnie Raitt on slide guitar on "Tell Your Heart I Love You," gospel star Kim Burrell and rapper Doug E. Fresh on opener "If Your Love Cannot Be Moved" and Wonder's daughter Aisha on "How Will I Know" and "Positivity."

Another track, "Shelter in the Rain," will be available Oct. 11 from digital downloads retailers, with proceeds earmarked for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

"As an artist, you get anxious and excited -- you want to show what you can do," Wonder told Billboard late last year. "But for me, I had to make a real decision not to rush. I wasn't feeling that the timing is right. A lot of what I do when I do an album is based on whether the timing is right."

"A Time 2 Love" is Wonder's first new album since 1995's "Conversation Peace."

Here is the track list for "A Time 2 Love":

"If Your Love Cannot Be Moved"
"Sweetest Somebody I Know"
"Moon Blue"
"From the Bottom of My Heart"
"Please Don't Hurt My Baby"
"How Will I Know"
"My Love Is on Fire"
"Passionate Raindrops"
"Tell Your Heart I Love You"
"True Love"
"Shelter in the Rain"
"So What the Fuss"
"Can't Imagine Love Without You"
"Positivity"
"A Time To Love"

Hoppy 50th, Kermit

Hard to believe, but Kermit has been green for 50 years now. And while it hasn't always been easy, the Muppets' famous frog is celebrating the milestone by leaping from place to place.

"Kermit is iconic, a global character who transcends time and generational taste," says Chris Curtin of Disney, which now owns the Muppets. "It's rare to find a character who survives that kind of test of time."

The original Kermit — cut from an old coat belonging to Jim Henson's mom — appeared on his creator's first TV show, a 1955 comedy called Sam and Friends.

Among the birthday activities:

• A 15-month world tour begins Oct. 14 in Kermit, Texas, taking in 50 stops, including a USO appearance and a run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

• The U.S. Postal Service today issues a commemorative stamp collection in honor of the late Henson and his Muppets.

• The 1976 first season of The Muppet Show is out on DVD (Buena Vista, $39.99). Bonus features include the original Muppet Show pitch reel, plus a rare Miss Piggy-less pilot.

• New this month from Hyperion is It's Not Easy Being Green and Other Things to Consider ($16.95), filled with commentary from Henson and his characters, friends and family.

Springsteen Celebrates 'Born to Run' Album

NEW YORK - Bruce Springsteen is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the "Born to Run" album, which landed him simultaneously on the covers of Time and Newsweek, with a special box set this fall.

The "Born to Run 30th Anniversary Edition" will include a DVD of Springsteen and the E Street Band's 1975 performance at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, a 16-song set that featured much of the album.

A second DVD, "Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run," is a 90-minute documentary about the album that features fresh interviews from Springsteen, band members and others involved. It also features footage of Springsteen performing some of the songs solo with guitar or piano.

The package features a newly-remastered "Born to Run" disc. There's no additional music — outtakes or the like — that are often featured in box sets.

Columbia Records will put the package on sale November 15th.

Coldplay and Gorillaz lead MTV award nominations

LONDON (Reuters) - Rock band Coldplay go head to head with cartoon quartet Gorillaz at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon, after the British acts garnered five nominations each when they were announced on Tuesday.

Coldplay, fronted by actress Gwyneth Paltrow's husband Chris Martin, shot to No. 1 in the United States and over 20 other countries this year with new album "X&Y" and are competing for best group, song, album, rock and UK and Ireland act categories.

Gorillaz, the band whose public face is four cartoon characters, are vying for best group, best song, best video for "Feel Good Inc," best pop and best UK and Ireland act.

Music fans across Europe and Africa can choose the winners via MTV's websites with the exception of the best video category, which is selected by MTV Europe.

Coldplay will perform at the ceremony in Lisbon on November 3, and will be joined by the Foo Fighters, Green Day, Robbie Williams and The Black Eyed Peas.

The annual event will be hosted by irreverent British comic Sacha Baron Cohen playing his alter ego Borat Sagdiyev, the hapless Kazakh journalist.

"The emphasis of the 12th annual MTV Europe Music Awards is on spectacular live performance," said Brent Hansen, editor-in-chief of MTV Networks International.

Millions of fans are expected to tune into one of Europe's biggest pop award ceremonies.

Just behind Coldplay and Gorillaz in the nomination list was U.S. star Gwen Stefani, who is vying for best female and pop act, best album for "Love. Angel. Music. Baby," and best video for "What You Waiting For?"

Five artists were nominated for three awards apiece. Rappers 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg as well as punk band Green Day represent the United States. They are joined by Irish rockers U2 and British newcomer James Blunt.

In both the best male and best female categories, four of the five nominees are from the United States.

For the first time, the MTV awards will include a category for best African act, with 2 Face, Kaysha, Kleptomaniax, 02 and Zamajobe in the running.

Viacom's MTV Networks went live earlier this year with its new African music video channel.

Morissette Looks Back With 'The Collection'

Alanis Morissette's cover of Seal's "Crazy" will precede the November 15th release of the retrospective "The Collection."

The 19-track album will be available as an enhanced single-disc set and a double-disc package with an hour-long documentary DVD.

Aside from such hits as "You Oughta Know," "Hand in My Pocket," "Ironic," "Hands Clean" and "Thank U," the album features Morissette's contributions to soundtracks for "Dogma," "De-Lovely" and "City of Angels," plus a track she recorded for the compilation "The Prayer Cycle."

Morissette was first heard reinterpreting "Crazy" earlier this summer as part of Gap's "Favorites" campaign. The track was available on a CD distributed only in Gap stores this month.

"Ultimately, I put this collection record together to have something to show my great-grandkids one day, and to reflect with objectivity on my own evolution as a writer and singer," Morissette says.

Here is the track list for "The Collection":

"Thank U"
"Head Over Feet"
"Eight Easy Steps"
"Everything"
"Crazy"
"Ironic"
"Princes Familiar"
"You Learn"
"Simple Together"
"You Oughta Know"
"That I Would Be Good"
"Sister Blister"
"So Unsexy"
"Hands Clean"
"Mercy"
"Still"
"Uninvited"
"Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love"
"Hand In My Pocket"

The Couch Potato Report - September 27th

This week The Couch Potato Report is still only doing a summary.

BUT, this is the last week for that! Starting next week the full Couch Potato Report will return!!!

I know what you are thinking, "didn't Dan write that last week?" Well, the answer is yes. Soon I will need to get back into my regular routine, but this week I spent the time I would normally writing reading books and playing PSP.

Am I slacking off? Perhaps. Am I still locked out and making the best of a bad situation? Definitely!

For now, please bare with me, bear with me even, and enjoy these summaries:

Up first is FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY. This is a direct-to-DVD release and is being promoted as a FAMILY GUY movie. In actuality it is three unaired episodes of the hilarious TV show edited together.

That said, since it is a direct-to-DVD release, the "film" includes words, phrases and things that they can't do on TV.

PLUS, as I mentioned, they are unaired episodes!!!!!!

Creator Seth MacFarlane has said that FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY is sort of a gift to the fans who helped get his show back on the air.

So those fans will enjoy it, in fact they will love it.

Especially the segment that features Stewie as Saddam Hussein in a worm hole. It is priceless!

Anyone who is a non-convert to the show won't become a fan because of FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY, but if you are already a fan, enjoy Seth's gift!

A few years ago the good people at Blue Sky Studios gave us the gift of a great film called ICE AGE.

This year they follow that wonderful piece of animation with another one. This one is called ROBOTS and while it isn't as good at it's predecessor, it is still pretty darn entertaining!

The round, bouncy, and ramshackle forms of hero Rodney Copperbottom and his computer-animated friends are part of an ornate and weird world. A world you won't mind visiting!

Rodney (voiced by Ewan McGregor) is a young inventor who sets off for Robot City to work for Big Weld (Mel Brooks), the supreme inventor of the mechanical world. But upon his arrival, Rodney discovers that Big Weld has disappeared, and the slick, shiny Ratchet (Greg Kinnear, As Good As It Gets) is phasing out the spare parts that lumpen robots need to function and replacing them with "upgrades"--expensive and glistening new exoskeletons.

ROBOTS also featuring the voices of Robin Williams, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Amanda Bynes, Jennifer Coolidge, and many, many more.

And it is very, very fun!!

So is the hilarious, direct-to-DVD release FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY!

That film, and ROBOTS, are both available now at a store near you.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report is the return of full reviews (I really, really hope) including my comments on:

Nicole Kidman's work in THE INTERPRETER. She has been terrible in the many remakes she has done and I will tell you if she is any better in this film about a UN translator who overhears assassination plot. Sean Penn also stars.

The names of the people who starred in the 1950 Disney film CINDERELLA are Ilene Woods, Eleanor Audley, and Verna Felton.

Their work has helped the film stand the test of time and now there is the CINDERELLA SPECIAL PLATINUM EDITION available for you to share with your family.

I'm Dan Reynish, enjoy whatever you choose to watch and I'll meet you back here next week on The Couch!

And here's a list of notable TV-on-DVD titles coming your way this fall:

27 September:

Gilmore Girls – The Complete Fourth Season
Hogan's Heroes – The Complete Second Season
Star Trek Enterprise – The Complete Third Season
Law & Order Special Victims Unit 2
SpongeBob SquarePants – Season Three
Creature Comforts – The Complete First Season
The Amazing Race – The Complete First Season

4 October:

Stargate SG-1: Season Eight
The Bob Newhart Show: Season Two
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season One

11 October:

Veronica Mars: Season One
South Park: Season Six
Arrested Development: Season Two

18 October:

CSI New York: Season One

25 October:

Alias: Season Four
The L Word: Season Two
Point Pleasant: The Complete Series
Hart to Hart: Season One
In Living Color: Season Four
Tales from the Crypt: Season Two
Bewitched: Season Two

1 November:

Sex and the City: The Complete Series
Star Trek Enterprise: Season Four

8 November:

The White Shadow: Season One
Beavis & Butt-head Vol. 1: The Mike Judge Collection

15 November:

Friends: Season Ten
The Oprah Winfrey Show: 20 th Anniversary DVD Collection
Fantasy Island: Season One
Stargate Atlantis: Season One
Charmed: Season Three
That ‘70s Show: Season Three
Scrubs: Season Two

22 November:

Seinfeld: Seasons Five and Six
The Golden Girls: Season Three
Home Improvement: Season Three
Leave it to Beaver: Season One
The Andy Griffith Show: Season Four

29 November:

Family Guy: Season Three
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Season Five

6 December:

24: Season Four
M*A*S*H: Season Nine
Full House: Season Two The West Wing: Season Five

13 December:

The Dukes of Hazzard: Season Five
Gilmore Girls: Season Five

20 December:

ER: Season Four
The Amazing Race: Season Seven

27 December:

The Shield: Season Four

Bizkit, Blink 182 Look Back With Retrospectives

Rock radio mainstays Limp Bizkit and Blink 182 will look back on their careers with upcoming Geffen "best of" retrospectives, each of which will be issued in tandem with a separate DVD of music videos. Bizkit's "Greatest Hits" is due Nov. 8 and features three previously unreleased songs, while a similarly titled Blink 182 album will arrive a week earlier.

In addition to hits like "Nookie," "Rollin'," "Break Stuff" and "N 2 Gether Now," the Bizkit collection includes the unheard tracks "Lean on Me" and "Why," plus an as-yet-untitled "mash-up" of Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home" and the Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony."

No tracks are featured from Bizkit's recent EP, "The Unquestionable Truth," which failed to make much of a dent on the Billboard charts. The seven-song release debuted at No. 24 on The Billboard 200 and fell of the chart after just four weeks. It has sold 83,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As for Blink 182, its "Greatest Hits" sports two bonus items: "Not Now" (an outtake from its 2003 self-titled album) and "Another Girl Another Planet," which serves as the theme to the MTV reality show "Meet the Barkers," starring Blink drummer Travis Barker.

The pop/punk trio announced in February that it was going on an "indefinite hiatus" and has yet to reveal any plans to begin working together again.

Larger Than Life: Biggie, Marley Duet On New Song

Even in death, rapper Notorious B.I.G. continues to surprise. The artist, who died in a March 1997 shooting, "duets" with fellow deceased music legend Bob Marley on a new single, "Hold Ya Hand," which is available today (Sept. 26) from AOL Music. It will also appear on "The Notorious B.I.G. Duets: The Final Chapter," due Nov. 29 via Bad Boy.

"Hold Ya Hand" was produced by Clinton Sparks and includes a sample of Marley's "Johnny Was." The rest of the album is still coming together, although Bad Boy promises participation from "some of music's greatest vocalists and MCs" and "the industry's top producers."

The project will also include a DVD with previously unreleased Biggie performance footage, interviews and music videos.

Like fellow gunned-down rapper Tupac Shakur, Biggie remains the subject of fascination. As previously reported, director Antoine Fuqua is planning a big-budget biopic about the rapper, which is expected to begin production early next year.

Last year, Bad Boy released an expanded, 10th anniversary edition of Biggie's debut, "Ready To Die," which featured the evergreen singles "Juicy," "One More Chance" and "Big Poppa."

Coming back for seconds, thirds...

After three smash American Pie movies, the film's producers figure fans are up for a fourth slice.

But American Pie: Band Camp won't arrive in theaters; it's going direct to DVD. And only Eugene Levy remains from the original cast of the hit comedy franchise.

For movies that have developed fan bases through several theatrical sequels, direct-to-DVD versions can be a cost-effective way to wring more dollars out of an established movie franchise.

Producer Martin Bregman, whose Carlito's Way: Rise to Power, the prequel to 1993 Carlito's Way, arrives on DVD Tuesday, says that with rising production costs and star salaries, "in many cases a film will go directly to DVD because it's simply a more profitable situation for a studio."

Carlito's Way had a budget of $30 million, vs. $9 million for Carlito's Way: Rise to Power.

Direct-to-DVD sequels — which generally don't have the stars who carried the original films or the budgets — were once limited to animated films, horror and sci-fi franchises. Now, thrillers, dramas and comedies are getting the treatment.

"It's all about the story," says Craig Kornblau, president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment, which is distributing Carlito's Way: Rise to Power. "The quality is higher, and the films we are choosing are ones that really found their audience in a massive way through DVD."

The American Pie trilogy took in $351.2 million in theaters and sold millions of DVDs, Kornblau notes, while a special-edition DVD of Scarface - like Carlito's Way, a modern gangster film produced by Martin Bregman — generated more than $100 million in consumer spending, twice its theatrical gross.

Some films don't warrant a full-blown theatrical release; the cost for making prints of a movie, plus advertising it, now average $34.4 million, according to the Motion Picture Association of America.

Home video "is a $24 billion (a year) business," Kornblau says. "And yet there is very little content made only for this business."

Bregman says many adults prefer watching movies on DVD to going to theaters. "A good movie is a good movie, regardless of where it's shown."

Luis Guzman, who was in the original theatrical Carlito's Way and stars in the prequel, agrees.

"As an actor, sure, there's nothing like walking into a theater and sitting in the back and seeing how the audience reacts to a movie you've done.

"But at the same time, for me, there's nothing like being able to sit home with my family and watch an awesome movie right there on DVD. Technology has made it possible to have a home theater system in your living room that's just as good as going to the movies."

------ Familiar titles, different faces

Direct-to-DVD sequels often don't have the same stars as the originals. Details of some upcoming releases:

Out Tuesday, Carlito's Way: Rise to Power (Universal, $27), actually a prequel, finds Jay Hernandez (Ladder 49, Friday Night Lights) portraying a young Carlito Brigante, played by Al Pacino in the 1993 original. Luis Guzman plays hit man Nacho Reyes.

On Oct. 25, Single White Female 2: The Psycho (Columbia TriStar, $25), a sequel to the 1992 movie about roomates gone bad, stars Brooke Burns (TV's North Shore) and Kristen Miller (Team America: World Police).

On Nov. 11, 8mm2 (Sony, $25), a sequel to the 1999 snuff-movie thriller that starred Nicolas Cage, arrives.

On Dec. 27, American Pie: Band Camp (Universal, price not set) focuses on Steve Stifler's little brother, Matt, played by newcomer Tad Hilgenbrinck. Eugene Levy, the only major cast member from the three previous movies returning for this, plays a camp counselor.

In 2006, a sequel to the 1994 bull-riding movie 8 Seconds is due, as is a sequel to the 2004 thriller The Butterfly Effect, and a fifth House Party, the second sequel to the urban comedy to go direct to DVD.

NEW CD RELEASES FOR SEPTEMBER 27, 2005

The 69 Eyes Devils (456 Enterprises)

Abandoned Pools Armed to the Teeth (Universal)

Ryan Adams & the Cardinals Jacksonville City Nights (Mercury Nashville)

Ashton Allen Dewdrops (High Wire Music)

Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney guitarist) Undressing Underwater (guests Paul McCartney, Stewart Copeland and more) (Surf Dog)

B-Legit Block Movement (two CDs) (SMC)

Jello Biafra and the Melvins Sieg Howdy (Alternative Tentacles)

Eric Bibb A Ship Called Love (Telarc)

Big Star In Space (new album) (Rykodisc)

Biology Making Moves (Vagrant)

Bizzy Bone Speaking in Tongues (845 Entertainment)

Black My Heart Before the Devil and The Fuck Hearts EP (Eulogy)

Blackalicious The Craft (guests George Clinton, Floetry, Lateef and Lyrics Born) (Epitaph)

Bloodhound Gang Hefty Fine (Geffen)

Bone a Fide Soul Lounge (Heads Up)

Toni Braxton Libra (Universal Motown)

Junior Brown The Austin Experience (Telarc)

Bump J Nothing to Lose (w/songs produced by Kanye West and one featuring Rick James) (Atlantic)

Calla Collisions (Beggars Banquet)

Bruce Campbell Make Love! The Bruce Campbell Way (Rykodisc)

Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard guitarist) Two Sides of If (Sanctuary)

James Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, Reginald Veal and Ali Jackson Gold Sounds (Brown Brothers)

The Casanovas The Casanovas (IRock Entertainment)

Ray Cash C.O.D. (Cash on Delivery) (Columbia)

Tom Chapin Some Assembly Required (Razor & Tie)

Craig Chaquico Holiday (Higher Octave)

Bill Charlap and Sandy Stewart Love Is Here to Stay (duet album of standards from mother/son team) (Blue Note)

Cher The Farewell Tour (UMD format) (Image)

Cherish the Ladies Woman of the House (Rounder)

Cherryholmes Cherryholmes (Skaggs Family)

Bruce Cockburn Speechless (instrumental album) (Rounder)

Code Red All Aboard (Toucan Cove)

Milton Creagh Spoken (Thump)

Criteria En Garde (reissue of 2003 debut album) (Saddle Creek)

Sheryl Crow Wildflower (Deluxe Edition available same day) (Interscope)

Carlene Davis Rock Me Jesus (VP)

Default One Thing Remains (TVT)

The Detroit Cobras Baby (enhanced CD; includes import-only EP plus new R&B covers album; w/songs by Isaac Hayes, Bobby Womack and more) (Bloodshot)

Dion Bronx in Blue (Orchard)

DJ Jazzy Jeff The Soul Mixtape (Groovin)

The East Village Opera Company (performs rock versions of classic opera) The East Village Opera Company (Decca)

Michael Feinstein with George Shearing Hopeless Romantics (Concord)

Renée Fleming Sacred Songs (Decca)

Freeway Free at Last (Def Jam)

Lafayette Gilchrist Toward the Shining Path (Hyena)

Grace Gale A Few Easy Steps to Secure Heli-Camel Safety (Blackout!)

Grandaddy Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla EP (V2)

Gryphon Crossing the Styles (two CDs) (Sanctuary)

H.I.M. Dark Light (Sire)

Zac Harmon The Blues According to Zachariah (Bluestone)

The High Strung Moxie Bravo (Future Farmer)

HIM Dark Light (Sire)

Hinder Extreme Behavior (Universal)

Hogg Boss It's All Boss (Avatar)

I Am the Avalanche I Am the Avalanche (Drive-Thru)

I Nine Live EP (J Records)

The Ike Reilly Assassination Junkie Faithful (Rock Ridge)

Ill Niño One Nation Underground (Roadrunner)

Index Case Index Case (Platform Group)

India.Arie Music in High Places: Live in Brazil (UMD format) (Image)

Jo Jo Gunne Big Chain (first album since 1972 w/all original members; includes new songs plus re-recorded versions of songs from their first album) (Blue Hand/Select-O-Hits)

The Joggers With a Cape and a Cane (StarTime International)

Jonas Brothers Jonas Brothers (Columbia)

King Britt Late Night with (mix CD of originals and remixes) (Swank)

Curt Kirkwood (of Meat Puppets) Snow (Little Dog)

KTU 8 Armed Monkey (w/members of King Crimson) (Thirsty Ear)

Last Target One Shot, One Kill (BYO)

Bettye LaVette I've Got My Own Hell to Raise (Epitaph)

Ramsey Lewis With One Voice (Narada)

Lil' Kim Naked Truth (Atlantic)

LMS London to Paris (VP)

Logh A Sunset Panorama (Hydra Head)

Mack 10 Hustla's Handbook (Capitol)

Tiger Mansurian String Quartets (ECM)

Kathy Mattea Right Out of Nowhere (Narada)

Joe McBride Texas Hold 'Em (Heads Up)

Brian McDade Love Bayou (OTN)

Brad Mehldau Trio Day Is Done (Nonesuch)

Idina Menzel Still I Can't Be Still (Hollywood)

Mercy Me The Christmas Sessions (Epic/INO)

Mommy and Daddy Duel at Dawn (Kanine)

Morcheeba The Antidote (Echo)

Alanis Morissette Music in High Places: Live in the Navajo Nation (UMD format) (Image)

Mr. Criminal Sounds of Crime (Thump)

Mark Murphy Once to Every Heart (Verve)

My Ruin The Brutal Language (Rovena/33rd Street/Bayside)

Neuraxis Trilateral Progression (Willowtip)

New Black Time Attack (Thick)

Jon Nicholson A Lil Sump'm Sump'm (Warner Bros.)

Ric Ocasek Nexterday (guests Darryl Jenifer of Bad Brains and ex-Cars' Greg Hawkes) (Sanctuary)

PJ Olsson Beautifully Insane (Brash Music)

Orange Sky Upstairs (CD/DVD combo) (Granite)

Ozzy Osbourne Under Covers (covers album; part of box set) (Epic)

Sean Paul The Trinity (Atlantic)

Houston Person All Soul (HighNote)

Regis Philbin The Christmas Album (Hollywood)

Plastic Noise Experience Noised (Van Richter)

Robert Pollard Music for Bubble EP (Fading Captain)

Praxis Profanation: Preparation for a Coming Darkness (Sanctuary)

Ramallah Kill a Celebrity (Thorp)

Reatards Not Fucked Enough (Empty)

Diane Reeves Good Night, and Good Luck (soundtrack) (Concord)

Revelation Theory Truth Is Currency (Idol Roc Entertainment)

Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys Dominos (Rounder)

Carmen Rizzo The Lost Art of the Idle Moment (w/guests Esthero, Grant Lee Phillips and Ladybug Mecca of Digable Planets) (The LAB)

Wallace Roney Mystikal (HighNote)

Boz Scaggs Fade Into Light (DualDisc; previously released in Japan only; includes acoustic versions of hits plus new songs) (Virgin)

Señor Coconut Presents Coconut FM (Essay)

Anoushka Shankar (daughter of Ravi) Rise (Angel)

Sharissa Every Beat of My Heart (guests R. Kelly, Wyclef Jean, the Game and more) (Virgin)

Shimmer Shimmer (Cake)

Si*Sé More Shine (MOB)

Smile Empty Soul Anxiety (Lava/Atlantic)

Spin Doctors Nice Talking to Me (first new studio album in 11 years w/original lineup) (Ruff Nation/Universal)

Supergrass Road to Rouen (Capitol)

Three 6 Mafia The Known Unknowns (Columbia)

Trio Mediaeval Stella Maris (ECM)

Twelve Girls Band Romantic Energy (Domo)

U-God (of Wu-Tang Clan) Mr. Xcitement (Free Agency)

Weather Calling Up My Bad Side (Cake)

David Wilcox Out Beyond Ideas (W.A.R.?)

Gerald Wilson In My Time (Mack Avenue)

Gretchen Wilson All Jacked Up (guest Merle Haggard and others) (Epic)

Wolf Parade Apologies to the Queen Mary (Sub Pop)

Yo Gotti Back to the Basics (TVT)

Neil Young Prairie Wind (CD/DVD combo) (Reprise)

VA Back Against the Wall (two CDs; Pink Floyd tribute w/members of Yes, Jethro Tull and more) (Purple Pyramid/Cleopatra)

VA Christmas Classics Remixed (Capitol/EMI)

VA Da-Nang (w/Thievery Corporation, Bebel Gilberto, Wax Poetic and more) (Quango)

VA ESPN Arena Anthems (Hollywood)

VA Indy 500 Sampler (Indianola)

VA Suicide Girls: A Black Heart Retrospective (Epitaph)

VA Taste of Chaos (DVD same day; live performances from the Used, My Chemical Romance, Killswitch Engage and more) (Image)

OST An Unfinished Life (Robert Redford/Jennifer Lopez movie; score by Christopher Young w/13 bonus tracks not included in the film) (Shout! Factory)

OST An Unfinished Life (score by Deborah Lurie) (Varèse Sarabande)

OST Grey's Anatomy (ABC TV show) (Hollywood)

OST Las Vegas (soundtrack to NBC TV show; w/songs by Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Stereophonics, Fatboy Slim and more) (Treadstone)

OST Serenity (score by David Newman) (Varèse Sarabande)

OST The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (live-action adaptation of C.S. Lewis classic; w/Christian artists) (EMI CMG)

OST The Greatest Game Ever Played (score by Brian Tyler) (Hollywood)

OST Veronica Mars (UPN TV show; w/songs by the Dandy Warhols, Stereophonics, Mike Doughty and more) (Nettwerk)

DVD Bouncing Souls Live at the Glasshouse (Kung Fu)

DVD The Sun Blame It on the Youth (full-length album released as DVD only; includes video for each song and links to audio downloads) (Warner Bros.)

DVD Keith Urban Livin' Right Now (live 2004 Los Angeles performances) (Capitol Nashville)

SACD Roger Waters Ca Ira (two SACDs w/bonus DVD; opera about the French Revolution) (Sony BMG Masterworks/Columbia)

YOU BASTARDS!

Comedy Central releasing the sixth season of South Park on DVD Oct. 11.

Foster Fights Cinema Battle

Jodie Foster almost lost her famous cool in a cinema recently when she stood up to a woman who was upset about her young son's questions.

The actress took her kids to see nature documentary The March Of The Penguins and ended up confronting the bitter woman in front of her, who turned on her kid for quietly asking questions in the dark.

Foster recalls, "This woman went berserk. She started with the shushing from the get go... and then she starts yelling at me.

Finally, I just turn into the most perfect police officer where I was whispering, 'You know, you're really disturbing everybody, and I think it would be a good idea if you moved if you're not happy.'

It almost came to blows. I'm pretty sure I did say something offensive at some point, something like, 'You're awfully young to be that bitter.' She really lost her mind. But I was insulted. I understand. I go to a movie, I don't want to be disturbed. But don't go to a noon Sunday matinee of a family movie. I mean, what do you expect?"

Crucial Blue Jays-Red Sox Game Washed Out

BOSTON - The scheduled game between Boston and Toronto was postponed by rain Monday night, forcing the Red Sox to play a day-night doubleheader and alter their pitching rotation in the middle of a tight pennant race.

The game will be made up Tuesday at 1:05 p.m., and the teams will play again at 7:05 p.m. as scheduled.

With Curt Schilling's start washed out Monday, Red Sox manager Terry Francona decided to go with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield (15-11) in the opener Tuesday, a move made easier by Wakefield's ability to come back on short rest. Schilling (7-8) is scheduled to pitch the night game.

"We're doing it now for obvious reasons, rest," Francona said. "We're trying to take whatever happens and make it to our advantage."

The Red Sox, who entered Monday tied with New York atop the AL East with seven games to go, subsequently changed plans for a potential showdown series at Fenway Park this weekend against the Yankees. Schilling was pushed back from Saturday to Sunday to allow for his normal four days of rest. Wakefield is scheduled for Saturday.

Toronto manager John Gibbons will go with the same order of starters Tuesday that were scheduled for the first two games of the series: David Bush (5-10) in the opener and Gustavo Chacin (12-9) in the nightcap. Bush is 0-2 with an 11.70 ERA in three starts against the Red Sox this season.

Francona was happy the game was called early and Schilling wasn't forced to warm up a few times. The tarp was never taken off the field, and the postponement was announced by team officials approximately 35 minutes after the scheduled starting time.

"Oh yeah, that's huge," Francona said. "That was something we wanted to stay away from. That gets you in a tough situation — up and down, pitch, don't pitch. He'll pitch tomorrow and it's fairly normal, just like having an extra day."

Toronto has been one of Boston's toughest opponents this season, winning nine of 14 meetings. The Red Sox play the Blue Jays on Wednesday and Thursday before the highly anticipated three-game series against the Yankees opens Friday night.

"I've never been involved in a pennant race, but I think it increases the pressure on them," Blue Jays first baseman Shea Hillenbrand said. "It's tough to win two games in one day. We're feeling good and we're ready to take on the Red Sox."

After Francona met the media and explained the change in plans, most of the players were gone from the clubhouse.

"I don't think it affects us in any way," Red Sox reliever Mike Myers said. "We've still got the same guys going in Game 1 and Game 2. I know history says it's harder to win a doubleheader, but with what we're going for I don't think it'll affect anything."

Tickets from Monday's rainout will be honored for the day game Tuesday.

Schilling, Boston's postseason star after pitching Game 6 of the AL championship series and Game 2 of the World Series following surgical procedures that sutured a tendon to skin in his right ankle, could be going with a playoff berth on the line Sunday.

"For Curt to have the opportunity, it's great to have him out there," Myers said.

CBC, union meet labour minister, continue talks in Ottawa area

The CBC and its largest union have agreed to continue talks to find a solution to their labour dispute after meeting with the federal labour minister.

Joe Fontana urged CBC management and leaders of the broadcaster's largest union to find a solution to the disruption now in its seventh week.

Fontana told negotiating teams in Gatineau, Que. - just across the Ottawa River from Ottawa - that the "current situation is unacceptable."

Senior representatives present at the meeting included Arnold Amber, president of the Canada Media Guild branch representing CBC workers and CBC president Robert Rabinovitch.

The Guild represents 5,500 employees - including journalists, technicians and other staff - that the CBC locked out on Aug. 15, after more than a year of negotiations.

Since then, managers have provided reduced coverage on the CBC's radio, TV and web services. The lockout affects all CBC centres except those in the province of Quebec and Moncton, N.B.

In a communiqué Friday, Amber said, "We need some assistance to get the contract done and we need the right people in the room. If the main decision-makers from CBC senior management are there, this thing could be settled within five days after Monday." Following Monday's meeting, CBC released a statement that it "welcomes efforts to move negotiations with CMG to a conclusion."

Fontana commented that "Both parties have demonstrated a willingness to resolve this dispute. They have agreed, at my invitation, to remain in the building and resume negotiations on the remaining issues - I will be meeting jointly with the parties later today to get a status of their talks."

Mediator Elizabeth MacPherson, the head of the Federal Mediation Conciliation Service, will assist the union and the CBC in their deliberations.

While the talks were going on, about 500 CBC workers from Toronto, Sudbury and Ottawa rallied outside Parliament as MPs returned from summer break.

AFI Scores With "Star Wars"

The Force is strong with John Williams.

Not only was his score for 1977's Star Wars named the number one Greatest Film Score of all time by the list-happy folks at the American Film Institute, but the music he wrote for 1975's Jaws and 1982's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial also made the cut, coming in at number six and 14 respectively.

A jury of over 500 film artists, composers, musicians, critics and historians were tapped to determine which of the most memorable scores would be chosen for The Big Picture—AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores, a new list commissioned by the famed institute in association with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association.

Of the movie music rounding out the top 10, a number predictably belong to some of the most beloved films ever made. Coming in at number two was Max Steiner's majestic score for 1939's Gone with the Wind. That was followed in third place by Maurice Jarre's sweeping orchestrations for 1962's Lawrence of Arabia, Bernard Herrmann's heart-piercing composition for 1960's Psycho in fourth, and Nino Rota's epic score for 1972's The Godfather in fifth.

The rest of the AFI's top ten were respectively: Jaws, John Williams; Laura (1944), David Raskin; The Magnificent Seven (1960), Elmer Bernstein; Chinatown (1974), Jerry Goldsmith; and High Noon (1952), Dimitri Tiomkin.

A who's who of the cinema's best tunesmiths were represented on the list: giants like Hermann, Steiner, Bernstein, Goldsmith, Ennio Morricone, Henry Mancini, John Barry and Alfred Newman.

The committee based its selections on criteria such as its creative impact—i.e. "scores that enrich the moviegoing experience by bringing the emotional elements of a film's story to life;" its historical significance, or scores that help advance the art form; and the scores' legacy in cinema history. The works chosen also had to be from American films.

Steiner, Herrmann, Bernstein, and Goldsmith each had two films on the list.

Aside from Gone with the Wind's second place finish, Steiner also placed 13th with the score for 1933's King Kong. Herrmann followed up Psycho's fourth place victory with his thrilling orchestrations for 1958's Vertigo, which came in at number 12. While outdoing himself with the music for The Magnificent Seven, Bernstein also etched himself in cinema lore with his stirring score for 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird, which was ranked 17th. And last but not least, Goldsmith shifted from Chinatown's murder-mystery vibe to sci-fi with his score for 1968's Planet of the Apes.

Some of the other notable composers on the list were Erich Wolfgang Korngold, whose swashbuckling score for the The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) ranked eleventh and helped make Errol Flynn the object of every girl's desire; Franz Waxman, whose evocative music for noir classic Sunset Boulevard (1950) came in at 16 and revealed the darker side of Tinseltown; Alex North, who made his mark at number 19 with his score for A Streetcar Named Desire (1951); and Miklos Rozsa, who roused the masses with his work on Ben-Hur, which placed 21.

Mancini's beloved theme from The Pink Panther (1964) landed in the 20 spot, Leonard Bernstein's music for On the Waterfront at 22; and Morricone's classic score from 1986's The Mission at 23. Wrapping up the list was Dave Grusin's score for On Golden Pond (1981) and Afred Newman's for How the West Was Won (1962) at 24 and 25 respectively.

Here's the complete list of AFI's 25 Greatest Film Scores:

Star Wars (1977); John Williams
Gone with the Wind (1939); Max Steiner
Lawrence of Arabia (1962); Maurice Jarre
Psycho (1960); Bernard Herrmann
The Godfather (1972); Nino Rota
Jaws (1975); John Williams
Laura (1944); David Raskin
The Magnificent Seven (1960); Elmer Bernstein
Chinatown (1975); Jerry Goldsmith
High Noon (1952); Dimitri Tiomkin
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938); Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Vertigo (1958); Bernard Herrmann
King Kong (1933); Max Steiner
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982); John Williams
Out of Africa (1985); John Barry
Sunset Boulevard (1950); Franz Waxman
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962); Elmer Bernstein
Planet of the Aples (1968); Jerry Goldsmith
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951); Alex North
The Pink Panther (1964); Henry Mancini
Ben-Hur (1959); Miklos Rozsa
On the Waterfront (1954); Leonard Bernstein
The Mission (1986); Ennio Morricone
On Golden Pond (1981); David Grusin
How the West Was Won (1962); Alfred Newman

Don Adams of 'Get Smart' Dies at 82

LOS ANGELES - Don Adams, the wry-voiced comedian who starred as the fumbling secret agent Maxwell Smart in the 1960s TV spoof of James Bond movies, "Get Smart," has died. He was 82.

Adams died of a lung infection late Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, his friend and former agent Bruce Tufeld said Monday, adding that the actor broke his hip a year ago and had been in ill health since.

As the inept Agent 86 of the super-secret federal agency CONTROL, Adams captured TV viewers with his antics in combatting the evil agents of KAOS. When his explanations failed to convince the villains or his boss, he tried another tack:

"Would you believe ... ?"

It became a national catchphrase.

Smart was also prone to spilling things on the desk or person of his boss — the Chief (actor Edward Platt). Smart's apologetic "Sorry about that, chief" also entered the American lexicon.

The spy gadgets, which aped those of the Bond movies, were a popular feature, especially the pre-cellphone telephone in a shoe.

Smart's beautiful partner, Agent 99, played by Barbara Feldon, was as brainy as he was dense, and a plot romance led to marriage and the birth of twins later in the series.

"He had this prodigious energy, so as an actor working with him it was like being plugged into an electric current," Feldon said from New York. "He would start and a scene would just take off and you were there for the ride. It was great fun acting with him."

Adams was very intelligent, she said, a quality that suited the satiric show that had comedy geniuses Mel Brooks and Buck Henry behind it.

"He wrote poetry, he had an interest in history ... He had that other side to him that does not come through Maxwell Smart," she said. "Don in person was anything but bumbling."

Adams had an "amazing memory" that allowed him to take an unusual approach to filming, Feldon said.

Instead of learning his lines ahead of time he would have a script assistant read his part to him just once or twice. He invariably got it right but that didn't stop people from placing bets on it, she recounted.

Adams, who had been under contract to NBC, was lukewarm about doing a spy spoof. When he learned that Brooks and Henry had written the pilot script, he accepted immediately. "Get Smart" debuted on NBC in September 1965 and scored No. 12 among the season's most-watched series and No. 22 in its second season.

"Get Smart" twice won the Emmy for best comedy series with three Emmys for Adams as comedy actor.

CBS picked up the show but the ratings fell off as the jokes seemed repetitive, and it was canceled after four seasons. The show lived on in syndication and a cartoon series. In 1995 the Fox network revived the series with Smart as chief and 99 as a congresswoman. It lasted seven episodes.

Adams never had another showcase to display his comic talent.

"It was a special show that became a cult classic of sorts, and I made a lot of money for it," he remarked of "Get Smart" in a 1995 interview. "But it also hindered me career-wise because I was typed. The character was so strong, particularly because of that distinctive voice, that nobody could picture me in any other type of role."

He was born Donald James Yarmy in New York City on April 13, 1923, Tufeld said, although some sources say 1926 or '27. The actor's father was a Hungarian Jew who ran a few small restaurants in the Bronx.

In a 1959 interview Adams said he never cared about being funny as a kid: "Sometimes I wonder how I got into comedy at all. I did movie star impressions as a kid in high school. Somehow they just got out of hand."

In 1941, he dropped out of school to join the Marines. In Guadalcanal he survived the deadly blackwater fever and was returned to the States to become a drill instructor, acquiring the clipped delivery that served him well as a comedian.

After the war he worked in New York as a commercial artist by day, doing standup comedy in clubs at night, taking the surname of his first wife, Adelaide Adams. His following grew, and soon he was appearing on the Ed Sullivan and late-night TV shows. Bill Dana, who had helped him develop comedy routines, cast him as his sidekick on Dana's show. That led to the NBC contract and "Get Smart."

Adams, who married and divorced three times and had seven children, served as the voice for the popular cartoon series, "Inspector Gadget" as well as the voice of Tennessee Tuxedo. In 1980, he appeared as Maxwell Smart in a feature film, "The Nude Bomb," about a madman whose bomb destroyed people's clothing.

Tufeld said funeral arrangements were incomplete.

McEntire Gathers Old And New For "#1s"

Reba McEntire has included two new songs on her upcoming two-disc hits collection "Reba #1s." Due Nov. 22 via MCA Nashville, the set is the country superstar's 30th release through the label.

Its first disc is led by the new track "You're Gonna Be (Always Loved by Me)," which is No. 47 in its third week on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. Accordingly, the second disc starts off with the other new cut, "Love Needs a Holiday."

The rest of the set is filled with 33 familiar McEntire hits, spanning more than three decades, although not all reached No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Songs chart. Among those that did are "Can't Even Get the Blues," "How Blue" (1985), "Little Rock" (1986), "One Promise Too Late" (1987), "Love Will Find Its Way To You" (1988), "New Fool at an Old Game" (1989), "For My Broken Heart" (1991), "The Heart Won't Lie" (1993), "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter" (1995) and "How Was I To Know" (1997).

McEntire is among the artists who performed in May in Las Vegas for the Academy of Country Music's (ACM) 40th anniversary concert, which will air on CBS in December. At deadline, the only show on the artist's itinerary is a Dec. 4 performance in Friant, Calif.

Here is the "Reba's #1s" track list:

Disc one:
"You're Gonna Be (Always Loved by Me)"
"Can't Even Get the Blues"
"You're the First Time I've Thought About Leaving"
"How Blue"
"Somebody Should Leave"
"Whoever's in New England"
"Little Rock"
"What Am I Gonna Do About You"
"One Promise Too Late"
"The Last One To Know"
"Love Will Find Its Way to You"
"I Know How He Feels"
"New Fool in an Old Game"
"Cathy's Clown"
"Walk On"
"You Lie"
"Rumor Has It"

Disc two:
"Love Needs a Holiday"
"For My Broken Heart"
"Is There Life Out There"
"The Greatest Man I Never Knew"
"It's Your Call"
"The Heart Won't Lie"
"Does He Love You"
"Till You Love Me"
"The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter"
"And Still"
"Ring on Her Finger, Time on Her Hands"
"The Fear of Being Alone"
"How Was I To Know"
"If You See Him/If You See Her"
"Forever Love"
"What Do You Say"
"I'm a Survivor"
"Somebody"

Sheryl Crow talks love & war

Sheryl Crow's new album Wildflower, due in stores Tuesday, is a return to form for the 43-year-old singer-songwriter, says The Toronto Sun.

Following 2002's overly commercial C'mon, C'mon and 2003's greatest hits collection, Crow has delivered one of her best records yet: Intimate, stripped-down, melodic songs with upfront vocals and string accompaniment.

"I definitely featured my voice more," said Crow, down the line from London, England, recently in a Canadian newspaper exclusive with the Sun.

"I think the thing that's always gotten my attention is that people will come up to me after seeing me play live and say, 'Wow, you are so much better of a singer than you are on your records.' Part of that is just, as producer, I haven't really been that concerned with my own vocals because for me I've always more gotten off on the musicianship and the arrangements and the songwriting. And this record, although it sounds big because of the string arrangements, it's pretty based on sparse production. My original intent was to do a very acoustic-feeling record like (Neil Young's) Harvest, but put strings on it."

Crow, who has spent most of the last year and a half living in Europe, co-produced Wildflower with longtime collaborators John Shanks and Jeff Trott.

The new songs detail both her great love affair with 34-year-old cyclist Lance Armstrong -- the two got engaged earlier this month and a spring wedding is expected -- and her relationship with the increasingly troubled world at large.

But the so-called "Lance Factor" is obvious.

"I've never had anybody be so completely positive that I'm the person they want to be with," Crow told the television news program 20/20 in an interview with Armstrong that aired last week. "That's helped me to express who I am, and who I can be."

More universal themes explored on Wildflower can be heard on new songs like Sending A Letter To God or Where Has All The Love Gone.

"Sending A Letter To God speaks to the move toward the religious right in our country," Crow said, "and how, in my mind, even though I consider myself a Christian, the radical religious conservatism ... has started to inform how our government makes its decisions, which was not what the country was based on. And also that there's a judgmental attitude, a very moralistic attitude in our country that's based in that sort of fanaticism. And on the flipside of that, with regard to Where Has All The Love Gone, you have such a strong belief in God all over the world that we're in a war now where we're sort of fighting over whose God is the right God. And you know you have the jihad and the religious right movement in America and to me if you define God as love, then it's kind of difficult to figure out what we're all fighting about."

In recent years, Crow wore a T-shirt that said "War Is Not The Answer" at the American Music Awards and a guitar strap with the word "Peace" on it at the Grammys.

Both moves were considered risky given the backlash that the Dixie Chicks had to endure when they spoke out against U.S. President George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq. But Crow says she was well ahead of the Chicks on that curve.

"I had worn a T-shirt, before we went to war, well before the Dixie Chicks, on Good Morning America, that said, 'I don't believe in your war, Mr. Bush' and that really got me in trouble -- big time," Crow said. "Just people expressing their disagreement with that, and death threats and stuff like that. It's funny because after the Dixie Chicks thing our whole country really suffered a campaign that said if you spoke out, you were considered anti-American. It was kind of a dark time in our history. I think more people are coming around to the viewpoint that this war is not completely definable and we're not really sure how we got into it. People (are) trying to figure out, do we really have a plan ... and when are our kids coming home?"

In fact, Crow was so prolific as a songwriter recently there had been reports of her releasing two albums this year.

"I had decided, originally, it would be really cool to release a double record," she said. "And have one record be what we were calling 'the art' record, or record that was more stripped down and more genuine and more introspective. And then have a record that was based on the 31/2-minute pop song. But it didn't make sense in the end to release both at the same time because it kind of undermined the power of both records. So I think toward the end of next summer or fall, we'll have the other record come out."

At the time of this interview, Crow was about to rejoin Armstrong just before he would go on to win his seventh straight Tour de France.

"It's very nervewracking," said Crow of her experience last year on the road with Armstrong. "And clearly for him, it starts well before the tour. He does a lot of races up to that point to sort of assess where he is in his conditioning. So I've definitely been involved in the lifestyle of the training and eating right and getting good sleep and, also, for me the tour is a great outlet. It's likely finally getting to do the gig after you've rehearsed for weeks and weeks and weeks."

Some fans questioned Crow putting her own career aside for the past couple of years to follow Armstrong around.

"There are people who still think I'm nuts," Crow told 20/20. "I mean, I have a massive feminist following and a lot of those people are mad. They're like, 'Why would you quit everything for a man?' I really gave myself the gift of just saying, 'I can follow this person around and just wash his bike shorts if I want.' "

But she told the Sun: "It's very exciting, particularly when he's in the yellow jersey. For the most part, it's been really a good experience getting to support somebody else and getting to sort of sit back and decide what kind of record I wanted to make and to really just embrace writing about what was going on around me. Not just about our lifestyle but what's happening in the world -- and I think ... I've gone through that period of trying to figure out how to maintain a modicum of peace in the middle of just total, total chaos out there, particularly as an American."

The tables will be turned next month when Armstrong travels with Crow as she begins her Wildflower tour with eight dates in the U.S followed by two dates in London in November.

"He likes to sing!" Crow said.

In addition to her four-piece band, Crow is touring with a 12-person string section conducted by David Campbell, but she doesn't expect to play any Canadian dates until next year.

Will the bride wear yellow?

Lance Armstrong told talk show host Oprah Winfrey that he popped the question to Sheryl Crow by taking her out on a fishing boat on a lake in Sun Valley, Idaho. Then the motor ran out of gas.

"And so, I thought, 'We're stuck here, I might as well ask her now,' Armstrong told Winfrey on her TV show this week. "I felt bad, I didn't have the ring with me. But it was too perfect, too beautiful."

Until her engagement to Armstrong, Crow has had her share of romances, including one with actor Owen Wilson and a rumoured affair with Eric Clapton, who may or may not be the subject of her song My Favourite Mistake.

Crow, who was on tape in New York City during Armstrong's Oprah appearance, showed off her six-carat diamond ring, and described the proposal.

"He definitely pulled out all the stops," Crow said. "He was being really romantic. And then he said, 'I have something to ask you. I'm really nervous.' He asked me if I would get married to him and I said, 'Yes, of course.' And then I said, 'I can't believe you were nervous. You knew I would say yes.' "

Crow met Armstrong -- the father of three kids with ex-wife Kristin -- at a charity event in Las Vegas in 2003.

"There are too many things to name that I love about him," she told Oprah. "He's gorgeous and he's funny and he's smart and he's a fantastic dad. Gosh, I just love him."

And his three kids.

"It's been fun for me and a new thing, to not be in my little selfish 'me' world," Crow told 20/20.

As for having her own children, she told 20/20,

"I would love to have my own kids and I think that I will."

Robertson charts the Band's musical journey

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - If Robbie Robertson had his way, every owner of "Across the Great Divide," a three-CD retrospective of the Band issued in 1994, would toss that collection in the garbage and replace it with "The Band: A Musical History."

The new set, which comprises five CDs and one DVD and includes more than 100 tracks, comes out September 27 on Capitol/EMI. Robertson spent years curating the collection.

"That (1994) set was completely inaccurate. I think they were just guessing," the Band's guitarist says. "This one is absolutely true. Forget the 1994 one ever was."

The new collection starts with a 1963 recording of "Who Do You Love" by Ronnie Hawkins & the Hawks (the Band's earliest incarnation) and ends, as it must, with tracks from "The Last Waltz," the Band's star-studded farewell performance, captured on film by Martin Scorsese.

While the highlights are too numerous to mention, many fans will considerthe previously unreleased live material -- including sets with Bob Dylan (whom the Band backed from September 1965 until May 1966) -- the set's standout.

For Robertson, who had not listened to much of this material in years, if ever, one of the most pleasant surprises was "the musicality of the journey." But, as he stresses, he and his Band mates were hardly a "group who got guitars for Christmas and decided we wanted to get a record deal."

DIGGING ROOTS

Indeed, by the time "Music From Big Pink," the Band's legendary 1968 album came out, the group had been together for years and had absorbed musical influences from across America's vast landscape.

"When that album came out, people acted like, 'Where in the world did this come from?' like it was so unusual," Robertson recalls. "And we were like, 'These are all the musics that we know. There are the flavors we know. It was that simple. We're bringing them with us when we come."'

While there was joy in putting together the boxed set, Robertson says there was also great sadness for people lost along the way. "The painful part of all this was losing Rick Danko and Richard Manuel. The sounds of Richard's voice or Rick's voice, it would just tear my heart out." Danko died in 1999 and Manuel in 1986.

The set's release puts an end to the Band ... for now. "I keep saying, 'Now I'm done with the Band,"' Robertson says. "I'm just not keen to be going back up into the attic and going into the trunks. I'm more interested in tomorrow."

Still, he admits he may go back to the well one more time. "I just have to write a book on it, and I'll be all caught up. As soon as I get some time, I'm going out to that little cabin in the woods (and write). I like telling stories, as one might figure."

But there has never been a moment when Robertson considered reuniting with the Band's surviving members. "It never crossed my mind. Things happen a certain way. It's in some higher power's hands. You can't do something if it won't bend that way."

Madonna In The Mix On New Dance Album

Madonna has finalized the track list for her new album, "Confessions on a Dancefloor." Producer Stuart Price tells Billboard the 12-track set, due Nov. 15 via Warner Bros., is continuously mixed and that closer "Like It or Not" was the perfect choice to conclude the album.

"Basically, it's Madonna saying, 'This is who I am. This is what I do. Take it or leave it,'" Price said of the track during a Q&A earlier this week at the 12th annual Billboard Dance Music Summit in New York.

Price -- who was the musical conductor on Madonna's Re-Invention tour -- said the entire album, including the vocals, was recorded in his home studio in London. Apparently, he has a female neighbor that cries throughout the day and night. So, if you listen closely, "you may hear her on background vocals," Price said with a laugh.

The album's first single, "Hung Up," is currently featured in ads for the new Motorola/iTunes phone. The cut is available as a ringtone via MTV.com and VH1.com. Its accompanying video was to directed by photographer David LaChapelle, but he and Madonna reportedly had creative differences over its concept. It is unknown who has come on board to complete the clip.

Here is the track list for "Confessions on a Dancefloor":

"Hung Up"
"Get Together"
"Sorry"
"Future Lovers"
"I Love New York'
"Let It Will Be"
"Forbidden Love"
"Jump"
"How High"
"Isaac"
"Push"
"Like It or Not"

McCready OD's Again

For the second time in two months country singer Mindy McCready has been hospitalized for a drug overdose. And like before, the Friday morning incident appears to have been a suicide attempt.

According to police reports, the "Guys Do It All the Time" singer was admitted to a Nashville hospital after ingesting more than two dozen antidepressants following a fight with the father of her unborn child.

McCready was listed in fair condition as of late Friday and is expected to make a full recovery. No immediate word on the condition of the fetus.

Per police reports, the troubled 29-year-old and her on-again, off-again boyfriend, William McKnight, were engaged in a heated spat over the phone regarding McKnight's financial commitment to McCready and their child.

Unhappy with his level of support, the singer reportedly proceeded to ingest around 30 pills.

Knowing his girlfriend's past behavior, the 38-year-old McKnight called authorities.

His call may have saved McCready's life. Paramedics apparently found the overdosed singer around 4 a.m. Friday at her Tennessee home.

Just this past Monday, the onetime country chart-topper revealed she tried to commit suicide earlier this summer because she found out she was pregnant.

McCready was in court to explain a string of behavior that left her in the hospital and then in jail, and to appeal the terms of her bail.

She was arrested in Florida after officials in Williamson County, Tennessee, issued a warrant last month. According to the warrant, McCready left the state without permission and failed to contact her probation officer during the month of July.

McCready said she went to Florida to be with her family after months of trouble.

Her decline from country star to police-blotter material becan a year ago, when she was charged with fraudulently obtaining the painkiller OxyContin.

McCready, who claimed she was trying to score the pills for a friend, eventually pleaded guilty and was slapped with a $4,000 fine, sentenced to three years of supervised probation and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.

On May 6, the former Nashville darling was stopped for speeding and wound up being charged with drunken driving and driving with a suspended license, which earned her first probation violation.

Two days after her DUI arrest, McCready was beaten and almost choked to death by McKnight, who allegedly ambushed the singer in her home. He was later charged with attempted murder as a result of the altercation.

Within a month, she was charged in Arizona on counts including unlawful use of transportation, unlawful imprisonment and hindering prosecution stemming from an incident involving a stolen pickup truck. She claims she was duped by a con man and mistakenly charged.

By the end of June, she learned she was with child, and that's when she took off to the Sunshine State. "I attempted to commit suicide after I found out," she told Judge Jeff Bivins, per the Nashville Tennessean. "I had just been through a horrible ordeal."

The father is said to be McKnight, who was in Florida at the time of her suicide attempt. He told police the couple had reconciled since the alleged assault. He also handed over her suicide note.

McCready was arrested and jailed in Florida on Aug. 26. She was transferred to a Tennessee lockup a week later and was allowed out on $50,000 bond a week ago. Prosecutors said one of the reasons she was permitted to leave jail was because of complications in her pregnancy.

The singer has already missed two court dates in Arizona due to her hospitalization and subsequent jailing. A judge has rescheduled her arraignment for Oct. 3, but it's not clear if McCready will be permitted--or physically able--to leave Tennessee.

She's due back in Williamson County court Nov. 14 to face her probation-violation charges.

Music biz explores wireless frontier

SAN FRANCISCO (Billboard) - And so it begins. Wireless operators and record companies are starting to let mobile subscribers buy and download full songs over wireless networks directly to mobile phones capable of storing and playing music.

As a big first step, Apple Computer and Motorola have partnered to create an iTunes-compatible mobile phone, dubbed the ROKR, capable of storing 100 songs and currently offered by Cingular.

Will the result revolutionize both industries or just be another wireless hype machine met with tepid response and consumer apathy?

"We're heading into areas where there is no market research," says Andrew Seybold, a veteran wireless industry consultant. "The only way we're going to find out what consumers will buy is to try various things and see what sticks."

The opportunity is clear. There are 180 million mobile phones in the United States, most of which can be used to access the Internet and buy products with charges added to the user's monthly phone bill.

The result is an on-demand, impulse-buy capability accessible to all age ranges that the still-struggling music industry sees as a lifeline out of the doldrums. Wireless carriers, meanwhile, hope access to music will be the application that compels subscribers to migrate to the new high-speed networks they have spent billions on developing.

HURDLES AHEAD

Research group IDC expects 1.8 million U.S. wireless subscribers to download music wirelessly by the end of the year once carriers launch their stores. It forecasts the market will grow to 50 million users and $1.2 billion by 2009.

Yet for all the opportunity, fully realizing it requires solving significant challenges, which is expected to take several years.

The leading question is cost. By all accounts, downloading a song to a mobile phone will cost twice the typical rate of 99 cents online. For many, this is a doomed strategy.

"To pay double or treble the amount of what you would be paying for the same track online is not going to receive the traction they're looking for," says Nick Holland, an analyst at Pyramid Research. "They will probably start off with a price point that is high and then discount it quickly as they realize that demand is not as anticipated."

Record labels argue that music accessed wirelessly carries greater value than music accessed online, where the 99 cent per-track rate was set arbitrarily because of the threat of free peer-to-peer file sharing.

In addition, wireless consumers have been conditioned to pay for content, as reflected in the $2 or more they pay for master ringtones.

Wireless operators admit the price issue is something that they must overcome, but they're betting subscribers will find the convenience of mobility worth the extra cost.

"There is a premium that a customer is willing to pay for the spontaneity of being able to download over the air a song right there on your mobile phone," says Paul Reddick, VP of business development and innovation management for Sprint Nextel.

NO COMPARISON?

The main point that record labels and wireless carriers stress is that the wireless music experience is not meant to be compared with the online music experience, in either price or service. To get music fans to buy music wirelessly and pay more to do so, mobile music must be sold differently than ringtones and online downloads.

"Just thinking of mobile as a portable version of online is going to take you down the wrong path," says Michael Nash, senior VP of Internet strategy for Warner Music Group. "We really have to think carefully about what consumers want, what's unique about mobile and where we're going to create propositions of value."

The leading school of thought in this regard is to treat wireless as an early-release platform on which fans can get early access to new hit music that otherwise is unavailable elsewhere. Another is to use mobile distribution to test-market emerging acts by releasing their music via mobile before placing larger bets on physical distribution via CDs.

The concern, however, is that a high cost of entry teamed with an unfamiliar interface and confusion over how the service works will keep wireless subscribers from experimenting with wireless music services.

"There's a lot of silliness going on between carriers and the labels," Yahoo Music VP and general manager David Goldberg says. "They're being overly greedy about things. Let's figure out how to build the market and then worry about how to split the money up."

USER-FRIENDLINESS

Ease of use is the albatross that has weighed down many new wireless initiatives in the past. Wireless operators are known for making bold claims about new services that ultimately fall flat because consumers do not understand how to use them. But carriers also have great resiliency, often relaunching services several times until they find the right fit.

"Most of the stuff they've tried out of the box (has) not been very successful," Seybold says. "Look at the first attempt to get on the Internet. That was a terrible disaster."

The music industry is not one to turn to for help either. Labels completely missed the boat on the digital revolution by ignoring P2P file-trading services that music fans were flocking to behind their backs.

The biggest point of contention is interoperability: Will a track downloaded to a phone be accessible on the PC as well and vice versa? The early solution is to operate what is called a "dual-delivery service." For each wireless song purchase, two files are sent: one formatted for over-the-air delivery to the phone and another formatted for Internet delivery to the user's computer.

While this satisfies the labels' security concerns, it could prove a difficult concept to communicate to customers. It also limits the ability of users to share music wirelessly with their friends. At least initially, only wireless subscribers using the same carrier will be able to share music clips.

The main reason wireless text messaging was so slow to develop in the United States was because of the same lack of inter-carrier interoperability. Once users could send text messages to their friends on other networks, usage skyrocketed.

The idea of buying music digitally remains on the periphery of consumer consciousness, and doing it with wireless devices is even more so. As such, carriers and labels have a marketing and education job to do if this market is going to flourish.

The prevailing view is that the music industry needs wireless music to work more than wireless carriers do, and as such should be doing the legwork to promote these services.

"We should take more responsibility for the future of our business," Universal Music Mobile VP and general manager Rio Caraeff says. "We need to start putting our money where our mouth is and start marketing this. (Carriers) are not good at music merchandising. You don't want Con Edison marketing 'Desperate Housewives."'

Three rare tracks on new Nirvana compilation

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Three previously unreleased tracks will see the light of day on the Nirvana compilation, "Sliver: The Best of the Box," which will arrive November 1.

In addition to "Spank Thru" from the famed 1985 "Fecal Matter" demo tape, the 1990 studio outtake "Sappy" and a pre-"Nevermind" rehearsal recording of "Come as You Are," the Geffen Records release boasts 19 tracks drawn from the 2004 boxed set "With the Lights Out."

Here is the track list for "Sliver: The Best of the Box":

"Spank Thru" (previously unreleased, 1985 "Fecal Matter" demo)

"Heartbreaker" (live, 1987)

"Mrs. Butterworth" (undated rehearsal demo)

"Floyd the Barber" (live, 1988)

"Clean Up Before She Comes" (undated home demo)

"About a Girl" (undated home demo)

"Blandest" (studio recording, 1998)

"Ain't It a Shame" (studio recording, 1989)

"Sappy" (previously unreleased)

"Opinion" (solo acoustic, 1990)

"Lithium" (solo acoustic, 1990)

"Sliver" (undated home demo)

"Smells Like Teen Spirit" (rehearsal recording, 1991)

"Come As You Are" (previously unreleased rehearsal recording, 1991)

"Old Age" ("Nevermind" outtake, 1991)

"Oh the Guilt" (split single w/ Jesus Lizard, 1992)

"Rape Me" (acoustic home demo, 1992)

"Rape Me" (studio recording, 1992)

"Heart Shaped Box" (studio recording, 1993)

"Do Re Mi" (home demo, 1994)

"You Know You're Right" (home demo, 1994)

"All Apologies" (home demo, 1994)

Foster's 'Flightplan' Propels Box Office

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jodie Foster piloted "Flightplan" to a No. 1 debut, her airborne thriller taking in $24.6 million to land ahead of " Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," the runner-up with $20.1 million.

The weekend's other new wide release, rapper Bow Wow's rollerskating romp "Roll Bounce," opened at No. 4 with $8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

With two movies topping $20 million at a traditionally quiet time in theaters, the box office surged. The top 12 movies took in $89.2 million, up 51 percent from the same weekend last year.

The upswing extended a September rally for Hollywood, which has seen revenues slump most of the year. Receipts are running 6 percent behind 2004, and with higher ticket prices, movie admissions are down 9 percent.

"This fall season has been in a word, spectacular," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "We'd been so fixated on the box-office slump, and here we are in a fall boom. This is terrific for the industry and bodes well for a very strong holiday season."

David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence," starring Viggo Mortensen as a family man whose tranquil life is shattered by intrusive mobsters (Ed Harris and William Hurt), opened strongly in limited release with $504,000 in 14 theaters. The movie expands to about 1,200 theaters Friday.

Also debuting solidly was Roman Polanski's adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist," featuring Ben Kingsley as pickpocket mentor Fagin, which took in $69,000 at five theaters. The film will be shown in about 800 theaters Friday.

"Flightplan" was the first No. 1 debut in almost five months for distributor Disney, historically one of Hollywood's steadiest hitmakers.

"Long time coming. You never expect that. We're usually more consistent," said Chuck Viane, Disney head of distribution.

"Flightplan" stars Foster as a widow whose 6-year-old daughter vanishes on a trans-Atlantic trip, prompting panic from the girl's mom and skepticism from the crew and passengers, who have no record or recollection the child was ever on board.

After a strong premiere for "Corpse Bride" in five theaters the previous weekend, some industry observers had expected the animated tale to hold the top box-office spot this weekend.

"Corpse Bride" features the voices of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter in a musical fantasy about a jittery groom whisked to the underworld after he's inadvertently wed to a decomposing cadaver. It's the second stop-motion animation flick for co-director Burton, following 1993's "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

Dan Fellman, head of distribution for "Corpse Bride" backer Warner Bros., said the studio had not expected a No. 1 showing and that the movie had the best results ever for an animated film in September.

"There's always those in the industry making predictions outside our company, but we knew the strength of our movie," Fellman said, "we're nothing but thrilled."

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. "Flightplan," $24.6 million.
2. "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," $20.1 million.
3. "Just Like Heaven," $9.8 million.
4. "Roll Bounce," $8 million.
5. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," $7.5 million.
6. "Lord of War," $4.9 million.
7. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," $4.3 million.
8. "The Constant Gardener," $2.2 million.
9. "Transporter 2," $2.15 million.
10. "Cry Wolf," $2.1 million.

Gulf storms strike chords in popular music

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chuck Berry yearned for Baton Rouge, The Band headed for Lake Charles and Glen Campbell was homesick for Galveston when he cleaned his gun.

Pick a place pounded by the twin hurricanes that ravaged the U.S. Gulf Coast over the last month, and there is probably a popular song to go with it.

That is a reflection not only of the storms' broad reach, but also of the rich influence exerted by the Gulf region -- with its swampy mix of jazz, rock n' roll, Cajun music, country and blues -- on American music.

The jazz city of New Orleans, which was flooded by last month's Hurricane Katrina and again by Hurricane Rita over the weekend, has long been enshrined in song.

"House of the Rising Sun," about lost virtue in a brothel, is among the most famous. The traditional tune with a 17th century British melody was first recorded in 1928 by blues singer Texas Alexander. It became a folk music staple and was put on the rock map by the British band "The Animals."

Galveston, Texas, wiped out in the deadliest U.S. hurricane ever in 1900 but spared when Rita changed direction, sparked the imagination of Jimmy Webb when he wrote what became one of Glen Campbell's biggest hits.

"I still hear your sea waves crashing, while I watch the cannons flashing, I clean my gun and dream of Galveston," Campbell sings.

Chuck Berry listed Baton Rouge, Louisiana's capital, buffeted by Rita, among the places he yearned for in a 1959 homecoming song, "Back in the U.S.A." The song inspired The Beatles' political parody, "Back in the U.S.S.R."

"Looking hard for a drive in, searching for a corner cafe, where the hamburgers sizzle on an open grill night and day," Berry sang of his American vision.

Janis Joplin sang of being "busted flat in Baton Rouge," in "Me and Bobby McGee," a traveling song written by Kris Kristofferson and Fred Foster. Joplin was born in Port Arthur, Texas, a town smack in Rita's weekend path.

The Band, a Canadian-American group, scored its biggest hit with "Up on Cripple Creek," in which the singer vows to travel down the Mississippi River to find a tempestuous charmer, "little Bessie," in Lake Charles, Louisiana. The town was one of the hardest-hit by Rita's blast.

Finally there is Randy Newman's 1974 tune, "Louisiana 1927," which recalls an earlier flood with a poignant chorus that has become a widely used theme for this year's calamities: "Louisiana, Louisiana, they're trying to wash us away, they're trying to wash us away."

Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher wed: reports

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Actors Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher were married on Saturday, capping their celebrated two-year-long older woman, younger man relationship, two celebrity magazines reported on Sunday.

Representatives for Kutcher, 27, and Moore, 42, could not be immediately reached for comment, but both Us Weekly and People magazine reported on their Web sites that the couple were married in Los Angeles area on Saturday.

Us Weekly, which first reported the wedding, said about 100 of the couple's friends, including Moore's second husband Bruce Willis, attended it. Also at the wedding were actress Lucy Liu and Moore's three daughters from her marriage to Willis.

Moore, who starred in "Ghost," "G.I. Jane" and "Striptease," first began dating the younger Kutcher in 2003, just as she was making a highly publicized return to the screen as a high-kicking villain in "Charlie's Angeles: Full Throttle."

Kutcher, whose break came as a star in television's "That '70s Show," is co-creator of the MTV reality show "Punk'd." His films include "Guess Who" in 2005 and "Dude, Where's My Car?" in 2000.

It was the first marriage for Kutcher and third for Moore. She was married from 1980 to 1984 to rock musician Freddie Moore and from 1987 to 2000 to Willis.

People Magazine said Kutcher and Moore met at a dinner in New York City in 2003. After Kutcher began dating Moore, the magazine said "he quickly carved out a place in the lives of her three daughters by Willis -- Rumer, 17; Scout, 14; and Tallulah, 11 --who came to embrace Kutcher as a third parent, affectionately calling him MOD, short for 'My Other Dad."'

The relationship between Moore and Kutcher has been seen by some in Hollywood as evidence of a liberating new trend in which older American women are dating younger men, challenging the traditional convention of May-December romances.

CBC union, management to meet

TORONTO (CP) - The two sides in the CBC lockout have agreed to sit down with federal Labour Minister Joe Fontana on Monday in a bid to end the six-week-old dispute.

The meeting will take place hours before Parliament is set to resume for the fall session. "I am inviting you to meet with me . . . to review the status of the negotiations and to develop a plan to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion without further delay," Fontana said Friday in a letter to CBC president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch and to Arnold Amber, president of the CBC branch of the Canadian Media Guild.

CBC spokesman Jason MacDonald confirmed that Rabinovitch will attend the meeting.

"I think any initiative that could move the process along toward a negotiated agreement is positive," he said. "I mean I sound like a broken record but I've said our objective is to get a negotiated agreement as soon as possible."

The union will also attend the meeting. Karen Wirsig of the Canadian Media Guild called the minister's invitation "the first major breakthrough" in the dispute.

Fontana could not immediately be reached for comment Friday. His letter said he's heard grave concerns about the length of the lockout and is particularly worried about the impact it is having in remote areas of the country.

The union is still planning a major rally Monday in Ottawa, where morale on the picket line is said to be sagging.

Fontana's invitation came a day after the Guild tabled what it called its first comprehensive offer in the dispute that has locked out 5,500 unionized employees and crippled original programming on the CBC English-language radio and TV networks.

The package was quickly dismissed by management for failing to deal with two key issues: the CBC's wish to make greater use of contract employees and the qualifications a laid-off employee would have to have to justify bumping a colleague with less seniority.

"It has been the experience at the CBC for deals to be concluded in Ottawa with both the federal mediators there, but also key members of the CBC management team who for the most part have not been present at the bargaining at all," said guild president Lise Lareau, referring to a 1996 dispute that was settled in such a manner that a deal was reached within three days.

Ian Morrison, spokesman for the watchdog group Friends of Canadian Broadcasting, believes Rabinovitch - who has kept a low profile during the lockout - is under pressure from the CBC board of directors as well as the Commons heritage committee.

"He has been in a sort of bunker," he said.

"So I see this as a hopeful sign. If this does not resolve the issue, ultimately more people are going to be saying 'Who is this Rabinovitch anyway? Why does he think that he can hold the public up to ransom for whatever purpose he has?'"

FALL'S WON AND 'LOST'

The new season is just days old, but we're already seeing some "winners" and "losers" emerging in the crowded TV landscape.

Here's a look at some early shows that have earned distinction — in both categories:

* "My Name is Earl." The new hillbilly-turns-do-gooder sitcom, starring Jason Lee, snared over 15 million viewers in its debut for hit-starved NBC — and beat returning favorite "Two and a Half Men" on CBS. This one could be a keeper.

* "Lost." The returning ABC drama averaged over 23 million viewers in its second-season debut, putting it in rarefied powerhouse ratings company with ABC stablemate "Desperate Housewives" and "CSI" — and disproving a sophomore jinx. Also provided a great lead-in for "Invasion," which wins here (17 million viewers).

* "Prison Break" and "House" (Fox). "Prison Break" isn't a breakout hit, but has performed solidly and is a critical darling. "House" has shown it can stand on its own without the "American Idol" lead-in it had last season.

* "Everybody Loves Raymond." It's no longer on CBS, but is perfoming very well . . . in syndication.

* "Nip/Tuck." Its third-season premiere was the most-watched episode in FX series history (5.3 million viewers). 'Nuf said.

* "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart." It averaged a mere 7.7 million viewers and was soundly whipped by a "Lost" clip show, for crying out loud. And that was after a mountain of hype. Note to Martha: You just don't fit in.

* "Arrested Development." Lots of attention and lavish critical praise failed to translate into viewers: A little over 4 million for the season premiere. Not good.

New Asterix and Obelix comic book set for release

A new comic book featuring the Roman-bashing warrior Asterix and his inseparable chum Obelix will be appearing in stores next month.

One of its creators, Albert Uderzo, announced the latest book in Brussels Thursday, but he revealed little about it except for the title -- Le Ciel lui Tombe sur la Tete or Asterix and the Falling Sky.

He also assured fans that Asterix and the Falling Sky would not be his last album.

"I enjoy what I'm doing despite my age and as long as I can find a good idea I will make another album," he said.

The 33rd comic book depicting the famous Gaul heroes will go on sale in 27 countries around the world on Oct. 14.

Illustrator Uderzo, 78, met author Rene Goscinny in the 1950s in Brussels, and together they created the characters, which first appeared in a French magazine in 1959.

Since then over 300 million comic books have been sold in more than 107 languages. The last title, Asterix and the Actress, sold 10 million copies.

When Goscinny died in 1977, the colourblind Uderzo continued writing and illustrating another eight albums.

Brussels was getting set to celebrate the new book this week by converting its medieval Grand-Place square into a Gaul village. Fans will be able to enjoy a "magic potion" made by village druid, for those who wish to attain Asterix style superhuman strength.

Neil Young Opens Vaults

Rocker to release series of eight-disc rarities sets

After nearly fifteen years of promises, Neil Young is now confident that a slew of material from his vaults will begin to see the light of day in 2006. With his latest album, Prairie Wind, out next week, the rock legend is planning several eight-disc sets packed with outtakes, home recordings, album tracks, live cuts and DVDs.

"It starts with my earliest recordings in 1963," says Young. "Then several recordings with a group called the Squires, into the earliest Buffalo Springfield stuff. Then there's a live record culled from a week's worth of performances at the Riverboat in Toronto."

Fans can expect a 1970 show at Toronto's Massey Hall, featuring material from Harvest a year before its release, as well as Crazy Horse live at the Fillmore East. "It's got a sixteen-minute 'Cowgirl in the Sand,'" Young says of the Fillmore gig, "and a super-long 'Down by the River.'"

One live performance, the rock vet is convinced, trumps the original recording: the entirety of Tonight's the Night, recorded live at London's Rainbow Theatre. Says Young, "It's better than the record."

Little Girl Lost

Evangeline Lilly is the ultimate desert-island fantasy

On an island somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, strange things are happening, things not usually seen on network television. We refer, of course, to the Hawaiian island of Oahu, overrun by a marauding pack known as the cast of TV's hottest show, Lost.

"One night, we had all gone bowling," says Evangeline Lilly, 26, who plays the show's female lead, the beautiful but mysterious criminal Kate. "Most people left, so it was myself, Matthew [Fox], Jorge [Garcia] and Dominic [Monaghan] -- three goofy, out-there guys. So we're in the middle of a parking lot in Kailua, daring each other to do things. Jorge turns to me and says, 'I'll give you twenty dollars if you pee in that garbage can.'" Lilly flashes her America's-sweetheart grin. "Thirty seconds later, I've got my pants down and my bum hanging into this garbage can, and he has to give me twenty dollars."

Lilly laughs loudly. "I don't have a lot of inhibition," she adds, somewhat unnecessarily.

With her freckles and curly brown hair, Lilly has the wholesome/sexy good looks of Kate Beckinsale, or maybe a particularly convincing spokeswoman for a dating chat line (one of her past gigs). She also looks phenomenal in a bikini -- a fact that Lost's producers haven't been shy about taking advantage of. Lilly has become the ultimate desert-island fantasy of 2005 -- the tough girl with improbably well-conditioned hair who could kill you a boar but still look fabulous at the end of the day.

Lost is the strange, addictive, highly unlikely hit show that cross-pollinates Survivor, Twin Peaks and Gilligan's Island: an airplane traveling from Sydney to Los Angeles makes a crash landing on a remote island, leaving forty-eight survivors and a lot of luggage. The island has a whole lot of unexplained hazards, including a murderous tribe of "Others," a polar bear, an invisible monster and a weird goddamn hatch in the ground. Conjecturing about the show's overarching secrets -- It's a government experiment! It's purgatory! -- has become an obsession among fans, one that's reached a fever pitch going into the second season, which premiered on September 21st.

As if all that weren't complicated enough, every episode features one or two of the characters in flashbacks, showing what their life was like before the island. "Our characters are designed to be enigmatic," says Damon Lindelof, Lost's co-creator and executive producer. "We wanted to populate the island with people who didn't want to talk about themselves." They went on the prowl for likable, little-seen actors with a hint of mystery.

In a large cast filled out by unknowns -- Party of Five veteran Matthew Fox stood as the biggest star -- Lilly was the ultimate novice. She grew up in small towns in western Canada; her only previous acting experience was a handful of commercials and a few jobs as an extra in projects shooting in Vancouver, like Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital and White Chicks. Her father was a grocery-store produce manager, and her mom ran a day-care center out of the house. Raised Baptist and Mennonite, Lilly taught Sunday school for eight years, and one of her first jobs out of high school was as a flight attendant for a "really shitty airline." Not exactly typical network-TV-star material.

J.J. Abrams, executive producer and co-creator of Lost, rejected actress after actress for the role of Kate, insisting that they would find the alluring unknown they were looking for. Just two weeks before shooting was set to begin on the pilot, he saw Lilly's audition tape and proclaimed her to be both beautiful and goofy -- exactly the girl he wanted. But could she handle it? Before Lilly took the part, Abrams looked her in the eye and said, "You have no idea what's about to happen. If you don't really want this, run." Lilly avoided his stare and muttered that she was ready, thinking that if she didn't like making the pilot, she'd just go back to college and finish her international-relations degree. Turns out she may never get that degree after all.

"She's amazing," Fox says. "Stepping into the lead of a show with no experience? Her poise and confidence are remarkable."

According to Lilly, Fox tells her something different. Between takes on location, she'll shinny up a vine or maybe eat a slug on a dare, at which point she will receive a steely Fox gaze: "He's constantly looking at me and saying, 'Evie, do you realize you're really weird?' And then he'll just walk away."

Abrams (currently shooting Mission: Impossible 3 in Europe ) says that Lilly's inexperience kept cropping up in Season One; she'd rehearse her scenes at home and then feel off-balance when actors on the set made choices she hadn't expected. "It reminded me how wildly green she was," he says. "And she had mannerisms she had to unlearn, like crinkling up her forehead in a crazy way."

In a show with one mystery piled on top of another like a teetering Jenga tower, Kate's secrets have been central blocks, if confusing ones. In the course of the first season, viewers learned she had killed the man she loved, knocked over a bank to recover a toy airplane from a safe-deposit box and been on the lam for another, unspecified crime (hopefully one that makes more sense).

"I want to see Kate's psychotic side come out," Lilly says of Season Two. What she doesn't want: any more scenes where she sits on the beach pining for Fox's character, the good doctor Jack. "How many times have you seen Kate staring into the ocean, and suddenly Jack walks up and sits down beside her and they have a heart-to-heart?" she complains. "It became laughable. I would say, 'No, no, no way, not again, I'm not doing it.' And the director would say, 'Come on, do it for me, one more time.'"

Lost is that strangest of phenomena: a cult show with blockbuster ratings. Although it had an annoying habit of alternating excellent episodes with mediocre ones, it finished its first season at Number Fourteen in the Nielsens. But previous shows built around Big Mysteries have a way of going sour: Although The X-Files limped on for nine full seasons, it became tiresome after only five; Twin Peaks collapsed in Season Two, after viewers were told who killed Laura Palmer. The big trick for the Lost producers: Keep things puzzling enough to intrigue the audience, but not enough to frustrate the shit out of them. "That's the tightrope walk," says Lindelof. "Sometimes we get frustrated ourselves and decide it's time to download a big chunk of mythology. And then the audience says, 'I find this confusing and alienating and too weird.' So then we pull back, and they say, 'You're not giving us enough.'"

And the challenge for Evangeline Lilly? After a year that took her from Vancouver to Hawaii, from Sunday school to an international object of obsession, it's figuring out just who she is while the whole world is watching. Lilly doesn't have the most polished acting chops in prime time -- what people react to in Kate is her own personality, vivacious and a little inscrutable. "I really don't want to be mysterious," she insists. "Women in this business are expected to put forth a poised and perfect persona. I want people to see that I'm an ordinary-Joe girl. I blow my nose after work, I drool in my sleep and my shit stinks."

Some areas of her life, however, Lilly emphatically wants to leave obscure. When I ask her about recent British newspaper reports that she was married for one year and got divorced soon after Lost started shooting, she laughs and declines to comment, saying, "I don't talk about that kind of stuff. Wherever they got their information, it wasn't from me." She then abruptly changes the subject to the coral abrasions on her legs.

"She's a Christian, but she's a pottymouth," says cast mate Monaghan, formerly known as a Lord of the Rings hobbit. (The two are reportedly dating, although neither will confirm this.)

"Over and over again," Lilly says, "I've been called a walking oxymoron. I do things that you wouldn't associate with a good little Christian girl. People say I'm half-boy, half-girl." Before I can object that the visual evidence suggests otherwise, she continues, "I love style and dressing up, but I've also got competitive testosterone and I'm incredibly stubborn. When I'm going for a jog and I come up behind a guy on his bike, I try to beat him, even if it kills me."

Lilly is now earning far more than she ever did as a stewardess or an oil-change grease monkey (another early job), but her lifestyle hasn't changed all that much. She lives with two roommates (both of whom worked as her stand-ins on Lost). She relishes the idea of being an actress for five to ten years, then walking away and having babies.

She knows that in many ways her job is a dream, but despite Abrams' warnings she wasn't prepared for how overwhelming it would all become. She managed to put off the Big Meltdown until near the end of Season One. Worn down by her workload, she called her parents in full hysterics. They told her, "Screw Hollywood -- you come home and we'll feed you some chicken-noodle soup."

Instead, Lilly went to Rwanda, where a friend was doing missionary work. "I holed up and read and wrote and prayed," she says. "I just disappeared off the face of the earth." Ironically, the consequence of playing the character of a forgotten person stranded on one of the most remote corners of the planet is that she has to travel great distances to end up someplace where nobody will recognize her.

I meet Lilly in the parking lot of an airfield on Oahu's north shore; she wants to go for a glider ride. Lilly is wearing a white shirt and white shorts. She'd be the perfect tennis-player pinup, except for the smudges on her arms: "dirt" makeup from the show that doesn't wash off easily.

"Want to go for a swim?" she says, and spontaneously strips off her clothes, revealing a green bikini and an extremely well-toned body that looks even better in person than on TV. We run toward the Pacific. The surf conceals sharp rocks, but Lilly never slows down.

Back at the airfield, our pilot reports that the glider is ready. Lilly and I squeeze into a passenger seat that seems better suited to one person; she encourages me to put my arm around her. Another plane tows us into the air, and then we spend the better part of an hour flying around in circles without an engine, riding thermal pockets like a roller coaster. Lilly loves every gut-twisting moment in the air, lamenting only that this particular glider can't loop the loop. The pilot keeps up a running monologue, but when he says, "Youth is wasted on the young," Lilly interrupts him.

"It's not wasted on me."

(RS 984, Oct. 6, 2005)

'Concert For Bangladesh' Finally Coming To DVD

The George Harrison-led "Concert for Bangladesh" will make its DVD debut Oct. 25 via Rhino, the same day Capitol releases a remixed, remastered CD of the project. Rhino is also creating a deluxe edition set with a reproduction of Harrison's handwritten lyrics for the then-new song "Bangla Desh," a postcard set, a sticker and a print of the original show poster.

Staged on Aug. 1, 1971, at New York's Madison Square Garden, the show raised funds via UNICEF for Bangladeshi refugees caught in the middle of the country's battle for independence from Pakistan.

It featured Harrison performing alongside Bob Dylan (making a rare public appearance in the wake of a serious motorcycle accident), Eric Clapton, Ringo Starr, Ravi Shankar, Billy Preston, Badfinger and Leon Russell. The event was chronicled the following year on a triple-LP set and a feature film.

Rhino's DVD restores the original 99-minute movie in 5.1 sound and tacks on a wealth of extras, including a rehearsal performance of "If Not for You" with Harrison and Dylan and a soundcheck take on "Come on in My Kitchen" with Harrison, Clapton and Russell, plus Dylan performing "Love Minus Zero/No Limit," an outtake from the theatrical release.

The DVD will also include a 45-minute documentary, "The Concert for Bangladesh Revisited 2005," which features interviews with Bob Geldof and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.

Artist royalties from the sale of the "Bangladesh" DVD will be donated to UNICEF.

Here is the track list for "The Concert for Bangladesh":

"Bangla Dhun"
"Wah-Wah"
"My Sweet Lord"
"Awaiting on You All"
"That's the Way God Planned It"
"It Don't Come Easy"
"Beware of Darkness"
Band Introduction
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
"Jumpin' Jack Flash"
"Youngblood"
"Here Comes the Sun"
"A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall"
"It Takes a Lot To Laugh, It Takes a Train To Cry"
"Blowin' in the Wind"
"Just Like a Woman"
"Something"
"Bangla Desh"

Destiny's Child Rounds Up Hits, New Songs

In addition to a live DVD first reported here last month, the soon-to-split Destiny's Child will say goodbye to fans with the album "#1's," due Oct. 25 via Music World/Columbia. The set will include the new songs "Stand Up for Love" and "Feel the Same Way I Do," plus a Beyoncé/Slim Thug track, "Check on It," which is earmarked for the upcoming "Pink Panther" remake in which Beyoncé co-stars.

"Stand Up for Love" is doubling as the anthem for the 2005 World Children's Day (Nov. 20), a worldwide fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities and local children's organizations. The track will be released Tuesday (Sept. 27) as a seven-inch vinyl single.

It is unknown what criteria the label used in determining a "number one," as some of these tracks did not reach the top of any Billboard chart. The only No. 1 hits on Billboard's Hot 100 are "Independent Women Part 1," "Say My Name," "Bootylicious" and "Bills, Bills, Bills," while "No, No, No Part 2" reached the top of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

With Destiny's Child winding down, its members are already preparing new projects. Before the end of the year, Beyoncé will begin filming a new movie, "Dreamgirls," which co-stars Jamie Foxx and will be written and directed by Bill Condon ("Gods and Monsters," "Kinsey").

"Each artist goes through the next step in their career, and the soundtrack is the first joint venture Beyoncé has with her own label," her father/manager Matthew Knowles tells Billboard.com. Beyoncé's next solo album is pegged to arrive in fall 2006.

As for Michelle Williams' next album, Knowles says, "Don't be surprised if she comes out with an R&B record," as opposed to the gospel-leaning material found on her first two solo releases.

As previously reported, Kelly Rowland is featured on the new Trina single "Here We Go," a pairing "that will surprise a lot of folks," Knowles says. Rowland is also at work on a new solo effort.

Here is the track list for "#1's":

"Stand Up for Love"
"Independent Women Part 1"
"Survivor"
"Soldier"
"Check on It" (Beyoncé featuring Slim Thug)
"Jumpin', Jumpin'"
"Lose My Breath"
"Say My Name"
"Emotion"
"Bug a Boo"
"Bootylicious"
"Bills, Bills, Bills"
"Girl"
"No, No, No Part 2"
"Cater 2 U"
"Feel the Same Way I Do"

Keys Nearly Had Bruce, Keef For 'Unplugged'

Alicia Keys' "Unplugged" CD/DVD (due Oct. 11 via J) has no shortage of special guests, including Common, Mos Def, Damian Marley and Maroon 5's Adam Levine. But the project nearly got a major lift from rock legends Bruce Springsteen and Keith Richards, who had to back out at the last minute.

"I was going to cry," Keys tells Billboard.com with a laugh. "Bruce and I were going to do 'New York City Serenade' but the schedule just conflicted. And with Keith, the day the show taped was the day the Stones started rehearsal for their tour. But it was really lovely to reach out to people I admire and for them to be so down to do it."

"Unplugged" premieres tonight (Sept. 23) on MTV. On the show, Keys uses the opportunity to premiere a new song, "Unbreakable," which was originally intended to appear on her 2003 studio album, "The Diary of Alicia Keys." It is the top debut at No. 61 this week on the Billboard Hot 100.

"We set the crowd up and the vibe was just perfect, and then I walked over to my piano and I asked them if they wanted to hear something new, and they just went crazy," Keys enthuses. "It was so great to perform that song there for the first time."

Although she concedes she may "do a couple of spontaneous, small, 'Unplugged'-style things" in the near future, she has no plans to tour for a while. Instead, Keys will move directly into working on her first feature film, "Smoking Aces," which begins shooting Nov. 3 and will wrap Dec. 20.

She is also still planning to star in a biopic about biracial child piano prodigy Philippa Schuyler, which she says is "still in development. That one we should have the script for by the holidays and we'll take it from there."

By early next year, Keys says she'll be ready to get serious on her third studio album. Asked if she was already working on any new material, she replies, "Oh, there's been a lot of things springing forth from me. I have this new direction I'm feeling I will go in for the next album. I've been playing around, experimenting and vibing on different styles. I have about four or five songs I've been working with but I'm constantly writing all the time."

Carell Kicks Off 'SNL' Season

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) The increasingly ubiquitous Steve Carell has been tapped to host "Saturday Night Live" when NBC's venerable late-night show begins its 31st season next week.

Carell, star of "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" and NBC's "The Office," will take his first turn as host of the show on Saturday, Oct. 1. He'll be joined by musical guest Kanye West, whose last live appearance on NBC caused some controversy. Appearing on NBC's Hurricane Katrina benefit Sept. 2, West harshly criticized media coverage of New Orleans' African-American community and ended his remarks by proclaiming that "George Bush doesn't care about black people."

Although Carell has never appeared on the "SNL" stage before, he has contributed to the show in the past. He and fellow "Daily Show" alum Stephen Colbert provided the voices of Ace and Gary, "The Ambiguously Gay Duo," in a series of animated shorts on the show a few years back.

"Napoleon Dynamite" and "Just Like Heaven" star Jon Heder is set to host on Oct. 8, while Catherine Zeta-Jones and Franz Ferdinand will headline the Oct. 22 show. Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong takes the hosting reins Oct. 29, with his fiancee, Sheryl Crow, performing as the musical guest.

"Saturday Night Live" has also added two featured players to its cast this season, Bill Hader and Andy Samberg. Hader previously worked as a "field agent" on MTV's "Punk'd" and performed at Second City Los Angeles. Samberg has worked on shows for web-based TV network Channel101.com and written for the MTV Movie Awards.

Review: Atari Brings Back Bygone Era

SAN FRANCISCO - Some sobering news for anyone who has recently crested 40: Everything you grew up with is now officially retro. Clothes, music, hair styles — even video games.

Long before "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas," there was "Pong," a simple video game from Nolan Bushnell and the folks at the original Atari Inc. Two paddles, one ball and no Hot Coffee mod to unlock hidden sex scenes. THAT was gaming.

The Atari brand has traded hands in the years since "Pong" hit the scene, but the new owners are still milking some mileage out of this game and 39 others with Atari Flashback 2. This $30 device offers a fun and affordable glimpse into the gaming's past — one that, for better and worse, looks nothing like the present.

The console itself looks like a scaled-down version of an old Atari 2600, with faux wood paneling and other dated details. There are no cartridges to plug in, as technology advances have made it easy to stuff all of the games onto a small chip inside. And the controllers are exactly like the Atari 2600 joysticks of yore.

The unit connects to your home television through common audio and video RCA inputs. Many sets have these connections on the front, which is a bonus with this console because I found the cables that come with it a bit short.

Among the 40 titles are classics like "Centipede," "Asteroids," "Missile Command," "Yar's Revenge" and "Pitfall." Some are licensed from Activision Inc., which made games for the 2600, but most are original Atari gems.

How do these titles hold up in the face of today's video games with highly detailed graphics, Dolby Digital sound and online connectivity? As well as could be expected of large primary-colored blocks jumping around the screen.

But there is magic in the way those blocks moved. Hours of magic.

Games like "Missile Command" have the type of player interaction that remains viable in plot and movement. My mind was thrust back decades as I began to protect the cities closest to my ammunition bunker, keeping an eye peeled for smart bombs, those little blinking diamonds that fell from the sky and tried to evade my explosions.

And "Millipede," a sequel to the popular "Centipede" title, was a blast. I was racking up extra lives on only my second attempt as I weaved past that infernal spider that crept from the corners seeking to squash me.

The action games held up well, but adventure games like "Haunted House" and "Wizard" were mostly duds and offered little real suspense.

Seriously. How scary can a blinking green square be anyway?

The sounds produced by these games are rudimentary at best. Even my cell phone makes more intricate tones.

Nonetheless, lots of people simply refuse to let go of retro-gaming.

Consider that many who long for old quarter-gobbling arcade games like "Joust," "Defender" and "Crystal Castle" have gravitated to free software called MAME, short for Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator. MAME can run the original ROMs from hundreds of arcade game machines. And those ROMs are also readily available online.

The legality of using MAME to play ROMs you don't actually own is up for debate. But an enthusiastic online community is keeping the old titles alive, and there's no debating the lure of a pixelated pastime that helped define a generation.

Atari has done a nice job of legally giving us another look at these early games, long after the consoles themselves have been relegated to the dust bin.

Pitt, Jolie get busy at Edm. mall

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's visit to West Edmonton Mall yesterday afternoon was full of surprises, with eyewitnesses saying Jolie's adopted son called Pitt "daddy," and the Hollywood superstars were seen naughtily necking.

"It was pretty sexy," said Rosemary Austen, in town from Mayerthorpe.

Pitt and Jolie were in an arcade in Galaxyland at the time, flanked by security. Eager onlookers were snapping photos, some pushed back by bodyguards.

And the kiss, in a darkened corner of the arcade, wasn't a peck, Austen said. "It was full on. They were necking."

Austen knew a picture of the two kissing could fetch a fortune.

Security had already cautioned onlookers they'd be banned from the mall if they took a picture, or tried to touch one of the celebs.

Austen couldn't bring herself to shoot the smooching stars, but did get some pics of the couple walking through the mall and driving away.

"It's really disappointing. It wasn't for lack of trying," said Austen, who'd bought a copy of the National Enquirer to see how much her photos might fetch.

Pitt had been playing pinball with Jolie's adopted son Maddox, 4.

Eyewitnesses said Pitt crouched and Maddox stood on his leg to play High Roller Casino.

The Cambodian-born boy was having a heck of a time, said witnesses, as he played with 'papa' Pitt in the Galaxy Kids Play Court.

That's when it happened, said Sarah Gardener, who works at a radio station in the mall.

Gardener swore she heard little Maddox ask Pitt, "Daddy, can we go on that ride?"

"It just basically looked like a family at an amusement park," said Gardener's co-worker Gennelle Rottare.

"I'm still shaking. I can't believe it. If I was pinched right now, then it would be real."

Jolie was carrying Zahara, adopted this summer from Ethiopia, in a blue baby carrier. Jolie was in New York the night before, opening her film Peace One Day.

Pitt has been in Edmonton filming his new movie, The Assassination of Jesse James.

Pitt and Jolie arrived at the mall around 1 p.m. and were out the door before 4 p.m. Pitt drove the family off in a silver SUV.

Misty Wilson found the couple at a west-end Taco Bell drive-thru. Pitt was driving, Jolie at his side.

"We drove in behind just for a giggle," Wilson said.

The man working the window didn't know whom he'd just served, said Wilson, or what he'd ordered.

Two women approached Jolie's side of the SUV while they waited. "She was lovely to these ladies. It looked like she handed them an autograph."

The couple was then spotted heading west. It's believed Pitt's been staying near Devon.

NHL launches new campaign ahead of new season

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Stung by a yearlong lockout that was resolved in July, the National Hockey League, its players and media partners presented a united front Wednesday night in advance of the game's return early next month.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, a handful of players, along with representatives from NHL, Comcast and OLN (Outdoor Life Network), XM Satellite Radio and others attended an event at the Museum of Television & Radio to show off the league's new campaign and to talk up how hockey had changed. In the past several months, the NHL settled its labor dispute, embarked on a new contract with the players union, made some key rules changes and left its longtime cable home ESPN for a new start on Comcast's OLN.

The NHL's message: It's a whole new game.

"This is about our fans. This is about renewal," Bettman said. "This is about moving forward, about making the game the best it's ever been."

To help draw the fans back and highlight hockey's message, the NHL chose movie marketing company Conductor, a Los Angeles-based firm that has been responsible for a number of movie ad campaigns like "Spider-Man." The ads, known collectively as "My NHL," highlight the cinematic and dramatic qualities of hockey as well as the players, the battle on the ice and the fans who are passionate about the sport.

The campaign, which begins running this month, includes 30-second spots that are league- and team-specific, as well as in both French and English. The tell the story of hockey through five vignettes, including the first shown to press and business partners Wednesday night. It shows a goalie suiting up for a game with the help of a woman who tells him it's time to go on the ice and ends with the player heading off to the rink.

Horne said that hockey had talked to fans in its one-year layoff and they found out a number of things that were incorporated into the campaign.

"They wanted to get closer to the game. ... They said, 'Make it my NHL,"' Horne said.

The campaign is directed by Samuel Bayer, who won an MTV Video Music Award this month for Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams."

OLN's cable rights deal includes 58 regular-season games on Mondays and Tuesdays along with the All-Star Game beginning in 2007 and a number of playoff games. The first telecast will be the New York Rangers-Philadelphia Flyers game October 5, the first day of the new season. NBC, another new hockey partner that wasn't able to start its rights deal on time last year because of the cancellation of the season, begins its hockey telecasts January 14.

Colleges offer legit downloads

WASHINGTON (Hollywood Reporter) - More than half a million students at nearly 70 colleges and universities now have access to legitimate music download services, according to a report given to Congress on Wednesday by a joint entertainment industry-university task force.

While the report's authors say there has been "considerable progress" in the attempts by universities and copyright holders to reign in copyright piracy on campuses nationwide, it also shows how far the higher education institutions have to go.

According to the report by the Joint Committee of the Higher Education and Entertainment Communities, 670,000 students can get access to legitimate services through their universities and colleges. By contrast, the Chronicle of Higher Education estimates that there are more than 17 million college students enrolled across the nation.

Despite the relatively few students who have access to legitimate file-sharing services, the report's underwriters said the number of students who now have a legitimate alternative is impressive because there were no alternatives just a few years ago.

"Universities have made impressive progress in combating piracy of music and movies through educational efforts, technical controls, and the adoption of legitimate online services," said Pennsylvania State University president Graham Spanier, the committee's co-chairman. "At the same time, we in higher education must expand the reach of our efforts and must continue to be vigilant."

The committee, composed of entertainment and higher education leaders, was formed in 2002 as a way to help combat copyright piracy on campuses nationwide. University students, who have access to their institutions' high-speed Internet networks, are often the most likely to illegally download music and movies.

The committee admitted that it was unable to determine how many of the students who now have access to legal services actually use them. Penn State spokesman Tysen Kendig said 30,000 of the university's 81,000 students had signed up for the service.

Recording Industry Assn. of America president Cary Sherman, the committee's other co-chairman, said the recording industry was encouraged by the progress.

"We are thrilled to see the number of schools offering legitimate services more than triple in the last year, and (we) remain hopeful that these partnerships will continue to flourish," said Sherman, whose group represents the major U.S. record labels. "At the same time, complacency looms as a constant threat to the tremendous progress we have made. As the landscape changes, so must the anti-piracy programs within the university community. There is much promise in the coming years, but our work is far from done."

The report also identified a number of problems that need to be addressed, including student-run file-sharing systems on schools' local area networks as well as the increased use of unauthorized hacks of the legitimate online service iTunes, both of which are emerging as significant problems.

The release of the report comes a day before entertainment industry officials and university leaders are scheduled to testify before Congress on campus file-sharing problems.

Sin City - The Real One - Is Coming!

The Frank Miller's Sin City: Recut & Extended Edition is due on December 13th.

This extended edition of the film will include expanded versions of each of the film's four individual segments (Customer Is Always Right, The Hard Good-bye, Big Fat Kill and That Yellow Bastard) split out into short films on their own, each with their own title cards.

You'll be able to watch them each separately, or in any order you like.

U.S. frontier saga replaces Trudeau miniseries

TORONTO (CP) - Pierre Trudeau was supposed to be doing battle with Maurice Duplessis again this weekend.

Instead, CBC-TV will be telling the story of the settling of the American frontier. Such is the fate of Canadian content in this, Week Six of the public broadcaster's lockout of its 5,500 unionized employees. A fall slate heavy with Canadian programming has been shelved by the network until the labour dispute ends and there's time to properly promote the fare.

Trudeau: The Making of a Maverick - a two-part prequel to the earlier CBC miniseries - delves into the former prime minister's earlier political life in Quebec and had been scheduled to air this Sunday and Monday night.

But instead, the CBC has imported as substitute filler Into the West, a sprawling, 12-hour multi-generational tale about the opening of the American wilderness and the impact it had on the Plains Indians. Produced by Steven Spielberg and Ted Turner, the series was filmed partially in Alberta.

"It's a replacement schedule," concedes CBC spokesman Jason MacDonald. "It's not going to replace a lot of the things we had planned, like the Trudeau miniseries. I think that just underlines the reason why we need to get back to doing what we normally do."

The replacement schedule for September and October is also top-heavy with documentaries that are pinch-hitting for the dramas and comedy viewers had been promised. Sex Slaves, a searing documentary on the international flesh trade, recently drew 479,000 viewers - a figure MacDonald says was "above expectations," given the situation.

The main sticking point at the contract negotiations remains management's wish to have more flexibility in the hiring of casual and contract workers, something the Canadian Media Guild sees as a blatant threat to job security. An agreement was reported Wednesday on language pertaining to the issue of contracting out, although the union stresses the contracting out of services, while important, is not the same thing as hiring employees on contract.

That agreement leaves five more key issues unsettled.

And whether Wednesday's declaration of support by the CBC board of directors for president and CEO Robert Rabinovitch's lockout strategy will hasten or prolong a settlement remains to be seen.

Public sentiment, meanwhile, seems divided between those who dearly miss their daily CBC fix and those who insist the network is a waste of taxpayers' dollars, and that private broadcasters could fill the bill.

Regina writer Sandra Birdsell, for example, says she really misses her CBC and that it's part of her life.

"I can't imagine not being able to listen to CBC Radio," she said, calling the public broadcaster "our lifeline to the rest of this country."

Hundreds of people packed a Toronto concert hall Wednesday night for a free benefit show and hear speaker after speaker deliver the same message: bring back the CBC.

Speeches and performances by the likes of former prime minister Joe Clark and writers Alice Munro and June Callwood urged an immediate end to the lockout.

"We need (the CBC) and we are gathered here because the custodians of that institution - on both sides of the dispute - may need reminding how much damage is being done," Clark said.

In Sydney, N.S., locked-out employees were joined by a crowd of enthusiastic supporters at a downtown march and rally.

Listeners, politicians and many of the 25 local CBC Cape Breton radio and television employees marched along the city's main street where the crowd swelled to about 100.

When Parliament resumes next week, Conservative MP Bev Oda wants the CBC called before the heritage committee to explain the lockout's impact on programming and budgets. She says she understands and sympathizes with both sides.

"It's not an easy thing to go through," Oda says. "There are impacts not only on the employees but their families, et cetera. But the faster we can get this over, the sooner we can get on with the business at hand."

The locked-out workers have proven to be masters at public relations with their podcasts, newsletters, websites, rallies and concerts.

But MacDonald says such pro-union stunts just serve to distract from the issue.

"And the more distractions, the more attention paid to those kind of things, you run the risk of only prolonging the time it takes to get a deal."

Meanwhile, radio personality Shelagh Rogers and a couple of producers have been traversing the country in a minivan in a project called Caravan Unlocked, in which Rogers has been meeting both the public and CBC pickets. She arrived in Toronto this week fresh from crossing the Prairies and insists the spirit is "pretty darn good" among employees.

"But patience is wearing thin and of course the longer this goes on, there's more anger and more of a sour feeling," says Rogers, who concedes that even if both sides kiss and make up now it will be a long time before it's business as usual.

"I think locking the people out was a brutal thing to do," she says. "It was a shock. It felt like being dumped by your first boyfriend. You never forget."

Emmys Carson tribute: Where was Leno?

It was surprising enough to see David Letterman at the Emmys, making a rare awards show appearance a decade after his Uma-Oprah debacle at the Oscars. It was even more surprising to see Dave totally serious and stiff for the Johnny Carson tribute that had brought him to speak at the Shrine Auditorium.

But most surprising was the apparent acknowledgement by everyone (not just Jon Stewart), that it's Letterman, not Jay Leno, who's Carson's true heir. After all, Leno didn't speak at the tribute or appear in the clip montage, nor was his name mentioned. (When his name did come up, as a nominee for Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program, the hall was strangely silent.)

Asked by Entertainment Weekly about Leno's absence from the tribute, Emmy producer Ken Ehrlich declined to comment, but a Tonight Show publicist told the magazine that the talk-show host was never asked to appear in the segment in the first place.

You can read the full story in the Emmy wrap-up in the new issue of Entertainment Weekly that comes out Friday.

FOX Resets '24' Clock for Mid-January

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) FOX is moving the fifth-season premiere of "24" back one week in January, hoping to take advantage of an NFL lead-in to give the show a ratings bump.

Originally scheduled to open Sunday, Jan. 8, the show will now begin its fifth year on Jan. 15. As it did last season, FOX is making a two-night event of the season's beginning, offering up back-to-back episodes on Jan. 15 and 16. The series will settle into its regular time at 9 p.m. ET Jan. 23.

The miniseries-like premiere paid dividends for "24" last season, scoring some of the show's biggest audiences ever and building momentum that translated into its most-watched season. FOX's strategy of running the season without repeats, which it will do again in 2006, helped as well.

Last season's premiere was helped by having a National Football League playoff game as its lead-in in much of the country, and the NFL schedule played a role in this year's scheduling as well. FOX only recently learned that it would have the late-afternoon playoff game on Jan. 15, a network spokesman says, and made the move in hopes of duplicating the success of last year's opener.
Pushing the show back a week also means FOX will have to air a two-hour block of episodes at some point in the season to keep the finale from airing after May sweeps end. That bit of scheduling has yet to be finalized.

Season five of "24" will pick up 18 months after last season's end, with the presumed-dead Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) living under a false identity with a woman (Connie Britton, "Spin City") and her son (Brady Corbet). Carlos Bernard, Mary Lynn Rajskub, James Morrison, Kim Raver, Roger Cross and Louis Lombardi will reprise their roles from last season, while Jean Smart ("Center of the Universe") and Sean Astin ("The Lord of the Rings") are joining the cast.

Garbage Embarking On 'Indefinite Break'

Rock act Garbage will take "an indefinite break" after its Australian tour ends Oct. 1 in Perth. "We're taking a hiatus -- I don't know if we're calling it a day," singer Shirley Manson told the Melbourne Herald Sun. A group spokesperson had no comment on the developments.

Rumors have been circulating that things were not right in the Garbage camp after the band cancelled European dates scheduled after the Australian tour.

Band members admitted Garbage almost broke up during the making of its latest album, "Bleed Like Me," but later insisted they were thrilled with the finished product. "Because we were on the verge of losing it all, we made the album of our career," drummer Butch Vig told Billboard. "We feel completely rejuvenated."

The set debuted in April at a career-best No. 4 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 245,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It spawned the band's first top 10 Modern Rock hit since 1998 with "Why Do You Love Me," which reached No. 8.

"We've not stopped for 10 years," Manson told the newspaper. "We always swore if it wasn't 100% fun, we'd stop it."

New Nirvana Compilation On The Way

Just in time for the holidays, DGC has set a Nov. 1 release date for a new Nirvana compilation. "Sliver: The Best of the Box" rounds up highlights from the last year's boxed set "With the Lights Out" and will also feature three previously unreleased tracks, details of which have yet to be revealed.

"With the Lights Out" was a quick hit, debuting at No. 19 on The Billboard 200. It was the biggest sales week for a boxed set since Garth Brooks' "The Limited Series" in 1998 and has shifted 429,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The box was originally intended for release in Christmas 2001, to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of Nirvana's breakthrough album, "Nevermind." But surviving members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl were thwarted by lawsuits from Kurt Cobain's widow Courtney Love, who objected to their planned use of the previously "You Know You're Right" in the set.

The dispute was eventually settled in September 2002, with the parties agreeing to earmark "You Know You're Right" for a self-titled Nirvana compilation released the following month.

'Desperate Housewives' Opens New Season

NEW YORK - With the return of "Desperate Housewives," scads of pressing questions will be answered. Or at least addressed. Or something. Please!

Ever since the hit ABC series wrapped its first season, fans have been marking time, itching to learn what lies ahead for Bree (Marcia Cross) whose husband Rex up and died on the finale.

Will the grieving widow have to defend herself against accusations by Rex's doctor that she — at one point a vengeful, cheated-on wife — is somehow responsible for his death? And what about George, Bree's creepy suitor? Can there be any doubt that this Bree-obsessed pharmacist tampered with Rex's medicine? When will the murderous scheme come to light?

But that's not all the show left hanging four long months ago.

Mike — the hunky plumber who dates Susan ( Teri Hatcher) — was last seen walking into an ambush by unhinged teenager Zach, who was holding Susan at gunpoint while holed up in Mike's house. How will Mike save the day?

Oh, and by the way, how is Zach gonna take the news that he's really Mike's son?

These and other matters will be dealt with (hope, hope!) in the season premiere airing 9 p.m. EDT Sunday, as "Desperate Housewives" resumes the narrative juggling act that made this mystery/melodrama/boudoir comedy last year's most popular new show.

It joins no fewer than a dozen new dramas that take a similarly serial approach to their storytelling — and whose arrival on the schedule "Desperate Housewives" surely helped inspire.

By now you already know that Lynette (just-crowned Emmy winner Felicity Huffman) is going back to work and leaving her hubby to play Mr. Mom. Gabrielle ( Eva Longoria) is expecting a child — maybe her husband's, maybe not — as her husband heads to jail. Susan's ex will get it on with Edie ( Nicollette Sheridan). And Betty (new cast member Alfre Woodard) settles in with Some Sort of Secret only her teenage son shares.

In short, complications run wild on Wisteria Lane, where each answer seems to breed only yet another question.

Same for ABC's "Lost," which returned Wednesday with precious morsels of new info about that confounded hole as well as other issues challenging the island castaways — but left the audience panting for next week's handout.

Such are the unrequited appetites of viewers in this age of continuing story lines.

You recall how it began. In a major change from the self-contained episodes of most weekly dramas, prime-time borrowed the serial model of daytime soap operas a quarter-century ago for "Dallas," whose "Who Shot J.R.?" cliffhanger spurred a guessing game that consumed the whole nation.

Then, in 1980, the police drama "Hill Street Blues" took the complex structure of the soap opera world and married it with narratives of equal complexity. This kind of multithreaded drama caught on big, and only grew bigger as shows like "St. Elsewhere" and "thirtysomething" paved the way for today's "The West Wing," "24," "Alias" and "The Sopranos."

On Fox's new "Reunion" this season, six high school friends will age 20 years — one year per week — while a murder mystery enfolds them. And the same network's "Prison Break" will take viewers step by exhaustive step as a man lands himself in jail to bust out his brother, who is due to be executed in just 30 days.

On ABC's "Invasion," alien body snatchers descend upon a small Florida town (will they take over the world?). On CBS' "Threshold," aliens try to rejigger the DNA of the human race for their own peculiar purpose (will they take over the world?). On NBC's "Surface," strange sea creatures bob up all over the place (will they take over the world?).

You know the drill for the audience: that oh-so-gradual accretion of facts, those buried references to dislodge, the grand revelations booby-trapped with red herrings. There's always more to learn and you resolve, over time, to master it. Who can resist the potential payoff? After all, you build equity from your investment watching "Lost" in a way that close-ended hours of "Law & Order" or "CSI" could never provide.

Besides, serial TV might even boost your brain power.

Television is "demanding more cognitive engagement with each passing year," Steven Johnson writes in his recent book, "Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Popular Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter."

"Think of it," he proposes, "as a kind of positive brainwashing — the popular media steadily, but almost imperceptibly, making our minds sharper, as we soak in entertainment usually dismissed as so much lowbrow fluff."

But as you soak, you sometimes stew. That's the mixed blessing of serial TV. Fans of shows like "Lost" know all too well how there's an escalating burden, along with the reward, involved with keeping up. Hurley's lottery numbers! That toy plane of Kate's! How much minutiae can any viewer process?

And what about the ladies of Wisteria Lane, romancing and seducing, then withholding from the audience? Must every fact be so hard-won by the viewer? Must these "Desperate Housewives" be such a tease?

'Lost' Premiere Raises More Mystery

******THIS STORY CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!***********

HONOLULU - "Lost" capped its thrilling first season with island adversaries Jack and Locke peering down an eerie shaft sunk deep into the earth. For fans who waited all summer for answers, the wait may be over — but the questions are just beginning.

In Wednesday night's second-season premiere of the Hawaii-filmed castaway drama, Jack, Locke and Kate separately descended into the shaft after blowing the metal hatch.

Keeping with "Lost" tradition, what lies beneath was as perplexing as it was revealing — electricity, plumbing, a computer room and a man with a thick accent living a subterranean existence. Surprisingly, Jack had met the man before.

The man's intentions weren't divulged in the episode, which ended in a tense scene with him pointing a gun at the head of Locke and ordering Jack to lower his firearm.

Jack didn't know who or what to believe. All he knew is that Kate is missing.

"I think when people watch this show and get to the end of the episode, they're dying to find out what's going to happen next week and they really don't have any idea," said Matthew Fox, who plays Jack, a doctor who has emerged as the unofficial leader of the plane-crash survivors.

Walt, the screaming youngster who was kidnapped at sea by a group of men, made a startling appearance. Shannon stumbled across the boy in the woods after being separated from Sayid.

Walt told Shannon to be quiet — then disappeared upon a second look. When Shannon told the other castaways that she saw Walt, she immediately was met with suspicion.

Was Shannon hallucinating? Was Walt hiding? Or is Walt a ghost?

Those answers will be divulged in later episodes.

As the castaways became separated and their number dwindled during the night, they grew increasingly impatient and distraught. But Jack stepped up his leadership role, becoming the voice of hope.

"We're all going to be safe as long as we stay together," Jack said. "The sun comes up in three hours and we're all going to be here to see that happen."

In an emotional flashback, viewers also saw how Jack met his future wife, Sarah.

Sarah, who's engaged to another man, seriously injured her spine in a car accident and is believed to be paralyzed from the waist down. She told Jack that she wants to "dance at her wedding," and needs his help.

While performing surgery, Jack promised to fix her, which later troubled him. After Jack informed the fiance that Sarah most likely will be paralyzed, the fiance panicked.

"Lost" addicts remain left with many questions. But as Daniel Dae Kim, who plays Korean tough guy Jin, put it:

"Our writers are incredibly smart. I'm sure once they start answering questions for the audience, they'll be asking five more for every one they answer.

"They'll have a lot more to think about."

Nurse sews up 'Big Brother' victory

'Big Brother 6' HouseGuest and Jedi Knight in training, Howie Gordon, said it best. Finalists Maggie Ausburn and Ivette Corredero were indeed "America's last choices" to win the CBS reality show.

Despite being despised by the overwhelming majority of die-hard fans, Maggie Ausburn, the 26-year-old nurse from Las Vegas, took home the $500,000 U.S. grand prize while Ivette, the 25-year-old waitress from Miami, came in second and scored $50,000 U.S. by a vote of four to three on the finale of the series. Fittingly, the self-proclaimed star of the show, Howie, cast the deciding ballot.

Former HouseGuest turned CBS on-air personality Marcellas Reynolds, who has lived with the label of making the biggest strategic mistake in 'Big Brother' history, can most likely rest easy now as that honour probably goes to Ivette for picking Disciples Alliance mate Maggie over her arch-nemesis in the house, Outcasts member Janelle Pierzina, in the final three. Ironically, when the jury cast their votes, Janelle picked Ivette to win.

Ivette, who had claimed over and over again that she was playing for her family, justified her decision by saying she couldn't break her promise to the Disciples because she would lose the jury vote. Some jury members argued Ivette picked a friend she had known for just 80 days over her own family. In reality, Ivette's shabby treatment of jury members April and Rachel, her outspoken nature and her persistent trash talking in the house behind people's backs (which included racist comments about Iraqi-born player Kaysar Ridha), probably cost her the victory more than anything else.

"I have a lot of gifts to buy," Maggie told host Julie Chen as she celebrated her win with friends and family. "I have family to take care of. I have a house to actually put furniture in, taxes to pay and animals to take care of."

The gloomy finale concludes a disappointing 'Big Brother' season devoid of any creativity by the producers who seemed content to rehash twists and happenings from previous seasons. The 'Summer of Secrets' theme failed to live up its hype with the clandestine partners twist being unraveled early on and the supposed secrets of the new 'Big Brother' house amounting to nothing more than a hidden room and puzzles that were for the most part awarded to and not solved by the HouseGuests.

Although the casting of the series was commendable, the gamesmanship itself was the worst of any season thus far with the bumbling players making cardinal mistake after cardinal mistake such as openly discussing strategy with their sworn foes time and time again. Howie's decision to nominate members of his own alliance for eviction, Kaysar surrendering the Head of Household title to Jennifer at the end of a 14-hour endurance challenge and Ivette's final three decision will rightfully go down as the most appalling strategic blunders ever.

The transparent recycling was evident too in a finale that hung its hat on the town hall concept torn right from the pages of 'Survivor'. In front of a live audience full of many past 'Big Brother' contestants, jury members and returning players squared off without the fireworks many might have expected. Fan favourite Kaysar Ridha, who was voted back into the game by the viewing public, did get a chance to confront Jennifer Vasquez over the promise she broke that eventually led to him being booted the same week he returned.

"Jennifer, next time, think for yourself," said Kaysar bluntly.

When asked to if she wanted defend herself by host Julie Chen, Jennifer replied that she did think for herself but that her group (The Disciples Alliance) swayed her decision.

HouseGuest Eric Littmann, whose eviction was orchestrated by Kaysar, weighed in with his two cents.

"He did the same exact thing to me but I guess the same medicine doesn't taste the same," he said.

Maggie is scheduled to be appear on the House Calls, the 'Big Brother' Internet talk show hosted by Gretchen Massey and Marcellas Reynolds on CBS.com on Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Final 'Big Brother 6' Jury Vote

Beau: Ivette.

April: Maggie.

James: Ivette.

Rachel: Maggie.

Janelle: Ivette.

Jennifer: Maggie.

Howie: Maggie.

Canada's next Oscar entry is C.R.A.Z.Y.

C.R.A.Z.Y. has been chosen to represent Canada at the 78th annual Academy Awards in the category of best foreign language film.

The Quebec film recently won the best Canadian feature award at the Toronto International Film Festival.

C.R.A.Z.Y. is Jean-Marc Vallée's homage to the pop culture-saturated middle class of the 1970s. Variety.com's Jay Weissberg called it a "bouncy coming-of-age tale that coasts along on a terrific soundtrack and a spot-on feel for period detail."

Oscar nominations will be announced in Hollywood Jan. 31. Last year, 50 countries competed for a coveted nomination.

The Academy Awards will be handed out March 5.

The decision to go with C.R.A.Z.Y. was announced by Telefilm. It chairs a committee of Canadian film industry delegates that considered 12 eligible films.

In 2004, Denys Arcand's The Barbarian Invasions won the foreign language film prize.

'Rock Star: INXS' Claims Its Fortune

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) In 1997, when news spread that INXS frontman Michael Hutchence had died, J.D. Fortune was hanging out with friends in a pool hall.

"They were playing 'Elegantly Wasted' and they had video monitors up," the 32-year-old Canadian recalls. "It was sort of like an empty feeling; it was totally a vacuum of, 'Oh, wow, what's going to happen to the band?'"

The singer found out on Tuesday (Sept. 20) when he beat 14 other contestants and was invited by the Australian group to join their band. Before embarking on CBS' televised "Rock Star: INXS" search, the surviving members -- brothers Andrew, Jon and Tim Ferris, Garry Beers and Kirk Pengilly -- had availed themselves of Terence Trent D'Arby, Suze DeMarchi, Jimmy Barnes and Jon Stevens' services in the intervening years.

Not that Fortune was a sure thing.

"Oh, I've had doubts throughout the whole thing," he laughs. "My personal life and who I am as a person was flashed across a TV screen for two-and-a-half months, so there's no flies on me. Everybody knows who I am, and what I'm like, and what I stand for."

This includes an incident early on where he asserted that unlike the others who were just learning INXS' catalog of songs he already knew them because he loves them, a couple of cases of unpreparedness and a not particularly well-received performance of "Suspicious Minds" from the former Elvis impersonator.

"At that point it was totally about just doing the task at hand and letting the chips fall where they may," Fortune says. "It wasn't about trying to impress INXS; it was just about trying to get my shit together."

Dave Navarro, who was one of the show's hosts and often served as a conduit between the band and contestants, was often the person to question Fortune's choices.

"I support anything INXS chooses to do with their career," says the guitarist who has played with Jane's Addiction and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, about the show's outcome. "J.D.'s got something that's very charismatic and he's obviously a talented vocalist.

"I'm personally very excited to see Marty [Casey] move on because I think he's a dynamic performer."

A consistently strong contestant with a great capacity for absorbing and incorporating INXS' feedback into his performances, Casey entered the finale a fan favorite who had only been in the Bottom Three once. He also distinguished himself by being one of the most gracious runner-ups in reality show history -- smiling broadly and enthusiastically enjoying the mini-concert the new INXS threw immediately following the finale.

"I just wanted J.D.'s moment to not be anything about my sadness," Casey says. "I didn't want to be down. It was a great moment in his life, so I wanted to respect that moment and give him his spot in the sun."

Will Emmy wins ignite 'Lost'?

Maybe the hatch contains shelf space for an Emmy.

The contents of the mysterious hatch and other puzzles are back for viewers to ponder when ABC's Lost returns Wedensday (recap special, 8 ET/PT, followed by second season premiere at 9). But a new, non-life-threatening question has arisen: Will Sunday's Emmy win for best dramatic series — or other developments, such as a hot-selling DVD — boost ratings for last season's No. 14 show?

The Emmy could help the drama, which follows the lives of plane crash survivors on a spooky island, but it's hard to gauge, ABC entertainment chief Steve McPherson says. Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams also won an Emmy for directing the two-hour pilot.

"I think it's great, especially the timing, with it coming back this week," McPherson says. "There's a portion of the audience that maybe saw it a few times but wasn't dedicated to it that might come back ... or there's a new audience that heard about the show pop-culture-wise, and now that it has the Emmy stamp of approval, may give it a shot."

But "the proof will be in the performance," he says. "In the end, the show is the measure."

The Emmy award for best drama or comedy is a big source of pride for a program and its network, but it traditionally hasn't meant a big boost in ratings, especially for a show that already is drawing a large audience, such as Lost, says David Bushman, television curator at the Museum of Television & Radio. "I don't think it's ever had the reputation of the Tony Awards, where you get extended life out of a Broadway show, or the Academy Awards," he says, where a win can mean a bounce at the box office.

He says an Emmy may help a high-quality but ratings-challenged show stave off cancellation. But it doesn't guarantee success: In fact, Fox's critically acclaimed Arrested Development lost viewers after winning last year's Emmy for best comedy.

Other factors may play a greater role if Lost's audience grows from last season's average of just under 16 million viewers:

• The DVD release of Lost's first season Sept. 6 could attract new viewers. Another serialized drama, Fox's 24, benefited from DVD sales. Lost: The Complete First Season (Buena Vista, $59.99) performed impressively in its first week, selling nearly 400,000 copies, according to Home Media Research estimates.

• The series is moving an hour later, to 9 p.m. ET/PT, when more households have their televisions on and more adults are available to watch. The earlier time slot also can cost a program viewers after daylight-saving time takes effect in the spring.

Tonight's first hour, Destination Lost, will give new and returning viewers a refresher course on the back stories of the survivors of Oceanic Air Flight 815 and the island's mysteries, narrated in a linear fashion.

In the second-hour season premiere, one castaway is picked to go into the hatch, while Shannon (Maggie Grace) is shocked by a familiar face in the jungle. Over the course of the season, Jack (Matthew Fox) will mistrust Locke (Terry O'Quinn) even more; Kate's (Evangeline Lilly) earlier life as a fugitive will be explored; and Charlie will grow closer to Claire (Emilie de Ravin) and her baby. Michelle Rodriguez joins the cast as another flight survivor, as does Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as an island resident.

Last season's cliffhangers — including the contents of the hatch and the fates of the raft riders — should help attract a large audience, says Shari Anne Brill of media buyer Carat USA. That can cut both ways, however. Some viewers and TV critics claimed Lost's finale didn't answer enough questions. "The cliffhangers left people wanting more," Brill says. "There are going to have to be some answers." Producers promise there will be.

Slow Start for 'Simpsons' Movie

Despite having announced months ago that a Simpsons movie had been greenlit, the film's producer has indicated that the movie is still in development. David Mirkin, who also produces the TV series, told today's (Tuesday) Houston Chronicle that no release date has been set. "It's all about the quality -- the writing -- which we're working on now. We are very quality conscious, and we don't want the series to suffer because of the movie." Mirkin did indicate that the crude animation of the TV show will be enhanced for the movie. He said, "We're looking at various tests to get the right look. We're taking it into the realm of cinema but not too far from how it looks on the show."

McCready Blames OD on Pregnancy

Mindy McCready's sad-as-country-ballad life has taken another dramatic turn.

The 29-year-old Nashville songbird appeared in a Franklin, Tennessee, court on Monday and dropped a bombshell: She tried to commit suicide earlier this summer because she found out she was pregnant.

McCready was in court to explain a string of behavior that left her in the hospital and then in jail, and to appeal the terms of her bail.

The "Guys Do It All the Time" singer was arrested in Florida after officials in Williamson County, Tennessee, issued a warrant for her arrest. According to the warrant, McCready left the state without permission and failed to contact her probation officer during the month of July.

McCready said she went to Florida to be with her family after months of trouble.

Her downward spiral began a year ago, when she was charged fraudulently obtaining the painkiller OxyContin.

McCready, who claimed she was trying to score the pills for a friend, eventually pleaded guilty and was slapped with a $4,000 fine, sentenced to three years of supervised probation and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.

On May 6, the former Nashville darling was stopped for speeding and wound up being charged with drunken driving and driving with a suspended license, which earned her first probation violation.

Two days after her DUI arrest, McCready was beaten and almost choked to death by her on-again, off-again boyfriend, William McKnight, 38, who allegedly ambushed the singer in her home. He was later charged with attempted murder as a result of the altercation.

Within a month, she was charged in Arizona on counts including unlawful use of transportation, unlawful imprisonment and hindering prosecution stemming from an incident involving a stolen pickup truck. The charges, she claimed, were a result of mistaken identity.

By the end of June, she learned she was with child and that's when she took off to the Sunshine State. "I attempted to commit suicide after I found out," she told Judge Jeff Bivins, per the Nashville Tennessean. "I had just been through a horrible ordeal."

No word on the identity of the father, but McKnight was in Florida at the time of her suicide attempt. He told police the couple had reconciled and handed over her suicide note.

McCready spent several days hospitalized recovering from an overdose of pills. Her doctor asked her to enroll in a monthlong after-care program, further delaying her return to Tennessee.

But she was tracked down, arrested and jailed on Aug. 26. She was transferred to a Tennessee lockup a week later and was allowed out on $50,000 bond last Wednesday. Prosecutors said one of the reasons she was permitted to leave jail was because of complications in her pregnancy.

On Monday, McCready tried to persuade Bivins to relax the terms of her bail. But Bivins wouldn't budge and kept the restrictins intact. McCready must stay within 50 miles of Franklin, submit to random drug testing, wear an electronic ankle monitor, meet with a probation officer twice a week and remain in her home between 7 p.m. and 6 a.m.

McCready said the restrictions would prevent her from being a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show next week. Bivins said she could attend the taping as long as she notified her probation officers in advance and returns promplty.

Bivins also ordered her to begin performing community service as agreed to under the terms of her 2004 plea bargain. McCready said she was under the impression she could give a benefit concert to satisfy the requirement, but Bivins said there was no such stiputation in her deal.

She's due back in Williamson County court Nov. 14 to face the probation-violation charges.

The singer has also missed two court dates in Arizona due to her hospitalization and subsequent jailing. A judge has rescheduled her arraignment for Oct. 3, but it's not clear if McCready will be permitted to leave Tennessee.

Mariah Carey Tops AMA Noms

Apparently Mariah Carey and American Music Award nominations belong together.

The R&B diva led the AMA field with four nominations in all, including nods for Best Female Artist and Best Album for The Emancipation of Mimi in both the pop and R&B categories.

The nominations for the 33rd Annual American Music Awards were announced Tuesday during a news conference at the Beverly Hills Hotel. The awards ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 22 at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium and will be broadcast live by ABC. Cedric the Entertainer is slated to host the festivities.

Kelly Clarkson, 50 Cent and Green Day trailed Carey with three nominations apiece.

Clarkson will go head to head against Carey and Gwen Stefani for Best Female Artist in the pop/rock category and will also compete for the Best Album trophy. The American Idol winner is also in the running for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist against John Mayer and Maroon 5.

Fiddy is up for Best Male Artist in both the pop/rock and rap/hip categories. His chart-topping album, The Massacre, was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Album.

Green Day will compete for the Best Band, Duo or Group honor in the pop/rock category against the Black Eyed Peas and 3 Doors Down and for Favorite Artist cred in the alternative category against Coldplay and System of a Down. The band's American Idiot is up for Best Pop/Rock Album.

Other multiple nominees included the Black Eyed Peas, Destiny's Child, Eminem, Fantasia, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw and Gretchen Wilson, who all racked up two nominations apiece.

Nominations are determined on the basis of record sales. A survey of about 20,000 listeners is used to select the winners.

Here's a roundup of the nominees for the 33rd Annual American Music Awards:

POP/ROCK:

Male Artist: 50 Cent, Will Smith, Rob Thomas

Female Artist: Mariah Carey, Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani

Band, Duo or Group: Black Eyed Peas, Green Day, 3 Doors Down

Album: The Emancipation Of Mimi (Mariah Carey), Breakaway (Kelly Clarkson), American Idiot (Green Day)

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES:

Male Artist: R. Kelly, John Legend, Omarion

Female Artist: Mariah Carey, Ciara, Fantasia

Band, Duo or Group: Destiny's Child, 112, Pretty Ricky

Album: The Emancipation Of Mimi (Mariah Carey), Destiny Fulfilled (Destiny's Child), Free Yourself (Fantasia)

COUNTRY:

Male Artist: Kenny Chesney, Toby Keith, Tim McGraw

Female Artist: Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes, Gretchen Wilson

Band, Duo or Group: Big & Rich, Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts

Album: Honkytonk University (Toby Keith), Live Like You Were Dying (Tim McGraw), Here For The Party (Gretchen Wilson)

RAP/HIP-HOP:

Male Artist: Eminem, 50 Cent, Ludacris

Female Artist: Missy Elliott, Lil' Kim, Trina

Band, Duo or Group: Black Eyed Peas, Lil Jon & The Eastside Boyz, Ying Yang Twins

Album: Encore (Eminem), The Massacre, (50 Cent), Urban Legend (T.I.)

ADULT CONTEMPORARY:

Favorite Artist: Kelly Clarkson, Maroon 5, John Mayer

LATIN:

Favorite Artist: Daddy Yankee, Luis Miguel, Shakira

ALTERNATIVE:

Favorite Artist: Coldplay, Green Day, System of a Down

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL:

Favorite Artist: Casting Crowns, Jars of Clay, Mary Mary

BREAKTHROUGH:

New Artist (all genres): The Killers, Jesse McCartney, Sugarland

Foster Flies High at 'Flightplan' Premiere

LOS ANGELES - While most headliners are chronically delayed arriving at their own Hollywood premieres, Jodie Foster landed early to work the red carpet at the unveiling of the thriller "Flightplan."

"It's my job," Foster told AP Television News on Monday night. "I wouldn't not promote my movie and you want to get out there and tell people what it's about and to communicate why you loved it."

"Flightplan," which opens Friday, follows a woman and young daughter who become separated while on an international flight. Was the girl abducted? Did she even exist? No spoilers from Foster, 42, who was glamorous in a black Armani cocktail dress.

One secret was revealed by screenwriter Peter A. Dowling, who said Foster's role was originally intended for a male actor. "(The character) is a very strong woman," Dowling explained. "I think one of the most amazing things about that kind of situation when it starts off, as a man, it has a tendency not be to written as a victim, because a male star doesn't want to be seen as a victim, whereas a lot of these female-driven thrillers ... well it's a woman in peril, that's the way people come at her, so I think it is good that she is a very proactive, strong woman."

Other attendees included co-stars Peter Sarsgaard, Erika Christensen and Sean Bean. Kate Beahan, who has a key role as a flight attendant, said none of the film was shot on a real aircraft, but it felt that way: "When I finished filming and I flew back home to Australia, I really did not want to take that 14-hour flight."

The Couch Potato Report - September 20th

This week The Couch Potato Report is still only doing a summary.

BUT, this is the last week for that! Starting next week the full Couch Potato Report will return!!!

For now though, here are the summaries:

For the MALLRATS 10th ANNIVERSARY EXTENED EDITION Kevin Smith and his staff are striving to give us fans a lot of material with this upgrade, as they did with CLERKS X. Ten years down the road MALLRATS is still a very funny little film. So press play and enjoy it!

THE LONGEST YARD is the 2005 remake of the 1974 film about prison inmates who form a football team to take on the prison;s guards. Adam Sandler stars in this version and so does Burt Reynolds, who was the star of the original. Chris Rock and rapper Nelly also appear.

I must admit that I didn't see THE ADVENTURES OF SHARK BOY AND LAVA GIRL, the latest kids film from director Robert Rodriguez, but I respect his work enough to let you know that it is out.

In the film, according to the synopsis, a young boy helps his superhero friends save world. If you have fans of the SPY KIDS films in your home, this is probably a safe bet.

And if you bet that MIND HUNTERS sucks, you are probably going to win that bet too!

This film about a killer who targets FBI agents that are training on a secluded island is so bad it sat on the shelves in the studio's vault for three years before they finally released it.

But, as we've learned from indigestion problems, sometimes you just have to get it out there so you can feel better.

Well, it is out there, ignore it and feel better!

Oh, by the way, Val Kilmer, Christian Slater and LL Cool J are the stars.

MALLRATS 10th ANNIVERSARY EXTENED EDITION, THE LONGEST YARD - both the 1974 and the remake, and MIND HUNTERS are all available now at a store near you.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report is the return of full reviews, including my comments on:

The hilarious, direct to DVD release of FAMILY GUY PRESENTS STEWIE GRIFFIN: THE UNTOLD STORY and the fun animated film ROBOTS, and more!

I'm Dan Reynish, enjoy whatever you choose to watch and I'll meet you back here next week on The Couch!

Bon Jovi rocks; Streisand rolls

From USA Today online.

This week sees the return of both Bon Jovi and Babs. Jon Bon Jovi and company slap a crooked grin on the grim state of mainstream rock, while Streisand partners up with Barry Gibb for a creamy pop confection.

Pop/rock:

Barbra Streisand, Guilty Pleasures (* * * ½ out of four) Adult-contemporary pop doesn't come smoother or creamier than this collection reuniting the genre's most durable diva with writer/producer/sometime-vocal partner Barry Gibb, her collaborator on 1980's Guilty. Early highlights of the new CD include the lilting duets Come Tomorrow and Above the Law. But stay tuned for Streisand's graceful take on the Bee Gees-composed Andy Gibb hit (Our Love) Don't Throw It All Away and the wistful ballad Letting Go, both ideal showcases for her shimmering, shivery warmth. —Elysa Gardner (Related chat: Talk fall music with Ken Barnes, 1 p.m. ET)

Bon Jovi, Have a Nice Day (* * *) Critics who consider Bruce Springsteen the only favorite son of New Jersey tend to discount the rock 'n' roll heart and heft of Bon Jovi, a band with an undeniable gift for hot-wired hooks and choruses. On its ninth studio album, Bon Jovi's anthemic signature emerges in the bile-stabbed title track, the charging Story of My Life and Last Man Standing, a nod to Bob Dylan. Jon Bon Jovi holds his own on the country-flavored duet with Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles, Who Says You Can't Go Home. Though the pulse drags in Welcome to Wherever You Are and elsewhere, Have a Nice Day has a nice way of slapping a crooked grin on the grim state of mainstream rock. —Edna Gundersen

Rap:

David Banner, Certified (* * *) The Mississippi rapper/producer can get crunk with the best of them. But it is his politically charged anthems about poverty in his home state and elsewhere that are his most potent work. Lost Souls deftly describes living on society's bottom rung, while X-ed speaks for those left behind altogether. My Life gives historical perspective to racial and economic equality. At the same time, Banner unleashes a few club bangers, such as the salacious Play and the delirious On Everything. It's a mix that is certified to both educate and entertain. —Steve Jones

R&B:

Charlie Wilson, Charlie, Last Name Wilson (* * *) Most artists sing the praises of their influences. R. Kelly helps them sing for themselves. Former Gap Band lead singer Wilson, like Ronald Isley before him, takes full advantage of Kelly's writing and studio prowess to do some of his best work in years. His soulful handling of everything from romantic ballads to playa anthems reminds you why Uncle Charlie is one of the hip-hop generation's favorite musical relatives. In addition to Kelly, Wilson gets assists from the likes of Twista, Snoop Dogg, the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am and Justin Timberlake. In a nice turnabout, Wilson covers Let's Chill, a '90s Guy classic led by star pupil Aaron Hall. It shows how long Wilson has been giving lessons and how much more he has to teach. —Jones

Country:

Patty Loveless, Dreamin' My Dreams (* * ½) Loveless comes down from the mountain on her latest, and Albert Lee heralds her return to rootsy country-rock with the slippery guitar lines that open her rendition of Richard Thompson's Keep Your Distance. Few artists have Loveless' ear for material, and Dreamin' is a treasure-trove of great songs. The familiar ones (Steve Earle's oft-covered My Old Friend the Blues; Delaney & Bonnie's Never Ending Song of Love, sung with Dwight Yoakam) grab your attention first, allowing lesser-known songs such as Jim Lauderdale and Leslie Satcher's painfully clear-eyed When Being Who You Are Is Not Enough to sneak up and tear your heart out. —Brian Mansfield

Mellencamp, Miles Among Rock Hall Nominees

Rock veteran John Mellencamp is among the nominees for a new class of inductees at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, joined by jazz legend Miles Davis, rap pioneers Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and Blondie.

Cat Stevens, who had folk hits in the 1970s before converting to Islam and largely retiring from music, is also nominated, along with pioneering punk rock acts the Patti Smith Group, the Sex Pistols and the Stooges.

Southern rock stalwart Lynyrd Skynyrd, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, 1960s beat group Dave Clark Five, Boston-area blues-rockers J. Geils Band, dance masters Chic and Texans Joe Tex, and the Sir Douglas Quintet are also on the ballot.

Musicians, industry professionals and journalists vote, and results of the 21st annual election will likely be announced in December.

Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.

Apple CEO Nixes iTunes Price Hike

PARIS - Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs said Tuesday he would resist music companies' "greedy" demands for price increases on the iTunes music download site and warned that such a move would encourage piracy.

Jobs, speaking to reporters before the opening of the Apple Expo in Paris, acknowledged that some record companies were pushing him to raise the price of each song download, currently 99 cents on the U.S. iTunes site.

Record companies already make more profit by selling a song through iTunes than on a CD, with all the associated manufacturing and marketing costs, Jobs said.

"So if they want to raise the prices it just means they're getting a little greedy."

The Apple co-founder and CEO indicated he plans to stand firm. "We're trying to compete with piracy, we're trying to pull people away from piracy and say, 'You can buy these songs legally for a fair price,'" he said.

"But if the price goes up a lot, they'll go back to piracy. Then everybody loses."

Apple has sold about 22 million of its iPod digital music players and more than 500 million songs through the iTunes Music Store. The service accounts for 82 percent of all legally downloaded music in the United States.

Oasis dominate Q award nominations

LONDON (Reuters) - British rock band Oasis have returned to the musical spotlight with five nominations for the 2005 Q awards, the organizers said on Tuesday.

The Manchester band won their first Q award in 1994, taking the Best New Act title before being named the Best Act In The World Today just two years later.

Oasis were nominated for five awards including Best Track and Best Album for their latest release "Don't Believe The Truth," which Q magazine described as "their most focused, reflective and relaxed album to date."

Another British band, Coldplay, were nominated for four awards while singer James Blunt, American group Green Day and Irish rockers U2 received three nominations each.

Coldplay will be looking to take the Best Album category having won the title for "Parachutes" and "A Rush of Blood to the Head" in 2000 and 2002 respectively.

The awards, which will be hosted at the Grosvenor House Hotel on Monday October 10, are one of the few music industry prizes voted for by the record-buying public.

'Wedding Crashers' DVD skipping holiday rush

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Wedding Crashers," the fourth-biggest movie of the year with domestic ticket sales of $204 million, will skip the holiday-selling season and instead arrive January 3 on home video.

The news comes at a time when most suppliers are pushing out their summer movies and other high-profile titles before the holidays, in the hopes of maximizing the traditionally busy fourth quarter, when the video industry generates about 40% of its yearly revenue.

"Wedding Crashers" is coming to DVD in R-rated and unrated, "Uncorked" editions. Special features include commentaries from stars Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn and director David Dobkin; deleted scenes; a "Wedding Crashers" game; and several featurettes. The "Uncorked" edition also will include nine additional minutes of footage cut from the theatrical release.

The film will also be available on the Universal Media Disc (UMD) video format that plays on the new PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld entertainment system.

Fox is getting a head start on the holiday-selling season by releasing "Robots," one of the year's biggest movies, on September 27. Of the 33 films that grossed at least $25 million in theaters between Memorial Day-Labor Day, 28 are coming to DVD before year's end, while a 29th film, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," likely will arrive in stores before the holidays as well, sources said.

'Corner Gas' set to pump out laughs

Brent Butt gets set to serve up a new season of high-octane laughs tonight.
Nobody feels like laughing anymore when the word "gas" comes up.

So considering the widespread anger over the price of oil, the Canadian sitcom Corner Gas may be facing an uphill battle this fall.

Corner Gas already is dealing with the price of success, which manifests itself in increased scrutiny. As the Brent Butt creation and surprise smash hit begins its third season tonight on CTV, the big question is this: Has Corner Gas lost any of its fuel-injected charm?

Well, to put it bluntly, the episode scheduled to air tonight won't be making any "best of" reels. But wait a week and you'll be rewarded.

For a while there was some confusion about which new episode -- one titled Dress For Success, the other Key To The Future -- was going to kick off season No. 3 of Corner Gas. If the idea is to inspire confidence on opening night, the decision to go with Dress For Success was misguided.

When characters are drawn as broadly as the ones in Dog River, Sask., there is a danger in making them too ridiculously simple, merely to propel a goofy plot. That's the problem tonight, as one of the main storylines has Oscar and Hank (whose exaggerated eye movements seem to be channeling Kramer from Seinfeld, Jim from Taxi and Guy Caballero from SCTV) involved in a faux stock-market competition.

Oscar and Hank start with $10,000 in imaginary funds apiece and endeavour to out-invest each other. But when an agitated Oscar demands his son Brent -- played marvellously by Butt -- fork over an additional $10,000 as an imaginary loan, the whole concept just seems laboured.

It's like the Georgette character on the old Mary Tyler Moore Show. Sometimes you say to yourself, "Okay, even within the parameters of this fantasy sitcom bubble, no one would be THAT stupid."

That's not to say Dress For Success is devoid of chuckles. There are funny consequences when Wanda breaks with tradition and wears a skirt to her job at the gas station. And a broken dishwasher at the diner leads to this amusing exchange between a customer and Lacey, the exasperated proprietress:

Customer: "There's some dirt at the top of my glass."

Lacey: "That's why I didn't fill it up all the way."

Still, if you want to see Corner Gas at its best, we refer you to next week's episode, Key To The Future. Hank believes he has ESP and the local newspaper, The Dog River Howler, picks up the story. A huge frontpage headline -- with letters befitting the fall of the Berlin Wall or an average Maple Leafs game in Toronto -- literally reads, "HANK IS PHYCIC." Wanda then asks rhetorically, "Honestly, how much does a spell-check program cost?"

Regardless of the pros and cons of individual episodes, the prairie setting of Corner Gas is a treat for the eyes. Canada has been accused of being a country of fake pioneers, in that most of us live in cities or decent-sized towns, but we consider frontiers and big skies to be an integral part of our identity. The remote visuals in Corner Gas tap into that psyche.

The casual pace of Dog River meticulously can erode the batteries on your cornball detector. But as season No. 3 progresses, the staying power of Corner Gas will be tested. Having seen the first two episodes, there's one miss, and one hit.

If the show you see tonight starts with Brent and Hank discussing cartoons, that's good news. It means there has been a last-minute change of heart and you're actually watching the funnier of the two newest episodes.

Otherwise, fans of Corner Gas will have to wait till next week to get pumped.

Dan Still Locked Out

In addition to running this website I am also a locked out CBC employee.

I have missed five weeks of shows (so far) - including my second anniversary weekend - and my personal financial situation is currently less than ideal.

I love the work that I am able to do and I just wish I could do it! I know the day will come again when I can, but I want that day to be today!!

With few exceptions I think I have been dealing with this whole situation, including my money problems, quite well.

But on Sunday I reached my boiling point.

That is because the opportunity to produce a show for that day - Sunday, September 18th - had been lost.

On Sunday thousands of people across Canada marked the 25th Anniversary of The Terry Fox Run. Terry Fox is our greatest Canadian and I was going to produce a show that morning to honour his remarkable legacy.

In addition to features about Terry, the show would have included several volunteer Run organizers from across Saskatchewan, all of whom have inspiring stories about what Terry and his accomplishments mean to them.

We would also have spoken about the fact that The Terry Fox Foundation works hard to ensure that all money raised in Terry's name actually goes toward finding a cure for cancer. Currently, 87 cents of every dollar raised in Terry's name goes to fund cancer research.

Unfortunately, as CBC management continues to refuse to allow my colleagues and I to return to work, I didn't have a show on September 18th, and I might not have one again anytime in the foreseeable future. Thus, the opportunity for me to commemorate and promote the 25th Anniversary of The Terry Fox Run has faded away.

But even though I couldn't do a show about it, I still took part in The Terry Fox Run and I still made my donation, as did many other locked out CBC employees.

In 1980 Terry said: “If you’ve given a dollar, you are part of the Marathon of Hope.” Even if others are making my financial decisions right now I still wanted to be a part of Terry's Marathon, as I have almost every year since 1980.

Since I have been walking for four hours a day, five days a week, for 36 days now, I was able to walk the 10 kilometre course with relative ease. But as I watched other participants who are still fighting cancer, and even some in remission, walking without the benefit of ease, I couldn't help but think how much additional money could have been raised to fight cancer if CBC management hadn't locked out it's 5308 employees.

So, in addition to crying for those I know who have been affected by cancer, I also cried on Sunday because I felt so helpless.

I know any radio show I do won't ever be the reason that cancer is beaten, but my show yesterday would have helped promote The Terry Fox Run. I remain convinced that the more people who knew about the Run, the more people who could have helped - either through donations or by participating in the Run themselves.

As I mentioned, I reached my boiling point on Sunday, but I am fine now.

The fact that I didn't get to publicly commemorate and promote the 25th anniversary of The Terry Fox Run by CBC management has strengthened my resolve!

I am prepared to stay locked out however long it takes so I can ensure that CBC's legacy is protected, no matter how much it costs me financially!

Yes, I will stay on the picket line as long as it takes to ensure that my colleagues and I get to do the work we love for the people of Saskatchewan - and Canada - who enjoy it!

Thus, I will walk the picket line from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. every week day until I am once again allowed inside the Broadcast Centre in Regina to do the work I feel blessed to have the opportunity to do.

And I do feel blessed!

But please remember this, no matter what happens with us at CBC in the next few weeks or (God forbid) months, we must always continue what Terry Fox started 25 years ago because, as he said in 1980, "Somewhere the hurting must stop."

Sincerely,

Dan Reynish

NO FEAR OF FLYING

Jodie Foster has two Oscars and a handful of $100 million blockbusters on her resume, but this is what she thinks about her 40-year career in Hollywood:

"Actual acting, it's just not in my personality," she says. "I never have been [drawn to it]. It's something that I've developed a skill for that's kind of contrary to who I am."

Perhaps that is why in the 17 years since she won her first Best Actress Oscar, for 1988's "The Accused," Foster has taken just nine marquee roles. But among that number are her second Oscar-winning performance, in "The Silence of the Lambs" and the mega-grossing hits "Panic Room" (2002), "Contact" (1997) and "Maverick" (1994), as well as her directorial debut, "Little Man Tate" (1991).

Foster was in Toronto to promote her first starring role in four years, as yet another unnerved mother in "Flightplan," which opens Friday. At 42, she's sporting a khaki suit and a new feathered-blond hairdo, radiating sensibility and class all at once. Sitting Indian-style on the couch with her shoes tossed on the floor, she smiles with warmth and ease - a sign of what producer Brian Grazer calls her "really, really, really self-confident" personality.

When complimented on her strong resume, Foster is surprisingly modest. "I've got some bad stuff in there," she laughs. True, her turn with Dennis Hopper in "Catchfire" resulted in a serious stinker, but generally the second half of her career has been stellar.

"I have pretty strong instincts about what I want to do and what I don't want to do," she says. "When I make a decision, I don't look back. At the same time, I haven't made as much money as everybody else. Some people would say, 'Well, that's not much of a trade-off - look at me, look how much money I got! So I made three bad ones. So what?'

"Good for them, but I can't do that."

The mother of two sons, Charles, 7, and Kit, 3, Foster says that motherhood has given her new strength and drawn her to different material in recent years. Like in "Panic Room," her latest role finds her in what would be any mother's waking nightmare.

Recently widowed aeronautical engineer Kyle Pratt (Foster) is traveling on a transatlantic flight from Berlin to America with her daughter. Her husband's coffin is stowed below in the lower level of a two-story plane she designed.

After a brief nap, she rises to find her daughter missing. Panicked, she leads the crew on a desperate search. Producers originally sought a man for the role, but Foster's ability to radiate strength changed their minds.

"I consider her powerful," says Grazer, who has known Foster well for the past 15 years. "She has a very strong human quality that allows you to get inside of her and care about her. I thought the way to make it interesting was to do it with a woman."

In a twist right out of "Gaslight," Pratt's own sanity is questioned when an examination of the passenger manifest reveals no listing for her daughter.

"There is something that I know really intimately about this experience, about feeling that your body and your identity is so connected with your [kids] and this primal, horrible frustration of feeling like you can't keep them safe."

In addition to her two lastest films, a good number of Foster's recent roles - "Anna and the King" (1999), "Nell" (1994) and "Little Man Tate" - have centered on children or their parents thrust into exceptional circumstances. It's something Foster knows a good deal about.

As an actress since the age of 3, she first appeared in commercials such as the famous Coppertone bare-bottom ads. Later, at 12, she took on an impossibly adult role that first revealed her exceptional talent - as the child prostitute "adopted" by an unstable Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese's "Taxi Driver."

Many child actors wind up the subjects of revelatory documentaries on E! and VH1. Managed by her mother, Brandy, Foster managed to avoid that curse.

"That's not the kind of person I ever was," Foster says. "I was a good girl that got good grades and did what I was supposed to do. Thank god that there was somebody who loved me who was overseeing some of that.

"[My mother] prepared me for [a normal life] and assumed that once I went to college that that would be the end of my career. And I did, too."

But while attending university at Yale - amid the furor generated by John Hinckley's 1981 attempt to kill President Ronald Reagan, supposedly to gain Foster's "love and respect" - she made a "funny transition" from young to adult actor. The real turning point, though, came with "The Accused," an intense and brutal film in which Foster portrayed a rape victim who challenges both her attackers and the legal system.

"It was a funny experience, because I didn't think I did a very good job and I didn't feel good about the performance," she says. "I [had] the whole imposter syndrome, that I was gonna be found out and now I should just go to grad school immediately.

"And then I started understanding what it was that made me feel uncomfortable about the performance - she wasn't me. She's the kind of person that makes people feel uncomfortable. That experience was so complex psychologically that it gave me a whole new look at what acting can be, that it could be stimulating."

Foster's longevity in Hollywood could also be explained by the fact that, despite many years in business, she avoids the clich‚s of stardom. She shuns L.A.'s scene-making machinery and keeps her personal life to herself, never discussing publicly the father of her children, nor her romantic life.

"Some people do that thing where they go out of their way to know other celebrities," she says. "I don't. I think it's weird to always acknowledge other famous people. Why? 'Hey, you and I, we've got something in common.' (Laughs) What's that about?"

Instead, Foster has transitioned to other aspects of filmmaking, including producing and directing. Over the past seven years, she has struggled to bring her most personal project to the screen, "Flora Plum," about a young girl who joins the circus in the 1930's. Stars including Ewan McGregor, Claire Danes, Meryl Streep and Russell Crowe have all been linked to the project at one point or another.

"I don't know that it's going anywhere any time soon," says a slightly dejected Foster. "[It will take] time, and just total tenacity."

For now, Foster is putting "Plum" on the shelf as she puts together her next directorial work, a part that will re-team her with "Taxi Driver" co-star Robert De Niro. The story, with the working title "Sugarland," is about migrant Jamaican canefield workers.

As an actor, Foster immediately accepted a follow-up to "Flightplan" in Spike Lee's next film.

"I play a rich, elegant Madison Avenue lawyer who's a fixer, meaning, like, if you were like a state senator and you had four dead hookers in your room, you'd call me and I'd take care of it," she says. "I know [these people] exist in publicity firms. I know they exist in the political world."

With her acting jobs becoming more infrequent and her increased interest in directing, Foster can see her career shifting entirely behind the lens in the future - even if it might aggravate her.

"I think I probably could," she says. "Every once in a while [directing], you get exhausted trying to communicate what you want and sometimes you'd just like to go, 'Argh, let me do it.' But no, I think I probably could."

Rock Hall Snubs 1980

Apparently, 1980 just wasn't a rockin' year.

In the way of the music world, acts that have seen 25 years elapse since the release of their first record become eligible to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

However, the Rock Hall nominating committee snubbed the newly eligible class of 1980 entirely, seemingly unable to find a band worthy of putting on the ballot sent out to voters this week.

That left room for perennial nominees such as Black Sabbath (now on their eighth bid), Lynyd Skynyrd (seventh bid), the Sex Pistols and the Stooges (five bids apiece).

Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, which last year became the first rap act nominated to the Rock Hall, has another chance this year to become the first rap act inducted.

Other holdovers from previous years include the J. Geils Band, John Mellencamp, the Patti Smith Group, Chic and Joe Tex.

First-time nominees to the eclectic ballot include Miles Davis, Cat Stevens, Blondie, the Paul Butterfield Band, the Dave Clark Five and the Sir Douglas Quintet.

The 2006 induction ceremony will be held in New York, though no other details have been released. Inductees will be announced before the end of the year.

Davis, known for his jazz mastery, may seem an odd choice for the Rock Hall. However, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame CEO Terry Stewart, who also sits on the nominating committee, said that Davis influenced many rockers musically and in terms of his attitude.

The trumpet player was born in Alton, Illinois, and raised in St. Louis. From the 1940s until his 1991 death from pneumonia, respiratory failure and a stroke at age 65, he pushed the limits of jazz, experimenting with everything from bebop to jazz fusion and beyond.

Stevens, who is now known by the name Yusuf Islam, sold scads of his gentle folk ballads in the 1960s and '70s, including "Moonshadow," "Peace Train" and "Wild World."

In 1977, the singer abandoned his musical career and became a Muslim. Last fall, he was deported from the United States after his name popped up on a federal no-fly list while he was on a plane bound from London to Washington D.C.

New wave rockers Blondie, led by Debbie Harry, topped the charts in the late '70s and early '80s with hits such as "Heart of Glass" and "Call Me."

The Paul Butterfield Band, led by harmonica-blowing singer Paul Butterfield, earned a place in musical immortality when the blues band backed Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival in 1965. Butterfield died of a heroin overdose in 1987.

Disco scenesters Chic scored their first massive hit in 1977 with "Dance, Dance, Dance." Frontman Nile Rodgers later went on to produce hits for artists including Madonna, Debbie Harry and David Bowie.

The Dave Clark Five was a wildly successful British Invasion band in the 1960s with 24 hit records Stateside, including "Over and Over" and "I Like It Like That." In the height of the band's fame, the Dave Clark made a record 13 appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show before breaking up in the early 1970s.

The J. Geils Band came together in Boston in 1967 and scored hits such as "Must of Got Lost" and "Give It to Me" in the '70s before rising to the top of the charts in 1981 with the catchy teen-obsession anthem "Centerfold." Other hits include "Freeze Frame" and "Love Stinks."

Heartland singer Mellencamp, known for his numerous Top 10 singles such as "Jack and Diane," "Hurts So Good" and "Pink Houses," released his first album in 1976 and cofounded Farm Aid with Willie Nelson.

The Sir Douglas Quintet was formed in San Antonio in the 1960s and scored a 1965 hit single, "She's About a Mover." Frontman Doug Sahm died in 1999 of heart failure.

The Patti Smith Group was signed to Arista by Clive Davis and released its first album, Horses, in 1975. The group's no-frills approach to rock paved the way for the punk movement that followed.

Tex was a soul singer, who scored his biggest hit with 1972's "I Gotcha." He converted to Islam that same year and changed his name to Joseph Hazziez . He died in 1982.

Nominees are picked by a 70-member committee of rock 'n' roll historians, journalists and label execs, with ballots then mailed to an international voting body of 700 music industry types for the final decision. The five to seven nominees that receive the most votes will be inducted into the Rock Hall next year.

Tori Spelling Splitting With Husband

LOS ANGELES - Actress Tori Spelling and her husband are reportedly splitting after a year of marriage.

Spelling, 32, and actor-writer Charlie Shanian, 36, married in July 2004 and have been living apart since the beginning of August, People magazine reported.

Spelling, the daughter of television producer Aaron Spelling, spent 10 years on his hit series "Beverly Hills 90210." She also has appeared in the films "Scary Movie 2," "Scream 2," and "Troop Beverly Hills."

The couple met on stage in 2002 during the Los Angeles production of the romantic comedy, "Maybe, Baby It's You," co-written by Shanian. The two actors were in 11 vignettes about couples in search of love.

'Heaven' Beats the Devil at Box Office

LOS ANGELES - Heaven beat the devil at the box office this weekend.

The Reese Witherspoon, Mark Ruffalo romantic comedy "Just Like Heaven" debuted at No. 1 with an estimated $16.5 million in ticket sales, bumping the courtroom horror film "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" into second place.

Overall, box office revenue jumped an estimated 13 percent compared with the same weekend last year, continuing the upward trend in movie grosses after a dismal summer, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"The fall season is starting in a terrific fashion," Dergarabedian said. "I'm cautiously saying that we're back on track. Audiences are just finding that the studios have a lot to offer right now."

In its second weekend, "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," about a Catholic priest on trial for negligent homicide following the death of a satanically possessed 19-year-old, earned $15.3 million in ticket sales from Friday to Sunday, bringing its total domestic gross to $52 million, according to studio estimates.

"Lord of War," starring Nicolas Cage as an arms dealer pursued by Interpol agent Ethan Hawke, debuted in third place with $9.2 million.

Dreamworks' "Just Like Heaven," which follows a man who encounters romance from beyond when a ghost keeps appearing in his apartment, touched on the audiences' desire for something light and romantic, Dergarabedian said.

"It was sort of one of these traditional romantic comedies. Even the reviewers said it seemed like such a pat formula, but they kind of liked it," Dergarabedian said, "And Reese Witherspoon is always a draw."

The film owed its successful debut to the female over-25 crowd, who made up more than two-thirds of its audience, according to Jim Tharp, head of distribution for Dreamworks. Tharp said positive exit reviews suggest the film will continue to grow by word of mouth.

"When you have strong exits, eventually it gets out to everyone," he said.

The comedy "The 40 Year-Old Virgin" continued its successful run, moving to fourth place with $5.8 million, bringing its total to $90.6 million. Opening in fifth place with $4.6 million was "Cry Wolf," about a group of teens who spread online rumors about a serial killer only to find the story coming true.

Also opening in limited release at five theaters, Tim Burton's stop-motion animated film, "Corpse Bride," voiced by Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, earned an impressive $411,000.

Meanwhile "March of the Penguins," now in its 13th week, moved up a spot to ninth place, boosting its total to $70.4 million as it inched toward "Fahrenheit 9/11," which earned $119 million, as the top grossing documentary of all time.

"It's an amazing run," Dergarabedian said. "Nobody ever thought this would have a chance of challenging 'Fahrenheit.'"

Despite the upswing, box office revenue for the year remained down about 6 percent, with attendance down 9 percent.

So, 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. "Just Like Heaven," $16.5 million.
2. "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," $15.3 million.
3. "Lord of War," $9.2 million.
4. "The 40 Year-Old Virgin," $5.8 million.
5. "Cry Wolf," $4.6 million.
6. "The Transporter 2," $4.0 million.
7. "The Constant Gardener," $3.7 million.
8. "Red Eye," $2.9 million.
9. "March of the Penguins," $2.6.
10. "Wedding Crashers," $2.5 million.
11. "An Unfinished Life," $2.1 million.
12. "The Brothers Grimm," $2.0 million.

'Lost,' 'Raymond' Named Top Shows at Emmys

LOS ANGELES - Everybody loved "Raymond" one more time at the Emmys, honoring the show Sunday as best comedy series for its final season and denying the prize to newcomer "Desperate Housewives." But another first-year hit, "Lost," won best drama honors.

"All year long they've been asking us, `Do you think, now that your show is going, that this means the end of the sitcom?'" "Raymond" executive producer Phil Rosenthal said dryly. "I want to say, yes. I also think, beyond that, it's the end of laughing and soon the end of smiling."

Felicity Huffman and Patricia Arquette became first-time Emmy winners as they received lead actress honors while Tony Shalhoub and James Spader once again proved favorites in the best actor category.

"I've turned into one of those actresses and I'm sorry," Huffman, who plays an overwhelmed homemaker on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," said as she teared up at the start of her acceptance speech.

She thanked "the women of Wisteria Lane," her co-stars Marcia Cross and Teri Hatcher — also nominees in the category — and Eva Longoria.

Arquette, who plays a crime-solving psychic in NBC's "Medium," won the best drama series actress award.

"I want to thank you for this honor, for putting me in this incredible company," she said. She offered her "respect and gratitude" to volunteers helping Hurricane Katrina victims and issued a prayer that soldiers in Iraq "come home safe and sound."

Shalhoub was named best actor in a comedy series for "Monk."

"To my fellow nominees, whoever they are — I'm not that familiar with their work, I just want to say, there's always next year. Except, you know, for Ray Romano," he said, jokingly.

Spader was named best dramatic actor for "Boston Legal" for his portrayal of a lawyer with an ethics problem — his second consecutive win.

"I'd like to thank the academy and I'd like to thank my mother and I'd like to thank my mother again, because I forgot to thank her last year," he said.

Other past Emmy favorites grabbed trophies at Sunday's ceremony, with Brad Garrett and Doris Roberts of "Everybody Loves Raymond" and William Shatner of "Boston Legal" receiving best supporting actor honors.

Garrett received his third Emmy for the CBS sitcom and Shatner received his second Emmy for the character of egotistical lawyer Denny Crane, which also had first been featured on "The Practice."

"Oh, my gosh. ... Thank you so much," said Garrett, adding facetiously: "I have to dedicate this to Britney (Spears) and our baby. This is amazing."

Roberts appeared on stage with two grandsons at her side.

"This is the icing on the cake," she said, accepting her fourth trophy for her role as a meddling mother-in-law. "Nine wonderful years on `Everybody Loves Raymond' and to finish it off with this is wonderful."

Blythe Danner was named best supporting actress in a drama for Showtime's "Huff."

"I think my husband Bruce Paltrow is up there, stirring this up for me," Danner said, making a sentimental reference to her late husband, a director, then turned to two pressing national issues.

Danner said Paltrow (their children include actress Gwyneth Paltrow) would want her to pay tribute to hurricane-ravaged New Orleans and she issued a plea for the return of troops from Iraq.

Host Ellen DeGeneres paid brief tribute to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The magnolia on her lapel was for them; presenters also were asked to wear the state flower of Louisiana and Mississippi. And Jon Stewart, a winner and a presenter, did a comedic bit that blasted the federal response to Katrina. But for the most part, the tragedy that had drawn Americans to their TV sets received scant attention as the ceremony's focus remained mainly on the awards.

The ceremony did include a tribute to late-night king Johnny Carson, the "Tonight" show host who died this year, with David Letterman remembering the man who entertained America and was mentor to so many comedians.

The ceremony also honored network TV's veteran news anchors, the retired Dan Rather of CBS and Tom Brokaw of NBC and the late Peter Jennings of ABC. Rather and Brokaw drew a prolonged standing ovation when they took the stage.

For their supporting acting work in a miniseries or a movie, Paul Newman was honored for "Empire Falls" and Jane Alexander for "Warm Springs," both on HBO.

Hugh Jackman was honored as best individual performance in a variety or music program for his work as host of the 58th annual Tony Awards.

"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart" repeated as best variety, music or comedy series and again won for writing.

"The Amazing Race" was named outstanding reality-competition program for the third time.

The directing and writing awards for a drama series were split between two new hit shows. "Lost" won the former and "House" took the latter.

Geoffrey Rush was honored as best actor in a miniseries or movie for "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers," HBO's dramatic take on the comic actor which also claimed writing and directing awards.

S. Epatha Merkerson was named best actress in a miniseries or movie for "Lackawanna Blues," on HBO, and proceeded to charm the audience by announcing her acceptance speech, which she'd tucked into her bosom, had slipped down and couldn't be retrieved.

"Desperate Housewives" won the comedy series directing award while the writing trophy went to Fox's "Arrested Development."

HBO's "Warm Springs," which dramatized Franklin D. Roosevelt's battle against polio before becoming president, was named best TV movie. The best miniseries trophy went to PBS' "The Lost Prince."

Earth, Wind & Fire kicked off the show at the Shrine Auditorium with a revamped version of its song "September," paying tribute to the TV season past. The Black Eyes Peas jumped in with a few rap verses, including a Martha Stewart lyric: "Went to jail, got a show, that's the way entertainment goes."

Emmy voters were in an eclectic mood, scattering the awards to a variety of winners and keeping even top winners to modest hauls. "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" and "Everybody Loves Raymond" each won three awards Sunday, while "Lost" and "Desperate Housewives" claimed two.

Premium channel HBO emerged as the most-honored with a total of 27 awards, including seven honors Sunday and 20 trophies given at last week's Creative Arts Emmys recognizing technical and other achievements.

ABC received a total of 16 awards, followed by CBS with 11, NBC and PBS with 10 each and Fox with six.

Michael Moore calls CBC lockout 'abhorrent'

TORONTO (CP) - Famed American documentarian Michael Moore demanded Friday that the CBC drop plans to air this weekend his Academy Award-winning film, Bowling for Columbine, because of the month-long lockout at the public broadcaster.

"I do not want my film being broadcast on the network unless it is willing to let its own workers back in to work and promises to bargain with them in good faith," Moore said in a statement Friday.

"CBC has locked out its union workers, an action that is abhorrent to all who believe in the rights of people to collectively bargain. Why the great and honourable CBC is behaving like an American corporation is beyond me."

Bowling for Columbine, an examination of America's obsession with guns and violence, is scheduled to air Sunday night on CBC and a spokesman for the broadcaster said the documentary will be shown despite Moore's objections.

"We've promoted the film heavily and our audiences are expecting it to be on," said Jason MacDonald. "We will broadcast it."

Moore won an Oscar for best documentary for the film in 2003.

He used his acceptance speech at the Oscar ceremony as an opportunity to launch a broadside against President George W. Bush and his participation in the war in Iraq, which had been launched only a few days earlier.

Gruesome twosome in 'Big Brother' finale

It's a depressing déjà vu for 'Big Brother'. In a repeat of the fourth season that saw despised HouseGuests Jun Song and Alison Irwin reach the finals, 'Big Brother 6' is on its way to another gloomy finish.

On Friday night's live eviction telecast, Disciple Alliance members Maggie Ausburn, the 27-year-old emergency room nurse from Las Vegas and Ivette Corredero, the 25-year-old waitress from Miami, became the finalists when Ivette won the last Head of HouseHold Competition and evicted the last Outcasts Alliance member Janelle Pierzina, the 25-year-old cocktail waitress from Miami Beach.

Ivette defeated Janelle in the second tiebreaker round of a complete-the-sentence challenge with video featuring members from the 'Big Brother 6' jury.

"You know what's coming," Ivette said to Janelle as she cast her vote for eviction. "Aside from being a beautiful woman, you are an amazing, amazing player and have given me a total run for my money. I have to evict you Janelle because I have a promise." Ivette's compassionate words on the live broadcast were in stark contrast to the persistent name-calling and bashing of Janelle that the Disciples had participated in throughout the entire season.

With Ivette and Maggie detested for their gossiping, trash-talking and scheming ways, disappointed die-hard fans, many of whom watched the shenanigans all season long on the 24/7 Internet feeds from the 'Big Brother' house, were quick to pull the plug on the season.

"Why don't they just change the name of the show to 'The Biggest Asshole", wrote 'mthebrat' on the popular Joker's Updates site which was flooded with threats of feed subscription cancellations and sign-offs for the season immediately after the airing of Friday night's episode.

"I will now bow out and leave these pathetic Nerd Herders to shine in their own glory because as soon as they get out in the real world and realize how the majority of people found them to be tacky, dirty and very small-minded people, the shine will be no more. They can then take their winnings and enjoy it. It's all that they will get," wrote 'KataGarbo' on the same site.

Some applauded Ivette for keeping her promise to Maggie despite the fact that Maggie is surely more popular with the 'Big Brother 6' jury. Some called Ivette's decision the dumbest move in the history of the reality show since Ivette most probably had the votes to win 'Big Brother 6' if she had selected Janelle as the majority of the jury members are from the Disciples Alliance.

"I knew if Ivette won she would probably evict me because she has made promises to her friends in the house. I knew she would evict me. I am not surprised," Janelle told host Julie Chen on the Couch of Shame.

Thinking for sure she would be bounced early on in the game, Janelle was surprised she had made it so far.

"What do you make of the fact that Ivette chose Maggie to make it to the final two with her," Chen asked Janelle.

"It was a poor decision, I believe. She cannot beat Maggie. I think Maggie will win the money," said Janelle stating also that Ivette didn't want to break her promise and picked friendship over money. Janelle admitted that Ivette's decision to do so might sway her jury vote.

The season finale of 'Big Brother 6' will air next Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. EDT on CBS. At that time, the 'Big Brother 6' jury will vote on whom the grand prize will be awarded to. The winner will take home $500,000 U.S. The second place finisher will score $50,000 U.S.

New 'Day' dawns for Bon Jovi

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - To Jon Bon Jovi, each new Bon Jovi album is a musical diary chronicling moments in time. But for the band's new set, "Have a Nice Day," the veteran rocker says he looked further within himself and at the world than he has in the band's 20-year history.

"There are songs that are socially conscious, especially in light of what happened both (in the) pre- and post-election period in our country, when I witnessed polarization that I have never seen before," Bon Jovi says. On a personal level, he says, "songs like 'I Wanna Be Loved' are more introspective than I've ever been."

It is that combination of personal revelations and universal themes that has attracted a global audience and spurred record sales past the 100 million mark worldwide for the quartet.

And now, the band that has always been a lot rock 'n' roll may even be a little bit country. The title track of the Island Def Jam album -- which will hit stores Tuesday (September 20) -- is No. 17 on the Billboard Adult Top 40 chart and No. 12 on the Heritage Rock chart. And there are plans for IDJ's sister label, Mercury Records Nashville, to promote the song "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" to country radio. The song is a duet with Jennifer Nettles, frontwoman for hot country group Sugarland.

Bon Jovi and bandmates Richie Sambora, David Bryan and Tico Torres taped an episode of "CMT Crossroads" with Sugarland that is airing repeatedly on CMT in September. The album will include versions of the song with and without Nettles, who Bon Jovi calls "an incredible talent."

In part, via the country exposure, Bon Jovi hopes the new CD will find a wide audience but says he does not create music with that goal in mind. "The magic is, we don't gun for anybody," he says. "What happens, happens naturally ... We were as surprised as anyone when 'It's My Life' found a whole other generation of people, really young kids. Who knew?"

He sees such new songs as "Welcome to Wherever You Are" and "Last Man Standing" (a tribute to Bob Dylan) appealing to adult listeners while Bon Jovi's 10-year-old son "and his friends on their surfboards are cranking 'Have a Nice Day' and will play that next to a Green Day record."

RADIO IMPACT

Though there are multiple marketing components fueling the album's launch, Bon Jovi feels radio is still crucial. He quantifies radio's impact by saying a hit record makes the "difference between stadiums and arenas. When we have hits, we can sell two or three nights at Giants Stadium, and when we don't have a hit single, (we) can do one. That's not too shabby, but a hit makes a difference."

The band's last top 40 hit was "It's My Life" in 2000.

The night before the album's release date, Bon Jovi will be the first band to play the new Nokia Theater Times Square. The show will be broadcast live to AOL users, XM Satellite Radio subscribers and to 100 movie screens.

There is also an innovative campaign involving the video for "Have a Nice Day" and the smiley-face graphic that has been dubbed "smirk face" and pops up throughout the video. Island Def Jam is launching a Web site, smirkwatch.com, where fans can report sightings of the graphic.

"Have a Nice Day" will be the first DualDisc from Island Def Jam, and that CD/DVD version goes on sale Tuesday (September 20) as well. It will include five live performances, the video for "Have a Nice Day" and an electronic press kit.

The band will be highly visible with a slate of media appearances, including "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" and "Today." Jon Bon Jovi will gain additional visibility with his latest acting role, in the film "Cry Wolf," which opened Friday (September 16).

The band kicks off its tour November 2. As much as he enjoys the road work, Bon Jovi is not sure he wants to follow the Rolling Stones' example.

"I don't know if I'm going to want to be touring like this at 62 or 65," he says. "I'm not an applause junkie. What excites me more than anything is writing the song. If it's a good one, you'll know it will be there forever. That, to me, is the magic."

Fantasy deal reunites Fogerty with his songs

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - John Fogerty laughs when he says his next album of new material will be on Fantasy Records. "That's a phrase I never thought I'd say," he notes with glee.

In a turn of events almost impossible to believe, due to Concord Records' acquisition of Fantasy, the singer/songwriter has been reunited with the catalog of his rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival after a 30-plus-year battle. And he has signed a long-term deal for his future recordings with the label.

In a well-told tale, Fogerty fought for years with former Fantasy owner Saul Zaentz, who went so far as to sue Fogerty for plagiarizing himself. Fantasy owns the masters to such CCR classics as "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising" and "Fortunate Son."

To buy his freedom from Fantasy, to which he owed at least 30 more albums, Fogerty struck a deal that meant he would never receive artist royalties from CCR recordings.

For years Fogerty was so embittered by the fight with Zaentz that he refused to perform the hits live, although he has for several years now.

When Concord first contemplated buying Fantasy late last year, Fogerty and his manager/wife Julie approached the label, initially just to say, "I'm the guy who wrote all the music you're thinking of purchasing," he says.

After the $80 million deal closed early this year, Fogerty's talks with Concord resumed, resulting not only in collaboration on his beloved catalog but on new material. Fogerty was without a label after Universal's purchase of DreamWorks a few years ago.

INVITED TO THE TABLE

"The folks at Concord really had respect for my work. That was quite different for me," he says. "For 35 years I've been treated like a hired hand that kind of snuck his way into the dinner table, and that wasn't very nice."

The reunion with his babies -- his songs -- has left him delighted and filled with many emotions. "I just had no reason to even dare hope this could happen," he says. "That's my first emotion. But No. 2 is that it shouldn't have been that way in the first place. But I'm not going to dwell on that one for very long because I spent so many years feeling like it was wrong. I'm just going to accept what it is and be very, very happy about it."

One of Concord's first moves was to offer to pay Fogerty artist royalties on his CCR material going forward. The checks should start rolling in after the release of his first complete career retrospective, "The Long Road Home," out November 1.

A live DVD, taped September 15 in Los Angeles, will follow. Then, Fogerty says, he will turn to writing new material.

Concord president Glen Barros says he knows his label cannot fix the past for Fogerty, but he believes it can create a happy future. "A big part of that was reuniting him with what he did with CCR. While we're looking forward to his new music, we also want to make sure we promote the great body of work. Now he can feel good about everything he can do with this music."

Showdown at Signal Hill over Terry Fox special

Picketing by CBC employees in St. John's, Nfld. has stalled management plans to use replacement workers for a scheduled television special on Terry Fox.

Nearly two dozen locked-out employees showed up around 10 a.m. Thursday to block a satellite truck and several freelance technical workers from entering Signal Hill, the planned location for Friday's broadcast of 25 Years of Hope: The Legacy of Terry Fox.

The two-hour special, which is intended to commemorate the anniversary of Fox's Marathon of Hope, is scheduled to air live from the national historic site at 8 p.m. EST on both the main network and CBC Newsworld.

The show was meant to be the grand finale of a summer-long series of broadcasts honouring Fox's memory. It had been produced in cooperation with CBC employees who had been involved in its planning since the spring.

On Wednesday, Canadian Media Guild officials in St. John's discovered that CBC management had secretly arranged to use workers from an independent production company to air the special.

In a letter addressed to Federal Minister of Labour Joe Fontana, CMG president Lise Lareau said the corporation violated labour laws by continuing to employ three people in order to air the program about Canada's national hero.

"The CBC knew full well in the days leading up to Aug. 15 that it had to make alternate arrangements if it wanted to lock out our members while making it possible to honour the legacy of Terry Fox with dignity," she stated.

CBC spokesperson Jason MacDonald said the program wasn't using replacement workers, and accused CMG of attempting to score political points just as talks between the two sides enter a crucial stage.

"For the record, these are not scabs. It is an outside, independent production company producing a program that is going to be broadcast on the CBC," he told the Canadian Press.

"We're disappointed and sad that the guild would resort to using this program, which is intended to benefit the Terry Fox Foundation, and a program from which the corporation derives no commercial revenue."

The CBC has not commented on how the picket line will affect their planned broadcast.

The CMG argues the hires are the same people that began work on the project months ago, before the corporation locked out 5,497 union members on Aug. 15, and believes it is the same contract.

The St. John's local of the Canadian Media Guild said it would continue to treat people working on the show as replacement workers crossing the line.

"On Friday we will be faced with a scab situation," said local president Bob Sharpe. "And if that wasn't bad enough, CBC management is dragging Terry Fox, a much-loved Canadian hero into the middle of this lockout."

CMG officials said they intended to contact Terry Fox's family to explain the replacement worker situation, and make sure they understand their dispute is with CBC management, not them.

Scrubs is going for seconds

The TV comedy series Scrubs is returning to DVD this fall. Buena Vista Home Entertainment has slated The Complete Second Season for release on November 15.

Featuring all episodes of the show’s second season the DVD box set will also contain a good number of bonus materials, such as One-On-One with John McGinley. The Featurette “Music Stylings” will discuss the role of music in the show while “Secrets And Lies” will go behind the scenes to uncover anecdotes and jokes form the show’s set.

A selection of Deleted Scenes is also included on the release as well as a number of hilarious Outtakes.

“Scrubs: The Complete Second Season” will be waiting for you on November 22 with a $39.99 price tag attached.

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory sweetens your November

Warner Home Video has just unveiled details about the upcoming release of the latest Tim Burton movie, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory. Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl classic “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) and Charlie, a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory. Long isolated from his own family, Wonka launches a worldwide contest to select an heir to his candy empire. Five lucky children, including Charlie, draw golden tickets from Wonka chocolate bars and win a guided tour of the legendary candy-making facility that no outsider has seen in 15 years. Dazzled by one amazing sight after another, Charlie is drawn into Wonka's fantastic world in this astonishing and enduring story.

The film will be available in two versions, a 2-disc Deluxe Edition and a Single-Disc Version. The single-disc version will contain two bonus materials, Challenges: Oomp-Loompa Dance Machine and a Documentary, named “Becoming Oompa-Loompa: How Did They Turn One Man into Thousands of Oompa-Loompas?!?”

In addition to these features, the Deluxe Edition will also contain a Biographic Featurette about Roald Dahl, as well as additional Challenges such as “The Inventing Machine,” “The Bad Nut,” and “Search For The Golden Nugget.”

Also included is the Featurette “Becoming Oompa-Loompa” in which you can see how actor Deep Roy was turned into an army of Oompas. Another Featurette is “Attack Of The Squirrels” featuring a look at the trained nut-sorting squirrels, and other featurettes.

You can unwrap “Charlie And The Chocolate Factory” on November 8. The single-disc version carriers a suggested retail price of $28.98 while the Deluxe Edition will carry a $30.97 price tag.

DreamWorks Celebrates Hit Film by Returning To Madagascar

DreamWorks Animation's Madagascar has become a bona fide money magnate, earning over $500 million at box offices around the world. According to Comingsoon.net, those kind of earnings are apparently hard to ignore, as the studio says it's now going to produce a follow up film to the animated comedy hit.

Of course the characters wouldn't be the same without the talented cast of actors behind the critters, but don't fret: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith are all set to return to bring the lovable Lion, Zebra and Hippo to life. DreamWorks hints it might also give those scene stealing penguins their own animated fun, with plans for sliding them direct to video.

Santa Clause Meets Jack Frost, Comes Up Short

Martin Short will be taking his turn as the bad-guy for his next role, in Walt Disney Pictures' The Santa Clause 3. Variety is reporting Short will play none other than Jack Frost, who has his icy sights set out to take over Christmas from Santa Clause, since Christmas falls within his winter domain.

Tim Allen will be returning for his seasonal split personality role, as Scott Calvin and The Santa Clause himself. Allen will have a bit more work on his cookie-plate this time around as Calvin must work to keep Frost away from Christmas, all while trying to maintain a happy regular family life at home.

Michael Lembeck, who directed Tim Allen in the first two Santa Clause films, is also coming back for the third chapter of the Santa-saga, which starts shooting November 14th, for release Christmas 2006.

Renee Zellweger and Kenny Chesney Split

LOS ANGELES - Bridget Jones is untying the knot. Renee Zellweger, who played the lovelorn Brit in "Bridget Jones's Diary," and country music star Kenny Chesney will have their four-month-old marriage annulled, Chesney's publicist, Holly Gleason, and Zellweger's Los Angeles-based publicist Nanci Ryder, confirmed to The Associated Press on Thursday.

In court papers filed Wednesday, Zellweger listed "fraud" as the reason for the breakup but did not elaborate.

A phone call to her attorney was not immediately returned, nor was a call to Gleason later in the day regarding the fraud claim.

People magazine and "Entertainment Tonight" first reported the breakup, which brings to an end a whirlwind romance that began shortly before a surprise wedding in May.

The 36-year-old actress and Chesney, 37, wed in a small ceremony on the Caribbean island of St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands. It was the first marriage for both.

Photos of the couple barefoot on the beach were widely distributed.

They first met at the Concert of Hope tsunami relief benefit Jan. 15, where Chesney was singing and Zellweger was answering telephones, the syndicated television news magazine "The Insider" had reported.

Zellweger won a best supporting actress Oscar for "Cold Mountain." She was nominated for Oscars for her work in "Chicago" and "Bridget Jones's Diary."

Chesney was named Country Music Association entertainer of the year in November, while his "When the Sun Goes Down" was named album of the year. His hits include "Me and You" and "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy."

Larroquette Will Guest Star on 'Joey'

NEW YORK - John Larroquette will guest star on NBC's "Joey," which premieres Sept. 22.

Larroquette plays a classically trained, award-winning actor who co-stars with Matt LeBlanc's character, Joey Tribbiani, in a movie called "Captured."

The first of his two episodes will air on Sept. 29, the network announced this week.

Larroquette, 57, won four Emmy Awards for his role as Assistant District Attorney Dan Fielding on "Night Court," which aired from 1984-1992.

He also won an Emmy for his guest role on "The Practice."

Oscar Winning Director Robert Wise Dies

LOS ANGELES - During his half-century career, Robert Wise — who died of heart failure Wednesday at 91 — was nominated for seven Academy Awards, had hits in a variety of genres and worked with Orson Welles on "Citizen Kane."

But he gained his greatest acclaim — and four Oscars — with the big-budget productions of "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music," two of the most popular musicals of all time.

In all, Wise directed 39 films, ranging from science fiction ("The Day the Earth Stood Still") to drama ("I Want to Live!") to war stories ("Run Silent Run Deep") to Westerns ("Tribute to a Bad Man").

He also was nominated for an Oscar for editing "Citizen Kane."

"I'd rather do my own thing, which has been to choose projects that take me into all different kinds of genres," he once told The Associated Press. "I don't have a favorite kind of film to make. I just look for the best material I can find."

Wise died after falling ill and being rushed to the University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center, family friend and longtime entertainment agent Lawrence Mirisch told The Associated Press.

The director had appeared to be in good health Saturday when he celebrated his 91st birthday with friends, Mirisch said.

Wise's wife, Millicent, learned of her husband's death while in Spain for the inauguration ceremony of the San Sebastian Film Festival, which was featuring a retrospective of his work.

While many of his films were classics of their genre, his two revered musicals towered over all of them.

Wise won the best director Oscar for 1961's "West Side Story" (shared with Jerome Robbins) and for 1965's "The Sound of Music." He also received producer Oscars for each film for winning best picture.

"West Side Story" was the tale of "Romeo and Juliet" set in the New York City tenement slums. Co-directed by Wise and Jerome Robbins, with music by Leonard Bernstein, it won 10 Academy Awards.

"The Sound of Music," which told the story of the singing von Trapp family's escape from Nazi-ruled Austria, won five Oscars. It was for many years the top-grossing film of all time.

Wise gave much of the credit for the film's success to its stars, Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer.

"A big part of a director's job is done if he gets the right actors in the right roles," he once said. "That doesn't mean you don't help actors, but once we thought about Julie and Chris, we didn't seriously consider anyone else."

He also credited Welles, for whom he edited "The Magnificent Ambersons" as well as "Citizen Kane," as a major influence, adding that the actor-director-writer was "as close to a genius as anyone I have ever met."

"Citizen Kane" was "a marvelous film to work on — well-planned and well-shot," Wise once said. It has topped many polls over the years as the best film ever made.

More recently, he served as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and the Directors Guild of America.

Born Sept. 10, 1914, in Winchester, Ind., Wise dropped out of college during the Depression after his brother, an accountant at RKO, helped get him a job at the studio.

He worked his way up to film editor or co-editor on such movies as "The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and "The Devil and Daniel Webster."

He got his chance at directing almost by accident when he was assigned to finish the 1944 film "The Curse of the Cat People" after the original director fell too far behind schedule.

Pleased with his work, horror film producer Val Lewton assigned Wise to direct the Boris Karloff film "The Body Snatcher" the following year.

In addition to his four Oscars, Wise was awarded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, a special Oscar for sustained achievement, in 1966. He also received the Directors Guild of America's highest honor, the D.W. Griffith Award, in 1988.

His last film, 1989's "Rooftops," was another try at an urban musical like "West Side Story" but with modern-day pop music and rough language. It wasn't successful but many critics praised Wise's effort.

Toy Story: The 10th Anniversary Edition

On the 10th Anniversary Edition of Pixar’s 'Toy Story,' the studio has laos included a large number of Easter Eggs. So many, in fact, that it is easy to lose track of them.

Insert the second disc of the DVD set and on the 'Main Menu' press the 'Down' arrow key on your remote control until you highlight the badge at the bottom of the screen. Press 'Enter' now to view a clip of what all of Andy's toys do while he's at school.

Now, go to the 'Deleted Scenes' menu, and there press the 'Down' arrow key until you highlight another badge at the bottom of the screen. Press the 'Enter' key to view a funny clip of Woody having a nightmare.

Next up, from the 'Main Menu', select the 'Behind the Scenes' menu entry. From there, press 'Down' until you highlight yet another badge. Press 'Enter' to view a clip of Buzz Lightyear teaching some of the toys how to be like him.

Now, from the 'Behind the Scenes' menu, select 'Design' (not 'Designing Toy Story!). Once here, press the 'Down' arrow key until you highlight another Badge. Hit 'Enter' to view a clip of what Woody does during his spare time.
From the same menu, select 'Sets' at the bottom of the screen. Once you get there, press 'Down' until another badge is highlighted. Now press the 'Enter' key to view a clip of some of the other toys playing tricks on Rex.

Without leaving this menu, select 'Color' at the bottom of the menu and on the following screen highlight the 'Sets' menu entry and then press the 'Left' arrow key to highlight yet another badge. Now it’s time to press 'Enter' again for a clip of Hamm and the Aliens having fun.

Now it is time to return to the 'Behind the Scenes' menu. Select 'Story' and once you're on this menu, hit 'Down' until you highlight another badge. Press the 'Enter' key to view a clip of Rex and one of the other toys telling scary 'Toy Stories.'

Return to the 'Behind the Scenes' menu now and then select the 'Production' menu entry. On the next screen press 'Down' until you highlight another badge. Hit 'Enter' to view a clip of the Aliens doing flips off the Jack-In-the-Box.

Now, back on the 'Behind the Scenes' menu again, select 'Music and Sound' and from there, press the 'Down' key until you highlight another yellow badge. If you press 'Enter' now you’ll have the chance to view a clip of Rex, Hamm, Buzz, Woody, and the Aliens watching TV.

Without leaving this menu, select 'Randy Newman Demos'. From here, press 'Down' until you highlight another yellow badge. Hit 'Enter' to view a clip of Rex educating everybody about dinosaurs.

Time to go back to the 'Behind the Scenes' menu now and enter the 'Publicity' section. To highlight another badge, simply press the 'Down' arrow key on your remote control a few times. Hit 'Enter' to view a clip of Woody and Buzz finding miniature versions of themselves in a plastic bucket.

Next, go all the way back to the disc’s 'Main Menu' and select 'Set Up.' On the following menu, press 'Down' until you highlight another yellow badge. Now press the 'Enter' key and you can view a clip of the Aliens annoying Woody by showing off.

Finally, go back to the 'Main Menu' and select 'Index'. From here, press 'Down' until you highlight another badge. Hit 'Enter' and you'll be taken to a hidden sub-menu called 'Toy Story Treats.' These are all of the Easter Eggs on the DVD put into a menu by themselves.

And, of course, at the bottom of this menu is another badge. Press 'Enter' to view a clip of woody playing on a wooden block.

'Big Brother' HOH finalists decided

1st phase of 'Big Brother' comp ends

'Big Brother' has its final two...in the last and most important Head of Household Competition, that is.

Although the actual competition was blocked on the live 24/7 'Big Brother 6' Internet feeds, viewers saw Disciples Alliance members Ivette Corredero and Maggie Ausburn discussing how disappointed they were that surviving Outcast Alliance member Janelle Pierzina was victorious in the second leg of the final HOH Challenge when the feeds returned.

"I am sorry if you have any regrets," Ivette said to Maggie about her losing or possibly throwing the first phase of the competition.

"Everything happens for a reason," replied Maggie.

"I feel so bad," said Ivette, winner of the first phase.

"I could have won that competition but I misread the question," explained Maggie who went into the Diary (confessional) Room and complained to the producers that the wording of one of the questions was hard to decipher.

Janelle will now go on to face Ivette in the final leg of the competition which will air on Friday's live episode of 'Big Brother 6'. The winner of the last Head of Household title will immediately vote out the last jury member and in doing so will decide who will sit beside them in the final two.

The season finale of 'Big Brother 6' will air next Tuesday night at 9:00 p.m. EDT on CBS. The winner will take home $500,000 U.S. The second place finisher will score $50,000 U.S.

Calgary teen Melissa O'Neil becomes first female winner of Canadian Idol

TORONTO (CP) - Melissa O'Neil, the 17-year-old powerhouse from Calgary who won over fans with her emotional vocals and poised stage presence, is the latest Canadian Idol.

O'Neil embraced runner-up Rex Goudie of Burlington, N.L., on Wednesday as idiotic host Ben Mulroney declared her winner of the televised singing contest.

"Oh my God, thank you so much," an ecstatic O'Neil yelled, throwing a shout-out to her hometown.

"Calgary, yes! Calgary! Canada, thank you so much!"

She's the first female to take the Canadian Idol crown.

The athletic teen initially auditioned for the show straight from playing in a basketball game. She also has a passion for rugby.

During the competition, she occasionally found herself in danger of being voted off, at one point forgetting the words to a song. She always recovered, however, receiving praise from the judges for exuding a maturity beyond her years.

As Canadian Idol's Season Three winner, O'Neil will receive a recording contract and release the single Alive.

But backstage, immediately after the show, she was insistent that she also plans to finish her final year of high school.

"I'm not taking a year off, I'm going to just let everyone know that right now. I'm either going to get a tutor or I'll get correspondence," she said.

She conceded, however, that she might have to put her rugby career on hold: "I don't think they'd let me play in case I get hurt."

O'Neil received high praise from the judges this week. During Wednesday's finale, judge Sass Jordan said the young singer has "the most phenomenal, natural instincts for being a performer."

During Tuesday's sing-off with Goudie, judge Zack Werner predicted she would surpass past Idol winners Ryan Malcolm and Kalan Porter.

"In year one we had a waiter boy. In year two we had a little prince," he said. "Thursday morning it's going to say, 'The king is dead, long live the queen."'

O'Neil received a congratulatory call from Prime Minister Paul Martin directly after the show.

The high-energy two-hour finale kicked off with a medley by the Top 10 contestants, and featured performances by the Barenaked Ladies, Jordan and Porter.

It also included updates from Calgary's Roundup Centre, where O'Neil's screaming supporters - including the city's mayor - clutched buttons and signs dedicated to their hometown hero.

Goudie's fans, meanwhile, packed an arena in Corner Brook, N.L.

As runner-up, he likely won't walk away empty-handed. The show - which auditions hundreds of young people across Canada each year - gives singers once-in-a-lifetime exposure.

Many past top 10 contestants - including last year's runner-up Theresa Sokyrka - have gone on to recording success.

About 3.6 million votes were cast to decided Wednesday's winner.

SONGS LIST BELONGS IN BLENDER

The October issue of Blender magazine, on newsstands Tuesday, lists "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born," which, for their readers, means the best songs since 1980.

No. 1 is "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. Catchy, important. A good choice.

But after that, Blender veers into "What the hell?!?!?"

Out of any number of Van Halen songs that could have made the list, editors made "Jump" come in at number 162.

Twenty-five of the Top 50 are rap songs. And there's not a single Red Hot Chili Peppers on the list.

Some tune called "Mybabydaddy" by B-Rock and the Bizz - plus two songs by critics' darling Outkast - beat out anything by Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Radiohead, Green Day or Rage Against the Machine.

"We just wanted to give people some new juice for their iPod," said Blender Editor-in-Chief Craig Marx. "They're all really good songs."

No chance! Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" is No. 45, but Britney Spears' "... Baby One More Time" is in the Top 10?

50 Cent, who puts "In Da Club" at No. 10, beats Eminem, Public Enemy and N.W.A.?

And whatever happened to rock 'n' roll? The Police had three albums in the '80s, and their only great song, according to Blender, is "Every Breath You Take"?

"Sampling a loop, like it or not, is what's considered great, vibrant music these days," says Marx, whose team of list-makers apparently holds a grudge against anyone who actually plays an instrument.

"For Blender, what makes a song a great song doesn't have a lot to do with the level of musicianship," Marx adds.

Well, that much is obvious.

Blender's top 10 choices are:

1. "Billie Jean," Michael Jackson

2. "B.O.B.," Outkast

3. "Sweet Child O' Mine," Guns N' Roses

4. "One," U2

5. "Smells Like Teen Spirit," Nirvana

6. "Like a Prayer," Madonna

7. "Love Will Tear Us Apart," Joy Division

8. "Sucker MCs," Run-D.M.C.

9. "... Baby One More Time," Britney Spears

10. "In Da Club," 50 Cent

Bush Address Shakes Up Thursday Primetime

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) A planned TV address from President Bush has caused several networks to shuffle their schedules for Thursday night (Sept. 15).

The White House requested TV time from networks Tuesday so that Bush could speak to the nation about Hurricane Katrina and the ongoing recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast region. All of the Big Four broadcast networks, along with cable news outlets, will carry the speech at 9 p.m. ET Thursday. It's expected to last about 30 minutes.

NBC, which had reruns scheduled for the night, will simply pre-empt one episode of "Scrubs" to accommodate the address on the East Coast (viewers out West will see what was previously scheduled). ABC, CBS and FOX, however, will all rearrange their schedules somewhat.

ABC had scheduled a two-hour season premiere of its newsmagazine "Primetime" for Thursday, featuring a story on stepparent-stepchild relationships from Diane Sawyer. Instead it will devote the entire night to news coverage of Katrina, with two hours of "Primetime" bookending Bush's address follow-up analysis. Out West, viewers will see fill-in programming at 8 p.m. and the two hours of "Primetime" starting at 9.

The "Primetime" season premiere will move back a week, to Thursday, Sept. 22, and be shortened to 90 minutes to make room for the "Dancing with the Stars: Dance-Off" results show.

FOX is delaying the second episode of "Reunion" until next week, where it will have to square off against the season premieres of "CSI" and "The Apprentice." A repeat of "The War at Home" premiere will follow Bush's address. The network had also planned to show the "Reunion" episode again Friday; instead, it will repeat last week's premiere.

CBS has bumped a repeat of the two-hour "CSI" season finale from Thursday to Wednesday, Sept. 21. That, in turn, forces the second-season premiere of "CSI: NY" back to Wednesday, Sept. 28.

Two different repeats of "CSI" will air following Bush's address (and at 9 and 10 p.m. Pacific time), pushing affiliates' local newscasts back from their normal time in the eastern part of the country.

Bon Jovi Taking 'Nice Day' On Tour

Bon Jovi will hit North American arenas this fall in support of its upcoming Island album, "Have a Nice Day." The tour will begin Nov. 2 in Des Moines, Iowa, and has dates on tap through Jan. 23 in Toronto. As previously reported, the group will also inaugurate New York's Nokia Theatre with a Monday (Sept. 19) show that will be simulcast on AOL and XM Satellite Radio.

Additional tour stops are planned for Dallas, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Milwaukee, Nashville, Houston, San Jose, Calif., Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Las Vegas, but dates have yet to be announced.

"Have a Nice Day" arrives Tuesday as the first DualDisc from Island/Def Jam. It will include five live performances and the video for the title track. The song is No. 17 on Billboard's Adult Top 40 chart this week.

In an attempt to broaden Bon Jovi's usual listener base, Island/Def Jam sister label Mercury Nashville is planning to work album track "Who Says You Can't Go Home?" to country radio. The cut is a duet with Jennifer Nettles from country act Sugarland, which joined Bon Jovi for a recent episode of the CMT series "Crossroads."

Here are Bon Jovi's tour dates:

Nov. 2: Des Moines, Iowa (Wells Fargo Arena)
Nov. 4: Chicago (United Center)
Nov. 8: Cleveland (Gund Arena)
Nov. 9: Columbus, Ohio (Schottenstein Center)
Nov. 11: Minneapolis (Target Center)
Nov. 16: Madison, Wis. (Kohl Center)
Nov. 18: Auburn Hills, Mich. (Palace of Auburn Hills)
Nov. 26: Uncasville, Conn. (Mohegan Sun)
Nov. 28-29: New York (Madison Square Garden)
Dec. 2-3: Philadelphia (Wachovia Center)
Dec. 6: Pittsburgh (Mellon Arena)
Dec. 9: Boston (TD Banknorth Garden)
Dec. 12: Albany, N.Y. (Pepsi Arena)
Dec. 14: Montreal (Bell Centre)
Dec. 17: Washington, D.C. (MCI Center)
Dec. 19, 21: East Rutherford, N.J. (Continental Airlines Arena)
Jan. 18: Charlotte, N.C. (Bobcat Arena)
Jan. 20: Buffalo, N.Y. (HSBC Arena)
Jan. 23: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)

Report: Britney Spears Has Baby Boy

NEW YORK - Britney Spears has given birth to a baby boy, Us Weekly reported. The baby was born Wednesday by Caesarean section at the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center in California, the magazine said. No other details were available.

A call to Spears' publicist by The Associated Press wasn't immediately returned.

It is the first child for the 23-year-old pop star and her husband, Kevin Federline. Federline, 27, has two children with ex-girlfriend Shar Jackson.

1st phase of 'Big Brother' comp ends

Maggie, Janelle and Ivette compete in the first phase of the final Head of Household Competiton on the 24/7 'Big Brother 6' live Internet feeds.
One 'Big Brother' HouseGuest is one step closer to the grand prize.

In the first of the three-part final Head of Household Competition, Janelle, Maggie and Ivette were required to balance on the ledge of a giant safe door and hold onto their house key as the dial spun slowly under their feet. Host Julie Chen also revealed that whomever won the challenge would also receive the combination to the last gold safe in the 'Big Brother' house.

On the 24/7 live Internet feeds from the 'Big Brother' house, viewers saw Janelle fall off at almost four hours into the competition. After some arguing back and forth about who would step off and face Janelle in the second phase, Maggie fell or stepped off the apparatus and Ivette was declared the winner. Ivette will now face the winner of the second portion of the competition for the last HOH title of the year. The winner of that will pick who they are taking with them to the jury vote and who is the last person booted from the series to become the final 'Big Brother 6' juror.

After opening the last gold safe, Ivette found a note. The note informed Ivette that her prize was waiting for her in the backyard. There, Ivette found two brand new motor scooters.

In other 'Big Brother' news Busto has been busted. April Lewis, the pharmaceutical sales representative from Texas, has joined the 'Big Brother 6' jury courtesy of her Disciples' Alliance mate Ivette Corredero. Ivette won the final Golden Power of Veto Competition on a taped portion of the show and saved herself. Head of Household Janelle Pierzina nominated April Lewis in her place. This set the stage for Ivette to cast the sole vote for eviction on the live segment.

In her speech, Ivette thanked all of the Disciples Alliance members for their support. She then cast her vote.

"I do not wish this position not even on my worst enemy. I cannot believe I am going to do this and I never pictured myself doing it but April, I have to evict you and I am so sorry," said Ivette as she shared a hug with April.

Despite the bitterness that has arisen over the Veto victory and personal issues that have come to the surface recently, both women acted cordial to each other on the broadcast. On the live Internet feeds from the 'Big Brother' house, April and Ivette had a series of heated arguments and stopped speaking to each other. After being plagued by her conscience, April accused Ivette of influencing too many of her decisions during the game.

In her conversation with Julie Chen on the Couch of Shame, April downplayed her falling out with Ivette even though host Julie Chen pressed her on the issue several times.

"I am blaming everything on the house and nothing on any of the other people," said April. "I kind of stayed out her path the last few days because I know her feelings were hurt and I told her I am really sorry and she hurt mine as well. I told her that I loved her and to hang in there. I hope for the best for all three of them. They are all wonderful people."

April went on to say she would never blame her actions on someone else but she was influenced to do things she normally wouldn't have done in the outside world.

"I take responsibility for that and I am not going to blame it on her (Ivette)," said April.

The final member of the 'Big Brother 6' jury will be evicted on a special Friday episode leaving the last two HouseGuests to face the jury on the season finale next Tuesday night. The winner of 'Big Brother 6' will take home $500,000 U.S. while the loser departs with $50,000 U.S.

Winegardner Writing New 'Godfather' Book

NEW YORK - Welcome back, Corleones.

Mark Winegardner, who wrote the 2004 best seller, "The Godfather Returns," which was authorized by the late Mario Puzo's estate, is now working on a novel that works in the assassination of President Kennedy.

G.P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group USA, expects to publish "The Godfather's Revenge" next year.

"It's staggering to contemplate the legacy of `The Godfather' films and novels," Putnam executive editor Dan Conaway said Tuesday in a statement.

"It's fitting, then, that `The Godfather's Revenge' overlays the resonant mythology of the Corleone family onto the most vexing real-life mystery of our age, with a story line that explores the role organized crime may have had in the assassination of a charismatic young President."

Winegardner, whose other books include "Crooked River Burning" and "The Veracruz Blues," joined the Corleone' franchise by winning a nationwide contest co-sponsored by Random House, Inc., and Puzo's estate for a new "Godfather" writer.

Probst talks 'Survivor Guatemala'

Two familiar faces are returning to ‘Survivor’ but host Jeff Probst isn’t saying who the former players might be.

“I supported the idea because I think socially it is a really great question. People see it very differently and I think people are going to react very differently. So people will say…’No. No. No. You had your chance. Go away.’ In my thinking that is shortsightedness. That is putting some silly ego or pride ahead of the goal and the goal is…How do I get further in the game?,” Probst told Jam! Showbiz of the latest ‘Survivor’ twist.

Probst revealed that the producers did mull the twist over and created a list of potential candidates before they decided who would get a second chance to play the game. Probst nixed the idea of allowing America to pick the returning Survivors.

“My feeling was you cannot trust America to vote in two people that have the qualities we need. People can get on the Internet and people can have their friends call in and suddenly we are left with someone who was voted out first from four seasons ago who nobody remembers. You can’t do that,” said Probst stating that the two most important criteria to the producers were who the audience would like to see again and that there must be clear justification for bringing those people back. The gossip mill claims Bobby Jon Drinkard and Stephenie Lagrossa from the doomed Ulong Tribe from ‘Survivor Palau’ will be coming back to captain the two rival tribes on ‘Guatemala’ and possibly redeem themselves.

In the back of his mind, Probst realized that the twist could fail miserably if both returning players were targeted immediately and voted off but producer and series creator Mark Burnett supported the decision.

“(Mark) Burnett allows us to take risks, knowing we might fail but believing even if we did people would come back and give us another chance,” said Probst, who is still very much in love with ‘Survivor Vanuatu’ contestant Julie Berry. In fact, Berry lived on the set of ‘Guatemala’ while Probst worked on the series.

‘Survivor Guatemala’ will also feature another familiar face: former NFL quarterback Gary Hogeboom. During his career, Hogeboom played for the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Phoenix Cardinals. According to Probst, Hogeboom persistently lied about his football background so he would not be targeted by the other players. During the series, Hogeboom claimed to be Gary Hawkins, a lowly real estate developer, which is Hogeboom’s current vocation. During one of the first challenges, Danny Boatwright, a sports radio talk show host, recognized Hogeboom but he refused to acknowledge his true identity.

“He didn’t hesitate to lie,” Probst said of Hogeboom. “He’s got to run this little game of…I’m good enough to keep around. I am not so good that I can beat you and no, my name is not Hogeboom. It is Hawkins.”

Set in the Mayan ruins of northern Guatemala, the series begins with a punishing eleven mile overnight hike through the jungle as the tribes race against each other to win fire and their choice of a camp site. The trek was designed by planners from Mark Burnett’s ‘Eco-Challenge’ series.

“It is the toughest beginning ever,” said Probst revealing that many of the players passed out or became sick from the ordeal. Probst termed contestant Margaret Bobonich, the family nurse practitioner, as the star of the first episode since she looked after many of the ill players.

As the series rolls into its eleventh season and running out of islands to visit, Probst claims that ‘Survivor’ is still above other reality shows because it has more soul and integrity.

“There is so much reality on television but ‘Survivor’ is in a category of its own now,” he said.

‘Survivor Guatemala’ debuts this Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

Probst’s assessment of the ‘Survivor Guatemala’ contestants

BRANDON BELLINGER: Has a smart mouth and pretended to be the dumb farmer. He is very likeable.

DANNI BOATWRIGHT: Is an athlete and comes from a family of strong competitors. Does not like to lose.

MARGARET BOBONICH: Star of the first episode and was seriously concerned about one of the players during and after the hike.

BRIAN CORRIDAN: Thinks he is ‘Richard Hatch Lite’.

CINDY HALL: More comfortable around animals than people. As a zoo keeper, she knows a lot about the outdoors and the animals which populate Guatemala.

GARY HOGEBOOM: Used an alternate persona to hide the fact that he is a former NFL football player. Might not have given his all at the start to hide his athletic background.

RAFE JUDKINS: An understated personality who studied Mayan culture before he even knew he was selected to be on the series. Probst believes viewers will rally behind him.

JIM LYNCH: A know-it-all who likes things done his way.

MORGAN McDEVITT: Probst didn’t have faith in her at the start. She changed his mind and is seen as sort of an underdog.

LYDIA MORALES: Knowledge of fish won’t come into play as there is not much opportunity to fish where the camps are situated. The water there is muddy and dense. Very charming. A survivor in her own life.

JAMIE NEWTON: Has a chip on his shoulder. Always intends to do the right thing and has a good heart.

AMY O'HARA: Has a little bit of Twila in her. She has a big mouth but is very, very tough.

JUDD SERGEANT: A hot head but is a strong player because he has studied and understands the game. He knows what he has to do to endear himself to the other players.

BROOKE STRUCK: Sharp and calm. A leader.

BLAKE TOWSLEY: Most of the men involved in the casting liked him. The women didn’t.

BRIANNA VARELA: She had another reason for being on the series. Probst: Something else was going on. He is not sure what she was looking for from the experience.

Canyon wins four at CCMAs

What a difference a year can make.

Last year, Alberta's George Canyon was named the Canadian Country Music Association's rising star of the year.

They couldn't have been more right -- this year the gentleman cowboy swept the awards, winning four CCMAs, including the night's biggest prize, the Fan's Choice award.

The runner-up on the hit U.S. series Nashville Star, a variation on American Idol, also took home trophies for male artist, as well as single and song for My Name, a touching tune he wrote to help friends cope with a miscarriage.

"I wasn't really expecting this ... Thank you, I'm very touched," said an emotional Canyon after receiving his first prize of the night.

By the time Canyon collected his fourth trophy he had trouble keeping it together.

"You'll have to excuse me I have something in my eye," he said after a long pause.

Even after the show finished, the quadruple win still hadn't sunk in.

"I'm fans of the folks who are in the category with me, so to win is to go above and beyond what I've dreamt," said Canyon, who admitted the stomach flu he was suffering from also contributed to his shock factor.

HAMMERING IT HOME

The only other artist to win multiple awards last night at the Saddledome was Calgarian and host Paul Brandt, whose album This Time Around was named the best of the year, as was his Convoy video -- which perhaps got a boost from a guest appearance by Canyon.

Despite joking during the show that he very much wanted to take home the Fans' Choice award, Brandt was gracious about the loss.

"I thought it was great. George has become a really good friend over the years. And he has proven he isn't just another talent show winner," Brandt said backstage.

The Road Hammers, who went into the night with a whopping six nominations, were only able to nab the group of the year award.

Bonnyville's Clayton Bellamy was particularly touched by the win.

"This has been a cinderella year for me," said Bellamy, who had given up on the music biz before becoming a Road Hammer. Backstage, Bellamy was still trying to accept his good fortune. "It just spun my head around tonight."

Perhaps the hot new trio's most surprising loss was in the rising star category.

That prize went to Amanda Wilkinson. It was her first win as a solo artist -- she won previously when she fronted the family group the Wilkinsons with her father Steve and brother Tyler.

A teary Wilkinson was shocked: "This is freakin' crazy man. I don't know what to say. I have to thank (my family) for always loving and supporting me."

Backstage, Wilkinson admitted her family had already been on the phone to congratulate her.

"I have the best family in the world -- I miss them tonight."

CLARK HONOURED

The evening appeared to belong to the men of country, as the only other woman to go to the podium was Alberta's Terri Clark.

Though she didn't win the top prize of Fans' Choice -- as she has for the past four years --she didn't go home empty-handed. Clark was named the female artist of the year.

Backstage, it was difficult to tell what made Clark beam brighter -- looking at her trophy or catching the eye of her fiance Greg Kaczor across the room.

When asked what was more important, last night's win or her wedding Saturday, she had to admit saying 'I do.'

"Getting married ... that's what will be there for me when I'm 85."

She also wasn't bitter about Canyon winning Fans' Choice: "He deserved it. I was happy to see him win it. It's kinda embarrassing when you keep winning it."

The Corb Lund Band won the roots artist title.

The top-selling album, which is not voted on, was given to Shania Twain's Greatest Hits. Twain was not in attendance.

The Couch Potato Report - September 13th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a synopsis of some of the films that were released over the past few weeks, some from this week, and three from next week!

The Report will return soon in its well-known form, but in the interim, here are some notable newer releases.

In the incredibly interesting film CRASH several people's lives in Los Angeles are intersected following a random car-jacking. Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Thandie Newton and Sandra Bullock star.

The Universal Studios Legacy Series Collection is full of stars!

Presented in lovingly created Limited Edition two-disc DVD sets, The Legacy Series releases are all critically-acclaimed, Academy Award winning Hollywood gems. They are all digitally remastered for unsurpassed state-of-the-art picture quality. They feature fully restored audio with all-new enhanced 5.1 tracks, collectible packaging and unique extras bringing even more value to this one-of-a-kind series.

The inagural titles are: THE DEER HUNTER, winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, The film is one of the greatest films ever made about friendship and the personal impact of war.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD is quite simply one of the finest family-oriented dramas ever made. A beautiful and deeply affecting adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Harper Lee, the film retains a timeless quality that transcends its historically dated subject matter (racism in the Depression-era South) and remains powerfully resonant in present-day America with its advocacy of tolerance, justice, integrity, and loving, responsible parenthood.

Finally, THE STING was a winner of seven Academy Awards including Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. This critical and box-office hit from 1973 provided a perfect reunion for director George Roy Hill and stars Paul Newman and Robert Redford, who previously delighted audiences with Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Set in 1936, the movie's about a pair of Chicago con artists (Newman and Redford) who find themselves in a high-stakes game against the master of all cheating mobsters (Robert Shaw) when they set out to avenge the murder of a mutual friend and partner.

Also now available on video and DVD is the film version of the classic book THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. As in the tome earth is leveled to make way for hyperspace express route. Is it as good as the book? Are any movies based on books?

That said, this one is pretty damn entertaining! Martin Freeman from THE OFFICE plays Arthur Dent, and the cast also includes Mos Def and Zooey Deschanel.

FEVER PITCH is also based on a book, and the Farelly Brothers ruin NIck Hornby's wonderful story! In this version SNL reject Jimmy Fallon is a die-hard Boston Red Sox fan who has an unlucky love life akin to his team. Drew Barrymore is the latest woman in his life and trust me! It sucks, ignore it!! Read the book instead.

Or you can watch TOY STORY: THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. The edition of the landmark film repackages most of the extras found in the original Ultimate Toy Box set plus a few more. Two keen retrospectives are new, one with an assortment of talents including Roy Disney and Peter Jackson chiming in on the film's impact. The other is a roundtable with Lasseter and three of the creators simply talking about the experiences without--thankfully--any cutaways to noisy film clips. There's a load of other extras since the Ultimate Toy Box was one of the first and best DVD sets. Missing (besides the second film, which will be released separately) is the effects- and music-only tracks. Added is a whopping DTS soundtrack along with a remixed Dolby 5.1 track. The DVD has a higher transfer bit rate for a better picture, but only high-end enthusiasts will notice it. Since the film is a digital-to-digital transfer, both versions are eye-popping. A must-have set unless you have the Ultimate Toy Box.

Another must have box set is FRAGGLE ROCK - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON.

Man did I enjoy my time re-watching this set about a fun-loving group of furry subterranean creatures. C'mon! Dance your cares away with the complete first season of Fraggle Rock, Featuring all 24 episodes - never before available on DVD! Filled with all the Fraggley Fun you've been waiting for. Share in the music and memories that have kept fans rockin' for more than 20 years! So save your worries for another day and experience 715 minutes of frag-tastic fun in the untimate Fraggle Rock collection.

And our final title that is currently available in this synopsis filled edition of The Report is LAS VEGAS - SEASON TWO. The unparalleled Nikki Cox stars with James Caan in one of television's greatest guilty pleasures. If you love it, admit it.

If you don't skip it!

Okay, lets re-cap: CRASH, THE DEER HUNTER, TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, THE STING, THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, FEVER PITCH, the TOY STORY: THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, FRAGGLE ROCK - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON and LAS VEGAS - SEASON TWO are all available now at a store near you!

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA - SEASON ONE is a complete re-imagining of the 1970s series – upping the ante on the action, adventure, and drama that made the original so popular. Now, experience all 13 thrilling episodes of Season 1 and the four hour TV miniseries that started it all in this 5 disc DVD set loaded with explosive bonus features and presented in Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound.

On the DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - SEASON ONE DVD set, the 23 episodes are presented in widescreen format, and six of the episodes can also be viewed in "unrated, extended" versions. The additions--usually one scene, and no racier than the regular broadcast versions--are seamlessly integrated into the episodes, but series creator Marc Cherry's introductions help the viewer figure out what they are, and he explain how he thinks each addition affects the episode.

Finally, more up my alley, i sthe MALLRATS 10th ANNIVERSARY EXTENED EDITION. As with CLERKS X, Kevin Smith and his staff are striving to give us fans a lot of material with this upgrade. Ten years down the road MALLRATS is still a very funny little film. So press play and enjoy it!

Coming soon: The Return of the weekly Couch Potato Report!

Alternate endings tweak interest

What if you could change the ending to your favorite movie?

Hilary Swank makes a full recovery in Million Dollar Baby. The princess in Shrek stays desirable. E.T. decides to make Earth his home.

Those plot-smashing endings are a stretch, but more DVDs are offering viewers a look at alternate endings that once wound up on the cutting-room floor.

"An alternate ending is a great way to provide added value because it brings film fans into the creative process," says Ken Graffeo, executive vice president of Universal Studios Home Entertainment.

Universal will release The Interpreter, starring Nicole Kidman, with two endings — the one shown theatrically and the other premiering on the DVD — on Oct. 4.

"Sydney Pollack had actually shot two different conclusions to the film, but obviously only one could make it into the theatrical version," Graffeo says.

Universal's research has identified alternate endings as consumers' favorite bonus feature. The studio offered viewers an alternate ending on The Bourne Identity DVD in 2003. And New Line Home Entertainment has offered alternate endings on DVDs going back to 1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, which came to DVD in 1999.

"It differentiates the DVD experience from the theatrical experience," says New Line executive vice president Matt Lasorsa. "Before when you heard there was an alternate ending in which, say, the character dies, you could only read about it. Now, with DVD, we have the opportunity to bring that to the consumer."

On the Final Destination DVD, New Line tacked on an alternate ending and created a 15-minute featurette about the test screening and the poor audience reaction that led to that ending being scrapped, Lasorsa says.

"It provides an inside look at how studios test movies," Lasorsa says.

DVDs of Joy Ride, with Paul Walker, and Hide and Seek, with Robert De Niro, came out this year with four alternate endings, and Alien vs. Predator has another beginning.

Fever Pitch arrives on DVD today in two versions: the movie that showed in theaters and a "collector's edition" with several more minutes from the film-ending scene in which the Red Sox win the World Series.

"The hardest thing in the world about making a movie is to satisfactorily end it," FeverPitch co-director Bobby Farrelly says. "We almost always have a couple of different endings in mind, and it's informative to show the audience the different direction you might have gone."

On Dumb and Dumber, Farrelly says he and his brother, Peter, shot five endings before settling on the scene in which Lloyd and Harry pass up a chance to board a bus filled with bikini-clad women.

The alternates, including one in which the two turn down a cushy job, "just didn't work," Farrelly says. "They were amusing but left the audience a little unsatisfied."

On There's Something About Mary, Ted (Ben Stiller) "was going to get hit by a bus after all he'd been through, but it wasn't good at all, so we went back to a traditional happy ending."

Those endings didn't make it onto DVD — at least, not yet.

Other do-overs due soon

It's not exactly Gone with the Wind's Rhett Butler deciding he gives a damn after all, but here are some alternate endings coming out on DVD:

• In The Outsiders DVD, due Sept. 20, the redone ending is closer to the S.E. Hinton book.

• In The Interpreter, due on DVD Oct. 4, Nicole Kidman's character appears on the floor of the United Nations for a dramatic showdown.

• In a nine-minute alternate ending to Titanic, due Oct. 25, shipwreck explorer Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) has a meaningful confrontation with the elderly Rose (Gloria Stuart) as she is about to toss her diamond necklace overboard.

•The Perfect Man, starring Heather Locklear and due Nov. 1, has two endings and two beginnings.

NEW CD RELEASES FOR SEPTEMBER 13, 2005

A Dozen Furies A Concept from Fire (Sanctuary)

Jon Philip Alman When You Get Home (LML Music)

American Werewolves 1968 (Fractured Transmitter)

Shawn Amos Thank You Shirl-ee May (A Love Story) (Shout! Factory)

Anom So It's Come to This (Eastern Fiction)

Aphasia Fact & Fiction (DRT Entertainment)

Apollo Sunshine Apollo Sunshine (spinART)

Arizona Amp and Alternator (Giant Sand's Howie Gelb) Arizona Amp and Alternator (guests M. Ward, Scout Nibblet and members of Grandaddy and Arcade Fire) (Thrill Jockey)

Antonio Arnedo Colombia (Adventure Music)

Badi Assad Verde (w/covers of U2's "One" and Björk's "Bachelorette") (eDGe/Deutsche Grammophon)

Baby Mongoose Enter the (Dionysus)

Devendra Banhart Cripple Crow (XL Recordings)

Bedsit Poets The Summer That Changed (Bongo Beat)

David Benoit Orchestral Stories (Peak)

Black Eyed Peas Maximum (audio biography) (Chrome Dreams)

Brian Blain Overqualified for the Blues (NorthernBlues)

Steve Blanchard Northbound Train (LML Music)

Blue Rodeo Are You Ready (Rounder)

Blues Traveler Bastardos! (Vanguard)

The Bomb (w/ex-Naked Raygun's Jeff Pezzati) Indecision (Thick)

Brakes (members of British Sea Power, Tenderfoot and Electric Soft Parade) Give Blood (Rough Trade)

Dee Dee Bridgewater J'ai Deux Amours (renditions of French songs) (Sovereign Artists)

Pieta Brown In the Cool (Valley Entertainment)

Eric Burdon It's My Life (Snapper)

Cantoma Cantoma (Quango)

Carlos Guitarlos Hell Can Wait (Nomad)

Casino Royal Back to Back Bacharach (all covers of Burt Bacharach tunes) (Varèse Vintage)

Cave In Perfect Pitch Black (Hydra Head)

The Celebrity Pilots Beneath the Pavement, a Beach! (Sunken Treasure)

Sam Champion Slow Rewind (Razor & Tie)

Tracy Chapman Where You Live (co-produced by Tchad Blake) (Elektra/Atlantic)

Cherry Monroe The Good, the Bad & the Beautiful (formerly titled "Cherry Monroe") (Rust/Universal)

The Clayton Brothers Back in the Swing of Things (Hyena)

CocoRosie Noah's Ark (Touch and Go)

Dana Cooper Made of Mud (King Easy)

Doug Cox and Sam Hurrie Hungry Ghosts (NorthernBlues)

The Cranes Particles & Waves (w/bonus DVD featuring live performance) (Manifesto)

Creations End The Con of Man EP (HCNL)

The Crimea Tragedy Rocks (Warner Bros.)

Crombie Forest Walking... (This Generation Tapes)

Dandy Warhols Odditorium or Warlords of Mars (Capitol)

Steve Dawson Sweet Is the Anchor (Undertow)

Dengue Fever Escape from Dragon House (M80)

Desert City Soundtrack Perfect Addiction (Deep Elm)

Despised Icon The Healing Process (Goodfellow)

Diamond Nights Popsicle (Kemado)

Rob Dickinson (ex-Catherine Wheel) Fresh Wine for the Horses (Sanctuary)

DJ Quik Trauma (w/Ludacris, the Game, Chingy, Wyclef, B-Real, Jodeci and more) (Mad Science)

The Double Loose in the Air (Matador)

Dreamscapes of the Perverse Gignesthai (Tribunal)

Eugene Edwards My Favorite Revolution (Flagship)

The Evil Queens First It Boils, Then It Spills (w/four bonus tracks) (Addison)

Exceptor Alternation (Kill Rock Stars)

Cathy Fink & Marcy Marxer Scat Like That (Rounder)

Tim Fite Gone Ain't Gone (Epitaph)

Five.Bolt.Main Venting (Rock Ridge Music)

Mary Flower Bywater Dance (Yellow Dog)

Jack Foster III Raptorgnosis (Muse-Wrapped)

The Fray How to Save a Life (Epic)

Freakwater Thinking of You (featuring Califone) (Thrill Jockey)

From Monument to Masses Schools of Thought Contend (remixes w/two new studio tracks) (Dim Mak)

Gas Huffer Lemonade for Vampires (Touch and Go)

Giant Drag Heart and Unicorns (Interscope)

Go Betty Go Go Betty Go (SideOneDummy)

David Gray Life in Slow Motion (DualDisc same day) (ATO/RCA)

Brian Lane Green Waiting for the Glaciers to Melt (LML Music)

Gustafsson/Stackenas Plays the Blues (Atavistic)

H.I.M. Greatest Love Songs - Vol. 666 (Universal)

Halifax The Inevitably of a Strange World (Drive-Thru)

Annie Hayden The Enemy of Love (Merge)

Horrorpops Bring It on! (Epitaph)

Imperial Crowns Hymn Book (Ruf)

In-Quest The Comatose Quandaries (Good Life)

Institute (w/ex-Bush's Gavin Rossdale) Distort Yourself (DualDisc same day; produced by Helmet's Page Hamilton) (Interscope)

Irish Tenors Sacred (Razor & Tie)

Iron and Wine/Calexico In the Reins EP (collaborative effort) (Touch and Go)

Jazzanova Blue Note Trip (mix CD of the label's jazz classics) (Blue Note)

Jessy Rain (Water Music)

Marc Johnson Shades of Jade (ECM)

Syleena Johnson Chapter 3: The Flesh (guests Kanye West, Jermaine Dupri, R. Kelly, Common and Twista) (Jive)

George Jones Hits I Missed...and One I Didn't (guest Dolly Parton) (Bandit/Welk)

The Juliana Theory Deadbeat Sweetheartbeat (Paper Fist/Abacus)

Eugene Kelly (formerly of the Vaselines and Eugenius) Man Alive (Sympathy for the Record Industry)

Killing the Dream In Place, Apart (Deathwish)

B.B. King 80 (Geffen)

Knuckledust Unbreakable (GSR)

Lake Trout Not Them, You (Palm Pictures)

Mike LeDonne Night Song (Savant)

Levy Rotten Love (One Little Indian)

The Like Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking? (produced by ex-Prince and the Revolution's Wendy Melvoin) (Geffen)

Line of Fire Line of Fire (Tribunal)

Little Brother The Minstrel Show (Atlantic)

The Living Jarboe The Conduit (limited edition) (Atavistic)

Lonestar Coming Home (BNA)

Patty Loveless Dreaming My Dreams (Epic)

Jason Mackenroth (ex-Rollins Band/Mother Superior drummer) Mack (Wrecked)

Manfred Mann's Earth Band 2006 (Friday Music)

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley Welcome to Jamrock (w/Stephen Marley, the Roots' Black Thought, Nas, Bobby Brown and more; features tracks using samples of Bob Marley tunes) (Universal Motown)

The Mass Perfect Picture of Wisdom and Boldness (Crucial Blast)

Paul McCartney Chaos and Creation in the Back Yard (co-produced by Nigel Godrich) (Capitol)

Mike + the Mechanics Rewired (Rhino)

Natasha Miller Don't Move (Poignant)

Sister Gertrude Morgan King Britt Presents (remixes of rare classic New Orleans artist) (Ropeadope)

Mr. Greenweedz & Griot G-Strings (Touch and Go)

The Muckrakers Front of the Parade (Toucan Cove)

My Chemical Romance Maximum (audio biography) (Chrome Dreams)

Neon Blonde (members of the Blood Brothers) Chandeliers in the Savannah (Dim Mak)

Numbers We're Animals (Kill Rock Stars)

Shannon O'Connor Low in Paradise (Varrga)

Ohmega Watts The Find (Ubiquity)

Old Time Relijun 2012 (enhanced CD w/live performance video) (K Records)

OOIOO (w/Yoshimi of the Boredoms) Gold and Green (Thrill Jockey)

Opeth Ghost Reveries (Roadrunner)

Judith Owen Lost and Found (guests Cassandra Wilson and Keb' Mo') (Courgette/ADA/Warner Music Group)

John Parish Once Upon a Little Time (w/members of Portishead and the Bad Seeds) (Thrill Jockey)

Maceo Parker School's In (Phantom/BHM)

Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble The Eleventh Hour (ECM)

Chris Pierce Static Trampoline (Prana Entertainment)

Jimmy Ponder What's New (HighNote)

Princess Superstar My Machine (!K7)

PussyCat Dolls PCD (A&M/Interscope)

Queen + Paul Rodgers Return of the Champions (Hollywood)

Queenadreena The Butcher and the Butterfly (One Little Indian)

Bonnie Raitt Souls Alike (Capitol)

The Reigning Sound Home for Orphans (Sympathy for the Record Industry)

The Rosebuds Birds Make Good Neighbors (Merge)

Safety Scissors Tainted Lunch (Scape)

Dieter Scherf Trio Inside-Outside Reflections (Atavistic)

Secondhand Stores From the Talking Machine (Deep Elm)

Charlie Sexton Cruel and Gentle Things (Back Porch/EMI)

Sigur Rós Takk... (Geffen)

Smif N Wesson (aka Cocoa Brovaz) Reloaded (guest members of Boot Camp Clik plus Talib Kweli, dead prez, Roc Raida and more) (Duck Down)

Soulive Breakout (w/Robert Randolph on cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Crosstown Traffic;" also guests Living Colour's Corey Glover, Chaka Khan and Ivan Neville) (Concord)

Sourvein Emerald Vulture (enhanced CD) (Dark Reign)

Steep Canyon Rangers One Dime at a Time (Rebel)

Stellastarr* Harmonies for the Haunted (RCA)

Bobo Stenson Trio Goodbye (ECM)

Stiffed Burned Again (produced by Daryl Jenifer of Bad Brains) (Outlook)

Nicola Stilo and Toninho Horta Duets (Adventure Music)

Stratovarius Stratovarius (Sanctuary)

Stretch Arm Strong Free at Last (We Put Out Records)

Subtract by Two Agoniser Ecrire (This Generation Tapes)

Stacy Sullivan Cold Enough to Snow (new and traditional Christmas songs) (LML Music)

Super Furry Animals Love Kraft (produced by Mario Caldato, Jr.; string arrangements by the High Llamas' Sean O'Hagan) (XL Recordings)

Switchfoot Nothing Is Sound (DualDisc available same day) (Columbia)

Rosie Thomas If Songs Could Be Held (guest Ed Harcourt on "Let It Be Me") (Sub Pop)

Billy Bob Thornton Hobo (Big Deal)

Ali Farka Toure & Toumani Diabate In the Heart of the Moon (Nonesuch)

Trapt Someone in Control (Warner Bros.)

Turn Me on Dead Man God Bless the Electric Freak (Alternative Tentacles)

Vandermark 5 The Color of Memory (Atavistic)

Andreas Vollenweider Vox (Kin Kou/Savoy)

Paul Wall The People's Champ (Atlantic)

Russell Watson Amore Musica (Decca)

Dar Williams My Better Self (w/Ani DiFranco, Marshall Crenshaw, Soulive and more) (Razor & Tie)

Charlie Wilson Charlie, Last Name Wilson (Jive/ZLG)

Wooden Wand and the Vanishing Voice Buck Dharma (Kill Rock Stars)

xbxrx Sixth in Sixes (Polyvinyl)

XCarnation Grounded (guest members of Winger and King Crimson) (Muse-Wrapped)

Trisha Yearwood Jasper County (MCA Nashville)

VA Mean It Man (new, previously unreleased tracks from Horace Pinker, the Methadones, the Bomb and more) (Thick)

VA Metro Weekender Presents - Amika (Varèse Sarabande)

VA Music Is My Art (hip-hop/electronica compilation) (Ubiquity)

VA Old Skars & Upstarts 2005 (rare and unreleased tracks from Turbonegro, the Skulls, Epoxies and more) (Disaster)

VA Rose & Thistle: English and Scottish Music from the Christmas Revels (Revels/Allegro)

VA Sacred Ground: A Tribute to Mother Earth (traditional and contemporary Native American songs) (Silver Wave)

VA The Enlightened Family: A Collection of Lost Songs (Touch and Go)

OCR Mary Poppins (Walt Disney)

OST Elizabethtown (Cameron Crowe film starring Orlando Bloom; includes original music by Heart's Nancy Wilson plus songs by My Morning Jacket, Ryan Adams, Tom Petty and more; box set available same day) (RCA)

OST Four Brothers (Mark Wahlberg film) (Universal Motown)

OST Four Brothers (score by David Arnold) (Varèse Sarabande)

OST Just Like Heaven (originals and covers from the Cure, Amos Lee, Beck, Pete Yorn and more) (Columbia)

OST Proof (score by Stephen Warbeck) (Varèse Sarabande)

OST The Aristocrats (all-star comedy documentary w/George Carlin, Robin Williams, Chris Rock and many more) (V2)

OST Thumbsucker (score by the Polyphonic Spree's Tim DeLaughter, plus three previously unreleased songs by Elliott Smith, including covers of Big Star's "Thirteen" and Cat Stevens' "Trouble") (Hollywood)

DVD East of Sunset (w/covers of Tom Waits songs by Alex Chilton, Lydia Lunch and more) (Music Video Distributors)

DVD Amici Forever In Concert (RCA Victor)

DVD The Chesterfield Kings Where Is the Chesterfield King?!?! (sci-fi action/comedy starring the band; w/bonus live performance footage) (Music Video Distributors)

DVD Lydia Lunch Willing Victim (2003 concert w/members of Godflesh, Foetus, Swans and Unsane) (Music Video Distributors)

DVD Mara'akate Congratulations on Your Impending Geography (footage of 2003 tour) (HCNL)

DVD Duke Robillard A Special Evening with and Friends (Stony Plain)

'SNL' Star Tina Fey Gives Birth to Girl

NEW YORK - This just in: "Saturday Night Live" comedian-writer Tina Fey has given birth to her first child.

Fey, co-anchor of Weekend Update, the fake news desk of "SNL," gave birth Saturday in New York to a daughter, Alice Richmond, an NBC spokesman said Monday.

"Safe, home, happy, thrilled to death," said Marc Liepis, a spokesman for the sketch comedy show. The baby weighed 5 pounds, 5 ounces, he said.

Fey, 35, and her husband, Jeff Richmond, were married in 2001. Fey has been head writer at "SNL" for five years; Richmond is a composer for the show.

She will take a brief maternity leave from "Saturday Night Live," which premieres its 31st season Oct. 1.

Jackson: Mariah Carey to perform on Katrina song

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Michael Jackson has recruited pop superstar Mariah Carey, rappers Snoop Dogg and Jay Z, "Godfather of Soul" James Brown and other top artists to perform on a charity single for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, his spokeswoman said on Monday.

Also joining Jackson will be retro-rocker Lenny Kravitz; rappers Wyclef Jean, Laryn Hill and Missy Elliott; R&B crooners Ciara, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Yolanda Adams, R. Kelly and Mary J. Blige; and 1970s soul icons the O'Jays, spokeswoman Raymone Bain said.

"Mr. Jackson is continuing to reach out to artists who would like to work with him on this project, which he humbly hopes will make a tremendous difference to all individuals who have been affected by this tragedy, Bain said.

Jackson, who raised more than $60 million for African famine relief in the mid-1980s with a campaign built around his anthem "We Are the World," announced last week that he had been moved by images of Katrina's devastation to write a song for the hurricane's victims.

Bain has said that the 47-year-old singer, who left his Neverland Valley Ranch in California for Bahrain after his June acquittal on sex abuse charges, will return to the United States to record the song, tentatively titled "From the Bottom of My Heart."

All proceeds will be donated to hurricane victims, she said.

McCartney's New Album Deemed Best in Years

NEW YORK - It sounds cruel, but let's face it: Except for the occasional highlight like "Vanilla Sky" or "My Brave Face," for the past 20 years, Paul McCartney's catalogue has been pretty barren. So the former Beatle wanted to make his new solo album, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard," stand out.

"I decided to lay it on the line for myself and challenge myself and say, 'You're going to make a good album here.' It was a good motivator," he told The Associated Press.

Time magazine breathlessly declared "Chaos" to be McCartney's first album that matters since the Beatles broke up 35 years ago. But it's simply unlike anything he's done before, a quiet disc with complicated emotional shadings — the album that generations of critics who derided his sunny, silly love songs have been asking him to make.

He'll never be mistaken for Nine Inch Nails. But the heartache of "Too Much Rain" and smoldering anger of "Riding to Vanity Fair" are unusual for McCartney. When the 63-year-old struggles for the notes in the "Blackbird" successor "Jenny Wren," he even sounds fragile.

"Even though I'm essentially an optimist, an enthusiast, like anyone else I have down moments in my life," he said. "You just can't help it. Life throws them at you.

"In the past I may have written tongue-in-cheek, like `Maxwell's Silver Hammer,' and dealt with matters of fate in a kind of comical, parody manner. It just so happens in this batch of songs I would look at these subjects and thought it was good for writing. If it's good enough to take to your psychiatrist, it's good enough to make a song of."

McCartney also was pushed by the blunt Nigel Godrich, a producer known for his work with Radiohead and Beck.

His method was to force the music legend out of his comfort zone. McCartney brought his touring band in to record; after two weeks Godrich dispatched them. Much like he did with his very first solo album, McCartney played virtually every instrument himself — on "Friends to Go" alone, he's credited on the grand piano, acoustic/bass/electric guitars, harpsichord, drums, tambourine, flugelhorn, melodica and shakers.

Producer and artist particularly clashed on "Riding to Vanity Fair," which McCartney brought in as a fast song and Godrich kept trying to slow down.

"There were one or two moments on the album when I had to think to myself, `You know, I could just fire this guy,'" McCartney said.

Widening his emotional palette doesn't necessarily belittle his optimism, McCartney said. He's not disowning anything. He spoke of talking with Bruce Springsteen a few years ago at a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction where the Boss admitted he didn't really get "Silly Love Songs" at the time it came out in 1976. He feels differently now that he's a family man.

"It took a little nerve to hold on, knowing that people were going to take a cheap shot," McCartney said.

Obviously he never set out to log many years of lackluster recordings.

"You're not really aware of that," he said. "You can maybe get a little complacent, or you're not hitting a good patch, or you can think it's great and it isn't. There are a multitude of reasons why."

For a man who seemingly tumbled out of bed every morning of his youth with a brilliant melody, the struggles were painful to listen to. Think "Freedom." What was once effortless seemed forced.

Writing songs isn't necessarily harder for him as he gets older, McCartney said. And for whatever reasons — time, a happy remarriage and new fatherhood — he feels he's writing better than he has in a long time.

"I still have this deep love for melody in particular and writing songs," he said. "It isn't any more difficult. Obviously what made it easier then was writing with John (Lennon). He was such a great collaborator. The two of us were on fire every time we sat down to write.

"If he was stuck, I knew that I could help him out and vice versa. We normally sat down for three hours and bingo, a pretty good song came out. We never had a dry session. Every time we sat down, we came out with a song."

That happened up to the end; Lennon even asked for advice on "The Ballad of John and Yoko," he said. "We're not stupid," McCartney said. "We knew a good thing."

Yet it put in place the essential dilemma of his solo years. McCartney seems to intrinsically understand the value of a strong collaborator, but what can compare when you've had a partnership for the ages?

He enjoyed, for example, a brief songwriting collaboration with Elvis Costello that produced some good music ("My Brave Face"). But "you do something like that and it makes it even more obvious that there's no replacing John for me and no replacing me for him."

McCartney spoke by telephone from a car driving to band rehearsals in Miami for his American tour. He's long past the period where he felt he had to prove himself post-Beatles so, twistedly, he avoided the band's work in concert.

Now the whole catalogue is up for grabs, and it's easy to find songs he's never played live before — like the voice-shredding "Helter Skelter," which he brought out for the Live 8 concert.

One last query as the car pulled up: Has he ever thought over the years, I've put a pretty good songbook together, maybe it's just time to let it be?

"Pardon the pun," he said. "The trouble is, I like it too much. If I was asked to retire tomorrow, if I was forcibly removed from my contract, I'd just do it for fun."

New Songs Enliven Eurythmics Best-Of

The Eurythmics have re-teamed to record two new songs for the upcoming retrospective “Ultimate Collection,” due Nov. 8 via Arista. The tracks “I've Got a Life” (the first single) and “Was It Just Another Love Affair?” were recorded in Los Angeles and mark Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart's first new material in more than five years.

“Annie and I didn't plan to go in the studio -- she was staying with me in Los Angeles and we seemed to spontaneously write and record some songs,” Stewart says. “It was just like the old days, songs coming at lightning speed and recorded and mixed in a week.”

“Ultimate Collection” is rounded out by some of the most enduring pop songs of the 1980s, including “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” “Here Comes the Rain Again,” “Would I Lie To You?” and “Missionary Man.”

Eurythmics' last album of new material was 1999's “Peace.” Expanded reissues of the group's studio albums have been in the pipeline for some time but have yet to be given a release date.

Here is the track list for “Ultimate Collection”:

“I've Got a Life”
“Love Is a Stranger”
“Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”
“Who's That Girl?”
“Right by Your Side”
“Here Comes the Rain Again”
“Would I Lie To You?”
“There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)”
“Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves”
“It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)”
“When Tomorrow Comes”
“Thorn in My Side”
“The Miracle of Love”
“Missionary Man”
“You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart”
“I Need a Man”
“I Saved the World Today”
“17 Again”
“Was It Just Another Love Affair?”

Mulroney says he's tops, Trudeau's not

Brian Mulroney says he was the greatest prime minister -- after John A. MacDonald.

However, the former prime minister says Pierre Trudeau's contribution "was not to build Canada but to destroy it."

Of Lucien Bouchard, he says, "I have never known a more vulgar expression of betrayal and deceit."

The comments come in a soon-to-be-published book by Peter C. Newman. The Secret Mulroney Tapes: Confessions of a Prime Minister draws on 98 interviews with Mulroney. Excerpts are printed Monday in the Globe and Mail.

FROM THE CBC ARCHIVES: From Cheers to Jeers: The Mulroney Years
"By the time history is done looking at this, and you look at my achievements as opposed to others, certainly no one will be in Sir John A.'s league -- but my nose will be a little ahead of most in terms of achievements," Newman quotes Mulroney as saying.

According to the Globe, Mulroney gave Newman access to documents, and to family and colleagues as long as Newman agreed not to publish the material while Mulroney was still in office.

Mulroney served as prime minister from Sept. 1984 to June 1993. After he left office, his Progressive Conservative party was trounced by Jean Chrétien's Liberals.

Lucien Bouchard was a friend and political ally to Mulroney. But Bouchard quit Mulroney's federal cabinet in 1990 in a dispute over the doomed Meech Lake constitutional accord. Bouchard went on to lead the Bloc Québécois.

Post-Brosnan, Bond is a tough suit to fill

Where is James Bond?

With production set to begin in January on the 21st Bond picture, "Casino Royale," the dashing movie hero who dates back to the '60s might as well be missing in action.

The latest Bond film, "Die Another Day," starring Pierce Brosnan, was released by MGM in 2002. But last year, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the sibling producers who control the Bond franchise, told the Irish Brosnan, 52, the fifth actor to portray Bond in the long-running series, that after four films they would not require his services for the new one.

According to sources familiar with the situation, the producers and Brosnan were too far apart on terms to close a deal. One Sony executive described Brosnan's salary demands, which within the industry have been said to be as much as $30 million, "usurious." (No Bond has ever landed gross points.) Still, commented Steven Jay Rubin, author of "The Complete James Bond Encyclopedia": "They shouldn't have let him go. Now they have to find a guy they can patch up to a seven-year contract."

"It was a big mistake to let Pierce go," agreed casting agent Debra Zane. "He's got it all. Who cares if he's in his early 50s? He's completely Bond."

As a result, the producers now face the difficult challenge of casting a new Bond.

The difficulty of that task became apparent shortly after a consortium headed by Sony Corp. of America announced its intent in September to acquire MGM and its assets.

In November, the many players who are involved in casting the new Bond -- including Amy Pascal, chairman of the Sony Pictures Entertainment motion picture group -- held their first meeting at a British men's club in London, but they were unable to reach an agreement.

"Casino Royale" is scheduled to start production in January for an October release. Once again, Judi Dench will play M. and John Cleese will be Q. The casting of a new Miss Moneypenny is moving forward.

But so far there's no Bond in sight. Broccoli and Wilson, her half-brother -- were schooled in the Bond tradition by the late, legendary Bond producer Cubby Broccoli -- often don't agree with each other on the casting possibilities, according to talent agents. One source close to the movie reported that Broccoli liked "Layer Cake" star Daniel Craig, 37, but Wilson didn't. Broccoli also thought Australian star Hugh Jackman, 36, who in addition to playing Wolverine in "X-Men" has appeared in Broadway musicals, wasn't masculine enough. Colin Farrell, 29, was judged too much of a bad boy. Eric Bana, 37, star of "Troy" and the upcoming "Munich," wasn't good-looking enough. Ewan McGregor, 34, was too short. "Their natural instinct is to do what's been done before," the source said.

Bond director Martin Campbell, who helmed "GoldenEye," has his own ideas about reinventing the franchise. He was involved in the recent hiring of Paul Haggis ("Million Dollar Baby," "Crash") to rewrite old Bond hands Neal Purvis and Robert Wade ("The World Is Not Enough," "Die Another Day"). "Campbell wants to find a complete unknown," one source said. "He wants to take credit for re-energizing the franchise again."

Compounding the challenge, several bigger stars have passed on the opportunity to play Bond. When Clive Owen, 41, was approached by Campbell, who directed him in "Beyond Borders," he told Campbell that he wasn't interested in the role, his spokesman said. "He already had so many interesting, varied offers on the table that he wanted to keep his options open," he said. Owen instead signed up for a string of films, including Spike Lee's "Inside Man," Alfonso Cuaron's "The Children of Men" and Michael Davis' "Shoot 'Em Up." In the meantime, Owen will send up Bond by playing Agent 006 in the upcoming remake of "The Pink Panther."

As the search has dragged on, Bond spokeswoman Ann Bennett has been fending off one Internet rumor after another. Just about every leading man capable of a British accent has been bandied about for Bond. There have been rumors of a black Bond: British "Prime Suspect" star and 007's agent cohort on the last three films, Colin Salmon, 43. There has been talk of a Croatian Bond: "ER" star Goran Visnjic, 32, who studied for 10 days in London with a dialogue coach and did a screen test. And there's even been speculation about a baby Bond: Brit Henry Cavill ("Goodbye, Mr. Chips"), 22, also did a screen test, along with 28-year-old Australian Alex O'Lachlan ("The Oyster Farmer"). Glasgow-born Ewan Stewart ("Titanic"), 47, was reported to have tested for the role but did not, according to a Sony spokesman. "There is no pending announcement," he added.

As a result, agents and managers from Hollywood to Sydney to London and beyond have all been dreaming about one of their clients landing the coveted Bond assignments. There have been lobbying efforts -- some subtle, some not -- to get the producers' attention.

One campaign by Julian McMahon, 37, who has starred in "Nip/Tuck" and "Fantastic Four," already appears to have backfired. After the Australian actor struck a Bond pose, dressed in a tuxedo and wielding a gun, along with the headline "License to Thrill" on the April cover of Angeleno Modern Luxury, he might have alienated the producers, sources said. Campbell did want to test McMahon. But according to several sources, the actor's new representatives at CAA and Three Arts Entertainment advised him to turn down a test, a charge a CAA spokesman denied.The producers are determined to give Bond a face-lift. Before MGM's sale to Sony was finalized, MGM execs arranged for "Layer Cake" director Matthew Vaughn to meet with the Broccoli family about directing the next Bond, possibly with Craig as his star. "They loved him more than me," Vaughn said ruefully. "I would have nailed Bond."

Other directors who have spoken about their interest in reviving the franchise include Quentin Tarantino and John Woo, but the Broccolis decided to work once more with Campbell.

However, they are concerned that the franchise has been skewing older as the boomer audience that grew up with Bond ages. In deciding to adapt Ian Fleming's first Bond tale, the 1953 novel "Casino Royale," they can reintroduce Bond as a young 28-year-old. "They were looking young," the agent of one Bond wannabe said. "They said they wanted the next generation's James Bond. Someone the younger audience could relate to."

Meanwhile, the media have been busy advancing their own candidates, including Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("Bend It Like Beckham"), 28, who insisted that he was never approached for the role. "Who wouldn't want the chance of being the world's greatest super-spy agent?" he said. "It's not reality for me at the moment."

Jude Law, 32, earned the most votes in a Total Film Magazine Internet poll on Bond. Gerard Butler ("The Phantom of the Opera"), 35, also has been mentioned as a real contender. Other names that have surfaced -- either in the media or inside the Hollywood beltway -- are Hugh Grant ("Bridget Jones's Diary"), 44; Ralph Fiennes ("The Constant Gardener"), 42; Rufus Sewell ("The Legend of Zorro"), 37; Matthew MacFadyen ("Pride and Prejudice"), 31; Karl Urban ("The Bourne Supremacy"), 33; Orlando Bloom ("Kingdom of Heaven"), 28; Jason O'Mara ("Band of Brothers"), 33; Jack Davenport ("Pirates of the Caribbean"), 32; Robbie Williams ("De-Lovely"), 31; Jeremy Northam ("Gosford Park"), 43; Dominic West ("The Wire"), 35; Dougray Scott ("Dark Water"), 39; Rupert Friend ("Pride & Prejudice"), 26; David Morrissey, ("Derailed"), 41; Gary Stretch ("Alexander"), 36; James Purefoy ("Rome"), 41; and Ioan Gruffudd ("Fantastic Four"), 31.

But there is a risk in casting a young Bond, one former Bond marketer said: Although the global franchise needs to be made more contemporary -- many kids see Bond movies as belonging to their parents -- "the danger of going too young to broaden the appeal is that you alienate the core, which is males over 25. He has to wear the suit well, as Brosnan did. You can't lose sight of the core."

Broccoli and Wilson will find themselves competing with movies like "The Bourne Identity" series, starring Matt Damon, one ICM agent said. The "Bourne" filmmakers "took a '70s low-tech action franchise and made it work like gangbusters. Now they (the Bond producers) have to make Bond relevant all over again."

"It's a tough casting job to replace someone whose qualities are stuck in people's heads," said Marcia Ross, senior vp casting at Walt Disney Studios. "He can't be so profoundly different that he's jarring. You have to find someone with similar elements. He has to be charming, intelligent, sexy, commanding and authoritative. You can argue that you bring more value to the part by going to an actor who the audience knows and likes. But the minute you get into somebody who has a career, he'll want to be paid. I'd pick Gerard Butler, who has an impish quality hiding behind his sexiness."

All of which has Hollywood asking: Will the next Bond please stand up?

How 9/11 Affected 'Flightplan's' Cast and Story

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - It's been four years since the horrifying terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 that shook the world and made their mark on the Toronto International Film Festival as well -- stranding thousands of visitors when the airports closed and shutting down the film screenings and events. The world has changed since then, with security tightened and paranoia heightened.

At a press event at this year's festival, the cast of Jodie Foster's latest film "Flightplan," explained what they learned about the crew that's essential to making the flight not only comfortable, but also safe for the passengers. Sean Bean ("Lord of the Rings") plays the pilot of Alto Airline's 8474 plane, a monstrous double-decker aircraft, who must decide whether Foster's character, Kyle Pratt, is merely a distraught mother worried about her missing child or a mentally unstable woman who is a danger to everyone stuck in the air at 30,000 feet.

Less obvious is the responsibility that rests on the shoulders of the flight attendants, whom Erika Christensen says are "not just waitresses in the sky." The 23-year-old starlet plays the film's newest stewardess Fiona and reveals that her family has a history with aviation.

"My grandmother was a flight attendant, my mother had a pilot's license and my grandfather was a pilot. That's how my grandmother and grandfather met," says Christensen. "They have a huge responsibility. On the one hand they're glamorous and serve your food, and on the other hand, they're nurses and security guards and a bunch of jobs rolled into one. They have a huge responsibility for the people on the plane. So, respect to them."

Another result of the 9/11 tragedy is the increase in plainclothes air marshals that provide the muscle and firepower to guard the passengers.

"I know that the number of air marshals before 9/11 was in the three digits. And a couple of months after 9/11 it was in the four-digit area," explains Peter Sarsgaard, who plays a passenger in the film who helps Pratt search for her missing child. "A lot of people were hired very quickly after 9/11. There are a couple of mistakes and problems, but we're very lucky. It could be a lot worse."

In researching the film, the "Skeleton Key" actor also says that he can now make an informed guess about who on the flight is an incognito air marshal.

"They sit in first class, and a lot of them are former military," he says. "Former military, sitting in first class, wearing a blazer, not doing anything, and not talking to anyone is a pretty good sign. Also on a high-risk flight, [like] New York-LA or on a big plane, that's more likely. Sometimes I'll look around and I'll guess."

Because of the ethnicity of the Sept. 11 terrorists, the filmmakers had to carefully consider the portrayal of the film's Arab characters that Foster's character believes are behind her daughter's disappearance.

Says writer Billy Ray: "I thought it was a better idea to use the imprint of 9/11 ... so that we can deal with the notion that we've all become sort of racial profilers of necessity -- deal with that openly and honestly, but not in a prejudicial way at all."

"Flightplan" takes to the air beginning Friday, Sept. 23 nationwide.

MORE DVDS ABOUT NOTHING

The fifth and sixth seasons of "Seinfeld" will be released in two DVD volumes Nov. 22 from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

A holiday gift package of the two four-disc sets includes a collectible version of the Smithsonian-enshrined shirt and a reproduction of the hand-written script for season four episode "The Pilot," by Jerry Seinfeld.

Among the bonus features will be "Sein-imation" scenes -- classic "Seinfeld" scenes reimagined for animation using original cast voices, plus fresh outtakes, bloopers, deleted scenes and audio commentary.

'Exorcism of Emily Rose' Bedevils Rivals

LOS ANGELES - "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" bedeviled its competition in its box-office debut this weekend, hauling in $30.2 million with its mix of courtroom drama and classic horror.

The film, inspired by true events, follows a Catholic priest on trial for negligent homicide following the death of a satanically possessed 19-year-old.

Its PG-13 rating and cast, including Oscar nominees Tom Wilkinson, Laura Linney and Shohreh Aghdashloo, helped give it wide appeal, bumping last week's newcomer, "Transporter 2," from the No. 1 spot, according to studio estimates.

Overall revenue for this weekend's top 12 films was up 16 percent from the same period last year, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"Transporter 2" fell to third place with three-day estimated ticket sales of $7.2 million. The action sequel dropped below "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which held on to the No. 2 spot in its fourth week with $7.9 million, boosting its total domestic gross to $82.3 million.

The critically panned "The Man," a buddy comedy that throws together federal agent Samuel L. Jackson and dental supply salesman Eugene Levy to solve a murder, opened in sixth place with $4.0 million.

"An Unfinished Life," which stars Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman and Jennifer Lopez in the story of a rancher reluctantly reunited with his estranged daughter-in-law, opened well in limited release, with $1.0 million and a per theater average of $7,264.

Meanwhile, "The Constant Gardener," starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz and based on a John le Carre novel, moved to fourth place in its second week. The film took in $4.8 million, bringing its total to $19.1 million, while playing on fewer than half the number of screens given to "The Exorcism of Emily Rose."

Dergarabedian attributed the popularity of "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," to its genre-bending style.

"It has a lot of very interesting elements that make it not your typical horror movie," he said.

The film's debut marks the third biggest September opener, behind "Sweet Home Alabama" and the first "Rush Hour."

Rory Bruer, president of distribution for Sony Pictures, called the opening "phenomenal."

"The movie cost us less than $20 million to make. We would have been very happy had the picture opened to $15 million," he said.

Raunchy summer comedies like "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" and "The Wedding Crashers" also continue to boost the sagging box office.

Still, overall revenues for the year are down about 6 percent and attendance is down about 9 percent.

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 Exorcism of Emily Rose," $30.2 million.
2. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," $7.9 million.
3. "Transporter 2," $7.2 million.
4. "The Constant Gardener," $4.8 million.
5. "Red Eye," $4.6 million.
6. "The Man," $4.0 million.
7. "The Brothers Grimm," $3.3 million.
8. "Wedding Crashers," $3.2 million.
9. "Four Brothers," $2.9 million.
10. "March of the Penguins," $2.5 million.
11. "The Skeleton Key," $1.6 million.
12. "The Cave," $1.3 million.

Etheridge Energized On 'Greatest Hits'

Led by her newly recorded cover of Tom Petty's "Refugee," Melissa Etheridge will on Oct. 4 release the retrospective "Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled." The Island collection will also include the new tracks "I Run for Life," "Christmas in America" and "This Is Not Goodbye," plus a cover of Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart."

"The Road Less Traveled" will be available with a bonus DVD featuring interviews with Etheridge about her battle with breast cancer and the inspirations behind such hits as "Come To My Window," "I Want To Come Over" and "I'm the Only One." Also included are a handful of music videos and live performances, a trivia game and song lyrics in the artist's handwriting.

Etheridge is expected to make a street date appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," as well as visits to "Dateline NBC," "Good Morning America" and "The Late Show With David Letterman" on dates to be announced.

Meanwhile, Etheridge has signed on to host and perform at Lifetime's annual "WomenRock!" concert, which will be taped Sept. 29 at Los Angeles' Wilshire Ebell Theatre. Additional performers will join the artist for the show, which will debut Oct. 18.

Here is the track list for "The Road Less Traveled":

"Refugee"
"Similar Features"
"Like the Way I Do"
"Bring Me Some Water"
"You Can Sleep While I Drive"
"No Souvenirs"
"Ain't It Heavy"
"I'm the Only One"
"Come To My Window"
"If I Wanted To"
"I Want To Come Over"
"Angels Would Fall"
"Lucky"
"Breathe"
"Christmas in America"
"Piece of My Heart"
"This Is Not Goodbye"
"I Run for Life"

Fogerty Returns To Fantasy

Although his bitter legal battles with Fantasy Records are the stuff of music business legend, John Fogerty has signed a new deal with the label. Fantasy, which issued the entire recorded output of the Fogerty-led Creedence Clearwater Revival in the late 1960s and early '70s, was purchased in November 2004 by the Concord Music Group.

In celebration of the reunion, Fantasy will on Nov. 1 issue the first Fogerty career retrospective, "The Long Road Home." A live DVD, to be recorded Thursday (Sept. 15) at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theater, will be released early next year. A new solo studio album and other projects are also in development.

"I'm very happy to be back in touch with a part of myself," Fogerty says. "It's surreal. For 35 years, I never thought I'd be reunited with the music I wrote during the Creedence Clearwater Revival years... I'm happy to say that the new Fantasy is very enthusiastic about my body of work. All the people there have been delightful. They are honoring my songs that hold an important place in the history of American music. And, they are honoring me."

After CCR split in 1972, Fogerty released one solo album for Fantasy, a self-titled 1973 set of covers under the name the Blue Ridge Rangers on which he played all of the instruments. He issued one album on Asylum, 1975's "John Fogerty," before a nine-year studio lapse while legal disputes with Fantasy played out. He returned in 1985 with "Centerfield" on Warner Bros., and last year inked with Geffen for "Déjà Vu All Over Again.”

Throughout his solo career, Fogerty not only battled Fantasy, but also his former CCR bandmates Stu Cook (bass) and Doug Clifford (drums) to prevent them from using the band's name. The pair adopted the moniker Creedence Clearwater Revisited in the mid-'90s for their nostalgia act, which also included former Cars guitarist Elliot Easton and singer John Tristano. (Tom Fogerty, John's older brother and CCR co-founder, left the band in 1971 and died in 1990.)

Featuring 25 tracks, "The Long Road Home" will mix CCR classics with solo material, including live renditions of "Hey Tonight," "Bootleg," "Keep on Chooglin'" and "Fortunate Son" recorded while on tour earlier this year.

"I've always wanted to create a greatest hits collection that represented my entire career, but it was always painfully impossible to do so," Fogerty says. "Now I can combine the Creedence songs, all of which I wrote, with my solo material. It's great that I can finally document the various changes I've gone through musically over the years without having to follow any artificial lines."

Fogerty only recently began performing CCR songs again. During last year's pre-election Vote for Change tour, he played several each night, backed by Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band.

The artist has been on the road this summer with John Mellencamp, with shows remaining tonight (Sept. 9) in Dallas, tomorrow in Woodlands, Texas, and Monday in Bonner Springs, Kan.

Here is "The Long Road Home" track list:

"Born on the Bayou"
"Bad Moon Rising"
"Centerfield"
"Who'll Stop the Rain"
"Rambunctious Boy"
"Fortunate Son"
"Lookin' Out My Back Door"
"Up Around the Bend"
"Almost Saturday Night" (live)
"Down on the Corner"
"Bootleg" (live)"Have You Ever Seen the Rain?"
"Sweet Hitch-Hiker"
"Hey Tonight" (live)
"The Old Man Down the Road"
"Rockin' All Over the World" (live)
"Lodi"
"Keep On Chooglin'" (live)
"Green River"
"Deja Vu (All Over Again)"
"Run Through the Jungle"
"Hot Rod Heart"
"Travelin' Band"
"Proud Mary"
"Fortunate Son" (live)

Newman Sings 'Louisiana 1927' at Benefit

NEW YORK - With the flood waters of Katrina yet to recede, Randy Newman sang about a long-ago hurricane in "Louisiana 1927" to open a benefit program spread across dozens of television networks Friday.

Dr. John ended a show suffused with the spirit of a musical city singing a song that's only a wish now: "Walkin' to New Orleans."

The hour-long appeal was an echo of a somber event held four years ago to benefit victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack, with the same producer. This time, the telethon had more determination than shock and featured native jazz, gospel and swamp-rock sounds.

"Tonight let's show people on the Gulf Coast that they have friends all over the world, friends who care, who understand and are there to give them shelter from the storm," said comic Ellen DeGeneres, who was raised in New Orleans.

ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN and the WB — the six biggest broadcast networks — aired it along with several cable networks. Viewers in nearly 100 countries were able to tune in.

Contributions were being solicited for the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army.

It's the most high-profile of several such televised benefits. BET was also appealing for help Friday for victims of a tragedy that struck the black community hard, and MTV planned its own concert for Saturday.

NBC stations televised an appeal last week, marked by rapper Kanye West's off-script comment that " George Bush doesn't care about black people."

The performers largely stuck to scripts Friday, including West, who sang "Jesus Walks" with a gospel choir. West's microphone wasn't working during the first few lines of his song, though, in what appeared to be a technical glitch.

Only an impish Chris Rock couldn't resist scaring producers, looking into the camera and saying, "George Bush hates midgets."

"We've all heard the question," Rock said. "Why didn't these people just leave when they had the chance? But now we realize that not everybody can just jump into their SUVs and drive to a nice hotel. These people depend on public transportation and these people can't afford a nice hotel, because some of them work there. Now it's your chance to help them."

Rock singer John Fogerty, who sang passionately about the Mississippi delta a generation ago, wasn't there but his music was: the Foo Fighters sang "Born on the Bayou" and Garth Brooks did "Who'll Stop the Rain."

Paul Simon, who was in Louisiana to help relief efforts this week, sang "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" with an extended coda from a jazz band.

Mariah Carey and Neil Young were also backed by gospel singers and Alicia Keys was joined by several gospel stars. U2 needed only one powerful voice, singer Mary J. Blige's, to enliven the rock band's anthem "One."

The BET benefit was hipper and more heart-breaking. It interspersed musical performances with film clips of Gulf Coast residents asking for help to locate missing relatives and friends.

Keys sang her hit "If I Ain't Got You," and Patti LaBelle sang the Pretenders song "I'll Stand By You."

It was also a little looser: Comic Steve Harvey introduced rappers Jay-Z and Diddy, only to be told they hadn't arrived yet. Fifteen minutes later they did and made it worthwhile, presenting a $1 million check to the Red Cross from the New York hip-hop community.

"There's been a lot of telethons," Diddy said, "but this is our telethon. These are our people."

Yearwood's Return As Gentle As 'Rain'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - A quick reality check for Trisha Yearwood's old boyfriends back in Jasper County, Ga.: Her touching new single "Georgia Rain"? It's not about you.

"There may be one or two who think it's about them," Yearwood laughs during a recent interview, "but it's not. It's not about anything I've been through."

It's easy to read too much into Yearwood's music. She doesn't write her own songs, but she's one of the best in Nashville at taking a tune and making it sound intensely personal.

With her recent engagement to superstar Garth Brooks, it seems natural to search for clues about her personal life on "Jasper County," her first album in four years.

The Monticello, Ga., native didn't intend to be gone so long. She says she meant to take only a year off, but she wasn't happy with the first batch of songs she recorded when she returned to the studio and decided to start over. Changes at her longtime record label, MCA Nashville, added to her time away, as did her move to Oklahoma to be with Brooks and his three daughters.

When she finally completed "Jasper County," she was careful about the first single.

"I thought 'OK, I've been off the radio for three-and-a-half years — what do I want people to hear first?'" Yearwood says. "I wanted the first thing people to hear to say, 'Oh, that's Trisha,' something that sounded very familiar."

"Georgia Rain" is certainly the kind of song Yearwood built her career on in the '90s — part country and part pop, with rich, emotional lyrics in the vein of one of her musical heroes, Linda Ronstadt.

Like Ronstadt's "Blue Bayou," "Georgia Rain" has an aching vocal, with the first two verses recalling a teen romance so strong that the Georgia rain "couldn't wash away all the love we made."

The third and final verse picks up many years later when the narrator returns to her hometown to find her old flame has made himself "a real good life." In the final chorus she reveals that she still pines for him, singing the Georgia rain couldn't wash away "the way I loved you to this day."

"That song is personal only in that it's about home," Yearwood says. "I really wanted to find a song about Georgia, and I love those great story songs."

Most of album's 10 remaining tracks touch on some aspect of relationship, from anger ("Who Invented the Wheel") to sorrow ("River of You") to bliss ("It's Alright"). Stylistically, there are shades of blues, pop and folk. "River of You" has the feel of an old mountain ballad with its mournful melody and lyrics: "Every tear adds to the water / That I keep swimming in."

For Yearwood, the most unusual song is "Standing Out in a Crowd," a declaration that it's OK to be different, that the things that make us different make us special.

"That's probably the most atypical song I've done," she says. "I don't really do anthem-type songs. ... But that song felt personal to me, especially now that I'm involved with a man with three children. I see on a daily basis how important those things are when you're a kid."

A week shy of her 41st birthday, Yearwood looks much as she did 10 years ago. She wears jeans and a black blouse with a Western floral design around the shoulders and neck. Her frosted hair is pulled back.

She laughs when asked if she and Brooks, one of the most successful recording artists in history, have a wedding date set.

"That's the funniest question people ask. If I had one, I wouldn't tell you," she says coyly.

Brooks, 43, who retired from performing in 2001 to raise his girls, proposed in May. The marriage will be his second and her third.

Yearwood was a demo singer when she sang backup on Brooks' 1989 debut album. She also appeared on his blockbuster follow-up, "No Fences," and the two have since recorded together sporadically.

She seems surprised their engagement drew the attention it did. She recounts her disbelief when friends phoned her to say they saw it on CNN.

"When you're a celebrity on your own there's a certain amount of acknowledgment. When two people who are both famous get together it becomes a bigger thing. It almost becomes bigger than the couple," says Yearwood, who had her first hit in 1991 with "She's In Love With the Boy" and continued a long successful run as a singer and, later, an actress, including a recurring role in the TV military drama "JAG."

But she's adjusting. She says they lead a relatively quiet life in Oklahoma, where Brooks is from, and she knows the limelight could be a lot brighter.

"I look at the things I see all the time on the fronts of the magazines in the grocery line and I think, 'If I'm Jennifer Aniston, I'd move to Australia.'"

Wayne Knight Says Typecast Is His Destiny

LOS ANGELES - It could be, Wayne Knight says, that he was born to play comically evil, pompous villains.

"Most people would say no, but the reality is when you get typecast like that there's got to be some germ of something in there," said the 50-year-old actor, best known for his role as the malevolent mailman Newman on TV's "Seinfeld."

"I think early in my life I may have been more explosive, internally, than I am now," Knight told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

"What happens, I think, is especially for comic effect you find something about yourself that you don't like. You exaggerate it, and it's funny."

He did just that as the traitorous scientist who gets eaten by a dinosaur in "Jurassic Park," as the voice of an unscrupulous businessman in the animated "Toy Story 2" and numerous other roles.

Knight is doing it again in his latest role, as the voice of a pompous, wealthy cat with his own human butler to boss around in the new animated TV show "Catscratch."

"Those characters are like my dark side magnified by a thousand," says Knight, letting loose with a Newman-like laugh. "Now I've mellowed in my older age, but I'm still playing that."

Knight added that he likes going back and forth between on-camera work in shows such as "Seinfeld" and "Third Rock From the Sun" and voice work in cartoons.

"It really is using a different muscle because you throw yourself into it completely," he said of the physical strain of working to achieve just the right vocal cadence for a cartoon character. "It's like doing a very sweaty radio play."

Katrina Benefit Telethon Won't Be Censored

NEW YORK - The producer of Friday's one-hour telethon to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims said no special precautions will be taken to edit out political statements — even though rapper Kanye West is on the bill.

But Joel Gallen, executive producer of "Shelter From the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast," also doesn't expect any problems.

West, on last week's hurricane relief concert shown on NBC, departed from a prepared script to say that " George Bush doesn't care about black people." He's one of a dozen musicians scheduled to perform Friday.

Only a standard five- or seven-second delay will be employed to guard against any obscenities, Gallen said. He said he's spoken to all of the musicians and actors who will be appearing on the show about not detracting from the mission.

"I think people understand that politicizing this will certainly not be a smart thing to do as far as inspiring people to call in and rally around this cause," he said.

Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks, Alicia Keys, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart and Neil Young are among the other scheduled performers. Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Ellen DeGeneres, Jack Nicholson, Chris Rock, Ray Romano and Sela Ward are also scheduled to appear.

The six main broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN and the WB — will all air the event live at 8 p.m. Eastern. Several cable stations including Bravo, Oxygen, TBS and USA have also cleared time for the commercial-free event.

Viewers will be asked to contribute to the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army.

The benefit concert will also be shown in at least 95 countries.

Gallen was the executive producer of "America: A Tribute to Heroes" shown shortly after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. This year's program will be similar in tone, he said, complete with no introductions of the artists.

"When I did this show four years ago, which was a very intense and emotional experience for me, I felt like that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience — never thinking that four years later I would be asked to put something similar together again," he said.

On cable, BET is holding its own telethon Friday, although it will interrupt it for a simulcast of "Shelter From the Storm." MTV is showing a benefit concert Saturday night.

Sir Paul Turns Pitchman

At the rate he's going, Paul McCartney's fans will definitely still need him when he's 64.

The former Beatle, who turned 63 in June, is showing no signs of slowing down as he prepares to release a new album and supporting tour. He's working on his first children's book. He's among the A-list artists signed on to play MTV's hurricane benefit concert on Friday.

And on Thursday night, he made his debut as pitchman for Fidelity Investments, which is underwriting his tour.

The ad, titled "This Is Paul," aired during the first half of the NFL season opener between the New England Patriots and Oakland Raiders on ABC. The spot "takes viewers on a chronological tour of McCartney's life and notable accomplishments" using archival photos and footage, per a press release.

"I'm really pleased to be working with Fidelity Investments," says McCartney. "We have a lot in common--a commitment to helping people, a dedication to the arts, and a belief that you should never stop doing what you love."

Indeed, McCartney will keep on going through the fall. Next Tuesday, he will release his 20th post-Beatle endeavor, Chaos and Creation in the Backyard. A special edition of the studio set will include a bonus DVD packed with behind-the-scenes footage, as well as performances of new music.

A major sold-out tour in support of Chaos commences Sept. 16 at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. The fall jaunt, McCartney's first in over three years, includes a four-night stand at New York's Madison Square Garden in early October and wraps up with two nights at Los Angeles' Staples Center in November.

McCartney, who was among the headliners of June's Live 8 benefit concert, promises to dig deep into his catalog this time out. The "Silly Love Songs" purveyor will be playing Beatles tunes, Wings material and solo songs, "as well as songs that have yet to be or haven't been performed on American soil in nearly 15 years."

First, though, he will joins the likes of the Rolling Stones, Neil Young and Kanye West on MTV's ReAct Now: Music & Relief special, which airs Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Howdy Ho! More "South Park"

Dave Chappelle may have called it quits, but at least Comedy Central's still got South Park.

The network announced Thursday that it had reupped the raunchy 'toon series for three more years, carrying Cartman and the gang though their 12th season on the air.

The new contract calls for 14 new South Park episodes a year through 2008, with creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone continuing to write, direct and edit the show.

"I was at Comedy Central when we launched the first season of South Park, and I am thrilled to see them continue through 2008," Comedy Central President Doug Herzog said in a statement. "Matt and Trey are creative geniuses and a huge part of the Comedy Central family, and we look forward to continued success."

Renewing the show was something of a no-brainer, seeing as the antics of foulmouthed foursome Cartman, Kenny, Kyle and Stan consistently pull in the network's highest ratings.

Since its inception in 1997, South Park has made a habit out of pushing the envelope on conventional limits, perhaps most notably with its season-five premiere in which the unbleeped S-word was uttered 162 times.

However, respite for the squeamish cartoon viewer is in sight, as a kinder, gentler version of the show is headed for non-cable airwaves in the near future. The series has been approved for syndication in markets including Los Angeles, New York and Chicago and cleaned-up episodes begin airing Sept. 19.

For those who prefer South Park in all its crass glory, the latest season of the show kicks off on Comedy Central on Oct. 19.

'The Outsiders' Cast 20 Years Later

The cast of "The Outsiders" was a rare assemblage of young, upcoming talent — in Matt Dillon's words, "everyone wanted to be cast in it."

The casting, led by Francis Ford Coppola and producer Fred Roos, was untraditional — an all-day affair on a sound stage with actors being rotated to read together. Ralph Macchio says the unusual experience is "now infamous," while C. Thomas Howell remembers it as "one of the most grueling processes that I've gone through as an actor."

More than 20 years later, the film's cast — most of whom weren't well known at the time — reads half '80s nostalgia, half contemporary A-list.
___

C. Thomas Howell: Ponyboy Curtis, the lead in this ensemble cast, was Howell's breakout role. On "The Outsiders" DVD, Howell says, "I feel like I really owe my career to that project." He would go on to star in many of the movies likely to be mocked on a VH1 special, including, "Red Dawn," "Soul Man" and "Side Out."

Now living with his wife and three children in California, he has kept busy mostly with TV movies. During a reunion shown on the DVD, Coppola makes a disparaging remark toward "movies of the week," which Howell, now 40, defends: "Someone's got to do them."

Ralph Macchio: A year after "The Outsiders," Macchio would star in his career-making movie, "The Karate Kid." Since that trilogy, Macchio, now 43, has never managed to grow beyond Mr. Miyagi's tutelage, but did have a nice role in 1993's "My Cousin Vinny" as one of the "utes" falsely accused of murder. He also made a cameo as himself earlier this year on HBO's "Entourage."

Diane Lane: Lane had been an actress for much of her childhood, but her turn as the sweet, red-haired, drive-in dream in "The Outsiders" made her known. After some questionable choices through the'80s, Lane rebounded with the "Lonesome Dove" miniseries. Her career might be at its apogee right now: she was nominated for an Oscar in 2003 for "Unfaithful" and can carry a film herself ("Under the Tuscan Sun").

Matt Dillon: Like Lane, Dillon's filmography is checkered. After typecasting himself into troubled rebels — which culminated in Gus Van Sant's "Drugstore Cowboy" — he starred in "Singles," "Beautiful Girls" and "There's Something About Mary." This year, he has been lauded for his performance in "Crash."

Tom Cruise: Though he had a small part in "The Outsiders," no one has risen higher than Cruise. The future "Top Gun" star had made some noise two years earlier alongside Timothy Hutton and Sean Pean in "Taps." Even then, though, everyone on the set could see Cruise's serious and intense approach to acting. Roos says, "I think he saw where he wanted to be even from that age."

Rob Lowe: After Lowe's big screen debut in "The Outsiders," he was "left for years wondering why" most of his part was cut — but in the new edition Lowe has been restored. In between, the young actor, remembered by Roos as "incredibly pretty," starred in "St. Elmo's Fire" and "Youngblood." He has since mixed comedy ("Wayne's World," the "Austin Powers" movies) with Oval Office drama ("The West Wing").

Patrick Swayze: Swayze was as '80s as anybody thanks to movies like "Dirty Dancing" and "Roadhouse." After "Ghost" and "Point Break" in the early '90s, Swayze fell off for most of the decade, but had a small part in the cult hit "Donnie Darko." On "The Outsider" DVD, the 53-year-old tells Coppola, "After you, everybody in my life was a bozo." He recently produced his wife's (Lisa Niemi) directorial debut, "One Last Dance."

Emilio Estevez: While the '80s were good for Estevez ("The Breakfast Club," "Young Guns"), the '90s weren't bad either ("Mighty Ducks," "Judgment Night"). Though he's been MIA for years, the 43-year-old will soon direct "Bobby," a movie he wrote about the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy. The recently announced cast includes Anthony Hopkins and Elijah Wood.

Sofia Coppola: The tiny part of Little Domino in "The Outsiders" was her first credited role. In her father's words, "Little Domino now is one of the more important woman directors in the country."

Live 8 DVD release set for November

Circle November 8th as the release date of the Live 8 DVD.

The four-disc set, "the biggest live event DVD project of its kind" according to label EMI, will bring together performances from the worldwide series of Live 8 concerts which took place around the world on July 2.

The collection contains three discs of live footage taken from the Live 8 shows staged in London and Philadelphia alongside key highlights from the seven other events staged across the world, including Molson Park in Barrie.

Every artist who performed at London's Hyde Park and Philadelphia's Museum Of Art will appear on the DVD, many of them with their full sets.

'KING OF THE HILL' TO END REIGN

'King of the Hill" creator Mike Judge says this season, the show's 10th, will be its last.

"There is an end in sight here," Judge told The Post yesterday. "I think 10 [seasons] is a good, round number."

Fox officially says that "No decisions have been made regarding the future of 'King of the Hill.' " But whatever the show's future, its fans are, no doubt, anticipating the upcoming Sept. 18 season premiere.

"The only storyline we have right now is Luanne starts going out with this guy, Lucky. Tom Petty does the voice," Judge said. "He's a character we had season-before-last, and we just loved the character and the way Petty did his voice.

"It felt like it really fit."

That's an apt metaphor for "King of the Hill," which carved out a comfortable prime-time niche over the years mixing character-driven, low-key comedy and (occasional) pathos into the lives of patriotic Texas propane salesman Hank Hill, wife Peggy, son Bobby and pals Boomhauer, Bill and Dale. The show has often focused on the relationship between Hank and Bobby — whose decidedly un-Texas-like behavior has often perplexed his dad.

"I think there was a while there when some of the writers were pushing Bobby as being, whatever the polite term is, a sissy, and that went a little too far," Judge said. "I like it better when Bobby's a weird kid who worries Hank, but [Hank] still loves him a lot."

So what, Judge was asked, does he think the show's legacy will be?

"That at a time when TV was constantly trying to shock everybody all the time, we had a show that was kind of a quiet hit and was portraying normal, unhip middle-Americans with dignity — instead of just making fun of them in a crass way."

Canadian broadcasters plan to air special Friday for victims of Katrina

TORONTO (CP) - Canadian broadcasters will join the Katrina relief effort by simulcasting Shelter from the Storm: A Concert for the Gulf Coast on Friday night.

CBC Television, CHUM Television's A-Channels and Citytv stations, CTV and Global Television announced Wednesday that they'll present the one-hour commercial-free special at 8 p.m. ET (check local listings) on Friday.

Six major U.S. networks and programming services in 95 countries around the world are also airing the special to raise money for people affected by last week's hurricane.

"The entertainment special/fundraising event will salute the brave citizens in the devastated areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama and pay tribute to the rescue personnel guiding relief efforts in the region," said a statement issued by the broadcasters.

MuchMoreMusic will rebroadcast the benefit again at 11 p.m. ET.

Sheryl Crow, the Dixie Chicks, Alicia Keys, Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Rod Stewart and Neil Young are among the performers scheduled to appear. The special will be broadcast live from New York City and Los Angeles to eastern and central time zones, and delayed for broadcast in western regions.

Canadian viewers will be able to make donations during and after the show through the Canadian Red Cross via a toll-free number or by visiting www.redcross.ca.

'Shelter' Fund Drive Extends Reach

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) The broadcast networks will take more than just an hour Friday to appeal for help on behalf of victims of Hurricane Katrina.

ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, UPN and The WB will all begin their fund-raising for the "Shelter from the Storm" benefit early Friday (Sept. 9) and extend past the prime-time special airing on more than 30 networks into the late-night hours, the networks jointly announced Wednesday. All the money raised during the effort will go to either the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army relief efforts, with donors designating their preference.

The main event on Friday will be the "Shelter from the Storm" concert, airing at 8 p.m. ET/PT on all the broadcast networks and more than 20 cable channels. CNBC, Court TV, Lifetime, Style, MSNBC and Showtime, among others, signed on to carry the concert Wednesday. The show will feature performances from Paul Simon, Alicia Keys, the Dixie Chicks and Neil Young, and appearances by a group of celebrities that includes Jennifer Aniston, Jack Nicholson and Ellen DeGeneres.

Phone lines accepting donations, however, will open at 7 a.m. ET Friday and will be promoted on the network morning shows -- ABC's "Good Morning America," CBS' "Early Show" and NBC's "Today" -- as well as local morning programs on FOX, UPN and WB affiliates.

Pleas for aid will also air on daytime shows like "The View" and continue past the prime-time special into late-night programming on the Big Three: ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live," CBS' "Late Show" and "Late Late Show" and NBC's "Tonight Show," "Late Night" and "Last Call."

Bruce Campbell Has a 'Screaming Brain'

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) "If I were pitching it in Hollywood," says Bruce Campbell on his official website, "I'd say it's 'The Out-of-Towners' with a brain transplant."

Campbell is referring to his new movie, "Man With the Screaming Brain," which he stars in, produced, wrote and directed, premiering Saturday, Sept. 10, on Sci Fi Channel.

Also being released in a four-part comic-book version by Dark Horse Comics, "Man With the Screaming Brain" features Campbell as wealthy industrialist William Cole, who travels to Eastern Europe in search of a tax shelter and winds up the guinea pig of a mad scientist (Stacy Keach), who merges his brain with that of taxi driver and former KGB operative Yegor (Vladimir Kolev). The two then set out to find the woman (Tamara Gorski) who killed them both.

Some fans of Campbell's are getting to see a sneak preview of the film, along with getting signed copies of his latest book, "Making Love the Bruce Campbell Way."

"It totally sounds like an advice book," Campbell says, "but there's not a shred of advice in the entire book, which is good for any of your readers. It's a novel. It's a humor book. It's sort of a what-if scenario of what would happen if you took a B-movie actor, meaning me -- I take the lead role in the book -- and put him into a big Hollywood movie. The answer is that it's not good. It's a misadventure. I single-handedly take down a big Hollywood movie."

Asked if this is something he's fantasized about, Campbell says, "Yeah, in a way." But has he ever achieved it? "I'll never tell."

Of course, in "Screaming Brain," Campbell is put in charge of the whole moviemaking process, with predictably bizarre results.

"It was written by a lunatic," Campbell says. "It's a quirky movie that you won't see on an airplane."

Apparently, the movie wasn't originally set in Eastern Europe, but that all changed because of where Sci Fi Channel wanted to film.

"Bulgaria," Campbell says, "that's where Sci Fi Channel does their movies now. As an independent filmmaker, I take it upon myself to tap-dance whenever I have to. If that's where Sci Fi is shooting, it doesn't mean it's necessarily good for your story. My story was originally set in East L.A. I said, 'Hey, guys, who's going to play the Latinos -- the gypsies of Eastern Europe? How's that going to work?'

"So I convinced them to let me rewrite it for Bulgaria. This was really a fish-out-of-water story either way, and this just made it even weirder."

Filming in Bulgaria posed production challenges, not just language barriers, but basic cultural issues. "The Bulgarians are incredibly hard workers," Campbell says, "but because there's a DNA chip still of communism that has to be worked out of their system, they wait to be told what to do.

"They won't look at my shot list and go, 'Hey, shot number six says it's using a scaffold, let's put the scaffold up.' You have to go, 'Put the scaffold up.' They go, 'Da,' and they put it up."

Despite overcoming all these obstacles, Campbell wasn't expecting stellar reviews -- and he wasn't disappointed.

"The basic reviews I've been getting for 'Screaming Brain' are, 'It's a lot of fun for a piece of crap,' or 'For a dumbass movie with no value, it's not bad.' I've gotten a series of backhanded reviews.

"It's a loopy movie, and the weird thing is, if you call your movie 'Man With the Screaming Brain,' nobody's going to take it seriously anyway. It's 88 minutes. It doesn't take too much of anyone's time, so I'm OK with it."

Campbell's current combo tour also gives him a chance to hold forth on a favorite subject -- the lack of respect for his beloved B-movies.

"I'm both on a movie tour and a book tour," Campbell says. "It's a 40-city blitz. We're doing book signings at movie theaters. It's a favorite pastime of mine to do a little Q&A session before I introduce the movie. I go on a rant, basically. People love making fun of B-movies because they're cheeseball, the acting's not so good, the writing sucks, the directors don't know what they're doing. But the interesting thing is, all the A-movies are now B-movies.

"If you're bitten by a radioactive spider, it's a B-movie. If you dress up like a bat and fly around Gotham City -- sorry, that's a B-movie. Tom Cruise can jump up and down on Oprah's couch all he wants, he's starring in a B-movie this summer. When aliens invade the Earth, that's a B-movie. Sorry, folks.

"And as far as fresh ideas, there are plenty of terrible B-movies, but they're the only Petri dish for original ideas. This summer's lineup has been a spectacular dud, if you want my opinion. 'War of the Worlds' is from 1898. You've got the same with 'Dukes of Hazzard' and 'The Honeymooners.' My entire childhood is coming back to haunt me."

No Middle Ground at Summer Box Office

Maybe it wasn't DVD sales, high ticket prices or sticky theater floors that plagued the summer box office. Maybe it was the decline of the middle class.

Hollywood's much-chronicled season of discontent wrapped Monday, having produced $3.6 billion in ticket sales, down 9 percent from last summer, according to the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations. Actual attendance took an even bigger hit, off nearly 12 percent.

Despite the bleak statistics, nine movies made a lot of money--more than $150 million each. Last year, only five summer movies crossed that blockbuster barrier.

The big difference between summer 2004 and summer 2005 was in the number of movies that grossed between $100 million and $150 million: seven versus zero.

In 2005, there were no surprise big hits such as Dodgeball ($114.3 million) or mildly disappointing blockbusters such as The Village ($114.2 million). Rather, there were mega-hits, led by Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith (first place, $379.8 million), and there were disappointments, arguably embodied by Stealth (30th place, $31.7 million).

Nowhere was the gap between the haves and the not-quites bigger than in the top 10.

Fantastic Four nabbed ninth place with $152.7 million. Tenth place fell to Monster-in-Law, regarded as a success with $82.9 million. The distance between the two movies? A whopping $69.8 million, more than the entire haul of Herbie: Fully Loaded (13th place, $65.2 million).

The summer's also-rans are so far behind the front-runners that it seems remote that any late summer entry will eventually crack $100 million, as Collateral ($101 million) did last year. The Dukes of Hazzard looks to have run out of gas at $77.5 million (11th place). The 40-Year-Old Virgin, number two at the box office last weekend, might have the best legs, but it's still almost $30 million shy of the promised land (12th place, $71.9 million).

In the end, it could be left to Transporter 2 to uphold the tradition of the $100 million movie--that is, if it can build on its record Labor Day opening ($20.1 million).

Also of note at the summer box office:

- Revenge of the Sith's gain was Jurassic Park's loss: The former moved up to seventh place among the all-time box-office hits; the latter moved out of the top 10, down to 11th.

- According to the stats at BoxOfficeMojo.com, Johnny Depp enjoyed his biggest hit in two years--Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (fourth place, $201.3 million). Tom Cruise enjoyed his biggest hit in five years--War of the Worlds (second place, $232.6 million). Adam Sandler enjoyed his biggest hit in six years--The Longest Yard (eighth place, $157.8 million). Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie enjoyed their biggest hit of any year--Mr. and Mrs. Smith (seventh place, $184.6 million).

- With Cinderella Man (17th place, $61.5 million), Russell Crowe suffered his first box-office disappointment since Proof of Life.

- A documentary about a bunch of birds, March of the Penguins (15th place, $63.6 million), outgrossed the Ridley Scott epic Kingdom of Heaven (21st place, $47.4 million).

- Overseas, Kingdom of Heaven tidied up Fox's bottom line with $163.1 million at the international box office, per BoxOfficeMojo.com. The world also lent a helping hand to Michael Bay's The Island ($35.8 million domestic; $101.8 million international).

- Overseas, Stealth is shaping up to be as big a misfire as it was Stateside, with $18.3 million at the international box office.

- In 1976, The Bad News Bears achieved hit status with a $32.2 million gross. In 2005, the Bad News Bears remake achieved miss status with a $32.7 million gross (28th place).

- Indie stand-outs Crash (19th place, $53.3 million) and Hustle & Flow (34th place, $21.9 million) did well, but they didn't match last summer's Fahrenheit 9/11 ($119.2 million).

- The Aristocrats (49th place, $4.7 million) became the highest grossing documentary about the dirtiest joke ever told.

- If you count Wedding Crashers (fifth place, $195.8 million), Will Ferrell movies made $311 million. If you don't, they only made about 40 percent of that.

Here's a look at the top 10 summer movies of 2005, through Monday, per Exhibitor Relations:

1. Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, $379.8 million
2. War of the Worlds, $232.6 million
3. Batman Begins, $203.6 million
4. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, $201.3 million
5. Wedding Crashers, $195.8 million
6. Madagascar, $191.6 million
7. Mr. and Mrs. Smith, $184.6 million
8. The Longest Yard, $157.8 million
9. Fantastic Four, $152.7 million
10. Monster-in-Law, $82.9 million

...The Peas Will Play At The Grey Cup

TORONTO (CP) - The Black Eyed Peas will rock the Grey Cup this November in Vancouver, the CFL announced Wednesday.

The band, whose song Don't Phunk With My Heart hit No. 1 in Canada this summer, will perform three songs during halftime at B.C. Place on Nov. 27.

In other musical news, the league announced Jully Black will sing the national anthem at the Grey Cup. Black has been opening for The Black Eyed Peas this year.

Paisley, Womack Lead CMA Award Nominees

NEW YORK - Brad Paisley and Lee Ann Womack led the nominees for the Country Music Association Awards Wednesday, snaring six apiece, including single of the year for their hits "Alcohol" and "I May Hate Myself in the Morning."

Other multiple nominees were Keith Urban and Toby Keith, who had four each. Gretchen Wilson, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts and George Strait each had three.

Womack, who returned to her country roots with the retro album, "There's More Where That Came From," was on hand to announce the nominations along with Urban in New York, where the awards will be presented for the first time on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at Madison Square Garden.

Womack was nominated for single and music video of the year for "I May Hate Myself in the Morning," album of the year, female vocalist of the year, and also got two nominations for musical event of the year for her duets with George Strait and Willie Nelson.

Urban joked about Womack's many nominations.

"You were not available for this one, apparently," the singer said as he read the nominees for vocal group of the year.

Paisley, who recently released the album "Time Well Wasted," was nominated for entertainer of the year, single, song and musical video of the year for "Alcohol," male vocalist of the year and musical event of the year with Sara Evans for "New Again."

Other nominees for entertainer of the year were Urban, Keith, Kenny Chesney and Alan Jackson.

Nominations for single of the year also included Keith's "As Good as I Once Was," "Baby Girl" by Sugarland and "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts.

Dierks Bentley, Big & Rich, Miranda Lambert, Julie Roberts and Sugarland were nominated for the Horizon Award, which honors rising country artists.

The awards will air live on CBS.

Stars on Ice for "Skating"

A handful of has-been celebrities are hoping to heat up their careers by taking to the ice.

Fox has announced the cast of its upcoming reality series Skating with Celebrities, in which six famous folk will be partnered with six stars of the figure skating world to compete for rink supremacy.

Among the contestants lacing up their skates for the series are Dave Coulier (Full House), Todd Bridges (Diff'rent Strokes), Deborah Gibson ("Electric Youth") and Kristy Swanson (Dude, Where's My Car?).

Following on the heels of ABC's breakout hit, Dancing with the Stars, Skating also hopes to put its celebs through their paces, though instead of dance moves, they'll be trying to land axels, toe loops and the like over the course of six episodes.

Olympic gold medalist Scott Hamilton will host the competition, while his fellow gold medalist Dorothy Hamill will serve as one of the judges. Pro skaters Nancy Kerrigan, Kurt Browning and Tai Babilonia will be among those partnering with the celebrities for the series.

"For most people, it's tough enough to learn these types of moves while on the dance floor or working out in the gym," Fox's Executive Vice President of Alternative Programming Mike Darnell said in a statement. "This competition will require our celebrity skaters to not only demonstrate rhythm, but also athleticism, grace and balance...on ice, and before a team of unforgiving judges with both Olympic and world championship experience. No doubt there will be plenty of falls, bruises and scary moments."

The series is filming now and is expected to air this fall.

Though the stars were allowed a month of training time before the actual competition begins, each of the celebs had to bring some skating experience to the table.

"All of the celebrities in the competition not only have the ability to skate, but the desire to excel and become great," executive producer Arthur Smith said in a statement. "What's really interesting is that even at the training level, a competition between the pairs is already developing."

Here's a breakdown of the Skating with Celebrities matchups:

Dave Coulier and two-time Olympic figure skating medalist Nancy Kerrigan

Olympic decathlon gold medalist and television personality Bruce Jenner with world champion pairs figure skater Tai Babilonia

Todd Bridges with three-time U.S. national pairs figure skating champion and world championship medalist Jenni Meno

Kristy Swanson with two-time Olympic pairs figure skating medalist and world champion Lloyd Eisler

Deborah Gibson with four-time world figure skating champion Kurt Browning

Television personality, reporter and weather forecaster Jillian Barberie with three-time U.S. pairs figure skating champion and world championship medalist John Zimmerman

The winners of the contest will be entirely determined by the judges' panel, as opposed to a viewer vote.

Meanwhile, in an effort to quell the controversy caused by Kelly Monaco's surprise victory over John O'Hurley on Dancing with the Stars, ABC has announced plans for a dance-off on Sept. 20 to settle the matter for once and for all.

The results, based solely on viewer voting, will be announced in a Sept. 22 telecast.

Potter Novels Available for Downloads

NEW YORK - Break out your iPods: Harry Potter is going digital. J.K. Rowling, once publishing's greatest holdout against the computer age, has made all six Potter novels available for audio downloads.

In a message posted Wednesday on her Web site, Rowling said she was concerned about online piracy, included bootleg editions for which the original text was altered.

"Many Harry Potter fans have been keen for digital access for a while, but the deciding factor for me in authorizing this new version is that it will help combat the growing incidents of piracy in this area," Rowling wrote.

"There have been a number of incidents where fans have stumbled upon unauthorized files believing them to be genuine and, quite apart from the fact that they are illegal, the Harry Potter content of these can bear very little resemblance to anything I've ever written!"

The digital audiobooks are being released by the Random House Audio Trade Group, her current audio publisher. They can be purchased through Apple's iTunes store, for prices ranging from $32.95 for a single book to $249 for the whole series, which, according to Random House, includes a "full color digital booklet" and "previously unreleased readings" by Rowling.

Neil Blair, a lawyer with Rowling's literary agency, said Wednesday that there are no current plans for Potter e-books.

Rowling's fantasy series, most recently "Harry Potter and Half-Blood Prince," has sold more than 200 copies worldwide in print editions and more than 5 million as audiobooks, narrated by Grammy winner Jim Dale. But up to now the author had only permitted paper and traditional audio releases, making her work a favorite for online pirates, although illegal sales are believed to be relatively tiny.

Helped by the iPod boom, digital audiobooks are already one of publishing's hottest sectors, with sales nearly quadrupling between 2001 and 2003, to more than $18 million, according to the Audio Publishers Association.

"It's very exciting that an audiobook both critically acclaimed and commercially successful is finally available to the very broad audience of people who enjoy downloading," says association president Mary Beth Roche.

Also Wednesday, Rowling said on her Web site that she was concerned by a wave of Potter merchandise with fake autographs for sale on eBay.

"As far as I could tell on the day I dropped in, only one of the signatures on offer appeared genuine," she wrote.

"There seem to be a lot of people out there trying to con Harry Potter fans. The same is true in respect to the huge number of unauthorized Harry Potter e-books and audio digital files that users of eBay have offered for sale to Harry Potter fans," wrote Rowling, who accused eBay of refusing to take responsibility for what it allows to be sold.

eBay spokesman Hani Durzi said Wednesday that Rowling is part of a copyright protection program offered by the online auction giant that allows members to report problems. Durzi estimates that eBay has 55 million listings at any given time and says that "it's the responsibility of the copyright owner to report any listings that violate their rights."

"When they do, we take those listings down immediately," he said.

Bob Denver, TV's Gilligan, Dead at 70

LOS ANGELES - Bob Denver, whose portrayal of goofy castaway Gilligan on the 1960s TV show "Gilligan's Island" made him an iconic figure to generations of TV viewers, has died. He was 70.

He died Friday at Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital in North Carolina of complications from treatment he was receiving for cancer, his agent, Mike Eisenstadt, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

His wife, Dreama, and children Patrick, Megan, Emily and Colin were with Denver, who also had undergone quadruple heart bypass surgery earlier this year.

"He was my everything and I will love him forever," Dreama Denver said in a statement.

Denver's signature role was Gilligan, but when he took the role in 1964 he was already widely known to TV audiences for another iconic character, Maynard G. Krebs, the bearded beatnik friend of Dwayne Hickman's Dobie in the "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," which aired on CBS from 1959 to 1963.

Krebs, whose only desire was to play the bongos and hang out at coffee houses, would shriek every time the word "work" was mentioned in his presence.

Gilligan on the other hand was industrious but inept. And his character was as lovable as he was inept. Viewers embraced the skinny kid in the Buster Brown haircut and white sailor hat. So did the Minnow's skipper, Jonas Grumby, who was played by Alan Hale Jr., and who always referred to his first mate affectionately as "little buddy."

"As silly as it seems to all of us, it has made a difference in a lot of children's lives," Dawn Wells, who played castaway Mary Ann Summers, once said. "Gilligan is a buffoon that makes mistakes and I cannot tell you how many kids come up and say, `But you loved him anyway.'"

TV critics were less kind, dismissing the show as inane. But after it was canceled by CBS in 1967, it found new audiences over and over in syndicated reruns and reunion films, including 1981's "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island." (It also led to the recent TBS reality series "The Real Gilligan's Island.")

One of the most recent of those films was 2001's "Surviving Gilligan's Island: The Incredibly True Story of the Longest Three Hour Tour in History," in which other actors portrayed the original seven-member cast while three of the four surviving original members, including Denver, narrated and reminisced.

"Gilligan's Island" writer-creator Sherwood Schwartz insisted that the show had social meaning along with the laughs: "I knew that by assembling seven different people and forcing them to live together, the show would have great philosophical implications."

Denver went on to star in other TV series, including "The Good Guys" and "Dusty's Trail," as well as to make numerous appearances in films and TV shows.

But he never escaped the role of Gilligan, so much so that in one of his top 10 lists — "the top 10 things that will make you stand up and cheer" — "Late Show" host David Letterman once simply shouted out Denver's name to raucous applause.

"It was the mid-'70s when I realized it wasn't going off the air," Denver told The Associated Press in 2001, noting then that he enjoyed checking eBay each day to keep up on the prices "Gilligan's Island" memorabilia were fetching.

"I certainly didn't set out to have a series rerun forever, but it's not a bad experience at all," he added.

The Couch Potato Report...

...will return soon!!

I promise!!

Dan

NEW CD RELEASES FOR SEPTEMBER 6, 2005

2 Leaves Welcome to the Fall (Double Blind Music)

50 Cent The Massacre (CD/DVD combo; re-release w/videos for each song; includes previously unreleased track) (Interscope)

The Absence From Your Grave (Metal Blade)

Against Me! Searching for a Former Clarity (produced by ex-Jawbox's J. Robbins) (Fat Wreck Chords)

Doug Alan Sun, Surf and Sand (Big Daddy)

Angel Where Have You Been? (Azica)

Sam Ashworth Gonna Get It Wrong Before I Get It Right (Runway Network)

Augustana All the Stars and Boulevards (produced by Brendan O'Brien) (Epic)

Autumn's Child featuring Mark Holland Visions & Dreams (Cedar n Sage)

AZ Awol (Koch)

Joan Baez Bowery Songs (Koch)

Baleen Follow Me Blind and Reversed (b-sides and instrumentals) (LiquiLab)

Tom Ball and Kenny Sultan Happy Hour (No Guru)

Bebo de Cuba Suite Cubana - El Solar de Bebo - NY Notebook (Calle 54)

Bellini Small Stones (Secretly Canadian)

Between the Buried and Me Alaska (Victory)

Black Dice Broken Ear Record (DFA/Astralwerks)

The Bled Found in the Flood (Vagrant)

Blood on the Wall Awesomer (Secretly Canadian)

Terry Bozzio and Metropole Orkest Chamber Works (Favored Nations)

Brownside 13 Reasons (PR Records)

Bush Chemists Raw Raw Dub (ROIR)

Shirley Caesar I Know the Truth (Artemis)

Kate Campbell Blues and Lamentations (Large River)

Johnny Casino's Easy Action We've Forgotten More Than You'll Ever Know (Steel Cage)

Casual Presents Smash Rockwell (guests Too Short, E40 and more) (Hieroglyphics)

George Clinton How Late Do U Have 2 B B 4 U R Absent? (two CDs) (The C Kunspyruhzy)

Danielia Cotton Small White Town (Hip Shake)

daKAH Unfinished Symphony/Remixes (KUFALA)

Deaf Pedestrians Deaf Pedestrians (Dotpointperiod)

Dirty on Purpose Sleep Late for a Better Tomorrow (North Street)

The Divorce The Gifted Program (Made in Mexico)

Floyd Dixon Fine! Fine! Thing! (Highjohn)

Alan Doug Sun, Surf and Sand (Amerimusic)

The Dreamside Spin Moon Magic (guest Rogue of the Cruxshadows) (Dancing Ferret)

Drums & Tuba Battles Olé (Righteous Babe)

Jace Everett Jace Everett (Epic)

Enzo Favata Ajo (Dunya)

Fine China The Jaws of Life (Common Wall Media)

Frontier Index Frontier Index (Rainbow Quartz)

Ghosty Grow Up or Sleep In (Future Farmer)

Jose Gonzalez Veneer (Parasol/Hidden Agenda)

Beth Hart Live (Koch)

Richard Hawley Coles Corner (Mute)

Heatmakerz Crack: V.1 (Koch)

Heaven 17 Before/After (Ninthwave)

Nachito Herrera Bembé en Mi Casa (FS)

Idlewild Warnings Promises (Capitol)

Immaculate Machine One and Zeros (Mint)

The Immortal Lee County Killers These Bones Will Rise to Love You Again (Tee Pee)

Indukti S.U.S.A.R. (Laser's Edge)

Jacknife Moment of Reckoning (Zero Sum)

Michael Jackson Innocent (limited edition audio account of recent trial) (Chrome Dreams)

Howard Jones Revolution of the Heart (Koch)

Kelsey Something's Starting to Happen (Destiny Row)

Lil' Al The Self Made LP (PR)

Corb Lund Hair in My Eyes Like a Highland Steer (Stony Plain)

Lye By Mistake Arrangements for Fulminating Vective (United Edge)

Mad Science Fair For a Better Tomorrow (Parasol)

Maida Renaissance in Reverse (Fiddler)

Marat Again (MoRisen)

Sarah McLachlan Bloom (Remix 2) (previously unreleased remixes by Junkie XL, Sly & Robbie, Thievery Corporation and more; includes collaboration with Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am and Run-D.M.C.'s DMC) (Arista)

James McMurtry Childish Things (Compadre)

The Morning After Girls The Morning After Girls (Rainbow Quartz)

Alison Moyet Voice (Sanctuary)

Mr. Shadow Drama (PR)

Mt. Eerie Singers and The Drums from No Flashlight (Secretly Canadian)

Johnny Napp Cowboy Up and Party Down (Johnny Napp Records)

Jimmy "T99" Nelson The Legend (Nettie Marie)

New Model Army Carnival (Attack, Attack)

New Monsoon The Sound (produced by ex-Santana's Michael Shrieve and ex-Grant Lee Buffalo's Paul Kimble) (Harmonized)

North Mississippi Allstars Electric Blue Watermelon (ATO)

Hope Partlow Who We Are (Virgin)

Duane Peters and the Hunns Beyond Warped (DualDisc) (Immergent)

Pistol Star (w/ex-Grant Lee Buffalo's Paul Kimble) Crawl (Wax Orchard/Koch)

The Proclaimers Restless Soul (Persevere)

Amy Rigby Little Fugitive (Signature Sounds)

River City Tanlines River City Tanlines (Dirtnap)

The Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang (produced by Don Was) (Virgin)

Bobby Rush Night Fishin' (Deep Rush)

Scarling So Long Scarecrow (Sympathy for the Record Industry)

Secret Oyster Vidunderlige Kaelling (Laser's Edge)

Sexsmith & Kerr (Ron and Don) Destination Unknown (Ronboy Rhymes, Inc.)

Ryan Shupe & the RubberBand Dream Big (Capitol Nashville)

Robert Skoro That These Things Could Be Ours (Yep Roc)

Socratic Lunch for the Sky (Drive-Thru)

Space Mtn A Drawing of a Memory of a Photograph of You (Aeronaut)

Angela Strehli Blue Highway (w/Maria Muldaur and Stevie Ray Vaughan) (MC)

Richard Swift The Collection Vol. 1 (two CDs; includes two albums from 2003 and 2005) (Secretly Canadian)

Symphorce Godspeed (Metal Blade)

Ben Taylor Another Run Around the Sun (Iris/Red)

Lewis Taylor Stoned (expanded edition of UK-only release w/five bonus tracks and new packaging) (HackTone/Shout! Factory)

Test Shot Starfish Test Shot Starfish (Kanpai)

Richard Thompson Grizzly Man (documentary soundtrack) (Cooking Vinyl)

Twilight Twilight (Southern Lord)

Kathy Valentine (of the Go-Go's) Light Years (w/ex-KISS guitarist Ace Frehley, Blondie's Clem Burke and more) (All for One)

Valina Epode EP (54º40' or Fight!)

Viva K Viva K (Stinky)

Robin and Linda Williams The First Christmas Gift (holiday standards plus covers of John Prine and Steve Earle) (Red House)

Wobbler Hinterland (Laser's Edge)

Wayne Wonder Inna Bashment Stylee (Trojan)

Richard Youngs The Naive Shaman (Secretly Canadian)

Zero Hour A Fragile Mind (Laser's Edge)

VA American Rag Cie (w/Truby Trio, Chicks on Speed, Moloko and more) (Quango)

VA Chicano Thugz (PR Records)

VA Loungegrooves Volume 1: The Sophisticated Soundtrack of Nightlife (two CDs; house music compilation) (Koch)

VA Oliver Peoples 4 (w/Tosca, 4Hero, Martina Topley-Bird) (Quango)

VA Summoning of the Muse: A Tribute to Dead Can Dance (w/Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Autumn's Grey Solace and more) (Projekt)

VA The Next Level: Independence Day - The Album (indie hip-hop compilation w/Jae Millz, Joe Budden, Treach and more) (Warlock)

VA Tone Poets (produced by and featuring David Grisman; w/Jerry Douglas, Sam Bush, Del McCoury and more) (Acoustic Disc)

VA Ultimate Pickin' - The Best of Instrumental Bluegrass (Pinecastle)

OST Cry Wolf (w/songs from Bloc Party, Cake, Low, Sage Francis and more) (Lakeshore)

OST Everything Is Illuminated (TVT)

OST Transporter 2 (TVT)

DVD Epitaph Presents (footage of 2005 tour w/Scatter the Ashes, From First to Last, Motion City Soundtrack and Matchbook Romance; includes interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and more) (Immergent)

DVD Punk: Attitude (two DVDs; includes performance footage of the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash; interviews w/Henry Rollins, Tommy Ramone, Jello Biafra and more) (Capital Entertainment)

DVD Lindsey Buckingham Soundstage Presents (w/Stevie Nicks on two songs) (Koch)

DVD Beth Hart Live at Paradiso (2004 Amsterdam concert) (Koch)

DVD Bruce Springsteen Storytellers (expanded edition of VH1 broadcast) (Columbia)

DVD VA Rockin' the Corps (performances for U.S. troops w/Destiny's Child, KISS, Hootie & the Blowfish, Ted Nugent and more) (Image)

PS - The answer is six!

CRIA wants tougher internet piracy law in Canada

The Canadian Recording Industry Association said Canada has become a music piracy haven.

The CRIA -- representing companies that produce more than 95 per cent of all recorded music sold in Canada -- wants the federal government to toughen internet piracy laws.

This follows a federal court decision in Australia on Monday that found six defendants guilty of copyright infringement and ordered them to pay back 90 per cent of the recording industry's costs in the case.

The defendants included Kazaa's owner, Sharman Networks Ltd., and its Sydney-based chief executive officer, Nikki Hemming, as well as Altnet, a company that provided some of the software for the Kazaa website.

Software for Kazaa, which until recently was the largest unauthorized file-sharing service with a peak of 4.7 million users worldwide, will no longer be available to download in Australia.

CRIA President Graham Henderson said: "The law that is currently on the books -- that's enforced -- is so antiquated that the net result has been, despite all of our best efforts, Canada's become a piracy haven."

According to a June report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, Canada has the highest per capita rate of unauthorized file-swapping in the world.

It has also been reported to have the second highest level of broadband penetration, making it vulnerable to piracy.

Kazaa's lawyers had argued that the software was no different from a tape recorder or photocopier, and that Kazaa could therefore not control copyright infringement by users of the network.

It's an argument that CRIA lawyer Richard Pfohl said could be interpreted in the wording of Canada's existing draft legislation, and one that may protect internet pirates.

Henderson said: "Kazaa might well take a good look up here and (say) 'Canada looks pretty good.' And we can't have that."

The CRIA president said he hopes the government will make the amendments necessary to give Canada a robust copyright law when the legislation is debated in September, so that the record industry can get its fair share of the digital marketplace.

"The opportunity is here. The world -- legislators, courts, people around the world -- are speaking very clearly about what the new social norm is. And it's not free copyright," he said.

The Australian judgment comes 10 weeks after an unanimous U.S. Supreme Court ruling against the file-swapping operator Grokster, and three years after the shutdown of the original Napster.

McCartney Still Inspired by John Lennon

NEW YORK - Paul McCartney sometimes gets a little help from a friend. "When I write, there are times — not always — when I hear John (Lennon) in my head," McCartney told the latest issue of Time magazine. "I'll think, OK, what would we have done here?, and I can hear him gripe or approve."

The former Beatles' newest work will be released Sept. 13 on his 20th solo album, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard." Three days later, he starts a U.S. tour in Miami.

"Since the Beatles, I've approached making records every which way. A lot of times it's a really casual thing. Do a few tracks a day, have a bit of fun," McCartney said. "Normally I kind of say, 'I'd like to make a good album.' This time there was motivation, determination. 'I'm going to make a good album. I'm going to, and that's that.'"

The album took two years to record, with McCartney playing many of the instruments himself.

Court rules against Kazaa

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian court ruled on Monday that users of the popular Internet file-sharing network Kazaa were breaching copyright, and ordered its owners to modify the software to prevent online music piracy.

Federal Court Judge Murray Wilcox ruled that Kazaa's Australian owner and developer, Sharman Networks, had not itself breached copyright but had encouraged millions of Kazaa users worldwide to do so.

"The respondents have long known that the Kazaa system is widely used for the sharing of copyright files," said Wilcox in his ruling in a Sydney court.

The decision follows a similar judgment in June in which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that file-sharing networks such as Grokster can be held liable if their intent is to promote copyright infringement of music or movies.

"The message is very clear for P2P services: It's time to go legal," said John Malcolm, chief executive of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). "Today's judgment shows that Kazaa -- one of the biggest engines of copyright theft and the biggest brand name in music piracy worldwide -- is illegal."

Peer-to-peer (P2P) networks distribute data between users instead of relying on a central server.

Sharman Networks said it was disappointed with the judge's decision, and that it planned to appeal.

The consequences of the Kazaa ruling on illicit file-sharing are uncertain. Previous legal crackdowns on P2P services have usually only served to send users to other networks.

"Inevitably, when you have successes it drives people elsewhere," IFPI boss Malcolm said. "We know we're never going to completely eradicate this kind of piracy, but the progress has been remarkable."

VICTORY FOR MUSIC INDUSTRY

Australian record companies -- including units of Universal Music, Sony BMG, EMI Group, Warner Music, and several independents -- will now seek damages for hundreds of millions of illicit music downloads at a later hearing.

"The court has ruled the current Kazaa system illegal," Michael Speck, a spokesman for the Australian music industry, told reporters outside the court. "It is a great day for artists, it is a great day for anyone who wants to make a living from music."

Sharman Networks had defended the use of the Internet to download music tracks, telling the court that file sharing represented a revolution in the way music was distributed and sold.

It said it could not control the actions of an estimated 100 million worldwide users.

Judge Wilcox said Kazaa failed to use available technology such as key word filters to prevent copyright infringement because it would have been against its financial interest.

He said that Kazaa's "Join the Revolution" Web site campaign did not directly advocate sharing copyright files, but criticized record companies for opposing file sharing.

"It seems that Kazaa users are predominately young people, the effect of this web page would be to encourage visitors to think it 'cool' to defy the record companies by ignoring constraints," Wilcox said.

Wilcox ordered Sharman Networks to modify the Kazaa software with filters to protect copyright.

"If Kazaa cleans up its act and does what the court has ordered it to do, stop its illegal business, then they have an opportunity to be part of the music industry," said music industry spokesman Speck.

A growing number of legal online music services such as Apple's iTunes, Napster, and RealNetworks' Rhapsody have grown in popularity over the past year. And a new generation of P2P services like Mashboxx are hoping to hoping to offer the advantages of file-sharing without infringing on copyright.

Lewis Raises $55.9M for MDA, Storm Victims

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon raised $54.9 million for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and more than $1 million for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Lewis, 79, decided to devote the two-day telethon to both children with muscular dystrophy and Katrina victims after seeing reports from the Gulf Coast.

The Katrina donations will go to the Salvation Army in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Tens of thousands of people are out of their homes, and many of those homes have been destroyed.

"I'm overjoyed we were able to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina and at the same time continue our 40-year tradition of helping my kids," Lewis said.

The telethon's total to fight muscular dystrophy was $4.5 million less than last year, but lower figures were expected due to the outpouring of donations for the hurricane victims. It was only the third time in 40 years that the telethon failed to surpass the previous year's total.

Saskatchewan turns 100, lights up sky and smiles

Saskatchewan turned 100 and thousands in the province came out to party on Sunday.

More than 100,000 firework effects were set off across the province, including an orange and green one created to look like the western red lily, the province's official flower.

"Wonderful, fantastic, incredible," exclaimed Carol Allen of Regina. "Only Saskatchewan could do that."

Saskatchewan shares its birthday with Alberta. Both entered Confederation on Sept. 1, 1905, but Saskatchewan saved its centennial party for Sunday. That was the anniversary of when the documents were signed in Regina.

Mounted RCMP officers in their red serge joined in the celebrations as did First Nations dancers wearing ancestral costumes.

Singers Brad Johner, Colin James and Canadian Idol runner-up Theresa Sokyrka kept the crowds entertained throughout the day.

"It's a very momentous occasion," said Beth Teskey, 63. "We've kept the province going for the first hundred years and the prospects are good for the next hundred."

Prime Minister Paul Martin kicked off the celebrations on Friday. He made appearances in Saskatoon, Regina and at the Flying Dust First Nation in the north.

Premier Lorne Calvert told crowds at the legislature about the values important to the province.

"We dream of a province where the values of co-operation and caring, optimism and hope are the foundation of an unbreakable social fabric," Calvert said.

"Here, in the heartland of the nation, may we always be a people with heart." Native son Brent Butt, star of television show Corner Gas, received a medal along with Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson.

Butt said he was impressed by Saskatchewan's endurance and by its people.

"Anytime anything can last for 100 years that is something pretty special," said Butt. "Especially for a province like Saskatchewan to be this big of a chunk of dirt and to have less than a million people living in it, you would think it would get swallowed up somehow."

'Transporter' Tops Labor Day Box Office

LOS ANGELES - Jason Statham delivered a bigger box-office package this time, with his action sequel "Transporter 2" taking in $20.25 million to debut as the top weekend movie.

The followup's solid pay day over the four-day Labor Day weekend was more than twice the haul for "The Transporter," which took in $9.1 million in its three-day opening weekend in October 2002.

"Transporter 2" took over the No. 1 slot from "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which slipped to second place with $16.6 million after two weekends on top, according to studio estimates Sunday. Holding strongly, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" raised its total domestic gross to $71.9 million.

The well-reviewed "The Constant Gardener," starring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz in a John le Carre suspense thriller, premiered in third place with $10.8 million, a solid opening given that it played in just 1,346 theaters, nearly 2,000 fewer than "Transporter 2."

On the flip side were two new wide releases soundly trashed by critics and generally ignored by audiences.

"Underclassman," an action comedy starring Nick Cannon as a cop who goes undercover at a posh high school to investigate a murder, flopped with just $3.1 million.

"A Sound of Thunder," with Edward Burns and Ben Kingsley in an adaptation of Ray Bradbury's sci-fi story about time travelers who disrupt evolution on a trip to visit dinosaurs, bombed with a paltry $1.15 million.

Hollywood ended its worst summer for movie attendance since 1997 on a positive note, with overall revenues rising during the long weekend. The top 12 movies took in $96.4 million, up 16 percent from Labor Day weekend last year.

"It's somewhat ironic in the final weekend of one of the worst summers ever that we have a strong showing," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "Hopefully, this sets a positive tone heading into the fall and holiday season."

Domestic grosses from early May through Labor Day were down 9 percent compared to summer 2004, according to Exhibitor Relations. Factoring in higher ticket prices, attendance was off 12 percent.

Labor Day typically is a slow time at theaters, yet "Transporter 2" had a record debut for the period, beating the previous high of $18.4 million held by "Jeepers Creepers 2" over the same weekend in 2003.

In just four days, "Transporter 2" nearly matched the total domestic gross of $25.3 million for "The Transporter."

The sequel features Statham's character on break from his high-octane gig as an ace deliveryman of illicit goods, but forced back into action when the boy he chauffeurs is kidnapped by terrorists in a plot to spread a virus among top drug-enforcement officials.

"People love the character," said Bert Livingston, a distribution executive for 20th Century Fox, which released both "Transporter" flicks. "It's escapism, and with all the tragedy going on in New Orleans, I think people want to get away and lose themselves for an hour and a half."

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

1. "Transporter 2," $20.25 million.
2. "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," $16.6 million.
3. "The Constant Gardener," $10.8 million.
4. "Red Eye," $9.3 million.
5. "The Brothers Grimm," $7.9 million.
6. "Four Brothers," $6.4 million.
7. "Wedding Crashers," $5.8 million.
8. "March of the Penguins," $5.4 million.
9. "The Skeleton Key," $4.1 million.
10. "The Cave," $3.7 million.

Peter Segal’s Tommy Boy

Architect of arguably the greatest comedy of the last twenty years, Peter Segal did to Tommy Boy what no other director has been able to; he successfully translated a Saturday Night Live aesthetic to the silver screen.

Penelope Spheeris came close - dangerously close - with her version of Wayne's World , but for a sheer representation of the off-the-cuff, volatile zaniness that is the signature of the best kind of SNL skits, nothing gets closer than Chris Farley's and David Spade's endlessly-rewatchable banter in Tommy Boy.

It's hard to believe it's been ten years since the release of the movie that gave us “Fat Guy in a Little Coat,” but for the anniversary, DVDfile.com sat down with Tommy Boy director Peter Segal and talked about the film's development and legacy.

- How did the idea of a 10th anniversary DVD edition of Tommy Boy come about?

It was pretty simply, actually. Lorne [Michaels] called me about a year ago and said, “I think we should do a ten year anniversary DVD.”

-Seems easy.

Yeah. And Chris Zito at Paramount Home Video is a big Tommy Boy fan, so it was a no-brainer there, and, most importantly, someone told me six years ago that Tommy Boy had made $60 million on video. It's a continual top-ten title - at least it was . So Chris saw no problem in blowing it out for a 10th anniversary edition.

- This might be a dumb question, but where did you find all this bonus material? Does Paramount keep dailies in a vault or something?

Some of the Paramount archives are in a vault in Pennsylvania; there are millions of feet of film preserved there in underground cave vaults. That's where we found the stuff.

At first we only found a portion of the dailies. Shipments would come to L.A. and my editor would look through them and recognize things that weren't in the finished films. Then bits and fragments of things would lead to more searching and so on and so on.

We spent six or eight months doing this.

- What was it like revisiting the film in this way?

It was great, especially in the development of this DVD, because the stuff between [David] Spade and Chris [Farley] that wasn't in the film was just as funny as the stuff that was.

- If it was so funny, why did you cut it?

Oh, you have to just stop at some point. Farley and Spade could go on forever, but elongated scenes in a movie like this . . . it's like eating too much ice cream. After your fortieth scoop, you're going to get sick.

- What's it like looking at the movie today?

Well, you can't really judge a movie until a few years pass. You need a certain perspective in order to evaluate what you had and what you did. We were lucky because Tommy Boy stuck in pop culture and became a DVD on everyone's shelf. I'm on team planes every once in a while - with the Boston Red Sox or the San Diego Chargers - and somebody's always playing it. It's always on cable.

So in a lot of ways, I don't quite have that hindsight perspective because Tommy Boy has never really gone away. It's gratifying and charming knowing how much the film has been ingrained in people.

- How did you get involved with the film in the first place?

I had worked with Chris Farley on an HBO special and on The Jackie Thomas Show and I thought he was one of the funniest people on the planet. I wanted to do his first starring vehicle, and right after I made Naked Gun 33 1/3.

There was this script going around town called Billy the Third - it was sketchy, a blueprint for something. Paramount had passed on me taking the project because I had too many ideas for it; I thought it needed a lot of work. Then they went to other people and no one else was interested, and then they came back to me.

Once we ripped the lid off, we decided we really wanted to gut the engine of this thing. And it became doubly difficult process because we were shooting the film in the summer and we had to finish it before SNL started back up in the fall. And we didn't quite make it. It was an arduous task for Chris and David to fly back and forth between New York and Toronto (where we were shooting the film).

- How much of the film was scripted and how much was invented on the spot?

Fred Wolf worked with Chris and David on SNL , and he'd make index cards of funny bits they did. We'd utilize that sometimes. And there was one time where we were waiting for a lighting setup when they came up with the “Does this suit make me look fat?” / “No, your face does” riff. Man, we'd take anything. I'd follow those guys around with a pad.

I'd call Fred in New York, “We're at a gas station and we need something funny!” Then he'd tell me to have Chris dance around like an idiot singing a song from Flashdance. And we'd do it. That definitely wasn't in the script.

Overall, I'd say what you see on screen in the film is 80% scripted.

- Last question: What's it like doing a commentary track for a DVD?

My first one was for Naked Gun 33 1/3 and all the way through it, I whispered like a golf announcer because, you know, you're not supposed to talk when you're watching a movie! (laughs) The best thing with commentaries is to have an actor or a writer in the room so you can construct some banter, but you wind up alone sometimes.

I think the best way to interview a director, though, is to have featurettes, like we do on this Tommy Boy DVD. That way you can show by example rather than just have people listening to a disembodied voice on a commentary track.

Stones fans jam Maritime show

MONCTON, N.B. (CP) - Steve Cole made the trek to a New Brunswick hillside to see the Rolling Stones before the final chapter is written in their long and legendary career.

Cole, a 30-year-old musician from Saint John, N.B., wasn't even born when Mick Jagger and the Stones began a rock and roll dynasty that has endured for more than 40 years.

On Saturday, the band came to a 40-hectare field at Magnetic Hill, N.B., to perform for the first time - and many believe the last time - in Atlantic Canada before an estimated crowd of 75,000 cheering fans.

"It's just one of those concerts you have to go to," said Cole.

"The Stones, that's where it's at. They're legends."

By late afternoon, Magnetic Hill was so jammed with people that the concert announcer proclaimed it "the second largest city in Atlantic Canada," after Halifax.

Fans of all ages sprawled on the grass, danced, sang and guzzled beer as musical groups such as Les Trois Accords and Our Lady Peace warmed up the crowd for the final act - the Stones.

Some of the concertgoers were even older than the Stones themselves.

Helen Sweett and her husband, both in their 70s, drove from Halifax for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

"I've never been to an outdoor rock concert like this," she said. "I've always wanted to see what it was like. The tickets were a gift from my husband."

Jagger, 62, hasn't said whether the Stones' "Bigger Bang" world tour is, in fact, a farewell tour.

"A good thing never ends," Jagger said during the opening performance of the tour in Boston last month.

At the Moncton show, Jagger, wearing a hot pink satin jacket, gyrated and pranced like a teenager, showing no signs of tiring.

The show opened with fireworks and flashing lights in a dazzling display that had the huge crowd screaming.

"Thank you New Brunswick," Jagger hollered to cheers.

"Where else are you from - from Newfoundland and from Nova Scotia and from Prince Edward Island."

Dignitaries in the audience included Frank McKenna, Canada's ambassador to the United States.

McKenna, the former premier of New Brunswick, said the show will put the province and Moncton on the map.

"Fascinating, wonderful, fabulous," he said of the show.

The Bigger Bang tour will last into 2006, and it's an open question whether the elderly rockers - they're all in their 60s except for 58-year-old Ron Wood - can fight the vagaries of time and age to mount another world tour.

"Sense tells you they're getting old and who knows what will happen," said David Churchill, who travelled from St. John's, N.L., for the concert.

"I figured this was pretty close, so it's time to see them."

The outdoor concert at Magnetic Hill could prove the largest stop in the Stones' tour, and it was the largest in history for Atlantic Canada - a region often left off the tour schedules of high-profile bands.

The only other draw as big as the Stones at Magnetic Hill was Pope John Paul II in 1984.

The Stones' seven-storey-high stage dwarfed the still-standing stage where the late pope delivered his blessings.

Nearby is the strange, so-called "magnetic" hill where cars seem to coast uphill, thanks to an optical illusion. Magnetic Hill is one of New Brunswick's most popular tourist attractions.

But the fans didn't need magnets to draw them to the concert. They were there for the timeless attraction of the Stones' music.

"They're today's music," said Mark Lapierre of Dartmouth, N.S.

Organizers' prayers for good weather were answered.

Sunny skies and cool breezes kept concertgoers comfortable while sitting on the hillside, which forms a natural amphitheatre.

Earlier in the week, hurricane Katrina threatened to travel up the East Coast and ruin the concert. But the remnants of the storm in Canada produced only heavy rains that were quickly absorbed by the bone-dry ground.

"We couldn't have asked for better conditions," said concert organizer Donald K. Donald.

Could Robbie Williams Have "Saturday Night Fever?"

British pop singer Robbie Williams could soon be heating things up on-screen in a re-make of Saturday Night Fever. According to UK tabloid The Daily Star, the Bee Gees brothers, Robin and Barry Gibb, will be in a position to remake the disco hit that starred John Travolta back in 1977, after rights to the film's songs revert back to their ownership sometime this year. One source close to the brothers, says, "They have always wanted to remake the film and bring out a more modern version and Robbie is the ideal candidate to play Tony - he can sing, dance, is a good-looking lad and has loads of charisma." With the release of Williams' sixth album this month, the singer's popularity might just help give him that 'Fever' quality that lands him the role.

The 'Lost' Master Plan

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Those viewers who felt burned by the last few seasons of "The X-Files" and have wondered more than once what's going on with "Alias" are probably the same ones who have been fighting the temptation to become too attached when it comes to "Lost."

Watching the extras on the first season DVD set (available Tuesday, Sept. 6) does nothing to assuage these doubts. Jack (Matthew Fox) was slated to die in the first episode? Kate was supposed to be on a quest to find her husband who went to the bathroom right before the plane blew apart? If those stories were left at the wayside, what else could be in a state of flux? Does anyone know how the polar bears got there? How about the monsters? The Numbers? The Hatch? The Others?

According to executive producer Damon Lindelof, there's no need to panic.

"The big questions we have the answers to, but we are running a race that has no finish line right now," he says. "If they said, 'We want you to do four seasons of the show,' we would have sat down and planned out 88 episodes."
In other words, while the destination is set the journey could take some detours. Still, there's a limit.

"That's what happened to Chris Carter," Lindelof explains. "People look at that show and go, 'I'm disappointed with the way "X-Files" ended,' but they did 200 episodes.

"Chris Carter wanted to do four seasons and a movie, and the movie would have answered everything definitely. And Fox said, 'Great, you can leave the show, but we own the show and we're going to keep doing the show.' And he said, 'I'd rather run my own show into the ground then let somebody else do it.'

"I respect that."

Respect for the compromises that the entertainment industry demands doesn't mean that Lindelof and partners-in-crime JJ Abrams and Carlton Cuse are planning on dragging "Lost" out forever.

"We have an ending for the show: we know when it is, we know how many episodes it is," Lindelof says, "but we have to talk to the Powers That Be -- the people that pay for the show -- in order to execute that.

"I think it would be very hard if we did our ending for anyone to come in to the show after and continue."

Work out your own theories as to what such a conclusive ending could possibly entail.

Speaking of network involvement, what's with the promos? During the first season viewers knew that one of the main characters was going to die, but the ABC marketing department jumped the gun after Boone (Ian Somerhalder) suffered a horrific accident and trumpted his death before the fact. Then, they helpfully cleaned up a deliberately garbled radio transmission.

"One of the things that is a constant fight in movies and television is not wanting to give away the show," Lindelof, who doesn't see the promos until they actually run, opines. "Marketing's job is to get people to tune in and our job is to not give it away, and that sort of puts us at odds."

Getting more involved for the start of the second season, Lindelof says that he and the show's creative team worked closely with marketing to design the launch campaign, proclaiming the end result to be "very cool and very mysterious." However, once they are back into what he refers to as the "strum and drang" of writing, editing and dealing with the production of the show on a weekly basis they will turn over the reins.

"Inherently, I have to respect what they do," Lindelof continues, "and I put my frustration aside because the way that they market the show and sold the show, I'm so grateful. So every once and awhile they'll do it in a way I don't approve of, but at the end of the day lots of people are watching and that's in no small part due to the fact that they built awareness."

"Lost: Season One" will be released on DVD on Tuesday, Sept. 6. Season Two will premiere Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

TV on DVD Sales Continue to Soar

DVD collections of TV shows accounted for 15 percent of all DVD sales this year, even though they made up just 7 percent of the releases, Nielsen VideoScan said Thursday. Sales of the collections are up 26 percent over last year and show a continuing rise as movie rentals slow down. Sales of TV DVDs, according to Nielsen VideoScan, accounted for nearly 20 percent of all DVD sales during the week ended Aug. 21.

Apple appears poised for iTunes phone launch

SAN FRANCISCO (Billboard) - The Apple rumor mill swung into overdrive this week when the company reported it would make a big digital music announcement on Wednesday (September 7).

Most observers expect Apple Computer to unveil the iTunes-compatible mobile phone that has been in development with Motorola for more than a year. Several industry sources have identified Cingular as the wireless operator making the long-anticipated device available to subscribers.

But Apple may have more in store. One analyst says Apple also will introduce a wireless interface to the iTunes Music Store, customized for Cingular. If so, Cingular would be the first U.S. wireless operator to announce a full-song download music service.

Verizon and Sprint each have discussed launching their own wireless full-song download services before the end of the year. Should Cingular beat them to market, it would do so with the most popular music service on the Internet today.

"Cingular, with Apple and iTunes, has just spoiled that party," says Roger Entner, analyst with research firm Ovum. "It makes it very, very difficult for (Verizon and Spring)."

But Cingular has not yet upgraded its network to the same broadband speeds that Verizon and Sprint boast, meaning that downloading songs will be quite slow. A more likely scenario, at least at first, is that the Motorola iTunes phone will be able to sync with computer-based iTunes files in the same way an iPod does now.

Enthusiasts recently discovered an interface in the latest version of iTunes that lets users choose to sync with either an iPod or a mobile phone.

MENU OF OPTIONS

The iTunes phone is not the only rumored advancement of Apple's digital music strategy that could be addressed Wednesday (September 7). Other potential announcements include an iPod that supports video playback, a line of flash-based iPod Mini devices or iTunes support of a portable subscription service.

The video iPod and the flash-based Minis are considered inevitable. Apple recently changed the language in its iPod patent to include video as one of the files it can display, and iTunes already sells some music-video content.

Although initially critical of flash-based digital music players, Apple has since embraced the technology for its iPod Shuffle. Many expect the company to introduce a flash-based version of the popular iPod Mini in time for the holiday sales season. (Research firm iSuppli reported that Apple has bought as much as 40 percent of Samsung's flash-chip inventory for the second half of this year.)

A music subscription service is considered a long shot for Apple at this time, even though CEO Steve Jobs recently has relaxed his criticism of such services. Analysts generally agree that Apple will wait until there is more interest in portable subscriptions before releasing such an upgrade.

Gilliam turns on critics of blockbuster "Grimm"

VENICE (Reuters) - Terry Gilliam, under fire from the critics for his new blockbuster "The Brothers Grimm," is fed up with having to defend his first film in seven years.

After winning critical acclaim for movies like "Brazil" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," the American director has been less well received for a film that cost an estimated $90 million to make.

The reaction is the latest setback for a production dogged by delays and overshadowed by a clash between Gilliam and executive producers Bob and Harvey Weinstein over casting and the film itself.

It also follows the 2000 debacle when Gilliam's "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote" was ditched due to illness and floods.

But the 64-year-old, at the Venice Film Festival where Grimm is in competition, has come out fighting.

"There are some bad reviews out there, but there are also great reviews," he told Reuters in an interview on Sunday.

"All of my films evoke wonderful and bad reviews. They've always been like that. I like that. I don't like this bland 'OK' kind of film review and Grimm is no exception.

"There are probably too many critics out there with really pathetic opinions."

Grimm casts Hollywood star Matt Damon alongside Australia's Heath Ledger as versions of the real-life Grimm Brothers, whose fairy tales became required reading for generations of children.

Critics focused largely on clunky effects, "cartoon" acting and the film's failure to generate fear and mystery.

Its apologists praise its dark re-invention of well-known fables and Gilliam's seemingly boundless imagination.

"I don't even defend the film any more. It stands on its own two legs and it would be a pity if people don't go and see it," Gilliam said. "They will just have missed out on one of the great moments of history," he added with a smile.

DAMON SAYS FILM PRE-JUDGED

Damon said reviewers had it in for the film from the start.

"I was surprised that it (the reaction) was that lukewarm in the States," he told Reuters.

"The movie was on the shelf for two years so that is a signal to the reviewers ... that something's wrong.

"Terry did a lot of press about his fights with Harvey and Bob (Weinstein) and he didn't pull any punches ... I think the damage has been done."

One area of disagreement between Gilliam and the producers was casting. Gilliam wanted Johnny Depp in Grimm, not Damon, a decision which Damon himself concedes may have backfired.

"The joke at the end of the day was on the studio, in that while we were shooting, (Depp's box office hit) 'Pirates of the Caribbean' came out, and I'm sure they were like 'Oh my god, we could have had Johnny Depp in the movie.'

"He's the biggest movie star in the world now."

Gilliam is also about to release "Tideland," a film about a young girl who escapes into her own fertile imagination.

"Children are strong," said Gilliam. "The modern world says they are these sweet little things that have to be defended against any kind of reality. Not true.

"The Grimms' fairy tales were there to test children, prepare them for the world they will grow up in and I think that's one reason why this film (Grimm) works particularly well with children."

As to what comes next for Gilliam, he said he had nothing specific planned, and joked:

"I read the reviews, my career is over. I'm a broken man. Crushed. Smashed."

'Elizabethtown' Looks at Life and Death

VENICE, Italy - Most of what happens in "Elizabethtown," will probably never happen to you — but some could, and that is the hook in the Cameron Crowe film that debuted Sunday at the Venice Film Festival.

Starting with Elizabethtown, Ky., itself, a real place between Louisville, Ky., and Nashville, Tenn., the movie is packed with very real experiences: sudden death, career failure, girlfriends who ditch their men, men who ditch their girlfriends, people who realize after loved ones are gone that they never took the time to really know them.

"Elizabethtown" was being screened, out of competition, midway through the festival, which ends Sept. 10.

The festival opened with directors — George Clooney, Ang Lee and Steven Soderbergh among them — taking pains to deny that their movies here were designed to deliver political statements.

Crowe, however, took the occasion to proclaim his movie's message.

"Elizabethtown" is about "the obsession with success and failure that we see in America," the director told reporters. "But life comes along and trumps that in a big way."

In the film, Kirsten Dunst, playing Claire, a cheerful airline hostess, delivers the same message.

But Dunst is so persistenly charming, her lead foil, Orlando Bloom, so genuinely engaging and the plot so offbeat entertaining that viewers can still have fun despite the in-your-face recipe for happiness while finding yourself.

Bloom, the British actor whose other credits include "The Lord of the Rings" and "Troy," mastered the challenge of absorbing the accents and tics of Americans ranging from West Coast career climbers to down-home folk in America's heartland.

Bloom plays Drew, whose father dies while visiting family in Kentucky. Drew is still staggering under the news that the shoe he spent eight years perfecting for the shoe company where he works has a defect that could cost the firm nearly $1 billion. His mother dispatches him to Elizabethtown to take care of his father's remains, and the rediscovery of self gets under way to the aroma of freshly baked smoked ham.

The film's creators assembled a cast of extras who look like people we could know. At least one we do: Playing Drew's exuberant, welcoming Aunt Dora who is always cooking something on the stove is Paula Deen of Food Network's "Paula's Home Cooking."

Susan Sarandon is Drew's mom, a widow who thinks she needs to be reborn and steals a long moment in the film with an unusual eulogy about her husband.

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