Elvis Remains Top-Earning Dead Celeb

Elvis is still the king when it comes to earning royalties, according to Forbes magazine, but Shakespeare could have given him a run for the money. Forbes' annual list of Ten-Top Earning Dead Celebrities showed Elvis Presley was top earner for the fifth straight year, generating $45 million for his estate.

"Peanuts" cartoonist Charles Schulz held his customary spot at No. 2, with $35 million.

Presley died in 1977 and his music is still going strong, but he has a long way to go to outlast Shakespeare, still on theater marquees nearly 400 years after his death.

The magazine calculated what the Bard's heirs might collect each year if he were still under copyright and estimated it at $15 million with over 5,000 performances of his plays and hundreds of thousands of books sold in the last year.

That would put him behind fellow Englishman and former Beatle John Lennon (No. 3 at $22 million) and artist Andy Warhol (No. 4, $16 million) and ahead of dead heavyweights such as Marlon Brando and Marilyn Monroe.

This year's list also showed the big impact of Hollywood, as Johnny Cash and Ray Charles broke into the top rankings as the release or planned release of film biographies boosted their royalty statements.

Movie Fans Vote Rourke 'Man of the Year'

LONDON - British movie fans have voted Mickey Rourke "man of the year" for his portrayal of the swaggering down-on-his-luck Marv in "Sin City."

"Batman Begins," the most recent adventure of the comic superhero starring Christian Bale in the title role, was voted top film of 2005.

The movie fought off competition from "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" to land the No. 1 spot in the poll of 15,000 film fans by Total Film magazine. The poll was released Sunday.

Scottish actor Ian McDiarmid, who played Supreme Chancellor Palpatine in "Revenge of the Sith," was named best movie villain; 11-year-old Dakota Fanning was named best child actor for her role in Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds"; and the nut-eating squirrels in Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" were named best movie animal.

"`Batman Begins' was a smart but funny reinvention of an iconic figure and had fantastic performances. It was also excellently directed by Christopher Nolan," said Total Film editor Nev Pierce.

"Film fans want more and `Batman Begins' overcomes the horrible taste that previous outing `Batman & Robin' left in people's mouths," Pierce said.

'Saw II' Cuts Down 'Zorro' at Box Office

LOS ANGELES - Horror swung a sharper blade than Zorro at the box office. With Halloween at hand, the bloody "Saw II" won the weekend with $30.5 million, almost double the $16.5 million opening of Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones' swashbuckling sequel "The Legend of Zorro," according to studio estimates Sunday.

The weekend's other big-name wide releases had so-so premieres. "Prime," starring Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep in a romance between a thirtysomething woman and a younger man, debuted at No. 3 with $6.4 million.

Nicolas Cage's "The Weather Man," in which he plays a materially successful TV forecaster whose personal life is a tempest of disorder, opened at No. 6 with $4.3 million.

Hollywood's box-office slump abated from the double-digit percentage declines of recent weekends, though receipts still were down. The top 12 movies took in $86.3 million, off 6.5 percent from the same weekend last year.

"Saw II," featuring Donnie Wahlberg as a cop drawn into a deadly game with the serial killer of the 2004 horror hit "Saw," easily outdid the original movie's $18.3 million opening over last Halloween weekend.

Distributor Lions Gate, which acquired the low-budgeted "Saw" at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival, rushed ahead to get the sequel in theaters just a year after the original's release. "Saw" did a respectable $55.2 million at the domestic box office, but the sequel got a big boost from fans who discovered the franchise on DVD.

"A lot of talk is devoted to the theatrical moviegoing experience being like a warmup for the DVD release. In this case, the DVD release of the first film was a warmup for the huge debut of the sequel," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "Plus, it's a no-brainer. It's Halloween weekend."

"The Legend of Zorro," with Banderas' masked swordsman fighting a secret society aiming to ravage the United States amid California's statehood drive in 1850, came in well behind the 1998 summer hit "The Mask of Zorro," which opened with $22.3 million.

Considering ticket prices are up about one-third since then, "Legend of Zorro" drew only about half the crowds domestically as the first movie over opening weekend.

Distributor Sony noted that solid returns in Latin America and Europe offset the weaker showing for "Legend of Zorro" on the homefront. In about 50 international markets, the sequel took in $27 million, up 22 percent from the debut of "Mask of Zorro" in those same countries, said Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution.

"In regards to how you go about releasing your film, it's just a matter of what brings the most dollars in box office, whether domestic or worldwide," Bruer said.

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. "Saw II," $30.5 million.
2. "The Legend of Zorro," $16.5 million.
3. "Prime," $6.4 million.
4. "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story," $6.3 million.
5. "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," $4.4 million.
6. "The Weather Man," $4.3 million.
7. "Doom," $4.1 million.
8. "North Country," $3.65 million.
9. "The Fog," $3.3 million.
10. "Flightplan," $2.6 million.

Anticipated Beatles Bio Comes Out Tuesday

NEW YORK - Ten hours, 28 minutes. That was the sum of the music recorded and released by the Beatles before breaking up, a volume of work that changed lives, careers and the course of music history. Eight years, 2,792 pages. That was the effort author Bob Spitz put into telling their story, although editors whittled his manuscript down to 856 pages (minus the end notes).

"The Beatles: The Biography," available Nov. 1, is a compulsively readable history that brings the same exhaustive level of scholarship to the Fab Four that Robert Caro brought to Robert Moses and Lyndon Johnson.

"The Beatles' story is all of our stories," says Spitz, 55, a manager for Bruce Springsteen and others before turning to writing. "It is about how the youth culture emerged, the drug culture emerged, how politics rose to the fore as a universal debate. It's about rebellion, it's about the growth of the British entertainment system, the growth of the rock 'n' roll entertainment system.

"The Beatles changed music forever. They took rock 'n' roll from a medium that was about cars and girls and gave it context, interesting chord changes and true musicianship."

Get the idea he's passionate about the subject?

Spitz lived it, writing six days a week for six years, spending six months in Liverpool and retracing the Beatles' steps. He could practically smell the stale cigarette smoke from the old clubs, and even ordered the band's favorite scotch and Coke drinks just to taste what they had tasted.

It almost makes up for the school yard beating that a teenage Spitz suffered for suggesting that the Beatles were no-talent bums who wouldn't last; he was an avid Bob Dylan fan at the time.

He feels differently now. But his love and respect for the Beatles doesn't blind him as a writer; he draws a complete portrait of brilliant musicians who were human after all. Several initial reviews have been positive, and his publisher's first printing of nearly 200,000 copies is considered a positive sign of the biography's potential.

The New York Times' Janet Maslin called it a "consolidating and newly illuminating work. For the right reader, that combination is irresistible."

"As with all great history writing, Spitz both captures a moment in time and humanizes his subjects," wrote Publishers Weekly. "While some will blanch at the unsettling dark sides of the Beatles, most will come to appreciate the band even more for knowing the incredible personal odysseys they endured."

Spitz's biography is one of four Beatles-related books in the stores this fall, including one each by both of John Lennon's wives.

"I get a new Beatles book submitted almost every month, and sales are varied," said Kim Corradini, a buyer for Barnes & Noble Booksellers. "Books that offer something new — new revelations, new photos, an insider's view — do much better than those that are just rehashings."

The project was daunting for more reasons than just the effort it entailed. There have been more Beatles books published than there are actual Beatles songs, and most fans have heard the same stories many times over.

Spitz, who has written biographies of Dylan and Bob Marley, was assigned by The New York Times Magazine to write a story about Paul McCartney in 1996. At the time, McCartney was working on the Beatles' anthology project and told Spitz "they might as well call it the mythology, as only about 50 percent of it was true."

Lennon, McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr agreed on their version of the Beatles' story, a mix of truth and legend, and it formed the basis of what Spitz considers the band's only other serious biography, written by Hunter Davies four decades ago. Some of the stories were told so often that the lines between truth and fiction had even blurred for the surviving Beatles.

Spitz set out to make the record straight.

"I interviewed 650 people on this," he says. "I approached this book as if nobody had ever written a biography on the Beatles."

McCartney cooperated, and so did Harrison before his death in 2001. Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono did not, and neither did Starr or Neil Aspinall, who used to drive the Beatles to gigs in Liverpool and now runs their business empire.

Almost more important than his recollections was McCartney quietly putting the word out to dozens of former associates, many of whom had never spoken publicly about their roles, that it was OK to speak to Spitz. Spitz also tracked down new sources. In western Canada he found Dot Rohne, who nearly married McCartney and miscarried his baby before being dumped as the Beatles were on the cusp of making it big.

Spitz so doggedly traces the band's family history, and depicts postwar Liverpool, that Lennon doesn't meet McCartney until page 95 of his book.

"My book is not a book of dirty stories," Spitz says. "There are no shocking revelations. I wasn't looking for any and I didn't find any."

Still, there are sublime details and myth-busters that good fans will enjoy, like producer George Martin leaving the recording of "Love Me Do" to an underling while he had a lunch date with his secretary.

One much-repeated story is that future manager Brian Epstein first heard of the Beatles when a customer at his record store requested their recording of "My Bonnie" from Hamburg, Germany. In truth, he was already well aware of them — their posters hung in his store and Epstein, who was gay, secretly liked their rough-boys-in-leather image.

Spitz opens with a detailed scene from Dec. 27, 1960, a Liverpool performance where the Beatles' improvement after a lengthy residence in Germany so startled and thrilled their hometown audience that it presaged the impact they would have on the world three years later. Spitz even reports the brand of popular hairspray whose scent lingered in the air.

He was struck by the extraordinary tight bond the four men created, personally and musically. Even during their unpleasant breakup, they still loved each other, he says. Spitz believes the split was less because of the influence of Ono than the fact that Lennon and Harrison couldn't stand to be in the room with McCartney anymore.

The flip side is how completely, even ruthlessly, the four men would freeze out anyone they no longer had use for, as drummer Pete Best most famously found out.

The project was an intense time in Spitz's life. He and his wife have split and he says his daughter thinks dad has a mop tops obsession.

"It turned my life inside out," he says. "Yet I must say it was the most incredible and pleasurable experience I ever had."

Spitz is involved in one more Beatles-related project: writing a version of his biography for young readers.

"It's sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll," he says, "without the sex and drugs."

Lockout worth it, CBC boss says

OTTAWA (CP) - The eight-week lockout of CBC employees didn't save any money, hurt market share and damaged employee relations - but was still worth it, says the president of the public broadcaster.

Under close questioning by skeptical MPs, Robert Rabinovitch said Thursday the lockout was essential to head off a strike later in the fall which would have disrupted new programming as well as NHL broadcasts.

He not only blamed the union for provoking the lockout but suggested Parliament, by cutting CBC funding over past decades, also helped push the corporation into a financial corner.

"People have asked whether the lockout was worth it and my answer was yes," Rabinovitch told MPs on the all-party heritage committee, who peppered him with questions about low employee morale and future labour relations.

Rabinovitch said he feared that if he didn't bring matters to a head with the mid-August lockout, the 5,500 Canadian Media Guild employees would strike in late fall and disrupt important television programming.

The choice was either "wait and let the union strike at a time of their choosing . . . or bring negotiations to a head at a relatively quiet time of the year," he said.

Actually, a strike in late fall was impossible since the union's strike mandate expired Sept. 6, an angry Arnold Amber - chief negotiator for the union - said outside the committee room.

"He is lying . . . what we got today is a lot of spin," said Amber.

"If there was a vote of confidence held amongst staff today, Mr. Rabinovitch and his entire group of senior managers would go."

The committee postponed a vote on its own motion of non-confidence in Rabinovitch from New Democrat MP Charlie Angus.

But MPs made their feelings clear.

"There is no confidence in you around this table," said Bloc Quebecois MP Carole Lavallee, who accused Rabinovitch of seriously undermining employee relations.

"The members who are here have no compliments to pay you."

Journalists, technicians and clerical staff were locked out of the public broadcaster from Aug. 15 to early October when a contract, which runs to March 2009, was finally reached to end the dispute.

Amber also disputed claims by Richard Stursberg, executive vice-president of English television, that the lockout saved CBC no money.

The extra costs of security during the lockout, higher management expenses to keep CBC radio and TV on the air and loss of advertising revenues offset eight weeks' worth of savings on employee wages and benefits, Stursberg told the committee.

"We've ended up, basically, zero. There is no savings to the corporation."

Actually, says the union, CBC probably saved about $50 million on employee costs but doesn't want to admit it.

"We should get an auditor in there," said Amber.

Liberal Marlene Catterral, chair of the heritage committee, also sounded skeptical of CBC's figures: "Management, when it works overtime, doesn't usually get paid overtime."

The hearing started badly for Rabinovitch, who doused himself with water and crashed to the highly polished committee room floor after his chair slipped out from under him just before the session began.

He reminded MPs several times how government funding for CBC has dropped even as inflation and rising production costs have steadily pushed up costs.

At the same time, questions are being raised about English language TV programming and market share has also been falling at Newsworld - especially since the revamped CTV Newsnet channel emerged, he said.

Rabinovitch also insisted CBC's board of directors was kept informed of management's strategy to lock out workers before they could strike.

But while the board was aware of the lockout plan, it didn't exactly endorse it, said Guy Fournier, a newcomer to the CBC board, who closely watched the committee hearing.

"If you asked the board was there a formal vote (on approving the lockout) no - I can't lie to you," Fournier said later.

He stopped short of calling the lockout a mistake but added: "If we had to re-live the whole thing, we would surely call for a formal vote before a lockout."

Fournier has previously said the board would have appreciated more information from management before the lockout began.

"King Kong" Super-Sized

That's one big gorilla.

The original King Kong ran 90 minutes long. That relatively tame length is just a warm-up to what Peter Jackson has in store for his remake of the great ape epic.

According to Universal, which paid a whopping $20 million for the right to distribute the Oscar-winning helmer's remake of the Tinseltown classic, Kong's running time is nearly double the 1933 version, weighing in at a mammoth three hours.

It was initially believed that Jackson would bring the picture in at two and a half hours, but extra digital effects that swelled the pic's budget from $175 million to a final price tag of $207 million, combined with the Lord of the Rings mastermind's penchant for big-time spectacle, led to the monster cut.

After flying to Jackson's home base in Wellington, New Zealand where Kong was shot to watch a sneak peak of the film, studio executives were reportedly elated with the results and agreed to release the three-hour Kong as scheduled Dec. 14--despite the possibility that the length might eat into the monkey movie's box office, allowing for fewer screenings each day.

"I anticipated it would be long, but not this long," Universal Pictures chairwoman Stacey Snider told the New York Times. "This is a masterpiece. I can't wait to unveil it."

Universal could use a big hit about now. The company is still trying to figure out why moviegoers stayed away in droves from its critically-acclaimed boxing drama Cinderella Man.

Then there's the mediocre ticket sales generated by flicks such as The Perfect Man, Kicking and Screaming and, most recently, Doom, which debuted with a ho-hum $15 million. The studio's one stand-out this year has been the surprise success of R-rated sex comedy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

But studio suits were willing to take a chance on the plus-size running time, optimistic that audiences will go bananas over Jackson's re-imagining of one of its most memorable mascots.

"This is a three-hour feast of an event," Marc Shmuger, vice chairman of Universal Pictures, told the Times. "I've never come close to seeing an artist working at this level."

Unlike the poorly-received 1976 remake, the Kiwi filmmaker's version sticks close to the plot of the original Kong. It follows the giant beast as he falls for the beautiful Hollywood actress Ann Darrow ( Naomi Watts), rampages through Depression-era New York and climbs up the Empire State Building. The film also stars Jack Black, Adrien Brody and Andy Serkis, who played Gollum in Lord of the Rings, as the computer-generated ape.

As for the budget, Universal was pleased enough with the finished product to offer to pick up half of the $32 million in cost overruns Jackson rang up. However, the 43-year-old auteur insisted he and his partner and co-writer, Fran Walsh, who was also part of that $20 million payday, would cover the overages themselves.

Going over budget hasn't been Jackson's only concern.

New Zealand's labor department assailed the production last week for unsafe set practices after investigating incidents on the set in which two workers were injured when scaffolding collapsed.

According to an occupational safety and health report, one of the riggers suffered a concussion and a broken shoulder blade, while another received cuts and bruises.

Jackson's LLC, Big Primate Productions, declined to comment on the findings but said the company is cooperating with the investigation.

Meanwhile, to drum up excitement in advance of Kong's big bow, Universal Home Video will unleash a DVD documenting the making of Jackson's magnum opus on Dec. 13. Much of the material will be culled from the over-achieving director's own video production diaries on Kongisking.net, in which he's offered fans behind-the-scenes glimpses into the production process.

Jackson is also contributing a two-hour, seven-part feature documentary entitled RKO Production 601: The Making of Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World to a two-disc DVD set of the 1933 Kong, which Universal is issuing on Nov. 22

And last but not least, Turner Classic Movies is planning to air on the same day a documentary by noted film historian Kevin Brownlow on Merian C. Cooper, the original's director. I'm King Kong! The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper will be narrated by Alec Baldwin and feature footage of Cooper working in Hollywood, as well as interviews with the late Fay Wray--the first woman to play Darrow--and special effects master Ray Harryhausen, among others.

White Sox Win 1st World Series Since 1917

HOUSTON - The Chicago White Sox are World Series champions again at last, and yet another epic streak of futility is not just wiped away but swept away.

After seven scoreless innings, Jermaine Dye singled home the only run in the eighth, and the White Sox beat the Houston Astros 1-0 Wednesday night to win their first title in 88 years.

Just a year ago, the same story line captivated baseball when the long-suffering Boston Red Sox swept St. Louis to capture their first title in 86 years.

Who's next, the Chicago Cubs, without a championship since 1908?

It was the third title for the White Sox, following wins in 1906 and 1917. And it was the first since "Shoeless" Joe Jackson and the "Black Sox" threw the 1919 Series against Cincinnati.

In the Windy City, where the Cubs have long been king, Chicago's South Side team for once trumped its North Side rival, no small feat for the Sox.

Owner Jerry Reinsdorf once said he'd trade all six of the Chicago Bulls' NBA titles for a single Series ring, a statement he now regrets. No swap is needed now: He's got the prize he dreamed of since he was a kid growing up in Brooklyn.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said during the regular season that he might retire if his team went on to win the Series, and now he'll have to reveal that decision.

Chicago's sweep, its eighth straight postseason win, made it only the second team to go through the postseason 11-1 since the extra round of playoffs was added in 1995, joining the 1999 Yankees. But the White Sox fans didn't get to enjoy a single celebration in person: the division title and all three rounds of the postseason were won on the road.

Houston, which finally won a pennant for the first time since it joined the National League in 1962, became the first team swept in its Series debut.

On a night when pitching dominated, winner Freddy Garcia and Houston's Brandon Backe pitched shutout ball for seven innings, with Backe allowing four hits and Garcia five. They each struck out seven.

Brad Lidge, Houston's closer, came in to start the eighth, and Chicago sent up Willie Harris to bat for Garcia.

Harris lined a single to left leading off, and that led to Houston's downfall. Scott Podsednik bunted a difficult high pitch in front of the plate, and the speedy Harris took second on the sacrifice. Carl Everett pinch hit for Tadahito Iguchi and grounded to second, moving Harris to third.

Dye, the Series MVP, swung and missed Lidge's next pitch, took a ball, then grounded a single up the middle, clapping his hands as he left the plate. Harris trotted home from third, and the White Sox celebrated in the third-base dugout.

But it wasn't quite over yet.

Cliff Politte relieved to start the bottom half and hit Willy Taveras on the hand with one out. Politte bounced a wild pitch on his first offering to Lance Berkman, moving Taveras to second, then intentionally walked Berkman, nearly throwing away the next pitch.

Morgan Ensberg flied to right-center, dropping him to 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position in the Series, and Chicago brought in left-hander Neal Cotts to face pinch-hitter Jose Vizcaino, who hit a broken-bat grounder to shortstop.

Juan Uribe charged in, backhanded the ball by the grass and threw hard to first, beating Vizcaino by half a step.

After Chicago wasted a leadoff double by A.J. Pierzynski in the ninth, Jason Lane lofted a 3-2 pitch off Bobby Jenks into short center for a single leading off the bottom half.

Brad Ausmus sacrificed and pinch-hitter Chris Burke fouled out to Uribe, who fell into the left-field seats as he leaned in to make the grab. Uribe ran to the mound with the ball and gave Jenks a slap.

Orlando Palmeiro then pinch hit, and grounded to short for the final out and the White Sox poured out of their dugout and jumped around the mound.

Houston was 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position on the night and 10-for-48 (.208) in the Series, and Lidge fell to 0-2 in the Series and 0-3 in the postseason.

After Chicago's 14-inning, 7-5 win that lasted a Series-record 5 hours, 41 minutes and ended at 1:20 a.m. Wednesday, the crowd was more subdued at Minute Maid Park. Most of them had to know that no team has ever overcome a 3-0 Series deficit.

Chicago stranded runners in three of the first four innings, including Podsednik after a two-out triple in the third, but Backe's changeup got stronger, and he struck out five straight — one short of the Series record — following Dye's leadoff single in the fourth.

He retired 11 batters in a row before Aaron Rowand's two-out single in the seventh, and Joe Crede followed with a drive high off the out-of-town scoreboard in the left-field fence, missing a home run by a few feet. Rowand, who had slowed slightly just before getting to second, was held up at third.

After a conference at the mound, and with Everett on deck as a potential pinch-hitter, Houston elected to pitch to Uribe, the No. 8 hitter, instead of intentionally walking him and forcing Chicago to decide whether to bat for Garcia. Backe fanned him on his final pitch and skipped off the mound before high-fiving teammates.

Houston, meanwhile, went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position in the first six innings. The Astros stranded runners on second base in the first two innings. With two on and one out in the sixth, Ensberg struck out and after Mike Lamb was intentionally walked to load the bases, Garcia struck out Jason Lane.

Notes: The record of six straight strikeouts was set by Cincinnati's Hod Eller against the White Sox in 1919 and matched by Baltimore's Moe Drabowsky in 1966 and St. Louis' Todd Worrell in 1985.

Music industry sales plunging: StatsCan

Canada's sound recording industry is suffering from plunging sales and profits resulting in fewer opportunities for Canadian artists to record, a new study says.

The industry has experienced six years of declining sales, according to a Statistics Canada study released Wednesday. In 2003, the industry had $708.7 million in sales, down 20.5 per cent from $891.6 million in 1998.

StatsCan pointed to illegal downloading, file swapping and competition from other media as likely causes for the drop.

Music by Canadian artists took a hit, with $110 million in sales in 2003, down from $154 million in 1998. However, Canadian artists' share of the market for music sold in Canada remained the same, at 16 per cent, as sales of recordings by foreign artists fell even more sharply.

Declining profitability in the industry has led to lower investment in new Canadian recording artists and music, according to the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).

"You have to treat a study like this as a wakeup call," says CRIA president Graham Henderson. "This is a terrible situation."

The CRIA estimates that sales of pirated sound recordings drained $23.5 million from the Canadian market in 2003.

It is lobbying for changes to copyright laws that would put Canada in line with its international partners in protecting against piracy and clarifying electronic rights. A bill has undergone first reading in Parliament, but any changes likely wouldn't take effect for more than a year.

The hardest hit part of the industry is rock and pop, the sector where music is most likely to be downloaded, the StatsCan study showed.

Henderson said industry studies show that independent artists are being squeezed. "We have standout artists in this country who don't generate enough money from their record sales to keep their careers going," he said.

Sales of classical, country, jazz and blues continued to rise and consequently made up a larger share of the market. Sales of music-themed DVDs and concert videos also appeared to be up.

Since 2003, increased opportunities for legal downloading, chiefly through Apple's iTunes, have begun to reverse the decline in the industry in some countries. In Canada, sales are not falling as quickly and may have stabilized, Henderson said.

Recording companies issued 5,619 new releases in 2003, down from 6,654 in 2000. Only 904 belonged to Canadian artists, the first time in more than five years that their output fell below the 1,000 mark.

There were 300 recording companies in 2003, with many smaller record labels entering and leaving the market rapidly.

Profit margins fell to a slim 2.6 per cent in 2003, down from 11.9 per cent in 1998, a year before Napster introduced illegal downloading to the world. Company profits in Canada combined totalled only $30.5 million.

According to the 2003 Survey of Household Spending, Canadian households spent an average of $118 annually on recordings, but almost $464 on rental of cablevision and satellite services.

Janet: I'm No Mother

Janet Jackson does not have any children that she knows of.

The famously secretive pop star broke her silence Wednesday on assertions by her former brother-in-law that she had a secret 18-year-old daughter.

"I do not have a child, and all allegations saying so are false," Jackson said in a brief statement.

Jackson did not mention ex-husband James DeBarge. She didn't have to--Young DeBarge, one of James DeBarge's brothers, did that himself last Friday during an interview on New York City's WQHT-FM ("Hot 97").

Young DeBarge said on the air that his brother and Jackson, who were briefly married from 1984 to 1985, had a baby together. The child, named Renee, was raised by Jackson's eldest sister, Rebbie, he said.

When not dishing on family gossip, Young DeBarge was said to be promoting an upcoming album.

Jackson, meanwhile, reportedly was moving on to more pressing matters--namely, trying to get a stalkerazzi video of her backyard sunbathing routine off the Internet, MSNBC.com said.

The clip, making the rounds for about a month, shows a slap-happy Jackson playing her bare bottom "like bongos," as the New York Post originally put it. "I believe that she's particularly unhappy about this video because she’s not in great shape," a source told MSNBC.com's Jeannette Walls.

Jackson, 39, prefers to show off her shape at the Super Bowl.

From OutKast to the Darkness, a first look at fall's 20 biggest CDs

OCTOBER
Alicia Keys
Alicia keys Unplugged
Out October 11th

"I wanted to be able to bring it back to the essence of me as a performer: intimate and personal," says Keys of her Unplugged disc, recorded live at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on July 14th. In addition to pared-down versions of songs from her two previous albums ("A Woman's Worth," "Fallin' "), Keys duetted with Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine on a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses"; teamed with Common, Mos Def and Damian Marley for a fusion of Keys' "Love It or Leave It Alone" and Marley's "Welcome to Jam Rock"; and debuted two new songs: "Unbreakable," which is already in heavy rotation on MTV, and "Stolen Moments," co-written by Al Green.

Ashlee Simpson
I Am Me
Out October 18th

Simpson re-teams with hot producer John Shanks for a disc of chart-killing teen pop that takes its cues from grown-up rockers. The first single, "Boyfriend," is as close to Franz Ferdinand as a pop tart may dare go, with a jittery dance-rock guitar hook. The piano ballad "Beautifully Broken" chronicles the aftermath of her SNL lip-sync fiasco in a way that almost elicits sympathy -- and it doesn't hurt that the intro sounds exactly like Oasis' "Wonderwall."

Depeche Mode
Playing the Angel
Out October 18th

"It's rockier than our traditional stuff," says Depeche Mode frontman Dave Gahan about his band's eleventh studio album, on which Blur producer Ben Hillier added heavier guitar and drums to the band's analog-synth-driven sound. Recorded after Gahan got sober following decades of struggling with addiction, the album provides clear evidence that the goth godfathers are still as into pain and suffering as ever. Says Gahan, "That's kind of our MO."

Rod Stewart
Thanks for the memory . . . The Great American Songbook: Volume IV
Out October 18th

For the fourth volume of his Great American Songbook series, Stewart tackles fourteen more classics, including "Long Ago and Far Away," and "Makin' Whoopee," on which he duets with Elton John. "I bring a new emotion and a voice that people haven't heard singing these kinds of songs," says Stewart. Though Sam Cooke's "You Send Me" doesn't fit into Stewart's loose rule of including only songs cut "between the two Great Wars," he wanted to give props to the man who inspired his career. Says Stewart, "No Sam, no Rod."

NOVEMBER

Burt Bacharach
At this Time
Out November 1st

In an awesomely weird pairing, seventy-seven-year-old swinger Bacharach recruited Dr. Dre to provide Snoop-worthy bass-and-drum loops for three songs on his new disc. Bacharach says he is "not necessarily" a big fan of rap. "I'm a big fan of Dre's. The guy gets the most unbelievable sounds." Elvis Costello and Rufus Wainwright also make appearances on the album, which pairs Bacharach's lush orchestral arrangements with angry lyrics about the Bush administration. "I spent all this time writing love songs," he says. "I never rocked the boat. If I lose some fans, that's OK."

Trey Anastasio
Shine
Out November 1st

For his first collection of songs since Phish broke up last year, Anastasio left the comfort of his converted-barn studio in Vermont to work with Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam producer Brendan O'Brien in Atlanta. "A lot of it was based on Brendan teaching me how to make a record," says Anastasio. "We had two days with me, Brendan and [Bob Dylan and John Mellencamp drummer] Kenny Aronoff playing like a power trio. Brendan's a motherfucker on the bass." The resulting disc is surprisingly noodle-free, with twelve uptempo rockers that are more Beatles than Zappa.

Santana
All That I Am
Out November 1st

"The only thing I won't do is something that is fake, superficial and shallow," says Carlos Santana, who jams with musicians from Sean Paul to Kirk Hammett on his latest guest-laden album. Steven Tyler sings the power ballad "Just Feel Better"; American Idol rocker Bo Bice belts the "Smooth"-style "Brown Skin Girl"; and Mary J. Blige duets with Big Boi on the R&B tune "My Man." "I don't listen to the radio," says Santana, crediting executive producer Clive Davis with picking many of the guests. More familiar faces were his tourmates Los Lonely Boys, who contributed the slinky "I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love," and Michelle Branch, whose acoustic pop tune "I'm Feeling You" is her second Santana collaboration, following 2002's "The Game of Love." But Santana is determined to keep broadening his group's sound. "A lot of musicians say, 'I don't do windows,' " Santana says. "But to me, life is a big window. So if I don't want to do windows, I shouldn't be on this planet."

Neil Diamond
12 Songs
Out November 8th

Though Diamond is better known now for wearing sequined jumpsuits and making middle-aged women weak in the knees, in the 1960s he was a cool young New York singer-songwriter. On the new disc, Rick Rubin -- who produced Johnny Cash's American Recordings series -- recaptures the spirit of awesome early recordings including "Cherry, Cherry" and "Kentucky Woman." "Rick really pressured me to get back to those times," says Diamond. "Those records were very minimalist -- get a small rhythm group, add some hand claps, mix it up and send it out."

50 Cent
Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture "Get Rich or Die Tryin' "
Out November 8th

"Every song has something that ties it to the actual film," says 50 Cent of the tracks he wrote to accompany his 8 Mile-style new movie, Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The first single, "Hustler's Ambition," defines 50's alter ego, Marcus, a poor kid from the Bronx (not 50's Queens) who goes from slinging drugs to spitting rhymes. The second, "Window Shopping," backs a scene where Marcus longs for expensive sneakers. The album, with production from Dr. Dre and Hi-Tek, also includes a likely third single, "We Don't Need No Help," with Young Buck. Says 50, "It's a new version of N.W.A's 'Fuck Tha Police' with a Southern twist."

Big and Rich
Comin' To Your City
Out November 15th

On Comin' to Your City, Nashville duo Big and Rich beef up the genre-crossing, party-starting stomp of their multiplatinum 2004 debut, Horse of a Different Color. Recorded with the duo's five-piece touring band, City drops elegantly harmonized ballads ("Never Mind Me"), jokey honky-tonk ("20 Margaritas") and disco-flavored rapping ("Caught Up in the Moment") amid barnburners such as "Soul Shaker" and the AC/DC-gone-South title track.

Pharrell
In My Mind
Out November 15th

Perhaps only Pharrell Williams -- half of the most sought-after production team in pop music, the Neptunes -- could get Gwen Stefani to guest on a song where her entire contribution is five spoken words repeated ad nauseam: "You got it like that." Stefani answers Williams' titular question on "Can I Have It Like That," the first single from Williams' solo debut -- which also features guest spots from Jay-Z and Slim Thug. The disc is divided into two halves: seven tracks of club-banging hip-hop, seven of smooth R&B grooves. "You have the personality with your girl, and you have your macho mannerisms," Williams says. "You got all these characteristics that make up your personality. This is an album I've been working on all my life."

Bruce Springsteen
Born to Run: 30th Anniversary Edition
Out November 15th

A newly remastered version of Springsteen's 1975 masterpiece is just the beginning of this unique CD-plus-two-DVDs reissue package. One DVD showcases long-buried footage of a full E Street Band concert at London's Hammersmith Odeon from 1975, including performances of "Backstreets," "Lost in the Flood" and "Kitty's Back." The other contains Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run, a ninety-minute documentary that includes new interviews with Springsteen and the E Streeters (including former drummer Ernest "Boom" Carter and pre-Roy Bittan pianist David Sancious).

Madonna
Confessions on a Dancefloor
Out November 15th

After 2003's underwhelming disc of electronic folk, American Life, the Material Girl returns to the dance floor with Confessions. The disco-friendly vibe is announced by the first single, "Hung Up," which samples the opening keyboards from Abba's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!" Madonna recruited Stuart Price -- a London DJ and the keyboardist on her Re-Invention tour -- to produce the disc, but don't think she didn't express herself during the recording process. "People always think that it's just some guy behind her coming up with all the ideas," says Price. "She's very underrated as a producer."

Fort Minor
The Rising Tied
Out November 22nd

Linkin Park rapper Mike Shinoda gets in touch with his hip-hop roots on his Fort Minor side project -- which gets a boost from heavy-spitters Common, Black Thought of the Roots and Jay-Z. "I thoroughly enjoy what I do in Linkin Park," says Shinoda. "But the first Fort Minor songs were recorded because I got frustrated that I hadn't made a pure hip-hop song in a while." Shinoda plays nearly every instrument on The Rising Tied, which also features new faces such as Styles of Beyond and Linkin Park's nineteen-year-old protege, Holly Brook. Says Shinoda, "I've got some up-and-comers on there who are very hungry."

Jamie Foxx
Unpredictable
Out November 22nd

Foxx is cashing in on the musical cred he earned through his remarkable Ray performance with his new album, Unpredictable. "We wanted to stay young and up," Foxx says, citing the feel of his first hit single, "Extravaganza," a collaboration with Kanye West that's currently burning up urban radio. "But the meat of the album is more musical, more piano -- back to how I really get down." Many of Foxx's seductive new tunes, including "Can I Take You Home," "DJ Play a Love Song" and "V.I.P.," find middle ground between his gospel and soul roots and the laid-back beats and raps provided by guests Busta Rhymes, Pharrell Williams, Ludacris, and Twista. Foxx and his friends recorded the bulk of Unpredictable on the set of the actor's next film, Miami Vice. "Timbaland allowed me to use his bus -- it has a studio in it," he says. "So I'd come right off the set, get on the bus and keep cutting and grinding."

System of a Down
Hypnotize
Out November 22nd

"I can't say I sat down and tried to make a dark record," says System of a Down guitarist and songwriter Daron Malakian. "I guess you could say it's a reflection of the times." System recorded Hypnotize at the same time as May's Mezmerize and, like its predecessor, it's full of apocalyptic anti-war lyrics paired with guided-missile guitar riffs and exotic melodies. And in the spirit of Mezmerize's "B.Y.O.B.," the band's catchiest song ever, there are some surprisingly pop-friendly moments, including the heart-baring ballad "Lonely Day." "I used to be more focused on 'Let's get it heavy,' " says Malakian. "Now I'm more focused on 'Let's get some emotion out." Malakian adds that Hypnotize isn't just a sequel to Mezmerize. "We don't look at them as two records, we look at them as one record," he says. "It feels like people haven't heard the whole album yet."

The Darkness
One Way Ticket to Hell . . . and Back
Out November 29th

It wasn't enough to sound like Queen -- for their second album, the Darkness teamed with Queen producer Roy Thomas Baker and even recorded some of the disc at Rockfield Studios in Wales, where Freddie Mercury and Co. cut "Bohemian Rhapsody." The ten tracks continue in the anthemic head-banging vein of the fabulously trashy Permission to Land, recalling the Eighties hair-metal excesses of Def Leppard and Whitesnake. The album's first single, "One Way Ticket," features a pan-flute intro immediately followed by the distinct sound of someone cutting up and snorting a line of cocaine. "It's a song of redemption, really," says singer Justin Hawkins, who spent part of last year in rehab. "It talks about drugs, the inevitable downward slide into hell, and how it's never too late to turn back."

Shakira
Oral fixation, Vol. 2
Out November 29th

After scoring a Top Ten hit earlier this year with the Spanish-language album Fijacion Oral, Vol. 1, Shakira is back with an English sequel. "The Spanish album is strictly romantic," she says. "But the English album embraces more social-oriented topics." Featuring a guest performance by Carlos Santana on "Illegal," the disc, like its predecessor, was executive-produced by Rick Rubin. As for putting out so much material in one year, the Colombian singer says, "I just kept writing, and one day I found myself with sixty songs. It was a good problem to have, but it was still a problem."

Notorious B.I.G.
The NOTORIOUS B.I.G. DUETS
Out November 29th

Biggie's posthumous output has been limited compared with the steady stream of releases from fellow slain rapper Tupac Shakur -- which makes this duets album a potentially notable event. The first single, "Hold Ya Head," teams Biggie with another late legend, Bob Marley, and other songs will have him trading verses with various yet-to-be-announced artists. A companion DVD will include live footage and other bonuses.

DECEMBER

OutKast
Idlewild
Out December 6th

"It's like an OutKast record on film," says Big Boi of the soundtrack to the rap duo's new musical film, tentatively titled Idlewild. Set in the Depression-era South, the movie, which will be released in theaters on January 6th, follows the story of a struggling musician (played by Andre 3000) and a lovable Lothario (Big Boi). "Since it's in the Thirties, we didn't want to use too many synthesizers and keys," says Big, who adds that the duo mined its vault of unreleased and unfinished tracks for the album. The first single, "Idlewild Blues," is a jazzy romp loaded with drum stomps, muffled trumpets and piano; Dre gives his best Cab Calloway impersonation, and Big flips his hallmark spitfire rhymes. "It's a juke-joint jam," says Big. "I don't know if you can categorize it as a rap song."

REJECTS OF THE 'SITH'

It's everything you ever wanted to know about "Sith" but were afraid to ask.

Here's a peek at two scenes added to the DVD of the sixth and final chapter of the "Star Wars" series, in stores next week. The two-disc "Revenge of the Sith" set, available in full-screen or widescreen, features a handful of deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, game demos, photo galleries and even a preview of "Hyperspace, the ultimate online Star Wars experience."

Though director George Lucas has said much of his deleted material focuses on the Senate, at least one scene features some good, old-fashioned lightsaber fighting.

In "General Grievous Slaughters a Jedi," which adds to a rescue sequence early in the film, Anakin (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) battle a throng of droids - led by cyborg General Grievous himself - and then cut through the floor to escape.

The scene also connects to the animated "Clone Wars" series, as Grievous kills a Jedi prisoner he took in the Cartoon Network prequel.

In another deleted scene, Chancellor Palpatine plants further tension between Queen Amidala (Natalie Portman) and Anakin.

Also included is the lone scene featuring actress Bai Ling, who ended up on the cutting-room floor - reportedly because she posed topless in Playboy before the film's release.

In "The Seeds of Rebellion," Ling plays a senator working with Amidala to thwart the plans of the chancellor. Her one line? "That would be dangerous."

(Too bad someone didn't tell her that before the Playboy shoot.)

ABC's Muppet Makeover

Think of it as the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational reality show around.

After plunking down a whopping $90 million last year for rights to Kermit and cohorts, Disney is hoping to relaunch the Muppets on a prime-time ABC series parodying such unscripted hits as American Idol and America's Next Top Model.

A network rep says the Muppet project is in the extremely early stages of development. But ABC has ordered a pilot script and five additional script outlines for America's Next Muppet, which will see Kermit's crew trying out would-be Muppets to join the pantheon of beloved Jim Henson creations like Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, the Swedish Chef, Scooter, Rowlf, Janice, Dr. Teeth, Animal, Dr. Bunson Honeydew, Beeker and a certain amphibian.

While there's been no official word on who'll judge the contestants, we think Statler and Waldorf would be naturals. And with Paula Abdul and Tyra Banks already tied up with their own day jobs, the diva role would be perfect for, oui, Miss Piggy.

Who knows, if America's Next Muppet takes off, maybe we can look forward to Muppet Survivor, The Amazing Muppet Race or Extreme Makeover: Muppet Edition.

Since assuming control of Henson's iconic characters, the Mouse House has moved swiftly to reintroduce the Muppets to new generations unfamiliar with The Muppet Show, which aired in syndication from 1976 to 1981 and spawned the feature films The Muppet Movie (1979), The Great Muppet Caper (1981) and The Muppets Take Manhattan (1983).

Henson died unexpectedly of a bacterial infection on May 16, 1990--the same day he was set to sign a deal licensing the characters to Disney. During the 1990s, the franchise floundered, despite movies like A Muppet Christmas Carol and A Muppet Treasure Island and the short-lived TV revival, Muppets, Tonight, which aired on ABC in 1996 before moving to the Disney Channel for one more season.

In 2000, Henson heirs Brian and Lisa Henson sold the pack of puppets to German conglomerate EM.TV for a $680 million. The company quickly announced it was going to revive The Muppet Show.

However, awash in red ink, EM.TV sold the characters back to the Hensons in 2003 for $89 million. That prompted a renewed interest on Disney's part and led to last year's deal.

Soon Mickey's minions began plotting Kermit's comeback. Disney produced the TV movie The Muppets Wizard of Oz, which attracted a solid 7.8 million viewers when broadcast on ABC last May. Statler and Waldorf will begin appearing on Disney's movies.com Website this week.

And the company is currently celebrating Kermit's 50th anniversary with a world tour that saw the Muppets stop at the Statue of Liberty, run with the Bulls in Pamplona, trade smooches at a kissing booth at the Eiffel Tower, attend a frog-leg festival, climb the Great Wall of China and, naturally, receive a key to Kermit, Texas, where the road show touched down last week.

Even the U.S. Postal Service is getting involved, honoring Kermit & Co. with their own set of stamps.

Who said it wasn't easy being green?

ALL BRUCE, ALL THE TIME

Sirius Satellite Radio launching E Street Radio, a channel devoted entirely to the music of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, on Nov. 1.

"Harry," Pulp & Radiohead's Wyrd World

Pulp's Jarvis Cocker is a Harry Potter fan. Canadian folk band the Wyrd Sisters--not so much.

The Winnipeg-based group has conjured up a $40 million lawsuit seeking to block the release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in North America all because the film features a performance with a same-named band fronted by Cocker and backed by members of Radiohead.

The suit was filed late last month in both the U.S. and Canada and touched off a firestorm in the blogosphere as fans of Potter, Radiohead and Pulp threatened to go Dark Arts on the Canadian group.

In the original book, Potter scribe J.K. Rowling christened the band the Weird Sisters, but Warner Bros. changed the spelling to Wyrd for the movie. In both the book and film, the magical group plays a party attended by Harry and pals. The film's band consists of Cocker along with Radiohead guitarist Johnny Greenwood and drummer Phil Selway (reportedly subbing for Franz Ferdinand, which turned down the gig).

According to the lawyer for the Wyrd Sisters, the band was tipped off that Goblet used the moniker back in June, when Warners offered the trio $5,000 for name rights. The band, which has been together for 15 years, refused. Warners reportedly upped the offer to $50,000. No dice.

The group then launched their lawsuit, seeking $40 million in damages from Warner Bros., as well as Cocker, Greenwood and Selway. The real Wyrds are also asking that the film be blocked from release on Nov. 18.

Now, Warners says it has removed any reference to the band, Weird or Wyrd, from the film and soundtrack.

"The name the Weird Sisters is not being used either in the film or on its soundtrack and we've submitted sworn affidavits to the court stating that fact," the studio said in a statement Tuesday. "Last week, we even showed plaintiff's counsel the film in its entirety to prove that point."

The statemenet may, or may not, be good enough for the Wyrd camp.

"Until recently Warner had them credited and the official word was that the name of the band was 'The Wyrd Sisters'," the group's lawyer, Kimberly Townley-Smith, said in a posting on the band's Website. "They've already created an association between the name and the band and that's all you need."

Or, as the band's singer and cofounder Kim Baryluk told the music site ChartAttack.com: "They are so much more huge than us in their reach that we'll go out on tour a month after the movie comes out--and we'll go all over to Australia, to New Zealand--and people will wonder who are these strange people stealing the Harry Potter name."

As the Wyrd dispute winds its way through the legal system, it's proving difficult for Warner Music's marketing group to hype the soundtrack, which is eagerly anticipated by alt-rock fans.

In a press release announcing the album, due Nov. 15, Warners simply says there are three original tunes performed by the now unnamed band: "Do the Hippogriff," "This Is the Night" and "Magic Works."

Cocker, who wrote two of the Goblet tracks, told E! Online Monday that he was proud of the project.

He was making an L.A. appearance at the small Los Angeles club Tangier, where he tried out a new song that may well end up on his forthcoming solo debut, titled "C--ts Are Still Running the World," with a little help on stage from former Beck drummer Joey Waronker and Donnie Darko composer Michael Andrews on guitar.

However, he did seem a bit taken aback by the Wyrd folkie attack.

"I didn't know they had lawyers in Canada," the singer deadpanned before playing the pick-up gig Monday night.

"I thought Canadians were supposed to be polite."

Rolling Stones dig up rare songs for Starbucks CD

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Rolling Stones will release an album of rare tracks next month in partnership with coffee retailer Starbucks Corp. and the group's Virgin Records label, the partners said on Tuesday.

"Rarities 1971-2003" will be released simultaneously on November 22 in both Starbucks-owned outlets and in traditional music stores across the United States and Canada. Virgin, a unit of Britain's EMI Group Plc., will handle the foreign release by itself.

The nonexclusive deal marks a departure from recent controversial arrangements Starbucks has had with other major artists. Pop singer Alanis Morissette allowed Starbucks to sell her latest album six weeks before everyone else, resulting in the HMV chain in her native Canada pulling her other albums off its racks in protest.

The Stones, currently on a tour of North America, suffered a similar fate from some retailers in 2003 when they gave electronics chain Best Buy Co. Inc. an exclusive sales window for a DVD package.

Starbucks, which has aimed to boost revenue by adding small CD kiosks in stores, has enjoyed its biggest success with Ray Charles' Grammy-winning posthumous album "Genius Loves Company," which was a nonexclusive release.

The album has sold about 3.1 million copies in the U.S. with Starbucks accounting for about 730,000 copies, according to Charles' Concord Records label.

The new Stones disc boasts 16 tracks, including live versions of concert staples like "Tumbling Dice" and "Beast of Burden," dance remixes of songs like "Miss You" and "Harlem Shuffle" and b-sides, such as their live 1971 cover of Chuck Berry's "Let It Rock." All have been previously released, but some are hard to find. The band has been wary of releasing old gems as it prefers to keep the focus on its new material.

"With every studio session, there are always songs that never appear on the final album and at the time you think, what a shame that song did not make it," Stones vocalist Mick Jagger was quoted as saying in a statement.

It will reach stores just 11 weeks after the Stones released their first studio album in eight years, "A Bigger Bang." Despite critical acclaim and heavy publicity surrounding the tour, the Virgin release has been a commercial disappointment, debuting at No. 3 on the U.S. pop charts, and sliding to No. 63 in its sixth week, with cumulative sales of 295,000 copies, according to tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan.

Starbucks was involved in the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of "Rarities," but Starbucks Entertainment president Ken Lombard declined to offer financial specifics.

"We felt this was an exciting project and a perfect fit for what we're trying to provide to our customers," he said in an interview.

Lombard said Starbucks has been working with the Stones' management since they partnered on a 2003 album in the chain's "Artist's Choice" series, where musicians choose their favorite songs and discuss their impact.

IMesh Rolls Out New File-Sharing Software

LOS ANGELES - Popular peer-to-peer, file-sharing service iMesh introduced new software Tuesday that allows users to legally share and buy music online.

The service offers access to 17 million music files. About 15 million will be available for free. Another 2 million protected releases will be sold for 99 cents per song, with the company paying record labels a portion of the revenue from each downloaded or shared song.

The new service is being offered free for a 30-60 day introductory period, and will cost $6.95 a month after that.

"This takes the peer-to-peer experience, turns it on its ear and it becomes a pay service," said Bob Summer, executive chairman of iMesh.

The move comes after New York-based iMesh paid $4.1 million to the recording industry in July 2004 to settle a copyright infringement lawsuit. The firm also agreed to block users from trading unauthorized copies of songs.

For years, peer-to-peer networks have made it simple to illegally share music online. Music labels claim illegal downloads have cut into sales, while analysts say high CD prices and musical quality also share part of the blame.

Users of iMesh can now legally access songs through the Gnutella network, where musicians and others post music for free sharing. In addition, songs can be bought from the four major music conglomerates.

Mitch Bainwol, chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, said iMesh is another example of the growing online marketplace that respects the rights of musicians, songwriters, record labels and others.

"It is a significant moment in the transformation of the peer-to-peer model," he said.

Muppets pull strings at ABC

Reality skein has viewers pick next big kiddie character

The Muppets are plotting a return to primetime while looking for their next great character.

ABC has ordered a script and five script outlines for "America's Next Muppet," a reality TV parody in which viewers may actually get a chance to pick Kermit and Miss Piggy's latest colleague.

ABC and Disney remain tight-lipped on the project, although word of the project first leaked last month to several Muppets fan Web sites. But it appears that the new Muppet project would borrow from shows like "American Idol" and "America's Next Top Model" as judges (Kermit? Statler and Waldorf? Animal?) comb through several new characters to select a major Muppet.

Since acquiring rights to the Muppet characters in 2004, Disney has been pursuing various ways to relaunch the popular brand as part of an overall corporate goal. Alphabet web last May aired telepic "The Muppets Wizard of Oz," which performed solidly (7.8 million viewers), particularly with adults 18-34, teens and kids.

"America's Next Muppet" would rep the first Muppets TV program since "Muppets Tonight," which briefly aired on ABC in 1996 (moving with additional episodes to the Disney Channel for one more year). That show also parodied the TV biz, as the Muppets ran a variety show on "KMUP-TV."

The original "Muppet Show" ran in syndication for 120 episodes between 1976 and 1981.

The Couch Potato Report - October 25th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features some things you never need to see twice, and some that can be watched over and over and over again!

There are only a few hour long television shows that I can watch a second, or third time. For some reason, after the drama has played out, and I know what happens, I just can't enjoy them any more.

For instance, I have enjoyed almost every episode I have seen of "The West Wing", "24", "Law & Order", "Homicide", and "Kojack" on television, but when I sat down to watch their respective DVD sets I was,...well I was bored.

There are exceptions, notably "The X-Files", "Miami Vice" and "Lost", but for the most part I just can't get into most of these hour long dramas the second time around.

And the same is true with the show ALIAS. When the show began airing new episodes for it's fourth season in January I made a point to be home every Wednesday night to watch them.

However when I sat down this past week to watch the 6-DVD Box Set for ALIAS - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON, I could barely get through it.

Now, if you didn't make a point of being home every Wednesday from January to May of this year just so you could watch a TV show about Sydney Bristow, an international spy recruited out of college and trained for espionage and self-defense, then maybe you will enjoy this box set.

As for me, well, I got through it, and there were episodes I mildly enjoyed, but I was,...well, I was bored.

But, I am still glad I had the set to watch as it has a wide array of extras.

In addition to featuring all 22 Episodes from the fourth season, the Box Set includes an interview with star Jennifer Garner, a Director's Diary, Blooper Reel, Deleted Scenes, commentary of four episodes, and much more!

In ALIAS - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON family secrets come to light and old foes once again return. It is a season of betrayal, suspense, and one of the best season cliffhangers ever!

That is, if you have never seen it before.

I recommend this box set, because I know what it entails, but that doesn't mean I will ever watch it again.

I also doubt I will ever watch HERBIE: FULLY LOADED again.

That isn't because it is a bad film, it just doesn't have anything that would make me watch it again.

And that is too bad as I have watched the original Herbie movie THE LOVE BUG, and all of it's sequels many times since I started watching movies in the early 1970s.

I love all of these films about a Volkswagon Bug with a mind and a heart of its own.

But with HERBIE: FULLY LOADED, I guess it is time to realize that I am too old for this franchise, and just pass it on to the youth of today.

So youth, in HERBIE: FULLY LOADED, Lindsay Lohan from MEAN GIRLS stars as a woman who gets an old Volkswagen Beetle for a graduation present.

She soon ends up racing against a champion in the sport on her way to a very satisfying conclusion.

Luckily for the viewer, Lohan and the entire cast realizes that they aren't making an Oscar winning picture so they just have fun with the material.

The result is an entertaining enough film that the whole family can enjoy.

The whole family might not ever need to see it twice, but they will enjoy it.

Now, if there are things that you never need to see again, then there must be things that must be seen a second time. Or third, or fourth...

Some of those exact things are collected on THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME THREE.

If you missed my reviews of the original THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION, or my review of THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME TWO I will tell you that I called them both "incredible anthologies of classic cartoons."

Now that THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME THREE is available, I hope it doesn't come as too big a shock when I proclaim this new 4-disc set with 60 more of the most legendary cartoons ever created to also be "an incredible anthology of classic cartoons."

VOLUME THREE's cartoons range from the debut of Porky Pig in 1935 to the end of the Warner Bros. animation studio in 1963.

Plus, each of the four discs has a varied lineup of cartoons so you don't end up watching cartoon after cartoon of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, or Road Runner. Each disc has a few of everyone!

A few of everyone, and a few for everyone!

THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME THREE is a must own for all fans of animation.

And so is this week's first "Leftover!"

The classic Disney animated film CINDERELLA was released on DVD for the first time on October 4th and the studio did a great job with their 2-disc DISNEY SPECIAL PLATINUM EDITION.

This version of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale was first produced in 1950. To this day it remains one of the most enduring animated films of all time.

As superb as the film is, the best part of this PLATINUM EDITION are the supplemental features. Those features are a wealth of archival material and they include "The Cinderella That Almost Was," a feature that tracks the development of the project through decades of original Disney concepts, characters, and songs.

If you or your kids have been waiting for this film to come out on DVD then I guess it is as CINDERELLA's classic song says "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes."

Our second "leftover" this week is SCTV - VOLUME 4.

When these shows originally aired Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis and Catherine O'Hara had departed the series, Martin Short became a superstar in their absence.

The VOLUME 4 box set does feature the SCTV parodies of "The Towering Inferno," "Christmas Specials," "Midnight Cowboy" and "Sweeps Week", along with musical guests John Cougar Mellencamp, Joe Walsh, and Crystal Gayle, but the primary reason this box is a must have for comedy lovers is because it contains the episodes that parody the CBC.

In that same episode is the parody of the early seventies Canadian film "Going Down The Road", which is just as much an integral part of Canadiana as the movie it spoofs.

SCTV - VOLUME 4 is classic Canadian comedy and it is available now at a store near you. For that matter, so are the CINDERELLA DISNEY SPECIAL PLATINUM EDITION, THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME THREE, HERIE: FULLY LOADED, and ALIAS - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

The saga concludes with STAR WARS: EPISODE III - REVENGE OF THE SITH!!

Finally, we get to see Anakin Skywalker turn to the dark side and become Darth Vader!

We will also get to see Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn starring in THE INTERPRETER; John Belushi, Gilda Radner and the Not Ready For Prime Time Players in SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: LIVE FROM NEW YORK - THE FIRST FIVE YEARS and ALF - SEASON TWO features...Alf.

Remember him?

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

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

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

Etheridge Back on Track

Rocker returns with hits package, MTV special and ABC sitcom in the works

Officially cancer-free for the first time since she was diagnosed last fall, Melissa Etheridge has plunged back into her career -- with a greatest-hits album including four new songs; a sitcom she's developing for ABC; a new breast-cancer charity single; and an appearance at a UCLA biology class for an MTV special.

"I'm feeling great -- wonderful and just fine," says Etheridge. "My energy is back."

Etheridge's greatest-hits collection, The Road Less Traveled, debuted at Number Fourteen on the Billboard charts last week. The seventeen-song retrospective includes smash hits ("Come to My Window," "Bring Me Some Water") and four new recordings: her Grammy duet with Joss Stone on "Piece of My Heart," from earlier this year; a raucous cover of Tom Petty's "Refugee"; and her own "This Is Not Goodbye" and the hard-rocking breast-cancer-awareness anthem "I Run for Life" (which is also available on iTunes, with the proceeds going to breast-cancer-research charities).

"My writing comes from what I feel and know and think and dream, and cancer is now a part of that," she says. "I have a new perspective and focus on life -- so all that's going to come into my music."

Earlier this month, for MTVU's Stand-In, Etheridge showed up unannounced at a UCLA cancer-biology class to answer questions about being diagnosed with breast cancer and overcoming it with chemotherapy so painful that it hurt her ears to listen to music. "I've been a rock star since you were very young, but I've never encountered anything as powerful as cancer," she said during her hour with the class. "At this point, shoot -- everyone's asked me everything," she tells Rolling Stone magazine. "It's good for me to process this with people."

In 2006, Etheridge hopes to release an album of new material -- she has a notebook full of songs -- and possibly tour during the summer. She's also developing an ABC sitcom with That '70s Show producer Linda Wallem that could debut next spring. "It's just a blue-girl-in-a-red-state sort of story," Etheridge says. The show, which she'll star in, is about what the singer's life might be like had she stayed in her hometown of Leavenworth, Kansas, and worked as a music teacher.

Her practical reason for the TV show is to have a stable gig (with summers off for touring) so she can stay home most of the year with her family. But there's another reason: "I figure I really have to balance out the Hilary Duffs and the Lindsay Lohans," she says. "They came over and played in my field. I have to play in theirs."

'Fantastic' Sequel Gets 2007 Release Date

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com)- It'll be mutants battling robots for July 4th supremacy in 2007.

Marvel and 20th Century Fox have taken out ads in the industry trade papers announcing that "Fantastic Four II" (or "Fantastic 2") will premiere on July 4, 2007. Even two years out, though, that date is already getting crowded. During the summer, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Hasbro, Inc. laid their claim to the weekend for Michael Bay's "Transformers" feature.

Stars Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Ioan Gruffudd are apparently under contract to reprise their roles from the summer hit that has taken in over $321 million worldwide. The film's domestic take has been over $150 million, a strong total for a film that was largely critically savages.

While promoting her September release "Into the Blue," Alba discussed her hopes for the future of her Sue Storm character and Gruffudd's Reed Richards.

"Married -- I think they need to get married," she said. "I know what the first 20 minutes are gonna be, of the movie. It's really cool. They're getting married. Maybe I'm giving away too much, but yeah."

For anything beyond that, though, fans may just need to wait.

Apple Faces Suit Over iPod Nano

Apple Computer Inc. faces a lawsuit that alleges the company knew its nano portable music player was defective but still decided to press on with the product's release last month.

The lawsuit depends on a judge to decide whether it can be grouped with other complaints to win class action status. Sales of iPods account for almost a third of Apple's sales.

The credit card-sized nano, which replaced the best-selling iPod mini and is smaller than the traditional iPod, met with rave reviews. But users quickly started grumbling on Internet message boards that the device's screen scratches too easily.

The lawsuit, filed in San Jose, Calif., last week, claims that the nano scratches "excessively during normal usage." It alleges that though Apple knew the nano had design problems, it released the product and led consumers to believe it was durable -- forcing them to shoulder the cost of replacing defective music players.

The complaint blames the nano's defectiveness on the film of plastic resin that covers it to protect it from damage. Previous versions of the iPod were coated with thicker and stronger resin, the suit says.

"Rather than admit the design flaw when consumers began to express widespread complaints ... Apple concealed the defect and advised class members that they would need to purchase additional equipment to prevent the screen from scratching excessively," the complaint says.

Apple admitted in late September that some iPod nano screens cracked too easily, but blamed that separate issue on vendor quality problems and said it had occured in less than one-tenth of 1% of the nanos sold at that point.

The plaintiff named in the California lawsuit, Jason Tomczak, bought a nano in September. He said it quickly became so scratched he could not view the screen. Apple replaced that device because of a battery problem, but the complaint claims the replacement nano also became so scratched that Tomczak decided to return it.

Because Tomczak and other complainants were required to pay a $25 fee to return the nano, the proposed class action suit seeks the return of those fees along with the device's original cost and several other forms of damages.

The suit, filed by law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, says Apple has "failed to remedy the problem in any meaningful way" and claims Apple deleted postings on its Web site that relate to the scratching problem.

A spokesperson for Apple, whose main offices are in Cupertino, Calif., could not be reached for comment.

'Titanic' rises again in 'ultimate' 3-disc set

When the special edition of Titanic arrives in stores Tuesday, movie fans will finally be able to pick up the definitive DVD version of Hollywood's biggest-grossing movie.

Director James Cameron says he's so pleased with the three-disc set ($30) that he won't go back for another round, something that has become standard practice.

Noting that his blockbuster Terminator 2 already has come out on DVD in four different incarnations, including an "ultimate edition," Cameron says: "Our intention here was to jump through all those intermediate iterations and get right to the ultimate version and tell people, point blank, this is it. This is the ultimate disc."

The film is notable not only for its $600 million gross but also for its controversy. The Titanic budget spiraled out of control to reach $200 million. And midway through production, 20th Century Fox sold half the rights to Paramount.

Cameron now concedes that even he had misgivings about whether the film would turn a profit. "It was a chick flick set in 1912, it was three hours long, and everybody dies in the end — how could it possibly be successful?" he says with a laugh.

"I don't think anybody really believed in its upside potential, myself included."

When Titanic finally hit theaters the weekend before Christmas 1997, a ho-hum opening almost led to panic in the boardrooms of both studios. But the film didn't taper off; it steadily chugged its way into the record books. It was No. 1 on the box-office charts for an astounding 15 weeks.

"That's something that simply doesn't happen anymore," says Robert Dowling of The Hollywood Reporter. Today's movies, he says, typically take in one-third of their gross the first weekend and rarely remain No. 1 for more than a week.

The controversy over the film's production probably helped, Dowling says.

"If you remember the amount of press that movie got, about people losing their jobs and how much money it was costing, that's going to stir up interest."

Titanic also was able to stay on top for so long because of repeat viewers. "What makes a movie work," Dowling says, "is it resonates with where the world is at the time, and every once in a while everything just hits the right note. And Titanic was such a movie. People felt good when they saw it, told everyone else to see it, and then if they really liked it, saw it again."

Cameron has his own theories: "There was this kind of pre-millennial angst in the air, and the film keyed to that sense of impending disaster and how important it is to live life well. The lesson of Titanic is you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow or even tonight.

"People used to mock us and say, 'Well, we know how it ends.' And we said, 'Yes, you also know how your own life will end — with death.' It's just a question of what you do in the meantime."

NEW CD RELEASES FOR OCTOBER 25, 2005

Aerosmith Rockin' the Joint - Live from the Hard Rock (Columbia)

Agents of the Sun Monarchs of a Fallen Society (mixed by 311's Chad Sexton) (DCide)

Anthony B Confused Times (Penitentiary)

Antony & the Johnsons You Are My Sister EP (Secretly Canadian)

Arsis A Diamond for Disease (Willowtip)

The Bacon Brothers White Knuckles (Forosoco)

Rim Banna The Mirrors of My Soul (Valley)

Jeff Bates Good People (RCA)

Berlin 4Play (covers of David Bowie, Prince, Marilyn Manson and more; plus two new originals) (MRI/49 North)

Jay Bezel Diplomats Present: The Philadelphia Beast (w/Juelz Santana, Jae Millz, Freeway and more) (Sure Shot)

Bigg Milt Power 2 the People (Thump)

Black Furies Death Trip Saturday Night (Gearhead)

The Blazers 17 Jewels (Little Dog/Fontana)

Bliss Quiet Letters (guest Sophie Barker of Zero 7) (Quango)

Rick Braun Yours Truly (ARTizen)

Breakestra Hit the Floor (guest members of Jurassic 5 and People Under the Stairs) (Ubiquity)

Sarah Brightman Love Changes Everything: The Andrew Lloyd Webber Collection Vol. 2 (includes five previously unreleased recordings) (Decca)

Marc Broussard Bootleg to Benefit the Victims of Hurricane Katrina (Island)

Buckethead Enter the Chicken (w/System of a Down's Serj Tanakian, Saul Williams and members of Death by Stereo and Bad Acid Trip; on Tanakian's label) (Serjical Strike)

Vashti Bunyan Lookaftering (first album in 30 years; w/Devendra Banhart and members of Vetiver) (DiCristina Staircase)

Taylor Ho Bynum and SpiderMonkey Strings Other Stories (Three Suites) (482 Music)

C-BO West Side Ryders 2 (w/E40, Too Short and more) (West Coast Mafia)

Capleton The People Dem (Penitentiary/Rude Boy)

Cargo Cult Belize City Boil Up (Numero Group)

Caroline Where's My Love (Secretly Canadian)

Alain Caron 5 (BHM)

Craig Chaquico Holiday (Higher Octave)

Charivari A Trip to the Holiday Lounge (Rounder)

Children of Bodom Are You Dead Yet? (Spinefarm)

Margaret Cho Assassin (Nettwerk)

Cisco 7740 Valmont St. (Little Dog/Fontana)

Stephen Clair Under the Bed (Valley)

Cobra Killer & Kapajkos Das Mandolinenorchester (Monika)

Crimson Spectre/Uwharria Crimson Spectre/Uwharria (split CD) (Magic Bullet)

The Cumberlands Civil War Songbook Album (A Bluegrass Tribute) - Songs of Battle, Honor, Pride, Loved Ones & Home Sick Blues (Rural Rhythm)

Moot Davis Moot Davis (Little Dog/Fontana)

A Day in Black and White Notes (Level-Plane)

The Dead Science Frost Giant (Absolutely Kosher)

Dirty Faces Super American (Secretly Canadian)

Dr. Israel Presents Dreadtone Int'l - Patterns of War (ROIR)

The Drift Noumena (Secretly Canadian)

The Earlies These Were (includes early singles and EPs; released in 2004 in the UK) (Secretly Canadian)

Enter the Haggis Casualties of Retail (United for Opportunity)

Ricki Erik Born to Rock (Fontana/Universal)

Faith Evans A Faithful Christmas (Capitol)

The Fiery Furnaces Rehearsing My Choir (Rough Trade)

The Five Boroughs Doo Wop Under the Palms (Collectables)

Paula Frazer Leave the Sad Things Behind (w/members of American Music Club, Kronos Quartet, Court and Spark and more) (Birdman)

David Garfield Giving Back (Creatchy)

Goblin Cock Bagged and Boarded (Absolutely Kosher)

Delta Goodrem Born to Try (DualDisc) (Columbia)

Great Big Sea The Hard and the Easy (CD/DVD combo) (Rounder)

Joel Harrison Harrison on Harrison (covers of George Harrison songs) (HighNote)

Marcos Hernandez C About Me (TVT)

Scott Holt Revelator (Rockview)

Hoods The King Is Dead (Eulogy)

I Am Ghost We Are Always Searching EP (Epitaph)

Icarus Witch Capture the Magic (guest members of Dokken and Fates Warning) (Magick)

Idaho The Lone Gunman (Idaho Music)

Il Divo Ancora (Columbia)

Frankie J. The One (DualDisc) (Columbia)

Jan Jelinek Kosmischer Pitch (~scape)

Jin Emcee's Propaganda (Draft/Crafty Plugz Entertainment)

Colin John Acousticland Lady (Rockview)

Calvin Johnson Before the Dream Faded... (K Records)

LAL Warm Belly High Power (Public Transit)

The Lappetites Before the Libretto (Quecksilber)

LaSalle Expedition Songs (Thick)

Rita Lee (ex-Os Mutantes) Bossa'n Beatles (bossa nova versions of Beatles tunes) (Delanuca Records/Ghordo Music)

The LeeVees Hanukkah Rocks (Reprise)

The Living Blue Fire Blood Water (Minty Fresh)

Jacques Loussier Mozart: Piano Concertos, No. 20 in D Minor and No. 23 in A Major (Telarc)

Luciano Call on Jah (Penitentiary/Rude Boy)

Mat Maneri Pentagon (Thirsty Ear)

Mary Mary Mary Mary (Columbia)

MDD Modern Day David (Promise Communication)

The Mean Reds Together at Last, and This Is Our Wedding (Record Collection)

Meat Beat Manifesto Off Centre (w/live tracks and previously unreleased material) (Thirsty Ear)

Mezklah SpiderMonkey (Escuchalo)

Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook (DualDisc) (Columbia)

Mikoto Mikoto EP (Level-Plane)

Milemarker Ominosity (produced by Steve Albini) (Eyeball)

The Mistletoe Orchestra Yuletide Follies (Empire)

Niacin Organik (w/cover of Frank Zappa's "King Kong," plus bonus track) (Magna Carta)

Joe Nichols III (Universal South)

Nicotine Session (Asian Man)

Tony Orlando & Dawn A Christmas Reunion (first new album in 28 years; holiday standards plus three new originals) (E2 Entertainment)

Paleo Misery, Missouri (Future Farmer)

Rebecca Pidgeon Tough on Crime (guests Billy Preston and Steely Dan's Walter Becker) (The LAB)

Pinetop Seven The Night's Bloom (Secretly Canadian)

Public Announcement When the Smoke Clears (Boss Fontana)

Pull My Finger Jingle Smells (Oglio)

Queenadreena The Butcher and the Butterfly (One Little Indian)

Quio Like Oooh (AGF Producktion)

Colin Raye Twenty Years and Change (Aspiron)

Reef the Lost Cause Feast or Famine (guests Sean Price, DJ Mighty Mi and members of JuJu Mob) (Good Hands/Eastern Conference)

Renee Heartfelt Death of the Ghost (Textbook Music)

Report Suspicious Activity (w/ex-Jawbox's J. Robbins) Report Suspicious Activity (ICE #224) (Alternative Tentacles)

Rogue Wave Descended Like Vultures (Sub Pop)

Sadat X (of Brand Nubian) Experience & Education (w/Diamond D, DJ Spinna, Heltah Skeltah and more) (Female Fun)

The Satelliters The Satelliters EP (Dionysus)

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

Lisa Shaw Lisa Shaw (Naked Music)

Silver Sunshine A Small Pocket of Pure Spirit EP (Secretly Canadian)

The Skygreen Leopards Jehovah Surrender EP (Secretly Canadian)

Slum Village Slum Village (w/bonus DVD) (Barak)

Solea (ex-Samiam members) Solea (Textbook Music)

Spanish Harlem Orchestra featuring Rubén Blades Across 110th Street (Universal)

Spyritual Wall of Soul (Kitty Yo)

St. Christopher The Art of Dreaming (AERIA)

Stereocell Into Tomorrow (Rockview)

Marty Stuart & the Fabulous Superlatives Badlands (Superlatone/Universal South)

Taken Between Two Unseens (CD/DVD combo; includes live performance) (Goodfellow)

Tall Dwarfs Weeville (Cloud)

They Might Be Giants Here Come the ABCs (CD/DVD combo) (Walt Disney)

Toots Thielemans Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Verve)

tok tok tok about... (BHM)

Towers of London Blood, Sweat and Towers (TVT)

Pat Travers and Carmine Appice Bazooka

True Love Wings (Not Lame)

Tom Vek We Have Sound (StarTime International)

Vida aka Electric Cowboys Prisoners of the Honky Tonk (South Central)

Vorpal An Incomplete Guide to (Cock Rock Disco)

Waldteufel Waltzes (holiday album) (Milan)

Watchmaker Erased from the Memory of Man (Willowtip)

Young Lyfe Real Lyfe (Empire)

VA A Christmas Carol - Mr. Pickwick's Christmas (Deutsche Grammophon)

VA A Country West of Nashville (w/BJ Thomas, Mike Stinson and more) (Little Dog/Fontana)

VA Aloha Margaritaville: Hawaiian Tribute to Jimmy Buffet (CMH)

VA An All Star Tribute to Cher (w/Tiffany, Lisa Loeb, Sheila E. and more) (All Starz)

VA Broken Bones and Power Chords Vol. 1: New York's Finest (new punk compilation) (Crosscheck)

VA Electronic Tribute to Depeche Mode (Vitamin)

VA Feng Shui Harmony (Sunswept)

VA Imaginational Anthem (compilation of solo acoustic guitar instrumentals from 1965-2005; ICE #224) (Near Mint)

VA Impulsive! - Revolutionary Jazz Reworked (Impulse)

VA Live 8 at Eden: Africa Calling (Rhino)

VA Michael Rütten Presents: Soulsearching - The Compost Radio Show (compilation of soul, jazz, funk, electronica and hiphop) (Compost)

VA Pickin' on Brad Paisley Volume 2 (CMH)

VA Pickin' on Def Leppard: A Bluegrass Tribute (CMH)

VA Sah Presents: Supporting Radical Habits (w/Kottonmouth Kings, Slightly Stoopid and more; w/bonus DVD) (Suburban Noize)

VA Smooth Sax Tribute to Norah Jones (Tribute Sounds)

VA Smooth Sax Tribute to the Temptations' Greatest Hits (Tribute Sounds)

VA Songs from the Neighborhood: The Music of Mr. Rogers (w/Donna Summer, Roberta Flack, Amy Grant, Ricky Skaggs and more) (Memory Lane Syndication)

VA The String Quartet Tribute to System of a Down's Mezmerize (Vitamin)

VA This Bird Has Flown - A 40th Anniversary Tribute to the Beatles' Rubber Soul (w/Ben Harper, the Donnas, Sufjan Stevens, Cowboy Junkies, Low and more) (Razor & Tie)

OST Prime (Varèse Sarabande)

OST Saw II (w/exclusive remixes of Marilyn Manson, Queens of the Stone Age and more) (Treadstone)

OST Stay (score by Asche and Spencer) (Varèse Sarabande)

OST The Bee Season (score by Peter Nashel; w/original song by Ivy) (Nettwerk)

OST The Fog (score by Graeme Revell) (Varèse Sarabande)

OST The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (Milan)

OST Where the Truth Lies (score by Mychael Danna) (Varèse Sarabande)

DVD The BellRays @ the Barfly (Music Video Distributors)

DVD Blues Company Keepin' the Blues Alive (Music Video Distributors)

DVD Body Count Live (2004 Los Angeles show w/interviews and behind-the-scenes footage) (escapi/49 North)

DVD Cook, Dixon & Young Volume One (RCA)

DVD Keak da Sneak Copium (w/bonus CD) (Sumday)

DVD Mint Condition Live (Image)

DVD Mötley Crüe Carnival of Sins (two DVDs; live performance from current reunion tour w/bonus features) (Clear Channel/Ventura Entertainment)

DVD Mr. Capone-e A Soldier's Story (two DVDs) (Thump)

DVD The Notorious B.I.G. Bigga Than Life (unauthorized documentary) (Fieldstone Entertainment)

DVD Tupac Shakur Words Never Die (unauthorized documentary w/interviews, live performance and more) (Fieldstone Entertainment)

DVD Trick Daddy Thug Holiday Uncut (performances and behind-the-scenes footage; guests Ludacris, Big Boi, Lil Jon and more) (Music Video Distributors)

DVD VA Slip N Slide Presents: The Dirty South Raw & Uncut (documentary w/2 Live Crew, Goodie Mob, 69 Boyz and more) (Music Video Distributors)

Fogerty Back on Fantasy Records After Spar

NEW YORK - John Fogerty is back on Fantasy Records. Most music fans would gloss over such a small detail, but for years that simple statement was about as realistic as Neil Armstrong flying back to the moon.

When the California-based record label was sold last year, it ended one of the most famously contentious artist-management relationships in music, freeing the former Creedence Clearwater Revival frontman to return to the company that distributed his most famous work.

Their first project together, "The Long Road Home: The Ultimate John Fogerty-Creedence Collection," is a 25-song disc that pulls together his old band's hits with Fogerty's solo material, up to the anti- Iraq war song "Deja Vu (All Over Again)." (It's being released Nov. 1.)

"There's no way to overstate how cool this is," said Fogerty.

In an almost impossibly productive period (1968-71) Creedence churned out concise, often socially conscious rock hits like "Proud Mary," "Bad Moon Rising," "Down on the Corner," "Who'll Stop the Rain" and "Green River." That burst of work alone earned Creedence induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Fogerty wrote and sang them all.

Yet Fogerty, now 60, spent years without performing those songs because of bitterness over his feud with former Fantasy owner Saul Zaentz dating to Creedence's messy breakup in the early 1970s.

Their bickering kept generations of lawyers fed. Fogerty spent years as a recluse, and his 1985 comeback album contained thinly disguised contempt in "Mr. Greed" and "Vanz Kant Danz" (renamed from "Zanz Can't Dance" after, of course, a lawsuit).

Zaentz unsuccessfully sued Fogerty, claiming the songwriter had plagiarized himself because the comeback hit "The Old Man Down the Road" sounded too much like Creedence's "Run Through the Jungle."

The fight became heartbreakingly personal when Fogerty's older brother Tom, also a former Creedence member, took Zaentz's side. The brothers were estranged at Tom's death in 1990.

The years of court time had taken such a toll that Adam Sweeting, a writer for The Guardian, wrote about Fogerty in 2000 that "it remains to be seen whether he will be remembered for his music or his lawsuits."

That's why seeing Fogerty's name willingly associated with a Fantasy product is so startling.

After the Concord Music Group, partly owned by legendary TV producer Norman Lear, bought Fantasy, Fogerty asked for a meeting with the new leadership. He came away feeling they respected him and his music. It also didn't hurt that Concord restored Fogerty's rights to royalties, which he had signed away decades ago to escape Fantasy.

They asked for Fogerty's opinion on decisions about how his old music would be used, which had never happened since his split with Zaentz.

"It's turned out to be, for me, a very, very happy, wonderful time in my life and career," he said. "Even a year ago I could not have envisioned this. The most happy thing is that I am reconnected with the music I made on Fantasy Records all those years ago, that I had basically been cut off from financially and emotionally for a long, long time."

He has also recorded a DVD that will be released sometime next year, and hopes to make new music for Fantasy soon after.

Most of Creedence's biggest hits appear in their original form on "The Long Road Home," but he replaces a handful of older songs with live versions recorded recently.

"Keep On Chooglin'" was replaced because Fogerty feels it is a substantially different song now than when he wrote it. He went with the live version of "Fortunate Son" because it's "a white-hot dose of energy," he said.

The toughest call was the live version of "Hey Tonight," which is primarily different because he did all the background vocals himself in the original version.

His current good feelings don't extend to Stu Cook and Doug Clifford, Creedence's other surviving members, whom Fogerty also sued for performing under the banner of Creedence Clearwater Revisited.

He compared them to a rattlesnake.

"They bit me very badly in the same way that the old folks at Fantasy did," he said. "That hasn't changed, so I will continue to give them a very wide berth."

Former In-Law: Janet Jackson Has Daughter

NEW YORK - Janet Jackson and James DeBarge, who were briefly married in 1984, had a daughter together, DeBarge's brother Young DeBarge has claimed on a radio program.

Young DeBarge said the child, named Renee and now 18, has been living with Rebbie Jackson, Janet's oldest sister. His comments lent support to reports that have circulated for years claiming Janet has a "secret" daughter.

Jackson's publicist didn't immediately return a call from The Associated Press on Monday. The singer and James DeBarge were married for less than three months when she was just 18. The marriage was annulled a year later.

"James and the Jackson family kept everything real close, real tight," Young DeBarge said Friday on New York radio station WQHT, known as Hot 97. "They weren't very revealing about what the relationship was about."

"No one really knew how it was working out until things kind of surfaced," he said.

He added, "There's no telling what (Janet Jackson) is telling her."

DeBarge said Renee "is a wonderful singer."

Jackson, 39, secretly married Rene Elizondo Jr. in 1991. They separated in 1999. She is now dating Jermaine Dupri.

Young DeBarge, 28, said he has recently finished an album.

Civil Rights Pioneer Rosa Parks Dies at 92

DETROIT - Rosa Parks, whose refusal to give up her bus seat to a white man sparked the modern civil rights movement, died Monday evening. She was 92.

Mrs. Parks died at her home during the evening of natural causes, with close friends by her side, said Gregory Reed, an attorney who represented her for the past 15 years.

Mrs. Parks was 42 when she committed an act of defiance in 1955 that was to change the course of American history and earn her the title "mother of the civil rights movement."

At that time, Jim Crow laws in place since the post-Civil War Reconstruction required separation of the races in buses, restaurants and public accommodations throughout the South, while legally sanctioned racial discrimination kept blacks out of many jobs and neighborhoods in the North.

The Montgomery, Ala., seamstress, an active member of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was riding on a city bus Dec. 1, 1955, when a white man demanded her seat.

Mrs. Parks refused, despite rules requiring blacks to yield their seats to whites. Two black Montgomery women had been arrested earlier that year on the same charge, but Mrs. Parks was jailed. She also was fined $14.

Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick said he felt a personal tie to the civil rights icon: "She stood up by sitting down. I'm only standing here because of her."

U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., lauded Mrs. Parks' mettle.

"I truly believe that there's a little bit of Rosa Parks in all Americans who have the courage to say enough is enough and stand up for what they believe in," Rangel said. "She did such a small thing, but it was so courageous for her as a humble person to do."

Speaking in 1992, Mrs. Parks said history too often maintains "that my feet were hurting and I didn't know why I refused to stand up when they told me. But the real reason of my not standing up was I felt that I had a right to be treated as any other passenger. We had endured that kind of treatment for too long."

Her arrest triggered a 381-day boycott of the bus system organized by a then little-known Baptist minister, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., who later earned the Nobel Peace Prize for his work.

"At the time I was arrested I had no idea it would turn into this," Mrs. Parks said 30 years later. "It was just a day like any other day. The only thing that made it significant was that the masses of the people joined in."

The Montgomery bus boycott, which came one year after the Supreme Court's landmark declaration that separate schools for blacks and whites were "inherently unequal," marked the start of the modern civil rights movement.

The movement culminated in the 1964 federal Civil Rights Act, which banned racial discrimination in public accommodations.

After taking her public stand for civil rights, Mrs. Parks had trouble finding work in Alabama. Amid threats and harassment, she and her husband Raymond moved to Detroit in 1957. She worked as an aide in the Detroit office of Democratic U.S. Rep. John Conyers from 1965 until retiring in 1988. Raymond Parks died in 1977.

Mrs. Parks became a revered figure in Detroit, where a street and middle school were named for her and a papier-mache likeness of her was featured in the city's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Mrs. Parks said upon retiring from her job with Conyers that she wanted to devote more time to the Rosa and Raymond Parks Institute for Self Development. The institute, incorporated in 1987, is devoted to developing leadership among Detroit's young people and initiating them into the struggle for civil rights.

"Rosa Parks: My Story" was published in February 1992. In 1994 she brought out "Quiet Strength: The Faith, the Hope and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation," and in 1996 a collection of letters called "Dear Mrs. Parks: A Dialogue With Today's Youth."

She was among the civil rights leaders who addressed the Million Man March in October 1995.

In 1996, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded to civilians making outstanding contributions to American life. In 1999, she was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation's highest civilian honor.

Mrs. Parks received dozens of other awards, ranging from induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor to an NAACP Image Award for her 1999 appearance on CBS' "Touched by an Angel."

The Rosa Parks Library and Museum opened in November 2000 in Montgomery. The museum features a 1955-era bus and a video that recreates the conversation that preceded Parks' arrest.

"Are you going to stand up?" the bus driver asked.

"No," Parks answered.

"Well, by God, I'm going to have you arrested," the driver said.

"You may do that," Parks responded.

Mrs. Parks' later years were not without difficult moments.

In 1994, Mrs. Parks' home was invaded by a 28-year-old man who beat her and took $53. She was treated at a hospital and released. The man, Joseph Skipper, pleaded guilty, blaming the crime on his drug problem.

The Parks Institute struggled financially since its inception. The charity's principal activity — the annual Pathways to Freedom bus tour taking students to the sites of key events in the civil rights movement — routinely cost more money than the institute could raise.

Mrs. Parks lost a 1999 lawsuit that sought to prevent the hip-hop duo OutKast from using her name as the title of a Grammy-nominated song. In 2000, she threatened legal action against an Oklahoma man who planned to auction Internet domain name rights to http://www.rosaparks.com.

After losing the OutKast lawsuit, Reed, her attorney, said Mrs. Parks "has once again suffered the pains of exploitation." A later suit against OutKast's record company was settled out of court.

She was born Rosa Louise McCauley on Feb. 4, 1913, in Tuskegee, Ala. Family illness interrupted her high school education, but after she married Raymond Parks in 1932, he encouraged her and she earned a diploma in 1934. He also inspired her to become involved in the NAACP.

Looking back in 1988, Mrs. Parks said she worried that black young people took legal equality for granted.

Older blacks, she said "have tried to shield young people from what we have suffered. And in so doing, we seem to have a more complacent attitude.

"We must double and redouble our efforts to try to say to our youth, to try to give them an inspiration, an incentive and the will to study our heritage and to know what it means to be black in America today."

At a celebration in her honor that same year, she said: "I am leaving this legacy to all of you ... to bring peace, justice, equality, love and a fulfillment of what our lives should be. Without vision, the people will perish, and without courage and inspiration, dreams will die — the dream of freedom and peace."

TIL DEATH DO US PART

"Lost" fans are getting ready for a second funeral.

The show has promised to kill off another regular character in just two weeks.

The drama, about a group of plane crash survivors trying to stay alive on a mysterious and extremely dangerous island, has become a whole new kind of TV show where characters that viewers become attached to are killed off at will.

Die-hard "Lost" fans, a group who have become almost as devoted to the show as Trekkies are to "Star Trek," pore over each episode looking for clues about what's to come and post their findings on the Internet.

This week, the buzz is over a mysterious — but authoritative sounding — message that that has popped up on several popular "Lost" fan sites in the last few days

"This person is intentionally killed, although the reason will not be known to us immediately," the anonymous post says.

"This is not a 'Lost' murder mystery though, it's more of a 'Why'd they do it?'

"The person who dies is a crash survivor. The person who kills them will not be revealed until the [final] November sweeps week episode (of course).

"The network will dangle this information for a while to build anticipation. (Another "who shot JR" moment.)

The full time-line is: Death in Episode 6 . . . Then episode 7 which is mostly told in flashback. . . but ends with a teaser . . .

"Then Episode 8 which reveals who the killer is," it says. "Look for [the killer] to deceive everybody except for a select few."

The death episode is set to air November 9.

Last season ended with the death of Boone, a beloved young rich kid played by Ian Somerhalder. Now with another character on the chopping block, water cooler talk about the show is nearing a fever pitch.

Some fans of "Lost" take the show so seriously, they go to extraordinary lengths trying to find clues as to what may happen next.

In some extreme cases, they've been known to run scenes backwards frame by frame, like Beatles fans did in the 1960s, searching for hints.

The results of their efforts this week seem to indicate that Maggie Grace, who plays snobby Shannon Rutherford — Boone's half-sister — is the likely victim.

Among the various reports fans have circulated this season is that an actress on the show found out over the summer that her character was going to be killed. The actress made a fuss and asked producers to do get rid of her early in the season so she could find a new job while the "Lost" is still one of the biggest show's on TV.

A storyline focusing on Shannon's back story is expected to air in early November — which has helped fuel speculation that she is doomed.

Another possibility, say fans, is Sun Kwon, the tragic debutante played by popular Korean actress, Yoon-jin Kim.

Officials at Touchstone, the studio that produces "Lost," declined to comment.

"Goodfellas" tops greatest movies list

LONDON (Reuters) - Mobsters in the 1990 film "Goodfellas" have beaten a fear of heights in "Vertigo" and the great white shark of "Jaws" to help the Martin Scorsese film clench the mantle of greatest movie of all time in a survey of UK film experts.

Goodfellas, which featured Ray Liotta, Robert de Niro and an Oscar winning supporting role from Joe Pesci, topped the list of 100 movies in a survey of film critics by Total Film.

"Goodfellas has everything, in terms of its technical brilliance, its huge influence on modern film-making and its spikiness and rewatchability," Total Film features editor Jamie Graham told Reuters.

Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 classic "Vertigo" took second place, while third went to Steven Spielberg's 1975 classic "Jaws," the tale of a coastal town terrorised by a great white shark.

Goodfellas, which was based on the story of real-life mobster Henry Hill, also beat Citizen Kane, the 1941 Orson Welles film that tops many critics lists but which finished in sixth position in the Total Film poll.

The 10 ten films in the list included two made in the last decade, the 1999 film "Fight Club," starring Brad Pitt, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy directed by Peter Jackson.

Fight Club took fourth position ahead of other classics such as "Tokyo Story" and "Taxi Driver."

"By no means were we trying to be perverse, but we were setting out to make a list that was a bit more modern," Graham said.

"Chicken Little" critical for Disney reputation

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Next month Walt Disney hopes to prove the sky is no longer falling.

The adorably round-headed star of its computer-animated movie, "Chicken Little," will make the case that the storied studio has moved into the next generation of animation and can produce the type of hit films that once were its signature -- and an important profit center.

In the works for five years, "Chicken Little" is the first computer-generated feature film created by Disney animators and follows a string of traditionally animated films that failed to perform as well as many computer-made competitors.

Disney's new effort follows Chicken Little's travails in middle school a year after his disastrously incorrect observation that the sky was falling.

It debuts November 4 in the midst of Disney's talks with Pixar Animation Studios Inc over whether Disney will continue to distribute and share profits from Pixar's computer-generated, or CG, films and could prove an important factor if a deal is struck, analysts said.

Disney's studio has had a number of golden ages with hand-drawn animated features centering around hits such as the 1937 film, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," and in 1994 "The Lion King." Partner Pixar has had animated hits since 1995.

Ryan Ball, a senior writer for the online Animation magazine said the studio, known for its "Disney Look" and classic story lines, may have to sacrifice both to tap into a more sophisticated audience that now includes young adults.

"Now that everything is going CG, everything is looking the same. That's the trend," Ball said. "(DreamWorks Animation's) 'Shrek' was kind of the first animation movie that went from being a matinee movie for kids to a Friday night date movie."

Analysts said the film must open big and perform well overseas for Disney to be considered a player in the new world of animation, where DreamWorks Animation SKG's "Antz" was not considered a success despite $170 million in worldwide ticket sales.

'A GENUINE DISNEY CARTOON'

"My gut instinct is they need to do something in the $350 million range to be seen as 'Disney's on its way back in animation,"' Rich Greenfield, an analyst at Fulcrum Global Partners, said. "If it does $200 million or $250 million worldwide, it will not be seen as the way to replace Pixar."

Disney dabbled in CG for its 2000 film, "Dinosaur," which featured animated characters on filmed backgrounds, but was slow to adopt the technology that generated blockbusters like "Finding Nemo" for Pixar and "Shrek" for DreamWorks.

Although about 150 animators had to be trained in CG to make "Chicken Little," the studio says it has closed the gap and is on track to release one CG animated film for each of the next three years: "Meet the Robinsons" in 2006, "American Dog" in 2007 and "Rapunzel Unbraided" in 2008.

Like "Chicken Little," the films offer modern takes on classic themes -- similar to the approach DreamWorks and Pixar used to appeal to a new generation of animation fans, including sought-after young males -- and plenty of nods to adult humor.

Time magazine writer Richard Corliss, one of the first critics to review the film, praised it as "a genuine Disney cartoon" and "one of the funniest, most charming and most exhilarating movie in years."

"Chicken Little" director Mark Dindal, who watched the transition from hand-drawn to CG animation at Disney during the making of his film, said studio founder Walt Disney, who championed new technology, would have been proud.

"It was like horses at the starting gate waiting to get their chance," Dindal said of the animators. "We just caught a wave of all this pent up excitement of people saying, 'We'll show you what we can do."'

Cameron Crowe on music, marriage, film and "Elizabethtown"

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Cameron Crowe was on tour with his wife, musician Nancy Wilson. He gazed out the bus window at the Kentucky landscape and thought of his father; he had not been back to Kentucky since his dad's funeral many years earlier. For Crowe, returning to Kentucky was a celebration, an adventure into all the things he loved, all the things he could not see when he was mourning his father. "Elizabethtown" -- the film and the soundtrack -- was born.

Music and movies have no separation for Crowe, who began his writing career at age 15 with a byline in Rolling Stone. Crowe likens the music from "Elizabethtown" to a "great American radio station" -- a perfect road-trip mix tape.

Music has been an important presence in all of Crowe's films. In "Say Anything," the lovelorn hero blasts Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" from a boombox as a wooing technique. "Singles" features the members of Pearl Jam, a band that was little known when the film was shot; and in "Almost Famous," loosely based on Crowe's days as a writer for Rolling Stone, Elton John's "Tiny Dancer" turns a bus sing-along into a meaning-of-life moment.

Crowe says he wanted to champion singer/songwriters on the soundtrack to "Elizabethtown," which stars Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst. This eclectic mix, out on RCA Records, features previously unreleased songs by Tom Petty, Lindsey Buckingham and My Morning Jacket, as well as tracks from Elton John, Ryan Adams and Patty Griffin.

Crowe recently spoke with Billboard about music, marriage, film and his personal journey with "Elizabethtown."

Q: "Elizabethtown" marks another musical collaboration between you and your wife, Nancy Wilson, who wrote the score. How do you work together?

A: It's the most natural collaboration. Because even if there wasn't a movie, we'd still be playing each other music and having that kind of dialogue. From the years she toured with her sister (Ann Wilson) in Heart, they would always go back to their room, put on robes and watch movies. She's actually seen more movies than I've seen. That was the great surprise when we first got together. I thought, "That's crazy. You're not supposed to know that much about movies and be able to play the guitar like that!"

Q: Did you write any music into the script?

A: The Hollies' "Jesus Was a Crossmaker" was the only music cue that I wrote into the script, to begin the movie. The song is like the black-sheep stepbrother of "Bridge Over Troubled Water." I thought it would be great to begin the film with this feeling of an ending, because the movie ends with a beginning.

Q: How much music did you listen to in the process of making the film?

A: Tons. For years. I kept packing my iTunes with stuff that I thought might be right for the movie. I kept a notebook of thoughts for every scene. Then it was about whittling it down. There is so much great music. Maybe not albums, as much as there might have been when albums were crafted in a certain way.

Q: What makes a really good album?

A: Albums have been abused. There were some artists who would put out 27-minute albums. A good 40 minutes with two sides, that's sweet. You don't want to abuse the length on a CD. It's good when you approach it like a mix, like a letter to a friend. That's how the music in the movie was always supposed to be. It's really personal -- it's (Orlando Bloom's character's) journey.

In the past couple of years, many people hanging out around movies said, 'Ah, there's no good music.' Well, they weren't listening. There's tons of great music, particularly singer/songwriters. So I was thinking early on, maybe we could celebrate some of the singer/songwriters like Ryan Adams.

Q: Do you think this is more of a music film than "Almost Famous?"

A: Yes. It's got more music. It's more of a character in a way, whereas "Almost Famous" was about the characters who love music. In this, the music is the voice of the father who passes away.

Q: Let's go back to your days as a writer for Rolling Stone. Who was your worst interview?

A: The disastrous one was Steve Miller, who was a friend of (Rolling Stone founder) Jann Wenner. I really wanted to do well for Jann. But when I showed up, Steve Miller had a big problem with me being 17 years old. He was like, "Tell me how you know my music." And I said, "Everybody knows your music." He said, "But you're only 17." I said, "Your fans are 17!"

It got ugly and weird from there. I forget how it ended, but I think I was dismissed. It was the only time that ever happened. Everyone else I interviewed thought, "Wow, you actually buy my records."

COMPUTER 'WIZARD'

In the new, high-resolution DVD of "The Wizard of Oz," a bolt is visible between the Tin Man's eyes. You can clearly see the trapdoor used by the Wicked Witch of the West. And if you look closely, there's a fishing line holding up the Cowardly Lion's tail.

The latest digital version of the beloved classic, in stores Tuesday, is so crisp that the moviemakers' production tricks are clearly revealed.

"We didn't remove the fishing lines as a matter of philosophy," says Rob Hummel, senior vice president for production technologies at Warner Bros., who oversaw an eight-month restoration on the 1939 classic. "We didn't add or remove anything, just revealed what was already there by making the images much clearer."

For the movie's third release on DVD, the film was scanned using an ultra-resolution process that captured four times as much detail as the previous digital restoration in 1997.

The expensive process has been used on only three earlier Warner titles, "Singing in the Rain," "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Gone With the Wind," all of which were filmed in Technicolor.

Early Technicolor films were shot with special cameras that used filters and mirrors to produce three separate reels of black-and-white film, each representing one of the primary colors, which were added in the printing process.

"Some old black-and-white films like 'Casablanca' are unbelievably sharp, but the edges of Technicolor films tend to be soft because of problems in aligning the three negatives," Hummel explains. "What we did was to use computers to painstakingly line up the three images."

Though the results are spectacular, Hummel says the full effect won't be visible until new high-definition DVD formats arrive next year.

As part of the process, dirt was automatically removed for the first time using a new software program.

"But we did have a problem with the software removing the ruby slippers in some of the long shots," Hummel said. "That's why we use humans to correct the process."

The new restoration of "The Wizard of Oz" - No. 6 on the American Film Institute's list of Greatest American Movies - gets a big thumbs up from Judy Garland's daughter Lorna Luft.

"Thank God for Warner Home Video doing this," Luft says from Ireland, where she is on a concert tour. For Luft, it's important that the movie be preserved for future generations.

"Now it looks just as if you were looking through the cameraman's viewfinder," Luft says. My mother would really love that people can now see the movie in all its glory."

Eurythmics reliving Sweet Dreams with hits set

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Twenty-five years after forming Eurythmics, Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox admit that how they write songs together remains a mystery.

"It takes a tremendous amount of faith every time I go into the studio," Lennox says. "Music comes easy to me -- melody, chord progression, no problem. That's something very simple, and I like to sit down and do that. But to actually literally write something important ..."

She trails off as she shakes her head.

"(If) someone starts up a conversation with me, I have a lot to say and it comes easily to speak, but to actually hone it down to the craft of song or whatever it might be, you know, it's actually quite challenging to me. So I just kind of have to suspend disbelief. (Dave's) just the opposite, so that never helps."

Indeed, Stewart says the pair popped out with relative ease the two new songs that appear on "Eurythmics Ultimate Collection," out November 8 on Arista Records.

"I've Got a Life," the first single, is classic Eurythmics: an uplifting melody juxtaposed with sad lyrics. "That's every Eurythmics song," Stewart says with a laugh. "There's a lot of optimism, there's a lot of angst and melancholy in the same song, which is unusual."

Lennox thinks their songs just reflect life's contradictions. "Life is joyous and full of beauty and hope and optimism and at the same time, it's tempered by potential catastrophe personally or nationally at any moment," she says.

The "Ultimate Collection" contains 17 past U.K. and U.S. hits the duo culled from as far back as 1983's "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" up to "17 Again," from its last album, 1999's "Peace."

Even though the new collection, aside from the two new songs, is fairly similar to a greatest-hits set that came out in 1991, Stewart says, "There's a whole generation of people who doesn't even know about the Eurythmics."

Separately, they've both been busy composing for films. Lennox won an Oscar last year for co-writing "Into the West" for "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." Stewart shared a 2005 Golden Globe with Mick Jagger for their song "Old Habits Die Hard," which they wrote for the remake of "Alfie."

HE SAID, SHE SAID

To sit with the pair, whose history actually goes back to pre-Eurythmics group the Tourists, is to witness two distinct personalities who display tremendous warmth and ease toward each other, complete with the freedom to genially bicker over the past.

When asked if they consider Eurythmics an ongoing concern, even though they may go years without recording, they do not answer, instead noting that they had to have some time apart after the first decade of incessant touring and recording.

"But we never fought," Stewart says.

"We did too fight," Lennox counters.

"Did we?" Stewart asks.

They agree that they had to get off the schedule they were on in order to "do regular things," Stewart says. "I wanted a family," Lennox adds, "and they don't come off the shelf." (Lennox had two daughters with Uri Fruchtmann, to whom she was married from 1988-2000.)

When asked if they plan to work on a new album, they just laugh. "I'm always amazed when people ask us," Lennox says. "We don't know."

Although they have not ruled it out, it is also unlikely that they will tour behind the "Ultimate" set, in part because Lennox dislikes many aspects of being on the road. "I get all anxious and I can't calm down. And to do the 54 dates I did with Sting (last year), it was mad. I don't really know why I did it. I thought I misread the amount of dates."

'Doom' No. 1 in Another Slow Movie Weekend

LOS ANGELES - The Rock did not meet his doom at the box office, but his latest action flick came in with a light pop instead of a bang during another slow weekend at movie theaters.

"Doom," adapted from the sci-fi video game, debuted as the top movie with a modest $15.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. The movie led a lackluster lineup that continued Hollywood's box-office slump, with the top 12 movies taking in $71.3 million, down 27 percent from the same weekend last year.

"Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story," a horse racing family film starring Kurt Russell and Dakota Fanning, opened in second place with $9.3 million.

Charlize Theron's blue-collar drama "North Country," based on the real-life story of a woman who led a sexual-discrimination lawsuit against male co-workers at a mining company, premiered a weak No. 5 with $6.5 million.

"Stay," starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling in a thriller about a psychiatrist racing to save a suicidal patient, flopped with a $2.15 million debut.

Films in limited release opened strongly. The romance "Shopgirl," starring Steve Martin, Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman in an adaptation of Martin's own novella, debuted in eight theaters with $236,000. The comic crime thriller "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," starring Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer, took in $174,300 in eight theaters.

Both films expand to more theaters over the next couple of weeks.

Hollywood has been in a box-office slide for most of the year, with admissions running about 8 percent below 2004 levels.

Though distributor Universal expects to make its money back on "Doom," the studio had hoped for a bigger opening weekend, said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution.

"I'm very concerned about the marketplace," Rocco said. "There are so many movies out, so much to choose from, yet the marketplace continues to fall, and not just by little amounts."

Other studio executives are sticking to the idea that the industry has simply had a prolonged run of movies that failed to pack in crowds.

"I've been telling people for a long time that I think it's content-driven. I don't think we had a film that jumped out for people this weekend," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released "North Country."

Warner has a certain blockbuster coming in mid-November with " Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Other big films scheduled through the holidays include "King Kong," "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" and "The Producers."

October typically is a slow time for movies. Over the same weekend a year ago, though, the box-office shot up on the unexpectedly strong debut of the ghost story "The Grudge," which opened with $39.1 million.

"In all fairness, this was more of a typical late-October weekend, as opposed to a year ago, when `The Grudge' surprised everyone and made this weekend look pale by comparison," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

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. "Doom," $15.4 million.
2. "Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story," $9.3 million.
3. "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," $8.7 million.
4. "The Fog," $7.3 million.
5. "North Country," $6.5 million.
6. "Elizabethtown," $5.7 million.
7. "Flightplan," $4.7 million.
8. "In Her Shoes," $3.9 million.
9. "A History of Violence," $2.7 million.
10. "Two for the Money," $2.4 million.

'Calvin and Hobbes' Creator Keeps Privacy

CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio - Maybe someday, officials will put up a statue marking this quaint village as the birthplace of "Calvin and Hobbes."

Just don't expect cartoonist Bill Watterson to attend the unveiling ceremony. It's been nearly 10 years since he abruptly quit drawing one of the most popular comic strips of all time. Since then, he's been as absent as the precocious Calvin and his pet tiger, err, stuffed animal, Hobbes.

Some call Watterson reclusive. Others say he just likes his privacy.

"He's an introspective person," says his mother, Kathryn, standing at the front door her home, its yard covered by a tidy tangle of black-eyed Susans and other wildflowers. It's where Watterson grew up. Calvin lived there too, so to speak. Watterson used the well-kept, beige Cape Cod-style house as the model for Calvin's home.

You might even expect Calvin to come bounding out the door with Hobbes in tow, the screen door banging behind them. After all, the guy on the front porch kind of resembles Calvin's dad. Readers will remember him as the exasperated patent attorney who enjoyed gummy oatmeal and jogging in 20-degree weather.

Sure enough, Watterson's father, Jim, has a sheen of sweat on his neck, not from a run but from the 73-year-old's three-mile morning walk.

Watterson has acknowledged satirizing his father, who is now a semiretired patent attorney, in the strip. Jim Watterson says whenever Calvin's dad told him that something he didn't want to do "builds character," they were words he had spoken to his cartoonist son.

After "Calvin and Hobbes" ended, Jim Watterson and his son would paint landscapes together, setting up easels along the Chagrin River or other vistas. He laughed that sometimes they'd spend more time choosing a site than painting. But they haven't painted together for years.

So what's Watterson been up to since ending "Calvin and Hobbes?" It's tough to say.

His parents will say only that he's happy, but they won't say where he lives, and the cartoonist could not be reached for an interview.

His former editor, Lee Salem, also remains mum, saying only that as a painter Watterson started with watercolors and has evolved to oils.

"He's in a financial position where he doesn't need to meet the deadlines anymore," Salem says.

Watterson's parents respect — but have no explanation for — their son's extremely private nature. It doesn't run in the family. Kathryn is a former village councilwoman and Jim is seeking his fourth council term this fall. Their other son, Tom, is a high school teacher in Austin, Texas.

Bill Watterson, 47, hasn't made a public appearance since he delivered the commencement speech in 1990 at his alma mater, Kenyon College. But he recently welcomed some written questions from fans to promote the Oct. 4 release of the three-volume "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes," which contains every one of the 3,160 strips printed during its 10-year run.

Among his revelations:

• He reads newspaper comics, but doesn't consider this their golden age.

• He's never attended any church.

• He's currently interested in art from the 1600s.

Salem, who edited thousands of "Calvin and Hobbes" strips at Universal Press Syndicate, says that Watterson is private and media shy, not a recluse. Salem didn't want to see the strip end, but understood Watterson's decision.

"He came to a point where he thought he had no more to give to the characters," Salem says.

"Calvin and Hobbes" appeared in more than 2,400 newspapers during its run, one of the few strips to reach an audience that large.

Its success was rooted in the freshness of Calvin — an imaginative 6-year-old who has the immaturity of a child and the psychological complexity of a 40-year-old. As for Hobbes, the device of Calvin viewing him as alive and everybody else seeing him as a stuffed animal was simply brilliant, Salem says.

Their all-encompassing bond of friendship — being able to share joy and have fun together, yet get angry and frustrated with one another — was another reason for the strip's success.

Universal would welcome Watterson back along with "Calvin and Hobbes" or any other characters he dreams up. "He knows the door's open and he knows where we are," Salem says.

There are few signs of Watterson or "Calvin and Hobbes" in Chagrin Falls, a town of 4,000 that has evolved from a manufacturing hub centered on its namesake falls to an upscale area of stately homes and giant maple trees.

A Godzilla-sized Calvin is depicted wreaking havoc on Chagrin Falls on the back cover of "The Essential Calvin and Hobbes," released in 1988. He's carrying off the Popcorn Shop, where sweet smells have flowed from its spot on the falls for about 100 years.

Fireside Book Shop, located just out of earshot of the water's roar, carries 15 different "Calvin and Hobbes" books — customers used to be able to find autographed copies. Store employee Lynn Mathews says Watterson's mother used to deliver the signed copies to raise money for charity or just to help the book shop. That ended when the cartoonist discovered that some ended up on eBay, she said.

The demand remains, though.

"I get a couple e-mails a month from people looking for signed books," said Jean Butler, Fireside's officer manager.

Watterson and his wife, Melissa, moved earlier this year from their home in the village — a century house on a hill between downtown and the high school, where the mascot is a tiger.

As a child, Watterson knew he would be an astronaut or a cartoonist. "I kept my options open until seventh grade, but when I stopped understanding math and science, my choice was made," he wrote in the introduction to "The Complete Calvin and Hobbes."

He loved "Peanuts" as a child and started drawing comics. He majored in political science at Kenyon. Thinking he could blend the two subjects, he became a political cartoonist but was fired from his first job at the Cincinnati Post after a few months. So he took a job designing car and grocery ads, but continued cartooning, even though several strip ideas were rejected.

But Universal liked "Calvin and Hobbes" and launched its run Nov. 18, 1985, in 35 newspapers. Calvin caught Hobbes in a tiger trap with a tuna sandwich in the first strip. He spent the next 10 years driving his parents crazy, annoying his crush, Susie Derkins, and playing make-believe as his alter egos Spaceman Spiff and Stupendous Man.

Many of the best moments, though, were time spent alone with his pal, Hobbes.

"The end of summer is always hard on me, trying to cram in all the goofing off I've been meaning to do," Calvin tells Hobbes in an Aug. 24, 1987 strip, the two sitting beneath a tree.

Watterson ended the strip on Dec. 31, 1995, with a statement: "I believe I've done what I can do within the constraints of daily deadlines and small panels. I am eager to work at a more thoughtful pace, with fewer artistic compromises."

The last strip shows Calvin and Hobbes sledding off after a new fallen snow. "It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy ... let's go exploring!" Calvin says in the final two panels.

Fans cried out in letters for Watterson to change his mind. Some, like Watterson's parents, say the funny pages haven't been the same since.

"It was like getting a letter from home," Jim Watterson says of reading his son's work each morning.

People continue to ask the Wattersons if their son will ever send Calvin and his buddy Hobbes on new adventures.

"He might draw something else, but he won't do that again," Kathryn Watterson says.

The Beatles Dubbed Icon of the Century

NEW YORK - Sorry Johnny, Oprah and Madonna — you just missed the cut. Variety ranks the top 10 entertainment icons of the century in a new commemorative issue marking the trade publication's 100th anniversary. The Beatles were dubbed the no. 1 icon in the issue, currently on newsstands.

Following the Fab Four, the top 10 is rounded out by Louis Armstrong, Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Marlon Brando, Charlie Chaplin, James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mouse and Elvis Presley.

Variety also lists 90 more icons, though not ranked. It includes Frank Sinatra, Cary Grant, Bob Dylan, the Marx Brothers, Johnny Carson, Oprah Winfrey, Madonna and others.

Bugs Bunny did not make Variety's list, but Pac Man did. The most contemporary choices were Kurt Cobain, Tupac Shakur and Quentin Tarantino.

The lone animal named an icon? Lassie, much to Alf's dismay.

PluggedIn: DVD format war brews even as videos go off-disk

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hollywood is gearing up for an ugly war over rival DVD formats, but the real battle may be in keeping customers hooked on physical discs at all.

"The irony of this format war is that it comes at the tail end of the century-long era of physical media," said Ted Schadler, analyst with Forrester Research.

"While a high-definition video format does bring benefits over today's standard-definition discs, in movies as in music consumers are moving beyond shiny discs," said Schadler.

Providers of online video and video-on-demand on television are tapping into this trend, while Apple Computer Inc. has raised the stakes with its new portable iPod video player that downloads content from the computer.

But two camps, led by Toshiba Corp. and Sony Corp (NYSE:SNE - news)., are still firmly placing their bets on physical discs and players that offer sharper pictures and more interactive features. An all-out disc format war is brewing after efforts to settle on a unified standard have failed.

"Consumers are getting more comfortable with alternative ways of accessing content and there's a sense of urgency to get the content out (on high-definition DVDs) as soon as possible for that reason," said Mark Knox, spokesman for HD DVD, the new format that Toshiba expects to launch around February.

But in the latest twist on Thursday, Warner Bros., a longtime supporter of HD DVD among Hollywood studios, threw its weight behind Sony's rival Blu-ray format, following a similar move by Paramount.

One format will ultimately triumph, industry members said, as in the high-stakes home video battle between VHS and Betamax in the 1980s. But this time, the real casualty could be physical DVDs altogether.

"Every month this battle wages, more and more people are getting used to getting video in other ways. That's the real enemy of this indecision," said Richard Doherty, analyst with Envisioneering.

If the six largest movie studios release films on both formats, consumers rather than studio bosses may get to decide which they prefer. But the longer the battle drags on, the greater are the chances of digital content providers winning over buyers with video-on-demand services, Internet video and portable devices like iPods and cell phones.

DIGITAL MEDIA ADOPTION

One in six cable subscribers either watches or is interested in watching video-on-demand, according to Forrester Research. This number should grow as cable operators like Comcast and Time Warner Cable expand their video-on-demand libraries and adopt an ad-supported business model for on-demand videos, the company said.

Moreover, Internet video is spreading rapidly with 46 percent of online consumers watching it, and 9 percent saying they would pay to watch it, said Forrester.

Strong growth is likely to come with advances in video search and as broadband penetrates more households. Broadband is expected to be available in 62 percent of U.S. households by 2010, up from 29 percent today, analysts said.

While only 8.8 percent of U.S. households have a home network, this will expand to 40 percent of households by 2010, Schadler said. One in five such consumers streams audio from the personal computer to a stereo, and they are likely to want to stream video from PC to TV as well.

Apple's recent launch of the video iPod also has Hollywood studios thinking about how to make money by providing their content on these devices, executives said.

THE LAST DISC

Schadler said about 27 percent of online consumers aged 12 to 21 years say the device they can't live without is a PC, while only 17 percent say they can't live without their TV.

Internet-delivered video will continue to make that true, he said.

Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates backs HD DVD and has called Sony's Blue-ray format "anti-consumer" because of a protection scheme.

"The inconvenience is that the (movie) studios got too much protection at the expense of consumers and it won't work well on PCs," Gates was quoted as saying in an interview with The Daily Princetonian earlier this month. "You won't be able to play movies and do software in a flexible way."

Still, Gates said he regarded the debate over the formats almost as an afterthought.

"Understand that this is the last physical format there will ever be. Everything's going to be streamed directly or on a hard disk," he said. "So, in this way, it's even unclear how much this one counts."

Looney Tunes finally goes to Vol. 3

After what seems to be a sizeable wait. Warner will be releasing a third 4-disc collection of Looney Tunes Golden Collection. The set will again contain a wealth of extras and shorts.

Disc 1: Bugs Bunny Classics will contain Hare Force, Hare Remover, Hare Tonic, A Hare Grows in Manhattan, Easter Yeggs, The Wabbit Who Came to Supper, Bowery Bugs, Homeless Hare, The Case of the Missing Hare, Acrobatty Bunny, Wackiki Wabbit, Hare Do, Rebel Rabbit, Hillbilly Hare and Duck! Rabbit, Duck!.

Disc 2: Hoolywood Caricatures and Paradies includes Daffy Duck in Hollywood, Hollywood Capers, The CooCoo Nut Grove, Porky’s Road Race, The Woods Are Full of Cuckoos, She Was an Acrobat’s Daughter, The Film Fan, Speaking of the Weather, Thugs with Dirty Mugs, Goofy Groceries, Swooner Crooner, Wideo Wabbit, The Honey-Mousers, The Last Hungry Cat and The Mouse That Jack Built.

Disc 3: Porky and the Pigs has I Haven’t Got a Hat, Porky’s Romance, Porky’s Party, Porky in Egypt, Porky and Teabiscuit, Pigs Is Pigs, Pigs in a Polka, Porky Pig’s Feat, Daffy Duck Slept Here, Bye, Bye Bluebeard, An Egg Scramble, Robin Hood Daffy, The Windblown Hare, Claws for Alarm and Rocket Squad.

Disc 4: All-Stars Cartoon Party features Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur, Super-Rabbit, Daffy Duck and Egghead, A Gruesome Twosome, Draftee Daffy, Falling Hare, Steal Wool, Birds Anonymous, No Barking, Rabbit Punch, An Itch in Time, Odor-able Kitty, Walky Talky Hawky, Gonzales’ Tamales and To Beep or Not to Beep.

Additional features include commentaries, rare shorts, docuemtaries, featurettes and an unaired pilot.

The DVD set arrives this coming Tuesday from Warner.

Another 'Lost' actor may face axe

Yet one more castaway is getting shipped off the island - permanently.

Several Internet sites are reporting another actor on ABC's hit TV saga Lost is getting axed Nov. 9 - the first episode to air in the highly competitive sweeps period.

Is it heroic doctor Jack (Matthew Fox)? Swaggering conman Sawyer (Josh Holloway)? Femme fatale Kate (Evangeline Lilly)?

We'll spare you the identity of the doomed character - if you want to find out who it is, you can go to aint-it-cool.com or a number of other websites - but we will say it's one of the original cast members.

This development, however alarming, isn't a complete shock.

After knocking off Boone (Ian Somerhalder) last year, the show's creators said they never want viewers to feel the characters are safe.

Mary Lou Finlay to retire from CBC

Mary Lou Finlay, host of As It Happens and one of Canada's best-known journalists, is retiring from the CBC.

Finlay, who has been with As It Happens for eight years, says she wants a change from the intensity of a daily program. She plans to continue working on her own projects.

"It's just the right time for me, even though it will be hard to leave. I've never loved a job more," she said in announcing her retirement on Thursday.

"As It Happens is a great program. The people I work with are smart, funny and committed, and so is our audience. But hosting this show demands a huge amount of energy. At this stage of my life, I need to make more room for other projects I'm interested in."

She first came to national attention in 1975, as co-host of CBC Television's Take 30. She hosted her own program, Finlay and Company, in 1976 and 1977, and then moved to CTV in 1978 to co-host and produce the award-winning lifestyle program Live It Up.

In 1981 she returned to CBC, joining Barbara Frum as co-host of CBC Television's nightly current affairs program The Journal. She produced documentaries and special reports for The Journal until 1988.

From 1988 to 1994, Finlay was host of Sunday Morning on CBC Radio. She hosted the weekly media watchdog program Now The Details from 1994 to 1997, and then became co-host of As It Happens.

"At As It Happens I have spoken to thousands of people and it's so wonderful to be able to do that and to have these wonderful people around me to work with," Finlay told CBC Arts Online.

Canadians will remember her interviews with a wide range of political and cultural figures including Timothy Findley and René Lévesque. She has brought her journalistic skill to such stories as the end of martial law in Poland, the fall of the Berlin Wall and Canada's struggle with Quebec's pursuit of sovereignty.

Finlay says she has hundreds of cherished memories of her career, from doing her first interviews to travelling on the job to joining the As It Happens crew.

"I have really loved travelling Canada, especially my three trips to the Arctic," she said. "You feel very privileged to travel in the Arctic."

Finlay was recipient of the Martin Wise Goodman Canadian Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University.

Finlay retires Nov. 30. Although she will no longer be the regular voice on As It Happens, she plans to continue to contribute to CBC Radio on a freelance basis.

Nelly Tries 'Sweatsuit' On Again

Nelly has rounded up 14 highlights from his simultaneously released 2004 albums "Sweat" and "Suit" plus a handful of new songs for the appropriately named "Sweatsuit." Due Nov. 22 via Universal, the set is led by the fresh cuts "Grilz" featuring Paul Wall and Ali & Gipp, "Tired" featuring Avery Storm and "Nasty Girl" featuring Diddy, the late Notorious B.I.G. and Jagged Edge.

A video for "Grilz" is expected to be shot in Atlanta in the coming weeks. The Jermaine Dupri-produced track spotlights the trend of rappers outfitting their mouths with "grill pieces," of which Wall has emerged as major proponent.

Among the holdovers from "Sweat" and "Suit" are such hits as "Over and Over" featuring Tim McGraw and "My Place," which peaked at No. 3 and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.

The new collection is also tipped to feature such collaborations as "She Don't Know My Name" with Snoop Dogg and Ronald Isley, "River Don't Runnn" with Murphy Lee and Stephen Marley and "Playa" with Mobb Deep and Missy Elliott.

"Suit" and "Sweat" debuted in the top two slots of The Billboard 200 last October. They have sold 4.3 million copies combined in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Van Halen Will Not Be The Next 'Rock Star' Band

Van Halen will not be taking INXS' lead by participating in a possible second season of the reality television series "Rock Star," according to the band's spokesperson.

MTV News erroneously reported Wednesday (SEE STORY BELOW) that a source close to the program claimed that if "Rock Star" does return for a second season, that the core Van Halen trio — Michael Anthony and brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen — would be the band auditioning potential singers. The band flatly denies any involvement in the show.

MTV News had also previously reported that a spokesperson for Van Halen said the band had no comment regarding pending projects. However, that spokesperson was never asked specific questions regarding the group's hypothetical involvement with the "Rock Star" show; MTV News regrets the oversight.

Van Halen had been the subject of recent speculation concerning potential "Rock Star" second-season bands. The same rumors swirled about Alice in Chains, but a spokesperson for guitarist Jerry Cantrell scoffed at the notion the band would even consider appearing on the show.

Van Halen reportedly will front possible second season of Rock Star

CBS has yet to renew Rock Star, which found a lead singer for INXS during its first season. However, MTV reports that Van Halen is on board for a possible second season.

According to MTV.com, “a source close to the show claimed that the core Van Halen trio — brothers Alex and Eddie Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony — will be auditioning potential frontmen and women for the show’s still-hypothetical second season.” Previously, the band was fronted by David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar, and Gary Cherone.

MTV says that “if the series is added to next summer’s CBS lineup, expect to see Van Halen tapping into America’s rock and roll pipeline for a new singer.” It’s also possible the show could move to a different network if CBS rejects a second season.

Fey to Return to SNL's 'Weekend Update'

NEW YORK - Maternity leave is over for Tina Fey of "Saturday Night Live." She'll be back behind the "Weekend Update" anchor desk for this week's episode, her first show since giving birth to her daughter Alice on Sept. 10.

"I had to get back to work," Fey said. "NBC has me under contract; the baby and I have only a verbal agreement."

Horatio Sanz filled in for Fey on "Update" during her brief absence. Fey, 35, co-anchors the segment with Amy Poehler and has been head writer at "SNL" for five years. She and her husband, Jeff Richmond, have been married since 2001.

Saturday's show (11:30 p.m. EDT) features host Catherine Zeta-Jones and musical guest Franz Ferdinand.

Liz Phair gets flak for going commercial

When Liz Phair's Exile In Guyville came out in 1993, it was greeted as a revelation -- a uniquely intelligent, sexually honest female voice from the trenches of modern romantic warfare, wrapped in a bare-bones production. Soon, Phair became everyone's fantasy indie-rock queen.

When you're up on a pedestal, you have much farther to fall. Maybe that's why Phair's been getting such a hard time from the critics for changing her approach on her frankly commercial recent albums, 2003's Liz Phair and the new Somebody's Miracle, which feature co-writes with seasoned hitmakers and much slicker production.

"It's weird -- I didn't know I was running for office," the American singer joked recently in mid-tour.

"I think I represent a national debate over the state of our music scene, whether it should be purist or commercial, and I'm a pretty good target for people to vent their opinions on."

Interestingly, Phair's stripped-down acoustic tour this summer was warmly received, so maybe it's not her new songs -- which are less about a wild girl dating than a single mother looking for enduring love -- that are offensive, but their polished production.

"That's partially true," she said. "But it may also be a male-female thing. My label did some research to find out why the last album didn't sell as much as they wanted. And they found that women care about the words, and guys only care about the sound, and the pictures. And I'm all about the stories. I'm not a production person, really."

Exile was a song-by-song response to the Stones' Exile On Main Street, and Somebody's Miracle started out as a similar rejoinder to Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key Of Life before it got sidetracked.

"I spent a lot of time thinking about that," she said. "I'm a visual artist, so I don't approach music the same way other people do. And one of the things I find productive is to listen to someone else's great album and think about what I really respond to in it, and how I can measure up.

"Some of these songs were responses, but it became clear that I would have needed another year to finish it, and it costs a lot of money to be in the studio. I feel bad that I never got to finish it, but it helped me get back in touch with some of my strengths. It's always good to take a class and learn."

Phair has also learned from co-writing. "It's more fun than working on my own -- more of a lark," she said. "They're less me, but kinda fun that way. It's a nice break, like recess, or dressing up for a party and letting someone else do your hair and makeup."

The Couch Potato Report - October 20th, 2005

This week The Couch Potato Report features a batman, some zombies, a gladiator, and The Dude.

It is my belief that even people who don't consider themselves to be fans of comics and comic books, usually still have a favourite comic book character.

Whether it is "Garfield", "Peanuts", "Spider-man", "Andy Capp","Foxtrot", "House Of M", "New Avengers" or "Dennis The Menace", I think we all have a favourite comic book character.

For the past few weeks I have been reading "The Complete Far Side" and "The Complete Calvin And Hobbes" books, and I love both of those, and I have also always been a big fan of "Underdog" and "Bugs Bunny", but my favourite all-time cartoon character is still "Batman."

Throughout the years I have been able to enjoy Batman in comic books, television shows, and movies.

To this day the 1989 BATMAN movie directed by Tim Burton and starring Michael Keaton as the Caped Crusader remains my favourite movie based on a comic book character.

However, that film is no longer the leader by a long shot. It now has a sidekick!

Batman was originally created and introduced by Bob Kane in 1939. At his inception, Batman was a dark character who walked the tightrope between hero and vigilante.

In the 1960s a campy TV series starring Adam West transformed the character into a silly-but-likable good guy in gray spandex.

Happily, Tim Burton gave Batman some of his edge back in his film, but that movie, and it's four sequels, focused more on the villains, and our hero was relegated to the position of supporting character.

After 1992's BATMAN RETURNS Burton gave up on the Batman film franchise and after the abysmal 1997 film BATMAN & ROBIN, directed by Joel Shumacher, the fans of the character gave up on him as well.

Batman has lived on in the comics since then, but as a movie character, he was dead.

Well, he was dead until the release of the film BATMAN BEGINS earlier this year.

For this new film director Christopher Nolan went back to the basics, throwing away the camp style of the TV show and the late 90's movies, and the dark and gothic elements of Tim Burton's vision.

The result is a film that has a great script, superb cast, and it tells how Bruce Wayne became Batman. It is the tale of how Batman begins, or began if you will.

It isn't necessarily a prequel to the 1989 film, but if you watch the two of them together, it sure can be.

Director Christopher Nolan and new Batman Christian Bale have given us a film that not only cements Batman's place as the most interesting comic book character, but they have once again made him one of the best superheroes in films as well!

BATMAN BEGINS has restarted the movie franchise and I, for one, hope that Nolan and Bale decide to team up for a second film!

If they do, who knows? Maybe I won't be able to proclaim Tim Burton's 1989 BATMAN movie as my favourite movie based on a comic book character any more.

However, I suppose that I will always proclaim THE BIG LEBOWSKI to be the best bowling movie ever!

Even though they are used now, when THE BIG LEBOWSKI was released in 1998 hardly anyone was using words like "best" or "classic" to describe it.

That is because the film was Joel and Ethan Coen's follow-up to the Academy Award winning film FARGO and since LEBOWSKI wasn't as unique or original as FARGO, it was deemed by many to be a disappointment and it quickly disappeared from theatres.

Since it appeared on video and DVD, however, it has gained the audience it so richly deserves!

Yes, it is about bowling, but THE BIG LEBOWSKI is so much more!

It is a film about a lazy, drug using underachiever named Jeff "The Dude" Lebowski who ends up in the middle of a kidnaping scheme.

The plot is secondary as the film has a laid back, loose charm that makes it easy to watch, and enjoy!

Jeff Bridges from SEABISCUIT and TIDELAND is "The Dude" and the supporting cast features Coen brothers regulars John Goodman, John Turturro and Steve Buscemi.

No, it wasn't a success in 1998, and the new COLLECTOR'S EDITION of THE BIG LEBOWSKI isn't going to sell 30 or 40 million copies either, but if you like great characters, hilarious dialogue, and bowling in your movies, then spend some time with THE BIG LEBOWSKI, or as some of us call him, "The Dude."

Or if that isn't your cup of tea, how about a zombie movie?

LAND OF THE DEAD sees director George A. Romero return to the zombie movie genre he invented back in 1968 with NIGH OF THE LIVING DEAD. LAND OF THE DEAD is Romero's fourth film in his zombie series, and his first since 1985's Day of the Dead.

In the series, and this film, the living dead have taken over the world, and the last humans are living in a city with lakes and walls protecting them as they try and stay alive.

LAND OF THE DEAD isn't as original and inventive as it could have been, but the cast of Simon Baker, John Leguizamo, Dennis Hopper and horror film favorite Asia Argento do a good job with the material they have been given.

LAND OF THE DEAD has nothing to offer people who aren't fans of zombie pictures, but it has enough to satisfy people who are fans of the genre until the next zombie flick comes along.

Let me digress from pontificating about the value of zombie pictures now and go
right to this week's "Leftover."

This week I invite you to serve yourself up the delicious EXTENDED EDITION of the Academy Award winning film GLADIATOR.

This new version includes 17 minutes of additional footage, and a three hour and twenty minute documentary about the film that includes some never-before-seen footage.

The extra 17 minutes don't make the film better or worse, they just allow the film to be more of a good thing.

Prior to a few weeks ago I hadn't watched GLADIATOR since it first came out in 2000. Some friends of mine love the film and one of them even named their son after the title character, but I never made the time to see it twice.

After watching the EXTENDED EDITION, I can honestly say that I won't take 5 years to come back to the film.

The original and this EXTENDED EDITION of GLADIATOR are impressive achievements.

Both the Extended Version and the original theatrical version of the film come in this new 3-disc set, plus there is an all-new audio commentary by director Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe and a great "Are you Not Entertained?" Trivia track.

The GLADIATOR - EXTENDED EDITION will definitely entertain you and it is available now at a store near you, along with LAND OF THE DEAD, THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION of THE BIG LEBOWSKI and the superb BATMAN BEGINS.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

Is the box set for the TV show ALIAS - THE COMPLETE FOURTH SEASON and the movie version of the TV show BEWITCHED.

Herbie The Love Bug was seen in a new film this year, sadly, HERBIE: FULLY LOADED features too much Lindsay Lohan and not enough Dean Jones.

THE LOONEY TUNES - GOLDEN COLLECTION: VOLUME THREE is a 4-disc set that features sixty more of the most looneytic Looney Tunes ever unleashed on rabbit, duck, pig or humanity!

And then there are new Collector's Editions of THE WIZARD OF OZ and TITANIC coming out as well.

Plus, next week I will have two "Leftovers" for you, the SCTV - VOLUME 4 Box Set that features the episodes about CBC and the classic Disney animated film CINDERELLA.

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

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

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

Madonna Thanks ABBA for the Music

Pop queen Madonna wrote a begging letter to Swedish supergroup ABBA asking for permission to sample their hit "Gimme Gimme Gimme" on a new track. And the shameless groveling paid off when the 47-year-old singer became only the second artist ever allowed to use their work. The song, which features on new single "Hung Up," sees Madonna join the Fugees as the only other musicians to be given the ABBA seal of approval. The group used part of "The Name Of The Game" on their 1996 track "Rumble In The Jungle." Madonna says, "I had to send my emissary to Stockholm with a letter begging them and telling them how much I love their music. They never let anyone sample their music. Thank God they didn't say no." ABBA songwriters Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus admit the decision was tough but they are impressed by Madonna's acclaimed career and the quality of her track. Andersson says, "We admire Madonna so much and always have done. She has got guts and has been around for 21 years. That is not bad going. 'Hung Up' is really good. If it wasn't any good we would not have said yes. It is a wonderful track - 100 per cent solid pop music."

Doctor Who - Region 1 Release of the New Doctor is Planned for Canada

We've been looking at the possibility of Canada receiving a set of the 2005 Doctor Who series for awhile now, and it's finally paid off. The BBC posted a press release talking about their sales successes in Canada, and there's a mention of a Canadian season one set scheduled for February 14, 2006.

There aren't any plans to release the set in the US at this time, since no US broadcaster has picked up the rights to air the series. The good news is that Canada and the US are both region 1, so you'll have no problem picking it up if you live South of the border.

We'll have more information when it becomes available. Canadians will be able to watch the second season of the series on CBC, as well as a Christmas special, hosted exclusive by Billie Piper (companion "Rose Tyler"), which will air on Boxing Day (12/26).

Beck Gathering Up 'Guero' Remixes

Beck is eyeing a Dec. 6 release for the Interscope project "Guerolito," which will feature a remix of every track on his latest studio album, "Guero." Although the track list is not yet finalized, among the confirmed participants are Boards Of Canada, Octet, the Beastie Boys' Ad Rock and the Dust Brothers' John King.

Royksopp and Dizzee Rascal previously contributed remixes for the deluxe edition of "Guero" but it unknown if those songs will appear on "Guerolito."

Since its March release, "Guero" has sold more than 707,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Beck has a handful of fall tour dates left on his schedule, which resume Oct. 27 in San Diego. He will also be in Las Vegas later that week for two shows associated with the first Vegoose festival.

Parents' group warns against Fox shows

NEW YORK (AP) — Four Fox network programs, led by the comedies The War at Home,The Family Guy and American Dad, topped a parents group's annual listing of the worst prime-time shows for family viewing.

The Parents Television Council rated two aspirational reality shows, ABC's Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and NBC's new Three Wishes, as the best programs for family viewing.

The group's president, L. Brent Bozell, said he was alarmed that the three Fox Sunday night comedies are being marketed as family friendly.

"Families should not be deceived," he said. "The top three worst shows all contain crude and raunchy dialogue with sex-themed jokes and foul language. Even worse is the fact that Hollywood is peddling its filth to families with cartoons."

A Fox spokesman said the network never comments on reports by the Parents Television Council.

But TV Watch, a lobbying organization started by the networks to oppose governmental regulation of television, objected to the list.

"It is far more constructive to encourage parents to decide what their children watch on TV by using ratings or screening shows than to hurl insults at shows enjoyed by millions of Americans," TV Watch spokeswoman Kathy Roeder said.

The Fox drama The O.C. was fourth on the PTC's list of worst prime-time shows for families. Add in That '70s Show and Arrested Development, and the network that tries to be hip for young viewers makes up 60% of the list.

Television's two most popular programs — CBS' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and ABC's Desperate Housewives— are also cited as bad family viewing. So were Two and a Half Men and Cold Case on CBS.

The group said it makes its determinations based on the amount of bad language and sexual and violent content, giving more weight to shows that appear earlier in the evening when children are likely to be awake, said Melissa Caldwell, its research director.

Fox's American Idol, which returns in January, made the group's list of best family viewing experiences. Two new shows, CBS' The Ghost Whisperer and UPN's Everybody Hates Chris, also made it.

Bozell said the group couldn't even come up with 10 prime-time shows it would recommend for family viewing. Its list stops at nine.

Bush and Bono lunch at the White House; U2 in town for concert

WASHINGTON (AP) - Before getting on stage before his fans in a Wednesday night concert, U2 frontman Bono bent President George W. Bush's ear about the world's poor.

The rock star and the president had lunch in the private dining room off the Oval Office, ordering from the menu at the same mess hall where White House staffers get their lunch. Bush, dressed in the classic presidential uniform of suit and red tie, also showed Bono, dressed in his trademark black jeans and sunglasses, around the Oval Office.

Bono told Rolling Stone magazine in an interview before they dined that he had no fear of meeting Bush or any other world leader.

"They should be afraid, because they will be held accountable for what happened on their watch," Bono told the magazine for an article on newsstands Friday. "I'm representing the poorest and the most vulnerable people. On a spiritual level, I have that with me. I'm throwing a punch, and the fist belongs to people who can't be in the room, whose rage, whose anger, whose hurt I represent.

"The moral force is way beyond mine, it's an argument that has much more weight than I have. So I'm not feeling nervous."

Over an hour and 40 minute meeting, Bono and Bush discussed debt relief, AIDS, malaria and world trade, said presidential spokesman Scott McClellan. McClellan said they also talked about the concerts that U2 was preparing to put on at Washington's MCI Center Wednesday and Thursday night.

In the Rolling Stone interview, Bono heaped praise on Bush for providing $15 billion to help fight AIDS in Africa, money that is helping pay for anti-retroviral drugs. He said he was disappointed that Bush and Congress had cut the Millennium Challenge program that gives foreign aid to countries that pursue political, economic and human rights reforms, but he'll keep pushing them to fund the full amount that the president promised.

Bono said he is "capable of having a row" if he doesn't get what he wants. He said he once criticized Bush for not getting the Millennium Challenge money out quick enough and was rebuked for it.

"One senator threw a newspaper at me in a meeting. 'How dare you disrespect the president of the United States!' " Bono told the magazine.

Bono said he doesn't support any president from the left or the right, but he has a hard time criticizing Bush after he has sent the money to Africa. He said he's made it clear that he doesn't support the war in Iraq, but he doesn't campaign against it because his main priority is helping the poor and disadvantaged.

"I work for them," Bono said. "If me not shooting my mouth off about the war in Iraq is the price I pay, then I'm prepared to pay it."

But, he added, "I'm a big-mouthed Irish rock star. Of course it frustrates me."

Jeff Martin quits The Tea Party

After 15 years as frontman for Canadian rock trio The Tea Party, Jeff Martin has decided to pack it in.

Martin has announced his departure from the band to pursue a solo career, according to a press statement.

The news came as a surprise to bassist Stuart Chatwood, who, stated that he "wasn't aware that the band had broken up."

Despite the decision, Martin left the door open for a possible return to the T.O.-based band.

"I am deeply appreciative of all the support Tea Party fans have shown both the band and me over the years," Martin said. "While I'm not ruling out a return of The Tea Party at some time in the future, I am focused for now on my acoustic solo record, and hope to release the new music this winter and tour in support of it."

"I am excited to embark on this new musical chapter of my life and wish all the best to my two former bandmates and friends, Jeff Burrows and Stuart Chatwood."

Formed in Windsor, Ontario in 1990, Martin, Chatwood and drummer Jeff Burrows are best known for their eastern-influenced rock songs, which include "Sister Awake" and "Heaven Coming Down."

The Juno-nominated band's final studio album, "Seven Circles," was released in August of 2004.

Mum's the Word on "Alias"

When ABC announced it was moving Alias to Thursdays, it looked like curtains for Sydney Bristow. One month into the season, it looks like curtains for Sydney Bristow.

As the anchor of ABC's notoriously must-not-see night, the five-season-old spy adventure sank to 70th place (7.2 million) for the TV week ended Sunday, per Nielsen Media Research.

Even worse, in its first half-hour, the show ran behind NBC's world-famous Joey (68th place, 7.4 million) among coveted 18-to-49-year-old viewers.

And in the most ominous sign yet--if press releases can be considered signs--Alias was programa non grata in ABC's weekly ratings recap released Tuesday.

The network that found something nice to say about Supernanny (71st place, 7 million) couldn't bring itself to spin mother-to-be Sydney. In this instance, silence most likely is deadly.

Other ABC shows rating unmentionable status: Alias' Thursday partners in obscurity, Night Stalker (83rd place, 5.1 million) and Primetime (86th place, 4.5 million), not to mention every Friday series, save for the vaunted Supernanny. The formerly sturdy According to Jim (60th place, 7.8 million) was only noted in passing, as in "Rodney [57th place, 8 million] built on its According to Jim lead-in."

So far, ABC has yet to cancel or renew any series. But when Commander in Chief (ninth place, 16.2 million) gets three paragraphs' worth of glowing press-release ink, Freddie (45th place, 9.4 million) gets two, and Alias gets none, SD-6 intelligence is not required to determine which shows are bound for glory.

Or not.

Elsewhere:

It's probably nothing, but since starting its second season before a whopping 28.4 million, Desperate Housewives has slipped an itty-bitty bit in each successive week, down to a whopping 25.8 million (second place) on Sunday night.

In case you were wondering, CBS' CSI (first place, 28.3 million) doesn't slip.
NBC is "excited" not to have to cancel another new show, reupping Surface (35th place, 10.4 million) for a full season's worth of underwater antics.
CBS' Out of Practice (24th place, 12.3 million) closed in on NBC's My Name Is Earl (23rd place, 12.6 million) for bragging rights as TV's most-watched new comedy, but hasn't yet closed on a season-long renewal.

Break out the Australian Shiraz! Martha Stewart's Apprentice (72nd place, 6.9 million) was up almost 10 percent from last week's not-good ratings.

Last year, Judging Amy averaged 10.6 million for CBS in the 10 p.m., Tuesday hour. Its reward: Cancellation. This fall, Jerry Bruckheimer's latest crime drama, Close to Home (39th place, 10.1 million), is averaging 7 percent fewer viewers in the same time slot. Its reward: The jury's still out.

To date, the WB has lost more viewers this fall, as compared to last, than any other network--down 11 percent. This, despite big-time showings by Gilmore Girls (76th place, 6.2 million), Smallville (77th place, 5.9 million) and Supernatural (78th place, 5.5 million). This, because of little-time showings by Twins (109th place, 2.2 million), Blue Collar TV (108th place, 2.3 million) and Related (105th place, 2.5 million).

Oh, and nobody watched What I Like About You (111th place, 2 million), but you already knew that.

Overall, CBS notched its first double-double of the season, winning total viewers (averaging 13.4 million) and the 18-49 demo.

ABC (10.7 million) claimed second in both categories. NBC ran third in the demo, and fourth in viewers (9.6 million).

Minus the soap opera that was last season's Boston Red Sox, Fox's baseball playoff ratings are down, but the network isn't out. The games were still enough to boost the network to third place in viewers (10.5 million).

The surging UPN (3.7 million) closed the gap with the slumping WB (3.8 million).

Here's a look of the 10 most watched prime-time shows for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research:

1. CSI, CBS, 28.3 million viewers
2. Desperate Housewives, ABC, 25.8 million viewers
3. Lost, ABC, 21.7 million viewers
4. Without a Trace, CBS, 20.6 million viewers
5. CSI: Miami, CBS, 18.5 million viewers
6. Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 18.3 million viewers
7. Survivor: Guatemala, CBS, 17.8 million viewers
8. NCIS, CBS, 16.8 million viewers
9. Commander in Chief, ABC, 16.2 million viewers
10. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, ABC, 16.1 million viewers

'My Name Is Earl' a surprise hit

Have you heard about the new redneck sitcom starring the dude from A Guy Thing and created by the man responsible for Yes, Dear?

Actually yeah, you probably have. But had NBC chosen that way to sell its Tuesday night success story My Name Is Earl (9 p.m. on NBC and CH), audiences would probably have tuned into reruns of My Wife And Kids instead. With good reason.

On paper, Earl shouldn't work. A half-hour comedy with cinematic camera work and no laugh track seems a better fit for HBO, while its bushy-mustached, white trash protagonist sounds like a character from an unfunny Jeff Foxworthy monologue. Wait, is that redundant?

But with Almost Famous's Jason Lee as the charming loser on a quest to rehabilitate his karma, Earl has enjoyed the double-barreled success of critical acclaim and solid ratings, premiering with more than 15 million U.S. viewers and hanging onto audiences throughout its first handful of episodes.

Trucker caps off to open-minded NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly, then, who gambled on a comedy by the co-creator of a successful but critically reviled CBS series (Greg Garcia of Yes, Dear) and pimped it mercilessly with an aggressive advertising campaign.

And also to Lee's Earl Hickey, an anti-hero who is deceptively light on the anti, once you get to know him. Having been hit by a car seconds after winning $100,000 on a lottery scratch ticket, Earl has made a list of the 259 really bad things he's done in his life, and has set out to rebalance his karma by revisiting his sins and setting things right.

Along for the ride are Earl's large and lazy brother (The Butterfly Effect's wonderfully droll Ethan Suplee) and their chambermaid pal (Nadine Velazquez). Earl's recently ex'd wife (Jaime Pressly) is the coyote to Earl's roadrunner, hunting him down for her share of the lottery winnings.

Lowbrow highjinks aside, the show has proven to be surprisingly sly and even more surprisingly sweet. The concept of a politically incorrect ne'er-do-well atoning for his sins while hanging onto his love for the not-so-fine things in life clearly strikes a chord.

It's Touched By An Angel for the beer and nicotine set, except we admire Earl for some of the things he's done. Shooting bottle rockets at your brother while he's on a date? Priceless. And tonight's episode will see Earl making amends for mocking people with accents by teaching an English as a second language class, while an ex-con pal (Giovanni Ribisi) kidnaps Earl's brother in a bid to get his hands on the lottery cash.

NBC's Reilly has said Earl is the counterbalance to the sitcom staple format of the fat guy with hot wife and lippy kids, which has seen fare like The King Of Queens, According To Jim and, let's face it, Yes, Dear enjoy lengthy runs that are far beyond science's ability to explain.

And so far, it's working. By the third episode, My Name Is Earl had become the highest-rated comedy of the new season (and a serious boon to NBC's flaccid schedule), and Reilly ordered a full season of 22 episodes. How much gas Earl has in the tank of his rusting Camaro beyond that remains to be seen, since the sin-o'-the-week format could wear out its welcome.

But Earl does have a bit of a beer gut, his ex-missus is played by a hot former model, and while he doesn't have kids, his brother is a sort of a man-child. So by the formula of long-lasting sitcom success, My Name Is Earl is already blessed with some pretty good karma.

THE SINS OF EARL

A sampling from Earl Hickey's list of 259 karma-fouling deeds:

No. 23: Peed in the back of a cop car
No. 41: Snatched a kid's Halloween candy when he came to my trailer to trick-or-treat
No. 59: Everything I did to Dad
No. 63: Wasted electricity
No. 69: Cheated on school tests. A lot
No. 73: Always took a penny, never left a penny
No. 86: Stole a car from a one-legged girl
No. 84: Faked death to break up with a girl
No. 136: I've been a litterbug

Sundance marks 25 years with DVD set

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Giving a nod to the Sundance Institute's 25th anniversary, an 11-DVD collection of festival favorites is being readied for a November 22 release.

" Sundance Film Festival Collection: Celebrating 25 Years of Sundance Institute" includes 10 movies plus an additional disc of interviews, behind-the-scenes shots from the Sundance Institute labs, and footage from the Sundance Film Festival.

Films that will be part of the collection include Stephen Soderbergh's "sex, lies and videotape," which won the Audience Award at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival; Kevin Smith's cult favorite "Clerks," winner of the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1994 festival; "The Usual Suspects," the acclaimed thriller from Bryan Singer that premiered at the 1995 festival; "Smoke Signals," which was developed by Chris Eyre at the 1995 Sundance Institute Filmmakers lab and won the Audience Award and the Filmmakers Trophy at the 1998 festival; and the Sundance Film Festival's 1999 Grand Jury Prize winner, "American Movie," from director Chris Smith.

Also featured in the collection are the Oscar-winning "Boys Don't Cry" (1999), developed by Kimberly Peirce at the 1997 lab; Todd Field's critically hailed "In the Bedroom," for which stars Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek were given Special Jury Prizes at the 2001 festival; 2002 Grand Jury Prize winner "Real Women Have Curves," from director Patricia Cardoso, which also garnered Special Jury Prizes for Lupe Ontiveros and America Ferrera; 2003 Grand Jury Prize winner "Capturing the Friedmans," the acclaimed documentary from director Andrew Jarecki; and another 2003 Grand Jury Prize winner, "American Splendor," helmed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.

Special features on the bonus disc include interviews with Sundance founder Robert Redford; a documentary on the Sundance Institute; filmmaker interviews; and scenes from the Sundance lab sessions for two films included in the collection.

The boxed set will include a booklet with an introduction by Redford and a review of the institute's work in independent film, film music and theater.

Former Jays coach Widmar Dies

Former Toronto coach and executive Al Widmar passed away Saturday after a battle with colon cancer. He was 80 years old.

Widmar spent more than half of his life in the game, working from 1942 to 2000. He pitched for 17 professional seasons, notching a 13-30 record in 114 big league games. Widmar dove right into coaching once his playing career ended and never really stopped after that. He worked for four more decades -- two of them with the Blue Jays.

The former hurler first joined the Jays in 1980, serving as the team's pitching coach. He remained in that capacity for 10 years, overseeing franchise stalwarts like Dave Stieb and Jimmy Key. After that, Widmar worked as a special assignment coach for two seasons and capped off his Toronto tenure as a special assistant to the general manager.

Widmar worked in that advisory capacity with both Pat Gillick and Gord Ash, but his professional career began 58 years earlier, when he signed with the Boston Red Sox as a 17-year-old. Widmar didn't make it to the big leagues until 1947, and he pitched just two games for the Sox.

One trade later, the right-hander spent three seasons with Bill Veeck's St. Louis Browns. He was a teammate of 3-foot-7 pinch-hitter Eddie Gaedel in 1951. The 27-year-old Widmar pitched one game for the Chicago White Sox in 1952 and never made it back to the big leagues, pitching five more years in the Minor Leagues before he called it quits.

Widmar coached 12 seasons in the Phillies organization and one with the defunct Seattle Pilots. He also spent several seasons as the farm director for the Milwaukee Brewers, adding to his wide-ranging resume. Widmar also coached two seasons in Baltimore before finding a home in Toronto, where he stayed for the rest of his career.

Widmar's death came just six days after the passing of longtime Toronto broadcaster Tom Cheek, who lost a 16-month battle with brain cancer last Sunday. Visitation for Widmar will be held on Wednesday at the Floral Haven Funeral Home in Broken Arrow, Okla. Funeral services will be conducted Thursday at St. Madeline Parish in Tulsa.

NEW CD RELEASES FOR OCTOBER 18, 2005

10 Ft. Ganja Plant Bass Chalice (ROIR)

Eric Andersen Waves (w/songs by Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Tim Buckley, Tom Paxton and more; includes live bonus track w/Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie and Tom Rush) (Appleseed)

Asamov And Now... (w/9th Wonder, Mr. Lif, J-Live and more) (6 Hole)

Asian Kung-Fu Generation Sol-fa (Tofu)

Audio Bullys Generation (w/Roots Manuva and Madness frontman Suggs) (Astralwerks)

The Beautiful Newborn Children Hey People! (Domino)

The Blackout Pact Hello Sailor (produced by Thursday's Geoff Rickly) (Astro Magnetics)

Blueskins Change Your Mind EP (Domino)

Boards of Canada Campfire Headphase (Warp)

Books on Tape Dinosaur Dinosaur (Alien 8/Southern)

Chris Botti Still in Love (Columbia)

The Briefs Steal Yer Heart (BYO)

Brothers Past This Feeling's Called Goodbye (Range)

Burnside Project The Finest Example Is You (Bar/None)

Charlemagne Detour Allure (SideCho)

Classic Case Dress to Depress (Fiddler)

B.J. Cole Lost in Paradise (DualDisc) (Silverline)

Miriam Conti Dances of Spain (Koch)

Jack Cook Sittin' on Top of the World (Koch)

Billy Currington Doin' Somethin' Right (Mercury Nashville)

Dave's True Story Project Remix (BePop)

Depeche Mode Playing the Angel (Mute/Sire/Reprise)

Dishwalla Live... Greetings from the Flow State (DualDisc) (Immergent)

DJ Irene Decades (mix CD) (Moist)

Dr. Neptune Beyond Warped (DualDisc) (Immergent)

Faded Me When It's Over (Bungalo)

Faunts High Expectations/Low Results (Friendly Fire)

Julian Fauth Songs of Vice and Sorrow (Electro-Fi)

Fireball Ministry Their Rock Is Not Our Rock (Liquor and Poker Music)

Al Franken The Show Party Album (Artemis)

Tim Garland If the Sea Replied (Sirocco)

Chris Gerolmo I'm Your Daddy (Lakeshore)

Goapele Change It All (Columbia)

Gravenhurst Fires in Distant Buildings (Warp)

Guttermouth Beyond Warped (DualDisc) (Immergent)

Mick Harvey One Man's Treasure (Mute)

The Jade Shader Curse of the Tuatara (Sonic Boom)

Jneiro Jarel Three Piece Puzzle (w/Vinia Mojica) (Ropeadope)

Johnny Society Coming to Get You (Messenger)

Lakota Hope for the Haunted (Pop Up)

Brie Larson Finally Out of P.E. (Universal Motown)

Erik Larson (Alabama Thunderpussy guitarist) Faith, Hope, Love (w/cover of Elliot Smith's "Say Yes") (Small Stone)

Tracy Lawrence Then and Now: The Hits Collection (DreamWorks Nashville)

Steve Lehman Demian as a Post Human (Pi)

Jackie Leven Shining Brother Shining Sister (DualDisc) (Silverline)

Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra featuring Wynton Marsalis Don't Be Afraid...the Music of Charles Mingus (Palmetto)

LongShot Civil War Pt. 2 (CD/DVD combo) (EV Productions)

The Lovetones (w/Brian Jonestown Massacre guitarist Matthew J. Tow) Meditations (Tee Pee)

Marah If You Didn't Laugh, You'd Cry (Yep Roc)

Mashonda January Joy (DualDisc same day) (J Records)

Martina McBride Timeless (RCA Nashville)

Messer Chups Crazy Price (Ipecac)

MEST Photographs (w/bonus DVD featuring live and behind-the-scenes footage) (Maverick)

Jane Monheit The Season (holiday album) (Epic)

Mum Yesterday Was Dramatic - Today Is OK (Morr Music)

Nadja Truth Becomes Death (Alien 8/Southern)

Odetta Gonna Let It Shine (M.C.)

OHM (w/Megadeth's Chris Poland) Amino Acid Flashback (Blacknote)

Jean-Michel Pilc Live at Iridium, NY (Dreyfus)

Play N Skillz The Process (Universal)

Lou Pride Keep on Believing (Severn)

Tom Principato Band Guitar Gumbo (Powerhouse)

Propagandhi Potemkin City Limits (Fat Wreck Chords)

Rev Run (of Run-D.M.C.) Distortion (enhanced CD) (Def Jam)

Ribeye Brothers (ex-members of Monster Magnet) Bar Ballads and Other Cautionary Tales (Times Beach)

Ringworm Justice Replaced by Revenge (Victory)

George Russell The 80th Birthday Concert (two CDs; 2003 performance w/the Living Time Orchestra) (Concept)

The Ruts Babylon's Burning (Dub Drenched Soundscapes) (Collision)

Moacir Santos Choros and Alegria (Adventure)

Saxon Shore The Exquisite Death of (produced by David Fridmann) (Burnt Toast Vinyl)

Say Anything ...Is a Real Boy (two CDs; includes 2004 indie release plus bonus disc of demos and new, acoustic versions of older songs) (J Records)

Scarface and the Underground Railroad Presents The Product (Koch)

Scars of Tomorrow The Horror of Realization (Victory)

Brian Setzer Dig That Crazy Christmas (Surfdog)

Shady Grady All Wound Up (CD/DVD combo) (Bungalo)

Silver Jews (ex-members of Pavement and the Jesus Lizard) Tanglewood Numbers (w/Will Oldham) (Drag City)

Simply Red Simplified (new songs and new recordings of classic hits) (Verve Forecast)

Ashlee Simpson I Am Me (Geffen)

Ricky Skaggs A Skaggs Family Christmas (Skaggs Family)

Sound Team Work

Eddie Spaghetti (of Supersuckers) Old No. 2 (originals and covers of Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Tom Waits and AC/DC) (Mid-Fi)

Split Decision Featuring Fats & Bathgate (Never Enough)

Rod Stewart Thanks for the Memory...The Great American Songbook: Vol. IV (includes duets w/Diana Ross, Elton John and Chaka Khan) (J Records)

Thrice Vheissu (Deluxe Edition same day) (Island)

The Timeout Drawer Nowonmai (Consumer Research & Development/Southern)

Trillville Reloaded (produced by Lil Jon) (Warner Bros.)

Unearth The Oncoming Storm (CD/DVD combo; special edition of 2004 album with live and behind-the-scenes footage and interviews) (Metal Blade)

Unknown Instructors (w/Mike Watt and George Hurley of fIREHOSE/Minutemen) The Way Things Work (Smog Veil)

Vaz The Lie That Matches the Furniture (Narnack)

Vienna Boys Choir Amazing Grace (Koch)

Voltage Building the Bass Castle, Vol. 1 (Flameshovel/Southern)

BJ Ward Michael Feinstein Presents: Sings Marshall Barer (Feinery/Fantasy)

Hayley Westenra Odyssey (includes duet w/Andrea Bocelli) (Decca)

Wheatus Too Soon Monsoon (Montauk Mantis)

Joy Lynn White One More Time (see page x) (Thortch)

Who Made Who Who Made Who (Gomma)

Brian Wilson What I Really Want for Christmas (J Records)

With Honor This Is Our Revenge (Victory)

Stevie Wonder A Time 2 Love (Universal Motown)

Words Now Heard Loud and Clear (JMD/Victory)

VA A Celebration of New Orleans Music: MusiCares Hurricane Relief 2005 (Rounder)

VA Another World Is Possible (w/Moby, Asian Dub Foundation, Manu Chao and more) (Uncivilized World)

VA Freestyle Latin Style (Empire)

VA Nikki Music Vol. 02 (two CDs; house and downtempo electronica compilation) (M2K/Koch)

VA PROTECT: A Benefit for the National Association to Protect Children (w/NOFX, MxPx, Jawbreaker, Anti-Flag and more) (Fat Wreck Chords)

VA to: KATE - A Benefit for Kate's Sake (holiday songs by/Jim Lauderdale, Raul Malo, John Prine, Steve Earle and more; benefits Children's Organ Transplant Association) (Western Beat)

VA Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture (collaborations between Wu-Tang Clan members and MF Doom, Cannibal Ox, El-P, J-Live) (Babygrande)

OST Chumscrubber (w/songs from Phantom Planet, Snow Patrol, Cat Power, eels and more) (Lakeshore)

OST Daltry Calhoun (Johnny Knoxville film; score by John Swihart) (Lakeshore)

OST Masters of Horror (two CDs; soundtrack to upcoming Showtime TV series; w/songs by Mudvayne, Thursday, Andrew WK and more) (Immortal)

OST Stubbs the Zombie (video game soundtrack; exclusive covers of ‘50s-era songs by Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, The Walkmen, The Raveonettes, Cake and more) (Shout! Factory)

OST The Squid and the Whale (w/songs by Lou Reed, the Cars and more; plus original songs and score from ex-Luna's Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips) (Ultra)

OST Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (video game soundtrack w/My Chemical Romance, Alkaline Trio, Hot Snakes and others performing exclusive versions of classic punk songs by Black Flag, the Stooges, the Buzzcocks and more) (Vagrant)

DVD The Rat Pack: Live from Las Vegas (stage show recreating classic routines of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr.) (Image)

DVD Chick Corea & the Elektric Band Live at Montreux 2004 (Eagle Rock)

DVD Fourplay An Evening with, Vols. I and II (Eagle Rock)

DVD Queen + Paul Rodgers Return of the Champions (Hollywood)

DVD Brian Setzer Christmas Extravaganza (live 2004 performance) (Surfdog)

DVD Umphrey's McGee Wrapped Around Chicago: New Year's at the Riv (two DVDs; live performance w/behind-the-scenes footage) (SCI Fidelity)

DVD Suzanne Vega Live at Montreux 2000/2004 (Eagle Rock)

SACD Chris Brubeck Czech National Philharmonic (Koch)

Craig Was First Choice Bond

Daniel Craig was the producers' first choice to replace Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, dispelling reports that the prestigious role had been turned down by other actors during the protracted selection process.

Producer Michael G. Wilson told Friday's press conference in London that he spent two years searching for the new British superspy, and a host of contenders including Clive Owen, Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor were not offered the part in Casino Royale.

Wilson said, "(Daniel Craig) was the only one we offered the film to. There's been some speculation that we offered it to other people but that's not accurate."

The 37-year-old, who will be the first blond Bond, is expected to portray a stripped down Bond in what is expected to be a darker exploration of the world of espionage. Craig added, "I want to take Bond somewhere he's never been before."

Moneypenny and Q Axed from 'Casino Royale'

Producers of the forthcoming James Bond movie Casino Royale have axed the legendary Miss Moneypenny character.

Moneypenny, who has waved the suave super-spy off on some of his most perilous missions, been written out of the new film because she only fleetingly appears in Ian Fleming's original novel.

Gadget-inventor Q, last played by John Cleese will also be absent from the new film - in which British actor Daniel Craig will play 007 for the first time.

The news is the biggest indication the new film will deviate substantially from the spirit of previous Bond adventures.

Co-producer Michael G. Wilson confirms, "Neither Miss Moneypenny nor Q will appear.

Neither of them are in the book. The film will update the novel but stick very closely to the storyline."

Lennon-Ono Photo Deemed Top Magazine Cover

NEW YORK - On what would be the last day of his life, John Lennon posed for photographs with Yoko Ono in a session with photographer Annie Liebovitz. One of the pictures, a naked Lennon curled around and kissing a clothed Ono, became the cover for Rolling Stone magazine's tribute to him.

That iconic image published a month after his December 1980 death has been ranked the top magazine cover of the last 40 years by a panel of magazine editors, artists and designers. Others on the list include images from the Sept. 11 attacks, the Vietnam War and of Katiti Kironde II, the first black woman on the cover of a national women's magazine, in the August 1968 Glamour.

The American Society of Magazine Editors announced the winners of the competition on Monday during the American Magazine Conference in Puerto Rico. The competition was held as a way to mark the 40th anniversary of the group's awards.

"Both the choice of a cover and the execution of a cover are crucial for any magazine," said Mark Whitaker, editor of Newsweek and ASME president. "Every editor wants their cover to stand out."

Coming in second was the shot of a very pregnant Demi Moore on the August 1991 cover of Vanity Fair, followed by an April 1968 image from Esquire of boxer Muhammad Ali with arrows in his body. The Saul Steinberg drawing of New York's West Side dwarfing the rest of the country, published in The New Yorker on March 29, 1976, came in fourth. Esquire's May 1969 image of Pop Art maven Andy Warhol drowning in a can of tomato soup took the fifth spot.

Other covers on the list include The New Yorker from Sept. 24, 2001, silhouettes of the World Trade Center towers against a black background; National Geographic's June 1985 cover of an Afghan refugee girl with haunted eyes; People magazine's cover from Sept. 15, 1997 — a black-and-white portrait of a smiling Princess Diana; and Life magazine's image of man on the moon from 1969.

There were a few ties, leading to a total of 41 images chosen.

Magazine covers can reflect the society around them, by how controversial they choose to be, said Johanna Keller, professor of magazine journalism at Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Public Communications.

"They're absolutely a societal barometer of what we find acceptable to look at," she said.

Good covers can range from funny to poignant, she said. "The ones that work best touch us in the same way that great art touches us ... stirring our very deepest human emotions."

The list was decided on by a panel of 52 magazine editors, design directors, art directors and photography editors.

Esquire, Time and Life each had four covers on the list. Eleven of the covers came from the 1960s, eight from the 1970s, three from the 1980s, 10 from the 1990s and nine from this decade. Thirty-two covers were photographs, while seven were illustrations and two were text.

Rick Springfield's Soap Flashback

The last time Rick Springfield walked the halls of General Hospital, Ronald Reagan was President, Arnold Schwarzenegger was Conan the Barbarian, and you were wondering if painter pants made you look fat.

With a nod to its past, and without apparent regard to how the move might make certain viewers feel really, really old, ABC has announced the return of the former Tiger Beat staple to its top-rated daytime soap. As he did during his original 1981-83 stint, Springfield will play Dr. Noah Drake.

"I guess there was a reason why they didn't kill Noah off in the '80s," Springfield, now 56, said in a statement. "This should be fun."

Springfield is scheduled to make at least four appearances, beginning Dec. 2, ABC said.

According to the network, the good Dr. Drake will return to help the good Dr. Robin (played Kimberly McCullough, another recent blast-from-the-past General Hospital rehire) diagnosis bad-boy Jason Morgan ( Steve Burton).

There was no word if the good Dr. Drake was to reunite with drama-queen nurse Bobbie (the still-around Jacklyn Zeman), whom he romanced in the 1980s even though Bobbie once pretended to be blind in order to keep Dr. Drake as her own personal love slave.

While Dr. Drake might not have contributed to nurse Bobbie's mental health back in the day, the character worked wonders for Springfield's music career.

Within five months of joining General Hospital in 1981, Springfield, an Aussie-born rocker who'd had some chart success in the 1970s, ruled radio and MTV with the Grammy-winning hit, "Jessie's Girl." In his early 30s, he was a teen idol.

"Probably General Hospital had more to do with me getting known physically than MTV did," Springfield once told PopMatters.com.

Springfield probably was right. In 1981, MTV was a fledging cable experiment; General Hospital was, per a Newsweek cover story, "TV's hottest show," owing to the phenomenon that was Luke ( Anthony Geary) and Laura ( Genie Francis).

Springfield's General Hospital stay lasted about two years. In 1983, Dr. Drake departed for Atlanta; Springfield left to pursue hit records and hit movies. Chart-wise, Springfield never equaled "Jessie's Girl"; box-office-wise, few equaled the dud that was Hard to Hold.

Dr. Drake, however, was forever.

"Thirty, 40 times a day I must get questions when I'm on the road about General Hospital or Noah Drake. It's constant," Springfield once told Soap Opera Weekly. "It amazes me that it's still so prevalent in the fans' minds."

Springfield's most recent album, a collection of cover tunes, was released in July. Its title: The Day After Yesterday.

Unknown Marley track surfaces on compilation

NEW YORK (Billboard) - A never-before-released Bob Marley song believed to have been recorded in a Miami bedroom in 1979 will appear on the upcoming compilation "Africa Unite: The Singles Collection."

Due November 8 via Island/Tuff Gong/UME, the set features "Slogans," the master tape of which was discovered in 2003 by Marley's sons Ziggy and Stephen.

In addition to adding their own parts and producing, the Marleys drafted Eric Clapton to record a guitar part for the finished version. Ziggy first revealed the existence of unheard Marley material to Billboard.com in 2003.

"I didn't know any of these songs," he said at the time. "The way he was playing the guitar on one song that I heard, it was like jazz. It wasn't what you would expect from him at all."

"Africa Unite," which collects early recordings as well as Marley's biggest hits, is rounded out by a new remix of the title track from the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am plus Ashley Beedle's mash-up of "Get Up, Stand Up" and youngest Marley son Damian's "Welcome to Jamrock."

The DVD "Live! At the Rainbow," a 1977 London concert originally released in 1991 on VHS, also is due in stores on November 8. And a sample of Marley's "Johnny Was" can be heard on a newly released Notorious B.I.G. single, "Hold Ya Hand."

ABC News unveils new 3-anchor 'Nightline' format

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - ABC News said on Monday it will replace departing "Nightline" host Ted Koppel with a trio of anchors including a veteran White House reporter and a British journalist whose Michael Jackson documentary led to the pop star's child molestation trial.

Terry Moran, ABC's chief White House correspondent since 1999, will join "Primetime" co-host Cynthia McFadden and former BBC journalist Martin Bashir in the new "Nightline" format debuting on November 28, the network said.

In another change under incoming executive producer James Goldston, "Nightline" will cover three or four topics each night, rather than its traditional devotion to a single subject on most broadcasts.

The announcement followed months of speculation about the form and direction "Nightline" will take after Koppel leaves the show with his executive producer, Tom Bettag.

Koppel, 65, who has hosted "Nightline" since its official 1980 debut in the midst of the 444-day U.S.-Iranian hostage crisis, will anchor his last segment of the program on November 22 and leave ABC after 42 years with the network.

'PRESENTATIONAL DIFFERENCES'

Goldston, who produced Britain's most-watched public affairs show for two years, as well as Bashir's "Living with Michael Jackson" documentary, denied suggestions that "Nightline" will go soft on news in favor of more pop-culture fluff.

"'Nightline' has a great and proud tradition of doing serious and important journalism," he told Reuters. "There will be presentational differences, but there shouldn't be very large content differences."

"Nightline" spokeswoman Emily Lenzner said the "main set" for the show would shift to New York, where McFadden and Bashir are based. Moran will remain in Washington. Goldston said the anchors will serve as "co-equals" on the program.

Bashir, who joined ABC last year, first gained wide notice in the United States for the 2003 Jackson documentary in which the pop star acknowledged sharing his bedroom with visiting youngsters. That admission led to Jackson's trial on charges of child molestation, but he ultimately was acquitted.

Moran anchors the Sunday night broadcast of "ABC World News Tonight" and has served as the network's chief White House correspondent since 1999. McFadden was hired by ABC News in 1994 as a legal affairs correspondent and has co-anchored the "Primetime" news magazine since last year.

"Nightline," which helped usher in the nation's demand for round-the-clock news, evolved from a series of late-night news specials devoted to coverage of the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in November 1979.

The specials, titled "The Iran Crisis: America Held Hostage," were first anchored by Frank Reynolds, then by Koppel, who stayed on to become host of "Nightline" when it debuted as a regular ABC program on March 24, 1980.

The changing of the guard at "Nightline" comes as the show is enjoying a ratings upswing, due in large part to its coverage of Hurricane Katrina.

More than three years ago, ABC sparked a furor when it was revealed that the network had quietly sought to recruit comedian David Letterman, star of the "CBS Late Show," to host a new ABC talk show that would replace "Nightline."

Composer Shore out, Newton Howard in for 'Kong'

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore has left Peter Jackson's "King Kong" and is being replaced by James Newton Howard.

The move comes just two months before Universal Pictures is set to release the film, which bows December 14 in the U.S.

Jackson issued a statement Friday saying that he and Shore were parting ways because of creative differences.

"I have greatly enjoyed my collaborations with Howard Shore, whose musical themes made immeasurable contributions to 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy," he said. "During the last few weeks, Howard and I came to realize that we had differing creative aspirations for the score of 'King Kong.' Rather than waste time arguing with a friend and trying to unify our points of view, we decided amicably to let another composer score the film."

The Jackson-Shore relationship has been a very successful one. Shore composed the score on all three of Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" films, as well as additional scoring for the DVDs. He won Oscars for the first and third films in the trilogy, "The Fellowship of the Ring" and "The Return of the King." Shore also shared an Oscar for best original song on the latter film with Fran Walsh and Annie Lennox. The composer had been working on the "Kong" score since wrapping "Return of the King."

Jeff Bond, editor at large of Film Score Monthly, said the difference could stem from Shore's artistic ambitions running against the demands of a big studio movie.

"Howard Shore is a guy who -- particularly on 'Lord of the Rings' and a lot of his scores for David Cronenberg -- has very specific artistic ideas that he likes to express in a score," Bond said. "That can be problematic if the composer is potentially running up against the thoughts of a director. Part of the problem is that the bigger the project, the less the score has an opportunity to be creative."

Shore has been on the other side of the equation, having replaced another composer on a film. He took over the music assignment on Martin Scorsese's 2002 period drama "Gangs of New York" after Elmer Bernstein left that project.

Newton Howard's film credits include "The Sixth Sense," "Collateral" and "Batman Begins." His scores and songs have garnered six Oscar nominations for films that include "The Prince of Tides," "The Fugitive" and "The Village."

Ex-'SNL' Comedian's Death Ruled a Suicide

FARMINGTON, Conn. - Charles Rocket, a comedian and actor who appeared on "Saturday Night Live" and had roles in a variety of movies and television series, committed suicide, the state medical examiner has ruled.

Rocket, 56, whose real name was Charles Calervie, was found dead in a field near his home in Canterbury on Oct 7. His throat had been cut, the medical examiner said.

"An investigation determined there was no criminal aspect to this case," State Police Sgt. J. Paul Vance said Monday.

Rocket was a cast member on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" during the 1980-81 season. He gained notoriety when he was fired from SNL for swearing on the air.

He went on to appear in numerous TV shows, including "Moonlighting" and "Max Headroom," and provided voices for cartoon series. His movie credits included "Earth Girls are Easy," "Dumb and Dumber" and "Dances With Wolves."

Stallone getting back in ring for sixth 'Rocky'

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Sylvester Stallone is signing on to reprise his role as boxer Rocky Balboa in the sixth installment of the long-running film series, which he wrote and will direct.

The film, titled "Rocky Balboa," will be co-produced and co-financed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Columbia Pictures and Revolution Studios and will be distributed by Columbia Pictures.

Stallone has been trying to make a sixth movie for years and has been reworking a script. The latest version, which sources said is similar to the tone and grit of the first two movies, persuaded the studios to negotiate a deal.

"In many ways, the screenplay really took me back to the original 'Rocky,"' Revolution Studios founder Joe Roth said in a statement. "As a past champion, Rocky Balboa is once again a regular guy who has to find himself and deal with real life. This film brings Rocky's story full circle."

In the new installment, Rocky, lonely and retired in Philadelphia, comes out of retirement, intending to fight a few low-profile local fights. He's approached to fight a match with reigning heavyweight champ Mason "The Line" Dixon, and soon his comeback ignites a media firestorm.

"'Rocky Balboa' is about everybody who feels they want to participate in the race of life, rather than be a bystander," Stallone said in a statement. "You're never too old to climb a mountain, if that's your desire."

Shooting is scheduled to begin in December in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

Stallone received Academy Award nominations for starring in and writing "Rocky," and the 1976 MGM film won an Oscar for best picture, best director (John G. Avildsen) and best editing (Richard Halsey, Scott Conrad). The movie grossed $117.3 million at the domestic boxoffice, making Stallone a film star and creating one of cinema's most famous characters.

It also launched one of the most successful film series of all time. 1979's "Rocky II" grossed $85 million, and 1982's "Rocky III," which featured Mr. T, grossed $120.2 million. "Rocky IV," with Dolph Lundgren, made $125.4 million after its 1985 release. By the decade's close, however, audiences seemed to have tired of the character. "Rocky V," released in 1990, made only $40 million.

"Rocky Balboa" is the first film to be green-lit by MGM since it was acquired by Sony Corp.

WELCOME BACK

Michael J. Fox guest-starring on three upcoming episodes of Boston Legal as a rich businessman with lung cancer. Fox's episodes will air in December and January.

Rick Moranis: From 'Spaceballs' to country 'Cowboy'

From about 1983 to 1994, you couldn't go to the movies without catching a glimpse of Rick Moranis.

First came the cult comedy Strange Brew with Dave Thomas, his cast mate on Canadian sketch-comedy show SCTV. A supporting role in Ghostbusters led to bigger parts in Little Shop of Horrors, Spaceballs, The Flintstones and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.

But it's been almost 10 years since we've seen the comedian onscreen. Where's he been?

Answer: Writing country songs. Last week, Moranis released his first album, The Agoraphobic Cowboy, through ArtistShare, an online music service.

The actor and musician recently spoke to USATODAY.com's Whitney Matheson about his new project:

Matheson: It's great to talk to you, though I never would've guessed we'd be discussing your new country CD. Is it OK to call it country? Or is it more of a comedy album?

Moranis: Well, (the songs are) all a little bit different, but they all have some sort of comic or witty premise to them. It's not a conventional comedy album, in the sense that it's a compilation of sketches or stand-up material. It's all music.

There's a long tradition — certainly with country, but in all kinds of genres of music — to have humorous lyrics. Certainly with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention and, if you look at country, Roger Miller and Jim Stafford.

So how long did it take to make?

Well, the album is homegrown. The reason it wound up taking a little bit longer on the production side was because it wasn't like a record company, with a very large budget, going into a studio for three weeks and getting all the tracks down. I was working with one guy in particular, Tony Scherr, who is a musician and tours and plays with his own band and various bands and juggles a lot of different projects. So it took as long as it took him to make room for me to do this.

The production of the songs took place between last January and May, and then we had to mix and master and manufacture, and then the artwork had to get done. The actual writing of the songs, I think, took place over about six months before that.

You could've taken this to a record label, but you decided to distribute it online. How come?

Well, that's a really good question — there's a number of answers to that. First of all, I think the music business itself is at a very difficult time, in terms of music being purchased more over the Web than in stores than ever before. Record companies (are) being really challenged by how to select acts and promote acts.

The early fishing around that I did for potential partnership in this — and I mean it was very limited and very superficial — it told me what I had suspected. Their initial response was, "Well, where is the movie this comes from?" In other words, "Why would a guy like you do an album that wasn't the soundtrack to a movie, and why would we want to spend all that money on it?"

And that, combined with the fact that I wanted to do it low-budget, and I didn't want to be at the whim of a large company's promotion ideas, production ideas and certainly their suspicious accounting practices (was why) I decided to do it on my own.

There was no, and is no, and probably will be no movie that this comes from. I just started writing these tunes ... primarily because my kids were listening to a lot of traditional and jam bands and bluegrass in the house. It just got into my head.

So now what do your kids think about the album now?

My son who's 17 really loves it. I'm lucky about that. And my daughter likes it a lot; she's a little more guarded with her praise. But the main thing is, I didn't embarrass them. So I consider it a triumph in that regard.

One song in particular (I Ain't Goin' Nowhere) seems inspired by Johnny Cash. Are you a big fan?

Actually, I wrote that before I even knew that Johnny Cash had redone that song (I've Been Everywhere). I knew it from the Hank Snow version, because Hank Snow, although he was Nashville-based, was Canadian. So early on in my radio career, that song qualified as Canadian content and used to get played on Canadian radio all the time.

Now, it's all over television, because I think they licensed it for commercial use for ... what is it, a motel or something?

Yeah, it's for a motel or a car or something.

Yeah, it's on TV now. But to answer your question, I love Johnny Cash and always have. Nobody's better.

A lot of people don't know you were a DJ before SCTV came along. Was music your first love?

Yeah, I think so many of my friends that grew up in the '60s kind of put down our hockey sticks and picked up electric guitars. I don't know if it was like that in the States for kids, but we were so profoundly affected by the rock revolution in the '60s. ... It got really under our skins and into our heads and hearts.

It's always been a big passion of mine. I was able to do a lot of music on SCTV, and I was really lucky to do a musical; I got to sing the part of Seymour in Little Shop of Horrors. But this is something I've pretty much always either wanted to do or knew that eventually I would get around to doing. So it comes really naturally to me.

Do you have any favorite lyrics on the album?

Well, they're all my children, as they say. (Laughs.) ... The one called Four More Beers, which has a little bit to do about the electoral process in this country, has a bridge in it which is, "I wanna live in a swing state/A perpetual state of swing." I like the idea of that. But the song that I'm getting surprisingly the most positive feedback on is the SOS song, which is made up all of acronyms.

Wow. You just mentioned Little Shop of Horrors— I can't remember the last time I've seen you in a movie. So, uh, where have you been? Did you quit acting altogether?

I pulled out of making movies in about '96 or '97. I'm a single parent, and I just found that it was too difficult to manage raising my kids and doing the traveling involved in making movies. So I took a little bit of a break. And the little bit of a break turned into a longer break, and then I found that I really didn't miss it.

In the last few years I've been offered a number of parts in movies, and I've just turned them down. I don't know whether I'll go back to it or not. I've been doing a lot of writing and a lot of parenting, and now I'm doing this.

I bet you still get recognized on the street, though. What role do most people know you from?

Well, I'm recognized less so than I used to be, just because I'm not out there like I was 10 years ago. And also, being the agoraphobic cowboy, I really don't leave my neighborhood all that much. (Laughs.)

It really depends. There are fans of some of the old movies that'll mention those, and there's people that have little kids that'll look at me and say, "Wow, I just watched Honey, I Shrunk the Kids 35,000 times, and here you are!"

What kind of stuff are you listening to now?

Either WQXR, which is the classical radio station in New York, or WBGO, the jazz station out of Newark — one of those is on in the house all the time. And then there's what comes out of the kids' computers and what comes out of their rooms, which these days, more and more, has been jam bands: Yonder Mountain String Band and Widespread Panic and String Cheese Incident and bands like that.

So you haven't decided whether you're going to take this thing on the road.

(Laughs.) Well, I don't have a record company that's forcing me to. And the album only came out last week ... so it's a little bit early. We'll see.

Texas Town Celebrates Kermit's 50th B-Day

KERMIT, Texas - Kermit the Frog began a globe-hopping tour to celebrate his 50th showbiz birthday in this small West Texas town that shares the beloved amphibian's name.

The town of about 5,700 rolled out the green carpet Friday for the singing, dancing Muppet and former "Sesame Street" star, giving him the key to the city, dubbing him grand marshal of the homecoming parade and crowning him honorary homecoming king.

The town, one of two in the country named Kermit, also painted Kermit's face on the community's large water tower. The local Dairy Queen offered green French fries and ice cream in his honor. A park in town also will bear his name.

"I haven't seen such nice faces since Ms. Piggy's last makeover," he said in an appearance at City Hall, which is on a street that's been renamed Kermit the Frog Boulevard. "It's really like coming home again."

Kermit's 50-stop tour will cross four continents and last until the end of 2006. Stops include the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, the Great Wall of China, the Johnson Space Center and a courageous appearance at a Frog Leg Festival in Fellsmere, Fla. He's even scheduled to run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

"I thought they said bullfrogs," Kermit said in a rare Associated Press interview with a Muppet. "I'm going to get the heck out of their way."

Kermit made his debut in a 1955 television comedy called "Sam and Friends," which aired locally in Washington, D.C., but he looked more lizardlike back then. Kermit was fashioned from an old coat belonging to the mother of late Muppets creator Jim Henson and was named after one of Henson's childhood friends.

Henson and his 2-foot tall puppet joined "Sesame Street" in 1969. "The Muppet Show" followed in 1976 and ended its run in 1982.

Henson gave Kermit a voice and a life for 35 years, until his death in 1990. Since then, Steve Whitmire, who had worked with Henson for about 13 years, has taken over his voice and movements.

Kermit offered insight into how he keeps his youthful appearance.

"I don't think it's a secret: Stay moist," he said, adding that yoga also helps. "My favorite position is the downward frog."

The town of Kermit, a ranching and oil area about 375 miles west of Dallas, was named for Kermit Roosevelt, the eldest son of President Theodore Roosevelt. He had visited a ranch in northern Winkler County to hunt a few months before the town was named.

Horror Fans Lift 'Fog' to Box-Office Win

LOS ANGELES - The crowds were not quite as thick as pea soup, but the horror remake "The Fog" pulled in enough fans to win a close race at the weekend box office with a $12.2 million debut.

Finishing second was the previous weekend's No. 1 movie, the animated adventure "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," which took in $11.7 million to lift its total to $33.3 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Cameron Crowe's quirky romance "Elizabethtown," starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst, overcame poor reviews to open at No. 3 with $11 million.

The weekend's other new wide release — Tony Scott's action thriller "Domino," with Keira Knightley — flopped with $4.7 million, coming in sixth.

Hollywood's business continued to slump, with the top 12 movies taking in $72.2 million, down 18 percent from the same weekend in 2004. Theater revenues are running about 7 percent behind last year's, even with higher ticket prices. Admissions are down 10 percent.

The Major League Baseball playoffs probably undermined movie business as fans stayed home to watch the games, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"This was not a weekend destined to be a blockbuster weekend. Really, really slow," Dergarabedian said. "Audiences seemed somewhat indifferent again. That's the scary part for the industry. It really takes a lot to get them out there to see a movie. It seems like any competition, like baseball, really cuts in big-time."

"The Fog" did not screen in advance for critics, generally a sign the studio knows the movie will get bad reviews. Yet the movie, a remake of John Carpenter's 1970s ghost story of dead sailors terrorizing a town, drew in steadfast horror crowds that generally flock to fright flicks over opening weekend.

An attractive young cast led by Tom Welling, who plays Clark Kent on "Smallville," and Maggie Grace of "Lost" also helped lift "The Fog." Viewers 25 and younger accounted for 61 percent of the movie's audience, according to distributor Sony.

"I think `The Fog' had a lot of really cool elements in the sense it's a remake of a classic film of John Carpenter's and had a hot cast," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony.

"Elizabethtown" is writer-director Crowe's tale of a shoe designer (Bloom) at the center of a colossal business failure who stumbles into an unlikely romance with a flight attendant after he returns to his family's old haunts in Kentucky to retrieve the body of his dad, who died suddenly. Critics generally disliked "Elizabethtown," some calling it meandering and unfocused.

Director Scott's "Domino" fared worse among critics, who found it loud, frenetic and shallow. The movie stars Knightley as the daughter of actor Laurence Harvey, who left her career in modeling to become a bounty hunter.

In limited release, George Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck" continued to pull in big crowds. A portrait of journalist Edward R. Murrow ( David Strathairn) in his campaign against Sen. Joseph McCarthy's communist witch hunt of the 1950s, the acclaimed film expanded to 68 theaters, up from 11 the previous weekend, and took in $1.37 million.

"Good Night, and Good Luck" expands to more theaters in the next few weeks.

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 Fog," $12.2 million.
2. "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," $11.7 million.
3. "Elizabethtown," $11 million.
4. "Flightplan," $6.5 million.
5. "In Her Shoes," $6.1 million.
6. "Domino," $4.7 million.
7. "Two for the Money," $4.6 million.
8. "A History of Violence," $3.6 million.
9. " Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," $3.5 million.
10. "The Gospel," $3.2 million.

It Comes Out On Tuesday!!

Bryan Adams releases his first ever two-CD Anthology that includes a limited edition DVD of previously unreleased 2005 concert.

The biggest retrospective of his multi-platinum career, Anthology is to be released in North America 18 October, 2005. The International track listing and release date is soon to be confirmed.

The 36-selection Anthology spans Adams’ entire career from 1980 to 2005, and includes two new recordings. Most notably a new song, So Far So Good, which not-so-coincidentally was the title of his first 1993 quintuple platinum greatest hits disc. It also boasts a newly recorded version of When You’re Gone with pop culture idol Pamela Anderson. When You’re Gone will be released as the new radio single in America soon.

The definitive collection includes four #1 hits, and 6 of his top 10 hits. In addition the package includes photographs and an essay by renowned music critic Dave Marsh. A bonus is a limited edition concert DVD shot in Lisbon, Portugal this past February.

BRYAN ADAMS
THE ANTHOLOGY 1980-2005

DISC ONE
1 Remember
2 Lonely Nights
3 Straight From The Heart
4 Cuts Like A Knife
5 This Time
6 Run To You
7 Somebody
8 Heaven
9 Summer Of ’69
10 One Night Love Affair
11 It’s Only Love (with Tina Turner )
12 Heat Of The Night
13 Hearts On Fire
14 (Everything I Do) I Do It For You
15 Can’t Stop This Thing We Started
16 There Will Never Be Another Tonight
17 Thought I’d Died And Gone To Heaven
18 Best of Me

DISC TWO
1 Please Forgive Me
2 All For Love (with Sting and Rod Stewart)
3 Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman
4 Rock Steady (live with Bonnie Raitt)
5 The Only Thing That Looks Good On Me Is You
6 Let’s Make A Night To Remember
7 Star
8 Back To You live
9 I’m Ready live
10 On A Day Like Today
11 Cloud #9
12 Here I Am
13 this Side Of Paradise
14 Why Do You Have To Be So Hard To Love
15 Open Road live
16 18 Til I Die live
17 When You’re Gone (with Pamela Anderson)
18 So Far So Good

Q&A: Jeff Dowd Is the Real 'Lebowski'

NEW YORK - Call him the Dude. That or his Dudeness, Duder or el Duderino — if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

Addressing Jeff Dowd — the real life inspiration for Jeff Bridges' character in "The Big Lebowski" — is not a formal affair. But as the cult of the Coen brothers' 1998 mistaken identity comedy has grown, so has Dowd's fame.

The 55-year-old film producer first met Joel and Ethan Coen when he helped promote their 1984 debut, "Blood Simple." The Coens decided the large, boisterous Dowd, who referred to himself as "the Dude," would yield endless possibilities if inserted into a genre film — a Los Angeles film noir.

"It was sort of imaging him in the context of a (Raymond) Chandler kind of story that got us started on the script," Joel Coen says on the new collector's edition DVD of "The Big Lebowski."

Eight years later, the fan base for the movie continues to grow. A new collector's edition DVD comes out Tuesday, and New York will host the "Lebowski Fest" Oct. 21-22 — the fourth year fans will dress up as characters from the film, bowl a few games and sip the Dude's signature white Russians.

Imdb.com notes that the Dude, "the laziest in all of Los Angeles County," says "man" 144 times in the movie. Unfortunately, Dowd didn't drop one "man" talking to the AP, but he did discuss his peculiar "somewhat icon status."

AP: How similar are you to the Dude we know from the movie?

Dowd: A lot of the body language is 110 percent spot on. That's very, very similar. Some of the dress is pretty close. This is what Joel and Ethan imaged I would have been like in the `70s. There was a period of time after when we were very active politically in the late `60s — there was no "movement" anymore. A fair amount of people hung out for a couple years. We were hanging pretty heavy, and indeed for a while we drank white Russians somewhere between tequila sunrises and Harvey Wallbangers, or whatever the drink of season was.

AP: Did the Coens tell you they were working on "The Big Lebowski" with you in mind?

Dowd: I actually heard it through a guy named Ben Barenholt who produced a couple of their movies. "The boys are doin' a movie about 'ya, Dude." They told me shortly after that.

AP: Did you work with Jeff Bridges beforehand?

Dowd: Just a day, but he got it. I'm pretty easy to mimic. (Robert) Redford does a good impression of me too. I'm kind of bigger than life and the way I use my hands and mumble and lay back with my belly sticking out. In the script, it says, "The Dude, in rumpled clothes. Casualness runs deep."

AP: Do you bowl?

Dowd: Not that much. I know where Joel and Ethan got the bowling idea. It was during "Blood Simple," when I was helping them with the marketing and distribution. I had an idea to throw a party at a bowling alley in Santa Monica and it was like a thousand people. That's where that came from.

AP: Sam Elliot narrates at the start of the movie that the Dude is "the man for his time and place." Is that true of you as well?

Dowd: I've been fortunate enough to be in the right place and the right time for the better part of half a century — being around a lot of interesting people and a lot of interesting events. ... I'm there at 17 years old traveling around Europe with the Living Theater and, by chance, the Rolling Stones. I was around Ralph Nader when he started up his PIRG (Public Interest Research Group) organization. I got involved with Redford ... there's a whole story about the first year of Sundance and how it was started. I was involved in the last demonstration against Richard Nixon at the Spokane World Fair. (Dowd was a member of the Seattle Seven, an anti-Vietnam protest group alluded to in "Lebowski.")

AP: I hear you're writing an autobiography?

Dowd: I'm almost done. It's called "The Dude Abides." It's about how friends can get together and do things positively and hopefully using this somewhat icon status I have now, bequeathed to me by Joel and Ethan ... it'll help empower the younger generation.

AP: What's it like, this "icon status"?

Dowd: The persona of that character automatically is an icebreaker. People are like, "Wow! The Dude!" And they want to give you a big handshake or a hug. It's a very friendly feeling for them and obviously for me. It's different than what happens with people being in awe with a star — it's like a friendly thing. People seem to be instantly at ease. From my point of view, that's great, because that's how the world should be anyway.

AP: Do you indeed have a rug that really ties the room together?

Dowd: Absolutely.

English actor Craig named as first blond Bond

LONDON (Reuters) - His name is Craig, Daniel Craig.

The English actor was named as the next James Bond on Friday, ending months of speculation over who would take over from Pierce Brosnan on Her Majesty's secret service.

In typically flamboyant 007 style, the 37-year-old swept up the River Thames on a power launch to a news conference, escorted by Royal Marines boats.

The first blond Bond, wearing a blue suit and red tie, posed for photos in the shadow of Tower Bridge and told reporters: "I'm kind of speechless at the moment."

The casting of one of cinema's most iconic characters closes the successful four-film run of Irishman Brosnan, who was shaken and stirred not to be retained to make "Casino Royale," the 21st Bond film, that starts shooting in January.

The 52-year-old described the decision by the Bond franchise makers to drop him as a "body blow."

"I was looking forward to making it edgier and grittier, and for all of that to go down in one phone call was highly disappointing," he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Craig was the hot favorite in the runup to Friday's announcement, and his appointment was all but confirmed when his mother let the secret slip to a regional newspaper on Friday.

While little known in the United States, Craig will be more familiar to British audiences after appearing in the gangster caper "Layer Cake."

He also played alongside Paul Newman in "Road to Perdition" and was poet Ted Hughes opposite Gwyneth Paltrow's Sylvia Plath in "Sylvia." But it is the Bond role that could catapult him into superstardom.

Other actors rumored to have been approached to play 007 include Britons Clive Owen and Jude Law, Australia's Hugh Jackman and Croatia's Goran Visnjic.

SIXTH BOND

Only five actors have played Bond since the first film, "Dr. No," more than 40 years ago. Brosnan, Sean Connery and Roger Moore were well-loved mainstays as the secret agent, while George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton were less successful.

For the filmmakers, there is more at stake than how to prepare Bond's Martini.

Not only is the character a national institution in Britain, but he is also one of history's most profitable film franchises.

The 20 official Bond films have netted nearly $4 billion in global ticket sales, of which Brosnan's four films grossed around $1.5 billion, industry figures show.

Media have reported that Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Hollywood backers of the new Bond film "Casino Royale" along with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc, were keen to keep Brosnan, mindful of his box office clout.

But Web sites devoted to all things Bond say producer Barbara Broccoli wanted fresh blood, with the plot of Casino returning to the start of the spy's career and therefore requiring a younger actor.

New Zealand-born director Martin Campbell will helm Casino, as he did "GoldenEye" in 1995.

Brosnan first played Bond in "GoldenEye" and last appeared in "Die Another Day" in 2002.

Diamond Strips Down, Gets Personal On '12 Songs'

Neil Diamond unveils some of the most stripped-down, heartfelt material of his storied career on "12 Songs," due Nov. 8 via Columbia. As previously reported, the project was produced by Rick Rubin, who encouraged Diamond to play guitar on one his own albums for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Of a piece with such vintage songs like "And the Grass Won't Pay No Mind," "I Am, I Said," "If I Never Knew Your Name" and "Juliet," the music here finds Diamond's instantly recognizable voice front and center, much in the vein of the "American Recordings" albums Rubin made with Johnny Cash in the latter years of his life.

With a nod to the melody of his 1976 song "Beautiful Noise," "Hell Yeah" finds Diamond questioning whether he's made the most of his life: "This crazy life around me / It confuses and confounds me / but it's all the life I've got until I die."

On "I'm on to You," the narrator struggles to end a so bad-it's good relationship: "Wrong to be staying so long / Was I out of my head? / Should have known it was dead but it's good." The jubilant "Delirious Love" revels in the early days of a romance, while on "Captain of a Shipwreck," Diamond pledges to stay by the side of a friend even "when life brings the day uncertain," offering to "soothe you with my song."

"12 Songs" features subtle backing by guitarist Smokey Hormel and Mike Campbell, keyboardists Billy Preston, Benmont Tench and Roger Manning Jr., guitarist/upright bassist Jonny Polonsky and percussionist Lenny Castro.

The digipak version of the album will feature the bonus track "Men Are So Easy" plus an alternate version of "Delirious Love" with a guest appearance by Brian Wilson.

Diamond is in the midst of a North American tour that hits Dallas tonight (Oct. 14).

Here is the track list for "12 Songs":

"Oh Mary"
"Hell Yeah"
"Captain of a Shipwreck"
"Evermore"
"Save Me a Saturday Night"
"Delirious Love"
"I'm on to You"
"What's It Gonna Be"
"Man of God"
"Create Me"
"Face Me"
"We"

Bonus Tracks Pack Eurythmics Reissues

The entirety of the Eurythmics catalog has been remastered and expanded by group member Dave Stewart. Each of the act's eight albums has been bolstered with bonus tracks -- 44 in all, 11 of which are previously unreleased.

The revamped releases are due Nov. 15, a week after the group's "Ultimate Collection" (J/Arista), which as previously reported will feature two new songs by Stewart and Annie Lennox: "I've Got a Life" and "Was It Just Another Love Affair?"

The new version of the Eurythmics' 1981 debut, "In the Garden," features the bonus B-sides "Le Sinistre" and "Heartbeat Heartbeat" and live versions of the album's "Never Gonna Cry Again" and "Take Me to Your Heart," as well as "4/4 in Leather," all from the EP "This Is the House." The pair's 1983 breakthrough, "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is expanded to include a previously unreleased cover of Lou Reed's "Satellite of Love," the B-sides "Home Is Where the Heart Is," "Monkey Monkey" and "Baby's Gone Blue" and remixes of "Sweet Dreams" and "Love Is a Stranger."

The 1984 follow-up, "Touch," grows substantially with seven bonuses. Beyond a cover of David Bowie's "Fame," there are several B-sides ("You Take Some Lentils... And You Take Some Rice," "ABC (Freeform)," "Plus Something Else," "Paint a Rumour" (long version)) and live takes on "Who's That Girl?" and "Here Comes the Rain Again," the latter previously unreleased.

"Be Yourself Tonight," released in 1985, adds five cuts: B-Sides "Grown Up Girls" and "Tout Les Garcon Et Les," remixes of "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" and "Would I Lie to You?" and previously unreleased versions of the album's "Conditioned Soul" and the Doors' "Hello I Love You."

A cover of Mary Wells' "My Guy" is among the newly appended tracks on 1986's "Revenge." The rest are extended versions of "When Tomorrow Comes," "Thorn in My Side" and "Missionary Man," a previously unreleased live acoustic version of "When Tomorrow Comes" and the duo's contribution to the "Rooftops" soundtrack, "Revenge 2."

"Savage," released in 1987, adds an extended "philharmonic" version of "Beethoven," remixes of "Shame" and "I Need a Man" and a cover of the Beatles' "Come Together." The 1989 set "We Too Are One" has B-sides "Precious" and "See No Evil," remixes of "The King and Queen of America" and "Angel" and a previously unreleased cover of the Smiths' "Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me."

The Eurythmics' most recent studio album, "Peace," was released in 1999, after several years where Lennox and Stewart pursued solo projects. The reunion came as they were honored with a Brit Award for outstanding contribution to British music and saw them tour for the first time in more than a decade.

All of the additions to that set are previously unreleased, and include a cover of Joan Armatrading's "Something in the Air Tonight." The others are acoustic versions of songs album cuts "Beautiful Child," "17 Again" and "I Saved the World Today."

Moviegoers poised for trip to 'Elizabethtown'

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Three wide releases will open in theaters this weekend, providing an alternative to the Major League Baseball playoffs. But none is likely to cross the $20 million mark, keeping overall sales down yet again.

With three genres at work -- from Paramount Pictures' uber-romantic "Elizabethtown" to New Line Cinema's action-adventure "Domino" to Sony Pictures' remake of the classic horror film "The Fog" -- there is something for everyone. Or maybe not: insiders expect "Domino," starring British actress Keira Knightley as a bounty hunter, to sell just $5 million worth of tickets in its first three days.

Writer/director Cameron Crowe's "Elizabethtown" should replace "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" at No. 1 with sales in the $12 million-$15 million range, although "Fog" could give it a run for its money.

Crowe -- the man behind such films as "Jerry Maguire" and "Almost Famous" -- takes audiences on a journey inspired by his experiences in Elizabethtown, Ky., after the death of his father in 1989. The film centers on Drew ( Orlando Bloom), who, on the verge of suicide after a professional debacle, travels to Kentucky for his father's funeral. Along the way he meets flight attendant Claire ( Kirsten Dunst), and the two take off on a musically inspired road trip.

After it was skewered by critics at the Toronto International Film Festival last month, Crowe has trimmed his PG-13 release by about 20 minutes in the hopes of turning around the bad press.

Crowe had bigger bows with both "Maguire" and "Vanilla Sky," but both of those films starred Tom Cruise. As evidenced by the disappointing $19 million debut of "Kingdom of Heaven" earlier this summer, Bloom has yet to prove he can carry a movie.

Sony's "Fog," a remake of the 1980 horror film directed and co-written by John Carpenter, should open in the low-teen millions, insiders say. The PG-13 release features two of today's hottest young TV stars: Tom Welling from "Smallville" and Maggie Grace from "Lost." Selma Blair also is featured.

With Carpenter on board as a producer this time, the film centers on a small coastal town that is enshrouded in a thick fog exactly 100 years after a deadly shipwreck. Now the victims are back for revenge on the descendants of the men who killed them. "Fog" was directed by Rupert Wainwright ("Stigmata").

"Domino," from kinetically paced director Tony Scott, is based on the true story of actor Laurence Harvey's daughter, Domino Harvey, who gives up a career as a fashion model to become a bounty hunter. New Line's R-rated release is banking on its ultra-hipness to lure teen audiences, but it isn't tracking great with audiences. If the $5 million prediction holds true, it would be Scott's lowest opener since 1996's "The Fan," starring Robert De Niro and Wesley Snipes. That film opened to $6 million on its way to $19 million.

In limited release, ThinkFilm will open Canadian director Atom Egoyan's thriller "Where the Truth Lies," starring Kevin Bacon, Colin Firth and Alison Lohman. The film was given an NC-17 rating because of a three-way sex scene but will be released without a rating. It centers on a journalist (Lohman) who tries to uncover the truth about a young girl's death at the hands of two showbiz celebrities (Firth and Bacon.) The film will bow in nine theaters.

Magnolia Pictures will open Rodrigo Garcia's "Nine Lives" in Los Angeles and New York. The R-rated film is composed of nine vignettes, each showcasing a woman's disappointments in life. The film stars Amy Brenneman, Glenn Close, Sissy Spacek and Robin Wright Penn, among others.

Q & A with Judy Greer

Judy Greer is one of Hollywood's most promising rising stars. Don't know the name? You probably know the face.

At the age of 30, the engaging, magnetic Greer has already stolen scenes from the likes of Jennifer Garner (13 Going On 30) Mel Gibson (What Women Want) and Jennifer Lopez (The Wedding Planner). Tomorrow, she takes on a supporting role in Cameron Crowe's Elizabethtown.

Q: So what was your reaction when you landed the role Elizabethtown? Screaming? Shouting?

GREER: It was silence because I started crying immediately on the phone ... It had been so long since my audition. When the phone rang, it was my agent and manager, so I thought I've either gotten something or I've been fired from something. And then I started screaming. I'd been wanting to work with Cameron since I was high school and I saw Say Anything.

Q: You're obviously associated mostly with comedies -- is that a preference? Or are you interested in pursuing more dramatic parts?

GREER: Comedy certainly comes easiest to me and I get the opportunity (to do that) more. But I'm interested in playing dramatic roles and I feel I have more to offer because I've lived more. I don't think you can be dramatic without being funny, too.

Q: Your credits are mostly in feature films, but you have a recurring role, too, on Arrested Development (Fox's show about a dysfunctional family led by Jason Bateman and Jeffrey Tambor).

GREER: I'm so happy when my agent calls and says 'They want you to come in.' I'm like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah.' Usually I don't even get a script until I'm on the set. They'll be like, 'So today you had your boobs done and your nipples are crooked' and I'm like, 'Really? OK, sure.'

Q: Are you looking for a role that will let you carry a film or TV series?

GREER: Sure, but I'm not desperate for it yet. I'm really happy with what I'm doing right now.

Q: A lot of career highs right now -- have there been low points as well?

GREER: Sure, I've had that and then I took an acting class with Jeffrey Tambor. He was my acting teacher and so it was strange because then I was playing his mistress on television many, many, many months later. He's a really amazing teacher. He's just good at building your confidence ... But for someone who's working and maybe is going through a bad period, he really reminds you of who you are and why you're working in this profession in the first place.

Theron Says Marriage Is Not Her Thing

NEW YORK - Charlize Theron says marriage is not her thing — but she isn't ruling out the possibility of becoming a mother someday.

In an interview on "Access Hollywood" that aired Tuesday, the 30-year-old actress said she was "happy for people who want to get married."

But, she said, "it's not my thing."

Theron's mother, Gerda, was married this past weekend.

"I'm extremely happy in my relationship," said Theron, who has dated Stuart Townsend for several years. "I would love to have kids."

Townsend and Theron, who won an Oscar for her role in 2003's "Monster," appeared in the films "Trapped" and "Head in the Clouds."

Theron's new film, "North Country," is due in theaters Oct. 21.

Rush Celebrates 30th With Live CD/DVD

Veteran progressive rock trio Rush's Sept. 24, 2004, stop in Frankfurt, Germany, is the subject of the upcoming CD/DVD "R30 Live in Frankurt." The project is due Nov. 22 via Rounder in the United States and Anthem in Canada; Sanctuary Visual Entertainment will issue it Nov. 28 in Europe.

"Well, basically nobody was in a big hurry to do another live project, because we've got about 60,000 of them out there," singer/bassist Geddy Lee tells Billboard.com with a laugh. "But when we were touring Europe on the last tour, we hadn't been to those countries in 10 years -- some of them 20 years. And there was such an exuberant response from the crowd; it just seemed like a unique opportunity to capture the band in that kind of environment."

"The venue is very old," Lee continues. "We've played there a couple of times. It's always a strange atmosphere for North Americans to come over there and play in one of these buildings that Hitler used to do speeches in and so forth. So it's always got kind of an ominous vibe for us. But the crowd is always great and a lot of fans hadn't seen us in a long time."

"Live in Frankurt" follows 2003's "Rush in Rio" DVD, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Music Video chart. "'Rush in Rio' has been one of our best-selling music DVD titles, and we are delighted to have secured European DVD rights to 'R30,'" says Sanctuary head of audiovisual Spencer Pollard.

In addition to featuring 22 tracks from the show, the set will also come with a second disc, which collects a multitude of rarely seen bits from the Rush archives, including studio footage from 1978, a sound check from 1980, and a recent rendition of "Closer to the Heart" with Barenaked Ladies' Ed Robertson. The set will also be made available as a deluxe edition, which will include two audio CDs of the Frankfurt concert, as well as various goodies, such as limited edition Dunlop guitar pick and a backstage pass.

As for the vintage footage, Lee attributes the discovery of some it to his brother, who works in the film business. "He took it upon himself to get involved in our vault and see what the hell was lying around down there, and he discovered some of these old things that we had forgotten about," Lee says, adding that some of the clips "are kind of painful to watch [laughs]! Bad hair, bad glasses. You just kind of look in wonderment like, 'Is that really me?' And you really feel how much you've changed since that time."

Meanwhile, Rush is gearing up for a new album, the follow-up to 2002's "Vapor Trails." "We're just at the stage now where we're getting ourselves ready to do some writing," Lee reports. So that will take place over the next six to eight months probably, and we'll gather some material together into a record."

But beforehand, more archival releases should arrive, including the long-awaited DVD releases of the group's '80s-era concert home videos "Exit Stage Left," "Grace Under Pressure" and "A Show of Hands."

"Those are being revamped," Lee says. "I think [guitarist] Alex [Lifeson] spent a good chunk of last year remixing all of those things for 5.1, and they should come out over the next couple of years. Maybe even in the next year, on a DVD. I think they're going to come out separately, from what I'm told. But I'm not sure about that."

Lastly, has Lee given any thought to following up his 2000 solo debut, "My Favorite Headache?" "I think about it from time to time, and then I get really tired," he says with a laugh. "Rush takes up so much time and energy; it's really hard to accommodate both. I'm going to start writing virtually over the next couple of weeks, and if I end up feeling very prolific, and have stuff left over that's not Rush-suitable, you never know. I might throw something together."

Here is the "R30 Live in Frankfurt" DVD track list:

Disc 1:
R30 Overture ("Finding My Way," "Bastille Day," "Anthem," "A Passage to Bangkok," "Cygnus," "Hemispheres")
"The Spirit of Radio"
"Force Ten"
"Animate"
"Subdivisions"
"Earthshine"
"Red Barchetta"
"Roll the Bones"
"The Seeker"
"Tom Sawyer"
"Dreamline"
"Between the Wheels"
"Mystic Rhythms"
"Der Trommler"
"Resist"
"Heart Full of Soul"
"2112"
"Xanadu"
"Working Man"
"Summertime Blues"
"Crossroads"
"Limelight"

Disc 2:
"Fly by Night" (Church Sessions Video 1975)
"Circumstances" (live in studio 1978)
"La Villa Strangiato" (live in studio 1978)
"Farewell to Kings" (live in studio 1978)
"Xanadu" (live in studio 1978)
Sound Check (1980)
"Closer to the Heart" (compilation video 1977)
"Freewill" (Toronto Rocks concert 2003)
"Closer to the Heart" (with Barenaked Ladies' Ed Robertson)

Apple Introduces Video IPod, TV Deals

SAN JOSE, Calif. - Apple Computer Inc. introduced an iPod capable of playing videos on Wednesday, evolving the portable music player of choice into a multimedia platform for everything from TV shows to music videos.

Videos will now be sold online alongside songs on Apple's iTunes store.

Citing a groundbreaking deal with ABC Television Group, Apple chief executive Steve Jobs said video offerings via iTunes will include episodes for $1.99 each of the hit shows "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost," which will be available the day after they air on television.

The purchased video can be watched on a computer or taken on the road for viewing on the new iPod's 2.5-inch color screen.

The much-anticipated new iPods, available starting next week, will replace Apple's current 20-gigabyte and 60-gigabyte models. A 30 GB version will sell for $299 and a 60 GB version will cost $399. A 30 GB model can hold about 7,500 songs, 25,000 photos, or 75 hours of video, Apple said.

Apple hopes to repeat with Hollywood the coup it achieved with music labels: Ease an industry's piracy fears and transform its business models to include convenient, legal distribution of digital content over the Internet at reasonable prices for consumers.

"It's never been done before, where you could buy hit TV shows and buy them online the day after they're shown," said Jobs, whose other company, Pixar Animation Studios Inc., has a long relationship with ABC's parent, The Walt Disney Co. Short films from Pixar also will be sold via the iTunes store.

But that's just the beginning, Apple executives say, noting that the iTunes store catalog has grown to 2 million songs from 200,000 at launch in 2003. More than 600 million downloads have been recorded since.

"We've gained a lot of credibility in the industry in the past two and a half years with what we did with songs," said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of applications. "And that's what we're trying to mirror in the video space."

Analysts consider a video iPod a test of whether consumers would embrace video on such a small screen. Over-the-air TV services are already available for cell phones but the quality remains substandard.

Competing portable video players have been available for several years but very little compelling content has been available, and Apple's move comes amid fledgling initiatives to offer original video programming on the Internet.

"This is the first giant step to making more content available to more people online," said Robert Iger, Disney's chief executive. "It is the future as far as I'm concerned. It's a great marriage between content and technology and I'm thrilled about it."

The new video iPod, available in black or white, will be able to play video and podcasts. Apple said the 30 GB model will have up to 14 hours of battery life while the 60 GB model's battery will last up to 20 hours. Both versions will include a clock, a calendar, a stop watch and a screen lock.

"It's really very beautiful and very thin," Jobs told assembled journalists and guests.

The video iPod will lock TV shows, films and music videos downloaded from the iTunes store with copy-protection software — just as Apple does for music. Users will be able to download purchased video to up to five computers and transfer it to iPods, but unlike songs, users will not be able to burn the videos onto a CD.

The new iPod will also support the MPEG-4 video standard, meaning users could view home movies and other unencrypted videos on it.

Susan Kevorkian, an analyst with research firm IDC, said she expected Apple to increase the screen size of the video iPod in future generations.

"This will tell us a lot about whether their consumers will be comfortable watching longer-format programming on a small screen," she said.

Apple has been riding high on the success of its iPods, which helped quadruple the company's profits last quarter.

In the last fiscal quarter, about 6.5 million iPods were sold, accounting for nearly a third of Apple's revenue; Macintosh computers, Apple's historical core product, accounted for about 44 percent with 1.2 million units sold.

On Wednesday, Apple also introduced two newer, thinner models of the all-in-one iMac desktop computer.

Each of the 17-inch and 20-inch iMac G5 models, priced at $1,299 and $1,699 respectively, comes with a built-in webcam and a slim, six-button remote control about the size of thin pack of gum.

Using software called "Front Row" that comes with the iMacs, the remote control allows users to quickly browse and access their music, photo and video files from across the room, as far as 30 feet away, according to Apple.

The new iMacs also carry new software called "Photo Booth" that allows users to take quick snapshots and send them to others via e-mail.

It all falls in line with Apple's goal of making the computer a digital multimedia hub and the iPod its portable extension.

Apple shares closed Wednesday down $2.34, or 4.5 percent, at $49.25 on the Nasdaq Stock Market. In after-hours trading Apple lost 2 cents to $49.20. The shares' 52-week low was $18.83 on Dec. 12, 2004.

Canada's Nickelback 'Right' on top of U.S. charts

LOS ANGELES (Billboard) - Canadian rock band Nickelback scored the first chart-topping album of its career Wednesday, while new sets from Twista, Sara Evans, Fiona Apple and Franz Ferdinand also bowed in the upper reaches of the U.S. charts.

Nickelback's "All the Right Reasons" (Roadrunner/IDJMG), the fifth full-length set of its career, sold 317,000 copies in the week ended October 9, according to Nielsen SoundScan data issued Wednesday.

The rock group's previous high-water mark came with its 2001 breakthrough, "Silver Side Up," which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold nearly 5.1 million copies. In 2003, "The Long Road" opened at No. 6 in 2003, and has sold 2.8 million to date.

Reigning champ Gretchen Wilson's "All Jacked Up" dropped to No. 4. The country artist's sophomore Epic album sold 120,000 in its second week.

Chicago rapper Twista took the album chart's second slot with "The Day After" (Atlantic), though sales of 129,000 copies fell far short of its 2004 predecessor, "Kamikaze," which opened at No. 1 with 312,000; it has sold 1.8 million to date.

"Real Fine Place," Evans' fifth RCA studio album, opened at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the Top Country Albums list. First-week sales of 126,000 were a career best and the placing is the highest she's seen on either album tally. The set follows 2003's "Restless," which started at No. 20 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 917,000 units to date.

Sheryl Crow's "Wildflowers" (A&M) dropped three places to No. 5 with 106,000 copies in its second week, while Kanye West "Late Registration" (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam) slipped one to No. 6 with 94,000.

After a six-year hiatus, Apple earned her highest berth on the album chart with "Extraordinary Machine" (Epic), which entered at No. 7 on the strength of 94,000 copies. The placement is higher than the No. 13 opening of her 1999 sophomore release "When the Pawn...," but that set had higher first week sales at 103,000. To date, that disc has sold 925,000.

Franz Ferdinand also scored a career best Billboard 200 peak with the No. 8 entry of "You Could Have It So Much Better" (Domino/Epic). With an 81,000-copy opening week, the Scottish quartet has come a long way from last year's self-titled debut, which had a first-week total of just 8,000 copies to bow at No. 164. But fueled by the modern rock hit "Take Me Out," that album has so far racked up sales of 971,000.

In its 17th week on the chart, the Black Eyed Peas sold 80,000 copies of "Monkey Business" (A&M/Interscope), which rose one place to No. 9.

Faith Hill benefited from a dose of the Oprah magic as her former chart topper, "Fireflies" (Warner Bros. Nashville), soared 30 places to No. 10 with 79,000 copies. Suring an October 3 appearance on television's syndicated " Oprah Winfrey Show," Hill performed the single "Breathe," which previously topped the Billboard Top Country Songs chart for six weeks.

Rapper Trina is living the "Glamorest Life," which debuted at No. 11. A career-best sales week of 77,000 copies resulted in her highest ranking on the album chart. The Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic album follows 2002's "Diamond Princess," which opened at No. 14 with 67,000 and has sold 490,000 to date.

Gospel veteran Kirk Franklin returned to The Billboard 200 at No. 13 with "Hero" (Gospo Centric), while Melissa Etheridge's first greatest hits project, "The Road Less Traveled" (Island), bowed at No. 14.

Other notable debuts included Shinedown's "Us and Them" (Atlantic, No. 23); Chris Cagle's "Anywhere But Here" (Capitol Nashville, No. 24); O.A.R.'s "Stories of a Stranger" (Lava, No. 39); Deftones' "B-Sides & Rarities" (Warner Bros., No.42); Cross Canadian Ragweed's "Garage" (Universal South, No. 44); and Liz Phair's "Somebody's Miracle" (Capitol, No. 46).

At nearly 11 million units, overall U.S. album sales were up 6% over the previous week, on par with the same week last year. Sales for 2005 lag behind 2004 by 10% at 426 million units.

"Casino Royale" backers set date to name new Bond

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - James Bond, 007, is back. Or, at least he will be on Friday.

Sony Pictures Entertainment, the Hollywood studio backing new Bond film "Casino Royale,"said on Wednesday that the actor who will portray the suave secret agent with a license to kill would be named at a news conference in London on October 14.

No further details were disclosed, and the mystery remains over who will star in the film franchise that has grossed nearly $4 billion at global box offices since the first Bond flick, "Dr. No," hit the silver screen in 1962.

Reports in London have identified English actor Daniel Craig, who recently starred in the gangster film, "Layer Cake," as the new Bond, but that could not be confirmed.

The new actor will succeed Pierce Brosnan, who first donned Bond's tuxedo for 1995's "Goldeneye" and ended his run with 2002's "Die Another Day."

Four others have portrayed Bond. Sean Connery and Roger Moore had successful outings as the secret agent while George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton bombed in the role.

"Casino Royale" is scheduled to begin production in January and is expected to be in movie theaters in the fall of 2006.

Billy Joel boxed set boasts plenty of rarities

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Billy Joel's upcoming five-disc boxed set, "My Lives," boasts features 23 never-before-heard songs as well as a previously unreleased live DVD shot in Frankfurt during the River of Dreams tour.

The set, due December 6 via Columbia/Legacy, begins with rare cuts from Joel's mid-1960s bands the Lost Souls and the Hassles and moves into material recorded by his hard rock act Attila, which released its only album in 1970. Disc one also features demos of "Only a Man," "Oyster Bay" and "Piano Man," plus early versions of "New Mexico" (which became "Worse Comes to Worst") and "These Rhinestone Days" (which became "I Loved These Days").

The second disc sports early versions of "For the Longest Time" and " Elvis Presley Blvd.," a live take on "Captain Jack" from a July 1981 show at Sparks Saloon in Huntington, Long Island, an alternate version of "Getting Closer" with Steve Winwood and a live cover of Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a Changin"' recorded in 1987 on a Russian TV show.

Disc three is dominated by live and studio covers of such tracks as the Isley Brothers' "Shout," Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" and "Heartbreak Hotel," the Beatles' "A Hard Day's Night," Leonard Cohen's "Light as the Breeze" and the Carole King/Gerry Goffin oldie "Hey Girl."

The final audio disc features a 1994 live duet with Elton John on "You May Be Right," audio clips of recordings first issued on Joel's "Essential Video Collection" and a series of his recent classical compositions.

The live DVD rounds up 14 selections from throughout Joel's career, including "Pressure," "Allentown," "We Didn't Start the Fire," "Big Shot" and "Goodnight Saigon."

Fans can also utilize Umixit technology encoded onto the disc to make their own remixes of Joel's "Zanzibar" and a live version of "I Go to Extremes."

Airplane! is back on the radar with a new DVD version

The 1980 Zucker, Zucker & Abrahams production Airplane! is returning to DVD this winter, courtesy of Paramount Home Entertainment.

The Airplane! – Don’t Call Me Shirley Edition puts you in first class, serving exactly what you asked for – more side-splitting laughs and more behind-the-scenes secrets, as an ex-fighter pilot is forced to take the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning. The persons and events in this films are fictitious – fortunately – as it turns into an off-the-wall comedy.

This version will offer up an anamorphic widescreen transfer of the movie with a 5.1 channel Dolby Digital track. The release will also include a Commentary Track by producer Josh Davidson, and writers/directors Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker.

The version presented on the release will be the “Longhaul Version” featuring Deleted Scenes and Interviews all threaded into the film, accessible via Branching throughout the movie. A Trivia Track will also be included as well as the movie’s original Trailer.

“Airplane! – Don’t Call Me Shirley Edition” will be ready for take-off on December 13. Ticket prices start at $19.99.

Axed TV drama leads Gemini list

TORONTO (CP) - The Eleventh Hour, a dramatic series about life behind the scenes at a TV newsmagazine show and already cancelled by CTV, is the leading contender for the 20th annual Gemini television awards with 15 nominations, while the CBC is close behind with three of its programs.

The public broadcaster's real newsmagazine show, The Fifth Estate, has 14 nods, as does its searing miniseries about the international slave trade, Sex Traffic. The CBC legal drama This Is Wonderland comes up with 12.

The Geminis, often called the Canadian Emmys, will take place over the usual three successive gala nights beginning this year Nov. 17 and culminating in the black-tie broadcast gala on Saturday the 19th, to be televised this year by Global TV.

Ironically, though, Global carries few of the nominated Canadian programs.

Contenders for best dramatic series include CBC's Da Vinci's Inquest and This Is Wonderland, CTV's Degrassi: The Next Generation and Eleventh Hour, Bravo's restaurant-based series Godiva's and the pay-cable bio-thriller series ReGenesis.

In comedy, best series include CTV's Corner Gas, the Comedy Network's Puppets Who Kill, History Television's History Bites and CBC's The Newsroom and This Hour Has 22 Minutes. A surprise absentee this year is Showcase's Trailer Park Boys.

Top contenders in the dramatic miniseries category are CBC's political thriller H2O with Paul Gross, CTV's epic Lives of the Saints with Sophia Loren and CBC's Sex Traffic.

In the TV movie category it's CTV's Burn: The Robert Wraight Story, Tripping the Wire: A Stephen Tree Mystery and The Life, Citytv's Except the Dying and premium cable's The Last Casino.

Best movie or miniseries actors include Jonathan Scarfe in Burn, John Simm in Sex Traffic, Brendan Fletcher as a crazed killer in CTV's The Death and Life of Nancy Eaton, Charles Martin Smith in The Last Casino and Chris Diamantopolous as Robin Williams in Global's Behind the Camera: The Unauthorized Story of Mork and Mindy.

Best miniseries or movie actresses: Tina Keeper in the CBC North of 60 movie Distant Drumming, Kristen Thomson in CBC's I, Claudia, Anamaria Marinca and Wendy Crewson for Sex Traffic and Alisen Down for The Life.

Series actors in competition are Nicholas Campbell in Da Vinci's Inquest, Peter Outerbridge in ReGenesis, Jeff Seymour and Ben Bass in The Eleventh Hour and Michael Riley in This Is Wonderland.

In the equivalent actress category: Julie Stewart in Cold Squad - another CTV cancellation - Tammy Isbell and Victoria Snow in Showcase's Paradise Falls, Waneta Storms in The Eleventh Hour and Cara Pifko in This Is Wonderland.

In the race for best comedy ensemble performance are the casts of History Bites, Puppets Who Kill, The Tournament, This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Trailer Park Boys.

In all there are 96 categories. One of them, Best News Information Series, is still being judged.

While more categories are opening up to other than the conventional networks, the CBC still dominates some categories. For example, the broadcaster has all six nominees in the Best Documentary Series, including Rough Cuts, The Nature of Things and The Passionate Eye. And it has all but one of the entries in the Best News Magazine Segment category.

The Best Newscast is a three-way race involving CBC's The National, CTV News and Global National as is the news anchor category - Peter Mansbridge, Lloyd Robertson and Kevin Newman.

"Global Television is a wonderful partner for the Academy," says Maria Topalovich, president and CEO of the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television, which oversees the Gemini awards and their motion picture equivalent, the Genies.

"They came to us with fresh ideas, an integrated approach to broadcasting the show and generating broader interest and coverage than we've ever had before."

Two years ago, the Genies also migrated away from the CBC, getting picked up instead by CHUM Television.

"We are really proud to be part of this fabulous industry and to be part of the celebration which showcases excellence in the industry," says Barbara Williams, senior vice president of programming at Global.

UNICEF Snuffs Smurfs

It's just another smurfy day in Smurf Village. The perpertually perky blue beings frolic around the fire, holding hands and singing that "tra-la-la-la-la-la" tune as bluebirds flutter by and rabbits hop around.

A regular Smurftopia.

But then the bombs come.

Hundreds of them raining down from warplanes in the sky, wiping out the mushroom-shaped abodes. Amid the fiery explosions, Smurfette is killed. Papa Smurf disappears. As the smoke clears, only an orphaned Baby Smurf remains, sobbing among the corpses.

No, this is not some pipe dream of Gargamel. The Smurfocide was instead perpetuated by the United Nations Children's Fund, or UNICEF.

UNICEF's Belgian office is using the Smurfs as the centerpiece of a new fundraising initiative to shock viewers into donating money to help children in war-torn regions. The agency also hopes to rehabilitate former child soldiers in Burundi.

"The idea of using familiar, reassuring childhood icons in a decidedly dangerous context was intended to bring home to the public the horrendous nature of this theft of children's rights," says UNICEF's Gaelle Buasson.

"We could have shown real-live images of children wounded in Iraq, Palestine or other places. But we refused this option because they would not respect the dignity and rights of the depicted children...So we decided to use 'fictive' cartoon images."

Dubbed the first adults-only version of The Smurfs, UNICEF's 30-second 'toon ends with the tagline: "Don't let war affect the lives of children."

After coming up with the idea for the Smurfogeddon, UNICEF obtained permission to create the short from IMPS, which took over control of the critters after the death of their creator, the Belgian cartoonist Peyo. The clip was previewed on Belgian TV last week during evening newscasts.

According to London's Daily Telegraph, the spot evoked mixed emotions from viewers--including shock from children who accidentally caught the spot.

But the clip received a thumbs up from the official Smurf fan club. "I think it will wake up some people. It is so un-Smurf-like, it might get people to think," a spokesman told the Telegraph.

Julie Lamoureux, account director for Publicis, the ad agency that created the campaign, says the original concept included even more graphic imagery of weapons of mass Smurfstruction.

"We wanted something that was real war--Smurfs losing arms, or a Smurf losing a head--but they said no," she told the Telegraph.

The clip will begin airing regularly next week in Belgium, but only after 9 p.m., and run through April. UNICEF says response has been so strong that the short could soon be seen in Europe, Latin America and Australia with the stipulations that it must air after 7 p.m. local time, it can only be aired with information explaining the clip, and it cannot be put on the Internet. There are no current plans to broadcast the clip in the U.S.

For Stateside fans, and those who prefer their Smurfs intact, a 3-D, CGI-animated Smurfs feature film will bow in theaters in 2008. The extravaganza from Paramount's Nickelodeon Movies will be the first in a planned trilogy.

Wonder takes 'Time'

Stevie Wonder isn't trembling over seismic shifts that have rocked the music landscape since his last studio album surfaced in 1995. What's a little shake-up when you have rock-solid music on your side?

A positive buzz is heralding A Time to Love, a meticulously crafted R&B collection that has been under construction for the past decade. Incorporating pop, jazz, R&B, funk and hip-hop, the album blends Wonder's soulful voice and crisp arrangements with input from prestigious guests, including Paul McCartney, Prince, India Arie, Kim Burell and Kirk Franklin. But is Time multifaceted enough to reach the multiple niches feeding the airwaves?

"You've got too many formats — adult contemporary, adult alternative, soft rock, neo-soul — come on!" Wonder says with a laugh. "I'm hoping I will fit in all the marketplaces and not be limited to one place in music."

After repeated postponements, Time is due in stores on Tuesday after a late-September release to online sites to qualify for Grammy eligibility. Pundits are debating whether Time can recapture the glory of the Wonder years when the prolific prodigy produced 1972's Talking Book, 1973's Innervisions and 1976's Songs in the Key of Life, which formed a sonic holy grail for generations of R&B and rap artists.

His hit count and productivity have waned over the years but not his enthusiasm or attention to detail. After rolling past earlier due dates, Wonder again yanked Time for further tooling just before the June release, derailing press and marketing campaigns.

"I didn't want to settle for anything less than what I wanted," says the notorious perfectionist. "I didn't feel comfortable with some of the mixes, and I wanted to work a bit on some vocals. You could always say, 'I want a couple more songs or this or that musician.' You could go on and on. I'm pretty happy with everything now."

Making records in his youth, when no other responsibilities intruded, was much easier than carving out long days in the studio at age 55.

"It's more challenging now than it was doing Songs in the Key of Life when I was about to be the father of one child," he says. "Now I have seven. Even when I'm in the studio, there are phone calls and things that get in the way. Being older changes everything."

Except his passion. After being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1989, receiving a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 1996 and joining the elite Kennedy Center honorees in 1999, Wonder is a warhorse with nothing left to win. And he's champing at the bit. "I still get excited," he says. "And it never becomes routine."

'Elizabethtown' takes criticism, trims

Something strange happened when Elizabethtown, Oscar-winning filmmaker Cameron Crowe's wistful ramble on matters of love, life and death, previewed at September's Toronto Film Festival.

Namely, the Elizabethtown Massacre.

No mercy was shown by critics, who usually are cheerleaders for the onetime rock journalist and nice-guy creator of such cherished films as Say Anything... , Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous. It didn't matter that the Southern-fried roots odyssey, starring Orlando Bloom in his first major contemporary comedy and inspired by Crowe's journey after his dad's death in 1989, was labeled a "work in progress."

Said Dave Poland of Movie City News: "Has all the qualities not of a simple misfire, but of an outright jumping of the directorial shark."

The mainstream press was no kinder and more than a bit confused about its genre. David Ansen of Newsweek: "A tone-deaf, miscast and interminable romantic comedy." Lisa Schwarzbaum in Entertainment Weekly: "A muddled feel-good drama."

Crowe, 48, a rare optimist in a cynical industry, was disheartened. "I just stopped reading the stuff," he says on the phone, days after whittling 18 minutes from the original 2-hour, 19-minute run time (2 minutes of credits were added).

On the upside, Crowe adds, "I did have the gift of seeing it in a public screening." His ensemble piece earned a standing ovation in Toronto and at earlier festivals in Deauville, France, and Venice.

The trimmed version of his film opens in theaters Friday.

Why didn't he wait until he had a final cut? "I didn't have the two-hour version for the festivals," Crowe says. "They liked and accepted the longer cut. It's not like they invited me out of sympathy." It also is not the first time an unfinished print, including the well-received 8 Mile, played Toronto.

What got the ax? Plenty about the doomed shoe that Bloom's character designed and more encounters with a wedding party that takes over the hotel where he's staying. The ending now is more focused on Bloom's future with Kirsten Dunst, the impossibly chipper airline attendant he has just met.

"He is less a guy adrift and more of a guy on a specific journey," says Crowe, who also tweaked the film's comic rhythms.

What remains includes a slightly altered all-night phone call between Bloom and Dunst, an adjusted memorial celebration that ends on a wet-and-wild note and a 15-minute road trip set to locale-specific tunes.

Now it's up to moviegoers to decide whether to visit Elizabethtown. One bright light: Last week, the Chicago Tribune gave the shorter version a three-star review.

Crowe's lesson: He would still take a movie to Toronto. "But maybe not an unfinished one."

Austin Powers Going Back in Time?

The brains behind the Austin Powers movie franchise are racing to shoot a fourth film to coincide with the 2006 release of the new James Bond movie Casino Royale. The planned new project would focus on the young Powers and only regular Seth Green would possibly return for the film - to play the younger version of his movie dad Dr. Evil. Producers are keen to work quickly on the film so it will be ready for release on the back of the new 007 movie because Austin Powers is a spoof version of James Bond. Austin Powers regular Michael York, who will not be part of the new film, tells website Darkhorizons.com, "I have heard that they want to do a new film to coincide with the release of the next James Bond movie. Since 007 is going to be younger in that movie, they're considering doing a Young Austin movie. I don't know if Mike Myers would even be involved. It would probably be Seth Green playing Dr. Evil Junior."

Original Wallace & Gromit Figures Not in Blaze

The creator of the Wallace And Gromit films had the original plasticine figures of the cartoon twosome with him when a warehouse blaze destroyed the rest of the animated movies' history. Academy Award winner Nick Park is relieved he managed to save something from the fire, which ravaged all three floors of his Aardman Animations site in Bristol, England, yesterday. He says, "These are the Wallace and Gromit from the film. They have been going with me on a world tour. I keep them safe in a special suitcase. They were with me at my house when the fire happened. Apparently we have lost everything, including things like Wallace and Gromit in their sidecar." In a cruel twist of fate, Park had just discovered the latest Wallace and Gromit movie, The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit, had debuted at the top of the US box-office chart when he was told news of the fire. He adds, "I rang up the office to find out how the film had done in the US. I was told the great news that it was number one and then they said there was some bad news as well." Meanwhile, police are investigating the possibility the blaze could have been started deliberately. A spokeswoman says, "Our arson task force has been alerted and we are keeping a close eye on things. It may turn out to be suspicious."

'Pulse' DVD chronicles final Pink Floyd tour

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Pink Floyd will release the long-awaited DVD for its concert film "Pulse" in Europe on December 5, and in North America the following day.

The project -- handled by EMI in Europe and Columbia in North america -- was originally released on VHS in 1995 in conjunction with a double-disc CD set of the same name. The film chronicles the band's 1994 tour in support of the album "The Division Bell," which turned out to be its last.

The video was taped during a 14-night run at London's Earl's Court and is highlighted by the first complete performance of the 1973 album "Dark Side of the Moon," which can be found on the second disc. The first disc of the DVD features a blend of older hits ("Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2," "Learning To Fly") and material from "The Division Bell" ("Keep Talking," "Take It Back").

Among the bonus features are the back-screen stage projections for such songs as "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," "High Hopes" and the majority of the "Dark Side of the Moon" material, plus videos for "Learning To Fly" and "Take It Back."

Bonus performances of four "Division Bell" songs are included in the feature "Bootlegging the Bootleggers," while the documentary "Goodbye to Life As We Know It" offers previously unseen off-stage footage of Pink Floyd on the road.

In its original home video form, "Pulse" spent 176 weeks on Billboard's Top Music Video chart. The album version debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and has sold 1.5 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Bond favorite emerges, but 007 mystery persists

LOS ANGELES/LONDON (Reuters) - The makers of the next James Bond movie are doing their best to keep the identity of the man who will play 007 a secret but a new favorite emerged on Tuesday: English actor Daniel Craig.

Just days ahead of an expected official announcement, Craig was named as the first "blond Bond" in a report in the Daily Mail. The paper said Craig even underwent a screen test wearing a tuxedo and passed with flying colors.

British bookmaker William Hill closed wagers on Bond after bettors rushed to back Craig thanks in part to the report.

Hill had taken bets on no less than 39 pretenders for the part, several "winners" have been named in recent months and media and Bond Web sites have been awash with gossip.

At U.S.-based online movie ticket seller Fandango.com, fans gave Craig only a one percent shot at being 007. Englishman Jason Statham, star of "Transporter 2," topped the Fandangolist with a 33 percent chance.

Dozens of others have been mentioned as possible successors to current Bond Pierce Brosnan, including Britons Clive Owen and Jude Law, Australia's Hugh Jackman and Croatia's Goran Visnjic.

With shooting of the 21st Bond film, "Casino Royale," due to begin in January, speculation has only intensified. A delay in announcing the casting has been portrayed as a crisis that could cause costly production delays.

Craig's agent in London declined to comment, and a spokesman for Sony Pictures Entertainment, which will release the film, said the company did not comment on rumors.

"The decision hasn't been made yet. They are casting and that takes however long it takes," was the reply from an EON spokeswoman clearly tiring of fielding the same question.

Only five actors have donned 007's tuxedo since the first film, "Dr. No," more than 40 years ago, when Scotsman Sean Connery played the suave secret agent with a license to kill. For the filmmakers there is more at stake than how to prepare Bond's martini (shaken, not stirred).

THE BOND BRAND

Not only is Bond a national institution in Britain, but he is also one of history's most profitable film franchises. It has netted nearly $4 billion in ticket sales of which Brosnan's four films grossed $1.5 billion, industry figures show.

Hollywood producers and directors familiar with casting an iconic action hero like Bond say a relative unknown was most likely to take over.

Avi Arad, who runs Marvel Studios with its "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" movies, said the main criterion for his heroes was simply an ability to act, and that big stars were unnecessary for such a strong brand name as Marvel.

The same could be said of Bond or Batman.

"It's such an iconic franchise and such a huge part of American culture," John Papsidera, casting director for "Batman Begins," said of the caped crusader.

"Inherently, (the filmmakers) felt the audience would be there as long as we didn't screw it up."

In the end, Christian Bale, who honed his acting skills in independent films like "The Machinist" and "American Psycho," was chosen and proved a critical and commercial hit as Batman.

Brosnan has said he would be willing to play Bond for a fifth time, and experts believe that Sony, mindful of the Irishman's box office clout, would welcome him back.

But Web sites devoted to all things Bond say producer Barbara Broccoli wants fresh blood, with Casino Royale returning to the start of the spy's career on Her Majesty's secret service.

James Page, director of Bond Web site (www.mi6.co.uk), agreed Brosnan was likely to be replaced with a lesser known actor. "They did this with Sean Connery originally. Roger Moore was the only (Bond) actor who came in with any stature in the film industry," he said.

007 secret safe so far as James Bond casting looms

LOS ANGELES/LONDON (Reuters) - Aptly enough for the world's most famous spy, the decision on who replaces Pierce Brosnan as the next James Bond remains a mystery just weeks, possibly days, ahead of an official announcement.

Shooting of the 21st Bond film, "Casino Royale," is due to begin in January, and British media and countless Bond fan sites have for months been reporting leaks, rumors and gossip about who will be next to don the "007" tuxedo.

Some media portray the delay in casting as a crisis that could cause costly production delays.

Only five actors have played Bond since Sean Connery took on Dr. No over 40 years ago. Dozens of actors have been linked with the role in recent months, including Englishmen Clive Owen and Jude Law, Australia's Hugh Jackman and Croatia's Goran Visnjic.

Daniel Craig is a favorite as the finishing post nears.

For the filmmakers there is more at stake than how to prepare a martini (shaken, not stirred).

Not only is Bond a national institution in Britain, but one of history's most profitable film franchises. It has netted nearly $4 billion in ticket sales of which Brosnan's four films grossed $1.5 billion, industry figures show.

The next film's Hollywood backers, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and EON Productions, which is making "Casino Royale" next year, have remained silent on who will take over as the super-spy.

"The decision hasn't been made yet. They are casting and that takes however long it takes," was the reply from an EON spokeswoman clearly tiring of fielding the same question.

Producers and directors familiar with casting an iconic action hero like Bond say a relative unknown is most likely.

Avi Arad, who runs Marvel Studios with its "Spider-Man" and "X-Men" movies, said the main criterion for his heroes was simply an ability to act, and that big stars were unnecessary for such a strong brand name as Marvel.

BRAND, NOT THE MAN

The same could be said of Bond or Batman.

"It's such an iconic franchise and such a huge part of American culture," John Papsidera, casting director for "Batman Begins," said of the caped crusader.

"Inherently, (the filmmakers) felt the audience would be there as long as we didn't screw it up."

In the end, Christian Bale, who honed his acting skills in independent films like "The Machinist" and "American Psycho," was chosen and proved a critical and commercial hit as Batman.

Brosnan has said he would be willing to play Bond for a fifth time, and experts believe that Sony, mindful of the Irishman's box office clout, would welcome him back.

But websites devoted to all things Bond say producer Barbara Broccoli wants fresh blood, with "Casino Royale" returning to the start of the spy's career on Her Majesty's secret service.

James Page, director of Bond website (www.mi6.co.uk), agreed Brosnan was likely to be replaced with a lesser known actor.

"If it's not Daniel Craig, it will be someone the public doesn't know," he said. "They did this with Sean Connery originally. Roger Moore was the only (Bond) actor who came in with any stature in the film industry."

When asked who his choice would be, Arad named Australia's Julian McMahon, who played the villain in the Marvel movie "Fantastic Four."

Of course, the decision is not only that of filmmakers.

According to trade magazines, Owen is one of several actors approached for the role who turned it down. Bale told Reuters in May he agonized over whether to accept the Batman role, knowing it would mean losing his cherished anonymity.

The Couch Potato Report - October 11th

This week The Couch Potato Report features a movie that is good for a laugh or two, a TV show that is good for several more and a release that is a leftover.

I like Will Ferrell.

I have laughed - and laughed hard - at his work on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, and in the movies OLD SCHOOL, ELF and ANCHORMAN.

Since I have enjoyed his work in the past, I look forward to his new films as well, as I figure they will be good for a laugh or two.

That figuring proved to be correct when I watched Ferrell's latest film, a soccer comedy called KICKING AND SCREAMING.

No, I didn't laugh a lot, and you won't either, but it is good for a laugh or two.

In KICKING AND SCREAMING Ferrell is a man who has never lived up to his father's expectations.

Dad is a man's man who is big on winning and toughness and the son...is not.

Robert Duvall plays the father and when he trades his own grandson from the soccer team he coaches, Ferrell becomes the coach of his son's new team.

His son's really bad new team.

Along the way to the championship game, where father and son - and father and son - face off, there are lessons to be had, games to be won, and lost, and a few laughs to keep you entertained.

Some of those laughs even come from Football Hall-Of-Fame Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, who seems to be having a great time playing a caricature of himself.

There is nothing about KICKING AND SCREAMING that makes it a great movie, not even the usually reliable Ferrell, and there is certainly nothing about the film that is unique.

But it is entertaining, and it is good for the whole family. Plus, it is good for a laugh or two.

On the other hand, SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON is good for many, many laughs!

When the sixth season of South Park aired in 1997 is saw creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone using their show to poke fun at almost everyone and everything that seemed to be relevant at the time.

It also saw their writing skills improve and that allowed the show to become funnier, an lose some of the more juvenile, less clever, humour that the show had started to rely on.

Oh don't get me wrong, the juvenile humour is still there, but it is better written.

Included in the SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON DVD set is "The Return of Lord of the Rings to the Two Towers" episode, one of the funniest South Park episodes ever!

As I have in the past, I will admit that you have to be a fan of SOUTH PARK to enjoy the DVD box set that is SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON DVD. Since I am a fan, I enjoyed this set, and I eagerly await the Season SEVEN set!!

If you have been eagerly awaiting the return of The Couch Potato Report, let me first say "Thank you", and secondly say "I have been awaiting it's return as well!"

Over the past eight weeks, since the last edition of The Report, there have been approximately 1000 titles released on DVD and video.

So over the next few weeks I will spotlight some of those releases, or as I am calling them "Leftovers."

This week I am not saving the best of those releases for last, I am putting it first!

The show STORYTELLERS airs on the music channel VH1 in America.

Each week on the show some of the world's best, and best known, singers and songwriters play their music and tell the stories behind their greatest songs.

In the past STORYTELLERS has featured Elvis Costello, Melissa Etheridge, Garth Brooks, James Taylor and David Bowie, among others.

On April 23rd of this year it featured Bruce Springsteen!!

Now imagine that you could sit and listen to one of your favourite artists play a song and then dissect it line by line, explaining what he was thinking while he wrote it, and who or what it is actually about.

Since Bruce Springsteen is one of my favourite artists I no longer have to imagine it because he did it!! And it is now available on DVD!!

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - VH1 STORYTELLERS is nearly two hours long and features a total of 8 complete Springsteen songs including the classics "Thunder Road" and "Blinded By The Light" as well as songs from his recent album DEVILS & DUST.

If you are a fan of the man, or are just interested in how some artists write songs, then this is a release for you!

It is insightful and entertaining and along with SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON and KICKING AND SCREAMING, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - VH1 STORYTELLERS is now available at a store near you.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report is the summer blockbuster BATMAN BEGINS and THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION of the classic bowling movie THE BIG LEBOWSKI!!

And yes, for the record, I did just say the phrase "classic bowling movie."

Our "Leftover" next week is the EXTENDED EDITION of the Academy Award winning film GLADIATOR. This new version includes 17 minutes of additional footage, and a three hour and twenty minute documentary that includes some never-before-seen footage.

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

For now, that's The Couch Potato Report.

Enjoy whatever you choose to watch and I'll meet you back here next week on The Couch!

Fraggle Rock film in development

New movie slated to begin filming in 2006 and will feature the main Fraggles traveling to "outer space".

The Jim Henson Company is in the early stages of creating an all new “Fraggle Rock” feature film. The idea of returning to Fraggle Rock has been floating around ever since the show ended in the ‘80s, but now the Henson Company feels that it the right time to bring the Fraggle’s universe back to life and reintroduce the world to the funny little creatures known as Fraggles. Henson responded saying that early work on a Fraggle Rock film is underway.

Henson says that the project will find the Fraggles having to come out into “outer space” (a.k.a. the human world). The group will have a wild adventure as they find themselves in this weird and wild new world, far away from Fraggle Rock. Henson has also stressed that the story will be aimed at both children and young adults (as they hope to appeal to new young fans, and also the fans that grew up on the show). The original Fraggle characters are planned to be the stars of the film. The early work on developing the project is underway within the Henson Company and they hope to start shooting sometime next year.

The company is working to bring back many of the original Fraggle Rock cast and crew for this project. There is no exact information on who is “on board” at this time, however some rumblings say that Jerry Juhl, Jocelyn Stevenson, Brian Henson, Cheryl Henson, Lisa Henson (among others) have met to discuss the project on several occasions. Henson states that they are aiming for a 2007 release, however at this point it could change. Henson is also hoping to make this a theatrically released film; however the project could be reduced to TV-movie or direct-to-video status. No director, writers, or cast have been announced yet.

The idea for a “Fraggle Rock” movie is not a new one; Jim Henson had talked several times with Jerry Juhl about producing a film. However the plans never materialized. Many of the Fraggle creators, cast and crew are excited about the idea of revisiting the world, the themes, and the magic of the show. Although the idea for a Fraggle film is not new, the idea has gained much more support in the last year.

Upon selling the Muppets characters to Disney, the Henson Company has been looking at ways to revive some of their other popular creations. In January 2005, Henson co-CEO, Brian Henson said that “the studio's now considering filming new "Fraggle" material”. Since January, internal support for the idea grew. Along with the large response for Fraggle products over the past year (including 6 new DVD releases, including the complete first season), Henson feels that now is a perfect time for a new production. Not only would it appeal to the fans (who are now able to rediscover the classic show on DVD), but a new production could be just the thing to really re-launch the Fraggles and draw in a new generation to the world of the Fraggles.

The company is already working strong to continue and revive many of their popular fantasy-world and sci-fi franchises; however they are also hoping to get back on top by reestablishing their power in family entertainment. They hope that a “Fraggle Rock” feature film will be a good step in the right direction – thoughts of even creating a new Fraggle Rock television show have been mentioned (however, Henson wants to see how the response to a new movie is before they start over committing themselves).

More information on this project as it comes; but fans should watch out for the return of the rock with an all new “Fraggle Rock” production.

Dr. Phil's Big-Screen "Scary Movie" Debut

Daytime TV's Dr. Phil is making his big-screen debut in "Scary Movie 4." According to ET Online, Dr. Phillip C. McGraw will appear in the opening sequence of the film, along with Shaq, for a parody take-off of the hit indy-horror film, "Saw." Dr. Phil explains, "It all takes place in this nasty, filthy bathroom [where] Shaq and I are chained up together and the way out is you've got to cut body parts off to get loose, so he and I are wondering which one of us will wind up doing it." The talk-show host joins stars such as Anna Faris, Regina King and Leslie Nielsen in the fourth chapter of the comedy/horror franchise that is currently filming in Vancouver. "I want people to know I don't take myself too seriously as it might seem when I am into a heavy issue," says the advice-giver. "I always try to work with humor as much as I can because it diffuses a lot of [people's] defensiveness. I think it's good to make fun of yourself."

Sir Paul Rides Again

New album, new tour, new life -- and nothing left to prove

Paul McCartney has just taken a seat at his piano, center-stage at a sports arena in downtown Miami. Before he touches the keys, he glances idly at his audience, which, this afternoon, comprises approximately a dozen people, mostly security guards and members of his crew. Directly opposite McCartney, on the arena floor, one of the crew members sits at a long table making notes on a sheet of paper. McCartney furrows his brow and says into the mike, "With that guy sitting over there, I feel like I'm on Pop Idol." He's referring to the British version of American Idol. The small crowd chuckles, as McCartney, imitating Simon Cowell, barks, "You're no good!" Then, in the voice of a cringing novice, he says, "W-w-well, we been t-t-told we were all right." Once the laughter dies down, McCartney turns back to the piano and plays "Hey Jude."
The last time McCartney toured North America, in 2002, the shows grossed $126 million, which made him the top touring artist of the year. McCartney has just worked out the set list this morning for his current tour, which will begin in less than a week. "I like to keep things a little loose," he says with a shrug. "You don't want it to become like a Broadway show."

Fans, of course, will come to see the hits, which McCartney happily delivers. During this afternoon's rehearsal, he and his touring band run through "Penny Lane," "Good Day Sunshine," "Back in the USSR," "Band on the Run" and "Live and Let Die." They also play "Too Many People," a rare angry-McCartney track from his 1971 solo masterpiece, Ram. (Beatles fans interpreted lyrics like "You took your lucky break and broke it in two/Now what can be done for you?" as references to John Lennon; they also read something into the back-cover photograph of what appears to be one beetle sodomizing another.)

But however bottomless the love for McCartney's past glories, the most exciting thing about his latest tour may be the fact that -- as with his peers in the Rolling Stones -- it's in support of a new album people actually like. Chaos and Creation in the Backyard has been hailed by critics as McCartney's strongest effort since Flowers in the Dirt, the 1989 album on which he co-wrote a number of songs with Elvis Costello. For Chaos and Creation, McCartney chose another younger collaborator, producer Nigel Godrich, best known for his work on the past four Radiohead albums and Beck's Sea Change. McCartney played nearly every instrument on the album -- not only guitar, bass, drums and piano but fluegelhorn, guiro, harpsichord, triangle, maracas, gong, toy glockenspiel, Moog organ and tubular bells -- with a result that's always sonically captivating and often thrillingly weird. Because this is a Paul McCartney album, there are love songs, but most have a haunted, slightly mournful air, a seeming reflection -- though McCartney insists none of his songs are directly autobiographical -- of the death of his wife of twenty-nine years, Linda McCartney, from breast cancer in 1998, and of his subsequent marriage, in 2002, to former model Heather Mills.

"How Kind of You," for example, is decidedly downbeat, with lyrics from the point of view of a grateful older man surprised to find romance in the twilight of his life. "I thought my faith had gone," McCartney sings, as a sinister melody twists in ways that keep the listener as off-balance as the song's weary protagonist. There's a similar vibe on "At the Mercy," which plays upon one of McCartney's most famous lyrics -- "The love you take is equal to the love you make," from "The End" -- in the far more ambivalent overtures of a man reluctant to choose between "the love I've got and the love I'd lose."

Chaos and Creation also finds McCartney far more comfortable with his own musical past. The standout track "Jenny Wren" is a lovely acoustic ballad in the vein of "Blackbird" that could be an outtake from the White Album. And "Anyway" spins a simple "People Get Ready" vamp into a soaring arrangement that recalls the final suite of Abbey Road.

"Early on, say, with Wings, it was a necessity to not sound like the Beatles," says McCartney, who, for rehearsal, is casually dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt that reads east hampton town dump. "I didn't want to write another 'Eleanor Rigby.'" He hums the melody, as if I may not be familiar with the tune. "And it's only more recently that I've realized I did establish my own identity and said, 'Well, OK, what's the battle about, then? There's no need to keep fighting. You're a part of the Beatles, you're a part of Wings and you're a part of your new stuff now, and it's all your style.' And so, yeah, on 'Blackbird,' I had done a kind of slightly folksy guitar part which had a top melody and an accompanying bass line, and the two going together gave it this certain character. And I've never done anything since along those lines. And so now, on this new album, I thought, 'Why not? What am I frightened of?' There could be two songs in the world like that. And I wrote the first one! So it's not like I'm nicking anyone's thing."

McCartney was interviewed in two sessions during rehearsals -- as he snacked on broccoli, green beans and a heavily buttered slice of bread -- and later after a photo shoot at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The day of the shoot, McCartney drove in from the Hamptons, where he spent part of his summer with his wife and their two-year-old daughter, Beatrice. At sixty-three, he's trim (a thirty-three-inch waist) and a bit gray at the temples (British tabloids delighted in accusing Mills of pushing hair dye on Sir Paul, who retorted with a post on Mills' Web site insisting he'd been dyeing his hair for years).

He began by talking about Godrich, who was recommended to McCartney by Beatles producer George Martin.

Do you and George Martin still talk regularly?

Yeah, we meet up quite a bit, actually. Particularly because we used his studio for the London end of the recording. George always pops in, especially if he knows I'm there. He's one of the most important men in my life, and that's including my father, my brother, the Beatles -- George Martin is right up there in the top five. Really, I would like to work with him forever. That would be my dream.

Does he still produce?

No. He's got a hearing problem, like a lot of us from the Sixties. 'Cause we did listen to it too loud. He just got to the stage where he thinks, very nobly, that he shouldn't produce. I say to him, "George, the engineers need the ears. You're the ideas man." But I think it's very cool of him to know when not to do it. So I just rang him up and said, "If I can't have you, who's the man?" He chatted it around, thought about it, talked to his son, and a couple of days later he came back and said Nigel.

Had you been aware of Nigel's work?

Yeah, but without knowing he was the man behind it. I liked the last couple of Radiohead albums, particularly the sound. And Travis, The Invisible Band. And Beck. So we just met up, chatted and liked each other -- I think. I liked him. And then I sent him a couple of records that I thought might either turn him on or off, or might just be a direction to go.

Demos you'd made?

No, other people's records. I liked the idea of toying with a kind of Asian thing, a one-chord thing. There's an artist called Nitin Sawhney who I like -- he's a British-Asian guy. It was just a vibe I was into at the time, that sort of droniness. I didn't know what I'd do with it. It was just a mood thing. And Nigel said, "Mmm, no. I know what album I want to make if I'm going to work with you. I want to make an album that's you." And I thought, "That's the kind of producer I need now."

So we agreed to meet up for a test period -- two weeks in London. The first week was with my touring band, and we were quite excited to record together. But Nigel had this itching feeling, like he could do something else. He wanted to move in a bit more daring direction. He said, "I want to take you out of your safety zone, man." Kept saying that -- "It's just too easy."

Godrich eventually talked McCartney into saving his band for the tour and playing nearly every instrument himself, just as he'd done on his first solo effort, McCartney. The album was recorded in 1970 and released ten days after McCartney's official statement that the Beatles had broken up. McCartney's relationship with the group's manager, Allen Klein, had particularly soured. "I used to have dreams in which Allen Klein was an evil dentist," McCartney recalls. "That was a bad sign. I just wanted to be as far away from Apple [the Beatles' label and business office] as possible."

To that end, McCartney set up a Studer four-track recorder in his living room and, as he says, went from "everything to zero. It was liberating." McCartney made the entire album alone (save for some harmonies with his wife), using a single microphone, which he moved closer to the drum kit if he wanted a louder cymbal sound. Some tracks, like "The Lovely Linda," are mere fragments of a song, and background noises (giggling, doors opening, the clack of the tape) are audible throughout. McCartney called the album "kind of throwaway" in a 1974 Rolling Stone interview, but today its loose, offhand feel is charming, a precursor to the low-fi home taping of indie-rock bands.

In coaxing McCartney to play multiple instruments on Chaos and Creation, Godrich began with percussion. "I love kicking around on the drums," McCartney admits. "I'll do it at the drop of a hat. So I started kicking, and he said, 'Yeah! This is it, man. It just turns the track around. It's you!' Then he said, 'Look, I'd like to hear you on guitar. What have you got?' I brought my old Epiphone electric guitar out, which was like a cheap Gibson in the early days. It's the guitar that I played the opening riff of 'Paperback Writer' on, so it's a lovely guitar. It can be quite varied -- sort of horny and hard, like the 'Taxman' solo; that was the other thing I used it on. George let me have a go for the solo because I had an idea -- it was the early Jimi Hendrix days and I was trying to persuade George to do something like that, feedback-y and crazy. And I was showing him what I wanted, and he said, 'Well, you do it.' Even though it was his song, he was happy for me to do it. And this became Nigel's big favorite guitar."

Do you have a lot of old guitars you end up pulling out?

I've got a few guitars that I like. The trouble with fame and riches is that you have more than one guitar. When you're a kid, you've only got one guitar, and you love it, and you string it and you cherish it, and you put it to bed at night and all that shit. You relate to it. When you've got more than one, you've got two [laughs]. And then you don't know which one to choose. It's an embarrassment of riches. Then you've suddenly got three and four, and then at my stage in the game, people give you guitars. So you've suddenly got a cellarful.

But my Epiphone, that's my electric guitar, that is the one. I like to play on it because it's oldish and a bit infirm. It won't stay in tune easily, like Jimi Hendrix's guitar didn't. Jimi was always, like, calling out to the audience, "Will you come tune this?" One night -- it's an old story of mine and I love it -- we released Sgt. Pepper's on a Friday, and on Sunday Jimi opened his show with it in London. He did this long solo like only Jimi could. And at the end of it, he had hopelessly gone out of tune. So he shambled over to the mike and said, "Is Eric [Clapton] in the house?" Eric shrunk down in his seat. Some girls said, "Yeah, he's here!" Jimi said, "Will you come and tune this for me?" Of course, Eric shrunk even lower and Jimi had to tune it himself.

Anyway, I was into that kind of thing, and that's why I bought my Epiphone. I went to the shop and said, "What have you got that feeds back great?" That was normally a disadvantage in the old days -- in the older old days. I use the Les Paul onstage, because it doesn't go out of tune as much, and it has a nice sound. But Nigel would wrinkle his nose and say, "It's a bit heavy rock."

I'd imagine it's hard to find people, especially in the studio, who aren't intimidated by you, and who won't just be yes-men.

I suppose it is. With Nigel, I pretty much knew the minute I met him he was gearing himself up to tell me no. From the word go. When I first brought him some songs, he just passed a few by and went to the next one, like he was shopping. I brought them back later and said, "Well, you didn't look at this one." He said, "I like the other one better."

Did you wrestle with that kind of bluntness initially?

Yeah, I was well pissed. "You don't like my songs. How dare you? Who are you? Punk." But I realized he was looking for a vibe. So if one of my songs was a bit perky, maybe he didn't think we should do it this time around. I might have thought, "Well, I've heard a lot of good perky songs on the radio. And I'm in a perky mood!" But he was just like, "Nah."

And it was good for me, because it was like working with a band member. It was like working with . . . I mean, it's too heavy a comparison to say it was like working with John. Because if I say that in Rolling Stone, it's a huge statement. But it was like working with a great band member. It was similar to me and John, back to when we were just kids, before we'd been discovered.

There was one key moment when it all rose to the surface. I was in the studio, raring to go. Got my Hofner [bass guitar] out, tuned her up, knew what I was going to play. I was in a good mood. I was just about to listen to the track and find my way through a bass part when Nigel said, "You know that song you played the other day? I really didn't like it. I think it was crap." I said, "Oh, yeah?" And I thought, "What will I do now? Fucking . . . punch him? Or just spit at him? Tell him to fuck off? Or what?"

(Excerpted from RS 985, October 20, 2005)

Original R.E.M. Members Rock Athens Wedding

A few hundred lucky wedding guests got the surprise of their life Saturday (Oct. 8) as R.E.M.'s original four members reunited to play a seven-song set at the wedding of R.E.M. guitar tech Dewitt Burton. The action went down at Kingpins Bowl & Brew in the group's Athens, Ga., home base and marks just the second time Michael Stipe, Peter Buck and Mike Mills have performed with drummer Bill Berry since his 1997 departure.

"Nobody really knew it was going to happen," Kingpins owner Ed Connolly told Billboard.com. "As a matter of fact, I think it was fairly hit and miss up until the time it happened. I heard they didn't know if Bill was even going to make it, and I don't know if they had a chance to rehearse."

Connolly, who has known Burton for years, said the actual wedding band was taking a break when he noticed Stipe and company setting up in the bowling alley's arcade. "I couldn't believe it," he says. "I was transfixed. I heard the count in and then 'Sitting Still,' and by the time they got to the first chorus, it was packed shoulder to shoulder."

The group went on to play some of its most beloved early tunes: "Don't Go Back to Rockville" (with Mills on vocals), "Wolves, Lower," "Begin the Begin," "The One I Love," "Permanent Vacation" and "Radio Free Europe."

"The beauty is that it was in Athens on a warm Saturday night, with the band on the floor with no production," Connolly says. "I had three old disco mirror balls and they hung them up -- that was the extent of the lighting show."

As for the possibility of the performance seeing commercial release, Connolly says with a laugh, "If it's cool with [R.E.M. manager] Bertis [Downs], it's cool with me."

Eminem Fuels Retirement Rumors With Best-Of

Adding further fuel to the rumor that he plans to retire or at the very least take an extended break from music, Eminem is eyeing a Dec. 6 release for his first retrospective, "Curtain Call." According to Aftermath/Interscope, the track list is not yet finalized but will feature "at least two" new songs in addition to such hits as "Stan," "The Way I Am," "My Name Is" and "Lose Yourself."

The label further says Eminem has been working on "Curtain Call" since early summer, presumably before he was forced to cancel the end of his Anger Management tour with 50 Cent and seek treatment for an addiction to sleep medication.

"I have some songs that a lot of people like," says Eminem, who has sold 29 million albums in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. "I have some songs that only I like. This album is obviously for the 'lot' of people."

Earlier this summer, the Detroit Free Press published an article claiming Eminem would retire after the Anger Management tour and that his 2004 album, "Encore," would likely be his last.

Although the artist has made no definitive statements about his future, a source close to the situation told Billboard.com at the time, "'Encore' was the close of the first chapter in his career. Beyond that, who knows?"

Eminem continues to make appearances behind the scenes, including an unusual production job on Redman's upcoming album, "Red Gone Wild." As previously reported, the cut "I C Dead People" lives up to its name by utilizing rapping from late artists Big Pun, Big L and Notorious B.I.G.

NEW CD RELEASES FOR OCTOBER 11, 2005

31 Knots Talk Like Blood (Polyvinyl)

Abel Alegría Musica (Tommy Boy)

ADULT. Gimme Trouble (Thrill Jockey)

The Advantage Elf-Titled (Kill Rock Stars)

Agents of the Sun Monarchs of a Fallen Society (mixed by 311's Chad Sexton) (DCide)

Gary Allan Tough All Over (MCA Nashville)

Allister Before the Blackout (Drive-Thru)

Jasy Andrews Little Girl (Versailles)

Annihilation Time II (Six Weeks)

John Arnold Style and Pattern (Ubiquity)

Audioslave Live in Cuba (CD/DVD combo; 2005 performance plus documentary and TV special; DVD available separately same day)

Barr Beyond Reinforced Jewelcase (Kill Rock Stars)

Christopher Bissonette Periphery (Kranky)

Bloc Party Silent Alarm Remixed (two CDs; includes original album plus b-sides, rarities and remixes by Mogwai, Ladytron, Four Tet and more) (Vice/Dim Mak)

Broken Bones F.O.A.D. (Beer City)

Brotzmann/Bennink Schwartzwaldfahrt (Atavistic)

Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic - Volume 1 (Inside/ADA)

Oteil Burbridge and the Peacemakers (Allman Brothers bassist) Believer (Rattlesby)

The Capes Hello (Hard Soul)

The Castanets First Light's Freeze (Secretly Canadian)

Celebration Celebration (w/guest members of TV on the Radio) (4AD)

The Claudia Quintet Semi-Formal (Cuneiform)

The Clientele Strange Geometry (Merge)

Coffin Lids Round Midnight (Bomp!)

Company Parallel Time (Secretly Canadian)

Constantines Tournament of Hearts (Sub Pop)

Daniel Crommie Sargasso Manuscript (New Weave)

Crucial Unit Everything Went Strunk (Six Weeks)

Jamie Cullum Catching Tales (Deluxe Edition CD/DVD combo available same day) (Verve)

DANGERDOOM (Danger Mouse and MF Doom) The Mouse & the Mask (Epitaph)

Chris Daniels & the Kings 10 (includes originals and covers of Howlin' Wolf, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Average White Band and more) (Burnside)

Diana Darby The Magdalene Diaries (Delmore)

Deerhoof The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars)

dios (malos) dios (malos) (StarTime International)

The Dirty Three Cinder (Touch and Go)

DJ Beyond Krash Presents: Beyond Hip-Hop (Tommy Boy)

DJ Clue The Professional: Part 3 (Def Jam)

Early Man Closing In (produced by Matt Sweeney of Chavez/Zwan) (4AD)

Kyle Eastwood Paris Blue (Rendezvous)

Harris Eisenstadt The Soul and Gone (482 Music)

Explosions in the Sky How Strange, Innocence (Secretly Canadian)

F-Minus Failed Society/Won't Bleed Me (w/bonus tracks) (Alternative Tentacles)

Fingers Cut Megamachine Pipe Dreams EP (Thick)

The Fire Still Burns Keeping Hope Alive EP (Blackout!)

Gamma Ray Majestic (Sanctuary/Mayan)

Gang of Four Dollar Bill (limited edition of 10,000 copies) (V2) and Return the Gift (newly recorded versions of old songs; limited two-CD edition includes bonus disc of remixes by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Dandy Warhols, the Futureheads, Ladytron and more) (V2)

Mark Gardener (ex-Ride) These Beautiful Ghosts (United for Opportunity)

Great Lake Swimmers Bodies and Minds (Secretly Canadian)

Hanson The Best of Live and Electric (live album w/hits, previously unreleased tracks and covers of Radiohead's "Optimistic" and U2's "In a Little While") (3CG)

Richie Hart Greasy Street (Zoho)

Hudson Bell When the Sun Is the Moon (Secretly Canadian)

Hypatia Lake ...and we shall call him Joseph (Sad Robot)

The Jacob Fred Odyssey The Sameness of Difference (Hyena)

Jahcoozi Pure Breed Mongrel (Kitty Yo)

Emmanuel Jal & Abdel Gadir Salim (Sudanese hip-hop) Ceasefire (Riverboat/World Music Network)

Jonathan Kane February (Table of the Elements)

Alicia Keys Unplugged (DVD and limited-edition CD/DVD combo available same day; guests Mos Def, Common, Damian Marley and Maroon 5's Adam Levine on a cover of the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses") (J Records)

Kiss Kiss Kiss Kiss EP (Eyeball/Astro Magnetics)

Lambchop and Hands Off Cuba CoLab EP (Merge)

John Legend Get Lifted (reissue of 2004 album) (Columbia)

Lilac Time Astronauts (Sanctuary)

The Long Winters Ultimatum EP (Barsuk)

Magnolia Electric Co. Hard to Love a Man EP (Secretly Canadian)

Malkovich Skeletons (Kajmere Music)

Fran Mark Biology (Vagrant)

Ricky Martin Life (guests Fat Joe, Amerie, the Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am and more) (Columbia)

Matt Pond PA Several Arrows Later (Altitude)

Joe McPhee & John Snyder Pieces of Light (Atavistic)

Miguel Mendez My Girlfriend Is Melting (I and Ear)

Minus Story No Rest for Ghosts (Secretly Canadian)

Mizar The King of the Stars (Mia Mind)

Modeselektor Hello Mom! (BPitch Control)

Modest Mouse Good News For People Who Love Bad News (DualDisc; w/bonus b-side, music videos, short film, interviews and more) (Epic)

Ninja High School Young Adults Against Suicide (Tomlab)

Hilary Noble and Rebecca Cline Enclave (Zoho)

OSO 48507 (Team Av/Lumberjack)

Dolly Parton Those Were the Days (Sugar Hill)

Luciano Pavarotti O Holy Night (Decca)

The Rakes Retreat EP (Dim Mak)

Donna Regina Slow Killer (Karaoke Kalk)

Resident Genius/Howard Zinn You Can't Blow Up a Social Relationship (split CD w/music and spoken word) (Thick)

Reverend Horton Heat We Three Kings (Christmas album) (Yep Roc)

Roadrunner United The All-Star Sessions (CD/DVD combo; the label's 25th Anniversary Album featuring collaborations between members of Slipknot, Fear Factory, Sepultura and many more) (Roadrunner)

Amanda Rogers Something Borrowed, Something Blue EP (includes covers of Radiohead and At the Drive In) (Immigrant Sun)

Kate Rusby The Girl Who Couldn't Fly (guest Roddy Woomble of Idlewild; w/artwork by ex-Blur guitarist Graham Coxon) (Compass)

Spider Saloff and Steve Ramsdell Like Glass (Kopaesthetics)

Saving Jane Girl Next Door (Toucan Cove)

Sevendust Next (WineDark/Fontana)

Dawn Smithson Safer Here (Kranky)

Stereo Fuse All That Remains (produced by Mark Slaughter) (Toucan Cove)

Kelley Stoltz The Sun Comes Through EP (Sub Pop)

Story of the Year In the Wake of Determination (Maverick)

T.A.T.U. Dangerous and Moving (guests Sting on bass and the Carpenters' Steven Carpenter on string arrangements) (Interscope)

Susan Tedeschi Hope and Desire (produced by Joe Henry) (Verve Forecast)

TG Mauss Mechanical Eye (Quartermass)

Tokyo Electron Tokyo Electron (Empty)

Jason Vieaux Images of Metheny (solo acoustic guitar renditions of Pat Metheny tunes) (Azica)

Rick Wakeman Out There (Reality/AAO)

Warren G. In the Mid-Nite Hour (guests Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, B-Real, Raphael Saadiq and more) (Lightyear Entertainment)

Paul Weller As Is Now (deluxe edition w/DVD same day) (Yep Roc)

With Resistance Real Hardcore Kids Have Day Jobs (Immigrant Sun)

The Woolly Bandits Say Hello to My Little Friend (Dionysus)

Xiu Xiu Life and Live (Xeng)

Young Buck T.I.P. (guest Willie D of the Geto Boys and more) (John Galt Ent.)

The Young Playthings Pick Up with... (Dionysus)

VA A Dark Cabaret (Projekt)

VA Gospel Music (Hyena)

VA Guitar Women (two CDs) (Ruf)

VA Numbers from the Beast: An All Star Salute to Iron Maiden (w/members of KISS, AC/DC, Motörhead and more) (Restless)

VA One Million Strong Vol. 2 (enhanced CD) (Bungalo)

OST Elizabethtown: Score by Nancy Wilson (original music to Cameron Crowe film by Heart guitarist) (RCA Victor)

OST North Country (score by Gustavo Santaolalla) (Columbia)

OST Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit (score by Julian Mott) (Varése Sarabande)

DVD Cuba Mia: Portrait of an All Woman Orchestra (documentary of Cuban group Camerata Romeu) (Arkadia)

DVD Latin Nights (documentary w/Tito Puente, Memo Acevedo and more) (Arkadia)

DVD Terry Callier Live in Berlin (Verve)

DVD Chris Daniels & the Kings Live at the Gothic (Burnside)

DVD The Dresden Dolls Paradise (live concert w/documentary and music videos) (Roadrunner)

DVD Charlie Hunter Solo Inventions (Shanachie)

DVD Machine Head Elegies (concert w/music videos and documentary) (Roadrunner)

DVD Bobby McFerrin Live in Montreal (Verve)

Yoko Pans Paul at Q Awards

So much for giving peace a chance.

In the latest chapter of their ongoing feud, Yoko Ono dissed Paul McCartney's songwriting prowess Monday at Britain's Q Awards.

On hand to collect the Q Special Award honoring late husband John Lennon (on the day after what would have been his 65th birthday) at the annual ceremony in London, analogous to the American Music Awards, Ono took the opportunity to disparage his former Beatle mate.

Ono, 72, recalled how insecure Lennon was as an artist. "'Why do they cover Paul's songs but never mine?' " she told the audience of U.K. music stars and record company execs.

"I said, 'You're a good songwriter. It's not just 'June with spoon' that you write. You're a good singer, and most musicians are probably a little bit nervous about covering your songs.' "

The Ono-McCartney feuding goes back to the late 1960s, when he suggested that she was behind the Beatles breakup. Over the years their relationship has remained dysfunctional. Ono said she was "hurt" when McCartney failed to invite her to the memorial service of his late wife, Linda. Most recently, Ono threatened legal action after McCartney reversed the traditional "Lennon-McCartney" songwriting credit on his 2002 Back in the U.S.

But Ono's player-hating only seemed to extend to McCartney. When it came to the Q Awards big winner, Oasis, she congratulated the Beatles-inspired band. "I wish [John] was here today, he would have loved it," she said.

Oasis won Best Album for Don't Believe The Truth and the People's Choice prize.

Upon accepting the award for Best Album, Noel Gallagher said, "It was a change to not get the token Live Act award for being able to play the guitar...Best Album, nice one."

The band that did win Best Live Act was U2.

Meanwhile, two of Oasis' archrivals also picked up trophies. Coldplay was named Best Act in the World and Blur frontman Damon Albarn received Best Producer props for his work with Danger Mouse on the Gorillaz's Demon Days. Gorillaz also won Best Video for "Feel Good Inc."

Other top winners included U.K. folk rocker James Blunt (Best New Act), Scottish singer K.T. Tunstall (Best Track for "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree") the Bee Gees (Lifetime Achievement), Jimmy Page (Icon), Joy Division (Legend), Björk (Inspiration), Nick Cave (Classic Songwriter) and the Kinks, whose "Waterloo Sunset" received the prize for Classic Song.

Hollywood movies misfire with core audience--study

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Males under 25 years-old, a core movie audience, saw fewer films this past summer but watched more DVDs, played more video games and surfed the Web more often than previously, according to a study released on Monday.

The research by Online Testing eXchange, or OTX, could help explain the recent slump at box offices. The summer movie season, which runs from the first of May through the U.S. Labor Day holiday in September, is a key period that generates up to 40 percent of its total annual box office.

This past summer, ticket revenues fell to $3.62 billion, their lowest level since 2001 and the estimated number of tickets sold -- 541 million -- was the lowest level since 1997, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Two hits were director Steven Spielberg's "War of the Worlds" and Tim Burton's "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory." Flops included action films "Stealth" and "The Island."

In its study, OTX found that males aged 13 to 24 saw 24 percent fewer films in summer of 2005 than in summer of 2003, a year for which similar data was available.

"This (group), more acutely than any other, is weighing the value of the in-theater experience compared to many other lower cost, more immediate and convenient entertainment options," Shelley Zalis, co-founder of OTX, said in a statement.

The OTX study found that in 2003, 60 percent of the males under 25 said the movie choice that summer was "excellent," whereas only 35 percent believed 2005's summer films were in the same league.

OTX's research found that the young men watched 47 movies on DVD or video this past summer compared to 30 in summer 2003. The group also learned that videogame playing and Web surfing is increasing.

Rising costs also factored into the decreased attendance, as did people preferring to wait to see a movie on DVD rather than going to see a film in theaters, according to the study.

Blaze destroys Wallace and Gromit's history

LONDON (Reuters) - All the props and sets from the Wallace and Gromit movies were feared destroyed in a fire on Monday, the day after the plasticine pals' debut feature film went straight to the top of the North American box office.

Production house Aardman Animations said a blaze at a warehouse in Bristol, western England, was thought to have wiped out its entire history, including models, memorabilia and awards from the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit short films.

"We woke up to the most fantastic news this morning that 'Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' had debuted in the United States at number one," said company spokesman Arthur Sheriff.

"But this has really thrown us," he added. "It's our entire history."

Sixty firefighters battled flames 100 feet high that engulfed the warehouse at around 5.30 a.m. on Monday, causing the roof to collapse, a fire service spokeswoman said.

"It looks like most of the contents of the building have been destroyed," she said, adding the cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Wallace and Gromit are the creations of animator Nick Park, who was also the brains behind the 2000 animated feature film "Chicken Run."

He was said to be philosophical about the fire, saying it was put into context by the massive earthquake in Pakistan.

"Nick has been on the phone and while this is devastating, in light of the other news he has been hearing on the radio, it is immaterial," Sheriff said.

Park's latest chart-topping film revolves around intrepid inventor Wallace and his faithful canine sidekick Gromit. The adventure sees the pair using a complex vacuum system to protect vegetables from a rabbit problem in their village.

The film took $16 million in its first three days of release in North America, more than movies featuring the likes of Cameron Diaz and Jodie Foster.

Aardman Productions, established in 1976, was also behind "Morph" -- another plasticine figure whose adventures on BBC TV won an army of young fans -- and helped make the celebrated video "Sledgehammer" for singer Peter Gabriel.

Sheriff said although all archive material could be lost, the fire should not affect the company's future productions.

Jays announcer Tom Cheek passes away

Tom Cheek never used gimmicks or catchphrases and never tried to make himself part of the show.

All he did was tell listeners, plain and simple, how he saw the game, putting his trusted stamp on every milestone moment in Toronto Blue Jays history.

And - day in day out during his astonishing streak of 4,306 consecutive regular-season games called - it was perfect every time.

This season Cheek's voice was missing from airwaves, as brain cancer forced him out of the broadcast booth for good and on Sunday, the disease got the better of him.

Mr. Cheek died at his home in Oldsmar, Fla. He was 66.

"It's difficult to put into words the overwhelming sense of grief and loss shared today by the Blue Jays family, the city of Toronto, the extended community of Major League Baseball and its many fans," Blue Jays president Paul Godfrey said in a statement. "Tom Cheek has provided the soundtrack for the most important moments in this team's history, with his choice of words and intonation always perfectly suited for the occasion.

"He was far more than just an outstanding announcer though. He was a great goodwill ambassador for baseball in Canada. His love for the game, which radiated through his words on the radio, captivated fans across this country and helped to grow the sport from one coast to the other."

Cheek was first diagnosed with a brain tumour last summer and had surgery to remove it on June 13, 2004, his 65th birthday. The procedure was partially successful and a round of chemotherapy that hampered his short-term memory followed.

He returned to the booth late in the summer, bringing his charm and smile back to the Rogers Centre, and was set to return to work in 2005 when doctors recommended additional brain surgery.

The operation took place in March, but it could only add some brief time to Cheek's life, not save it.

"It sure does hit you hard," said Jerry Howarth, Cheek's longtime broadcast partner. "He will be missed. His voice was the signature voice of this ball club."

The second round with cancer came as a shock, as Cheek had planned to call some road games this season, as well as all home contests. That optimism faded quickly as his health deteriorated much faster this time.

"I don't want to sit and wait for something to come get me," Cheek said during the spring, weeks before the second diagnosis. "That's the way I feel. With everybody, everything is different. There have been guys that have gone on for years."

Cheek made it to the broadcast booth once this season, calling a half-inning of Toronto's opening day 5-2 win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in St. Petersburg. He had planned just to sit quietly in the booth but asked Howarth if he could call the top of the fourth, with the Blue Jays down 1-0.

"I said of course and then Frank Catalanotto led off the inning with a double, Toronto's first hit of the game," Howarth recalled. "Orlando Hudson was the next batter and he homered and Vernon Wells followed with another home run to make it 3-1. a After the inning Tom signed off and said, `I'm tired now, but I just wanted to say thank you.' I thought that was a nice bit of divine intervention and magic right there."

Cheek later made one visit to Toronto, a sort of last hurrah, taking in a couple of games from a private box. When he was shown on the videoboard, fans stood and cheered him in the type of gesture the humble Cheek never took for granted.

Cheek's popularity with fans was never more evident than during his absence last season, when cards and e-mails poured in by the thousands wishing him well. A crowd of 44,072 feted him Aug. 29 when the Blue Jays added him to their Level of Excellence with the number 4,306 by his name, signifying his streak.

"Until last summer, I don't think he knew how much he meant to people," said broadcaster Mike Wilner, who joined Cheek and Howarth as the third man in the booth in 2002. "It really overwhelmed him."

During that Blue Jays ceremony, Cheek kept shaking his head in disbelief that he was being honoured so elaborately.

"You're going to make me cry," he told the crowd. "This is more than I'm going to be able to handle."

The next day he thanked each reporter who had written about him for, "saying such nice things about me."

Born in Pensacola, Fla., in 1939, the beloved broadcaster became the voice of baseball in Canada during his streak, which began on April 7, 1977 when Bill Singer threw the first pitch in club history and ended on June 3, 2004 in Oakland because of his father's death.

"That streak was phenomenal because of all the sacrifices he had to make," said Howarth. "His family was so supportive, they told him `You go broadcast games, we'll be here.' He did it not for himself, but for the fans."

Cheek attended the Cambridge School of Broadcasting in Boston and began his radio career in Plattsburg, N.Y. He then moved to Burlington, Vt., where for nine years was corporate sales manager and sports director for a group of three radio stations, doing play-by-play for baseball, basketball, football and hockey at the University of Vermont.

He moved up to Canada in 1974, where for three years he served as swing man on Montreal Expos radio broadcasts on television nights before landing the Blue Jays job in 1977.

It was in Toronto he became an institution, never taking a night off until his father's death. Along the way, he called Doug Ault's two homers in the franchise opening 9-5 win over Chicago in 1977, the record 10-homer barrage against Baltimore in 1987, George Bell's three opening day homers in 1988, Dave Steib's no-hitter in 1990, Carlos Delgado's four home run game in 2003, five AL East titles, a pair of pennants and two World Series titles, capped by Joe Carter's walkoff homer in 1993.

His call on that homer - "Touch 'em all Joe, you'll never hit a bigger home run in your life," - was his calling card and the best example of how perfectly he captured each moment, without getting in its way.

"Nothing about Tom is pre-packaged," said Wilner. "He's never setting up to get to a specific call or a specific story.

"He lets the game dictate what he says - and that's the way it should be."

Even in the bedlam that followed Carter's homer, Cheek was able to cover all the bases.

"It's a strange kind of thing," Cheek said recalling the moment. "I was looking for something to say and Joe gave it to me because he was jumping up and down.

"I didn't know if he was hitting all the bases out there and I was just making the point that you have to do that. I was merely mentioning - to him, through the airwaves - that you've got to touch all the bases.

"That's where that came from."

Cheek was nominated for the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award this year, which is given for major contributions to baseball broadcasting.

Longtime San Diego Padres broadcaster Jerry Coleman was chosen instead, something Cheek handled with his usual grace.

"There are some things that the guys on that list have done that just blow me away. Just having my name there is pretty nice," Cheek said of Coleman and the other nominees. "I'm an old guy myself and I watched a lot of those guys do what they did."

This summer Canada's Sports Hall of Fame established the Tom Cheek Media Leadership Award to honour those who play a key role in promoting Canadian sports. Cheek was the first recipient and it was presented to him by a large delegation of Blue Jay dignitaries at his home a few weeks ago.

"Those of us that worked with him and of course the listeners and fans of Blue Jays baseball desperately miss hearing him," said Nelson Millman, vice-president and program director of The Fan 590, the Toronto all-sports radio station that carries Blue Jays games. "He was the voice of the Jays to all of us."
Cheek is survived by his wife Shirley, a native of Hemmingford, Que., their three children and seven grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements were not immediately known.

Good DVD News!

Universal has announced the DVD release of Steve Carrell's The 40-Year-Old Virgin, for 12/13 (SRP $29.98).

There will be three versions available on DVD - an anamorphic widescreen unrated edition with 17 minutes of additional footage, and full frame versions of the theatrical cut and the unrated version (For the record, the theatrical cut will not be available in widescreen).

Extras will include a gag reel, additional footage from the You Know How I Know You're Gay? scene, Line-o-Rama (featuring a look at the cast saying their lines in different ways) and more.

The unrated edition will add additional deleted footage (under the label Andy's Fantasies) and My Dinner with Stormy (a featurette in which actor/co-producer Seth Rogen has dinner with porn star Stormy Daniels).

CBC employees accept tentative deal

TORONTO (CP) - After seven acrimonious weeks of negotiations and feuding, the CBC labour dispute is officially over. But the fighting may not be.

The Canadian Media Guild said Sunday that 88.4 per cent of the 3,514 members who voted chose to accept the proposed contract.

But it will take a few days before programming is back to normal and the union warns workers may not be all smiles when the cameras and microphones are off.

Most of the CBC's 5,500 unionized workers are expected back at work Tuesday but it'll take days, in some cases even weeks, to get everything back up to speed.

"The National will be back by Tuesday or Wednesday," said Jason MacDonald, spokesman for the CBC.

"From a radio point of view, Tuesday we'll have the morning show broadcast nationally out of Montreal, and the drive-home show will be out of Toronto. By Wednesday, some of the regional shows will be back and by Thursday, everybody will be back."

Don Cherry, Ron MacLean and other familiar CBC faces already made their return to TV on Saturday's Hockey Night in Canada and the network was to air a CFL doubleheader on Monday.

Union spokesman Arnold Amber said workers are happy to be back on the job but haven't necessarily gotten over their built-up anger.

"Personally, I think CBC management has a very, very large task to get people back onside. This was a very, very difficult issue," he said.

"It's going to take some time to get everything right side up. They were really offended by being locked out, they regarded it as a great injustice," Amber said.

MacDonald acknowledged the mood might be icy at times but said he thinks everyone will pull together to get the CBC back up and running.

"Nobody would deny (there may be) strain between employees and managers but everyone's a professional, I think. And most people just want to get back to work," he said.

"It may be a bit uncomfortable at first but I think people just want to get back."

Suanne Kelman, associate chair of journalism at Ryerson University in Toronto, said the worst thing the CBC can do is dwell on the lockout in any way.

"They have to remember their problems are not the public's problems, there should be nothing about the lockout when they get back, they should just get back to programming as soon as possible," she said.

MacDonald said there is no specific directive from management to not mention the lockout on the air.

"If an individual host comes back on the air this week and mentions it, that's up to their discretion and their producers. Nobody's being given an order to say or not say anything about it," he said.

Amber also said he can't imagine CBC workers trying to bring too much attention to the lockout.

"Quite obviously, people are going to say, 'Well, we're back,' and make note of the fact that the labour dispute is over. However, I don't think anybody is going to break our professional approach to broadcasting and go into a personal song and dance about what this all meant."

It's still unclear exactly where public sympathy lies and the CBC will have to figure out if their audiences left for the competition or became fed up with the prolonged labour dispute, which began Aug. 15.

Kelman said other broadcasters made great use of the CBC's programming lag to boost their profile among the CBC's audience.

"For news, they may have some problems because I think some people may have discovered CTV news is better than they remembered," she said. "It depends on how betrayed viewers and listeners feel."

She said some may be completely unsympathetic to the CBC cause and hold a grudge long into the future.

"Because people feel it's their own tax dollars involved, I think it's going to take a while before this one fades." The official tally in the ratification vote was 3,106 votes for, 394 against and 14 ballots were either spoiled, or challenged and not accepted.

The labour dispute centred on a CBC plan to hire more contract workers, which the union opposed. The deal caps contract workers at 9.5 per cent of the full-time work force.

CBC wages are to rise by 12.6 per cent over the life of the contract, which runs through March 31, 2009, including full retroactivity and a $1,000 signing bonus.

Rodriguez Puts Films on Hold for 'Lost'

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Less than six years after exploding into the independent film world as the star of "Girlfight," sultry actress Michelle Rodriguez found herself wading through a dispiriting pile of scripts that cast her as either "the girlfriend" or "the girl who gets captured."

She decided to get "Lost" instead.

Rodriguez, who joined ABC's Emmy-winning Wednesday drama last week, says it wasn't hard for producers to convince her this was a high-quality TV series but she did have misgivings about whether joining a high-profile TV series might send the wrong message to Hollywood.

"TV makes you so easily accessible," says Rodriguez, 27. "You don't want to overexpose yourself in the wrong way, and that's what I was scared about. I didn't want people seeing me every week and not getting the right idea about my career and where it's going -- directors especially. I worried about that, because for an independent film career especially, they don't want someone who is as well-known as a TV star. But I just really trust these guys, and I'm like, 'OK, I'm holding on. Take me for a ride.' "

So far, she's still acting largely on faith. Her character, Ana-Lucia Cortez, was introduced last May in a three-minute flashback scene in the airport lounge, where she chatted with Jack (Matthew Fox), and we learned, among other things, that she held a seat in the rear of the doomed flight.

Ana-Lucia seemed very feminine and flirtatious in that flashback scene, but "Lost" fans are seeing a whole different side of the character this season.

"She's a cornered animal, a total warrior: a fighter, take it down, matter-of-fact, all about survival," Rodriguez says of her character, who is living with another group of people on the island. "These people don't have a lot of the amenities that the people [in Jack's group] do, so they are constantly fighting for their survival."

The actress insists she has very little idea what lies in store for her character, but she looks forward to what may be an inevitable reunion with Fox's character.

"I think that connection [between the 'old' and the 'new' Ana-Lucia] is going to come whenever my character finally meets Jack, because that's the only person she will recognize from the plane," Rodriguez says "That will call into question the whole issue of what kind of person she is really, because this whole barbarian side of her is definitely a self-defense mechanism. How will she feel when she sees Jack, who is someone she trusts? I have no idea what that will be like -- and having said all that, at this point, I don't even know if they are going to meet at all."

In fact, the actress claims to be unsure of whether she even qualifies as a new "series regular" on "Lost."

"It's still kind of up in the air, if only because the show itself is very unpredictable as far as how long anyone is going to last," she says, laughing. "I'm not comfortable suggesting that my character is more important than another one, because 'Lost' isn't that kind of show. Every week you focus on a different character, so it's like there is no 'lead.' Different characters take charge in different situations, but it's everybody's story."

While she waits to see how things play out for Ana-Lucia, Rodriguez is more than content to recharge her personal batteries on the North Shore of Hawaii, where she had spent four happy months while filming her 2002 movie "Blue Crush."

"Living on an island as beautiful as Oahu, I wouldn't want to live anywhere there is clutter or city life," Rodriguez says. "It's so beautiful out here. It's just peace. Even if I have to drive two hours to the studio, when it comes time to film flashback stuff, it's just paradise out here the rest of the time. Strip it all away and this is what you get.

"I love looking at an ocean that's alive, not stagnant. The waves in the winter are just amazing, and they give me energy. This is a place where you can just stop: stop partying, stop living crazy, stop answering your phone, focus on your work and just, like, regenerate. Some people can't stand it for more than two weeks, but they're also paranoid about social interaction."

That sounds a whole lot more laid-back than how she describes herself when she made her explosive big-screen starring debut in "Girlfight," playing driven female boxer Diana Guzman.

"At that time in my life, I actually was way more aggressive than that character," she says. "I had to downtone myself. I was in a very angry stage, didn't like anyone telling me what to do. I hated that I had been spat out into a system where I had to follow rules and guidelines. My teenage years, my misery of existence, lasted a lot longer than it does for most teens. Growing up, I was, 'Why am I here, and why are all these people trying to tell me what to do?' It was anger all the time, like one of those punk-rock kids you see on TV."

She pauses, then laughs.

"Oh, honey, that's gone now. It was all part of growing up."

In her downtime, Rodriguez continues working on what she calls her passion project, a film for kids called "Dreamfighter."

"I have been working on it for about two years," she explains. "Think of it as 'Goonies' meets 'The Neverending Story' meets 'Constantine.' In this industry, most adult stuff just bores me. It always comes down to sex, jealousy, power, and it's just so boring. That's why I've been focusing on kids and wondering why so many kids have gotten so absorbed into this reality of today.

"It seems as if every kid I talk to has forgotten how to use his imagination. That's sad, and it's scary to me that there's only one movie out there for the kids to really lose themselves in a fantasia-land, and that's 'Harry Potter.' That's kind of pathetic. Where is our future going? I'd like to go around the world and talk to kids everywhere."

'Garfield' Movie Sequel Slated for Summer 2006

NEW YORK A sequel to last year's "Garfield" movie is scheduled to be released next summer.

Bill Murray is in negotiations to reprise his role as the voice of the cartoon cat, according to The Hollywood Reporter and other sources.

Breckin Meyer (as Jon) and Jennifer Love Hewitt (as Liz) have signed on to return in "Garfield 2." Also slated to appear in the sequel will be Lucy Davis and Billy Connolly.

Murray is currently starring in Jim Jarmusch's "Broken Flowers" film.

The "Garfield" comic strip is by Jim Davis of Universal Press Syndicate.

'Wallace & Gromit' Tops Live-Action Rivals

LOS ANGELES - Clay paid off at the box office for "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit." The clay-animated family film debuted as the top weekend movie with $16.1 million.

The airplane thriller "Flightplan," which had held the top box-office slot the previous two weekends, slipped to second place with $10.8 million, lifting its total to $60.9 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

A rush of new wide releases filled out the top five, led by Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette and Shirley MacLaine's tale of squabbling sisters, "In Her Shoes," which opened at No. 3 with $10 million.

Al Pacino and Matthew McConaughey's sports-gambling flick "Two for the Money" debuted in fourth place with $8.4 million.

"The Gospel" — starring Boris Kodjoe as an R&B singer making peace with his faith and his estranged father, a church bishop — had a surprisingly strong opening of $8 million, placing fifth for the weekend. The movie played in just 969 theaters, barely one-fourth of the cinema count for "Wallace & Gromit."

The restaurant comedy "Waiting," with Ryan Reynolds, Anna Faris and Luis Guzman, premiered at No. 7 with $5.7 million.

Overall revenues slipped, with the top 12 movies taking in $87.8 million, down 10 percent from the same weekend last year.

Two acclaimed movies opened strongly in limited release. Actor-director George Clooney's "Good Night, and Good Luck," featuring David Strathairn as legendary broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow, took in $420,000 in 11 theaters.

"The Squid and the Whale," starring Jeff Daniels and Laura Linney in a comic drama of a family's bitter divorce, grossed $124,000 in four theaters.

"Audiences are evidently paying attention to critical raves and really showing up in big numbers for these independent movies that have been very well-reviewed and kind of get a must-see vibe going for them," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

"Wallace & Gromit" was based on three short films made for British television about the adventures of a cheese-loving inventor and his long-suffering canine pal.

Featuring the voices of Peter Sallis, Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes, the big-screen "Wallace & Gromit" pits the duo against a monster rabbit ravaging the town's vegetable gardens.

"Wallace & Gromit" follows " Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" as the fall's second film created through stop-motion animation, which involves photographing inanimate objects a frame at a time. The last big stop-motion film was "Chicken Run," from the makers of "Wallace & Gromit," which debuted with $17.5 million and went on to become a $100 million hit.

Distributor DreamWorks is counting on the film's stellar reviews and strong word of mouth to give "Wallace & Gromit" a long run in theaters. Though popular in the United States through the TV shorts, the characters have been far better known in their native Britain.

"In the U.S., they weren't as well-known as people might imagine," said Jim Tharp, head of distribution for DreamWorks. "I think they certainly will be after this weekend."

"The Gospel" was a late addition to the schedule of distributor Sony, whose strategy of marketing the movie heavily to black church groups paid off. Blacks accounted for 85 percent of the movie's audience, said Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution.

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. "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," $16.1 million.
2. "Flightplan," $10.8 million.
3. "In Her Shoes," $10 million.
4. "Two for the Money," $8.4 million.
5. "The Gospel," $8 million.
6. "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," $6.5 million.
7. "Waiting," $5.7 million.
8. "A History of Violence," $5.1 million.
9. "Serenity," $4.9 million.
10. "Into the Blue," $4.8 million.

Ashlee Simpson Really Does Sing on 'SNL'

NEW YORK - Ashlee Simpson sang — really, she did — without incident on "Saturday Night Live" in her return to the scene of last year's lip-synch fiasco.

"I wrote this song after my last `Saturday Night Live" appearance," she said, introducing the mournful "Catch Me When I Fall."

She belted out the song with gusto, the only boost seeming to come with a brief echo effect on her vocal in the chorus. When she was done, Simpson smiled and hopped in relief.

It was nearly a year after Simpson's embarrassing appearance on the same stage, where her voice was heard singing the wrong song when she held her microphone at her waist. She danced an awkward jig and then walked off the stage.

The fakery made her a laughingstock and Simpson was booed lustily when she appeared at the Orange Bowl a few months later.

Leading up to this week's appearance, "Saturday Night Live" executive producer Lorne Michaels promised it would be her singing — not some tapes — when she went on the air.

"Who will be the one to save me from myself?" Simpson sang in the ballad. "Who's going to catch me when I fall?"

Later in the show she came back for a peppier number, "Boyfriend," where her vocal was augmented by a backup singer.

"Thank you so much!" she said at the end, blowing a kiss to the audience.

(la version française suit le texte anglais)
October 9, 2005

New collective agreement ratified by 88.4% of voters

Members of the Canadian Media Guild have voted 88.4% in favour of ratification of the new collective agreement.

A total of 3514 Guild members from across the country cast ballots; of those, 3106 voted yes; 394 voted against the deal. 14 other ballots were either spoiled or challenged and not accepted.

The ratification officially puts an end to the lockout which began nearly two months ago.

"This kind of support shows that the membership believes we've succeeded in pushing the CBC back from its demand to de-stabilize our workforce. We have established that the CBC will use permanent employees for its ongoing activities," says the Guild's CBC Branch president Arnold Amber.

Amber adds: "Many people have talked about how the events of the past eight weeks have helped bring Guild members together in a new way. I think that's reflected in the high voter turnout."

The majority of Guild members will be returning to work as of Tuesday, October 11. It is expected to be several days before CBC programming returns to normal.

Oe 9 octobre 2005

La nouvelle convention collective est ratifiée par 88,4% des électeurs

Les membres de la Guilde canadienne des médias ont ratifié l'entente de principe conclue lundi dernier. Quelques 88,4 pour cent des électeurs ont accepté l'entente.

En tout, 3 514 membres de la Guilde ont vote; 3 106 ont voté pour ratifier la convention, tandis que 394 ont voté contre. 14 bulletins ont été rejetés ou estimés nuls.

La ratification représente la fin officielle du cadenas qui a commencé il y a presque deux mois.

« Cet appui démontre que les membres croient que nous avons réussi à faire reculer la Société de sa demande de déstabiliser nos membres. Nous avons entériné l'idée que la Société utilisera des employés permanents pour effectuer le travail régulier, » dit le président de la sous-section SRC/CBC de la Guilde, Arnold Amber.

Il renchérit : « Plusieurs ont remarqué que les événements des huit dernières semaines ont créé un nouveau sentiment de solidarité au sein des membres de la Guilde. Je pense que le taux de participation élevé reflète cette réalité. »

La plupart des membres de la Guilde retourneront au travail à compter du mardi 11 octobre, mais quelques jours passeront avant que la programmation de la Société retourne à la normale.

Written in Foam - An Interview with Muppet Writer Jerry Juhl

By D. W. McKim and Phillip Chapman (July 24, 1998)

On Saturday July 18, Muppet Central's D. W. McKim spent a wonderful hour interviewing Jerry Juhl. From his days on the Muppet Show and Fraggle Rock, to the subject of Henson's and Hunt's characters returning, Mr. Juhl gives fans an insider's perspective that is rarely revealed.

As you will read, Mr. Juhl discloses some fascinating information about a Fraggle Rock and Muppet movie which never went into production. Concerning the proposed Fraggle Rock movie, it likely is not feasible now, but the past several years there has been a strong movement for the return of Fraggle Rock to television. Since most of the principal performers are still alive, what better way to bring back Fraggle Rock than with a one-hour reunion show about how "The Rock" began.

The proposed Muppet movie, "The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made" is also fascinating because so much time went into developing the ideas for the film. As you will read, this movie was in development after The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984). Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl worked closely together on the script. Wouldn't it be a great memorial to Jim's work to see this film made, especially since they had so much fun writing the script! I'm sure we would all be touched to see one of Jim's "hidden works" see the light of day on the silver screen.

For those readers concerned about spoilers of "Muppets from Space," the next Muppet Movie set to release next July, this interview contains none, as Mr. Juhl tends not to discuss projects in preproduction as "everything could change tomorrow." So relax, sit back a spell, and get to know head writer, Jerry Juhl.

Your initial involvement with the Muppets was as a puppeteer, and a rather talented one at that.

JUHL: Well... uh... I'm not so sure about that.

Well, Taminella did essentially steal "The Frog Prince!" (Jerry does quick Taminella impression).

JUHL: Actually, I didn't even perform in "The Frog Prince!" That was Richard Hunt doing the puppet in his first major role. At that point I was phasing out of doing characters. I just did the voice since I had done the character before for a few years previous, but that was my last major piece of performing. In the beginning, it was just Jim and Jane [Henson], and me and the three of us did everything. We all did a lot of writing together at first. Then Frank Oz joined later, and with this talented performer with us now, I could concentrate more on the writing which had been my strong suit. So the transition from performing to writing just sort of happened, I had no idea at the beginning that that's how it would turn out. So now I attend puppetry gatherings like the one I'm in town for this weekend and give pep talks on the writing aspect.

Do you at least ever get the urge to return? Or at least lend a hand during massive crowd scenes?

JUHL: Every now and then when a lot of extra hands are needed on the set, I may do some crowd scenes. There are those moments every few projects when we do mammoth crowd scenes when you're scrambling for every available hand. But I remember how difficult it was performing a puppet again after not doing it for so long, you really forget a lot.

It's not like riding a bicycle, eh?

JUHL: Not like riding a bicycle. The hardest part is that the whole time is spent with the arm outstretched over your head. Your head is crouched down for a long period of time and we're constantly using monitors. So every time you're moving the character to the left, you see it going to the right on the monitor and it takes quite some time to get used to that.

When the Muppets do interviews on talk shows and such, how much is scripted beforehand?

JUHL: Oh, it varies all over. It's hard for me to say how much is done since I'm not really involved with that area anymore. But what usually happens is that the writers get a sense of what topics will be discussed and then puts down ideas for lines, like punch lines and their set-ups. Then we work it out with the performers so they have not a formal script but background material that they can use. So if someone says something about chickens, the performer's ready with a chicken joke. But a lot of it is really ad-libbed. And, some performers are stronger at the ad-libbing than the others, that's Frank's strong suit. It's very rare where we'll have to write anything for him, he goes in a lot and just does his thing.

What's your approach to writing new characters? Do you start with bios/outlines or know what the puppet will look like or who will most likely be doing them?

JUHL: There's no standard, they really come from all over. When we start a series like "The Muppet Show" or "Fraggle Rock," those all start with lots of long involved meetings with the writers, performers, designers, etc. just about CHARACTERS. There was a lot of those meetings especially with "Fraggle Rock."

With the Muppets, everything starts with characters and it's important to begin with that since you're just learning about the characters at the beginning and who they are and of course everyone expects the first episodes to be fully fleshed out but they never are. On any television show, if you go back and look at the first episodes, they're all just developing.

"The Muppet Show" started out very gag-oriented in its first season when Jack Burns was the head writer, then in the second season when you had taken on as head writer, the show really became very character based.

JUHL: Yeah. Sometimes it's amazing how much of the shows, the fans pick up on things like that! It's really common to find the core fans like yourself and the Bill Sherman’s, Danny Horn’s, and Chris Smigliano’s that remind us of the things we did on TV. When you emailed me the subjects you wanted to discuss, one thing that blew me away was about how we were planning to have Robin Williams and Cher on "The Muppet Show" and I had to stop and think, "We did almost have Cher on." Was that ever announced?

There was a list of upcoming guest stars printed in one of the fan club's newsletters. What would you have liked to have done in their episodes?

JUHL: We had tried to get Cher on the show for the longest time. Frank Sinatra was another one we had really tried to bring on but never happened. We tend not to think of too much as to what we'd like to do in advance, usually David Lazar ["The Muppet Show’s" executive producer] would call up the guests. He would call the star up and ask what they would like to do and except for some really specialized guests, we'll go completely from that. We really could have done anything with Cher since she was just an exceptional talent as a singer and actress, comedian, all sorts of things. One thing we would not have done though would have been to make a Sonny Bono puppet!

That reminds me, the first two episodes of "The Muppet Show" were done before the others as pilots, and at the close the guests were given puppet likenesses of themselves. Did this tradition continue off camera?

JUHL: Did those actually make it onto the air? We really did a lot of reediting of those early episodes. Those were done before the rest and at that point we were just completely feeling around, we didn't know what we were doing. That was done at the farewells so those ended up in there since those were with the guests and we couldn't reshoot.

Had "The Muppet Show" gone on for a sixth season, were there any characters, sketches, or plots that you would have liked to explore or never got a chance to use?

JUHL: There probably were some, but by now I've forgotten them all! I was really in favor of ending after five seasons. A lot of us believed that it was best to leave at the top of our form, not just trailing away slowly, but leaving the audience wanting more. We didn't want to drag it out and just be sustaining the same things.

The last season was certainly still very innovative up to the end. There was a lot of playing around with the format: the whole show becoming a dance marathon, Statler and Waldorf hosting with Kermit and Fozzie in the balcony, etc. The shows like the Melissa Manchester episode with the standard onstage/backstage silliness was almost an exception.

JUHL: Was the show where the theatre went out to sea in the fifth season?

Yeah, with Glenda Jackson!

JUHL: That had to be our most off-the-wall episode. That was Chris Langham's contribution. He joined the writing staff in our third year as our kind of "wacky British Monty-Pythonish" writer. In fact, it was John Cleese who recommended him! So he joined us and as we were sitting around in these meetings throwing out ideas, he all of a sudden burst out, "let's do a pirate show and send the theatre out to sea!" and we all just looked at him as if he was going off the edge. We just said, "Okay Chris, just sit down and take your pills." But two years later, the idea had sunk it and we thought it would be a good idea so that turned out to be a fun show!

When you have such large casts as the TV shows tend to do, some characters will naturally come to the forefront and others phase out naturally, but how often do the writers actually consciously decide, "this character's not working, we're not using them anymore?"

JUHL: It's usually pretty obvious when we've exhausted a character's possibilities. The writers basically know when there's nothing new to do. We can always look for new aspects or ways to use a character, and if one comes up we may bring it back, but we pretty much realize when we've otherwise exhausted the possibilities. When it comes to the characters, it's all a collaborative effort with the writers and performers. We all have a family quality that picks itself up in the writing what with all the time we spend together. The writers see the performers play around in rehearsal or on set between takes and when something works, we'll use it in the scripts or vice versa.

Some of the Muppets' funniest works were the Muppet Meeting Films and the Muppet Time sketches done for Nickelodeon, but neither contained any credits. Who was on the writing staff of those?

JUHL: A lot of the really, really early ones were collaborations between Jim and I. How much of the early ones have you seen? Have you seen the one with Rowlf and the typewriter for IBM?

Actually, I've not seen it yet but I literally have a copy coming to me in the mail this week!

JUHL: Yeah, yeah, those interns dubbing tapes at night! You never know what's making it's way out there to the core fans on the newsgroups and such! There was a great early one of Jim's character doing this "Sell, Sell, Sell!" speech that started out calm and built more frantic as it progressed. We did a few different versions of that in the Meeting Films.

My favorite one like that wasn't even a Meeting Film, but a project we did when we were trying to sell the idea of "The Muppet Show" to CBS. This was in the early days before the shows were taped; we were pitching ideas to networks and our group was doing a lot of tie-ins with George Schlatter of "Laugh-In." When we pitched the show to CBS, we made a film for them where Jim did a Leo-style "Sell, Sell, Sell!" speech that started out quietly and just built and built and BUILT where it ends up with a shot of the heavens. We put the heads of CBS into heaven and extended that into a shot parodying the Sistine Chapel with the CBS executive reaching out to Kermit and the voice-over, "And the Lord said, 'Let them have a 30 share!'"

But getting back to the writing of the Meeting Films, I don't want it to sound like I did them all. Bill Prady did a lot of them, right now he's the big producer on "Dharma & Greg" and Jim Lewis, I believe, did the ones for Nickelodeon with Craig Shemin, who's in our New York group.

In Christopher Finch's 1981 book, "Of Muppets & Men," you're quoted as saying, "If it weren't for the Muppets, I doubt I'd have much interest in writing for television, and I certainly wouldn't be writing television comedy. We have a unique situation here. We're not answerable to network executives or standards-and-practices people." Was this ambivalence toward network television coupled with NBC's poor handling of "The Jim Henson Hour," the reason you weren't involved with the "Muppets Tonight" writing staff?

JUHL: Not at all. It's because right now I live in San Francisco and I like to stay there as much as I can and I had done 11 consecutive years of series television between "The Muppet Show" and "Fraggle Rock" and that's enough! When that was over, I said, "I'm done!" Weekly TV’s really stressful which may be why I've moved to the boondocks!

The upcoming film will be the first one post-Jim Henson and Richard Hunt's passings where the Classic Muppets are playing themselves again rather than playing parts. Will we see more of their characters returning like Rowlf, Scooter, and especially considering the science-fiction genre, Link Hogthrob?

JUHL: There's a lot of things taken into account when we bring back those characters. It's very important that if we do that, that they're done by people who can do them well, especially Rowlf. We haven't really had anyone who can do that gruff Jim voice. The characters are very real to a lot of people so any replacements need to be of a certain level. Of course, with the ones we have brought back like Kermit, Beaker, and Statler and Waldorf, those get dissected heavily on the newsgroups. The second thing that's involved is we're pretty reticent to hand over certain characters that are such an integral part of the personalities of the performers. Scooter was so much like Richard. Someday that may change if the need for the character presents itself and we find the right person. Link's the same way, it's hard to imagine anyone performing that type of character like Jim.

We take into consideration a little of everything and this is something the fans have endless discussions about. I personally feel Steve's certainly done a wonderful job with Kermit. It's always tricky, hard, and emotional both for the writers and the performers. Even when we decide to do it, the performers may have their own feelings. Ultimately, it depends on the project at the time.

Steve Whitmire really has done an amazing job with Kermit. Also with Ernie.

JUHL: We really allow the performers to make the characters their own and Steve really has made them his own. We would never want a performer to be doing a copycat imitation, it's a true acting job in that sense. Since our comedy is character-based, they can't be static. They need to be able to grow.

One piece of criticism that keeps coming up though is that Whitmire's Kermit is too "passive" and not as excitable as Jim's. Yet this really falls more into the writers' arena as opposed to being a particular fault of Steve's. In the films, Kermit's been playing other characters, Bob Cratchit and Captain Smollet, and on "Muppets Tonight", he's been in the role of executive producer and not on the front lines dealing with all the craziness.

JUHL: That was actually a conscious decision. Brian [Henson] and the writers of "Muppets Tonight" both felt they didn't want Kermit back out front again. Because then there would be the direct one-to-one comparisons between the old show and the new one. The Muppet Show was two decades ago and now we're in a new era and a new generation of comedy. I think the decision to make him the executive producer was a good idea, that seemed to be where Kermit was naturally headed. Then you can have Clifford come crawling to Kermit and Kermit saying, "Yeah, I understand, I've been there."

Another area that we haven't seen at all due to the Muppets playing other parts in the movies has been Kermit's relationship with Fozzie. Will we finally see more of that again with the new film?

JUHL: I would love to return to that. There's always ideas that abound out of meetings, and one idea for a film that's been knocked out that I thought it would be fun to do would be a buddy picture with Kermit and Fozzie and get that fully reestablished. We did lose that in the novel movies, but we were at the mercy of the material.

I thought it was lucky when Kirk Thatcher came up with the idea of Mr. Bimbo for Fozzie, having this running gag with a character living in Fozzie's finger. Still, even though it allowed him to do something comedic, there hasn't been room for Fozzie to be himself and do his jokes. Sadly, despite all the expectations, you can't do everything in a movie, even when the characters do play themselves. The emphasis will always be on the protagonists even though you can still present the other characters.

I know a lot of fans did not like Mr. Bimbo. The general consensus was that it made Fozzie come across as neurotic, but I liked it myself since it wasn't Fozzie, but a character he played. It reminded me of Fozzie following the path of a lot of comedians today making the transition from stand-up to films and I can just picture him reading the script going, "Aahhh...Mr. Bimbo, now that's funneee!"

JUHL: That's what it was, Fozzie playing a loon. When Frank Oz came in for the first read-through, he was coming off of other projects, so it was almost a cold reading for him. He just had a chance to briefly skim it over before we started. And, at first he was just incredulous: "Uh..uh..Fozzie really has this character in his finger?" and we said, "Yeeeah." It took him a long time to warm up to it but in the end he loved it.

Kind of like one of those Chris Langham ideas!

JUHL: Takes a while to sink in! He ended up suggesting more places on set to add bits with Mr. Bimbo.

I know Frank's said in interviews that Fozzie is two-dimensional, but in all credit, he's a wonderfully rounded character, having gone from just being a bad comedian to exploring his backstage persona and insecurities, going to group therapy and trying to become more assertive and watching him just take off.

The extraordinary thing about the Muppet cast in comparison to other families of fictional characters or even a lot of sitcoms aimed at adults is that the characters are always growing and evolving rather than remaining static. The downside to this is when fans complain, "Piggy's changed" or "Gonzo's mellowed" when in truth the basic essence of the character hasn't altered but they learn and grow and develop just as we all subtly change over the years. They gain more dimensions, even the ones that start out as one-note characters like Beaker, Animal, and the Swedish Chef. But then as a writer, how do you feel when you hear such criticisms?

JUHL: The last thing we want is for the characters to become predictable. When I see those comments, I don't know what to do. Sometimes I'll look at older tapes and ask has this character gone in a different direction? Still, I'm a strong believer in having the main characters evolve and keeping them fresh and finding new places to put them. Otherwise, they would just be corporate icons. They need the space to move on and grow and to allow the writers and the audience to find out new things about them. So, I'm sorry if it disappoints some people, but it's like all my friends that I've known for a long time too, they've changed over the years as well.

Gonzo's probably the best example. For someone who started out as a one-joke character, he's become one of the most dimensional. He's always been among the main four, but lately his role's become even more important, often serving as host. This seems pretty natural though, since he's the weirdo among weirdos. If any character can represent the Muppets' wackiness, it would be Gonzo.

JUHL: That is a role that we've learned Gonzo can assume quite naturally. Kermit's kind of the sane eye of the hurricane and he's a good host and character that all the others can play off of. But Gonzo's not bad as a frontman. I don't know that he's really been a host all that much, but it worked well to cast him in "Christmas Carol" as Charles Dickens.

Dave Goelz and I actually did a presentation at the American Film Institute talking about long term character development and we used Gonzo as the example, showing a series of clips from his debut eating the tire to "The Flight of the Bumblebee" through his evolvement up to Charles Dickens in 1992. This was an incredible path. He started out as a sad character and then we see him in Christmas Carol where we gave him Rizzo, who provides him a great comic to play with. For the first time, Gonzo was actually being a straight man to someone else! So it's fun to go back and think of other ways we can have them interact, but at the same time, Gonzo shouldn't always be a straight man, that just wouldn't do for Gonzo!

"Muppet Family Christmas" was a fun special and probably one of the most fun to work on as a writer because you could take the casts of "Sesame Street," "The Muppet Show," and "Fraggle Rock" and see what happens when you put them together. In the decade since that special, there's been a wealth of new television shows which could offer more crossover possibilities to play with like Sam Eagle's recent guest appearance on "The Animal Show." Are the writers anxious to explore these some more?

JUHL: Things like that are done on a case-by-case basis when it does occur. The group that was working on "The Animal Show" was set to do a show on the bald eagle and thought, "Hey, wait a minute, why not bring in Sam?" That turned out to work beautifully with them all knowing he was famous but not what for! When we do it, it's only when it's worth doing. It does get tricky with the "Sesame Street" characters though. CTW's very careful, especially these days, about how the characters are portrayed. Whenever we've used them on "The Muppet Show" or in cameo parts in the movies, we've had to submit scripts for approval. But when appropriate, the crossovers are always fun to do.

"Fraggle Rock" remains one of the most beloved Muppet projects. In comparison to other kids' shows, "Fraggle Rock" was very innovative in terms of story arc, character growth, and a sense of closure by series' end. Still a lot of fans would like to see some sort of "epilogue." Do you think that world will ever be explored again?

JUHL: Well, that was a favorite for everyone involved and we would have loved to go back and do something further. Jim used to talk about producing a TV movie. I doubt it would be done today though because the time for it has passed. But our idea was to do a prequel. We wanted to show the founding of the Rock; the characters emerging from somewhere looking for a home and discovering the Rock. Like a lot of things, it was one of a large number of ideas that were discussed but sort of never happened for a whole complex of reasons: a lot of the people involved were doing other things and no one was particularly begging us to do it. It would have been fun, but I do feel creatively that the "Fraggle Rock" world was wonderful but had a nice sense of closure. I look at the body of work and think for what we did, I don't feel we need to extend it past the established ending.

The Jim Henson Company certainly has never been short of ideas. One of the drawbacks of being a writer in the entertainment industry must be working on a number of projects that eventually never get produced. Is there a particular project that you were disappointed by not seeing it reach the screen?

JUHL: Oh Lord, this is one of those things that will be all over the newsgroups once it gets out there! There was a project for a Muppet movie that we kept returning to. Jim and I worked on it and just loved it. It grew out of the fact that Jim was talking about finances and if we did another Muppet movie at the time, it would need to be done inexpensively, since we were using bigger and bigger budgets for all our other projects.

Around what time was this?

JUHL: This would have been from the time of "Fraggle Rock" on, the mid '80's. So we conceived of a movie slated as "The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made." That was the original working title and that later became the subtitle with the title along the lines of, "Into the Teeth of the Demons of Death."

The idea being that this was a film that Gonzo directed. Kermit was too busy so when Gonzo asked, Kermit said, "Sure, go ahead. I can't take on the responsibilities behind the scenes at this time, but I'll perform in it." So Gonzo wrote this cheesy, terrible plot that made absolutely no sense whatsoever about something being stolen that led to a chase around the world. Unfortunately Gonzo blows half the movie's budget on the opening titles! So as the film progresses, it gets cheaper and cheaper where they're using a shot of the same street corner for every city in the world! We were still talking about this project in the last meeting I ended up having with Jim.

Every now and then, we still bring up the movie. Six months ago, Frank had said to me, "You know, there's still something in that movie, it would be a lot of fun to do." One thing that kept it from happening though was that for "The Cheapest Muppet Movie Ever Made," it still turned out to be expensive to shoot. Things like a tranquil island blowing up with a volcano and such.

Over the 40 plus years of the Muppets' history, they've gone from a quirky experimental puppet troupe to practically becoming an entertainment "Institution." Because of this, is there more pressure to be "politically correct," or to be more selective on projects. For example, just doing huge projects as opposed to experimental guest appearances like the classic "Ed Sullivan Show" sketches?

JUHL: I think if you looked hard enough, you could find a few examples of stuff we did 35 to 40 years ago that we wouldn't do today, but basically if anything we're always pushing the envelope, and we want to always be pushing that envelope. If we drop back into safer stuff, it's not because of an outside pressure, but because it may be appropriate for the project at hand. We always want to stay on that cutting block.

What about political influences? Right now the extremist conservative right is using Disney as a scapegoat for everything it doesn't want to see represented in entertainment. Even though they're geared toward adults, the fact that the Muppets are puppets will always earn them the label of "family entertainment." Is there a fear that if you tell the wrong joke or depict the wrong type of situation that this movement could jump on The Jim Henson Company next?

JUHL: It's not been on my mind on a daily basis and it never will be. Once you start editing yourself or writing to satisfy others' agendas, that's when you begin to waiver from the things that set you apart and we won't play that game.

Frank Oz took a huge risk when he directed "In & Out;" I've been pleasantly surprised that there's been no backlash from that.

JUHL: There hasn't been any whatsoever. Everyone that you would expect to jump on the film really left it alone. Frank had expected the movie would receive a certain amount of flack, but everyone just loved it!

What future projects will you be working on?

JUHL: As you know, the "Muppets from Space" project is what I'm working on at the moment. At this point, I just take on one project at a time. There's some newer writers in the company that do a few things at once but I don't like to do that with the Muppet projects. I only work on one project at a time. I've tried to do two projects before and I can't do that.

One thing the company will be doing though in a year or two is an exhibition at the Smithsonian in Washington on Jim and his works. This will be one of the projects of the Jim Henson Legacy. This is planned to be there for six months. I don't know if it will travel after that, but it's at least nice to know that there's still such a demand for Jim's works to continue to be seen.

Former 'Muppet Show' Writer Juhl Dies

SAN FRANCISCO - Jerry Juhl, who was the head writer for "The Muppet Show" before he co-created "Fraggle Rock," has died. He was 67.

Juhl, who died at a San Francisco hospital on Sept. 27, became the first full-time employee of Jim Henson Co. in 1961 after meeting Henson at a puppeteer's convention.

The company coined the term "Muppet," a combination of the words marionette and puppet, and created a series of short skits parodying television newspeople.

Juhl worked on Henson's first television show, "Sam and Friends" as a puppeteer and later spent six years writing for "Sesame Street" after its 1969 premiere.

He created scripts for the Cookie Monster, Oscar the Grouch, Big Bird, Elmo, Bert, Ernie and The Count. He also created Super Grover, a superhero version of Grover, and received two Emmy Awards for his work.

Juhl served as head writer for "The Muppet Show" from 1977-1981.

He also was the writer and creative producer of "Fraggle Rock," which featured his wife as a writer and script editor. The show was met with critical acclaim when it appeared on HBO in 1983 and lasted four years.

'Wallace & Gromit's' Hare-Raising Adventure

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) - Back in the early 1980s, director Nick Park discovered he was more of a dog person than a cat person when making his first stop-frame animation short "A Grand Day Out." At the time, the Beaconsfield Film School student had already developed a story about a British inventor named Wallace with a cheese craving who travels to the moon with his pet to remedy his lack of Limburger.

"I was planning for [Gromit] to be a cat at first," says Park. "And then I just found, when I made him out of clay, it was easier to make a dog. The shapes are bigger and rounder."

Necessity also dictated Gromit's signature speechlessness when Park began shooting the short, which required he move the clay puppets and props in tiny increments, 24 times for every second of film.

"I actually had Gromit with a Scooby-Doo kind of voice, [but] when I came to do the first shot in 'A Grand Day Out,' it was a scene where Gromit's underneath a door and Wallace is sawing through the door building a rocket," says Park. "I couldn't access Gromit's legs to animate them or his mouth. There and then, that's where Gromit was born. Because he's clay, I could just manipulate his brow and by doing so little, all the expression came. He certainly became an introvert dog and a very intelligent dog in that moment."

Thus Gromit became Wallace's silent partner: the Beaker to his Dr. Honeydew, the Teller to his Penn Jillette. In their latest adventure, "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit," the inventor tries to save his village's prize gardens by brainwashing the local bunnies to give up eating vegetables. When the experiment goes awry, a giant "were-rabbit" with an even larger appetite begins to run amok. Once again, it's up to Gromit to save the day.

"There's a kind of tension with Gromit wanting the quiet life and order and Wallace constantly going off on tangents and causing chaos and getting mad ideas," explains Park. "It's almost like an elderly husband and wife relationship. The long-suffering wife and the stupid guy, in the traditional sense -- the way [Gromit] rolls his eyes all the time. Some people say he's more human than Wallace."

When DreamWorks Animation approached Park and Aardman Studios to create his first feature-length project, they decided to make "Were-Rabbit" as cinematic as possible.

"We looked to Universal horror flicks, particularly werewolf movies but all sorts actually for all the secondary characters: the skeptical policeman, the priest who seems to know a lot about the supernatural and the occult," he says. "There is something from this Ray Harryhausen movie where people are chasing monsters with spears."

Another set of films provided the inspiration for the two upper crust British characters, daffy plant-lover Lady Tottington and hunter Victor Quartermaine, who is wooing her for her fortune.

"We watched a lot of films like 'Barry Lyndon' and saw the aristocracy in Europe," says Park, referring to the Stanley Kubrick film about a rogue who schemes and seduces on his way to becoming a nobleman. "With Victor the hunter, we watched 'King Kong' and 'King Solomon's Mines.' But also for his pomposity and stuff, Charles Laughton in 'Mutiny on the Bounty,' Orson Welles in 'Wuthering Heights.'"

Even though creating an 85-minute film was a daunting task -- which eventually took five years to make -- Park never considered switching to a more time-efficient medium.

"I just find it such an expressive and immediate medium. You can imbue the characters with soul because you're slowly nudging and teasing out the characters in a small way," he says, beginning to play with the plasticine Gromit puppet during the interview. "You can make Gromit's brow change his expression and create anger or sympathy."

That's not to say that Park wasn't open to using computer graphics to create the necessary smoke and fog effects or to bring a particularly tricky scene to life. Before Wallace brainwashes the rabbits, he captures them en masse using the Bun-Vac 6000, a giant vacuum that holds the rabbits in a large glass tank.

"They're all spinning around in a glass case, and we just couldn't access the bunnies," Park says with a laugh. "So we thought, 'Well, why not just create them digitally?' We gave [The Moving Picture Company] a clay rabbit, and they scanned it into the computer and animated them."

With "Were-Rabbit" opening nationwide Friday, Oct. 7, Park isn't too concerned about competition from "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride," another stop-motion film that opened a few weeks before.

Says Park: "It's funny because with all the movement towards CGI, there's been more people employed in stop motion than ever before actually."

The sexiest? Jessica Biel

Who's the sexiest woman alive? Elizabethtown's Jessica Biel, 23, according to the November Esquire magazine.

Esquire editor Granger on Biel: "She's talented and about to burst onto the scene. She's fantastic."

"She's been an underground icon to the generation of men who are coming of age now," says Esquire editor in chief David Granger. "She's been this unexpected but iconic figure for a long time. She's talented and about to burst onto the scene. She's fantastic."

Last year's pick was Angelina Jolie, 30.

The magazine also names the hottest women of their generation: Gong Li, 29, Sharon Stone, 47, and Rene Russo, 51.

Koppel to Anchor Last 'Nightline' in Nov.

NEW YORK - Ted Koppel will anchor his last edition of "Nightline" on Nov. 22, with the first post-Koppel edition of the ABC newscast airing Nov. 28, the network said Thursday.

Koppel, 65, has anchored the show since its official launch in March 1980. The show grew out of a series of special reports about the Iranian hostage crisis that began the previous November.

Koppeland his "Nightline" executive producer, Tom Bettag, are expected to keep working together on news programs after leaving ABC News.

How the late-night news show will evolve following Koppel's departure remains a mystery less than two months before its debut. ABC has appointed James Goldston, who produced a British show similar to "Nightline," as the broadcast's new executive producer, and it has experimented with a multi-topic format on nights Koppel was off.

The longtime Washington-based show is expected to split time between studios there and New York, according to published reports. Several reports have also suggested Koppel will be replaced by multiple anchors; ABC News has declined to talk about its "Nightline" plans until they are complete.

It's 'Synch' or Swim for Ashlee Simpson

NEW YORK - It's synch or swim for Ashlee Simpson on her second go-round on NBC's "Saturday Night Live."

The vocally disparaged singer will perform this weekend, almost a year after the "SNL" audience heard her voice — singing the wrong song — while she held a microphone at her waist.

Even though lip-synching has been around for years, the incident resulted in Simpson being lampooned as an example of today's style-over-substance culture.

Simpson's manager-father, Joe Simpson, has said she used "extra help" because acid reflux disease had made her voice hoarse.

The 21-year-old singer will perform songs from her upcoming album, "I Am Me," according to Simpson's Web site.

IMAGINE...

What kind of magical mystery turn would John Lennon's life had taken if he were still with us? The ex-Beatle, who would have blown out 65 candles on his birthday cake on Sunday, would be a computer geek living in New York, guesses his widow, Yoko Ono.

"He would have jumped on Internet Web sites and computers, that kind of thing, because he always liked something new," she tells The Post. "Musically, too. You can these days go to the computer and set up things and create scores. That would have been very interesting to him."

As a potential birthday present to fans, Yoko reveals that a few more of Lennon's songs are in the vault, including tunes recorded on cassette tapes with Lennon accompanying himself on guitar. Three such songs debuted in "Lennon" the musical, which closed after only six weeks.

"I didn't just want to make a CD out of the cassette tapes and put it out. So each song has to really have a presence and put out in a way that is fair to that song," she says. "'India, India' and 'I Don't Want to Lose You' fit into that musical so well."

But before all you millions of Beatles fans think there's a huge treasure trove of Lennon penned tunes, calm down.

"There's more, there's more," teases Yoko, adding, "I wouldn't say a lot."

Every year on Oct. 9, Yoko lights a candle in the window of her apartment in the Dakota to commemorate her late husband's birthday and "just to say hi to the fans putting candles around the 'Imagine' circle," she says, referring to the memorial in Central Park celebrating Lennon's most famous song.

If he were still here, he'd be living in New York - he considered himself a New Yorker, Yoko says.

"For once he was feeling relaxed, because, after Beatlemania and all that, he couldn't go out," she says. "In New York City, he thought it was OK for him to walk around and go into the park. He would have been doing that. He'd be going to local coffee shops and chatting with people there, things like that."

Sometimes Yoko feels like her husband never left. She thinks about him constantly and, nearly 25 years after his death, still feels his presence.

"It's very difficult to explain. The thing that happened was a long, long time ago, but ... I feel like he's still around, so [I wonder] why isn't he just coming out of the kitchen, out of the next room or something," she says. "That's how it is. I feel that way all the time."

In addition to the honorary candle, Yoko, who married Lennon in 1969, will honor the musician's birthday with "Come Together," a SoHo gallery exhibit displaying more than 100 pieces of Lennon's artwork - his original drawings and signed pieces as well as limited-edition prints.

The collection - on view from today through Sunday at the nameless space at 102 Wooster St. ([212] 595-5537) - includes rare, Lennon-signed pieces from the "Bag-One Portfolio."

That series was Lennon's wedding present to Yoko, which chronicled their wedding, honeymoon and the famous bed-in. When the lithographs of the drawings were first shown at a London Gallery in 1970, they were confiscated by Scotland Yard due to their erotic content.

The SoHo show also includes prints of Lennon drawings that were subtly tinted and signed by Yoko, as well as colorized sketches Lennon inked for Yoko and Lennon's son Sean.

"The fact that John's work is so popular now is so incredible," Yoko says.

One of her favorites features John floating on a cloud, with the phrase "He tried to face reality" written underneath and a bright yellow sun beaming below. "It's beautiful, actually," she says.

The pieces, which depict everyday activities (such as Lennon playing the piano) as well as imaginative ones (an elephant in bed counting sheep; a woman who appears to be giving birth to the world), reveal a playful side of Lennon, one that might be overshadowed by his tragic end.

"You don't remember how fun he was, because he passed away. We were all sad, so there's a certain seriousness about his life," Yoko says.

"He had a sense of humor, you know, and this is fun stuff. And I really think that it's so important that it comes out now because people are frightened, especially after all sorts of things that happened, and, it's good to remind people life can be fun.

"Life is fun. You can make it fun. There's a side of us that's feeling ... dreading every day, because it's getting very heavy, but we have to remember that we should be thankful about life and to be happy while we can. Remember, there's love."

Her busy projects keep Lennon on top of her mind as well.

"I do feel like he's around in some way because I'm doing so much this year, especially with his stuff, and the scope and weight of it is incredible," she says. "I'm also doing all my stuff. I've never been this busy in my life!"

But Yoko's still stinging over the disappointing outcome of the "Lennon" musical.

"I'm very upset that it was closed, but I also know that everything is a blessing in disguise," she says, optimistically. "It was a very good show, and it's amazing that they suddenly decided to close, but they did."

WHERE HE'D BE NOW

"I would think he'd still be into music and art. He would be playing with Julian and Sean. There would be a lot of jamming.

"He'd be taking life more leisurely. At 65, John would be able to look back with satisfaction on his life and accomplishments."

- Cynthia Lennon, who met John when they were art students and married him in 1962. They had a son, Julian, now 42. Her new book, "John" (Crown), is out this week.

"There's no telling what John would be doing if he were here now, but it would definitely be something original. I don't think he'd tour, like Ringo does. He'd probably do benefits. He'd definitely be against the war in Iraq and be for peace."

- Musician Billy Preston, known as "the fifth Beatle," for all his work with the Fab Four. He also played with Lennon's Plastic Ono Band and is at work on a Beatles' tribute album.

"Instead of just Watching the Wheels, he'd be back in the driver's seat taking us on his own Magical Mystery Tour. His solo work would have evolved, and yes, there would have been some sort of Beatles reunion project. John was still a Beatles fan.

"I'd speculate that a hip 65-year-old guy, which John would undoubtedly be, would be tuned into technology. Even back then, when I interviewed him on WNEW in 1974, he told me he was listening to the station on the cable television."

- Longtime New York deejay Dennis Elsas, who can be heard afternoons on WFUV (90.7) and mornings on Sirius Classic Vinyl 14.

"Like wine, I think he'd age very nicely. John would have been more introspective. His life would've calmed down. By this age he probably would be more trusting of people around him. He got hurt many, many times and he'd look twice before he would trust.

"He'd be doing the same kind of music - his poetry was observation of life.

"He'd be observing politics, but I think he'd probably be more in the middle today. I think he'd realize the way to reach people is the middle. It's not left or right, it's the middle. He was interested in the end result - to influence people to do the right thing. Maybe reach that song 'Imagine a world without wars ...'

"John Lennon, no matter how old he was, 65 or 165, would never be somebody who would just let the world go by without commentary - he was a live documentarian on life. And this would have been enhanced with age."

- Cousin Brucie deejayed on WAB(eatle)C at the height of Beatlemania in the '60s, and remained a lifelong friend of John's. He now broadcasts on Sirius radio Saturday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings.

"John would be very much an activist. He would probably have been the first one down to the 9/11 site to offer his help, to work in the kitchens, to help the firefighters ... He was always outspoken. He would be very involved. John was really the forerunner of the Bonos.

"I think he'd be into all kinds of music - probably opera. He'd always be experimenting with new forms.

"And I also believe he would have been very much into satellite broadcasting, which he talked about with me in 1968."

- Veteran journalist Larry Kane was the only American TV correspondent to travel with The Beatles on their 1964 U.S. tour. His newest book is "Lennon Revealed" (Running Press).

"I don't know [what he'd be like], but I sure wish I could've found out. He was a really grounded guy, but he went through a lot of changes. In the time I knew him, he went from a drunk rock star to being a committed father. I'm sure he would have continued to be a leader for free thinking. I know his voice is very, very missing in today's society. And I wish there was somebody like him speaking out today.

"He might be touring - when he died he was planning to go on tour. He had just finished an album, he was going to make some videos to promote the album, get a band together and go on a longtime world tour starting in March."

- Photographer Bob Gruen was friends with Lennon during his nine years in New York. Among his photos is the iconic shot of Lennon wearing a New York City T-shirt.

"I think he would be more of the same, only older. He would remain true to his code - everything he addressed and spoke about so eloquently during life.

"Whereas I never make projections as to what his position might be on different subjects, I think that he would be with Yoko, that their love would endure. I know for certain that he would be spending Sunday celebrating the 30th birthday of his son Sean.

"And finally, I know for certain that he would have preferred to be here to answer the question for himself."

- Elliot Mintz is a longtime Lennon/Ono family friend and spokesperson for the estate.

Brooks Heading Back To The Radio

Anderson Merchandisers has enlisted Nashville-based Lyric Street Records to promote to radio a new project Garth Brooks is recording exclusively for Wal-Mart.

"Good Ride Cowboy," Brooks' tribute to the late Chris LeDoux, has been chosen as the first single. It will be digitally distributed to country radio stations tomorrow morning (Oct. 6).

Anderson Merchandisers CEO Charlie Anderson says the song "symbolizes the project, which is about love and honesty. It's up-beat, fun, sincere and everything you want music to be."

"To say that we are excited about working this Garth single at radio would be an understatement," said Lyric Street president Randy Goodman in a statement. "It's a testament to the Lyric Street Records staff that Anderson came to us with this opportunity and we look forward to working with our partners at radio."

Brooks has not had a new single on the radio since 2003's "Why Ain't I Running," which reached No. 24 on Billboard's Top Country Songs chart.

He recently signed a multi-year, exclusive pact with Wal-Mart, making the retailer and its Sam's Clubs and walmart.com outlets the only places where his music will be commercially available.

Although neither Brooks nor Wal-Mart has commented on the first arrival under the pact, industry sources say it will be a multiple-disc box set including previously unreleased material. The collection will be released in late fall.

A transmogrified 'Calvin and Hobbes'

In the final Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, Calvin and his buddy Hobbes are tobogganing after a fresh snowfall. Calvin's parting line: "It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy ... Let's go exploring!"

And now for the good news: The Complete Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson (Andrews McMeel, $150) went on sale this week. It's three volumes, weighs 23 pounds and has every single cartoon in the series.

Watterson, 47, writes in the introduction that since ending the comic strip, he is putting his energy "into painting and a similarly remedial study of music."

Long ago, Watterson established that he valued his privacy. He still doesn't give interviews. And unless it's contraband, his characters can't be found on coffee mugs or T-shirts. Several years into his comic strip, after a syndication struggle, he won the right to refuse to license Calvin and Hobbes.

"I didn't think greeting cards, T-shirts or plush dolls fit with the spirit or the message of my comic strip," he writes.

The comic strip, which is considered one of the all-time greats, ran from Nov. 18, 1985, to Dec. 31, 1995, in about 2,500 newspapers worldwide.

The stars were the maniacal 6-year-old Calvin and his buddy Hobbes, a stuffed tiger that came to life when adults vanished and Calvin was present. In supporting roles: Mom and Dad, babysitter Rosalyn (the only semi-adult Calvin feared), teacher Miss Wormwood (named after the devil's apprentice in C.S. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters), a bully named Moe and a little girl named Susie.

A typical snippet: The 8:30 a.m. Calvin greets the 6:30 a.m. Calvin, wanting to know whether his earlier self did the homework.

Calvin gave open rein to his imagination — hallucinations might be a better word — as Spaceman Spiff, for instance. Above all, he was devoted to playing, procrastination, Saturday mornings and Hobbes, his more thoughtful counterpart.

'Lost' Stars Unhappy with Network Treatment

TV hunk Matthew Fox is reassuring his Lost cast mates they will soon see financial rewards from starring in the hit show, after a handful of the actors complained they do not receive enough recognition. Some unnamed cast members of the desert island drama are unhappy to hear about the bonuses and gifts lavished on the stars of Desperate Housewives, which is broadcast on the same TV network, ABC. However, Fox is sure the Lost actors will soon be championed at the same level as Teri Hatcher, Marcia Cross and their fellow Housewives, especially after Lost was named Outstanding Drama Series at last month's Emmys. He says, "The difference between how ABC has treated has treated Lost and Desperate Housewives has been night and day. There's a perception among the guys that we are busting out a*ses on the island and we weren't getting a lot of recognition for that. I've just told the cast to keep their heads down, stay positive and it will all work out in the end."

Simpson and Lachey Breakup Rumors Heat Up

NEW YORK - Another day, another divorce story about Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. Magazine reports prompted representatives for the pop star couple to issue statements Wednesday denying they have split — although semantically speaking, the statements left room for a future breakup.

"Nick and Jessica have not separated," said a statement issued on behalf of Simpson and Lachey. "Rumors to the contrary are simply not true."

In an e-mail to The Associated Press, Simpson representative Brad Cafarelli reiterated: "They have not separated."

Us Weekly magazine, without naming sources, broke a story Wednesday that said Simpson and Lachey separated over the weekend.

Alex Dudley, a spokesman for Us Weekly, said the magazine was standing by its story. The latest issue, on newsstands Friday, proclaims "Split!" on the cover.

For the past year, rumors have dogged Lachey and Simpson, who will celebrate their third anniversary Oct. 26. Magazines have run pictures of Simpson with or without her wedding ring.

Lachey, 31, and Simpson, 25, had the trials and tribulations of their marriage chronicled on MTV's "Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica."

As recently as August, Lachey denied any impending split, saying everything was "absolutely wonderful."

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes Expecting

NEW YORK - Let the couch-jumping begin: Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are expecting a baby. Holmes' pregnancy was reported Wednesday by People magazine. The couple have been dating since April and became engaged in June.

"Tom and Katie are very excited, and the entire family is very excited," Lee Anne DeVette, Cruise's spokeswoman, told People.

It would be Holmes' first child. Cruise has two children, Connor, 10, and Isabella, 12, from his marriage to Nicole Kidman.

No further details were available. Devette added that Holmes, 26, "has never felt better."

Cruise, 43, is now shooting "Mission" Impossible 3."

Eminem Files Suit Over Cellular Ring Tones

DETROIT - Grammy-winning rapper Eminem's publishing companies filed a lawsuit in an effort to stop his songs from being used as cell phone ring tones.

In the suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, Michigan-based Eight Mile Style and Martin Affiliated are seeking a court order to prohibit five companies from selling Eminem song ring tones on the Internet.

Lawyers for the rapper, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, said they also plan to sue karaoke companies that sell Eminem songs without getting the proper licenses.

"This is a big business. We're talking hundreds of thousands of dollars a year," said Howard Hertz, a lawyer representing the plaintiffs.

The companies named in the suit are Colorado-based Cellus USA, Georgia-based FanMobile, New York-based Nextones.com, New Jersey-based MyPhoneFiles and New Jersey-based MatrixM LLC.

'Earl' earns season ticket at NBC

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - NBC has ordered a full season of "My Name Is Earl," the network announced Tuesday, making it the first fall comedy series to get 22 episodes.

Encouraged by healthy ratings in its first two weeks, NBC ordered nine episodes of "Earl" on top of the original 13. The show revolves around a crook (played by Jason Lee), who tries to atone for his past crimes.

"We are extremely encouraged by the response to 'Earl' from the audience and critics alike," said Kevin Reilly, president of entertainment at NBC. "... Jason Lee's Earl is a truly original TV comedy character that we hope will be around for years to come."

Since premiering September 20, "Earl" has emerged as a bright spot for NBC by averaging 13.3 million total viewers. Its 5.8 rating and 14 share in adults 18-49 represents a 61% improvement over the 9 p.m. Tuesday slot occupant last season, "Father of the Pride."

Those numbers also make "Earl" the highest-rated new comedy among adults 18-49, though it did suffer a significant 25% drop from the first week to the second in that demo.

Lowdown: TPOH records new songs, plans tour

The Pursuit Of Happiness, whose 20-year-old power-pop anthem "I'm An Adult Now" is still as funny and cool and relevant as it ever was, has reassembled to record two new songs for a hits package and will back it up with a tour.

The Toronto-based band cut a new song, the single "Hey Mary Anne," and a cover of Prince's classic "When Doves Cry." Both will appear on "When We Ruled -- The Best Of The Pursuit Of Happiness," due Nov. 22 on EMI Music Canada.

"I had a meeting with all the people there (EMI) and they haven't heard the new tracks yet, but they're excited about the prospect of working it," says manager Jake Gold of Toronto's The Management Trust. "We actually have a tentative date scheduled for the single, which is going to be delivered to radio the week of Oct. 10, and they're going to ask for adds on Oct. 17. There's not going to be a new video."

Led by singer, songwriter and guitarist Moe Berg, TPOH went through various line-up changes over the years, but everyone who was in place when the band went on "an extended hiatus" in the late '90s signed on -- Dave Gilby (drums), Kris Abbott (backing vocals, guitars), Brad Barker (bass, backing vocals) and Renee Suchy (backing vocals).

"I knew everybody would be into a best of, and then in terms of getting into the studio and recording and possibly playing some shows, that was a conversation I had to have," says Berg, who played a series of reunion gigs with TPOH in 2002.

Berg has been busy with all kinds of endeavors since TPOH's final studio album, 1996 "The Wonderful World Of... " He released a solo album, "Summer's Over" in 1997, a book of short stories titled "The Green Room" in 2000, and produced other artists, most recently Toronto rock band Robin Black, and Baltimore's Andy Bopp of Myracle Brah and Lovenut. He is working on a novel and is slated to work with Toronto band Tacoma Redd at the end of the month and finish up Bopp's tracks in November.

With so much on the go, earlier this year Berg asked Gold if he would manage him. They had known each other for about two decades, but recently socialized more because their wives are good friends. "I've always been friends with Jake, but we just became better friends," says Berg. "I think it was a logical extension of that, and I've always had a ton of respect for Jake, ever since I first met him however millions of years ago. I've always thought he was one of the best managers in Canada.

"Basically, I've been wandering around without an advocate for a really long time and I think that's a lot of the reason why things haven't happened that probably would have happened," Berg explains. "I just needed someone to present opportunities and work out the deals for me."

Case in point, during the initial what-can-I-do-for-you pow-wow, Berg mentioned that Razor & Tie had released "Sex & Food -- The Best Of The Pursuit Of Happiness" in the U.S. The 18-song retrospective, an initiative through Capitol special projects, had never been released in Canada.

"I said, 'Maybe we should see if anyone wants to put one out here. Would you do some new tunes?' and he said, 'yeah,'" Gold recounts.

"So then I started talking to some different labels and then realizing that EMI owned most of masters because they had bought Chrysalis, and the band was originally signed to Chrysalis, I ended up talking to (EMI Music Canada president) Deane Cameron and Deane put Warren Stewart, who is one of the marketing guys over there, on it. Warren said, 'Yeah, we want to do this,' so we ended up negotiating a new deal for them with the two new songs."

EMI didn't own all the TPOH catalogue. Only 1988's "Love Junk" and 1990's "One-Sided Story" were on Chrysalis. There were some indie recordings Berg owned (originally distributed by WEA Canada), plus 1993's "The Downward Road" (Mercury), 1995's Where's The Bone? (Iron Music Group) and the aforementioned The Wonderful World Of... (Iron Music Group). "We went around through the track listing and we licensed those other tracks," says Gold.

Over the summer, pre Katrina, Berg had gone on a road trip to the Gulf Coast with his expectant wife and when he returned wrote five new songs about, what else, being on the road. "Hey Mary Anne" is one of them. He decided to cut that song with the newly-reformed TPOH, along with Prince's "When Dove's Cry, " a song the band often played live.

Producing the two songs himself, Berg, Gilby, Abbott, Barker and Suchy recorded most of the tracks at Chemical Sound and did some stuff at Orange. "I was very impressed with how everyone played and how seriously everybody took it," says Berg. "Everyone behaved the way they behaved when we used to make records back in the day."

The ultimate question is, did it go so well that there's a chance of a brand new studio album from TPOH?

"For us, we let the circumstances dictate what will happen with us," says Berg. "We're more inclined to let whatever demand there is for something manifest itself before we push our own agenda on the world. We didn't come up with the idea of recording new songs. It was (Jake) who suggested it and we went along with it, so I guess it would depend on what kind of influence we got from outside whether we would actually go and do more songs or not."

The track listing for "When We Ruled -- The Best Of The Pursuit Of Happiness" does differ from "Sex & Food -- The Best Of The Pursuit Of Happiness" in more ways than just the addition of the two new recordings.

"I think this one has a few more songs, but this one is a little bit more heavily weighted on material that is already available, whereas the Razor & Tie record has a fair amount of unreleased material on it," says Berg. "The similarities are there were two tracks ("Let My People Go" and "Take You With Me") that we recorded for the 'Love Junk' record that didn't make it on, and both of those are on both records.

"It also features both versions of 'I'm An Adult Now,' both the indie version and the rerecorded version (produced by Todd Rundgren), whereas the other one didn't. The other one had a lot of live tracks and other stuff. This is a really good record to have if you were a Pursuit Of Happiness fan, but didn't buy all the records. It has all the pertinent stuff on it."

Ralph James of Toronto's The Agency Group is presently putting together a tour so TPOH can support the album.

"After I talked to EMI, I talked to Ralph and then asked Moe to talk to the other band members," says Gold. "The idea was if they're going to get together to record these songs, they might as well go do some shows, so we're planning a national tour for December, and will hit most of the major cities. All of that is in the planning stages."

The whole band is up for it, says Berg, but is not willing to slum it, as they might have back in the day.

"If there's a real demand for it, then theoretically we'll be able to travel in a certain degree of comfort," says Berg. "We're not going to rent a jet or anything like that, but it will be somewhere between renting a jet and all piling into a van with our gear and a crew guy and sleeping in the McDonald's parking lot (laughs). Ralph is technically still our agent. As far as I know, the initial inquiries have already been made, so the idea of a Pursuit Of Happiness tour is floating around amongst club owners."

Below, Toronto's Jeff Rogers, TPOH's original manager, and now good friends with Gold and Berg, reminisces about how he first came to work with the band:

"I met Moe around 1985/86. I found out about TPOH two ways. One, I saw the original 'I'm an Adult Now' video on Much. I flipped out and dreamed that it would be so cool to manage them. It seemed impossible to me that they did not already have a manager.

"A few weeks later as they were becoming the Arcade Fire of 1985/6, my close friend Joni Daniels begged me to meet her friends in a band. She said they were great and if I managed them they could really do something. I was working as rock consultant on a movie called 'Hearts of Fire,' starring Bob Dylan and I didn't want to blow it, but, because I loved Joni so much I said I would meet them. She told me the were called "The Pursuit of Happiness" and I think I started to cry.

"I later went with Joni and Erica Ehm to see them at Larry's Hideaway. I loved them like I had never loved any band before. Because of the movie, I couldn't commit immediately and a few weeks went by. They started getting more and more play and eventually achieved something no one else had ever achieved - they became the number one most requested band on both Q107 and CFNY.

"Much continued to support and now Bruce Allen and Val Azzoli were calling to manage them. I kept meeting with them and convinced them to let me help them until they decided what to do. "With the help of John Derringer I got them a gig up at Tony's West near York. John came out and introduced the band for me. I also got them five times the pay they were getting at Lee's Palace the next week. When they played Lee's, Moe made the cover of NOW. I thought I was sunk. Every manager with any juice in Canada was at the show. I couldn't even talk to the band. I waited until everyone left and approached them.

"It took a few weeks and with nothing really under my belt except for some industry people liking me and enthusiasm they signed with me. We worked independently for a while and got friends at WEA Canada to help with a release. Mike McCarty had signed on as publisher. When WEA wanted to continue, the deal wasn't what I thought it should be. At that time, a video in Canada was 100 percent recoupable, but in the U.S. it was 50 percent recoupable. I stood my ground and we did not get the deal.

"McCarty supported us and we eventually found our champion in Kate Hyman at Chrysalis records. She helped us land Todd Rundgren that led to all the great stuff we did together. It was the time of my life. "The other day I went with Meghan to meet our mid-wife. Moe walked in with Laura and we found out they were due two weeks before us. I am sure Moe would agree that our past was amazing but I look forward to sharing new adventure with him and his family starting sometime in November."

Smith Reportedly Quits 'Fletch' Film

Cult movie maker Kevin Smith has reportedly quit the planned film "Fletch Won" after spending years fighting for pal Jason Lee to play the reporter created in the 1980s by Chevy Chase.

The Clerks director's decision to walk away from his labor of love comes after a spat with producer David List, according to film gossip website MovieHole.net.

List tells the site, "Kevin Smith is no longer affiliated with the Fletch film as writer or director. His type of comedy just isn't Fletch. The movie is going to be made, and, if all goes as planned, should be in production in early 2006."

List insists Smith's departure was amicable.

Garden State star Zach Braff has long been a favorite of producers to play the lead character in the long-awaited follow up to 1989 movie Fletch Lives.

Meanwhile, List claims funnyman Chase is being targeted for a cameo appearance in the new Fletch film. The producer adds, "I think it would be great. I think everyone will welcome his being a part of it."

Goldberg Tips DeGeneres As Next Oscars Host

The Color Purple star Whoopi Goldberg has ruled out the possibility of ever hosting the Academy Awards again - and she's recommending Ellen DeGeneres for the job.

Goldberg has had enough after hosting the prestigious ceremony four times, and she believes that fellow comedienne DeGeneres - who recently hosted the Emmy Awards - would be the perfect choice for the job.

She says, "I think actually there's another young lady who would like to do it and so I've got my fingers crossed for her. I think it's Ellen. I think she would be good."

Comedian Chris Rock hosted this year's awards show.

Who Needs Theaters, Anyway?

The major movie studios are stepping up their production of movies intended to go directly to the home video market, Home Media Retailing reported Monday.

Universal Studios Home Entertainment president Craig Kornblau told the publication, "We have a $24 billion business that consumers absolutely love ... and yet there is very little content made only for this business."

Many of the new features being produced for DVD release are being described as "franchises" -- essentially sequels to successful films. Last week, Universal launched "Universal DVD Originals" with Carlito's Way: Rise to Power, a sequel to 1993's Carlito's Way. On Dec. 27, the studio will release the DVD sequel American Pie: Band Camp, starring Eugene Levy.

Sony plans to release Single White Female 2: The Psycho on Oct. 25 and 8MM2 on Nov. 22. New Line is planning sequels to 1994's 8 Seconds and last year's The Butterfly Effect.

And Paramount Home Entertainment President Meagan Burrows told the publication that the studio is "in the process of developing a new [DVD] comedy label."

Conan to Turn Entire Show Over to U2

NEW YORK - In his 12 years in charge of booking musical guests on Conan O'Brien's "Late Night," Jim Pitt always listed U2 and Johnny Cash as the dream artists he'd tried but never succeeded in getting.

He lost his chance with the late Cash, but the U2 dream is coming true Thursday in a major way.

O'Brien will turn over his entire show to the band, which is in New York for seven sold-out engagements at Madison Square Garden.

"We were able to offer them something to feel enough like an event for them to do the show," Pitt said. "It's basically `Late Night with Conan O'Brien,' the U2 edition."

The NBC show has never before devoted itself entirely to a musical guest, although it gave major time a few years back to a holiday appearance by bandleader Max Weinberg's other employer, Bruce Springsteen.

O'Brien's a big U2 fan, and made a personal connection by talking at length with Bono during breaks in rehearsals for the band's "Saturday Night Live" appearance last season, Pitt said.

It may be a nervous time for Bono, who is nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his work in trying to ease Third World poverty. People who watch the Nobel closely list the lead singer as one of the favorites. The winner is expected to be named Friday.

The band is expected to perform three songs and be interviewed by O'Brien.

Pitt is not pushing for any material in particular.

"When U2 decides they want to come on the show for an hour, you don't get too picky about what they play," he said.

Last year's prime-time hits dominate new TV season

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Two weeks into the new U.S. TV season, the biggest hits in prime time are the same shows that topped the Nielsen ratings last year, led by "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost."

Several new shows had promising starts during the past two weeks, including NBC's quirky comedy "My Name is Earl," UPN's Chris Rock-inspired sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris" and a pair of ABC entries -- alien thriller "Invasion" and White House drama "Commander-in-Chief."

But none has exhibited the huge breakout potential of ABC's two surprise sensations from last season, the wry suburban soap opera "Desperate Housewives" and castaway mystery "Lost."

As CBS Chairman Leslie Moonves put it in the New York Times this week in assessing the latest crop of fall offerings, "There are no home runs this season."

The premiere weeks are important to the networks as they try to promote new shows that will attract advertising dollars in the weeks and months to come.

Veteran CBS crime drama "CSI" ranked as the single most watched show on network television for the second straight week of the new season (ending October 2), averaging nearly 28 million viewers, Nielsen Media Research reported on Tuesday.

"Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" followed with 27 million and 23 million viewers, respectively, while also finishing the week as the top two shows among viewers aged 18 to 49, the benchmark group most networks use to gauge prime-time success. "CSI" was No. 3 in the adult 18-to-49 audience.

ABC's highly promoted new political drama "Commander In Chief," starring Oscar winner Geena Davis as America's first female president, launched to solid numbers last Tuesday becoming the night's most watched show and No. 9 for the week.

But Davis was clobbered in the key 18-to-49 race by her "Stuart Little" co-star Hugh Laurie in head-to-head competition against his Fox medical drama "House," another returning show that gained in the Nielsen rankings week to week.

One lackluster launch for ABC was Thursday's debut of its new crime chiller "Night Stalker," which landed at No. 64 in the total audience in tough competition against "CSI."

Meanwhile, last week's three biggest new series -- "Invasion," "My Name is Earl" and the latest CBS detective show "Criminal Minds" -- all lost ground in their second airings.

Still, NBC executives had enough faith in "Earl," which led its time slot in 18-49 ratings, to announce on Tuesday that it would air nine additional episodes of the comedy, giving it a full 22-episode order for the season.

One of the biggest surprises of the new season has been the misfire of NBC's hugely anticipated spinoff of "The Apprentice" starring lifestyle guru and ex-convict Martha Stewart. After its anemic debut, "Apprentice: Martha Stewart" faded further in its second week and has been shifted to a later Wednesday time slot directly opposite "Lost."

The fourth edition of the original "Apprentice," starring real estate mogul Donald Trump, gained a bit of steam this past week but remains well off its mark from last season's average.

Other NBC disappointments include the new Pentagon-based homeland security saga "E-Ring," starring Dennis Hopper, and the fertility clinic drama "Inconceivable," which sank to Nos. 55 and 85, respectively, in total viewers. They fell even lower in the adults 18-49 audience that NBC long dominated. NBC yanked "Inconceivable" from its Friday schedule for at least a week.

CBS, a unit of Viacom Inc. VIAb.N, finished the week again as the most watched network overall and as No. 2 in young adults. ABC, owned by the Walt Disney Co., was first in the 18-49 ratings and No. 2 in total viewers. NBC, part of General Electric Co., was No. 3 by both measures, followed by News Corp Ltd.-owned Fox.

'LOST' MYSTERY

Fans of the hit drama "Lost" are buzzing about the sharp, new change in direction that the series took last week with the appearance of a mysterious logo.

The logo — an octagon with the word "Dharma" in the center — appeared first on a wall inside the mysterious hatch finally breached by the series' stars.

It was glimpsed again later in the episode on the uniform worn by Desmond, who lives in the hatch and — weirdest of all — imbedded onto the tail of a monstrous shark, something sharp-eyed fans discovered only by freeze-framing through replays.

Does the logo represent a corporation, a government organization, a cult?

The logo was never explained on the show and, as usual, ABC refuses to talk about the clue that has been red meat for the show's somewhat obsessive fans for nearly a week.

The appearance of the logo promises to alter dramatically the story that began last year with the marooned survivors of a plane crash trying to survive on a deserted island.

Suddenly, the show is suggesting the survivors are not as alone or cut off from the outside world as viewers were originally led to believe.

In fact, in just two episodes this year, the series writers have begun to indicate that the island is as full of life as a mid-sized town — a surreal mid-sized town, to be sure — and that the crash-survivors are caught up in some larger mystery or conspiracy.

It is the kind of twist that keeps fans buzzing and coming back for more.

Much of the online chatter and blogger specualtion has centered on how the logo seems to be derived from the symbol for the popular Chinese philosphy of feng shui — a set of rules that govern life, spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to patterns of the flow of energy.

"I think the best thing about 'Lost' is that it inspires so much discussion," wrote one fan, Star1, on Tvsquad.com. "I've never seen people scrutinize single [screen shots] from a TV show before. Hats off to that."

"Two Ronnies," "Porridge" star Ronnie Barker dies

LONDON (Reuters) - British comedian Ronnie Barker, the big half of the famous duo The Two Ronnies and the indomitable Fletch in prison sitcom Porridge, has died aged 76.

A spokeswoman for The British Broadcasting Corporation said on Tuesday that the portly, bespectacled star died peacefully on Monday in the presence of his wife. He had been suffering heart trouble.

Tributes poured in for one of Britain's best-loved comics.

"If anybody could have been called a comic genius it was Ronnie," broadcaster Nicholas Parsons told the BBC. "Ronnie Barker was a true icon of situation comedy and character comedy and there was nobody to my mind to touch him."

Michael Hurll, a producer on the Two Ronnies, said Barker's partnership with the diminutive Ronnie Corbett ranked alongside that of Morecambe and Wise in importance.

"I don't think we will see their like again," he said. "Ronnie Barker meant to comedy in this country laughs, big laughs and laughs that you will always remember."

Ronald William George Barker was born in Bedford in 1929. At one stage he considered becoming a bank manager, the kind of middle class, respectable profession he would later parody mercilessly in his sketches.

But he chose the theater instead, appearing in plays and on the radio before breaking into television.

"IT'S GOODNIGHT FROM HIM"

In 1971, he teamed up with Corbett for the first Two Ronnies series, a show based on deft wordplay and comic timing that attracted up to 17 million viewers at its peak.

It ended with a gag that has become a national institution.

In a spoof of a news broadcast, Corbett would bid the audience "goodnight from me," to which Barker, who towered above him, would add "and it's goodnight from him."

Broadcasters sifted through his gags to find Barker's most memorable lines.

Among the contenders was the joke: "The toilets at a local police station have been stolen. Police say they have nothing to go on."

Barker received an OBE, awarded by the state for distinguished work, and won many accolades including most recently a special tribute from the British Academy of Film and Television Arts in 2004.

He once said in an interview: "I would like to be remembered as one of the funniest men that people have seen on television. 'He made us laugh, he did make us laugh, God bless him'."

Despite his success in Porridge and Open All Hours, in which he played the stuttering, lascivious shopkeeper Arkwright, Barker was never comfortable in the limelight and spent his retirement since 1988 running an antique shop in rural England.

"He was very shy, a man uneasy with the fame that came with the job," said chat show host Michael Parkinson.

Barker was survived by his wife, Joy Tubb, a daughter and two sons.

The Couch Potato Report - October 4th

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

BUT, this is the last week for that! I guarantee that!

Y'see, I work for CBC radio and in addition to producing The Couch Potato Report for this website, I also do it for my show - Saskatchewan Weekend.

For the past 8 weeks I have been locked out by my employers, and thus I haven't been able to receive the films in my usual manner, so I haven't been able to watch and review them.

Yes, for the past two weeks I have been stating that "starting next week the full Couch Potato Report will return!!!"

Well, since my Union and CBC's management have come to terms and reached a deal, which I suspect my fellow Union members will ratify in the next few days, I will have the full Couch Potato Report here next week!!

I am going back to work, so I will be getting back to doing the work I love, and that includes The Couch Potato Report!!

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

I love her, but I must admit that I have yet to see Nicole Kidman's work in THE INTERPRETER. I hope to see it once the lockout is over, and I certainly hope it is better than what she has given us of late.

Lately she has been terrible in the many remakes she has done.

Even though I haven't seen it, I can tell you that in THE INTERPRETER she plays a UN translator who overhears an assassination plot. Sean Penn also stars.

So, at this point, I can't tell you if THE INTERPRETER is a classic.

However I can easily state that the 1950 Disney film CINDERELLA is a classic!

And now the CINDERELLA SPECIAL PLATINUM EDITION DVD is available for you to share with your family.

Enjoy it!

Personally, on first viewing, I didn't enjoy the second season of the classic Canadian TV show CORNER GAS as much as the first.

But now that I have spent some time with the CORNER GAS - SEASON TWO DVD set I must admit that I am enjoying them now, upon second viewing.

And that is one of the many benefits of DVDs!!

For the uninitiated, CORNER GAS is set in the fictional town of Dog River Saskatchewan, and focuses on the life (or lack thereof) of gas station owner Brent LeRoy, coffee shop proprietor Lacey Burrows and the folks who populate the area.

It is funny, entertaining, and along with THE INTERPRETER and the CINDERELLA SPECIAL PLATINUM EDITION DVD, CORNER GAS - SEASON TWO is now available at a store near you.

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

KICKING AND SCREAMING - Will Ferrell is at his full, frenzied power as Phil Weston, a married, uncoordinated would-be sportsman with an uncoordinated would-be sportsman son--and an unresolved relationship with his coach father, Buck (Robert Duvall), who has very little tolerance for the uncoordinated. When Buck trades his own grandson to a real loser of a little league soccer team, Phil naturally takes over underdog coaching duties and the two men butt heads. You could easily, and perhaps rightfully, dismiss all of this as a dumb, demented Meatballs or Bad News Bears rip-off, but it's pleasantly dumb and sometimes hysterically demented.

SOUTH PARK - THE COMPLETE SIXTH SEASON - The sixth season of South Park saw creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone using the animated Comedy Central cash cow to poke fun at anyone (Jared from the Subway commercials for one), everyone, and really, anything that pops into their heads. Included in the Season 6 DVD set is "The Return of Lord of the Rings to the Two Towers" episode, one of the funniest South Park episodes ever!

Coming up in Two weeks are BATMAN BEGINS and THE BIG LEBOWSKI - THE COLLECTOR'S EDITION!!

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

Tentative deal must be ratified before CBC programming returns to normal

TORONTO (CP) - Although CBC and its workers have finally reached common ground in their contract dispute, it will be a while before things return to normal and all the familiar voices and faces - including chief anchor Peter Mansbridge - are back on the air.

"What has to happen is that the union members would have to vote on the agreement," said CBC spokesman Jason MacDonald. "Assuming that they do vote in favour of it, we would then be in a position to bring people back to work as quickly as possible."

About 5,500 employees were locked out Aug. 15, and the public broadcaster filled radio and television airtime with re-runs and managers reading the news. Portions of the fall schedule were delayed, including the broadcast of a Trudeau miniseries.

A memorandum of agreement was reached early Monday and negotiators continued to hammer out a back-to-work protocol.

If a vote is affirmative, MacDonald said workers would be phased in over a few days.

"We would like to have people back to work and our regular schedule up by the end of next week," he said Monday.

Many of the new shows CBC was touting were scheduled to debut in mid-season anyway, including Mary Walsh's six-episode comedy Hatching, Matching and Dispatching, and a series from Ken Finkleman about the inhabitants of a strange hotel.

Canadian Media Guild negotiator Arnold Amber indicated it takes time to get schedulers and assignment desks up and running.

"There are literally a whole number of people that will have to go back as soon as possible to prepare the groundwork for the rest of the people to return," he said.

Winnipeg folk group sues to block the latest Harry Potter film from being shown in Canada

A Winnipeg folk group is suing Warner Brothers, British rock groups Radiohead and Pulp for 40 million dollars and trying to block the latest Harry Potter movie from being shown in Canada.

The group called the Wyrd Sisters alleges the Harry Potter movie due out next month contains a fictional band called the Wyrd Sisters who are actually members of Radiohead and Pulp.

In their statement of claim the Winnipeg group says the movie infringes on their trademark rights and will damage their reputation. The allegations have not been proven in court.

Neither Warner Brothers nor the musicians involved have filed statements of defence. However, Radiohead fans are fighting back and have posted dozens of messages on the Internet, calling the lawsuit a desperate attempt to get money and fame.

Krasinski Puts in Another Day at 'The Office'

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) Watching even a few minutes of "The Office," it's apparent that the NBC show is not a typical TV comedy. Characters don't speak in punchlines, for one thing, and its documentary style captures people who are pretty much exactly life-sized, rather than the outsized folks who populate much of the television landscape.

It can make for uncomfortable laughs, which is exactly what the show's writers have in mind, says John Krasinski, who plays the sardonic nice guy Jim Halpert on the show. "What people don't realize is every 'Umm,' every 'but,' every awkward pause is completely scripted," he says.

Krasinski and his fellow cast members also go through a ritual before filming to "sink right into that office feel," he says. "We do a lot of warming up of, you know, 45 minutes just sitting at your desk doing absolutely nothing while the camera kind of roams around and finds certain things they want to find.

"You really do kind of lull yourself into that boredom and that kind of monotony. So once you get going and into your scenes, you're pretty prepped and ready to go for just living through the situation."
So it's just like a regular office job, then? "Yeah, exactly."

Krasinski's Jim gets a moment in the sun in Tuesday's (Oct. 4) episode. When boss Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and toady Dwight (Rainn Wilson) leave the Dunder-Mifflin office to close on Michael's new condo, Jim and his unrequited office love Pam (Jenna Fischer) blow off work and lead their fellow employees in an "office Olympics."

"He kind of becomes the ringleader of the office for that one day, and it's a big moment for Jim, because I think it shows his potential to be a manager or a leader of the office -- which is something I don't think he wants to do at all," Krasinski says. "But it's something that comes naturally to him when the stresses of work aren't there."

Krasinski figures Jim maybe didn't quite finish college and fell into his job selling paper supplies at the Scranton, Pa., branch of Dunder-Mifflin. He's content with the money he makes, but though he could probably leave whenever he wants to, "the thing that keeps him there is Pam."

"He really believes he's found someone he really, really cares about. It's not just a crush," he says. "I think you realize over the course of the episodes that it isn't something he enjoys, it's something he finds that he needs. ... [The job] is not about the excitement for him, it's about, Do I have everything I need, and every time he runs though that checklist, he's got it."

Talking on the phone, Krasinski comes across not unlike his low-key character. He apologizes for background noise -- "I'm on a city street here" -- and says he finds it "sort of outrageous" that he earned a part in Christopher Guest's latest movie, the Hollywood satire "For Your Consideration," due next year.

But he also talks passionately about "The Office," and the way that Carell's Michael, though he's an insufferable ham who makes his employees cringe, has also turned into a recognizably human character over the course of the show's eight episodes thus far (NBC last week ordered seven more episodes, bringing the total for this season to 13).

"It's fun to have a boss who's that asinine, but you need to show the softer side of him, and not in some kind of dramatic, thematic way, but in a way that's more accessible," Krasinski says. "If he was such an ass, no one would hire him. ...

"I think they really play a lot with the fact that Jim knows that. Even in the first season, Jim never really outwardly made fun of him. He could turn and just make fun of [Michael] to his face, but he never does. It's always in a subtle way, maybe a little bit behind his back, but it's kind of innocent, because [Jim] knows he's just more of a boob than anything else. There's a little bit of compassion in that, almost like you feel bad for him. That's really what we're building on."

NEW DVD RELEASES FOR OCTOBER 4, 2005

Aiden Nightmare Anatomy (Victory)

Tha Alkaholiks Firewater (Koch)

All-Stokz A Bronx Tale (Papercha$e)

America Is Waiting In the Lines (Wrong)

Amestory Amestory (Portia)

Arild Andersen Electra (ECM)

Ian Anderson Plays the Orchestral Jethro Tull (two CDs; DVD same day; w/the Frankfurt Philharmonic Orchestra) (Benz Street)

Fiona Apple Extraordinary Machine (DualDisc) (Epic)

Army of Me Fake Ugly (Pop Up)

Atmosphere You Can't Believe How Much Fun We're Having (Rhymesayers)

Anita Baker Christmas Fantasy (Blue Note)

Caroleen Beatty You're Only as Pretty as You Feel (w/Mushroom as backing band; covers of Jefferson Airplane, Bill Withers and more) (Black Beauty)

Andy Bell (of Erasure) Electric Blue (includes duets w/members of Scissor Sisters and Propaganda) (Sanctuary)

Clint Black Drinkin' Songs & Other Logic (Equity Music)

Gus Black Uncivilized Love (DualDisc) (Immergent)

James Blunt Back to Bedlam (Atlantic)

David Borgo Ubuntu (Cadence)

Boris Believe (mix CD) (Moist Music)

Ronnie Bowman The Mountain (Koch)

Jim Brickman The Disney Songbook (enhanced CD) (Walt Disney)

Brimstone Butterfly Normality Killed the Cat (DualDisc) (Silverline)

Broken Social Scene Broken Social Scene (includes limited edition EP, "ep to be you and me") (Arts & Crafts)

Cindy Bullens dream #29 (guests Elton John, Delbert McClinton and more) (LetsPLAY/Blue Lobster)

Sonny Burgess Stronger (CPI)

Chris Cagle Anywhere but Here (Capitol Nashville)

Cerberus Shoal The Land We All Believe In (North East Indie)

Chevreuil Sport (Sickroom/Southern)

Colder Heat (Output UK/Studio Distribution)

Cranebuilders Sometimes You Hear Through Someone Else (Azra)

Cream Royal Albert Hall, London, May 2-3-5-6 (two CDs) (Reprise)

Cross Canadian Ragweed Garage (limited edition CD/DVD combo available same day) (Universal South)

Drew Davis Band Drew Davis Band EP (Windswept)

Benjy Davis Project The Angie House (guest Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown) (Real)

DJ Dan Lift (two CDs; includes remixes of New Order and Pussycat Dolls feat. Busta Rhymes) (Thrive)

DOO Cold Shower (Le Maquis/Dreyfus)

Will Downing Soul Symphony (GRP/Verve)

Dwele Some Kinda... (guests Slum Village) (Virgin)

Ebony Eyez 7 Day Cycle (Capitol)

Linda Eder By Myself: A Tribute to Judy Garland (Angel)

Mark Eitzel Candy Ass (Cooking Vinyl)

Electrocute Troublesome Bubblegum (Rykodisc)

Sara Evans Real Fine Place (RCA)

The Fall Heads Roll (new studio album) (Narnack)

Fates Warning Chasing Time/Still Life (three CDs) (Metal Blade)

Kirk Franklin Hero (Jive)

Franz Ferdinand You Could Have It So Much Better...with (Epic)

Paula Frazer Leave the Sad Things Behind (w/members of American Music Club, Kronos Quartet, Court and Spark and more) (Birdman)

William Gagliardi 5tet Memories of Tomorrow (CIMP)

Stephen Gauci Trio First, Keep Quiet and Long Night Waiting (Cadence)

The Gentry Sweet Gossip (Ninthwave)

Robert Glasper Canvas (Blue Note)

The Go! Team Thunder, Lightning, Strike (Columbia)

Goldblade Rebel Songs (Anarchy Music)

Delia Gonzalez and Gavin Russom Days of Mars (DFA/Astralwerks)

Goodie Mob Mix Tape (Koch)

Kevin Gordon O Come Look at the Burning (Crowville Collective)

David Hanley & Julian Priester For Sale: Five Million Cash (Cadence)

Eric Hansen Across the Universe - A Beatles Journey (solo acoustic guitar versions of Beatles tunes) (Neurodisc)

Happy Mondays Step on (2004 Barcelona concert) (Snapper)

Hi-5 It's a Hi-5 Christmas (enhanced CD) (Koch)

Jana Hunter Blank Unstaring Heirs of Doom (Gnomonsong)

The (International) Noise Conspiracy Armed Love (re-release of 2004 album) (American/Reprise)

Jemima James Book Me Back in Your Dreams (first album in 15 years) (Tomato)

Liz Janes and Create Liz Janes and Create EP (Secretly Canadian)

Jimmy Eat World Stay on My Side Tonight EP (Interscope)

Anders Jormin XIEYI (ECM)

Journey Generations (Sanctuary)

Cledus T. Judd Presents Boogity, Boogity - A Tribute to the Comedic Genius of Ray Stevens (Koch Nashville)

Lucy Kaplansky The Tide (Red House)

Chris Kelsey Beyond Is and Is Not (Cadence)

Chris Kelsey Trio Wishing You Were Here (CIMP)

Royal Wade Kimes Snow (Christmas songs) (Wonderment)

Kiss Me Deadly Misty Medley (Alien 8/Southern)

KRS-One The Lost Album (Koch)

Smokin' Joe Kubek Served Up Texas Style: The Best of (Rounder)

Ladytron The Witching Hour (Rykodisc)

Kenny Lattimore and Chante Moore Uncovered (Jive)

Steve Lawler Lights Out 3 (two CDs) (Global Underground)

Les Nubians Presents Echos (Artemis)

Let Go Let Go (The Militia Group)

Sylvie Lewis Tangos & Tantrums (Cheap Lullabye)

Zöe Lewis Small Is Tremendous (Wildflower)

Little Big Town The Road to Here (Equity Music)

Living Things Ahead of the Lion (Jive)

Look What I Did Minutemen for the Moment (Combat/Koch)

Stephen Lynch The Craig Machine (W.A.R.?)

The Magic Numbers The Magic Numbers (Capitol)

Make Believe Shock of Being (Flameshovel/Southern)

Michael Mangia The Invisible Wall (Loft Box)

Martha's Trouble Forget October (Aisling)

Leland Martin Leland Martin (Aspirion)

Mason You Were Supposed to Be Beautiful (School Night/Undecided)

Deneen McEachern Hard Dark Love (Tomato)

Eric McFadden Trio Joy of Suffering (Terminus)

Marian McPartland and Bruce Hornsby Piano Jazz (Concord)

Joe McPhee/Dominic Duval/Jay Rosen Trio-X Moods: Playing with the Elements (CIMP)

Rich Medina Connecting the Dots (Kindred Spirits US)

Don Menza Jack Rabbitt (Cadence)

Metric Live It Out (Last Gang)

Morricone Youth Silenzio Violente (Country Club)

Barbara Morrison Live at the Dakota (Dakota Live)

Mugison Mugimama, Is This Monkey Music? (Ipecac)

My Morning Jacket Z (RCA)

Nickelback All the Right Reasons (w/appearance by ex-Pantera/Damageplan guitarist Dimebag Darrell) (Roadrunner)

O.A.R. Stories of a Stranger (produced by Jerry Harrison; guests Bernie Worrell of P-Funk and Toby Lightman) (Lava/Atlantic)

Sinéad O'Connor Throw Down Your Arms (reggae album w/Sly & Robbie; includes covers of Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear and more) (Sanctuary)

Liam O'Maonlai (Hothouse Flowers vocalist) rian (rian records)

O-Solo The Last Level of Rap (TVT)

The Occasion Cannery Hours (Say Hey)

Jeffrey Osbourne From the Soul (covers of songs by Curtis Mayfield, Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack and more) (Koch)

Oscar G. Made in Miami (two CDs; mix compilation w/tracks by Basement Jaxx, Funky Green Dogs and more) (Star 69)

Sista Monica Parker Can't Keep a Good Woman Down (Mo Muscle)

Pastor Troy & Nino Hood Hustlin' - The Mix Tape Vol. 2 (South Central)

Paths of Possession Promises in Blood (guest George Fisher of Cannibal Corpse) (Metal Blade)

Liz Phair Somebody's Miracle (Capitol)

PorkBelly Futures Way Past Midnight (produced by David Gray) (Wildflower)

Joel Press Quartet How's the Horn Treating You? (Cadence)

Prince Lasha & the Odean Pope Trio The Mystery of Prince Lasha (CIMP)

Randy & the Bloody Lovelies Lift (Cheap Lullaby)

Enrico Rava/Stefano Bollani/Paul Motian TATI (ECM)

Red Café Got a Story to Tell (Capitol)

Tobias Rene Living Dreams (Aspirion)

Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys Dominos (Rounder)

The Ripple Effect (Jack DeJohnette and Third Zomby's Ben Surman) Hybrids (Golden Beams/Kindred Rhythms)

Jay Rosen Songs for Samuel (CIMP)

Sa-Ra Second Time Around (w/Pharoahe Monche and J Dilla) (Sound in Color)

Sean T Ain't Playin (guests the Game, Keak Da Sneak and more) (Sumday)

Craig Sellers Something Worth Fighting For (Cozy)

Jake Shimabukuro Dragon (Hitchhike)

Shinedown Us and Them (Atlantic)

Simple Plan MTV Live at the Hard Rock (performance w/bonus material, including acoustic tracks) (Atlantic)

Soulfly Dark Ages (Roadrunner)

Sound Tribe Sector 9 ARTiFACT: Perspectives (remixes by Bill Laswell, Ming + FS, Mr. Lif and more) (1320 Records)

Steve Spacek Space Shift (Sound in Color)

Sponge The Man (w/ex-Guns N' Roses' Gilby Clarke) (Idol)

The Standard Albatross (Yep Roc)

Straylight Run Prepare to Be Wrong (Victory)

T-Luni Street Credibility (moe doe/Sumday)

Tera Melos Tera Melos (Springman)

George Thorogood 30th Anniversary Tour: Live (CD/DVD combo) (Eagle Rock)

Ticonderoga The Heilig-Levine LP (54º40' or Fight!)

Tiger Saw Sing! (Kimchee)

Tokyo Rose New American Saint (guest Fred Mascherino of Taking Back Sunday) (SideCho)

The Tom Collins Daylight Tonight (Terminus)

The Tossers The Valley of the Shadow of Death (Victory)

Tragedy Khadafi Thug Matrix (w/Raekwon, Cormega, Mobb Deep's Havoc, the Alchemist and more) (Koch)

Trife da God 718: Stapleton to Somalia (w/Ghostface Killah) (Koch)

Trina Glamourest Life (guests Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child and more) (Atlantic)

Tunnel Rats Both Sides (Thump)

Twista The Day After (w/Kanye West, Timbaland, the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams, Jamie Foxx, Pitbull and more) (Atlantic)

Twisted Sister Live at Wacken - The Reunion (CD/DVD combo) (Eagle Rock)

V The Revelation Is Now Televised (guests Jill Scott and DJ Jazzy Jeff) (BBE)

The Very Hush Hush Mourir C'est Facile (Sao Bento Music)

Richard "Humpty" Vission Automatic (two CDs) (Thrive)

Hezekiah Walker Praise and Worship (DVD same day) (Verity/ZLG)

We Are Wolves We Are Wolves (Fat Possum)

Kirk Whalum Performs the Babyface Songbook (w/Babyface, Dave Koz, Christian McBride and more) (Rendezvous)

Young Sicc Spread the Word (PR)

VA 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas (w/Vanessa Williams, Toni Braxton, Chaka Khan, Brian McKnight and more) (Concord)

VA Armageddon Over Wacken Live 2004 (three CDs; two DVDs same day; w/Anthrax, Dio and more) (Magick)

VA Butterfly Melodies: The Piano Tribute to Mariah Carey (Vitamin)

VA Celtic Crossroads (w/Sinéad O'Connor, Mick McAuley and more) (Putumayo)

VA Corporate Love Breakdown: The Bluegrass Tribute to Radiohead (CMH)

VA Destinacion Nada: Tributo A Maná (Snake Machine)

VA Destination Lounge: New York City (two CDs w/bonus DVD; downtempo electronica collection) (Revive the Soul)

VA Eclectic Café (Thump)

VA Goth Electro Tribute to Depeche Mode (w/Tina Root of Switchblade Symphony, Soil & Eclipse and more) (Cleopatra)

VA Guitar Tribute to Howie Day (Tribute Sounds)

VA I Believe to My Soul (produced by Joe Henry; w/Mavis Staples, Billy Preston, Allen Toussaint and more) (Work Song/Rhino)

VA Merry Mixmas: Christmas Classics Remixed (songs by Dean Martin, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole remixed by Mark Rae, Ursula 1000, Q-Burns and more) (Capitol/EMI)

VA NOW Latino (BMG Heritage)

VA Pickin' on Lonestar (CMH)

VA Pickin' on Rascall Flatts Volume 2: Fast Cars and Long Roads (CMH)

VA Show/D.I.T.C. Presents: Street Talk (exclusive tracks from Fat Joe, Big Pun, M.O.P. and more) (Lumberjack)

VA Smooth Sax Tribute to Brian McKnight (Tribute Sounds)

VA String Quartet Tribute to Relient K (Vitamin)

VA The Queensbridge Project (Koch)

VA The Sound of Young New York & Toronto (w/Death from Above 1979, Radio 4 and more) (Plant Music)

VA The String Quartet Tribute to Billy Joel (Vitamin)

VA Tribute to Gorillaz (Tribute Sounds)

VA Ultimate Samba Collection (two CDs) (Sunswept)

VA Wipeout Pure: The Official Soundtrack (electronica compilation w/Aphex Twin, LFO, Photek and more) (Distinctive)

VA Ewan Pearson Sci-Fi-Hi-Fi (mix CD w/tracks by Brazillian Girls, Feist and more) (Soma)

DVD Music Box Biographical Collection: Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin and U2 (MVB Films)

DVD The Black Keys Live (Fat Possum)

DVD Body Count featuring Ice-T The Smoke Out Festival Presents (Eagle Rock)

DVD Cream Royal Albert Hall, London, May 2-3-5-6 (two DVDs) (Rhino)

DVD DMX The Smoke Out Festival Presents (Eagle Rock)

DVD Ian Hunter Just Another Night: Live at Astoria (2004 concert) (Music Video Distributors)

DVD Murphy's Law Up with Us, Down with Them (live concert footage) (Music Video Distributors)

DVD Pixies Sell Out (reunion tour footage from seven 2004 shows) (Rhino)

DVD VA EXTRA: A Collection of Outstanding Electronic Music Videos (w/DJ Shadow and Mos Def, RJD2, Felix da Housecat and more) (!K7)

Roy's "Magic Is Back"

Two years after a white tiger sunk its teeth into his neck and dragged him off stage, Roy Horn is feeling "splendid."

In an interview published Sunday in the Las Vegas Sun, Horn said he's also feeling constant pain.

"I'm trying to live with this," he told the paper. "You just have to accept it."

On the whole, Horn, the shorter, dark-haired half of Siegfried & Roy, has persevered. After almost dying--twice, he says--the illusionist can talk, shake hands with a firm grip, and walk with a cane and sometimes without, the Sun reports. This, despite being left partially paralyzed by a stroke after Montecore, a 380-pound cat (originally listed at 600 pounds), went off script on Oct. 3, 2003, during a performance at the Mirage in Vegas.

Monday marked the second anniversary of the mauling, as well as the 61st birthday of Horn.

"The magic is back," the performer told the Sun, proving his gift for the soundbite likewise had returned.

In the interview, a more upbeat assessment than the "I cry to sleep" update he offered Maria Shriver and NBC last year, Horn said he works out at a rehab facility every day, and walks a quarter of a mile every night. His goal is to move about sans walker, wheelchair, cane or any other assistance.

"It will be soon," he said in the paper. "I will surprise everybody. I like surprises."

Pre-mauling, Horn and Siegfried Fischbacher, his longtime partner in magic, were top draws on the Strip, and, as of 1990, resident headliners at the Mirage. Post-mauling, the show closed, and Horn's social calendar largely consisted of visits with his animal friends, including Montecore, at the Siegfried & Roy Secret Garden habitat, also based at the Mirage. But in recent weeks, Horn has become a public figure anew.

In August, Horn earned a standing ovation by rising from his wheelchair as he took in a Seal concert at the Mirage. It was his first appearance inside a casino showroom since the attack. And in September, he foisted a beer with Fischbacher at an Oktoberfest photo-op in Las Vegas.

There was no word from Siegfried & Roy's publicist Monday on how Horn planned to celebrate his birthday.

An optimistic Horn told the Sun that, after recently being "cleansed" of painkillers, he "could do the show again tomorrow, that's how good I feel." But instead of a comeback date, the paper said Horn was due back in Germany for more physical rehab.

All in all, Horn is in better place than he was two years ago, when he told the Sun, he lie on an operating table, seeing "bright lights," his deceased mother, his long-dead brother and his dearly departed four-legged coworkers.

"They were not ready for me," Horn told the paper of the afterlife. "They were not ready for me to do the show upstairs. Not yet."

Next-Generation DVD Format Wars Heat Up

LOS ANGELES - The battle to become the next-generation DVD standard has escalated, with Paramount Pictures becoming the first major movie studio to support both rival formats.

Until Paramount's announcement, the six major studios were evenly split between the Blu-ray technology backed by Sony Corp. and HD DVD supported by Toshiba Corp.

Both formats deliver movies in sharp high-definition and can store more data than traditional DVDs, which will allow them to offer interactive features such as games.

But the formats are incompatible and will force consumers to choose one over the other, a potentially costly decision if one format ultimately wins in the marketplace, the case when VHS defeated Betamax for home video in the 1980s.

Faced with a choice between two competing formats when discs do appear on the U.S. market next year, "consumers will stay away from that. They just will," said Ted Schadler, a Forrester Research analyst.

Decisions by studios to provide content is considered key to the fate of the emerging formats. Paramount's decision, announced Sunday, tips the balance in favor of the Blu-ray camp — at least for now.

The Walt Disney Co., Sony's Columbia Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox, which also support Blu-ray, have not said whether they will also release films in HD DVD.

Universal Pictures and Warner Bros. remain in the HD DVD camp.

"Universal has not changed its position," Lea Porteneuve, a studio spokeswoman, said Monday. "However, we continue to evaluate all potential opportunities."

Warner Bros. did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The consortium backing HD DVD, which includes chip maker Intel Corp. and software giant Microsoft Corp., said they did not see the Paramount decision as a setback.

"While we are concerned that our established HD DVD partner has chosen to make this announcement at this time, we remain supremely confident in the superiority of the HD DVD format," Mark Knox, adviser to the group that supports HD DVD, said in a statement.

The Blu-ray camp, which includes Apple Computer Inc., Hewlett-Packard Co. and Dell Inc., was quick to trumpet Paramount's decision.

"It's a a pretty clear statement that Blu-ray has got some major momentum going on," said Andy Parsons, senior vice president of advanced product development at Pioneer, a major Blu-ray backer. "From a consumer's point of view, if you buy a Blu-ray player, you're going to have a much easier time finding content than ever before."

While Paramount still intends to release its films on HD DVD, the company said new information about the cost of manufacturing Blu-ray discs led it to reconsider its decision to support only one format.

Most critical to Paramount's decision was the availability of a Blu-ray drive on the new PlayStation 3 video game console, which will go on sale early next year.

"We have been intrigued by the broad support of Blu-ray, especially the key advantage of including Blu-ray in PlayStation 3," said Thomas Lesinski, president of Paramount Pictures, Worldwide Home Entertainment.

Toshiba, which had predicted it would have an HD DVD player ready for this holiday season, has delayed the launch in the United States until spring, bringing it closer to the expected availability of the PlayStation 3.

Toshiba still plans on selling an HD DVD player in Japan this year.

Formal talks between the two rival DVD camps about a possible joint format have stalled. Paramount's decision is unlikely to restart those talks and a format war, which studios dread, is as likely as ever, analysts said.

"We think the game's not over," said Richard Doherty, research director for the Envisioneering Group, a firm of technology analysts.

ABC Keeping Kimmel Through 2006

Jimmy Kimmel can expect to have a steady paycheck for at least the next year.

ABC announced Monday it is renewing Jimmy Kimmel Live through January 2007.

"ABC is on a roll. It seemed inevitable that they'd do something like this to screw it up," the Brooklyn-born host of the show joked in a statement.

Since Kimmel's show bowed in early 2003, it has steadily gained a loyal following despite its late post-Nightline start time of 12:05 a.m.

"The show continues to grow creatively, and Jimmy is at the top of his game right now, delivering a hilarious show night after night. We're thrilled he will continue to be part of ABC's current and future success," said ABC's executive vice president of alternative programming, specials and late night, Andrea Wong.

Per Monday's press release, Jimmy Kimmel Live averages about 1.5 million viewers per night. Early last month, the show delivered its largest audience in almost a year.

Indeed, Kimmel's witty and irreverent opening roundup of news events mixed with offbeat and popular segments like writer Jonathan Bines' "The Pizza" (a parody of R. Kelly's "Trapped in the Closet") and security guard Guillermo's recurring "Hollywood Round-Up" have won over many late-night viewers.

"I think one good measure of our success is the number of our bits that get circulated over the Internet after they've aired on the program," Bines told E! Online Monday.

Bines' "The Pizza" and genre-pushing Kimmel segments like "Unnecessary Censorship," which Bines contributes to, have been hits on Websites like Ifilm.com.

The show's creative renaissance has not gone unnoticed by Hollywood's A-list either. Jimmy Kimmel Live's guest lineup has seen improvement over the past year, with such big-name stars as George Clooney and Robin Williams dropping by the talk show's studio inside Hollywood's historic El Capitan theater.

Jimmy Kimmel Live may be best known, however, for its stellar booking of engaging musical acts. Over the last three years, the show has hosted such artists as Eminem, Weezer, 50 Cent and Green Day.

The show even built an outdoor stage adjacent to the theater in a parking lot for bigger-name acts to perform on in front of a live audience as part of the Pontiac-sponsored Jimmy Kimmel Live concert series. Performances from the series can be downloaded by music fans online.

While Kimmel has enjoyed nearly three years of success on ABC since he debuted his nightly talk show after Super Bowl XXXVIII, his time on the network has not been entirely without controversy.

Kimmel found himself in a bit of hot water with residents of Detroit after he made incendiary comments about the Motor City during the 2004 NBA Finals.

The 38-year-old apologized twice for the incident and has long since been forgiven by Michigan affiliate stations that yanked him off the air after he told a sportscaster during half-time of Game two of the 2004 NBA Finals, "They're going to burn the city of Detroit down if the Pistons win, and it's not worth it."

Despite the Detroit dustup, Kimmel is making amends by taking his entire show to the Motown the week preceding the Super Bowl early next year.

A new script for Fox, ESPN as baseball playoffs begin

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - It's a postseason with all the elements: big-market teams, some of the game's greatest stars, a Chicago White Sox team trying to end its own curse and a possibility for a rematch between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

Eight teams -- also the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves -- will vie in the Divisional Series that begins Tuesday on Fox and ESPN.

"We've been saying for years -- you can't script October," Fox Sports president Ed Goren said. "For two years going into three, baseball has provided sports fans, I think, with memories for a lifetime."

Fox and ESPN, which have TV rights to the postseason, see plenty of possibilities that could boost ratings. There's the curse of history that has denied the White Sox a World Series win since 1917 as the South Siders are hoping for some Red Sox magic this year. There's the redemption sought by the Cardinals, who were swept by the Red Sox in last year's Series. And there's the always potent ratings combination of the Red Sox and Yankees, the two teams with arguably the most national appeal.

"You could write so many story lines on October 3," Goren said. "We'll just see how they play out."

"It probably worked out in terms of ratings and interest the way it did," said Tim Scanlan, senior coordinating producer of ESPN's Divisional Series baseball coverage. ESPN's telecasts begin Tuesday at 1 p.m. EDT with the Cardinals-Padres; it continues at 4 p.m. with the Red Sox-White Sox.

Fox's primetime game will be the Yankees-Angels from Anaheim. Fox has the choice to pick its primetime game.

"Both games are outstanding matchups," Goren said Monday. "We will have the Red Sox and the White Sox on our air moving forward, but it was pretty much a tossup. Market size is a factor, but again, you can make an argument that it's a wealth of riches, whether it's Yankees-Anaheim or Red Sox-White Sox."

Not that there aren't nightmare ratings scenarios even with this crop. Fox and Major League Baseball can't be happy with the possibility -- however small -- of a San Andreas Fault Series: the Angels vs. Padres, a small-market team with the worst record of any team in the playoffs.

After the lowest-rated World Series in history between the Angels and San Francisco Giants in 2002, baseball rebounded to score big ratings in 2003 and '04, particularly built around the thrilling seven-game Yankees-Red Sox series that sent the Yanks to the World Series in 2003 and the greatest comeback in baseball history in 2004 that sent the Red Sox to their first World Championship since 1918.

The postseason rights deal between MLB and Fox ends soon; Goren said he's interested in getting the deal done as soon as they can. But he didn't think that another year of big ratings will have an effect on the negotiations.

"There are a lot of positive things happening with baseball," Goren said. "We have a 10-year history. I don't see one year making a difference."

Music shipments down despite legal downloads rise

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Legal music downloads more than doubled in the first half of the year, but total music shipments dipped slightly, reversing last year's rising trend, amid fresh concerns over Web piracy, a record group said on Monday.

The Recording Industry Association of America said 343.9 million CDs, DVDs, cassettes or digital downloads were shipped to consumer outlets, down 2.4 percent from a year earlier.

Legal downloads of digital music files rose sharply in the first six months with 148.7 million digital singles downloaded, or nearly 2.5 times the 58.6 million songs last year. The estimated value of the digital singles and albums shipped in 2005's first half was $198 million compared with $73 million in the same period one year ago.

But shipments of CDs and other physical products fell by 5.8 percent. The value of those shipped products fell to $4.78 billion from $5.05 billion last year, and the RIAA blamed illegal file-sharing, unauthorized copying and traditional counterfeiting for the decline.

"Even as we continue to transform ourselves and transition to the digital marketplace, the music community is still suffering enormously from the impact of various forms of music theft," said Mitch Bainwol, chairman and CEO of the RIAA.

The decline is a sharp contrast to the first half of 2004 when CDs and other audio and video music products rose by 8.5 percent to 289 million units from 267 million in 2003.

Last year was the first since 2000 in which full-length CD shipments rose from the year before.

The music industry had been battered in recent years by slow sales of CDs as consumers turned to computer networks and downloaded illegal copies of digital songs.

But Web sites offering legal copies of songs have grown in prominence with the popularity of portable music players like Apple Computer Inc's iPod. Their rising use has helped boost the use of computer networks offering legal downloads.

'The Wiz' Actor Nipsey Russell Dies at 80

NEW YORK - Nipsey Russell, who played the Tin Man alongside Diana Ross and Michael Jackson in "The Wiz" as part of a decades-long career in stage, television and film, has died. He was 80.

The actor, who had been suffering from cancer, died Sunday afternoon at Lenox Hill Hospital, said his longtime manager Joseph Rapp.

Born in Atlanta, Russell launched his television career as Officer Anderson in the 1961 television series "Car 54, Where are You?" He also appeared in the 1994 film version.

He became a fixture on popular television game and talk shows, where he was welcomed for his poetic delivery that earned him the moniker the "poet laureate of television." He also took his signature four-line poetry on the road for readings and performances.

Russell also appeared in the films "Nemo" in 1984, "Wildcats" in 1986 and "Posse" in 1993.

He settled in New York after graduating from the University of Cincinnati and serving as an Army captain in Europe during World War II, Rapp said.

Russell never married. "He always said, 'I have trouble living with myself, how could I live with anyone else,'" Rapp said. "But he was a wonderful guy, very quiet, never bragged."

CBC, staff reach tentative deal

OTTAWA (CP) - A memorandum of agreement was reached early Monday between the CBC and more than 5,000 employees who have been locked out for seven weeks.

The basic concepts behind a tentative agreement were reached late Sunday under the supervision of federal mediators, bu