Donny and Marie - I'm a Little Bit Country, I'm a Little Bit DVD...
R2 Entertainment, the folks behind such great nostalgic TV-DVD releases as The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson - The Ultimate Carson Collection, This Is Your Life - The Ultimate Collection Vol. 1, Tony Orlando and Dawn - The Ultimate Collection and The Sonny & Cher Ultimate Collection, are going down that path once more. This time, though, the subject is Donny and Marie Osmond, as R2 is prepping the entire run of their 1976-79 variety show!
All 72 hours of Donny and Marie will eventually come to DVD if sales warrant it, but the initial release planned for April 2006 will be a collection of the best segments, running about 9 hours on (probably) 3 DVDs. Donny Osmond is personally involved in choosing the material which will appear on this first set, and has agreed to host an infomercial which will promote the release (fans will be able to buy this set via the infomercial if they choose to, but it will also be available through regular retail channels both in stores and online). This week Osmond is at the "TV-DVD 3" Conference, which TVShowsOnDVD.com owner Gord Lacey is participating in out in L.A. He (Donny, not Gord) hosted the 2005 TV-DVD Awards last night.
Over the years, Donny & Marie included a lot of guest stars, including their complete family act The Osmonds (who were a staple the first year, but were seen less often later on as the show focused on the brother-sister combination which was so popular to the viewers), Farrah Fawcett, Barbara Eden, Andy Gibb, Lucille Ball, Ray Bolger (playing the Tin Man in a Wizard of Oz sketch!), Cheryl Ladd, Florence Henderson, Andy Williams, Redd Foxx (as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a Star Wars sketch!), John Wayne, and Bob Hope...just to name a scant handful. It's hard to imagine the monumental task of deciding which portions of the show to select to include in that first "best of" release. But one thing we can pretty much guarantee will be in it is at least one version of the famous brother-sister act singing, "I'm a little bit Country / I'm a little bit Rock-and-Roll"...the duet which became their standard!
There is still lots more information to come as this release begins to come together, so stay tuned and we'll bring you more details, plus cover art, just as soon as R2 makes it available.
Kiss Keeps Rocking With Live DVD
Make-up clad rock icons Kiss will on Dec. 13 release a double-disc concert DVD, "Rock the Nation Live!," via Image Entertainment. Although there are countless Kiss home videos and DVDs on the market, "Nation" sets itself apart with an abundance of rare songs, the "Kiss Powervision/Select-A-Kiss" option to hone in on an individual member and candid behind-the-scenes vignettes.
Taped in summer 2004 in Washington, D.C., and Virginia Beach, the DVD features core members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons flanked by guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer. "We were playing a lot of songs that Kiss hadn't played in years, or haven't played at all," Thayer tells Billboard.com. "One day, Doc McGhee, the manager, came into the dressing room, and said, 'We really need to film and record this show, because it's so good. It's probably the best Kiss performance I've seen.' So we said, 'OK.' That was the spark that got the whole thing going."
"At any moment, a viewer can choose what they want to see, and use different camera angles," Stanley adds. "So if you happen to have the good taste to see me, you can watch pretty much solely that. It's really your mix and your version of the show. I don't think we can forget that the band is really in peak form, and that's really shown on this DVD."
Stanley admits he was thrilled to air out such Kiss oldies as "Christine Sixteen," "She" and "Parasite" during the tour. "To be able to go out and play every and any Kiss song was very freeing," he enthuses. "We reached a point where a lot of the tours after the reunion tour were virtually the same set list, and it wasn't because we didn't want to play other songs. Once Tommy and Eric came in, on any given night, we could change the show, and really dig deep into our catalog. A band that's been together this long not only should be able to play 'Rock and Roll All Nite' and 'Love Gun,' but [also] 'Two Timer' or 'Got To Choose.'"
Still, fans continue to await a vault-clearing visual release, a project that Stanley acknowledges is closer to reality than ever before. "Yesterday was the beginning of planning really the ultimate Kiss experience," he says. "That Scorsese/Dylan piece ['No Direction Home: Bob Dylan'] was eye opening, at least to me, in terms of how you can be immersed in a time capsule, and not only see the music and be part of the crowd, but also get a sense of who Dylan was then. There are times when I'm much more interested in actual footage of somebody in the moment than somebody reminiscing 20 or 30 years later. It's fascinating to see where somebody was at, and what their mindset was in the midst of storm, as opposed to looking back on it. That set a really high bar, and I think that is more likely our approach at this point."
For now, it is unknown when Kiss may return to the road. "There's definitely talk," Stanley acknowledges. "I had a hip replacement a year ago, and that unfortunately didn't go as well as it should have, and they did it again, and that also didn't go as well as it should have. So the recovery from that has been longer, although about six weeks ago we did a corporate show for 15,000 people, in Columbus, Ohio. The band is as good and ready to go as ever. The difference is that I have to make sure that I can commit 100% of my energy for a tour, and not just a show."
Here is the track list for "Rock the Nation Live!":
Disc one:
"Love Gun"
"Deuce"
"Makin' Love"
"Lick It Up"
"Christine Sixteen"
"She"
"Tears Are Falling"
"Got To Choose"
"I Love It Loud"
"Love Her All I Can"
"I Want You"
"Parasite"
Disc two:
"War Machine"
"100,000 Years"
"Unholy"
"Shout It Out Loud"
"I Was Made For Lovin' You"
"Detroit Rock City"
"God Gave Rock & Roll to You II"
"Rock and Roll All Nite"
CBS Orders More Editions of 'Survivor'
LOS ANGELES - CBS has ordered more editions of "Survivor" for next season but it remains uncertain whether host Jeff Probst will stay with the reality series.
The network said Tuesday it will air the 13th and 14th versions of "Survivor" in the 2006-07 season. The contract with Probst, who has been with the show since it started in summer 2000, extends through the "Survivor" now in production.
That 12th version, being filmed at an undisclosed location, will be broadcast next spring. "Survivor: Guatemala" is currently airing.
Probst, 43, told People magazine last month that he is mulling renewal of his "Survivor" contract.
"There's the inevitable point where you go, `Do I want to do other things?'" he says. "But ... I'll never have as good a job as `Survivor.'"
Negotiations on a new contract have yet to begin.
The show from executive producer Mark Burnett remains a consistent top 10 ratings performer and a key part of the Thursday night lineup, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler said.
"Revenge" Is Sweet on DVD
As Yoda might say, sales are strong with this one.
After just one week on sale, the DVD for Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith and LucasArts' latest videogame, Star Wars Battlefront II, generated a Hutt-sized $210 million in combined worldwide sales, according to figures released Tuesday by 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment.
Fox and Lucasfilm did not release the exact units sold for the DVD and videogame or how much money each made separately. But Jim Ward, senior vice president of Lucasfilm and president of LucasArts, said the numbers were mind-boggling.
"The phenomenal sales underscore the enduring strength of the series," said Ward. "In many territories, DVD and game sales were nearly double what we initially expected."
The long-heralded prequel, the last installment of George Lucas' epic six-part space saga, has been the biggest moneymaker of 2005, setting box-office records on its way to grossing $848 million in worldwide ticket sales. It was released on DVD in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Germany, Australia and Latin America on Nov. 1.
And, in a strategy choreographed with the precision of a 501st Legion maneuver, the Lucas Empire decided to debut the latest Star Wars videogame on the same day as the two-disc Sith set. Battlefront II, in which players can reenact the greatest battles in the movies, is poised to surpass last year's original to claim the title of best-selling Star Wars videogame of all time, with copies selling at a 40 percent higher clip than its predecessor.
In September 2004, LucasFilm and Fox released the DVD box set of the original Star Wars trilogy (with some minor, if controversial alterations) at the same time it put out the first Battlefront game, generating $115 million in first-day sales between them.
"Amid all this humdrum about disappointing box office and underwhelming CD and DVD sales, no one seems to mention the billions...of dollars Obi-Wan and company took to the bank in 2005," says Mike Destaino, columnist and reviewer for DVDfile.com. "Then again, Star Wars is just about the surest sale in the world: Even if the movie was called Star Wars: Episode III:--Jar Jar Binks Goes to Candyland, Lucasfilm would sell 3 trillion copies."
But some industry analysts took issue with Fox's boastings.
"There's no way to know based on that release how it stacks up against anything, which is I'm sure why they put it out the way they did and refuse to break out any numbers for DVD versus videogame, or U.S. Sales versus selected international territories," grouses Scott Hettrick, editor of the trade paper Video Exclusive. "That leaves no possible way to create an apples-to-apples comparison."
Hettrick did say that initial U.S. figures show Sith sold at least 5 million copies, besting Warner Bros.' Batman Begins DVD.
"Star Wars DVDs are never the biggest sellers of the year and never break any records," Hettrick says. "The same will be true this year with Sith. [But] because there is such a weak slate of competing titles and no Spider-Man or Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, it will almost certainly be the top-selling live-action DVD title of the year and may wind up as the second biggest DVD seller well behind The Incredibles.
Nonetheless, the Star Wars marketing machine is still a powerful force to be reckoned with.
Not only were characters from the space opera the most popular Halloween costume line this year, with Darth Vader leading the way, but Star Wars toys are outselling its closest rivals two-to-one, claiming 9.1 percent of the U.S. toy market. And the brand is expanding rapidly.
This Thursday, Donald Trump will host a special Star Wars-themed version of Apprentice. Promotional spots airing on TV and the Web show the Donald saying "you're fired" to a briefcase-toting Chewbacca and reprimanding Darth Vader for shoddy construction work on the Death Star. The Apprentice teams will compete to see who can put up the best Battlefront II display at Best Buy stores.
Lennon Catalog To Make Digital Debut
John Lennon's solo catalog will be made available digitally for the first time beginning this week with the release of the retrospective "Working Class Hero." The balance of Lennon's solo work will arrive digitally via as-yet-unannounced services on Dec. 5 in the United Kingdom and a day later in North America. A handful of unspecified tracks will also be available for download on mobile devices.
"I am very happy that John's music is now available to a new generation of music fans," says Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono. "New technology is something he always embraced and this is something he would have loved. I always say that he would have been very excited by all the opportunities offered by the development of new means of communication."
However, the artist's music will not be sold via Apple's iTunes Music Store, which is embroiled in a lawsuit with Apple Corps Ltd., the Beatles' former record label. The latter company sued the computer giant earlier this year, claiming the iTunes store breaches a 1991 agreement involving the use of the Apple trademark for any works "whose principal content is music and, or performances."
That disagreement is one of many reasons the Beatles' music remains unavailable in digital form. Even Paul McCartney recently acknowledged the complexity of an online foray for the legendary rock quartet.
"I must say, I don't really get involved too much in that stuff, because it's all a little bit political," he told Billboard in September. "It's EMI, it's [the publishing company] Northern Songs, it's Apple; there's an awful lot of people involved. I get involved in stuff I can actually control and do something about. There's a lot of strangeness in those areas, and I tend to keep out of them."
"Something will happen," he added. "At some point, somebody will make the right move and it'll all happen. But at the moment, people aren't making the right move, so I just keep out of it. I stay on the edges of these things and just notice them with mild surprise."
New Order Gathers Up 'Singles'
Rhino will on Dec. 6 release a double-disc collection of New Order's "Singles," touted as the first career-spanning album featuring this material in chronological order. The North American edition of the project features a bonus track of the Secret Machines' remix of "Temptation."
Beyond such staples as "Blue Monday," "Bizarre Love Triangle," "True Faith," "Regret" and "Ceremony," the set features a Rich Costey radio edit of "Waiting for the Sirens' Call" (the title cut from New Order's latest studio album) and the 7-inch version of "Turn."
Meanwhile, New Order will return to live duty in the coming days for a Thursday (Nov. 10) show at London's Brixton Academy and a Nov. 14 gig in its Manchester hometown. The latter show will feature support from A Certain Ratio, marking the first time the two bands have played together since 1988.
Two days later, New Order will be inducted into the U.K. Music Hall of Fame in London and is expected to perform at the ceremony.
Meanwhile, "Guilt Is a Useless Emotion" has been tapped as the latest North American club single from "Waiting for the Sirens' Call" and will be released digitally on Nov. 29. Earlier singles "Jetstream" and "Krafty" both peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart.
Here is the track list for "Singles":
Disc one:
"Ceremony"
"Procession"
"Everything's Gone Green"
"Temptation"
"Blue Monday"
"Confusion"
"Thieves Like Us"
"Perfect Kiss"
"Sub-Culture"
"Shellshock"
"State of the Nation"
"Bizarre Love Triangle"
"True Faith"
"1963"
"Touched by the Hand of God"
Disc two:
"Blue Monday '88"
"Fine Time"
"Round and Round"
"Run 2"
"World in Motion"
"Regret"
"Ruined in a Day"
"World (Price of Love)"
"Spooky"
"Crystal"
"60 Miles an Hour"
"Here To Stay"
"Krafty"
"Jetstream"
"Waiting for the Sirens Call" (Rich Costey radio edit)
"Turn" (7-inch version)
"Temptation" (Secret Machines remix)
Rick Mercer's Report is back
Rick Mercer's topical report shifts to Tuesday night on the CBC
Mercer drops out of the sky tonight as The Rick Mercer Report returns for a third CBC season (8 p.m.) A few weeks ago, the comedian humped it up to the Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ont., for a little aerial acrobatics. "It was terrifying," Mercer told the Sun last week on the phone.
The comedian, who has twice entertained Canadian troops in Afghanistan, had become chummy with fellow Newfoundlander Rick Hillier, who just happens to be Canada's chief of defense staff. "He's the only Newfoundlander who has his own army," Mercer cracked.
Hillier challenged Mercer to skydive with Canada's elite paratroopers. Before he could say "Geronimo," Mercer was hurtling toward the Earth at 150 miles an hour.
Then again, some people will do anything to promote the shift of their show from Monday to Tuesday night. Mercer had to junk heaps of Rick Mercer's Monday Report hats, T-shirts and mugs in the move, but feels confident his audience will find him on this new night.
He has no plans to goof on CBC's recent lockout. "It's too inside and it's over," he says. The labour dispute pushed his season launch a week or two, but Mercer's just glad to be back at work.
The show will remain topical, with Mercer travelling from one end of the country to the other in search of comedy gold. "It's very much me talking to Canadians," he says. Former Buzz stooge Daryn Jones files the odd field report, including tonight's take on the Canadian Classic Bodybuilding Championships.
Also on tonight's opener, Mercer pedals around T.O. on a bicycle built for two with New Democratic Party leader and potential government plug puller Jack Layton. It is part of a new weekly "riding through My Riding" segment.
Even though Report now airs on Tuesday, it still tapes on Friday. Doesn't the four-day delay kinda take the steam out of the headlines? Look how fast that whole Gomery deal blew over.
Mercer insists that the new schedule can work. When pushed he simply responds with a prayer: "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."
ALSO TONIGHT: Scott Thompson is the queen of the scene on Pop Up Royals (8:30 p.m., CBC). It's the latest initiative from CBC's Retro Production Department, a group assigned to come up with inventive new ways to use old CBC footage (as they did with the wonderfully silly summer series Jimmy Macdonald's Canada).
As host, Thompson dusts off his tiara and frumpy frock as Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. He makes with the shtick as clips roll of the various members of the Royal Family parading around Canada throughout the 20th century.
Billed as "an affectionate look at a dysfunctional family," it's more of a wacked history lesson, with info-bites about Liz and Phil and all their nutty progeny popping up on screen just like on Pop Up Video. (Example: which Royal brought his mistress with him to Canada?)
Sounds promising, except Thompson and Co. don't ever take off the kid gloves. This needed a chatty and catty Joan Rivers, can-we-talk approach. Instead of a Royal roast, this is a bland sop to Coronation Street fans. Pity.