The Couch Potato Report - January 31st, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report includes movies that somehow entertain us, so we like them.
Sometimes we like movies and television shows just because we like them.
Regardless of their artistic merits, quality, or integrity, they entertain us and we like them.
That is definitely true for me when it comes to the work of Tim Burton.
Regardless of how successful - or unsuccessful - his films are with audiences, I usually find myself enjoying them.
That all started in 1985 with PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE and it continues now with his latest film CORPSE BRIDE.
Much like TIM BURTON'S 1993 film A NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, CORPSE BRIDE uses the highly enjoyable stop-motion animation process to bring it's characters to life...and in this case, death.
In CORPSE BRIDE Johnny Depp provides the voice of Victor, a man who is about to marry a woman named Victoria.
When he can't seem to remember his vows he is sent into the woods to practice.
It is there where he finally gets it right, and he then places the ring on a twig that is sticking out of the ground.
The twig turns out to be the finger of a deceased bride who claims to be Victor's lawful wife. She then takes him to the Land of the Dead so they can begin their new life together.
In addition to Johnny Depp the vocal cast of CORPSE BRIDE also includes Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Joanna Lumley, Albert Finney, Richard E. Grant and Christopher Lee. Every voice fits the character design and the film is fun!
Yes, it is about a bride who is a corpse, and that is a subject matter that might not be for everyone, but CORPSE BRIDE entertained me and I liked it.
I also liked KNIGHT RIDER, the 1982 to 1986 television series about a lone crimefighter who fights injustice with the help of an indestructible and artificially intelligent talking car.
Actually, I still like it! It never fails to entertain me, so I like it!
And now, the third season of KNIGHT RIDER is available in a three-disc box set.
In the history of the show season three is probably the one that is the best example of how entertaining the show is.
The camaraderie and working relationships between all of the main characters is strong, plus the actual KITT car has some upgrades as well.
No, KNIGHT RIDER was never the best show on television, but for some reason, it entertained me when it was first on, and the KNIGHT RIDER - SEASON THREE box set entertained me this week. So I like it!
I also like the 1984 science fiction film DUNE, although it is only an interesting, yet unsatisfying movie.
In fact, the new on DVD EXTENDED CUT is so bad, that director David Lynch took his name off of it.
When you watch the film, if you watch the film, it is listed as "An Alan Smithee Film."
Alan Smithee was a pseudonym that was used between 1968 and 1999 by Hollywood film directors who wanted to be dissociated from a film for which they no longer wanted credit. It was used when the director could prove to the satisfaction of a panel of members of the Directors Guild of America (DGA) and Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers that the film had been wrested from his or her creative control. The director is also required to keep the reason for the disavowal a secret. The pseudonym cannot be used to hide a director's failures.
In 1997 the Director's Guild decided to choose a pseudonym for each case separately, rather than re-use a particular pseudonym.
The extended version of the David Lynch film Dune was credited to Alan Smithee when Lynch objected to edits made to the film by its producers.
With or without Lynch's blessing, That EXTENDED VERSION of DUNE has finally made its way to DVD, and if you like the original version, which still has David Lynch's name on it, it is included on the disc as well.
Both versions of DUNE are set in the far future. A duke and his family are sent to a sand world, a world that produces a spice that is essential for interstellar travel. The fact that they are sent to this world is meant to destroy the duke and his family, but his son escapes and he seeks revenge, using the world's ecology as one of his weapons.
From the first time I saw the movie years ago I never thought it was very good, but somehow it entertained me, and I like it.
But as I said about REPO MAN last week, I now say about DUNE: "DUNE will never be considered a classic by anyone who didn't see it when it first came out, and it is for those people that this new EXTENDED EDITION is aimed at."
So, in a nutshell, it is aimed at me.
If you are like me, you'll be happy to hear that the EXTENDED VERSION of DUNE is available now available at your favourite local video store, along with the KNIGHT RIDER - SEASON THREE box set and TIM BURTON'S CORPSE BRIDE.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
In Cameron Crowe's ELIZABETHTOWN Orlando Bloom is a man who must deal with losing his job and his father at the same time. Kirsten Dunst and Susan Sarandon also star.
WALLACE & GROMIT: THE CURSE OF THE WERE-RABBIT features the wonderful animated characters in their first full-length movie, and BAMBI II is the sequel to the classic Disney film.
In JUST LIKE HEAVEN Mark Ruffalo from YOU CAN COUNT ON ME plays a man who falls in love with a woman who is a ghost. That ghost is played by Reese Witherspoon.
In DOOM The Rock and Karl Urban play Marines who must go to Mars to battle experiments gone bad.
And WAITING is the story of a group of young people working in a restaurant.
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 time on The Couch!
New CD Releases January 31
Daniel Agust Swallowed a Star (One Little Indian)
Ernie Andrews How About Me? (HighNote)
Andrea Bocelli Amore (Decca)
Boston T Party Boston T Party (fusion album w/Dennis Chambers, Dave Fiuczynski and more) (Tone Center)
Chino XL Poison Pen (two CDs; w/Killah Priest, the Beatnuts, D-12's Proof and more) (Audio Fidelity)
John Corbett John Corbett (Fun Bone)
Degree Absolute Degree Absolute (Sensory)
DJ Cam Revisited by... (remixes by DJ Premier, Thievery Corporation, J Dilla and more) (Recall)
Dozer Through the Eyes of Heathens (Small Stone)
Bobby Few & Avram Fefer Sanctuary (CIMP)
William Gagliardi 5tet Memories of Tomorrow (CIMP)
Heather Headley In My Mind (DualDisc same day; produced by Babyface and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; guests Lil Jon and Shaggy) (RCA)
The High Violets To Where You Are (Reverb)
Tom Hunter Here I Go Again (FS Music)
Wanda Jackson I Remember Elvis (Goldenlane)
Jamey Johnson The Dollar (BNA)
Ernie Krivda 5tet Stellar Sax (CIMP)
Byard Lancaster 4tet Pam Africa (CIMP)
Adam Lane Trio Music Degree Zero (CIMP)
Eliot Lipp Tacoma Mockingbird (Hefty)
Barry Manilow The Greatest Songs from the Fifties (DualDisc same day; covers of songs by the Everly Brothers, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and more) (Arista)
Lisa McClendon Live from the House of Blues (Columbia)
Michael McGoldrick Wired (Compass)
Media Lab Bleeding Memory (Sunland)
Moreau (formerly known as Cousteau) Nova Scotia (One Little Indian)
Anna Nalick Wreck of the Day (DualDisc) (Columbia)
David "Fathead" Newman Cityscape (HighNote)
P.O.S Audition (Rhymesayers)
Planet Asia The Sickness, Part One (Copter)
Lee Rocker (ex-Stray Cats) Racin' the Devil (Alligator)
Scotch Greens Professional (Brass Tacks/DRT)
She Wants Revenge She Wants Revenge (Geffen)
Matthew Shipp One (Thirsty Ear)
Stoned Emotion Stoned Emotion (AEC/Big Daddy)
Temptations Reflections (new recordings of classic Motown songs) (New Door/Mercury/Universal)
Termanology Out the Gate (Street/Showoff)
Train For Me, It's You (Columbia)
Larry Willis The Big Push (HighNote)
Rev. Billy C. Wirtz Sermon from Bethlehem (DVD same day) (Blind Pig)
Wolfmother Dimension EP (Interscope)
Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3 ...tick...tick...tick (Down There)
VA Breakfast Club: Paris (Water Music)
VA Dream Brother: The Songs of Jeff and Tim Buckley (w/Sufjan Stevens, the Magic Numbers, the Earlies and more) (Rykodisc)
VA Gangster Love Volume 3 (Thump)
VA Nicolette Larson Tribute (Rhino)
VA Rock for Relief (Rounder)
OST Baker Street (Decca)
OST Manderlay (Lars von Trier film w/Willem Dafoe, Danny Glover and Lauren Bacall) (Milan)
OST Mulholland Drive (Silver Screen Series) (Milan)
OST The Family Stone (score by Michael Giacchino) (Varése Sarabande)
OST Three Burials of Melquidades Estrada (Tommy Lee Jones/Dwight Yoakam film; songs by Yoakam, Hank Williams, Merle Haggard and more) (Recall)
OST Tristan & Isolde (score by Anne Dudley) (Varése Sarabande)
DVD And 1 Ball Access: Asia Pacific (Penalty/And 1)
DVD Alison Moyet One Blue Voice (Sanctuary)
DVD VA It's All About Dancing: Jamaican Dancehall Style (Penalty)
UMD Good Charlotte Live at Brixton (Epic)
Scrubs - Season 3 is coming in May!
I haven't heard anything from Disney, but Amazon.com put up a listing for the third season of Scrubs, due out on May 9.
The 3 disc set will contain all 22 episodes from the third season, and will sell for $39.99 (Amazon is taking preorder for $27.99). We hope to have more information, and artwork, when the set is officially announced.
Episodes include:
My American Girl
My Journey
My White Whale
My Lucky Night
My Brother, Where Art Thou?
My Advice to You
My Fifteen Seconds
My Friend the Doctor
My Dirty Secret
My Rule of Thumb
My Clean Break
My Catalyst
My Porcelain God
My Screw Up
My Tormented Mentor
My Butterfly
My Moment of Un-Truth
His Story II
My Choosiest Choice of All
My Fault
My Self-Examination
My Best Friend's Wedding
Golden Globes to Add Animation Category
LOS ANGELES - Animated movies will finally have a Golden Globe to call their own.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association will add a category to its awards program — best animated feature film — beginning with the 64th annual Golden Globe Awards in 2007, HFPA President Philip Berk announced Monday.
"Animated features have become an important component of the studio lineup," Berk said in a statement, "so there was an overwhelming consensus that this new category be added."
Animated films have been recognized with Golden Globe nominations in the best picture, musical or comedy category. "The Incredibles" was nominated in 2004 and "Finding Nemo" in 2003. Neither won best picture.
The new category is open to feature-length animated films 70 minutes or longer. If fewer than eight films qualify in a given year, the award will not be given, Berk said.
CBS' Latest "Amazing" Globetrotters
And they're off...
CBS has revealed the identities of its latest batch of Amazing Race-rs, including college sweethearts, bohemian best buds and a mother-daughter pairing.
The three-time Emmy-winning reality show will forgo last season's gimmick of four-member family teams and return to its original format for its ninth season, pitting 11 two-person teams against each other in a race around the world for a million-dollar prize.
Phil Keoghan again hosts the globe-trotting adventure series, which this season will span five continents and include stops in the Middle East, Moscow and Sicily, among other exotic locales, CBS announced Monday.
The 30-day trek requires contestants to compete in a series of mental and physical challenges at each destination, and only when each task is complete do they learn the location of their next mission. Each week, the team that's made the least amount of progress is eliminated.
Among the 22 contestants for The Amazing Race 9 are Tyler MacNiven, one-half of the self-proclaimed bohemian best-bud pairing, once walked the 2,000-mile length of Japan in order to impress a local woman, while married couple Fran and Barry Lazarus, both in their 60s and the race's oldest competitors, claim to have traveled to more than 45 countries and climbed all of Colorado's mountains.
Here's the complete list of competitors:
BJ Averell, 26, online tutor, Los Angeles; Tyler MacNiven, 25, filmmaker, San Francisco (best friends)
Scott Braginton-Smith, 41, sales rep, West Harwich, Massachusetts; John Lowe, 38, wealth manager, Dorchester, Massachusetts (lifelong friends)
Yolanda Brown-Moore, 27, science teacher, Chicago; Ray Whitty, 31, attorney, Chicago (dating)
Monica Cayce, 23, student, Fayetteville, Arkansas; Joseph Meadows, 23, homebuilder, Fort Smith, Arkansas (dating)
Desiree Cifre, 24, writer, New York; Wanda Lopez-Rochford, 44, corporate trainer, Smyrna, Georgia (mother/daughter)
Michelle Garner, 36, homemaker, Hattiesburg, Mississippi; Lake Garner, 37, dentist, Hattiesburg, Mississippi (married parents)
Joni Glaze, 44, children's minister, Katy, Texas; Lisa Hinds, 48, realtor/artist, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida (sisters)
Barry Lazarus, 63, retired physician, Silverthorne, Colorado; Fran Lazarus, 61, retired accountant, Silverthorne, Colorado (married 40 years)
Jeremy Ryan, 26, valet, Fort Lauderdale; Eric Sanchez, 27, waiter, Fort Lauderdale (friends)
David Spiker, 30, musician, Manhattan, Kansas; Lori Willems, 25, Pizza Hut manager, Manhattan, Kansas (dating)
Dani Torchio, 22, recent college grad, Staten Island; Danielle Turner, 22, recent college grad, Staten Island (childhood friends)
"Son of the Mask," Couch-Jumping Cruise Razzed
As if we needed the Razzie folks to tell us how superlatively sucking Son of the Mask was.
Nonetheless, the Jim Carrey-less sequel stands atop the field of 2005's craptacular cinema, notching a leading eight nominations for the 26th Annual Razzie Awards: Worst Picture, Worst Actor for star Jamie Kennedy (filling in for Carrey), Worst Supporting Actor for Alan Cumming and Bob Hoskins, Worst Screen Couple (for Kennedy and anybody sharing the screen with him), Worst Director, Worst Screenplay and Worst Sequel/Remake.
And while its lameness isn't up for debate, Son of the Mask actually has some serious competition for the distinction of Worst Film, namely: Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo, House of Wax, The Dukes of Hazzard and Jenny McCarthy's blink-and-you-missed-it "comedy," Dirty Love.
Not only was it a disaster year for Hollywood at the box office, but with Hollywood's most reliably bankable star jumping the couch on Oprah, Razzie organizers decided to add a brand-new category: Most Tiresome Tabloid Target.
Naturally, the list is headed up by Tom Cruise (who doubled his displeasure with a Worst Actor nomination for War of the Worlds). He'll square off against another double nominee, Paris Hilton (whose "performance" in House of Wax garnered a Worst Supporting Actress nod), as well as Britney Spears and Kevin Federline (nominated as "Mr. & Mrs. Britney) and the Simpsons, which in this case include Jessica, Ashlee and Nick.
Cruise's betrothed didn't escape the Razzies wrath, either. Katie Holmes nabbed a Worst Supporting Actress nomination for Batman Begins.
Joining Cruise and Kennedy in the Worst Actor race were Will Ferrell, dinged for the twin bill of turkeys Bewitched and Kicking & Screaming, Dwayne "the Rock" Johnson for Doom and Rob Schneider for foisting a Deuce Bigalow sequel on the world.
On the actress side, McCarthy (who also is up for Worst Screenplay and Worst Couple) will face off against Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four and Into the Blue), Hilary Duff (Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and The Perfect Man), Jennifer Lopez for Monster-in-Law and Tara Reid for playing a "genius anthropologist" in Alone in the Dark.
Formerly know as the Golden Raspberry Awards, the Razzies were founded in 1980 and chosen by 725 film professionals, film journalists and film fans willing to pay a $25 fee.
Per tradition, the Razzie ceremonies will be held the night before the Oscars, Mar. 4, at the Hollywood's Ivar Theater.
Here's the complete list of Razzie contenders:
Worst Picture:
Son of the Mask
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalow
House of Wax
Dirty Love
The Dukes of Hazzard
Worst Actor:
Tom Cruise (War of the Worlds)
Rob Schneider (Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalow)
Jamie Kennedy (Son of the Mask)
Will Ferrell (Bewitched and Kicking & Screaming)
The Rock (Doom)
Worst Actress:
Jenny McCarthy (Dirty Love)
Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four, Into the Blue)
Hilary Duff (Cheaper by the Dozen 2, The Perfect Man)
Jennifer Lopez (Monster-in-Law)
Tara Reid (Alone in the Dark)
Worst Supporting Actor:
Alan Cumming (Son of the Mask)
Bob Hoskins (Son of the Mask)
Hayden Christensen (Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith)
Eugene Levy (Cheaper by the Dozen 2, The Man)
Burt Reynolds (The Dukes of Hazzard, The Longest Yard)
Worst Supporting Actress:
Paris Hilton (House of Wax)
Katie Holmes (Batman Begins)
Carmen Electra (Dirty Love)
Jessica Simpson (The Dukes of Hazzard)
Ashlee Simpson (Undiscovered)
Worst Director:
John Asher (Dirty Love)
Ewe Boll (Alone in the Dark)
Jay Chandrasekhar (The Dukes of Hazzard)
Nora Ephron (Bewitched)
Lawrence Guterman (Son of the Mask)
Worst Screenplay:
Jenny McCarthy (Dirty Love)
Rob Schneider, David Garrett & Jason Ward (Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalow)
Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron & Adam McKay (Bewitched)
John O'Brien (The Dukes of Hazzard)
Lance Khazei (Son of the Mask)
Worst Sequel or Remake:
Bewitched
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
The Dukes of Hazzard
House of Wax
Son of the Mask
Worst Screen Couple:
Jamie Kennedy and Anybody Stuck Sharing the Screen with Him (Son of the Mask)
Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman (Bewitched)
Jenny McCarthy and Anyone Dumb Enough to Befriend or Date Her (Dirty Love)
Rob Schneider and his Diapers (Deuce Bigalow: European Gigalow)
Jessica Simpson and her Daisy Dukes (The Dukes of Hazzard)
Most Tiresome Tabloid Target:
Tom Cruise and...His Anti-Psychiatry Rant, Oprah Winfrey's Couch, the Eiffel Tower and "Tom's Baby"
Paris Hilton and...Who-EVER!
Mr. and Mrs. Britney, Their Baby and Their Camcorder
The Simpsons--Ashlee, Jessica and Nick
Oscars nominations may climb "Brokeback Mountain"
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - This year, the big ape doesn't seem to stand much of a chance.
The Academy of Motion picture Arts and Sciences announces its Oscar nominations on Tuesday, and the betting is that small is beautiful in a year in which a spare, bleak film about a pair of gay cowboys, "Brokeback Mountain," has stirred more movie talk than the $200 million return of "King Kong" or other costly epics.
In stark contrast to some Academy Award years, small films made by independent filmmakers who spent years fighting for financing are expected to dominate Hollywood's most closely watched awards list, instead of big budget movies by Hollywood studios that have money to burn.
After all, nobody asked President Bush if he had seen the critically acclaimed remake of "King Kong," but he was asked if he saw "Brokeback Mountain." He found himself awkwardly ducking the question, although he offered to talk about ranching.
"Brokeback," with its challenge to one of America's most masculine preserves, Marlboro Country, has achieved a much sought after status in America -- it has become the subject for much talk around office water coolers.
But whether it can win the Oscar for best picture when the Academy Awards are handed out on March 5 is another question. No film with a theme of gay love has won the prize, which is a symbol of mainstream success.
"Brokeback" has won many early critics and press group awards, but "Crash," a racially charged drama full of unexpected twists and turns, stole the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday night. Its win put a temporary halt to the "Brokeback" bandwagon and suggested to some that there might be an Oscar contest this year, after all.
However, only one night before, Ang Lee, the Taiwanese director of "Brokeback," was named the year's best director by the Directors Guild of America, and winners of the DGA have a long history of winning Oscars.
BUCKING "BROKEBACK"
"Brokeback's" competition may come from "Crash," "Walk the Line," a bio drama of the stormy love affair between June Carter and Johnny Cash, and "Good Night, and Good Luck," the story of newsman Edward R. Morrow's fight against McCarthyism.
The big question for Oscar watchers is which film will round out the top five for best picture -- will it be "The Constant Gardener," a tale of drug company chicanery in Africa, "Syriana," a complicated tale of oil politics, Steven Spielberg's "Munich," about the aftermath of the murder of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, or maybe even longshot "King Kong," Oscar winner Peter Jackson's affectionate look at the big ape.
Many Oscar experts say the fight for best actor could come down to two men, Philip Seymour Hoffman for his performance as writer Truman Capote in "Capote," and Heath Ledger for his performance as one of the cowboy lovers in "Brokeback."
Time magazine film critic Richard Schickel says that Hoffman's performance is the kind "that Oscar voters like. It is visible acting and very much against type, whereas Ledger's is naturalistic and effective."
Other possible contenders are David Strathairn for his pitch-perfect performance as broadcaster Murrow in George Clooney's film on the McCarthy era; Joaquin Phoenix for playing Johnny Cash, warts, warbles and all; and the so far overlooked Ralph Fiennes, whose portrayal of a meek British diplomat in "The Constant Gardener" was overshadowed by his co-star Rachel Weisz, a possible candidate for best supporting actress.
Reese Witherspoon, who played June Carter Cash in "Walk the Line," and Felicity Huffman, who plays a man waiting for a sex change operation in "Transamerica" are both considered shoo-ins for the best actress nomination. Other possible nominees are Dame Judi Dench for "Mrs. Henderson Presents," a comedy set in wartime London, and Ziyi Zhang, the Chinese star of "Memoirs of a Geisha."
'Brokeback' Sparks Interest in Wyo.
CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Fans of "Brokeback Mountain" don't seem to care the movie was actually filmed in Canada. They want the Wyoming experience. The Wyoming Business Council's travel and tourism department has received hundreds of calls asking about scenery in the movie, which is based on Pulitzer Prize-winner Annie Proulx's short story about two gay Wyoming cowboys.
"When we tell them it was shot in Canada, they're still interested in Wyoming," said Michell Howard, manager of the council's film, arts and entertainment office. "They don't hang up and call Alberta. They're intrigued in the story."
Wyoming Business Council spokesman Chuck Coon said he hasn't seen a movie generate this much interest in the state during his 15 years with the travel and tourism department.
"In terms of phone calls and Internet requests, it's usually slow this time of the year," he said. "This movie has changed that."
Tourism officials have long known that a good movie can attract tourists. Store owners in Livingston, Mont., say customers still come to see the area where "A River Runs Through It" was filmed, said Sten Iverson of the Montana Film Office; New Zealand is banking on "Lord of the Rings" tours; "Sideways" didn't just create a demand for wine tours around Santa Barbara, Calif., it boosted sales of certain wines.
Wyoming has had a hard time tapping into that market, though, because so few big-budget movies are filmed here.
Occasionally people who see reruns of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" — a 1977 movie shot near Devil's Tower — call with questions about the state, Coon said.
"But there's surprisingly much more interest in Brokeback," he said. "The subject matter has something to do with it, but most of the calls we get are asking about scenery."
Coon said Ang Lee, the director of "Brokeback Mountain," toured much of the eastern Big Horn Mountains and several nearby towns when scouting locations for the film. But because of budget concerns, Lee shot the film in Canada.
Financial incentives have drawn many film companies to Canada, which has built a $5 billion film industry in the process. Because of the high amount of production there already, companies can hire local crews instead of bringing them from elsewhere, cheapening the overall price of the project.
Wyoming, on the other hand, doesn't have enough skilled workers for most large film crews, Howard said; if a major project was shot here, crews would have to be brought in from outside.
Three movies in the last three years — "An Unfinished Life" starring Redford and Jennifer Lopez in 2003, "Brokeback Mountain" in 2004 and "Flicka" in 2005 — had stories set in Wyoming but were not primarily filmed in the state.
"Flicka," a remake of the 1950's television series "My Friend Flicka," scheduled to come out next year, was primarily shot in California. There were, however, a couple of weeks of location shooting near Sheridan, Howard said.
Wyoming business and travel leaders are trying to find ways to lure movie production companies to film in the state, including a proposal to rebate up to 15 percent of purchases made in the state by film companies that spend at least $500,000 on production there.
The bill has good support in the legislature, Howard said, "but we'll just have to see what they want to do."
If it passes, Howard also wants to create a jobs program to train more Wyoming residents to work on film crews.
"It's kind of like the chicken and the egg, though," she said. "You don't want to train people until you know there will be work for them."
'American Idol' favored for gold over Olympics
TV's February sweeps, usually a hotly contested month full of specials and stunts, is an Olympic feat this year.
The ratings period that starts Thursday, which is used by local stations to set future ad rates, will instead be marked with a triple-axel asterisk: NBC's Winter Olympics competes on 17 of its 28 days.
Never mind that CBS will air the Grammy Awards and ABC has the season's top-rated Super Bowl.
Fox has a little talent competition called American Idol, which, at its torrid pace, probably will become the first series in eight years to outmuscle the Olympics. The show faces the Games on five nights.
"I do think it will beat the Olympics," says Magna Global USA analyst Steve Sternberg, except during figure skating finals that involve the U.S. team.
All of which leaves rivals combing for leftovers, especially among young viewers and men, who tend to be less interested in winter gold.
"We're not throwing in the towel; we're still programming aggressively," ABC scheduling chief Jeff Bader says. "But the combination of the Olympics and American Idol creates some time periods where those programs will dominate no matter what airs against them."
Still, ABC plans mostly original series opposite the Games, although it will air a repeat of Lost's pilot Feb. 22 opposite the Olympics and a two-hour Idol.
In addition to Idol, which adds a Thursday semifinals results show for three weeks starting Feb. 23, Fox plans new episodes of 24 all month. WB's series will sit out the second week of the Olympics, and the network will air a weeklong movie marathon.
CBS plans a rerun-filled lineup, along with Survivor, some new comedy episodes and a Valentine's Day special in which Dr. Phil offers love advice to Paula Abdul.
In deciding where to parcel out fresh episodes, "you probably don't get maximum value against the Olympics," CBS scheduler Kelly Kahl says. "Even though it's sweeps, they're probably better utilized somewhere else." On the bright side, look for fewer repeats than usual in March.
Despite NBC's Olympics marathon, analysts say, the network is too far behind to count on the Games to vault it anywhere close to first place. Instead, Sternberg predicts that ABC, CBS and, by mid-March, Fox will be in a razor-thin race for first among young-adult viewers.
So none can afford to sit out the month entirely. Says Sternberg: "The network races are so close, whoever's ahead season-to-date (as February ends) has a very good chance of winning the season."
Tom Cruise front-runner for worst acting award
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tom Cruise may have survived a Martian attack in last year's remake of "War of the Worlds," but he has failed to elude Hollywood's movie police.
The actor was among the contenders announced on Monday for the annual Razzie Awards, which "honor" the worst achievements in film.
Cruise will compete for the year's worst actor award with Will Ferrell ("Bewitched," "Kicking & Screaming"), Jamie Kennedy ("Son of the Mask"), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson ("Doom") and Rob Schneider ("Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo").
The nominees were announced by The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, a tongue-in-cheek organization that claims more than 700 voting members.
Foundation head John Wilson said in an interview he did not think Cruise's portrayal of a working-class man in "War of the Worlds" was particularly credible.
While there were arguably worse performances, Cruise's off-screen antics, either in support of Scientology, or in the throes of passion with new girlfriend Katie Holmes, ensured he made the grade, Wilson said.
Indeed, Cruise was nominated twice in the new category of most tiresome tabloid target, which salutes "the celebs we're all sick and tired of," Wilson said.
Cruise is already a Razzie winner, sharing the honor with Brad Pitt for worst screen couple in "Interview with the Vampire." He was also nominated for the film "Cocktail."
Actresses Jenny McCarthy and Jessica Simpson also picked up three nominations. McCarthy was cited for worst actress, worst screen couple and worst screenplay for "Dirty Love." Simpson will also vie for worst screen couple, as well as worst supporting actress as Daisy Duke in "The Dukes of Hazard."
"Son of the Mask," a sequel to the 1994 Jim Carrey hit, led the nominated films with eight mentions. Unfortunately for the producers, Carrey did not reprise his role in the new film and no one went to see it.
"Dukes of Hazzard," which did well at the box office, received seven nominations.
Winners will be announced on March 4, the day before the Academy Awards. Last year's announcement was attended by Halle Berry, graciously taking her lumps for "Catwoman."
Jessica Alba picked as best girlfriend material by AskMen.com
NEW YORK (AP) - More guys want Jessica Alba for their girlfriend than any other woman, according to AskMen.com's top 99 list for 2006.
The 24-year-old actress tops the website's list ranking female celebrities on their "long-term relationship material." Alba is followed by Alfie star Sienna Miller and the ubiquitous Angelina Jolie.
The list will be posted Tuesday.
James Bassil, editor-in-chief of AskMen.com, told The Associated Press the list was determined by the rankings of 2.5 million readers and by the site's staff.
Readers of the online magazine were asked to vote according to the woman they would most want a relationship with, would consider marrying or thought best-suited to be the mother of their children.
Of course, few have ever accused Alba, Miller or Jolie of being short on movie star glamour.
"We encouraged readers not to go on looks alone," Bassil said. "I don't believe it's an entirely accurate reflection of what a reader strives for in their long-term relationships, but at the same time, it's not a sheerly surface appreciation."
The rest of the top 10, in order, is Brazilian model Adriana Lima (No. 1 last year), Access Hollywood correspondent Maria Menounos, Charlize Theron, Jessica Biel, singer Amerie, Natalie Portman and Eva Longoria.
Britney Spears - a mainstay of such lists in previous years - failed to chart.
Rescuers Save 67 Canadian Miners
ESTERHAZY, Saskatchewan - Rescuers retrieved 67 western Canadian potash miners who had been trapped underground by a fire, but several more miners were still in subterranean emergency chambers Monday waiting for help.
Seventy-two miners were trapped early Sunday when a fire started in polyethylene piping more than a half-mile underground.
When toxic smoke began to fill the tunnels, the miners retreated to so-called refuge stations — spacious chambers that can be sealed off and are equipped with supplies of oxygen, food and water.
Thirty-two miners were brought to the surface at about 3:30 a.m., said Mosaic Co., which owns the mine. Another 35 emerged a few hours later. No serious injuries were reported.
"They are glad to be on the surface," said Brian Hagan, director of health and safety for Dynatech, the contractor that employed the miners. "They protected themselves and that is what they are trained to do."
Marshall Hamilton, a spokesman for Mosaic Potash, said Monday morning that the five remaining miners were safe and expected to be brought to the surface shortly.
Rob Dyck, one of the members of the rescue team, said the fire created a lot of smoke.
"It was hot, dusty, but our training came through," Dyck said. "We've been in smoke before, but probably nothing this complicated."
The miners were not exposed to the smoke, Hagan said.
"A lot of them said they had a good sleep down there in the refuge station," he said. "They were pretty calm. They had water, they had food, they had all the stuff that they needed."
The mine, which was Saskatchewan's first potash operation when it opened in 1962, is located about 125 miles northeast of Regina.