ABC Schedules 'Alias' Endgame

The countdown to the end of "Alias" can now officially begin.

ABC said Tuesday (Feb. 28) that the high-octane spy drama, which has been on hiatus to allow for star Jennifer Garner's maternity leave and to make room for "Dancing with the Stars," will begin its final run of episodes with a two-hour show at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, April 19. That's a change from earlier in the season, when the show aired on Thursdays.

The network also announced a few more schedule changes, including a delay in the premiere of "What About Brian," the return of "Hope & Faith" and "Invasion" and the scheduling of its miniseries "The Ten Commandments."

"Alias," which last aired in December, was originally scheduled to return in March, after "Dancing with the Stars" ended its season. As ABC rolled out its midesason schedule, though, the show was left hanging.

The later return date also likely means that the series will have fewer than 22 episodes for its final season. ABC does, however, promise that the final episodes will reveal the final stages of the Rambaldi prophecy and feature the return of Bradley Cooper as Will Tippin and Gina Torres as Anna Espinosa -- not to mention the reappearance of the presumed-dead Vaughn (Michael Vartan) and the birth of his and Sydney's (Garner) baby.

"Alias" will take the place of comedies "George Lopez" and "Freddie" on the Wednesday schedule; those shows will end their seasons a little early. "Invasion," which will get a four-week break for "The Evidence" starting March 22, will also return on April 19.

The network's update of "The Ten Commandments," starring Dougray Scott (NBC's "Heist") as Moses, will air April 10 and 11 -- a few days before Easter and the start of Passover. The miniseries also features "Lost" star Naveen Andrews, "Alias'" Mia Maestro and Omar Sharif ("Doctor Zhivago").

With "The Ten Commandments" scheduled for Easter week, ABC has moved the debut of "What About Brian" back two weeks. It was originally scheduled to premiere Sunday, April 2 and move to its regular Monday home the next night. Rather than pre-empt it for the miniseries, the network decided to hold back; "Brian" will now premiere Sunday, April 16 and take over the 10 p.m. Monday spot on the 17th.

Finally, "Hope & Faith" will make the move to Tuesday nights starting March 21. It will replace "Rodney" at 8:30 p.m.

New, improved on DVD, "Network" hasn't aged a day

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "I think I'd like to be an angry prophet denouncing the hypocrisies of our time," fallen news anchor Howard Beale tells co-workers in the opening minutes of Paddy Chayefsky's masterpiece "Network."

Writer Chayefsky, equally mad as hell, used his black comedy about a raggedy fourth TV network to denounce the hypocrisies of 1976 and warn of media evils to come.

Like his creation Sybil the Soothsayer, "Paddy was capable of seeing the future," director Sidney Lumet says. Chayefsky warned of entertainment masquerading as news, corporate meddling, violent reality shows, the tyranny of ratings, foreign ownership of U.S. media -- essentially the strip-mining of what already was a vast wasteland.

"The vision that the movie displayed so eloquently is alive today," producer Howard Gottfried maintains. Adds Lumet, "TV today has become its own satire."

Warner Bros. has released "Network" in a double-disc set that's tagged "Still mad as hell after 30 years." Disc 1 includes a sober but quite good commentary from Lumet, who focuses on who won what Oscar, why he rehearses actors and the thinking behind the "Network" lighting scheme, in which "even the camera is corrupted" as the movie descends into anarchy.

The extra features leadoff is a making-of by DVD documentary specialist Laurent Bouzereau. It includes chapters on the late Chayefsky, the "mad as hell" phenomenon and the film's powerhouse actors. The docus cover a lot of material and get the job done, but don't expect much of that loopy "Network" spirit.

Also on Disc 2, Chayefsky ponders "Network" on a segment of the talk show "Dinah!" And there's an hour-long Lumet retrospective from 2005, when he received an honorary Oscar, partly to atone for oversights that included losing the best director award (for "Network") to John Avildsen for "Rocky."

"THE DEATH HOUR." A GREAT SUNDAY NIGHT SHOW FOR THE WHOLE

FAMILY.

Aside from "Network's" on-air killing of a TV personality -- "because he had lousy ratings" -- all of its outrageous events happened in real life, Lumet points out.

"Network" anchorman Beale (Peter Finch) starts his wild ride by threatening to kill himself on camera. Crazy talk, but it mirrored headlines of the time. In 1974, as Chayefsky was writing "Network," a Florida TV personality shot herself to death on a morning show, saying it was "in keeping with (the) policy of bringing you the latest in blood and guts." In the world of "Network," an on-air suicide was good for "a 50 share, easily."

The home video hit "Faces of Death" followed "Network" by two years, launching an above-ground snuff franchise. "Cops," "The Morton Downey Jr. Show" and Howard Stern were in the wings.

Today, death and violence -- real and imagined -- do brisk business in all media. News divisions draw and redraw the line between electronic journalism and morbid pandering. Freeway chases don't always end with surrenders and handcuffs, a percentage play that keeps viewers tuning in at 10 and 11. Local TV news "is as corrupt as anything I've ever seen," Lumet charges.

As for death in primetime, the director says: "On one of the reality shows it'll happen. There will be a real death. And it'll be shown to you, I promise."

Ratings are money, Chayefsky said in 1976. "If you follow the desire to get ratings . . . we will pursue this right into 'Coliseum '77' -- in which we will throw Christians to the lions every Saturday night."

The message of "Network," he said, was, "When do we say 'Hold it!' A human life is a hell of a lot more important than your lousy dollar."

Star Faye Dunaway reflects: "The reason ('Network') was so funny was because it was so outrageous. You're thinking, 'C'mon, nobody's going to kill somebody on television, are they?' And now we sort of think, yeah, we think so."

THE NEWS DIVISION WILL BE REDUCED FROM AN INDEPENDENT

DIVISION TO A DEPARTMENT ACCOUNTABLE TO NETWORK.

Walter Cronkite, who worked with Lumet on the historical re-enactment series "You Are There," recalls CBS news staffers' reactions to "Network": "I understand it was supposed to be a combination of drama and comedy, but to us it was all comedy -- it was so overdrawn. . . . We howled with laughter."

Chayefsky talked extensively with NBC's John Chancellor but otherwise relied on his own adventures in live television. Cronkite says accusations that Chayefsky and Lumet were turning on the medium that made them were just "sour grapes from some who were envious." Adds Lumet: "We didn't leave TV. It left us."

Of ratings demands on network news, Cronkite says, "It is a fact that the pressure is there" to entertain. But taken too far, "The newspeople would revolt, pressure and maybe quit." As they did in "Network." Sort of.

Cronkite, whose daughter Kathy played the film's Patty Hearst lookalike, says the film's legacy is "it waved a banner of warning to the TV industry that it better not let things do as far as it did on that (UBS) network."

ALL I WANT OUT OF LIFE IS A 30 SHARE AND A 20 RATING.

Faye Dunaway's portrayal of lone-wolf programming VP Diana Christensen won her the best actress Oscar -- and it is her top-billed performance that gets the most attention in the DVD extras.

Diana, "who learned life from Bugs Bunny," stalks the sagging UBS network's news division, eventually hijacking its madman anchor for her evening news carnival. The ratings potential of her show "The Mao Tse-Tung Hour," featuring the criminal exploits of black radicals, brings the slinky executive to orgasm. She beds the everyman news chief (William Holden), stealing him from his wife and then stealing his division.

The part "wasn't easy to say yes to," Dunaway says. "I was advised not to do it. Because, you know, she didn't have a soul. She was a TV baby. There was a vacantness behind those eyes. People were afraid I'd be thought of that way."

Theater veterans Dunaway and Finch helped Holden adjust to Lumet's drawn-out rehearsals, a new one on the longtime film star. Dunaway says rehearsals "always struck me as insane not to do" on films.

SHE GETS THE WINTER PASSION; I GET THE DOTAGE.

Three "Network" players won Academy Awards: Dunaway, Finch (posthumously) and Beatrice Straight. There were five acting nominations in all, making the cast the most honored in Oscar history.

Straight, a stage actress, took home the supporting actress gold for one five-minute scene, in which Holden's newsman tells his wife of 25 years he's in love with the beautiful young programming exec. Her reply, in a heartbreaking monologue, contains some of Chayefsky's finest writing. Lumet says he deliberately exhausted the actress by making her do repeated takes, then captured this amazing scene.

Ned Beatty, who played a corporate chieftain, likewise was nominated for a single scene in which he uses the voice of doom to warn Beale that he's "meddled with the primal forces of nature." Beatty, who mimicked his hometown holy roller for the tirade, describes himself as just "a day player" on the film.

"Network" couldn't beat "Rocky" in the best picture race, a loss that Chayefsky took hard. "I think it's a hell of a film," he told Dinah Shore.

VIDEO DIFFICULTIES ARE TEMPORARY -- PLEASE DO NOT ADJUST

YOUR SET.

The new! improved! "Network" DVD smokes Warner's bare-bones versions of 1998 and 2000. Images are suitably colorful and handsome for a '70s film, though the presentation suffers from some speckling and unwelcome grain. The stereo Dolby Digital seems challenged by the audio's occasional spikes, lessening their intended impact. The aspect ratio is 2.35:1; the video employs the enhancement for widescreen monitors.

Courteney Cox Returns to TV in 'Dirt'

LOS ANGELES - When "Friends" left television, so did Courteney Cox, who played Monica Geller on the long-running series. But the actress is coming back in "Dirt," a drama pilot for the FX network, in which she will play tabloid editor Lucy Spiller.

Production on the pilot is scheduled to begin in March.

"We are absolutely thrilled that Courteney has chosen `Dirt' for her return to series television," Nick Grad, the network's vice president of original programming, said in a statement Tuesday.

Along with the show's director, Matthew Carnahan, Cox and her husband, David Arquette, are credited as executive producers.

Woody serves up Match Point

A serious departure for Woody Allen in virtually every respect, Match Point still bares the soul of its director from start to finish. Dreamworks will unveil the story of luck and disaster on DVD this spring.

A one-time tennis pro, Chris Wilton (was used to falling just short in his life. But when he befriends Tom Hewett (and marries his sister, Chloe), the doors are opened to the kind of money and success that Chris had once only dreamed of. Chris should have settled for happiness, but he is torn by his attraction to Tom’s impossibly beautiful and sensual fiance, Nola. The attraction turns to an obsession that forces Chris to make a critical choice. Now everything in his life hinges on if Chris falls short again…and whether or not his luck runs out.

The DVD like all Allen films will be in mono only, but with an anamorphic widescreen transfer. No supplements appear to be included.

The DVD arrives on April 25th with a $29.98 suggested retail price.

The Couch Potato Report - February 28th, 2006

This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on Johnny Cash, Jane Austen and a lady, and her tramp.

When I was a kid my Dad's friend Mark Walsh used to always talk about and play music for us by Johnny Cash.

I have no idea where Mark Walsh is today, but I will never forget him for introducing me to Johnny Cash.

Even though I never met Mr. Cash, I feel as if I know him, because I know so much about him.

I know his real name is JR, I know about his drug problems, his religious beliefs, his wives, his children, and his music.

Most of all, I know about his music.

And it is because I feel like I know Johnny Cash that watching the film WALK THE LINE was so tough.

WALK THE LINE is a well made, engaging film that - on its own - isn't tough to watch, but because Johnny and June Carter Cash are the subjects of the film, it was tough to watch because I know the subject so well.

That is unlike last year's successful music biopic RAY.

I love Ray Charles' music, but I didn't know that much about his life, so all of RAY was new and interesting, and it inspired me to find out more.

However, there were a few times in WALK THE LINE when I found myself saying, "That's not how that happened!"

But, I still loved WALK THE LINE.

That is primarily due to the Man In Black himself, but also because this is an exceptionally entertaining film.

WALK THE LINE looks at Cash's life from his early days on an Arkansas cotton farm, through his rise to fame and marriage to June.

Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon give superb performances, and they do their own singing as well. The Academy Award nominations they received for their work are truly justified.

Johnny and June's love story is at the heart of WALK THE LINE, but it is Johnny Cash's music that is the film's centre.

That music will always remain honest and true, just like Johnny Cash himself.

WALK THE LINE is a superb film, even if you find yourself saying: "That's not how that happened!"

If you are a fan of Jane Austen the way that some of us are fans of Johnny Cash, you might find yourself saying something similar to "That's not how that happened!" when you see the new film adaptation of her book PRIDE & PREJUDICE.

While this youthful retelling of the story about five sisters in Georgian England, and their mother's attempt to marry them off, is very faithful to the original text, some purists may have some problems with the changes.

Purists can rest easy though because a few things haven't changed; Elizabeth is still strong-willed and opinionated, and Mr. Darcy is still wealthy and a good romantic match for Elizabeth.

Keira Knightley from LOVE ACTUALLY and PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL was given an Academy Award nomination for her work in PRIDE & PREJUDICE and even if I don't believe she is entirely deserving of the honour, the film she is in is entirely deserving of your time.

When PRIDE & PREJUDICE was released in theatres last November the studio promoted it as "the greatest love story of all time."

With all apologies to the folks at Universal, but isn't the greatest love story of all time Walt Disney's LADY AND THE TRAMP?!?!

Well, I think it is!

The classic animated film LADY AND THE TRAMP is about a young Cocker-Spaniel named Lady and her meeting with Tramp, a dog who lives life to the fullest, and their adventures together.

It is the perfect film for everyone because the animation is beautiful and the film is fun.

And now it is time to celebrate the film once more with the 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of LADY & THE TRAMP.

Disney's new two-disc DVD set includes an all-new digital restoration with enhanced picture and sound; two never-before-seen deleted sequences; The making of Lady and the Tramp; plus you can learn about the real-life breeds that inspired the characters in the movie; and there is also an all-new "Bella Notte" music video.

As LADY AND THE TRAMP teaches us, no dog is above the law. But the new 50th ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Walt Disney's masterpiece LADY & THE TRAMP definitely stands above all of this week's other new releases that are available now at a store near you, including PRIDE & PREJUDICE and WALK THE LINE.

Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report

The made in Saskatchewan Hollywood film JUST FRIENDS debuts on DVD, alongside HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE, the fourth installment of that uber-successful franchise.

In JARHEAD soldiers battle the heat and enemy in the first Gulf War, PRIME features Uma Thurman and Meryl Streep and HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE is the latest film from Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.

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!

Tyra Banks does more than talk on her daytime TV show; goes undercover

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Tyra Banks really throws herself into her job as a talk-show host, often in ways only a recently retired supermodel can.

On Wednesday's show, for instance, Banks will be shown going "undercover" as a stripper at a topless club, although the former Victoria's Secret model stops short of complete disclosure. In the past, she's posed as a Las Vegas showgirl and used her face as canvas for makeup lessons.

The stripper segment, she said, was the result of hearing friends and viewers express frustration about the men in their lives spending time and money in strip clubs.

"When I found out the majority of business is from males from married homes, I wanted to go inside the minds of the men who frequent these clubs. I wanted to see and hear why they went. And the only way to do that was to go undercover and see for myself," Banks said.

Having Banks strut her stuff incognito as a dancer (named "Chanel") can only be a ratings plus for the syndicated The Tyra Banks Show, exactly the point in a sweeps month used to set local TV ad rates (check local listings for time).

But Banks, 32, said she considers her program, which typically draws a heavily young and female audience, a vehicle to educate as well as entertain.

For one segment, she donned an elaborate disguise that turned her into a 350-pound woman and then ventured into stores and on blind dates to test people's reactions to obesity.

"I feel like it's the last form of discrimination that's openly acceptable. I wanted to experience that firsthand to share that with my audience," Banks said. She also did a show in which people confronted their phobias (for her, it's dolphins and birds).

There are further issues she wants to explore, she said, both through her show and the Tyra Banks Foundation, which sponsors an annual summer camp program intended to help boost self-esteem in girls.

Women can "have a hard time trusting each other. ... It's something very important to me to change that," she said. Encouraging self-sufficiency is another goal.

"I think that's very important, whether you're a house mom or a working mother, that you have that independence so you're not stuck in a situation you're not comfortable in for financial reasons or emotional reasons," she said.

Banks lacks the therapy credentials for such topics - she brings experts on her show when the going gets deep - but she's certainly got the resume of a successful woman.

She started modelling at age 15 and ended up smashing boundaries: she was the first black model on the covers of Sports Illustrated's swimsuit edition, GQ and the fabled Victoria's Secret catalogue.

Before she jumped into the talk show arena as host and producer, she successfully launched America's Next Top Model, the UPN reality series which may end up with even more clout when the network merges with WB to form the new CW network.

Did she imagine her career would extend beyond modelling?

"Yes," she said, laughing. "When I was 18 years old I was doing an interview for Italian television and I told them I was going to have my own talk show. I try to teach my girls on Top Model that modelling is temporary and you have to find what your true passion is.

"And I found out this is mine," Banks said of her daytime show.

She took her last runway stroll for the Victoria's Secret show last December, finally deciding to shut the lingerie drawer on modelling. Does she regret the decision at all?

"Oh, gosh, no. I have no second thoughts. My mom told me to always leave at the top, and that's what I did."

Pamela Anderson to host Juno Award telecast; Nickelback among performers

HALIFAX (CP) - The Juno Awards will undoubtedly be a sexier affair than in previous years with the announcement Monday of Pamela Anderson as host of the April 2 bash.

The actress will pilot the two-hour show, which will feature performances by Nickelback, Michael Buble and Broken Social Scene. It'll air on CTV. "Canadian music rocks," Anderson said in a statement.

"No matter where I am in the world I can listen to Canadian music and feel like I'm at home. This is going to be one kick-ass awards show."

Anderson is no stranger to the world of music, having been married to Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee and later engaged to country-rocker Kid Rock.

She's also dabbled in singing. The former Baywatch babe joined Bryan Adams on his latest CD for a duet of his 1998 hit When You're Gone.

Adams has already signed on to perform on the show, during which he'll be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

"She's pretty rock 'n' roll," Adams has said of Anderson, who grew up in Ladysmith, B.C.

No word on whether singing will be part of her hosting duties.

Matt Mays and El Torpedo win big at ECMAs

Matt Mays & El Torpedo dominated Monday evening's East Coast Music Awards, taking four honours at the Charlottetown ceremony.

In addition to being named best group, the Nova Scotia rockers won best single for their song Cocaine Cowgirl while the band's self-titled album won best rock recording and best album.

Mays thanked family and friends for "letting us do what we do," and later added that "basically, we'd just like to thank everybody who puts up with us, wearing what we want, being ourselves. Thanks a lot!"

Joel Plaskett won two prestigious honours: male artist of the year and songwriter of the year for his song Happen Now, from his album La De Da.

"I wrote Happen Now on my father's tenor guitar so I have to thank him for buying it," Plaskett said, adding extra thanks to his band, the Emergency.

Celtic singer Mary Jane Lamond was also a double-winner, taking trophies for female artist of the year and roots/traditional solo recording of the year for Storas.

Up-and-coming rockers The Novaks were one of the first winners of the televised broadcast, with the Newfoundland quartet winning the Galaxie Rising Star Award and thanking Matt Mays and The Trews for "teaching us how to tour."

Nova Scotia-born country star George Canyon won the fan-voted entertainer of the year trophy.

"These things always get me so emotional," Canyon said. "This is such a huge honour. My hat's off once again to my fans for allowing me to stay in this business."

The annual celebration of the best in Atlantic Canadian music featured both established and emerging artists taking the Charlottetown Civic Centre stage.

Dapper PEI pop-rockers The Chucky Danger Band, who won the best pop recording category, kicked off the ceremony with an energetic performance of their hit, Sweet Symphony.

The music-heavy national broadcast also included performances by Matt Mays & El Torpedo, The Novaks, Canyon, folk recording winner J.P. Cormier with blues guitarist Matt Andersen and francophone singer Christian "Kit" Goguen.

The evening's hosts — Julian (John Paul Tremblay), Ricky (Robb Wells) and Bubbles (Mike Smith) of TV's Trailer Park Boys — popped up throughout the evening to introduce acts and entertain the audience, including a performance of Bubbles's song Liquor and Whores. However, any expletives from the typically foul-mouthed trio were carefully bleeped out.

After the boys discovered that Prime Minister Stephen Harper was sitting in the front row, Bubbles led the crowd in a singalong version of the Beatles song Don't Let Me Down, directed to Harper.

The broadcast also included a video highlight package of Halifax-born singer Sarah McLachlan, who was presented with the Director's Special Achievement Award last June.

Cape Breton fiddle legend Buddy MacMaster won the ECMA Lifetime Achievement Award.

Fiddler Natalie MacMaster delivered a stirring performance in honour of her uncle, who then joined her for a fiddle duet onstage before receiving a standing ovation.

"It's wonderful to receive this award. I am honoured and at the same time, I do feel humbled," the 81-year-old MacMaster said. "I have to thank all the listeners and everybody. Thank you all very much."

The awards ceremony, an annual celebration of music spearheaded by the East Coast Music Association, was the grand finale of a five-day event, which also featured concerts, workshops and industry meetings.

WINNERS OF THE 2006 EAST COAST MUSIC AWARDS

Album:Matt Mays & El Torpedo, Matt Mays & El Torpedo

Single:Cocaine Cowgirl, Matt Mays & El Torpedo

Group:Matt Mays & El Torpedo

Female Artist:Mary Jane Lamond

Male Artist:Joel Plaskett

Entertainer:George Canyon

Rising Star:The Novaks

Songwriter:Joel Plasket, Happen Now

Video:So She's Leaving, The Trews

Aboriginal Recording:,Halifax Indie Rock, Jonathan Andrews

African-Canadian Recording:Gary Beals, Gary Beals

Alternative Recording:Where are they Going?, Slowcoaster

Bluegrass Recording:Just in Case, Crooked Stovepipe

Blues Recording:The Story, Matt Minglewood

Children's Recording:Celtic & Traditional Lullabies from our Cape Breton

Classical Recording:Folklore, Denise Djokic

Country Recording:Sunday Morning, Sons of Maxwell

Francophone:Ode a l'Acadie, Ode a l'Acadie

Folk Recording:The Long River: A Personal Tribute to Gordon Lightfoot, J.P. Cormier

Gospel Recording:Always There, The Quintons

Instrumental Recording:Duane Andrews, Duane Andrews

Jazz Recording:Piano Trios, Tom Roach

Pop Recording:6-pack, The Chucky Danger Band

Rap/Hip-Hop Recording:5th Element, Classified

Rock Recording:Matt Mays & El Torpedo, Matt Mays & El Torpedo

Roots/Traditional Group Recording:The Hard and the Easy, Great Big Sea

Roots/Traditional Solo Recording:Storas, Mary Jane Lamond

Urban Single Recording:Gonna Get Down, Jamie Sparks

Vince Vaughn Heads to the North Pole

Vince Vaughn is heading for the North Pole in his next movie, as Santa's troubled brother in the holiday comedy, Fred Claus. Variety reports Warner Bros. is confident Vaughn can dish-up the laughs as a comic-lead, after his performance in Wedding Crashers proved such a hit to the funny-bone with moviegoers. The film will re-team Wedding director, David Dobkin, and his Crasher star, as Santa's on-the-oust sibling, who heads to the North Pole in hopes to make amends with his famous brother. Vaughn also has another upcoming comedy in the works, playing a thief who heads home to the mid-west to face the consequences, in Other Side Of Simple.

The Peter Travers Oscar Scorecard

The lowdown on who's gold and who's cold on Hollywood's hottest night from Rolling Stone magazine's film critic.

Brace yourself for the toughest Oscar race in years. With no sure things, the competition is fierce. Who will go home with the gold during the ABC Oscar telecast on March 5th? You'll find my best guesses, along with barbs about where the 6,000 members of the Academy screwed up. This year the big surprise is they got it right more often than not. Some contests are so close, such as the Best Actor race between Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Capote), that a tie seems the only fair solution. Let the bottom-line types grouse about the lack of blockbusters in the Best Picture category. The fact that small, independent-minded films, such as Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Crash, Munich and Good Night, and Good Luck, made the cut should give every genuine movie fan a cause for celebration. So check my choices, pick your own fights and get ready to rumble.

BEST PICTURE
Brokeback Mountain
Capote
Crash
Good Night, and Good Luck
Munich
The front-runner Unless Academy voters develop a case of galloping homophobia, Brokeback Mountain, the gay-cowboy movie, will ride off with the Oscar, a golden boy with no genitalia. Don't even think about what John Wayne would have said about the cute butts on co-stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. No matter how much fun Oscar host Jon Stewart has at the film's expense, this tragic love story has lassoed the most nominations (eight) and the biggest claim on voter tears.
The spoilerCrash, about racial tension in present-day Los Angeles, is developing more avid fans on DVD than it ever had at the multiplex. It's the underdog to watch on Oscar night.

BEST DIRECTOR
George Clooney -- Good Night, and Good Luck
Paul Haggis -- Crash
Ang Lee -- Brokeback Mountain
Bennett Miller -- Capote
Steven Spielberg -- Munich
The front-runner Lee leads. But the director was favored for 1995's Sense and Sensibility and lost nomination and Oscar to Braveheart Mel Gibson. Moral: Beware actors who direct.
The spoiler Like Gibson, Clooney is a first-rank movie star who did a first-rank job of directing.

BEST ACTRESS
Judi Dench -- Mrs. Henderson Presents
Felicity Huffman -- Transamerica
Keira Knightley -- Pride and Prejudice
Charlize Theron -- North Country
Reese Witherspoon -- Walk the Line
The front-runner Witherspoon helped bring June Carter out from the shadow of her husband, Johnny Cash, in Walk the Line. She will be hard to beat.
The spoiler If anyone can cause a Reese upset, it's Emmy-winning desperate housewife Huffman, playing a man who wants to be a woman in Transamerica.

BEST ACTOR
Philip Seymour Hoffman -- Capote
Terrence Howard -- Hustle and Flow
Heath Ledger -- Brokeback Mountain
Joaquin Phoenix -- Walk the Line
David Strathairn -- Good Night, and Good Luck
The front-runner In the toughest category, Hoffman's Truman Capote is first among equals.
The spoiler Ledger stays with you as Brokeback's grieving heart.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Crash -- Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco
Good Night, and Good Luck -- George Clooney and Grant Heslov
Match Point -- Woody Allen
The Squid and the Whale -- Noah Baumbach
Syriana -- Stephen Gaghan
The front-runner Here's a chance for Oscar to show Crash some love. Syriana, which is even stronger, is too much of a political hot potato.
The spoiler Not that Oscar cares, but Baumbach's The Squid and the Whale -- a take-no-prisoners comedy about the effect of divorce on a family -- actually is the year's best original screenplay.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
George Clooney -- Syriana
Matt Dillon -- Crash
Paul Giamatti -- Cinderella Man
Jake Gyllenhaal -- Brokeback Mountain
William Hurt -- A History of Violence
The front-runner I love hearing Hurt say, "Jesus, Joey" in A History of Violence, but the race is between Cinderella Man's Giamatti, working off Academy guilt for ignoring him in Sideways, and Syriana's Clooney, for gaining thirty pounds and playing a CIA operative with touching gravity.
The spoiler Call me crazy, but a never-better Dillon is out there repping all of Crash's non-nominated performances.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams -- Junebug
Catherine Keener -- Capote
Frances McDormand -- North Country
Rachel Weisz -- The Constant Gardener
Michelle Williams -- Brokeback Mountain
The front-runner Weisz in The Constant Gardener is the most deserving.
The spoiler Ironic, huh, if Williams, playing a straight character, takes the acting honors for a gay movie.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Brokeback Mountain -- Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana
Capote -- Dan Futterman
The Constant Gardener -- Jeffrey Caine
A History of Violence -- Josh Olson
Munich -- Tony Kushner and Eric Roth
The front-runner Brokeback Mountain is a model of screen adaptation for the way McMurtry and Ossana ease Annie Proulx's tightly wound short story onto the screen with lyrical expansiveness.
The spoiler Munich keeps taking hits from the political right and left, which suggests moral confusion on the topic of terrorism. Pay closer attention and you'll find that the script by Kushner and Roth is a focused provocation of uncommon intelligence and compassion.

BEST ANIMATED FILM
Howl's Moving Castle -- Hayao Miyazaki
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride -- Tim Burton and Mike Johnson
Wallace and Gromit: the Curse of the Were-Rabbit -- Nick Park and Steve Box
The front-runner The British Wallace and his mute dog Gromit are a comfy comic fit for the Academy as well as for audiences.
The spoiler Burton's Corpse Bride is a twisted wonder, even if Oscar voters can't warm to its tale of necrophiliac love.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Batman Begins -- Wally Pfister
Brokeback Mountain -- Rodrigo Prieto
Good Night, and Good Luck -- Robert Elswit
Memoirs of a Geisha -- Dion Beebe
The New World -- Emmanuel Lubezki
The front-runner Brokeback Mountain benefits from the wide-open spaces and the way Prieto's camera lets nature invade this love story with beauty and harshness but not a hint of judgment.
The spoiler To my mind, the black-and-white play of light and shadow that Elswit brings to Good Night, and Good Luck evokes 1950s TV journalism as crucially as the acting, writing and directing.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Brokeback Mountain -- Gustavo Santaolalla
The Constant Gardener -- Alberto Iglesias
Memoirs of a Geisha -- John Williams
Munich -- John Williams
Pride and Prejudice -- Dario Marianelli
The front-runner Can Academy members not vote for John Williams? He's been nominated forty-five times and will probably win this year for Geisha instead of Munich. Here's my unsolicited advice: Stop it!
The spoiler Santaolalla for Brokeback Mountain. Why? For openers, it's a better and more resonant score.

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
King Kong
War of the Worlds
The front-runner It's hard not to be knocked out by the spectacular sequence from War of the Worlds in which the evil Tripods sink the ferry.
The spoiler King Kong, or at least it should be. Must Peter Jackson continue to be punished for making a crowd-pleaser that performed below greedy box-office hopes? His beast is a beauty well deserving of Oscar gold.

BEST FOREIGN-LANGUAGE FILM
Don't Tell -- Italy
Joyeux Noel -- France
Paradise Now -- Palestine
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days -- Germany
Tsotsi -- South Africa
The front-runner Hany Abu-Assad's Paradise Now deserves credit for digging deep into what drives two Palestinian men into becoming suicide bombers on a mission in Tel Aviv.
The spoiler Gavin Hood's Tsotsi, about a South African street thug who shoots a woman and then cares for her baby, hits hard at the tear ducts. A more pertinent question is why superior foreign films, such as France's Cache, Korea's Oldboy and Hong Kong's 2046, aren't on the honor roll.

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Darwin's Nightmare
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room
March of the Penguins
Murderball
Street Fight
The front-runner Are you kidding? It's those damn penguins, falling in love and acting all humanlike. Never mind that the four other nominees take on tougher questions. March of the Penguins is the highest-grossing doc after Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 -- it's real good for business.
The spoiler Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room couldn't be more pertinent to the corporate corruption -- listen up, Academy -- infiltrating all our lives. It's just the kind of thing that doesn't win Oscars.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"In the Deep" -- Crash
"It's Hard Out Here For a Pimp" -- Hustle and Flow
"Travelin' Thru" -- Transamerica
The front-runner Given the Academy's jones for musical legends (Springsteen, Dylan, Eminem) -- it makes the voters look hip -- Dolly Parton should travel through to the podium for her Transamerica ditty.
The spoiler In a year when box-office grosses sank badly, "It's Hard Out Here" could stand as Hollywood's national anthem.

OSCAR'S SHAMEFUL SNUBS
A History of Violence got the brushoff for Best Picture, actors Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello and Ed Harris, and, most egregiously, world-class director David Cronenberg. One more piece of evidence to add to A History of Oscar Stupidity.

Joan Allen She gives what may be her finest performance to date in The Upside of Anger, and Oscar wears blinders. And yet Charlize Theron makes the cut for smudging her sexy puss with coal dust in North Country, as does Judi Dench for phoning it in via Mrs. Henderson Presents. Sheesh!

Russell Crowe He boxes his way to triumph in Cinderella Man. Then he throws a phone at a guy at a Manhattan hotel, and Oscar starts confusing acting with etiquette.

Scarlett Johansson First Oscar rebuffs her for Lost in Translation (did Bill Murray do it alone?), and now she's ignored for powering Woody Allen's comeback with Match Point. Jeff Daniels I can't be alone in thinking he gave the performance of his career in The Squid and the Whale. But Oscar thinks I am.

Grizzly Man Werner Herzog makes the year's best documentary, and the Academy decides cute penguins trump lethal bears.

Danny Elfman He writes wicked, wonderful tunes for Corpse Bride, and Oscar snubs them all, reducing nominees in the category from five to three. The bright side? Less of the torture of watching songs being butchered on the Oscar telecast.

New CD Releases For February 28, 2006

Bayside Acoustic (CD/DVD combo) (Victory)

Bizzy Bone Thugs Revenge (enhanced CD) (Thump)

Bombay Dub Orchestra Bombay Dub Orchestra (Six Degrees)

Shannon Brown Corn Fed (produced by Big $ Rich's John Rich) (Warner Bros. Nashville)

Michael Camilo Rhapsody in Blue (Telarc)

The Capes Hello (Hard Soul)

Cyrus Chestnut Genuine Chestnut (Telarc)

Jessi Colter Out of the Ashes (produced by Don Was; guests Shooter Jennings, Tony Joe White and previously unreleased '80s recordings with Waylon Jennings) (Shout! Factory)

Elvis Costello and Metropole Orkest My Flame Turns Blue (two CDs; July, 2005 concert at the Netherlands' North Sea Jazz Festival; includes classic Costello songs, jazz covers and previously unreleased compositions) (Deutsche Grammophon)

El Da Sensei The Unusual (Fat Beats)

James Hand The Truth Will Set You Free (Rounder)

Hawthorne Heights If Only You Were Lonely (Victory)

Tom Heyman Deliver Me (w/members of Wilco, American Music Club, the Mother Hips and more) (Jackpine Social Club)

Tom Hunter Here I Go Again (FS Music)

Intronaut Null (Goodfellow)

Alan Jackson Precious Memories (Arista Nashville)

Kid Rock Live Trucker (Atlantic)

La Peste Better Off La Peste (Bacchus Archives)

Jeannette Lambert Sand Underfoot (Jazz from Rant)

Latterman Turn Up the Punk, We'll Be Singing (Deep Elm)

Ian Love (ex-Rival Schools) Ian Love (Limekiln)

Carmen Lundy Jazz and the New Songbook: Live at the Madrid (two CDs; DVD same day) (Afrasia)

Rhett Miller The Believer (Verve)

Bob Mintzer Big Band Old School, New Lessons (guests Kurt Elling and the Yellowjackets) (MCG Jazz)

Ne-Yo In My Own Words (Def Jam)

Nine Black Alps Everything Is (Interscope)

Alecia Nugent A Little Girl...A Big Four-Lane (Rounder)

Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top X-Press Try a Little Kindness (Rounder)

Michael Parenti Rulers of the Planet (CD/DVD combo) (Alternative Tentacles)

Phobia Cruel (Willowtip)

Plumb Chaotic Resolve (Curb)

Ranaldo/Giffoni/Moore/Cline (Sonic Youth's Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore and Wilco's Nels Cline) Four Guitars Live (2001 performance) (Important)

Ursula Rucker Ma'at Mama (!K7)

Samite Embalasasa (Artemis)

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)

Tom Scott Bebop United (w/Phil Woods) (MCG Jazz)

Serapis Serapis (One Day Savior)

Skylines Identity (Blood & Ink)

Smoking Popes at Metro (DVD same day; live album) (Victory)

Spitfire Self-Help (Goodfellow)

Spyro Gyra Wrapped in a Dream (SACD same day) (Heads Up)

Tresspassers William Having (produced by Dave Fridmann) (Nettwerk)

Steve Tyrell Once Upon a Dream - The Disney Standards (w/Dr. John, Dave Koz and more) (Disney)

Uncurbed Welcome to Anarcho City (Sound Pollution)

Hank Williams III Straight to Hell (Curb)

VA Hotel Chill (two CDs) (Water Music)

VA Munk Presents Gommagang 3 (electronica compilation; includes remixes and previously unreleased tracks) (Gomma)

OST Freedomland (score by James Newton Howard) (Varése Sarabande)

DVD Nardwuar the Human Serviette Doot Doola Doot Doo...Doot Doo (two DVDs) (Alternative Tentacles)

Mariah's Cinematic Comeback

Mariah Carey apparently subscribes to the old adage: "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."

After making a musical comeback with her award-winning, chart-topping album The Emancipation of Mimi, Carey is ready to take another shot at the big screen.

The singer has signed on to star in the independent film Tennessee, playing a waitress who teams with her two brothers to search for their estranged father in an effort to help the youngest brother, who has leukemia.

If you're thinking that whomever made this casting decision must not have seen Glitter, it just so happens you're right.

Tennessee producer Lee Daniels admitted that he never took in the box office flop that earned his star the Razzie Award for Worst Actress in 2001, but said he decided to cast Carey based on her work in 2002's WiseGirls and the success of The Emancipation of Mimi.

"I never saw Glitter, but I liked her work in the other film," Daniels told Daily Variety. "Because this character is interracial and struggles with all sorts of issues because of that, I thought she was perfect."

The film is scheduled to begin shooting this spring in Tennessee and New Mexico.

Carey's return to acting comes at a time when her diva ego can afford a few blows.

In recent months, she notched the top-selling album of 2005, with 4.97 million copies sold and tied Elvis Presley's record of 17 number one singles.

Carey also picked up three Grammys, four Vibe Awards, five Billboard Awards, four Radio Music Awards and four World Music Awards, to name a few.

On Saturday, she added to her haul, taking home Best Album at the 37th Annual NAACP Image Awards.

'Gunsmoke' Actor Dennis Weaver Dies

LOS ANGELES - Dennis Weaver, the slow-witted deputy Chester Goode in the TV classic western "Gunsmoke" and the New Mexico deputy solving New York crime in "McCloud," has died. The actor was 81.

Weaver died of complications from cancer Friday at his home in Ridgway, in southwestern Colorado, his publicist Julian Myers said.

Weaver was a struggling actor in Hollywood in 1955, earning $60 a week delivering flowers when he was offered $300 a week for a role in a new CBS television series, "Gunsmoke." By the end of his nine years with "Gunsmoke," he was earning $9,000 a week.

When Weaver first auditioned for the series, he found the character of Chester "inane." He wrote in his 2001 autobiography, "All the World's a Stage," that he said to himself: "With all my Actors Studio training, I'll correct this character by using my own experiences and drawing from myself."

The result was a well-rounded character that appealed to audiences, especially with his drawling, "Mis-ter Dil-lon."

At the end of seven hit seasons, Weaver sought other horizons. He announced his departure, but the failures of pilots for his own series caused him to return to "Gunsmoke" on a limited basis for two more years. The role brought him an Emmy in the 1958-59 season.

In 1966, Weaver starred with a 600-pound black bear in "Gentle Ben," about a family that adopts a bear as a pet. The series was well-received, but after two seasons, CBS decided it needed more adult entertainment and cancelled it.

Next came the character Sam McCloud, which Weaver called "the most satisfying role of my career."

The "McCloud" series, 1970-1977, juxtaposed a no-nonsense lawman from Taos, N.M., onto the crime-ridden streets of New York City. His wild-west tactics, such as riding his horse through Manhattan traffic, drove local policemen crazy, but he always solved the case.

He appeared in several movies, including "Touch of Evil," "Ten Wanted Men," "Gentle Giant," "Seven Angry Men," "Dragnet," "Way ... Way Out" and "The Bridges at Toko-Ri."

Weaver also was an activist for protecting the environment and combating world hunger.

He served as president of Love Is Feeding Everyone (LIFE), which fed 150,000 needy people a week in Los Angeles County. He founded the Institute of Ecolonomics, which sought solutions to economic and environmental problems. He spoke at the United Nations and Congress, as well as to college students and school children about fighting pollution and starvation.

"Earthship" was the most visible of Weaver's crusades. He and his wife Gerry built a solar-powered Colorado home out of recycled tires and cans. The thick walls helped keep the inside temperature even year around.

"When the garbage man comes," Jay Leno once quipped, "how does he know where the garbage begins and the house ends?"

Weaver responded: "If we get into the mindset of saving rather than wasting and utilizing other materials, we can save the Earth."

The tall, slender actor came by his Midwestern twang naturally. He was born June 4, 1924, in Joplin, Mo., where he excelled in high school drama and athletics. After Navy service in World War II, he enrolled at the University of Oklahoma and qualified for the Olympic decathlon.

He studied at the Actors Studio in New York and appeared in "A Streetcar Named Desire" opposite Shelley Winters and toured in "Come Back, Little Sheba" with Shirley Booth.

Universal Studio signed Weaver to a contract in 1952 but found little work for him. He freelanced in features and television until he landed "Gunsmoke."

Weaver appeared in dozens of TV movies, the most notable being the 1971 "Duel." It was a bravura performance for both fledgling director Steven Spielberg and Weaver, who played a driver menaced by a large truck that followed him down a mountain road. The film was released in theaters in 1983, after Spielberg had become director of huge moneymakers.

Weaver's other TV series include "Kentucky Jones," "Emerald Point N.A.S.," "Stone" and "Buck James." From 1973 to 1975, he served as president of the Screen Actors Guild.

Weaver is survived by his wife; sons Rick, Robby and Rusty; and three grandchildren.

DVDs: Oscar special

Sunday is Oscar's golden moment so it is no surprise that a slew of Oscar-nominated films are coming to DVD.

One crucial factor is that most of the 2006 Academy Award nomination leaders are art films and/or edgier material, not mainstream studio blockbusters. So they need awards to fuel their financial success, in theatres and on DVD.

Of the 35 films that received at least one Oscar nomination in the feature categories for 2005, 12 have already been released and the rest are pending.

Here are the titles that are available:

WALK THE LINE

Out on DVD tomorrow. James Mangold's stirring biopic of legendary country music couple Johnny Cash and June Carter earned five Oscar noms but missed out in the best picture category. Both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are acting contenders, with Witherspoon cited as the likely best actress winner. Both actors are excellent dramatically and -- because their vocal stylings invoke the originals -- ace the singing, too.

The DVD is available in the basic one-disc release, in separate full and widescreen editions. It has Mangold's excellent, thoughtful commentary plus 10 deleted scenes with optional commentaries.

Better is the widescreen-only, two-disc Collector's Edition that, in addition to five souvenir postcards, has the same first disc plus a second disc of first-rate bonus materials. There are extended versions of three songs, with Cocaine Blues the star entry. Strong featurettes background Cash & Carter, focus on the upheavals of 1968 as the year of crisis and redemption for Cash and explain how Mangold struggled for a decade to make this film.

The crucial thing missing is live performances by Cash & Carter. For that, and a lot of religion, turn to tomorrow's widescreen DVD release of Gospel Road: A Story Of Jesus (1973), in which Cash talks/sings through a docu-drama about the life of Jesus, with Carter as Mary Magdalene. It is crudely done but heartfelt.

PRIDE & PREJUDICE

Out tomorrow as well. Joe Wright's lovely reworking of Jane Austen's classic novel earned four nominations, key among them Keira Knightley as best actress. The DVD is available in separate full and widescreen editions that boast good extras.

Wright's droll commentary is articulate, as is his participation in the four featurettes which delve into the history of Austen and the making of the film. The highlight is listening to Donald Sutherland wax poetic about Knightley, whom he adores and respects, and watching Brenda Blethyn with her bubbly brood of girls on set.

GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK

Out on DVD March 14. George Clooney's sly second film as a director is less a conventional narrative and more of a poetic mood piece about a political era: The upheavals of Joe McCarthy's Communist witchhunts of the 1950s. It earned six noms -- including best picture, Clooney as best director and the wonderfully subtle David Strathairn, who plays crusading TV journalist Edward R. Murrow, as best actor.

The widescreen DVD will feature a sometimes funny, even silly, but often useful commentary shared by Clooney and co-writer/co-star Grant Heslov. The DVD is good but this is a title that demands more, perhaps even a civics lesson. A special edition DVD would be welcome.

CAPOTE

Out on DVD March 21. Bennett Miller shocked Hollywood with the subtle yet explosive quality of his biopic about colourful writer Truman Capote and his controversial research for In Cold Blood. The film earned five noms, including as best picture and Philip Seymour Hoffman as best actor. Hoffman is the front-runner for not merely his mimicry of Capote's high-pitched voice but his embodiment of Capote's tragic internal conflicts.

The widescreen DVD will contain a lineup of excellent extras, none of them hype and all created with the same clear-minded care as the film. Among insights, Miller says of casting Hoffman: "It was a huge risk for Phil to take. The possibility of profound humiliation is always there."

CRASH

On DVD since Sept. 6 last year; a special edition due April 4. Paul Haggis, who was born in London, Ont., leapt into the public eye by writing Million Dollar Baby. Now his remarkable L.A. race drama has six noms, including as best picture, with Haggis named as best director and for best original screenplay (shared with Bobby Moresco).

The original DVD, available in full or widescreen, has a commentary shared by Haggis, Moresco and Don Cheadle, as well as a punchy featurette on the making of the film and its ambition to illuminate the race struggle. "This is a passion piece," Haggis says. That is why the special edition due in April is appropriate. Even more is a good thing.

OSCAR'S DVD LIST

Release dates for selected Oscar nominees:

Crash: Sept. 06, 2005
Batman Begins: Oct. 18, 2005
Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge Of the Sith: Nov. 1, 2005
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory: Nov. 8, 2005
War Of The Worlds: Nov. 22, 2005
Cinderella Man: Dec. 6, 2005
The Constant Gardener: Jan. 10
Hustle & Flow: Jan. 10
Junebug: Jan. 17
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride: Jan. 31
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit: Feb. 7
North Country: Feb. 21
Walk The Line: Feb. 28
Pride & Prejudice: Feb. 28
Howl's Moving Castle: March 7
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire: March 7
Good Night, And Good Luck: March 14
A History Of Violence: March 14
Capote: March 21
The Squid And The Whale: March 21
Memoirs Of A Geisha: March 28
King Kong: March 28
Brokeback Mountain: April 4
Crash: April 4 (Special Edition)
The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe: April 4
Munich: TBA
Match Point: TBA
Syriana: TBA
Mrs. Henderson Presents:TBA
Transamerica: TBA
The New World: TBA

Sheryl Crow's Cancer Fight

Sheryl Crow says she is heading toward a full recovery from breast cancer surgery earlier this week.

News of Crow's cancer battle was broken Friday on her Website and confirmed by her publicist, Dave Tomberlin, who announced the 44-year-old singer-songwriter underwent successful surgery on Wednesday.

"Her doctors think her prognosis is excellent," Tomberlin said.

The nine-time Grammy winner, who described the procudure as "minimally invasive," will now begin precautionary radiation treatment, according to a statement on sherylcrow.com.

"I am joining the more than 200,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year," Crow says on the site, adding the cancer was detected early.

"I am inspired by the brave women who have faced this battle before me and grateful for the support of family and friends."

To allow time for rest and recuperation, Crow has scrapped her North American tour, which was scheduled to kick off next month and run through April in support of her recent album, the Grammy-nominated Wildflower. Crow says she hopes to make up the dates as soon as possible.

Everyday in February must seem like a winding road to Crow. The cancer announcement comes exactly three weeks after she made public her split from Lance Armstrong.

The couple had been engaged for four months and romantically linked since 2003.

Armstrong, 34, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 1996.

"Once again I'm reminded of just how pervasive this illness is, as it has now touched someone I love deeply," he said in a statement Friday. "

Crow can take solace in knowing that after surgery and treatment, Armstrong was declared cancer-free and rebounded to win seven consecutive Tour de France titles.

Will Eva Green escape the 'Bond curse'?

A little bit Barbara Bach (The Spy Who Loved Me) and a little bit Carole Bouquet (For Your Eyes Only), French actress Eva Green definitely has the decolletage to be a Bond girl.

But according to one school of thought, the relative unknown -- who was announced last week to play original Bond girl Vesper Lynd opposite newly crowned James Bond Daniel Craig in Casino Royale (which opens Nov. 17) -- is now doomed to stay a relative unknown.

Green's previous major exposure has been as Orlando Bloom's love interest in the big-budget Crusades bomb Kingdom Of Heaven. So careerwise, she is a blank slate.

But as blank as Lois Chiles, who played Holly Goodhead in Moonraker? Or Lana Wood who played Plenty O'Toole in Diamonds Are Forever?

Whether there's a career-killing "Bond curse" or not (and there are enough post-Bond success stories to at least poke holes in the theory), the latter-day Bond era of big-name leading ladies appears to be over.

The part of Vesper, Bond's tragic one true love according to the Ian Fleming books, was reportedly turned down by the likes of Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Scarlett Johansson, Thandie Newton and Canadian girl Rachel McAdams.

Is it the bimbo factor? If so, it's an unfair rap if you consider Bond girls pre- and post- what I consider the null-point of Bond and his Girls -- The Living Daylights.

TLD, you may recall, was the film that introduced Timothy Dalton as a humourless Bond. Released at the height of the AIDS scare, it was the first film in which Bond became a one-woman man (girl next door Maryam D'Abo as the cello-playing Kara Milovy), and the first in which it's suggested he doesn't sleep with his leading lady or anybody else.

Listen, you don't want a guy with a licence to kill getting cranky.

James and Kara ride a Ferris wheel. They hug and hold hands. They might as well have cast Timothy Hutton.

Before? Well, there was a bit of Austin Powers in Bond lines like, "There's something I want you to get off your chest" (Diamonds Are Forever). And perhaps a touch of misogyny in how quickly he moves on after a bedmate is poisoned by his side (You Only Live Twice). But it was the times, and the role of Bond girl was that of sex kitten.

After? As often as not, Bond girls kicked more butt (Grace Slick, Famke Janssen, Michelle Yeoh), and toyed with Bond as much as he used to toy with the likes of Tiffany Case. So maybe Angelina et al are just paying heed to Halle Berry's inauspicious post-Bond career (Catwoman? Gothika?).

You don't want your last words, careerwise, to be: "Oh, James!"

Herewith, some of our fave Bond babes, and the "curse" analyzed:

MAUD ADAMS

as Andrea Anders (The Man With The

Golden Gun) and Octopussy (Octopussy)

Post Bond career highlights

Was rumoured to have actually had sex on screen with Bruce Dern in Tattoo. Returned to Bond in an uncredited role in A View To A Kill as "Woman In Fisherman's Wharf Crowd."

Cursed? Yes

URSULA ANDRESS

as Honey Rider (Dr. No)

Post Bond career highlights

Played Aphrodite in Clash Of The Titans. TV series appearances include The Love Boat, Manimal and Falcon Crest.

Cursed? Yes

CLAUDINE AUGER

as Domino Derval (Thunderball)

Post Bond career highlights

"Stays busy" working in TV and film in France, Italy and Spain.

No awards to speak of.

Cursed? Yes

BARBARA BACH

as Anya Amasova (The Spy Who Loved Me)

Post Bond career highlights

Married Ringo Starr, starred with him in Caveman (but lost him in the movie to Shelley Long).

Cursed? Yes

KIM BASINGER

as Domino Patacchi (Never Say Never Again)

Post Bond career highlights

Won an Oscar for L.A. Confidential.

Battling it out with Halle Berry for Worst Post-Oscar career -- and with Alec Baldwin for worst Hollywood marriage breakup.

Cursed? No

HONOR BLACKMAN

as Pussy Galore (Goldfinger)

Post Bond career highlights

Won acclaim in a '60s production of Wait Until Dark. Played Penny Husbands-Bosworth in Bridget Jones' Diary. Recently played recurring character Rula Romanoff on Coronation Street. Has a one-woman stage show Wayward Ladies.

Cursed? No

TERI HATCHER

as Paris Carver (Tomorrow Never Dies)

Post Bond career highlights

Sidra, the girl on Seinfeld whose breasts are "real ... and they're fabulous!" Currently stars as Susan Mayer in some show about housewives whose state of mind is usually, um, what's the word I'm looking for here? Oh yeah, Desperate!

Cursed? No

FAMKE JANSSEN

as Xenia Onatopp (GoldenEye)

Post Bond career highlights

Plays Dr. Jean Grey in the X-Men movies -- a character who apparently can't be killed (talk about job security).

Dated Ben Affleck. Survived that, too.

Cursed? No

GRACE JONES

as May Day (A View To A Kill)

Post Bond career highlights

Co-starred with Chris Makepeace

in the vampire movie Vamp. Played

Helen Strange opposite Eddie Murphy and Robin Givens in the laugh-a-minute chortlefest Boomerang.

Cursed? Yes

JANE SEYMOUR

as Solitaire (Live And Let Die)

Post Bond career highlights

Gave up tarot cards, got her medical degree and spent six seasons as Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman. Played villainess

Genevieve Teague in Smallville.

Cursed? No

JILL ST. JOHN

as Tiffany Case (Diamonds Are Forever)

Post Bond career highlights

Played Sylvia Maxwell on Hart To Hart.

Did a Love Boat AND a Fantasy Island.

Dated Henry Kissinger.

Married Robert Wagner.

Cursed? Yes

MICHELLE YEOH

as Wai Lin (Tomorrow Never Dies)

Post Bond career highlights

Been in one or two movies you might have heard of, including Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Memoirs Of A Geisha, and is the highest paid actress in Asia.

Cursed? No

Why 'Sex in the City' movie didn't happen

NEW YORK -- There will be no big-screen Sex in the City.

Sarah Jessica Parker, who played advice columnist Carrie Bradshaw on the hit cable TV series, says the time has passed.

"There was a time in 2004 and even last year when there was great momentum for a film.

"The production was all set and readied and the script was ready," reveals Parker.

"We had our stages up but those stages are gone now. The sets have been dismantled and sold. The wardrobe is gone. There are nothing but memories left."

She doesn't even pretend it wasn't Kim Cattrall who put the brakes on a feature film.

"It's true, everyone was on board for the film except Kim."

She's a little more cautious when asked why Cattrall, who played catty, vampy Samantha, refused to participate.

"I was led to believe there were a number of reasons. It wasn't just a case of money, but I'm not certain exactly what all those reasons were.

"You have to respect someone's choice to want to move on in their life."

Though Sex in the City gave Parker's career an enormous boost, she's not looking for another TV series any time soon.

"If I'd wanted to continue doing TV I'd have done more seasons of Sex in the City," she says.

"TV is too demanding and I want to spend more time with my son. He's almost three now and he needs me. Films are less of a commitment."

Nor does Parker see herself doing a Broadway show.

"That would take me away from my son every night for months. That's even worse than the daytime commitment of a TV series."

On March 10, Parker will be seen starring opposite Matthew McConaughey in the romantic comedy Failure to Launch.

She has already completed the race relations drama Spinning into Butter with Beau Bridges and Miranda Richardson.

Ang Lee may make Oscar history

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Ang Lee seems poised to go where even Japanese film master Akira Kurosawa never went: The winner's circle for best director at the Academy Awards.

A win March 5 for front-runner Lee, director of the cowboy romance Brokeback Mountain, would make him the first Asian filmmaker to earn the directing prize.

Lee has dominated at earlier awards shows, taking the directing prize at the Golden Globes and the Directors Guild of America, the recipient of the latter almost always going on to win the Oscar.

His competition on Oscar night: Two-time best-director winner Steven Spielberg for the assassination thriller Munich; George Clooney for the Edward R. Murrow tale Good Night, and Good Luck; Paul Haggis for the ensemble drama Crash; and Bennett Miller for the Truman Capote saga Capote.

Though nominated for best director previously with his martial-arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Lee arrives as the Oscar favourite with a distinctly un-Asian film.

Brokeback Mountain is a modern twist on the Western, casting Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as sheepherding pals whose summer fling turns into a passionate romance they conceal from their wives.

"I like the unknown place," Lee said backstage after his win at the Golden Globes. "I think the American West, true west, not west in movies, it's very romantic. It's lighthearted. It's a place that I hardly know, and I like to explore that."

Born in Taiwan, Lee first came to Hollywood's notice with the romantic charmers The Wedding Banquet and Eat Drink Man Woman, which earned back-to-back Oscar nominations for foreign-language film for 1993 and '94.

Since then, Lee has been a chameleon, directing the Jane Austen costume romance Sense and Sensibility, a best-picture nominee, the stark American drama The Ice Storm and the comic-book adaptation Hulk.

Crouching Tiger won the foreign-language honour for 2000 and earned a best-picture nomination.

Brokeback Mountain is a sweeping romantic melodrama with one foot rooted in the grand weepers of old Hollywood and the other kicking show business into modern times with its sensitive portrayal of a gay love affair.

Its subject matter aside, Brokeback Mountain stands as an estimable directing achievement for presenting an intimate character portrait against a backdrop of boundless Western vistas.

At 51, Lee already has eclipsed the Oscar track record of Kurosawa, whose film Rashomon received an honorary foreign-language film award and whose Dersu Uzala won the foreign-language Oscar. Kurosawa's films never broke into the best-picture category, though he was nominated for best director with Ran and received an honorary Oscar for 1989.

A look at the other directing nominees:

-Steven Spielberg, Munich: The film was a daring choice for Spielberg, who incurred the wrath of Jewish groups that felt he humanized Arab terrorists in his dramatization of the Israeli pursuit of Palestinians linked to the massacre of Israelis at the 1972 Olympics.

Starring Eric Bana as leader of an Israeli hit squad, Munich is a dazzling directing achievement that creates an authentic period feeling through design and camera techniques that emulate the look of 1970s political thrillers.

But with two directing Oscars already for Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, it's unlikely Spielberg will win a third for a film that left audiences lukewarm.

-George Clooney, Good Night, and Good Luck: In 2005, Clooney graduated from superstar hunk who really wants to direct to serious filmmaker and actor.

Along with his directing honour, Clooney was nominated for co-writing the Good Night screenplay, and he earned a supporting-actor nomination for the oil-industry thriller Syriana.

If he's going home with an Oscar, it probably will be for his excellent performance in Syriana. That prize also would serve as a nice honourable mention for Clooney's directing accomplishment on a little black-white film about newsman Murrow (David Strathairn) that confounded expectations by becoming a commercial success as well as a critical hit.

-Paul Haggis, Crash: Haggis was the one key member of the Million Dollar Baby quartet who did not win an Oscar last time. Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman all won, but screenwriter Haggis came away empty-handed.

Oscar voters might remedy that this time by giving him the prize for the original screenplay of Crash, which he co-wrote. The film features a huge cast led by Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard and Thandie Newton in a crisis-mode 36-hour period in Los Angeles.

Haggis himself has said he expects Lee and Brokeback Mountain to triumph, but the seamless stitching he managed with so many characters and story lines in Crash makes him a serious longshot contender.

-Bennett Miller, Capote: Miller looks to be along for the ride with his searing portrait of author Capote, which is expected to make its Oscar splash in the best-actor category, where Philip Seymour Hoffman is favoured to win for the title role.

For Miller, making his dramatic film debut after directing a single documentary previously, Capote and the Oscar attention are signs of good things to come from a fresh talent.

Italy bids ciao to Games

Led by snow explorers with a white horse symbolizing victory, the Olympic closing ceremony began in grand style at Stadio Olimpico in Turin, Italy, Sunday.

Canada had a star turn in the ceremony, as the next Winter Games will be in British Columbia in 2010.

Canadian opera star Ben Heppner sang a stirring rendition of Canada's national anthem, which started the section of the program that signifies the countdown to Vancouver.

Heppner, an internationally renowned tenor, performed the anthem a cappella joined by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police honour guard. Heppner's performance led to the passing of the Olympic flag by Turin Mayor Sergio Chiamparino to Vanvouver mayor Sam Sullivan.

Canadian pop superstar Avril Lavigne rocked Stadio Olimpico in a special eight-minute celebration.

The theme of the closing ceremony is Carnivale Italiano, the Italian masked festival that included performances by some of Italy's most famous circuses. Popular Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is the headline performer.

Following the Italian national anthem, the flag-bearers of each nation entered the stadium simultaneously.

Canadian speed skater Cindy Klassen had the honour of leading Canada into the closing festivities as its flag-bearer. The news came to no one's surprise as the 26-year-old Winnipeg native won a Canadian record five medals and is the nation's most decorated Olympian with six career medals.

In his final speech to the Italian people, IOC President Jacques Rogge closed the Torino Olympics by saying "these have been wonderful, fantastic Games." In grand tradition, he then called on the youth of the world to assemble four years from now in Vancouver for the 21st Winter Olympics.

Some 2,000 performers took part in the ceremony. It's expected this closing ceremony was viewed by a television audience of 500 million people.

'Madea's Family Reunion' Tops Box-Office

LOS ANGELES - Tyler Perry fans reunited at theaters for another tale of mad black women. "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion," a comic drama in which writer-director Perry also stars in three roles, debuted as the weekend's No. 1 movie with $30.25 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It was a second gold mine for Lionsgate Films, which also released Perry's "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," the movie that opened as No. 1 with $21.9 million on the same weekend last year.

Lionsgate hopes to have a third Perry movie out over the same weekend next year, said Steve Rothenberg, the company's president of distribution.

"It's a time when we can really dominate the box office," Rothenberg said. "If we were out at Christmas, we'd be competing with the big holiday and Oscar films, but late February with Black History Month and less competition is a great time period for us."

This weekend's other new wide releases flopped. The Weinstein Co. animated tale "Doogal," a fairy-tale adventure with a voice cast that includes Whoopi Goldberg, Kylie Minogue and Jimmy Fallon, debuted at No. 8 with $3.6 million.

New Line's crime thriller "Running Scared," starring Paul Walker as a mobster scrambling to recover a gun used in the slaying of a cop, opened at No. 9 with $3.1 million.

Walker also stars in last weekend's No. 1 movie, Disney's dog tale "Eight Below," which slipped to second place with $15.7 million. "Eight Below" grossed $45.1 million in 10 days.

Though "Madea's Family Reunion" opened more strongly than "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," the overall weekend box office declined. The top 12 movies took in $99.8 million, down 4.4 percent from the same weekend last year.

Based on Perry's stage play, "Madea's Family Reunion" depicts a variety of domestic crises as a clan prepares for a reunion. Among the characters Perry plays is the heavyset, pistol-packing Grandma Madea, whom he also played in "Diary of a Mad Black Woman."

The film was shot for just $6 million.

Perry's stories about empowerment of women set among Madea's family have a built-in following among black audiences familiar with his plays and video versions of the tales. Black women 35 and older made up 52 percent of the movie's audience, according to Lionsgate.

"The themes Tyler Perry presents resonate very strongly with the black community," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "It reminds me of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding.' It has elements of comedy and drama and community that just definitely works."

The South African film "Tsotsi," a nominee for best foreign-language film at the Academy Awards, opened strongly in limited release with $78,000 at six theaters, for a healthy $13,000 average.

By comparison, "Madea's Family Reunion" averaged $13,788 in 2,194 theaters, "Doogal" did $1,557 in 2,318 cinemas, and "Running Scared" averaged $1,909 in 1,611 theaters.

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. "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion," $30.25 million.
2. "Eight Below," $15.7 million.
3. "The Pink Panther," $11.3 million.
4. "Date Movie," $9.2 million.
5. "Curious George," $7 million.
6. "Firewall," $6.3 million.
7. "Final Destination 3," $5.35 million.
8. "Doogal," $3.6 million.
9. "Running Scared," $3.1 million.
10. "Freedomland," $2.9 million.

Don Knotts, TV's Barney Fife, Dies at 81

LOS ANGELES - Don Knotts, who won TV immortality and five Emmys for playing the bumbling Deputy Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show" with self-deprecating humor, was remembered by his friend and co-star as a comedic genius who wrote some of the show's best scenes.

"Don was a small man ... but everything else about him was large: his mind, his expressions," Griffith told The Associated Press on Saturday. "Don was special. There's nobody like him."

Knotts, 81, died Friday of pulmonary and respiratory complications at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center, said Sherwin Bash, his friend and manager.

His half-century career included more than 25 films and seven TV series, most notably playing the bug-eyed deputy who carried in his shirt pocket the one bullet he was allowed after shooting himself in the foot. The constant fumbling, a recurring sight gag, was typical of his self-deprecating humor.

The show ran from 1960-68, and was in the top 10 of the Nielsen ratings each season, including a No. 1 ranking its final year. It is one of only three series in TV history to bow out at the top: The others are "I Love Lucy" and "Seinfeld." The 249 episodes have appeared frequently in reruns and spawned a large, active network of fan clubs.

Knotts, whose shy, soft-spoken manner was unlike his high-strung characters, once said he was most proud of the Fife character and didn't mind being remembered that way.

He also played the would-be swinger landlord Ralph Furley on "Three's Company," which he joined in 1979, and was an original cast member of "The Steve Allen Show," the comedy-variety show that ran from 1956-61.

Knotts' G-rated films were family fun, not box-office blockbusters. In most, he ends up the hero and gets the girl — a girl who can see through his nervousness to the heart of gold.

In the part-animated 1964 film "The Incredible Mr. Limpet," Knotts played a meek clerk who turns into a fish after he is rejected by the Navy.

In 1998, he had a key role in the back-to-the-past movie "Pleasantville," playing a folksy television repairman whose supercharged remote control sends a teen boy and his sister into a TV sitcom past.

The West Virginia native began his show biz career even before he graduated from high school, performing as a ventriloquist at local clubs and churches. He majored in speech at West Virginia University, then took off for the big city.

"I went to New York cold. On a $100 bill. Bummed a ride," he recalled in a visit to his hometown of Morgantown, where city officials renamed a street for him in 1998.

Within six months, Knotts had taken a job on a radio Western called "Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders," playing a wisecracking, know-it-all handyman. He stayed with it for five years before making his series TV debut on "The Steve Allen Show."

He married Kay Metz in 1948, the year he graduated from college. The couple had two children before divorcing in 1969. Knotts later married, then divorced Lara Lee Szuchna.

Knotts is survived by his wife of three years, Francey Yarborough, and two children, Karen and Thomas, from his first marriage.

Prolific Actor Darren McGavin Dies at 83

LOS ANGELES - Darren McGavin was painting a movie set in 1945 when he learned of an opening for a small role in the show, climbed off his ladder, and returned through Columbia's front gates to land the part.

The husky, tough-talking performer went on to become one of the busiest actors in television and film, starring in five TV series, including "Mike Hammer," and endearing holiday audiences with his role as the grouchy dad in the 1983 comedy classic "A Christmas Story."

McGavin, 83, died Saturday of natural causes at a Los Angeles-area hospital with his family at his side, said his son Bogart McGavin.

McGavin also had leading roles in TV's "Riverboat" and cult favorite "Kolchak: The Night Stalker." Among his memorable portrayals was Gen. George Patton in the 1979 TV biography "Ike."

Despite his busy career in television, McGavin was awarded only one Emmy: in 1990 for an appearance as Candice Bergen's opinionated father in an episode of "Murphy Brown."

He lacked the prominence in films he enjoyed in television, but he registered strongly in featured roles such as the young artist in Venice in "Summertime," David Lean's 1955 film with Katharine Hepburn and Rosanno Brazzi; Frank Sinatra's crafty drug supplier in "The Man with the Golden Arm" (1955); Jerry Lewis's parole officer in "The Delicate Delinquent" (1957); and the gambler in 1984's "The Natural." He also starred alongside Don Knotts, who died Friday night, in the 1976 family comedy "No Deposit, No Return."

Throughout his television career, McGavin gained a reputation as a curmudgeon willing to bad-mouth his series and combat studio bosses.

McGavin starred in the private eye series "Mike Hammer" in the 1950s. In 1968 he told a reporter: "Hammer was a dummy. I made 72 of those shows, and I thought it was a comedy. In fact, I played it camp. He was the kind of guy who would've waved the flag for George Wallace."

Born in Spokane, Wash., McGavin was sketchy in interviews about his childhood. He told TV Guide in 1973 that he was a constant runaway at 10 and 11, and as a teen lived in warehouses in Tacoma, Wash., and dodged the police and welfare workers. His parents disappeared, he said.

He spent a year at College of the Pacific in Stockton, Calif., taking part in dramatics, then landed in Los Angeles. He washed dishes and was hired to paint sets at Columbia studio. He was working on "A Song to Remember" when an agent told him of an opening for a small role.

"I climbed off a painter's ladder and washed up at a nearby gas station," McGavin said. "I returned through Columbia's front gate with the agent." The director, Charles Vidor, hired him. No one recognized him but the paint foreman, who said, "You're fired."

McGavin studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse and the Actors Studio and began working in live TV drama and on Broadway. He appeared with Charlton Heston in "Macbeth" on TV and played Happy in "Death of a Salesman" in New York and on the road.

He is survived by his four children — York, Megan, Bridget and Bogart — from a previous marriage to Melanie York McGavin, Bogart McGavin said. McGavin was separated from his second wife, Kathy Brown, he said. Services were set for March 5 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Sex Pistols Flip Off Rock Hall

Never mind the Rock Hall, there go the Sex Pistols.

Britain's most infamous punk rabble rousers are giving the big middle finger to the music industry types who've tapped the band for enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, issuing a grammatically impaired open letter saying they have no intention of attending the induction ceremony scheduled for Mar. 13 at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

"Next to the sex Pistols, rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. We're not coming," the band says via a handwritten note posted on frontman Johnny Rotten's Website, thefiilthandthefury.co.uk. "Were [sic] not your monkey and so what? Fame at $25,000 if we paid for a table, or $15,000 to squeak up in the gallery, goes to a non-profit organization [sic] selling us a load of old famous."

The Sex Pistols, who had been passed over by voters for several years before making the list, had been expected to inject a little anarchy into the proceedings as one of five acts being inducted. Black Sabbath, Blondie, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the late Miles Davis will also be feted.

But, in a nod to the rebel spirit that inspired generations of mohawk-wearing youth, and helped them sell millions of records, the Sex Pistols made it perfectly clear where their loyalties lie--with themselves.

"Congratulations," the missive continues. "If you voted for us, hope you noted your reasons. Your [sic] anonymous as judges, but your [sic] still music industry people. Were [sic] not coming. Your [sic] not paying attention. Outside the sh-t-stem is a real Sex Pistol."

With the Sex Pistols apparently sitting out the ceremony, there could still be some fireworks courtesy of Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne. In 2000, tired of repeated rejections by voters who opted for tamer acts like Percy Sledge and Bob Seger, Osbourne and his "War Pigs" comrades slammed the Rock Hall selection process, calling it "meaningless" because it's not voted on by fans. However, the bat-chomping metalhead is expected to turn up at next month's induction.

Despite releasing only one album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here Comes the Sex Pistols, the Sex Pistols--whose lineup included Johnny Rotten, Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and the late Sid Vicious--gave 1970s rock 'n' roll a major kick in the ass with blistering, two-minute odes to self-destruction, rebellion and generally bad behavior, including the indelible punk anthems "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen."

The band split in 1978, but surviving members regrouped in 1996 and 2003 for two extremely lucrative tours, which caused some longtime fans to grouse that the band sold out.

In a 2003 interview with Billboard.com, Rotten dissed the band's induction into the "Hall of Shame" and explained why the Sex Pistols have never issued new material since their heyday.

"We only needed to make one album to absolutely define how the world is," the snarling singer said. "Quite frankly, I think it's a miracle that we're still alive, and that's historical in itself. We fought this industry tooth and nail nonstop for 25 solid years, and we're still here."

They just won't be in New York for the ceremony.

Bono Among Nobel Peace Prize Nominees

OSLO, Norway - Rock stars Bono and Bob Geldof were nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize along with Indonesia's president, a former U.S. secretary of state and a Finnish peacemaker.

That was the easy part.

Making the Norwegian award committee's deeply secret shortlist, already whittled down from the 191 nominees, is another matter, the nonvoting secretary said Friday.

"It's easy to get nominated, but very hard to win," Geir Lundestad told The Associated Press in releasing the number he compiled and checked after the Feb. 1 deadline for mailing proposals.

He said the committee has started pruning the original field of 168 individuals and 23 organizations. That is the second highest number of nominations ever, behind last year's 199.

"It does indicate strong interest," Lundestad said, expressing delight that nominations came in from across the globe, including countries submitting entries for the first time.

The 2005 award went to the International Atomic Energy Agency and its leader Mohamed ElBaradei for their efforts to control the spread of nuclear weapons.

The tightlipped committee keeps the names of candidates secret for 50 years. However, thousands of people have nomination rights, and some announce their choice.

This year, known nominees include former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for helping to secure a peace deal in the Aceh conflict. Both were seen as frontrunners in early speculation.

"The president is very honored and humbled by this nomination," said Yudhoyono's spokesman Dino Pati Djalal. "As a general, politician and president he has always tried to promote peace, democracy and reform.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell was nominated for his effort to end Sudan's civil war.

Geldof, former leader of the Irish punk group the Boomtown Rats, was nominated for organizing last year's Live 8 benefit concerts, while another Irish singer, U2 frontman Bono, was proposed for his fight against world poverty.

"They are the typical kind of high-profile, celebrity nomination," Nobel watcher Dan Smith, former head of the Peace Research Institute in Oslo, said by telephone from London.

Smith said the committee was more likely to use Nobel prestige to propel some lesser-known person into the world spotlight.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, and longtime Iran investigator Kenneth R. Timmerman were nominated by a politician from Sweden's Liberal Party.

The American Friends Service Committee proposed Jeff Halper, an Israeli Jew, and Ghassan Andoni, a Palestinian Christian from the occupied Palestinian territories.

Other announced contenders include former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, Indian scholar Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Israeli nuclear whistle blower Mordechai Vanunu. Austria's SOS Children's Villages, former Illinois governor and death penalty opponent George Ryan, and Indian anti-child labor campaigner Kailash Satyarthi have also been nominated.

Likely, but not confirmed, nominations include the movement Thousand Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2006, American entertainer Oprah Winfrey, dissident Buddhist monk Thich Quang Do from Vietnam, Chinese Muslim activist Rebiya Kadeer, Russian human rights activist Lida Yusupova, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iraqi Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Save the Children, Oxfam and the Salvation Army are also believed to be on the original list.

The awards committee, which is appointed by but does not answer to Norway's parliament, met for the first time this year on Feb. 17. They usually add their own nominations then to make sure no big names are left out. After that meeting, there is no way to get on the list.

At least once, a favored candidate was left out because he was not nominated in time: former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in 1978. Carter won the award later, in 2002.

Lundestad has said the list quickly gets reduced to a few names, which staff then study in depth. After four or five meetings, a winner is picked by consensus, and announced in mid-October.

The committee works in deep secret, is fiercely independent, and determined to resist lobbying for or against candidates.

Given the number of people with nomination rights — including Nobel laureates, committee members, politicians and university professors — Lundestad said it is surprising that there are so few groundless proposals.

"There are largely good nominations," he said, adding that being nominated does not imply any support or endorsement from the committee itself.

The award is always presented in Oslo on Dec. 10, the anniversary of the death of its founder, Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel. The other Nobel Prizes are presented in Stockholm, Sweden.

ADVANCE FILM REVIEWS IN CRITICAL CONDITION

How do you keep a movie from being savaged by the critics? Don't let them see it.

Fuhgeddaboud opening-day reviews for two new movies this weekend, "Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion" or the animated feature "Doogal."

"We are not going to spend $50,000 for the privilege of negative reviews for a film that isn't going to be affected by them," Tom Ortenberg, president of "Madea" distributor Lionsgate, told The Post.

"Doogal" and "Madea" are joining a growing number of wide releases that are skipping the customary critics' screenings, much to the dismay of consumers looking for opening-day guidance.

That makes eight so far this year, compared with seven in all of 2005, by The New York Post's count.

"It's a pure business decision," says analyst Gitesh Pandya of boxofficeguru.com. "They're realizing that for films which the critics will hate anyway, it's just not worth going through the trouble and expense of setting up screenings in cities around the country."

In the past, a typical nonscreened movie was a studio mistake dumped to satisfy contractual obligations. Now, nonscreening is more often part of a conscious marketing policy, particularly flicks aimed at teens.

"These kids aren't reading reviews, so these movies are essentially bulletproof," says one former studio publicist.

"Sometimes a director or a star refuses to believe how bad a movie is [think "Gigli"], so they pressure the studio into screening it," Pandya says

Presumably, Oscar-winner Charlize Theron, for example, had no problem with Paramount opening "Aeon Flux" without screenings.

As far as "Doogal," The Weinstein Company claims the film — a British-French co-production that opened to blah reviews overseas and has been retooled for the American market with a new voice cast — wasn't ready in time to screen.

Ortenberg is more blunt about why there were no screenings for "Madea," a follow-up to Perry's "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," which grossed $26 million in its opening weekend on its way to a $50 million gross last year — despite awful reviews.

Although his research and exit polls for "Diary" and "Madea" had more than 95 percent of the crowds rate the films excellent or very good, Ortenberg says of the new "Madea," "our hunch is that critics will have pretty much the same opinion they did of 'Diary.' "

Ortenberg concedes it's a "tough decision" to skip screenings. But in this case, he says, "the money for screenings will be better spent on more advertising."

"For most movies, reviews are an important part of the overall release strategy," the film executive admits.

I think Ortenberg is right about that — studios such as Lionsgate are always going to want critical support for movies like "Crash," so skipping screenings is unlikely to become the norm.

ON THE DOWNLOAD

Apple announcing Thursday that one billion songs have been legally downloaded from its iTunes Music Store since it was launched less than three years ago. The billionth song downloaded was Coldplay's "Speed of Sound."

Keith & Nicole Set for March Marriage?

The Interpreter actress Nicole Kidman and country star Keith Urban have sent out Invitations for their wedding, which will reportedly take place next month. Marriage rumors have besieged the couple - who began dating last year - since November, when Kidman began wearing a large diamond ring on her left hand. Sources tell American magazine Us Weekly the couple will exchange vows in Australia in early March. The source says, "Nicole is an Australian girl at heart. It's no surprise that she would want to get married here."

Superman, Batman Sequelize?

It is the ultimate fanboy fantasy not involving Princess Leia: More Batman, more Superman.

According to Thursday's Variety, the dream could come true as soon as 2008, in the form of sequel to Batman Begins, and 2009, in the form of a sequel to the upcoming Superman Returns.

Warner Bros., the studio behind both revived superhero franchises, would not comment on sequel plans. It called the Variety report "speculative."

Earlier this month at WonderCon, a leading comics convention, Superman Returns director Bryan Singer copped to having "ideas" for more Superman movies, ComicBookResources.com reported. But Singer said those ideas were "like my ideas for X-Men 3," a movie the ex-X-Men helmer is definitely not directing.

Still, the Website said, fans pressed ahead, asking what villains might pop up in additional Superman adventures. ( Kevin Spacey plays Lex Luthor in Returns.) And, still, the Website said, Singer deflected.

"Let's see how the game plays," Singer said, per ComicBookResources.com.

The notion of a Superman Returns sequel, though a no-brainer, is indeed presumptive--the movie, the first Man in Steel big-screen adventure since 1987, doesn't open until June 30.

Batman Begins, the first Caped Crusader big-screen adventure since 1997, swooped into theaters last summer. With a $205.3 million take, it was the eighth-highest grossing 2005 release, per BoxOfficeMojo.com.

Variety pegged the Superman and Batman sequels as being in the planning stages. The trade paper noted that Warners has contractual dibs on the movies' respective cape-wearers, Superman Returns' Brandon Routh and Batman Begins' Christian Bale, but that it doesn't have done deals with the films' respective directors, Singer and Christopher Nolan.

The Batman project, however, does have a screenwriter, Variety said: Jonah (or Jonathan) Nolan, brother of Christopher.

Christopher Nolan currently is directing Bale and Hugh Jackman as dueling magicians in The Prestige. According to the Internet Movie Database, he's also set to call the shots on The Exec, an action/drama penned by his sibling.

Singer's schedule is just as booked.

The director probably would get his long-planned Logan's Run remake up and running before returning to Metropolis, Variety said. His to-do list also includes a dramatized version of The Mayor of Castro Street, about slain gay politician Harvey Milk.

Roger Moore defends new 007

TORONTO (CP) - It took an old Bond to come to the rescue of the new Bond.

Roger Moore, who played Agent 007 in seven of the James Bond movies, said Wednesday that critics of the film franchise's new star, Daniel Craig, should give him a chance. "He's a helluva good actor," said Moore, 78, noting that critics haven't even seen Craig in the role yet. "So why attack him?"

A group of James Bond fans has launched a website (www.craignotbond.com) to protest the hiring of Craig to replace Pierce Brosnan in Casino Royale, now shooting in Prague.

The blond Craig, whose film work includes Munich and The Jacket, has so offended the fans they say they'll boycott the film unless EON Productions and Sony Pictures admit they've made a big mistake.

Moore suggested the group was merely trying to attract people to their website, which says producers had refused to meet the price demanded for the role from Brosnan or other candidates like Hugh Jackman and Clive Owen.

Moore, meanwhile, will be in Quebec City this weekend to take part in a charity film festival called Vue sur Bond 007, organized by filmmaker Hilary Saltzman, daughter of Canadian-born Harry Saltzman. The senior Saltzman, who died in 1994, was, along with Albert Broccoli, the co-producer of most of the early Bond films.

In a recent interview, Hilary Saltzman was also eager to defend Craig, saying she's excited about seeing him in the role.

"When I saw Munich. . .every time Daniel Craig was onscreen that's who you're watching. And I thought 'my god, they've got something very interesting there'."

Also in attendance at Vue sur Bond will be several other celebrities known to 007 fans, including actors Richard (Jaws) Kiel and Britt Ekland, director Guy Hamilton and singer Shirley Bassey.

The festival has three purposes: to honour the senior Saltzman, to draw attention to his daughter's upcoming Festival of the Three Americas - which showcases little-known films from Latin America - and to make a donation to UNICEF (Moore is a goodwill ambassador and was in town Wednesday to attend the release of a report on child health).

Moore said he agreed to show up at the Bond festival because Saltzman asked him on behalf of both her father and UNICEF.

He also dismissed suggestions Wednesday that Bond is obsolete in a post-Cold War, post-9-11 world where real terrorists like Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida have trivialized such Bondian super-villains and organizations as Goldfinger, Blofeld and SMERSH.

"It's fantasy," counters Moore. "Bond is fantasy, there's no real substance to it. It's a figment of imagination. . .sort of crazy, you know, a spy who is recognized wherever he goes. Spies ain't like that."

Saltzman concurred.

"There's a threat to the world and there's one man out there that can save us. And actually I think right now people want to go to that fantasy world."

She also thought it was a "huge coup" on the part of the producers that they snagged Canadian screenwriter Paul Haggis - who is up for a couple of Oscars for his work on Crash - to work on the script.

Apatow adds Hathaway to "Knocked Up"

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Anne Hathaway, currently on screen as Jake Gyllenhaal's icy wife in "Brokeback Mountain," is joining the cast of Universal Pictures' "Knocked Up."

The actress is set to star opposite Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann in the Judd Apatow romantic comedy.

Apatow is writing, producing and directing the movie, which follows a twentysomething guy who finds out he impregnated his one-night stand. The picture will be similar in budget to his last film, "The 40-Year-Old Virgin," which grossed $109.5 million at the domestic box-office and garnered a Writers Guild of America nomination.

Shooting is slated to start in the early summer.

Hathaway, who made her feature debut in the 2001 Buena Vista/Walt Disney hit "The Princess Diaries," will next be seen in 20th Century Fox's "The Devil Wears Prada."

Two Naked Actresses Draw Magazine Buzz

NEW YORK - Pick up this month's Hollywood issue of Vanity Fair and you'll see two lovely young stars-of-the-moment, Keira Knightley and Scarlett Johansson, posing alluringly in the altogether. Open the foldout, and you'll even see Johansson's bare buttocks.

What you won't see is a third, equally lovely young actress, Rachel McAdams of "Wedding Crashers" fame. It seems McAdams arrived at the photo shoot and decided she didn't want to take her clothes off.

And so, sitting between Johansson and Knightley is fashion designer Tom Ford, the issue's guest editor. He nuzzles Knightley's ear and, though he shows plenty of chest hair, is fully clothed. Presumably, no one thought of asking HIM to disrobe.

Is it arty and fun, or does it say something about sexual politics in Hollywood? In 2006, four decades after the launch of the feminist movement, does a serious actress still need to take her clothes off to get attention?

And where, oh where, are the naked men?

The reason female stars disrobe is simple, says Janice Min, editor of the much-read celebrity magazine US Weekly. "It's tried and true. You show some cleavage on an actress. You make her look sexy. You make her look hot." She NEEDS to be hot — because in Hollywood, "you have to be sexy to be a successful actress. You just have to be."

So where's the nude photo of Brad Pitt? Or George Clooney, who appears later in the issue, dressed, amid a bevy of women in flesh-toned bras and panties? Let's face it, Min says: Women do like to see sexy men — just not with all their clothes off.

"Men just aren't viewed as sex objects in the same way that women are," Min says. "Women don't think about men being naked in the same way that men think about women." In fact, she says, at her magazine's offices, when photos come in of a male star with no shirt on, "We say, 'Gross! Put some clothes on!'" (Imagine that being uttered about an attractive female.)

For one expert on the magazine industry, it's a little more complicated. "There's an inherent fear in this country of pictures of naked men," says Samir Husni, a journalism professor at the University of Mississippi. "We've been trained to look at pictures of naked women, but we haven't been trained yet to look at pictures of naked men."

A few male stars have blazed a trail. Burt Reynolds appeared nearly nude in Cosmopolitan in 1972. David Cassidy, in Rolling Stone, the same year. David Hasselhoff. And Ford, too. But it's a lonely group.

Husni calls the current VF cover the "Playboy" issue, because "you can call it art as much as you want — it's still naked women." Nonetheless, he says the magazine has scored huge buzz.

And buzz, in the cutthroat magazine industry, goes a long way. If a magazine sells more than 30 percent of its copies of a particular issue, it's a success. Every copy sold above that is money in the bank. And how do you sell those extras? By grabbing the first-time buyer at the newsstand. The industry rule of thumb is you have 2 1/2 seconds to grab that buyer. And you do it with the cover.

"The cover is your calling card," says Will Dana, managing editor of Rolling Stone magazine, which over the years has produced its share of memorable covers (including the iconic photo of a nude John Lennon wrapped around a clothed Yoko Ono — a rare exception to the rule.) "People are making a split-second decision. It's got to be compelling."

By that standard, the VF cover, shot by Annie Leibovitz, is a slam-dunk. Society columnist Liz Smith wrote about a dinner party where people were passing the issue around, declaring it "ridiculous ... egotistical ... absurd."

"So, I ask you, is editor Graydon Carter smart or what?" Smith wrote.

Carter, in an e-mail message to the AP, said "I chose Tom Ford with the intention of giving him a lot of creative freedom — which I did. And I was extremely pleased with the results."

The results include a 46-page photo spread in which actresses Sienna Miller, Angelina Jolie, Jennifer Aniston and Joy Bryant also appear in various states of nudity. There's also an L.A. plastic surgeon (male and dressed) appearing on a golf course next to a giant female breast. And actor Jason Schwartzman, dressed in a suit and tie, posed next to a nude model — with her head cropped out of the photo.

Vanity Fair spokeswoman Beth Kseniak said it's too early to say how the magazine is selling, but that it has scored about 3,000 new subscriptions and almost 5 million web site page views.

Some of that buzz has been negative. "The whole cover just seems faux-racy to me," says Siobhan Burns, a New Yorker in her mid-30's who reads the magazine in her office. "And why, in 2006, do women still have to take their clothes off and look pouty, rather than being heralded for their accomplishments?"

Writing in Salon.com, Rebecca Traister called the cover an "over-the-top orgy of self-love, misogyny and idiocy" by Ford. Of McAdams, who also starred in "Red Eye" and "The Family Stone" in 2005, she wrote: "There you have it, ladies, straight from Vanity Fair. We don't care if you star in three successful movies in one year; if you won't get naked for a 'threesome,' you can forget your spot in our pages!"

Vanity Fair says McAdams, 29, was well aware beforehand that the cover concept called for nudity. "At the last moment, she didn't feel comfortable with the idea," Kseniak says.

McAdams' manager did not respond to a request for comment. As for Johansson, 21, who's drawn attention for her recent performance in Woody Allen's "Match Point" as well as having her breasts groped by Isaac Mizrahi on the Golden Globes red carpet, her publicist, Marcel Pariseau, said she was happy with the magazine.

No one has suggested that Johansson or Knightley, 20, the winsome, Oscar-nominated British star of "Pride & Prejudice," were forced into anything. Yet, Min says, it was a "huge honor" for a young actress to appear on VF's cover — especially the Hollywood issue: "A lot of people would think it's better to be naked and on the cover than NOT on the cover."

So buzz-worthy was the VF cover, Min says, that her magazine went out and asked people what they thought of it.

The answer? Most thought the actresses looked better with clothes on.

Emmy Overhauls Voting. Again.

Tired of seeing the same batch of housewives, presidential cabinet members and flamboyant buds and their platonic gal pals walking away with Emmys year in and year out?

So was the Academy.

The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences announced plans for an overhaul of their nomination voting process Tuesday, designed to end the reign of terror of perennial nominees and give overlooked rookies a shot at Emmy gold.

The changes will affect the nomination process of six major categories: Best Actor, Actress and Series in both comedy and drama genres.

The nominees in each category will now be whittled down by both popular vote and a judging panel, rather than the old method which determined finalists through a simple Academy member vote. The result was a Nielsen rating-dominated crop of nominations chosen more for their popularity than by virtue of performances, and routinely ignored much-heralded yet low-rated shows.

Here's looking at you, Lauren Graham.

The new system will still hold an Academy vote, but asks members to list 15 possible nominees for acting and 10 for series, rather than the standard five. The finalists from that vote will then be asked to submit a sample TV episode to a top notch judging panel, which convenes in North Hollywood on June 24-25, and which will--get this--actually watch the nominated shows and performances before naming the five nominees.

The more democratic--and critic-pleasing--process is not a new one.

"We currently use the same process to determine the nominees for performers in a music variety show and guest actors in a series," Academy director John Leverence said. "Now we're extending it to the lead acting categories and best series. At this point we are not yet introducing it in the supporting actor races."

The new rules will also allow for 700 more voting members. The Academy is inviting a slew of directors and casting executives to cast their votes in the acting categories, which were previously decided on by 1,400 actors alone.

"This new voting initiative hits the issue of a narrow nomination's process head-on," Academy Chief Executive Dick Askin said. "It significantly increases the potential for the widest and most diverse selection of nominees as possible."

But only time will tell if the extra vetting process makes any real dents in the nominees or if, come this summer, it'll be more of the same old, same old.

It's the second time in as many years that Emmy officials have attempted to overhaul the staid program with some major changes, increasing the pool from which nominees were chosen in 2004 to allow new blood into the often predictable winners circle.

Needless to say, the enacted changes weren't exactly successful.

Bringing new nominees into the stale mix may also help boost Emmy's perpetually low-rated ceremonies. Critics have argued that the lack of suspense in honorees has driven away viewers, particularly younger ones who feel disenfranchised that their favorite shows are routinely shunned from the awards.

Here's looking at you, too, Kristen Bell.

Emmy nominees will be announced July 6, with the new and improved kudosfest airing Aug. 27.

Forget Lies--G N' R Leaks!

For Guns N' Roses fans still wondering when frontman Axl Rose will ever release the legendary rockers' forever-in-the-works Chinese Democracy album, your patience is finally paying off.

Three studio-quality tracks found their way onto the Internet this week, perhaps not so coincidentally just days after a reclusive Rose, 44, made a rare appearance Friday at a tour kick-off party hosted by Korn in Los Angeles and told RollingStone.com that "people will hear music this year."

The leaked tunes have generated big buzz since various Websites began posting them and prompted some radio stations, such as Boston's WAAF, to put them into heavy rotation until cease-and-desist orders arrived from Rose's lawyers.

Early response has so far generally been positive with fans describing the song "There Was a Time" (aka T.W.A.T.) as recalling such Use Your Illusion-era power ballads as "Estranged" while the other two, "I.R.S." and "Better," stick to the hard rock we're used to hearing from the Gunners with some modern emo and techno-infused touches such as loop tracks laid over Buckethead's intricate guitar work and Axl's trademark squeals.

On his morning show on Sirius Satellite Radio, even shock jock Howard Stern got in on the act, critiquing the opening to "I.R.S." after jokingly asking how Rose went "from so cool to being a douche."

"It seems like they are trying to put his voice all the way in the back in the mix," Stern said, noting that while the MP3 was pretty good the mix needed work.

Rose's manager, Merck Mercuriadis, could not be reached for comment but initial reports indicating he had ordered the websites to take down the tracks appear to be true as many of the links have since been removed.

However, the unexpected leaks are fueling speculation that after nine years spent working on Chinese Democracy, the flame-haired singer is finally close to putting the wraps on the magnum opus and has an appetite for touring again with his revamped Guns N' Roses lineup (original members Slash and Duff McKagan are suing Rose, claiming he cheated them out of royalties from the iconic group's song catalog)

2002's ill-fated Chinese Democracy trek, which was touted as the Gunners' comeback tour, was scrapped largely due to Rose's shenanigans, including his penchant for swaggering onstage hours late, the occasional riot, and sluggish ticket sales mainly due to the fact that they had no album to promote.

As if on cue, news broke Monday that G N' R has booked several performances across Europe in May and June, including a gig at Dublin's Arena on June 9 with fellow rockers Motley Crue as the opening act, plus appearances at the U.K.'s Download Festival, Austria's NovaRock Festival, with headliners Metallica and the Rock in Rio festival in Lisbon, Portugal.

While Rose has remained mum on the leaks, Lisa Reed, the wife of longtime Gunner keyboardist Dizzy Read, posted a message on her hubby's website saying "all signs point to [the release of Chinese Democracy] getting closer and closer" and pleaded with fans not to leak any more tracks.

"It's like shaking all your Christmas presents on the 23rd of December and figuring out what they are," she wrote. "No surprise and you ruined the fun for the giver. I just as much as anyone want this record to com out, but BE PATIENT!"

Guns N' Roses' last official studio set was 1993's underwhelming collection of covers, The Spaghetti Incident.

Nelly Furtado Brings the Punk-Hop

After a year and a half spent writing new songs, traveling the world to collaborate with Pharrell Williams, Coldplay's Chris Martin and producer Nellee Hooper (No Doubt, Madonna), Nelly Furtado is finally ready to release her third album, Loose, on May 23rd.

"It was a very indulgent experience," says the eclectic Canadian pop singer. "It was actually the most idyllic sort of album-making ever. It's sort of every artist's dream, where you're flown around the world, just kind of having a good time and making music."

In August, when it came time to lay down the tracks, Furtado turned to hip-hop talent Timbaland, who featured her on Missy Elliott's "Get UR Freak On" remix in 2001. When Interscope President Jimmy Iovine played Furtado some of the producer's latest tracks, her reaction was "Wow! It sound[ed] like he's listening to all the same stuff as me -- everything from System of a Down to Bloc Party and Death From Above 1979, and a lot of Coldplay, too." Within no time, says Furtado, "I was in Miami and having the time of my life."

Working in the evenings, the pair laid down ten of Loose's thirteen tracks, forging a new genre from their shared influences. "We call it 'punk-hop,'" she says of most of the album's sound. "We were thinking, 'Let's do modern Eurythmics -- You're Dave and I'm Annie. Let's make this modern, poppy, spooky music.' And we achieved that on some of the tracks."

The track "Maneaters," Furtado says, is "a 'couture pop' song, where it's in your face and very fashionable, stylistic and of-the-moment," while "No Hay Igual" takes its cues from reggaeton. "I didn't know what reggaeton was until I went to Miami and Pharrell's like, 'You're crazy!'" she confesses. "He played me a reggaeton song, and then I was like, 'Holy shit, it's great!'" She was inspired to write "No Hay Igual," in Spanish, nearly on the spot.

The album closer "All Good Things," which features Chris Martin, was actually a last-minute addition, after Furtado bumped into her old friend during August's MTV Movie Awards. "I was telling him what I was up to, and he's like, 'I love Timbaland. Can I come by?'" she recalls. "But [Tim's] like a big dude, and Chris was scared to sit down at the keyboard. I'm like, 'Chris, sit down. Let's make some music.' I'm always the instigator."

It was, in part, these spontaneous creative decisions that led Furtado to name the album Loose. "I left in all the sour notes; I left in all the giggling," she says. "It's good times."

Gilmour Fine Without Floyd On New Album, Tour

David Gilmour has remained quiet since Pink Floyd's unexpected reunion last July for the Live 8 concert at Hyde Park, but hardly inactive. The man described as "the guitar and the voice of Pink Floyd" was busy putting the finishing touches to only his third solo album in a career that spans close to 40 years.

As previously reported, "On an Island" is due March 6 through EMI in Europe and a day later via Columbia Records in the United States. A 25-date sold-out tour starts in March in Europe and crosses over to America in April before returning to the U.K. at the end of May for a series of concerts at the Royal Albert Hall.

"I do really think it is about as good a piece of work as I have ever done," Gilmour tells Billboard, adding, "It felt to me that this album should be me and not Pink Floyd this time. It's just a slightly different way of working. I worked from home on my own [without] having to be involved in the rather large machinery that is the Pink Floyd thing."

And while Pink Floyd played stadiums on its final 1994 tour, Gilmour is constraining himself to theaters and mid-size venues this time. "I don't owe people anything," he says. "If people would like to come to my concerts I'd love them to come. And if they like the music that I make, I love that too. But I do not make music for other people. I make it to please myself."

Gilmour confirms Pink Floyd "were offered a lot of money to go on tour" after Live 8, with or without founding member Roger Waters, with whom Gilmour has incessantly feuded since the mid 1980s.

"I have no interest in going on a tour to make money without making new product, new art," he says. "So just going out and replaying our old hits again on a tour does not appeal to me at all."

So will there ever be a chance to see the band live again? "Who knows?," Gilmour offers. "I have no plans at all to do that. My plans are to do my concerts and put my record out."

APPETITE FOR G N' R

Three studio-quality tracks from Guns N' Roses' long-delayed Chinese Democracy album leaked to the Internet. The news comes a few weeks after singer Axl Rose turned up at a Korn tour party in Los Angeles and told Rollingstone.com that "people will hear music this year."

Lohan Doesn't Want to Be Called Teen Queen

NEW YORK - Lindsay Lohan doesn't want to be called a Teen Queen. In an interview in the March issue of Allure magazine, now on newsstands, the 19-year-old says she wants to