The Couch Potato Report - March 25th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on an author, a
little chicken, Usher, and a prizewinner, from Defiance, Ohio.
Let me get right to the point: Philip Seymour Hoffman's work in CAPOTE is a must see!
In real life Truman Capote was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories and novels have become classics in the literary world.
Capote is best known for his 1966 book "In Cold Blood" and the 1958 novella "Breakfast at Tiffany's."
Philip Seymour Hoffman is an American actor who has appeared in SCENT OF A WOMAN, THE BIG LEBOWSKI, BOOGIE NIGHTS, ALONG CAME POLLY, TWISTER
and ALMOST FAMOUS.
Hoffman has been good in all of those films, but in CAPOTE his work is brilliant!
The film CAPOTE is about the author's work researching the details of the horrific and senseless murder of a family of four in Kansas for what would become the book "In Cold Blood."
During that time Capote develops a close relationship with one of the killers.
CAPOTE is not a loving biography of the man, instead it is an honest look at what Capote was willing to do to finish his book.
And if I haven't mentioned it yet, Philip Seymour Hoffman is superb in the film.
He not only master's Capote's unique voice and mannerisms, but he also lets us see the man who is both unsure that what he is doing is right, and completely sure his work will change the literary world forever.
CAPOTE is a great film with an incredible performance at its core.
Hoffman's Oscar win as Best Actor was completely justified, and if you spend time with CAPOTE, your time will be justified as well.
On the other hand, if you spend time with the animated film CHICKEN LITTLE, your time will be wasted. Your kids time might not be, but yours will!
In CHICKEN LITTLE, after ruining his reputation with the town by warning "The sky is falling, the sky is falling!" a courageous little chicken must come to the rescue of his fellow citizens when aliens start an invasion.
The story is basically the classic, age-old tale, but the film about it is no classic.
But, if you have a young child, they might find some of the film entertaining.
As for me, I love animated films, and CHICKEN LITTLE just isn't any fun.
Well, okay, one scene featuring the voice of the late, great Don Knotts as Mayor Turkey Lurkey is fun, but as a whole, CHICKEN LITTLE isn't worth your time.
And neither is IN THE MIX, the film featuring singer Usher. I wouldn't say that IN THE MIX is the worst film of last year, but it definitely deserves a place near the bottom of any such list.
The Grammy Award winning Usher plays a nightclub disc jockey who wants to start his own record label.
He is asked to play at a party for the welcome home party of a Mafia princess.
And as things go in movies like this, he saves the life of a very important mobster.
He then becomes the bodyguard for the young lady, they fall in love, and you never hear of his dream for a record label again!
Sure, Usher has on screen presence, and the princess is played by the beautiful Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui, but unless you love Usher, or Chriqui, IN THE MIX is a useless movie.
It makes THE BODYGUARD with Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner look like CITIZEN KANE by comparison.
Anyway, enough about IN THE MIX, let me move on to THE PRIZE WINNER OF
DEFIANCE, OHIO.
Julianne Moore from THE HOURS and FAR FROM HEAVEN stars in this based on
a true story film as a woman who enters as many commercial jingle-writing contests as she can to support her ten children and husband.
Moore is an optimistic homemaker with a husband who drinks the family's extra money away and swears at the radio all night.
Now, I like Julianne Moore, I like her work, and I thought that this true to life story would be inspirational and wonderful
Instead it is a bad movie that wastes a wonderful performance from Moore.
That said, I have never seen such a beautiful ending in a movie I didn't care for.
THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO might not be a great film, but it has inspired me to read the book the film is based on just to see if I can find the inspirational and wonderful story within that we don't get in the movie.
IN case you'd like to save yourself some time, and do the same, the name of the book is "The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less" and the author's name is Terry Ryan.
As for the film they made from the book, THE PRIZE WINNER OF DEFIANCE, OHIO is available now at a store near you, along with IN THE MIX, CHICKEN LITTLE and the spectacular CAPOTE, starring Oscar winner Philip Seymour Hoffman.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Peter Jackson used his clout and success from THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY to remake KING KONG; THE SQUID AND THE WHALE was another one of 2005's best films; and in DREAMER a trainer and his daughter nurse an injured horse back to health
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!
Spade Warns 'Joe Dirt 2' May Be Coming
David Spade's 2001 redneck comedy may get sequel treatment, but only if audiences are lucky
It's news that somebody's bound to have been waiting for: David Spade may be preparing a sequel to his 2001 opus "Joe Dirt."
That pseudo-comic eventuality may come to pass sooner than you might think, Spade revealed over the weekend talking up his latest venture, "The Benchwarmers," with reporters. The revelation came amidst discussion of the upcoming return of "The Showbiz Show with David Spade," the "SNL" vet's Comedy Central show.
"I'm just doing the show for a while, might do another 'Joe Dirt' movie in the summer," Spade says. "That's about it. The show is really starting and that's what I have to do, like my day-to-day job."
But wait. Does that mean that a "Joe Dirt" sequel is just something that Spade and the Happy Madison production team could just throw together at the last second? Probably. But the script has been in the works for some time, at the urging of Happy Madison's patron saint.
"We wrote it, because Sandler thinks it's funny," Spade explains.
Spade adds, "I like the new 'Joe Dirt.' We read it. It's funny and Adam likes it. If it falls into place it will and it'll be fun to do... 'Electric Dirtaloo.'"
If "Electric Dirtaloo" actually makes it into production this summer, it will be an impressive comeback for a vehicle that attracted minimal critical (91 percent rotten on RottenTomatoes) or audience ($27 million) support when it was released.
Like so many true classics, "Joe Dirt" has only found its niche in secondary markets.
"I go on the road and I hear more about that than anything," Spade explains. "That's how you get feedback... Not everybody's asking about 'Lost and Found.'"
The secret to the success of "Joe Dirt," it seems, is Wal-Mart. Spade says that a Sony DVD rep told him that "Dirt" has been one of the studio's most prolific sellers at the ubiquitous retailer.
"I asked the DVD guy, 'What does that mean?' He goes, 'Well, it came out and sold a lot the first month and then it never dropped. It just sold the same for the year.' So that makes everyone think..." Spade says. "But maybe they just don't believe it the first time, so you got to get them in theaters. That's the tough part, because they seem to do well on video, which is a big market, but you want them to do well in the theater, because that's all people know."
"The Benchwarmers," which co-stars Jon Heder ("Napoleon Dynamite") and Rob Schneider, opens on Friday, April 7.
New CD Releases For Tuesday, March 21st, 2006
57 State Bang Streets (Captiva)
Rabih Abou-Khalil Journey to the Centre of an Egg (Justin Time)
Aereogramme Seclusion (enhanced CD; includes short film scored by the band) (Sonic Unyon)
Mina Agossi Well You Needn't (Candid)
Rahim Alhaj Friendship (Fast Horse)
Ambulette The Lottery EP (Astralwerks)
Amorphis Eclipse (Nuclear Blast)
Anti-Flag For Blood and Empire (RCA)
Apathy Eastern Philosophy (Babygrande)
The Appleseed Cast Peregrine (The Militia Group)
Richard Ashcroft Keys to the World (Virgin)
Avant Director (Geffen)
Band of Horses Everything All the Time (Sub Pop)
The Bangkok Five Who's Gonna Take Us Alive (Execution Style/Universal)
Dave Barnes Chasing Mississippi (Ripley)
Jeff Bates Leave the Light on (RCA Nashville)
BG Heart of tha Streetz Vol. 2 (w/Mannie Fresh, Paul Wall, Young Buck and more) (Kela/Koch)
Big Silver The Afterlife (Max)
Gus Black Autumn Days (w/members of Nickel Creek and Brian Jonestown Massacre) (Cheap Lullaby)
BlueGround UnderGrass Faces (guests Col. Bruce Hampton and Jimmy Herring) (Landslide)
Bola Abimbola Ara Kenge (Fast Horse)
Claude Bolling Plays Brassens, Bechet, Vian, Becaud (Fremeaux & Associates)
Chris Botti Live with Orchestra and Special Guests (CD/DVD combo) (Columbia)
Cory Branan Um... (Madjack)
Brian Bromberg Wood II (Artistry)
Brown Boy Represent the Brown (enhanced CD) (Thump)
Cadence Songs of Vice and Virture (Paperweight)
Shawn Camp Fireball (Skeeterbit)
Cannibal Corpse Kill (Metal Blade)
Dee Carstensen Patch of Blue (Exit Nine/NYC)
Casiotone for the Painfully Alone Etiquette (Tomlab)
Chicago XXX (produced by Rascal Flatts bassist Jay DeMarcus) (Rhino/Warner Bros.)
The Concretes In Colour (Astralwerks)
Barbara Cook and Special Guests (two CDs) (DRG/Koch)
D-Block Mix Tape (CD/DVD combo) (Kela/Koch)
Da Backwudz Wood Work Album (Universal)
The Josh Davis Band The White Whale (Authentic)
Joey DeFrancesco Organic Vibes (Concord)
Sugar Pie DeSanto Refined Sugar (Jasman)
Arthur Dodge and the Horsefeathers Room #4 (Remedy)
The Ecclesia Birdsong Over the Interior Castle (Arena Rock)
The Essex Green Cannibal Sea (Merge)
Faktion Faktion (Roadrunner)
From First to Last Heroine (Epitaph)
Greta Gaines Can't Kill the Flavor EP (Big Air)
Jimmy Gaudreau In Good Company (guest Bela Fleck) (CMH)
Teddy Geiger Underage Thinking (DualDisc same day) (Columbia)
Howe Gelb 'SNo Angel Like You (Thrill Jockey)
Victor Goines Quartet New Adventures (Criss Cross)
Gram Rabbit Cultivate (Stink)
Guajiro Guajiro EP (Achala/Long Beach)
Ben Harper Both Sides of the Gun (two CDs) (Virgin)
Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders (Foo Fighters drummer) Taylor Hawkins and the Coattail Riders (w/ex-Jane's Addiction bassist Chris Chaney) (Thrive)
David Hazeltine Trio Perambulation (Criss Cross)
Hurt Vol. 1 (Capitol)
Sherman Irby Black Warrior (Black Warrior)
Nya Jade My Denial (Katako)
Denise James Promises (Rainbow Quartz)
Jim Jones Presents Purple City The Purple Album (Kela/Koch)
Karsh Kale Broken English (Six Degrees)
Robbie Lee Sleep, Memory (I and Ear)
Frank Lenz Vilelenz and Thieves (A Hidden Agenda)
Sondre Lerche Duper Sessions (Astralwerks)
Liars Drum's Not Dead (Mute)
Lifetime Somewhere in the Swamps of Jersey (Jade Tree)
Ligeia Your Ghost Is a Gift (Ferret)
LL Cool J Todd Smith (limited-edition CD/DVD combo available same day) (Def Jam)
Loose Fur (Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Jim O'Rourke) Born Again in the U.S.A. (Drag City)
Love Equals Death Nightmerica (Fat Wreck Chords)
M1 (of dead prez) Confidential (DualDisc; guests Q-Tip, Styles P, Cassandra Wilson and more) (Kela/Koch)
Machinemade God The Infinity Complex (Metal Blade)
Ashley MacIsaac Pride (Kela/Koch)
Bill Madden Gone (madmuse)
Michy Mano The Other Side of the Pillow (Enja)
Mates of State Bring It Back (Barsuk)
Virginia Mayhew Sandan Shuffle (Renma)
MC Lars The Graduate (w/members of Bowling for Soup and Non-Phixion) (Horris/Nettwerk)
Donny McCaslin Quartet/Quintet Give 'N' Go (Criss Cross)
Sophie Milman Sophie Milman (Kela/Koch)
Gerry Mitchell and Little Sparta Scalpel Slice (Fire)
Mobb Deep Blood Money (Interscope)
Ms. John Soda (members of the Notwist) Notes and the Like (Morr Music)
Murs Murray's Revenge (w/9th Wonder) (Record Collection)
The New Amsterdams Story Like a Scar (Vagrant)
Nobody and Mystic Chords of Memory Tree Colored See (Mush)
Norma Jean O God the Aftermath - Deluxe Edition (CD/DVD combo) (Solid State)
Tom Novy DJ Sessions (two CDs) (Kosmo)
Okai Dekonstruktion of the Mind (Nomadic Wax)
Steve Oliver Radiant (Koch)
Opus Däi Tïerra Trágame (Double Blind)
Mario Pavone Deez to Blues (Playscape)
Wayne Perkins Ramblin' Heart (Bandwidth)
Gilles Peterson and Jazzanova Kings of Jazz (two mix CDs) (Rapster/BBE)
Placebo Meds (mixed by Flood; guest VV of the Kills) (Astralwerks)
Danny Pound Surfer Days (Remedy)
Prince 3121 (Universal)
Quasi When the Going Gets Dark (Touch and Go)
Megan Reilly Let Your Ghost Go (w/members of the Mekons, Pere Ubu and more) (Carrot Top)
Returnables Returnables EP (Dirtnap)
Kenny Rogers Water and Bridges (Capitol Nashville)
Henry Rollins Big Ugly Mouth/Short Walk on a Long Pier (two CDs) (Touch and Go)
Jim Rotondi Quartet Iron Man (Criss Cross)
Josh Rouse Subtitulo (Nettwerk)
Röyksopp Röyksopp's Night Out EP (live 2005 show from Oslo, Norway; includes cover of Queens of the Stone Age's "Go with the Flow") (Astralwerks)
Tom Russell Love & Fear (HighTone)
The Sainte Catherines Dancing for Decadence (Fat Wreck Chords)
Kokanko Sata Kokanko Sata (Honest Jons/Astralwerks)
The Seconds (w/the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' Brian Chase) Kratitude (Kill Rock Stars)
Harry Shearer Dropping Anchors (satirical album about news anchors) (Courgette)
Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra Port Chicago (Noir)
Shoplifting Body Stories (Kill Rock Stars)
David Sills Down the Line (Origin)
The Sounds Dying to Say This to You (co-produced by Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger and Smashing Pumpkins/Perfect Circle's James Iha) (Scratchie/New Line)
Southern Culture on the Skids Live and Doublewide (also available as enhanced CD w/limited-edition deluxe packaging) (Yep Roc)
Sparks Hello Young Lovers (guest members of Redd Kross and Faith No More) (In the Red)
Storsveit Nix Noltes Orkideur Hawai (w/members of múm) (Bubblecore)
Swayzak Route de la Slack (rarities and remixes) (!K7)
The Sweet Sweet Life (Friday Music)
Swollen Members Black Magic (Nettwerk)
Take 6 Feels Good (33rd Street/Bayside)
Talkdemonic Beat Romantic (Arena Rock)
Tamar Beautiful, Loved & Blessed (Universal)
Tenebrous Tenebrous (Fire)
Texas Harmonica Rumble Texas Harmonica Rumble (DualTone)
Teye & Belen FlamenoObsessionArte (Corazong)
Robin Thicke The Evolution of (guest Pharrell) (Interscope)
Lobi Traore The Lobi Traore Group (Honest Jons/Astralwerks)
TriPod TriPod (Moonjune)
Aki Tsuyoko Hokane (includes book of artwork) (Thrill Jockey)
Jesse Van Ruller Quartet Views (Criss Cross)
Vienna Boys Choir 500th Anniversary (Koch)
Dale Watson Whiskey or God (Palo Duro)
Andrew Lloyd Webber The Likes of Us (two CDs) (Decca)
Randy Weston Zep Tepi - The African Rhythms Trio (Random Chance)
Pamela Williams Elixir (Shanachie)
Young People All at Once (Too Pure)
Zero Crossing My Kinda Funk (guest Kool Keith) (Perfect Toy)
VA Breakfast Club: Milan (Water Music)
VA Idol Tryouts 2: The Ghostly International Company Vol. Two (two CDs; exclusive tracks from Matthew Dear, Dabrye, Mobius Band and more) (Ghostly International)
VA Miami Music Week (Immergent)
VA NOW Latino (BMG Heritage)
VA See You on the Moon! (kids' album w/Broken Social Scene, Sufjan Stevens, Low's Alan Sparhawk and more) (Paper Bag)
VA Songs for Sixty-Five Roses (??)
VA Soul Lounge (Shanachie)
OCR Songs from an Unmade Bed (Ghostlight)
OST Brick (score by Nathan Johnson; songs by the Velvet Underground and more) (Lakeshore)
OST Crypt of the Living Dead (score by Phillip Lambro) (Perseverance)
OST Inside Man (score by Terence Blanchard) (Varése Sarabande)
OST Lost (score by Michael Giacchino) (Varése Sarabande)
OST The Hills Have Eyes (remake of '70s horror movie; original score and new songs) (Lakeshore)
DVD Classic Albums: Queen - A Night at the Opera (UMD same day) (Eagle Rock)
DVD The Black Crowes Freak 'N' Roll...Into the Fog (2005 five-night stand at San Francisco's Fillmore) (Eagle Rock)
DVD Willy DeVille Live in the Lowlands (Eagle Rock)
DVD Oliver Jones Serenade (w/Oscar Peterson) (Justin Time)
DVD Rodney Jones Live at Smoke (Mel Bay)
DVD Bryan Lee Live and Dangerous (Justin Time)
DVD Pamela Williams A Night with (Shanachie)
Same old Courtney - still sponging off Kurt
Courtney Love said she plans to sell part of her stake in Nirvana's catalog, according to NME.com. Love, in London last week for meetings about a new record deal, a TV documentary and a role in a stage production, said she's not sure exactly how she will proceed, explaining, "I have decided that I need some co-management and a strategic partner (to help me) as it's such a huge responsibility. This is the right thing to do for my family...whoever I do this deal with, I really have to like."
Love was quoted in this past weekend's (March 12) edition of the Sunday Mirror as saying she was possibly going to sell "25 percent of the catalog for quite a lot of money."
Love is the widow of Nirvana singer, guitarist and principal songwriter Kurt Cobain, who committed suicide in April of 1994. In recent years, Love has battled with the other surviving members of Nirvana over the use of the band's material in various box sets and reissues.
The former Hole frontperson has been in all sorts of legal and financial trouble herself in recent years, including various drug arrests and lawsuits. She recently sold a condo in New York City after failing to pay off her mortgage.
"South Park" Chef back after Scientology skirmish
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Soul singer Isaac Hayes may have quit his job as the voice of Chef on "South Park" after a disagreement over religion, but his character will live on when the satiric cable TV cartoon returns to Comedy Central this week, the network said on Monday.
Hayes and his "South Park" alter ego are at the center of an ongoing flap over an episode last November that poked fun at the Church of Scientology and its celebrity adherents, including actor Tom Cruise.
The tenth season of "South Park" will launch on Wednesday with a new episode titled "The Return of Chef!," marking the "triumphant homecoming" of lusty school cafeteria cook James "Chef" McElroy to the show, the network said in a statement.
Hayes, 63, himself a follower of Scientology, surprised producers a week ago by announcing he was leaving the series because he objected to its "inappropriate ridicule" of religion, though he made no reference to the show's spoof of Scientology last fall.
Two days later, Comedy Central abruptly pulled a scheduled repeat of that episode, titled "Trapped in the Closet." Sources close to the show said the rerun was canceled after Cruise threatened to boycott promotion of his upcoming film, "Mission: Impossible III," for sister studio Paramount Pictures.
Representatives for Cruise and the studio denied this. But "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone fed the furor by issuing a statement suggesting the Church of Scientology was behind the decision to scrap the rerun.
The network has also noted that various religions including Christianity, Judaism and Islam have been targets of the show's satire since its inception.
The network statement announcing Chef's return for the "South Park" season premiere this Wednesday was a clear sign that Parker and Stone planned to use the Hayes imbroglio as further grist for their comedy.
"Knowing these guys as I do, I can't imagine that they're not going to do just that," Comedy Central spokesman Tony Fox told Reuters. He added that the producers routinely "turn around" new episodes in just six days, leaving them ample time to incorporate last week's dust-up into their season debut.
Fox said he assumed someone besides Hayes would supply Chef's voice. Details of the new episode were vague.
But a network synopsis said the fictional town of South Park, Colorado, is "jolted out of a case of the doldrums when Chef suddenly reappears," leading to new antics by the group of foul-mouthed fourth graders who are the show's stars.
"While Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman are thrilled to have their old friend back, they notice that something about Chef seems different. When Chef's strange behavior starts getting him in trouble, the boys pull out all the stops to save him."
"Brokeback" DVD ride set for April 4
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Brokeback Mountain," which stunningly lost the best picture Academy Award this month to "Crash," is being rushed out on DVD in two weeks to capitalize on Oscar buzz, its distributor said Monday.
The gay-cowboy romance will be available on April 4, according to Universal Studios Home Entertainment.
The release is notable, not only because the film is still playing in theaters, but because there is usually a six-week window between the announcement and the street date. Observers say the narrowing gap reflects the growing clout of mass merchants over video specialists.
"You don't need six weeks to sell to Wal-Mart," said one insider.
"Brokeback" is the latest in a series of high-profile films with drastically shortened DVD solicitation periods. While the March 28 release date for "King Kong" had been speculated on by the media since early February, Universal didn't officially announce the Peter Jackson remake until the second week in March. Similarly, 20th Century Fox waited until mid-February to announce the February 28 release of "Walk the Line."
The "Brokeback Mountain" DVD boasts a documentary in which stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal discuss their preparations for the film, such as training for a rodeo and for wrangling. There's also a profile on Ang Lee, who won the best director Oscar for "Brokeback," as well as interviews with Oscar-winning scribes Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana as they discuss bringing Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx's short story to the screen.
Capitol Boxes Up More Beatles Albums
Capitol Records will on April 11 release the Beatles' "Capitol Albums Volume 2," the companion to a 2004 collection that featured the group's first four U.S. album releases. The new edition sports "The Early Beatles," "Beatles VI," the "Help!" soundtrack and the American pressing of "Rubber Soul," all of which were originally released in 1965.
As with the first boxed set, each track is presented in both stereo and mono mixes. Out of the 92 individual tracks, 82 are appearing here in versions previously unreleased on CD. Each album is housed in a sleeve replicating its original LP artwork.
"The Early Beatles" boasts the stereo debut of such favorites as "Twist and Shout," "Please Please Me" and "A Taste of Honey," as well as the first CD appearances of 1963 simulated stereo mixes of "Love Me Do" and "P.S. I Love You." This is the lone album represented in the box that did not reach No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, peaking at No. 43.
"Beatles VI" offers the CD stereo debut of five tracks and the mono debut of four others, plus the first release of Capitol's duophonic mix of "Yes It Is." The "Help!" soundtrack includes five instrumentals from the film, plus five of George Martin's original 1965 stereo mixes. "Rubber Soul" also offers the first CD appearance of Martin's 1965 stereo mixes.
The release of the new box is timed to coincide with the 41st anniversary of the Beatles' reign over the top five slots on the Billboard pop singles chart with "Can't Buy Me Love," "Twist and Shout," "She Loves You," "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Please Please Me."
Here is the track list for "Capitol Albums Volume 2":
"The Early Beatles":
"Love Me Do"
"Twist and Shout"
"Anna"
"Chains"
"Boys"
"Ask My Why"
"Please Please Me"
"P.S. I Love You"
"Baby It's You"
"A Taste of Honey"
"Do You Want To Know a Secret"
"Beatles VI":
"Kansas City"
"Eight Days a Week"
"You Like Me Too Much"
"Bad Boy"
"I Don't Want To Spoil the Party"
"Words of Love"
"What You're Doing"
"Yes It Is"
"Dizzy Miss Lizzie"
"Tell Me What You See"
"Every Little Thing"
"Help!":
"Help!"
"The Night Before"
"From Me to You Fantasy" (instrumental)
"You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"
"I Need You"
"In the Tyrol" (instrumental)
"Another Girl"
"Another Hard Day's Night" (instrumental)
"Ticket To Ride"
"The Bitter End / You Can't Do That" (instrumental)
"You're Gonna Lose That Girl"
"The Chase" (instrumental)
"Rubber Soul":
"I've Just Seen a Face"
"Norwegian Wood"
"You Won't See Me"
"Think for Yourself"
"The Word"
"Michelle"
"It's Only Love"
"Girl"
"I'm Looking Through You"
"In My Life"
"Wait"
"Run for Your Life"
Petty Finishing New Album, Plots Tour
Tom Petty is putting the finishing touches on a new solo album, "Highway Companion," expected to be released in June. Although Petty previously said the disc would be released by Rick Rubin's American Recordings label, confirmation of the deal is still pending at deadline.
"I'm reaching there to try and find a theme," Petty tells Billboard of the project, which he previously described as being about the passage of time. "It's just a really nice collection of songs. I think it does have an underlying theme of time and what it does to you."
In support of the album, Petty and the Heartbreakers will tour extensively in 2006, with dates concentrated in the June-July and September-October time frames. True to form, they will try something different.
"What we're trying to do is a bunch of shows with different artists that either we like or think would be an interesting show," Petty manager Tony Dimitriades tells Billboard. "One of the main things we're doing is a bunch of shows with Pearl Jam. We're also talking to John Mayer about doing some dates, as well as the Strokes."
"And maybe in the occasional show there will be a friend [to] come on the road with us for a few days," he continues.
As previously reported, director Peter Bogdonavich is also following Petty and company for a film due later this year. Why did the famously private Petty allow for such unfettered access? "I think it's a worthwhile project, and I think it's good that he's going to finally tell this story completely. Sometimes, giving up your privacy is a little like going to the dentist, and we have let him have access that no one's ever had."
'LOST' & FOUND
ABC'S hit serial "Lost" seems to be losing steam and viewers are blaming frequent repeats of the complicated castaway drama.
On the flip side, "24," an equally sophisticated thriller, continues to grow in its fifth year.
How come?
It's because "24's" network, Fox, shows the entire season straight through - no reruns ever.
"The results over the past two seasons have been gratifying," says Fox scheduling guru Preston Beckman. "But they've only been gratifying because '24' is phenomenal."
Since Fox began airing "24" - which stars Kiefer Sutherland as an anti-terrorist government agent - with no repeats the audience for the show has grown each year, a rare occurrence with any show that has been on TV for five seasons.
In 2003, the show averaged about 10 million viewers. By 2004, when it began to air straight through it drew roughly 12 million. And this year, it has joined the elite group of TV dramas in the to 10 -averaging more than 14 million viewers per show.
"It was a huge leap of faith," says Beckman. "We hoped the move would result in higher ratings and fortunately we were right. Usually by the fourth season these things are beginning to sag."
"Lost" meanwhile, was drawing a phenomenal 18 million viewers per show last year - its debut season.
But has since dropped to about 12 million this year - and repeats are drawing only about 10 million.
Both show are serials, meaning one show picks up where the last left off.
But watercooler chatter that seems so important to TV shows these days has all but died for "Lost."
"What they are doing makes no sense," wrote one frustrated "Lost" fan on alt.tv.lost, one of the many Internet group sites devoted to discussing "Lost." "They should have done what '24' does every season. No breaks in the episodes just show every episode in order. 'Lost' is not a stand alone series so why treat it like it is!"
The answer, say program execs at both networks, is about the bottom line.
"When you have an asset like 'Lost' you have to make the most of it," an ABC spokeswoman says. "It would be a luxury to schedule it straight through."
The rub is that the TV season is generally 36 weeks long, but in order to keep TV shows turning a profit at studios and networks, only 22 episodes are produced each year. And for ABC - which is slowly rebuilding its schedule with hit dramas like "Gray's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost" - it would be a turnoff for advertisers if they were told that any of these shows would not be returning until January.
ABC has also tried the programming strategy in the past with series like "NYPD Blue" and "Alias" - without much success."I certainly don't think it's helping them [with viewers]," says Horizon Media's TV analyst Brad Adgate. '
"Both '24' and 'Lost' have very loyal audiences who follow each show week to week. I definitely think there's some frustration when you get constant repeats and premeptions."
Sirius Satellite tops 4 million subscribers
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. on Monday said it recently surpassed 4 million subscribers to its nationwide pay radio service.
Sirius, No. 2 in the nascent market to rival XM Satellite Radio Inc., had previously said it ended 2005 with 3.3 million subscribers, an increase of 2.2 million, and expects to end 2006 with more than 6 million subscribers.
XM in February said it has more than 6 million subscribers and expects to reach 9 million by the end of the year.
Both services offer continuous sports, talk, and entertainment programming, including dozens of commercial-free music stations, all for about $13 a month.
Sirius' news follows its announcement on Friday that it reached a deal with music companies Warner Music Group Corp. and Vivendi Universal SA's Universal Music Group to allow their songs to be played on a new radio unit that can store songs for future playback.
Under the pact, Sirius will pay a fee for each unit of its new S50 radio device that it sells, according to officials from the three companies.
Shares of Sirius rose 31 cents, or 6.3 percent, $5.20 in early trade on Nasdaq. XM shares rose 42 cents, or 2 percent, to $21.16.