Broadcast icon, Pat Marsden dead at 69
TORONTO (CP) - Pat Marsden changed the face of sports broadcast journalism and had a good time doing it. Marsden died Thursday at age 69 of lung cancer.
A colourful character who enjoyed a laugh, a drink, a flutter at the casino, friends and family, Marsden is perhaps best known for his play-by-play coverage of the Canadian Football League telecasts in the 1970s and 1980s. He also worked as host of the 1972 Canada-Soviet Union hockey summit series telecasts.
Marsden was inducted into the Canadian Football Reporters Hall of Fame in 1989.
Leif Pettersen worked with Marsden for five years on CTV's football telecasts starting in 1982 and the two were also longtime friends.
"I have pictures of him all over my desk today," Pettersen said.
"He brought so much enthusiasm to the broadcasts. Pat had great knowledge of all sports. He was a great technician of sports, knew them all, knew the personalities."
Pettersen also recalled how Marsden loved a party.
"Oh gosh, I've got stories you cannot print," Pettersen said. "The thing that hurt us more than anything in our whole football careers doing television was the invention of mini-bars in the hotel. When they put those in, the party never stopped."
Marsden also spent eight years as morning host at the Toronto all-sports radio station The Fan 590, leaving in May 2004.
Marsden's wife T.A. told the station that her husband died around 6 a.m. ET on Thursday. He was diagnosed in January and spent time at Sunnybook Hospital.
"He had to get out of here because he couldn't get a rum and coke," T.A. said.
Marsden was an Ottawa native, who started a career in radio as sports director of CKOY.
He went on to become the longtime sports director of CTV's Toronto outlet, CFTO, returning to radio at CFRB after a stormy exchange with his boss.
"He was the host of the No. 1 sportscast in the country for a lot of years at CFTO," said Ron Reusch, sports director at sister station CFCF in Montreal. "One thing I think Pat did that very few did at that time was express his opinion on a regular basis. He was very outspoken. He would put his own stamp on the shows.
"There weren't many who did that in the country at that time. And I think Pat started something that a lot of us do now. He was more like a columnist than a sportscaster."
Marsden was diagnosed after visiting his doctor about a pain in his lower back. Lung cancer was found and had spread into his bones.
"It's over for me, I know that," he told the Ottawa Sun in February. "I expect I'll be gone sooner rather than later. I don't think I'll get more than six months. This is one you don't beat. There's no chance. Funny, eh? I've had every sickness known to man in my life except syphilis. I never thought I'd get this."
Marsden said he had been a smoker since the age of four.
"But I have no regrets," he told the Sun. "I'm 69 and I've had a good life with lots of laughs and lots of friends. Lots of great memories."
After retiring and moving to Florida, Marsden returned to The Fan in Toronto, commuting from the U.S. for the first few years. He and his family eventually moved back to Toronto.
The station opted not to renew his contract in 2004.
"It happens," he told the Sun. "If they don't want you, they don't want you. I'm finished with the business. It's like you don't matter anymore. That's fine. No use worrying about it. You take what comes along in life."
He is survived by his wife T.A., and his children Taylor, Connor, Mike, Patti-Lee and Ruth Mary.
The funeral was held Tuesday at St. Michael's Cathedral in Toronto.
Chili Peppers book 8 Cdn. dates
The Red Hot Chili Peppers have released details of their North American tour, and it includes eight dates across Canada.
MTV.com reports the 26-date arena trek, which kicks off on Aug. 11 in Portland, OR, will start the Canadian portion on Sept. 14 at Vancouver's GM Place, and will end on Oct. 1 at Quebec City's Pepsi Coliseum.
In between, they will visit Calgary (Sept. 16), Edmonton (Sept. 17), Saskatoon (Sept. 19), Winnipeg (Sept. 20), Toronto (Sept. 25) and Montreal (Sept. 28) (details below).
The tour, which features opening act The Mars Volta, finishes up in St. Paul, MN on Nov. 5. Additional dates may still be added.
The Chili Peppers are touring in support of their latest studio album "Stadium Arcadium," which hits Canadian stores on May 9.
Ticket onsale dates for the Canadian shows have not been announced as yet.
Red Hot Chili Peppers' North American tour dates, according to MTV.com:
8/11 - Portland, OR @ Rose Garden Arena
8/15 - Boise, ID @ Taco Bell Arena
8/16 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Delta Center
8/18 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
8/21 - Glendale, AZ @ Glendale Arena
8/22 - San Diego, CA @ iPay One Center at the Sports Arena
8/24 - Oakland, CA @ Oakland Arena
8/27 - Fresno, CA @ Selland Arena
9/14 - Vancouver, BC @ General Motors Place
9/16 - Calgary, AB @ Pengrowth Saddledome
9/17 - Edmonton, AB @ Rexall Place
9/19 - Saskatoon, SK @ Saskatchewan Credit Union Centre
9/20 - Winnipeg, MB @ MTS Centre
9/25 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
9/28 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
10/1 - Quebec City, QC @ Pepsi Coliseum
10/17 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Continental Airlines Arena
10/20 - Boston, MA @ TD Banknorth Garden
10/21 - Albany, NY @ Pepsi Arena
10/23 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center
10/26 - Atlanta, GA @ Gwinnett Center
10/30 - Columbus, OH @ Nationwide Arena
10/31 - Cleveland, OH @ Quicken Loans Arena
11/2 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Van Andel Arena
11/3 - Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
11/5 - St. Paul, MN @ Xcel Energy Center
Eddie Murphy Back for "Beverly Hills 4"?
Eddie Murphy might soon be back in action for a fourth chapter in the Beverly Hills Cop franchise.
Moviehole.net reports Murphy, who turned 45 Tuesday, wants to go back undercover in Beverly Hills for another sequel, now that he's seen a good script.
The Cop movies, released in 1984, '97 and '94 respectively, starred Murphy as rebellious New York Cop, Axel Foley, whose unorthodox methods helped stop crime in the wealthy Los Angeles neighborhood.
The expected new sequel is in anticipation of a comeback for the upcoming Dreamgirls star, which early reports say has the potential to become a hit.
Apple renews record label deals, sticks with 99 cents per song
SAN JOSE, Calif. — Songs at Apple Computer's iTunes Music Store will remain 99 cents per download after the company extended its distribution deals with major recording labels.
The recording industry and Apple had been at odds over Apple's insistence to keep its flat rate with some labels wanting variable pricing, including higher prices for new releases.
"Apple has all the cards, and when you have all the cards, you can play hardball," said Ted Schadler, analyst at market research firm Forrester Research.
Apple shares jumped 2.9% Tuesday, after the renewals were confirmed.
The distribution contracts were up for renewal for the first time since iTunes launched in April 2003. Apple said Tuesday it would continue to offer the 99-cent pricing from a library of over 3 million songs, but declined further comment.
ITunes helped propel the legitimate music download business, and Apple claims it has about an 80% share of the market, which last year climbed to 353 million song downloads in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Analysts say recording labels make about 70 cents per download but could pocket significantly more if the prices were raised by a few cents.
Representatives from two of the four major labels — Sony BMG Music Entertainment and EMI Group PLC — declined to comment on the iTunes contract renewals. The remaining two — Vivendi Universal's Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group — did not immediately return phone calls.
None of the negotiating parties would say how long the new deals will last, but Schadler suspected the record labels insisted on shorter-term contracts.
Apple's dominance of the download market means the Cupertino-based company does have the upper hand for now, but analysts predict its market share will pare down as rival services, including online music subscription services, gain traction.
Shares of Apple closed at $71.62, up $2.02, in Tuesday trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
Napster Launches Limited Free Service
Napster is offering free music again. However this time, it’s legal.
Napster, Inc. re-launched its Napster.com Web site today (May 1), allowing users to search and listen to any song in its 2 million-track library free for up to five plays. The service does not require users to download any software, only register with a valid e-mail address.
The new Napster relies on advertising to compensate record labels and artists, who will share in the ad revenue the site generates. Napster is selling banner ads on the Napster.com site, as well as including premium audio and video ads in the music player.
Once a song has been streamed five times, listeners are offered the chance to either buy the track for 99 cents, or subscribe to one of the company’s monthly usage plans.
The Napster.com service also provides links that users can embed into e-mail, instant messages, blogs or Web sites to let others stream songs free as well. Finally, the company added a public music archive called the "Narchive" -— a site where users can upload personal stories, photos and other data to what amounts to a community blog of sorts.
Napster.com is available on all operating systems and Web browsers in the U.S only, but the company says it has plans to extend the service overseas in the near future.
Sirius Loss Doubles on Stern Compensation
NEW YORK - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. reported Tuesday that its first quarter loss more than doubled, due largely to expenses of $225 million in stock-related compensation to its star shock jock Howard Stern.
Sirius reported a net loss of $458.5 million, or 33 cents a share, for the January-March period compared with a loss of $193.6 million, or 15 cents a share, a year ago.
By far the largest factor affecting the results was costs for stock-based compensation, which all companies had to begin recording this year under new accounting rules. Sirius reported stock compensation expenses of $284.6 million, of which about $225 million went to Stern and his affiliates, a company spokesman said.
The company said stock compensation costs accounted for 20 cents per share of the loss in the most recent quarter. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial had been expecting a wider loss of 36 cents per share.
Revenues nearly tripled in the quarter to $126.7 million compared with $43.2 million in the same period a year ago as the company continued to build up its subscriber base.
Sirius said it had 4.1 million subscribers at the end of the first quarter, having added about 761,000 customers in the most recent period.
Both Sirius and its larger rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. are spending heavily to sign up subscribers and programming talent to their services, which require special radio receivers and cost about $15 per month.
The Couch Potato Report - May 2nd, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on one film that is “nice”, one that is “awful”, and three TV show DVD Box Sets.
Of all the words used to describe movies, perhaps the most underused one is “nice.”
Films are usually described as good, great, superb, horrible, bad, awful, entertaining, highly recommended, a waste of time, or worthy of your time, but very few films are ever called “nice.”
So let me add one to the “nice” category. The film made out of Steve Martin’s wonderful novella “Shopgirl” is nice.
SHOPGIRL is a nice film!
Claire Danes from THE HOURS and BROKEDOWN PALACE plays Mirabelle, a disillusioned salesgirl and aspiring artist who sells gloves and accessories at a department store.
She has two men in her life: wealthy divorcee Ray Porter and struggling musician Jeremy.
Steve Martin plays Ray and Jason Schwartzman from RUSHMORE is Jeremy.
Mirabelle falls in love with Ray, while Jeremy falls in love with Mirabelle.
Eventually the shopgirl must decide which man will make her happier.
I loved Martin’s original novella and when I heard they were making a movie out of it, I was actually disappointed. The story and the characters existed so beautifully in my mind, and that is where I wanted them to stay.
But somehow, the film is just as engaging as the source material and Danes, Martin and Schwartzman all give wonderful performances. More importantly, they all seem like real people, and in a day and age when too many films with love triangles are full of unbelievable characters, that is refreshing.
What is also refreshing is that SHOPGIRL is a nice movie. Yes, SHOPGIRL is “nice.” It is also very good!
Oh the other hand is DIRTY LOVE.
Not only is DIRTY LOVE not good, but it is actually really, really bad. In fact, it was named The Worst Picture Of The Year at the most recent Golden Raspberry Awards.
The Golden Raspberry Awards were created in 1980 and are intended to complement the Academy Awards by dishonoring the worst acting, screenwriting, songwriting, directing, and films that the film industry had to offer.
DIRTY LOVE stars and was written by former Playboy Playmate Jenny McCarthy. She plays a photographer trying to get back at her two-timing boyfriend after he breaks up with her.
The film, which earned just $58,116 at the box office, also won Razzies for worst actress, worst director and worst screenplay.
Now, don’t be mistaken, I don’t recommend you see DIRTY LOVE as it is a horrible movie, but if you would like to see what people have named The Worst Film Of The Year, DIRTY LOVE is now available on DVD.
Three new DVD Box Sets for old TV shows are also now available on DVD.
DINOSAURS - THE COMPLETE FIRST AND SECOND SEASONS is the set for the 1991-1994 show about the life of a family of Dinosaurs who live in a modern world. They have TV's, fridges, and all the amenities that you and I enjoy. The only humans in the show are caveman, who are viewed as pets and wild animals.
The Dinosaurs in the show were animatronic and created by the late Jim Henson. As a huge fan of the man I watched the show, hoping that it would have the class and humour of THE MUPPET SHOW or the many other shows that Henson has been a part of.
Sadly, he made the costumes, but he didn’t write the scripts. That said, there are still a great many laughs to be had from DINOSAURS. I’m not sure it will gain any new fans with this DVD release, but as an old fan I know I am quite happy.
I was also very happy to sit down and watch all 39 original, uncut episodes from LEAVE IT TO BEAVER - THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON.
The quintessential 1950’s American family of Ward, June, Wally and Beaver Cleaver are back and SEASON TWO has stories about building a boat through beating a bully and dealing with girls.
Ahh, if real life was only as easy as it was on LEAVE IT TO BEAVER.
Or on THE COSBY SHOW for that matter!
THE COSBY SHOW - SEASON TWO features the 25 original second season episodes on four discs.
SEASON 2 includes the episode where the family honour’s Mr. Huxtable’s parents' wedding anniversary with a show-stopping lip-sync routine to Ray Charles's "Night Time Is the Right Time."
This set also has the episode where the family shows Theo what the real world is like when they show him what takes to live on his own.
Thursday nights in the 1980s weren’t complete without THE COSBY SHOW and now you can watch SEASON TWO anytime you’d like as it is available at a store near you.
So are LEAVE IT TO BEAVER - THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON, DINOSAURS - THE COMPLETE FIRST AND SECOND SEASONS, the awful DIRTY LOVE and the “nice” film SHOPGIRL.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
Steven Spielberg's Academy Award nominated MUNICH is about a secret squad that tracks down the 1972 Olympic terrorists.
NANNY MCPHEE features Emma Thompson as a magical nanny who takes control of 7 naughty children.
In RUMOUR HAS IT Jennifer Aniston is a woman who attends her sister's wedding and learns family secrets. Secrets like her family might have been the inspiration for THE GRADUATE.
And then there is the “classic” 1974 disaster film EARTHQUAKE, starring Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene, and an all-star cast.
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!
Jessica Alba to be in the 'middle of the action' as host of MTV Movie Awards
NEW YORK (AP) - Jessica Alba has a new starring role: host of the MTV Movie Awards.
"It's always a crazy, fun show, and I can't wait to be right in the middle of the action," the 25-year-old actress said Monday in a statement to The Associated Press. Alba is nominated for three golden popcorn trophies - sexiest performance for Sin City and best hero and best on-screen team with Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans and Ioan Gruffudd for Fantastic Four.
The 2006 MTV Movie Awards will be filmed June 3 at Sony Picture Studios in Culver City, Calif. The show will air June 8 (9 p.m. EDT).
Alba, who starred in the TV series Dark Angel, appears opposite Hayden Christensen in the upcoming film Awake, a psychological thriller.
Music fans not the enemy: artists' coalition
A coalition of top Canadian musicians and the group that oversees Canada's recording industry sent out opposing messages Monday about the development of new copyright laws.
Barenaked Ladies lead singer Steven Page led a union of Canada's top musicians at a Toronto news conference Monday, as they demanded a seat at the table when the federal government drafts new copyright legislation.
Last week, Page, members of indie group Broken Social Scene, veteran act Blue Rodeo and other top artists such as Sarah McLachlan, Avril Lavigne, Randy Bachman and Sum 41 were among those who united to form the Canadian Music Creators Coalition.
"For a very long time, we – as artists – have allowed industry groups to speak on our behalf. We want that time to stop," Page said Monday.
Take cues from fans, group says
The group opposes two major initiatives that global recording industry groups have used to battle music piracy: suing music fans and placing copy-protection on albums to make it difficult or impossible to transfer the music onto digital music players.
Taking cues from music fans and not fighting them is what should be done, said Canadian singer-songwriter Andrew Cash.
"The music business has spent so much creative energy and money fighting instead of taking a look at what fans are really doing and trying to find a way to swim with it," Cash told CBC News.
The artists' coalition is not opposed to copyright reform, the members said Monday.
However, they are advocating a cooperative approach that incorporates emerging technologies, rather than a combative plan of attack.
"We cannot afford to have an adversarial relationship with our fans. New technology affords fans new ways to listen to music. We as artists... must adapt to that," Page said.
"To say, 'See you in court,' and then, 'See you at Massey Hall,' isn't going to work."
CRIA seeks tougher laws against file-sharers
For the past few years, the Canadian Recording Industry Association, which represents the world's major international record labels, has been pressuring the Canadian Heritage Department to toughen the country's copyright laws.
The group, which says it oversees about 95 per cent of the recordings released in Canada, would like to see the government sign international treaties that, among other things, would change the law to make it illegal to share music files for free.
This would pave the way for lawsuits against Canadians who share high volumes of music files, similar to lawsuits launched in the U.S., Australia and Europe.
Graham Henderson, president of the CRIA, believes that such measures are necessary to protect the industry.
"For every legal song or video file downloaded and paid for, 14 files are swapped without any compensation of any kind," he claimed during a lunchtime speech to the Canadian Club in Toronto Monday.
"Canadians will continue to steal other people's property until we tell them it's wrong and find ways to stop them."
Henderson also argued that artists support this view, as he unveiled a public service announcement that criticizes free music file-sharing and features singer Alanis Morissette.
While some musicians agree to make their music available for free to "seed the marketplace," he said, "if in Canada the only thing we're thinking about is how to give it away, I think we're making a mistake."
He urged Canadians to "respect artists who want to be paid."