Muppet Show Season 2 DVD planned for release later this year
Just over six months ago, the first season of The Muppet Show was released in a 4-disc special edition DVD box set, and ever since fans have been craving more. Disney has stated that they plan on releasing "The Muppet Show: Season 2" on DVD and the next season is expected sometime this year.
The sales of the season one were outstanding, and Disney can't wait to release more subsequent sets. The first season gained great critical acclaim, won several DVD awards, and was on the top of DVD best-sellers list for months.
Word from many retailers was that that "The Muppet Show: Season 2" was originally slated for released in February 2006 (just six-months after the first season). However that February release was put on hold due to several production delays and hold-ups. The set's production is still underway, but the definitive release is still somewhat up in the air. The DVD was bumped and is currently lined up for a hopeful "summer 2006" release (however that may end up changing as well).
There were numerous delays with this particular title, however Disney has assured that these delays were not based upon the past sets performance, which Disney cited as "terrific", nor is it due to a lack of company support. The production of this set is simply taking longer than originally expected - due to the enormous amount of legal clearances needed, and the time needed on episode restoration and supplemental features. Disney knows the demand for this product is high, and wants to deliver a quality product that won't disappoint.
Disney is currently shooting for a summer release. Buena Vista Home Entertainment is not able to give a final list of any features of specifications – those aren’t finalized yet. Disney is anticipating the release of all five seasons of The Muppet Show (and there are rumors of a complete Muppets Tonight set to follow the fifth season's release).
"The Muppet Show Season 2" DVD set is simply requiring more than most of Buena Vista's TV shows on DVDs. It is coming, but rather than rush the release and cut corners, Disney wants to keep the quality of these highly-anticipated sets up to the fans' desires and expectations.
Must-Move "ER"?
Like a granny leaving her longtime home for a less taxing condo, ER may soon be vacate its longtime TV home for a less showy night of the week.
The aged medical drama could be moved from Thursday to Tuesday or Wednesday next fall to make way for the new Matthew Perry series, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the Hollywood Reporter said.
NBC will make the call when it unveils its 2006-07 lineup on Monday.
ER has aired on Thursdays at 10 p.m. since its September 1994 debut. In its and its network heyday, it was the star of Must-See TV, averaging as many as 30 million viewers a season.
This season, ER is averaging 12.1 million for the now struggling NBC, all in all, not bad for a show that's lost more stars (George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Julianna Margulies, etc.) than some shows ever had.
But these days, ER is so not appointment TV that not even a guest spot by the returning Noah Wyle rates much interest. The second half of a Wyle story line set in war-torn Darfur ranked a so-so 27th (11.8 million viewers) in the latest Nielsen Media Research rankings. By comparison, CBS' Without a Trace, the new king of 10 p.m. Thursday, ranked eighth (19.1 million) for the TV week ended Sunday.
ER, which has already been renewed for next season, turns 13 seasons old in the fall.
In other ratings-related news:
Monday night's final (we think) 7th Heaven went off without a hitch, except in the wedding department, with an estimated 7.2 million seeing off the WB family drama.
David Blaine's fishbowl act averaged an estimated 9.9 million for ABC on Monday night. And while David Blaine: Drowned Alive ran an unimpressive fourth in its 8-10 p.m. time slot, viewership climbed an impressive 93 percent from start to breath-holding finish, the network said. (The 7th Heaven and Blaine ratings will be reflected in next week's rankings.)
Apparent death(s) became ABC's Lost, which just missed the Top 10 (11th place, 15.6 million).
Crunch time on Fox's American Idol means Wednesday's results show (first place, 29.3 million) is the bigger draw than Tuesday's performance show (second place, 28.6 million).
Sunday night advantage back to ABC's Grey's Anatomy (fifth place, 22 million) over ABC's Desperate Housewives (sixth place, 21.3 million).
Once upon a time, ER was NBC's standard-bearer. Now, it's Howie Mandel and the Monday night edition of Deal or No Deal (16th place, 14.4 million).
CBS' Ghost Whisperer (30th place, 11.1 million), NBC's Crossing Jordan (31st place, 10.7 million) and ABC's Supernanny (35th place, 10.3 million) enjoyed respectable season finales; ABC's According to Jim (90th place, 4.5 million) did not.
The WB's One Tree Hill (113th place, 3.1 million) gave the CW something to think about before it finalizes its fall schedule--a third-season cliffhanger up 11 percent from its season-long average.
The 1980s are over. Dynasty is over. The CBS reunion special, Dynasty: Reunion: Catfights & Caviar (73rd place, 5.4 million), never got started.
Overall, CBS and Fox continued to dominate the May sweeps: CBS won the week in total viewers (12.3 million); Fox won the week in 18-to-49-year-old viewers.
CBS took second in the demo, while Fox took second in viewers (10.7 million).
Left to fight for leftovers, NBC finished third in viewers (8.9 million), and fourth in the demo; ABC placed third in the demo, and fourth in viewers (8.7 million).
Here's a look at the 10 most watched prime-time shows for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Media Research:
1. American Idol (Wednesday), Fox, 29.3 million viewers
2. American Idol (Tuesday), Fox, 28.6 million viewers
3. CSI, CBS, 26 million viewers
4. House (Tuesday), Fox, 22.7 million viewers
5. Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 22 million viewers
6. Desperate Housewives, ABC, 21.3 million viewers
7. CSI: Miami, CBS, 19.3 million viewers
8. Without a Trace, CBS, 19.1 million viewers
9. House (Wednesday), Fox, 17.2 million viewers
10. Survivor: Panama--Exile Island, CBS, 17 million viewers
Hasselhoff Ridden Off "Knight Rider" Movie?
The talking car's back, but the driver could be MIA.
After years spinning its tires in Development Hell, the movie version of NBC's hit 1980s series Knight Rider is finally ramping up, with the Weinstein Co. announcing Tuesday that it has snapped up the film rights.
However, it appears KITT will be speeding to the big screen sans David Hasselhoff. Hasselhoff, who shot to fame as the show's titular crime-fighting hero, Michael Knight, had been attached to the project for years, but a source close to the movie deal tells E! Online that the actor is currently not involved.
According to the insider, it's still too early to say whether Hasselhoff will appear at all. Still, his name was conspicuously absent from Tuesday's press release, which trumpeted the news that former Miramax chieftans Harvey and Bob Weinstein had struck a deal with the show creator Glen A. Larson, who will write and executive produce the feature.
"I am a huge fan of the original series and could not be happier that we've joined forces with Glen Larson to bring these iconic characters to the big screen," said Harvey Weinstein in a statement.
Larson chimed in: "Teaming up with Harvey and Bob, with their unparalleled success in motion picture, gives Knight Rider an exciting opportunity to be a breakout franchise."
As anyone versed in '80s pop culture can tell you, Knight Rider tells the tale of a young undercover cop named Michael Knight who's shot in the line duty and left for dead. He manages to be saved and, after getting a new face and new identity, becomes the lead agent for a dying billionaire's secret Foundation for Law and Government.
His prime ally is a yapping black Trans Am named KITT (originally voiced by St. Elsewhere star and former Screen Actors Guild President William Daniels) with enough high-tech gizmos (infrared and X-ray vision, microwave jamming, flame throwers, grappling hooks, chemical analyzers, ejection seats, super-turbo boost) to put James Bond to shame. Together, the two thwart baddies at every turn.
Hasselhoff's rep, Judy Katz, had no comment on the Knight Rider movie.
The actor has been making headlines with messy divorce from actress Pamela Bach. Last week, after scathing allegations on both sides, the couple were granted joint custody of their two teenage children.
But the personal problems haven't sidelined him from his day job. He will next appear in the comedy Click, opposite Adam Sandler and Kate Beckinsale , hitting theaters June 23.
Hasselhoff has long expressed an eagerness to pilot Knight Rider to blockbuster success. In 2001, he told E! Online that he was "excited" and "working hard" with Larson to get the flick off the ground. He said the plot would focus on his character training a younger generation of do-gooders. Eventually, Revolution Studios came aboard to jumpstart the franchise, but the movie was never made and, with Revolution folding, the rights reverted back to Larson.
The last time Hasselhoff played Michael Knight was in Knight Rider 2000, a made-for-TV movie that aired in 1991.
Britney Spears Pregnant With Baby No. 2
NEW YORK - The baby bump is for real. Britney Spears told David Letterman on Tuesday that she is pregnant with baby No. 2. "Don't worry Dave, it's not yours," the pop princess quipped on "The Late Show."
The revelation ended weeks of speculation in entertainment magazines, which have been regularly publishing pictures of Spears' apparently expanding waistline.
Spears, 24, and her husband, backup dancer-turned-rapper Kevin Federline, 28, were married in 2004 and have an 8-month-old son, Sean Preston.
Federline also has two children, Kori and Kaleb, with his former girlfriend, Shar Jackson.
Child welfare officials and a sheriff's deputy reportedly visited Spears' home in April after her son accidentally tumbled from a high chair.
In February, authorities visited the home after photographs showed the singer in a car with her son in her lap, rather than in a car seat as required by law. Spears later apologized, saying she held the boy in her lap because of a "horrifying, frightful encounter with the paparazzi."
Spears rose to fame at 16 with a naughty schoolgirl image and the multiplatinum album "... Baby One More Time."
Vintage TV Faces the Music
The DVD business is helping keep Hollywood solvent these days, as studios rush to empty their storage rooms and give the boxed-set treatment to even long-forgotten TV shows like "Space 1999" and "Bridget Loves Bernie."
But one mystery is why fans of some hit series of the past few decades -- well-known shows including "WKRP in Cincinnati," "The Wonder Years" and "Beverly Hills, 90210" -- can't find them on store shelves.
The reason: Hollywood doesn't want to pay the piper.
Each of these shows includes popular music in the soundtrack, and the shows' producers paid license fees to those who own the rights to the tunes. But back then, no one anticipated that DVD sales of old TV series would turn into a billion-dollar business. So the music rights don't allow the release of these shows on discs.
Now, Hollywood is finding that in some cases, relicensing the music for DVDs either costs too much or is too difficult to negotiate. That has left some series in DVD limbo. For others, it has prompted studios to replace background songs with generic-sounding substitutes. In a few cases, scenes are eliminated entirely. Most DVD boxes don't notify consumers of any of these alterations.
In deciding whether to release an old series on DVD, a studio must weigh whether enough discs will sell to justify the music-licensing fees, and sometimes the numbers don't add up, says Ben Feingold, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
'Multiple Millions'
That's why fans of "Ally McBeal" have yet to see a full season of the Calista Flockhart romantic comedy on DVD, says Peter Staddon, senior vice president of Fox Home Entertainment. Although Fox has released a three-disc "best of" DVD of the series, which includes about a half-dozen episodes, Mr. Staddon says to license the music for all 112 of the shows -- including those where Vonda Shepard performed covers of songs such as "Someday We'll Be Together" and "What Becomes of the Broken Hearted" -- would cost "multiple millions" of dollars.
And although Sony has "painstakingly cleared" the majority of music used in its library of TV shows for DVD release, it hasn't been able to reach a licensing deal for the Frank Sinatra song "Love and Marriage," which was heard in the opening credits of "Married... with Children," says Mr. Feingold. Sony sells DVD versions of four seasons of the popular sitcom about a dysfunctional family, replacing the Sinatra song with new theme music.
"While it was a signature song, it's the content of the show that counts," says Mr. Feingold. He says DVD buyers, at least in this case, haven't been all that upset by the switch. "I've received maybe one or two emails about it," he says.
That same tack was taken by Fox for the DVD version of "Roswell," about alien teenagers stuck on Earth. Songs by hit artists such as Hole, Beck and Counting Crows have been replaced with songs by virtual unknowns Eleventeen, Goldo, and Glen Phillips, respectively, among many others.
Yet the musical reworkings can be extensive, and some fans notice. When the sixth season of "Dawson's Creek" was recently released on DVD, 49 of 204 songs in the 22 episodes were replaced, according to the fan site dawsonscreekmusic.com. One of the songs was the Sophie Hawkins hit "As I Lay Me Down," which was heard during a crucial scene in a bar where Joey (Katie Holmes) hears it on a jukebox, says she hates it, and Dawson (James Van Der Beek), kicks the jukebox. The song was replaced by "We Belong" by Sylvia Tosun. The original song "was meaningful to the two main characters," says Paul Karpontinis of Montreal, who operates a "Dawson's Creek" fan site on Geocities.com. "The scene culminated in a moment that fans had been waiting for. Not only did the new music alter the mood of the scene, they changed a song that was referenced by a character in the show."
Paul Stupin, who for seven years was executive producer of "Dawson's Creek," says music substitution usually is driven by DVD economics but argues that it "breathes new life" into old episodes, "in some instances making them even better." He says he had his producing partner and music supervisor submit four possible songs for each substitution. They then watched as each song was laid against the scene to determine the best one. In some cases, however, when he couldn't clear a song's rights for DVD, and the song was integral to the scene, the scene itself was cut. For example, in one episode the DVD release is missing a scene where a character sings "Love Is All Around" by the 1960s group the Troggs. But the 15 seconds that were lost as a result, Mr. Stupin says, "were not essential."
Song-Swapping
Some people in the music-licensing business say they shouldn't be blamed for such song-swapping or scene-cutting. Music-rights holders would be willing to peg the cost of licensing a song to how many DVDs are sold, which would make it cheaper for a show's producers in many cases because sales volume tends to be limited, says Jeffrey Brabec, vice president of business affairs at Chrysalis Music Group, which controls the theme songs to "The Sopranos" and "Las Vegas" (both of which were licensed for DVD release). But, he says, studios prefer to pay a flat fee no matter if one DVD is sold or one million, to protect against getting socked with huge royalty payouts if a DVD becomes a huge seller.
Sometimes the artist behind a song simply will refuse to grant licensing rights altogether. Bob Emmer, chief operating officer of Shout! Factory, a DVD distributor, says that in preparing the DVD release of "Second City TV" he had to delete a scene from the 1970s comedy-sketch series that parodied musician Neil Young because he couldn't obtain rights from the artist. In the scene, an actor played a psychiatrist named "Dr. Neil Young" who gave answers to a patent's question only in lyrics from Mr. Young's songs. "He had a problem with it," says Mr. Emmer, declining to elaborate. A spokesman for Mr. Young had no comment.
The bewildering research, paperwork and legal haggling involved in clearing music for release sometimes prompts studios to leave the chore to independent DVD distributors, who get a fee or a cut of the revenue. DreamWorks, for example, didn't want to go through the hassle of clearing music rights for a short-lived 1999 series it produced for Fox, "Freaks and Geeks," which was set in the 1980s and includes music from period by Lynard Skynard, Van Halen and Styx, as well as the show's theme song, Joan Jett's "Bad Reputation." Mr. Emmer says it cost Shout! Factory about $1 million to obtain music rights to 118 songs for the DVDs, but it was worth it: So far, his company has sold about 112,000 units of the 18-episode DVD, with a list price of $70, and about 7,000 units of a collector's edition packaged like a high school yearbook, for $129.
"The music is so interwoven with the TV show that to put in other music would have caused a lot of problems," says Mr. Emmer.
The Couch Potato Report - May 9th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on a German city, a British Nanny, an American flop, and one classic disaster film that always satisfies.
When I hear that there is a new film coming to theatres that was directed by Steven Spielberg, well that is a film I want to see!
After all, this is the man who gave us JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, JURASSIC PARK, THE INDIANA JONES TRILOGY, SCHINDLER’S LIST, E.T. - THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, and many other superb and wonderful films.
Unfortunately, even great filmmakers have their off days, and even though his MUNICH was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Picture, the film represents an off day for Steven Spielberg.
A very, very off day. There are parts of the film that are actually absurd.
The film begins during the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, where eleven Israeli athletes were taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.
MUNICH is - as the movie says as it opens - “Inspired By Real Events” and it looks at the story of the Black September aftermath. Specifically about the five men chosen to eliminate the ones responsible for that fateful day.
MUNICH is not a documentary, as Spielberg himself states in a 4 minute opening segment recorded specifically for the DVD, thus once the real life events at the Olympics ends, the “inspired by real events part” takes over.
But this movie just isn’t inspired at all.
MUNICH wants to be a thriller, and I will admit that - at times - it does possess thrilling elements. But most of the time it is a very slow moving, by the numbers dramatic movie with hints of action.
Then, at other times, it is absurd. For instance, there are several times when one of the main characters is thinking about what happened to the eleven Israeli athletes. He was never anywhere near Munich, and we never see him discussing the specifics of the event with anyone who was there.
Yet somehow he is able to envision the events in their entirety. I know this is called “dramatic license” and the filmmakers put those flashbacks in there to help them tell their story, but these instances are absurd.
There is nothing memorable about MUNICH, and like A.I.: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, ALWAYS, WAR OF THE WORLDS, AMISTAD, and THE TERMINAL, it is a Steven Spielberg film you should just stay away from.
But, you can expect to see me back in line when Spielberg’s Abraham Lincoln Project and INDIANA JONES 4 open in theatres in 2007.
After all, when I hear that there is a new film coming to theatres that was directed by Steven Spielberg, well that is a film I want to see!
I also like to see all of Emma Thompson’s films.
From HOWARD’S END to SENSE & SENSIBILITY, THE TALL GUY and PETER’S FRIEND she is very reliable if you are looking for a good performance in a movie.
NANNY MCPHEE features Emma Thompson as a magical nanny who magically arrives to try and take care of seven children who behave so badly that all of their other nannies have run away.
I have to be honest, I didn't expect to like NANNY MCPHEE as much as I did.
It is a film aimed for kids, but I watched the whole thing and enjoyed it. I wouldn't say that adults should watch it without a child being present, it isn't that good, but if you have to see it with them it won't be a waste of your time.
I even enjoyed the predictable fairy-tale ending.
Nanny MCPHEE was fun!
On the other hand is RUMOUR HAS IT.
Jennifer Aniston from TV’s FRIENDS is a woman who attends her sister's wedding and learns family secrets. Secrets like the fact that her family was the inspiration for the book and film THE GRADUATE, and that she just might be the offspring of the well-documented event.
In addition to Jennifer Aniston, RUMOUR HAS IT also stars Kevin Costner from DANCES WITH WOLVES, Shirley MacLaine of TERMS OF ENDEARMENT and Mark Ruffalo from ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND. AND it was directed by Rob Reiner, the man who gave us STAND BY ME, THE PRINCESS BRIDE, THIS IS SPINAL TAP and A FEW GOOD MEN.
So with that pedigree, RUMOUR HAS IT should be pretty good, right?
Well it isn’t. It isn’t funny, it isn’t engaging, and it’s boring.
The only way that this film would ever be worth your time is if you are on a 5 or 8 hour flight and you just can’t sleep. Maybe then, and only then, would RUMOUR HAS IT be worth your time, simply because you would have nothing else to do, and no where else to go.
But, if you don’t have a flight planned for the near future, RUMOUR HAS It just isn’t worth your time.
Ignore it!
Finally this week is the DVD re-release of the "classic" 1974 disaster film EARTHQUAKE.
The remake of POSEIDON has prompted the studios to re-release some of the "great" disaster films of the 1970s, including 1972's original THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, 1974's THE TOWERING INFERNO, and the aforementioned EARTHQUAKE.
These are the type of films that I will always stop and watch when they are on TV late at night, especially EARTHQUAKE.
They might look a little fake by today’s standards, but they always entertain me as they are star-studded fun.
EARTHQUAKE stars Charlton Heston, Ava Gardner, George Kennedy, Lorne Greene, and is about how all of their lives are effected when a major earthquake rips through Los Angeles and reduces the city to ruins.
EARTHQUAKE might not be high art, but it does earn high praise from me, and it is available now at a store near you, along with RUMOUR HAS IT, NANNY MCPHEE, and MUNICH.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
THE PRODUCERS is the film of the Broadway musical based on the original 1968 Mel Brooks film. This new version stars Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Uma Thurman and Will Ferrell.
SCRUBS - THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON features all 22 episodes from the series' third year, and the episode called MY CREW UP is one of the best half hours I have ever seen on television!
Finally next week, 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.
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!
Tuesday May 9, 2006
BURDEN OF A DAY Pilot and Paper Planes (Blood and Ink)
CAM'RON Killa Season OST
EIGHTEENTH DAY OF MAY Eighteenth Day of May (Ryko)
JAPAN The Very Best Of (Virgin)
JAPAN The Very Best of (DVD) (Virgin)
PAUL SIMON Surprise (Warner)
RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS Stadium Arcadium (Warner)
THE SALADS The Big Picture (Kindling/Warner)
THE STILLS Without Feathers (Vice Records)
VARIOUS ARTISTS Happy Endings OST (Ryko)
BitTorrent teams up with Warner Bros. to sell movies, TV
BitTorrent, the internet file-sharing site once blamed for helping people pirate movies and TV shows, has partnered with Warner Bros. to sell the studio's content.
Starting in the summer, the BitTorrent website will offer for sale more than 200 movies and TV shows from the Warner Bros. catalogue.
Available titles will include new films such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Tim Burton's Corpse Bride and The Dukes of Hazzard, as well as selections from the studio's library, including The Matrix, Dog Day Afternoon and the sci-fi TV series Babylon 5.
Customers will be able to download the content to their computer drives using the BitTorrent technology.
However, they will not be able to copy files to another computer or burn them onto a DVD.
Shows to be released on same day as DVDs
New content is scheduled to be available on the site on the same day as new DVDs are offered in retail stores.
Prices have not yet been finalized, but the company expects to price TV shows at around $1 US per episode and movies at the price of a new release on DVD.
"We have just been embraced by the largest movie studio that is owned by largest media company," said BitTorrent co-founder Ashwin Navin, according to Reuters. "We expect to see more deals and to push the envelope."
In 2004, the Motion Picture Association of America began actively pursuing legal action against websites around the world that facilitated file sharing using the BitTorrent software.
The system allows a large file – for instance, a movie or TV show – to be broken into smaller parts, so that a person downloading the file can also begin sharing it with another person. This allows for faster downloads because the bandwidth is shared.
In 2005, the California-based BitTorrent formed an agreement with the motion picture association to help stem unauthorized swapping of pirated movies and TV shows on its website.
Furtado Ready To Dance On New Album
Nelly Furtado has turned off the light on pop music -- at least for the moment. On her third album, "Loose," due June 20 via Geffen, she makes a concerted effort to get jiggy.
"For a long time I kind of denied my R&B and hip-hop roots," the Canadian singer/songwriter tells Billboard.com. "All that rap and R&B I listened to as a kid made an impression on me; I used to write R&B songs in my bedroom that sounded like Mariah Carey songs. Now I'm tapping into that again, and I'm like, 'Wow, I didn't know I could go back there.' It feels so good."
Though she wrote and recorded material with Track & Field (which co-produced her 2000 debut "Whoa, Nelly!" and 2003's "Folklore"), Nellee Hooper, Pharrell Williams and Rick Nowels, Furtado made the bulk of "Loose" in Miami with producer Timbaland, with whom she worked on the hit 2001 remake of Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On."
Nowels produced "In God's Hands," which Furtado says is "as far as I was willing to go in terms of pop right now," while Lester Mendez helmed the English and Spanish versions of "Te Busque," a duet with Latin pop superstar Juanes. Unfortunately, label politics have prevented Furtado from sampling Coldplay frontman Chris Martin's vocals on the closing track, "All Good Things," which he co-wrote.
And in a change of creative course, Furtado let another writer -- Virginia-based MC Attitude -- compose most of the lyrics for the new album's sexy first single, "Promiscuous."
"I think now I have more separation between what I do as a songwriter and what I do as an artist," says Furtado, who duets with Timbaland on "Promiscuous." "If a song doesn't reflect what I'm going through right now, then why should I sing it?" She adds that some of the more pop-oriented songs she wrote for "Loose" will be recorded by other artists.
Furtado is planning to perform in Europe in June, with a 20-date North American club tour following in July. Japan, Latin America and a more extensive North American swing also on her docket this year.
'WEST WING' CLIP EPISODE VETOED
NBC has yanked a "West Wing" retrospective that was supposed to air right before Sunday's series finale.
Instead, viewers will see the series' pilot episode, which originally aired in 1999, and has been repeated many times over the years - including on NBC's sister cable network, Bravo (which airs "West Wing" repeats).
The pilot is also on the show's first-season DVD.
Scrapping the retrospective was a "creative" decision, an NBC spokesman said yesterday.
"We decided to go with airing the pilot," he offered by way of explanation.
But insiders say NBC didn't want to air the retrospective because it would have to pay the "West Wing" actors for their additional work - and it just wasn't worth it in this era of network cost-cutting, especially for a show that's lost much of its audience.
NBC announced plans for the one-hour retrospective last January. The sudden decision to scrap it left many "West Wing" fans feeling cranky - and sounding off on the show message board.
"I'm just confused at this decision and trying to put myself in NBC's position," wrote "bluemeister." "The only thing I can think of is that they can then include the retrospective on the Season 7 box set and tout it as 'exclusive' and 'never-before-aired.' "
"I, too, am less-than-thrilled with this decision," wrote "TheMuse." "I have yet to talk to one person happy about seeing the pilot for the millionth time."
Writes another fan with the screen name "Neurosturgeon": "I think that they canceled the retrospective because the ratings of the show have been so low that they don't think that there is any reason to spend any 'new money' on a loser.
"Showing the pilot will cost them nothing. It is a cheap way to fill up an hour. It is all about the money."