Canadians watch TV and use Internet more, listen to radio less: CRTC

TORONTO (CP) - Canadians are watching a bit more television, listening to a bit less radio and accessing the Internet in record numbers.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission released its annual broadcast monitoring report Friday. In addition to detailing the radio and TV habits of Canadians, this year's report also includes data on the growing field of handheld technologies.

In 2005, 59 per cent of Canadians used cellphones, 16 per cent used an iPod or other MP3 player, eight per cent used a webcam, seven per cent used a personal digital assistant (PDA) and three per cent used a BlackBerry.

Canadians listened to the radio for an average of 19.1 hours per week in 2005, down slightly from 19.5 the year before.

They watched an average of 25.1 hours of TV each week in 2005, up a bit from 24.7 in 2004.

The diversity of Canada is also reflected in the CRTC's data. There are 659 television services in the country, and 13 per cent of them are third-language services, neither French nor English.

In terms of Internet and computer access, 74 per cent of Canadian homes had a computer, and 78 per cent of Canadians accessed the Internet in 2005.

In 2004, 71 per cent of Canadian homes had a computer and 76 per cent of Canadians accessed the Internet.

Still quite limited, however, is the number of Canadians that access the Internet from their cellphones or wireless devices, or use them for services other than their main purpose.

Of the people who own a cellphone, BlackBerry or PDA, seven per cent use it to get news or weather information, four per cent use it to get sports scores, three per cent use it to take pictures or make videos and two per cent use it to watch TV.

THE NOISE OF SUMMER

Besides fireworks and hot dogs, the start of July marks another tradition - the crowning of the song of the summer.

Like it or not, every summer some ubiquitous tune will worm its way into your brain, and blare from every apartment and iPod. And it will take you back to a summer of love, or clubbing, or hanging under the boardwalk or in Washington Square Park. It's an instant time machine.

"A summer hit has to have a unique upfront hook, a great beat, and it has to sound great in a car," says Jim Kaminski, who works in marketing at Tower Records. "You'll find yourself singing along even if you hate it."

Hate might be the case for 1996's omnipresent "Macarena" by Los Del Rio or 2004's polarizing "Cameltoe" from Fannypack. But so far this summer, Paris Hilton's "Stars Go Blind" notwithstanding, most of the summer-hit contenders don't make you want to puncture your eardrums.

Some of summer 2006's tunes were released in the spring, but are building up steam. Take Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," for example. "It's addictive as crack," Kaminski says.

The just-released title track from Jessica Simpson's new album "A Public Affair" may be a little too Madonna-esque for those who know "Holiday," but her fans may be too young to remember the '80s hit. And, in front of its August release, "Idlewild," Outkast released its first single, "Mighty O," since it held 2004 captive all year long with "Hey Ya." It's also Big Boi and Andre 3000's first joint appearance on a song since 2000.

And never underestimate the power of Justin Timberlake, whose album is due in September, but whose first single, "Sexy Back," drops Tuesday.

One tune everyone is betting will stand the test of time is Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous" (featuring Timbaland). "It's an infectious groove crafted from fine hip-hoppery of Timbaland with a melody that's singable by even the worst karaoke artist," says Fuse VJ Steven. "Nelly's hips aren't half bad, either."

Bartel, programming director at KTU, picks that tune and also says Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" has chance, but he's also behind a dance remix of "It's Too Late" from Australian rock trio Evermore. "Clubs here and down by the shore are beginning to play it a lot," he says.

"The summer hit is basically the song that comes on wherever you are that everyone starts singing or dancing to," says Damien Fahey, co-host of MTV's "TRL," who likes "Promiscuous" and "Crazy."

Hot 97's Mister Cee also says to listen for Omarian's "Entourage."

"It's an up-tempo banger with an Usher-Michael Jackson feel that's easy to dance to and perfect for the summer."

Whatever it is, it will hit the airwaves like a tidal wave, like Beyoncé's "Crazy in Love" did in 2004. Beyoncé - with Jay-Z - is looking for a repeat, by the way, with the horns-laden single "Déjà." Don't worry if you haven't heard it - soon you won't be able to escape it.

The expert: Damien Fahey, "TRL"

The song: "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley

Why it's hot: "It's got a cool low-key sound."

Odds are...: 3-1

*******

The expert: Shelley Wade, Z100

The song: "Promiscuous" by Nelly Furtado and Timbaland

Why it's hot: "Everyone's shaking their booties to this one."

Odds are...: ...2-1

*******

The expert: Bartel, KTU

The song: "Hips Don't Lie" by Shakira and Wyclef Jean

Why it's hot: "An instant recipe for a summer hit."

Odds are...: ...5-1

*******

The expert: Déjà vu, Power 105.1 deejay

The song: "Déjà Vu" by Beyonce with Jay-Z

Why it's hot: "Funky dance track and can't get enough of 'retired' Jay-Z."

Odds are...: ...3-1

*******

The expert: Darryl James, Kiss FM

The song: "Shine" by Luther Vandross

Why it's hot: "His biggest hit since the '80s."

Odds are...: 6-1

*******

The expert: Mister Cee, Hot 97

The song: "Dutty Wine" by Tony Matterhorn

Why it's hot: "Biggest craze in Caribbean community and clubs with biggest crossover potential."

Odds are...: 7-1

*******

The expert: Scott Lapatine, stereogum.com

The song: "Smiley Faces" by Gnarls Barkley

Why it's hot: "A fun blast of infectious soul from the unstoppable Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo."

Odds are...: ...7-1

*******

The expert: Jim Kaminski, Tower Records

The song: "You Only Live Once" by the Strokes

Why it's hot: "The best single they've ever put out."

Odds are...: 10-1

*******

The expert: Chuck Taylor, Billboard

The song: "A Public Affair" by Jessica Simpson

Why it's hot: "Like cotton candy without being sticky!"

Odds are...: ...4-1

*******

The expert: Dan Aquilante, The Post

The song: "Ain't No Other Man" by Christina Aguilera

Why it's hot: "A show-stopping cabaret hip-hop hybrid that's hard to resist."

Odds are...: 8-1

*******

The expert: Mary Huhn, The Post

The song: "Sexy Back" by Justin Timberlake

Why it's hot: "No radio play until Tuesday, but the 16-second leaked download makes a bettor out of me."

Odds are...: 3-1

50 YEARS OF SUMMER SONGS

* 1955: "Rock Around the Clock," Bill Haley & His Comets * 1956: "Hound Dog," Elvis Presley * 1957: "Love Letters in the Sand," Pat Boone * 1958: "Summertime Blues," Eddie Cochran * 1959: "See You in September," the Tempos * 1960: "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini," Brian Hyland * 1961: "Runaway," Del Shannon * 1962: "The Loco-Motion," Little Eva * 1963: "Surf City," Jan & Dean * 1964: "I Get Around," the Beach Boys * 1965: "California Girls," the Beach Boys * 1966: "Summer in the City," the Lovin' Spoonful * 1967: "Groovin,' " the Rascals 1968: "Jumpin' Jack Flash," the Rolling Stones * 1969: "Hot Fun in the Summertime," Sly and the Family Stone * 1970: "In the Summertime," Mungo Jerry * 1971: "Brown Sugar," the Rolling Stones * 1972: "School's Out," Alice Cooper * 1973: "My Love," Wings * 1974: "Rock the Boat," the Hues Corporation * 1975: "One of These Nights," Eagles * 1976: "(Shake Shake Shake) Shake Your Booty," KC and the Sunshine Band * 1977: "Margaritaville," Jimmy Buffett* * 1978: "Hot Blooded," Foreigner * 1979: "My Sharona," the Knack * 1980: "Funkytown," Lipps, Inc. * 1981: "Jessie's Girl," Rick Springfield * 1982: "Jack and Diane," John Cougar Mellencamp * 1983: "The Safety Dance," Men Without Hats * 1984: "The Reflex," Duran Duran * 1985: "The Power of Love," Huey Lewis and the News * 1986: "Venus," Banarama * 1987: "Here I Go Again," Whitesnake * 1988: "Pour Some Sugar on Me," Def Leppard * 1989: "Good Thing," Fine Young Cannibals * 1990: "Vogue," Madonna * 1991: "Unbelievable," EMF * 1992: "Jump," Kris Kross * 1993: "Whoomp! There It Is," Tag Team * 1994: "All I Wanna Do," Sheryl Crow * 1995: "Fantastic Voyage," Coolio * 1996: "The Macarena," Los Del Rio * 1997: "Walking on the Sun," Smash Mouth * 1998: "Gettin' Jiggy Wit' It," Will Smith * 1999: "Livin' La Vida Loca," Ricky Martin * 2000: "Who Let the Dogs Out?" Baha Men * 2001: " "Bootylicious," Destiny's Child * 2002: "Hot in Herre," Nelly 2003: "Crazy in Love," Beyoncé * 2004: "Yeah," Usher * 2005: "Hollaback Girl," Gwen Stefani

"Superman" primed to take box office in single bound

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - It's a given that the Man of Steel will lead this weekend's box office as "Superman Returns" moves into 4,065 engagements on Friday.

The Warner Bros. Pictures feature flew into 3,915 venues in North America on Wednesday and racked up $21 million in gross receipts. The first-day total includes an estimated $3 million from previews -- which began at 10 p.m. Tuesday in about 2,500 theaters -- and a single-day record $1.2 million infusion from 76 Imax theaters.

Wednesday's single-day opening gross of $18 million represents the 11th-biggest Wednesday debut of all time, excluding previews, just behind New Line Cinema's "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," which took in $18.2 million.

"Superman" marks the first time in 19 years that the superhero has graced the silver screen. Bryan Singer directed from a script by Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. Brandon Routh throws on the red cape, Kate Bosworth is Lois Lane, and Kevin Spacey is Lex Luthor.

The first-day gross of "Superman Returns," budgeted at more than $200 million, bested another caped crusader under the Warners banner: the Dark Knight. "Batman Begins" opened on a Wednesday with $15.1 million, went into the weekend with $24.2 million under its utility belt and grossed an additional $48.7 million to bring its five-day total to $72.9 million. By the time it left theaters, "Batman Begins" had picked up $205.3 million and reinvigorated the long-dormant franchise.

Sony's "Spider-Man 2" holds the record for the biggest Wednesday opening in history with a staggering $40.4 million in June 2004.

RIDE WITH 'THE DEVIL'

The film most likely to capture the second spot this weekend is 20th Century Fox's "The Devil Wears Prada," which opens in 2,847 locations, 55 of which are digital. The PG-13 comedy-drama, based on the best-selling novel by Lauren Weisberger, is about a small-town girl who takes a job working for a high-handed editor of a fictitious New York fashion magazine called Runway.

Meryl Streep toplines the cast as the editor, and Anne Hathaway is her underling. Stanley Tucci, Simon Baker, Emily Blunt and Adrian Grenier also appear in "Prada." David Frankel, who has directed the HBO series "Sex and the City" and "Entourage," which stars Grenier, helmed "Prada" from a screenplay by Aline Brosh McKenna.

So far, Fox's counterprogramming move against "Superman" seems to be working because the film has been tracking well with females, particularly the younger set, and has some interest from other quadrants as well. "Prada" has garnered mostly positive reviews -- its RottenTomatoes rating Thursday was 74 percent -- and the buzz has been quietly but steadily building.

Last weekend's box-office champ, Sony Pictures' "Click," heads into the holiday session with close to $60 million and likely will finish in the third slot. The Adam Sandler starrer will take a hit from "Superman" as well as "Prada" because some of the audience for "Click" overlaps with those two films.

Buena Vista Pictures' "Cars" demonstrated improved traction with audiences last weekend, falling a slim 31 percent from a week earlier. The animated Disney/Pixar film has picked up winnings of about $168 million through Thursday and is speeding toward a fourth-place finish on its fourth lap in North American theaters.

Opening in limited release is Sony Pictures Classics' "Who Killed the Electric Car?" The Chris Paine-helmed documentary is an investigation into why the electric car, particularly General Motors' beloved EV1, stopped being produced.

SPIDERS AND SNAKES AND SAMUEL, OH MY

'Superman Returns" and "The Devil Wears Prada" finally open in theaters this week, and you know what that means - the hype machine kicks in for the next blockbusters.

The Internets are panting already over trailers for two sure-to-be hits - "Spider-Man 3" and "Snakes on a Plane" - that were released online.

"Spider-Man" is a smash, the perfect appetizer for geeks waiting until "Superman" rolls. It's also amazingly early - "Spider-Man" is filming in New York now, and doesn't come out until May 2007.

Fans of Spider-Man will dissect every image in the thrilling tease, finding scenes that do and don't match the comics. (Stop reading here if you don't want to be spoiled).

The most obvious new "character" is the black suit, which in the comic is an alien entity that attaches to Peter Parker and starts to influence him in evil ways. Parker fights back against the suit in a climatic scene in a church bell tower, since the alien is sensitive to high-pitched noises. It's unclear whether the black suit is an extraterrestrial here (I'm betting it's some kind of nanotechnology, or other scientific explanation), but director Sam Raimi seems to have copied the clock-tower scene.

In the comics, the black suit later attaches itself to Eddie Brock, a rival of Parker at the Daily Bugle. He becomes the villain Venom, basically an evil Spider-Man. It's unclear whether this happens in the film, though Brock is here, in the form of Topher Grace.

Also glimpsed: Following up on the final scenes of "Spider-Man 2," Harry Osborn apparently has taken the mantle of the Green Goblin and is flying around on that glider; Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard), who was Parker's first girlfriend in the comics, is providing a little romantic tension to mess with Mary Jane Watson (Kirsten Dunst); and Thomas Haden Church gets some very cool special effects as the villain Sandman.

"Snakes on a Plane", unfortunately, doesn't pack as much bite. Reports are that the film studio, New Line, worried that buzz for the film was peaking too early and that when it actually opens - on Aug. 18 - no one will care. Looks like they may be right.

The trailer is a by-the-numbers thriller ("snakes aren't the most dangerous thing on this plane"), without any of the funny provided by countless online parodies. I would have preferred one Web wit's tagline: "If the food doesn't kill you, the snakes will."

Still, it's snakes on a *&%ing plane with Samuel L. Jackson. Chances are moviegoers will know what's good, even if the marketing department doesn't.

Dido Working On Third Album With Jon Brion

U.K. vocalist Dido has drafted producer/songwriter Jon Brion to assist with her third studio album, which could be out before the end of the year via Arista.

Drummer Matt Chamberlain has also participated in recent recording sessions in Los Angeles.

"We've written a bunch of stuff together, and we've been recording," Brion tells Billboard.com. "I don't think people who know either of us would think it's the thing to do, and yet it's making total sense."

Brion says Dido is moving away from the mainstream pop/rock of her first two releases, which have sold 6.2 million copies combined in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"She wants something less glossy and further left," Brion reveals. "I think people have disregarded the emotional aspects of her writing, because the way the records have been presented make the music seem a little flat. But in terms of her singing, she's just an absolutely unbelievable, naturally great singer, in truth one of the greatest I've ever worked with. There's a certain kind of restraint in record making that she doesn't want anymore. That's good. That's a recipe for finding new things."

In a recent journal posting on her Web site, Dido alluded to the creative benefits of decamping in Los Angeles. "I'm inspired constantly by the great songwriting tradition in America which I hadn't really explored before and I just love getting in my car and going on long drives and writing songs," she wrote.

The upcoming album will be the follow-up to 2003's "Life for Rent," which debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200.

Superman Can't Top Spidey

Compared to Spider-Man, Superman looks like an 89-pound weakling--at least when it comes to their respective box-office prowess.

Superman Returns, the long-awaited revival of the Man of Steel franchise, took in an estimated $21 million in its Wednesday debut, an opening that was termed "solid" by one analyst, but an opening that fell short--very short--of standards set by Marvel Comics' web spinner.

Overall, Superman Returns--its one-day haul augmented by ticket sales from Tuesday night early-bird screenings--now ranks eighth on the list of all-time Wednesday debuts, just behind War of the Worlds' ($21.3 million) and just ahead of Jurassic Park III's ($19 million).

The all-time Wednesday king? Spider-Man 2, which snared $40.4 million in 2004.

In the annals of all-time biggest openings, regardless of when the opening occurred on the calendar, Superman Returns checks in at 29th place, according to the stats at BoxOfficeMojo.com. Spider-Man 2 checks in at third place; the original Spider-Man, released in 2002, checks in at fifth place ($39.4 million).

In Superman's defense, the Last Son of Krypton is showing more muscle at this early stage than Batman, who took in $15.1 million last year on the occasion of Batman Begins' opening day.

Because Batman Begins was a restart (a la Superman Returns) rather than a sequel (a la Spider-Man 2) and because Batman Begins opened mid-week (a la Superman Returns) and not on a Friday (a la Spider-Man), Paul Dergarabedian of the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations said the Caped Crusader, not Spider-Man, is the better guidepost for Superman.

"Batman and [even] War of the Worlds are good comparisons--they had the same release pattern, and they opened with the same amount of money," Dergarabedian said Thursday.

As for Superman Returns, specifically? "A solid Wednesday opening," Dergarabedian judged.

Likewise, Warners Bros., the studio which has already seen its big-budget Poseidon sink, found good news in the returns.

"We're well positioned going into this long holiday weekend," Warners exec Dan Fellman told the Associated Press. "The word of mouth on this film is going to carry us through the rest of the summer."

A long run would behoove Warners--Superman Returns reportedly cost more than one-and-a-half Poseidons to produce. Its $250 million price tag is about $50 million less than Batman Begins, a 2005 box-office star for the same studio, made all of last summer. (Worldwide, Batman Begins grossed $371.9 million, per BoxOfficeMojo.com.)

Among superhero movies, Spider-Man (natch) is the all-time box-office champ, thanks to its $403.7 million domestic take. Spider-Man 2 (natch) is the next biggest thing, placing second with $373.4 million.

Batman, who has starred in more movies than Spider-Man, has the most movies in the Exhibitor Relations-compiled Top 10: four. Most impressive, the biggest-grossing Batman movie is the oldest--1989's Batman, which made $251.2 million back when the average U.S. ticket price was under $4, as opposed to today's $6.61 average admission fee.

To date, the top-grossing Superman movie is, and was, 1978's Superman: The Movie, which made $134.2 million the hard way--with movie tickets that, on average, cost $2.34, according to the National Association of Theatre Owners.

The Superman big-screen franchise produced four titles in the 1970s and 1980s, all starring Christopher Reeve and each sequel posting declining box-office results. In just one day, in fact, the Brandon Routh-led Superman Returns outgrossed the entire run of the Reeves-led Superman IV: The Quest for Peace ($15.6 million).

If Routh can end up taking out Tobey Maguire, he'll really be onto something.

Rob Schneider OK after movie set collapse

STOCKTON, Calif. - Former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Rob Schneider was taken to a Northern California hospital after collapsing from food poisoning and heat exhaustion during the filming of an upcoming movie.

Schneider, 42, was filming the comedy "Big Stan" at a women's prison near Stockton, about 80 miles east of San Francisco in the San Joaquin Valley where temperatures have soared above 100 in recent days.

"The combination of bad food and the heat just hit him," said his publicist, Shara Koplowitz. She did not know what he ate but said he was treated at San Joaquin General Hospital and released Wednesday.

"He's back on the set directing today," she said Thursday.

Firefighters were called out to the set for several cases of heat exhaustion since the movie shoot began earlier this month, said firefighter Michael Olizas with the Montezuma Fire District.

Schneider, who recently starred in "The Benchwarmers" and "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo," is directing the new movie in which he plays Big Stan, a con man locked up on fraud charges who learns kung fu to defend himself against other inmates.

Writer of Tommy Douglas miniseries defends script

The writer behind the controversial television miniseries about former Saskatchewan premier Tommy Douglas is speaking out in response to CBC-TV's decision to pull the show after citing historical inaccuracies.

Screenwriter Bruce Smith said he stands behind the work he did for Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story, which CBC broadcast over two nights in March.

In particular, he is defending his portrayal of Saskatchewan's former Liberal premier Jimmy Gardiner, a political opponent of Douglas in the 1930s when the Canadian icon first was elected as a candidate for the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, a forerunner of the NDP.

"I stand by my portrayal of Jimmy Gardiner without reservation," Smith said in a written statement released by the Writers Guild of Canada. "It is historically accurate and based on extensive research."

Gardiner's family members said he was portrayed in a negative light, as a leader who didn't care about farmers or immigrants.

In response to their concerns, the CBC engaged an independent historian to research the case. It announced earlier this month that as a result of that review, it would pull the movie from circulation and halt DVD sales.

However, Smith said he can counter every argument the historian made against his script.

"The CBC's behaviour is inexcusable," said Maureen Parker, the executive director of the Writers Guild. "We ask that they review the facts and issue a public apology."

Besides damaging Smith's reputation, the CBC's move sets a dangerous precedent for anyone who wants to write scripts based on true-life events, she said.

40 reasons to love John Cusack

Today marks the 40th birthday of an actor I've grown up with and love more with each movie: John Cusack. From Say Anything to High Fidelity, Cusack has expanded the image of the leading man to encompass offbeat, intelligent and/or sensitive guys. With one look, he can make you laugh, cry and sigh simultaneously.

In honor of the milestone, here are 40 things I love about the actor.

1. His real name is John Cusack. That's John Paul Cusack, to be exact. If he'd changed it to something like Johnny Danger, he wouldn't be the same.

2. His movies are worth seeing. OK, so America's Sweethearts didn't break any new ground. Neither did Pushing Tin. But overall, Cusack films are a pretty safe bet, and you can't say that about most A-list stars.

3. He avoids the tabloids. Cusack has always fiercely guarded his privacy, and that kind of determination benefits us all.

4. He was once a geek like the rest of us. Who knew the awkward guy from Sixteen Candles and and Better Off Dead would become such a sexy leading man? Unlike lifelong hunks Depp and Brad Pitt, Cusack has no trouble playing the everyman.

5. He avoided the Brat Pack curse. Despite appearing alongside the likes of Anthony Michael Hall, Molly Ringwald and Rob Lowe, Cusack managed to avoid typecasting, scandal and a post-'80s career crash.

6. He loves his sister. John and Joan Cusack have starred in a long list of movies together, including Say Anything, Sixteen Candles, Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity. How can you not love a guy who keeps his family so close?

7. He loves his other siblings, too. Ann Cusack had a bit part in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and Grosse Pointe Blank. Bill Cusack appeared in Con Air. You can see Susie Cusack in High Fidelity. It's too bad his parents didn't have 10 more kids, or the Cusack clan could be running Hollywood right now.

8. Jeremy Piven is his pal. You can spot his former roommate in One Crazy Summer, Say Anything, Serendipity, Grosse Pointe Blank and several other films. Here's hoping Cusack will return the favor with a guest stint on Entourage.

9. Tim Robbins? Also a good friend. Their shared credits include Bob Roberts, The Player and Tapeheads.

10. His musical taste rocks. The Clash, Fishbone, The Ramones and The Specials rank among Cusack's favorite artists, and he served as music supervisor on High Fidelity. His films boast some of the best soundtracks you can buy.

11. I envy his T-shirt collection. Cusack is known for incorporating musical references into his movies via wardrobe. (Rent Say Anything if you can't remember what I'm talking about.)

12. His leading ladies aren't far-fetched. Unlike some actors we won't name, Cusack's on-screen love interests are usually cool and close to his age, from High Fidelity's Lisa Bonet to Must Love Dogs' Diane Lane to The Ice Harvest's Connie Nielsen.

13. He hasn't been married 20 times. In fact he hasn't been married once, which allows many of us to still believe we have a chance.

14. His real-life girlfriends aren't bimbos. They include Lili Taylor, Claire Forlani, Minnie Driver and Neve Campbell. Man, I love a guy who loves a brunette ...

15. Chicago is his first love. Cusack was raised in Evanston, Ill., and he remains a devoted Cubs fan and Windy City enthusiast.

16. He reminds you of a guy you know. I think part of the reason fans love John Cusack so much is because he comes across as an honest, well-intentioned guy. (I dare say he's an ideal male role model.)

17. He maintains his theater ties. He founded a theater group in the '80s and has helmed several productions since.

18. He's more than an actor. In fact, Cusack shares screenplay credits on Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity.

19. He supports good movies. New Crime Productions, Cusack's production company, has backed Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Jack Bull and the actor's next film, Grace Is Gone.

20. He made Tapeheads. The comedy must've been a huge risk coming off of all those teen movies, but he took the chance anyway.

21. And did I mention Being John Malkovich? I can't imagine anyone else as the eccentric, selfish puppeteer. Cusack even covered up his good looks with a long wig and baggy clothes; not all leading men are so game for a makeunder.

22. He knows when to say no. Cusack rejected roles in Apollo 13 and Indecent Proposal, among other flicks.

23. He doesn't give pretentious interviews. Every piece I've read about Cusack leaves me wishing I could have a beer with him someday. Hopefully, there's still time.

24. He does a bloody good DVD commentary. Hear his comments during Say Anything, and you'll wish all of films came with a Cusack commentary track.

25. He really did believe kickboxing was the sport of the future. It used to be -- and hey, maybe it still is -- one of his favorite pasttimes.

26. He cries. Say Anything and High Fidelity are just two flicks that exposed his emotional side.

27. He hasn't played The Oscar Character. You know who I mean -- the blind, mentally challenged, grief-stricken, sexually confused dude that guarantees an Academy Award nomination. Instead, Cusack gravitates toward more down-to-earth, identifiable roles.

28. He reads. Cusack was a friend of Hunter S. Thompson and has appeared in several adaptations of good novels, including Fidelity and Midnight in the Garden.

29. He blogs. Though he doesn't talk politics as much as, say, Alec Baldwin or Martin Sheen, he has openly expressed his views in various forums. Most recently, his name popped up on The Huffington Post.

30. He has a good head of hair. Not to say I wouldn't love him bald ...

31. He's never gone blonde. I'd also like to thank him for avoiding the "fauxhawk," the soul patch and other follicle oddities.

32. He's not above a cameo. His itty-bitty roles include participating in Suicidal Tendencies' Trip At the Brain video and Spike Jonze's Adaptation.

33. He survived an involuntary presidential run. The fan-organized "Cusack for President" campaign petered out when the actor denied any political aspirations.

34. He's not conventionally gorgeous. He may be one of Hollywood's most desirable men, but it's not for his super-square jaw, Adonis figure or flawless, blindingly bright teeth.

35. He's aged gracefully. Since John Cusack generally plays his age, his 40th birthday doesn't come as too much of a surprise. (One exception: He was 22 while playing an 18-year-old in Say Anything, though that marked his final teen role.)

36. He's never been in a movie with Kevin Bacon. Of course, once Bacon gets wind of this, he may put a stop to it.

37. He's cool to his fans. That is, until they cross the line ...

38. He's not bitter about being ignored at award shows. For a man with so many impressive film credentials, he has won depressingly few recognitions.

39. He still takes chances. Cusack plays an Iraq war widower in his next movie. The premise will inevitably lead to controversy, but this will likely have no effect on Cusack's role.

40. He was Lloyd Dobler. I shudder to imagine a world without the Say Anything hero, a high-school senior wise enough to know true love was far more valuable than a lifetime spent buying, selling and processing. John Cusack is the only actor who could've fit the part, and I owe him big time for the hours of daydreams and amusement he has given me.

Happy birthday, John! Here's to 40 more years of good health, good fortune and good work.

Mighty Return (And Returns) Expected for 'Superman'

Superman Returns is expected to leap over all its rivals in a single bound over the Fourth of July weekend, but analysts are divided over how high it will fly. The film will have the widest release of any in Warner Bros.' history -- 4,065 theaters and about 8,500 screens. In addition, the film is being featured on 77 IMAX screens (about 20 minutes of the IMAX prints are in 3-D), the widest release in that theatrical format. Director Bryan Singer has acknowledged that the film cost about $204 million to make (some studio insiders have told trade publications that the figure was actually much higher), but Warner Bros. is believed to have spent $40-50 million over the years developing the new film. Reviews of the film have been decidedly mixed, and while reviews may have little effect on the size of opening crowds they often do reflect word of mouth and thus, how a film will perform in the long term. The film faces strong -- if not overwhelming -- competition from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest next week. Moreover, according to Daily Variety, many female moviegoers have indicated that they'd prefer The Devil Wears Prada, which opens on Friday. Still, it's a long holiday, since the Fourth falls on a Tuesday, and it's always been a big holiday for movie-going. There's a strong possibility that there will be a run on tights, capes and Prada. In an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News, Warner Bros. distribution chief Dan Fellman observed, "A lot of people are taking off this week, so we think we can do extremely well on Wednesday and Thursday, then go into a long five-day weekend. A lot of businesses will be closed Monday and Tuesday next week."

'LOTR' musical closing early

TORONTO (CP) - Just three months after it opened to largely negative reviews, producers of the $28-million Lord of the Rings stage show have announced it is closing.

"If the critics think they don't have power, believe me they do," Rings producer Kevin Wallace told a news conference Wednesday. The show will close Sept. 3. A revamped version will reopen next May 9 in London.

Wallace levelled much of the blame for the show's abbreviated Toronto run at critics, saying the show had had a "rough ride" on this side of the Atlantic.

"When you're going to spend $120 (on a ticket), you do need the affirmation," he said.

Calling London the "spiritual home" of the show, he said British critics responded more favourably.

The show, based on the beloved J.R.R. Tolkien novel, opened with great fanfare in March.

Clocking in at three hours and 30 minutes, it was widely acknowledged to be a technological wonder with 17 elevators embedded in the 36-tonne, computer-controlled stage floor.

But the reaction from many established critics was tepid.

The New York Times said: "Everyone and everything winds up lost in this ... adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien's cult-inspiring trilogy of fantasy novels. That includes plot, character and the patience of most ordinary theatregoers."

Added The Associated Press: "Deciphering the story, adapted by Shaun McKenna and director Matthew Warchus, may be the hardest part of a theatregoer's job. . . . The nearly 60 actors on stage have trouble making much of an impression."

Wallace said the London version will be tweaked and whittled down to three hours.

Some of the Toronto company will also join that production, with details to be announced in September, he said.

Toronto Mayor David Miller blamed the Rings closing on the reluctance of Americans to travel in large numbers in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Despite the critical barbs, the Lord of the Rings cleaned up at the Dora theatre awards handed out earlier this week. It was named outstanding new musical and won six other awards.

Furtado Lets "Loose" on Charts

Apparently it pays to be promiscuous.

Just ask Nelly Furtado. Powered by the Timbaland-produced hit "Promiscuous," the Grammy-winning songbird's latest album, Loose, took the big out of Busta's Bang and debuted atop the pop chart, moving 219,000 for the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

For maximum effect, Loose features different radio singles directed at different markets. "Promiscuous" helped the album top the charts in the U.S. and Canada, while "Maneater" topped the charts in the U.K., Portugal and Luxembourg. A Spanish-language single, the reggaeton-flavored "No Hay Igual," has also been released. The strategy has paid off: Loose opened at number one in Germany and Switzerland and made a Top 10 bow in the U.K., Mexico and the Netherlands.

Overall, it was a slow retail week--down 10 percent from last week and 8 percent off the same week in 2005--with Furtado landing the only six-figure sales. Underoath debuted at two on 98,000 copies of Define the Great Line, while the Dixie Chicks are still clucking with Taking the Long Way selling 87,000 copies at three.

At number four, American fans showed they're keen for Keane as the U.K. group sold nearly 76,000 copies of Under the Iron Sea. This follow-up to their Grammy-nominated debut, Hopes and Fears--which sold over 5 million copies worldwide--already topped the charts across the pond with help from its smash hit, "Is It Any Wonder?"

The week's final Top 10 newcomer was Field Mob, whose third album, Light Poles & Pine Trees, lit up the seven spot with 63,000 copies. The Peach State rap duo is signed to Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace label, and their new disc features the new hit "So What" as well as "Georgia," a collaboration with Ludacris, DJ Green Lantern and Jamie Foxx.

Finally, after spending the last few weeks at 11, Gnarls Barkley's St. Elsewhere crept into the Top 10 at eight. The disc sold nearly 58,000 copies in its seventh week of release.

Meanwhile, last week's number one, Busta Rhymes' The Big Bang, dropped four spots to five with 69,000, while the chart-topper before him, AFI's Decemberunderground, dropped another six spots to nine on 57,000 in sales. The two remaining Top 10 albums were both soundtracks: High School Musical at six and Cars at 10.

Nearly three months after its release, Top 10 mainstay Me & My Gang by Rascal Flatts finally fell out, down from eight to 11. The disc holds the current record for 2006 first-week sales, 722,000 copies, and is the year's only album to hold the number one spot for three consecutive weeks.

Elsewhere, Chi-town R&B crooner Donell Jones, who got his start writing and producing songs for artists like Usher, smoothed his way into the 15 spot as Journey of a Gemini sold 48,000 copies. Guster mustered up a number 25 bow with Ganging Up on the Sun selling 30,000, while Madonna's live CD/DVD combo I'm Going To Tell You a Secret sold 25,000 units at 33.

Other noteworthy debuts included the Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Drift soundtrack at 40, the Counting Crows' New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall at 52, Cute Is What We Aim For's Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch at 75, Dragonforce's Inhuman Rampage at 103 and Smokey Robinson's Timeless Love at 109.

Here's a recap of the Top 10:

1. Loose, Nelly Furtado
2. Define the Great Line, Underoath
3. Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks
4. Under the Iron Sea, Keane
5. The Big Bang, Busta Rhymes
6. High School Musical soundtrack, various
7. Light Poles & Pine Trees, Field Mob
8. St. Elsewhere, Gnarls Barkley
9. Decemberunderground, AFI
10. Cars soundtrack, various

Canadians' entertainment spending on the rise

Canadian spending on entertainment outside the home is increasing faster than other household spending, according to a study by Statistics Canada.

The consumer market for movies, spectator sports, performing arts and visits to heritage institutions expanded from $2.3 billion in 1998 to $3.2 billion in 2003, an increase of 41 per cent, the federal agency reported on Tuesday.

Average household spending over the same period rose 19 per cent. But entertainment spending remains a low fraction of overall spending, about 0.5 per cent.

On average, Canadian families spent $273 on these entertainment services annually in 2003. The report was based on data from Statistics Canada's Survey of Household Spending from 1998 and 2003.

About 40 per cent of the money went to movies, 31 per cent on performing arts and 17 per cent on sports events.

The biggest increase came in spending on sports events. The average rose 44 per cent over the five years, mainly because of higher ticket prices for spectator sports.

Spending on performing arts was highest in Ontario and Quebec, the provinces with the largest number of dance and theatre companies, and lowest in the Maritimes, where there are fewer opportunities to see the performing arts.

The biggest spenders overall on entertainment were in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, where average family income is highest. Couples with children spent the most.

Residents of Ontario and Alberta were the most avid movie-goers in 2003, spending about $120 per household, compared with households in Saskatchewan that spent just $62 each at the cinema.

Fraser & Weisz Return For "Mummy 3"

It's confirmed, Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz will return for another Mummy thrill-ride on the big-screen.

FreezeDriedMovies.com reports the news comes from Oded Fehr (who played Ardeth Bay in the previous two films), during an interview for his latest film, Resident Evil: Extinction.

While it was previously thought the plot for the new movie would be set in modern times, recent reports have the film set during the 1940's, years after events from The Mummy Returns.

A new character has being added for the latest chapter, to play the now-grown son of O'Connell and Evelyn (Fraser & Weisz), who apparently gets most of the action scenes with the new 'Mummy', in the form of a Chinese Emperor known as Qin Shihuang.

Go here to enjoy it!

Rowling: Some characters won't survive

LONDON (AP) — Author J.K. Rowling said two characters will die in the last installment of her boy wizard series, and she hinted Harry Potter might not survive either.

"I have never been tempted to kill him off before the final because I've always planned seven books, and I want to finish on seven books," Rowling said on Monday's Richard and Judy television show.

"I can completely understand, however, the mentality of an author who thinks, 'Well, I'm gonna kill them off because that means there can be no non-author written sequels. So it will end with me, and after I'm dead and gone they won't be able to bring back the character.'"

Rowling declined to commit herself about Harry, saying she doesn't want to receive hate mail.

"The last book is not finished. But I'm well into it now. I wrote the final chapter in something like 1990, so I've known exactly how the series is going to end," she said.

Some characters might die, but the blockbuster movie franchise lives on. Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that the fifth installment will be released in U.S. theaters, including IMAX screens, on July 13, 2007.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, directed by David Yates, the teenage Harry continues to battle the evil Lord Voldemort (again played by Ralph Fiennes) and his followers. Daniel Radcliffe is returning as the title character, and Emma Watson and Rupert Grint reprise their roles as Hermione and Ron. Oscar-nominated actress Imelda Staunton plays the malicious, frumpy Professor Dolores Umbridge, who tortures Harry.

Rowling said people are sometimes shocked to hear that she wrote the end of book before she had a publisher for the first book in the series.

"The final chapter is hidden away, although it's now changed very slightly. One character got a reprieve. But I have to say two die that I didn't intend to die," she said. "A price has to be paid. We are dealing with pure evil here. They don't target extras do they? They go for the main characters. Well, I do."

Rowling is the richest woman in Britain — wealthier than even the queen — with a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine last year at more than $1 billion.

Whatever she writes next, Rowling is sure of one thing: It won't be as successful as Harry Potter.

"I don't think I'm ever going to have anything like Harry again. You just get one like Harry."

Tori Amos boxes up hits, rarities for "A Piano"

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Tori Amos will be the subject of the five-disc boxed set "A Piano," which will be housed in a piano-inspired package.

Due September 26 via Rhino, the 86-track compendium rounds up material from Amos' studio albums, alternate mixes from the time period and new mixes recently supervised by Amos.

The track list runs in chronological order, with liner notes penned by Amos. Among the songs appearing on "A Piano" for the first time are the unedited single version of "Crucify," an alternate mix of "Walk to Dublin" and the studio outtakes "Not David Bowie," "Dolphin Song" and "Zero Point."

The fifth disc includes a "demo medley" of several tracks plus the "Cherokee Edition" of "Home on the Range." Amos has just begun work on her new studio album in Cornwall, England. It will be the follow-up to 2005's "The Beekeeper."

Kidman weds Urban in her own special love story

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Church bells rang to mark Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman's own special love story when she married country music singer Keith Urban in a traditional Catholic ceremony at a cliff-top chapel in Sydney on Sunday.

Police and private security guards held back hundreds of well-wishers and international media as Kidman arrived for the twilight ceremony at a sandstone chapel set on a sprawling estate overlooking Sydney Harbor and the Pacific Ocean.

Kidman beamed and waved as she arrived in a convoy of cream Rolls Royce wedding cars just before 5:30 p.m. (0730 GMT).

Church bells pealed across the estate about an hour later, with local media reporting the ceremony had been completed. Calls to Kidman's publicists seeking confirmation were not immediately returned.

Kidman, 39, wore an elegant ivory-colored dress, reportedly designed by French fashion house Balenciaga, and sheer veil and carried a simple posy of white roses.

Helicopters buzzed overhead as Kidman drove from her ritzy Sydney harborside home. Well-wishers and photographers got within arms-reach of her car as she arrived for the wedding.

Australian television reported that Kidman's friends, Oscar winner Russell Crowe and Broadway and film star Hugh Jackman, were among the guests.

Jackman, set to star beside Kidman in an upcoming World War Two movie directed by Baz Luhrmann, was to sing at the service and a string quartet also played.

"It's a very special love story," Luhrmann, who directed Kidman in the Oscar-winning movie "Moulin Rouge," said of the wedding.

Kidman was given away by her father Antony, a prominent Sydney psychologist. Her sister Antonia, 13-year-old daughter Isabella and niece Lucia were in the bridal party and her 11-year-old son Connor was an usher.

Songwriter and former Crowded House singer Neil Finn was also among guests and was reportedly to sing at the reception, to be held in a white marquee built off the Gothic-style central building in the former seminary.

Media have speculated that Grammy-winner Urban, who arrived more inconspicuously in a blue four-wheel drive vehicle, would serenade Kidman with his hit "I Want to Be Your Everything."

Kidman's friend, "King Kong" star Naomi Watts, also traveled to Sydney for the wedding.

Other guests, sworn to secrecy in the days leading up to the ceremony, were ferried in a convoy of buses from a luxury city hotel to the Cardinal Cerretti Memorial Chapel.

Kidman, who won a Academy Award for her role in the 2002 film "The Hours," had a very public divorce from actor Tom Cruise in 2001, ending a 10-year marriage. They have remained friends, sharing custody of their two adopted children.

Father Paul Coleman, a Jesuit priest who was to perform the ceremony, has said Kidman, 39, and Urban, 38, have a "mature love" which has impressed him.

Coleman said he had told them to "make time for each other, do romantic things together and never part without kissing."

Kidman and Urban, both Australians but born overseas, met in January 2005 at an awards dinner held by the Australian government in Los Angeles honoring the two of them.

Their every move has been tracked by the media over the past week, with paparazzi camped outside Kidman's home.

"I'm so happy," Kidman told reporters before a quiet dinner with her parents on Saturday.

Urban spent the last night before his first marriage at what was described as a "sedate" buck's night at a trendy city bar.

'BB7' votes pouring in

'Big Brother' fans are voting and voting often.

According to CBS, within 18 hours of the ‘Big Brother: All-Stars’ polls being open on CBS.com , over 2.4 million votes for which former Big Brother Houseguests fans would most like to see compete this summer have been cast.

The polls close on Wednesday, June 28 at 11:59 PM, ET/8:59 PM, PT.

The opening twist this year is that viewers have the opportunity to vote for which former Houseguests should compete this season, choosing half of the Houseguests who will ultimately enter the house. Three men and three women will be picked. The producers will be selecting all the rest of the players. Although 12 players will be starting the series, it is rumoured that in the end 14 to 16 competitors will be playing the 'Big Brother: All-Stars' game.

The All-Stars entering the house will be announced during the premiere on Thursday, July 6 (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS.

For those who missed it, the special casting episode will be rebroadcast this Saturday, June 24 at 8:00 PM.

"Futurama" Pulls a "Family Guy"

Comedy Central is going back to the Futurama.

Three years after the show last aired on prime time, the cable net has signed a deal to resurrect the former Fox animated series for a minimum 13-episode run.

Comedy Central will start airing the new shows in 2008.

"We are thrilled that Matt Groening and 20th Century Fox Television have decided to produce new episodes of Futurama and that Comedy Central will be the first to air them," said David Bernath, the cable net's senior VP.

The new episode order is part of a larger deal Comedy Central made with the production company last year, when they bought the syndicated rights to Futurama's 72-episode library.

"There is a deep and passionate fan base for this intelligent and very funny show that matches perfectly with our audience, and it is great that we can offer them not just the existing library but something they've never seen as well," Bernath told the Hollywood Reporter.

The offbeat show was the brainchild of The Simpsons mastermind Groening and writer David X. Cohen and debuted on Fox in March 1999. The series revolved around Fry, a pizza delivery boy who is accidentally frozen for a thousand years. When he wakes up in the year 3000, he befriends a sassy one-eyed pilot, Leela, and a cranky robot, Bender, who both work for an intergalactic delivery service run by a distant nephew of Fry's.

In August 2003, after five seasons and three Emmys, including the 2002 award for Best Animated Series, Futurama was canceled due to low ratings.

Reruns of the show, however, were picked up by Cartoon Network, and just like cable home did with Family Guy before it, the move paved the way for a Futurama revival.

Both shows aired on the Cartoon Network and quickly built up unexpectedly robust ratings.

In 2004, Stewie & Co. were resuscitated by to Fox thanks to staggering DVD sales--the show ranks as the fourth-biggest TV series seller ever--and its proliferation in reruns.

In January of this year, 20th Century Fox began talks with Comedy Central to revive the long-gone Futurama as well, thanks to its resurgence in popularity courtesy of its second life in reruns and high--though not Family Guy high--DVD sales.

The cable net has already re-signed voice stars Billy West, Katey Sagal and John DiMaggio to reprise their animated roles.

In the meantime, new Futurama plots can already be had in comic book form, with Groening's Bongo Comics releasing the stories.

"Iron Man" Can in 2008

Batman last summer. Superman this summer. Spider-Man next summer. And coming in summer 2008: A superhero in a can.

A big-screen, live-action movie about the armor-encased Marvel Comics' character known as Iron Man will break into theaters on May 2, 2008, Paramount Pictures and Marvel Entertainment announced Friday.

The moves positions Iron Man as the first popcorn picture of summer 2008, as well as the first one with a definitive release date. Other high-profile projects circling the territory include additions to the Chronicles of Narnia and Indiana Jones franchises.

As previously announced, Iron Man will be directed by Jon Favreau. The Swingers star turned Elf helmer recently told the Calgary Sun that shooting will start in January.

No cast has been announced; no Iron Man man has been confirmed. Favreau said he wants "someone with experience but a low profile."

"Stars bring too much baggage with them," Favreau said in the Calgary Sun. "I don't think Daredevil benefited by casting Ben Affleck at the height of his popularity, even if he did desperately want to play the character."

Favreau costarred with Affleck in Daredevil.

In the past, Tom Cruise and would-be Superman/incumbent Ghost Rider Nicolas Cage have been linked to Iron Man, a factoid that helps illustrate how far back Iron Man's past runs. For years, the hero toiled in development hell. His luck seemed to change in late 2004 when New Line Cinema announced Nick Cassavetes (The Notebook) would direct.

But Iron Man's close-up didn't happen. Marvel reclaimed its pile of tin last year. Around the same time, the comics giant announced plans for 10 self-financed superhero movies to be released by Paramount. Iron Man will be the first to emerge from that deal, beating the likes of Captain America and Ant-Man to the multiplex. According to Variety, Captain America will be next on the soundstage after Iron Man, the shield-baring hero's foe in Marvel Comics' much-hyped new Civil Wars series.

Captain America is being primed for a 2009 release, the trade paper said. Scripts are also in the works for Thor, Nick Fury and the aforementioned Ant-Man.

The Marvel/Paramount pact looks to safeguard against any disruptions in the superhero pipeline. Last summer, Batman Begins and Fantastic Four fed the fanboy need. This summer, X-Men: The Last Stand and Superman Returns, opening Wednesday, will do their part. Next summer, it'll be up to the likes of Spider-Man 3.

Though not an icon like Superman, Batman or Spider-Man, Iron Man is no newcomer--he made his comic-book debut in 1963.

According to his official Marvel biography, Iron Man was born Anthony Edward Stark in Long Island, New York, where presumably he led a happy life until in superhero tradition his parents were killed, and all sorts of bad/weird stuff started happening, including a bad ticker that led him to suit up in Hormel-approved duds. Known as Tony to friends, Stark heads Stark Enterprises. In his spare time, he fights evildoers with the Avengers.

TV producer Aaron Spelling dies at 83

LOS ANGELES - Aaron Spelling, a onetime movie bit player who turned to television production and created a massive number of hit series, from the vintage "Charlie's Angels" and "Dynasty" to "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Melrose Place," died Friday, his publicist said. He was 83.

Spelling died at his home in Los Angeles after suffering a stroke on June 18, according to publicist Kevin Sasaki.

Spelling's other hit series included "Love Boat," "Fantasy Island," "Burke's Law," "The Mod Squad," "Starsky and Hutch," "T.J. Hooker," "Matt Houston," "Hart to Hart" and "Hotel." He kept his hand in 21st-century TV with series including "7th Heaven" and "Summerland."

He also produced more than 140 television movies. Among the most notable: "Death Sentence" (1974), Nick Nolte's first starring role; "The Boy in the Plastic Bubble" (1976), John Travolta's first dramatic role; "The Best Little Girl in the World" (1981), which starred Jennifer Jason Leigh.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Spelling provided series and movies exclusively for ABC and is credited for the network's rise to major status. Jokesters referred to it as "The Aaron Broadcasting Company."

Take A Remastered Journey

Five Journey albums have been remastered and expanded with memorabilia-rich album booklets for an Aug. 1 release via Columbia/Legacy. A handful of the titles have new bonus tracks, including 1988's "Greatest Hits," which will feature the 1996 single "When You Love a Woman."

1978's "Infinity," which marked the vocal debut of Steve Perry, and 1979's "Evolution" retain their original track lists, while 1980's "Departure" will include the bonus tracks "Little Girl" and "Natural Thing."

The mega-selling 1981 album "Escape" will include live versions of "Don't Stop Believin'," "Who's Crying Now" and "Open Arms" from the recent archival CD/DVD "Live in Houston," plus the studio track "La Raza Del Sol."

Potter's "Phoenix" Rising Next Summer

Muggles are going to have to crane their necks to catch this Phoenix.

Warner Bros. announced Wednesday plans to unspool Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the highly anticipated fifth film from J.K. Rowling's epic fantasy saga, simultaneously in theaters and on Imax screens nationwide July 13, 2007.

The studio followed a similar strategy for the last two entries in the billion-dollar franchise, last November's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and 2004's Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkabhan.

"We're delighted to be working with Warner Bros. Pictures," Imax coheads Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley Wechsler said in a statement. "The last two Harry Potter films we released to Imax theaters grossed a combined $34 million...This new title gives us a powerful kick-start to next year's film slate."

The last installment, Goblet of Fire, broke the record for Imax ticket sales, conjuring up more than $20 million.

No word yet whether Harry's latest supersize adventure will be digitally converted to Imax 3-D, as Warner Bros. is doing for several of this summer's would-be blockbusters, including Superman Returns and the animated Ant Bully, and as Sony Pictures Animation has agreed to do with its computer-animated debut, Open Season, out in September.

"Obviously, the entire industry is thinking about 3-D, but each film is looked at and negotiated one at a time," Imax spokeswoman Sarah Gormley told E! Online, noting that a decision on the eye-popping format will come once principal photography is complete.

Phoenix, helmed by acclaimed British TV director David Yates, finds our bespectacled orphan hero facing off against dastardly bureaucrat Dolores Umbridge (Vera Drake's Imelda Staunton), who, at the behest of corrupt officials at the Ministry of Magic, schemes to take over Hogwarts and oust Professor Dumbledore, enabling the return to power of You Know Who.

Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are once again returning as Harry, Hermione and Ron, respectively, backed by an all-star cast that includes Ralph Fiennes back as the evil Lord Voldemort.

Warner Bros. has already begun development on the sixth installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

As for the seventh and final chapter in Harry's increasingly dark odyssey, Britain's most famous (and wealthiest) author has confirmed she has started writing the story. But according to U.K. publisher Bloomsbury, the currently untitled tome won't hit bookstores until 2007 at the earliest. Our guess is it will be on shelves just in time for a certain movie opening.

Two Coreys Together Again

Call it a Dream a Little Dream come true for fans of 1980s teen cinema. Or connoisseurs of 21st century celebrity curios.

Corey Feldman and Corey Haim, who in their prime Tiger Beat years costarred in three movies together, are being reunited for a proposed comedy series, Daily Variety reported Wednesday.

Although Feldman and Haim are best known collectively as "The Two Coreys," their new TV venture simply would be called The Coreys.

The show doesn't yet have a network home. The Variety article seemed designed to drum up interest in such a home being found--it noted that producers, the same people behind ABC's Wife Swap and the WB's Survival of the Richest, will begin peddling The Coreys on Thursday.

Speaking to Variety, RDF USA executive Greg Goldman teased that Feldman and Haim possess a chemistry that "just pops off the screen."

The Coreys would find the Coreys playing fictionalized versions of themselves, presumably because it would be funnier and less sad that way. Feldman would play Corey Feldman, married father of one son; Haim would play Corey Haim, single man. While both play those roles in real life, too, the TV show would ratchet up the comedy in the situation by having Haim, as Variety put it, "[shake] life up for the Feldmans."

Feldman and Haim, both 34, last teamed up, per IMDb.com, for two recent episodes of the Cartoon Network series, Robot Chicken. They also both appeared in the cameo-laden 2003 David Spade film, Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.

A feathered-hair generation ago, Feldman and Haim earned their "Two Coreys" title in The Lost Boys, License to Drive and Dream a Little Dream. Later, and to lesser acclaim, they costarred in Busted (directed by Feldman), Blown Away, National Lampoon's Last Resort and Dream a Little Dream 2. Not one of those films, all made in the 1990s, were released in theaters.

While both Feldman and Haim have struggled to recapture the careers they had in the 1980s, Haim has just plain struggled, with drugs, with finances, with eBay regulations (in 2001, the site pulled an auction by the actor in which he was selling off one of his molars).

Last March, London's Daily Star quoted a "close pal" of Haim as saying the former idol was "clean and sober and ready to put his life in perspective." As such, the paper said, Haim was planning to write a tell-all about an affair he had with U.K. tab magnet Victoria Beckham during her Posh Spice/Spice Girls phase.

Feldman, meanwhile, has dabbled in music, renounced childhood friend Michael Jackson, and amassed more than 100 IMDb.com TV and film credits, many of them recent. Often, he appears as himself (see: The Surreal Life); at least once, he appeared as Store Clerk (see: Serial Killing 4 Dummys).

Senate to call for commercial-free CBC-TV

A Senate report is to recommend CBC-TV become completely commercial-free and that Ottawa boost CBC funding to make up for the loss of ad revenue, Canadian Press has learned.

The report on the state of Canada's media is to be released Wednesday.

A committee headed by Senator Joan Fraser, a former journalist, has been working on the report for the last three years, with hearings held across the country.

It will recommend boosting CBC's annual $1-billion budget to make it possible to get rid of ads, the wire service said.

The report also examined private-sector newspaper, radio and television concentration.

It will recommend measures to prevent private media conglomerates from dominating any single market, with a review triggered whenever a media company acquires above a certain percentage of audience share.

According to sources, the report of the Senate's transport and communications committee will recommend that the Competition Act be beefed up.

The review was spurred by CanWest Global's decision to publish national editorials throughout its Southam newspaper chain without allowing local editors to opt out.

CanWest owns several big city daily newspapers and is the country's second biggest private broadcaster after CTV. The BCE group owns CTV and controls The Globe and Mail.

BBC Pulls Plug On 'Top Of The Pops'

The BBC's venerable weekly TV chart show "Top of the Pops," one of the longest-running programs and most iconic musical institutions in British television history, is to be axed after 42 years on air.

A statement released by the state broadcaster today (June 20) cites "ever-increasing competition" from multimedia outlets that, it says, makes it impossible for the show to continue in its current weekly form.

BBC director of television Jana Bennett says "the time has come to bring the show to its natural conclusion." The last edition of the program will air in the United Kingdom July 30.

"Top of the Pops" was first aired on Jan. 1, 1964, from a converted church in Manchester, in an edition presented by DJ Jimmy Savile that featured performances by Dusty Springfield, the Rolling Stones, the Dave Clark 5, the Hollies, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, the Beatles and others. It was originally commissioned for a mere six-week run, but the show proved to be hugely instructive as a weekly barometer of musical popularity.

By the 1970s, "TOTP" had a weekly audience of 15 million viewers. It marked its 2,000th edition in 2002.

In recent years, the show had struggled to maintain its audience in the face of greatly increased competition from other broadcast outlets. In 2005, it was moved from its traditional weekday slot on BBC1 to a Sunday night slot on BBC2, after viewing figures fell below three million. The new broadcast time failed to improve audience numbers.

OutKast Out in the "Wild"...Finally

Can we get a hey ya! OutKast is finally coming out with a new album.

The Atlanta hip hop-duo, who've been MIA from the music scene since 2003's multiplatinum-selling, Grammy-winning double disc, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, announced Tuesday that the hugely anticipated follow-up album, Idlewild, will hit store shelves on Aug. 22.

"Mighty-O," the lead single and first collaborative track for Andre "Andre 3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton in over six years, will drop two weeks earlier.

The album will also serve as the soundtrack to their big-screen musical of the same name, which will unspool nationwide Aug. 25.

Idlewild the movie is a period piece set in a 1930s Georgia speakeasy. Benjamin and Patton play Percival and Rooster, a club owner and his piano-playing partner who fend off gangsters while pursuing their dreams of show-biz success.

Ving Rhames, Ben Vereen, Cicely Tyson, Patti LaBelle and Macy Gray also star. OutKast music video director and longtime pal Bryan Barber is making his feature writing and directing debut on the project.

The movie and album mark the first professional teaming of Dre, 31, and Big Boi, 30, since 2000's Stankonia. The rappers produced Speakerboxxx/The Love Below as two solo albums packaged together but branded with the OutKast moniker.

Despite the disc's massive success--selling more than 10 million copies, winning three Grammys, including Album of the Year and Best Rap Album, and spawning two massive hits--Dre's "Hey Ya!" and Big Boi's "The Way You Move"--the childhood pals seemed to drift apart, with success and shifting priorities putting a strain on their relationship.

According to Entertainment Weekly, Patton wanted to hit the road in support of Speakerboxxx, but Benjamin opted to move to Los Angeles and launch his acting career with roles in Be Cool and Four Brothers. Ultimately, Big Boi toured without him.

Benjamin eventually moved back to Atlanta and the two began working on Idlewild. The film has been in the can for nearly two years, its release postponed while OutKast perfected the accompanying album, which the distributor (Universal and HBO Films)and label (LaFace/Zomba) wanted to release jointly.

The delays have generated some bad buzz on the Internet, with several fans believing that the studio is dumping the film in the dog days of summer. OutKast and the filmmakers insist otherwise.

Aside from box-office receipts and Billboard bullets, the real question is whether Idlewild will serve as OutKast's swan song--something the duo has definitely hinted it.

"The business has put a strain on our relationship," Benjamin told EW. "We're like brothers, though. We can argue, but we're still gonna be together. I want Big Boi to do well inside and outside of OutKast. Because certain things don't last forever, and you have to start preparing for that."

Nelly Furtado reinvents herself

Our sweet little ol' Nelly Furtado has gone all Christina Aguilera on us with her racy new album titled Loose.

It turns out Nelly Furtado is like a bird in one way. As she sat down to talk with The Toronto Sun yesterday, she let out a bird-like trill that comes from the back of her throat. Is she calling the cops?

"It's a vocal warmup I do when I'm about to talk," she says with an embarrassed laugh. "It's become a bit of a joke now, I do it so unconsciously."

Otherwise these days, she's less like a bird and more like (pick your pop diva) Gwen Stefani, Christina Aguilera, etc., with a beat-heavy album called Loose, laid down by producer Timbaland (Missy Elliott, Justin Timberlake), and a "sexed-up" video called Promiscuous. (There's another one called Maneater that's already number two in Britain).

The audience for Sunday's MuchMusic Video Awards got to see Furtado and Timbaland perform Promiscuous, their second live national TV appearance in a week, including last Tuesday's episode of Fox's So You Think You Can Dance.

"We're getting closer doing all these TV performances," Furtado says. "Tim's a really fun guy and his real world's the studio. But he enjoyed the MuchMusic thing because he really comes alive in front of a crowd in a show environment."

And they also got to see the kind of new friends she's making lately. In one newspaper photo she and Paris Hilton are laughing about something on the red carpet.

What do you talk about with Paris Hilton? Her new album, it turns out.

"I met her in Miami last summer. She was recording her album at the Hit Factory (the studio where Furtado recorded Loose), and I'm friends with Scott Storch, who produced it. She's actually sweet. I'm looking forward to her album."

Loose ... Promiscuous ... Maneater ... hanging out with decency offenders like Paris ... is this any way for the mother of a three-year-old girl to act? (Her daughter Nevis is named after a Caribbean island. The father, her band's ex-DJ Jasper Gahunia is a writer/producer for K-OS these days. "We'll be in each other's lives forever, we made our beautiful daughter together," Furtado says.)

"I think if you compare it to Christina Aquilera's Dirrty, my video is actually a bit prudish. I'm not surprised people like it because it was so fun to shoot. But being a mother I don't have time to go to clubs, so I put fake club scenes in my videos to make it look like I'm getting out more," she says with a giggle.

"But I'm taking 'yummy mummy' to a whole new level. Angelina Jolie is an icon for me. It's about dimensions, about not being just one thing, not being typecast. I can be smart and sexy and funny and I can be all those things at the same time.

"Today, I'm wearing tight pants and high heels. I'm a mother, I've changed, I've got more curves and I've got a right to be sexy. It's my feminine right. For a long time I've been struggling with my inner tough chick and now I can let her out.

"Although," she adds, "you can still see my softer side on some of these songs." Case in point, the plaintive Why Do All Good Things Come To An End, with a chorus riffed by Coldplay's Chris Martin.

"It was totally organic and unplanned; no publicists were called," she says. "I bumped into him at the MTV Awards and he's like 'Wow, Timbaland! I wanna see him work!" Meanwhile, Tim adored the latest Coldplay album and blasted it in the studio. The two of them were like kids in a candy store for real and I kind of had to shove a guitar in Chris's hand to get them to stop giggling and make music."

This evolution hasn't been received with 100% approval by her fans, some of whom have registered online their displeasure over the change in the waifish artist who burst onto the scene in 2001 with the album Whoa, Nelly! and the folk-poppy hit I'm Like A Bird.

"They never like all of what you do," she says philosophically. "I mean, it's great that people stay up night thinking about me, but I wish they'd read a book or something. I really think if they love you or hate you it's good. Apathy is bad."

In between Whoa, Nelly! and Loose, there was another album, Folklore, in which she recorded Portuguese folk tunes from her native Azores. The album sold poorly here, but sold more than two million in Europe, where the song Forca became the theme song for the 2004 Euro Cup.

"Portugal went all the way to the final with Greece, and we sang it at the final. It was a great experience and I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

On Loose, however, there are no songs in Portuguese, but two in Spanish (one of which, No Hay Igual was named the album's most download-worthy song by Entertainment Weekly). As the World Cup unfolds, can she still be the darling of Portuguese soccer, recording in Spanish?

"The funny part is my cousins in Portugal have told me they prefer me singing in Spanish because my Portuguese isn't very good," she says. But once an Azorean, always an Azorean.

On the World Cup front "it's Portugal and then Brazil. The cool thing about Portugal and Brazil is if Portugal gets knocked out, they'll all be cheering for Brazil. And if Portugal and Brazil ever met in a final, it would be all love."

NELLY FURTADO MINI BIO

BORN: Dec. 2, 1978 in Victoria, B.C. A first-generation Canadian and one of three children to working-class Azorean-Portuguese parents (from Sao Miguel Island).

MIDDLE NAME: Kim

FAMILY: In 2003, gave birth to daughter Nevis (named for the Caribbean island, Nevis, on which she was conceived), on Sept. 20, 2003 in Toronto.

FIRST BIG HIT: Furtado came to fame in 2000 with the release of her debut album Whoa, Nelly!, which featured the Grammy Award-winning single I'm Like A Bird and Turn Off The Light.

INSTRUMENTS: She plays the guitar, keyboard, ukulele and trombone.

Kidman, Urban soothe paparazzi with cold beer

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman and fiance Keith Urban used a very Australian gift to soothe the paparazzi camped outside her Sydney home on Tuesday ahead of their expected weekend wedding -- a case of cold beer.

After staking out Kidman's harbourside Sydney house for most of the day, some 20 photographers heard her garage door start to rise and quickly armed themselves with motor-drive cameras.

But instead of a shot of the bride and groom before the wedding day, the paparazzi were met by two women carrying a case of beer and water bottles.

Written on the case of 24 bottles of "Victoria Bitter" beer was a note: "Enjoy!, Nicole and Keith."

And it seemed the gesture worked, at least temporarily, with the paparazzi thanking their host and enjoying the beer -- a universal greeting of friendship in Australia.

On a previous visit Kidman clashed with a photographer, claiming he was planting a listening device near her home and gained a court restraining order against him.

But on this trip Kidman is using all her Hollywood charms.

Earlier in the day the paparazzi sent Kidman flowers to celebrate her 39th birthday on Tuesday and sang her happy birthday via a gate intercom.

Kidman emerged smiling. Asked what she planned for her birthday, she replied: "Not much, dinner at home with mum ... boring. Thank you for the flowers and the singing."

Kidman and country music star Urban arrived in Australia on Monday saying they had returned to Australia to be married.

Local media reported Kidman and Urban were tipped to tie the knot at a Catholic church near her family home in Sydney's northern suburbs at the weekend.

Kidman, who won an Academy Award for her role in the 2002 film "The Hours," ended her 10-year marriage to Tom Cruise in 2001. The couple has two adopted children.

She met Urban in January 2005 at an awards dinner held by the Australian government in Los Angeles honoring the two.

Kidman was born in Hawaii and raised in Australia, while Urban was born in New Zealand but also raised in Australia.

Urban won a Grammy in 2005 for best male country vocal performance with the song "You'll Think of Me."

Details of the wedding remain under wraps, but local media said Kidman is rumored to be having a hen's night on Friday at a Sydney day spa and Urban will have his buck's night on Friday.

Guests will reportedly include fellow stars Naomi Watts, Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman, director Baz Luhrmann, and News Corp. Ltd. boss Rupert Murdoch and his wife Wendi Deng.

Brittany Murphy is voice of Disney's Tinker Bell

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Walt Disney Co on Tuesday said "Just Married" actress Brittany Murphy will provide the voice for the fairy Tinker Bell in an upcoming animated film, the first in the new Disney Fairies line.

Murphy, 28, provides the voice for the character Luanne Platter on the animated TV show "King of the Hill." Her voice will be the first ever to emanate from the mouth of Peter Pan's feisty sidekick in a Disney animated film. The direct-to-video film is due out in 2007.

Disney's Fairy franchise rolled out last fall and follows on the success of the company's Princess line, which has grossed $3 billion in fiscal 2005.

The Couch Potato Report - June 20th, 2006

This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on Neil Young, some dogs and Alfred Hitchcock's "rope."

Neil Percival Kenneth Robert Ragland Young was born in Toronto, and he lives in Northern California now, but he grew up in Winnipeg.

He was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1982 and he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice: first in 1995 for his solo work and again in 1997 as a member of Buffalo Springfield.

His credits - both in the music and humanitarian worlds - are unrivaled and unequaled, so I won’t list them. All I will say is this: Neil Young is a Canadian Icon.

On March 31, 2005, Young was admitted to a hospital in New York for treatment for a brain aneurysm. I am very happy to say that he was treated successfully by a minimally invasive procedure.

Sadly, Neil was forced to cancel a scheduled appearance at the Juno Awards in his hometown of Winnipeg.

Prior to undergoing the procedure, and then again after, he worked on a new album that he released in September of 2005 called “Prairie Wind.”

In addition to the songs that were inspired by Young's aneurysm, and the death of his father in June of 2005, “Prairie Wind” is also a beautiful ode to the Canadian prairies.

In the summer of 2005 Neil Young took that music inspired by Canada to Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium, the home of the original Grand Ole Opry.

Oscar winning director Jonathan Demme filmed the shows and the result is a superb new DVD called NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD.

Young and his band and friends perform “Prairie Wind” in its entirety in the 103 minute film, and they also give us some classics, including the film’s title song and “Harvest Moon.”

If you are already a fan of Neil Young, I suspect that you already have HEART OF GOLD in your collection, and if you don’t you should.

If you aren’t a fan of Neil Young, and that is okay too, I still recommend this film as it offers a chance to listen to some beautiful music from a man who - by God’s grace - is still with us.

HEART OF GOLD stars the acoustic Neil Young, not the man who is known as The Godfather Of Grunge Music, and the music is full of beautiful backing vocals and simple, elegant melodies.

And at the end, it's just Neil on the stage with no crowd and no bandmates for one last, beautiful song.

NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD is an incredible showcase of a great Canadian icon.

Neil, my friend, long may you run!

NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD is no dog, it is superb! Our next two movies aren’t dogs either, but they do have dogs in them.

EIGHT BELOW is an Antarctic explorer who is reluctantly forced by brutal cold to leave his team of eight sled dogs behind as he fends for his own survival, and the survival of the other people at their base.

The humans in the film are good, but it is the dogs who are the stars of the film as they attempt to find food and stay alive in the harsh below freezing temperatures.

EIGHT BELOW is based on a true story and while it isn't a superb film, due to the amount of time it takes for the humans to find a way to return to rescue the dogs, but it is an above average movie that the whole family can enjoy.

This week's other dog movie is LADY AND THE TRAMP II: SCAMP’S ADVENTURE.

Scamp is the son of Disney’s legendary Lady & The Tramp.

Seeking the freedom to be a wild dog, the son of Lady and the Tramp runs away to join a gang of junkyard dogs.

The original film was released in 1955 and it remains a classic to this day.

The sequel came out in 2001 and while it isn't anywhere near a classic it is pretty good.

If you could only see either LADY & THE TRAMP or LADY & THE TRAMP: SCAMP’S ADVENTURE I would suggest you stick with the original, but if you loved the original and want to see more, then check out the sequel as well.

Finally this week, Universal Home Video has re-released some of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic films on DVD, calling each “An Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece.”

Normally when a studio does that I just tell you that they have done it and then briefly recap the titles.

But I thought I would do something differently with these re-releases and them one at a time for the next few weeks.

I'll start this week with ROPE, Hitchcock’s 1948 film about two men who commit a murder just to see what it's like.

After the murder the men hide the body in their large apartment, and then throw a dinner party.

The film’s thrills come not in the murder of the execution of it, but in the suspense of whether or not the body will be discovered.

ROPE is based on a play, and the film does play out like something you would see on stage. Credit for that is shared with Canadian born actor and writer Hume Cronyn who adapted it for the silver screen.

While ROPE it might not be one of Hitchcock’s films that you can watch over and over again, it is still full of suspense.

Plus, this is the film where James Stewart made his first starring role for Hitchcock. That collaboration would eventually yield the masterpieces REAR WINDOW and VERTIGO.

ROPE, LADY AND THE TRAMP II: SCAMP’S ADVENTURE, EIGHT BELOW and NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD are all available now on DVD.

Coming up in two weeks in the next Couch Potato Report

ANNAPOLIS is set at the well-known Naval Academy and it centers on a young man from the wrong side of the tracks whose dream of attending becomes a reality.

I’ll continue our tribute to ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S FILMS with the Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY and take a look at the TV shows THE ROCKFORD FILES - SEASON TWO and COACH - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON.

I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in fourteen 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!

Carolina edges Oilers to win Stanley Cup

RALEIGH, N.C. - This time, the Stanley Cup gets to stay on Tobacco Road. A couple of low-scoring Carolina defensemen put Edmonton's comeback on ice and Cam Ward stopped nearly everything that came his way, giving the Hurricanes their first NHL championship with a 3-1 victory in Game 7 on Monday night.

Aaron Ward and Frantisek Kaberle found the net for the Hurricanes — a couple of unlikely players to carry the offense, considering they were each six-goal scorers during the regular season and had combined for only four in the playoffs.

Then there's the guy who made sure two goals were enough. Cam Ward, the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the most valuable player in the playoffs, wasn't even Carolina's No. 1 goalie at the beginning of the postseason, but the 22-year-old rookie got the call when Martin Gerber struggled in an opening round against Montreal.

The young star wound up winning more games in the playoffs (15) than he did backing up Gerber during the regular season (14).

"I mean, this is a dream come true," Ward said. "I couldn't be with a better group of guys. They definitely deserve it."

Justin Williams finished off the Oilers, scoring an empty-net goal with 1:01 remaining after Edmonton had cut the lead in half early in the third period.

Edmonton defenseman Chris Pronger, a stalwart throughout the series, gave up the puck in the Carolina zone and wound up making a helpless dive to block Williams' gimme into the goal.

Bret Hedican, among a contingent of 30-something Carolina players who had never won the cup, leaped in the air after Williams' shot went in. The crowd of nearly 19,000, which stood throughout the game, went into a frenzy.

"We want the cup!" they chanted over and over.

They got it, bringing the trophy to territory best known for college basketball.

"I can't describe it," said Hedican, who lost in two previous trips to the finals. "Both times were gut-wrenching. I've got the scars. But tonight, all that work, all that hard work, and our team winning, it all paid off."

It paid off, too, for captain Rod Brind'Amour, Glen Wesley, Doug Weight and Ray Whitney. Along with Hedican, they had been in the league for a total of 78 seasons without winning the cup.

Now, they'll all have their names on it.

The Hurricanes were born in the old World Hockey Association as the Boston-based New England Whalers, and entered the NHL in 1979 playing out of Hartford. When their demands for a new arena were turned aside, the team headed south in 1997.

The first two years in Carolina were a dismal experience, the team forced to play 80 miles away in Greensboro while a new arena was built in Raleigh. Few fans turned up in the beginning and the upper deck was curtained off, the demand for tickets so light.

Now, the Hurricanes are champions, capitalizing on their second trip to the finals. Four years ago, they were beaten in five games by Detroit.

The Oilers have nothing to be ashamed of, making it all the way to the final game of the season after barely getting into the playoffs.

Fernando Pisani did it again for Edmonton, scoring his playoff-leading 14th goal just over a minute into the third to make a game of it, and goalie Jussi Markkanen had another strong game with 25 saves.

The series looked as if it would be a rout when Carolina rallied from a three-goal deficit to win Game 1 and blew out the Oilers 5-0 in Game 2. The Oilers also had to cope with the loss of playoff star Dwayne Roloson, who had played every minute of the postseason in goal until he went out with a knee injury in the opener.

But, led by Markkanen and Pisani, the Oilers rebounded from a 3-1 deficit. They pulled out an overtime win in Carolina — with the cup somewhere in the bowels of the RBC Center, waiting to be handed out if the Hurricanes won.

Edmonton returned home and blew out Carolina 4-0 in Game 6.

That's where the comeback ended. Brind'Amour made sure of that, urging on his teammates to finish what they started.

Appropriately enough, the captain was the first one to get the cup. Brind'Amour broke down in tears of joy as he lifted it up.

"He's the leader of this team," Cam Ward said. "Once again, he came up huge for us."

Right from the start, Carolina seized the momentum with the sort of energy and passion that had been missing since Game 5.

Erik Cole delivered a big hit at center ice to force Edmonton into a turnover, and Matt Cullen took off the other way with the puck. He swept in on Markkanen, who made a good save off his chest.

The Hurricanes didn't let up, keeping Edmonton bottled up in its own zone. Mark Recchi got possession behind the net and attempted a pass to Andrew Ladd standing in front, only to have the ricochet back to Aaron Ward moving in from the point.

That worked out just fine for Carolina. The defenseman delivered a slap shot that skidded through a half-dozen players scrumming in front of the net and on through the legs of Markkanen, who appeared to be screened.

It was the Hurricanes' first goal in 95:01 since the second period of Game 5.

Carolina thought it had another goal in the final seconds of the period. Brind'Amour flipped a pass to Craig Adams, who fanned on his first shot but then backhanded the puck off Markkanen's stick.

The goalie fell facefirst to the ice, the puck spinning over him and toward the post. Defenseman Steve Staios dove into the net and stuck out his right glove in an attempt to keep the puck out.

It was hard to tell exactly where the puck was on most of the replays, but one angle appeared to show the puck sliding under Staios and just across the goal line. However, the officials ruled that play was dead as soon as Staios struck the puck with his hand since a delayed penalty had been called on Edmonton's Ethan Moreau — a huge break for the Oilers with 4.1 seconds left in the period.

Carolina finally made it 2-0 with just over four minutes gone in the second. Kaberle fired a slap shot over a diving Jason Smith, whose sweater appeared to catch part of the puck and cause it to dip under Markkanen's left pad when he had his glove out to make the save.

Pisani gave the Oilers hope at 1:03 in the third, crashing the net to knock in a loose puck after Cam Ward had already made one save and turned aside a rebound try.

Edmonton was the first eighth-seeded team to reach the finals under the current format, knocking off three higher-ranked teams — including regular-season champ Detroit — along the way.

The Oilers were in the finals for the first time since 1990, when they won their fifth cup in seven years. For most of the '80s, Edmonton was the center of the hockey world with star-studded teams led by Wayne Gretzky, Mark Messier, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey and Grant Fuhr.

But spiraling salaries and changing economics sent the Oilers into a tailspin, putting their very future in doubt. Now, in the first season of the new salary cap-protected NHL, they made a title run with a blue-collar team featuring few big names.

But Edmonton failed in its bid to bring the Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time since Montreal's championship in 1993.

Instead, the cup is remaining in Dixie. Tampa Bay won in 2004 and now the trophy belongs to Carolina after an entire season was lost to a lockout.

Country rocker Toby Keith's hit "How do You Like Me Now?" blared out in the arena as the Hurricanes passed around the cup.

A fan held up a sign, "Hockey, The New Southern Sport."

Notes:@ It was the first time that three straight Stanley Cup finals have gone to Game 7. ... Bill McCreary and Brad Watson were picked as the referees, working their second game in a row. This was the 11th straight finals appearance for McCreary.

Whedon Gives Wonder Woman Update

Wizard magazine has published a great interview in which Brian Michael Bendis asked Joss Whedon questions about a variety of subjects. The Wonder Woman came up:

WHEDON: I am having enormous trouble with the ["Wonder Woman" movie] script. It's going very well and I'm loving life, but because it's only at script stage and there will be no discussion of casting before, I don't really deal with that. No, it's weird, I'm in my office and it's just me.

WHEDON: It's kept me busy for a long time. I'm finally finishing the second draft. I'm very happy with it, but wow! Wow, this one was like pulling teeth. It's tough. I would watch "Batman Begins" and just grumble, just b*tch and moan, because he's got everything. He's got so much of the work done for him. He's got the best rogues' gallery. He's got the best origin story. Wonder Woman is a lot more to figure out. But it's coming together.

Lowdown: Kreviazuk sings 'Ghost Stories'

Chantal Kreviazuk is back on the Canadian charts, but this time it's not with a song she co-wrote for Kelly Clarkson, Gwen Stefani or Avril Lavigne.

The Winnipeg-born singer-pianist has released her first solo single since becoming a multi-platinum-selling songwriter for other artists. The album, "Ghost Stories," is due August 29 on Sony BMG Music Canada.

After two weeks at radio, "All I Can Do" debuted at #46 on the Hot AC spins chart and #42 at Hot AC audience, according to Nielsen BDS Canada.

"All I can do is love you to pieces / Give you a shoulder to cry when you need it," she sings in the chorus.

It's a beautiful, bright piano pop song that includes the line "What a lovely day to shape your dreams / And you don't even have to sleep / You can make it what you want to be."

"I wrote it for my kids. I can't listen to it," Kreviazuk says, getting emotional, as it plays in a room at her Toronto record label. "It sounds a little bit different than the rest of the record. That's the only issue I have with it. That one's very big. It's a big pop/rock song."

Produced by her husband, Raine Maida of rock band Our Lady Peace, she says the couple made sure they did a few little things to tie the song in with the rest of the album. Like this she demonstrates, singing the "Ahhhh-oh-oh Aaaaalllll all I" that leads into the last chorus. "Which is a little bit gospel," she concludes, "because a lot of the record has a gospel theme to it."

Kreviazuk is at Sony BMG Music Canada, meeting with many of the staff for the first time since Sony and BMG merged in 2004. Until then, she had released three solo albums for Columbia/Sony -- 1997's "Under These Rocks," which scanned 175,000 units in Canada, according to Nielsen Soundscan Canada; 1999's "Colour Moving And Still," which scanned 195,000; and 2002's "What If It All Means Something," which scanned 70,000 amid the corporate confusion that was happening at the label when the joint venture and pending layoffs were announced.

"If can be completely honest, I'm really excited about Lisa Zbitnew being my record company president," says Kreviazuk.

It was Zbitnew who arranged for her to perform at Sony BMG's annual Managing Directors Conference in Miami, FL back in March, after she heard the song "Ghosts Of You." The MDC is attended by the heads of all the record labels in the Sony BMG family, including Clive Davis and Donny Ienner.

"It was the first song we sent around, just to prove we were making a record, because everybody was like, 'Where's your album?' We're like, 'F*** off, we'll hand it in when it's done,'" Kreviazuk laughs. "I think they wondered if we were even doing anything. So we handed them 'Ghosts' and everybody flipped out. So Lisa had me play for the entire world convention and the only other people that played were the Dixie Chicks."

"I was like, '(Play) just this one song?' And they were like, 'Well, you have to play another one.' I assumed that it would be an old one because then people would remember me from my other records and they called me a couple of days before and they were like, 'Nope, you've got to play another new one.' I was like, 'S**t, I really don't have a record, I really don't (laughs).' So I finished 'All I Can Do' and performed that one as well and it was great."

"Ghosts Of You" is Jonathan Ramos' favourite, the director of A&R whispers to this reporter after his first proper in-person meeting with Kreviazuk. He was hired at the label last year, after years in management and as a concert promoter, and didn't A&R the album.

He didn't have to. Now that Kreviazuk has had placed songs on albums by multi-million-selling artists -- and Maida most notably produced Lavigne -- they are a proven, self-contained unit that doesn't need to be closely monitored in the studio.

"Me coming in after she started the record, it wasn't really my place to do that, but my role in this was to help manage it and help it along," explains Ramos, who set up the mixing dates with Chris Lord-Alge (Green Day, Three Days Grace, Jewel), who did the single, and Michael Brauer (Coldplay, Bob Dylan, Stabilo), who did the album.

"Because I didn't A&R it in the traditional sense of the word, and Lisa would ask me, 'What's going on with Chantal's record? What's going on with the Chantal record?' all I could really do was reach out to (Nettwerk) management and say, 'What's going on with Chantal's record?'

"But the first single I ever got was 'Ghosts Of You' and when I heard it, it knocked me out, and not just that's my job as an A&R, but it was so different, such a departure from what I thought she was - because there's a theme running through all her music, in terms of you just recognize it.

"We were expecting quite a bit (from her) because of who she's become now, as a writer, and she's surprised a lot of people -- me included, as how prolific she is and who she's worked with and just how accomplished she is, so now we're like, 'Now, this is her; stop giving these songs away.'

"But then I'm like, 'Are we going to get a compilation-sounding album that sounds like a Gwen Stefani track, a Kelly Clarkson or Avril Lavigne track, but, really, it's all her. And this 'Ghosts' track - because she did a lot of strings on the album - it just blew me away and I told Lisa, 'This is what the album is going to sound like? We're good.'"

She and Maida started on the album about two years ago in their home studio in Los Angeles, but didn't buckle down until February and March of this year. She co-wrote the majority of the songs with him and the rest on her own.

Writing between 150 to 200 songs the past two years and scoring hits for Lavigne, Clarkson and Stefani had made her a more practiced, artful songwriter, but she never once thought of making a pop record herself. And yet she did dig into her repertoire of songs that had been pitched to other artists.

"Ghosts Of You," in fact, started off being a song for Stefani that the No Doubt singer didn't end up using on her solo debut, so Kreviazuk changed it up considerably "so it turned into my song," she says. It's about her connection with her late cousin, Brenda, her best friend who passed away at age 36.

"It's the most simple lyric," says Kreviazuk, and begins to recount it: "We were occupied / Never had to go outside / I was your alibi / We were planning our escape / We stayed up all night with Lucy and the diamond sky/drank cheap red white and talked ourselves to sleep / Please don't go / These ghosts of you/the only thing that helped me get through the day / Please don't go / 'cause I love you / You're the only thing that will stay the same.'"

She says that she selected the album title "Ghost Stories" -- verses naming it after the song "Ghosts Of You" which her label, she says, preferred initially -- because there is an overall ghost theme to the songs. "The ghost thing, it does reflects the death of my cousin, but it also reflects the things we pretend aren't there; the things that we make disappear, like poverty, war, the misfits, the useless.

"Things are pretty direct. There's a couple of quite abstract things. Like there's one abstract song called 'Spoken Tongues' where it, to me, relates to the ghost stories theme because it's about a ghost of a relationship.

"There's a lot of remembering and grieving and a lot of is spiritual too, so in that sense I think 'Ghost Stories' really pulls it together well."

What's most unique about the album is there is not one guitar on the album.

"I think Raine was sick of my first three albums, people trying to take this piano-singer and then do something with it, but always using guitars. He's be like, 'Why are you doing that?' And the funny thing is that this album rocks way more than anything I've ever done and there's not one fuckin' guitar lick in it.

"Yeah, it's so amazing," she enthuses. "Raine is the most unbelievable producer. He's phenomenal. He's the guy. He's f****g amazing."

On the album, Maida played some bass, Kreviazuk recreated some bass on keyboards and Jason Lader, who engineered much of "Ghost Stories," also played some. Randy Cooke played a lot of the drums and string players were also brought in.

Kreviazuk realizes her success as a songwriter gave her the freedom to make this album with her husband without any interference from the label.

"Actually this is a funny story," she begins. "A couple of years ago, before we did all sorts of other projects, I remember calling up management or the label or something and saying, 'I've got the songs, I'd really like my husband to produce them' and I remember the response was, 'Well, do the demos and get them to us.' I remember thinking, 'That's such bullshit, what bullshit.' And then all it took was having a hit or being on these massive records and now nobody bats an eye. Now, you do what you want to do.

"But we're human and this is not a perfect world. You have to pay your dues and earn your status. And so thankfully, now that that's happened, a) it allows me a creative freedom, and it allows me this privacy to do some great things. So it's the greatest thing I've done because I didn't feel pressure. I just wrote music I felt. It's so exciting and b), if it doesn't do what I think it should do, I kind of don't care. I do, but I don't. Financially, I don't. So I just go back to my drawing board and keep creating and maybe work on someone's record."

Track listing (order not finalized)

Ghosts Of You

Too Late (Wonderful)

I Know You Blame Yourself But Don't

Out of the Shadows

All I Can Do

Spoke in Tongues

Grow Up So Fast

Waiting For The Sun (Mad Mad World)

Mad About You

Asylum

The Wendy House

Amy Lee opens up about new Evanescence disc

TORONTO - Just like one of the gang, Evanescence frontwoman Amy Lee emerges from a hotel suite, strides up to a pristinely arranged table of cold cuts and crackers, and declares herself famished.

Garbed in a pixie-like outfit, which sees her sporting a sleeveless heather-grey tee, over a black, pink frilly edge skirt and slightly worn Cons, the 24-year-old California native then joins her handlers in trying to figure out who'd be wearing what to Sunday night's MuchMusic Video Awards.

Moments later, now fully energized, the fresh-faced singer/ songwriter tucks herself comfortably into a plush couch in her Yorkville hotel, eager to talk about her band's latest disc, "The Open Door," due in stores October 3.

"It's just killing me," she says with a mock laugh. "I wish we could put it out right now."

"I mean, who knows what's going to happen by October? We may all be worshipping polka people by then."

Three years after their major label debut, the multi-platinum, Grammy-winning "Fallen," Lee says the new record lets her finally stretch herself in ways even she didn't think possible.

"The Open Door," the band's first album since the departure of lead guitarist and main songwriter Ben Moody in 2003, finds Evanescence rocking out way more, she says.

"I think if people expect this album is going to be softer and more feminine and more wimpy, they're going to be surprised," she begins carefully. "It's not an album full of "My Immortal"-like songs. Every song is completely different and I feel like at times it definitely goes heavier than we had the capacity to do before. But in a way that's still new and fun and unique and not trying to be like anything else that's out there."

Sidestepping Moody's abrupt departure for a moment, Lee admits that her work on the disc, which was recorded in Los Angeles earlier this year, helped her discover how to be a better artist.

"This time around I was in control completely and didn't have any real limits," she says. "I felt like I could do things that I didn't know I could do before and that's an incredible feeling. And I realized I could do a lot more things than I thought I could, as a singer, as a music writer, even as an engineer."

"It was nice to be able to write something and not have it shot down," she says, taking a mild swipe at Moody, who met Lee at a youth camp while they were teens, before forming the band in Arkansas in the late '90s.

It was also nice to collaborate with a different musician, she says, enthusing about Moody's replacement, former Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo.

"I've never really written with someone before. I don't know if Ben and I ever wrote a song together. It was always, I would write and he would write and then we would bring our ideas together."

"But the writing process with Terry was really, really great and different. We would just sit in a room and make demos. We'd work together and talk to each other and encourage one another. This whole writing together thing is good for me. I needed Terry to make it happen the way it did. I trust him and we trust each other to just try whatever."

Besides, since she started writing the album more than a year ago until now, Lee says she's been deaf to the cat calls of people who say she can't make it without Ben.

"Those I hate the most," she moans. "But I don't bother with any of it. It's not even worth it. All I have to say is, people who don't think I can do it - I can do it."

Again teamed with "Fallen" producer Dave Fortman (Mudvayne), the record - which features 13 tracks including the propulsive "Weight Of The World," the full-bodied, "Lithium," the haunting "Good Enough" and the gut-spilling first single, "Call Me When You're Sober" - is everything Lee had ever wanted to try both as a singer and songwriter.

"On this record, I tried things that I couldn't do before because I'm better now as a musician. And anything that I had wanted to try, but before was afraid to do, I tried that too. Because of that, I feel this album steps out. It's grown up."

Curling herself into the couch, streams of the late afternoon sun streaking its way across the room, she says that what's going to surprise people most about the new record is that the reincarnated Evanescence can do it all.

"You can't make a record thinking about sales or things like that," she says softly. "It's got to be natural. It's got to be that you're writing because you want to make music, not because you want to sell records. So, I just thought to myself, 'I'm going to write songs. I'm just going to write something that I can love. Period.'"

"The Open Door" will be in stores October 3.

Price a sticking point as Apple negotiates for movie downloads

Apple Computer Inc. is negotiating with most of Hollywood's studios to offer movie downloads on its iTunes website, potentially by the end of 2006.

The major sticking point to the talks seems to be price, according to Variety magazine.

As with the recording studios, who have been pressuring Apple to offer different pricing for different songs, the studios want to charge more for their most popular products.

But Apple chief executive Steve Jobs wants a flat price of $9.99 per movie.

The flat price format has worked well for music at iTunes. Its simplicity appealed to consumers, who adopted legal downloading in large numbers with the advent of Apple's iTunes music store.

In May the recording studios agreed to renew their contracts with Apple with the same flat price scheme, which gives them 70 per cent of the revenue.

But Hollywood has so far rejected the concept of flat pricing, Variety reports, saying executives want a range of prices, such as consumers might see at stores selling video and DVDs.

Hollywood movies have a limited online market now at websites like Movielink and CinemaNow, and Warner Bros. recently agreed to make movies available via BitTorrent. But no site offering films yet has the wide exposure of iTunes.

Several European countries are worried about iTunes' dominance in the music downloading market.

Scandinavian consumer action

France is trying to introduce a law that will force Apple to make its iTunes music operable on any portable player.

Last week consumer agencies in Norway, Sweden and Denmark sent a joint letter to Apple, accusing it of having illegal restrictions on product usage.

Apple is violating contract and copyright laws by ignoring consumer rights to copy music they've bought into any format, they said.

The regulators have given the company until to Aug. 1 to respond and say they will take Apple to court if they're not satisfied with the answer.

They also objected to Apple's practice of constantly changing software and its contract with consumers, which waives the company from responsibility for damages related to its service.

"Consumers must be free to choose the equipment and software they want to use. Access to content should not be limited by accidental choices of technology," Torgeir Waterhouse, a senior adviser on the Norwegian Consumer Council, wrote in a complaint to the Norwegian Consumer Ombudsman.

Superman Returns Reviews Fly In

Early 'net reactions say it soars

The cape is ironed, the boots polished and the pants still outside the tights.

Superman Returns arrives in theatres next week and -almost all - early reaction to Bryan Singer's re-jigging of the world's most famous superhero says it's a flyer.

"A worthy successor to Superman: The Movie and Superman II, if never quite as much fun. A darker take on Superman, the polished, character-driven narrative and Routh’s fine performance ensure that the Man Of Steel will remain a magnet for moviegoers" - Empire

"Grandly conceived and sensitively drawn Superman saga. Sure to rate with aficionados alongside "Spider-Man 2" and, for many, "Batman Begins" on the short list of best superhero spectaculars...One can praise newcomer Routh very highly indeed" - Variety

"This is one summer blockbuster whose 150 minute-running time will fly by as fast as Superman himself" - Mike Goodridge, Screendaily.com

"This is the film I was hoping and dreaming for...The film is filled with love for more than just the previous movies, but the comics and even the classic George Reeves television show. This honors them all, while doing its own wonderful thing" - Harry Knowles

"Singer has made a much better film than [Superman] part I or part II -- craftier, a bit dryer, more fully rendered, less comic book-y, and more deeply felt" - Jeffrey Wells, Hollywood Elsewhere

And because there's always one...

"Where to start on Superman Returns? It's terribly cast, poorly conceived, extremely light on action, features a romance that is not remotely romantic, doesn't feature a single memorable, "gosh, that was great" repeat-to-your-friends moment in a positive way (the blunder bits start early and often), will be crushed by Pirates of The Caribbean II and played out completely before August 1" - David Poland, Movie City News

New Releases, June 20: Nelly Furtado, Madonna, Keane

Nelly Furtado "Loose"

"Loose," Canadian singer Nelly Furtado's first new album since 2003's "Folklore," looks like it will mark a recovery from the disappointing sales of its predecessor. The new cut "Maneater" is now spending a second week at No. 1 on the UK singles chart, helping to lead the album to a No. 5 debut on the UK album chart.

In the US, lead single "Promiscuous," a duet with her "Loose" collaborator Timbaland, currently sits at No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100.

Furtado made a splash in 2000 with her hit "I'm Like a Bird," from her debut set, "Whoa Nelly."

* * *
Madonna "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret"

If you didn't get what you wanted on Madonna's Confessions tour--namely, the old hits--you might want to give this CD/DVD set a spin. The Material Girl delivers the goods with "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret," which documents the pop star's Reinvention World Tour of 2004. The collection includes such fan favorites and chart toppers as "Vogue," "Like a Prayer," "Music" and "Into the Groove." The disc also includes a version of John Lennon's "Imagine."

Unlike some CD/DVD sets, which offer more for the ears than for the eyes, "I'm Going to Tell You a Secret" could be well worth watching. The Reinvention tour was one of the most elaborately staged productions of recent years.

* * *
Keane "Under the Iron Sea"

Don't call Keane a bunch of slackers. In 2004-05, the band toured its native UK four times and made five treks through the US, which included opening for U2. The group also visited Mexico, Japan, and Australia, and played at the massive Live 8 show in London.

Somehow, amid all this touring activity, the band found time to record a follow-up to 2004's "Hopes and Fears." The first single from this 11-track new set is titled "Is it Any Wonder?"

* * *
Corinne Bailey Rae "Corinne Bailey Rae"

Corinne Bailey Rae is already a big star in Great Britain. The singer's eponymous debut entered the UK album chart at No. 1 back in March--making Bailey the first female British artist to accomplish that feat with a debut record of original songs. Since that impressive start, "Corinne Bailey Rae" has gone on to achieve double-platinum certification in the UK.

Now, Rae is hoping to capture the hearts of fans living on the other side of the Atlantic. The vocalist, who has been compared to both Norah Jones and Macy Gray, is certainly getting plenty of valuable exposure. Notably, she is scheduled to appear June 27 on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," and iTunes recently selected Rae's song "Put Your Records On" as its Single of the Week.

* * *
Gram Parsons "The Complete Reprise Sessions"

Gram Parsons helped write the book on country-rock with his solo albums "GP" and "Grievous Angel." "The Complete Reprise Sessions," a set that no self-respecting alt-country fan should be without, presents remastered and expanded versions of both of those landmark albums.

The inclusion of a third disc in the set--which features alternative takes from the recording sessions for those two albums--is what will really have big Parsons fans standing in line to buy "The Complete Reprise Sessions."

* * *
Guster "Ganging Up on the Sun"

Guster, a group that manages to appeal to both Phish-heads and frat boys, returns with its first studio album in three years. "Ganging Up on the Sun" was co-produced by Ron Aniello, who is the same guy who helmed the controls for Guster's last outing, "Keep It Together."

* * *
More new releases:
Marc Cohn, "Greatest Hits" (Rhino)
Paula Cole, "Greatest Hits" (Rhino)
Counting Crows, "New Amsterdam: Live at Heineken Music Hall February 6, 2003" (Geffen)
Cute Is What We Aim For, "The Same Old Blood Rush with a New Touch" (Fueled by Ramen)
Dragonforce, "Inhuman Rampage" (Roadrunner)
Front Line Assembly, "Artificial Soldier"
Donell Jones, "Journey of a Gemini" (Le Face)
Salif Keita, "M'Bemba" (Decca)
Carlos Libedinsky, "Narcotango" (Tademus)
Lordi, "Arockalypse" (BMG)
Willie Nelson, "Willie Nelson: The Complete Atlantic Sessions" (Rhino)
Old 97's, "The Best of Old 97's" (Rhino)
Diana Ross, "Blue" (Motown)
Walter Trout, "Full Circle" (Ruf)
Underoath, "Define the Great Line" (Tooth and Nail)

Soundtracks and scores:
Battlestar Galactica: Season 2 (La-La Land)

Justin Timberlake Looks To The 'Future'

Justin Timberlake has penciled in a Sept. 12 North American release date for his second solo album, "FutureSex/LoveSounds." The Jive set will be preceded by the single "SexyBack," which will be delivered July 7 to U.S. radio outlets. The track was co-written and co-produced by Timberlake with Timbaland and Nate Hills.

As for the new album, additional production was supplied by Rick Rubin and JAWBreakers, Timberlake's behind-the-boards duo with the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am.

will.i.am was at a loss to describe the project's musical direction when asked in January by Billboard.com. "I can't explain it, that's how dope it is," he said with a laugh. "He just surprised me again. I was surprised that I was even going to like Justin Timberlake. Then he turned me into a fan, and I've become a fan. That means you are so talented that you are changing people's vocabulary