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."

"FutureSex/LoveSounds" is the follow-up to 2002's "Justified," which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 and has sold more than 3.5 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Timberlake is planning a U.S. club tour in August to unveil the new material.

Kardinall Offishall tops MMVAs

TORONTO (CP) - Screaming fans, scandalous celebrities and more than a couple of bare buttocks overtook downtown Toronto for the country's wildest freewheeling awards show Sunday.

Kardinal Offishall was the big winner at the annual celebrity spectacle that is the MuchMusic Video Awards, but it was Jacob Hoggard and the boys from Hedley who left celebrity gawkers with a night to remember after they pulled down their pants to reveal Hedley tattoos on their bottoms.

The B.C. band had fans screaming with their outrageous red-carpet arrival in a white police van, pouring out of the vehicle with hot female cops - dressed in miniskirts and heels - on their tails.

Kardinal, who led the nominees with five nods, revelled in the cheers that greeted him as he arrived in a screaming red firetruck, doing his best to one-up fellow nominees in what's become an annual test of the wild factor.

"We have to do everything in style, you know," Kardinal said.

The Toronto-based rapper snagged three of the coveted trophies for his single Everyday (Rudebwoy) - winning for best video, best director and the VideoFACT award.

"This is real good right here. ... This is for all my hip-hop people from east to west," Kardinal said before receiving his trophies.

"It's funny, though, that I'm not in the best hip-hop category."

Celebrity gawkers turned out in droves to catch glimpses of presenters and performers including party girl Paris Hilton, actress Tori Spelling, tabloid coverboy Nick Lachey and chart-topper Rihanna, who took home the prize for best international artist.

Massive outdoor stages were to feature live performances by Nelly Furtado featuring Timbaland, rockers Simple Plan and video favourites Fall Out Boy.

Hilton smiled and waved at fans after emerging from a simple black SUV. She said she wasn't fazed by tabloid scrutiny over her personal life, a favourite topic since her X-rated video floated through the Internet years ago.

"It's just life - I don't care," Hilton said. "I know I'm a good person."

More tabloid drama followed Spelling, who showed up arm-in-arm with Canadian actor Dean McDermott, recently split from Canadian television personality Mary Jo Eustace in an ugly affair that played out in the tabloids.

The former 90210 star, draped in a loose and flowy green, pink and yellow minidress, said it was just her second time to Toronto, and that she was excited to "get to walk down the red carpet with this hot man," gesturing to McDermott, her new husband.

Inside the sprawling Much complex, McDermott's spurned ex-wife was one of several Canadian notables clogging the hallways. Dressed in a low-cut yellow summer dress, Eustace was accompanied by her former TV sidekick Ken Kostick from their kitschy cooking show What's for Dinner.

Young music fans turned out in the wee hours to catch their heroes.

Sammy Katz, 18, said he showed up at 5 a.m. to get a good spot in front of one of three streetside stages.

"It's amazing," said Katz, who waited in line nearly 10 hours last week to score a wristband pass to his third MuchMusic awards show.

"It's like our awards show. It's all about the fans."

Alannah Azzoli, 16, said she was there to see Lachey but "almost had a stroke" earlier Sunday when she met Hedley during band rehearsals.

"I'm not even kidding," Azzoli said. "I was having a panic attack in Starbucks."

Kardinal Offishall was one of three acts to lead the list of nominees with five nods, but the only one to take home multiple awards. Multiple nominee Massari took only one trophy - for best pop video - while rockers Billy Talent went home empty-handed despite their five nods.

Both Kardinal and Massari were also up for a People's Choice award for favourite Canadian artist, but those results were not immediately known.

Awards are determined by an in-house MuchMusic panel, except for the People's Choice Awards, which are selected by fans via an online and telephone voting system.

Winners of the 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards:

TORONTO (CP) - Winners of the 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards:

Best video: Kardinal Offishall f. Ray Robinson - Everyday (Rudebwoy) (Black Jays/EMI)

Best director: Kardinal Offishall f. Ray Robinson - Everyday (Rudebwoy) (Black Jays/EMI)

Best post-production: The Trews - So She's Leaving (Bumstead Productions/SONY BMG)

Best cinematography: Buck 65 - Devil's Eyes (Warner Music)

Best pop video: Massari - Be Easy (Capital Prophet Records Inc.)

MuchLOUD best rock video: Nickelback - Photograph (EMI)

MuchVibe best rap video: Classified - No Mistakes (Half Life/Urbnet)

Best independent video: Metric - Poster of A Girl (Last Gang Records/Universal Music)

MuchMoreMusic award: Michael Buble - Save the Last Dance for Me (Warner Music)

Best French video: Stephanie Lapointe - La Mer (Musicor/Select)

Best international video u artist: Rihanna - S.O.S. (Rescue Me) (Island/Universal Music)

Best international video u group: Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends (Warner Music)

VideoFACT: Kardinal Offishall f. Ray Robinson - Everyday (Rudebwoy) (Black Jays/EMI)

People's Choice (voted by fans)

Favourite Canadian group: Simple Plan - Crazy

Favourite Canadian artist: City and Colour - Save Your Scissors

Favourite international group: Fall Out Boy - Dance Dance

Favourite international artist: Kelly Clarkson - Because of You

'Screech' sells shirts to keep his house

MILWAUKEE - More than a bell is needed to save Dustin Diamond this time around. Diamond, best known as geeky Screech Powers on the 1989-1993 teen comedy series "Saved by the Bell," is selling T-shirts with his photo on them to try to raise $250,000 so he doesn't lose his gray two-story house under a foreclosure order.

"If the public didn't care, I as an entertainer wouldn't have been a success," he said.

Diamond, 29, is trying to sell nearly 30,000 shirts — at $15 or $20 (autographed) each — to supplement the income he makes as a standup comic so he doesn't have to move from his Port Washington home, about 25 miles north of Milwaukee.

The T-shirt has a photo of Diamond holding a sign that says, "Save My House." The back of the shirt reads, "I paid $15.00 to save Screeech's house." The third "e" was added to get around copyright laws, he said.

He's selling the shirts on his Web site http://www.getdshirts.com/.

The foreclosure order was filed last month in Ozaukee County Circuit Court.

Diamond appeared on Howard Stern's satellite radio show Tuesday to plead his case. "I'm doing great with my comedy, but this is definitely a low point," he said. "Real life comes in and affects you."

Diamond doesn't have a listed phone number, and e-mails to the address on his Web site and at an alternative address were not immediately returned Thursday.

'Cars' retains lead at the box office

LOS ANGELES - Animated autos retained the pole position as "Cars" came in No. 1 at the box office for a second weekend with $31.2 million, holding off the wrestling comedy "Nacho Libre" and another car tale, "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift."

"Cars," from Disney and Pixar, beat a rush of new movies, lifting its 10-day domestic total to $114.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Paramount's "Nacho Libre," starring Jack Black as a cook at a Mexican orphanage who takes up wrestling to buy better food for the kids, debuted in second place with $27.5 million.

The third in the "Fast and the Furious" racing franchise, Universal's "Tokyo Drift" opened at No. 3 with $24.1 million. The movie stars Lucas Black as a speed freak who gets caught up in Japan's illegal racing scene.

"Speed" co-stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock reunited for the Warner Bros. romantic drama "The Lake House," which took in $13.7 million to place fourth. The time-bending tale casts Reeves and Bullock as pen pals corresponding with each other two years apart.

The weekend's other new wide release, 20th Century Fox's "Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties," opened weakly with $7.2 million, coming in sixth. The live-action and animated sequel features the voice of Bill Murray as the comic-strip fat cat.

"Garfield" had been competing for the same family audience as "Cars," whose voice cast includes Owen Wilson and Paul Newman in a comedy about a race car that learns the value of slowing down.

"I guess the family audience picked their favorite and decided that this is what it was going to be," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution at Disney, which recently bought its animation partner Pixar, the maker of "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles" and the "Toy Story" movies.

The week's two sequels came in well below their predecessors. "The Fast and the Furious," with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, opened with $40.1 million in 2001, and Walker's 2003 followup "2 Fast 2 Furious" debuted with $50.5 million.

"Garfield: The Movie" took in $21.7 million over opening weekend in 2004.

In limited release, the IFC Films crossword-puzzle documentary "Wordplay" opened solidly with $34,959 at two New York City theaters. The film, featuring interviews with such crossword enthusiasts as former President Bill Clinton, comic Jon Stewart and the musical duo the Indigo Girls, expands to more theaters Friday.

Hollywood's overall business rose for the fifth-straight weekend. The top 12 movies took in $139.1 million, up 7 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Batman Begins" opened with $48.7 million.

Here are the estimated ticket sales were for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Cars," $31.2 million.
2. "Nacho Libre," $27.5 million.
3. "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," $24.1 million.
4. "The Lake House," $13.7 million.
5. "The Break-Up," $9.5 million.
6. "Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties," $7.2 million.
7. "X-Men: The Last Stand," $7.15 million.
8. "The Omen," $5.35 million.
9. "The Da Vinci Code," $5 million.
10. "Over the Hedge," $4.05 million.

Farewell Rose: Billie Piper Leaves Doctor Who

Confirming rumors that have been flying around for months, BBC Wales has issued a press release today that Billie Piper will be leaving her role as Rose Tyler at the end of the current series. "Billie Piper who has played Rose Tyler, the feisty young companion of both the ninth and tenth doctors, will leave Doctor Who in a nail biting series two finale. Over the past two years Rose has been on an adventure of a lifetime, travelling across the galaxy with the Doctor. She's visited far-off futuristic cities in the year five billion and beyond; landed on space stations where she's been a contestant in a deadly version of ‘The Weakest Link'; travelled back in time and met Queen Victoria, Charles Dickens, Madame de Pompadour and her dead father; she has battled against the Doctor's deadliest foes the Daleks and Cybermen; taken on Slitheen, Sycorax and Krillitanes and survived the end of the world and the blitz. Now, in what is set to be the TARDIS's most terrifying adventure, The Doctor and Rose will face their biggest challenge to date. Back on Earth the human race rejoices as the ghosts of loved ones return home. But as the Doctor, Rose and Jackie investigate Torchwood Tower, a trap is being sprung; an almighty invasion is being put into motion which is set to destroy the whole of modern-day Earth."

The press release continues: "Billie Piper says: 'Rose and I have gone on the most incredible journey with Russell T Davies and the cast and crew of Doctor Who over the past two years. It has been an amazing adventure, and I can confirm it comes to an end, for now at least, as series two climaxes. I am truly indebted to Russell for giving me the chance to play Rose Tyler, and to all the Doctor Who fans old and new who have been so supportive of me in this amazing role. Thank you so much.' Russell T Davies writer and Executive producer adds: 'It has been a wonderful experience working with Billie -- we will miss her -- and wish her all the success in the world for her future. However, the Doctor Who team have had a whole year to plan this final scene and have created a stunning exit for Rose Tyler. The Doctor lives a dangerous life and when Rose joined him on his adventures she was aware of this. With a series climax called Doomsday on its way, I can't guarantee who will survive and who won't, but I can assure you the TARDIS is going on its scariest journey yet!' Since taking on the role of Rose Tyler, Billie has received both critical and popular acclaim. She was awarded The National Television Award for ‘Most Popular Actress' 2005 and The South Bank Show's ‘Breakthrough Award for Rising British Talent'. Billie is currently filming the BBC's adaptation of multi award-winning writer Philip Pullman's The Ruby In The Smoke in which she plays the title role, Sally Lockhart. Filming on the second novel The Shadow In The North will commence later this summer. Doctor Who series three also starts filming again later this summer and will return to our screens with a Christmas special in 2006 and another series of 13 episodes for 2007."

There have been rumors circulated for nearly a year that Piper would be leaving at some point during the second series; Dreamwatch magazine originally made this statement last summer, though its report was discounted, while various tabloids suggested that Piper's tenure on the series would come to an end this year. Some news outlets are reporting the character might be killed off, although the BBC Wales press release suggests an air of mystery and does not state that Rose will be killed (taking Piper's comments that her trip "comes to an end" somewhat literally), although the release does ask the question, "Does saving the world mean the death of Rose Tyler?" (noting that "Billie Piper who has played Rose Tyler - the feisty young companion of the ninth and tenth doctors - will leave Doctor Who in a nail-biting series two finale"). The "death" report appears to originate in the Sun's early report today, being merely speculative. However, the production is being very strict about information regarding the finale; in fact, there may be no advance press screening of "Doomsday" to prevent the surprise from being released.

There are rumors elsewhere that this was a recent decision (including speculation on some fan sites that this was a dispute over money) although Outpost Gallifrey has been told that Piper's departure was planned as early as last autumn and that the script for "Doomsday" as originally written did contain the departure for the character (instead of a hasty rewrite that would have been needed if it had been a recent choice). A new co-star for David Tennant will likely be seen in the 2006 Christmas special.

The official Doctor Who website is carrying this story. The first report came from The Sun, and it has been reported today at a variety of sources including BBC News, CBBC News, The Times, Ananova, Manchester Evening News, Daily Mail, The Scotsman, Irish Examiner, Sky Showbiz, The Is London, Evening Echo, Ireland Online, The Stage, Hollywood News, Waveguide, Daily Mail, EntertainmentWise, U.TV, ITV, ITN, RTE, Contact Music, Edinburgh News. Also CBBCNews is asking viewers, "Are you gutted?" with reader responses to be posted soon. (Thanks to all of our readers who have been sending in news clips all day!)

Alana De La Garza joins 'Law & Order'

NEW YORK - The "Law & Order" revolving door has brought in Alana De La Garza as the latest cast addition to the longrunning NBC drama, the network confirmed Friday.

De La Garza joins the series next fall replacing Annie Parisse, who played Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Borgia for a season and a half. Borgia was killed off last month on the finale for the show's 16th season.

De La Garza appeared on CBS' "CSI: Miami" last season as the wife of Miami cop Horatio Caine (series star David Caruso) who was gunned down by drug dealers.

She follows Parisse as the latest in a succession of actresses playing young female prosecutors paired with assistant D.A. Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), including Jill Hennessy, Carey Lowell, Angie Harmon and Elizabeth Rohm.

Another newcomer to the "Law & Order" fold, Milena Govich, was announced recently. She replaces Dennis Fontana, who played dapper Detective Joe Fontana for two seasons. He in turn had succeeded the late Jerry Orbach.

Govich was most recently a regular on NBC's shortlived drama "Conviction" (like "Law & Order," produced by Dick Wolf) as Jessica Rossi, a New York assistant district attorney.

Paul McCartney turns 64 Sunday

LONDON - "When I get older, losing my hair, many years from now," sang Paul McCartney on "When I'm Sixty-Four," a jaunty tune from The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" album.

The hair is intact, but the year is now — McCartney turns 64 on Sunday.

A spokesman would not say how McCartney planned to spend the day, but he could be excused for skipping a party. It has been a traumatic year, in which the former Beatle split from his wife of four years, Heather Mills McCartney, amid lurid headlines about their relationship and her past.

"People seem to be interested in him as a celebrity, but not as a musician," said Beatles historian Peter Doggett — a bitter blow for a man who with John Lennon formed rock's greatest songwriting partnership.

Beatles fans, however, seem determined to answer McCartney's question — "Will you still need me, will you still feed me, when I'm 64?" — in the affirmative.

The Beatles Story Exhibition in McCartney's home town of Liverpool was celebrating with cake, balloons and a weekend of events including a "When I'm Sixty-Four" karaoke contest.

The "nice Beatle" is widely revered in Liverpool for retaining strong links to the gritty port city, founding the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts and playing an outdoor concert for 30,000 people in 2003.

"There's tons of affection towards Paul personally," said Jerry Goldman, director of The Beatles Story, which draws 200,000 visitors a year. "He doesn't forget that his home is here and his heart is here."

A seemingly throwaway but strangely enduring Beatles song, "When I'm Sixty-Four" is a musical hall-style ditty evoking a quiet old age of gardening, holiday cottages and visits from the grandchildren — "Vera, Chuck and Dave."

McCartney wrote the song when he was a teenager and recorded it at 25. Two years later, he married American photographer Linda Eastman. It was a famously happy union that lasted almost three decades. When Linda died of breast cancer in 1998, McCartney was devastated.

He eventually began a relationship with model and anti-landmine activist Heather Mills, 26 years his junior. The pair, who share a passion for animal rights and vegetarianism, married in 2002 and had a daughter, Beatrice, the next year.

But newspapers soon began running stories about trouble in the marriage. Mills McCartney was accused of meddling in her husband's career, persuading him to dye his hair — he said he did it of his own accord — and to undergo plastic surgery (he denied having any).

McCartney robustly defended his wife — and continues to stick up for her. Since the split was announced last month, the tabloid press has been full of lurid allegations about Mills McCartney's past. She has been the subject of several unflattering articles which included pictures of her in naked or semi-naked poses.

A statement released last week by her lawyers said Mills McCartney was "distressed" by the stories and planned to sue for libel once divorce proceedings were over.

Despite his recent difficulties, there are few signs that McCartney plans to slip into quiet retirement. He toured last year, and released an album, "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard," hailed as his best in decades.

Many listeners detected a melancholy and fragility missing from much of his solo work.

"Even though I'm essentially an optimist, an enthusiast, like anyone else I have down moments in my life," McCartney told The Associated Press last year. "You just can't help it. Life throws them at you."

Beatle-watchers say McCartney, who has also written an oratorio and a symphony, is still fired by musical ambition.

"He still has got it in him to write great songs," said Pete Nash, chairman of the British Beatles Fan Club. "He thinks he can write another classic, and I think he will."

Pixar's "Cars" should take flag in second lap

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - While four wide releases hit theaters on Friday, the weekend movie scene is shaping up as one for car enthusiasts of all ages with two racing-themed films likely parked among the top box-office slots when the dust settles.

Disney's "Cars" takes its second lap at the North American cineplex circuit this weekend, and if the performance of its past three Pixar-made films is any indication, the G-rated computer-animated comedy should hold up in the top spot.

The average second-weekend dropoff in ticket receipts for its three Pixar predecessors -- "The Incredibles," "Finding Nemo" and Monsters, Inc.," -- was just 30 percent.

"Cars" debuted at No. 1 last week with a gross of $60.1 million, a solid opening by nearly any standard but only the fourth best for Pixar. Among all animated releases, however, it was the seventh biggest on record.

The John Lasseter-directed "Cars," featuring the voices of Owen Wilson, Paul Newman and Bonnie Hunt, has collected about $84 million heading into the weekend.

The cinematic tale of a talking race car named Lightning McQueen garnered mostly positive reviews and generated exceptional scores in exit polls, so word-of-mouth should be favorable.

The most direct competition to "Cars" is the CG-animated "Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties" from 20th Century Fox.

The other auto-centric feature debuting this weekend is Universal Pictures' "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift." The hot-rod adventure is the third film in the franchise and hits the streets relying mostly on the concept as there are no name stars in the PG-13 picture. "Tokyo" will be burning rubber in 3,026 theaters.

The first "Fast" movie starred Vin Diesel and was a surprise hit at the box office, opening with $40.1 million and finishing with $144.5 million domestically.

The second, "2 Fast 2 Furious," starred Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson -- it bowed with $50.5 million and left theaters with $127.1 million. According to pre-release tracking, the third film does not look to finish anywhere near the first two installments and should land in the second or third spot.

The "Fast and Furious" franchise, which has demonstrated robust returns from ancillary markets, is tracking strongest with young males. Justin Lin directed "Tokyo Drift," which stars Lucas Black, Brian Tee and Sung Kang.

Paramount Pictures' "Nacho Libre" also is going after a young audience and will be racing "Tokyo" for the second spot. "Nacho" is a PG-rated comedy starring Jack Black and directed by Jared Hess, who also helmed Fox Searchlight's "Napoleon Dynamite," the little indie film that grossed a big $44.5 million. "Nacho" will arrive in an ultrawide 3,070 theaters.

Nickelodeon Movies produced the film, about a monk in Mexico who finds he has a gift for wrestling and dons a disguise as a Mexican luchador to try to raise money to feed the orphans in his care.

Black's last film in a starring role was "School of Rock," which debuted with $19.6 million.

"Garfield" will play at 2,945 locations in its debut weekend and should curl up in the fourth slot at the box office. The PG-rated family comedy, which features the voice of Bill Murray in the title role, was directed by Tim Hill. Davis Entertainment produced the sequel, a take on "The Prince and the Pauper," with Garfield traveling to London.

The first "Garfield" film opened in 2004 with $21.7 million and went on to gross $75.4 million. But with "Cars" in the marketplace, the sequel about the orange furball may have a difficult time opening at that level.

Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Lake House" is the weekend's only other wide release, with 2,645 locales, and looks headed for fifth place.

The film is a PG-rated romantic drama starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Alejandro Agresti directs "House," a remake of a Korean film about a young man and woman who share a house but at different times, and who exchange notes and attempt to meet.

CBC fall lineup leans heavily on reality shows

CBC Television has unveiled a fall lineup heavy on reality shows, with four prime-time offerings from its newly created factual entertainment division.

Three new ongoing drama series — a crime show, a medical show and a 20-episode comedy series based on a program that is already a hit in Quebec — were also in the season preview revealed Thursday in Toronto.

The public broadcaster plans more daily talk shows on the main network. It is developing a daytime show, to be aired at 11 a.m., focused on lifestyle and aimed at female viewers. A host should soon be named for the Toronto-produced show.

The Hour, hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, has been added to the main network at 11 p.m. and will be developed into more of a late-night talk show with a studio audience. It remains on Newsworld at 8 p.m.

Kirstine Layfield, the executive director of network programming at the CBC, said the public broadcaster is expanding its definition of prime time to take in the 7-8 p.m. time-slot and later in the evening.

"We want to make CBC part of Canadians' daily routine again by making sure that when they turn on the TV, CBC will have something that will interest them and challenge them," Layfield said at the launch.

CBC is trying to build the number of viewers across its 24-hour-a-day schedule, she said, and doing that involves creating different kinds of programming.

"Our target is just to do better than we did in past seasons," she said in an interview. "But that is a tall order because the market for conventional TV is shrinking.

"We have to be competitive with U.S. programming in prime time, but there are things we want to nurture so we can build an audience across the 24 hours."

Series on intelligence, criminal cases

The new series are Intelligence, about present-day Canadian criminal and intelligence cases, Canadian-South African production Jozi-H, about an international band of doctors working in a chaotic hospital, and Rumours, a comedy about modern life inside a Toronto women's magazine.

Chris Haddock, the creator of Da Vinci's Inquest, is the writer behind Intelligence and Da Vinci star Ian Tracey plays a gangster who agrees to turn informant.

A reality show called The Canadian One will not be able to escape comparison to the popular Canadian Idol. Based on The One, a star-search program that has done well in Denmark and Britain, The Canadian One will be a search for the country's greatest unsigned musical talent.

Once the talent are selected through auditions, they must live and train together as well as perform on stage. In Quebec, a French-language version of the concept called Star Academy has been a hit.

Other reality-based shows:

- Test the Nation: National IQ Test: a live quiz show that tests participants' analytical skills.

- Underdogs: Wendy Mesley is to host a five-part series about consumers fighting back against business.

- Dragon's Den: will ask entrepreneurs to negotiate the world of business financing.

"We wanted to develop programs that families could watch together in prime time," said Julie Bristow, the executive director of factual entertainment programming at the CBC.

National IQ Test, based on a quiz show that has a following in 25 countries, is the kind of program that is cross-generational as it would engage both parents and children, she said in an interview.

Britain's Dr. Who and Coronation Street are back for another season, along with comedy offerings such as The Rick Mercer Report, Just for Laughs, This Hour Has 22 Minutes and Royal Canadian Air Farce.

Rick Mercer and This Hour are grouped together on Tuesday night, while This Hour is again featured Friday night with a comedy lineup that will include Air Farce and either Just for Laughs or Rick Mercer.

The CBC will bring back the forensic docudrama 72 Hours, featuring Canadian true-crime stories.

A 10-hour series called Hockey: A People's History, produced in-house, will trace the history of hockey in Canada. It is scheduled for Sunday prime time and filmed in high definition.

The new season also includes:

- The miniseries Dragon Boys, a thriller about Asian organized crime on the West Coast that was bumped out of this season by delays in the schedule.

- October, 1970, an eight-hour hostage drama about the October crisis.

- Everest '82, about the first Canadians to climb the world's highest mountain.

Layfield said shorter dramatic series, such as October, 1970, give CBC a chance to offer fresh programming mid-season. Opening Night will return to the air mid-season, after the mini-series ends. Dragon's Den is starting in the fall, followed by Underdogs mid-season.

The fall lineup features a Thursday night slot devoted to documentaries. Among the productions:

- The Great War: a four-hour documentary that marks the 90th anniversary of the First World War and talks to the descendants of Canadian soldiers.

- The Secret History of 9/11: a minute-by-minute account of the al-Qaeda attacks on New York's World Trade Center and other targets on Sept. 11, 2001, directed by CBC correspondent Terence McKenna.

- Arctic Rush: which looks at how the Arctic ice cap will melt over the next decade.

- Greatest Canadian Inventions: about 50 Canadian inventions the public can't live without.

- 9/11: Toxic Legacy: about the environmental fallout of 9/11.

Newsworld has added a new documentary program, The Big Picture, hosted by Avi Lewis.

In sports, the CBC will have the CFL season (including the 94th Grey Cup from Winnipeg), the 2007 Canada Winter Games, Championship Curling and Hockey Night in Canada.

In children's programming, which makes up a large chunk of the weekday schedule, new shows include:

- Curious George, about the mischievous monkey.

- Wilbur, with a barnyard full of animal friends.

- A new half-hour Mr. Meaty puppet series.

- Secret Life of Og, based on the classic children's book by Pierre Berton.

CBS Tweaks 'Big Brother' Schedule

Recognizing that few people watch TV on Saturdays -- and hoping to train audiences for its fall schedule -- CBS is making a change to its scheduling of "Big Brother" this summer.

The network has opted to move the weekend episode of "Big Brother" to Sunday night, breaking with the show's long-standing Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday schedule. CBS has also shuffled around some of its other shows for the summer, adding a second encore of "How I Met Your Mother" on Monday nights next month and sending repeats of "NCIS" and "The Unit" to Fridays starting July 7.

The latter move will make room for the Tuesday episodes of "Big Brother," which is mounting an all-star edition this year, and "Rock Star," which debuts Wednesday, July 5 with a 90-minute episode. Both dramas will return to Tuesdays in the fall.

Moving "Big Brother: All-Stars" to Sunday also lets CBS set up its scheduling pattern for the coming season, which will feature a reality show ("The Amazing Race") in the 8 p.m. ET timeslot, followed by "Cold Case" and "Without a Trace." Reruns of the two crime dramas will air in their new timeslots starting July 16.

The change should also help the ratings for "Big Brother," as more people watch TV on a typical Sunday than do on Saturday.

As for "How I Met Your Mother," it will air at both 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Mondays starting July 10.

Barenaked Ladies Enjoy 'Easy' Living

After three years out of the limelight, Barenaked Ladies will on Sept. 12 release their first non-holiday studio album since splitting with longtime label Reprise. "Barenaked Ladies Are Me" will hit stores via the band's own Desperation Records imprint. First single "Easy" will be delivered July 17 to U.S. radio outlets.

The follow-up to 2003's "Everything to Everyone" was self-produced by the band with aid from producer/engineer Susan Rogers. On street date, it will available in several other incarnations besides a standard 13-track audio CD, including a digital version with two bonus tracks and a 27-song "deluxe edition" featuring two dozen non-album cuts from the album sessions. The latter release will also be sold on a USB flash memory stick.

Beginning Aug. 12, fans can pre-order another version of the "deluxe edition" that boasts 29 tracks exclusively via Apple's iTunes Music Store.

As reported yesterday, BNL is making the multi-track studio recordings for "Easy" and four other new songs available for fans to remix. The five best submissions to the band's Web site will be featured on an upcoming EP, with proceeds earmarked for charity.

The group will support "Barenaked Ladies Are Me" with a fall tour and will also anchor its Ships and Dip cruise, which sets sail Jan. 15 from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Tom Petty Heads Down New 'Highway'

Tom Petty has settled on the track list for "Highway Companion," his first solo album since 1994's Rick Rubin-produced "Wildflowers." Fittingly, the set is due July 25 on Rubin's American Recordings imprint via Warner Bros.

First single "Saving Grace" can be streamed from Petty's Web site and will be available July 4 via digital download retailers.

"It's just really a nice collection of songs," Petty told Billboard earlier this year of the album, produced by longtime collaborator Jeff Lynne. "I think it does have an underlying theme of time and what it does to you."

Petty played most of the instruments on "Highway Companion," although Heartbreakers guitarist Mike Campbell handled the lead guitar parts and Lynne chipped in on keyboards, bass and backing vocals.

Petty and the Heartbreakers just launched a summer tour and will perform tomorrow (June 16) at the Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, Tenn. Additional dates are expected to be announced in the coming days.

Here is the track list for "Highway Companion:

"Saving Grace"
"Square One"
"Flirting With Time"
"Down South"
"Jack"
"Turn This Car Around"
"Big Weekend"
"Night Driver"
"Damaged by Love"
"This Old Town"
"Ankle Deep"
"The Golden Rose"

Newman prepares to wind down film career

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Paul Newman is considering his final scene. "I will probably have one film left in me," the 81-year-old actor told The Associated Press on Thursday. "The last hurrah."

Newman's latest role is playing a cantankerous 1951 Hudson Hornet in Pixar's new animated film, "Cars."

His film career stretches back to the 1950s and includes "The Sting," "Cool Hand Luke" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

"It's time. When it's time to get out, it's time to get out," Newman said.

Newman said he had a project in mind, but would not provide further details.

He was visiting this upstate resort town as part of a fundraising campaign for the Double H Ranch, an Adirondack camp he co-founded for children with cancer, AIDS and other illnesses.

The camp is one of eight affiliated with the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Connecticut, the first camp Newman created for gravely ill children.

"When we started the camp we had no idea of the profound impact these camps would have on these kids," Newman said at a news conference.

The Double H Ranch, co-founded by Newman and the late amusement park developer Charles Wood in 1992, is raising money for a $15 million fund. Camp operators say the fund will help them provide services to the roughly 1,000 summer campers and 500 skiers visiting annually.

The Couch Potato Report - June 17th, 2006

This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on three films that didn’t get major theatrical distribution, and three re-issues of films that did.

This week, instead of focusing on THE PINK PANTHER, 16 BLOCKS, KISS KISS BANG BANG, DAVE CHAPPELLE’S BLOCK PARTY, or any of the other titles that are guaranteed to be available to rent and buy at your favourite movie store, I am going to focus on three smaller films.

I’m not doing that because these films are better than those high profile releases, I’m doing it because from time to time I like to bypass the mainstream and go the path less traveled.

And the films I have for you are definitely less traveled.

Which is a a bit of a surprise for the first release I have for you as it has a pretty good pedigree.

A GOOD WOMAN stars Oscar winner Helen Hunt of AS GOOD AS IT GETS and the very talented Scarlett Johannson from LOST IN TRANSLATION, plus, it is based on Oscar Wilde's popular play “Lady Windermere's Fan.”

Hunt plays a Manhattan socialite in the 30's with both a questionable lifestyle and a great deal of debts.

To escape both she flees New York to Italy where she meets a young couple.

Specifically she meets the husband.

But is he helping her get back into respectable society, or assisting her with her questionable lifestyle?

And what will the young wife do when she finds out, no matter what he is actually doing?

Well, you'll have all of your answers by the end of the film.

To it’s credit, A GOOD WOMAN looks good and is always interesting.

Unfortunately, even though it retains the basic storyline of Wilde's original, it doesn’t have the majority of Wilde’s impeccable original dialogue, thus if you didn’t know this was Wilde’s play, you might think the words could just have been re-written by an anonymous scriptwriter.

Also unfortunately, Helen Hunt is miscast as the socialite. I never once thought that she had the style, grace, and beauty that would make men give her money and “take care of her.”

However, those negative things aside, Tom Wilkinson from ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND is wildly fun as a rich man who hopes Hunt will warm his older years, and Scarlett Johannson continues to be an engaging and talented actress who brings something new to every role she plays.

A GOOD WOMAN might not be the best costume drama you see this year, and it certainly could have been a better film, but it is still unique enough to enjoy.

Oh and ONE LAST THING... , no not one last thing about A GOOD WOMAN, ONE LAST THING... is the name of our next film.

That film - ONE LAST THING... - features a premise that sounds worse than any teenage sex comedy that you have ever heard of or seen, even though it isn’t a teenage sex comedy.

That premise is this: A teenage boy dying of cancer makes a last wish to spend a weekend alone with a supermodel.

Like I said, ONE LAST THING... isn’t a teen sex comedy. Yes, it has an absurd premise, but somehow the film is not bad.

It isn’t great, but it isn’t bad.

Had ONE LAST THING... just been a teenage sex comedy, we could dismiss it as stupid and move on. But since it seems to aspire to be something better, I enjoyed it.

Cynthia Nixon from TV’s “Sex And The City” plays the boy’s mother. She is always supportive and understanding towards her son’s wish, yet underneath you can feel the pain of a mother knowing her son is going to die.

It is nowhere near a good or great film, but I enjoyed it, and it wasn’t bad.

Now, on the other hand is TAMARA.

TAMARA is a made-in-Winnipeg film about a mousy and intellectual girl who is murdered and then returns from the dead to exact revenge.

In 1976 there was an American made film about a mousy and abused girl with telekinetic powers who gets pushed too far on one special night and so she seeks revenge.

That movie was called CARRIE.

TAMARA is a sister film to CARRIE, not a good sister, or a sister you should choose over the original, but a sister nonetheless.

As a fan of horror films, I sat down to watch this movie hoping it had some unique stuff in it.

It doesn’t.

In the film evil doesn’t win, but it does have a body count.

Actually, that would be a good tag line for a horror film! “ Evil doesn’t win, but it does have a body count.”

Even though it is a bit cheesy, that just made up tag line is still more creative than anything in TAMARA.

Unless you have to see every horror film ever made, ignore the sister film and just watch CARRIE.

Those are three releases from the roads less traveled at your local video store.

Now, let me quickly tell you about three well traveled roads, or re-releases if you will.

The 1991 film FRIED GREEN TOMATOES is celebrating it’s 15th year with an EXTENDED ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

Oscar winner Kathy Bates from MISERY plays a housewife who is unhappy with her life. She befriends an old lady in a nursing home and is enthralled by the tales she tells of people she used to know.

Oscar winner Jessica Tandy from DRIVING MISS DAISY, is the elder woman and her stories are about Idgie and Ruth and they are all interesting, heartwarming and fun.

Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker play Idgie and Ruth - respectively - and they are just as well cast as Bates and Tandy.

This new EXTENDED ANNIVERSARY EDITION is about 7 minutes longer than the original and it also features a retrospective making of documentary and a wealth of other special features.

I wouldn’t call myself the world’s biggest fan of the film, but I always enjoy watching FRIED GREEN TOMATOES as I like the memories it stirs up from my own life.

I also wouldn't call myself the world’s biggest fan of the FAST AND THE FURIOUS FILMS, and that is because I am not what you would call a “car guy.”

Movies about fast cars and the people who drive them have never appealed to me, but I somehow always end up watching them and feeling a bit testosteroney when they are on.

Now, in THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS - THE FRANCHISE COLLECTION you get to see the original he original 2001 FAST AND THE FURIOUS film, plus it’s 2003 sequel 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS, plus a bonus look inside the soon to be released THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT.

Perhaps they aren’t the greatest movies ever made, but this is good mindless summer fun, all in one DVD Box Set!

Whether you get testosteroney or not!

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS - THE FRANCHISE COLLECTION, the EXTENDED ANNIVERSARY EDITION of FRIED GREEN TOMATOES, TAMARA, ONE LAST THING* and A GOOD WOMAN are all available now on DVD. They might not all be available at a store near you, but they are all available.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

In the summer of 2005 Neil Young, having just survived a close call with a brain aneurysm, performed two concerts at Nashville's famed Ryman Auditorium. In NEIL YOUNG: HEART OF GOLD it's just Neil on the stage with no crowd and no bandmates.

EIGHT BELOW is about two Antarctic explorers who are reluctantly forced by brutal cold to leave their team of sled dogs behind as they fend for their own survival; and LADY AND THE TRAMP II: SCAMP’S ADVENTURE is only about one dog, the son of Disney’s legendary Lady & The Tramp.

George Clooney won an Oscar for his work in SYRIANA. Clooney plays a career CIA agent in this politically-charged movie about the state of the oil industry in the hands of those personally involved and affected by it.

I will also start to review the latest releases of ALFRED HITCHCOCK FILMS on DVD, starting with ROPE, and take a look at the TV shows 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 seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next time on The Couch!

Oilers force Game 6

RALEIGH, N.C. (CP) - The Edmonton Oilers continue to amaze.

They didn't qualify for the NHL playoffs until the 81st game of their 82 in the regular season. They fought their way to the championship series as the first No. 8 seed ever to do so. They were given little chance in the final after losing first-string goalie Dwayne Roloson in the first game. They were all but written off after the Carolina Hurricanes took a 3-1 series lead.

Yet, they've forced the series back to Edmonton for a Game 6 Saturday night.

Fernando Pisani's second goal of the game 3:31 into overtime, on a short-handed breakaway, gave them a 4-3 victory Wednesday night. Ales Hemsky and Mike Peca also scored for the Oilers.

"That's all we were thinking about - just trying to get back to Edmonton for Game 6," said Oilers defenceman Chris Pronger. "It's huge going back home."

Cautioned goaltender Jussi Markkanen: "We still have a long way to go."

It was 3-3 after 40 minutes and it stayed that way until Pisani ended it.

He intercepted a weak pass from Carolina's Cory Stillman, broke in alone on goalie Cam Ward and flicked a wrist shot into the top inside corner of the net.

"It happened so quick," said Pisani. "The pass was coming slow so that's why I jumped up.

"I decided to go for it and it worked out well."

Eric Staal, with two goals, and Ray Whitney scored for the Hurricanes - all on power plays.

The Oilers remain convinced they are the better team and can best survive a long series.

"You get a sense that you're giving yourself an opportunity to get back in the series," said Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish. "We all sensed that.

"We really had a sense that we were starting to turn the tide and momentum .n.n. this puts us right back into it."

Carolina lost two players in Game 5: defenceman Aaron Ward left early in the second period with an upper body injury, and centre Doug Weight hurt his right shoulder early in the third.

Heavy rains that flooded parts of the city earlier in the day didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the 18,974 in the RBC Center. Fans were tailgating under tarps and awnings hours before the opening faceoff.

The Oilers started quickly in their bid to extend the series. Pronger slapped a blue-line drive that Pisani deflected through Ward's legs after only 16 seconds.

"We wanted to get off to a better start and we certainly did that," said Pronger.

Referees Paul Devorski and Mick McGeough dealt Edmonton the first three penalties, and Carolina jumped ahead 2-1 on power plays.

Staal shoved his own rebound past Markkanen at 5:54 and Whitney connected with a high slapshot from the circle to the left of Markkanen, who was screened by Weight. Matt Greene was in the penalty box on both goals, and coach Craig MacTavish used him sparingly the rest of the night.

Entering the game, Carolina was 5-for-25 and Edmonton 1-for-25 on power plays. It was a factor that had swung the series in Carolina's favour.

The Oilers needed to do better, and they did on Carolina's first penalty. With Matt Cullen off, Dick Tarnstrom slid the puck to Hemsky, and Hemsky fired a high bullet from the circle to the right of Ward that found the top of the net at 13:25 for Edmonton's first power-play goal since Game 1.

The Oilers went up 3-2 when Hemsky stickhandled to Ward's doorstep, the puck slid loose to Peca at the side of the crease as Ward was falling, and Peca lifted it into the top of the net at 19:42.

Staal tied it 3-3 at 9:56 of the second period with yet another Carolina power-play goal. Steve Staios was in the penalty box. Ray Whitney's shot missed the net, hit the back boards and bounced off the back of Markkanen's left leg. Staal banged at the puck and it went in for his ninth goal and league-best 27th point.

"It's was breakneck pace - lots of energy, lots of action, lots of chances," said MacTavish. "Heck of a hockey game."

The Hurricanes had to be confident they could win the game and the series in the final 20 minutes because they had outscored opponents 25-10 in their 22 previous playoff games this spring.

But the Oilers hung in there with great defensive play, and Markkanen kept the score even when he got his left shoulder in front of a Whitney shot as the 'Canes stormed his crease with eight minutes left in regulation. The Oilers held Carolina to two shots on Markkanen in the third, and got off five of their own. They were still very much alive, and Pisani proved it.

Notes: Shots on goal were 24-22 in Carolina's favour during regulation time . . . On power plays, Carolina was 3-for-7 in the game to go to 8-for-32 in the series, while Edmonton was 1-for-7 to slip to 2-for-32 in the series . . . Stillman extended his point streak to 13 games with an assist on the Whitney goal . . . Edmonton inserted Todd Harvey in place of Georges Laraque.

Mr. Dressup to go off the air

The tickle trunk will be closed for the last time in September, as CBC officially retires Mr. Dressup.

Ernie Coombs with Casey and Finnegan — no more reruns for the much-loved show.

As of July 3, the show moves from every weekday at 11 a.m. to Sunday morning only and the last broadcast of the much-loved children's show takes place Sept. 3.

The late Ernie Coombs began the show in 1967, delighting children with puppets Casey and Finnegan and a tickle trunk full of costumes and intriguing objects.

The last episode of the show was made in 1996 and it has been rerun ever since. Coombs died in 2001 of a stroke.

The gentle pace of the show is falling out of favour with Canadian children and ratings have been in decline, said Jeff Keay, CBC's head of media relations.

"The thinking is that 11 years of reruns is enough. We have to think about other things to do with our children's programming," he said.

The show enchanted 500,000 preschool children daily in the 1970s. Coombs and puppeteer Judith Lawrence wrote and performed the show until 1990.

Coombs, trained as an artist, led children in arts and crafts, accompanied by two puppet companions, the inquisitive orange-haired Casey and Finnegan, his grey, floppy-eared dog. Finnegan never spoke except to "whisper" in Casey's ear.

New puppet friends Granny, Annie, Truffles and others joined the show in 1990 when Lawrence retired.

Episodes will continue to be available on DVD.

Dixie Chicks bounce back with more shows

The Dixie Chicks, who late last week assured fans that the rumors of their summer tour's demise had been greatly exaggerated, have booked seven new dates for the run, all of which are in either the northeastern US or Canada.

New to the schedule are stops in Uncasville, CT; Wantagh, NY; Atlantic City, NJ; Halifax, Nova Scotia; Saint John, New Brunswick; Montreal; and Winnipeg, Manitoba. Tickets for most of the new shows will hit the box office over the next two weekends. Details are shown in the itinerary below.

Meanwhile, tickets for most of the tour's previously announced dates are already on sale, though some on-sales have been postponed, according to a message posted at the Dixie Chicks' website, which says that tickets for some late-summer shows that were scheduled to go on sale last Saturday (6/10) have been held back "until a final determination is made if [the shows] are going to be moved to the fall."

According to the group's website, on-sale dates are still pending for previously announced shows in Kansas City, MO; St. Louis; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Las Vegas; Oklahoma City; Memphis; Houston; Jacksonville, FL; and Greensboro, SC.

Last week, some media reports indicated that the trio might be forced to cancel or postpone most or all of its summer dates due to tepid ticket sales in many markets, a situation largely credited to the controversy that has surrounded the group since lead singer Natalie Maines, during a 2003 concert in London, told the audience that she was "ashamed" that President George W. Bush was a fellow Texan.

On Friday (6/9), the group responded to the cancellation rumors with a message posted at its website.

"Any reports being made about the cancellation of our upcoming Accidents And Accusations tour are completely false," the band's statement began.

"We have known since March 2003 that our path in this business would have obstacles at every pass. We have enjoyed meeting each one head-on and we will continue to do so. Dixie Chicks fans are as active and dedicated as they come. This time around we are willingly feeling our way through uncharted territory. Things don't come as easy as they might have come in the past, and it makes each accomplishment more exciting and appreciated."

In contrast to the reported lagging ticket sales, the band's latest album, "Taking the Long Way," is showing healthy sales numbers, selling 526,000 copies its first week of release, according to Nielsen Soundscan, the third largest sales week of any artist this year. The album, which has spent the past two weeks in the No. 1 slot on the Billboard 200 chart, will dip to No. 2 on the forthcoming chart after selling about 175,000 copies during its most recent week in stores, according to Billboard.

On Thursday (6/15), the Dixie Chicks kick off their tour with a sold-out performance at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, the same venue where Maines made her controversial remark in 2003. MSN Video will broadcast the sold-out show at http://dixiechicks.msn.com.

July 2006
21 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
22 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
23 - Columbus, OH - Value City Arena
25 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
26 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Casino (on sale 6/23)
28 - Albany, NY - Pepsi Arena
29 - Boston, MA - TD Banknorth Garden

August 2006
1 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
2 - Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach (on sale tba)
4 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
5 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata (on sale 6/23)
8 - Halifax, Nova Scotia - Metro Centre (on sale 6/24)
10 - Saint John, New Brunswick - Harbour Station (on sale 6/24)
12 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre (on sale 6/17)
13 - London, Ontairo - Labatt Centre (on sale 6/17)
15 - Chicago, IL - United Center
18 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
19 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre (on sale 6/17)
20 - Kansas City, MO - Kemper Arena (on sale tba)
22 - St. Louis, MO - Savvis Center (on sale tba)
23 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse (on sale tba)
24 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
26 - Fargo, ND - Fargodome

September 2006
3 - Glendale, AZ - Glendale Arena
6 - Fresno, CA - SaveMart Center (on sale tba)
8 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
9 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
14 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center (on sale tba)
16 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay Events Center (on sale tba)
23 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center Omaha
24 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
26 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center (on sale tba)
27 - Memphis, TN - FedEx Forum (on sale tba)
29 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
30 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center (on sale tba)

October 2006
1 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
3 - Nashville, TN - Gaylord Entertainment Center
5 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
6 - Jacksonville, FL - Veterans Memorial Arena (on sale tba)
7 - Sunrise, FL - BankAtlantic Center
17 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
20 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson-Boling Arena
22 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum (on sale tba)
27 - Ottawa, Ontario - Scotiabank Place
28, 29 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre

November 2006
4 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
5 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
8 - Vancouver, British Columbia - General Motors Place
9 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden Arena
11 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome

Jerry Lewis Suffers Heart Attack

Jerry Lewis' health is no laughing matter.

Just days after the legendary comedian held a news conference to announce his return to performing after a five-year hiatus, he suffered what was described as a "very minor" heart attack on Sunday.

The 80-year-old entertainer reportedly fell ill on a cross-country flight from New York to San Diego and was rushed to the hospital when the plane touched down.

"It was determined that he suffered a very minor heart attack and that he has a touch of pneumonia," Candi Cazau, Lewis' Las Vegas-based publicist told Reuters. She said that Lewis was being treated at a San Diego hospital and was expected to make a full recovery.

"He's doing extremely well," she added.

A slate of comeback appearances Lewis had scheduled at the Orleans Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas from July 13 through July 16 have been canceled, though Lewis still expects to host his annual Labor Day telethon for muscular dystrophy in September.

The performances were to be Lewis' first since his five-year battle with pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung ailment.

In January 2004, the comic was discharged from a three-month stay in rehab, where he weaned himself off of prednisone, a steroid drug he had taken since 2001 to treat the disease. As a result, he shed some 50 pounds he had gained as a side effect of the drug.

Last week, Lewis announced his plans to direct a musical adaptation of his classic film The Nutty Professor, with the hopes of bringing it to Broadway by 2008. Those plans, according to the project's executive producer, Ned McLeod, are still on.

"We support and will be by Jerry on any health issue that comes up for him...It's not going to affect us," McLeod told the Associated Press.

On Friday, Lewis was the guest of honor at a Friar's Club roast and on Saturday, he attended a party with the cast and crew of NBC's Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, on which he is slated to make two guest appearances this season, according to his rep.

In March, he was in Paris to receive his second legion of honor award, France's highest civilian honor.

'Wonderful Life' tops inspiring film list

LOS ANGELES - George Bailey's brother proclaimed him the richest man in Bedford Falls. Now the story of the despondent businessman, who got a chance to see how ugly the world would be without him, has been proclaimed the most inspiring American movie.

Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life," starring James Stewart as the disillusioned George, led the American Film Institute's list of inspirational films revealed Wednesday in the group's annual top-100 TV special that aired on CBS.

"We all connect to that story. We may not all connect to the story of a fighter from Philadelphia or a singing family in the Austrian Alps," said the TV special's producer, Bob Gazzale, referring to two other films on the list, "Rocky" and "The Sound of Music."

"But there's no way to get away from the inspiring story of George Bailey. It relates to us all."

"To Kill a Mockingbird," with Gregory Peck as the upright Southern dad seeking justice for a wrongly accused black man, was No. 2 on the list chosen from 300 nominated films on ballots sent to 1,500 filmmakers, actors, critics and others in Hollywood.

Steven Spielberg's "Schindler's List," starring Liam Neeson as a German businessman who saves his Jewish workers from extermination by the Nazis, was No. 3.

Sylvester Stallone's "Rocky" was fourth, while another Capra-Stewart collaboration, the political saga "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," ranked fifth.

Spielberg landed two other films in the top 10, "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" (No. 6) and "Saving Private Ryan" (No. 10). Rounding out the top 10: "The Grapes of Wrath" (No. 7), "Breaking Away" (No. 8) and "Miracle on 34th Street" (No. 9).

The 1946 classic "It's a Wonderful Life" is the story of a man who dreamed of escaping his dreary town and making a mark in the world. Circumstance traps George Bailey in tiny Bedford Falls, where he runs his family's penny-ante building and loan and battles the town's miserly overlord.

One Christmas Eve, facing scandal and criminal charges after his uncle misplaces $8,000, George is driven to attempt suicide, but an angel steps in to show him all the good he's done and what a harsher place the world would be without him.

As family and friends rally to his rescue, George learns to embrace the life he thought he loathed and receives a heartfelt toast from his sibling: "To my big brother George — the richest man in town."

With five films, Spielberg led directors in the top 100. Spielberg's others were "The Color Purple" (No. 51) and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (No. 58). Capra was next with four films, his others being "Meet John Doe" (No. 49) and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (No. 83).

Sidney Poitier and Gary Cooper each appeared in five films. Poitier had "In the Heat of the Night" (No. 21), "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (No. 35), "Lilies of the Field" (No. 46), "The Defiant Ones" (No. 55) and "A Raisin in the Sun" (No. 65). Cooper was in Capra's "Meet John Doe" and "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," plus "The Pride of the Yankees" (No. 22), "High Noon" (No. 27) and "Sergeant York" (No. 57).

The films ranged widely, including sports tales ("Hoosiers" at No. 13 and "Field of Dreams" at No. 28), real-life drama ("Apollo 13" at No. 12 and "What's Love Got to Do With It" at No. 85), musicals ("The Wizard of Oz" at No. 26 and "Fiddler on the Roof" at No. 82), science fiction ("Star Wars" at No. 39 and "2001: A Space Odyssey" at No. 47) and family films ("Pinocchio" at No. 38 and "Babe" at No. 80).

The oldest movie was Charles Chaplin's 1931 silent film "City Lights" (No. 33). The newest were two from 2004, "Hotel Rwanda" (No. 90) and "Ray" (No. 99).

Past AFI lists have included best comedies, movie quotes, songs and love stories.

With the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the war in Iraq and the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the group wanted to examine films that offer hope.

"This was kind of an interesting moment in American history, coming off Sept. 11, being at war, having natural disasters of such tremendous impact. What role do the movies play at times of really emotional turmoil?" said Jean Picker Firstenberg, AFI director. "I think the movies are fundamentally a very inspirational way we communicate, and we thought this was an exciting opportunity to recognize those films."

'Wonderful Life' tops AFI inspiring list

LOS ANGELES - The American Film Institute's list of the 100 most-inspiring movies, with film title and year of release:

1. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946

2. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962

3. "Schindler's List," 1993

4. "Rocky," 1976

5. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," 1939

6. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982

7. "The Grapes of Wrath," 1940

8. "Breaking Away," 1979

9. "Miracle on 34th Street," 1947

10. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998

11. "The Best Years of Our Lives," 1946

12. "Apollo 13," 1995

13. "Hoosiers," 1986

14. "The Bridge on the River Kwai," 1957

15. "The Miracle Worker," 1962

16. "Norma Rae," 1979

17. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," 1975

18. "The Diary of Anne Frank," 1959

19. "The Right Stuff," 1983

20. "Philadelphia," 1993

21. "In the Heat of the Night," 1967

22. "The Pride of the Yankees," 1942

23. "The Shawshank Redemption," 1994

24. "National Velvet," 1944

25. "Sullivan's Travels," 1941

26. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939

27. "High Noon," 1952

28. "Field of Dreams," 1989

29. "Gandhi," 1982

30. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962

31. "Glory," 1989

32. "Casablanca," 1942

33. "City Lights," 1931

34. "All the President's Men," 1976

35. "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," 1967

36. "On the Waterfront," 1954

37. "Forrest Gump," 1994

38. "Pinocchio," 1940

39. "Star Wars," 1977

40. "Mrs. Miniver," 1942

41. "The Sound of Music," 1965

42. "12 Angry Men," 1957

43. "Gone With the Wind," 1939

44. "Spartacus," 1960

45. "On Golden Pond," 1981

46. "Lilies of the Field," 1963

47. "2001: a Space Odyssey," 1968

48. "The African Queen," 1951

49. "Meet John Doe," 1941

50. "Seabiscuit," 2003

51. "The Color Purple," 1985

52. "Dead Poet's Society," 1989

53. "Shane," 1953

54. "Rudy," 1993

55. "The Defiant Ones," 1958

56. "Ben-Hur," 1959

57. "Sergeant York," 1941

58. "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," 1977

59. "Dances With Wolves," 1990

60. "The Killing Fields," 1984

61. "Sounder," 1972

62. "Braveheart," 1995

63. "Rain Man," 1988

64. "The Black Stallion," 1979

65. "A Raisin in the Sun," 1961

66. "Silkwood," 1983

67. "The Day the Earth Stood Still," 1951

68. "An Officer and a Gentleman," 1982

69. "The Spirit of St. Louis," 1957

70. "Coal Miner's Daughter," 1980

71. "Cool Hand Luke," 1967

72. "Dark Victory," 1939

73. "Erin Brockovich," 2000

74. "Gunga Din," 1939

75. "The Verdict," 1982

76. "Birdman of Alcatraz," 1962

77. "Driving Miss Daisy," 1989

78. "Thelma & Louise," 1991

79. "The Ten Commandments," 1956

80. "Babe," 1995

81. "Boys Town," 1938

82. "Fiddler on the Roof," 1971

83. "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town," 1936

84. "Serpico," 1973

85. "What's Love Got to Do With It," 1993

86. "Stand and Deliver," 1988

87. "Working Girl," 1988

88. "Yankee Doodle Dandy," 1942

89. "Harold and Maude," 1972

90. "Hotel Rwanda," 2004

91. "The Paper Chase," 1973

92. "Fame," 1980

93. "A Beautiful Mind," 2001

94. "Captains Courageous," 1937

95. "Places in the Heart," 1984

96. "Searching for Bobby Fischer," 1993

97. "Madame Curie," 1943

98. "The Karate Kid," 1984

99. "Ray," 2004

100. "Chariots of Fire," 1981

Hicks tops People's 'hot bachelor' list

NEW YORK - "American Idol" Taylor Hicks is ranked as the No. 1 "hottest bachelor" by People magazine — and he's looking for love.

The 29-year-old silver-haired crooner tops People's list in the magazine's new issue, on newsstands Friday. But the "Idol" winner says he'd happily give up his bachelor days.

"There's been no time," Hicks says of his dating life. "Now, I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with the right woman."

Hicks also wants to find a woman he exchanged glances with on a recent airline flight. Of the mystery blonde, he says, "We waved and did a double-take look. It seemed like something out of a movie."

The magazine has set up e-mail and mailing addresses for the mystery woman to contact Hicks. The singer will also perform the song "Possibilities" in a new commercial for the Ford Motor Co., it was announced Wednesday.

Other "hot" bachelors — who aren't ranked by the magazine — are several celebrities no longer involved in high-profile romances, including Matthew McConaughey (ex-boyfriend of Penelope Cruz), Nick Lachey (formerly married to Jessica Simpson), Jake Gyllenhaal (who dated Kirsten Dunst) and Kenny Chesney (briefly married to Renee Zellweger).

The list also includes Ryan Seacrest, Jamie Foxx, Owen Wilson and Wentworth Miller.

News Corp to muster all units for "Simpsons" film

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - In the months before 20th Century Fox launches its big-screen version of "The Simpsons" next year, parent company News Corp. plans to muster every part of its entertainment empire to promote the film, president and chief operating officer Peter Chernin said Tuesday.

In so doing, News Corp. will maximize the marketing muscle of its various divisions while allowing them to benefit from the halo effect of the popular cartoon franchise, Chernin explained.

Speaking at the Deutsche Bank Media & Telecommunications Conference that was available via Web cast, Chernin said News Corp. held a three-hour meeting last week with about 40 executives from across the company, including its licensing, home video, book, satellite TV and broadcast network operations from around the world, as well as the film's executive producer, James L. Brooks, to discuss broader strategies related to the film's release.

By looking for synergies within the company, Chernin told investors that News Corp. could win several hundred million dollars in incremental revenue from the "Simpsons" film during the next couple of years.

Fox unveiled the July 27, 2007, release date of "The Simpsons Movie" on March 31 via an animated 28-second teaser debuted before screenings of Fox's "Ice Age: The Meltdown."

It was Brooks' idea that a surprise teaser would be a better way of announcing the film than using a conventional news announcement.

Chernin's comments about the release strategy behind the "Simpsons" film -- among the first tidbits that have emerged about it -- came as part of a broader defense by the executive Tuesday of the value of having various units of entertainment giants work together despite recent remarks from top sector executives who have questioned the value of such efforts.

While pointing to the successful recent launches of "Meltdown" and "X-Men: The Last Stand" as evidence that his firm does "a better job than anybody" in bringing the power of various media operations together behind a film, Chernin said "Simpsons" offered a particularly big opportunity thanks to its status as "one of the most valuable ... content brands in the world."

"The great thing about the 'Simpsons' (film) is it is an opportunity to go both ways," he said. "We can not only use those parts of the company to help us launch that movie, but we can use the movie to help us increase the value of the brand" across the various News Corp. media platforms that offer "Simpsons" content.

Chernin said the entertainment titan will use what he called a "pulse campaign" to release key details about the movie and promote it in three waves, which will happen in November, February and May TV sweep periods.

A Fish Called Wanda comes as a Special Edition this August

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is releasing the MGM comedy A Fish Called Wanda this August as a brand new 2-Disc Collector’s Edition.

Tour-de-force performances from an unparalleled comic cast highlight this much-loved hit. Monty Pythoners John Cleese and Michael Palin join Oscar winner Kevin Kline and Jamie Lee Curtis in an entertainment so impeccably timed and executed that it borders an pure genius.

Four conniving jewel thieves...three yorkshire terriers...two heaving bosoms and one proper British barrister. When a girl called Wanda (Curtis) tries to deceive her Nietzsche-quoting boyfriend (Kline), an animal-loving hitman (Palin) and an embarrassment-prone counselor (Cleese) out of a fortune in jewels in this hilariously funny farce, be prepared for an endless array of side-splitting jokes and hair raising plot twists.

This new Collector’s Edition will offer up a hours of great bonus materials to accompany the film, such as a selection of Alternate Scenes and Deleted Scenes with introductions by John Cleese. A Commentray Track by John Cleese is also included on the release, as well as the Documentary “Something Fishy.” A number of smaller Featurettes can also be found on the DVD set, such as “Farewell Featurette: John Cleese,” “John Cleese’s First Farewell Performance” and “Kulture Vulture.” In addition John Cleese’ First Farewell Performance will be found on the release also, as well as an Interview With John Cleese. The disc set is rounded out by the movie’s Theatrical Trailer.

“A Fish Called Wanda” will be in stores on August 1 with a suggested retail price of $24.98.

Letterman funds Colbert, Sedaris film

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Need money? Plug Explod-O-Pop.

When secret investors pulled out from Strangers With Candy, a comedy starring Amy Sedaris and Stephen Colbert, director Paul Dinello turned to late-show host David Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Inc.

"We needed to get money in a week. We called Worldwide Pants and they said, 'We'll pay for the whole thing and you guys can do what you want,' " Dinello said at the CineVegas film festival last week. "The only thing we had to do was we had to put in Explod-O-Pop."

The plug for the microwavable popcorn that Letterman gives to guests and sells at the CBS online store was a nice gesture, not a condition for funding, Dinello said. Besides, Letterman adores Sedaris as a comedian, he said.

"He gives that money to charity," Dinello said. "I mean he didn't like say, 'Either you put this in or we're pulling our funding out.' "

Strangers With Candy is the $3-million US prequel to the Comedy Central cult hit show that ran from 1999 to 2001. It is about a 46-year-old ex-junkie, Jerri Blank, who leaves prison and re-enters high school to succeed and hopefully snap her father out of a coma.

The film is set for a limited distribution by Think Film Company Inc. at around 100 theatres in major U.S. cities starting June 28.

New CD releases for Tuesday, June 13th, 2006:

Rather Ripped - Sonic Youth

One-X - Three Days Grace

The Big Bang - Busta Rhymes

Earth to America - Widespread Panic

Sinner - Joan Jett & the Blackhearts

12 Gardens Live - Billy Joel

The Best of the Replacements - The Replacements

A Half Century of Hits - Jerry Lee Lewis

Suitcase - Keb' Mo'

Un Nue Dia - Frankie J

Turquoise and Crimson - VAST

The Warning - Hot Chip

One Cold Night - Seether

Begin to Hope - Regina Spektor

Wide-Eyed and Mystified - Downhere

Fly - Chris Janz

Moro No Brasil: Music From the Soundtrack - Various Artists

Stars Help Bennett Celebrate 80th On 'Duets'

As first reported here in February, some of the biggest names in music have joined Tony Bennett for his 80th birthday celebration album, "Duets -- An American Classic." The 18-track project arrives Sept. 26 via RPM/Columbia and boasts guest appearances by Bono, Dixie Chicks, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Sting, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Costello and Elton John, among others.

"I'm just so thrilled that all these contemporary artists want to sing with me," Bennett told Billboard in February from Capitol's Studio A, where he was recording "Rags to Riches" with John. "They're all making me feel so good."

All of the songs were recorded with the guest artist in the same studio with Bennett. The track list includes "The Very Thought of You" with McCartney, "I Wanna Be Around" with Bono, "Smile" with Streisand and "For Once in My Life" with Wonder. Bennett has also revisited his signature song, "I Left My Heart in San Francisco," accompanied only by pianist Bill Charlap.

"Duets" will be available in an exclusive edition at Target featuring additional duets and a behind-the-scenes DVD. Target is also sponsoring a prime-time special, to air in the fall with guests to be announced.

In addition, Legacy Recordings is at work on a limited-edition boxed set of Bennett's work and is planning to reissue several albums that have never been available on CD. Finally, actor/director Clint Eastwood is executive producing a Bennett documentary, due for completion in 2007.

Here is the track list for "Duets -- An American Classic":

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams," with Sting
"Smile," with Barbra Streisand and Pinchas Zukerman
"Put on a Happy Face," with James Taylor
"The Shadow of Your Smile," with Juanes
"Rags to Riches," with Elton John
"The Very Thought of You," with Paul McCartney
"Lullaby of Broadway," with Dixie Chicks
"Cold, Cold Heart," with Tim McGraw
"The Best Is Yet To Come," with Diana Krall
"For Once in My Life," with Stevie Wonder
"Are You Havin' Any Fun?," with Elvis Costello
"Because of You," with k.d. lang and Chris Botti
"Just in Time," with Michael Buble
"Sing You Sinners," with John Legend
"The Good Life," with Billy Joel
"I Wanna Be Around," with Bono
"How Do You Keep the Music Playing," with George Michael
"I Left My Heart in San Francisco" with Bill Charlap

Dylan surveys "Modern Times" on new album

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Bob Dylan will end a five-year hiatus from the studio later this summer with his 44th album, "Modern Times," a 10-track set recorded earlier this year with his touring band.

Due for release August 29 via Columbia Records, the new album follows 2001's "Love and Theft," the No. 5 debut of which was Dylan's best showing on the Billboard 200 since 1979's "Slow Train Coming."

"Love and Theft," which won a Grammy for best contemporary folk album, has sold more than 757,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"Modern Times" includes such tracks as "When The Deal Goes Down," "Spirit on the Water," "Thunder on the Mountain" and "Workingman's Blues," according to Columbia.

Dylan, who recently began hosting his own "Theme Time Radio Hour" on XM Satellite Radio, is not currently on the road, having wrapped a six-week North American tour last month in Hollywood, Florida.

In other Dylan news, Martin Scorsese's 2005 documentary "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" won the grand prize and the arts documentary prize Monday night at the 27th Banff Rockie Awards in Banff, Alberta.

Original Beach Boys members reunite

LOS ANGELES - The surviving founders of the Beach Boys — Brian Wilson, Mike Love and Al Jardine — made their first public appearance together in 10 years Tuesday, standing atop the historic Capitol Records building in Hollywood.

The trio gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the landmark "Pet Sounds" album and the recent double-platinum certification of 2003's "Sounds of Summer: The Very Best of the Beach Boys." The trio was joined by veteran band member Bruce Johnston and former Beach Boy David Marks.

"It's always good to do this while we're living," Jardine quipped to reporters before the event, in which band members were presented with framed plaques each containing two platinum vinyl records.

Plaques also were issued posthumously to Wilson's brothers, Carl and Dennis — both original Beach Boys members.

The reunion of the Beach Boys came after decades of animosity between Love and Wilson, who are cousins.

Love sued Wilson in November, saying Wilson "shamelessly misappropriated (Love's) songs, likeness and the Beach Boys trademark, as well as the `Smile' album itself" when Wilson was promoting 2004's "Smile." Love previously sued his cousin in the mid-1990s, seeking more songwriting credit on the band's back catalog.

The two shared a friendly rapport Tuesday, standing side by side and patting each other on the back. In thanking his bandmates, Love lauded "my cousin Brian Wilson, for his incredible abilities that gave us all this amazing life."

When asked if all hatchets have been buried, Love pointed to his back.

"The hatchets are right here," he said with a laugh.

Loved added that between the band members "there's issues that arise, and you resolve them over time."

Of the reunion, he said: "We've been together, just in different configurations and different situations. But this is a great one because everybody's in a celebratory mood, everybody's on their good behavior and everybody's enjoying the fact that our records have been recognized even 40 years after we first put (them) out."

A second greatest-hits compilation, called "The Warmth of the Sun," is planned for release next spring, Love and Wilson said.

Eminem to return to big screen in Western

DETROIT - Eminem will return to the big screen in an updated version of the television Western "Have Gun — Will Travel."

Paramount Pictures has extended an 18-month option on the property to develop it as a vehicle for the Detroit rapper, Daily Variety reported Tuesday. The show debuted on CBS in 1957 and ran until 1963.

Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, has committed to shoot the role and is excited about his latest opportunity, Interscope Records spokesman Dennis Dennehy told The Associated Press. Dennehy did not provide additional details.

The concept of the series will be updated to contemporary times and feature Eminem playing a bounty hunter, Daily Variety said.

The 33-year-old Grammy-winning rapper rose to stardom with best-selling CDs, deeply personal lyrics and a starring role in the 2002 film "8 Mile."

Eminem is also expected to be involved in producing the soundtrack of the new film.

"Have Gun — Will Travel" starred Richard Boone, who earned Emmy nominations in 1959 and 1960 for his portrayal of gunfighter-for-hire Paladin.

McCartney's wife in sex scandal

It's been a hard couple of nights for Heather Mills, but Paul McCartney's estranged wife is frantically denying she ever worked like a dog.

U.K. paper News of the World alleges Mills hid a sordid past from her husband that included working as a $10,000-a-night prostitute and engaging in lesbian and group sex with wealthy Arabs.

Mills, 38, garnered headlines in another U.K. newspaper, The Sun, just last week after the paper published steamy photos of the former model engaging in explicit sex acts.

The photos are from the 1988 book Freuden der Liebe (Joys of Love), available to order from orion.de, a German website selling sexual material.

Though the paper called the photos "obscene and pornographic," Mills explained that pictures of her posing intimately with a curly-haired male model were meant to be an instructional "lover's guide."

As for allegations she was a high-class prostitute, lawyers issued a statement over the weekend trying feverishly to refute the shocking stories, saying "the sources clearly are a variety of unreliable persons who have been paid."

"The timing of the article is clearly designed to cause maximum hurt to Heather, her husband and family at this sensitive time," the statement read.

News of the World devoted a four-page spread to the explosive story on Sunday, claiming they obtained sworn affidavits from the private secretary who paid Mills for "pleasuring his billionaire master" -- an international arms dealer.

In a detailed interview with the secretary, the paper reveals lewd details of her sexual exploits that spanned Spain's poshest resort towns and London hotels.

"She has lied through her teeth," the secretary said in response to her denials.

High-profile ex-prostitutes also corroborate claims Mills was a sought-after escort while in her 20s.

One woman described how she and Mills -- who she said wore stockings and stilettos for the romp -- engaged in a foursome with a Saudi prince. Each woman earned about $2,000.

"The prince was really excited, especially when Heather performed a sex act on me. Then he had unprotected sex with her," the woman told The Sun.

Another former prostitute who claims she too was intimate with Mills said, "Heather was a familiar face in our business."

"I worked with her when we were both hired for a party thrown by an Arab prince...," she said, adding that Mills "was bubbling over with enthusiasm."

According to Mills' lawyer, the tabloid that broke the story held on to the allegations for four years under threat of legal action from McCartney's lawyers.

But Mills is no longer under his protection since the couple, who have a 2-year-old daughter, announced last month they were filing for divorce.

Janet Jackson album set for September release

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Pop star Janet Jackson's new studio album, "20 Years Old," will arrive in stores September 26 via Virgin Records, with the first single, "Call on Me," featuring rapper Nelly, ready to hit U.S. radio outlets next week.

As previously reported, Jackson's latest collection was produced by her boyfriend, Virgin Urban president Jermaine Dupri, as well as longtime collaborators Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.

"20 Years Old," which is an apparent reference to the 20-year anniversary of Jackson's 1986 smash album "Control," is the follow-up to 2004's "Damita Jo," which was released during the fallout from her breast-baring Super Bowl halftime appearance.

That set debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 pop chart and has sold 987,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

CBC pulls Tommy Douglas movie over inaccuracy

REGINA (CP) - The CBC has pulled a movie about the life of medicare founder Tommy Douglas from its broadcast schedule, citing historical inaccuracies in the portrayal of an adversary in the film.

The corporation has also halted both home and educational sales of Prairie Giant: The Tommy Douglas Story while it tries to resolve concerns raised about how former Saskatchewan premier James (Jimmie) Gardiner comes off in the eyes of viewers.

CBC executive vice-president Richard Stursberg informed Gardiner's family of the decision in an e-mail, which became public Monday.

"We engaged an outside, third-part historian with no ties to CBC, your family or the Douglas family to assess the way in which Mr. Gardiner was depicted," Stursberg wrote.

"I regret to say that his conclusion was that the character created for the film does not reflect the accepted historical record."

The movie was first broadcast in two parts on March 12 and 13. CBC spokesman Jeff Keay said it was scheduled to run again in late June.

The decision to abort that was welcomed by Gardiner's family, who had fought to set the record straight.

"I am so relieved," granddaughter Marg Gardiner said in an telephone interview from her Victoria home. "It was very shocking, very unsettling, to see this kind of a distortion."

Douglas, a New Democrat, and Gardiner, a Liberal, both enjoyed distinguished political careers in Saskatchewan and Ottawa.

As leader of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, Douglas was a five-term premier of the province before becoming the first federal leader of the NDP. He is best remembered as the father of publicly funded medicare.

Gardiner was elected twice as Saskatchewan premier, first in 1926 and again in 1934. Federally, he held the agriculture portfolio for a record 22 years. Saskatchewan's Gardiner Dam on Lake Diefenbaker is named after him.

Historians say Gardiner was a passionate voice for the West and for agriculture.

He was hard-nosed and not always easy to get along with, but when he was portrayed as boorish, self-centred and vindictive, several prominent provincial politicians, including former NDP premier Allan Blakeney, rushed to his defence.

Historians pointed out that Gardiner was shown drinking in the movie, but in real life was a teetotaller.

Marg Gardiner said she was most upset by the way the character in the film seemed to be anti-immigrant, given that her grandfather grew up in a town made up of recent immigrants and was instrumental in fighting the Ku Klux Klan, which once tried to gain a foothold in the province.

"That was the most disturbing thing in the movie," she said. "Here we have someone who is a pioneer in the recognition of multicultural Canada and it was a total role reversal."

When reached by phone at the Banff Television Festival, the film's producer Kevin DeWalt was reluctant to comment on what he called a CBC decision.

"Read the disclaimer - we were very clear from Day 1 that this was not a documentary," DeWalt said. "It was a fictionalization and dramatization and it stated that quite clearly in the disclaimer and we stand by that disclaimer."

Saskatchewan's NDP government contributed $614,400 to the production of the movie as part of the province's 2005 centennial celebrations.

Premier Lorne Calvert appeared agitated when faced with questions about the CBC's decision Monday.

"This was a great centennial project, it honoured the greatest of Canadians," Calvert said.

"It was drama and this government will never, on any occasion, interfere in the editorial decision-making around artistic production."

Keay said it was too early to say how the movie might be changed so it could air again.

"In the context of the historical record we came to the conclusion that the way that Mr. Gardiner was portrayed was not consistent with the historical record," Keay said.

"I think the point that I would make here is that we certainly regret any discomfort that the Gardiner family has with the characterization of the former premier."

Pixar 'company player' Ratzenberger back

CONCORD, N.C. - He's been a piggy bank, a flea and the voice of a school of fish.

Now, the folks at Pixar have turned John Ratzenberger into a tractor-trailer named Mack — a stock-car hauler charged with getting race car Lightning McQueen to Los Angeles for the final race of the NASCAR-style Piston Cup season in "Cars," the Disney-Pixar release that opened over the weekend with a supercharged $63 million in ticket sales.

Best known as the inanely garrulous postman Cliff Clavin on the long-running television comedy "Cheers," the 59-year-old Ratzenberger has enjoyed a second act to his career with Pixar, which pioneered computer animated movies with "Toy Story" in 1995. With the release of "Cars," Ratzenberger's voice has been featured in each of the studio's seven feature films.

Like Jay and Silent Bob in a Kevin Smith feature or Eugene Levy and Fred Willard in Christopher Guest's movies, Ratzenberger has become Pixar's company player. He's never the lead, but pops up in key supporting roles like the villainous Underminer in "The Incredibles" or the Yeti in "Monsters, Inc."

"I never take anything for granted," Ratzenberger said recently, a few days before the "Cars" premiere at Lowe's Motor Speedway outside Charlotte. "I realize how lucky and blessed I am that I get the call and show up, do a little work."

"Cars" is set in a world entirely populated by automobiles, right down to the tiny Volkswagen Beetles with wings buzzing around — they're the "Bugs," of course. Hard-charging rookie race car McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson) ends up stranded in the forgotten Route 66 town of Radiator Springs after Mack loses him during a cross-country trip to the year's last Piston Cup race.

McQueen befriends a motley assortment of cars in Radiator Springs, including a loyal, broken-down tow truck named Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), a cute 2002 Porsche 911 ( Bonnie Hunt) and a 1951 Hudson Hornet with a secret past ( Paul Newman).

It's the kind of dense, detail-oriented universe found in all of Pixar's films, and within the world of "Cars," director John Lasseter — the Pixar chief for whom "Cars" is the first directorial effort since 1999's "Toy Story 2" — has placed two special tributes to Ratzenberger.

The first is his character, a truck named Mack who is, naturally, a Mack truck.

Lasseter knew that when Ratzenberger was growing up in Connecticut, his father was a truck driver. And early on during the production of "Cars," producer Darla Anderson asked Ratzenberger what kind of truck his dad drove.

"I said, `The Mack,'" Ratzenberger said. "They had already started talking to another truck company to make the (product placement) deal, but they stopped that process and went right to Mack. Without me knowing — I didn't ask.

"When you have people who care like that, that attention to detail ... It meant a lot to me."

The second tribute comes during the closing credits of "Cars," as Mack watches clips of other Pixar flicks — at a drive-in theater — and marvels at the genius of all the Ratzenberger-voiced characters. In keeping with the film's theme, all have become automotive versions of the original characters.

"That was a surprise to me, a wonderful surprise," Ratzenberger said. "I had recorded these voices and he (Lasseter) told me, `Well, we're going to do this thing' ... and I really didn't get it until I saw it.

"It was shocking — in a wonderful way."

Ratzenberger spends much of his time these days hosting the documentary series "Made in America" for the Travel Channel, which features everyday products made in the United States. The father of teenagers said he turns down plenty of film and voice roles he thinks send the wrong message, but always ends up back with Pixar because of the family-friendly content of their films.

"I only want to be involved in projects that I can sit there with my kids and not be embarrassed by, not be ashamed of," he said. "I just don't want to be part of that message that adults, authority figures, are stupid and only kids are smart because in the real world it doesn't work that way."

That's not an issue with Pixar and Lasseter, with whom Ratzenberger said he shares a curiosity about the world that has made them more than just colleagues.

"John does things the old-fashioned way," Ratzenberger said. "He'll work on a story for four years before they get to the animation part. That's what used to happen in Hollywood that unfortunately doesn't happen much anymore.

"Like in `Toy Story,' where the baseboard in the kid's room has scuff marks. ... He'll go right down to that detail. The research he did here, there's a passion for it."

Being asked to voice Hamm, the piggy bank in the original "Toy Story," was, said Ratzenberger, "like being invited into a good friend's sandbox."

He's been happy to stay and build sand castles ever since.

Nostalgic Sesame Street DVD set coming in October

For the first time ever, Sesame Workshop is planning to release Classic Sesame Street on DVD. Sesame Workshop has not yet announced if the set will contain complete episodes or skit compilations.

In September, Sesame Workshop stated that they were considering the possibility of releasing "classic" Sesame Street material on DVD, but not to expect anything anytime soon. This is due to the necessary development time, many legalities and several other organizational issues that would need to be addressed first.

There is now light at the end of the tunnel. Recently we received the following response from Sesame Workshop on the issue:

We are planning to release a "Sesame Street Nostalgia Box Set", however this is something that will not happen until October '06.

In the meantime, we released a boxed set of The Electric Company in February '06, and there are plans for a second volume of The Electric Company as well.

So, now it is official. The first DVD box set of "classic" Sesame Street material should be released (if all goes as planned) in October 2006.

There are no further details on the set available at this time, but we'll be sure to keep you all updated as more information is revealed on this exciting upcoming release.

Bob Seger unveils 'Promise' for new album

Bob Seger will release his first studio album in 11 years Sept. 12, when Capitol Records ships the singer's "Face the Promise" to stores.

The interval between "Face the Promise" and Seger's last full-length album, 1995's "It's a Mystery," is the longest in the 61-year-old singer's career. The new album's initial single is titled "Wait For Me."

"It's a pretty high-energy rock record," Seger recently told USA Today. "I would say it's more rock 'n' roll than usual. I wrote a lot of songs, a lot of songs. I probably recorded about 30, but the best songs happened to be more rock-leaning"

Seger--a 2004 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee--began his recording career almost 40 years ago, when he released "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" with his then-current band, The Bob Seger System. Seger went on to record more than a dozen albums, most with his longtime backing band, The Silver Bullet Band, and notch lifetime album sales of nearly 50 million.

Seger's 1994 "Greatest Hits" compilation has sold more than 7 million copies to date, and has remained on the Billboard Pop Catalog charts for an unbroken 600-week run.

Dixie Chicks vow to continue tour

Despite rumors to the contrary, the Dixie Chicks will go ahead with plans for their upcoming summer tour, according to a message posted on the band's website.

Earlier media reports had indicated the trio might be forced to cancel or postpone most or all of its summer dates owing to tepid ticket sales in many markets. While the bulk of the itinerary remains in place for the moment, public ticket sales for several dates have been at least temporarily halted, while some appearances have been pulled from the schedule for the time being.

Ticket sales have been halted--at least for now--for the band's scheduled dates in Memphis, Indianapolis, Houston and Oklahoma City. Fresno, CA, TV station KFSN is reporting that the September Dixie Chicks concert in that city has been postponed.

As of press time, tickets were still scheduled to go on the market Saturday (6/10) for planned Dixie Chicks gigs in Columbus, OH; Sacramento, CA; Austin, TX; and Calgary, Alberta.

A swarm of rumors began to swell around the often-controversial country act earlier this week, when Billboard.com reported that early sales figures for advance and pre-sale tickets for many of the tour dates were lagging far behind expectations. Initial ticket counts for the 20-plus arena shows that went on sale last weekend were averaging 5,000-6,000 per show in major markets and less in secondaries, the site reported, citing industry sources.

"The tour is not being postponed or canceled at all," the group's publicist, Kathy Best, told the Los Angeles Times this week. "There is a reshuffling of dates and as soon as rerouting is confirmed, we will be able to announce the changes. There will be some cancellations due to rerouting and additional dates being added."

Best didn't immediately return a phone call and email from LiveDaily this morning.

A message posted Friday (6/9) on the Dixie Chicks' website stated the group's intention to go forward with its summer tour plans, but it did leave the door open to some changes.

"Any reports being made about the cancellation of our upcoming Accidents And Accusations tour are completely false," the band's statement began.

"We have known since March 2003 that our path in this business would have obstacles at every pass. We have enjoyed meeting each one head-on and we will continue to do so. Dixie Chicks fans are as active and dedicated as they come. This time around we are willingly feeling our way through uncharted territory. Things don't come as easy as they might have come in the past, and it makes each accomplishment more exciting and appreciated."

The band infamously courted controversy in 2003 when Chicks' singer Natalie Maines told an audience in London that she was "ashamed" that President George W. Bush was a fellow Texan. The incident incurred the wrath of conservatives and has made the group a lightning rod for criticism ever since.

In contrast to the reported lagging ticket sales, the band's latest album, "Taking the Long Way," is showing healthy sales numbers, selling 526,000 copies its first week of release, according to Nielsen Soundscan, the third largest sales week of any artist this year. The album is currently No. 1 on this week's Billboard 200 chart.

Early ticket sales for this tour are in marked contrast to the Chicks' last proper outing in 2003 when a national on-sale moved some 867,000 tickets the first weekend, and second shows were added in several markets. The Chicks ended up with the top-grossing country tour of 2003 at $62 million.

July 2006
21 - Detroit, MI - Joe Louis Arena
22 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mellon Arena
23 - Columbus, OH - Value City Arena
25 - Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
28 - Albany, NY - Pepsi Arena
29 - Boston, MA - Banknorth Garden

August 2006
1 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
4 - Washington, DC - Verizon Center
13 - Milwaukee, WI - Bradley Center
15 - Chicago, IL - United Center
18 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
20 - Kansas City, MO - Kemper Arena
22- St. Louis, MO - Savvis Center
23 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
24 - Des Moines, IA - Wells Fargo Arena
26 - Fargo, ND - Fargodome

September 2006
3 - Glendale, AZ - Glendale Arena
8 - Sacramento, CA - ARCO Arena
9 - Oakland, CA - Oakland Arena
14 - Los Angeles, CA - Staples Center
16 - Las Vegas, NV - Mandalay Bay
23 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center
24 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
26 - Oklahoma City, OK - Ford Center
27 - Memphis, TN - FedEx Forum
29 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
30 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center

October 2006
1 - Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
3 - Nashville, TN - Gaylord Entertainment Center
5 - Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
6 - Jacksonville, FL - Veterans Memorial Arena
7 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - BankAtlantic Center
17 - Atlanta, GA - Philips Arena
20 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson-Boling Arena
22 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
27 - Ottawa, Ontario - Scotiabank Place
28 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada Centre

November 2006
4 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
5 - Calgary, Alberta - Saddledome
8 - Vancouver, British Columbia - GM Place
9 - Portland, OR - Rose Garden
11 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome

Jar Jar Binks Returns for 'Fanboys'

Sam Huntington talks about his upcoming 'Star Wars'-based comedy

Jar Jar Binks, cinema's most maligned Gungan, makes a triumphant return in "Fanboys," warns Sam Huntington, who stars in the upcoming Weinstein Co. comedy.

"Jar Jar appears in the movie in a very very funny way that I can't reveal to you, because it's absolutely hysterical," Huntington warns. "It's one of my favorite moments in the whole movie."

Huntington, talking to reporters about his role as eager-beaver photographer Jimmy Olsen in the upcoming "Superman Returns," is part of a "Fanboys" ensemble that includes Dan Fogler, Kristen Bell, Jay Baruchel and Chris Marquette. Directed by Kyle Newman, "Fanboys" focuses on a group of lifelong friends who embark on a roadtrip from Ohio to the Skywalker Ranch in Northern California. Their goal in the not-so-distant period piece? To steal a copy of "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" so that a dying friend can see it before its worldwide release.

"It's really, really funny and it's very very emotionally powerful, believe it or not, because they're fulfilling the wish of their dying friend," Huntington explains. "And I know that sounds very cliched, but it's actually very tastefully done."

Huntington is probably best known from roles in "Detroit Rock City" and several TV appearances, but by the time "Fanboys" hits theaters (some time early next year, likely), he'll be wildly recognized for his turn as Superman's favorite shutterbug in Bryan Singer's big budget Warner Bros. film. While he plays support to the likes of newcomer-in-tights Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth and Kevin Spacey (whose Trigger Street shingle is producing "Fanboys") in "Superman," the upcoming comedy will give him more of a lead role.

"I play a guy who basically has been segregated from his fanboy friends," says Huntington. "They've all continued on after college to be remain fanboys and I've kind of gone the corporate road and work for my day at a car dealership and inherit it at the beginning of the movie and then it just kind of goes on after that."

He adds, "Yeah. That's right. I rediscover my inner fanboy."

So Huntington can tell us that Jar Jar -- last seen in the background of two shots in "Revenge of the Sith" - is back in all his floppy-eared glory, but will there be any other cameos from within the "Star Wars" universe? And, equally importantly, will the Dark Lord of the Skywalker Ranch, George Lucas, make an appearance?

"Needless to say, we kiss his ass for an hour-and-a-half, he kind of had to sign off it on it, you know," Huntington laughs. "The extent of his... I should keep that kind of a mystery, the extent of his involvement. It's very cool. It's going to be a fun, fun movie."

Before "Fanboys" opens, real life fanboys (and girls) can see "Superman Returns" when it opens wide on Wednesday, June 28

'History Boys,' 'Jersey Boys' top Tonys

NEW YORK - The "Boys" took home the top 2006 Tonys Sunday night. "Jersey Boys," the fast-moving musical biography of pop icons Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, won best musical, while "The History Boys," Alan Bennett's wise, witty and warmhearted dissection of British education, was named best play.

"The History Boys" received six Tonys, more than any other production, also collecting prizes for actor, Richard Griffiths; director, Nicholas Hytner; featured actress, Frances de la Tour; and two design prizes, sets and lighting.

"You are insanely talented people," said Julia Roberts before giving the best-actor prize to Griffiths for his portrayal of an unorthodox yet beloved teacher in "The History Boys."

In his Broadway debut, John Lloyd Young, who plays Valli in "Jersey Boys," took the top actor-musical award and dedicated the prize to his father. After the show, Young said winning the Tony was "a very personal thing for me. ... To have been an usher a year and a half ago and now to be starring in a Broadway show and holding this — this is a triumph for everyone in my life."

Christian Hoff, who plays tough, wise-guy Tommy DeVito in the show won the featured actor-musical prize.

While the race between "Jersey Boys" and "The Drowsy Chaperone" was the evening's most competitive contest, there were a few surprises. LaChanze won in the actress-musical category for her portrayal of the courageous Celie in "The Color Purple." It was the only award the musical based on Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel received despite 11 nominations.

While "Jersey Boys," picked up the top musical prize and received four Tonys, its main competitor, "The Drowsy Chaperone," the Canadian-born musical that affectionately celebrates Broadway's past, won more awards — five — including best book and score.

"Thank you, America," exulted "Drowsy" star Bob Martin, who co-wrote the book with Don McKellar.

The Canadian winners said they were proud that the show originated in Toronto.

"It's the longest-running show in Canadian history — 12 performances — we celebrated that," Martin said with a laugh.

Their Canadian cohorts, Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison, received the prize for music and lyrics. And an exuberant Beth Leavel, who portrays the show's inebriated title character, scooped up the featured-actress musical prizes. It also won two musical-design awards — for sets and costumes.

"The Pajama Game" edged out "Sweeney Todd" for the musical revival prize and took the choreography award, which went to its director Kathleen Marshall. "Sweeney Todd" managed two awards, one for its director, John Doyle, who developed the concept for the show — having the actors play the show's instruments. The revival also grabbed an award for its new, spare orchestrations.

Cynthia Nixon playing a distraught mother who loses a young son in an auto accident, won the best actress-play prize for her performance in "Rabbit Hole."

Ian McDiarmid who plays Ralph Fiennes' fey, funny manager in "Faith Healer," yelped out a "fantastic" as he ended his speech thanking voters for his featured-actor prize.

The Lincoln Center Theater production of Clifford Odets' stirring 1935 drama "Awake and Sing!" received the prize for play-revival as well as a costume design prize.

No single host shepherded the presenters and winners through the telecast, although a parade of stars including Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey (a producer of the Tony-nominated "Color Purple") were on hand to entice viewers to the CBS telecast.

"Jersey Boys," "The Drowsy Chaperone" and "The History Boys" are among the shows doing potent business at the box office, underscoring the fact that the 2005-2006 season has been a good year on Broadway.

For the first time, Broadway attendance topped the 12 million mark, jumping past the 11.9 million reached in the season before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Grosses have been robust, too, with the season total climbing to $861.6 million, a 12 percent hike from the $768.5 million of the year before.

Those money figures were helped by the appearance of big names on Broadway, most prominently Roberts. The Hollywood star may not have won over the critics for her performance in Richard Greenberg's "Three Days of Rain," but her marquee value was undeniable, pretty much selling out the play's three-month run.

Tony winners were chosen by 754 theater professionals including actors, producers, writers, stagehands and theater owners. The Antoinette Perry — or Tony — Awards were founded in 1947 by the American Theatre Wing and are administered by the Wing and the League of American Theatres and Producers.

Rolling Stones to rock Regina?

The Rolling Stones may play a concert at Regina's Taylor Field on the Thanksgiving weekend, a report says.

"It seems almost a certainty," writer Gerry Krochak reported in the Regina Leader-Post on the weekend.

Krochak, a musical columnist for the Leader-Post, said there have been persistent rumours about a show that may be set for Oct. 7 or 8.

He said unnamed organizers from Regina and band officials "are working very hard to make this happen."

If the show is confirmed, there will be an official announcement in July, Krochak said.

The band is preparing for a European summer tour. Citing multiple sources, Krochak said there would then be three or four dates in Canada.

Other possible sites that have been touted include Vancouver, Halifax and Windsor, Ont.

Krochak said that although Regina is a small city and the stadium wil be packed if 45,000 fans turned up, the Stones concert held a hugely successful concert in another smaller city — Moncton, N.B. — in September 2005.

The group has never played in Saskatchewan and a Regina concert would draw fans from Alberta, Manitoba and the northern United States.

'Cars' roars up box office in $62.8M debut

LOS ANGELES - The animated comedy "Cars" raced to first place at the weekend box office with a $62.8 million debut, maintaining the Disney-Pixar cartoon brand's undefeated record with a seventh straight hit.

If the numbers hold when final figures come out Monday, "Cars" would have the third-best opening in the Disney-Pixar cartoon series, just ahead of "Monsters, Inc." but behind "The Incredibles" and "Finding Nemo," which both debuted at about $70 million.

Still, it was the first time since the partnership began with 1995's "Toy Story" that a Disney-Pixar film did not gross more than its predecessor over opening weekend.

"I look at $62 million as being an accomplishment of great proportion," said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution. "I think to use the baseball analogy, a home run is a home run in anybody's ballpark, whether it's 398 feet or 460 feet. This is a home run."

The movie features the voices of Owen Wilson and Paul Newman in a story of a hotshot race car that gets a lesson on the value of slowing down when he's sidetracked in a sleepy burgh.

The weekend's other new wide release, 20th Century Fox's horror remake "The Omen," was No. 4 with $15.45 million. Starring Julia Stiles and Liev Schreiber in the tale of a demon child, "The Omen" has grossed $35.7 million since opening on Tuesday to take advantage of the date — 6-6-06 — a play on the number signifying the anti-Christ.

In narrower release, Robert Altman's "A Prairie Home Companion" premiered solidly at No. 7 with $4.7 million. Playing in 760 cinemas, the film averaged $6,147 a theater, compared to $15,759 in 3,985 theaters for "Cars" and $5,674 in 2,723 cinemas for "The Omen."

Released by Picturehouse, "A Prairie Home Companion" features Garrison Keillor in a fictionalized behind-the-scenes portrait of his venerable radio program. The ensemble cast includes Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan, Tommy Lee Jones, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly and Virginia Madsen.

The top-12 movies took in $148.8 million, up 8 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" debuted with $50.2 million.

"Cars" was the first movie directed by Pixar creative mastermind John Lasseter since 1999's "Toy Story 2." Lasseter also directed the original "Toy Story" and "A Bug's Life."

The six prior Disney-Pixar films all opened at No. 1 and have grossed a total of $3.2 billion worldwide.

"They are the closest thing to a sure thing in Hollywood," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "They are money in the bank."

The previous weekend's top movie, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn's romantic comedy "The Break-Up," slipped to second place with $20.5 million. The Universal Pictures' film raised its 10-day total to $74.1 million.

"X-Men: The Last Stand," from 20th Century Fox, became the year's first movie to top $200 million domestically. The superhero saga was No. 3 with $15.55 million, lifting its three-week total to $201.7 million.

Close behind "X-Men" is Sony's "The Da Vinci Code," which came in sixth with $10.3 million, bringing its domestic haul to $189 million. Worldwide, "The Da Vinci Code" has taken in $642 million.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Cars," $62.8 million.
2. "The Break-Up," $20.5 million.
3. "X-Men: The Last Stand," $15.55 million.
4. "The Omen," $15.45 million.
5. "Over the Hedge," $10.301 million
6. "The Da Vinci Code," $10.3 million.
7. "A Prairie Home Companion," $4.7 million.
8. "Mission: Impossible III," $3 million.
9. "RV," $2 million.
10. "Poseidon," $1.8 million.

HOLLYWOOD KNIGHTS' MORNING AFTER

'ENTOURAGE"- HBO's hit comedy, which is returning Sunday night for its third season - is the kind of show tailor-made for 20- something-year-old guys.

Since I won't achieve that particular incarnation in this lifetime, I can't imagine that I'll ever love it - didn't three seasons ago, don't now. Like it, sure.

And there are things to love about it - two of them to be precise: Kevin Dillon and Jeremy Piven.

And while all the characters in the show are written more like caricatures, these two know how to take the ball and play it for all it's worth. Dillon is "Drama" Chase, the failed-actor brother of rising star Vince Chase, and Piven is Ari, Vince's out-of-control agent.

Since these guys were meant to be ancillary characters revolving around the shimmering sunlight of Vince, the up-and-coming star (the beautiful Adrian Grenier), it makes the dullness of the other actors all the more pronounced. And dull they are.

Grenier, for example, fills the screen like a beautiful blank.

Then there's Kevin Connolly, the current love interest of that other blank sheet, Nicky Hilton. Connolly plays Eric, Vince's lifelong friend and manager, a forgettable character inhabited by an actor who fades into the background. Then there's Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) a hanger-on in the entourage whose constant jokes about getting lucky are stretched thinner than Rosie O'Donnell's leggings. And so is his acting.

This season's premiere is about yes, Vince's premiere in "Aquaman," which has the guys all in a tizzy. And next Sunday, they are all worried about the first day's opening numbers. Yawn.

Like I said, a great show for 20-something guys - especially those with rich fantasy lives.

"Entourage" - Sunday night at 10 on HBO and Movie Central in Canada.

EW ranks 'Passion' most controversial film

NEW YORK - Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" ranks as the most controversial film of all time, according to Entertainment Weekly.

The magazine ranks the 25 films that have most shocked, disgusted and divided moviegoers, in its June 16 issue, on newsstands Monday.

EW writes that Gibson's grisly depiction of Jesus' betrayal and crucifixion ignited "a culture-war firestorm unrivaled in Hollywood history." Despite — or to some degree, because of — the religious uproar, the 2004 film grossed over $370 million at the U.S box office.

Coming in second is Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange." Kubrick's 1971 futuristic film is famous for a violent scene during which "Singin' in the Rain" is played. Reports of copycat crimes led to the movie's withdrawal from distribution in Britain.

Oliver Stone has the unique distinction of landing twice on the list: 1991's "JFK," ranked at No. 5, and 1994's "Natural Born Killers," at No. 8.

"The Da Vinci Code," now in theaters, charts at No. 13 for the debates spawned by its tale of a Catholic cover-up. Another recent film, "United 93," ranks at No. 16 because of concerns that it came too soon after the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

Also among the 25: "Fahrenheit 9/11," "Deep Throat," "The Last Temptation of Christ," "The Deer Hunter," "Basic Instinct," "Do the Right Thing" and "Kids."

A Hitch in the Dixie Chicks' Git-Along

Despite the fact that the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way has been the number-one album in the country for two weeks, the trio may be staring at wide open spaces when they take their show on the road this summer.

Billboard reported Wednesday that a handful of dates on the North American leg of the Dixie Chicks' upcoming Accidents & Accusations tour, which kicks of July 21 in Detroit, might be postponed or canceled due to slow ticket sales.

Ticket outlets were averaging 5,000-6,000 tickets sold per date in major markets, although most of the arena-sized venues can accommodate more than 15,000 people. So far, a September date at Memphis' FedEx Forum has been X-ed off the schedule and the fate of shows in Indianapolis, Houston and Oklahoma City are in jeopardy, according to Billboard. Shows in the band's home state, including Austin and Dallas, are moving ahead as scheduled.

A publicist for the band did not immediately comment on the potential cancellations, and no direct connection has been made between the lackluster ticket sales and any ire fans might still harbor toward the Chicks because of the, um, unpleasantness. Lead singer Natalie Maines informed London fans in March 2003 that she was ashamed that President George W. Bush is from Texas. The overseas crowd lapped it up, but a lot of people on this side of the pond were none too pleased.

Maines issued a public apology afterward but took her mea culpa off the table last month just before Taking the Long Way's release. Still, the album took the easy way to the top of the Billboard 200, selling 526,000 copies its first week out and another 271,000 last week, per Nielsen SoundScan.

But this latest album's success just adds to the puzzle over why the Accidents & Accusations tour isn't meeting expectations. Back when the Dixie Chicks--Maines, Martie Seidel and Emily Robison--were taking Europe by storm and ticking off fans of the U.S. President, ticket sales were off the charts. The group's 2003 tour moved 876,000 tickets during the first week of sales and encore dates had to be added in multiple markets. The ladies went on to have the top-grossing country tour of the year, raking in $62 million.

This summer definitely doesn't qualify as a lost cause, though. Plenty of venues on the 40-plus date tour will be full of screaming fans, and hopefully they'll be shouting nice things.

"We're happy [with our on-sale] and comparatively seem to be ahead of most," John Page, general manager and chief operating officer of Global Spectrum at Philadelphia's Wachovia Center, where the Dixie Chicks are booked for July 25, told Billboard.

And you can't blame Canada for slow sales. Toronto's Air Canada Centre added a second date to accommodate demand.

"Canada loves the Chicks," the arena's booking director, Patti-Ann Tarlton, told Billboard.

According to a statement from Maines, fans who do show up in the next few months will be treated to "more of an old-style rock show, not so much about theatrics and props but just about the music. To rock out, we used to have to pull out a cover tune, so it's nice to have your own songs to fill that part of the set."

Before the Dixie Chicks hit the Motor City in July, they'll perform in London this month to promote Taking the Long Way's international release. Their June 15 show finds them back at Shepherd's Bush Empire, the scene of the 2003 controversy. Then the Chicks will join the Eagles onstage June 17 at Twickenham Stadium.

"Cars" to box office also-rans: Eat my dust

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Cars" is racing into theaters Friday and is expected to take the checkered flag at the weekend box office.

The seventh film from Walt Disney Co. and its newly acquired Pixar Animation Studios partner revolves around a talking race car named Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), who learns some valuable life lessons during an enforced pit stop in a sleepy town.

Also lending their voices to the colorful cast of computer-animated vehicles are Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin and racing great Richard Petty. The G-rated tale is directed by John Lasseter, who last took the helm for 1999's "Toy Story 2," which opened with $57 million and went on to gross $246 million.

The debut of "Cars" in 3,985 venues marks the first release from Disney and Pixar in more than a year and a half, so there is some pent-up demand for the film. Their last collaboration, "The Incredibles," opened in November 2004 with $70 million and finished with $261 million.

Since their first film together, 1995's "Toy Story," Disney and Pixar have generated quite a box office track record, racking up nearly $1.5 billion in gross domestic receipts alone. The company's biggest-grossing film is "Finding Nemo." The undersea adventure bowed with $70 million in 2003 and left North American theaters with $340 million.

The wheels are turning in "Cars' " favor as far as the critics go -- getting the thumbs up from the vast majority of reviewers nationwide, according to http://www.RottenTomatoes.com.

Reigning champ "The Break-Up," which surpassed expectations with a $39.1 million bow last weekend, and Tuesday release "The Omen" are tracking to converge on the No. 2 spot this weekend. "Omen" debuted with a record single-day gross for a Tuesday with $12.6 million, thanks largely to its 6/6/06 marketing campaign. The horror remake, about the rise of the Antichrist in the form of a young boy named Damien, has collected more than $20 million heading into the weekend.

In a moderate-release counter programming strategy, indie distributor Picturehouse's "A Prairie Home Companion" will debut in 760 locations. The PG-13 comedy-drama is a fictional story based on the nationally syndicated and long-running radio show from Garrison Keillor, who wrote the screenplay and also stars in the film.

Robert Altman directed "Companion," which boasts a familiar ensemble cast including Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan, Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin.

"Companion" unfolds on the final night of the show. The film is targeting adult, upscale moviegoers.

Singer Mindy McCready sues former boyfriend for $3M over alleged beating

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Mindy McCready has sued her former boyfriend for $3 million, claiming he beat her last year and that the incident hurt her music career.

McCready, who had a No. 1 hit in 1996, Guys Do It All the Time, sued last month in Davidson County circuit court, the Tennessean newspaper reported Thursday. The lawsuit claims the alleged assault hindered the 30-year-old country singer's ability to book performances and other work.

William McKnight is facing charges of attempted murder and breaking into McCready's home and beating her severely in May 2005.

"One of the problems is that, literally, venues worried about whether ... McKnight would show up and someone would get hurt," McCready spokesman Paul Berg said. "It's been very interesting to see how difficult it's been to even put her someplace to do a free show to raise money."

McKnight is employed, his lawyer John Norris said Thursday, but doesn't have the amount of money that McCready is asking for. The lawsuit says McKnight is living in Brandon, Fla.

"The $3 million is out of proportion to any actual damages she actually sustained," Norris said.

Berg said McCready is "not expecting to get anything out of this. Many people have to file civil litigation to set the record straight, whether or not they collect."

Norris said McKnight was disappointed by the lawsuit. "Based on the circumstances of this relationship, it's hard to understand where she came up with that figure," he said.

Berg said the $3 million was derived from both lost potential income and the emotional trauma McCready endured.

McCready's legal problems began before the alleged attack.

In 2004, she pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining OxyContin at a Brentwood pharmacy. She was also arrested and charged with drunken driving and still faces that charge and another for violating probation.

Last July, McCready learned she was wanted in Arizona for her involvement with an alleged con man, but the charges were dropped in November.

McCready is raising her two-month-old son, Zander. She claims McKnight is the father.

If the singer wins her lawsuit, any money collected will go into a trust fund for her son, Berg said.

Cusack film grew from Iraq frustration

CHICAGO - John Cusack's motivation for his latest film grew out of something he did not see — flag-draped caskets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Pentagon policy bans media coverage of America's war dead as their remains are returned. The Bush administration has strongly enforced the ban, something Cusack describes as "one of the most shameful, disgraceful, cowardly political acts that I've seen in my lifetime."

So the actor started looking for a project that would illustrate "what happens when the coffins come home."

The result is "Grace Is Gone," a small, independent film in which Cusack plays a man whose wife Grace is killed in service in Iraq. Filming wrapped last month; the movie's producers — who include Cusack — will be looking for a distributor or film festival opportunities.

Cusack's character, Stanley, delays telling his two daughters about their mother's death, instead taking them on a road trip while the former military man sorts out his complicated feelings about the war.

While Cusack's motivation for taking the part are political, he insists the movie is not. "It's kind of a spiritual story about grief and hopefully a little bit of redemption," Cusack said recently.

The screenplay was written by James C. Strouse, who penned "Lonesome Jim," which was directed by Steve Buscemi and released earlier this year. "Grace Is Gone" marks his directorial debut.

While "Grace" is set in a vague Midwestern city, most of the six-week shoot took place in Chicago due to Cusack's influence. He grew up in suburban Evanston, and divides his time between homes in Chicago and Los Angeles.

Before shooting the scene of Grace's funeral in a Methodist church on the city's North Side, Cusack, 39, folded his 6-foot-2 frame onto a pew for an interview. Dressed casually in a gray T-shirt and blue cargo pants, with sunglasses pushing his rumpled black hair off his forehead, Cusack spoke of his feelings about the war, the film and what he has tried to accomplish with his career.

Cusack got his start more than 20 years ago in teen comedies like "Sixteen Candles," "Better Off Dead" and "The Sure Thing."

Unlike many of his Brat Pack contemporaries, Cusack easily made the transition to adult parts, often as an underdog or unconventional hero. He stood out as an underachieving kickboxer in Cameron Crowe's "Say Anything." He was a con man in "The Grifters," an out-of-work puppeteer in Spike Jonze's "Being John Malkovich," and a cheating playwright in Woody Allen's "Bullets Over Broadway."

In the past decade, he has branched out into writing — co-writing "Grosse Pointe Blank," about a hit man who returns home for his high school reunion, and also "High Fidelity," in which he also starred as a record-store owner who compiles lists of most everything in his life, including his top-five breakups.

While "High Fidelity" was an adaptation of British author Nick Hornby's London-based novel of the same name, Cusack moved the setting to Chicago.

"I always love to bring films here if I can," he said. "If you finish work in time, you can go to a Cubs or Sox game."

Over the years, Cusack has balanced big-studio projects, like "America's Sweethearts," "Con Air" and "Must Love Dogs," with smaller, more personal films.

"One allows me to do the other. If I do the more commercial ones, then I can leverage those into the smaller ones, which are harder to get made," Cusack said.

One movie he often mentions is 2002's controversial "Max," in which Cusack played a Jewish art dealer who befriends a young Adolf Hitler and encourages his artistic ambitions. He also produced the film.

"I got that made, which took me three years and a was a real labor of love, because I've done some romantic comedies. So that's just how it works, or that's how I've figured out how to work it," he said. "But these are the ones that kind of get me up in the morning."

Still, Cusack isn't a film snob. He said he enjoys some of the "great big movie experiences" that Hollywood likes to release during the summer and holidays, specifically mentioning the "Lord of the Rings" series and the most recent " Harry Potter" installment.

Regarding his participation in "Grace Is Gone," director Strouse said when he was writing the script, he and his wife — producer Galt Niederhoffer — compiled a "dream list" of actors to play Stanley. Cusack was at the top, and Strouse said that once he signed on filming started a month later.

"John's kind of a gutsy actor. He likes to try different roles and I think this was one that he hadn't really had a chance to play — a repressed Midwesterner. I don't want to say loser, but a lot of times John plays these very hyperarticulate, energetic, urban characters," Strouse said, "and this guy is sort of 180 degrees from what you think of when you think of a typical John Cusack character."

The actor said he wonders if people reading about his political opinions will keep some from seeing the movie. Others, he believes, will appreciate the timeliness.

"I feel that people will be interested in seeing the story of the human cost of this" war, Cusack said. "I think people are probably tired of being manipulated endlessly on the reasons and realities of this misadventure — political misadventure. I don't mean the soldiers fighting, I mean the civilian leadership."

Whatever the case, Cusack said he does not dwell on how his movies are initially received by the critics or public.

"I'm not worried about how it turns out in the first two months after it's released. A piece of art takes a while to be appreciated or not — if it is a piece of art. You try to make something that has some value and then in three, four or five years, it will still be interesting or it will have a pulse.

"Some things that you make, people say are terrific right away and they don't really hold up," Cusack said. "You just sort of make it, and it's all about the process of making it. Trying to do the best you can. And then you have to wait for a long time to see if it has resonance anyway."

Dixie Chicks Stay Saddled at No. 1

For all the fans who ditched the Chicks after they criticized the Prez, the rest of the music-buying public is sending a message: look away, look away, look away, it's still Dixie Land.

For a second straight week, the Dixie Chicks' first post-Incident album--Taking the Long Way--ruled the roost at number one. For the week ended June 4, Long Way held the top spot, selling another 271,000 copies, according to the latest Nielsen SoundScan numbers.

This puts the group's two-week tally at 799,000 copies, just a 1,000 copies shy of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' four-week tally for Stadium Arcadium, which currently sits at three and which held the top spot for the two weeks prior to the Chicks' debut. Long Way also marks the Dixie Chicks third number one debut, which extends the trio's benchmark as the only female group with multiple chart-topping bows.

Helping to keep sales strong, the Dixie Chicks appeared on Larry King Live last week while tickets went on sale for the first dates of the trio's upcoming Accidents & Accusations Tour, which kicks off July 21 in Detroit and ends Nov. 11 in Tacoma. Their career ticket sales already surpass the $100 million mark, making them one of the world's most popular live acts.

The Dixie Chicks also benefited from a dearth of new debuts. In fact, after several weeks with multiple Top 10 bows, not one new album even cracked the Top 100. Accordingly, three albums climbed back into the Top 10: Now That's What I Call Music! 21 climbed five spots to six, James Blunt's Back to Bedlam up 16 to nine and Shakira's reissued Oral Fixation, Vol. 2 up three to the ten spot. (Blunt's giant jump was spurred by a Today Show performance and a repeat broadcast of his Ellen appearance.)

The Top 10 regulars, meanwhile, included the High School Musical soundtrack at two, Rascal Flatts' Me and My Gang at four, American Idol Season 5 Encores at five, Tool's 10,000 Days at seven and Carrie Underwood's Some Hearts at eight.

Deep down the charts at 103, Peeping Tom's eponymous debut led the newcomers with nearly 10,000 copies sold. The album, featuring an immense guest list with such artists as Norah Jones and Massive Attack, is the new project from Faith No More and rap-rock pioneer Mike Patton.

Les Claypool's Of Whales and Woe followed at 115, as did a pair of double-disc remix collections, Vic Latino's ThriveMix02 and DJ Lil' Cee & Trevor Simpson's Ultra.Weekend2, respectively, at 125 and 129. Other notable debuts included Silverstein's 18 Candles: Early Years at 148 and Sound of Animals Fighting's Lover, the Lord Has Left Us at 183.

Impressively, three albums celebrated one-year anniversaries on this week's Billboard 200. Though Coldplay's X&Y smashed the Black Eyed Peas' Monkey Business in first-week sales in June '05, the pop-rap quartet finished ahead of the British alt-rockers one year later. Monkey Business is currently up six spots to 70 on 3.8 million total copies sold, while X&Y is down four to 138 on a 2.9 million-copy tally.

Avenged Sevenfold's City of Evil is the third album celebrating its first chart birthday, currently at 182 with total sales just under 620,000 copies.

Next week, look for a slew of new debuts from artists who seemingly thought it devilish to release albums on June 6, 2006, aka 6/6/06. Among them, AFI and Ice Cube seem to be frontrunners for the top spot.

The Top 10 albums for the week ended Sunday were as follows:

1. Taking the Long Way, Dixie Chicks
2. High School Musical soundtrack, various
3. Stadium Arcadium, Red Hot Chili Peppers
4. Me and My Gang, Rascal Flatts
5. American Idol Season Five Encores, various
6. Now That's What I Call Music! 21, various
7. 10,000 Days, Tool
8. Some Hearts, Carrie Underwood
9. Back to Bedlam, James Blunt
10. Oral Fixation, Vol. 2, Shakira

Loretta Lynn breaks shoulder

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Country singer Loretta Lynn broke her shoulder in a fall at her home and was scheduled to have shoulder replacement surgery, a spokesman said Wednesday.

Lynn, 71, injured her left shoulder Sunday. She was expected to have the surgery Thursday at a Nashville hospital and go home to recuperate, spokesman William Smithson said in a news release. The injury forced the cancellation of nine concerts scheduled in June and July. In February last year, Lynn was forced to cancel a pair of shows in Oklahoma and Texas because of pain from a back injury.

Lynn is a three-time Grammy winner best known for her autobiographical hit Coal Miner's Daughter and songs like Rated X, The Pill and Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind).

Alanis Morissette, fiancee split

TORONTO (CP) - Alanis Morissette has more heartache to draw on for her music.

People and Us magazines are reporting Morissette and actor Ryan Reynolds have broken off their engagement. The Canadian couple had been engaged two years. There is no word on why they're splitting but Us reports the two haven't been photographed together since February and have already started dating other people.

Reynolds, 29, and Morissette, 32, met at actor Drew Barrymore's birthday party in 2002 and dated two years before Reynolds proposed.

The Ottawa-born Morissette skyrocketed to fame in 1995 with her multiplatinum rock album Jagged Little Pill.

Reynolds, from Vancouver, last starred in the romantic comedy Just Friends in November.

For Springsteen, 'Seeger Sessions' sends a message

Explaining why he resurrected traditional folk tunes popularized by Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen cracks: "I'm an old guy. I can do whatever I want whenever I want, and I like doing it all."

The defiance that fueled 1975 breakthrough Born to Run also gave rise to We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, perhaps Springsteen's most surprising album yet. Few expected this plodding perfectionist, who labors over his handiwork for years in solitude, to serve up a ramshackle batch of covers recorded in three one-day sessions at a farmhouse with 13 players.

And those presuming the project was The Boss' spring break from his real job are discovering the depth of his commitment in the Seeger ensemble's enthralling live performances. After an emotional launch in New Orleans, the rambunctious Americana hoedown drew raves across Europe. In the UK, The Independent dubbed the concert "an astonishingly rich evening," while The Observer called it "an inspiring triumph." The newly launched U.S. leg is similarly wowing critics; a Washington Post reviewer declared Springsteen's ragtime orchestra "the best live show I've seen in at least five years."

The brief 18-date U.S. swing won't meet demand, so Springsteen is cherry-picking one song from each show for AOL Music (aolmusic.com), along with photos, set lists and recaps. Among on-demand videos so far are Erie Canal, Old Dan Tucker, O Mary Don't You Weep and John Henry. A full 18-tune set will be available when the tour ends June 25 in New Jersey.

Springsteen, 56, never set out to make an album of freewheeling folk music and socially conscious messages that dovetail with the current political climate.

"It happened so spontaneously," he says. "As I've gotten older, I tend to be more comfortable, and there's less second guessing. I'm always looking for another road to go down. I knew a good deal about Pete's work, but I hadn't steeped myself in it. In my late 20s, I went back to Hank Williams and Woody Guthrie and some early blues. I've continued to look into different types of music that gave birth to rock. In Pete's records, I found compelling music and characters, and I thought I could find these voices inside of me. Also, it was a release from my own writing. When you're released from your own style and sense of structure or what you're trying to convey, it allows a real free musical expression, which I hadn't had in a while."

The album, which entered Billboard at No. 3 and has sold 365,000 copies, scouts beyond the familiar protest tunes and refutes the notion that folk is feeble.

"I wanted it to be really raucous," Springsteen says. "Folk, in its essential element, is some of the rawest music ever made. I was interested in capturing some of that. Pete's thing could be so directly political, but I tried to get a balance of songs that had overt social implications, like Eyes on the Prize, a big freedom song from the civil rights era, and character studies, like Jesse James. It wasn't a conceptual project. It just happened and conceived itself over time."

The trick, he says, was finding a modern context for revived traditions, antique compositions and retro flavors of banjos, accordions, fiddles and washboards.

"I want to remember and yet forge ahead and find out what's over the next hill," he says. "A lot of this music was written so long ago, but I felt I could make it feel essential right now. I've always got an eye toward the future and an eye to the past. That's how you know where you've come from and where you want to go. If you look at our recent history, it seems there's been so much disregard of past experience in the way the country has conducted itself."

Though the album's politics are restrained, Springsteen has been increasingly vocal in his criticism of the Bush administration since joining 2004's Vote for Change tour. His solution to domestic ills?

"Obviously, get rid of the president," he says. "When you see the devastation (in New Orleans) and realize the kind of support the city will need to get back on its feet, there's no way to make sense of someone pushing for more tax cuts for the 1% of the 1% of the population. It's insanity and a subversion of everything America is supposed to be about. You can't travel around the city and not wonder what in the world is going on."

With midterm elections looming, that's probably not his last word on the subject. Nor will the Seeger tunes be his last whirl with history. He hopes to explore other areas of American and international folk music. He also has a roots-based solo project on the back burner.

And fret not, rock fans.

"I have a pretty good book of songs for the E Street Band," he says.

His longtime bandmates may discover their new Boss isn't the same as the old Boss. The fast and loose Seeger process taught Springsteen valuable lessons.

"It's fascinating to record a song when musicians don't know it," he says. "It's a powerful tool, especially with experienced musicians, in getting a certain spontaneity that you lose with too much rehearsal. If people learn their parts too well, they consciously perform rather than flat-out play. When you just launch into it, it breaks down another barrier between you and the audience. It's one less layer of formality. I like that a lot. I've done it with the E Street Band at times over the years, but never an entire record. We may try it."

Former Van Halen front man Roth Strummin' With the Devil on bluegrass tribute

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The blond mane and leather pants are gone from his days fronting Van Halen in the '80s. But David Lee Roth's boisterous personality is still intact.

He was in town recently to promote his latest project, a bluegrass tribute to his former band called Strummin' With the Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen that came out Tuesday, and he seemed every bit the Diamond Dave of old - a wisecracking, motormouth cross between Robin Williams and Wolfman Jack.

"It's been 27 summers - like the way I put that?" he asked, explosively laughing. "That's metric for years. Sounds like less. Sounds thinner (more loud laughter). Easier to digest, like, 'I'm watching what I eat as opposed to I'm on a diet' (laughter). I venerate the language also, sir (laughter)."

Roth's emerged as Van Halen's party-loving lead singer in the late '70s and stayed with the group until splitting on less-than-amicable terms in 1985 for a solo career that started strong, then petered out. Rock fans still debate whether Van Halen was better under Roth or his successor, Sammy Hagar.

In January, Roth took on the daunting task of replacing Howard Stern on a syndicated morning show for CBS Radio. His show was cancelled in April.

In a posh hotel suite with the bed still unmade and empty beer bottles on the end tables, the 51-year-old picked up a guitar and played a country-flavoured tune he said he wrote when he was nine and discussed his appreciation for 1970s country-tinged rock acts like Jackson Browne and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.

The tribute album began with Roth deciding he wanted to cut an acoustic record and putting out the word to some of Nashville's finest pickers, including Blue Highway, the John Cowan Band, Mountain Heart, Larry Cordle and David Grisman. He said he wanted the album to be a credible interpretation of Van Halen, rather than a tongue-in-cheek exhibition.

"Nine times out of 10 when people do a tribute album or tribute songs for somebody, it's what I call 'white boys playing reggae,' " Roth said. "They know they can't, we know they can't, so they sing like they can't and play like they can't. They gently make fun of the idiom or sing in a false accent.

"My only real insistence was that we reinvent the songs completely. Take it way past where we found it to the degree you may not even recognize the song until the vocals come in, so other ingredients of the music present themselves that you may not have been consciously aware of before."

As odd a concept as the record might seem, it mostly works. Hard rock classics like Panama and And the Cradle Will Rock ... retain the energy of early Van Halen, but with mandolins and fiddles instead of electric guitars and drums. The first single, Jamie's Cryin', takes a new, mournful tone with the acoustic instrumentation.

Roth sings on only two tracks: Jump and Jamie's Cryin'. The singer who made a career of leaping into the air on stage and surrounding himself with scantily clad women in his videos didn't want to go over the top.

"I'll never convince you that I'm either a cowboy or black. Those two songs stuck out as the most legitimate," for his vocal style, Roth said.

If he had sung on the others, "Well ... white boys playing reggae."

Pitt-Jolie go public, celeb mags to court

LONDON - People and Hello! magazines launched legal action Wednesday against two Web sites that published a picture of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt with their newborn daughter.

Pitt and Jolie sold rights to the images of Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt, born May 27 in Namibia, through Getty Images photo agency. The couple said all proceeds would be donated to a charity, not yet named.

People magazine paid a reported $4 million for the right to release the pictures in North America, while Hello! obtained British rights.

The embargo on the images was broken when two gossip Web sites posted an apparent image of the front cover of Hello!

Hello! denies leaking the photo, saying its cover was kept strictly under wraps. The magazine said it and People "have taken immediate legal action to prevent publication of its cover prior to it going on sale" Thursday in Britain.

On Wednesday, Pitt and Jolie made their first public appearance since the birth of their daughter, thanking Namibia for the privacy and peace they enjoyed.

"We have been able to have a very special, peaceful time for our family here, exploring your country and more importantly helping with the delivery of our daughter Shiloh," Pitt told a news conference for local journalists at a hotel in the coastal town of Swakopmund. "So for that we are eternally grateful."

Jolie, 30, gave birth to Shiloh Nouvel at a private clinic in Walvis Bay. Delivered by Caesarean section, the baby weighed 7 pounds and was said to be in good health.

Pitt, 42, and Jolie retreated to the southwest African country with their children for government-assisted privacy in the weeks leading up to the birth. They plan to leave in the coming days.

Jolie has two adopted children: 16-month-old Zahara, from Ethiopia, and 4-year-old Maddox, from Cambodia. Both had their surnames legally changed to Jolie-Pitt after Pitt announced his intention to adopt the children as well.

Superman Returns Final Running Time

We have learned that the final running time for Warner Bros. Pictures' Superman Returns is 2 hours and 33 minutes with credits included. That's 153 minutes.

Superman Returns, directed by Bryan Singer, hits conventional theaters, IMAX and IMAX 3D on June 28th, with screenings starting the night before on the 27th.

It is rated PG-13 for some intense action violence.

Original Muppets come home to Washington

The Smithsonian recognizes Jim Henson’s Legacy with inclusion of the original Muppets from "Sam and Friends" and "The Muppet Show"

To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Jim Henson’s iconic Muppets and Kermit the Frog, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and its Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation present “Muppets and Mechanisms: Jim Henson’s Legacy,” opening May 19. Two special displays will feature Henson’s earliest Muppet work—on view for the first time at the museum—as well as his later work in animatronics.

“Jim Henson embodied the innovation and ingenuity that is inherent in American culture,” said Brent D. Glass, director of the museum. “Beyond the entertainment value Henson’s creations provided, his work helped educate and inform his audiences, an influence that continues today.”

In 1955, Henson’s “Sam and Friends” debuted on local D.C. station WRC-TV, which introduced the American audience to Muppets and launched what would become a global phenomenon. “Sam and Friends” featured a number of unique, zany characters from the titular Sam to the first Kermit, a lizard-like creature made from a green felt coat discarded by Henson’s mother. Ten of the characters from “Sam and Friends,” including Henson’s oldest surviving creation Pierre, will be on display at the museum, adjacent to the “American Popular Culture” displays on the third floor.

Also on view will be a number of characters from “The Muppet Show” and other Muppet specials and movies that were originally voiced by Henson himself, including a Kermit the Frog from 1969, Rowlf the Dog, the Swedish Chef, Dr. Teeth and the Banjo Player from the Country Trio, which is actually a self-portrait of Henson.

Jim Henson’s contribution to puppeteering and entertainment extends beyond the characters themselves to technology as Henson and his “Creature Shops” pioneered uses of animatronics, or remote-controlled Muppets. This animatronic technology was a prominent component of a number of Henson projects, including the 1982 film “The Dark Crystal.” On view in cases outside the Lemelson Center on the museum’s first floor will be characters from “The Dark Crystal,” including the film’s villain Skeksis, as well as examples of animatronic technology.

Jim Henson came up with the word Muppet in the mid-1950s. Seemingly a combination of puppet and marionette, Henson insisted that he chose the term simply because he liked the way it sounded. Central to the design of a Muppet is the way its face is constructed, creating a pattern with the eyes, nose and mouth called “the magic triangle.” This establishes a point of focus essential in bringing a puppet to life in the eye of a TV or movie camera.

The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage through exhibitions and public programs about social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. Documenting the American experience from colonial times to the present, the museum looks at growth and change in the United States. The museum, located at 14th Street and Constitution Avenue N.W., is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. during the summer beginning May 26 and continuing through Sept. 4. The museum will close for major renovations beginning Sept. 5. Admission is free. For more information, visit the museum’s Web site at or call (202) 633-1000, (202) 357-1729 (TTY).

Aguilera Doubles Up On New Album

Christina Aguilera's upcoming album, "Back to Basics," has grown into a double-disc affair, according to her spokesperson. The project will arrive Aug. 15 via RCA and is led by the single "Ain't No Other Man," which can be purchased via Apple's iTunes Music Store. Aguilera debuted the cut over the weekend at the MTV Movie Awards.

As previously reported, the set find Aguilera paying tribute to soul, jazz and blues from the 1920s, '30s and '40s with assistance from producers DJ Premier and Linda Perry. "They're going to see a whole other side of Christina," Perry previously told Billboard.com of her contributions, which rely exclusively on live instrumentation.

I really like to go left field, think a little bit out of the box and go with someone, maybe a little bit more obscure, that I really respect," Aguilera told Billboard earlier this year of her decision to work with DJ Premier. "Not to say that Premier is that, but just to say that I'm not going to go to the obvious person, say, the Neptunes, Pharrell or Lil Jon. I really like to go someplace different that people haven't approached."

Other tracks set "Back to Basics" include "Save My From Myself" (dedicated to Aguilera's new husband, Jordan Bratman), "Candy Man," "I Got Trouble," "Thank You" (which features bits of prior Aguilera hit "Genie a Bottle") and "Still Dirrty," described by RCA as a "sassy club track.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE...KINDA

People magazine paying a reported $4.1 million to publish the first pictures of Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt in its upcoming issue, while U.K. counterpart Hello! magazine paid a similar sum for the international rights to the photos. Unfortunately for the high-bidding publications, a number of blogs, including perezhilton.com, socialitelife.com and Defamer.com, already publishing scans of the Hello! cover featuring Shiloh and her parents.

At age 81, Paul Newman stars in animated movie

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina (Reuters) - He's won Oscars, raced cars, been on President Richard Nixon's enemies list, helped found the famed Actor's Studio and established a food company to fund charities.

So what is the 81-year-old Paul Newman doing playing a crusty old automobile with blue eyes for headlights in the animated film "Cars," a cartoon set in the world of race cars.

"I wanted to be the first animated character on screen to demonstrate method acting," the trim, silver-haired actor said with a playful shrug as he readied for the premiere of the latest film from the lucrative Disney/Pixar partnership, makers of such hits "Finding Nemo" and "Toy Story."

The premiere was held last week at the Lowe's Motor Speedway, a center for NASCAR racing outside Charlotte, and attracted some 30,000 people -- more than a few making the trip just to see Newman.

The movie, which features a rookie race car driven to succeed and a mysterious old timer, played by Newman, opens in general release on Friday.

Newman said, "Making an animated film was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I didn't have to go on location for a long period of time. I didn't have to deal with temperamental actors or wait a long time for the lights to be set up.

"I just drove from my New England home to New York City and recorded my dialogue in four days. ... Joanne (Woodward, his wife of 48 years,) thinks I'm coming back as a race car in my next life, so she says this is one role that I shouldn't overact!"

At a "Cars" news conference where he answered questions for an hour and in a private follow-up, Newman touched on a broad range of subjects, including the secret of why his show business marriage has lasted so long.

He made it sound simple: "I never ask my wife about my flaws. Instead I try to get her to ignore them and concentrate on my sense of humor. You don't want any woman to look under the carpet, guys, because there's lots of flaws underneath. Joanne believes my character in a film we did together, 'Mr. and Mrs. Bridge' comes closest to who I really am.

"I personally don't think there's one character who comes close ... but I learned a long time ago not to disagree on things that I don't have a solid opinion about."

It's hard to believe Newman lacks an opinion on anything. Newman marched for civil rights and in anti-Vietnam war demonstrations and used his star power to prompt a reluctant media cover those events.

HAPPY ON ENEMIES LIST

"Being on President Nixon's enemies list was the highest single honor I've ever received," Newman said with a smile and added, "Who knows who's listening to me now and what government list I'm on?"

Later in an isolated hallway, he gave some advice to aspiring actors: "Study your craft and know who you are and what's special about you. Find out what everyone does on a film set, ask questions and listen. Make sure you live life, which means don't do things where you court celebrity, and give something positive back to our society."

As for his credo on how to live life, Newman says, "It's useless to put on the brakes when you're upside down!"

While that wisdom was odd but funny, his response in private to a report that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon may do a "Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid remake is clear -- don't.

"I think we did a good enough job with the first one. Someone at the press conference asked about me about doing a sequel to 'Butch Cassidy.' Doesn't he know we died at the end of the picture? I was waiting for someone to ask if we'd do a prequel so I could tell them to go rent the DVD ("Butch and Sundance:The Early Years) ..."

Newman said he is working with Robert Redford on a project but refused to give details. "Let's just say we better make the movie soon before Redford gets too old," he said, grinning.

But if Newman doesn't make another movie again, one gets the impression he won't mind.

"I started my career giving a clinic in bad acting in the film 'The Silver Chalice' and now I'm playing a crusty old man who's an animated automobile. That's a creative arc for you isn't it?'

Singer-songwriter Billy Preston dead at 59

PHOENIX - Billy Preston, the exuberant keyboardist who landed dream gigs with the Beatles and the Rolling Stones and enjoyed his own series of hit singles including "Outta Space" and "Nothing From Nothing," died Tuesday at 59.

Preston's longtime manager, Joyce Moore, said Preston had been in a coma since November in a care facility and was taken to a Scottsdale hospital Saturday after his condition deteriorated.

"He had a very, very beautiful last few hours and a really beautiful passing," Moore said by telephone from Germany.

Preston had battled chronic kidney failure, and he received a kidney transplant in 2002. But the kidney failed and he has been on dialysis ever since, Moore said earlier this year.

Known for his big smile and towering Afro, Preston was a teen prodigy on the piano and organ, and lent his gospel-tinged touch to classics such as the Beatles' "Get Back" and the Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?"

He broke out as a solo artist in the 1970s, winning a best instrumental Grammy in 1973 for "Outta Space," and scoring other hits with "Will It Go 'Round In Circles," "Nothing From Nothing" and "With You I'm Born Again," a duet with Syreeta Wright. He also wrote Joe Cocker's weeper "You Are So Beautiful."

Other career highlights included being a musical guest, in 1975, on the debut of "Saturday Night Live"; having a song named after him, by Miles Davis; and appearing last year on "American Idol." Among his film credits: "Blues Brothers 2000" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."

His partnership with the Beatles began in early 1969 when friend George Harrison recruited him to play on "Let It Be," a back-to-basics film and record project that nearly broke down because of feuding among band members. Harrison himself quit at one point, walking out on camera after arguing with Paul McCartney.

Preston not only inspired the Beatles to get along — Harrison likened his effect to a feuding family staying on its best behavior in front of a guest — but contributed a light, bluesy solo to "Get Back," performing the song with the band on its legendary "roof top" concert, the last time the Beatles played live. He was one of many sometimes labeled "The Fifth Beatle," a title he did not discourage.

Preston remained close to Harrison and performed at Harrison's all-star charity event "The Concert for Bangladesh," and at the "Concert for George," a tribute to Harrison, who died of cancer in 2001. He played on solo records by Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon.

Preston also toured and recorded extensively with the Rolling Stones, playing on such classic albums as "Sticky Fingers" and "Exile on Main Street." In the mid-'70s, he parted from the Stones, reportedly unhappy over not getting proper credit for "Melody" and other songs, but reunited with the band in 1997 on its "Bridges to Babylon" record.

His sessions credits included Aretha Franklin's "Young, Gifted and Black," Bob Dylan's "Blood on the Tracks" and Sly and Family Stone's "There's a Riot Goin' On," three of the most acclaimed albums of the past 35 years.

"His legacy is so huge I don't even know where to start," Moore said. "It's many genres, so many years. ... It's rock 'n' roll, it's soul, it's funk, it's everything. He was truly, truly, truly a genius."

A Houston native who soon moved to Los Angeles when his parents split up, Preston was in and around show business for much of his life. He was taking piano lessons at age 3 and was just 10 when he played keyboards for gospel singer Mahalia Jackson.

Two years later he portrayed a young W. C. Handy in the 1958 biopic "St. Louis Blues." He toured with mentors and fellow piano greats Ray Charles and Little Richard in the early 1960s, first encountering the Beatles while on the road in Germany.

Exposed to drugs and alcohol early on, Preston had numerous personal troubles in recent years. In 1992, he was given a suspended jail sentence, but ordered incarcerated for nine months at a drug rehabilitation center for his no-contest pleas to cocaine and assault charges. Five years later, he was sentenced to three years in prison for violating probation. In 1998, he pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and agreed to testify against other defendants in an alleged scam that netted about $1 million.

"It (jail) was a great lesson, an awakening. I needed to reflect, to get rid of some of the dead weight around me," he later said. "You take the bitter with the sweet and I have to say it was my faith that kept me going. I had nothing else to fall back on."

The Couch Potato Report - June 6th, 2006

This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on yet another sports movie, Dumbo Jumbo, The Duke and the former Gordon Shumway.

Regardless if the story is true or not, sports movies in this day and age have become quite predictable and full of clichés.

They all usually start off with a team - or individual athlete - who no one ever expects to win, or in a situation that is preventing them from excelling.

Then, you add a coach who works them too hard because he believes in them, and he knows that they can win if they just apply themselves.

The coach also has a loving, understanding and supportive wife who is usually a very minor character in the film...well, until the coach starts to doubt himself, and then she is there to stand him back up again!

Now, once all of that has happened in these films, the odds must be stacked against the team - or individual athlete - and there absolutely has to be a scene in a locker room where they are prepared to quit, before they are inspired to play on either by the coach or one of the players who has "...no where else to go."

Do they win? Do they lose? Well, it isn’t always about winning. It is sometimes just about the journey.

REMEMBER THE TITANS, MIRACLE, PREFONTAINE, and FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS are just four recent examples of this new genre, a genre I will name “Predictable Sports Films.”

And you can now add GLORY ROAD to that list.

GLORY ROAD is “based on the true story” of Don Haskins. He was the 1966 Texas Western coach who led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.

Every single one of those aforementioned predictable clichés are used in this film. Every single one of them, and even a few more!

Yes, the cast does great work, the film is expertly made, and the story is incredibly inspiring, but if you have seen any recent sports movie, you will know exactly what happens at every moment of the film.

Since I have seen almost every recent sports film, I found GLORY ROAD way too predictable to recommend.

Now, if you only watch films about basketball, or if the last sports movie you did see was SLAP SHOT, well then maybe GLORY ROAD has something for you.

Otherwise, take another road, or just watch another movie.

How about Walt Disney’s 1941 classic DUMBO, for instance.

The 64-minute DUMBO is the simple story of a long-eared, baby elephant, who is cherished by his mother, and mistreated by nearly everyone. Eventually he rises - literally - above every one else, and you will just about have seen everything, when you see an elephant fly.

Even though DUMBO has already been issued twice on DVD before, I am happy to tell you about this new BIG TOP SPECIAL EDITION DVD of the film because it gives me another opportunity to praise this marvelous movie.

No, this new version doesn’t have all of the Making Of" documentaries and bonus music videos that were on the "60th Anniversary Edition" DVD release just a few years ago, but it does have the main thing: The film itself.

And as I watched it again this week, for the twentieth or thirtieth time, I even realized something I had never noticed before.

The stork calls out for Mrs. Jumbo when he is attempting to deliver the baby elephant to it’s mother. Her last name is Jumbo, her fellow elephants name the baby Dumbo, so that makes his name Dumbo Jumbo.

I never noticed that before, and I found it funny, both that I never noticed it before, and that his name is Dumbo Jumbo.

Okay, moving on. Lets go from the highly recommended 1941 film DUMBO to a two disc set that has the 1940 film SEVEN SINNERS, 1941’s THE SHEPHERD OF THE HILLS, PITTSBURGH from 1942, THE CONQUERER from 1956 and JET PILOT from 1957.

Yes, all of those films can be found in the JOHN WAYNE - AN AMERICAN ICON COLLECTION.

Sadly, there are no extras or bonus materials included, once again we just get the films.

However, they are all interesting in their own right and they all feature great sound and picture quality.

John Wayne completists unite, and enjoy the set!

Finally this week is the 4 disc set for ALF - SEASON THREE.

In season three the former Gordon Shumway, refugee of the long-gone planet Melmac, continues to wreak hilarious havoc upon his adoptive Earth family the Tanners.

He annoys the father, upsets the mother, angers the teenage daughter and plays with the young son.

Oh, and he also hosts The Tonight Show.

I watched ALF every Monday night when it was on in the 80s, and I have no problems recommending it now...to those who also watched it when it was on in the 80s.

But, if you never saw the show before 2006, and you’re interested in finding something to make you laugh, I think you will definitely have a few laughs with Mr. Shumway and the Tanner family.

ALF - SEASON THREE, the JOHN WAYNE - AN AMERICAN ICON COLLECTION, the BIG TOP EDITION of Walt Disney’s classic DUMBO and GLORY ROAD are all available now on DVD.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

In FIREWALL the once great Harrison Ford play a security specialist who is forced into robbing the bank that he's protecting, as a bid to pay off his family's ransom.

The 1991 film FRIED GREEN TOMATOES is celebrating it’s 15th year with an EXTENDED ANNIVERSARY EDITION.

TAMARA is a Canadian made film about a girl who is murdered and then returns from the dead to exact revenge.

And in THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS - THE FRANCHISE COLLECTION you get the original FAST AND THE FURIOUS film, plus it’s sequel 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS, plus a bonus look inside the soon to be released THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS: TOKYO DRIFT.

Ah yes, good mindless summer fun, all in one DVD Box Set!

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

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next time on The Couch!

Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.5 flies onto store shelves this September

We've received early word from one of our retail sources that Universal has tentatively scheduled Battlestar Galactica 2.5 for September 19. The set will include the second half of the season (episodes 11-20), as well as the longer version of "Pegasus."

We'll have more information when the set is officially announced by the studio.

Here's a list of the final 10 episodes from season 2:

Resurrection Ship, Part 1
Resurrection Ship, Part 2
Epiphanies
Black Market
Scar
Sacrifice
The Captain's Hand
Downloaded
Lay Down Your Burdens Part 1
Lay Down Your Burdens Part 2

Please keep in mind that this is a rumored date until made official by the studio.

Chicks' Big Gamble

Country fans haven't forgiven the Dixie Chicks for bashing Bush -- but the trio isn't shutting up

It's been three years since Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines told a London audience, ''Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas'' -- a statement that generated death threats and got the trio all but banned from country radio. Now the Chicks are back with a new disc, the Rick Rubin-produced Taking the Long Way, and country radio's response to the album's first single, ''Not Ready to Make Nice,'' has been chilly -- if not downright dismissive.

''There are a number of country radio stations that won't even accept our money for paid advertising,'' says AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips, who is promoting the group's Accidents and Accusations Tour (which kicks off in Detroit on July 21st). ''I've never experienced that before.'' The station that staged a Dixie Chicks CD-crushing party after Maines' comments, KRMD in Shreveport, Louisiana, gave ''Not Ready'' a few halfhearted spins before abandoning it altogether. ''We've done some research and Internet polls to see if the public was ready to forgive -- and they're not,'' says KRMD program director Les Acre. ''When they're ready, we'll be ready.''

It's not surprising that the trio's critics haven't embraced ''Not Ready,'' which includes lyrics that address the 2003 incident: ''How in the world can the words that I said/Send somebody so over the edge/That they'd write me a letter/Sayin' that I better shut up and sing/Or my life will be over?'' The decision to release ''Not Ready'' is the most recent of several bold moves that began with the selection of Red Hot Chili Peppers producer Rubin and rock songwriters Linda Perry (who penned the pop ballad ''Voice Inside My Head'') and the Heartbreakers' Mike Campbell (the bluesy roadhouse rocker ''Lubbock or Leave It''). ''I don't know where this album falls genre-wise -- it falls pretty much across all genres,'' says the Chicks' manager, Simon Renshaw. ''It's a huge artistic step forward -- a different sound, a different quality.''

First-week sales predictions for Taking the Long Way were topping out at around 400,000 units at press time -- just over half of what the Chicks' last album, 2002's Home, sold in its first week -- which would make it the fifth-biggest debut of 2006. Many in the music industry believe the Chicks are on the road to gaining a new audience. Both CMT and VH1 are playing the video for ''Not Ready" (a witch-hunt-themed clip directed by No Doubt video director Sophie Muller). Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Amazon.com predict the album will be a major seller.

''[This album] will appeal to a wider fan base,'' says Best Buy music buyer James Hire. ''It sounds very adult-contemporary. Their broad appeal -- especially with the new sound on this album -- should help it succeed.'' And tour promoter Phillips says that radio stations boycotting the Chicks' music won't ruin the chances of a blockbuster outing. ''The Chicks have transcended a reliance on radio -- they don't need a hit single to sell records or tickets,'' he says. ''People love them, and they're great live. My gut tells me the tour is gonna do great.''

Beck Eyeing Fall For Next Album

Beck has finished recording his next studio album and will release it this fall via Interscope. While there is no official street date for the as-yet-untitled effort, it comes only a year-and-a-half after his last full-length set, "Guero," hit stores.

According to Beck's Web site, the new album was produced by Nigel Godrich, who has been behind the boards for such prior releases as 1998's "Mutations" and 2002's "Sea Change."

Beck will be previewing new material this month during a 10-date North American tour, which also visits Tennessee's Bonnaroo festival. In August, he will hit the European festival circuit and open two dates for Radiohead in Edinburgh and Dublin.

"Guero" gave Beck the highest chart position in his career when it opened at No. 2 on The Billboard 200. It has sold 800,000 copies in United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Oilers lose Game One and Roloson

RALEIGH, N.C. (CP) - The Edmonton Oilers' bid to become the first Canadian team to win the Stanley Cup in 13 years is a longshot proposition now that goaltender Dwayne Roloson has been lost for the balance of the NHL's championship series.

Ty Conklin or Jussi Markkanen will have to start Game 2 Wednesday.

Roloson hurt his right knee in a pileup in his crease with the score 4-4 with about five minutes remaining in the opener Monday night, Conklin was sent in to replace him, and Rod Brind'Amour jumped on his first mistake to score with 31.1 seconds left to cap a furious comeback and give the Carolina Hurricanes a thrilling 5-4 win.

Afterwards, coach Craig MacTavish emerged from a gloomy Oilers dressing room to announce the worst.

''Our goalie's not good,'' said MacTavish. ''He won't be back in the series.''

The Oilers now face the prospect of trying to become the first Canadian team to win the title since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993 without the leading candidate for playoff MVP honours.

''I know we can, I feel very confident that we can, bounce back from it,'' said MacTavish. ''Our goaltenders are capable of coming in here and playing well, both Jussi and Ty.''

It might be wishful thinking because Conklin, for one, certainly didn't look up to the task on Brind'Amour's winner. Conklin, who hadn't played a post-season minute, stopped two shots after replacing Roloson before leaving his crease to go after a puck in the last minute. He backhanded it, it struck teammate Jason Smith's stick, and trickled right to Brind'Amour. The Canes captain couldn't believe his good luck as he slipped it into the open net.

''It was just a matter of flipping it into the net,'' Brind'Amour said after his playoffs-leading 11th goal. ''You don't get too many of those, but I'll definitely take them.''

Conklin said he held onto the puck too long.

''I didn't make the play quickly enough,'' he said. ''It's not a mistake I would normally make.''

He'd been inactive for weeks so it was unfair to blame him for the loss. It was his teammates' failure to protect a three-goal lead that led to the loss despite a 38-26 advantage in shots on goal.

Brind'Amour and Ray Whitney scored two goals each and Justin Williams had one for the Hurricanes, who trailed 3-0 late in the second period. The Hurricanes have made a habit of comeback victories this spring, and they'd done it again.

Carolina equalled the biggest comeback in championship series history, becoming the sixth club to win a game in the final in which it trailed by three goals.

Chris Pronger, with the first successful penalty shot in championship series history, Fernando Pisani, Ethan Moreau and Ales Hemsky scored for the Oilers.

Roloson was hurt when Andrew Ladd, being pushed by Marc-Andre Bergeron, crashed into him.

''He was coming with a lot of speed,'' Bergeron said of his attempt to contain Ladd. ''I tried to shut him off before he got to the net.

''Unfortunately, he ran into Rollie. Rollie was runner over like that a few times like that in the playoffs and he was always fine. It's just bad luck this time. Obviously, it's something we didn't want to have to deal with.''

Canes goalie Cam Ward was outstanding. He made a win-saving stop of a Shawn Horcoff shot with three seconds remaining. At 22, Ward was the youngest goalie to start a championship series game since a 20-year-old Patrick Roy helped the Canadiens win the title in 1986.

''He definitely played outstanding hockey,'' said coach Peter Laviolette. ''There were a couple of goals he had no chance on just based on redirects, and there were some that should have been in the net and weren't because of his play.

''I don't think a situation like this, being in the Stanley Cup final, fazes him.''

Brind'Amour started the Carolina comeback when he scored off a rebound at 17:17 of the second period.

''We were not panicking and we knew if we could pick it up we had a chance,'' he said afterwards.

Whitney made it 3-2 at 1:40 of the third when he beat Roloson to the short side with a slapper from the circle to the goalie's right.

Whitney tied it 3-3 off another rebound during a power play at 5:09.

Williams scored a short-handed goal at 10:01 after the puck hopped over Steve Staios' stick blade at the Carolina blue-line to set up a Williams breakaway.

Ward then made one of his most spectacular save of the night when he slid to get his mitt in front of a Horcoff shot that was headed for the open side of the net.

''Just out of pure desperation I put my glove out and I was very fortunate to make the save,'' he said.

Hemsky tied it 4-4 with a spectacular effort while Eric Staal served a high-sticking penalty. Dashing down the right wing, the speedy Czech cut across the front of the crease, pulled the puck to his backhand and stuffed it in at 13:31.

Roloson got hurt, Conklin coughed up the puck on Brind'Amour's winner, Ward again robbed Horcoff, and 18,700 erupted in a victory celebration.

''My dad was probably having a heart attack,'' said Brind'Amour, who also scored the winner in the Eastern final last Thursday. ''We're fun to watch but that's not the way you want to do it.''

The Hurricanes had dodged a bullet.

''We played terrible for two periods,'' said Whitney. ''We left feeling very fortunate.

''We are not kidding ourselves. We're not real pleased with the way we played.''

Notes: Edmonton was 1-for-7 and Carolina 1-for-5 on power plays ... There have been 15 teams, most recently Tampa Bay in 2004, that rallied from a Game 1 loss to win the Stanley Cup ... 26 of the 40 players in uniform were Canadians - 14 Oilers and 12 Hurricanes ... Ward is from the Edmonton region and will be married there next month ... The teams hadn't met since December 2003 ... Carolina has to re-sign Erik Staal, Justin Williams and injured forward Erik Cole this summer. To find the cash, it might let go recently acquired veterans Doug Weight and Mark Recchi, who can become unrestricted free agents July 1

Meat Loaf claims 'Bat Out of Hell' rights

LOS ANGELES - Someone else might have written the "Bat Out of Hell" song, but Meat Loaf claims he should be the only one to use the phrase in connection with music.

In a federal lawsuit dated May 26, the rocker, whose name is listed in the action as Michael Aday, said the expression had been publicly associated with him since the 1977 release of his "Bat Out of Hell" album.

The lawsuit claims defendant Jim Steinman, who wrote the original song of the same name, wrongly claims ownership of the phrase.

The album and its 1993 follow-up, "Bat Out of Hell II," sold 48 million copies worldwide, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit seeks damages of more than $50 million.

Steinman and co-defendant David Sonenberg, listed in the action as having been Meat Loaf's manager, have been trying to disrupt the October release of the third "Bat Out of Hell" album by telling the singer's distributors that Aday had no right to use the phrase, according to the lawsuit.

"This contention is blackmail and a holdup," said the complaint, which claimed Steinman and Sonenberg have infringed Aday's trademark rights in the phrase and are interfering with distribution contracts.

Steinman wrote and produced the second album, and would have produced the third, but he and Aday had a falling out, according the lawsuit.

Attempts to reach Steinman and Sonenberg for comment after business hours Monday were unsuccessful.

Stanley Cup finals start tonight

RALEIGH, N.C. - The first game of the best of seven Stanley Cup final is slated for tonight in Raleigh, N.C. The Carolina Hurricanes advanced to the final by eliminating Buffalo while Western champ Edmonton knocked out Anaheim.

On the eve of the NHL championship opener Sunday, the Edmonton Oilers were adjusting to the weather down South, where temperatures in the upper 80s felt more like a day at the beach than a skate on a frozen pond.

"We just flew in, so we don't really have a feel of the atmosphere here," said Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish, whose team sought an extra day of refuge in New York during an extended layoff before heading North Carolina on Sunday.

The Carolina Hurricanes' road to the finals, meanwhile, took a detour on Sesame Street. A Muppet-themed ice show at its home arena — the site of Game 1 on Monday — forced Carolina to shift practice to the training rink.

Detroit, Denver or Philadelphia this is definitely not.

"It's a little bit of a different venue here than maybe what is the norm in the Stanley Cup finals," MacTavish said.

Different is what the NHL wanted when it fought for a new deal with players. Owners demanded a salary cap to ensure that 30 teams could not only survive financially but also have a realistic chance to play for the Stanley Cup.

After a yearlong lockout, two small-market teams are the only ones standing as was the case two years ago when Tampa Bay edged Calgary in Game 7.

"You can't judge it yet," Carolina general manager Jim Rutherford said. "You have to wait until three years from now. Edmonton and Carolina are in the finals this year, but there is a very fine line from winning and losing this year. There's really good teams that missed the playoffs."

The Oilers did their part in taking out the best one that got in: Edmonton squeaked into the playoffs during the final days of the regular season and then eliminated the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings in six games.

Small market success stories are nice, but they don't capture much attention in the United States — where hockey has fallen even further off the map than before the lockout. Television ratings in the first year of deals with cable partner OLN — which will show Games 1 and 2 of the best-of-seven series — and network carrier NBC have been minuscule.

"There's teams that are more popular in this league such as Detroit and Colorado and probably the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers," Rutherford said. "But the fact of the matter is when you get into June, it's basically those two markets that have the most interest whether it's small markets or big markets."

After dispatching Detroit, the Oilers knocked out San Jose and Anaheim to become the first No. 8 seed to reach the finals since the league adopted the current postseason format in 1994.

By beating Anaheim in five games, the Oilers have been waiting around for over a week. The layoff will have reached eight days by the time the first puck drops.

"It's really starting to hit home now that we're here," top defenseman Chris Pronger said. "It's pretty tough when you're at a neutral site.

"Sometimes you forget how hard it was to get here. We kept kind of picking up steam as we went along and went series-to-series. We're just harnessing that and getting that edge back and making sure that we're focused."

The Hurricanes weren't a popular preseason pick. Since their surprising run to the 2002 championship round, Carolina hadn't even made it back to the playoffs.

In his first full season behind the bench, coach Peter Laviolette get his message across quickly. The Hurricanes jumped out to a 14-3-1 mark and established that they were for real.

They never faltered, and had a shot at the top seed in the East until the final day of the season. Carolina settled for second place, but it never hurt them. The Hurricanes didn't have to face No. 1 Ottawa, so they held home-ice advantage in every round.

Even though the former Hartford Whalers are in the finals for just the second time in franchise history, they are by no means satisfied.

"I don't think at one point did anybody in our locker room or myself say we want to be conference champs," Laviolette said.

Edmonton was the epicenter of hockey in the late 1980s, when Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier owned the NHL and the Oilers won five titles in seven years. They are in the finals now for the first time since the last championship in 1990 — two seasons after Gretzky was traded away in the sport's biggest deal.

Ryan Smyth, an Alberta native, joined the team he always wanted to play for in 1995 — less than a year after Edmonton chose him with the sixth pick in the draft. He has spent his entire career there and saw action in only 44 postseason games until this special run.

"We worked hard to get here and we don't want to pass up this great opportunity," the 30-year-old forward said. "It takes a long road to get here it doesn't come very often. I think we've got to take full advantage."

While the Hurricanes still have eight returning players from the 2002 squad, Michael Peca and Dwayne Roloson are the only Oilers with finals experience.

In fact, these teams aren't even familiar with each other. With a new schedule created to emphasize more local rivalries, the Oilers and Hurricanes didn't meet this season — only the second time that has happened to Stanley Cup finalists since 1927.

"I knew they were going to do some damage in the playoffs," said Hurricanes forward Mark Recchi, making his first finals appearance since winning the Cup with Pittsburgh in 1991. "Obviously, they were fighting to get in but looking at the left side, the two teams that I wouldn't want to face is Edmonton and San Jose."

It's easy to say that now that Carolina isn't staring at Detroit, Colorado, Calgary or Nashville — the West's top four teams who were all knocked out in the first round.

Even the Oilers don't think they'll surprise the Hurricanes.

"I don't think there is any sneaking up at this point," said Edmonton center Fernando Pasani, who has an NHL-best nine playoff goals. "We know their tendencies, they know ours."

Go Back To SCTV's Early Years With The Next DVD Release From Shout!

After last September's release of SCTV Network 90 - Volume 4 ("Season 5"), fans of the show have been wondering when Shout! Factory will next release more SCTV goodness. Well, we've gotten word that Shout! will release SCTV - The Best of the Early Years on October 24th, at a cost of $39.95 SRP.

This will be the first, original version of Second City TV with the earliest appearances of the show's cast (outside of their appearances on the upcoming Best of the David Steinberg Show DVD!). We'll have more details for you, plus cover art, as soon as Shout! gets this release more firmed up and finalized. Stay tuned!

Canada's stars glow brightly on the Walk of Fame

It was cold and wet in downtown Toronto Saturday but some of Canada's most famous stars were shining as they were inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame.

Actress Pamela Anderson, David Letterman sidekick Paul Shaffer, humourist Eugene Levy and others joined the list of Canada's most famous stars and had their names engraved in a Toronto sidewalk.

"It feels pretty damn good, actually," said Levy, who was born in Hamilton, Ont. "It's a kick. I was kind of blasé up to today, trying to play it down, but it was pretty exciting."

Levy is being recognized for his work on the SCTV comedy series as well as the American Pie movies and other comedies such as A Mighty Wind and Best in Show.

The entertainers braved the wind and wet of a Toronto spring day and attended a gala at the downtown Hummingbird Centre.

The presenters included such as notables as Dan Aykroyd, actress Jennifer Coolidge and Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, who joined wrestler Trish Stratus on the stage.

The first honoree to arrive, Ottawa-raised actor Brendan Fraser, saluted two Mounties and mugged for the cameras on his way down the carpet.

Fraser, the star of The Mummy, George of the Jungle as well as Gods and Monsters, said his great-grandfather was a member of the RCMP, adding that the Mounties had shown him the proper way to salute.

"It's slow up, quick down," he told Canadian Press.

Fraser was born in Indiana, the son of a Canadian foreign service officer.

Game show host Alex Trebek, who was also inducted, offered a diplomatic "no comment" when asked who's funnier, Canadians or Americans.

About 100 fans, many wearing rain ponchos and toting umbrellas in the cold rain, turned out to see the inductees arrive in their limousines. They screamed Anderson's name as the British Columbia native, clad in a silky black dress, headed into the Hummingbird Centre.

Calgary singer Jann Arden was also honoured, as was Robert Goulet, who was born in America but spent his youth in Edmonton.

Goulet began his career as a radio announcer on CKUA in Edmonton, and achieved fame when he was cast in the musical Camelot as Lancelot opposite Richard Burton and Julie Andrews.

He went on to star in musicals, movies, TV shows, and has 15 albums to his name.

The awards weren't limited to entertainers. Olympian skier Nancy Greene Raine came from her home in Whistler, B.C., to welcome the members of the Crazy Canucks ski team, Dave Irwin, Ken Read, and Steve Podborski, who amazed the world with their skiing prowess in 1975. Fellow skier Dave Murray died in 1990 after a lengthy bout with cancer.

The show has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1998, when the first dozen celebrities were inducted. They included famed figure skater Barbara Ann Scott, impressionist Rich Little, director Norman Jewison and ballerina Karen Kain, comedian John Candy and Canada's most famous pianist, Glenn Gould.

Shaffer, keyboardist and leader of late-night talk show host David Letterman's house band, appeared on stage Saturday with Dan Aykroyd, who walked the red carpet sporting sunglasses in the rain.

The Walk of Fame was founded by Toronto businessman Peter Soumalias, who has said this year's honorees were chosen from over 100,000 submissions received from around the world.

To qualify, a candidate must have been born or spent his or her formative years in Canada, and have been successful for a minimum of 10 years.

Previous recipients include Alanis Morissette, Paul Anka, Jim Carrey, Shania Twain, Wayne Gretzky and Michael J. Fox.

More X-Men Movies?

20th Century Fox is making plans for more mutant movies, after discovering X-Marks the spot at the box-office. According to USA Today, the studio has announced ideas for two more X-Men spin-offs, in addition to their previously planned Wolverine and Magneto films. Fox says they're interested in making a feature based on X-Men's Emma Frost, a character that's proven to be popular in Marvel comics but not yet seen on screen. Another film could focus on the younger set, as Fox's production president Hutch Parker says, "We've also talked about doing something on the kids in (Professor X's) school, focusing on their lives, and less of a global adventure for the team." The movie based on X-Men villain Magneto will apparently look back to the character's younger years but could also see Ian McKellen reprising his role, as producer Lauren Shuler Donner says, "What's a Magneto movie without Ian?" As for Hugh Jackman's solo spin, production on Wolverine has been penned-in to start filming next year.

Nelly Furtado gets "Loose" with new sound, look

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Chalk it up to a corporate merger, limited promotion or maybe just a record that was too different from her first -- whatever the reason, Nelly Furtado's last record tanked.

Most artists would love to sell 400,000 copies of a record in the United States, as Furtado did on her second release, "Folklore" (DreamWorks), which hit stores in November 2003. But it was a disappointment compared with the sales of her 2000 debut, "Whoa Nelly!" (DreamWorks), which moved 2.4 million copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and featured the hit song "I'm Like a Bird."

In part, the success of "Folklore" was affected by something beyond Furtado's control -- the sale of DreamWorks Records to Universal Music Group and subsequent merger. After the process was complete, she found herself on the Geffen Records roster -- a label very enthusiastic about her new record, "Loose," due June 20.

The first single in the United States, the urban-based "Promiscuous," produced by hip-hop uber-producer Timbaland, is making an impact on radio, retail and the digital world.

For the week ending May 25, the single's third week on radio, it charted in eight of the top 10 mainstream top 40 markets and at No. 9 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Pop 100 Airplay charts. At Apple's iTunes Music Store, "Promiscuous" is the most downloaded song at press time.

"She's one of those artists that bridges the gaps between urban and rock music; she's very pop-oriented, yet has a rhythmic feel," says Tracy Austin, program director of KRBE Houston, which is spinning "Promiscuous." "And we ran out of Gwen Stefani to play, and I think this will pick up where that left off."

SOME FANS NOT AMUSED

"Promiscuous" and its video feature Furtado with a "new" urban sound and sexier image, something that isn't sitting well with all her fans. Much has been written, especially in the blogosphere, about Furtado selling out to a more accessible sound, while the video has been criticized for hitting the lowest common denominator.

"The video is indicative of the vibe we wanted to create with the song. It's a club track, and we took the opportunity to make a club video," says Chris Smith, Furtado's manager.

The sound on "Loose" was a direction Furtado says she long planned. "I knew this record would have to explore my urban sound a little more because I had been promising the fans that for a long time."

According to the artist and her manager, Furtado's urban sound was strongly supported from the highest levels at her record-label group: Interscope Geffen A&M chairman Jimmy Iovine. In recent years, Interscope has been most successful with such urban artists as Eminem and 50 Cent and artists with an urban influence, like Gwen Stefani.

"Jimmy originally suggested me and Timbaland should work together," Furtado says. "He really pushed me and helped push my boundaries."

The sound of "Loose" took direction after Furtado took Iovine's suggestion and met with Timbaland in Miami last year during a recording session that was expected to produce two songs. But drawing inspiration from the collaboration with Timbaland, the city and the other artists recording at the Hit Factory studio, Furtado emerged with 10 tracks, which make up the bulk of the new record.

"When you're recording at the Hit Factory in Miami, it's extremely exhilarating," Furtado says. "(Timbaland's) in one studio, Scott Storch in another, Cash Money and Lil Wayne upstairs. It was really stimulating."

'Break-Up' earns $38.1M to top box office

LOS ANGELES - Supported by real-life romantic splits and hookups, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn's "The Break-Up" pulled an upset over the mutant world of the "X-Men."

"The Break-Up" debuted more strongly than expected with $38.1 million to take over as the No. 1 weekend movie from "X-Men: The Last Stand," which slipped to second place with $34.35 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Aniston's split from Brad Pitt last year and her reported romance that began with Vaughn while filming "The Break-Up" helped keep the movie in the public eye.

"They're always in the press," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, which released "The Break-Up." "Every time you turn around, somebody's talking about Jennifer, or Jennifer and Brad, or Jennifer and Vince. It's not why we made the movie, though."

"The Break-Up" pulled in about $10 million more than Rocco had expected.

After putting in a record four-day debut of $122.9 million over Memorial Day weekend, 20th Century Fox's third "X-Men" movie tumbled. The movie's domestic gross dropped a steep 67 percent from its Friday-Sunday haul the first weekend.

Still, "X-Men" raised its total to a whopping $175.7 million in just 10 days, a mark it took "X2: X-Men United" 18 days to reach. Bruce Snyder, head of distribution for Fox, said the film should top out at $240 million to $250 million, beating the $157 million take for the first "X-Men" and the $215 million return for "X2."

The huge decline in the second weekend was typical given how many people saw the movie over the holiday weekend, Snyder said.

"I'm not shocked at that drop," Snyder said.

DreamWorks Animation's cartoon comedy "Over the Hedge" held up well, placing third with $20.6 million for a three-week total of $112.4 million.

Sony's "The Da Vinci Code" was No. 4 with $19.3 million, lifting its three-week domestic gross to $172.7 million. Worldwide, the Tom Hanks film adapted from Dan Brown's best-seller has grossed $581 million and should hit at least $750 million globally, said Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution.

In its second weekend, the Al Gore documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" went into wider release and broke into the top 10 with $1.33 million, even though it was playing in just 77 theaters.

Released by Paramount Classics, the film averaged an impressive $17,292 a theater, compared to $12,410 in 3,070 cinemas for "The Break-Up."

Chronicling the former vice president's campaign to educate people about the perils of global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth" expands to more theaters over the next two weekends.

"It's breakups and global warming that I think really are interesting people now," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Overall business rose slightly, with the top 12 movies taking in $128.9 million, up 1.6 percent from the same weekend last year.

After an 8 percent drop in movie attendance last year, Hollywood is positioned for a solid summer. Attendance is running about 1 percent ahead of last year's, with what looks like a solid crop of blockbusters still to come, including this Friday's animated comedy "Cars," from Disney and Pixar, and the Warner Bros. adventure "Superman Returns" on June 30.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Break-Up," $38.1 million.
2. "X-Men: The Last Stand," $34.35 million.
3. "Over the Hedge," $20.6 million.
4. "The Da Vinci Code," $19.3 million.
5. "Mission: Impossible III," $4.67 million.
6. "Poseidon," $3.4 million.
7. "RV," $3.3 million.
8. "See No Evil," $2 million.
9. "An Inconvenient Truth," $1.33 million.
10. "Just My Luck," $825,000.

MTV Movie Awards celebrate fun of films

CULVER CITY, Calif. - Jessica Alba played starring roles in "King Kong," "Mission Impossible: III" and "The Da Vinci Code." At least she did on Saturday, when she parodied the three blockbusters as the host of the 2006 MTV Movie Awards, known for taking a lighthearted look at the industry it honors.

This is the awards show where a teen-is-king attitude reigns, where stars step out in jeans and use the f-word in acceptance speeches.

"It's not even like an awards show," said actor Zach Braff. "It feels like a birthday party."

The unconventional ceremony, held on a soundstage at Sony Studios, celebrates the fun of films with prizes recognizing the best on-screen hero, villain, kiss and fight, as well as sexy, funny and frightened performances. The awards are based on fan votes.

Last summer's "Wedding Crashers" was the night's big winner, collecting three trophies, including the coveted Golden Popcorn for best movie.

The film also earned breakthrough performance honors for Isla Fisher and best on-screen team award for Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.

"For most people, playing a bipolar nymphomaniac would have been a challenge," Fisher said with a grin. "But I just played myself."

Vaughn, accepting his award by video, said that working with Wilson made him "feel like a jockey on the back of a great horse."

"I thought we had a shot at best on-screen kiss," Wilson quipped.

Jake Gyllenhaal, who beat out Oscar-winner Reese Witherspoon for best performance, teamed with "Brokeback Mountain" co-star Heath Ledger for best kiss.

"This is a real honor, not just for me and Heath but for all of you, that you picked this movie and this kiss over all the other ones," Gyllenhaal said.

Alba took home her own Golden Popcorn trophy for her sexy striptease performance in "Sin City."

"Thank you to all the perverts who voted for me," she said. "Thank you to the fans. I do movies for you. Practice safe sex and drive hybrids if you can."

Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx, the team soon to be seen in the big-screen rendition of "Miami Vice," presented the prize for best fight with a serving of silliness. Foxx beat-boxed on the microphone and threatened to "fight someone tonight" before announcing the winners: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt for their fiery feud in "Mr. & Mrs. Smith."

"Angelina and Brad are stuck in traffic," Farrell said. "They're doing their thing and we all wish them a big congratulations."

Jolie recently gave birth to the couple's daughter in Africa.

Christian Bale won best hero for his role in "Batman Begins" and thanked his wife, whom he called "my own personal Wonder Woman." Hayden Christensen was named best villain for his turn as Darth Vader in "Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith." He thanked George Lucas "for giving me the chance to play such a cool character."

Rapper LL Cool J presented Spike Lee with the Silver Bucket of Excellence for "Do the Right Thing," his 1989 film examining racial tensions. The prize honors a movie from the past that has present-day resonance.

"The sad thing is that the issues that we tried to address with `Do the Right Thing' are still with us today, so how much progress have we made?" Lee asked as he accepted his award.

Will Ferrell and a nearly unrecognizable John C. Reilly came to the show as the rebel racecar drivers they play in the forthcoming "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby." The pair didn't win anything, but gave a thank-you speech anyway. They presented the best comedic performance prize to Steve Carell for "The 40-Year-Old Virgin."

Later, Ferrell honored fellow funnyman Jim Carrey with the MTV Generation Award for his diverse body of work.

"This man's versatility makes Thomas Jefferson look like a big fat idiot," Ferrell said.

Wearing an all-white suit, Carrey took the stage with a cadre of winged angels and performed a spontaneous hip-shaking jig.

The show also featured musical performances by soul duo Gnarls Barkley, rockers AFI and Christina Aguilera, who performed "Ain't No Other Man."

The show is scheduled to air at 8:30 p.m. June 8 on MTV.

"The Sopranos'" Second-to-Last Swan Song

Heads better roll on Sunday night.

Since the approach of The Sopranos' season finale once again means that the series is signing off for the rest of the calendar year, we can only hope that our hour-long visit with New Jersey's finest this weekend packs enough in to tide us over until January.

Luckily creator David Chase isn't much one for season-ending cliffhangers, as in "who got shot?" or "I'm pregnant." No, Chase usually lets us look the person who's about to die right in the eye before he or she gets it, as when Tony pulled the trigger in Tony B.'s face at the close of season five.

While critics' opinions of this penultimate season have varied, with some thinking that the award-winning show is losing its edge and others not caring what the characters say and do so long as it's new, Chase has put together enough sizzling moments to give us plenty to work with this weekend.

Let's see, what's likely to be touched upon, tackled or otherwise clobbered Sunday?

Per previews, we've got Tony meeting up with real estate agent Julianna Skiff (so obviously the image of Carmela lovingly buttoning his shirt was a fleeting one), a "Why did you lie to me?" confrontation between Tony and Christopher, heightened conflict between the New York and New Jersey families, and Carmela saying that they should hire a professional (a professional what?) to look for Adrianna. Good luck to Tony as he tries to tap-dance out of that one. And, as always, someone tells somebody over the phone that something is "done."

Plus, there's A.J. and his new mob-tinged construction job, Meadow and her relationship troubles (as of now she's moving out west to follow the boyfriend who's been pulling away from her for a season and a half), and Junior and his dementia.

(In a bit of off-screen drama, Joseph Gannascoli, whose ill-fated Vito lost a bunch of weight and took a "Look, my pants are too big!" picture to prove it, has been sued by diet supplement manufacturer NVE Pharmaceuticals for allegedly not doing enough to promote its products after the company paid him about $316,000 to do so. Gannascoli, who signed with another diet pill company last month, told the Associated Press that this legal issue arose after The Sopranos focused on his character's homosexuality. "They didn't like I was doing the gay thing," he said. NVE has said that the actor was "difficult to work with.")

Now that the onscreen Vito problem has been sickeningly resolved, he's no longer a member of the maybe-getting-whacked pack, meaning someone else will be getting the signature Sopranos sendoff this time around.

Will it be Phil, who stepped really hard on Tony's toes by offing Vito himself? Does Christopher go too far this time doing whatever it is that he does? Does Paulie finding out that he has cancer make him even nastier? Will Bobby get run over by his model trains?

(IDLE GOSSIP/SPOILER ALERT: Word on the street: Christopher and Julianna, some sort of hookup. And as we all know, people do tend to get killed on this show for decidedly un-businesslike reasons. Ralph's head in a bag, anyone?)

Well, whatever happens, Chase has promised to provide a definitive ending to his groundbreaking (remember, he doesn't make TV, it's HBO) saga of the mob boss with issues, and after Sunday he only has eight more episodes to further cement this show's place in history.

Contrary to speculation/fans' wildest dreams, The Sopranos will sleep with the fishes after next year. Production on the final season is expected to begin this month.

"It's over, it's done, put a fork in it," an HBO exec told the Los Angeles Times.

But what's with the mega-hiatus again?

"I look at it as, there was a story, and we're telling that story over this amount of time," Chase told reporters in January. "And you know, it takes time to produce them, and that's the way they'll sort of roll out."

But we're getting ahead of ourselves. We still have another hour to go in 2006. So although this season has dropped the ball at times with the Vito subplot (laden with social significance, yet very time-consuming), the loooong dream sequences and Christopher's pathetic foray into the movie biz, there were plenty of great moments to go around.

The shock we felt when Tony got shot. The so-creepy-it-makes-your-eyes-bug-out scene when Christopher spitefully tells his pregnant girlfriend about Adrianna "running out" on him. The sheer absurdity of living legend Lauren Bacall getting clocked in the face. Oh, and there was Sil's piggyback ride on the murder victim.

That edge still feels pretty sharp to us.

Romance is over for Penelope Cruz and Matthew McConaughey

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The "sexiest man alive" is available again.
Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz "have decided to split," Cruz spokesman Robert Garlock told The Associated Press Friday. McConaughey's rep, Alan Nierob, confirmed the breakup, first reported by People magazine.

The couple costarred in 2005's Sahara.

McConaughey, People's reigning hunk of hunks, appeared in this year's Failure to Launch.

This fall, Cruz, 32, stars in Pedro Almodovar's Volver, (Return ), which just made a splash at the Cannes Film Festival.

Cruz and McConaughey, 36, parted ways four weeks ago due to busy work schedules, People reports.

U2 to work on new album this summer

U2 are plotting a return to the studio this summer to work on the follow-up to 2004's "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb."

In an interview conducted last week with the U.K's Guardian newspaper, Bono revealed that he has been writing a number of songs geared for the next disc.

"I've got a lot of songs, oddly enough, from taking piano lessons," he said. "My kid's piano teacher, Dawn, has been teaching me the piano. And every time she gives me a lesson, I write a new song. So next week, when (the band and I) meet up, I have all these songs to play for them. So I'd like to thin out my schedule in terms of the politics and activism and just get lost in the music again - that's what I'm really looking forward to for the summer."

No release date has been announced for the album.

Recently, Bono has put his music career on hold to concentrate on his humanitarian mission in the U.S. and Africa to create global AIDS awareness through his initiative Product RED.

Beatles play second fiddle on Brit hit list

Definitely Maybe, the debut album by Oasis, has been named greatest album of all time in a British music survey, pushing the Beatles into second place.

The poll of more than 40,000 music lovers from around the world was done for annual publication British Hit Singles & Albums.

The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band took second place and Revolver was in third, with three other Beatles albums in the top 100.

Definitely Maybe, which came out in 1994, featuring hits such as Live Forever and Supersonic, won the majority of votes in the poll. Another Oasis album came in at number five.

The publication's editor, David Roberts, says voters could name as many as 10 albums.

About 95 per cent of the voters were British and the list was heavily skewed to favourite British bands, including Queen and Coldplay, and Irish favourites U2.

The biggest surprise was The Libertines' debut album, Up the Bracket, at number 15, a showing Roberts attributes to singer Pete Doherty's well-publicized drug arrests and involvement with supermodel Kate Moss.

The only Canadian entries were Joni Mitchell's Blue, ranked number 73 and Alanis Morisette's Jagged Little Pill, at number 93.

The top 10 on the list:

1 - Definitely Maybe, Oasis
2 - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band, The Beatles
3- Revolver, The Beatles
4 - OK Computer, Radiohead
5 - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?,Oasis
6 - Nevermind, Nirvana
7 - The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses
8 - Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd
9 - The Queen Is Dead, Smiths.
10 - The Bends, Radiohead

'Entourage' settles in

LOS ANGELES — From the Hollywood mansion that serves as the fictional home of HBO's Entourage, you can see the series depicted on a real billboard.

The comedy about rising movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and his New York boyhood buddies kicks off its third season June 11 (10 ET/PT). And as the show's visibility has grown, particularly in the entertainment world, the sitcom seems less a case of art imitating life than paralleling it — and even influencing it.

In an episode last year, Bono gave a birthday shout-out to actor Johnny "Drama" Chase (Kevin Dillon), Vince's far-less-famous brother, at an actual U2 concert. Talent agents have been known to discuss the make-believe antics of Entourage agent Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven) even as some field more job offers for the real-life actors. And location shoots — ranging from Beverly Hills' Rodeo Drive to a West Hollywood coffee shop — have become more likely to be interrupted by passersby who call out to the characters.

Jerry Ferrara, who plays Turtle, the Brooklyn-to-the-core driver, says that during a recent shoot at Las Vegas' Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, "all 250 people started screaming 'Turtle.' I felt like I was dreaming."

With Sex and the City gone, Entourage is HBO's next great comedy hope. The critically praised series' audience rose as last season ended. "We are thrilled with the way the show has been growing creatively," HBO entertainment president Carolyn Strauss says.

Nevertheless, Entourage has far to go to fill Sex's Manolo Blahniks in the ratings. Its largest audiences have yet to hit 3 million viewers; Sex regularly doubled that number, and its 2004 finale topped 10 million.

But Strauss says the show is generating buzz both inside and outside the entertainment business, important for a subscriber-based network. "It's that kind of show that seems in the offseason to pick up momentum and collect new viewers," she says.

Band of brothers

Entourage, based on executive producer Mark Wahlberg's experiences as a star, already is a survivor in a sea of sunken behind-the-scenes takes on Hollywood, including HBO's The Comeback. Perhaps that's because, as creator Doug Ellin contends, Entourage is more about the relationships among a group of likable guys than showbiz minutiae. "It's not a Hollywood show. It's a show about friendship," he says. "I watched Diner 400 times. That was the tone I wanted."

But the real Hollywood always figures into the calculation. When deciding how to handle the box-office fate of Vince's film, Aquaman, Ellin had to consider Titanic director James Cameron, who plays himself as Aquaman's director. "You don't want to make (Cameron) have a bad movie," he says.

The season explores how the guys deal with success' twists and turns. Relationships evolve, including the rivalry between Ari and Vince's smart but green manager, Eric (Kevin Connolly). And viewers will see how Ari relates to his wife and daughter at home.

James Woods plays an over-the-top media image of himself in the first episode, joining numerous celebs who have portrayed (and occasionally parodied) themselves on the show, including Wahlberg, Jessica Alba, Mandy Moore, Scarlett Johansson, Bob Saget, Gary Busey, Hugh Hefner and the rapper Saigon.

Entourage also serves as a travelogue of chi-chi LA, at the Malibu beachfront, a Lakers game, the Playboy Mansion, the babe-infused Urth Caffe and numerous nightspots.

"There was a fear in the beginning that we'd be too inside," says Piven, whose Ari is rebuilding his career after being booted from his agency. But "people have displayed a hunger for the backstage life of artists. We're being as specific as we can with that world. People within (the business) recognize it. Outside of it, they're curious about it."

Hollywood, a big boy's toy box full of snazzy sports cars, never-ending parties and a sugar high of arm candy, gives the series a fantasy appeal that even wows the cast members. Grenier (who also can be seen in The Devil Wears Prada June 30) says he and his castmates don't have the time or inclination to party as relentlessly as their alter egos do. "Even I watch the show ... and live vicariously through the characters," he says.

Connolly, whose Eric is usually referred to as E, notes the show doesn't focus on Vince's work on set. "Who does live that lifestyle? The guys wake up, eat breakfast, hit golf balls, jump in a $150,000 car, eat a nice dinner, go to a club, grab the hottest girls and bring them back for a party," he says.

Drama weaves into the comedy, but Entourage isn't a satire and doesn't go heavily into the dark side of showbiz. "I think it nails the fun part of Hollywood," he says.

Although the actors may not club as much as their characters, they are hardly strangers to Hollywood nightlife. Connolly dates socialite Nicky Hilton and has been mentioned in celebrity news accounts hitting the town with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.

And they live it up with one another. "Whatever you see on television, how much fun it looks like we're having and how good we get along, times that by 100 when the cameras aren't rolling," says Ferrara, who attended Dillon's recent Las Vegas wedding, as did Connolly.

Doors are opening for cast

The main nightlife planned this Friday before the Memorial Day weekend is a long day-into-night shoot. The four buddies are doing a kitchen breakfast scene in the rented Mediterranean-style manor that snakes up a hillside, offering views from Hollywood to the Pacific. (Twenty episodes are being filmed, 12 of which will run this summer.)

The estate is worth millions, but its décor is hardly a candidate for Architectural Digest. "The main criteria was that it shouldn't feel overdesigned. This suits them more. They're into comfort, not presentation of lifestyle," says director Julian Farino, a filmmaker with a documentary background who pushed for filming in the house's interior rooms rather than creating sets on a soundstage.

Shooting here "makes it so much more real," says Dillon, seated on a patio that overlooks a pool and offers a panorama of the city. For viewers, "it feels like you're there."

For Dillon — brother of actor Matt Dillon —Entourage got a bit too real when he broke his arm during a recent basketball scene. He had a plate and 10 screws put in, and was back two days later for a photo shoot, sans sling. "I'll probably look totally out of it."

All the other breaks have been positive. Grenier says Entourage opened the door to Prada. Dillon and Piven, who earned an Emmy nomination last year, also say it has helped them get roles, Dillon in Poseidon, Piven in Keeping Up with the Steins and the upcoming Smoking Aces. "Now, I'm getting their attention" for meatier roles, Piven says.

The higher profile helps around town, too. "I used to be the guy trying to tip the (nightclub) doorman 10 bucks to get in and having him laugh at me," Ferrara says. "Now I go into a club and I don't have to bring a wallet. The parallels (with the show) are unbelievable."

And helpful. As Grenier deals with his fame, "I'm learning from Vince. He's teaching me all about the do's and don't's of celebrity."

"X-Men" set to extend box office reign

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In the relative calm after a box office storm called "X-Men: The Last Stand," the romantic comedy-drama "The Break-Up" is the lone new wide release in the marketplace this weekend.

The real-life relationship between the film's stars, Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston, could drive ticket sales. Not surprisingly, "Break-Up" is skewing female, but Vaughn appeals to both sexes.

After its $123 million opening last weekend, 20th Century Fox's third "X-Men" movie is a shoo-in for the top spot again, while Universal's "Break-Up" will vie for the second slot with Sony's "The Da Vinci Code" and Paramount's "Over the Hedge."

Fox's "The Omen" -- a remake of the 1976 film about a boy named Damien who is destined to become the Antichrist -- will debut Tuesday, The unusual release date of 6/6/06 ties in with the devilish digits featured in the film. The ensemble cast includes Julia Stiles, Liev Schreiber, Mia Farrow and David Thewlis. Newcomer Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick plays Damien.

Roger Ebert to have more cancer surgery

CHICAGO - Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert, who has battled cancer in recent years, will undergo cancer surgery again, according to a published report.

In Thursday's Chicago Sun-Times, where Ebert has been the movie critic for nearly 40 years, columnist Robert Feder reported that Ebert will have surgery June 16 to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland.

"It's not life threatening, and I expect to make a full recovery," the 63-year-old critic and host of the nationally syndicated movie review show, "Ebert & Roeper," told Feder. "I'll continue to function as a film critic during this time."

Ebert has undergone cancer surgery three times before — once in 2002 to remove a malignant tumor on his thyroid gland and twice on his salivary gland the next year.

But Feder reported that Ebert is not expected to require radiation treatment as he did when he underwent the previous procedures.

"This is known as a slow-growing and persistent cancer," Ebert said. "You live with it."

Ebert recently returned from the Cannes Film Festival in France. He said he plans to tape enough shows with Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper that the program will continue to air during his recovery.

Ebert has been a film critic at the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967. He won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 1975, the same year he teamed up with Gene Siskel of the rival Chicago Tribune to launch their movie-review show. Siskel died in 1999.