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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.