Willie: Dixie Chicks 'got a raw deal'

NEW YORK - Willie Nelson says the Dixie Chicks "got a raw deal" from a disapproving public following their criticism of President Bush.

"I think the fact that they were overseas and onstage had a little bit to do with it because you're speaking to other people about our business," the 73-year-old country crooner said in an interview in this week's Time magazine.

The trio caught harsh criticism after lead singer Natalie Maines told a London audience in 2003 that the group was "ashamed" Bush was from their home state of Texas.

Nelson said he was surprised his remarks about Bush a year earlier during an overseas news conference didn't incite a similar controversy.

"I said 'He's not from Texas and he ain't a cowboy, so let's stop trashin' Texans and cowboys.' It got a little chuckle, but I didn't get run out of the country," Nelson told the magazine.

Nelson recently launched his own XM Radio channel and published "The Tao of Willie," in which he offers his philosophy on subjects ranging from marijuana to war.

Hollywood split over Mel Gibson's future

LOS ANGELES - A stunned Hollywood debated the future of one of its biggest stars Sunday as a sheriff's watchdog launched an investigation into a possible cover up of a leaked report that quoted Mel Gibson unleashing a tirade of anti-Semitic remarks during a drunken driving arrest.

One media expert said Gibson irreparably damaged his career with his "crazy" behavior following his arrest by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies in Malibu early Friday. Charges of anti-Semitism were also leveled against the actor-director with the release of his 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ."

"It's a nuclear disaster for him," said publicist Michael Levine, who has represented Michael Jackson and Charlton Heston, among others. "I don't see how he can restore himself."

The entertainment Web site TMZ posted what it said were four pages from the original arrest report, which quoted Gibson as launching an expletive-laden "barrage of anti-Semitic remarks" after he was stopped on Pacific Coast Highway.

According to the report, in addition to threatening the arresting deputy and trying to escape, Gibson said, "The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asked the officer, James Mee, "Are you a Jew?"

The report has not been made public, but the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that it had independently verified its authenticity.

Gibson's publicist, Alan Nierob, would not elaborate beyond a nonspecific apology Gibson issued Saturday. Sheriff's sources also declined to comment on Gibson's alleged remarks.

Studio executives, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the matter, were divided on how Gibson's behavior would affect his career. One noted that people have short memories, including filmmakers who might want to profit from Gibson's star power.

Filmgoers, too, could overlook much if the film is perceived as worthwhile.

"Usually it comes down to the marketing of the movie and does the average person want to see the film," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.

The Office of Independent Review, a department watchdog panel, has opened an investigation into whether authorities gave Gibson preferential treatment by covering up his alleged inflammatory comments, said its chief attorney, Mike Gennaco.

"Assuming that the report was excised, then the question is was it done for a good reason within regulations," he said.

Gibson has filmed public service announcements for Sheriff Lee Baca's relief committee dressed in a sheriff's uniform.

"There is no cover-up," Baca told the Los Angeles Times. "Our job is not to (focus) on what he said. It's to establish his blood-alcohol level when he was driving and proceed with the case. Trying someone on rumor and innuendo is no way to run an investigation, at least one with integrity."

Gibson said in his apology that he said "despicable" things to deputies during his arrest.

"I acted like a person completely out of control when I was arrested and said things that I do not believe to be true and which are despicable," Gibson said.

Abraham H. Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, called Gibson's apology "unremorseful and insufficient."

"It's not a proper apology because it does not go to the essence of his bigotry and his anti-Semitism," he said in a statement on the organization's Web site. "We would hope that Hollywood now would realize the bigot in their midst and that they will distance themselves from this anti-Semite."

This is not the first time Gibson has faced accusations of anti-Semitism. Gibson produced, directed and financed "Passion," which some Jewish leaders said cast Jews as the killers of Jesus.

In a 2004 interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer, Gibson said he was not anti-Semitic.

"To be anti-Semitic is a sin," he said. "It's been condemned by one Papal Council after another. To be anti-Semitic is to be un-Christian, and I'm not."

Days before "Passion" was released, Gibson's father Hutton Gibson was quoted saying the Holocaust was mostly "fiction." The younger Gibson has said that he will not speak against his father.

Gibson, 50, was arrested after deputies stopped his 2006 Lexus LS 430 for speeding at 2:36 a.m. Friday. Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said deputies clocked him doing 87 mph in a 45 mph zone.

A breath test indicated Gibson's blood-alcohol level was 0.12 percent, Whitmore said. The legal limit in California is 0.08 percent.

Gibson posted $5,000 bail and was released hours later.

In his statement, Gibson also said he has struggled with alcoholism and had taken steps "to ensure my return to health."

He won a best-director Oscar for 1995's "Braveheart." He also starred in the "Lethal Weapon" and "Mad Max" films, "What Women Want" and "The Man Without a Face," among other films.

Fire chars British set of new Bond film

LONDON - A large fire seriously damaged the set of the latest James Bond movie Sunday, caving in the roof of a sound stage transformed into a replica of Venice for the production of "Casino Royale."

Pinewood Shepperton, the studio complex where the fire erupted, said filming for the Bond production had been completed.

"Its film sets were in the process of being removed," the studio said in a statement.

The cause of the fire was unknown. Three people who had been inside Pinewood Studios, about 20 miles west of London, were not hurt.

The Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said several cylinders of flammable gas exploded during the blaze, which took eight fire engines to extinguish.

Television footage showed a thick cloud of black smoke rising from the building, whose roof burned and at least partly collapsed.

"It is just a complete mess," fire department spokesman Fraser Pearson said from the scene. "I would say the whole building has been damaged by the fire. It is still smoking quite badly."

"Casino Royale" is the first Bond film featuring actor Daniel Craig in the title role, replacing Pierce Brosnan.

The 007 soundstage, which was built for the filming of Bond film "The Spy Who Loved Me," burned down when gasoline canisters exploded in 1984. It was rebuilt two years ago.

In 2005, a Pinewood Shepperton studio soundstage served as a replica of the Louvre art museum for the "Da Vinci Code."

'Miami Vice' takes $25.2M, sinks 'Pirates'

LOS ANGELES - The "Miami Vice" speedboat overtook the "Pirates of the Caribbean" juggernaut to capture the top spot at the weekend box office.

The film, which pairs Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx as the iconic TV characters Sonny Crockett and Ricardo Tubbs, took in $25.2 million, compared to $20.5 million for "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," according to studio estimates Sunday.

"It's nice to be number one," said Nikki Rocco, president of distribution at Universal Pictures.

The gritty, dark action film was directed by Michael Mann, who created the 1980s TV show. The movie was especially attractive to older audiences, with 62 percent of the audience over 30, according to the studio's exit polling.

The audience was pretty evenly split between men and women, the polling showed.

"It's what our expectations were," Rocco said. "We tried to do something different. There has been a lot of criticism regarding unoriginal product. We took a TV series and made it very different."

The news was not necessarily bad for The Walt Disney Co., which produced "Pirates."

In its third week, "Pirates" has earned $358.4 million to become the highest grossing film in Disney's history, passing the $339.7 million earned by the Pixar Animation Studios film "Finding Nemo."

"After posting the biggest opening weekend of all time, it is living up to the promise created that opening weekend," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations.

"Pirates" is on track to break the $400 million mark in the coming weeks, Dergarabedian said.

The Pixar film "Cars" has also raked in $234.6 million to date. And while the film is no longer in the top 10 at the box office, its cumulative gross makes it the second highest grossing film of the year, giving Disney the top two spots so far.

"It's a very happy weekend," said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution.

The teen flick "John Tucker Must Die" from 20th Century Fox debuted in third place with a respectable $14 million.

The film, with a budget of about $18 million, attracted a predominantly young female audience with its story of four high school girls who seek revenge against an unfaithful boyfriend.

"The Ant Bully," an animated film from Warner Bros., opened with a mere $8.1 million.

The film featured the voice talents of Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts and Nicolas Cage and was produced by Tom Hanks. But it just couldn't compete against a crowded field of family pictures.

"It's much less than what we had wanted," said Jeff Goldstein, general sales manager at Warner Bros. "The marketplace is crowded. The kids have been bombarded."

The independent film "Little Miss Sunshine" opened strongly in limited release.

The quirky film starring Greg Kinnear and Steve Carell, took in $356,863 in only seven theaters in New York and Los Angeles for a per screen average of $50,980.

Overall, box office revenue was up 6.3 percent and attendance was up 3 percent.

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. "Miami Vice," $25.2 million.
2. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," $20.5 million.
3. "John Tucker Must Die," $14 million.
4. "Monster House," $11.5 million.
5. "The Ant Bully," $8.2 million.
6. "Lady in the Water," $7 million.
7. "You, Me and Dupree," $7 million
8. "Little Man," $5.1 million.
9. "The Devil Wears Prada," $4.8 million.
10. "Clerks II," $3.9 million.

ABC pulls plug on 'The One'

TORONTO (CP) -- The One: Making a Music Star -- the American reality show that grabbed headlines last month for bumping CBC's The National from its usual time-slot -- has been cancelled less than two weeks after its debut.

U.S. broadcaster ABC announced the decision in a note posted Friday on its website: "There are no plans for additional episodes. Thanks to all who participated in and supported The One."

CBC created a ruckus earlier this summer when it announced plans to move The National from its 10 p.m. ET slot on some Tuesdays and Wednesdays in order to air The One.

Critics were vicious, arguing that the public broadcaster has a mission to explain Canada to Canadians -- not to import reality TV shows from the United States.

CBC, in turn, said it was simply trying to lay the groundwork for a Canadian version of The One, which followed a format similar to Canadian Idol and Rock Star: Supernova.

But the show floundered from the get-go, and critics were quick Friday to seize on its cancellation as proof of poor decision-making at CBC.

"The senior leadership at the CBC has to have egg on its face. They made this extraordinary and, I would say, indefensible decision," said Ian Morrison of Friends of Canadian Broadcasting.

"Why would Canadian taxpayers subsidize a public television network in order to see it pre-empt their national news?"

Arthur Lewis, executive director of the advocacy group Our Public Airwaves, said the cancellation "emphasizes what an incredibly stupid decision it was for CBC to import an American reality show in the first place."

"I'm willing to bet CBC was praying for ABC to cancel it and get them off the hook," he added.

For her part, Kirstine Layfield, CBC-TV's executive director of network programming, called ABC's decision "disappointing."

"But it's understandable," she said. "ABC is in a very tough marketplace. It's having a very tough summer ... They don't have the luxury of waiting around for a show to grow over time."

She said the public broadcaster may still go ahead with a Canadian edition of The One in the fall.

"It's too early to tell. We're not under any pressure to make immediate decisions."

Hosted by CBC-TV personality George Stroumboulopoulos, The One's debut last week grabbed the attention of a mere 236,000 Canadians.

And on Tuesday this week, according to Nielsen Media Research, just 150,000 Canadians tuned in to the singing contest, despite the marketing fanfare and high hopes at CBC.

By contrast, BBM says Rock Star: Supernova pulled in 1.2 million Canadian viewers Tuesday night in the same 9-10 p.m. ET slot on Global.

CTV's Canadian Idol finished the night with 1.65 million viewers in the 8-8:30 p.m. ET slot, said Nielsen.

The One's numbers south of the border were also abysmal. An article in the trade magazine Media Life reported that the show was the lowest-rated new summer reality series this season.

Reached in Los Angeles on Friday, Stroumboulopoulos was philosophical about the show's demise, blaming it on "market saturation."

"I suspect that (TV viewers) had already invested themselves in Canada in Idol," he said, adding he had no regrets about doing the show.

He also defended CBC's decision to air it.

"It was the exact right decision ... Canadians have demonstrated an awesome appetite for programs from all over the world."

The Canadian version of The One is still "in early development," said Layfield, adding that the CBC has learned from the U.S. show and will make a decision on its future in the next few weeks.

For his part, Stroumboulopoulos reiterated that he will not be hosting a Canadian version of The One because of his commitment to his own CBC current affairs program, The Hour.

Owen Wilson says 'Dupree' is no rip-off

LOS ANGELES - Owen Wilson has denied any connection between his new movie, "You, Me and Dupree," and '70s supergroup Steely Dan, a spokesman for the actor said Friday.

The band recently posted a letter on their Web site claiming that Wilson's Dupree character was based on their Grammy-winning song, "Cousin Dupree," about a couch-hopping houseguest.

In a statement released by his spokeswoman, Ina Treciokas, Wilson said: "I have never heard the song `Cousin Dupree' and I don't even know who this gentleman, Mr. Steely Dan, is. I hope this helps to clear things up and I can get back to concentrating on my new movie, `HEY 19.'"

Larry Solters, a spokesman for the band's management company, did not immediately return a call for comment.

Steely Dan released a string of hits in the '70s, including "Hey Nineteen," "Reeling in the Years" and "Rikki Don't Lose That Number."

"There are some pretty heavy people who are upset about this whole thing and we can't guarantee what kind of heat little Owen may be bringing down on himself," band leaders Walter Becker and Donald Fagen wrote in the letter.

The band asked Wilson, 37, to appear at a concert to apologize to their fans.

"You, Me and Dupree" co-stars Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon as a newlywed couple annoyed by Dupree, a friend who crashes on their couch.

In 2001, "Cousin Dupree" won a Grammy for best pop performance by a duo or group from Steely Dan's album "Two Against Nature," which snagged album of the year.

Mel Gibson arrested on suspicion of DUI

MALIBU, Calif. - Mel Gibson was arrested early Friday for suspicion of driving under the influence, a Sheriff's Department spokesman said.

Gibson's vehicle was speeding eastbound on the Pacific Coast Highway when officers stopped him at 2:36 a.m., Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said.

Gibson, 50, was booked at the Lost Hills Sheriff's station at 4:06 a.m., according to department records. The actor-director was cited and released, Whitmore said. Bail was set at $5,000.

"The investigation is ongoing," Whitmore said. "As we would do with anyone, we don't want to release any more since the information is fragmentary."

Gibson's spokesman, Alan Nierob, said he was looking into the matter.

Gibson won a best-director Oscar for 1995's "Braveheart."

Like his 2004 religious blockbuster, "The Passion of the Christ," which was shot in Aramaic and Latin, his new film, "Apocalypto," was done in an ancient tongue, Yucatec Maya.

Gibson has starred in the "Lethal Weapon" and "Mad Max" films, "What Women Want" and "The Man Without a Face," among other movies.

Adventures of Brisco County Jr., The - Canadians: Missing your booklet? Here's what to do...

Warner Canada has issued a press release about the missing booklet in the recent release of The Adventures of Brisco County Jr. Canadians were the only ones affected by this issue, so this information relates to Canadian residents only.

July 26th, 2006

Dear Valued Customer,

Thank you for purchasing the Adventures of Brisco County Jr. (DVE 76833 - UPC 0-12569-76833-8 - street date July 18th, 2006).

WHV has determined that, due to an error, the episode guide booklet was not inserted into the package.

WHV is dedicated to customer service and apologizes for any inconvenience this error may have caused you. Effective until August 31st 2006. WHV will remedy the situation by sending you the missing episode guide booklet at no additional cost to you.

To obtain the booklet, please contact us immediately at one of the following numbers:

Phone: 1-888-603-8888
email: warner@unigistix.com
fax: (905) 458-8275

Once you contact us, you should receive the booklet within 10 days.

Thank you for your understanding.

Sincerely,
Warner Home Video Canada

Kiefer up for a new day on '24'

PASADENA, Calif. -- When we last saw Jack Bauer, the 24 action hero was being beaten to a pulp and hauled off to a Chinese torture cell.

Bauer, or rather actor Kiefer Sutherland, looked tanned, relaxed and -- very unlike Jack -- happy at Tuesday night's Fox press tour party, an All-Star affair that Hugh Laurie (House), David Boreanaz (Bones), Courteney Cox Arquette and David Arquette (the upcoming FX series Dirt, about dishy tabloids), David Foster (the upcoming reality show Duets), Brad Garrett ('Til Death) and JR himself, Larry Hagman (guesting next season on Nip/Tuck) all attended.

Sutherland, who stood with his requisite pack of Camel cigarettes in his pocket, figures 24 will pick up about a year-and-a-half from when we last saw Bauer. "We just got the first scripts," he told a scrum of reporters.

He was typically sketchy on other details, but admitted things look pretty grim for Jack. "He's at the end of his line. Something's going to have to really rejuvenate him from the position that he's in," said Sutherland, "otherwise he's just going to be dead."

He added that it will be interesting this coming season, which starts again in January, "to come from a really deep dark place and actually try to come up instead of starting from an up position and trying to go down."

Asked if Kim Raver, who played Jack's lost love Audrey Raines, is through with 24 (she's joined the cast of ABC's The Nine), Sutherland said don't count her out yet. "She's contractually free to do both shows," he said. "We'll have to see what happens."

Some reporters were surprised Sutherland was at the press tour at all. His show is going into a sixth season and he's made his millions from syndication and DVD sales. This is usually the point where a big shot like Sutherland bails, at least until that farewell season is announced.

Still, the Emmy-nominated actor feels a certain loyalty to TV critics. "We wouldn't have been picked up if it wasn't for this group five years ago," he said. "We were on the fence and teetering off it in the wrong direction." He added that 24 "has been the most amazing experience of my career to date."

I had to ask him about one nagging detail from last season's finale that to me at least just didn't ring true. Why, given that Bauer was reachable via cell phone from all over the world, was he lured to a pay phone to take a call from his daughter? (It was all a set up; after saving the world yet again, Bauer was ambushed there by Chinese terrorists).

"That's interesting," said Sutherland, who attempted an explanation. He pointed out that Bauer had been estranged from his daughter Kim (Elisha Cuthbert) and when they briefly reunited last season they didn't exchange numbers. "In fact, she wants nothing to do with me," he said.

However, Sutherland admitted, "why CTU couldn't route her to my cellphone, that's a problem, yeah."

Is Heath Ledger The New Joker?

Heath Ledger could soon be donning a big smile for the upcoming Batman Begins sequel, as The Joker.

IMDB.com says press reports in Australia have pegged the Casanova star as Batman's famous foe in the hit-movie's follow up, which is scheduled for theatrical release in 2008.

While it's widely known Academy Award-winning actor/comedian Robin Williams is hoping to land the role of the comic bad-guy, filmmakers apparently don't want an age gap between hero and villain.

Confirmation on the news however, has yet to be announced.

In the meantime, Ledger can be seen in the dark Australian romance/drama Candy, as a poet with love for an art student, and heroin, followed by another movie featuring Christian Bale, the Bob Dylan biopic, I'm Not There.

"Miami Vice" set to heat up box office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - This weekend is all about gambles at the box office. Will Universal Pictures' costly gamble on director Michael Mann and "Miami Vice" pay off? Will Warner Bros. Pictures' second partnership with Tom Hanks on an animated movie, "The Ant Bully," be as successful as its first? And just how many teenage girls will show up to see John Tucker, a fictional high school Romeo, die?

Bolstered by positive reviews and enough heart-pumping action scenes to lure in young males, "Miami Vice" could open in the mid-$20 million range, insiders say. Some think it could earn $30 million, which would set up a strong run for the film and help fuel the second half of the summer box office.

Either way, "Miami Vice" will end the three-week reign of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which is on track to earn $20 million.

With a budget reportedly in the neighborhood of $135 million, Mann has reimagined the "Miami Vice" television show he executive produced in the 1980s as a dark, stylized drama with laconic dialogue and impressive action scenes. Rated R, the film version of the series stars Jamie Foxx and Colin Farrell as undercover narcotics officers.

Mann's films, while well-regarded, never have grossed more than $101 million; 2004's "Collateral," starring Tom Cruise and Foxx, holds that honor. It kicked off with $24.7 million.

Warners' PG-rated "Ant Bully" is expected to open at No. 3 in the mid-teen ranged. It was produced by Hanks, the star of "The Polar Express," the studio's bold animation foray from 2004. Its high-pedigreed voice talent includes Julia Roberts and Nicolas Cage.

Directed by "Jimmy Neutron" creator John A. Davis, "The Ant Bully" enters the crowded animated family space sandwiched between Sony Pictures' "Monster House," which bowed last weekend, and Paramount Pictures' "Barnyard," opening next week.

"Bully" has a similar feel to two previous animated films about bugs: Pixar's "A Bug's Life" and DreamWorks Animation's "Antz," both released in 1998. That is a generation ago for the young audiences of animated films, and "Bully" does have a 3-D Imax release going for it as well.

20th Century Fox's "John Tucker Must Die" is on track to open in the low teens. Starring "Desperate Housewives"' hunky gardener Jesse Metcalfe as the three-timing Tucker, the movie is sure to lure teenage girls. The PG-13 was directed by Betty Thomas. Fashioning itself after Paramount's successful "Mean Girls," "Tucker" will get up to that film's gross of $86 million only if it proves smarter than the typical fare aimed at its target demographic.

In limited release, Fox Searchlight opened the Sundance Film Festival hit "Little Miss Sunshine" on seven screens Wednesday. The indie acquired the picture for a record $10.5 million at January's festival, and high hopes are riding on the film starring Greg Kinnear, Steve Carell and Toni Collette. An R-rated road trip comedy about a dysfunctional family, the film is directed by husband-and-wife music video veterans Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris from a script by Michael Arndt.

Focus Features will open Woody Allen's "Scoop" in 537 theaters. Starring Allen's latest muse, Scarlett Johansson, and Hugh Jackman, "Scoop" centers on a journalism student who receives the scoop of a lifetime. Allen co-stars as his neurotic self. The film hopes to reach the levels of Allen's previous hit, "Match Point," which grossed $23 million. Reviewers haven't been as kind to Allen's latest release, though, which is likely to hamper the film's draw.

Dixie Chicks documentary to hatch at Toronto fest

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - A documentary about the firestorm that greeted the Dixie Chicks' anti-Bush comments will make its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, organizers said Thursday.

"Dixie Chicks -- Shut Up and Sing," from Oscar-winning director Barbara Kopple ("Harlan County," "American Dream") and Cecilia Peck, will receive a high-profile gala screening.

It documents the fury faced by the country music trio after singer Natalie Maines made an off-the-cuff comment about President Bush during a London concert three years ago.

Other world premieres in Toronto's Real to Reel documentary sidebar include U.S. filmmaker A.J. Schnack's "Kurt Cobain About a Son" and French filmmaker Jerome Laperrousaz's "Made in Jamaica," a portrait of Jamaican reggae and dancehall artists struggling to the top.

Toronto also has booked a North American premiere for U.S. documentary "The U.S. vs. John Lennon," David Leaf and John Scheinfeld's archival portrait of the Beatles star's move from musician to war activist. Paul Rachman's "American Hardcore," a look at the 1980s hard-core punk music scene, will receive a Canadian premiere.

Also receiving world premieres as part of Real to Reel are Asger Leth's "Ghosts of Cite Soleil," about Haitian slum gang leaders, and Macky Alston's "The Killer Within," a portrait of a respected psychology professor who attempted a murderous shooting spree in his college dorm many years prior.

"It was stunning to find a Columbine-type story that happened 50 years before Columbine. It felt like an unearthing project," Alston said. The documentary is told from the perspective of the aging professor's daughter, who must cope with her newfound knowledge about her father's past.

Other world premieres for Toronto include British filmmaker Lucy Walker's "Blindsight," a film about a blind Mount Everest climber; directors Petra Epperlein and Michael Tucker's "The Prisoner or How I Planned to Kill Tony Blair," and "Shame," Mohammed Naqvi's portrait of a Pakistani woman who dares to break her silence after being gang-raped during a village dispute.

Other documentaries bound for Toronto include:

= "Lake of Fire" from Tony Kaye;

= Italian director Davide Ferrario's "Primo Levi's Journey";

= Japanese director Takayuki Nakamura's geisha girl portrait "Yokohama Mary";

= "Sari's Mother," a world premiere about an Iraqi mother searching hospitals for her HIV-positive son, from U.S. director James Longley.

= Camila Guzman Urzua's "The Sugar Curtain";

= Dutch filmmaker Alexander Oey's "My Life as a Terrorist: The Story of Hans-Joachim Klein";;

= French director Namir Abdel Messeeh's "Toi, Waguih";

= Vincenzo Marra's "The Session Is Open";

= Jeff Garlin's "This Filthy World," about John Waters' one-man show.

= British director Liz Mermin's "Office Tigers";

= Bradley Beesley and Sarah Price's "Summercamp!";

= Sophie Fiennes' "The Pervert's Guide to Cinema";

= Nader Takmil Homayoun's "L' Iran: Une Revolution Cinematographique."

The Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 7-16, will make additional announcements in the coming weeks.

"X-Men" DVD set for October 3 release

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The year's second-biggest movie is going to kick off the fourth-quarter DVD-selling season.

20th Century Fox is expected to announce Friday that "X-Men: The Last Stand," which grossed $233 million at the box office, will arrive on DVD on October 3 in two extras-laden editions.

The highlight of the third "X-Men" movie's DVD debut: three alternative endings, each with optional commentary by director Brett Ratner. The single-disc DVD release also includes 10 deleted scenes; audio commentaries from Ratner, the writers and the producers; a preview of the upcoming Ben Stiller movie "A Night at the Museum;" and two hidden "Easter eggs," one of the Beast reciting Shakespeare and the other of the X-Jet landing in Washington.

Fox also is preparing a collector's edition that includes an exclusive 100-page commemorative book with an all-new story penned by Marvel Comics master Stan Lee. It is his first original Marvel Comics book in five years.

In addition, Fox is packaging all three "X-Men" movies into a trilogy pack.

Paramount has already slotted "Over the Hedge" (box office: $151.7 million, No. 7 for the year) for October 17, while Fox has snagged the lucrative pre-Thanksgiving date of November 21 for "Ice Age: The Meltdown" ($194.9 million, No. 5).

Of the year's seven other top 10 theatrical releases, "Mission: Impossible III" ($133.5 million, No. 8), "Click" ($129.4 million, No. 9) and "The Break-Up" ($117.1 million, No. 10) are likely contenders for October, sources said.

"Superman Returns" ($180.2 million, No. 6) is a good bet for November, sources said, as are "The Da Vinci Code" ($215.9 million, No. 4) and "Cars" ($230.8 million, No. 3).

The wild card: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," the year's box office champ with theatrical earnings of $330.4 million -- and counting. While observers predict a December DVD release date, as was the case for "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" in 2003, they said nothing is certain, particularly if the film's box office momentum continues.

Scarlett Johansson denies divalike demands

LONDON - Scarlett Johansson has denied claims that divalike demands cost her the lead role in a big-budget revival of "The Sound of Music," a spokesman for the actress said Thursday.

Johansson, 21, had been targeted to play Maria von Trapp in Andrew Lloyd Webber's production of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, set to open in London's West End in November.

"Her people were not `pro' the idea. It became clear that it wasn't going to work because the demands were so ridiculous," Lloyd Webber was quoted as saying in The Times newspaper.

He said Johansson's representatives "couldn't understand why she would want to appear in the West End for $18,500 a week when she could be earning $10 million for a movie."

"It was annoying because she really wanted to do it," Lloyd Webber was quoted as saying.

Publicist Marcel Parisbeau said it was a busy work schedule and not pay demands that sank the actress' chance to play the role made famous by Julie Andrews in the 1965 film version of the musical.

"It is true that there were some discussions regarding Scarlett and the production of `The Sound of Music.' But Mr. Webber's statement regarding the demands is extremely exaggerated," Parisbeau said in a statement. "Her management team was simply asking for terms that an actress of her stature would ask for."

Lloyd Webber said he was also told that Johansson would need two assistants stationed backstage at all times, according to the report.

The role of Maria will now be played by an actress to be chosen from a new British Broadcasting Corp. reality TV show. The Aug. 15 finale of "How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria" will award a six-month contract to one of 10 finalists.

Johannson stars in Woody Allen's new movie, "Scoop," set to open Friday. Her screen credits also include roles in "Lost in Translation" and "Girl With a Pearl Earring."

Beasties working on 'hot' new album

TORONTO – The Beastie Boys are in the midst of writing and recording material for their next album.

The trio confirmed they've begun work on the yet-to-be-titled disc.

Adam Yauch (a.k.a. MCA) said the band's follow-up to 2004's "To The 5 Boroughs" will most likely be another self-produced effort.

Pressed for details, Adam Horowitz (a.k.a. Ad-Rock) promised the new set of songs will be the Beasties' "best ever."

"Wait 'til you hear the new shit that we’re working on. The shit is hot."

Refusing to say when the disc might reach stores, Michael Diamond (a.k.a. Mike D) said the band is in the "messing around" stage.

After its premiere earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival, the Beasties were in Toronto earlier today to promote the DVD release of their first-ever concert film – "Awesome; I Fu**in' Shot That!"

Recorded at Madison Square Garden during 2004's Challah At Your Boy world tour, the feature-length picture captures the Beasties' entire live performance using footage shot by fans on 50 different cameras.

Saying that the unconventional move was prompted by their desire to "do something different," the film was one of the most critically praised in the days following its January debut.

Metallica Caves, Joins iTunes

They may have been dragged kicking and screaming, but Metallica has finally joined the digital revolution.

After famously decrying online downloading as the death of the album format, and filing a few lawsuits in the process, the head-banging quartet has finally acquiesced to Apple and made available their back catalog on the iTunes Music Store Tuesday.

"From the 'It's about f---ing time!' file, comes this...," the group said on its Website Monday.

"Over the last year or so, we have seen an ever-growing number of Metallica fans using online sites like iTunes to get their music. So, in continuing with the tradition of offering our albums for sale online (which we've been doing for a few years through various sites), as well as making our live concerts available for download in their entirety (through the livemetallica.com site), we are now offering fans the opportunity to obtain our songs individually."

Metallica had previously made available their music for downloading on Yahoo! Music, MSN Music and Rhapsody, but the iTunes collaboration marks the first time listeners can purchase a single song rather than an entire album.

As of Tuesday, each of the band's 10 albums were available for download, along with a handful of previously unreleased live songs, included as bonus tracks on Metallica's first four discs, Kill 'Em All, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets and ...And Justice for All.

"We chose these four because, unlike the more recent releases, we were only capable of writing 8-9 songs for each of these albums!" the band said.

The iTunes deal marks a significant turning point for the foursome of James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich and Robert Trujillo, who had became the poster boys for the luddite music industry during the Napster wars.

The thrashers waged a high profile and vicious legal battle against the file-swapping service in 2000, blaming the network for "hijacking" their music. In a particularly fan-unfriendly move, Ulrich even went so far as to hand deliver a list of names of roughly 30,000 Napster users to a Redwood City, California, court house.

In 2003, when the iTunes Music Store launched, the group declared it would not allow Apple to hawk its tunes, saying it would "contribute to the demise of the album format."

As it is, Metallica's entire catalog was available for download Tuesday morning on iTunes' U.S. and Canada editions only.

"This is unfortunately due to the fact that our record company overseas doesn't seem to want to play ball with us on this at the moment," the band posted online. "Enjoy iMetallica!"

Although Metallica is finally on board, iTunes still has some major holdouts.

The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead and Garth Brooks are the biggest artists refusing to partner with the download service. And with the Beatles' recent loss to Apple in a trademark infringement cases, it's unlikely the Fab Four will strike a deal anytime soon.

James Bond's License to Rock

There may be lingering doubts about the viability of 007's latest alter ego, but regardless of what sort of James Bond Daniel Craig turns out to be, one thing's for sure: The movie's gonna rock.

Audioslave frontman and former Soundgarden mastermind Chris Cornell has been tapped to write and perform the theme song for the spy franchise's upcoming 21st installment, Casino Royale.

"You Know My Name," which, by virtue of its title alone practically begs the refrain "Bond, James Bond," was written in collaboration with the longtime 007 music man, composer David Arnold.

"I've always loved Chris' work, both as a writer and as an artist, and had hoped someday to find the right film to inspire him," Lia Vollack, president of worldwide music for Columbia Entertainment, the studio behind the film, said in a statement.

"His work is both soulful and tough. It was the perfect complement to Daniel Craig and Casino Royale."

Cornell hopes his tune enters the pantheon of great Bond themes, which includes Paul McCartney & Wings' "Live and Let Die," the first Bond theme to crack the Top 10, and classic songs by Carly Simon (whose "Nobody Does It Better" from The Spy Who Loved Me has since become a nightclub staple), Shirley Bassey ("Goldfinger," "Diamonds Are Forever," "Moonraker") and Tom Jones ("Thunderball"), all from the 1970s-era 007 films.

Aside from Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill," the 1980s were less kind to Bond, saddling him with a string of clunky themes, bottoming out with a-Ha's inexplicable "The Living Daylights."

There was a turnaround in the '90s, with Tina Turner ("GoldenEye"), Sheryl Crow ("Tomorrow Never Dies"), Garbage ("The World Is Not Enough") handling the chores.

The most recent outing, 2002's Die Another Day, featured Madonna singing the techno-infused title track.

Casino Royale is based on the first 007 novel from Ian Fleming and follows Bond's early years. The film centers on a game of high-stakes poker (is there any other kind?) between Bond and terrorist banker Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen) at the Casino Royale. French beauty Eva Green stars as the requisite Bond babe.

The film is slated for worldwide release Nov. 16.

Lance Bass of 'N Sync reveals he's gay

NEW YORK - Lance Bass, band member of 'N Sync, says he's gay and in a "very stable" relationship with a reality show star. Bass, who formed 'N Sync with Justin Timberlake, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick, tells People magazine that he didn't earlier disclose his sexuality because he didn't want to affect the group's popularity.

"I knew that I was in this popular band and I had four other guys' careers in my hand, and I knew that if I ever acted on it or even said (that I was gay), it would overpower everything," he tells the magazine.

'N Sync is known for a string of hits including "Bye Bye Bye" and "It's Gonna Be Me." The band went on hiatus in 2002. Bass has also found headlines for undertaking astronaut training and failing to raise money for a trip into space.

Bass says he wondered if his coming out could prompt "the end of 'N Sync." He explains, "So I had that weight on me of like, `Wow, if I ever let anyone know, it's bad.' So I just never did."

The singer says he's in a "very stable" relationship with 32-year-old actor Reichen Lehmkuhl, winner of season four of CBS' "Amazing Race."

Bass and Fatone, 29, are developing a sitcom pilot inspired by the screwball comedy "The Odd Couple," in which his character will be gay.

"The thing is, I'm not ashamed — that's the one thing I went to say," Bass says. "I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this. I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life. I'm just happy."

"Hedge" set for October 17 video release

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The barnyard cartoon "Over the Hedge" is set for DVD release on October 17.

The DreamWorks Animation video will be released by Paramount Home Entertainment, whose Viacom Inc. parent bought DreamWorks on February 1.

"Hedge," with a $151.7 million domestic gross, is the year's No. 7 movie. The DVD will come with a "hibernating content" feature that will allow consumers to unlock additional bonus materials, already loaded onto the disc, after November 28 by accessing a Web site and typing in a code.

Out of the box, the DVD will come with an all-new, four-minute minimovie. "Hammy's Boomerang Adventure" brings back all of the film's characters and voice talent for a parody of reality television.

The DVD also includes "Behind the Hedge," a look at the real-life animals that inspired the film's critters; filmmaker commentaries; a mock "infomercial" spoofing the career opportunities of pest control; a "making-of" documentary; cast interviews; and a virtual drawing lesson by a DreamWorks animator on how to sketch Hammy.

While most of the major spring and summer theatricals likely will be released on video before Christmas, only one other big title has a firm date: Fox's "Ice Age: The Meltdown" on November 21.

Fraggle Rock Season 2 on track for September release

The second season release from HIT Entertainment will include twenty-four episodes, cast and crew interviews and the original Fraggle Rock pitch book by Jim Henson with designs by Michael Frith.

Get ready to laugh your cares away, Fraggle fans. Straight from the mouths of HIT Entertainment representatives, the Fraggle Rock Season 2 DVD box Set is going to hit the shelves September 5th as was announced in January.

Selling at $49.98 and sporting a feature running time of 680 minutes total, the collection comes with a replica the original pitch book by Jim Henson and illustrated by Michael K. Frith, measuring 4.5” wide by 6.5” high. More organized than the notepad scribblings reproduced for the Season 1 set, the pitch book illustrates a more finely formed world of the Fraggles, yet one still not quite fully-evolved.

The DVD special features include a whole new round of exclusive interviews with the following participants: producer Lawrence S. Mirkin; writers Sugith Varughese, David Young, Robert Sandler, David Young and Susan Juhl; performers Karen Prell, Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, and Jerry Nelson; creative consultants Duncan Kenworthy and Jocelyn Stevenson; and composer Phil Balsam. A special tribute to the late Jerry Juhl will also be included.

Karen Prell, performer of Red Fraggle, reflects on a particular episode from Season 2. "In 'A Cave of One's Own,' Mokey and Red become roomates, which leads to my favorite love-hate relationship of the whole series, Red vs Lanford, Mokey's cranky plant."

"Red and Lanford may have hated each other, but Lanford's puppeteer, Rob Mills, and I had an absolute blast playing off each other and coming up with violent ways for the characters to attack each other. Rob was also the body performer for Junior Gorg in the first three seasons. He got the job performing Lanford because he had an arm long enough to reach from a hole in the cave wall WAY out to where Lanford's head had to be. Good thing - he was the perfect performer for the job!"

The episodes found on the DVD collection are as follows:

Wembley’s Egg
Boober Rock
The Trash Heap Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
Red’s Sea Monster
Uncle Matt Comes Home
Boober’s Dream
Mokey and the Minstrels
All Work and All Play
Sir Hubris and the Gorgs
A Friend in Need
The Wizard of Fraggle Rock
The Doozer Contest
Red’s Club
The Secret of Convincing John
Manny’s Land of Carpets
Junior Sells the Farm
Fraggle Wars
The Day the Music Died
Doomsday Soup
A Cave of One’s Own
Wembly and the Great Race
Doozer Is As Doozer Does
Boober’s Quiet Day
The Invasion of the Toe Ticklers

Bugs Bunny/Looney Tunes Comedy Hour, The - More Gold coming this November

In this 4-disc set are 60 more of the most looneytic Looney Tunes cartoons ever conceived! Each disc is devoted to a theme or character that features fan favorites plus some rarities.

Disc 1 showcases the long-eared star extraordin-hare with 15 Bugs Bunny cartoons, including 1958's Oscar-winning Best Cartoon Short Subject Knighty Knight Bugs.

Disc 2 (Porky Pig) celebrates animation legend Frank Tashlin, who brought a filmmaker's eye for angles, editing and style to his creations.

Disc 3 zips along pronto with fast-acting Speedy Gonzales and includes Tabasco Road, Mexicali Shmoes and Pied Piper of Guadalupe, all of which were nominated for Academy Awards. And cats may have 9 lives but they also have 15 cartoons in Disc 4's batch of feline follies. The fur's gonna fly.

The 4 disc set will include 60 classic shorts, fully remastered and uncut. Special features will include documentaries, "Behind the Tunes" featurettes, commentaries, music only tracks, selections from the vault and other rare shorts. The set will cost $64.92 when it's released on November 14.

Warner Bros will also release the "Spotlight Collection Volume 4" on the same day. This 2 disc set will contain 28 classic cartoons and carries a $26.99 suggested retail price.

November 14 will also see the release of "Bah Humduck," a new take on an old classic:

In a hilarious take on the holiday classic, "A Christmas Carol," "A Looney Tunes Christmas" follows the exploits of Daffy Duck, the "Scrooge-like" proprietor of the "Lucky Duck" mega-mart. To take financial advantage of last minute shoppers, Daffy demands that his employees, including his long suffering manager, Porky Pig, work on Christmas Day instead of spending the holiday with their families. Its up to Bugs Bunny and the ghosts of Christmas past (Tweety and Granny), present (Yosemite Sam) and future (Taz) to make sure that Daffy realizes the error of his ways and saves Christmas for the Looney Tunes gang.

Buena Vista Home Entertainment is bringing extended version of Narnia to DVD

An Extended Edition of The Chronicles Of Narnia is in production as a 4-disc DVD set that is slated for release this winter from Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

The set will be available for only a very limited time.

A way too long journey of imagination and one of Walt Disney Pictures’ most successful live-action films of all time, Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media present “The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe” the spectacular live-action/CGI motion picture adaptation of C.S. Lewis’s beloved literary classic.

In World War II England the four Pevensie siblings -- Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter -- enter the world of Narnia through a magical wardrobe while playing a game of ‘hide-and-seek’ in the rural country home of an elderly professor.

Once there, the children discover a charming, peaceful land inhabited by talking beasts, dwarfs, fauns, centaurs and giants that has become a world cursed to eternal winter by the evil White Witch, Jadis. Aided by the wise and magnificent ruler, the lion Aslan, the children fight to overcome the White Witch’s powerful hold over Narnia in a spectacular, climactic battle that will free Narnia from Jadis’ glacial powers forever.

Disc 1 of the set will contain the extended version of the film with enhanced special effects and extended battle scene. Also included on this disc is a Commentary Track featuring Director Andrew Adamson, Production Designer Roger Ford, and Producer Mark Johnson. A Second Commentary Track will feature the delightful child stars Georgie Henley (Lucy), Skandar Keynes (Edmund), Anna Popplewell (Susan) and William Moseley (Peter) that was recorded when they had just screened the film for the first time. The result is a fresh, witty and lively commentary track, joined by director Andrew Adamson.
Narnia Fun Facts and Bloopers Of Narnia are also included on this disc.

Disc 2 of the set contains Creating Narnia, a multipart documentary covering various aspects of the movie’s production, such as the director’s personal diary, a behind-the-scenes tour by the child stars from the film, which includes wonderful moments when the children get a first look at the amazing ‘Narnia’ sets.

Evolution Of An Epic is another multi-part documentary included here, that covers topics such as “Anatomy Of The Scene: The Melting River,” “Cinematic Storytellers,” “C.S. Lewis: From One Man's Mind,” and “Creating Creatures.”
Creatures, Lands & Legends is another multi-part documentary that will cover subjects, such as “Creatures Of The World,” “Explore Narnia (3d Map),” “Legends In Time,” and “C.S. Lewis – The Dreamer Of Narnia.”

The third disc of the DVD set will contain an all-new feature length film while the fourth disc contains various additional segments, such as Visualizing The Lion, The witch And The WardrobeAnatomy of a Scene: Behind The Battle,” giving viewers a look at a crucial battle scene from the film. From pre-visualization computer images to storyboards, here is the exciting process of creating one of the key scenes in the film.

And lastly, the disc will contain an extensive Image Gallery filled with stunning imagery, a special museum full of superb images from the film, practically.

This 4-disc Extended Edition of “The Chronicles Of Narnia” will be in stores on December 12 and will be available for only seven weeks, making it the perfect Holiday gift. It will carry a $42.99 suggested retail price. For $79.99 you can also purchase a Gift Set of the release, which also includes a pair of heirloom-quality bookends from the master creative artists at WETA Ltd.

New Releases, July 18: Sammy Hagar, Tom Petty, Michael Franti, New York Dolls

Sammy Hagar "Livin' It Up!"

The Red Rocker is set to release his fifth set of all-new material since he first split from Van Halen in 1996. The first single from the album--which features Hagar's current band, The Wabos--is "Sam I Am."

The album title and Hagar's current tour share the same name--"Livin' It Up." For these shows, the vocalist/guitarist will lead The Wabos through an opening set that consists of both his recent solo material and classic hits, stretching back to his '70s-era days fronting Montrose. In the second set, Hagar will take the stage with Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, Wabos-drummer David Lauser and guitarist Vic Johnson--a quartet dubbed The Other Half--to perform Van Halen numbers.

* * *
Tom Petty "Highway Companion"

The celebration of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers' 30th anniversary continues with the release of this highly anticipated new CD. Ironically, the new record is not a band effort--it's Petty's third solo collection.

The singer/songwriter/guitarist did call on some old pals to help him with the disc; Jeff Lynne--who was Petty's mate in the Traveling Wilburys--produced the set with help from Heartbreaker guitarist Mike Campbell. The album's first single is "Saving Grace," which was world-premiered last month in front of 20-million people on ABC-TV's NBA Finals.

Petty is supporting "Highway Companion" with a lengthy, multi-leg tour--which, the singer told Rolling Stone magazine, could be his last. The next leg of the trek starts with three dates in Washington. Such artists as Trey Anastasio, John Mayer, Frank Black and The Strokes are pulling opening duties.

* * *
Michael Franti and Spearhead "Yell Fire!"

Like most everyone else in the United States, Franti got his first dose of information about the troubles in Baghdad, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip by watching TV news. Back in 2004, however, the guitarist/vocalist decided he wanted more and embarked with a team to visit those spots.

From those journeys, Franti created the documentary "I Know I'm Not Alone" and a reflective batch of original songs entitled "Yell Fire!" (The documentary will also be released on DVD July 25.) These new songs, which Franti has been road-testing in concert for several months, mix folk, jam-rock, reggae and hip-hop styles.

Michael Franti and Spearhead are currently scheduled to make a handful of North American appearances in support of the album. Notably, the band will perform as part of Northern California's huge Reggae on the River festival on Aug. 6.

* * *
The New York Dolls "One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This"

The New York Dolls, inarguably one of the most influential American rock bands of all time, are set to release their first collection of new tunes since 1974's "Too Much Too Soon."

The 13-track disc features surviving founders David Johansen (vocals) and Sylvain Sylvain (guitar), as well as guitarist Steve Conti, drummer Brian Delaney, bassist Sami Yaffa and pianist Brian Koonin. The CD also features guest appearances by Iggy Pop and Michael Stipe.

* * *
Raul Malo "You're Only Lonely"

Malo, the vocalist for the highly acclaimed country-roots-rock band The Mavericks, returns with a follow-up to 2004's "The Nashville Acoustic Sessions." The album features a diverse array of cover material, including the Everly Brothers' "So Sad" and The Bee Gees' "Run to Me." Malo also duets with country vocalist Martina McBride on the album's closing track, "Feels Like Home."

* * *
Flogging Molly "Whiskey on a Sunday"

This live package, which includes a 10-song CD as well as a DVD, captures the L.A.-based Irish-punk darlings during a sold-out hometown gig at the Wiltern Theater. Always a raucously entertaining live band, Flogging Molly performed such fan favorites as "Black Friday Rule" and "Drunken Lullabies" at this show.

* * *
Various Artists "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man"

This soundtrack to the Lian Lunson-directed "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" film, which hit theaters on July 14, features several notable singers covering the great songwriter's tunes. Artists include Martha Wainwright, Nick Cave, Teddy Thompson, Rufus Wainwright and Beth Orton.

* * *
More new releases:
Randall Bramblett, "Rich Someday" (New West)
Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, "Stranger Things" (Fantasy)
Boy Kill Boy, "Civilian" (Island)
Gaelic Storm, "Bring Yer Wellies" (Megaforce)
Bruce Hornsby, "Intersections 1985-2005" (RCA)
Jurassic 5, "Feedback" (Interscope)
LeToya, "LeToya" (Capitol)
Toby Lightman, "Bird on a Wire" (Lava)
Midlake, "The Trials of Van Occupanther" (Bella Union)
Pharrell, "In My Mind" (Star Trak/Interscope)
Pimp C, "Pimpalation" (Rap-a-Lot)
Puffy AmiYumi, "Splurge" (Tofu)
The Rippingtons, "20th Anniversary Celebration" (Peak)
Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy, "Adieu False Heart" (Vanguard)
Silversun Pickups, "Carnavas" (Dangerbird)
Vienna Teng, "Dreaming Through the Noise" (Zoe)
Ali Farka Toure, "Savane" (Nonesuch)
Various Artists, "Buzz Ballads" (Razor & Tie)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Miami Vice" (Atlantic)

"Fletch" lives as "Scrubs" duo eye comedy revival

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The creator of "Scrubs" is writing and directing a prequel to the '80s feature franchise "Fletch," and if he has his way, the show's star Zach Braff will take over Chevy Chase's title role.

The Weinstein Co. has signed Bill Lawrence to adapt Gregory Mcdonald's 1985 comic-mystery novel "Fletch Won," which follows the irreverent detective from his early days as a ne'er-do-well junior newspaper reporter to his partnership with a crime reporter to solve a murder.

Mcdonald's best-sellers were brought to the screen in 1985's "Fletch" and 1989's "Fletch Lives."

"Zach is perfect for the role," Lawrence said in an interview from his Los Angeles office, where Braff sat laughing in the background. "I'm going to use all my pull trying to make him do it."

Filming is expected to start in April once the current season of "Scrubs" completes filming. No cast members have been signed yet.

Braff helped bring Lawrence on board by suggesting his boss to Weinstein principal Harvey Weinstein, leading to talks between the pair over the past six months.

"Zach knows I can recite the original 'Fletch' movie line for line," said Lawrence, who also has read all of Mcdonald's "Fletch" novels.

The director is well aware of the cult surrounding the books and films, which seems to weigh heavily on him. "My closest friends from high school don't care about my career," he said. "This is the only job I've ever gotten where every one of them said, 'Congratulations,' and then said, 'Don't f--- it up."'

Lawrence plans to make his "Fletch" with a bit more edge. "There were definitely broader, sketchier parts in the earlier films," he said. "I'd compare this one more to 'Beverly Hills Cop,' where there was a sense of real jeopardy. Like 'Batman Begins,' I (also) think people will enjoy seeing how Irwin Fletcher became Fletch."

"Fletch" lives as "Scrubs" duo eye comedy revival

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - The creator of "Scrubs" is writing and directing a prequel to the '80s feature franchise "Fletch," and if he has his way, the show's star Zach Braff will take over Chevy Chase's title role.

The Weinstein Co. has signed Bill Lawrence to adapt Gregory Mcdonald's 1985 comic-mystery novel "Fletch Won," which follows the irreverent detective from his early days as a ne'er-do-well junior newspaper reporter to his partnership with a crime reporter to solve a murder.

Mcdonald's best-sellers were brought to the screen in 1985's "Fletch" and 1989's "Fletch Lives."

"Zach is perfect for the role," Lawrence said in an interview from his Los Angeles office, where Braff sat laughing in the background. "I'm going to use all my pull trying to make him do it."

Filming is expected to start in April once the current season of "Scrubs" completes filming. No cast members have been signed yet.

Braff helped bring Lawrence on board by suggesting his boss to Weinstein principal Harvey Weinstein, leading to talks between the pair over the past six months.

"Zach knows I can recite the original 'Fletch' movie line for line," said Lawrence, who also has read all of Mcdonald's "Fletch" novels.

The director is well aware of the cult surrounding the books and films, which seems to weigh heavily on him. "My closest friends from high school don't care about my career," he said. "This is the only job I've ever gotten where every one of them said, 'Congratulations,' and then said, 'Don't f--- it up."'

Lawrence plans to make his "Fletch" with a bit more edge. "There were definitely broader, sketchier parts in the earlier films," he said. "I'd compare this one more to 'Beverly Hills Cop,' where there was a sense of real jeopardy. Like 'Batman Begins,' I (also) think people will enjoy seeing how Irwin Fletcher became Fletch."

"Lost" Lands New Star, Reveals Numbers

Lost has added another bad guy to the island mix. Or, actually, he could be a good guy. Really, the odds are 50-50 either way.

Rodrigo Santoro, the South American import dubbed by press as the "Brazilian Tom Cruise"--a reference to his heartthrob status only and not to any off-screen antics--is joining the cast of the Emmy-snubbed drama next season.

It's unknown whether Santoro, who acted as theatrical eye candy opposite Laura Linney in Love, Actually and Demi Moore in Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, will be a regular addition to the cast or simply a recurring character, though neither would be a guarantee of his character's longevity.

Show producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof remained characteristically mum on the details of the 30-year-old actor's role, confirming the casting to TVGuide.com, but refusing to divulge whether Santoro's alter ego will be an Other, part of a character's flashback or a member of the off-island world.

"We don't really want to be at all specific about what we're doing with the character or what he's going to play," Cuse told TVGuide.com. "Part of the surprise and the enjoyment of watching the show is sort of getting a chance to meet a new character and see how his role is going to unfold in relation to the rest of the cast."

Still, says Cuse, Santoro, who is so critically lauded in his native country that "Brazilian Tom Hanks" may be a more accurate nickname, will play against the expectation of his character, at least in terms of his pinup-worthy looks.

"The ladies like it when he takes his shirt off--not to say he'll be competing with Sawyer in that category," Lindelof told the Website. "On Lost, what you see is never what you get."

Despite his more than established career abroad, Lindelof said Santoro's relative anonymity Stateside made him an ideal match for the show.

While the producers clammed up about the show's new character, they did shed some light on what's coming up for some of the old ones.

The writer-producers spoke about the upcoming third season at San Diego's Comic-Con Saturday.

Cuse said the run-up to the season's first hiatus--the show takes a 13-week break after the airing of its first six episodes--"will look a little like a miniseries." Lindelof added, "Something happens midway through the year that will fry everybody's brain."

The Lost masterminds also said that they'll be amping up the adventure elements of the show this season and will revisit the off-island world they tapped into with the season finale.

"We're laying the seeds for a whole new element," Cuse said.

As for the characters themselves, Desmond, played by lone Lost Emmy nominee Henry Ian Cusick, will return. Lindelof also promises that the two-seasons-strong love triangle among Kate ( Evangeline Lilly), Jack ( Matthew Fox) and Sawyer ( Josh Holloway) will have a resolution.

"Within the first six episodes, she'll be officially making her selection," he said.

Meanwhile, fans of Hurley ( Jorge Garcia) will be happy to know that the lovelorn island dweller will be getting some extra face time, albeit on the very small screen.

Producers will be rolling out 13 two-minute mobisodes--i.e., mobile phone episodes--through Verizon this fall titled The Lost Diaries. The series will focus on Hurley as he finds a video camera--that Dharma Initiative really did think of everything--and chronicles different events on the island.

"It has been hard to get it off the ground because we don't want them to be...lame," Lindelof said.

It's proving to be a banner week for Lost fans. As if details of the new season spilling out weren't enough, one of the show's most-hyped mysteries will soon be solved.

The Lost Experience, the online interactive game launched last spring to give fans clues to the island, will spill the meaning behind Hurley's lottery numbers--4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42--which are prevalent throughout the show. Their importance will be revealed to gamers who complete the third phase of the challenge.

The show's third-season premiere, "A Tale of Two Cities," airs Oct. 4.

Oasis to release hits compilation

Manchester bad boys Oasis are set to release a greatest hits compilation "Stop the Clocks" on November 20, NME reports.

The 18-track double album will be culled from their album and single releases.

"Unlike most albums of this nature, Oasis have sat down and undertaken the almost impossible job of picking what they consider to be their finest moments ever," the band said in a statement.

Some of the tracks will include "Supersonic," "Wonderwall," "The Importance of Being Idle" and the popular B-sides "Acquiesce" and "Half a World Away."

One new track, "Stop the Clocks," a leftover from 2005's "Don't Believe the Truth" recording sessions, is expected to be included as well.

The rest of the songs have yet to be revealed.

Elizabeth Hurley to star in Jordache ads

NEW YORK - Elizabeth Hurley stars in new print ads for Jordache, the company that became famous during the 1970s designer-label jeans craze.

The ads, shot by Michael Thompson, show the 41-year-old model-actress wearing the Jordache Vintage line, sold in high-end retail stores, and the new Jordache Legacy line, launching exclusively at Macy's stores across the country this fall.

Jordache said the first ad will run in national publications beginning in September and will continue through the holiday season.

In one ad, Hurley is shown with the signature Jordache horse. Another shows her with riding gear.

"With success as an actress, model, businesswoman and mother, Liz represents everything the Jordache brand is about," said Liz Berlinger, president of Jordache Enterprises, in a recent statement. "We chose her because she is the true modern woman."

Brittany Murphy, whose movie credits include "Sin City" and "8 Mile," starred in a series of Jordache jeans print ads last year.

Stones to roll into Halifax, Regina and Vancouver

After weeks of rumours, the Rolling Stones have confirmed that they will play their first-ever concerts in Regina and Halifax this fall as part of their current world tour.

In Halifax, the Stones will perform Sept. 23 at Halifax Common, the large city park where 80,000 people gathered for a visit by Pope John Paul II in 1984.

The veteran British rockers then move on to Taylor Field in Regina, where they will play Oct. 8.

The tour also includes a stop in Vancouver's B.C. Place on Nov. 3.

Speculation in Regina and Halifax about the concerts was finally put to rest Tuesday at a news conference in Germany.

The Stones have played for 4.5 million fans on the A Bigger Bang tour, which has taken them to China, Rio and Australia. Last year, they performed in Moncton for the first time, before a crowd of some 80,000 people at Magnetic Hill.

The tour, which is currently in Europe, was temporarily stalled when guitarist Keith Richards underwent emergency brain surgery after falling from a tree in Fiji earlier this year. Fifteen concerts were cancelled while he recovered, but the tour still took in £79.7 million ($159 million) in the first six months of this year.

The band returns to North America Sept. 20 with a date in Boston and will go on to Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Halifax, Regina and Vancouver are the only Canadian dates confirmed so far.

"Most of the shows are going to be on the big stadium stage, with fans in the balconies behind us," said singer Mick Jagger, who turns 63 on Wednesday.

"We're going to play many cities we didn't get to before and also return to some of our favourite places."

Rumours of the Stones coming to Regina and Halifax had been swirling for weeks.

Asked about those rumours Monday, Saskatchewan Premier Lorne Calvert would only say that a Stones concert would be a big deal for his province.

"Never before in the history of the province have we been able to attract the largest show on earth," Calvert said.

"This is the largest show on earth."

Stones rumours were ignited in Halifax earlier this month after a closed-door meeting of city councillors. They voted to spend $100,000 on an outdoor rock concert to be held Sept. 23 by a band that they did not identify.

The money is for extra policing and cleanup of the outdoor concert area in central Halifax. Moncton's Stones concert cost $1.2 million for crowd control and cleanup.

VIP tickets for the shows in Halifax and Regina go on sale Wednesday, while tickets will be available to the general public starting July 31.

Young contemporary artists will open for the Stones, but their names have yet to be announced.

The Couch Potato Report - July 29th, 2006

This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on some amazing stories, an incredible hulk, the Beastie Boys and a Frenzy.

To paraphrase Gershwin's immortal lyrics; “it’s summertime, and the livin' is easy.”

When it comes to The Couch Potato Report summertime means that the movie studios aren’t releasing their biggest titles of the year because they know most people - including me - aren’t sitting at home watching movies. We are enjoying ourselves outside because it is summertime and the livin' is easy.

But even though studio releases are down, and my time spent outdoors is up, I do still have some reviews for you this week.

The most notable is the 4-DVD box set for the first season of the classic 1980s television series AMAZING STORIES.

This superb anthology show ran from 1985 to 87 and it was produced by Steven Spielberg, who by 1985 had been responsible for the box offices hits JAWS, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK and E.T. - THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL. Spielberg also came up with many of the show’s story ideas, especially in this first season.

Each week on the show there was a new, separate, very interesting and usually "amazing" story. These stories ran the gamut from hilariously weird to fantastic fantasy to awe inspiring.

And because each week had a separate story - not unlike THE TWILIGHT ZONE - some of the best filmmakers in the business worked on the show. In today’s world filmmakers work on TV all the time, but in the 1980s that was almost unheard of.

Danny DeVito, Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Robert Zemeckis, Burt Reynolds, Timothy Hutton, Steven Spielberg himself, Harvey Keitel, Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Tim Robbins, Kevin Costner and John Lithgow are just some of the people who helped make AMAZING STORIES a show to look forward every week.

Now, AMAZING STORIES - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON is available on DVD! It includes all 24 episodes from the series’ 1985-86 season and over twenty minutes of deleted scenes.

Admittedly, not every single episode is actually amazing, and when the show is bad it is truly bad, but for the most part they are AMAZING STORIES.

From the 1985 to 1987 TV series AMAZING STORIES, lets rewind back a bit farther to the 1978 to 82 show that was made out of THE INCREDIBLE HULK comic books.

If you are unfamiliar with Stan Lee’s classic comic book character, well, I am not.

After being accidentally exposed in his laboratory to a massive dosage of gamma radiation, David Banner - as he is called in the TV show - finds out that once angered, he turns into the Incredible Hulk, a huge, powerful seven foot greenish, manlike monster of immense strength and primitive passions.

Don’t get him angry. You wouldn’t like him when he is angry!

The mild mannered Banner can't remember what happens once he becomes The Hulk so he begins traveling around the country in search of a cure for his affliction as well as an escape from a prying reporter.

In THE INCREDIBLE HULK - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON you get all ten first season episodes, plus the two original feature-length films.

In my mind THE INCREDIBLE HULK was one of the best adaptations of a comic book, but before I sat down to watch this new 4-DVD Box Set it had been years since I had seen the show.

In reality, now that I have watched them again, it remains one of the best. I really enjoyed this set!

If you are familiar with THE INCREDIBLE HULK but you were never a fan of the show, well just don’t tell David Banner. That might get him angry. And wouldn’t like him when he is angry!

No one is angry in the new concert film AWESOME...I SHOT THAT from the Beastie Boys. In fact, everyone on screen seems to be having the time of their lives!

The place is New York’s Madison Square Garden. The date is October 9, 2004.

Prior to the show 50 fans who have seats in various parts of the Gardens are given Hi-8 cameras to shoot the band in concert and they are told that once the show starts they should not turn the camera off.

And they don’t. At one point we even get to witness one fan's bathroom break.

I’ll be the first to admit that the Beastie Boys’ music isn’t for everyone, and neither is this concert film, especially if you don’t like to see footage shot with shaky hands by excited fans.

But if you know who Mike D, Adrock, MCA and Mix Master Mike are then it is for you because the Boys always put on a great show, and the concept is so unique that there are so many things to see, in addition to the group of guys on stage.

The BEASTIE BOYS - AWESOME...I SHOT THAT is one of the most unique concert films of all time, and I highly recommend it, even though I am fully aware that it isn’t for the majority of people who are reading this right now.

But then again, the films of Alfred Hitchcock aren’t for everyone either, and they have done extremely well over the years.

In the early 1970s, after the box office failure of MARNIE, TOPAZ and TORN CURTAIN, Hitchcock decided to go back to London to make his next film.

FRENZY was the director's first film shot in the UK since he left during the 40's and it was a huge success.

In the film a serial killer is raping women and strangling them with ties.

After his ex-wife turns up murdered, the police start to suspect Richard Blaney. Blaney is innocent and he turns to his friend Rusk for help.

As more of Blaney's acquaintances turn up strangled, the pressure turns up on him to find the real killer.

FRENZY is a very interesting murder mystery, even if - at times - it doesn't feel like a Hitchcock movie.

Still, I am happy that this summer’s tribute to ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S FILMS ends on a high note with the very entertaining FRENZY.

In fact, FRENZY also ends this week’s Couch Potato Report!

FRENZY, the BEASTIE BOYS - AWESOME...I SHOT THAT, THE INCREDIBLE HULK - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON and the superb AMAZING STORIES - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON are all now available on DVD.

Coming up on August 19th in the next Couch Potato Report

The also superb INSIDE MAN is director Spike Lee’s film about a cop who is trying to talk a bank robber into surrendering, but in the end he might not be a bank robber after all. Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster star in one of 2006’s best films.

SCARY MOVIE 4 isn’t one of the year’s best films, but if you need a laugh, the latest film in the series will give you at least one or two.

Or you can just watch THE SIMPSONS - THE COMPLETE EIGHTH SEASON and laugh a lot!

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

Madonna tops MTV's list of groundbreaking videos

The controversial 1989 video for Madonna's hit song Like a Prayer, which drew criticism for its use of burning crosses and use of Catholic imagery, has topped MTV's list of groundbreaking videos.

The U.S.-based youth culture and music network released a list Monday of the Top 10 "videos that broke the rules," compiled in advance of the channel's 25th anniversary celebrations set for August 1.

Madonna beat out her junior pop star collaborator Britney Spears, who placed second for her naughty school girl debut Baby One More Time.

Michael Jackson, the self-proclaimed King of Pop, placed third for his monster-movie video epic Thriller, which was directed by John Landis (director of An American Werewolf in London) and — at a total length of 13 minutes — currently holds the record for the longest music video.

Condemned by Vatican

"Featuring burning crosses, statues crying blood and Madonna seducing a black Jesus, [the Like a Prayer video] even brought condemnation from the Vatican for its use of religious imagery," MTV said, according to Reuters.

The controversial video was directed by Mary Lambert, who also directed the videos for Madonna's Borderline, Like a Virgin, Material Girl and La Isla Bonita.

Two other songs by the headline-grabbing Madonna also made it into the Top 10: the techno-influenced dance track Ray of Light placed fourth, while Vogue, in which Madonna brought the gay subculture dance form to the mainstream, placed fifth.

Considered among MTV's early icons, Madonna has frequently courted controversy with her videos, including for her songs Justify My Love, Erotica and What It Feels Like For a Girl.

Robbie Williams, Spice Girls make list

Others who made the cut include:

- Robbie Williams's Rock DJ, a special effects-laden video in which the Britpop singer begins peeling off his clothing and then continues by tearing off his flesh, muscles and organs.

- The Spice Girls hit Wannabe, which simulates one continuously shot video clip following the manic pop quintet as they cause mischief in a hotel.

The full list is as follows:

1) Madonna, Like a Prayer (1989)
2) Britney Spears, Baby One More Time (1999)
3) Michael Jackson, Thriller (1983)
4) Madonna, Ray of Light (1998)
5) Madonna, Vogue (1988)
6) Michael & Janet Jackson, Scream (1995)
7) Robbie Williams, Rock DJ (2000)
8) Eric Prydz, Call on Me (2004)
9) Jamiroquai, Virtual Insanity (1997)
10) Spice Girls, Wannabe (1996).

More than 10,000 viewers voted in the poll. As part of its anniversary broadcasts on Aug. 1, MTV will air its Top 100 videos as well as a new 20-minute video by British rapper Mike Skinner (also known as The Streets) that is poised to break Jackson's Thriller record for video length.

Will Whedon's "Wonder Woman" Win-Over Fans?

Can writer/director Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman break the female superhero box-office curse?

Comingsoon.net reports after a lengthy search for a good story, producer Joel Silverman has given his approval for Whedon's Wonder script.

"We have a script and we know where we're going," says Silverman. "It's the origin story. It has mythology. Steve Trevor crashes on the island and they go back to Man's World."

While the highly-anticipated role has yet to be cast, Silverman hints, "She'll probably be someone you never saw before, because she's very young, but I think we'll have a good time with it."

Despite the fact that fans rarely show interest in movies about 'super-women,' starting from 1984's Supergirl to more recent sleepers, Catwoman and Elektra, if anyone can pick-up the slack, Whedon can.

Cuthbert Gets 'Sassy'

She used to be "The Girl Next Door," but now Elisha Cuthbert is ready to play a "Sassy Girl."

The beloved "24" co-star, who battled cougars and C. Thomas Howell on the FOX drama, is in final negotiations to take the lead in "My Sassy Girl," a Gold Circle Films remake of a South Korean romantic comedy.

According to Variety, Vic Levin has adapted the screenplay and Yann Samuell will direct.

As one might imagine, the plot revolves around a sassy girl who gets involved with a significantly less sassy small-town boy somewhere in the Midwest.

Production is expected to begin in October.

Cuthbert followed her head-spinning "Girl Next Door" work with a supporting part in "House of Wax." She'll next be seen (at least in a few limited markets) in "The Quiet," followed by already completed turns in "He Was a Quiet Man" and "Captivity."

Latest On "Star Wars" & Indy 4

Lucasfilm's Steve Sansweet appeared at the San Diego Comic-Con and confirmed that the "Star Wars" animated series is now scheduled to premiere in 2008 whilst the live action series will begin sometime before 2010.

"We've been spending the last couple of years building from scratch two new state-of-the-art digital animation companies, one at Skywalker Ranch and one in Singapore. The scripts for the first batch of shows have been completed, and Animation is hard at work on the first episodes" says Sansweet.

The animated series is set late during the Clone Wars after Anakin Skywalker has achieved the rank of Jedi Knight. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Yoda, Count Dooku, Palpatine and General Grievous are expected to appear in the animated show.

He finally added David Koepp's script for Indiana Jones 4 is a couple of months away from finishing with hopes pre-production can begin before early 2007.

Dr. Phil, White Stripes on 'Simpsons'

PASADENA, Calif. - Natalie Portman, Kiefer Sutherland, the White Stripes and Dr. Phil McGraw will be among the guest voices on the upcoming season of "The Simpsons."

Joe Mantegna will reprise his role as Springfield's infamous mob boss Fat Tony when the animated Fox show begins its 18th season Sept. 10. Joe Pantoliano and Michael Imperioli guest-star as Fat Tony's main thugs, the network announced Monday.

The White Stripes voice themselves in the Sept. 17 episode when Bart organizes a benefit concert to repair his arm that was mangled by a tiger Lisa rescued from the local pound.

McGraw, Fran Drescher and comedian Richard Lewis guest-star in a Halloween episode on Nov. 5.

Sutherland voices a hard-nosed colonel when Homer lands in basic training on Nov. 12.

Also paying a visit to Springfield will be authors Tom Wolfe, Gore Vidal, Michael Chabon and Jonathan Franzen.

In May, the Emmy-winning series will air its 400th episode.

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean names 77 to the Order of Canada

OTTAWA (CP) - Fiddler Natalie MacMaster, retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie, former newspaper columnist Michele Landsberg and sociologist Reginald Bibby are among 77 people named to the Order of Canada.

Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean, named 25 officers and 52 members to the order Monday.

Recipients will accept their insignia at a later ceremony, Jean said in a statement.

The Order of Canada was established in 1967 to recognize outstanding achievement and service in various fields of endeavour. It is Canada's highest honour for lifetime achievement and has three different levels of membership: Companion, Officer and Member.

Named Officers:

Frederick Andermann, Hampstead, Que., health care;

A. Charles Baillie, Toronto, industry-commerce-business;

H. Douglas Barber, Dundas, Ont., industry-commerce-business; Reginald W. Bibby, Lethbridge, Alta., social sciences; Edward Burtynsky, Toronto, arts-visual.

George D.B. Butterfield, Toronto, industry-commerce-business; William (Bill) Comrie, Edmonton, industry-commerce-business; Janet M. Davidson, Vancouver, voluntary service; Bernard M. Dickens, Toronto, law; David Dolphin, Vancouver, science.

B. Brett Finlay, Richmond, B.C., science; Constance R. Glube, Halifax, law; Norman Horrocks, Dartmouth, N.S., heritage; Julius Isaac, Victoria, law; Chantal Juillet, Pointe-Claire, Que., arts-music.

Michele Landsberg, Toronto, communications; William L. Marshall, Inverary, Ont., social sciences; C. David Naylor, Toronto, health care and education; John W. (Jack) Poole, Vancouver, industry-commerce-business; D. Gregory Powell, Calgary, health care.

Vithal Rajan, Hyderabad, India and Montreal, voluntary service; Mary V. Seeman, Toronto, health care; Denis Stairs, Halifax, education; Endel Tulving, Toronto, health care;

Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Iqaluit, Nunavut, social service.

Named Members:

Margaret-Ann Armour, Edmonton, science; Ralph MacKenzie Barford, North York, industry-commerce-business; Gerald K. Barr, Toronto, labour relations; Frederick P. Blackstein, Pembroke, Ont., voluntary service; Esther Braden, Yellowknife, voluntary service.

M. Suzanne Bradshaw, Toronto, arts-music; Susan Butler, Miramichi, N.B., voluntary service; David M. Campbell, Toronto, philanthropy; Brian A. Canfield, Vancouver, industry-commerce-business; Frederick T. Cenaiko, Wakaw, Sask., health care.

Pierre Daloze, Mont St-Hilaire, Que., health care; John Herbert Dirks, Toronto, education;

Clifford H.C. Edwards, Winnipeg, education; Anne Fanning, Edmonton, health care; Bernard Finkelstein, Toronto, arts-music.

Jean-Robert Gauthier, Ottawa, public service; Serge Godin, Montreal, industry-commerce-business; Claude Gosselin, Montreal, arts-visual;

M.A. Grete Hale, Ottawa, voluntary service; Linda Haynes, Toronto, philanthropy.

James Deverell Horsman, Medicine Hat, Alta., public service; James B. Hunter, Sherwood Park, Alta., voluntary service; Rev. Sister Estelle Lacoursiere, Trois-Rivieres, Que., education; Zaheer M. Lakhani, Edmonton, voluntary service; Aldea Landry, Moncton, N.B., industry-commerce-business.

Ann C. Macaulay, Montreal, health care; George F. MacDonald, Cantley, Que., heritage;

Maj.-Gen. (Ret'd) Lewis W. MacKenzie, Bracebridge, Ont., protective service; Natalie MacMaster, Lakefield, Ont., and Troy, N.S., arts-music; Lalita Malhotra, Prince Albert, Sask., health care.

Donald Meeks, Toronto, education; Roy A. Miki, Vancouver, voluntary service and arts-writing; John Neville, Toronto, arts-stage; Cornelius Nutarak, Pond Inlet, Nunavut., heritage; Ron O'Donovan, Winnipeg, voluntary service.

Dennis G. Osmond, Manotick, Ont., health care; Walter Ostrom, Indian Harbour, N.S., arts-visual; Elizabeth Pacey, Halifax, heritage; John (Jack) Pelech, Hamilton, sports; John A. Rae, Montreal, voluntary service; John D. Redfern, Beaconsfield, Que., industry-commerce-business.

Fiona Reid, Toronto, arts-stage; Robert Schad, Woodbridge, Ont., industry-commerce-business; David P. Silcox, Toronto, arts-visual; Janice Gross Stein, Toronto, education; Harvey V. Thommasen, Masset, B.C., health care.

Otto Tucker, St. John's, NL., heritage; Denise Verreault, Les Mechins, Que., industry-commerce-business; Roy H. Vickers, Hazelton, B.C., arts-visual; Sheila Weatherill, Edmonton, health care; Norman J. Whitney, Fredericton, N.B., education; Stanley H. Zlotkin, Toronto, health care.

Space, the final frontier for "Star Trek's" Scotty

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The remains of actor James Doohan, who played the starship Enterprise's chief engineer "Scotty" on "Star Trek," will be blasted into space in October, the company organizing the flight said on Monday.

The actor who inspired the catchphrase "Beam me up, Scotty" -- even though it was never actually uttered on the show -- died a year ago at the age of 85.

On the program, when Capt. James Kirk ventured off the spaceship Enterprise and faced peril, he would demand Scotty "beam" him back up to the safety of the ship.

Houston-based commercial company Space Services originally planned to blast Doohan's remains into space last year but the flight was delayed to allow more tests on the rocket.

Space Services spokeswoman Susan Schonfeld said the new launch date was set for October. Doohan's ashes will be blasted up along with the remains of around 100 other people, including astronaut Gordon Cooper, who first went to space in 1963.

After a short flight the rocket will return to earth with the capsules holding the remains. A second flight in December or January will send a capsule containing Doohan's remains into orbit where it will remain for several years, Schonfeld said.

"Whatever goes up must come down," Schonfeld said, adding that the capsule would eventually drop out of orbit and burn up in the earth's atmosphere.

To mark the flight to his final frontier, Doohan's family will hold a service for fans on the day of the launch to pay tribute to him, and Schonfeld said thousands were expected to turn up, many in costumes from "Star Trek."

"Fan clubs from all over the world, including as far away as Africa, they're ready," Schonfeld said.

The company previously blasted the remains of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry into space in 1997.

Tarantino hires Russell for slasher film

SAN DIEGO (Hollywood Reporter) - Kurt Russell will star as Stunt Man Mike in Quentin Tarantino's upcoming slasher film "Death Proof," the writer-director said.

"Death Proof" is Tarantino's half of the "Grindhouse" double feature he is shooting with Robert Rodriguez for Dimension Films.

"I've always wanted to work with Kurt Russell," Tarantino said Saturday at the annual Comic-Con International convention in San Diego. "One of the things that was so great about his John Carpenter movies is the fact that there are a lot of serious actors who wouldn't do them. There's a playfulness about him going that way. Snake Plissken (in Carpenter's 'Escape From New York') is one of the most iconic characters in the last 20 years. I think Stunt Man Mike is one of the best characters I've ever written."

Mickey Rourke was originally envisaged for the role.

Tarantino plans to start production on "Death Proof" in four weeks.

Rodriguez showed footage from "Planet Terror," his half of the "Grindhouse" feature, which he hopes to finish filming in Austin in a few days. The purposefully scratched digital footage, featuring Rose McGowan wearing a machine gun leg, earned a standing ovation from the 6,500 fans on hand.

"You guys are really special, you come down here, stand in line, and it's so hot down here," Rodriguez said, "that we wanted to show you something special."

In addition to Russell and McGowan, Tarantino's half of "Grindhouse" also will star Zoe Bell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Sydney Tamiia Poitier, Marley Shelton, Tracie Thoms and Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Rodriguez's half of the double-featured film will include Freddy Rodriguez, McGowan, Josh Brolin, Naveen Andrews, Shelton, Michael Biehn, Stacy Ferguson, Jeff Fahey and Michael Parks.

The film is scheduled to be released April 6.

Tarantino also elaborated on his long-rumored pet project in downtown Los Angeles: "I've got the rights to one of the last Chinese-language movie theaters: the Tsing Lee," he said. "I plan on showing Chinese-language films there."

Tarantino also plans to make one "Kill Bill" anime feature prequel about Bill, as well as another about the Bride.

Come Home To Beverly Hills, 90210 This November! ! !

Although the pilot episodes came to DVD two years ago, fans have been clamoring for season sets of this landmark primetime soap opera! Shannen Doherty (Charmed), Jason Priestley (Tru Calling), Luke Perry (Windfall), Gabrielle Carteris (Palmetto Pointe), Tori Spelling (So NoTORIous), Ian Ziering (upcoming Biker Mice From Mars), Brian Austin Green (Freddie), Jennie Garth (What I Like About You), James Eckhouse (upcoming 2006 film Half-Life), Carol Potter, Douglas Emerson and Joe E. Tata star in the initial season of the series, where the action mainly takes place at West Beverly Hills High School with new kids Brandon and Brenda Walsh moving into the upscale neighborhood, and making lots of new friends.

You would think with that zip code, there would be a ton of guest stars in the first season of this show. But really there weren't. But you will be able to spot upcoming Friends star Matthew Perry, singer Debbie Gibson, and even '80s Playboy playmate Julie McCullough among these 22 episodes.

Beverly Hills, 90210 - The Complete 1st Season will be a 6-DVD set that runs 17 hours and 48 minutes. Please stand by for extras (if any) and box art! Melrose Place - The Complete 1st Season has been announced for the same release date of November 7th, and we've heard that the long-awaited Twin Peaks - Season 2 will hit US shores a couple of weeks after that. Stay tuned!

Early Don Messer fiddle sold for $11,750 at Nova Scotia auction

HALIFAX (CP) - A 77-year-old fiddle that was played by Don Messer years before he became a Canadian television icon was sold for $11,750 on Sunday at an auction in Nova Scotia.

The winning bid at the auction in Coldbrook came over the phone from a man in St. Stephen, N.B., who didn't want to be identified.

The bidder was one of a half-dozen people vying for the fiddle, which Messer bought for $105 in 1930, a year after the instrument was built.

"It felt great, it was wonderful," auctioneer Blain Henshaw, who also sold another of Messer's fiddles two years ago, said by phone from Coldbrook.

"When I was a kid, I grew up on Don Messer's music, I respected his music. And twice now, I've had the privilege - and it is a privilege - to sell fiddles that were owned by Don Messer."

Messer played the auctioned-off fiddle in the 1930s on a radio show in Saint John, N.B. Two decades later, he started hosting the hugely popular CBC-TV program Don Messer's Jubilee, which ran from 1958 to 1969 and introduced Canadians to his trademark style that he called "way-down East."

The fiddle that was auctioned Sunday was handed over to the Nova Scotia Archives after Messer died of a heart attack in 1973.

It attracted bids from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Edmonton, and brought in far more than the $7,000 organizers initially predicted.

The starting bid for the fiddle was $2,000, and about five minutes later - a long time as far as auctions go - all but two bidders had bowed out.

A young Nova Scotia man, who was in Coldbrook for the auction but also didn't want to be identified, put in his final bid of $11,500. The fiddle's new owner won after offering $250 more.

Sunday's auction also featured other Messer memorabilia, such as his pocket watch and a native headdress given to him by Alberta's Stoney Nation.

"Don Messer is revered as a fiddler, and the bidders are people that are big fans of his and they appreciate the history of what this man did for Canadian music," said Henshaw.

Messer's daughter, Dawn Messer Attis, decided to sell the fiddle after another of his fiddles sold for $8,000 two years ago. Some of Messer's 14 fiddles have been given to friends, while Attis has kept one of her father's favourites.

"His daughter agreed that this was a good time for some of his items to come back to his fans to enjoy some things of his," said Henshaw.

Before the fiddle was sold, Nova Scotia fiddler Keith Ross gave the 400 people who packed the auction house a demonstration, playing some of Messer's songs on one of his first instruments.

"I've been playing fiddle along time, and he's one of my fiddling heroes," said Ross, who also played the fiddle that was sold two years ago. "He was a very, very talented musician, and he invented a new style of playing."

Ross said he actually preferred playing the first fiddle that was sold, but added that the instrument auctioned over the weekend still has promise - if its new owner decides to try it out.

"It's been 30 years or more since it's been played, so it's going to take some playing to bring it back to where it was."

It's not clear when the winning bidder will pick up the fiddle. Until that happens, it will stay at Henshaw's home in Cole Harbour, N.S.

Fans get first look at 'Spider-Man 3'

SAN DIEGO - "Spider-Man 3" isn't due until next summer, but about 5,000 fans got an early look at the film Saturday at Comic-Con, the country's largest comic book convention.

Director Sam Raimi, producer Laura Ziskin and key members of the cast — Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Topher Grace, Bryce Dallas Howard and Thomas Haden Church — came to the San Diego Convention Center to answer fan questions and unveil never-before-seen, unfinished footage of the much-anticipated movie.

So is this the final installment of the franchise?

"There will be some conclusions, though I wouldn't say it's necessarily the end," said Maguire, whose words were nearly drowned out by thunderous applause. "We're going to leave it open-ended. If there are stories worth telling, then we'll tell them."

The brief teaser footage blended live-action scenes with animation and computer graphics. It showed Sandman, a new villain played by Church, and offered a quick glimpse of Venom (Grace), Peter Parker's spider-like nemesis.

"He's more of a doppelganger to Peter," Grace told the crowd. "It's kind of a case study in if someone very similar to Peter got the same powers but didn't have a good upbringing."

Raimi also revealed that Harry Osborn ( James Franco) would become a third villain, taking on some of the powers of his father, the Green Goblin ( Willem Dafoe), who was killed in the first "Spider-Man" film.

Actor Bruce Campbell, a Raimi-film regular, also makes an appearance in "Spider-Man 3," the director said. He'll play a new character, who fans believe will be the villain Mysterio.

As the director of all three "Spider-Man" films, Raimi has been immersed in Spidey's world for more than six years. A longtime fan of the comic books, Raimi said it's been a "super-dream" to make the movies, but also a "great responsibility to tell the story of this character that kids look up to as this great hero."

"Certainly you don't want to make anything that isn't worthy of their admiration," he said.

Based on early reaction at Comic-Con, Raimi has nothing to worry about. He delivered what fans wanted: Venom.

"It was way better than I expected because you got to see Venom. He looked awesome," said John McCracken, 22.

"He made the entire world happy by putting Venom in it," said Nora McGuirk, 26, manager of Beach Ball Comics in Anaheim, Calif. "Sam Raimi hasn't disappointed us yet."

Chastity Vicencio, 20, said it was even more exciting to see Spider-Man face his own demons.

"Superheroes are cool and all, but when they hit a dark side, that's really great," she said.

Spider-Man creator Stan Lee has his own ideas of what makes the movie a winner.

"I have a cameo in it, and I think it's my best cameo," said the 83-year-old Marvel Comics master. "That's probably the high point of the movie. After that, you know, it's all a letdown."

Fey, Dratch leaving 'SNL' for '30 Rock'

PASADENA, Calif. - Tina Fey is leaving the anchor chair at "Saturday Night Live."

Fey says she's quitting the show after six seasons as head writer and co-anchor of the "Weekend Update" fake news segment to focus on her new NBC prime-time series, "30 Rock," which debuts Oct. 11.

"I'm out of the fake news business now," Fey told the Television Critics Association's summer meeting Saturday.

She announced her "SNL" departure on Friday night's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

"If you're asking if I'm happy about it, no," said Lorne Michaels, executive producer of "30 Rock" and "SNL." "Tina disappearing is a huge hole in the writing staff."

Michaels said various individuals and duos would be tested in September to decide who will replace Fey on the "Weekend Update" segment.

Also leaving "SNL" is regular Rachel Dratch, who plays a sketch actress on Fey's new sitcom about a fictional late-night show.

Fey, 36, first joined "SNL" as a writer in 1997 and became head writer in 1999.

She is writing, starring and executive producer of her new show.

"I'm going to go nuts," she said Saturday. "I do not understand the train that is about to hit me. We're trying to get as much done in the writers' room now before we start and I tried to gather a staff of writers who are experienced so they can proceed when I'm on the set."

"30 Rock" also stars Alec Baldwin and former "SNL" regular Tracy Morgan.

"Superman" director sees sequel for 2009

SAN DIEGO (Hollywood Reporter) - If director Bryan Singer has his way, Superman will take to the air a second time.

Singer, who directed the current "Superman Returns," told fans Friday at Comic-Con International, that he has had discussions with Warner Bros. Pictures about directing a sequel for release in the summer of 2009.

"Superman Returns," starring Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel, has grossed $169 million domestically to date, a figure that has been regarded by some observers as a disappointment given the movie's production costs of more than $200 million.

But while Singer stressed that plans for the sequel are still tentative, he expressed his interests in keeping the franchise aloft.

"I plan to get all 'Wrath of Khan' on it," Singer said -- a reference to 1982's "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan," which is generally considered as having breathed life into the "Star Trek" franchise after 1979's "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" suffered critical barbs.

"We haven't concluded a deal. That's always iffy," Singer added. "The intention is to do it for 2009."

'Pirates' salts away $321.7M over 17 days

LOS ANGELES - Johnny Depp and his pirate friends are keeping all the box-office treasure for themselves. Depp's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" remained the top movie for the third straight weekend, hauling in $35 million and lifting its total to $321.7 million after just 17 days, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Disney sequel passed the $305 million domestic total that its predecessor, 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," rang up during its entire six-month run.

"Dead Man's Chest" easily beat back a rush of new movies, which were led by Sony's family film "Monster House," a spooky animated tale that debuted at No. 2 with $23 million. The movie follows the adventures of a group of children at a mysterious neighbor's scary home.

Opening in third was M. Night Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water," an adult fairy tale from Warner Bros. that took in $18.2 million. Starring Paul Giamatti as an apartment manager who discovers a water nymph (Bryce Dallas Howard) living beneath his complex's swimming pool, the movie was the weakest debut for writer-director Shyamalan in a string of wide releases since 1999 that included the blockbusters "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs."

Kevin Smith's "Clerks II," a Weinstein Co. and MGM follow-up to his 1994 independent-film hit about two slackers on the job, premiered at No. 6 with $9.6 million.

Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson's "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," a 20th Century Fox comedy about a superhero taking revenge against the boyfriend who jilted her, debuted at No. 7 with $8.7 million.

Overall movie business rose, with the top 12 movies taking in $143.2 million, up 11 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" was the No. 1 movie with $28.3 million.

Hollywood continued its modest rebound after a 2005 slump in which movie attendance fell 8 percent from the previous year's. So far this year, attendance is up 3.8 percent compared to 2005, according to box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Summer attendance had been running slightly behind 2005's but now is 4 percent ahead because of a surge the past three weekends.

"That's really attributable to the strength of `Pirates of the Caribbean,' because that's when the tide turned," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Exhibitor Relations.

On its 16th day of release Saturday, "Dead Man's Chest" became the fastest movie to cross the $300 million mark, beating the previous best pace of 17 days set last year by "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith."

Within a week, "Dead Man's Chest" is expected to top the $339.7 million domestic take of "Finding Nemo" to become Disney's top-grossing movie.

"There are lots of plateaus for us to continue to strive for," said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution.

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. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," $35 million.
2. "Monster House," $23 million.
3. "Lady in the Water," $18.2 million.
4. "You, Me and Dupree," $12.8 million.
5. "Little Man," $11 million.
6. "Clerks II," $9.6 million.
7. "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," $8.7 million.
8. "Superman Returns," $7.46 million.
9. "The Devil Wears Prada," $7.43 million.
10. "Cars," $4.9 million.

You, Me, Dupree & Steely Dan's Wrath

Something "kind of uncool" has come to Steely Dan's attention.

Band members Walter Becker and Donald Fagen are requesting an in-person apology from Owen Wilson for playing the annoying titular character in You, Me and Dupree, which, the musicians point out, happens to share the name found in the Steely Dan song "Cousin Dupree." The duo won a Grammy with that tune in 2001 for Best Pop Performance.

In a profanity-laced mock-angry letter posted on the band's Website, Becker and Fagen suggest that the film character of Dupree rips off their song, which tells the tale of a slacker--named Dupree, of course--who is staying on his aunt's couch and starts lusting after his cousin.

"When it came time to change the character's name or whatever so people wouldn't know what a rip the whole thing was, THEY DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO THINK UP A NEW F---ING NAME FOR THE GUY!" the rockers wrote.

The pair offered Wilson a chance to redeem himself--show up at their July 19 concert in Irvine, California, and "apologize to our fans for this travesty." (Apparently no such thing went down Wednesday night.)

The letter, dated July 17, was typed on hotel stationery from the Residential Suites at Longworth in Corpus Christi, Texas--where they were obviously extremely bored on their day off between shows--and addressed to Wilson's brother, Luke, whose new film My Super Ex-Girlfriend opened Friday.

Becker and Fagen at first gave kudos to Luke for his work with his older brother in Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket, but then proceeded to get down to business, which for the most part consisted of bashing You, Me and Dupree and warning Owen Wilson that he's thisclose to losing his coolness factor for appearing in such tripe.

The film, starring Wilson as a slacker who shacks up with his best buddy, played by Matt Dillon, and his buddy's new bride (Kate Hudson, looking pretty disgusted), made a respectable $21.5 million at the box office last weekend to come in at number three (behind the juggernaut that is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and the Wayans brothers comedy Little Man).

But we'll see how the film that the Washington Post called a "formulaic, shockingly sloppy and virtually laugh-free star vehicle for Wilson" does in its second week out.

Anyway, the Steely ones went on to say that while they meant Wilson no harm, "there are some pretty heavy people who are upset about this whole thing and we can't guarantee what kind of heat little Owen may be bringing down on himself."

Despite their purported rage, the Two Against Nature rockers seemed to lose themselves here and there when it came to separating fact from fiction.

"We realize what a drag it is for you [Luke] to have people coming to you about [Owen's] lameness all the time and we're really sorry to be doing the same thing," they lamented, but "you don't owe him anything, after the way he and Gwynnie Paltrow double-timed you in The Royal Tenenbaums."

Yes, we certainly hope Luke isn't still nursing that grudge.

While we don't see Wilson up in arms over Steely Dan's comments, the Wedding Crashers star has been known to not take criticism sitting down.

In February 2005 Wilson took New Yorker critic David Denby to task for his unfavorable synopsis of pal Ben Stiller's career.

"I've acted in two hundred and thirty-seven buddy movies and, with that experience, I've developed an almost preternatural feel for the beats that any good buddy movie must have," Wilson wrote in a letter to the venerable publication. "And maybe the most crucial audience-rewarding beat is where one buddy comes to the aid of other guy to help defeat a villain. Or bully. Or jerk."

But Steely Dan isn't playing the part of the bully. No, the guys just want to help, and in doing so offered this advice:

"Let's just help Owen do what's right, let's play past this particular screwup, and then he can get back to his life and his family and his beautiful moviestar-style pad or whatever, none the worse for wear and with some groovy new tee's and hoodies and maybe a keyring or a coffee mug in the process. Alright? Well, alright!"

"Superman II" 2.0

Superman Returns sequel or no, Man of Steel fans are getting a new movie. Make that, a new old movie.

A reconstructed version of 1980's Superman II, largely featuring footage shot and ditched nearly 30 years ago, including 15 minutes worth of Marlon Brando espousing fatherly advice from "Kryp-tin," will be released on DVD on Nov. 28, Warner Home Video announced Friday.

Not a "special" or "expanded" edition, Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, named after the film's original director, is billed as an unprecedented do-over.

"With this DVD release, Richard Donner has become the first director in history to be able to complete a film he left during production," Warners said in a statement.

Donner was shooting Superman II along with 1978's Superman: The Movie when, as Warners delicately put it, "creative differences...became irreconcilable." Translation: Donner was fired--after he finished Superman, but before he finished Superman II.

The Superman II that subsequently opened in theaters, played on TV, got issued on video, and reissued on DVD is credited to A Hard Day's Night's Richard Lester, who reshot, reworked and finished the movie.

Not to be pushed aside, Lester's version (which contains more than a few feet of the Donner footage, but none of the Donner-directed Brando scenes) is also getting a new DVD release.

In fact, in Lucasfilm fashion, Warners will be issuing--or, rather reissuing--all four Christopher Reeve-led Superman movies, from the original 1978 opus to 1987's Superman IV: The Quest for Peace. The films were issued separately and as a four-disc set just five years ago.

This time out, the movies will all feature commentary tracks; last time out, only Superman: The Movie did. And, this time out, there will be two Superman IIs to choose from.

"This looks like the holy grail. It does," Barry Freiman of SupermanHomepage.com said of the Donner Superman II. "From what I've seen so far, it looks like it's going to be what anybody wants."

In a recent interview with iFMagazine.com, Superman Returns director Bryan Singer said he'd seen the first 20 minutes of the Donner cut, "and it was awesome."

Singer told the site one sequence he saw was recreated using Reeve's and Margot Kidder's old screen tests for Clark Kent and Lois Lane, respectively.

"It was such an impressive thing to watch," Singer said.

According to Warners, the Donner Superman II features a different opening and ending than the Lester Superman II. The reinstated Brando appears in "three pivotal scenes," according to Superman Cinema (www.supermancinema.co.uk). And the "Lester Humour," as the fan site put it, has been "reduced or completely cut out."

Among those presumably pleased is Kidder, who last year raved about Donner's "really, really fabulous" lost film to a Canadian comic convention audience.

"So, there is somewhere, in a vault, wonderful Dick Donner Superman II scenes with Christopher and I, and I'd love you to write Warner Bros. and ask where it is," Kidder said, according to ComicsContinuum.com.

While the Donner vision is now realized, the future of the big-screen Superman franchise is unclear.

TMZ.com reported this month that Warners will pass on a Superman Returns sequel unless the movie, reported to have cost as "little" as $204 million or as much as $260 million, cracks $200 million at the domestic box office. (Like Warners, TMZ.com is part of Time Warner.) As of Thursday, per BoxOfficeMojo.com, the film stood at $171 million.

Emmy-winning actor Jack Warden dead at 85

LOS ANGELES - Jack Warden, an Emmy-winning and Academy Award-nominated actor who played gruff cops, coaches and soldiers in a career that spanned five decades, has died. He was 85.

Warden, who lived in Manhattan, died Wednesday at a hospital in New York, Sidney Pazoff, his longtime business manager, said here Friday.

"Everything gave out. Old age," Pazoff said. "He really had turned downhill in the past month; heart and then kidney and then all kinds of stuff."

Warden was nominated twice for best supporting actor Oscars — for the 1975 movie "Shampoo" and in 1978's "Heaven Can Wait."

He won a supporting actor Emmy for his role as a coach in the 1971 TV movie "Brian's Song" and was twice nominated in the 1980s for best leading actor in a comedy for his show "Crazy Like a Fox."

Adventures of Brisco County Jr., The - Poor Canadians - Missing a booklet?

It appears the dreaded booklet goblin has struck The Adventures of Brisco County Jr sets in Canada. We've received reports that ALL the sets are missing the booklets, and we've passed the information on to Warner Bros.

Unfortunately we don't expect to hear anything back until next week due to people being out of the office for Comic Con, but we'll post another news item when we have something to report.

Canadians release AIDS charity song

TORONTO (CP) - Canadian musicians have recorded a benefit single to generate awareness about the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Song for Africa features artists including Ian D'Sa of Billy Talent, Ian Thornley of Big Wreck, Gordie Johnson of Big Sugar, Kyle Riabko, Titcomb and Damhnait Doyle.

It was released to radio earlier this week.

"With over 6,500 preventable deaths happening daily due to AIDS in Africa, and an entire generation of children being orphaned, it is time we shed some light on the matter," says Winnipeg music producer Darcy Ataman, who co-wrote the song with Rob Wells, Luke McMaster and Simon Wilcox.

Proceeds from the project will go towards helping Free the Children support a mobile health unit in Kenya.

A music video for the song will be played at the Aug. 13 opening ceremonies of the AIDS 2006 World Conference in Toronto.

Rolling Stones playing Regina on Oct. 8

It's a go!

The Rolling Stones, the world's greatest rock and roll band, will play Regina's Mosaic Stadium on Oct. 8, sources have confirmed with the Leader-Post.

After months of speculation and a rumour mill that would not stop, the worst-kept secret on the Prairies of Western Canada will come to fruition for not only the biggest concert event in our city's history, but perhaps the single greatest event Regina has ever hosted.

Yes, this could be bigger than the two Grey Cups played in our fair city.

At a combined age of 248 years, there is still no one in rock and roll that can do it better than Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood and when they set foot on their massive stage in Regina's football stadium, it will be an historic moment.

The official word will come down early next week, at a press conference in Germany, where the band is currently in the middle of the European leg of its A Bigger Bang stadium tour.

Tickets for the Regina concert go on sale at 10 a.m., on Monday, July 31, sources close to the show say. Tickets will range from about $100 (the cheap seats) and about $300 (the very best ducats). Our sources say many of the tickets will go for the average price of $200.

Following a six-week delay in which guitarist Keith Richards recovered from a tree fall in Fiji, while guitarist Ronnie Wood spent a one-month stint in a London rehab centre for alcohol abuse, the group resumed its tour on July 11 at Milan's San Siro Stadium in front of 60,000 rabid supporters.

To date, the group's current tour has played on three continents in front of 4.5 million fans. Set lists have been varied on the group's current European leg, but all dates thus far have opened with "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "It's Only Rock And Roll" and ended with "Brown Sugar," "You Can't Always Get What You Want" and "Satisfaction."

The show at Mosaic Stadium will be the group's only Prairie appearance on a Canadian leg that will also include concerts in Windsor, Halifax and Vancouver.
The massive stadium production is the group's most ambitious to date and it requires about 80 tractor-trailers to transport.

Mosaic Stadium will be bursting at the seams, but it seems clear that the venue can accommodate 45,000 fans for this rock show of a lifetime.

Organizers are hopeful the show will sell out quickly. Because it's the only
Prairie date, folks in Regina will have to compete with fans from around the province as well as Manitoba, Alberta, Montana and North Dakota for tickets. We're told box offices here have already fielded calls from fans in the U.S. and Western Canada, some of whom have wanted to leave credit card numbers.
Only a Stones show, it seems, can create such hysteria.

If Oct. 8 seems a little late in the year for an outdoor concert, consider that the group played at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Oct. 4, 1998 during its Bridges To Babylon stadium tour.

So the Regina show will go ahead rain or shine (and hopefully not snow). Of course, when the lights go down and the band hits the stage and launches into "Jumpin' Jack Flash," chances are things will get very hot, very quickly.

Time is finally on our side and this will be a Thanksgiving weekend like no other.

Believe it, Regina. Like we first told you in this space on June 10, it is going to happen!

A final spin for 'Spider-Man'?

SAN DIEGO — Is Spider-Man making his final swing through theaters?
As the superhero franchise, which has taken in more than $1.6 billion worldwide, returns to Comic-Con to promote next year's Spider-Man 3, some are wondering whether the series is making its final bow.

Including star Tobey Maguire.

"We've done an amazing job at keeping things fresh," Maguire tells USA TODAY. But, he adds, "it's hard to imagine continuously coming up with stories that deserve to be told. I'm not sure if there are more stories for this character that are interesting enough to be excited about doing more."

Sony Pictures, the distributor for the films, isn't saying either way. And superhero franchises, such as the Hulk, have been pronounced dead, only to resurface under a new director or production company.

But Spider-Man producers concede they haven't looked beyond this installment of the series, which they always viewed as a trilogy.

"We don't have a book we're adapting, like a Lord of the Rings," says Spider-Man producer Laura Ziskin. "It's open-ended. But this could be the last. We've never started on the next movie while we were working on the current one."

More than a dozen big-studio movies will be featured at the nation's largest comic-book convention this weekend, but none come shouldering more excitement or expectations than Spider-Man. It's due in theaters May 4.

Producers — and perhaps, they say, a star from the movie — will unveil some hastily gathered footage from the film Saturday as a goodwill gesture to the convention, which has been a taproot of the franchise's loyal following.

"This is a going-home kind of thing," producer Avi Arad says. "We brought the first one here and the fans have supported us and (director) Sam Raimi from the start. We wanted to say thank you."

Filmmakers are closely guarding plot points to the film, though it will feature a new villain, Sandman, played by Thomas Haden Church.

And Ziskin promises one foe will be Spidey himself.

"He'll have to battle villains within," she says. "I love what we've done with this character."

So does Maguire.

"This one, to me, has more interesting twists and turns" than the first two, he says. "It's been a fun ride."

Paris Hilton set to release album next month

NEW YORK (Billboard) - With her single unexpectedly doing well on the Billboard charts, Paris Hilton will release her self-titled album on August 22.

Hilton's "Stars Are Blind" is currently No. 16 this week on the Billboard Pop 100 singles chart; its accompanying video is in rotation on MTV and VH1.

Among the tracks on the Warner Bros. album is a cover of Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy," as well as "Fightin' Over Me," featuring rappers Jadakiss and Fat Joe.

"She has a certain tone that's reminiscent of Cyndi Lauper and Blondie," said Scott Storch, one of the album's producers. "The album doesn't have one particular sound. It's just good music; a combination of R&B, hip-hop and pop. It will surprise a lot of people because there's real artistry coming from Paris."

A behind-the-scenes special on the creation of "Paris Hilton" will premiere August 8 on MTV.

Kong is Long

The long expected announcement of Peter Jackson's latest effort came through with the word from Universal Home Entertainment coming that King Kong will receive two DVD releases for the extended director's cut.

A three disc version of the film with a longer running time and several features will be coming with a suggested retail price of $34.98. At the same time, a collector's box will be available for $79.98. More details on extras and what exactly comes in that gift set will likely start popping up soon. Both versions will arrive on November 14th.

Pretty, tough women

The hot trend in movie heroines is not the damsel in distress. It's the damsel who causes distress.

Today's top actresses, such as Angelina Jolie, Keira Knightley, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba and Jessica Biel, have cultivated reputations as tomboy sex symbols, women with delicate features who can disarm a tough guy equally as well with a sultry look or a kick to the throat.

They are playing James Bond-type roles that would have gone to men 10 years ago, producer Todd Garner says. Casting a woman helps reverse the Hollywood axiom about what makes an exciting hero: Men want to be him, and women want to sleep with him.

"It's just flipped around: Guys want to sleep with her, and women want to be her," he says.

This new generation of tough babes follows in the bootprints left by Alien's Sigourney Weaver and The Terminator's Linda Hamilton Even Naomi Watts as the blonde who captures King Kong's heart in last year's Peter Jackson remake was more of a firecracker than the original's Fay Wray or even Jessica Lange in the 1976 version.

Hollywood is learning that a neo-feminist hero — showcasing beauty, brawn, brains and seductiveness — can appeal to both genders for different reasons.

Uma Thurman, who had her biggest hits as the volatile gangster's moll in Pulp Fiction and the vengeance-seeking Bride of the Kill Bill movies, is again testing the limits of male moviegoer masochism with the comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend, opening Friday.

Thurman plays superhero G-Girl, who makes love to her regular-guy boyfriend (Luke Wilson) while flying over Manhattan and saves him when he falls from the Statue of Liberty.

But she also hurls a live great white shark through his apartment window when she's angry.

"There's nothing coy about some of these characters," Thurman says. "They're not simpering, soft-moaning creatures. They're kind of dynamic. And can't you be dynamic and sexy?"

The joke in the movie is that Wilson's character is much more infatuated with G-Girl when she's the intense, miraculously strong, invulnerable superhero and less interested in her secret identity as a mousy, emotionally needy art dealer.

"We've all been through it," Thurman says. "When somebody's really attractive and great but they suffocate you and need you much more than you're comfortable being needed, it's too much. You're not interested. And as soon as you're not interested, they desperately want you. And as soon as they desperately want you, they become kind of unappealing."

The male fantasy explained

My Super Ex-Girlfriend is the reverse of last summer's hit Mr. & Mrs. Smith, in which Jolie and Brad Pitt were a married couple tired of each other's blandness until each discovers the other is a covert assassin. The volatility brings them together. In Ex-Girlfriend, the volatility is part of the initial appeal, and the neediness when she loses that strength is part of the joke.

Playboy magazine editorial director Christopher Napolitano says fearsome beauty is a male fantasy. "It's an exciting thought for a guy to know that a sexy woman can turn on a dime and offer more than he can handle," he says. "They like the idea of being challenged. On the physical level, that's what men understand, while an emotional challenge might weary them in some way. It's mysterious in some way."

Kate Bosworth's Lois Lane in Superman Returns was slammed by some critics for being in constant need of rescue, with little of Margot Kidder's bravado from the Christopher Reeve era. Film critic Roger Ebert wrote that Lois "has lost her dash and pizazz."

Producers see fiery heroines as potentially win-win. It's a way to appeal to both men, tempted by the dangerous sex symbol, and women, who like the concept of an empowered babe.

"Movies reflect modern culture, and these films take female empowerment to the extreme," says Sanford Panitch, production chief at New Regency Productions, which made Smith and Ex-Girlfriend.

"I don't think women want to see a mousy, submissive persona being dramatized in a movie. That's not what women are."

Thurman said one woman she spoke with wished that G-Girl had remained a dynamo.

"She was bemoaning it on some political level. 'Gosh, she was great, but does she have to be such a cloying (brat)?' " Thurman says. "But would it be funny if she was a superhero who was invulnerable and fabulous?"

Characters such as Jolie's Mrs. Smith, Garner's Alias spy, Evangeline Lilly's outlaw castaway on Lost and Knightley in Pirates of the Caribbean (who gets more sword fighting time in the new hit sequel) strike a nerve with guys because they clearly don't need the men in their lives, but they still want them — maybe.

Thurman and director Quentin Tarantino pushed that dynamic even further in Kill Bill Vols. I and II. Her bloodthirsty Bride didn't want any man, having lost her fiancé in an attempt to kill her, but guys — from the characters she preyed on to the male moviegoers who flocked to the theaters — couldn't get enough.

She played the ultimate game of hard to get and enforced it with the tip of a sword. Nothing Freudian there, Thurman jokes.

With the Bride, "there is something steely. She was not asexual at all, there was something quite sensual about her, but there was complete disinterest, a complete alternate focus. You see it in male characters so often, but in a dynamic athletic woman in the prime of the character's strength, it's a different thing entirely."

Sometimes, just sexy isn't enough

Not all action babes are a hit. Garner's Elektra and Halle Berry's Catwoman flopped, but most believe that's because the characters and stories were as thin as the barely-there superhero costumes.

Producer Garner says a film has to deliver more than skin to get men and women into the theater. The sexy character also has to be fun, smart, maybe even mean. He's now working on a sci-fi thriller called Next, which stars Julianne Moore as an FBI agent hunting a psychic (Nicolas Cage) whom she thinks can help fight terrorism.

"She's very tough, very by-any-means-necessary," Garner says. "She's gorgeous and sexy and intelligent and there's a moral ambiguity to (her).

"It's not just physical. It's very appealing to have someone who is your equal and above you, in movies and in life, and these heroes have that."

Thurman wanted her costumes to be more conservative than the usual superhero garb. "You think of supergirls, and they're letting it all hang out, promoting a very male vision of sexuality."

So instead of fluorescent, skintight spandex that is "pushed up and strapped up and huggy," Thurman chose dark colors, pleated skirts, big belts and tank tops.

"I really wanted there to be something sexy, but very athletic and very confident. A woman dressing for herself," Thurman says.

For every teenager who shows up to gawk at a scantily clad female hero, a character who comes off as trashy or exploitive turns off many other moviegoers and redirects couples looking for a date movie they both can enjoy. Emphasizing both sexuality and strength "helps you tell a story that broadens the demographic," Garner says.

Similarly, writer/director Neil Marshall toned down the jiggle factor for his horror thriller The Descent, opening Aug. 4. The movie features female spelunkers who get trapped in an ancient cave and discover predatory subterranean creatures.

"They're all physically attractive, but we didn't have them in wet T-shirts running around," Marshall says. "Instead they're strong and independent, and for certain people, myself included, that is very appealing."

Shauna Macdonald, who stars in The Descent, says: "It's not that men are finding stronger women sexy. I just think women are getting stronger."

Macdonald says her role model for the performance was Weaver in the Alien movies. "She was extremely tough and very sexy. She had cropped hair and was sweating and covered in snot and dirt and fighting a big alien — and she still looked good."

McCready Beats DUI Rap

Mindy McCready won't be staying the night in jail--and she's got some new song fodder to boot.

The oft-troubled country singer was found not guilty Wednesday of a DUI charge stemming from a May 2005 arrest, although a Nashville jury did convict her of driving with a suspended license.

McCready, 30, was pulled over last spring for speeding and refused to take a breath test after police smelled alcohol. Kenneth Dixon, the arresting officer, testified Monday that the "If I Don't Stay the Night" artist had been wobbly on her feet and that her eyes were watery and bloodshot that night.

Attorney Lee Dryer had argued that his client, who was driving a friend's car when she was arrested, had actually been performing a good deed, giving a friend who was too drunk to drive a ride home from the nightclub the two had been at. Dryer also said that the sobriety test McCready was forced to take wasn't given properly and that the songstress had removed her shoes and found it hard to walk steadily in her supposedly too-long pants.

Jurors were apparently swayed by police video of the arrest, which was screened during the three-day trial.

In addition to avoiding the most serious charge against her, McCready escaped a contempt charge she was threatened with after arriving in court 10 minutes late Monday for the start of the trial.

Outside court McCready told reporters that she might use her personal troubles as the basis for new music in an attempt to jumpstart her stalled career. "This is one step in getting past a lot things," she added.

Those "things" include two suicide attempts in 2005--with one occurring while she was pregnant with her ex-boyfriend's child--and a pending $3 million lawsuit against said ex, aspiring country singer Billy McKnight, who beat her up two days after her arrest on suspicion of drunk driving. He has since pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and was sentenced to 30 days in jail.

On a happier note, McCready gave birth to their son, Zander Ryan McCready, on Mar. 25.

McCready is also supposed to attend a hearing later this year to determine whether she violated her probation by leaving Tennessee without permission. She was on probation in the first place after pleading guilty in August 2004 to using a fake prescription to buy OxyContin.

Kevin Smith Gets Critical

Kevin Smith is giving a big thumbs-down to ABC's Good Morning America's mustachioed movie reviewer, Joel Siegel, after the latter reportedly stormed out of a New York press screening of Clerks II, upset about its lewd content.

According to the New York Post, Siegel stood up about 40 minutes into a preview showing earlier this week disgusted by a scene in which the characters conduct a frank discussion about hiring a woman to get down and dirty with a donkey for a party. The newpaper said Siegel loudly proclaimed, "Time to go!" to his fellow media types and then stomped toward the exits.

"First movie I've walked out of in 30 [expletive] years!" the Post quotes him saying of the sequel, which follows the continuing misadventures of two convenient store slackers 10 years after audiences discovered them in the 1994 indie sensation Clerks.

"It was so foul and mean and repulsive. I finally realized I could not say anything positive," he said to the Post. "I wasn't ready for this kind of smut...I hope he doesn't make any more movies."

And with that Smith, who wrote and directed Clerks II and reprises his role as Silent Bob, became anything but quiet on his blog at SilentBobSpeaks.com, unleashing an expletive-filled rant over Siegel's remarks.

"As Paul Thomas Anderson once said of the man, getting a bad review from Siegel is like a badge of honor," Smith writes, adding that he was as "delighted by this news as I was with the eight-minute standing ovation Clerks II received" at the Cannes Film Festival.

Smith says he doesn't blame Siegel for feeling "revolted" by the donkey show--the Associated Press, for example, said of the scene in question, "Smith leaps brazenly into the abyss...It goes too far for too long and Smith just does not know when to rein it in (if you'll pardon the pun)"--but the filmmaker takes exception to Siegel making a "big stink about walking out" and disrupting the screening of other members of the press.

"How about a little common f--king courtesy?," Smith writes. "Never mind the fact that when you're paid to watch movies for a living and the only tasks required of you are to a) sit through said movies and b) write your thoughts about them before your deadline, walking out before a movie's over is pretty unprofessional."

He concludes by saying that he really, truly doesn't hate Siegel and was happy to learn the critic survived a recent bout with cancer, but still labeled his behavior "unconscionable" and "unethical."

Siegel was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

Siegel's antics aside, early reviews for the sequel, which opens Friday, have been wildly mixed. The review aggregating site RottenTomatoes.com gives the film a 63 percent "fresh" rating based on eight reviews, five of which were positive and three "rotten."

Here a quick recap of some of the early notices.

- "Politically incorrect raspberries and the umpteenth appearance of Jay and Silent Bob aside, a gentle feeling of nostalgia pervades this hit-or-miss sequel, which relocates the gang to the ninth circle of fast-food restaurant hell," writes Justin Chang in Daily Variety. "Clerks cultists will need no kicks in the groin to step up to the counter for this second go-round."

- "Smith finds himself back at the top of his game, especially after his most recent offerings," says the Associated Press' Christy Lemire. "Clerks II goes disastrously awry in the third act--almost irreparably so--but before that, when the insults are flowing and the graphic banter is crackling, the film frequently achieves a rhythm that's hilariously infectious."

- Arnold Blumberg of Now Playing magazine praises Clerks II as a "pleasant, affectionate look back at the characters that gave [Smith] his start, and a somewhat moving portrait of present-day thirtysomethings trying to make sense of their place in the world."

- "Here's hoping that Clerks II, Smith's most hilarious, emotionally honest and poetic (yes, poetic) film will be immediately recognized as the great movie that it is," opines Kevin LaForest of the Montreal Film Journal.

- Then there's Village Voice critic Robert Wilonsky who calls the film "little more than a recycling effort. If the footage weren't in color this time and if the actors reprising their roles were a little thinner, you'd swear this outing was cobbled together from outtakes." But, he predicts, "the fans will eat it up."

- Sean Burns of the Philadelphia Weekly pans the follow-up as "lacking the grubby authenticity of its predecessor, the movie feels clueless and out of touch. Sometimes you can't go home again."

Burn, Hollywood, Burn (DVDs, That Is)

Imagine. As of today you are able to burn a movie on your PC without worrying about it turning into a federal case.

The movie-download site CinemaNow has unveiled a new service that allows customers who buy films online to make a copy on disc that can be watched on TV sets via a standard-issue DVD player.

Studios and online distributors see the ability to watch movies on television--as opposed to a PC screen--as a key to making legal downloads a viable business model. Until now, however, studios were wary about permitting DVD-burning of downloaded films because copy-protection schemes weren't reliable.

"Today, our customers will experience a true innovation in home entertainment: the ability to obtain a DVD in the comfort of their living room," says Curt Marvis, CEO of CinemaNow.

The new service, a joint venture between CinemaNow and Disney, Sony, MGM, Universal and Lions Gate, features an initial offering of more than 100 big-name Hollywood flicks, including Barbershop, Charlie's Angles: Full Throttle, About a Boy, Scent of a Woman, Backdraft, Resident Evil: Apocalypse and Agent Cody Banks.

Customers must first download CinemaNow's Windows-only burning software (Mac fans are out of luck--at least for now, but more on that later) and then fork over $9 a pop for older titles to $15 for the fresher ones. The downloads include nearly all the bells and whistles of a DVD, including 5.1 digital surround sound, featurettes, commentary tracks and other bonus materials.

Marvis says the average download time will be about three hours--approximately the length of one Lords of the Rings installment.

One caveat: CinemaNow says that because the video is highly compressed to expedite downloading, the burned discs won't be as high-quality as commercial DVDs. But according to one studio executive, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

"We see the additive to the packaged media business, because functionally, retail can't carry every title," Benjamin S. Feingold, president of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment tells the Los Angeles Times. "I think that's good. If you can access My Beautiful Laundrette--that's the classic example of a picture at some point you'll be able to instantly download and make a copy for yourself. That's pro-consumer."

The same technology also prevents customers from burning more than one duplicate--a "feature" added to assuage piracy-shy studios that some pundits say is decidedly not pro-consumer.

CinemaNow will still offer rental downloads for $1.99 each.

The debut of CinemaNow's "Burn to DVD" service comes two days after rival MovieLink, which is jointly owned by Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros. and Sony, announced its intention to launch a similar online service by the middle of next year.

Meanwhile, speculation continues to mount that Apple's iTunes Music Store will soon be offering movie downloads, with an announcement coming as soon as the company's Worldwide Developers Conference next month.

According to the rumor site ThinkSecret.com, Apple has sealed deals with Universal, Disney, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. to make the studios' films downloadable to Macs and iPods.

However, iTunes will reportedly be more akin to the rental model, with the downloaded film viewable for a certain period before before "turning off." Apple declined to comment on the report.

Habs to play Sens in pre-season game as part of Hockeyville grand prize

MONTREAL (CP) - The Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators will face off in a pre-season game on Sept. 25 near a Nova Scotia town recently dubbed Hockeyville.

The NHL teams were announced Tuesday, several weeks after Salmon River, N.S., was awarded the grand prize of hosting an exhibition game and given the honourary title of being Canada's most passionate hockey community.

Salmon River was voted Kraft Hockeyville by viewers of the CBC reality TV show's season finale. The town also received prize money for rink repairs and hockey equipment.

"The entire Montreal Canadiens organization is excited to be part of the Kraft Hockeyville experience," GM Bob Gainey said in a release. "Many of our players grew up playing hockey in local community arenas and have fond childhood memories of places just like this."

Due to the limited number of seats in the local community rink, the game will be played in nearby Truro, N.S., allowing the maximum number of Salmon River residents to attend the game.

"It is a thrill to play in front of Canada's most passionate hockey community," said Senators president and CEO Roy Mlakar. "Salmon River demonstrated the spirit of what teamwork and the game of hockey is all about."

The seven-episode series debuted in March, looking at Canada's most hockey-mad regions. A panel of judges narrowed the field down to 25 communities, and then viewers voted on which towns or cities advanced.

Canadian film industry shrank in 2001-04: StatsCan

Is Hollywood North heading south?

The number of movies made in Canada was down and production revenue fell in the period from 2001 to 2004, according to a report from Statistics Canada.

In 2004, 688 films were made in Canada, down from 728 in 2001 and production revenue over the three years fell 10.6 per cent to $1.49 billion, the agency reported on Tuesday.

However, total revenue for film and video production rose 10.9 per cent to $2.9 billion because of growth in non-production activities such as broadcasting and film distribution.

The growth of low-cost reality programming has cut into the amount of film and video production, and there was a sharp decline in domestic demand for Canadian-made shows.

Film and video producers reported television sales valued at $1 billion in 2004, down 10 per cent from 2001.

Large production houses closed, consolidated and scaled back production during the year, Statistics Canada said.

Productions also seemed to be beginning a geographic shift in 2004, from Ontario and Quebec, where most of the production had been centred in the past — to British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

Film producers headquartered in British Columbia earned $268 million in 2004, a 29.4 per cent increase.

Saskatchewan, while still a small portion of overall filming in Canada, saw growth of 67.2 per cent in production revenues to $15 million in 2004.

Production was down 19 per cent in Ontario and 4.2 per cent in Quebec, however Ontario still accounted for half of all production in the country.

The statistics are based on a 2004 census of film, video and audio-visual producers in Canada.

Jessica Simpson Finally Goes 'Public' With Longoria, Seacrest In Ratner-Directed Video

Christina Applegate and Andy Dick also star in clip, which spoofs Simpson-obsessed paparazzi.

Jessica Simpson's making a public affair out of her new video — by inviting her famous friends to appear in her roller-skating-fantasy clip as a spoof on the paparazzi tracking her every move.

"The whole idea is that everybody's just so interested to know what's going on, and you can't really control that when you're a celebrity," Simpson said of the video for "A Public Affair," the debut single from her album of the same name, which is due August 29. "You can't stop it, so you just gotta think positively — just gather up all your girlfriends and go out and smile and look 100 percent."

While much has been made of how "A Public Affair" bears some resemblance to Madonna's "Holiday," Simpson's video is heavily influenced by Olivia Newton-John's 1980 film, "Xanadu," as well as several famous Material Girl moments — including videos like "Sorry" (with its choreographed roller-skating) and "Music" (with a celeb making a cameo as the star's chauffeur). Instead of Ali G, Simpson's got Ryan Seacrest in the driver's seat. "He doesn't like to be called the limo driver," Simpson said. "He's my 'Alfie,' that's what he likes to be called."

In the clip, Seacrest carts around Simpson's gaggle of gal pals, which includes Eva Longoria ("one of my best friends, we're both Texas girls"), Christina Applegate ("one of the funniest girls around, she has such a dry wit"), and Christina Milian, who was invited along not because she's a Simpson confidant, but because Simpson thinks she's "hot and beautiful and talented."

"I knew she was photographed a lot, so she'd understand the concept of it," the singer explained. "And thank God, she really jumped on it and wanted to do it, so now I have a new friend in Christina."

With "X-Men: The Last Stand" director Brett Ratner behind the camera, Simpson couldn't resist including a catfight, something Ratner mastered in Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker" video, in which Carey wrecked a movie-theater bathroom as her alter ego, Bianca. This time, the fight is between Simpson and Maria Menounos, who gets upset when she sees her boyfriend making eyes at the blonde bombshell. This leads to two fantasy sequences: one where the boyfriend imagines what it would be like to be with Jessica, and one where Maria imagines what it would be like to tear Simpson's hair out. "I ended up pulling her extensions out, and she pulls my extensions out," Simpson laughed.

Andy Dick also gets a fantasy sequence of his own, thanks to shooting "Employee of the Month" recently with the singer/actress. "I called him up and asked him for a favor," Simpson said, "because he's one of the funniest guys you'll ever meet." Dick's dream scene involves Jessica and her girlfriends licking him while he's trying to give them their roller skates.

Simpson revealed that working with Ratner was rewarding, but demanding. "I know Brett's going to make everything right, but sometimes he makes it too right: take after take after take," Simpson said.

"Well, we had to get the lip synch, the performance ..." Ratner said in his own defense.

"It's not a movie, it's a music video!" Simpson countered.

"It's a mini-movie," Ratner concluded.

Yorke Vies With Monkeys For Mercury Prize

Only eight days after its release, Radiohead frontman Thom Yoke's solo debut "The Eraser" (XL) was installed today (July 18) as the bookmakers' joint favorite for the 2006 Nationwide Mercury Prize alongside alternative rock quartet the Arctic Monkeys' "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" (Domino).

The two albums were named as 5/1 favorites by bookmaker chain William Hill when the shortlist for the annual British/Irish album of the year award was announced this morning at London's Commonwealth Club.

The 12 shortlisted albums were chosen by 12 judges from an entry of more than 200 albums submitted by labels. To qualify, an album had to be recorded by a British or Irish artist and released between July 25, 2005 and July 17, 2006.

This year's shortlist contains fewer long-shots than in previous years; odds vary from 5/1 to 10/1, according to William Hill. As always, the list includes artists covering a variety of genres, ranging from jazz pianist Zoe Rahman to electropop quintet Hot Chip or the Roy Orbison-styled stylings of U.K. critics' favorite Richard Hawley.

The winner will be announced in London on Sept. 5, with broadcast coverage being shared between BBC Radio 1, national TV network BBC 2 and digital TV channel BBC 4.

The 12 albums make up a "pretty classic Mercury nominees list," says HMV U.K. & Ireland head of music Gary Rolfe. "Two nominees that particularly stand out for me as seemingly ticking all the judges' boxes are Richard Hawley and the Guillemots, so I'd look out for these as potential winners come September."

The shortlist, with William Hill odds, is:

Arctic Monkeys, "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not" (Domino), 5/1
Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan, "Ballad of the Broken Seas" (V2), 10/1
Editors, "The Back Room" (Kitchenware), 6/1
Guillemots, "Through the Windowpane" (Polydor/Universal), 6/1
Richard Hawley, "Coles Corner" (Mute/EMI), 8/1
Hot Chip, "The Warning" (EMI), 8/1
Muse, "Black Holes & Revelations" (Helium 3/Warner), 8/1
Zoe Rahman, "Melting Pot" (Manu), 10/1
Lou Rhodes, "Beloved One" (Infinite Bloom), 10/1
Scritti Politti, "White Bread Black Beer" (Rough Trade), 10/1
Sway, "This Is My Demo" (Dcypha) 8/1
Thom Yorke, "The Eraser" (XL), 5/1

ABC Bisects "Lost," Mends "Housewives"

What to do when Lost goes missing for 13 weeks next season?

The light you see at the end of that dark hatch is Day Break, the new detective drama ABC will air in Lost's place until the island mystery returns sometime in February for an uninterrupted run of fresh spring episodes.

Inquiring critics wanted to know why ABC decided to bring Lost back in the fall for six weeks (starting Oct. 4) and then erase it from the winter schedule, rather than air reruns (like chewing gum--you're still hungry but it provides a quick fix), and then dump the new 2007 installments right into American Idols' lap.

ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson said that his networks' first priority is taking care of the viewers.

"We've just really…listened to the audience about the repeats, and it felt like this was really the best way to run the show," McPherson said Tuesday during ABC's presentation at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena. "It's a very, very difficult show to produce. You know, if we could run 22 straight in the fall, we probably would. But we just can't get the shows done in that amount of time.

"We've seen the shows survive against Idol and do well. We feel like when there are two good shows in a time period, they can both do business."

One is bound to do better business than the other, though. ABC has already taken a whopper of a calculated risk, moving Grey's Anatomy from its cushy post-Desperate Housewives spot on Sundays to Thursdays opposite the king of all crime procedurals, CSI. And although Lost has some of the most devoted fans out there, American Idol sucked in twice as many people on Wednesdays this year--an average of 30 million people tuned in for Idol's weekly elimination shows, while about 15.4 million kept up with Lost.

McPherson blamed the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' new voting system as the reason why Lost--last year's Outstanding Drama Series--was shut out of the major Emmy categories this year.

"Who wins the Emmys is one thing, but to have that kind of oversight to me is remarkable and it's sad for a show like that," McPherson said. "I hope the Academy will look at it and realize that maybe the changes they made aren't all good and they need to go back to the old system."

(Grey's Anatomy, however, pulled in 11 nominations, including top drama, so the new rules can't be all bad, right?)

But it's McPherson's job to appear nonplussed, and he stuck to his guns regarding Lost--"It's one of the best shows on the air, maybe one of the best shows of all time"--and Grey's Anatomy, calling it a definite "self-starter" that doesn't need Desperate Housewives' lead-in numbers (especially considering the McDreamy medical drama was starting to surpass Housewives both in viewership and in the eyes of critics--hence Grey's Emmy triumph and Housewives' disappearing act).

Speaking of Wisteria Lane, the notorious address is hopefully going to return to its darkly comedic roots in the fall now that executive producer Tom Spezialy has flown the coop, leaving creator Marc Cherry 100 percent in charge of running the show.

"The early scripts and the storylines and the arcs and the mystery, I think, are a lot stronger from the get-go" next season, McPherson said, rejecting one critic's notion that Housewives was suffering from "creative collapse." The episodes will all be "going through Marc's typewriter…I think it's going to get back a little bit more to the heart of it, which I think tonally was kind of a wicked comedy."

Despite the increasingly infuriating love triangles, convoluted plotlines, dialogue--well, everything, actually--that tended to characterize Desperate Housewives' second season, the dramedy finished fourth overall in the Nielsens this year, averaging more than 22 million viewers a week. So, at least from a business standpoint, season three will hit the ground running.

McPherson also remained optimistic about fellow Disney entity Touchstone Television losing J.J. Abrams' production company, Bad Robot TV, to Warner Bros. Although the Lost, Alias and What About Brian? creator is changing studio lots, he will remain devoted to his existing projects.

"He's going to be fulltime this year on the shows," including the upcoming Six Degrees, "so that will be a terrific asset for us," McPherson said. "It's a shame to lose him from the studio because obviously we have a special connection with in-house, but we have a lot of shows with Warner Bros…We look forward to the shows that we have on the air this year."

Apple Planning To "Rent" Movies Online

Apple has been quietly signing deals with the major studios in which they have agreed to allow their movies to be downloaded on computers or video iPods for one-time-only viewing, several online technology websites reported on Tuesday.

Apple Chairman Steve Jobs is expected to announce the deals during a keynote address to the Worldwide Developers Conference next month.

According to ThinkSecret.com, a website that claims to provide inside information on Apple, the deal marks a rare setback for Jobs, who has battled the studios to allow cheap downloads of movies that consumers would own, not rent.

The website said that the movies will be coded with a date stamp that would either limit the number of playbacks or allow the movie to be viewed an unlimited number of times for a predetermined duration.

Critics To Miss 'Snakes' Sneaks

Part of the charm of the upcoming movie Snakes on a Plane is its inherent cheese factor. Therefore it came as little surprise when New Line announced Monday that it has decided not to schedule a press screening for the movie before its official opening on Aug. 17. "Understanding that they [the audience] would be the driving force behind the film, we decided early on they should be the first to see it," New Line said in a statement. "They will have the opportunity on Thursday evening, Aug. 17, at 10 p.m. shows across the country. We are not planning any advance media or promotional screenings prior to that." The film stars Samuel L. Jackson and Julianna Marguiles, and is directed by David R. Ell

McCready: Cops Give Me "Hard Time"

It took a while, but Mindy McCready finally showed up for the start of her DUI trial on Monday. On Tuesday, she took the stand and blamed her arrest on some overzealous cops.

McCready, whose once promising career has been derailed by a series of personal crises, is on trial in Nashville for drunken driving and driving with a suspended license stemming from an arrest in May 2005. The singer has pleaded not guilty to the charges that resulted in her spending a night in jail.

Per local reports, she testified Tuesday that she believed she was pulled over so cops could "give me a hard time."

"Way back when--when I used to have hit records 10 years ago--I would get pulled over a lot and had officers ask me to do the strangest things. Once an officer asked me to dance for his camera," she told the jury.

It will be day or so before we learn whether McCready swayed the jurors, but she's already on the judge's bad side.

The arrest-prone country singer was found in "willful contempt of the court" Monday, when she arrived 10 minutes late to for the start of her trial.

Judge Seth Norman blasted the songbird for her tardiness, but said he would not dole out a punishment until after her trial was complete.

While Norman gave no clues as to what penalty McCready could face, typical sentences range from a verbal warning up to 10 days in jail.

The 30-year-old gave no reason for her lack of punctuality, but the single mom did arrive in court toting her infant son.

McCready was pulled over by Nashville's finest around 3 a.m. May 6, 2005 after she was clocked doing 58 in a 40 mph zone, per the police report.

"Her eyes were bloodshot and watery," arresting officer Kenneth Dixon said on the stand Monday. "And there was a very strong odor of alcohol coming from the vehicle."

Dixon also said McCready had performed poorly on the administered field sobriety test, saying "she was a little unsteady on her feet and I believe she did not follow instructions a few times." After refusing to take a Breathalyzer, she was arrested and charged with the DUI.

While Assistant District Attorney Ben Winters claims the altercation is a simple case of "someone who broke the law and refuses to take responsibility for her actions," McCready yesterday took issue with the circumstances leading up to her arrest.

The singer claimed she was not drunk and that she was simply doing a favor by driving a "highly intoxicated" friend home, claiming the car's alcoholic smell was emanating from her passenger, not herself.

According to her lawyer, Lee Dryer, she was simply the victim of a "good deed."

Dryer further argued that the field sobriety test was improperly issued and that the officers on the scene failed to follow procedure by not ensuring the street was clear of debris or otherwise distracting materials and that no lights were shining in McCready's eyes during the exam.

"So if there were [any of those factors], there would be doubts about your conclusions, yes?" Dryer asked Dixon.

"That's correct."

Luckily, it shouldn't take too long to sort the stories out.

The sobriety test was recorded and the video is expected to be shown in court during the trial, which resumed Tuesday morning with the defense's case.

The DUI arrest is latest woe for the onetime rising star.

In 2004, she was rung up on charges of prescription drug fraud after faking a doctor's signature to obtain the painkiller OxyContin. While McCready initially pleaded not guilty to the charges, she eventually copped to it, was fined and sentenced to three years' probation, which she was under at the time of her arrest last spring. Once the current trial is over, she will face a probation-violation hearing.

It's been a trying year for McCready, who admitted to two suicide attempts and also gave birth to a child with her ex-boyfriend, aspiring country singer William McKnight.

Just two days after her DUI arrest, McCready was hospitalized after being severely beaten by her former beau. Last month, she filed a $3 million lawsuit against him, claiming his vicious attack sent her career into a downward spiral and irreparably damaged her career.

Disney to cut 650 jobs, movie output

LOS ANGELES - The Walt Disney Co. is restructuring its studio division to emphasize blockbuster franchise films over more adult fare, a move that will mean slashing 650 jobs worldwide, the company announced Tuesday.

Among those who will lose their jobs is Disney's longtime head of live-action production, Nina Jacobsen.

The restructuring will cut Disney's output from about 18 films a year to about a dozen. Of those, about 10 will be released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner, a proven family-friendly brand that includes the successful "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise.

Disney's Touchstone label, which is responsible for more esoteric fare by artists like Joel and Ethan Coen of "Fargo" fame, will be cut back to only two or three releases a year. Recent Touchstone films have included the box-office flops "The Alamo" and "The Ladykillers."

The shift, the company explained, will allow Disney films to bolster the resources of other divisions. A hit like "Pirates of the Caribbean," for example, can spawn video games, action figures, cable TV shows and, in the case of "Pirates," give new life to an old Disney theme park attraction.

"When we do it well, the lift it gives to the entire company is so significant," Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios told The Associated Press.

The shift to more Disney-branded films has been expected for some time, as have staff cutbacks resulting from a reduction in the total number of films.

Surprising, though, was the loss of Jacobsen, who has been head of live-action production for more than a decade.

"Sometimes these things just happen," Cook said. "She is a fantastic executive, very talented, great taste, very smart. She is so capable, she did so many wonderful things at Disney that will be legacies that will last for years to come."

Last year, Disney bought longtime partner Pixar Animation Studios to bolster its animated film offerings. That move led to the departure of the veteran executive in charge of Walt Disney Feature Animation.

The Couch Potato Report - July 22nd, 2006

This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on some basic instincts, weeds, and a short lived TV show starring the one and only Bruce Campbell.

The original BASIC INSTINCT came out in 1992. In that movie Michael Douglas played a police detective who was in charge of a case involving the brutal murder of a rock star, who has been killed using an ice pick.

All the evidence pointed to a beautiful female novelist as the main suspect. Sharon Stone played that beautiful novelist and the role made her career.

Eventually Douglas' character fell for Stone and once they became lovers it threatened to hinder the investigation and even his life is put in danger.

One of the reasons the original BASIC INSTINCT was worth watching was because just as soon as you think you've figured the whole film out, you actually haven’t, but then again maybe you have.

The original BASIC INSTINCT is a pop culture staple and it will - sadly for some - stand the test of time.

It is a great example of what can be referred to as a good “Bad Movie.”

Now, fourteen years later, Sharon Stone is back in BASIC INSTINCT 2.

This sequel is a great example of what can be referred to as just a “Bad Movie.”

Michael Douglas wisely stayed away from this mess, as did Paul Verhoeven the original’s director, and Joe Eszterhas, the original’s writer,

With the absence of those three, instead of the edge and excitement of the original, we get a boring, slow moving film.

Sharon Stone’s novelist Catherine Tramell now lives in London and she is once again in trouble with the law after another suspicious death.

Scotland Yard appoints a psychiatrist - one Dr. Michael Glass - to evaluate her, and like Douglas’ Detective Nick Curran before him, Dr. Glass is entranced by Tramell and lured into a seductive game.

Sadly, David Morrissey - who plays Dr. Glass - doesn’t have the charm of Michael Douglas and there is never one second when you think that the character he has created could outwit Trammell.

But then again, since this is a BASIC INSTINCT film, maybe when you think you've figured it out, you actually haven’t, but then again maybe you have.

Either way, you won’t care. Morrissey is boring and new director Michael Caton-Jones can’t do edgy and excitement like Verhoeven did, so the result is a boring, slow moving movie.

The original BASIC INSTINCT is a good “Bad Movie!” It’s useless sequel is just a “Bad Movie.”

Now, if you choose to watch it, because you think you like “Bad Movies”, don’t say I didn’t warn you. This is a bad movie!!

So, enough about it then! Let’s get to this week’s good stuff, starting with the quirky and interesting TV series WEEDS.

WEEDS stars Mary-Louise Parker from THE WEST WING and FRIED GREEN TOMATOES as a suburban Mom of two kids.

After her husband's unexpected death, and her family’s subsequent financial woes, she embraces a new profession and becomes a pot dealer in the Los Angeles suburb of Agrestic.

During the course of the 10 episodes on the 2-DVD set WEEDS - SEASON ONE she is faced with keeping her family life in check and her business a secret from her best friend.

Now when I sat down and watched this show, I didn’t think about the moral issues of what would happen to her kids if she got caught, or any of the other legal issues the show’s premise might bring up.

Instead, I just watched the show. And I liked it!

Mary-Louise Parker is such a great actress that you can see the moral dilemmas that she is fighting with almost overwhelm her at times, but yet she fights on because she has too.

And former Saturday Night Live cast member Kevin Nealon is superb in the show as a city councilman who is one of Parker’s best customers.

WEEDS isn’t a perfect show, I personally hate the character of the brother-in-law, but it is exceptionally entertaining. If the premise doesn’t bother you, give it a shot.

No WEEDS is perfect, and neither is the TV show JACK OF ALL TRADES, but the star of that latter show is perfect, so that makes it worth watching.

Bruce Campbell from the EVIL DEAD films and BUBBA HO-TEP is that perfect star and I would watch him in anything, in fact, I have watched him in everything he's done.

Including the short-lived TV show JACK OF ALL TRADES from 2000. In this show Campbell is Jack Stiles, an American spy stationed on a Caribbean island in the early 19th century.

Stiles is sent to work with British spy Emilia Rothschild to stop the advances of the French Emperor, Napoleon Bonaparte, in his bid for world domination.

Now, JACK OF ALL TRADES is available to own as all 22 episodes are included in a new 3-DVD set.

JACK OF ALL TRADES blends Zorro, James Bond and Captain Blood all played for comic effect, and while it isn’t perfect, as I mentioned, it is entertaining to watch, especially if you are a fan of Bruce Campbell, which as I also mentioned, I am.

The show has lots of innuendo and double entendre humor, and it is fun and well written. I even like the opening theme song!

No, JACK OF ALL TRADES isn’t perfect, but it is fun!

Our ALFRED HITCHCOCK FILM this week is far from fun. I would also say that it is far from good.

Over the past few weeks as I have been talking about Hitchcock's film I have enjoyed them all. ROPE, THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY and SABOTEUR all had something I liked about them.

TOPAZ has nothing I liked. I found it completely boring and totally uninteresting. But I guess the man who gave us as many superb films as Hitchcock did is allowed to have at least one failure.

In TOPAZ a French intelligence agent becomes embroiled in the Cold War politics first with uncovering the events leading up to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, and then back to France to break up an international Russian spy ring.

There are several classic Hitchcockian touches scattered throughout the film, and those I liked.

However, at 2 hours and 23 minutes, and with little action to watch, this spy thriller was just too long and too full of dialogue for my taste.

There is no reason for me to think that I would ever watch TOPAZ again, and if you haven't ever seen it either, you might think about staying away from it too.

Even if it does co-star Zehner, Saskatchewan's own John Vernon, TOPAZ is about 30 minutes too long.

Alfred Hitchcock's TOPAZ is now available on DVD, and so is JACK OF ALL TRADES - THE COMPLETE SERIES, WEEDS - SEASON ONE and the awful BASIC INSTINCT 2.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

In the BEASTIE BOYS - AWESOME...I SHOT THAT concert film 50 fans are given cameras to shoot the band in concert; AMAZING STORIES - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON will see Steven Spielberg’s classic 1980s TV series debut on DVD and in the 4-DVD set for THE INCREDIBLE HULK - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON you get all ten first season episodes, plus the two original feature-length films.

And I’ll also conclude our tribute to ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S FILMS with the director’s FRENZY.

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!

KAT-ASTROPHE?

So what's really up with Katharine McPhee?

The "American Idol" runner-up, who begged off the annual "Idol" concert tour because of laryngitis and bronchitis, is causing quite a bit of chatter because she's made several appearances since claiming to be ill.

All the talk, mostly on the Internet, forced McPhee to respond.

"I have heard a rumor that I will be missing the entire ['Idol'] tour. I can assure you that is completely false," McPhee wrote in an e-mail to a fan site, katharinefans.com.

"I am looking to join the tour around the 21st [of July]. That is the doctors [sic] orders, not mine."

McPhee, who finished second to "Soul Patrol" man Taylor Hicks in last May's "Idol" finale, was spotted at a Cosmo Girl photo shoot two weeks ago, the day after the "Idol" tour premiered in Manchester, N.H.

She says she was well enough to attend the photo shoot, but just couldn't talk while she was there.

McPhee's continued absence from the tour has spurred whispers that she pulled out completely after a disagreement with producers 19 Entertainment.

"I love you, and please know that I would never intentionally miss 'Idol' shows so I can work on my own individual career," McPhee wrote.

"I want people to know that I am not bedridden. I'm no longer contagious. I don't have to be a prisoner in my L.A. home," she wrote.

"My management company is still trying to utilize this down time."

McPhee, who was raised in Los Angeles, was criticized by some fans of "Idol" last season for what they perceived to be a lack of emotion.

Johansson to star in 'Boleyn Girl'

Scarlett Johansson is joining Natalie Portman and Eric Bana in the drama "The Other Boleyn Girl," Variety reports.

The film, based on Phillipa Gregory's historical novel, tells the story of sisters Mary (Johansson) and Anne Boleyn (Portman), who battle for the love of King Henry VIII (Bana).

"Boleyn Girl," directed by TV helmer Justin Chadwick ("Bleak House"), will begin shooting in London in the fall.

Johansson will next be seen in Woody Allen's "Scoop," which hits Canadian theatres on July 28.

Leafs agree to deal with Peca

TORONTO (CP) - The Toronto Maple Leafs had a tentative deal in place with centre Michael Peca after meeting with the unrestricted free agent and his camp Monday, a source told The Canadian Press.

An official announcement was expected Tuesday with Peca, an unrestricted free agent, agreeing to a $2.5-million US, one-year deal. The Leafs and Peca have been courting each other for well over a week with both camps agreeing Toronto is a good fit for the 11-year NHL centre.

The 32-year-old Toronto native, a two-time Selke Trophy winner as the NHL's top defensive forward, makes his off-season home in Buffalo, making Toronto an ideal geographical location.

Peca, who earned $3.99 million last season in Edmonton, rebounded with a strong second half and terrific playoff after a slow start to the regular season. He put up six goals, five assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 playoff games, winning key faceoffs and killing penalties while centring a line between Fernando Pisani and Raffi Torres that was instrumental in the Oilers' magical run. He had nine goals and 14 assists in 71 regular-season games.

In Toronto, Peca fills one of the voids left by centres Jason Allison and Eric Lindros, the latter signing with the Dallas Stars on Monday. Allison, also an unrestricted free agent, isn't expected back with the Leafs.

Peca, who has 394 career points (160-234) in 693 regular-season games with Vancouver, Buffalo, Long Island and Edmonton, was traded to Edmonton from the Islanders last Aug. 3 in exchange for forward Mike York and a fourth-round pick in last Saturday's entry draft.

Peca, a junior star with the Ottawa 67's, was also a member of Team Canada's 2002 Olympic champion team in Salt Lake City.

Star Trek: Animated - Official Announcement, EXTRAS!!! & Package Art

CBS DVD and Paramount Home Entertainment today announce the DVD release date of the highly anticipated Animated Series. Formerly known as The Animated Adventures of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, the four-disc set will hit stores on November 21, 2006.

The title now shortened to Star Trek: The Animated Series, the set will include all 22 episodes of the classic Roddenberry show, which originally aired on Saturday mornings in 1973-74. A final frontier of sorts, the Animated Series is the last of the Trek catalog to make it to DVD.

Creator Gene Roddenberry's animated version of Star Trek features the voices of nearly the entire cast of the original live-action series, including William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, George Takei, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols and Majel Barrett, as they embark on the further adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Comprised of 22 episodes, the four-disc set includes the Peabody award-winning episode "How Sharper Than a Serpent's Tooth,” Walter Koenig's "The Infinite Vulcan,” which was the first episode ever written by a Star Trek cast member, as well as a number of episodes that serve as sequels to original Star Trek episodes. Many episodes were written by veterans of the original live-action TV series, such as D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold, and the show won a daytime Emmy in 1975 for Outstanding Children's Series.

Confirmed special features for the Animated Series include:
"Drawn to the Final Frontier - The Making of Star Trek: The Animated Series"
"What's the Star Trek Connection?"
Photo Gallery
Show History
Wallpaper
AIM Icons
Text Commentaries by Michael Okuda and Denise Okuda ("Yesteryear," "The Eye of the Beholder," "The Counter-Clock Incident")

The DVD set will be presented in its original full screen with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, English Mono and Spanish Mono and will be available to own for a suggested retail price of $35.00.

007 Producers Already Planning "Bond 22"

Producers of the next highly anticipated Bond film have already begun making plans for the new 007's follow-up film, tentatively titled, "Bond 22."

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the U.K. based Eon Productions is in talks to re-unite director Roger Michell with Daniel Craig, for his next mission for the British Secret Service - and it's not exactly top-secret.

The 22nd James Bond film would be Michell and Craig's third time working together, after 2004's drama/thriller Enduring Love which followed 2003's romance/drama, The Mother.

The story for Craig's next spy thrill-ride is being developed by producer Michael Wilson, who last wrote License to Kill, as well as penned the screenplays for The Living Daylights, A View to a Kill, Octopussy and For Your Eyes Only.

The famous secret agent's latest movie, Casino Royale, which brings Bond back to the beginning, hits theaters November 17th.

New CD Releases For July 18: Los Lonely Boys, Golden Smog, Rodney Atkins

Los Lonely Boys "Sacred"

The Texas rock band returns with the follow-up to its eponymous 2003 debut. That first album has sold more than 2 million copies to date, thanks in large part to the hit roots-rock single "Heaven."

The family group, which features the Garza brothers Henry (guitar), Jojo (bass) and Ringo (drums), will support the album with a major tour that currently stretches through September and includes some dates opening for Carlos Santana, as well as a Sept. 15 performance at the Austin City Limits music festival.

The first single from "Sacred" is "Diamonds," which is already getting radio airplay and is streaming at the group's MySpace site. Fellow Texan Willie Nelson makes a guest appearance on the song "Outlaws."

* * *
Golden Smog "Another Fine Day"

Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and The Jayhawks' Gary Louris reunite for the fourth release from this all-star Midwestern roots-rock act. Other artists who contribute to the set include fellow Jayhawk Marc Perlman and Soul Asylum guitarist Dan Murphy. The album notably includes a cover of
The Kinks' "Strangers."

* * *
Rodney Atkins "If You're Going Through Hell"

The Tennessee-born country star is back with his third album and his first since 2003's "Honesty." The first single from the disc is "If You're Going Through Hell (Before The Devil Even Knows)," which has already climbed into the Top 10 on the Billboard country singles chart. The video for the song is also in rotation at country music channels such as CMT. Atkins is best known for the title track to "Honesty," which was a Top 5 hit for the singer.

* * *
Bruce Cockburn "Life Short Call Now"

The Canadian singer/songwriter/guitarist has been very prolific over the years. "Life Short Call Now" is the 29th album in Cockburn's 37-year career. It follows his first all-instrumental affair, 2005's "Speechless." Singer/songwriter Ani DiFranco makes a guest appearance on the song "See You Tomorrow."

* * *
Billy Ray Cyrus "Wanna Be Your Joe"

Billy Ray Cyrus is back to try to overcome the stigma of his "Achy Breaky Heart" days and make another go at it in the country world. The artist has recruited some very special friends to help him in that endeavor. None other than George Jones and Loretta Lynn--two of country music's true immortals--add vocals to the song "Country Music Has the Blues."

* * *
Third Eye Blind "Greatest Hits"

The first-ever compilation from these San Francisco Bay Area rockers includes such fan favorites as "Losing a Whole Year," "How's It Going To Be," "Jumper," "Graduate" and, of course, "Semi-Charmed Life," which remains the band's best-known hit.

* * *
More new releases:
Alien Ant Farm, "Up in the Attic" (New Door)
Lily Allen, "Alright Still" (EMI)
Black Stone Cherry, "Black Stone Cherry" (Roadrunner)
Cactus, "V" (New Media)
Eric Church, "Sinners Like Me" (Capitol)
Eighteen Visions, "Eighteen Visions" (Sony)
Frost, "Milliontown" (Inside Out)
Neil Gaiman, "Where's Neil When You Need Him?" (Dancing Ferret)
Lisa Germano, "In the Maybe World" (Young God)
Ojos de Brujo, "Techari" (Diquela)
Ozric Tentacles, "Floor's Too Far Away" (Magna Carta)
John Pizzarelli, "Dear Mr. Sinatra" (Telarc)
The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, "Don't You Fake It" (Virgin)
Luca Turilli's Dreamquest, "Lost Horizons" (Magic Circle)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Lady in the Water" (Decca)

Mike Hammer creator Mickey Spillane dies

CHARLESTON, S.C. - Mickey Spillane, the macho mystery writer who wowed millions of readers with the shoot-'em-up sex and violence of gumshoe Mike Hammer, died Monday. He was 88.

Spillane's death was confirmed by Brad Stephens of Goldfinch Funeral Home in his hometown of Murrells Inlet. Details about his death were not immediately available.

After starting out in comic books Spillane wrote his first Mike Hammer novel, "I, the Jury," in 1946. Twelve more followed, with sales topping 100 million. Notable titles included "The Killing Man," "The Girl Hunters" and "One Lonely Night."

Many of these books were made into movies, including the classic film noir "Kiss Me, Deadly" and "The Girl Hunters," in which Spillane himself starred. Hammer stories were also featured on television in the series "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer" and in made-for-TV movies. In the 1980s, Spillane appeared in a string of Miller Lite beer commercials.

Besides the Hammer novels, Spillane wrote a dozen other books, including some award-winning volumes for young people.

Nonetheless, by the end of the 20th century, many of his novels were out of print or hard to find. In 2001, the New American Library began reissuing them.

As a stylist Spillane was no innovator; the prose was hard-boiled boilerplate. In a typical scene, from "The Big Kill," Hammer slugs out a little punk with "pig eyes."

"I snapped the side of the rod across his jaw and laid the flesh open to the bone," Spillane wrote. "I pounded his teeth back into his mouth with the end of the barrel ... and I took my own damn time about kicking him in the face. He smashed into the door and lay there bubbling. So I kicked him again and he stopped bubbling."

Mainstream critics had little use for Spillane, but he got his due in the mystery world, receiving lifetime achievement awards from the Mystery Writers of America and the Private Eye Writers of America.

Spillane, a bearish man who wrote on an old manual Smith Corona, always claimed he didn't care about reviews. He considered himself a "writer" as opposed to an "author," defining a writer as someone whose books sell.

"This is an income-generating job," he told The Associated Press during a 2001 interview. "Fame was never anything to me unless it afforded me a good livelihood."

Spillane was born Frank Morrison Spillane on March 9, 1918, in the New York borough of Brooklyn. He grew up in Elizabeth, N.J., and attended Fort Hayes State College in Kansas where he was a standout swimmer before beginning his career writing for magazines.

He had always liked police stories — an uncle was a cop — and in his pre-Hammer days he created a comic book detective named Mike Danger. At the time, the early 1940s, he was scribing for Batman, SubMariner and other comics.

"I wanted to get away from the flying heroes and I had the prototype cop," Spillane said.

Danger never saw print. World War II broke out and Spillane enlisted. When he came home, he needed $1,000 to buy some land and thought novels the best way to go. Within three weeks, he had completed "I, the Jury" and sent it to Dutton. The editors there doubted the writing, but not the market for it; a literary franchise began. His books helped reveal the power of the paperback market and became so popular they were parodied in movies, including the Fred Astaire musical "The Band Wagon."

He was a quintessential Cold War writer, an unconditional believer in good and evil. He was also a rare political conservative in the book world. Communists were villains in his work and liberals took some hits as well. He was not above using crude racial and sexual stereotypes.

Viewed by some as a precursor to Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry, Spillane's Hammer was a loner contemptuous of the "tedious process" of the jury system, choosing instead to enforce the law on his own murderous terms. His novels were attacked for their violence and vigilantism_ one critic said "I, the Jury" belonged in "Gestapo training school" — but some defended them as the most shameless kind of pleasure.

"Spillane is like eating takeout fried chicken: so much fun to consume, but you can feel those lowlife grease-induced zits rising before you've finished the first drumstick," Sally Eckhoff wrote in the liberal weekly The Village Voice.

The Hammer novels had a couple of recurring characters: Pat, the honest, but slow-moving cop, and Velda, Mike's faithful secretary. Like so many women in Hammer's life, Velda was a looker, and burning for love.

"Velda was watching me with the tip of her tongue clenched between her teeth," Spillane wrote in "Vengeance is Mine!", an early Hammer novel.

"There wasn't any kitten-softness about her now. She was big and she was lovely, with the kind of curves that made you want to turn around and have another look. The lush fullness of her lips had tightened into the faintest kind of snarl and her eyes were the carnivorous eyes you could expect to see in the jungle watching you from behind a clump of bushes."

While the Hammer books were set in New York, Spillane was a longtime resident of Murrells Inlet, a coastal community near Myrtle Beach.

He moved to South Carolina in 1954 when the area, now jammed with motels and tourist attractions, was still predominantly tobacco and corn fields.

Spillane said he fell in love with the long stretches of deserted beaches when he first saw the area from an airplane.

The writer, who became a Jehovah's Witness in 1951 and helped build the group's Kingdom Hall in Murrells Inlet, spent his time boating and fishing when he wasn't writing. In the 1950s, he also worked as a circus performer, allowing himself to be shot out of a cannon and appearing in the circus film "Ring of Fear."

The home where he lived for 35 years was destroyed by the 135 mph winds of Hurricane Hugo in 1989.

Married three times, Spillane was the father of four children.

Aniston: A 'Friends' reunion would be fun

LONDON - Jennifer Aniston says she would like to reprise her role as Rachel Green in a reunion show of TV's most famous group of "Friends."

"The only thing I can think of doing is maybe for fun doing a Thanksgiving episode," Aniston said in a TV interview that was set to air Monday on Channel Four. "Our Thanksgiving episodes were really fun."

"Friends," which centered on the lives of six young friends living in Manhattan, ended its 10-year run in 2004. The NBC comedy also starred Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.

Aniston, 37, was in London to promote her new film, "The Break-Up," co-starring Vince Vaughn. She gave little away when asked to comment on speculation that she and Vaughn are dating.

"Where did you hear that?" she said to Judy Finnigan, co-host of the "Richard and Judy" talk show.

"Listen, he's a great man, he's a great friend, he's a great actor and so much fun," Aniston said.

Back to mining the store

Kevin Smith has come full circle, picking up where 'Clerks' left off 12 years ago. Will it brand him a boy wonder also-ran or a comeback king?

THE opening credits of "Clerks II" feature a travelogue montage of suburbia, as a song by Talking Heads gently croons, "Years ago I was an angry young man." The same might be said of writer and director Kevin Smith. Since bursting onto the scene 12 years ago with the first "Clerks" — a rowdy, melancholy-laced comedy about dead-end jobs financed largely on credit cards — and over the course of six more features, Smith has become a curiously divisive figure, somehow symbolizing tremendous success and total failure.

His notoriously dedicated fan base, feverishly reciting quotes and rabidly buying up his merchandise, sees him as a regular guy made good. Critics, by and large, have come to see him as self-satisfied and lazy. Coming off the critical and commercial implosion of his previous film, "Jersey Girl," which was a conscious attempt at making a more conventional mainstream movie, Smith finds himself back where he started. Though it may be easy to dismiss the dour reception of "Jersey Girl" as simply a part of the backlash against the tabloid romance of its stars, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, there is certainly more to it than that, as the film exposed cracks in the foundation of Smith's work.

As if to encapsulate the rather uncertain position Smith now occupies in the Hollywood landscape, HBO's insider comedy "Entourage" recently dropped Smith's name (alongside Michael Bay, no less) as shorthand for sloppy, soulless filmmaking. By reviving the characters from his first feature in "Clerks II," Smith now takes stock of his emotional life in his mid-30s in the same way "Clerks" surveyed his 20s. A freewheeling farce on lack of direction, stillborn ambitions and a life of mindless drudgery has given way to a rueful examination of unfulfilled promises, dashed dreams and the resigned acceptance of one's lot in life.

Though he often projects a demeanor of laid-back affability, there is also a free-floating air of anxiety and discontentment that hovers near Smith as well. He has an astounding recollection of his own bad reviews — hello, Eleanor Ringel Gillespie of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution — and exhibits an uncanny knack for diffusing criticism by preemptively turning it into a joke. Over the course of two encounters in the span of a few days, he wore similar-looking athletic jerseys with slogans emblazoned across the back — one read "Hack" and the other "Sell Out."

The first "Clerks" came about during that time just before the Internet (yes, such a time existed), the era of grunge and "Slacker," when many of those upon whom the Gen-X label was being imposed found themselves grappling with a heightened awareness of the damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't choices that ambition brings, the inescapable compromises of trying to achieve success on one's own terms. That ambivalence remains very much at the core of Smith's films, as the overarching structures of his work are derived from an essential tension between the rowdy, fan-pleasing trash talk and a searching, yearning need for a deeper emotional resonance. The results are often something like an existential shrug.

"At the end of the day I can only do what I can do," he says. "You read a lot of reviews where people say, 'You should stretch. He should learn to stretch as a filmmaker.' After a dozen years now, don't they get it?

"This is what I do, this is the storyteller I am. Do I let myself off the hook by saying, 'I'm just not that talented?' Probably. But also I think it's important to know your limitations. I've kind of embraced mine. And I've had seven films' worth of practice to figure that out."

As "Clerks II" begins, the convenience store where Dante (Brian O'Halloran) and Randal (Jeff Anderson) continued to work has burned to the ground. Both in their mid-30s, they soon find themselves working at one of the few jobs worse than the one they had, at a fast-food restaurant named Mooby's. Dante is planning to move to Florida soon with his fiancée (played by Smith's real-life wife, Jennifer Schwalbach), where her parents will give them a house and a carwash to run and they will live a respectable, regular life. But his escalating infatuation with the manager at Mooby's (the film's secret weapon, Rosario Dawson) makes him rethink his plans. (The film also features, as have all his films except "Jersey Girl," Smith himself as the character of Silent Bob, along with his sidekick, Jay, played by Jason Mewes.)

On a personal level, in the years since his debut feature, Smith, who turns 36 in August, has gotten married, become a father, entered his 30s and moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles. It's not difficult to look at his filmography as chapters in an ongoing autobiography. After the rather crushing fate met by "Jersey Girl," Smith had to really take stock of himself, and he found revisiting the characters of Randal and Dante to be just the way to do it.

"Each flick I've done is kind of a snapshot of where I was in my life when I wrote it; 'Clerks II' really speaks to where I am in life at the moment. You don't have to be an analyst to look at the movie and go, 'The Quick Stop means a little more than the Quick Stop, and Florida represents something more than just going to Florida.' That's kind of where I am. There's definitely something bittersweet about arriving at 'Clerks II.' "

Critic Amy Taubin first heard of "Clerks" after its first screening at New York's Independent Feature Film Market, attended by barely a dozen people. She called Smith directly for a tape, and her subsequent articles on the film in the Village Voice were instrumental in bringing it to the attention of festivals and distributors.

Speaking recently about "Clerks II," Taubin suggested, "Dante's desire to get out of the Quick Stop mirrors Kevin's desire not to be making these raunchy comedies, but how not to do that is not clear to him, just as the next step is not clear to Dante."

More than just a filmmaker

ASIDE from his role as writer-director of feature films, Smith has also created a number of sideline endeavors for himself. He makes appearances on the college lecture circuit, has done a series of spots for "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," has written comic books, done various guest spots, co-owns comic book and memorabilia stores in New Jersey and Los Angeles and, perhaps most important, has an extremely active and direct role online in a circle of Internet sites. The websites allow him to interact with a broad swath of fans, sell merchandise and, as with the case of "Clerks II," heavily promote his upcoming releases.

Smith recently co-published the first in a series of graphic novel prequels to Richard Kelly's feature film "Southland Tales," a futuristic fable of the apocalypse starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and The Rock. At a recent signing event, Smith showed just how deep his commitment to and connection with his fans goes. He patiently listened as fans told him about themselves, he posed for pictures, he talked to people's friends on their cellphones, and never hurried a single one. If things are moving toward a niche-oriented, long-tail model of cultural consumption, Smith already has self-created and corralled his piece of the niche.

"Kevin is incredibly savvy when it comes to marketing," Kelly says. "Part of preserving your auteur status, preserving your vision and continuing to make films the way you want to is developing an identity, a fan base and an audience that will always be there for you. I think Kevin has done that, and he's able to make exactly the films he wants to make."

Of course, this can lead to the dispiriting sense of a filmmaker "playing to the base," in the lexicon of contemporary politics, most obviously in Smith's in-joke heavy "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back." For those who "want more" from Smith, feel that he is given to coasting and could easily develop into a more well-rounded and conventionally mature filmmaker and storyteller, his sidebar endeavors on the Web and as an all-round entertainer-entrepreneur could be seen as distractions standing in the way of him developing his true gifts.

"I don't buy that," interjected author John Pierson, a longtime fixture in the independent film community who was involved in the early careers of such diverse filmmakers as Smith, Richard Linklater, Spike Lee and Michael Moore. "He's made seven features in 12 years. Which, if you look at everybody else's track record, their production frequency, he's ahead of David O. Russell or Quentin Tarantino or plenty of other people."

Full of scatological humor, riffs on pop culture and inside jokes, "Clerks II" can be seen on the surface as the bawdy comedy Smith was trying to get away from when he made "Jersey Girl." He insists, however, that if examined more closely, it is just the kind of film many critics wanted from him, one that aims to synthesize the dueling sides of his personality, what he calls "the profane and the profound." Toward the end of the film, Randal makes a confession to Dante of his own fears and insecurities that is as heartbreaking as it is unexpected.

"I think the way it catches you off guard is that this actually is very moving," suggests Taubin. "It is a very big part of Kevin's talent. There's a thing about humor — it can be extremely defensive, it's a way of keeping your cool. And I think he uses humor in this way, and sometimes the veil, the comedy, falls away and you see there's something going on underneath.

"When he doesn't do that, that's when he gets maudlin like in 'Jersey Girl.' He so desperately wanted to do something that wasn't what he thinks of as broad comedy that it's like he forgot how to write. I think in Kevin himself, he realized that what most of his films depend on is a kind of desperately held-onto adolescent humor, that refusal to grow up and be mature. That's what's best about him."

He is, in a strange way, grateful for the failure of "Jersey Girl," even thanking it in the end credits to "Clerks II," as it puts him in the same position he was in after "Mallrats," a period that led to two of his best-regarded films, "Chasing Amy" and "Dogma." To say that Smith seems trapped by his own successes might not be entirely accurate, but it doesn't seem far off, either.

"There's something to be said for failing," he noted dryly. "It's not the failure you feel, it's the failure that people project when something disappoints. You're back to ground zero, where there's no expectations, and that's where I like to be. People like to set the bar high. I like to put the bar on the ground and barely step over it. I like to keep the expectations really low.

"After something like 'Mallrats' or 'Jersey Girl,' the expectations are in the toilet. People are like, 'He's over, he's done.' So it's easier to be, like, 'Ta-da, I'm not.' It's a much more comfortable place to work from. When you have an escalating career, and every time you have to outdo yourself, I couldn't handle that kind of pressure. But having to outdo 'Jersey Girl'? Not very difficult."

Early Don Messer fiddle to be sold

One of the first fiddles ever used by Canadian musical legend Don Messer, which has been untouched for 33 years, will be sold at a July auction, his daughter says.

"It makes me a little sad," Dawn Messer Attis told the Canadian Press, adding that she hopes the person who buys it at a July 23 auction will play it and "enjoy it."

The 1929 fiddle was bought by Messer for $105 in 1930 and has been sitting in a climate-controlled room at the Nova Scotia Archives in Halifax since 1973 — the year the musician died of a heart attack.

Messer, who was born in New Brunswick, hosted the popular Don Messer's Jubilee on CBC Television from 1958 to 1969. The fiddler had a loyal following for his brand of what he dubbed "way-down East" music.

Messer began playing at the age of seven, performing at barn dances and weddings while collecting a small pile of fiddles.

The plain brown fiddle being sold is a copy of a Stradivarius — the invaluable stringed instruments made by Italian Antonio Stradivari in the late 1600s. There are less than 700 such instruments left in the world, highly prized for producing exceptional sound.

There are a few nicks on the fiddle and it shows "some wear and tear" because of its age, according to Keith Ross, who will play the violin at the auction in Coldbrook, N.S.

Messer left a note in its carrying case saying that the fiddle was "very responsive" and he was happy playing it for five years before switching to another one.

Messer had some 14 fiddles in his lifetime. A few have been sold and others given to friends. Attis, 72, kept one to pass on to her son. One fiddle was bought in 2004 for $8,000 at an auction.

Attis said the family considered leaving the fiddle at the archives, which houses much of Messer's memorabilia including awards, records and sheet music.

But she said they recalled one of her father's constant comments: "A good instrument has to be played."

Regina King clocks in with "24" gig

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Regina King, best known for her work in such features as "Jerry Maguire" and "Ray," has joined Fox's drama "24" as a regular for next season.

Additionally, D.B. Woodside is taking on a bigger role. Woodside plays Wayne Palmer, the strong-willed brother and former chief of staff of the late President David Palmer, played by Dennis Haysbert. On the show's upcoming sixth season, he will be elected president.

King will play his sister, a powerful advocacy lawyer.

Player upgrades, new devices on music horizon

SAN FRANCISCO (Billboard) - If the rampant speculation over the digital music plans of Microsoft and Apple Computer are to be believed, the digital music landscape is about to change radically in the very near future.

Both companies are said to be readying portable digital music players in time for the holiday sales season that significantly raise the bar on features and functionality previously unavailable in their respective product lines.

That Microsoft may actually introduce an MP3 player at all has generated the largest amount of buzz. Such a development would mark a major shift in the company's strategy. To date, the Xbox game console is the only product Microsoft makes itself. Historically, the company's model has been to license its technology to those creating the hardware and services, fostering an ecosystem of developers.

But in the digital music market, neither the MP3 player manufacturers nor online music retailers using the company's technology have proved capable of successfully competing with Apple's iPod and iTunes Music Store. Introducing its own combined device and service essentially is a vote of no confidence in the very ecosystem the company has been trying to create.

Microsoft has not commented to date on the rumors.

CUTTING INTO APPLE'S PIE

For Microsoft to mount an effective challenge to Apple, analysts say, it will have to bring something newer and/or better to the table than what the iPod currently provides. The consensus among several industry sources is that Microsoft will attempt to do this with a device featuring a Wi-Fi wireless Internet connection. This would allow users to download music and other content directly to the device without using a PC.

Whether this tactic will prove to be Microsoft's silver bullet remains a matter of debate.

"It's a nonissue," Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg says. "It's something that the geeks are into, but Wi-Fi isn't mainstream or ubiquitous enough to affect the masses."

Besides Wi-Fi's penchant for eating up battery life, Gartenberg says that the idea of music search and discovery on a handheld device is a user-interface nightmare, which makes it a questionable lynchpin. Instead, he hopes to see a device that builds upon the key factors that made the iPod a hit -- design, usability and marketing.

Its success with the Xbox proves Microsoft has the ability to develop hip products and the willingness to back them up with extensive lifestyle marketing campaigns. In fact, the same team responsible for the Xbox reportedly is behind this new entertainment initiative.

Meanwhile, Apple is not expected to stand idle. The company is rumored to be working on a Wi-Fi-enabled iPod. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster notes that Apple, which normally releases two new iPod models every 12 months, has yet to unveil a new product in the series this year. He expects Apple to introduce a wireless version of the iPod this fall.

GETTING VOCAL

Other Apple patent applications point to interest in text-to-speech and speech-recognition capabilities that would enable the iPod to "speak" song titles and allow users to give voice navigation commands. Additionally, there's the "real" video iPod featuring a touch-screen display, plus the long-rumored iPhone.

All of this is good news to the music industry. Microsoft and Apple have the clout to do much more than simply get existing iPod owners to replace their old devices.

"If these scenarios pan out, and we get some interesting products out there, the potential would be that these could be devices that attract more consumers to buying more digital downloads than physical CDs," says Michael McGuire, an analyst with Gartner G2.

But it's really the rumblings of an integrated device and service from Microsoft that has the music industry abuzz, and that's a significant feat, given the hype factor Apple has enjoyed to date.

Analysts suspect many consumers have not made the transition to digital music because they see it as Apple's domain and not a real market shift.

"It is important to have more than one or two vendors if you want the market to grow rapidly," McGuire says. "It is an actual ecosystem as opposed to a smaller ecosystem dominated by one company."

Additionally, music industry execs who publicly praise Apple's establishment of the digital music field have been waging a silent war with the company over exactly how digital music is sold, with such issues as variable pricing and device interoperability as battlegrounds.

If executed well, priced reasonably and backed by an extensive marketing campaign, a Microsoft challenge could set the stage for real competition to the iPod.

"Another strong player who can grow the market overall and take away some of the power Apple wields in negotiations is something people are quietly rooting for," Gartenberg says. "If the rumors are true, it'll be an interesting fall."

'Pirates' becomes year's top-grossing film

LOS ANGELES - "Pirates of the Caribbean" is looking more like "Treasure Island." Already a record-shattering blockbuster, Johnny Depp's sequel "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" dug up $62.2 million in its second weekend, raising its 10-day total to $258.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The movie has quickly become the year's top-grossing film, rocketing past "X-Men: The Last Stand," which has taken in $232 million in eight weeks. The "Pirates" sequel has grossed an additional $125 million overseas.

"It's really fun when you're riding a comet like this," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney, which based the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies on its theme park attraction. "This thing is just unbelievable. It creates its own wake."

Sony's "Little Man," the Wayans brothers' slapstick farce about a pint-size thief masquerading as a baby, opened as the No. 2 movie with $21.7 million. The tale stars Shawn and Marlon Wayans, who co-wrote it with brother Keenen Ivory Wayans, the director.

Universal's comedy "You, Me and Dupree," starring Owen Wilson as a houseguest causing chaos for a buddy and his new bride ( Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson), debuted at No. 3 with $21.3 million.

Hollywood's business dipped for the first time in two months. After eight straight weekends of rising revenues, overall receipts totaled $156 million, down 5 percent from the same weekend last year, when Depp also was at the top of the box office with "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory."

Still, the second weekend gross for "Dead Man's Chest" topped the debut of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," which opened with $56.2 million. "Dead Man's Chest" had the third-best second weekend ever, behind "Shrek 2" ($72.2 million) and "Spider-Man" ($71.4 million).

By next weekend, "Dead Man's Chest" should climb past the $305 million domestic total rung up by its predecessor, 2003's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," Disney's Viane said.

"Dead Man's Chest" debuted with $135.6 million over the opening weekend, beating the previous record of $114.8 million set by "Spider-Man" in 2002.

Ending with a cliffhanger, "Dead Man's Chest" will be closely followed by a third "Pirates" movie due out next May, with Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley and other co-stars on a voyage to rescue Depp's rakish pirate Capt. Jack Sparrow.

"Huge expectations. 'Pirates 2' is maybe the toughest act in box-office history to follow," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations. "'Pirates 3' is the definition of a predestined blockbuster."

After a strong start in narrow release the previous weekend, Warner Independent's sci-fi drug-addiction tale "A Scanner Darkly" expanded to more theaters and broke into the top 10 with $1.2 million. The movie, featuring Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Robert Downey Jr., was shot in live action then painted over with digital animation.

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. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," $62.2 million.
2. "Little Man," $21.7 million.
3. "You, Me and Dupree," $21.3 million.
4. "Superman Returns," $11.6 million.
5. "The Devil Wears Prada," $10.45 million.
6. "Cars," $7.5 million.
7. "Click," $7 million.
8. "The Lake House," $1.6 million.
9. "Nacho Libre," $1.5 million.
10. "A Scanner Darkly," $1.2 million.

Box office champ "Pirates" lashes dueling comedies

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Johnny Depp's hit "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequel ruled the waves at the North American box office for a second weekend, while two new comedies were in a tight race for the distant No. 2 slot.

According to studio estimates issued on Sunday, Walt Disney Co.'s "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Curse" earned $62.2 million during the three-day period beginning July 14. Its 10-day total stands at $258.2 million, making it the biggest movie of the year so far.

Disney officials declined to predict the film's eventual total, but observers expect a possible third weekend at No. 1 as it nears $300 million. Some targets include $340 million, the studio record set by "Finding Nemo," and $380 million, the sum earned by last year's biggest movie, "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith."

The Wayans brothers lowbrow comedy "Little Man" claimed second spot with about $21.7 million, just ahead of fellow rookie "You, Me and Dupree" with $21.3 million. Rankings could change when final data are released on Monday, although the estimates did not provoke any dispute between the films' respective distributors.

"Little Man" stars Marlon Wayans as a jewel thief whose face is grafted onto the two-foot body of a child actor. It was directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans, and also stars Shawn Wayans. The movie, which cost about $64 million to make, exceeded the expectations of its distributor, Columbia Pictures. The Sony Corp.-owned studio had hoped for an opening in the high-teens, on par with the $19 million opening of the siblings' previous effort, "White Chicks."

"You, Me and Dupree," a $54 million film starring Owen Wilson in a familiar slacker role, this time as the houseguest from hell, turned in a "solid showing," according to Nikki Rocco, president of distribution at Universal Pictures.

Exit polling indicated women made up 58 percent of the audience, a tribute to the appeal of both Wilson and co-star Kate Hudson. Matt Dillon also stars.

Rounding out the top-five were Warner Bros.' "Superman Returns" with $11.6 million, and 20th Century Fox's "The Devil Wears Prada" with $10.4 million, both down two places in their third weekends. Their respective totals stand at $183.6 million and $83.6 million.

The top-10 contained one other new entrant, the limited-release sci-fi saga "A Scanner Darkly," which rose nine places to claim the final spot with $1.2 million. The Warner Independent Pictures release, featuring animated likenesses of Keanu Reeves and Robert Downey, Jr., has earned $1.8 million after two weeks. It was playing in just 216 theaters, while most of the top movies were in more than 3,000 theaters each.

Shyamalan gambles with Lady In The Water

NEW YORK — So is Lady In The Water the riskiest, most controversial movie yet of M. Night Shyamalan’s storied film-making career?

Not necessarily, says the 36-year-old, India-born, Philadelphia-based director-screenwriter.

Even though Shyamalan will admit the fairy tale-fantasy-thriller, in theatres Friday, is certainly the most personal and revealing of all his movies — including The Sixth Sense and Signs — which have grossed a whopping $2 billion worldwide.

“There’s something irrationally pure about (this film) that’s really (about) who I am,” says Shyamalan, who got the idea for Lady from a made-up fairy tale he told his two daughters.

“The centre of the movie (is about) the idea that you don’t believe in yourself ... and that someone says, ‘That weird, stupid thing you’re writing,’ might (actually) have some effect. For me, it’s much more raw on a lot of levels and I love that. Someone asked what makes me tick, and I said, ‘Danger. Absolute, perilous danger. Just putting yourself out there.’ And hopefully, over the course of time, you will get very truthful things from me, in that way.”

But in an excerpt from the new book, The Man Who Heard Voices: Or How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career On A FairyTale, published in Entertainment Weekly, Shyamalan is depicted as devastated and crying after a dinner where executives from Disney — who had made his last four films — passed on making Lady.

The book was originally going to be about Shyamalan’s fifth movie for Disney, but took on a much more sensational tone in light of the events that unfolded.

“It wasn’t cruelty, they’re good people,” Shyamalan insists. “For me, I felt like this would be a great fit for that company: An eccentric, child-like, adult-imagination kind of thing. But it was not the right time and the right movie. And, really, it was coming from a parental place. And I appreciate that from them.

“But sometimes, you just want to go, ‘I’ve got to go to college. I’ve got to go do my thing. I’ll be back. Don’t worry. It’s all going to be good.’ There’s not a sense of ‘I hate you! I’m never coming back!’ The most important thing to happen for me out of that dinner, or that conversation with Disney, was I heard them say everything: ‘You’re insane!’ And I totally went, ‘Everything you said is valid and I still 100% believe in the movie. And so I’ve got to go make it.’”

Shyamalan wound up taking the movie to Warner Brothers. But he doesn’t necessarily think the controversy about getting Lady made, as detailed in the book which saw author Michael Bamberger receive unprecedented access to the director’s working life, will help its box office.

“I don’t know if it’s good for box office,”he says.

“What’s nice about (the book) is that people can see the struggle. Because the struggle is there in all of them. On every single movie there’s a struggle. It’s a torturous process to make personal movies, this weird thing that I’m doing, which is you’re making independent, personal movies. And released in a blockbuster capacity, that balancing act is a torturous balance and it’s not one that I contrived.

“It is naturally the sum of the elements of how I think. So the supernatural elements and the personal elements, if you go said, ‘Do whatever you want!’ this is what I do. So that part of it is really nice that people can see that it’s really fu--ing hard.’ The movie, the book, that whole time period, was really a huge giant act of faith for me going, ‘It’s all going to be okay. Put yourself at great, great risk.’”

Paul Giamatti, for whom Shyamalan specifically wrote a starring role in Lady, doesn’t mince words about the director’s film legacy.

“He’s making eccentric movies. That’s what I think is most interesting. And, I mean, they’re commercial movies. He’s just a fascinating guy in and of himself, what he’s doing, what he’s trying to do — and he pulls them off. But they’re eccentric movies. They’re very strange and I thought that was kind of great. I thought this was a very weird idea. And if he could pull it off, it would be amazing.I didn’t know if he could. I think he does. But it’s not an easy thing to pull off. It’s kind of an ambitious idea.”

Adding to the risk factor is the fact that Shyamalan picked an unlikely but talented pair for his Lady leads: Two critically respected actors — but hardly top box-office draws.

Bryce Dallas Howard — who starred as the blind, brave heroine in Shyamalan’s critically panned The Village — plays Lady’s title role, while Giamatti is the apartment complex superintendent who discovers her water nymph-like character in the building’s pool.

In the excerpt from The Man Who Heard Voices, Giamatti is depicted as supposedly keeping Shyamalan waiting before agreeing to make the movie. At one point, Shyamalan actually considered offering Kevin Costner — among others — the superintendent gig.

“It was probably five days and I think he was anxious,” says Giamatti, an Oscar nominee best known for his work in Cinderella Man and Sideways. “I felt bad when I heard that I made him so anxious. I think I was kind of tired and I was at home and I forgot to read it for a couple of days. When I heard that, I was like, ‘Oh, geez. I feel terrible. I made the guy wait.’ But I just think I was slow that day or something. I wasn’t really on top of it. I don’t remember there being a million things. But once I read it, I thought it was great.There was no question, no question.”

On top of all the other inherent risks in Lady, Shyamalan — who has appeared in all of his movies — decided to take on his biggest role yet as the apartment complex’s struggling writer.

“I’ve been kind of dancing with who I am in these movies,” he says. “There’s always this, ‘Well, what do you do? Do you do the Hitchcock thing? Do you do the Woody Allen thing? What do you do?’ I don’t really do anything. This is as big a role as I’ll ever play because there’s a physical limit to it, because I can’t direct. In the end, I think I was in 20 scenes out of a 100-and-something, so that’s the limit that it could be.”

Giamatti shook his head and laughed when asked if he gave Shyamalan any acting tips. “I thought he was really pretty good,” he says. “He was very good at directing himself and he was actually really hard on himself, which he shouldn’t have been, ’cause I thought he was good.

“He doesn’t fancy himself as any kind of great actor. He really enjoys actors and I think he’s fascinated by it. So he’s not out there, thinking he’s killing the world while he’s acting.”

...Report: Lavigne weds Whibley of Sum 41

MONTECITO, Calif. - Punk-pop princess Avril Lavigne has married a fellow Canadian singer-songwriter, according to published reports. Lavigne married Deryck Whibley, the guitarist and front man for the band Sum 41, on Saturday, at a private estate near Santa Barbara, People magazine reported on its Web site.

The young rockers had a mostly traditional ceremony, the magazine said.

The usually shabby Lavigne wore a Vera Wang gown, carried white roses and was walked down the aisle by her father as Mendelssohn's "Wedding March" played.

Lavigne, 21, and Whibley, 26, exchanged vows under an awning covered in white flowers.

Messages left by The Associated Press for Lavigne's label, Nettwerk Management, were not immediately returned Sunday.

The pair have been dating since early 2004 and bought a house in Los Angeles later that year. They became engaged in Venice, Italy, in 2005 while Lavigne was on a European tour.

Lavigne is working on her third album and recently gave voice to the possum Heather in the film "Over the Hedge."

RCMP mourns deaths of 2 Mounties shot in Sask.

Two RCMP constables who were shot more than a week earlier in central Saskatchewan have both died, an RCMP spokesman confirmed Sunday, saying their sacrifices would "never be forgotten."

Const. Marc Bourdages, 26, and Const. Robin Cameron, 29, had been in critical condition in a Saskatoon hospital since the shooting on July 7 near the farming community of Mildred, about 140 kilometres west of Prince Albert.

RCMP spokesman Sgt. Brian Jones confirmed the deaths in a news conference in Saskatoon Sunday.

"We're all tremendously saddened by today's news," he said. "Mark and Robin were much loved.

"The sacrifice that both Robin and Mark have made in the line of duty will never be forgotten."

RCMP Assistant Commissioner Darrell McFadyen confirmed that the two constables died overnight.

"Robin died at approximately 11 p.m. and Marc about two hours later," McFadyen said. "Both succumbed to severe head injuries. Despite all of the excellent care that was provided to them, they were unable to recover."

'We knew she would never come back'

Cameron's father, Howard, talked about how proud he was of his daughter — and how her family came to realize she would not recover from her injuries.

"There was nothing wrong with her heart, but wounds to her head were so devastating that doctors told us, and we knew, she would never come back," he said.

The family of Const. Marc Bourdages, including his wife Natasha, who is also an RCMP constable in Spiritwood, thanked the Royal University Hospital and said there has been an outpouring of support from family and friends.

"Their love and support and the messages that we have received from across Canada helped us stay strong through this horrible week," his wife said. "But I believe that Marc is with us now in spirit and that he is in a better place where he can be peaceful."

Both officers leave children

The slain officers were both stationed at the RCMP detachment in Spiritwood, about 10 kilometres west of Mildred.

Cameron was a single mother with an 11-year-old girl. Earlier in the week, members of Cameron's family said they were grief-stricken that they may not have told her enough how proud they were for her successes, despite a turbulent childhood.

A member of the Beardy's and Okemis First Nation north of Saskatoon, Cameron was sent away to residential school as a child and dropped out of high school when she became pregnant. However, she was determined to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an RCMP officer, returning to school and even getting eye surgery to qualify for the force. She had been with the force for five years.

Bourdages was originally from Saint-Eustache, Que. He was married to another RCMP officer at Spiritwood and they had a nine-month-old boy. He had been with the force for 5½ years.

Started with dispute between Dagenais, mother

Police are still hunting for 41-year-old Curtis Dagenais, the prime suspect in the shootings, who is believed to be armed and dangerous. A week-long search has failed to find any trace of him. Dagenais has been charged with attempted murder for shots fired at a third RCMP officer at the scene, who returned fire.

The tragedy was allegedly sparked by a disagreement on the night of July 7 between Dagenais and his mother and sister at a home in Spiritwood.

Curtis Dagenais's mother, Elsie Dagenais, and other family members have claimed that the family dispute stemmed from a three-year divorce battle between her and the suspect's father, Arthur Dagenais, after decades of domestic abuse, including a property settlement.

Herb Jaster, the suspect's uncle on his mother's side, has said that on July 7, Curtis Dagenais found out that his mother was to be awarded half of the family farm in a divorce property settlement. He went to her house to confront his mother and sister, since he was expecting to get the farm for himself, Jaster said.

The argument escalated, police were called and Curtis Dagenais left in his truck.

Police gave chase, ending in the shooting near Mildred.

A massive police search was launched for the suspect but it was scaled back on July 13.

Suspect's father denied bail

Meanwhile, the suspect's father was denied bail on July 14 by a judge in North Battleford, Sask., who ruled his release would be a risk to public safety.

Judge Violet Meekma said Arthur Dagenais, 69, should not be released on bail because he has a history of animosity towards police. He was charged with obstruction of justice earlier in the week after returning to his farm, which police had ordered him to stay away from while they were searching for his son.

His next court appearance is July 26.

Weezer frontman says band is 'done'

NEW YORK (AP) - Rivers Cuomo says that, for now, Weezer is "done."

Cuomo, the band's bespectacled songwriter and frontman, told MTV that while he remains in touch with his bandmates, "We've never mentioned getting together."

"Really, for the moment, we are done," he said. "And I'm not certain we'll ever make a record again, unless it becomes really obvious to me that we need to do one."

Weezer has released five albums since forming in 1993. The group took a considerable break between 1996's Pinkerton and 2001's self-titled disc (typically called "The Green Album"). The band's last release was Make Believe, in 2005.

The liner notes of that album led to conjecture that it was Weezer's last. They included a quote from a parting soliloquy in Shakespeare's Tempest, his last play.

Cuomo, 36, said he has been writing songs, but added, "I don't know what'll happen with these songs - if anything. . . . I certainly don't see them becoming Weezer songs, and I don't really see the point of a solo career. So we'll just have to see."

Jim Merlis, a spokesman for Geffen, said Thursday the label had no official response, but added that Cuomo has made similar statements in the past.

"South Park" duo get animated about censorship

PASADENA, California (Hollywood Reporter) - The creators of "South Park" lambasted Comedy Central Thursday for removing an episode that lampooned Scientology and Tom Cruise from the network's repeat schedule and for blanking out the image of Muhammad during another episode.

"So there are two things we can't do on Comedy Central: show Muhammad or Tom Cruise," Trey Parker said during the MTV Networks portion of the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour.

Parker and Matt Stone said they had no doubt that the "Trapped in the Closet" episode was yanked as a result of Cruise's starring this summer in "Mission: Impossible III," the movie from Paramount, Comedy Central's sister company.

However, a Comedy Central spokesman countered that all episodes get rotated in and out of the schedule on a regular basis and indicated that it was always the plan to restore the episode into the schedule. The episode will repeat Wednesday.

Stone added that the duo chose not to grant any media interviews at the height of the controversy several months ago.

"We didn't do any press because we were just going to get in a pissing war with Tom Cruise, and we didn't want to be in the same article as that guy," he said. "But we picked the wrong guy to parody because we're going to be asked about Tom for the next two years."

They added that they have not been contacted by Scientology representatives but did sit down the week after the episode aired with a "very upset" Isaac Hayes, a Scientologist who portrayed the character of Chef. Hayes has since exited the show.

"We didn't want to be hypocrites," Parker said. "We thought it could piss Isaac off, but we had to do it for that very reason" of not being labeled hypocrites.

Regarding the decision not to air the image of Muhammad during the "Cartoon Wars" episode, the pair said it was a corporate decision that could become a slippery slope if other groups begin making threats and affecting content. They also noted that Muhammad seems to be off limits, while it is "open season" on Jesus, who happens to be a "South Park" character. (Depictions of Muhammad are strictly prohibited in Islam.)

Comedy Central president Doug Herzog admitted, "It's tough, but I think I would say we did overreact. ... Matt and Trey enjoy a fair amount of creative freedom. History might show that we overreacted, and we will live with that."

He added that the image probably will not be shown on the DVD version either, but "I look forward to the day when we can uncover it."

Pricey nostalgia

It's fair to say that no defunct television show commands the kind of craving for DVDs like "The Wonder Years."

Among shows that have yet to release full seasons, "The Wonder Years" - a nostalgic coming-of-age series set in suburbia circa 1970 - is one of the most sought-after. The website TVshowsonDVD.com lists the 10 most requested DVDs still unreleased by studios, and "The Wonder Years" sits at No. 2, right behind "Beverly Hills 90210."

Amazon.com offers the only two "Wonder Years" DVDs, and the cheapest one - "The Christmas Wonder Years: The Holiday Episodes" - costs $74.99. For the more affluent, a used 70-minute DVD of "The Best of The Wonder Years" starts at $97.84 and runs up to $186.99 for a new one.

But full seasons of the show remain locked up, as costly music licensing has postponed their release.

"We're not that far along," said Jyoti Sarda from 20th Century Fox Marketing, of releasing full seasons of the show. "We know it's something we'd like to put out. We know that people want it out. Consumers are waiting. Fans are waiting. We talk about needing to tackle it, but we haven't gotten to a place where it's being actively worked on."

"It's not imminent," said Steve Feldstein, senior vice president of Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, "in that it's not going to be out in the next couple of months."

"The Wonder Years" aired on ABC from 1988-93. Set in the late 1960s and early 70s, it followed the adventures of Kevin Arnold (Fred Savage) as he negotiated adolescence.

Actor Daniel Stern provided the voice- over narration of the adult Kevin, and it was this filtering of junior-high angst through an adult's memories that resonated with viewers. People can identify with Kevin's experiences growing up, right down to schoolkid crushes, bullying siblings, parental expectations and the general trials of teendom.

The period music on "The Wonder Years" is critical to the show's emotional resonance, serving as an aural touchstone to viewers of a certain age. In one of the series' most memorable scenes, Kevin climbs a tree to peer into on-and-off girlfriend Winnie's window after she's hurt in an accident. The background music: "We've Got Tonight," by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band.

Sarda hopes to begin releasing the DVDs within two years. No matter when they come out, the original music most likely won't be on them.

"I think that's the only way really we're going to see it," says Gord Lacey, creator of the Web site TVshowsonDVD.com. "I don't have a list of the songs used in the show, but something tells me they're not going to be able to release a completely intact series."

The music-licensing hurdle is substantial. "The Wonder Years" borrowed more than 300 pieces of music for its 115 episodes. Even more daunting is the fact that the music is from what has emerged as a resurgent, nostalgic era.

"I'd love to put it out on DVD, so other people can enjoy it," Sarda said. "So we just have to work through these issues. It's not that simple, because music is an integral part of that show. So it's not like you can just go in and replace it all."

Rights to broadcast on TV differ from rights to distribute for home entertainment. Most shows now negotiate home-entertainment rights prior to production. Shows produced in the pre-digital days - like "The Wonder Years" - never negotiated those rights.

The only two DVDs of "The Wonder Years" out now - "The Holiday Episodes" and "The Best of The Wonder Years" - both used replacement music.

"You go in and see which songs are expensive that are not as essential," Sarda says. "And that process of going through each episode and doing that analysis is a more complicated process than putting out a TV show that doesn't have these issues."

Getting Chummy

Already the biggest media outlet in Canada, Bell Globemedia will soon appear before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission with another order to “super-size me.” BGM owns CTV and the Globe and Mail, along with 17 TV specialty channels, including TSN, MTV and the Discovery Channel. On Wednesday, BGM announced it had agreed to pay $1.4 billion for control of national rival CHUM Ltd., which owns 33 radio stations and 12 TV stations, headed by the Citytv channels in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. CHUM also owns 21 specialty TV channels and the Muzak background-music operation in Canada.

Will the CRTC approve the BGM acquisition? Industry observers believe so. It is widely assumed that Canada’s media gatekeeper is about to green-light Torstar’s recently proposed 20 per cent purchase of BGM (price: $283 million). This means that very soon, the country’s largest city newspaper (the Toronto Star) and national newspaper (the Globe and Mail), along with Canada’s most-watched TV network (CTV), one of our biggest radio chains, 38 specialty TV channels, and even the guys who select the songs we hear on elevators will all be affiliated.

The proposed acquisition looks to be an excellent move for BGM. The Wall Street Journal recently confirmed a widely held industry belief that advertisers are moving from network television; as an example, General Motors halved its network advertising between 2002 and 2005, spreading promotion dollars to TV specialty channels and the internet. By reducing rival CanWest Global Communications — which owns Global TV, the National Post and the Southam newspaper chain — to a speck in its rear-view window, BGM has created, in the parlance of industry annual reports, “a 21st-century multi-media platform” that can reasonably hope to lock up consumers and advertisers.

The BGM takeover of one of its biggest rivals may not turn out to be a chummy deal for Canadians, however. Wednesday's announcement came with the grim news that 281 CHUM jobs were to be “eliminated.” How will the TV channels survive with severely reduced staffs? One CHUM franchise, Ottawa’s A-Channel, simultaneously announced the implementation of “Overdrive Automation,” a system that would introduce wholesale robotic equipment to the newsroom. That’s great news for the currently unemployed C-3PO and R2-D2, but a bad omen for the journalism industry and TV viewers across the country.

In addition to an inevitable lowering of performance standards for existing CHUM affiliates, the emergence of a super-sized multi-media platform like BGM sucks all the air out of the tank of rivals who simply can’t compete with an automated conglomerate offering centrally generated programming. Some North American industry analysts believe that the money simply isn’t there for local TV anymore. Indeed, in the United States, where network affiliates experienced a nine per cent loss of revenues in 2005, stations in many cities, including Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Denver, have taken to running dating services and charging guests to appear on morning talk shows.

Here in Canada, there is the added danger of news and programming coming from increasingly monolithic content providers. When approving media mergers, the CRTC inevitably introduces “firewall” regulations to make sure businesses keep financial and editorial departments separate. Still, compromises are inevitable within media conglomerates.

If nothing else, their emergence makes a lie out of the adage that bigger is better. Just ask anyone old enough to remember when Winnipeg and Ottawa had two daily newspapers, with Winnipeggers enjoying equal access to the Winnipeg Free Press and Winnipeg Tribune, and Ottawa readers able to choose between the Ottawa Citizen and Ottawa Journal. Then, in 1980, in a widely controversial move that prompted the Kent Commission investigation into media monopolies, the Thomson and Southam news chains simultaneously closed down the Journal and Tribune, allowing the respective chains to feast on the profits of non-competitive markets: Southam took Ottawa, Thomson grabbed Winnipeg. The two businesses were bigger and more profitable as a result of the alleged trade, but both cities seemed somehow diminished. The papers became less vigorous in serving their communities.

Today, it is an accepted wisdom that the Globe and Mail became a better product after the arrival of a second national newspaper, the National Post. As in most businesses, competition is good for the consumer in the news and entertainment industries.

BGM’s acquisition of CHUM marks the disappearance of a major competitor in Canada’s shrinking media world. There could be more mergers in the near future. Allan Waters, the founder and chief of CHUM, died in December; the industry is rife with speculation that Canada’s aging, first-generation communication moguls — including J.R. Shaw of Shaw Communications in Calgary, and, in Central Canada, Ted Rogers of Rogers Communications and the Greenberg family of Astral Media — face similar estate pressures to put their radio and cable TV empires up for sale.

The manner in which CHUM gutted its operation to attract a buyer also represents a troubling sign for Canadian consumers. It seems apparent that truly local, commercial TV stations may be disappearing, with unique affiliates evolving into transfer points for content shaped elsewhere.

Extra Shrek Casting Announced

Chances are you already know the basic plot for Shrek The Third – King Harold (John Cleese) is ill and Shrek (Mike Myers) must quickly find and groom Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz)’s nephew Artie (Justin Timberlake) for ruling or he’ll have to take the thrown himself and will never be able to return to the easy swamp life.

Meanwhile, Rupert Everett’s Prince Charming takes advantage of Shrek, Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas)’ mission to try and take the kingdom of Far, Far Away by force. But he doesn’t count on Fiona gathering a crack team of princesses to fight him off.

Now the DreamWorks team have officially announced more voice talents. The princesses will be played by a group of comediennes, including Amy Sedaris as Cinderella, Amy Poehler as Snow White, Maya Rudolph as Rapunzel and Cheri Oteri as Sleeping Beauty. Artie’s party meanwhile, will include rising star John Krasinski (of US TV’s The Office) and Eric Idle as Merlin. Meanwhile, Shrek’s mission won’t be helped by Captain Hook, who will get his tonsils from Deadwood’s Ian McShane.

"Pirates" seek more treasure at box office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Two comedies with impressive pedigrees will open at the North American box office this weekend, but they won't come close to reigning champ "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."

With $183.6 million banked after six days, Johnny Depp's buccaneer sequel was just $8.4 million away from establishing a record for the best first week, beating the old mark of $192 million earned by "Spider-Man 2" in 2004. "Pirates" is likely to earn $60 million-$65 million over the weekend.

Of the rookies, Universal's "You, Me and Dupree" should do better than Sony's Wayans brothers effort "Little Man."

Starring Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson and Matt Dillon, "Dupree" offers a new take on the old tale of the impossible houseguest who will not leave. Directed by brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, the PG-13 movie is likely to bow in the high-teen to low-$20 million range.

"Little Man," directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and starring Marlon and Shawn Wayans, centers on an anxious father-to-be who mistakes an extremely short-statured, baby-faced criminal to be his newly adopted son.

The big question for the PG-13 film is whether it will expand beyond the Wayanses' core black audience. If it does, as their "White Chicks" did in 2004, "Man" could gross in the high-teen to low-$20 million like "Chicks" did in June 2004, when it opened to $19.6 million.

Sony also will sneak its upcoming animated film "Monster House" in 702 theaters this weekend. It will go wide July 21.

In limited release, Cyan Pictures will open the bawdy comedy "The Oh in Ohio" in Los Angeles, New York, Cleveland and San Francisco. The unrated film stars Parker Posey, Paul Rudd, Mischa Barton, Danny DeVito and Liza Minnelli.

First Independent Pictures will open two films this weekend. The R-rated "Mini's First Time," starring Alec Baldwin, Carrie-Anne Moss, Luke Wilson and Nikki Reed, will bow on seven screens. From first-time writer-director Nick Guthe, the black comedy centers on a young girl's attempts to get her mother declared insane.

Also from First Independent is the David Mamet-penned "Edmond" from director Stuart Gordon. Starring William H. Macy, Julia Stiles and Joe Mantegna, the R-rated film centers on a successful businessman who leaves his wife and family after a visit to a fortune teller.

"The Groomsmen," from distributor Bauer Martinez Entertainment, will bow on three screens in Los Angeles and New York. From writer-director Edward Burns, the R-rated film brings together an ensemble cast that includes Matthew Lillard, Jay Mohr and Brittany Murphy in another Burns riff on man's inability to grow up.

The Who Announce Seven Canadian Dates

Rock legends The Who have announced the first block of North American dates on their upcoming world tour, and it includes seven Canadian stops.

The trek is scheduled to begin on September 12 in Philadelphia and will, for now, end with a show at Toronto's Air Canada on December 4.

Other Canadian stops include Ottawa's Scotiabank Place on September 15, London's John Labatt Centre on September 30, Winnipeg's MTS Centre on October 3, Calgary's Pengrowth Saddledome on October 5, Edmonton's Rexall Place on October 6, and Vancouver's GM Place on October 8.

Additional North American shows in November and December are planned, and will be announced at a later date.

The Who are also scheduled to hit South America, Japan, Australia and Europe in 2007.

It marks the first time the band has launched a full-scale world tour in 20 years.

Tickets for the Canadian dates will go on sale on July 17 through all TicketMaster outlets.

The Who's new album, tentatively titled "Who 2," is scheduled to be released on October 23.

The Who's North American dates (so far):

Sept. 12 Philadelphia, PA Wachovia Centre
Sept. 13 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre
Sept. 15 Ottawa, ON Scotiabank Place
Sept. 16 Boston, MA TD Banknorth Garden
Sept. 18 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
Sept. 21 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
Sept. 25 Chicago, IL United Center
Sept. 29 Detroit, MI Palace of Auburn Hills
Sept. 30 London, ON John Labatt Center
Oct. 3 Winnipeg, MB MTS Centre
Oct. 5 Calgary, AB Pengrowth Saddledome
Oct. 6 Edmonton, AB Rexall Place
Oct. 8 Vancouver, BC GM Place
Oct. 10 Portland, OR Rose Garden
Oct. 11 Seattle, WA Key Arena
Nov. 5 Los Angeles, CA Hollywood Bowl
Dec. 4 Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre

Gandolfini knee surgery delays 'Sopranos'

PASADENA, Calif. - Fans of "The Sopranos" will have to wait a bit longer for the mob drama's final chapter.

Because of "unexpected" knee surgery for series star James Gandolfini, the concluding episodes that were expected to begin in January will be delayed about two months, HBO Chairman Chris Albrecht said.

The surgery alone would have pushed the season start back just a few weeks, but that would have put "The Sopranos" up against the football playoffs and the Super Bowl, Albrecht told a television critics' gathering Wednesday.

A specific air date for the Sunday-night series has yet to be determined but it's likely to be in early March 2007, he said.

A call to HBO about Gandolfini's surgery was not immediately returned Thursday. The actor, who plays mob boss Tony Soprano, was in a traffic accident in New York recently. A collision with a taxi knocked him off his scooter but he reportedly was able to walk away.

Albrecht joked Wednesday how much mayhem the last eight episodes from series creator David Chase could contain.

"I know you're all hoping that people die," he told the Television Critics Association, noting some have complained "that not enough people are dying and getting whacked in the show."

He promised the audience won't be disappointed in the conclusion.

"I know the story lines for the final eight, and I am absolutely positively certain that when the curtain comes down on `Sopranos,' the vast, vast, vast majority of people will say it's one of the great things of all time."

Viewers of the HBO series have been a patient lot. When "The Sopranos" returned last March, it was after a hiatus that was just three months shy of two years.

Albrecht denied that ratings fell for the just-concluded season, saying "the reverse is actually true."

"When you take into account the cumulative audience, not just from all the plays (repeat airings), but from HBO on Demand, there were more people watching last season than the season before," he said.

Albrecht also said that HBO will be offering debuts of its original series on HBO on Demand six days before they air on the HBO channel.

Elmo and friends to help military families

WASHINGTON - You know the deal: Your kid asks a question on a touchy subject. You squirm and dodge the issue.

With a little help from Elmo, Sesame Street is urging parents to level with their little ones — especially those in military families trying to deal with Mom or Dad's lengthy deployment overseas.

"Our goal is to really get military families with young children ... to talk about the different stages of deployment with their children, not only talk about it but prepare them for it," said Jeanette Betancourt, vice president of content design at Sesame Workshop, which produces Sesame Street.

Sesame Workshop has produced a DVD, in both English and Spanish, that will be distributed free to military families next month. CEO Gary Knell was to announce details Friday in Houston, joined by officials of Wal-Mart, which has committed $1.5 million to the project.

Karla Sketch, the family readiness coordinator at Fort Campbell, an Army base on the Kentucky-Tennessee line, says parents often request coloring books, pamphlets or any materials that will help them discuss a soldier's absence on a kid's level.

Many parents, she said, are afraid of saying the wrong thing and frightening their children. "Are they going to tell their kids too much? Are they going to tell them enough? Some parents are new to the military. They don't even understand it themselves," Sketch said.

The DVD shows Elmo and his parents preparing for Elmo's dad to be deployed, though it doesn't say where he's going.

The characters discuss their feelings, exchange keepsakes and review the reasons why Elmo can't go, too. They promise to think about one another often, and keep up their regular practice of saying goodnight to the moon.

"Elmo, you know, no matter where I am, I'll still be able to see the moon, just like you," his dad says.

The DVD also addresses the mixed feelings that sometimes come unexpectedly with reunions. Elmo describes feeling "excited in a funny way" on reunion day. He goes on to say his tummy is doing flip-flops.

Sketch says that kind of dialogue is critical and often overlooked.

"A lot of times, after a year, you have to get to know that person again. Reunion is a process you have to get through," she said. "It's going to be great the first day, but it is a process, and it's not just going to be back to business as usual as soon as that soldier comes home."

Some half a million children of active duty personnel are newborn to 5 years old, said Leslye Arsht, deputy undersecretary of defense for military community and family policy.

Arsht said Sesame Street accurately and sensitively depicts what their lives are like by using show characters like Elmo, Telly and Rosita interspersed with interviews with real-life families throughout the DVD.

Joanna Lopez and her family were among those featured in the interviews. Her husband, Ernesto, is an infantryman based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina who has been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Lopez, who has a 9-year-old and 5-year-old and is expecting her third child, predicted the DVD would be helpful to families like hers.

"Some parents don't know how to deal with children when there is a deployment," she said. "Other kids in school will say, 'My daddy is away killing bad guys.' This prepares the mom or dad to prepare the kids with better things to say."

Moses Rogers, a Navy reservist and father of two, also near Fort Bragg, was another participant in the program. He said being part of the DVD project made him think about deployments in a new light.

"I think the lesson that I got personally was, separating from your family is really hard, but if you communicate that is good," he said.

If he were to offer advice to other families now, Rogers said that he would say, "Talk to your children. Let them know what's going on. Let them know that you're going somewhere to help somebody."

Jessica Simpson Gets Personal

Nick is in. So is Adam. Joe for sure. Dane may take a little longer.

Jessica Simpson has announced plans personalize her new single, "A Public Affair," offering fans the chance to purchase customized versions of the track with their names inserted into the lyrics of the song.

All it takes for fans to be able to pretend that Simpson is really singing to them is a valid credit card number and an Internet connection--the single is available for purchase through JessicaSimpson.com or Yahoo! Music. Having a common name also helps: After submitting the credit card, buyers can comb through a list of 500 different monikers that can be inserted into the song.

Those with particularly "unique" names--or for those who simply want to try and slip a profanity through the system--recording (and vetting) could take between one and three weeks.

Which means Nick can download his copy immediately. Moxie-Crimefighter, on the other hand, may have to wait a bit.

What, exactly does the so-called Custom Cut include? Simpson's label, Epic Records, promises buyers will get three in-song shout-outs, with the name-checks inserted between verses. The track will be compatible with all portable music players.

The personalized song will be made available next Tuesday, the day before its star-studded music video debuts. Simpson's fifth solo album, A Public Affair, drops Aug. 29.

Perhaps Epic is hoping the gimmick will boost the profile of the single "A Public Affair," which has languished in the lower depths of the Billboard Top 40 since its release two weeks ago (it currently sits at 39, down a slot from the previous week). So far, the song has been making noise for the wrong reasons online, taking heat on blogs and in message boards for its purported resemblance Madonna's '80s-era smash "Holiday,"

In the meantime, Simpson is gearing up to host the 2006 Teen Choice Awards, airing Aug. 20 on Fox. Dane Cook, her costar in the upcoming Employee of the Month, confirmed to E! News that he will cohost the event.

Which will make for a potentially uncomfortable backstage moment.

Although they deny it, Simpson and Cook have been linked romantically in the tabloid press. Simpson's ex, Nick Lachey, along with his current paramour, MTV's Vanessa Minnillo,is also scheduled to attend.

In addition to hosting duties, Simpson has been nominated for Choice Movie Breakout Performance for The Dukes of Hazzard, Choice Red Carpet Fashion Icon and Choice Female Hottie.

Lachey, meanwhile, is up for Choice Male Hottie, Minnillo battles it out for Choice TV Personality and Cook will vie for Choice Comedian.

Comedian Red Buttons dies in L.A. at 87

LOS ANGELES - Red Buttons, the carrot-topped burlesque comedian who became a top star in early television and then in a dramatic role won the 1957 Oscar as supporting actor in "Sayonara," died Thursday. He was 87.

Buttons died of vascular disease at his home in the Century City area of Los Angeles, publicist Warren Cowan said. He had been ill for some time, and was with family members when he died, Cowan said.

With his eager manner and rapid-fire wit, Buttons excelled in every phase of show business, from the Borscht Belt of the 1930s to celebrity roasts in the 1990s.

His greatest achievement came with his "Sayonara" role as Sgt. Joe Kelly, the soldier in the post-World War II occupation forces in Japan whose romance with a Japanese woman (Myoshi Umeki, who also won an Academy Award) ends in tragedy.

Josh Logan, who directed the James Michener story that starred Marlon Brando, was at first hesitant to cast a well-known comedian in such a somber role.

"The tests were so extensive that they could just put scenery around them and release the footage as a feature film," Buttons remarked.

Buttons' Academy Award led to other films, both dramas and comedies. They included "Imitation General," "The Big Circus," "Hatari!" "The Longest Day," "Up From the Beach," "They Shoot Horses, Don't They?" "The Poseidon Adventure," "Gable and Lombard" and "Pete's Dragon."

A performer since his teens, Buttons was noticed by burlesque theater owners and he became the youngest comic on the circuit. He had graduated to small roles on Broadway before being drafted in 1943.

Along with dozens of other future stars, including Mario Lanza, John Forsythe, Karl Malden and Lee J. Cobb, Buttons was enlisted for "Winged Victory," the play that famed director-playwright Moss Hart created for the Air Force. Buttons also appeared in the 1944 film version, directed by George Cukor.

Discharged in 1946, Buttons returned to nightclub and theater work. In 1952, CBS signed him for a weekly show as the network's answer to NBC's Milton Berle.

"The Red Buttons Show" was first broadcast on CBS Oct. 14, 1952, without a sponsor since the star was virtually unknown. Within a month, the show became a solid hit and advertisers were clamoring.

Buttons drew on all his past experience for monologues, songs, dances and sketches featuring such characters as a punch-drunk fighter, a scrappy street kid, a Sad Sack GI and a blundering German. The hit of the show was a silly song in which he pranced about the stage singing, "Ho! Ho!... He! He!... Ha! Ha!... Strange things are happening!" It became a national craze.

After a sensational first season, "The Red Buttons Show" began to slide. Reports circulated that the star had fits of temper and frequently fired writers, and the show ended after three seasons.

"Certainly I made mistakes, and mistakes were made for me," he said in 1960. "When you go into TV cold, as I did, it's murder."

While the failure was a severe blow to the normally optimistic comedian, he soon recovered and resumed his career as a guest star on TV shows. A straight role on "Suspense" brought him to the attention of Logan, who cast him for the career-making "Sayonara."

In 1966, Buttons starred in another series, "The Double Life of Henry Phyfe," as a humble accountant enlisted as a government spy. The show lasted only six months.

Over the years Buttons remained a steady performer on television, appearing on such series as "Knots Landing," "Roseanne" and "ER." He also took his act on the road, appearing at Las Vegas, Atlantic City, conventions, and returning to his beginnings in the Catskills.

Still in good health at 76 ("They call me the only Yiddish leprechaun"), he appeared in New York in 1995 with an autobiographical one-man show, "Buttons on Broadway."

It was his first Broadway show since 1948, when he appeared in a play with the unfortunate title of "Hold It." One critic, Buttons recalled, began his review: "`Hold It?' Fold it."

Buttons was born Aaron Chwatt on Feb. 15, 1919, son of an immigrant milliner, in a tough Manhattan neighborhood where, he once said, "you either grew up to be a judge or you went to the electric chair."

He struggled through schools in Manhattan and the Bronx — "Mom and Pop went to school as often as I did; they should have graduated with me." He started performing at the age of 12, winning an amateur contest singing "Sweet Jenny Brown" in a sailor's suit.

At 16 he was working as a singer and bellhop in a gin mill on New York's City Island. Since all bellhops were called Buttons and Chwatt had red hair, he got his new name.

During his summer vacation, he worked as a singer on the Borscht Circuit — the string of Catskills resorts catering to a largely Jewish clientele where Danny Kaye, Sid Caesar, Mel Brooks, Hart and others trained for stardom.

In later years, Buttons became a favorite at testimonial/roast dinners with his roaringly funny "Never had a dinner" routine. He cited famous figures who had never been so honored. Examples: "Abe Lincoln, who said `A house divided is a condominium,' never had a dinner"; "(Perennial presidential candidate) Jerry Brown, whose theme song is `California, Here I Go,' never had a dinner." (When he did "Buttons on Broadway," he altered the routine and named people who never did one-man shows.)

In 1982, Red Buttons finally had a dinner. The Friars Club honored him with a star-filled roast and a life-achievement award.

"When I was a kid in the Bronx and watching and dreaming from the second balcony," the guest of honor said, "in my wildest imagination I couldn't have written this scenario tonight."

Buttons was married and divorced twice in his early career. He is survived by his third wife, Alicia, their children, Amy and Adam, and a sister.

Sony BMG deal could be undone; EMI-Warner in doubt

LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A European court annulled the European Union's approval of a 2004 merger between Sony Music and BMG in a surprise decision that could force a break-up of the world's second-biggest music company.

The unprecedented ruling by the European Court of First Instance on Thursday, upholding a challenge to the deal from independent record labels, also cast doubt on the viability of combining EMI Group and Warner Music, which are engaged in a duel to buy each other.

Warner's shares tumbled 15.2 percent to $25.24 on the New York Stock Exchange while EMI's closed down 9.2 percent at 277 3/4 pence in London.

The European Commission said it would have to re-examine the union of Sony and BMG, a 50-50 joint venture between Japanese electronics giant Sony Corp. and German media group Bertelsmann AG. It can also appeal against the ruling.

The decision means Sony Music and BMG, respective home to such artists as Bruce Springsteen and Kelly Clarkson, have seven days to submit the merger plan anew to the EC, which also would have to consider new industry conditions, including the rapidly growing market for online and mobile phone downloads.

The Commission would then have a month to decide whether to approve it, consider remedies or open a four-month in-depth probe, which could lead to a rejection of the deal.

"If we were to give a red light, then the joint venture would have to be reversed," Commission spokesman Jonathan Todd said during a regular briefing with reporters.

Sony and Bertelsmann said they would review the ruling.

Europe's second-highest court, overturning an EU-approved merger for the first time, said too cursory an examination was conducted into whether there was already collective market dominance in the music industry and whether that dominance might grow following the Sony BMG deal.

DEAL CHANCES PLUMMET

EMI and Warner, the world's third- and fourth-largest music companies, respectively, have each offered about $4.6 billion to buy the other, with both bids rejected.

Warner has offered 320 pence a share for EMI, and EMI $31 for each of Warner's shares.

Two people close to the deal, who asked not to be named, told Reuters that talks between the two companies were likely to be suspended because of the ruling.

"It seems to pile on regulatory risk for EMI and Warner, especially at a time when there was an increasing number of people that would have been backing the inevitability of this deal," Credit Suisse analyst Simon Baker said.

London-based EMI told shareholders at its annual meeting on Thursday it still believed buying Warner for $31 a share would be good for them, and that it was studying the court decision.

"I said we would not have made the proposal if we felt we could not receive regulatory approval," EMI Chairman Eric Nicoli said. "There is no reason at this stage to change that view."

Warner also said it was reviewing the decision.

The case against the creation of Sony BMG was brought by Impala, the umbrella trade group for 2,500 independent labels, which claimed that reducing the industry from five major players to four put too much market power in too few hands.

The EU approved the deal believing there was no monopoly among industry goliaths because of a lack of public fighting among them and the diversity of music available to consumers.

"The elements on which that argument was founded were incomplete and did not include all the relevant data that ought to have been taken into account by the Commission," the court said. "They were therefore not capable of supporting the conclusions drawn from them."

A third source close to the deal said the ruling may not be as bad a setback as it looks, and the EU could still clear the Sony BMG deal as well as pave the way for EMI and Warner.

"A merger between any of the players is possible as long as the Commission doesn't make mistakes in its analysis," the source said.

Along with Vivendi's Universal Music, the world's largest music company, Sony BMG, EMI and Warner account for about three of every four CDs sold globally.

The indies say they would accept a Sony BMG merger only if it included conditions that ensured a level playing field for radio advertising, manufacturing, distribution and other costs.

"The EC had the courage to scrutinize and correct its mistakes," said Hein van der Ree, Impala's vice president and the managing director of Epitaph Europe.

"This locks the door for an EMI/Warner merger, thankfully," he added, "and keeps the doors of market access open for the little guy."

Cash Earns First No. 1 Album Since 1969

Even in death, Johnny Cash is still mighty enough to top The Billboard 200. "American V: A Hundred Highways" earns the Man in Black his first No. 1 album since 1969's "Johnny Cash at San Quentin" with 88,000 copies sold in the United States, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

The American Recordings/Lost Highway effort also crowns the Top Country Albums tally, knocking the Dixie Chicks' "Taking the Long Way" (Columbia) to No. 2 after seven weeks on top.

Though the top debut is a great posthumous achievement, the Rick Rubin-produced "American V" sold the fewest copies of a No. 1 debut since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991. The previous low for a No. 1 debut belonged to Destiny's Child's "#1's" in 2005, which started with 113,000.

Nelly Furtado's "Loose" (Mosley Music/Geffen) climbs 3-2 on The Billboard 200 with 81,000 copies, despite a 18% slip in sales. After scoring her first No. 1 last week, India.Arie's Universal Motown release "Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship" falls to No. 3 with 69,000 copies after a 57% sales hit. The Chicks' "Taking the Long Way" holds tight at No. 4 with 57,000 (-27%).

Gnarls Barkley's "St. Elsewhere" (Downtown/Atlantic) continues a gradual ascent to a new peak position, moving 6-5, with 56,000 (-6%). Switching places with the effort is Rihanna's SRP/Def Jam album "A Girl Like Me," shifting 5-6 with an 11% sales slip to 55,000. Rascal Flatts' Lyric Street album "Me and My Gang" sells just a small percentage fewer, keeping the No. 7 spot warm (55,000; 6%).

The soundtrack to Disney's "High School Musical" continues to sell strongly in its 26th week on the chart, moving down 8-9 with 52,000 (-10%). Dashboard Confessional's "Dusk and Summer" (Vagrant) falls to No. 9 after debuting at No. 2 last week, with 50,000 units and a 63% sales dropoff.

Rise Against lands its best sales week and chart position ever with the Geffen album "The Sufferer & the Witness," which debuts at No. 10 with 48,000. The group's last release, "Siren Song of the Counter Culture," debuted and peaked at No. 136 in 2004.

In a slow week for new releases during the July 4 holiday, only two other albums debuted in the top 200: the soundtrack to Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" at No. 24 (30,000) and the Diana Reyes hits collection "Las No. 1 De La Reyes" (No. 143, 6,000).

At 9 million units, overall CD sales were down 6% from the previous week and down a whopping 15% compared to the same week a year ago. Sales for 2006 are down 5% compared to 2005 at 179.6 million units.

CTV owner to buy CHUM for $1.7B

TORONTO (CP) - Canada's broadcasting industry is set to undergo a seismic shift, with the owner of CTV Inc. preparing to buy CHUM Ltd. in a $1.7-billion deal that has the potential to reshape the country's media landscape.

The friendly takeover offer was announced Wednesday by Bell Globemedia, which in addition to the main CTV network also owns The Globe and Mail newspaper, local conventional television stations and national specialty TV channels.

The bid coincided with the release of CHUM's latest financial results and announcement of plans to cut 281 positions at TV stations across the country - part of an efficiency drive company management has been working on for months.

Critics of media concentration were quick to lament the loss of so many jobs and the impact the takeover would have on the diversity of news and information sources in Canada.

But Bell Globemedia president and chief executive, Ivan Fecan, said in an interview that news operations at CTV and CHUM will remain independent.

"We'll have two separate news organizations, one at CTV and one in Citytv, and they won't report to each other in any way," Fecan said. "I don't think there's any upside in having them being the same. You actually want them to be different because they have different approaches.

"As well, we're going to do everything we can to maintain the energy and irreverence of the Citytv brand."

But the repercussions of the buyout could represent another blow to local journalism, which has been eroded over the past decade by private-sector mergers in print and broadcasting and cuts to the CBC.

"It seems to me that no matter how you look at it, it's going to mean that there will be fewer journalists involved in television coverage at the local level in many of our major cities, and it's started already," said Peter Desbarats, former dean of the journalism program at the University of Western Ontario.

"That's a serious development because it comes on top of a real deterioration of the daily newspaper in many of those same cities."

A combination of CHUM with Bell Globemedia would face the scrutiny of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission.

Fecan also suggested that the another media company could buy some of the CHUM A-channel and Access television stations that Bell Globemedia plans to sell and use them to create a third private-sector national network in addition to CTV and CanWest's Global Television.

"Because that will give a new player three big markets - Ontario, Vancouver-Victoria and Alberta. So I think there's a real opportunity for a new player to join into that was well as we divest those stations."

Although Fecan said it's too soon to identify a potential buyer, he noted that Montreal-based Quebecor Inc. and Toronto-based Rogers Communications already have major print and broadcast assets in some parts of the country.

Union leader Peter Murdoch warned, however, that the layoffs announced Wednesday by CHUM hit the parts of its operations that cover hard news, such as local politics and crime.

"It's that kind of hard news which tends to be more challenging to administration and to the interests of the public than what your local hockey hero has done," Murdoch said.

Murdoch, a vice-president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers union which has 2,000 members at Bell Globemedia and CHUM operations, said the proposed takeover should be stopped in the public interest.

He laughed when told of Fecan's suggestion that a third national TV network could emerge, saying: "We had another national network that was building and that was CHUM. I don't understand that logic. But I think it's going to be a serious question for both the regulator and for government."

The federal Liberal consumer affairs critic agreed.

"The absolute breadth of the dominance of this takeover would mean that there are very few players left, short of ones that fall under CBC-type establishments - CanWest would be the only effective rival," said Dan McTeague.

"Based on what is already a staggering level of concentration in old and new media in Canada to begin with. . . I think this particular proposal does little to give any measure of comfort to those of us who are already alarmed at the level of concentration in media in Canada."

Jay Switzer, CHUM's chief executive officer, told analysts in a conference call that joining Bell Globemedia will provide financial strength in "what is a rapidly changing media landscape."

Switzer said the job cuts are part of an initiative CHUM has been working on for months as it redeploys its resources "to areas where we can win."

Although CHUM remained profitable in its most recent quarter, albeit slightly less so than a year ago, the company maintains it faces tough market conditions for the later part of this year and in the longer term.

CHUM will increase local programming in certain areas, such as its Breakfast Television morning shows across the country, while reducing overhead in other parts of its news and information operations.

"We believe it's absolutely the right thing to do in terms of putting our resources where we can make a difference locally and it's where our advantage historically has been," Switzer said.

CHUM said it plans to cut 191 full-time and 90 part-time positions across the country as it undergoes a complete reorganization of its TV operations to "increase focus on service to local viewers."

The moves include switching Citytv stations in Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg from one-hour evening newscasts to a daily half-hour local news magazine show.

In addition, a morning show at a CHUM-owned A-channel station in Victoria will be discontinued. Citytv Vancouver will cease its traditional newscasts and add resources to Breakfast Television.

Before trading was halted on the Toronto Stock Exchange ahead of the announcement, CHUM had a market valuation of $904.3 million, with the non-voting shares worth $31.25 each and the voting stock at $35.

Bell Globemedia, currently majority owned by BCE Inc., is offering a premium of about 50 per cent above the pre-announcement market prices for the shares.

Apart from the conventional television stations, there is little direct overlap in the two companies' holdings.

CHUM owns 33 radio stations and 12 local television stations headed by the Citytv channels in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. It also has 21 specialty TV channels including MuchMusic, Space and Bravo, and runs the Muzak background-music operation in Canada.

Bell Globemedia is 68.5 per cent owned by BCE, parent company of Bell Canada, with the remainder held by the Thomson family's Woodbridge private holding company.

BCE said in December it would sell 8.5 per cent to Woodbridge, raising the Thomson ownership to 40 per cent, 20 per cent to Torstar Corp. and 20 per cent to the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, with BCE retaining 20 per cent. This ownership shift awaits regulatory approval.

Under the deal, CHUM can accept a superior proposal if Bell Globemedia declines to match the offer, subject to break fee of $41 million.

Springsteen Heads To Europe, Expands New Album

Bruce Springsteen will bring his Seeger Sessions band with to Europe for a fall tour in support of their Columbia album "We Shall Overcome." At deadline, the trek is due to begin Oct. 1 in Bologna, Italy, and run through Nov. 21 in Belfast, Ireland.

Springsteen and company just completed an 18-show North American tour. Ten dates reported to Billboard Boxscore grossed $6.5 million and played to nearly 92,000 fans.

On the last three shos, a new song, "American Land," began appearing in the set list as the opener. Although details have yet to be announced, an expanded edition of "We Shall Overcome," subtitled "American Land," is due Sept. 5 via Columbia. Springsteen told CNN last month that the new version would include "Bring 'Em Home," which was a constant during the tour's encore.

In related news, Springsteen guests on three songs from longtime cohort Joe Grushecky's new album, "A Good Life," due Aug. 15. Among them is "Code of Silence," a Grushecky/Springsteen co-write that was first performed live during the E Street Band's 2000 tour.

Here are Bruce Springsteen's European tour dates:

Oct. 1: Bologna, Italy (Palamalaguti)
Oct. 2: Torino, Italy (Palaisozaki)
Oct. 4: Udine, Italy (Villa Manin)
Oct. 5: Verona, Italy (Arena)
Oct. 7: Perugia, Italy (Arena Santa Giuliana)
Oct. 8: Caserta, Italy (Giardini della Reggia)
Oct. 10: Rome (Palalottomatica)
Oct. 12: Hamburg (Color Line Arena)
Oct. 13: Rotterdam, Holland (Ahoy)
Oct. 19: Madrid (Plaza de toros Las Ventas)
Oct. 21: Valencia, Spain (Estadi Ciutat de Valencia)
Oct. 22: Granada, Spain (Plaza de Toros)
Oct. 24: Barcelona (Palau Sant Jordi)
Oct. 25: Santander, Spain (Palacia de Deportes)
Oct. 28: Copenhagen (Parken)
Oct. 29: Oslo (Spektrum)
Oct. 30: Stockholm (Globe Arena)
Nov. 5: Cologne, Germany (Kolnarena)
Nov. 7: Antwerp (Sportpaleis)
Nov. 17-19: Dublin (the Point)
Nov. 21: Belfast (Odyssey)

Hello, 'Angels'! Producers' 'wings crossed' for special

ABC wants to reopen the doors of Townsend Investigations and bring TV's Charlie's Angels out of retirement for a 30th anniversary retrospective special that would air during November sweeps.

Henry Winkler, of Fonzie fame, and his producing partner, Michael Levitt, who have gathered the casts of Happy Days, Dallas, Knots Landing and Dynasty for recent reunion specials, are wooing the original Angels: Farrah Fawcett (Jill Munroe), Jaclyn Smith (Kelly Garrett) and Kate Jackson (Sabrina Duncan).

ABC spokeswoman Hope Hartman says the network "is thrilled about the project and hopes Michael and Henry can pull all the pieces together."

Though producers have been in touch with Fawcett, 59, the actress has yet to commit, says her lawyer. Tom Burke, who is the agent for Smith, 60, says, "Jaclyn cares about the project and, assuming all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed, would be happy to participate."

Producers are waiting to hear from the third Angel, Jackson, 57, who left the series after three seasons. "We're keeping our Angel wings crossed. We would love nothing more than to celebrate her monumental contribution to this show," Levitt says.

Jackson's manager, Brian Pinella, says the actress, who is a breast cancer survivor, is "in good health and continues to work." But, he adds, "Kate has some issues about (the project)."

Producer Levitt says John Forsythe, 88, has agreed to voice never-seen agency owner Charlie Townsend, as he did through the series' 1976-81 run.

Cheryl Ladd, who turns 55 today, has accepted an invitation to appear. Her publicist, Jay D. Schwartz, says, "Cheryl's looking forward to having a blast." Ladd joined the show as Jill Munroe's kid sister, Kris, when Fawcett left in 1977. David Doyle, who played Bosley, died in 1997.

Axe To Fall at Disney

Despite the back-to-back success of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Cars, the Walt Disney Co. plans to announce within the next 10 days that it will slash the number of films it makes to eight per year from the current 18 and reduce its workforce accordingly, Daily Variety reported today (Wednesday). The trade publication also observed that in the future, all films will bear the Disney brand. Variety indicated that despite the recent successes of Pirates and Cars, they may not have offset some of the studio's "major misfires" this year, including Stick It, Annapolis, Stay Alive, and The Wild.

Bob Seger releases single on iTunes

DETROIT - Bob Seger's newest single is now available on Apple Computer Inc.'s iTunes Music Store, ending his long holdout from the world of digital music downloads.

"Wait For Me," Seger's first single off his upcoming album "Face The Promise," debuted Tuesday on the popular online service.

Seger's manager, Ed "Punch" Andrews, said Wednesday that he is working with Capitol Records on a licensing agreement to release more of Seger's catalog online.

Andrews said they've long avoided iTunes and the singles market because they believe Seger's songs are meant to be listened to as part of complete albums.

Other holdouts include the Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Metallica and Radiohead. The Red Hot Chili Peppers finally said they would release their catalog to iTunes in March.

Seger's first studio album in 11 years is due in stores Sept. 12.

The Detroit native has sold nearly 50 million albums in his career. The classic rocker is known for his hits "Night Moves," "Old Time Rock and Roll" and "Like a Rock," among others. He won a Grammy in 1980 for "Against the Wind" and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

Airwaves Again Safe for "South Park" Scientology Spoof

Comedy Central is finally respecting Cartman's authoritay.

One week after South Park's controversial "Trapped in the Closet" episode garnered an Emmy nomination, and nearly four months after it was abruptly pulled from rotation on the cable net, Comedy Central has finally acquiesced and will allow the Scientology-skewering episode back on the air.

And clearly not a moment too soon.

"If they hadn't put this episode back on the air, we'd have had serious issues, and we wouldn't be doing anything else with them," cocreator Matt Stone tells Variety.

The episode reportedly ruffled some high-powered feathers upon its first airing. In addition to an accurate, if cartoon-depicted, primer on Scientology, the show featured a literally closeted Tom Cruise who refuses to come out, only to be joined in his hiding by fellow Scientologist John Travolta and R&B man R. Kelly, whose operatic ballad provided the show's title.

While Comedy Central failed to publicly disclose its reasons for yanking the program (which is also credited for leading Scientologist Isaac Hayes to jump ship as the longtime voice of Chef), creators Stone and Trey Parker didn't shy away from broadcasting what they claimed was the network-sanctioned reason.

As the conspiracy theory goes, the Cruise's camp had a hand in deep-sixing the episode, with the litigious actor reportedly threatening threatened to pull out of promotional duties for Mission: Impossible III. (Viacom is the parent company for both Comedy Central and Paramount, the studio that was releasing Cruise's film.)

Cruise's reps vehemently denied such allegations, but the South Park brain trust stuck by its guns.

"I only know what we were told, that people involved with M:I:III wanted the episode off the air and that is why Comedy Central had to do it," Stone says in Variety. "I don't know why else it would have been pulled."

Now, Cruise's saturation-level publicity tour is over (and proved fairly ineffective, with the sequel grossing a disappointing $133 million domestically) and he is apparently in hiding with his new baby.

As it is, Comedy Central's decision to reintroduce the episode to its rerun schedule seems as arbitrary an action as yanking it in the first place. But the move is putting the network back into the good graces of Stone and Parker, who have said that their relationship with the network has been tenuous since the spring.

"It's true we are not as big as Tom Cruise, but we've done two movies for Viacom and 10 years of South Park episodes, and this has been our home," Stone tells Variety.

Stone explains that the episode's removal was nearly the final straw for the duo, who had been censored by the network on three separate occasions.

"We've been through a trifecta of annoyances," Stone says. "The 'Bloody Mary' episode angered Catholics. And we had a big fight when we wanted to show Muhammad."

Last year, the network declined to rerun the "Bloody Mary" episode after the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights attacked Parker and Stone and protested the program that featured a menstruating statue of the Virgin Mary.

In April, Comedy Central intervened on another episode before another religious group could take umbrage.

"Cartoon Wars," an episode dealing with the worldwide violence ensuing from a Danish newspaper's publication of cartoons depicting the Islamic prophet, was broadcast with a title card reading "Comedy Central has refused to broadcast an image of Mohammed on their network."

At the time, the network defended the decision to censor the show to ward off the possibility of violent reactions.

"The mantra has always been everything is fair game," Stone tells Variety. "I love [network president] Doug Herzog, but I think he's dead wrong and made a totally cowardly decision."

South Park's "Trapped in the Closet" returns to Comedy Central's airwaves July 19.

Young lifts AL over NL in All-Star game

PITTSBURGH - The All-Star game was all set up for the National League this time. Trevor Hoffman on the mound, one strike to go, fans on their feet at Pittsburgh's enchanting ballpark. But no matter the setting or the season, the Nationals can't find a way to close out the AL.

Down to a final strike, Michael Young hit a two-run triple off Hoffman for a 3-2 victory Tuesday night that kept the Americans unbeaten for the past decade.

"You're never going to forget these things on this kind of stage," said Hoffman, who has 460 saves. "You feel like you let a lot of people down."

Young took home the MVP award — and the AL won home-field advantage in the World Series for the fourth straight year.

"Nobody wants to make the last out of anything, whether it's a regular season, World Series or an All-Star game," said Troy Glaus, whose double set the stage for Young.

Behind David Wright's homer and some daring, old-style baserunning, the NL took a 2-1 lead into the ninth.

Houston manager Phil Garner went to Hoffman, who is closing in on Lee Smith's career saves record (478) and has converted 24 of 25 chances this season.

After getting two soft comebackers, Hoffman gave up a single to Paul Konerko, who was replaced by pinch-runner Jose Lopez.

Then the NL nearly caught a break — it hasn't had many since its last victory in Philadelphia in 1996.

Glaus' smash bounded over the left-field fence for a ground-rule double, perhaps preventing Lopez from scoring. He was held at third, until Young made that moot.

The Rangers' underrated shortstop lined an 0-2 pitch into right-center and slid into third with what was probably the biggest All-Star game hit since Texas teammate Hank Blalock's go-ahead homer off a normally dominant Eric Gagne in the eighth inning in 2003.

"I'm not going to lie. This is a pretty big highlight in my career," Young said. "No one's really giving huge rallying calls to getting home-field advantage in the World Series, but we're all aware of how important this game is."

Mariano Rivera worked around Lopez's error at third base for the save, retiring Milwaukee slugger Carlos Lee on a popup with a runner on second to make the AL 9-0-1 in the Midsummer Classic over the past 10 years.

The NL's best result was a tie in 2002 in Milwaukee.

Call it a decade of dominance for the American League, which got an early homer from Vladimir Guerrero.

In fact, the AL has owned the NL year round lately, sweeping the last two World Series and winning a whopping 61 percent of interleague games this season.

"I wouldn't necessarily say domination. We got the breaks tonight," Derek Jeter said. "It's one of those things right now. We're on a roll. The NL was on a roll a few years back."

Once the AL was ahead, manager Ozzie Guillen brought in ol' reliable for the New York Yankees. Rivera's third All-Star save tied him with Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley for the career mark since the stat became official in 1969.

"I was honored. We have a lot of great guys and he chose me, the old one," Rivera said.

Toronto lefty B.J. Ryan got the win with a hitless eighth.

An exhibition played with a crisp, competitive feel, the game was halted before the fifth inning for a ceremony at home plate for a tribute to the late Pirates great Roberto Clemente.

Bud Selig presented the commissioner's historic achievement award to Clemente's widow, Vera, who was escorted to the podium by Pirates Hall of Famer Bill Mazeroski.

Guillen, wearing a Clemente T-shirt under his gray Chicago White Sox road jersey, appeared to wipe tears from his eyes, and highlights of Clemente's stellar career were shown on the video board high above left field.

The Hall of Fame right fielder was killed in a plane crash while delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua on New Year's Eve 1972.

"Roberto was a hero in every sense of the term," Selig said.

With several National Leaguers admittedly tired of losing, they certainly came out to play.

Garner smartly worked his pitcher-batter matchups — as he said he would — and the NL employed a drastic overshift against Boston slugger David Ortiz.

The AL's 41-year-old starting pitcher, Kenny Rogers of Detroit, made a hard dive for Chase Utley's infield single in the second.

NL starter Brad Penny of the Los Angeles Dodgers said Monday his nerves would be "flowing," and maybe that helped him at the outset.

Popping the mitt of Mets catcher Paul Lo Duca — the two were traded for each other nearly two years ago — Penny struck out Ichiro Suzuki, Jeter and Ortiz in succession with a series of 98 mph fastballs.

The only other pitcher to start an All-Star game with three straight Ks was Boston's Pedro Martinez at Fenway Park in 1999, when he set down former MVPs Barry Larkin, Larry Walker and Sammy Sosa.

Guerrero hit his first All-Star homer in the second off Penny, over the short porch in right field. Wright, who hit 16 homers in the first round of the Home Run Derby before losing to Philadelphia's Ryan Howard in the finals Monday night, connected in the bottom half against Rogers.

"I got a lot of practice last night," Wright said.

Alfonso Soriano and Carlos Beltran each stole a base in the third against strong-armed catcher Ivan Rodriguez, an 11-time Gold Glove winner and 13-time All-Star.

Soriano was on second when Beltran singled, but Toronto's Gold Glove center fielder, Vernon Wells, cut down the speedy Soriano with a perfect throw to the plate.

Beltran reached second on the throw and stole third with two outs — with Albert Pujols at the plate. The Mets' center fielder then scored on a wild pitch by Roy Halladay that glanced off Rodriguez, giving the NL its first lead since that eighth inning in 2003.

"I was prepared to close the game out. I prepared like it was a regular-season game, and came out and threw strikes, but sometimes it happens," Hoffman said.

Notes:@ Some players and umpires wore yellow wristbands with the initials RCW for Roberto Clemente Walker. Even pitchers were allowed to wear them, on their glove hands. Young's special wristband is headed to the Hall of Fame. ... The NL lost for the first time in five All-Star games in Pittsburgh. ... Wright became the 13th player to homer in his first All-Star game at-bat. ... Beltran played all nine innings, the first All-Star to do it since Ken Griffey Jr. and Ray Lankford in 1997. ... At 2:33, this was the fastest All-Star game since it took 2:26 in 1988. ... A third baseman for most of his career, Glaus shifted to first base for the ninth inning. He's never played the position in a regular-season game. "That made me nervous," he said.

Pink Floyd's Syd Barrett dead at 60

LONDON (AP) - Syd Barrett, the troubled genius who co-founded Pink Floyd but spent his last years in reclusive anonymity, has died, a spokeswoman for the band said Tuesday. He was 60.

The spokeswoman - who declined to give her name until the band made an official announcement - said Barrett died several days ago. She did not disclose the cause of death. Barrett had suffered from diabetes for many years.

Barrett co-founded Pink Floyd in 1965 and wrote many of the band's early songs. The group's jazz-infused rock made them darlings of the London psychedelic scene, and the 1967 album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn - largely written by Barrett, who also played guitar - was a commercial and critical hit.

However, Barrett suffered from mental instability, exacerbated by his use of LSD. His behaviour grew increasingly erratic, and he left the group in 1968, replaced by David Gilmour.

Barrett released two solo albums - The Madcap Laughs and Barrett - but soon withdrew from the music business altogether.

He spent much of the rest of his life living quietly in his hometown of Cambridge, England, where he was a familiar figure, often seen cycling or walking to the corner store.

Despite his brief career, Barrett's fragile, wistful songs influenced many musicians, from David Bowie - who covered the Barrett track See Emily Play - to the other members of Pink Floyd, who recorded the album Wish You Were Here as a tribute to their troubled bandmate.

The band spokeswoman said a small, private funeral would be held.

The Couch Potato Report - July 11th, 2006

This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on a matador, a rolling stone and a saboteur.

In 1995 Pierce Brosnan made his debut as superspy James Bond in GOLDENEYE.

But last year, like Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton before him, Brosnan’s time in Her Majesty’s Secret Service came to an end.

In the superb film THE MATADOR Pierce Brosnan leaves James Bond behind playing a globetrotting hitman, or “fatality facilitator” as he calls himself, who meets a businessman in a hotel bar in Mexico City.

Greg Kinnear from AS GOOD AS IT GETS plays Danny, the businessman, and the chemistry he and Brosnan have is fun to watch as the two men become friends, for reasons neither expected.

When the “fatality facilitator” loses his ability to successfully facilitate, he goes to his new friend for help.

Unlike his work as Bond, or in the TV series REMINGTON STEELE, Brosnan is having a great time in this film and I really enjoyed his enthusiasm.

The way he says and does some of the things he is asked to do, like paint his toenails and walk through a hotel lobby in less than flattering attire on his way to the pool, are a pure joy to watch.

THE MATADOR is a black comedy and if the lead actor wasn’t enjoying himself it could easily have come across as boring. But Brosnan gives the role everything he has, and the result is both enjoyable as a film on it’s own, and as a bit of a comedic farewell by the man towards his former profession as James Bond.

I completely enjoyed THE MATADOR. It is one of my favourite films so far this year.

The last film that Pierce Brosnan made as James Bond was 2002’s DIE ANOTHER DAY. That film was written by Neal Purvis and Robert Wade.

They are also the screenwriters for the film STONED.

STONED is a chronicle of the sordid life and suspicious death of Rolling Stones co-founder Brian Jones, who was found in the bottom of his swimming pool just weeks after being kicked out of the band.

If you don’t know who Brian Jones was, you are not alone. Other than what I just mentioned - that he was a co-founder of the Stones, was kicked out of the band, and died in his swimming pool - I don’t know much about Brian Jones either.

And I still don’t know much, even after watching STONED.

Yes, Leo Gregory, the actor who played Jones was believable in the role and he sure looked the part.

But other than the Stones themselves, and a woman named Anita - who I only know because she is the mother of some of Keith Richards’ kids - I had no idea who the other people are in the film.

Since STONED doesn’t bother to take enough time to introduce them to me, I wasn't emotionally invested to any of them.

And unless you know everything about the early days of The Rolling Stones, you probably won't know who they are either.

I was hoping STONED would allow me to get to know a forgotten musical legend who lived hard, died young, and left a good looking corpse.

While STONED does offer a few answers, it doesn’t offer enough of them and in the end I was very unsatisfied.

Now the search is on for a book that offers the ultimate Brian Jones biography because I sure didn’t get that from the film STONED.

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 I have been speaking about them one at a time.

This week the Hitchcock film I have for you is SABOTEUR from 1942.

When sabotage destroys part of an aircraft plant, plant worker Barry Kane is falsely blamed for the crime.

Determined to clear his name, he sets out to track down the man he believes to be the actual saboteur, the mysterious Mr. Fry.

He chases Fry from Los Angeles, across the western deserts, to New York, where the two men confront each other on top of the Statue of Liberty.

SABOTEUR isn’t a classic or great film, and the characters don’t seem to have much depth to them - they are either good or evil - but it does possess enough Hitchcock suspense to recommend at least one viewing.

And that isn’t true about every film you see.

Especially STONED, which is now available on DVD along with Alfred Hitchcock’s SABOTEUR and the superb THE MATADOR starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

Sharon Stone is back in BASIC INSTINCT 2, but director Paul Verhoeven, writer Joe Esterhaus and co-star Michael Douglas stayed away from this box-office flop.

Bruce Campbell stars in the short-lived TV show JACK OF ALL TRADES

And I’ll also continue our tribute to ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S FILMS with the "Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece" TOPAZ.

And I will finally tell you about SEASON ONE of the TV show WEEDS.

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!

Moore Offers 'Sicko' Update

Shooting is three-fourths complete on health care doc

In the immediate aftermath of his "Fahrenheit 9/11" success, Michael Moore announced that his next film was going to be a health care crisis documentary titled "Sicko," but when will the project be in theaters?

On Friday, Moore posted an open letter on his website and sent a message to fans on his e-mail list offering an update.

Apparently, Moore and his team have now shot around 75 percent of the footage for "Sicko," with the final fourth and then editing still to come. The plan is still to have Weinstein Co. releasing the documentary sometime in 2007.

'Fahrenheit 9/11' Showcard

Moore has gotten some help from his friends on "Sicko," which he describes as "a comedy about 45 million people with no health care in the richest country on earth."

"Back in February, I asked if people would send me letters describing their experiences with our health care system. I received over 19,000 of them," Moore writes. "It was truly overwhelming as we literally took a month and read them all. To read about the misery people are put through on a daily basis by our profit-based system was both moving and revolting. That's all I will say right now."

The filmmaker hinted that the shape and themes of "Sicko" were changing as shooting progressed, but he opted not to elaborate.

"Fahrenheit 9/11" made just under $120 million at the US box office, making it the most successful documentary of all-time.

'Spider-Man's' Gwen Stacy Breaks the Silence

Howard discusses her superhero experience

For Bryce Dallas Howard, following work on "Lady in the Water" with a supporting turn in "Spider-Man 3" was as different as [M.] Night [Shyamalan] and day.

After a brief stint as a blonde for her role as Gwen Stacy in Sam Raimi's big-budget superhero sequel, Howard's hair is back to its more familiar red coloring as she does the press circuit for "Lady in the Water." While she's excited to talk up her "Water" turn as a mysterious and mystical young woman named Story, her eagerness to discuss next summer's big blockbuster.

"I have to say I had the most unbelievable time doing 'Spider-Man 3' because everyone who's involved with that film has so much integrity and their hearts are in exactly the right place and they only want to tell a story that's the most entertaining, that's the most moral story and, ultimately, the most artistically compelling, because they have opportunity here to make a movie that they know people will show up to, so they're like, 'OK, we're not gonna sit back here and just sorta ride this. We're gonna really push ourselves,'" Howard raves, somewhat breathlessly.

She continues, "And Sam is at the center of that. What's fascinating about how he works is he's really like, 'This is a team effort. Let's go, go, go.' And it's like he's the camp counselor and he's got all of the kids at camp and he's just wrangling them and letting all the kids play in all the different ways they want to play and it's just pulling the best from everyone, whereas with Night, it's truly, everything comes from him, with Sam, lets everyone come up with everything and then he makes choices and so ultimately it is like The Sam Raimi Film, but everyone has their fingerprint on that film."

Howard adds, "It was so fantastic to do 'Lady in the Water' and work with an auteur and then to do 'Spider-Man 3' and to work with an auteur and they have totally different ways of working and both completely effective."

The Gwen Stacy character is a fan-favorite from the "Spider-Man" comic, Peter Parker's first love and one of the pivotal presences for the early days of the franchise. Although many of Stacy's story details have already been appropriated for Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane, Howard promises that distinctive aspects of the character remains. She also says that she feels no pressure taking on the iconic role.

"Not a pressure, but a responsibility and a joyful responsibility," she says. "It was so great for me to go through all of the comic books and read everything and brainstorm with everyone like, 'OK. How can we bring this woman to life in a way that will both be surprising and appropriate and will fulfill people's expectations.'"

Several attempts to get Howard to expand on what Stacy's part in movie will be are quickly thwarted by laughter and the matter-of-fact response, "I can't say."

Her final word on the subject is encouraging, though.

"If you're a fan of 'Spider-Man,' I can confidently say you'll be satisfied."

"Lady in the Water" opens everywhere on Friday, July 21. "Spider-Man 3" is slated for a May 4, 2007 release.

New Releases, July 11: Thom Yorke, Soul Asylum, Muse

Thom Yorke "The Eraser"

Radiohead hasn't released a new studio album since 2003's "Hail to the Thief" and won't likely have one in stores until 2007. Radiohead singer/songwriter/mastermind Thom Yorke, however, is making the wait a bit easier on fans with the release of his full-length solo debut. The nine-track CD was produced and arranged by longtime Radiohead collaborator Nigel Godrich.

Radiohead recently completed a month-long North American tour, which consisted of two-night stands at comparatively intimate venues in nine cities, as well as an appearance at the massive Bonnaroo festival in Tennessee. During the June swing, the band road-tested several new songs that could find their way onto the next Radiohead album. In the concert reviewed by LiveDaily in Berkeley, CA., the group played nine songs that have not yet been released on a studio album.

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Soul Asylum "Silver Lining"

The Minneapolis-reared alt-rockers return with their first new studio set in eight years. The band's last studio offering was 1998's "Candy From a Stranger"--although it did release the concert CD "After the Flood: Live from the Grand Forks Prom June 28, 1998" in 2004.

"Silver Lining" is the band's ninth studio record and its first since bassist Karl Mueller, who had been battling throat cancer for more than a year, died at the age of 41 in June 2005.

The band remains best known for 1992's million-selling "Grave Dancer's Union," which produced the blockbuster ballad "Runaway Train."

Soul Asylum is currently touring the US. The trek is set to conclude with a Sept. 30 hometown gig in Minneapolis.

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Muse "Black Holes and Revelations"

The UK act returns with its follow-up to 2004's breakthrough effort "Absolution." The new album was co-produced with Rich Costey, who has worked with the likes of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave. Muse, the 2005 Brit Award winner for Best Live Act, kicks off a North American tour July 18 in San Francisco.

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Greg Graffin "Cold as the Clay"

The Bad Religion frontman releases his first solo album under his own name. He had previously released a solo disc using the alias of American Lesion (an eponymous effort from 1997). Graffin has scheduled a few solo dates in support of "Cold as the Clay," including a date on Thursday (July 13) at the Bowery Ballroom in New York.

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Sufjan Stevens "The Avalanche: Outtakes & Extras from Illinois Album"

Sufjan Stevens' "Illinois" was one of the most highly acclaimed releases of 2005. There should be ample interest in this companion-piece CD, which collects unreleased tunes and alternate takes that didn't make the final cut for "Illinois."

* * *
Various Artists "The Pilgrim: A Celebration of Kris Kristofferson"

This tribute to the legendary singer/songwriter includes contributions from the likes of Shooter Jennings, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris and Gretchen Wilson. Of course, Kristofferson's old pal Willie Nelson also shows up on this album.

* * *
More new releases:
All That Remains, "Fall of Ideals" (Razor & Tie)
Backyardigans, "Groove to the Music" (Nick)
Capitol Steps, "I'm So Indicted" (Capitol Steps)
Ferry Corsten, "L.E.F." (Ultra)
Cut Chemist, "The Audience's Listening" (Warner Bros)
Steve Earle, "Live at Montreux 2005" (Eagle)
Early November, "Mother the Mechanic & The Path" (Drive Thru)
Ramblin' Jack Elliott, "I Stand Alone" (Anti)
Format, "Dog Problems" (Nettwerk)
John Gorka, "Writing in the Margins" (Red House)
Jamie Kennedy, Stu Stone, "Blowin' Up" (JKSS)
Cheyenne Kimball, "The Day Has Come" (Sony)
Chris Knight, "Enough Rope" (Emergent)
Peaches, "Impeach My Bush" (XL)
Phish, "Live in Brooklyn" (Rhino)
Some Girls, "Crushing Love" (Koch)
Strapping Young Lad, "The New Black" (Century Media)
Various Artists, "Bernarda Alba" (Ghostlight)
Butch Walker, "Rise & Fall of Butch Walker & The Let's-Go-Out-Tonites" (Red Ink)
Ben Watt, "Buzzin' Fly, Vol. 3" (Buzzin' Fly)

Killers' Sophomore Album Due In October

The Killers will return Sept. 18 with "When You Were Young," the first single from their highly anticipated sophomore album, which is still untitled. The set is due Oct. 2 in the United Kingdom and a day later in North America via Island Def Jam. It was recorded in the band's Las Vegas hometown with producers Flood and Alan Moulder.

Atop the band's signature vintage keyboard sound and a thumping bass line, lead singer Brandon Flowers asks, "Can we climb this mountain / I don’t know / Higher now than ever before / I know we can make it if we take it slow."

Although the track list has yet to be revealed, other songs expected to make the final cut include "Read My Mind," "Bones," "Uncle Johnny Did Cocaine" and the title cut.

The new album is the follow-up to the Killers' 2004 debut, "Hot Fuss," which has sold more than 3 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"We're trying to strip it down a little bit," lead singer Brandon Flowers previously told Billboard.com of the new material. "Not have it be so busy. Just let it breathe and let it be a great song. We wrote some great songs on the first one, but these have more of a classic feel."

PIRATES BOOTY

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest taking in $135.6 million at the box office, setting a new record for best three-day opening ever, according to studio estimates. The previous record was held by 2002's Spider-Man, which took in $114.8 million over its three-day opening. Sorry, Spidey, looks like a little Depp'll do ya.

'South Park' Cruise Episode Picked by Emmy Voters

The controversial "Trapped In The Closet" episode of South Park, which poked fun at Tom Cruise, is the cheeky installment which earned creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone an Emmy Awards nomination on Thursday.

The parody, which questioned Cruise's sexuality and mocked his Scientology beliefs, was caught up in controversy when it first aired last November, and reportedly helped lead to South Park regular Isaac Hayes, a fellow Scientologist, quitting the show.

But rather than steer clear of the controversy, brave Emmy voters have embraced it, declaring it worthy of a nod for Outstanding Animated Program.

The controversial episode hasn't been repeated since the initial furore and a planned re-airing in March was scrapped. South Park will compete with The Simpsons, Camp Lazio, Family Guy and Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends when the Emmys are announced next month.

Wreckers build upon girl-next-door charm

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The Wreckers are Dixie Chicks lite, more toe-tapping than foot-stomping and most certainly apolitical. The duo, comprising Michelle Branch and her best friend and former backup singer, Jessica Harp, brought its country-pop confessionals to the House of Blues in Anaheim on Sunday night for a generally mellow yet thoroughly charming performance.

Headlining some club dates before returning to the road as a support act for Rascal Flatts, the two women were spurred on by a crowd that was all theirs. Everything certainly clicked, with the predominantly female fans loudly singing along and waving hands to many numbers. In fact, both onstage and in the audience, there was a girls-night-out spirit.

Playing songs from its debut album "Stand Still, Look Pretty" (Maverick), the duo made it clear that even with Branch's past success, including a Grammy, this is a 50-50 partnership; they traded off lead vocals within many numbers and came together in rich, sister-like harmonies.

Backed by a four-man band featuring flourishes of slide Dobro and fiddle (with Branch's husband, Teddy Landau, on bass), it was hardly tear-down-the-saloon honky-tonk, but it also wasn't syrupy, overcooked Nashville fodder.

There is no denying that brown-eyed brunette Branch and blue-eyed blonde Harp have visual as well as musical appeal, plus they're personable, with free-spirited banter between songs.

Although their voices are similar, Harp is honey-coated Southern Comfort to Branch's full-bodied, pop-rock yearnings. The vocal combination especially shined on the recent hit "Leave the Pieces" and the aching "The Good Kind" (first featured on WB Network's "One Tree Hill").

Each woman also took solo spots on acoustic guitar, with Harp singing the reflective "Memphis" and Branch performing her 2000 ballad hit "Goodbye to You."

While the team could use more spunk and sass, the down-home "My, Oh My" and "Crazy People" -- about drawing the attention of would be-stalker boys and obnoxious men -- showed a playful side. A rock dynamic underscored the emotional downpour of "Rain."

The enthusiastic crowd called for an encore, and the appreciative duo returned with a swaying, wistful cover of Deana Carter's '90s country hit "Strawberry Wine," followed by the Wreckers' own ironic "Stand Still, Look Pretty."

Peter MacNicol to become '24' regular

NEW YORK - Peter MacNicol is giving new meaning to the word "multitask." MacNicol, one of the stars of CBS' "Numb3rs," is joining the cast of Fox's real-time drama, "24," as a series regular, the network announced Monday.

The 52-year-old actor will portray a high-ranking government official in the sixth season of "24," beginning in January. MacNicol won an Emmy Award in 2001 for his role as eccentric lawyer John Cage on Fox's "Ally McBeal."

MacNicol plays physicist Dr. Larry Fleinhardt on "Numb3rs," which also stars Rob Morrow and David Krumholtz.

"24," which stars Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer, tracks a federal agent's anti-terrorism exploits hour by hour, episode by episode.

The series has been nominated for a leading 12 Emmys, including outstanding drama series and outstanding lead actor in a drama series for Sutherland.

The Emmys are scheduled to air Aug. 27 on NBC, with Conan O'Brien as host of the ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

June Allyson, 'perfect wife,' dies at 88

LOS ANGELES - June Allyson, the sunny, raspy-voiced "perfect wife" of James Stewart, Van Johnson and other movie heroes, has died, her daughter said Monday. She was 88.

Allyson died Saturday at her home in Ojai, with her husband of nearly 30 years, David Ashrow, at her side, Pamela Allyson Powell said. She died of pulmonary respiratory failure and acute bronchitis after a long illness.

During World War II, American GIs pinned up photos of Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable, but June Allyson was the girl they wanted to come home to. Petite, blond and alive with fresh-faced optimism, she seemed the ideal sweetheart and wife, supportive and unthreatening.

"I had the most wonderful last meeting with June at her house. ... We were such dear friends. I will miss her," lifelong friend Esther Williams said.

With typical wonderment, Allyson expressed surprise in a 1986 interview that she had ever become a movie star:

"I have big teeth. I lisp. My eyes disappear when I smile. My voice is funny. I don't sing like Judy Garland. I don't dance like Cyd Charisse. But women identify with me. And while men desire Cyd Charisse, they'd take me home to meet Mom."

Allyson's real life belied the sunshiny image she presented in films of the `40s and `50s. As she revealed in her 1982 autobiography, she had an alcoholic father and was raised by a single mother in the Bronx. Her "ideal marriage" to actor-director Dick Powell was beset with frustrations.

After Powell's cancer death in 1963, she battled breakdowns, alcoholism and a disastrous second marriage. She credited her recovery to Ashrow, her third husband, a children's dentist who became a nutrition expert.

Born Eleanor Geisman on Oct. 7, 1917, Ella was 6 when her alcoholic father left. Her mother worked as a telephone operator and restaurant cashier. At 8, the girl was bicycling when a dead tree branch fell on her. Several bones were broken and doctors said she would never walk again. Months of physical therapy helped her to defy that prognosis.

"After the accident and the extensive therapy, we were desperate," Allyson wrote in her autobiography. "Sometimes mother would not eat dinner, and I'd ask her why. She would say she wasn't hungry, but later I realized there was only enough food for one."

After graduating from a wheelchair to crutches to braces, Ella was inspired by Ginger Rogers' dancing with Fred Astaire. Fully recovered, she tried out for a chorus job in a Broadway show, "Sing out the News." The choreographer gave her a job and a new name: Allyson, a family name, and June, for the month.

As June Allyson she danced on stage in "Very Warm for May" and "Higher and Higher." For "Panama Hattie," she understudied Betty Hutton and subbed for her when Miss Hutton got the measles. Her performance led to a role in "Best Foot Forward" in 1941.

MGM signed her to a contract, and she appeared in small roles. Then in "Two Girls and a Sailor" (1944), her winsome beauty and bright personality connected with U.S. servicemen. She starred in "Music for Millions," "The Sailor Takes a Wife," "Two Sisters from Boston" and "Good News."

Allyson appeared opposite Johnson in several films, and she was Stewart's wife in "The Stratton Story," "The Glenn Miller Story" and "Strategic Air Command."

Only once did she play an unsympathetic role, as a wife who torments husband Jose Ferrer in "The Shrike." It was a failure.

In 1949, she starred with Elizabeth Taylor, Janet Leigh and Margaret O'Brien in "Little Women."

In 1945, Allyson married Powell, the crooner who turned serious actor and then producer-director and television tycoon. The marriage seemed like one of Hollywood's happiest, but it wasn't.

She began earning big money after leaving MGM, "but it had little meaning to me because I never saw the money, and I didn't even ask Richard how much it was. ... It went into a common pot with Richard's money."

The couple separated in 1961, but reconciled and remained together until his death in 1963. They had two children, Pamela, who lives in Santa Monica, and Richard Keith Powell, who lives in Los Angeles.

A few months after Powell's death, Allyson married his barber, Glenn Maxwell. They separated 10 months later, and she sued for divorce, charging he hit her and abused her in front of the children and passed bad checks for gambling debts.

On Oct. 30, 1976, she married Ashrow. It was a very peaceful time for her, Powell said, because she and Ashrow were free to travel and spend time with family and their dogs.

After her film career ended in the late `50s, Allyson starred on television as hostess and occasional star of "The Dupont Show with June Allyson." The anthology series lasted two seasons. In later years the actress appeared on TV shows such as "Love Boat" and "Murder, She Wrote."

For the last 20 years, Allyson represented the Kimberly-Clark Corp. in commercials for Depends and championed the importance of research in urological and gynecological diseases in seniors.

"Mom was always so proud of representing a product that provided such a service to senior citizens, including at that time, her own mother," Powell said.

The company established the June Allyson Foundation in honor of her work.

In 1988, she was appointed by President Reagan to the federal Council on Aging.

"For nearly 60 years, we have been hearing how much she meant to so many people from all over the world. She still gets fan mail from places like Germany and Holland. They send old photos. It was wonderful to us," Powell said.

Besides Ashrow and her children, she is survived by her brother, Dr. Arthur Peters, and her grandson, Richard Logan Powell.

A private family memorial will be held in Ojai. A day of remembrance will be scheduled in the fall, Powell said.

'Weeds: Season One' on DVD

LOS ANGELES -- The TV series Weeds, a savage comedy about a suburban housewife who sells marijuana, is a satire on American culture and lifestyle.

It ridicules the U.S. war on drugs, critiques the war on terrorism, lambastes the war in Iraq and makes the American Dream look like an American hallucination. Especially in the suburbs. Especially because the heroine, a Caucasian sarcastically nicknamed "Snowflake" by her African-American suppliers, goes to the inner city to replenish her stash. Incendiary issues are in play.

So you tell Weeds star Mary Louise Parker you are surprised that the show ever made it to air, that Ann Coulter hasn't attacked its creators with an ice pick.

"Me too!" Parker says, a wry smile sneaking up on her mouth. She plays the Snowflake, a drug-dealing, sexually free-wheeling single mom. Parker, a single mom herself after breaking up with real-life boyfriend Billy Crudup during her pregnancy, has taken a break today. She is shooting the 12 episodes for season two, which goes to air in August (on the 31st in Canada).

For the interviews, we're huddled in a cavernous soundstage inside Hollywood's aging Ren-Mar Studios, where Lucille Ball once filmed I Love Lucy.

"I think we're constantly satirizing ourselves even when we don't realize it," Parker says of the American state of mind and the appetite for edgy entertainment that runs counter to conventional thinking. "And I think this show is a perfect example of that."

Since it went to air last August (on Showtime in the U.S., Showcase in Canada), Weeds has become one of those cult hits that enter pop culture as a comic symbol of something darker on the American landscape.

The Liongates production was just nominated for five Emmy Awards. Now the audience is expanding: Weeds: Season One just came out, a compilation of the 10 episodes from 2005. In terms of content, including counter-culture extras such as co-star Romany Malco' hilarious history of marijuana use and Kevin Nealon's droll comic asides, this is an excellent set (except that core fans are rightly annoyed that the two-disc box set is in fullscreen mode only, not in 16:9 widescreen, the format for its hi-def broadcasts).

Increased popularity and more exposure could lead to the kind of criticism that Weeds has managed to avoid so far. "It's a tricky show," says co-star Elizabeth Perkins, who plays Parker's friend and neighbour, a loose cannon and ardent PTA fascist. "And I don't think any of us knew when we put it out there that the reaction was going to be as positive as it was ... because it can be perceived in many ways. We cross a lot of boundaries and tread some very fine lines."

Yet a show as subversive as Weeds is as necessary now as bigot Archie Bunker from All In The Family was in an earlier generation, Perkins says. "I think it is incredibly timely. I think there is a distinctive lack of intelligent comedy on American television. America is embracing it because we don't have a lot of voice in our government right now."

But Weeds still has managed to avoid the censuring suffered by the C&W group The Dixie Chicks for simply speaking out against the Bush administration. "I think we're sneaking in under the wire," says Perkins.

Parker gives the show a lot of its credibility, although there are reports she is not exactly buddy-buddy with Weeds creator Jenji Kohan, especially because Parker thinks her character is a lousy mother to her two sons.

But, as established star who broke out in Fried Green Tomatoes and helped make two obscure plays, Prelude To A Kiss and Proof, hits on Broadway, Parker has transformational powers. Nancy Botwin in Weeds is a recognizable, thoroughly flawed but very human character.

Parker, a classically trained South Carolinian, is in the prime of her career. She will be 42 on Aug. 2: Young enough to be vibrant and sexy on screen, old enough not to fall into the trap of lecturing audiences.

"I have no opinion on the politics of the show," Parker says of Weeds. "I don't pick anything because of a stand that it takes. I'm not a propagandist. I take things purely because of the text, because I like the words, because I find some kind of humanity coming through, because of irony, because it makes me laugh. It is just that simple. It is that uncomplicated. And I don't pick things because I think they'll advance my career."

Parker once turned down the Teri Hatcher role in Desperate Housewives. "That was a career job," she says. "This is not a career job. You don't take a part as a pot-dealing suburban housewife (to make a career-enhancing move). But it worked out okay."

THE BRITISH ARE COMING

A little bit of England will be visiting "The Office" next season.

Ben Silverman, the executive producer of the hit NBC comedy, says that there will be something of a cross-over episode of "The Office," with some of the cast from the U.K. edition making an appearance at the dreary factory in Scranton, Pa., where the U.S. version takes place.

"There's a lot of love between [the casts and crews] of the two versions of the show," Silverman told The Post, declining to reveal plot details of the upcoming episode so as not to spoil it for fans.

"Expect some cameos from the U.K. paper company," says Silverman.

It was not immediately clear if the British cast members will be reprising their roles from the original U.K. version of "The Office" or simply popping up in other roles.

The original show was a mockumentary set at a British paper manufacturing company and ran for two seasons - just 12 episodes (plus a bonus Christmas special). But along the way, it snapped up nearly every major British TV award and a Golden Globe for best comedy series.

NBC's version of "The Office" follows a similar format and nailed five Emmy nods last week: best comedy, best actor in a comedy (Steve Carell), best writing in a comedy and two technical nominations for editing.

Ricky Gervais, who created, wrote and starred in the original and serves as an executive producer on the NBC show, is writing a separate episode of the U.S. version. He is also considering a guest appearance on the show, but that's not likely to happen for some time, Silverman says.

"We're going to save the big man for now," he says.

After a rocky start last year, "The Office" turned out to be one of the few bright spots on NBC's primetime schedule. And while it has yet to generate the kind of boffo ratings generally associated with a hit comedy, the show does extremely well with those young viewers prized by advertisers.

Last year, fans of the U.K. edition lamented the creation of a U.S. version of the comedy and vented their feelings about the show on the Internet.

As bad buzz leaked out from test screenings, NBC brass became nervous about the notion of remaking a hit British sitcom like "The Office," after failing so miserably three years ago with another Silverman-driven U.K. sitcom remake, "Coupling."

"As the guy who delivered the television equivalent of 'Howard the Duck,' " says Silverman, referring to the George Lucas' box-office bomb follow-up to his first "Star Wars" trilogy, "I probably created my own walls to climb over for this show."

Depp's 'Pirates' plunders record $132M

LOS ANGELES - Johnny Depp's boozy, woozy buccaneer Jack Sparrow has plundered the box office, with "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" taking in a record $132 million in its first three days, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Disney's swashbuckling sequel sailed past the previous all-time best debut, 2002's "Spider-Man," which took in $114.8 million in its first weekend.

"Dead Man's Chest" also did nearly three times the business of its predecessor, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," which took in $46.6 million over opening weekend in 2003.

The sequel surpassed that total in its first day alone, taking in $55.5 million Friday to beat the previous single-day record of $50 million, set last year by "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith." With $44.7 million on Saturday, "Dead Man's Curse" also became the first movie to top $100 million in just two days.

Despite sky-high projections for the "Pirates" sequel from industry analysts, producer Jerry Bruckheimer said he had expected "Dead Man's Chest" to open closer to the $77 million debut weekend of last spring's "The Da Vinci Code."

"When people in the industry predicted these high numbers, I thought they were just trying to be mean. So no matter how good we did, if we did $100 million, we'd be failures," Bruckheimer told The Associated Press on Sunday. "I didn't think we'd get near these numbers."

The movie sent Hollywood's overall business soaring. The top 12 films grossed $206.5 million, up 48 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Fantastic Four" opened with $56.1 million.

"Dead Man's Chest" raked in nearly double the total of the rest of the top 12 combined. The previous weekend's top film, "Superman Returns," fell to No. 2 with $21.85 million, down 58 percent from opening weekend.

"Superman Returns" has grossed $141.7 million in 12 days and should fly past the $200 million mark, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released the film.

The sci-fi tale of drug addiction "A Scanner Darkly" debuted strongly in limited release with $406,000 in 17 theaters. Shot in live action then painted over with digital animation, the movie stars Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder and Robert Downey Jr. in a hallucinatory tale adapted from Philip K. Dick's novel.

In a single weekend, "Dead Man's Chest" reeled in 43 percent of the $305 million total domestic gross the original "Pirates" rang up in its entire six-month theatrical run.

The movie's audience was equally divided between males and females, and it drew strongly from all age groups, according to Disney.

"It is straight across the board," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney, which based the movies on its "Pirates of the Caribbean" theme park ride. "Everybody's coming. Whoever it is, they're there."

Even factoring in higher admission prices since 2002, "Dead Man's Chest" still set a record of just under 20 million tickets sold, about 200,000 more than "Spider-Man."

"Maybe the only movie that has a chance to beat this record might be the next `Pirates' movie," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

Audiences won't have to wait long. Disney shot much of the third installment at the same time as "Dead Man's Chest," which ends in a cliffhanger leading into part three, due in theaters over Memorial Day weekend next year.

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. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," $132 million.
2. "Superman Returns," $21.85 million.
3. "The Devil Wears Prada," $15.6 million.
4. "Click," $12 million.
5. "Cars," $10.3 million.
6. "Nacho Libre," $3.3 million.
7. "The Lake House," $2.8 million.
8. "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," $2.5 million.
9. "Waist Deep," $1.9 million.
10. "The Break-Up," $1.6 million.

"Big Brother" All-Stars All Here

Big Brother may always be watching, but CBS is taking great pains to ensure Big Brother: All-Stars will always be watched.

"Chicken" George Boswell, Will "Dr. Evil" Kirby and his "Chill Town" ally Mike "Boogie" Malin are among the finalists who will compete for the house-arrested reality show's seventh season bragging rights and a $500,000 grand prize.

Julie "RoboChen" Chen made the announcement at the start of Thursday night's premiere, and in doing so revealed the first twist of the summer season--an even more cluttered homestead. There would be 14 contenders this season, instead of the dozen contestants originally supposed to make the cut from a pool of 20 former house mates chosen by show producers. (Alas, not all of them have catchy nicknames.)

Two weeks ago, CBS announced the list for viewers to whittle down. (Unfortunately, about two-and-a-half weeks ago, CBS.com inadvertently spilled the names in an online poll, thereby making the official announcement both anticlimactic and unnecessary.)

After 15.7 million votes were cast, the top eight recipients automatically got a key to the house. The remaining six housemates were chosen by producers to ratchet up the drama.

And once again, a technical gaffe left little surprise in the announcement to some viewers.

Like the list of contestant hopefuls before it, the names of the 14 finalists were accidentally made public prior to the airing of the West Coast premiere. After the housemates were revealed on the East Coast, the contestants immediately checked into the Big Brother house in Studio City, where a live camera feed was set up and made available online to subscribers.

For a little over an hour, fans were not only able to learn strategies and conversations of the housemates but also their names.

Oops again.

In any case, the Thursday premiere managed to win its time slot, with 7.7 million viewers, per CBS.

The first eviction takes place Sunday night.

Here's a complete list of contenders for Big Brother All-Stars:

"Chicken" George Boswell, 47, BB1
Will Kirby, 33, BB2
Mike "Boogie" Malin, 35, BB2
Marcellas Reynolds, 33, BB3
Danielle Reyes, 34, BB3
Alison Irwin, 25, BB4
Erika Landin, 36, BB4
Jennifer "Nakomis" Dedmon, 23, BB5
Diane Henry, 24, BB5
Jase Wirey, 30, BB5
Howie Gordon, 35, BB6
Janelle Pierzina, 26, BB6
James Rhine, 30, BB6
Kaysar Ridha, 25, BB6

"Pirates" Poised to Sink Spidey

Yo-ho-ho and a box-office run.

Seafaring sequel Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest is in position to potentially surpass Spider-Man's record for the best weekend opening ever, according to industry predictions.

The arachnid feature has held the record since May 2002, when it snared $114.8 million in its opening weekend. But with Dead Man's Chest unspooling in 4,133 theaters this weekend, Spidey's time may have come.

That theater number is third-most in Hollywood history, per Exhibitor Relations, behind only Shrek 2 (4,163 theaters) and Spider-Man 2 (4,133 sites), both of which were released in 2004.

Brandon Gray, of BoxOfficeMojo.com, predicts Dead Man's Chest will approach $117 million. Citing internal tracking numbers at Disney, Daily Variety reports that 50 percent of those surveyed said they want to see the sequel this weekend.

According to online ticket retailer Fandango, the Johnny Depp blockbuster had already set a new record for tickets sold the day before an opening. The company reported that tickets to the swashbuckling flick were selling at an average rate of seven per second and represented 91 percent of all its sales on Thursday. At the very least, reports fellow online retailer MovieTickets.com, the scalawags are on track to commandeer the biggest opening of the year.

Say it with us now, mateys: Arrrrrrrrr.

In addition to Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom also reprise their original roles in the film, which opens at the wedding of their characters, Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner, a day that is ruined when they are arrested for aiding in the escape of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Despite the huge hype, there is a potential bugaboo for the buccaneers: movie critics.

Reviews of the film, which comes in at a hefty two-and-half hours, have been mixed. The New York Times called it "a glistening, sushi-grade chunk of franchise entertainment," while the Chicago Tribune deemed it a "satisfying big-screen excuse for overpriced popcorn. The Washington Post dubbed it "an empty-calorie clone" of the first film, while the Boston Globe branded it "high-calorie summer spectacle." (Sidenote: somebody, please feed the movie critics.)

As of Friday, the reviews were close to evenly split between positive and negative, according to RottenTomatoes.com.

Perhaps the mixed notices have caused some pundits to dial back their expectations. The Hollywood Reporter, for instance, says, "it might be a bit of stretch for it to reach Spider-Man's record."

Disney isn't playing prognosticator. The company declined to comment on whether the film will challenge the record. But those inside the Magic Kingdom are obviously hoping to rake in the doubloons.

When the original Pirates film was released by Disney in 2003, it was a surprise hit, pillaging moviegoers' pockets of more than $650 million in worldwide booty, as word spread quickly that a movie based on an iconic theme park ride made for good entertainment.

Based on the first-week ticket sales alone of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Disney went full sail ahead on putting two sequels into production, plunking down a grand total of $350 million on Dead Man's Chest and the third film in the franchise, At the End of the World, which is slated to be released over Memorial Day weekend next year.

If Dead Man's Chest proves a sustained hit, audiences will be eager for the release of At the End of the World, and Disney's gamble will have paid off. On the other hand, should the buzz around Dead Man's Chest die out, the studio may find itself walking the plank when it comes to recouping its expenses for the pricey films.

We'll just have to wait until Sunday, me hearties, to find out if indeed the pirate's life is for Disney.

'LOST' CHAPPELLE WORTH EVERY DOLLAR

No matter what you're doing this Sunday night, make sure that you're home by 9, that your TV is tuned to Comedy Central, and that you have strapped yourself safely into your sofa.

If all of that is done, then and only then can you safely watch the first of three "Chappelle's Show: The Lost Episodes" which are so funny that without safety restraints, you might fall off the couch from laughing so hard, tragically hit your head and die an early death.

Yes, Chappelle's last skits are that funny and make it clear just why Comedy Central would have offered him as much as $55 million bucks- if only he would have stayed.

Yes, that's $55 million bucks Chappelle walked away from.

But before he took off for South Africa, Chappelle had put a bunch of skits into the can - which make it very, very (did I mention very?) clear that the man was obviously conflicted about all that dough and what it can do to a guy. Or maybe he's just nuts.

Hosted by hilarious "Chappelle's Show" collaborator/cast members Charlie Murphy and Donnell Rawlings, the sketches involve, yes, Chappelle's fantasy of what others would do to him if he got that kind of dough and what he'd do to others if he had that kind of long money.

In the what-happens-to- everyone-else skit, Chappelle is off on St. Thomas getting a haircut. When the barbers ask him how much he makes, he plays down his Comedy Central take-home.

"It's just cable," he says, shrugging it off as the land of cheapskates. Just then, two BET reporters on the barber shop TV announce that Chappelle's new contract is for $55 million.

Suddenly the price of the haircut shoots to $18,000. When Chappelle starts screaming that it should be eight dollars, the barber replies, "That was the old price!" And shows his gun.

Then there's the-what-would-happen-to-him-if-he-got-that-rich skit. I'll only tell you it's called, "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Up Cold" (a maxim not only created by my Sicilian forefathers but one we foremothers live by to this day!).

It is absolutely throw-your-back-out funny - again a sketch best watched with a restraining device. Maybe Comedy Central should offer him $20,000 a year so he won't feel so guilty - and get back on TV. I still have the seat belts on the couch ... but that's another story.

Rick Rubin, music's rock

He has a boyish laugh and a mountain-man burliness, a taste for demonic speed-metal and angelic doo-wop harmonies. He has amplified the vilest spewing by shock artists, from the Geto Boys to Andrew "Dice" Clay, then coaxed choirboy delicacy from Roy Orbison and rekindled the wholesome singer/ songwriter craft of Neil Diamond.

Rick Rubin may be as impossible to pigeonhole as the starry and swollen catalog of music he has produced.

Declared by Rolling Stone the most successful producer in any genre, Rubin is the oracle of audio, a studio savant whose highly sought services launch trends and resuscitate icons. He's having a banner year as the knob-twirler behind a trio of hot albums. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' Stadium Arcadium bowed at No. 1 in May, followed two weeks later by the chart-topping debut of the Dixie Chicks' Taking the Long Way. This week, Johnny Cash's posthumous American V: A Hundred Highways, the fifth collaboration between Rubin and the country giant, hit shelves.

More is in the pipeline. Rubin is producing music by Linkin Park, Metallica and Justin Timberlake and is executive producer of Slayer's Christ Illusion, out Aug. 8.

The barefoot Buddha with the woolly salt-and-pepper beard seems out of sync in the courtyard of his hilltop English Tudor home, where best buddy actor Owen Wilson is steering his blue scooter out the driveway after a visit. Rubin heads for the backyard garden overlooking Zuma beach. He opens a bottle of passion-fruit green tea and sits lotus style in a deck chair, his tiny Yorkie Henry in his lap and a black Hungarian puli, Chompa, at his feet.

Highways, recorded in the last months of Cash's life, is cause for bittersweet celebration. Their collaboration represents another incongruity. Rubin initially struck Cash as a hobo. As their friendship deepened, they took daily communion together.

"We had a surprising amount of common ground, although on the face I can see it looked odd," Rubin, 43, says. "We both loved music and the history of music. We were interested in spirituality."

They met in 1993, when Cash was at a low ebb creatively. He felt burned out, and public interest had cooled after Columbia dumped him in 1986.

"I thought it would be a challenge to find a true legend who wasn't doing his best and see if we could change that," Rubin says. "Johnny was the first person I thought of, someone without peer, still capable of good work. He felt lost artistically."

Their first outing, 1994's American Recordings, reignited his career and drew young fans. Rubin persuaded him to overhaul such unlikely rock tunes as Nine Inch Nails' Hurt, Soundgarden's Rusty Cage and Depeche Mode's Personal Jesus. On Highways, his frail vocals bring a profound sadness to Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind. It's one of 60 tracks the pair recorded after American IV and before Cash died Sept. 12, 2003. Highways holds a dozen, and others will forge an American VI.

Highways "transcended record-making," Rubin says. "There was a dual purpose, a therapeutic benefit. It was important for his life, and I wasn't looking at the end result."

Devastated by Cash's death, Rubin channeled energies elsewhere, teaming with Slipknot, Jay-Z, Rage Against the Machine and The Jayhawks in 2004 and producing key 2005 releases: Weezer's Make Believe, System of a Down's Mesmerize and Hypnotize, Audioslave's Out of Exile and Diamond's 12 Songs.

Arguably the best in the American series, Highways and its sly wisdom, vulnerability and steely sense of acceptance defy conventional wisdom in the music industry, where artists normally peak early and fade. "It shows he was a true, honest artist and a great legendary hero from beginning to end," Rubin says.

Cash is the warmest chapter in Rubin's career, launched in 1984 when the Long Island native and Russell Simmons co-founded the Def Jam label, "a fun hobby that ended up being my job." The New York University film student had intended to enter law school (his needle phobia nixed med school plans) but detoured into production as a way to acquire music he couldn't find in stores.

"I'd buy 12-inch singles that didn't really reflect what hip-hop culture felt like," he says. "So as a fan, I started making records I wanted to hear. I didn't know it was a viable job."

A rap fanatic, Rubin soaked up "aggressive sounds and outlaw music" after growing up on heavy metal, punk, James Brown, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, oldies radio and doo-wop. He played guitar, joined punk bands and worked as a club DJ but never considered himself a musician.

As a producer, he made an immediate impact, playing a key role in rap's rise with such pivotal works as LL Cool J's Radio, the Beastie Boys' Licensed to Ill and Public Enemy's Yo! Bum Rush the Show. He pioneered rap-metal with his Walk This Way fusion by Aerosmith and Run-DMC.

In the early '90s, he left Def Jam and founded the rock-freighted Def American (later dropping the "Def"), expanding his palette with Tom Petty's Wildflowers and Mick Jagger's Wandering Spirit. Eclectic and adaptable, he has less a signature than a sonic diary, taking on diverse acts from Danzig to Donovan. In 1991, he delivered the Peppers' breakthrough Blood Sugar Sex Magik plus parental nightmares by Slayer and Dice.

Why does this meditating vegan delight in music's wicked fringes?

"I like things that are unique and extreme," he says. Steeped in the edgier realms of metal and rap, Rubin retained his Zen vibe. He never tried drugs. "It's the combination of meditating and always being deeply into something. When I was young, I was into magic. Kids I knew did drugs or got drunk out of boredom. I didn't want to give up my time."

Music's a constant, yet he finds time for reading, movies and a serious girlfriend. An only child, Rubin never considered parenthood an appealing option until recently.

Owen Wilson says laughter bonds their eight-year friendship, along with Vespas and body surfing.

"He's also a fan of professional wrestling, and if you need a good yoga person, go to Rick," he says. "I'm not connected to his music stuff, though I might get a CD from him before people can buy it at Tower. We just have a good time laughing. He has a funny take on stuff. A lot of lines in my movies came directly from Rick. I can see him doing something outside music. We even talked about working on a comedy idea for HBO."

Nominated three times for a Grammy producer of the year award, he isn't driven by hits or honors. It's the journey. His role is "to inspire and challenge artists to do their best work, and to do it for the sake of the work as opposed to the ends," Rubin says. "So much is about the process and pleasing ourselves, not thinking, 'Can it get on the radio, will it be done in time?' I try to erase all the restrictions that I've seen impede great art over and over. If the album is great, everything else will follow."

Such was the plan for 12 Songs. Rubin says Diamond, whom he ranks alongside Paul Simon, created a cabaret image by drifting from his emotional core as a singer/songwriter.

Diamond agrees: "I was one of those radio stars killed by videos. It was hard to get back on track. With Rick, I found the right path. He picked up on the vibe of acoustic guitar and understatement, something I haven't done in years and wasn't able to replicate until this album."

"He has an inner peace," Diamond says of Rubin's studio manner. "He's a throwback to the '60s, a big lovable bear of a man. The only problem I had was his habit of hugging. At first, I was taken aback. After a while, I got to like it. He's like Father Earth taking you to his bosom."

Diamond was delighted when 12 Songs generated his strongest reviews since 1980's The Jazz Singer.

"It's been a long wait," he says.

Today's surplus of lousy albums results largely from the twisted agendas of labels and managers who fixate on deadlines and marketing rather than nurturing talent, says Rubin, adding, "I try to run interference and refocus everything on the art and the artist's truth. But I'm not a babysitter. I don't do hand-holding."

Veteran musicians are less rigid than insecure beginners, he says, noting, "Grown-up artists are usually more open to experimentation because they know who they are. When I did a song with Roy Orbison for a soundtrack, he knew I wouldn't make him less Roy Orbison."

Rubin plucks a broad assortment as favorites from his canon: Petty's Wildflowers, the Peppers' Californication, System of a Down's Toxicity, the Red Devils' live King King, Slayer's Reign in Blood and the new Cash. He'd love to produce a U2 disc.

He's dismayed by recent hip-hop's bling-oriented lyrics and derivative metal and blames much of pop's slump on a singles-oriented sensibility that regards artists as disposable. And he's offended by the industry's treatment of fans. "No other business could survive such an incredible arrogance against the consumer," Rubin says. "They don't seem to care about giving consumers what they want or giving value for their money."

Hailed as a song swami with sterling ears, Rubin says that he has never stopped learning and that every project has been an educational swap meet. He's reminded of a symbiotic moment, when he visited Cash and the singer was too ill to collect a lifetime achievement award. So he and Rubin watched the ceremony on TV.

"I could see he was in pain and having trouble seeing," Rubin says. "I didn't know what to talk about. I said, 'What have you been working on?' And he said, 'You probably don't remember this, but about five years ago, I wrote a song and you looked at the lyrics and told me maybe we should take out some of the I's and me's. Ever since you said that, I've been working on using the words "I" and "me" less.' Even at his worst, that depth of character came through."

The lesson? "Aim to be like that."

Shakira to headline World Cup closing ceremony

BERLIN (AP) - Shakira will headline the closing ceremony at the World Cup on Sunday.

The Colombian songstress will work her way down the stone stairs from the Marathon entrance of Berlin's Olympic stadium with local musicians and dancers in a 10-minute performance prior to the final between France and Italy.

Californian choreographer Doug Jack, who has worked on opening and closing ceremonies at the last five Olympics, said the program aimed to bring the energy and enthusiasm from the Fan Mile - where hundreds of thousands have gathered to watch World Cup matches on giant TV screens - into the stadium.

The mixture of vibes from the Fan Mile and the Love Parade, the capital's techno fest that drew 1.5 million to downtown Berlin at its peak in 1999, is something Jack said he wants to "bring into the arena and let go before the match."

For Shakira, it's a stop between gigs in Spain and Croatia.

Her single Hips Don't Lie is second in Billboard's Hot 100 behind Promiscuous by Canadian Nelly Furtado, whose Forca was anthem of the 2004 European championship.

The ceremony's creative director, Dieter Brell, said the World Cup had given Germany a chance to express a new image around the globe.

"We want to show Germany as our generation sees it," he said. "We're trying to be modern with the image of Germany we're presenting.

"We're a country that can dance and party and knows how to have fun."

Spanish tenor Placido Domingo will sing at halftime in the final, "so there's a musical framework for what is happening on the pitch," Brell said.

Sirius subscriber growth outpaces XM

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. on Thursday posted stronger second quarter subscriber additions than larger rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc., sending Sirius' shares up 4 percent.

Sirius, boosted by an exclusive deal with shock jock radio personality Howard Stern, said it added about 600,640 net new subscribers in the quarter, a 64 percent growth from the same period last year. It ended the quarter with 4.7 million subscribers, still short of XM's nearly 7 million subscribers.

XM said it added 398,000 net new subscribers, a 38 percent drop in net subscriber growth compared to last year's period curbed by new product availability. XM shares were flat in Nasdaq trade after falling as much as 5 percent before the market opened.

Oppenheimer and Co. analyst Thomas Eagan said Sirius' business continued to benefit from the "Howard Stern-effect," with fans of the ribald talk show host flocking to the No. 2 satellite radio service.

On the other hand, XM's growth has been hurt by a delay in shipment of its new handheld digital music players with built-in satellite receivers.

But Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett offered a more complicated answer that explained XM's volatile stock price on Thursday morning.

He said the difference in net new subscriber growth was actually an "optical illusion" due to the difference in the sheer size of the two satellite radio operators.

With churn, or the rate of losing subscribers at an industry average of about 2.5 percent, Moffett said XM would naturally lose more customers every quarter since it has a larger subscriber base.

"By virtue of its smaller size, Sirius loses fewer customers ... each quarter," he said. "As a result, its share of net additions will always be higher than its share of gross additions, at least until it 'catches up' to XM in sheer size."

To make up the difference, "XM has to grow more aggressively," Oppenheimer's Eagan said.

Moffett said the gap between the number of net new subscribers each company added was approximately equal to their difference in estimated churn for the quarter.

The two companies, which are expected to post net losses for the foreseeable future, are also hamstrung by high marketing and subscriber acquisition costs, analysts have said.

Sirius shares rose 11 cents, or 2.46 percent, to $4.59; XM shares lost 12 cents, or less than 1 percent, to $14.37 on the Nasdaq in late afternoon trading.

'All-Stars' to return on BB debut

The 'Big Brother' producers are turning up the heat. With the 'All-Stars' season debuting tonight on CBS, the brain trust behind the summer-long reality series is busy planning new and devious ways to keep the returning players on their toes.

"This is not your mama's 'Big Brother'," promises executive producer Allison Grodner. "The returning HouseGuests have played this game before and we need to be able to throw some curve balls in. I cannot tell you specifically but certainly there will be things throughout the season that will be different and will kick the game up a few notches."

Infamous for masterminding twists to the series now in its seventh season, Grodner and her cohorts Arnold Shapiro and Rich Meehan let one out of the bag early on. From June 21st to June 28th, fans had the chance to pick 6 of the 12 returning players from a list of 20 provided by CBS. The three males and females with the highest number of public votes will enter the 'Big Brother' house and start playing the game tonight. To complete the 'dirty dozen', the producers will be sending in their six picks too.

The 'Big Brother' series is no stranger to controversy and another erupted during the voting when it was discovered that some fans were using "auto voters" to flood the CBS site. According to Grodner, CBS had anticipated such monkey business and already had a process in place to discount the votes as quickly as they were coming in.

"We know how savvy our fans are. There wasn't a problem. It was actually fun to watch. We saw how many votes were being generated by these bots. Rest assured they did not count," Grodner told Jam! Showbiz. "Ultimately, there was a specific amount of votes that each IP address could send each day. You were allowed to return to the site every day and vote. To prevent the hacking and the auto voters from being able to be used, the number of votes that were allowed could not be released in order to prevent these extra votes from counting."

With former players like Danielle Reyes ('Big Brother 3' runner-up) and Will 'Dr. Evil' Kirby (winner of 'Big Brother 2') in the running, 'All-Stars' is shaping up to be possibly the most competitive and most conniving season yet. Based on the voting results, Grodner revealed that the promotional campaigns launched by the HouseGuests to secure the public vote did pay off for them.

"We have hand-picked these people, with America's help, to highlight each season in the house. So, already going into this you can say the competition is stiff. It is going to be a clash of the titans. We are excited to see the competitive nature of all 20," said Grodner.

In putting together the list of 20, the producers tried to ensure that they had a good cross section of the past 75 players. Players whom fans loved and players whom fans love to hate. Not everyone the producers contacted were willing to return to the series though, for one reason or another.

"We had people we liked that didn't come back because of life decisions. We are sad that they didn't but we understand. This is a three month commitment that everyone has to make," Grodner explained.

One such candidate that Grodner wishes they had in the fold is Nicole Nilson Schaffrich, the 'Big Brother 2' runner-up.

"I think there is one that is incredibly memorable: Nicole from season two. She did great," said Grodner. "She played hard. She came back from nothing at the beginning of the season. So, as far as All-Stars, I think she deserves to be on that list but for reasons we completely understand, she was unable to come back."

The decision to start the game with only a measly 12 players has 'Big Brother' fans scratching their heads. Some believe that there will be a twist either on the debut episode or shortly thereafter which will somehow add more HouseGuests to the equation.

Grodner is remaining tight-lipped on 12 HouseGuest scenario.

"No comment on that. Anything is possible in the 'Big Brother' house. Expect the unexpected as always. We are starting with 12 as we have been saying and we will see what happens from there."

One rumour Grodner is quick to squash right away is that the series will be reverting back to its season one roots and allowing the public to directly vote out HouseGuests much like how the UK version of the series is run.

"What I will assure you is that will not happen. Our game still remains pure to where we started in which the people in the house are responsible for evicting their own."

Responsible for re-inventing the series to make it more like 'Survivor' in the sense that the gameplay is focused on alliances, competitions and backstabbing, Grodner is looking forward to how the 'All-Stars' season progresses as much as the fans are. Monitoring the happenings in the 'Big Brother' house is not only her job but a guilty pleasure as well.

"I come back each year because this is really a lot of fun to do. We love this show. It is like summer camp," said Grodner. "We are all screaming and cheering behind the scenes. It is unlike any other production. It is a great group of people. It is also fun to keep inventing new ways to work with the HouseGuests and to make the game better."

'Big Brother: All-Stars' premieres tonight (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on CBS. Following the premiere, the series will be broadcast each week on Tuesdays (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) and Sundays (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT). The Thursday broadcast, hosted by Julie Chen, will feature the live eviction of one of the houseguests.

'Grey's Anatomy' and '24' at top of Emmy noms

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Suspense drama 24 and Grey's Anatomy, the hit medical drama that focuses as much on its interns' love lives as medicine, were among the top nominees announced Thursday for the Emmy Awards.

The leading nominee, with 16 bids, was the miniseries Into the West, which was partially filmed in Alberta.

In a major reversal from last year's awards, neither Lost or Desperate Housewives received best-series nominations. Both won last year.

A number of acting bids went to stars of shows that have left the air, including Frances Conroy and Peter Krause of Six Feet Under, Geena Davis of Commander in Chief and Martin Sheen, Allison Janney and Alan Alda of The West Wing.

24 led all series with 12 nominations, followed by Grey's Anatomy with 11. Both received best drama series bids and were joined in the category by House, The Sopranos and The West Wing.

For 24, Toronto-bred Kiefer Sutherland received a best-actor bid. Among the Grey's Anatomy stars recognized were Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh, who grew up in Nepean, Ont., and Chandra Wilson, with supporting-actress nominations. The show was shut out of the best-actress and actor categories.

The comedy-series nominees were Arrested Development, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Office, Scrubs and Two and a Half Men.

The stars of Desperate Housewives, which lost its status as critical darling in its sophomore season although it held its ratings, were missing this year from the lead acting category. The stars of Lost met the same fate.

Besides Sutherland, other best-actor nominations for a drama went to Peter Krause of Six Feet Under, Denis Leary of Rescue Me, Christopher Meloni of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Martin Sheen of The West Wing.

Joining Conroy, Davis and Janney in the best drama series actress category were Mariska Hargitay of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Kyra Sedgwick of The Closer.

The nominees for best actress in a comedy series were Stockard Channing of Out of Practice, Jane Kaczmarek of Malcolm in the Middle, Lisa Kudrow of The Comeback, Debra Messing for Will & Grace and Julia Louis-Dreyfus for The New Adventures of Old Christine.

Louis-Dreyfus, along with another past Emmy winner, Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond) announced nominations in the top categories in a brief televised ceremony Thursday at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre.

"Honey, I got nominated. It's hilarious, it's unbelievable," Louis-Dreyfus told her husband over the phone.

"My skin feels like it's buzzing," she told The Associated Press. "Or maybe that's from all the coffee I've been drinking since 1 a.m."

Showing the flag for Desperate Housewives was series newcomer Alfre Woodard, who received a bid as best supporting actress in a comedy. Joining her were Cheryl Hines of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Jaime Pressly of My Name Is Earl, Elizabeth Perkins of Weeds and Megan Mullally of Will & Grace.

Actors nominated in the supporting category in comedy were Will Arnett of Arrested Development, Jeremy Piven of Entourage, Bryan Cranston of Malcolm in the Middle, Jon Cryer of Two and a Half Men and Sean Hayes of Will & Grace.

Top nominees in the movie and miniseries field, besides Into the West, included Elizabeth I, Mrs. Harris and Bleak House.

The Emmy Awards are scheduled to air Aug. 27 on NBC, with Conan O'Brien as host of the Shrine Auditorium ceremony. The awards, traditionally held in September at the start of the TV season, were moved up because of NBC's addition of Sunday-night football to its schedule.

There is a total of 94 Emmy categories.

Other Emmy honours, including those for technical achievement and guest actors and actresses in series, will be given at the creative-arts ceremony on Aug. 19.

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Nominees in major categories for the 58th annual Primetime Emmy Awards announced Thursday by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences:

Drama Series: Grey's Anatomy, ABC; House, Fox; The Sopranos, HBO; 24, Fox; The West Wing, NBC.

Comedy Series: Arrested Development, Fox; Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO; The Office, NBC; Scrubs, NBC; Two and a Half Men, CBS.

Miniseries: Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Elizabeth I, HBO; Into the West, TNT; Sleeper Cell, Showtime.

Made-for-TV Movie: Flight 93, A&E; The Flight That Fought Back, Discovery Channel; The Girl in the Cafe, HBO; Mrs. Harris, HBO; Yesterday, HBO.

Variety, Music or Comedy Series: The Colbert Report, Comedy Central; The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Comedy Central; Late Night With Conan O'Brien, NBC; Late Show With David Letterman, CBS; Real Time With Bill Maher, HBO.

Variety, Music or Comedy Special: 78th Annual Academy Awards, ABC; Bill Maher: I'm Swiss, HBO; George Carlin: Life Is Worth Losing, HBO; McCartney in St. Petersburg, A&E; The XX Olympic Winter Games - Opening Ceremony, NBC.

Actor, Drama Series: Denis Leary, Rescue Me, FX Network; Peter Krause, Six Feet Under, HBO; Kiefer Sutherland, 24, Fox; Martin Sheen, The West Wing, NBC.

Actress, Drama Series: Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer, TNT; Geena Davis, Commander in Chief, ABC; Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, NBC; Frances Conroy, Six Feet Under, HBO; Allison Janney, The West Wing, NBC.

Supporting Actor, Drama Series: William Shatner, Boston Legal, ABC; Oliver Platt, Huff, Showtime; Michael Imperioli, The Sopranos, HBO; Gregory Itzin, 24, Fox; Alan Alda, The West Wing, NBC.

Supporting Actress, Drama Series: Candice Bergen, Boston Legal, ABC; Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy, ABC; Blythe Danner, Huff, Showtime; Jean Smart, 24, Fox.

Actor, Comedy Series: Larry David, Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO; Kevin James, The King of Queens, CBS; Tony Shalhoub, Monk, USA; Steve Carell, The Office, NBC; Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men, CBS.

Actress, Comedy Series: Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback, HBO; Jane Kaczmarek, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine, CBS; Stockard Channing, Out of Practice, CBS; Debra Messing, Will & Grace, NBC.

Supporting Actor, Comedy Series: Will Arnett, Arrested Development, Fox; Jeremy Piven, Entourage, HBO; Bryan Cranston, Malcolm in the Middle, Fox; Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men, CBS; Sean Hayes, Will & Grace, NBC.

Supporting Actress, Comedy Series: Cheryl Hines, Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO; Alfre Woodard, Desperate Housewives, ABC; Jaime Pressly, My Name Is Earl, ABC; Elizabeth Perkins, Weeds, Showtime; Megan Mullally, Will & Grace, NBC.

Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Charles Dance, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Donald Sutherland, Human Trafficking, Lifetime; Ben Kingsley, Mrs. Harris, HBO; Jon Voight, Pope John Paul II, CBS; Andre Braugher, Thief, FX Network.

Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Kathy Bates, Ambulance Girl, Lifetime; Gillian Anderson, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Helen Mirren, Elizabeth I, HBO; Judy Davis, A Little Thing Called Murder, Lifetime; Annette Bening, Mrs. Harris, HBO.

Supporting Actor, Miniseries or a Movie: Denis Lawson, Bleak House (Masterpiece Theatre), PBS; Hugh Dancy, Elizabeth I, HBO; Jeremy Irons, Elizabeth I, HBO; Robert Carlyle, Human Trafficking, Lifetime; Clifton Collins Jr., Thief, FX Network.

Supporting Actress, Miniseries or a Movie: Kelly Macdonald, The Girl in the Cafe, HBO; Shirley Jones, Hidden Places, Hallmark; Ellen Burstyn, Mrs. Harris, HBO; Cloris Leachman, Mrs. Harris, HBO; Alfre Woodard, The Water Is Wide (Hallmark Hall of Fame Presentation), CBS.

BBC eyes leap to big screen for comedy series

LONDON (Hollywood Reporter) - BBC hits including "The Office" might be headed for the big screen.

The U.K. pubcaster said Wednesday that it is looking into feature film projects based on such recent television hits as the Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant series, which has been remade in the U.S. for NBC.

Other BBC titles being considered for feature adaptation are sketch comedy show "Little Britain," from Matt Lucas and David Walliams, and "Extras," Gervais and Merchant's follow-up to "The Office."

The move is part of a plan for in-house theatrical division BBC Films to collaborate with the pubcaster's comedy department in a bid to increase its slate of comedy projects.

Head of comedy talent Kenton Allen will join forces with BBC Films head David Thompson to work on mainstream comedy feature films.

Besides exploring the big-screen potential of existing brands, Allen and the comedy team will work with a wide variety of writers and writer-performers to develop new feature films.

"Many of the comedy talents we work with ultimately want to paint on a bigger canvas, and this relationship with BBC Films means that we can now offer them that opportunity," Allen said.

BBC Films has invested in several recent comedy projects including Debbie Isitt's "Confetti" and Michael Winterbottom's "Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story," and sees comedy as a growing genre.

"Comedy is very much a target area for us at the moment, with several interesting projects in development," Thompson said. "I am very excited about working with Kenton and the BBC Comedy team."

Sean Connery never says never to autobiography

A book by James Bond actor Sean Connery that combines his autobiography and the history of Scotland is in the works and will be released in September, according to a publishing house in Edinburgh.

Canongate Books announced Wednesday it has secured the rights to publish the film star's first major book, beating out hundreds of other publishing houses.

"Our goal is to produce a very readable, visually stimulating and hopefully intriguing history of Scotland, with personal discoveries," said the 75-year-old actor in a statement released through Canongate.

The announcement came after the actor abandoned efforts earlier this year to finish writing his biography following fallouts with two ghostwriters.

Canongate officials say the book is being released to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the Treaty of Union between England and Scotland.

"We are absolutely thrilled to be publishing Connery's Scotland," Jamie Byng, Canongate's publisher, said in a release.

"Not only is it going to be a fascinating and revelatory book about Scotland, but Sir Sean is a natural storyteller with his own great story to tell."

The actor, who was knighted by the Queen in 1999, will co-write the book with Murray Grigor, a director and writer. Grigor has produced documentaries, including one called Sean Connery's Edinburgh, as well as television series for American and British networks.

Life before Bond

Connery was born Aug. 25, 1930, to a working-class family in Edinburgh. His various careers have included a stint in the Royal Navy, delivering milk, modelling and finishing third in the 1950 Mr. Universe contest.

Connery hit it big as super-agent James Bond in 1962's Dr. No. The actor has made more than 75 films, including seven Bond movies, such as Goldfinger, Thunderball and Never Say Never Again, as well as The Man Who Would Be King (1975), The Untouchables (1987), Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003).

Connery has been working on his memoirs for years and has been courted by numerous publishers. In 2004, he walked off the set of a film in Prague after declaring that he wanted to spend time writing his memoirs.

The actor announced earlier this year that he was quitting the movie life and wanted to retire from acting altogether.

Conner recently received the American Film Institute's annual lifetime achievement award, bestowed on film luminaries such as Orson Welles and Alfred Hitchcock.

CD format gets a "reboot" from Universal Music

LONDON (Reuters) - The world's biggest record company is not ready to give the compact disc up for dead just yet, and is giving the venerable music format a revamp.

Universal Music Group, home to artists such as U2 and Mariah Carey, is rolling out three new tiers of CD packaging in Europe, ranging from lush deluxe editions down to bare-bones cardboard sleeves that are designed to compete with albums sold online.

Despite the hype about online music stores like iTunes, the huge majority of music is still sold on CDs, usually inside the "jewel boxes" that have been around for decades.

"We thought we should reboot the consumer's experience of buying CDs," said Max Hole, executive vice president for marketing and A&R at Universal Music Group International. "Ninety percent of what we sell is physical goods, and the CD hasn't had much of a revamp in the last 20 years."

The middle tier of Universal's CDs will be sold in a new "super jewel box" designed to be stronger and more durable than the standard jewel box. Universal Music plans to absorb the extra manufacturing costs, estimated to be about 3 to 5 euro cents per unit.

Although it does not set retail prices, Universal Music expects the deluxe CDs to sell for an average of 19.99 euros ($25.61), the standard for 14.99 euros and the basic for 9.99 euros. The group is part of France's Vivendi.

The basic package will be used to stimulate sales for catalog albums that have been on sale for a while, "similar to a paperback book," Hole said.

Universal Music expects digital sales to double to about 10 percent of its sales this year, with digital making up 25 percent of revenues by 2010.

Italy scores two in extra time against Germany

DORTMUND, Germany (AP) - With scandal tearing apart the national sport back home, Italy kept plowing through soccer's premier event Tuesday with a last-minute win just when it seemed a penalty shootout was inevitable.

Fabio Grosso twisted a left-footed shot into the far side of the net with one minute of extra time remaining, then Alessandro Del Piero clinched the 2-0 win in injury time with a counterattacking goal as Germany pressed desperately to equalize.

"We deserved it," Grosso said. "We have a great group. We've beaten some very good teams. Now we're going to celebrate reaching the final with all our well-wishers."

The swiftness of the goals was stunning - three-time champion Germany had pressured for the game's last hour and slowly stretched the tight Italian defence. But Italy, which has allowed only an own-goal in six games at this year's tournament, held off the hosts and attacked from the start of extra time.

Now the Italians head to Berlin for Sunday's final in search of a fourth trophy of their own. They'll play the winner of Wednesday's Portugal-France match in their sixth World Cup final.

"I can honestly say Italy deserved to win," Italy coach Marcelo Lippi said. "We controlled the play more than Germany did and, in the end, we got these two great goals, which allowed us to avoid the roulette of a penalty shootout."

In handing the Germans their first loss in 15 games at Dortmund, the Azzurri also remained undefeated in five World Cup meetings with Germany - this was their third win to go with two draws.

The deciding goal seemed to come out of nowhere.

Italy's reserves rushed onto the field after Grosso took a brilliant tap pass from Andrea Pirlo in the box and curled his shot beyond the leaping reach of goalkeeper Jens Lehmann and just inside the post.

With the hosts pushing forward in desperation, the Italians struck again on a two-on-one break. Del Piero finished with a right-footed blast into the top of the net just before the whistle sounded.

The Italians, who last won the World Cup in 1982, mobbed each other and rolled around on the field as their fans in a sliver of the stadium jumped in delight, waving the green, white and red flags in ecstasy.

"We have beaten a very strong team," Del Piero said. "They could have scored first on a couple of occasions. But we've done it. It's a fantastic feeling."

What the Italians have faced off the field could easily have sapped them of their resolve. Their domestic league match-fixing scandal reached new heights Tuesday when a prosecutor urged the demotion of four Serie A teams for which many of Italy's players star. Every Italian team member plays at home - and 13 of the 23 play for the teams under investigation.

While the Italians celebrated, the Germans collapsed in dismay.

"It's bitter to lose like that," Germany defender Philipp Lahm said. "We had set ourselves the target of reaching the semifinals, but once you've reached that you want to go all the way."

The home crowd lingered to cheer their players, who were supposed to be too young and inexperienced to challenge for this trophy. Instead, coach Juergen Klinsmann's entertaining squad performed superbly, and the crowd sang to them and chanted their names and "Deutschland, Deutschland" after the match.

Captain Michael Ballack and several others cried as they left the field, defeated, but unashamed.

"It was an even game," Germany striker Miroslav Klose said. "Compliments to the Italians, they took advantage of their fast breaks. We can be proud of our young team."

Italy is unbeaten in 24 games as it heads to its first World Cup title game since losing to Brazil in 1994.

Germany will play in the third-place game Saturday in Stuttgart.

"The boys are sitting there and have a bitter pill to swallow," said Klinsmann, who won the 1990 World Cup played in Italy. "It hurts terribly."

Klinsmann's contract with Germany runs out at the end of the tournament and he has been vague about his future. There have been reports that the U.S. Soccer Federation has approached him to become coach of the United States.

Klinsmann chose to continue living in California until shortly before the World Cup and he won't be resettling in Germany despite such calls from many German soccer officials.

"I really hope that Klinsmann will continue. He left a big influence on this team, the players trust him," said Franz Beckenbauer, the president of the organizing committee who won the title as player in 1974 at home and as coach in 1990. "They should mature until the European championship in two years."

DVD looks Pretty in Pink

Molly and the rest will return for the upcoming special edition of Pretty in Pink coming from Paramount Home Entertainment.

Young Andie is one of the not-so-popular girls in high school. She usually hangs out with her friends Iona or Duckie. Duckie has always had a crush on her, but now she has met a new guy from school, Blane. He's one of the rich and popular guys but can the two worlds meet?

Save up your allowance, Pretty in Pink is coming with a wealth of extras on August 29th.

(THIS STORY MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS)

Its another big boo boo for ‘Big Brother’.

Weeks ago, the secret list of potential ‘All-Star’ players was leaked when a poll was posted on the official CBS site and later removed.

Now, due to a glitch on the live feeds, all of the 14 HouseGuests currently living in the ‘Big Brother’ house have been unveiled as well as the next twist in the game.

The 24/7 feeds are not supposed to go live until after the series debut that reveals the 14 ‘All-Star’ HouseGuests airs Thursday night. However, they started broadcasting for approximately an hour Tuesday afternoon before being shut down.

At different times, ‘Chicken’ George Boswell, Marcellas Reynolds, Kaysar Ridha, Howie Gordon, Jase Wirey, James Rhine, ‘Dr. Evil’ Will Kirby, Mike Matlin, Janelle Pierzina, Alison Irwin, Danielle Reyes, Diane Henry, Nakomis (Jennifer) Dedmon and Erika Landin were heard on the feeds. It is unclear how 14 HouseGuests are participating in the series when CBS announced only 12 will start the game. It has been rumoured for some time that after the 12 were selected two more would have the chance to enter as well.

Every year, the ‘Big Brother’ HouseGuests move into the house located on the CBS Studio Lot in California days before the series premieres in order for the shows’ editors to have enough lead time to produce three episodes a week.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the first big twist of the series became public knowledge too. It seems the HouseGuests participated in a Head of Household Competition which crowned two HOHs for the week. Winners Jase and Janelle now must nominate two HouseGuests for eviction and if they cannot decide on whom to put up, they themselves will be nominated.

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.

Following the premiere, the series will be broadcast each week on Tuesdays (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT), Thursdays (8:00-9:00 PM, live ET/delayed PT) and Sundays (8:00-9:00 PM, ET/PT). The Thursday broadcast, hosted by Julie Chen, will feature the live eviction of one of the houseguests.

In Canada, 'Big Brother: All-Stars' airs on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays beginning July 6.

Halifax allocates $100,000 for mystery rock concert

Halifax municipal council voted Tuesday evening to spend $100,000 on a rock concert set for Sept. 23, but the performers still haven't been named, The Chronicle Herald newspaper reported.

So the Rolling Stones, rumoured headliners, may — or may not — make an appearance.

"I do not want to say anything to fuel the already wild speculation that is underway about which acts are expected," Mayor Peter Kelly said.

But he did confirm that the city's convention centre is talking to Donald K. Donald Promotions of Montreal. The promoter did not respond to calls from the paper.

The show "will be one of the largest events we've held," Kelly said.

The city money will pay for extra policing and the cleanup.

Council met in closed session, which angered two councillors who said the talks should have been open to the public because taxpayers are paying.

Paramount Going Back For "Grease 2" Again?

The remake craze seems to have no end in sight, with Paramount oiling up production for a re-take on Grease 2. Sky News reports the studio that started it all for Michelle Pfeiffer, is considering a re-do for the 1982 sequel that couldn't live up to its predecessor. With plans for new songs, a new cast and a script worthy to follow the classic 1978 movie, Paramount apparently thinks it could make 'grease lightning' strike twice.

Ashley Judd gets help, feels better

Ashley Judd first attended family counseling sessions for sister Wynonna before undergoing therapy herself.

Ashley Judd reveals that she did a 47-day stint in February at a Texas treatment center to overcome lifelong emotional problems.

"I needed help," Judd says in Glamour's August issue, which arrives on stands July 11. "I was in so much pain."

Therapy has been a life-altering experience, she says, adding that she was dealing with depression, isolation and co-dependent relationships.

With a "chaotic" and "dysfunctional" childhood, Judd, 38, says she compensated by becoming a "hyper-vigilant child" who was faultless in every way.

She attended 13 schools in 12 years and alternately lived with her mother, Grammy-winning country singer/songwriter Naomi Judd; her father, Michael Ciminella; and her grandparents.

"Supposedly, my sister (Wynonna, also a Grammy winner) was the 'messed-up' one, and I was the 'perfect' one."

During a family visit to Shades of Hope Treatment Center in Buffalo Gap, Texas, where Wynonna, 42, was being treated for food addiction, the De-Lovely and Come Early Morning actress was approached by counselors about treatment after emotional problems became apparent.

"They said, 'No one ever does an intervention on people like you. You look too good. You're too smart and together. But you (and Wynonna) come from the same family, so you come from the same wound.' No one had validated my pain before," Judd says.

Tabloid reports that the actress was being treated for eating disorders are not true, she says, "though I did take a look at my eating. Why wouldn't I? I looked at everything else in my life under a microscope."

Judd learned that she was using sleep to deal with uncomfortable feelings and that her habit of wiping down plastic surfaces on planes and hotels was all about control. "Now I try to remind myself that if I engage in perfectionism, I am abusing myself."

The effects of her treatment are profound, she says, and has improved her friendships and her 4½-year marriage to racecar driver Dario Franchitti, 33.

"I was unhappy, and now I'm happy. Now, even when I'm having a rough day, it's better than my best day before treatment."

Keira Knightley says she is not anorexic

LONDON - Oscar-nominated actress Keira Knightley disclosed a family history of anorexia Tuesday but said that she doesn't suffer from an eating disorder.

The slender 21-year-old, in London to promote "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," rejected suggestions that she suffers from an eating disorder, which surfaced after she appeared at the film's premiere in a revealing gold Gucci gown.

"I've got a lot of experience with anorexia — my grandmother and great-grandmother suffered from it, and I had a lot of friends at school who suffered from it," Knightley said. "I know it's not something to be taken lightly and I don't."

She said she was surprised by any suggestion that she had an eating disorder.

"(The press) said to me yesterday `How does it feel to be called anorexic?' and I had no idea that I was," Knightley said. "I'm not saying there aren't people in the film industry that suffer from it, because I am sure that there are. But I'm quite sure I don't have it."

Knightley, who was nominated for best-actress for her role in "Pride and Prejudice", said she welcomed discussion about the illness.

"In a way it's good that it's out there and that people are talking about it," she said.

Keith Richards to be in 'Pirates' movie

LONDON - Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards is lined up to play the swashbuckling father of a pirate in the third installment of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" series, star Johnny Depp said Tuesday.

Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said Richards would have a cameo role as the father of the flamboyant Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Depp, in the third "Pirates" movie, which is due to resume filming next month in California.

Depp, 43, has said he adopted the body language and mannerisms of the veteran guitarist to create Captain Jack's character.

"We're all looking forward to the idea of Keith coming in and doing a cameo," Depp told a London news conference to promote "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which opens in Britain on Thursday.

"You never say it's definite until the guy steps on the set and the camera is rolling. But it's looking very, very good," he said.

Co-star Orlando Bloom said he was similarly enthusiastic about working with Richards — provided the rocker is in good health.

"I can't wait to see him — well, if he doesn't kill himself falling out of coconut trees," Bloom said. "Very rock and roll."

Richards, 62, suffered a head injury in late April, when he reportedly fell out of a palm tree while vacationing in Fiji.

Having made a full recovery, Richards will join the Stones for their rescheduled European tour, beginning Tuesday in Milan.

The Couch Potato Report - July 4th, 2006

This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on the trouble with ANNAPOLIS and the trouble with Harry.

Over the years there have been some great movies made about the military and the armed forces.

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, APOCALYPSE NOW, TOP GUN, STRIPES, PLATOON and FULL METAL JACKET are just six, and I could easily go on.

Sadly, over the years there have also been some really bad movies made about the military and the armed forces.

Since I offered six good ones, let me know give you six bad ones: PEARL HARBOUR, DOWN PERISCOPE, NAVY SEALS, U-571, WINDTALKERS, and JARHEAD.

With that list, sadly, I could also easily go on.

And I will, let me add one more title to the list of really bad movies made about the military and the armed forces: ANNAPOLIS.

In real life Annapolis is The United States Naval Academy, an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. It is located in Annapolis, Maryland, and thus The Academy is often referred to simply as “Annapolis.”

The movie ANNAPOLIS stars James Franco from the SPIDER-MAN movies as a young man from the wrong side of the tracks whose dream of attending becomes a reality.

Or at least that’s what the film starts off as, but then it becomes a boxing movie.

Boxing is part of the training at the real Annapolis so I don't have a problem with the film's facts, but once it goes down the pugilist road full-time it becomes almost unwatchable.

Before that ANNAPOLIS is a "coming of age" movie and also a "small town boy makes good" movie, but it is isn't actually very good.

It aspires to be TOP GUN, FULL METAL JACKET or AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN, but it never quite gets there.

Once it is over, all ANNAPOLIS actually achieves is a place on the list of really bad movies made about the military and the armed forces.

Granted, it is better that DOWN PERISCOPE, NAVY SEALS, U-571 and JARHEAD, but that isn’t saying much.

So I will stop saying things about ANNAPOLIS at all.

Instead, let me turn our focus to another one of ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S FILMS.

This week I have some things to say about Hitch's 1955 film THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY.

The trouble with Harry is that he's dead, and everyone seems to have a different idea of what needs to be done with his body.

Everyone also thinks that they had something to do with his death.

THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY is a black comedy and it was a radical departure for the director. Thus, audiences didn’t warm up to it when it was first released, even though by today’s standards it features an all-star cast.

Before Shirley Maclaine hit the big time; before Jerry Mathers was the Beaver; before John Forsythe was BACHELOR FATHER, or had even heard of DYNASTY; and before Alfred Hitchcock was a household name, they all were a part of THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY.

The film might not be a masterpiece, but it has enough of Hitchcock’s trademark techniques and plot twists to keep you guessing.

So in reality, I didn't have any trouble with THE TROUBLE WITH HARRY. And it is available now on DVD, and so is ANNAPOLIS.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

In the superb THE MATADOR Pierce Brosnan leaves James Bond behind playing a globetrotting hitman who meets a businessman in a hotel bar in Mexico City and they become friends, for reasons neither expected.

STONED is a chronicle of the sordid life and suspicious death of Rolling Stones co-founder Brian Jones, who was found in the bottom of his swimming pool weeks after being let go from the band.

I’ll also continue our tribute to ALFRED HITCHCOCK’S FILMS with the Alfred Hitchcock Masterpiece SABOTEUR; and I will tell you about SEASON ONE of the TV show WEEDS.

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!

Wyrd Sisters continue Harry Potter battle with studio

The Winnipeg folk group The Wyrd Sisters plans to continue its battle against the movie studio behind the Harry Potter films despite another legal setback, a lawyer says.

The group has been fighting the movie studio Warner Brothers since late 2005 over a scene in the film Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that depicts a band of the same name.

The group's lawyer, Kimberly Townley-Smith, said Monday that The Wyrd Sisters plan to appeal last week's Ontario Supreme Court ruling that ordered them to pay $140,000 in legal costs for Warner Brothers.

"We will be appealing the disposition of costs," Townley-Smith said.

The studio, which still faces a $40-million lawsuit brought by the band, welcomed the recent Ontario court ruling.

"We're extremely hopeful that we will continue to prevail in this case," Warner Brothers spokesman Scott Rowe said from Los Angeles.

It was not clear when the court would hold a hearing for the lawsuit.

Failed injunction bid

In November 2005, The Wyrd Sisters failed in a bid to block the release of the film.

The group argued that it had owned the trademark to the name in Canada since 1990 and the release of the movie, which featured a band with the same name portrayed by members of Radiohead and Pulp, would ruin its reputation.

The film is based on Scottish author J. K. Rowling's hit book, in which there is a band called the "Weird Sisters" — a term inspired by William Shakespeare's Macbeth.

Warner Brothers has said it tried to reach a deal with the folk group to use the name, but the sides were unable to come to an agreement.

While some have criticized the group and called the legal battle a publicity stunt, Wyrd Sisters member Kim Baryluk has said the lawsuit was meant to protect their trademark and work as musicians.

New CD Releases For July 4, 2006

* * *Johnny Cash "American V: A Hundred Highways"

Johnny Cash was a busy "Man in Black" in the months prior to his death on Sept. 12, 2003. He recorded a batch of new material with producer Rick Rubin, the result of which can be heard on this fifth chapter to Cash's acclaimed "American" series.

Like with previous "American" trips, "A Hundred Highways" features the singer tackling a variety of material. The album includes the traditional spiritual "God's Gonna Cut You Down" as well as songs written by Hank Williams, Rod McKuen and Bruce Springsteen.

Cash, who was 71 at the time of his death, also sang two originals on the collection--"I Came to Believe" and "Like the 309." The former is a tune that Cash wrote and originally recorded early in his career. The latter, which is the last song Cash wrote and recorded, incorporates one of the singer's favorite lyrical motifs--trains.

* * *Rise Against "The Sufferer and the Witness"

Chicago punk-rock band Rise Against delivers its sophomore major-label outing and its first new full-length CD since 2004's "Siren Song of the Counter Culture."

The group got its start when two 88 Fingers vets--guitarist Dan Precision and bassist Joe Principe--joined forces with some fellow hardcore enthusiasts in 1999. Rise Against released two albums on San Francisco indie Fat Wreck Chords, 2001's "The Unraveling" and 2002's "Revolutions Per Minute," before signing with Geffen and putting out "Siren Song of the Counter Culture."

Career highlights for the band included appearing in the skateboard flick "Lords of Dogtown." Rise Against delivered a version of Black Flag's "Nervous Breakdown" on the "Dogtown" soundtrack.

The band is touring this summer as part of the Warped Tour.

* * * Mr. Criminal "Stay on the Streets"

The Los Angeles-based rapper returns with a follow-up to 2005's "Sounds of Crime." Counting compilations that the hip-hop star has produced, "Stay on the Streets" is Mr. Criminal's fifth album. He made his debut with "Criminal Mentality" in 2001.

* * *Various Artists "Johnny Cash: Roots and Branches"

Perfectly timed with the release of the new Johnny Cash CD, this album collects 16 recordings by various artists who were highly influential in the Man in Black's career.

"Roots and Branches" includes such selections as Jimmie Davis' "Was There When It Happened," Warren Smith's "Rock 'n' Roll Ruby," Roy Orbison's "You're My Baby," Ernest Tubb's "So Doggone Lonesome" and Hank Williams' "(I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle."

* * *Alice Peacock "Who I Am"

The Minnesota-born singer/songwriter returns with her third full-length record. "Who I Am" follows 1999's "Real Day" and 2002's "Alice Peacock." The vocalist recently promoted her album with an appearance on Garrison Keillor's "Prairie Home Companion."

* * *
More new releases:
Bonobo, "One Off Remixes & B- Sides"
Dave Brubeck, "At Storyville 1954"
Michel Camilo & Tomatito, "Spain Again"
Diana, "Diana 2006"
Frances Faye, "No Regrets"
Steven Ivey, "Country Goes Bluegrass"
Jerry Lewis, "Are You for Real?
Alice Peacock, "Who I Am"
Various Artists, "Hawaiian Love Songs"
Various Artists, "Jazz Divas"

Soundtracks and scores:
"Best of Miami Vice"
"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

'Superman' Didn't Fly High Enough, Say Analysts

If Superman Returns hadn't cost about $204 million to make and an additional $40 million to develop over the past 19 years, the $84.2 million that the movie earned since it opened late Tuesday night would be cause for celebration at Warner Bros., the studio that produced it.

However, analysts pointed out that the estimated $52.2 million that it earned over the three-day weekend trailed last year's War of the Worlds' $64.9 million over the comparable weekend and Spider-Man 2's $88.2 million in 2004.

Moreover, it is expected to be sunk next week by Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and continue to plunge after that.

Meanwhile, rival studios are reportedly upset over Warner Bros. decision to include 10:00 p.m. screenings on Tuesday in its total for Wednesday, thereby giving the appearance that the film performed far better at the box office for its Wednesday premiere than it actually did.

L.A. Weekly columnist Nikki Finke quoted one rival studio exec as saying, "It's not unfair to note that Fox's X-Men 3 had $130 mil[lion] after five days and is ending up making $235 mil or so.

If the same ratio holds and Superman Returns does 1/3 less, than it would not make $200 mil and that would be a disappointment."

In fact, the actual bragging rights for the weekend belong to 20th Century Fox, whose The Devil Wears Prada opened with an estimated $27 million.

"This was way beyond anybody's expectations," Fox distribution chief Bruce Snyder told today's (Monday) Los Angeles Times.

The film helped push the overall box office some 5 percent above last year's for the same weekend.

Today's New York Times quoted Bruce Friend, managing director of the research firm OTX Entertainment, as saying, "The good news is the bleeding has stopped from last year. ... But it hasn't rebounded to the levels of two years ago."

Here are the top ten films for the weekend, according to studio estimates compiled by Exhibitor Relations:

1. Superman Returns, $52.15 million;
2. The Devil Wears Prada, $27 million;
3. Click, $19.4 million;
4. Cars, $14 million;
5. Nacho Libre, $6.2 million;
6. The Lake House, $4.5 million;
7. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, $4.4 million;
8. Waist Deep, $3.3 million;
9. The Break-Up, $2.8 million;
10. The Da Vinci Code, $2.3 million.

New rules make Emmy race harder to call

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tony Soprano and his thugs will be back, looking to grab a piece of the action, and "The West Wing" politicians will make one last bid for re-election when the Emmy Award nominations are handed out on Thursday.

Both are likely to share the spotlight with a fresh crop of TV doctors, firefighters, a kid named Chris and an ex-con named Earl, thanks to Emmy rule changes aimed at giving newcomers and underdogs a better shot at U.S. television's highest honors. The winners will be announced on August 27 in Los Angeles.

Even more than last year, when ABC's hot new "Desperate Housewives" clinched nominations for three of its stars and freshman castaway thriller "Lost" went on to claim the prize for best drama, this year's Emmy race is seen as wide open.

"The key story this year is the Emmy nominations should not look like a TV rerun," said Tom O'Neil, columnist for the Los Angeles Times entertainment award Web site TheEnvelope.com. "This new nominating system hopes to welcome in new blood from that second tier of TV channels like FX, and UPN, and WB and others that have not been represented strongly in the past."

As Ray Richmond of the Hollywood Reporter writes: "Hope suddenly springs eternal in the Emmy world for the distinguished, the disenfranchised and the just plain dissed."

That makes it tougher to handicap a process that has long favored veteran shows and past nominees over newer prime-time offerings, though some perennial shoo-ins are expected to return.

HBO mob series "The Sopranos," a longtime Emmy darling that won for best drama in 2004 but sat out last year's contest due to a production hiatus, is heavily favored to muscle its way back into the race for the 58th annual awards.

And some experts give White House saga "The West Wing," a four-time winner for top drama, a good chance of making the cut one last time for its critically acclaimed but low-rated final season on NBC, which drew to a close in May.

But ABC hospital hit "Grey's Anatomy," which just completed its first full season, also is heavily favored to break into the pack just as that same network's "Lost" did last year.

And FX cable drama "Rescue Me," starring Dennis Leary as an emotionally troubled firefighter, is given strong odds to snag that network's first nomination for best drama series.

Even the Sci Fi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica" remake has drawn mentions from several critics as a possible candidate for best drama, though neither that network nor science fiction in general have ever garnered much Emmy attention.

CROWDED COMEDY RACE

The Emmy battle over laughs is even more of a horse race.

Newer NBC comedies "My Name is Earl" and "The Office," Fox's recently canceled Emmy winner "Arrested Development" and UPN family sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris" are all seen as front-runners, bucking Emmy voters' historical tendency to ignore younger shows, canceled shows and smaller networks.

Past comedy champion "Will & Grace," which ended its NBC run this spring, could also return to the nominees circle once more, along with "Desperate Housewives," though many critics feel "Housewives" lost some of its luster last season when critical reviews turned sour.

Other comedies cited as longshots with a realistic chance this year are HBO's cynical Hollywood satire "Entourage" and even ABC's short-lived "Sons & Daughters."

Under this year's new nominating system, members of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences choose 10 finalists for best comedy and best drama series on the basis of votes cast for all eligible candidates in each category. The field is then winnowed to five nominees by a blue-ribbon panel of judges who review videotapes of their best work.

A similar process is used to cull five nominees from the top 15 vote-getters in the categories for best lead actor and actress in a comedy and drama series.

O'Neil said critics are hoping the changes will finally reward some stars they see as long overdue for recognition, especially Lauren Graham of the WB's "Gilmore Girls." "If she doesn't get nominated this year ... TV critics of America will torch the academy," he joked.

Further complicating the Emmy picture this year is the proliferation of hourlong shows that mix elements of comedy and drama -- such as "Housewives," "Rescue Me" and "Grey's Anatomy" -- a factor that can sometimes work against a show's Emmy chances.

Yzerman to retire

Detroit has called press conference for 1 p.m. today and Steve Yzerman is stepping down.

The Detroit Red Wings Captain has made the difficult decision to retire and he's expected to make the announcement during a press conference today in the Motor City.

The sure-fire hall-of-famer has decided his body can no longer take the grind of another NHL season.

Johnny Cash needed to keep recording after death of beloved wife June

NEW YORK (AP) - Diabetes had cost Johnny Cash much of his sight, and he needed a wheelchair. Losing his wife June was crushing. Yet, in retrospect, producer Rick Rubin wasn't surprised to hear Cash's plea the day after June died in May 2003.

He needed to work. He HAD to work to keep himself going. Fulfilling Cash's request, Rubin set up a studio in a bedroom of Cash's home in Tennessee, and sent an engineer who was on call for recording for most of the rest of Cash's life. The music legend died four months after his wife.

"Sessions were booked every day and if he woke up and felt good enough to do it, he would call up and say, 'Let's do it,"' Rubin recalled. "If he wasn't doing well enough, he'd say let's do it tomorrow."

Results of some of those sessions are evident with Tuesday's release of American V: A Hundred Highways, the fifth and penultimate in a series of discs made with Rubin that memorably capped Cash's career. It's the most moving musical rumination on mortality since Warren Zevon's last album before lung cancer killed him.

Cash's once mountainous voice trembles and breaks in a set of songs both sombre and spiritual. "Oh, Lord, help me to walk another mile, just one more mile," Cash sings on the disc's opening line. "I'm tired of walking all alone."

Among the dozen cuts is Like the 309, the last song Cash ever wrote. It's about a train, appropriate for the man who once sang about a prisoner hearing a train whistle pass.

During those last few months Rubin regularly sent Cash assignments of songs to work on. Cash would suggest his own, and his son encouraged him to record Bruce Springsteen's Further On (Up the Road).

The producer sensed how important it was to keep Cash's artistic spirit alive.

"When he stopped touring, that was a terrible blow to him," Rubin said. "He loved being an artist. He felt that was why God put him on the planet. When he stopped touring, one of his main means of communication had been stopped. From that point on, he really wanted to record all the time. If he had said 'let's stop,' we would have stopped."

The timing of his death surprised Rubin because Cash had been feeling better and was planning to travel to Los Angeles to work on the music.

"After June died, he was prepared to die," said Rubin, who spoke with Cash every day in those final months. "I don't think he wanted to die, but I think he was completely at an accepting stage, of whenever it was time, it would be fine with him."

Being at the end of a memorable life is clearly reflected in the song selection. Rod McKuen's sweet Love's Been Good To Me is a nostalgic look back by a man who feels lucky in love. Cash re-records one of his old compositions, I Came to Believe, about how spiritual strength helped him overcome addictions.

On his own Like the 309, he sings: "Everybody take a look, see I'm doin' fine. Then load my box on the 309."

The one selection that seems ill-conceived is Hank Williams' A Legend in My Time, with a jarringly self-pitying tone.

One idea that provoked wildly mixed feelings among Rubin's friends who heard the album is how the first three songs - all essentially spirituals - are followed by a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's If You Could Read My Mind. Some found the transition odd and too abrupt.

Yet the Lightfoot cover is the disc's emotional centre. Cash's voice is at its weakest, but his struggles to reach the notes and enunciate the words accents the aching tenderness of the lyrics.

Cash always believed he could count on his voice, and it bothered him when it was less reliable at the end, Rubin said.

"His ability to tell a story was so strong, that even when his voice was faltering, it sounded like that was part of the storytelling," he said. "I would always tell him that. I think it would make him feel better, but I did know that he wished he had better use of his instrument in the same way he always had before."

For most of his discs with Rubin, Cash would record vocals close to home and Rubin would direct construction of musical backing tracks in Los Angeles with veteran session musicians - people like Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Then Cash would head West to oversee the final touches and re-do some vocals if he had to. The only thing different with American V was, of course, the elimination of that last step.

After Cash died, the tapes sat in storage. Rubin's a busy guy - his long list of production credits includes current bestsellers by the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Dixie Chicks - but that wasn't the reason. He couldn't deal with it emotionally.

Once he decided to attack the project, "it was initially traumatic and sad," he said. "But by the end of the first week it felt uplifting and positive. We felt like Johnny's presence was overseeing what was going on."

Probably because of Cash's condition and the song selections, it's a slow-tempo affair. The exception is God's Gonna Cut You Down, with an inventive arrangement that features hand-claps and the stomping of feet.

Cash left behind enough material, about 60 songs, that there will be one more instalment in the American Recordings series.

"Six isn't done yet," Rubin said. "But it's real good."

An in-your-face producer could be borne up anew by 'Superman Returns,' which he championed.

This summer, moviegoers will flock to theaters to see the Man of Steel battle archnemesis Lex Luthor in "Superman Returns." But the $200-million-plus comic book extravaganza also marks another drama-filled return: the reemergence of movie producer Jon Peters.

He was the onetime hairdresser whose romance with Barbra Streisand led to an almost unfathomable ascent to blockbuster producer and then studio power broker. His messy 1991 departure as co-chairman of Columbia Pictures Entertainment Inc. was relished by those who were envious of his lavish, jet-setting lifestyle or were stung by his in-your-face demeanor and legendary temper.

To this day, the mere mention of his name invokes venom in Hollywood circles. "Egotistical," brayed one producer, when asked to comment on Peters. "He's a bully, a blowhard," lambasted another, before lapsing into obscenities.

"Enormously charming — and enormously lucky," quipped a third. All requested anonymity. Even his ex-wife, Mindy Peters, who is dating him once again, observed: "He's a madman, crazy and mean. But he has a beautiful heart. When he's passionate about something, he puts everything he can into it."

No one questions that it was the vision of director and co-writer Bryan Singer ("X-Men") that pumped life into the once-moribund "Superman" franchise at Warner Bros. But if the movie succeeds — and quiet talks of sequels are already underway — the producer who many considered washed-up could find himself soaring once again.

"He's somebody who doesn't quit, he has visions about how things should be done, and more often than not he's proven right," said producer Jeff Wald, who was a television executive at Peters' former production company years ago.

For 13 years, Peters played a pivotal role in keeping the "Superman" project alive within the studio. It was a long and arduous journey as Warners shelved earlier ideas, the project bled directors, writers and actors, and debates raged over whether Superman should be killed off — or find himself pitted against Batman.

It paid off for Peters: After several years spent flying under the radar, he shares producing credit on one of the summer's biggest movies with Singer and Gilbert Adler.

Of course, Peters' championing of the caped superhero hasn't been without controversy.

In 2003, gossip columns buzzed with reports that Peters and director Brett Ratner came close to blows when Ratner abruptly quit the "Superman" project. Sources say Peters also erupted in a meeting with Warners production chief Jeff Robinov, accusing the studio of being disrespectful of director McG, who at the time was in discussions to helm "Superman." Robinov did not return phone calls seeking comment.

One might think that Peters would be front-and-center, trumpeting the new film. But from his enclave in the ritzy, celebrity-drenched Malibu Colony, the man who remains one of Hollywood's more intriguing figures declined to be interviewed. Meanwhile, his ex-wife spoke freely about her relationship with Peters — as well as his penchant for confrontation and argument.

Sometimes, she said, "you have to say to him, 'Give it up! OK, fine, Jon, now shut up!' "

Mindy Peters said she can understand why some might avoid clashing with her ex-husband.

"He's not conventional. He doesn't live by the rules, so to speak…. He's definitely fair. He's the guy who, if you are in a predicament where it's going to get dangerous, you want Jon on your side. He's a passionate person. If somebody is trying to mess with you, he will mess back. He's a street fighter. He's trained in Brazilian jujitsu."

If Peters' latest career incarnation lands him back on top, will the "suits" in today's executive suites understand the likes of a Jon Peters? After all, some might say he's a dinosaur in a business that is becoming more corporate and risk-averse with each passing day.

"He's opinionated and talented," Wald said. "When I look around at the movies being made today, they're made by committee. You can't run that game on Jon."

Mindy Peters, who has her own film production company and said she was at Jon's side throughout the years the "Superman" project was in development, described him as someone who is smart, shrewd and can strategize like a chess master, even if he's not one to send memos.

She noted that during meetings "he closes his eyes, puts his head back, and then takes it all in, and when he opens those eyes, just be ready."

Mindy Peters also talked about the side of Peters that few get to see, such as his generosity. He donated money to the family of a deputy sheriff slain in the line of duty and paid for a terminally ill girl from the Pacific Northwest to come to L.A. for a week to visit Disneyland and other theme parks.

She said he also wakes up sweating, unable to breathe because of a recurring nightmare: "Jon is sitting on a curb waiting for his dad to come home and as he runs up to the car, the car pulls away."

With his wealth, good looks and the ability to turn on the charm, he has attracted some of the world's most glamorous women over the years. He was married to actress Lesley Ann Warren and has been romantically linked over the years to Streisand, "Batman" star Kim Basinger, Pamela Anderson, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Swedish supermodel Vendela.

Peters got his big break in the 1970s, as a hairdresser on the set of "For Pete's Sake." He charmed Streisand and persuaded her to make "A Star Is Born." The 1976 film became a hit and Peters was provided an entrée into producing. He went on to team with producer Peter Guber, resulting in numerous hits, including the 1989 blockbuster "Batman."

His rocky tenure atop Columbia (with Guber as fellow co-chairman) led to a fall from grace in the eyes of many. In recent years, Peters has kept a lower profile even as he produced two well-known bombs, "Money Train" and "Wild, Wild West," along with critical favorites like "Rosewood" and "Ali."

Ronnie Grigg, president of Peters Entertainment, said his boss had a good relationship with Singer and was "a very facilitative guy" over the course of the "Superman" production.

But one former Warners executive who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was frustrating working on "Superman" with Peters because "every Monday he would come in after seeing some hit movie and change the script."

Mindy Peters described it as a "wild ride to say the least. None of us thought it would take this long or be this intense. It had so many fits and starts."

As years went by and "Superman" languished in development, it put a strain on their relationship. The project, she said, certainly was a factor in their 2004 divorce.

"I had so had it with him," she said of the decision to break up. "But we stayed connected because of the ["Superman"] project and because we have this really intense connection. This was a dream we had from so many years before."

Mindy Peters said all those memories came rushing back as she was driving along Sunset Boulevard recently and saw the first billboard for "Superman Returns." She pulled over, called to tell him, and began sobbing.

The couple are now rekindling their romance. They are also jointly involved in film and real estate deals. (The couple met 12 years ago when she was selling real estate in Montecito and he was looking to buy a ranch. He had just ended a long relationship with Vendela and poured his heart out.)

Together, they have plans to develop a 3,000-acre El Capitan Ranch north of Santa Barbara. They also are rebuilding the old Charlie Chaplin estate in Beverly Hills. They have an 8-year-old daughter, Kendyl Rose, and Mindy Peters says her former husband has more or less adopted her son by a previous marriage. They both study Kabbalah.

Even though "Superman Returns" helped cause their breakup, the couple were on the paparazzi-lined red carpet at the movie's Los Angeles premiere, and the irony of the moment was not lost on them.

Almost two decades before, Jon Peters had walked along a similar red carpet leading to the same theater for the premiere of "Batman."

But this time, as they got out of the car, Mindy Peters recalled, he hesitated. "Jon said, 'No, I'm not going to do that,' " and opted to slip into the theater unnoticed. "Then he saw Bryan [Singer] standing there smiling and waving us over," so he changed his mind.

"This was really a dream come true for Jon," she said. "He did 'Batman' and now he does 'Superman Returns'…. This was a dream coming to fruition."

Five Blue Jays named as all-stars

Jason Bay to start in NL outfield

TORONTO (CP) - The Toronto Blue Jays, seeking to break up years of dominance in the American League East by the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, are sending more players than their division rivals to next week's all-star game.

Ace Roy Halladay, closer B.J. Ryan, third baseman Troy Glaus plus outfielders Vernon Wells and Alex Rios, who will miss the game because of injury, were all voted by their peers onto the AL squad announced Sunday by Major League Baseball, the second highest total in club history. Seven Blue Jays were in the 1993 game.

This time, the defending World Series champion Chicago White Sox and National League East-leading New York Mets lead the way with six players each in the 77th all-star game next Tuesday at Pittsburgh's PNC Park.

The Blue Jays are next with five, plus manager John Gibbons will serve as one of Ozzie Guillen's coaches, followed by the Red Sox and Yankees with four apiece.

"Maybe this will bring a little recognition to what's going on up here and hopefully we can continue to let it go," Glaus said after an 11-6 loss to the Phillies. "So far it says we have some guys who have had good first halves. There's a lot more games to play, a lot more to accomplish."

Pittsburgh Pirates star Jason Bay of Trail, B.C., is the only Canadian in the contest and will start in the NL outfield after receiving 2,635,930 votes, the second-highest total among players in the Senior Circuit.

He's the first Canadian to start in the all-star game since Larry Walker in 1999 and it's the 10th straight year at least one Canuck has been named to an all-star team. The last time two Canadians went to the contest was 2001, when Walker and Paul Quantrill took part.

The Blue Jays won't have a single starter in the game, with Wells coming closest by finishing fifth in fan voting among AL outfielders.

Starting for the American League, which has a 40-34-2 edge over the National League, will be Detroit's Ivan Rodriguez at catcher, Boston's David Ortiz at first and Mark Loretta at second, the Yankees' Derek Jeter at short and Alex Rodriguez at third, with the Angels' Vladimir Guerrero, Boston's Manny Ramirez and Seattle's Ichiro Suzuki in the outfield.

"We don't have the kind of support that the Red Sox and Yankees have where they pretty much have their whole starting lineups starting in that game," said Wells. "These guys have played well and we've been able to have a good first half."

Rios, who remains in a Toronto hospital with a severe left leg infection, was replaced on the roster by Gary Matthews Jr. of Texas. He can still attend the all-star game festivities although it wasn't clear if he would.

"I would assume he'd go and get introduced. He should," said Gibbons. "He got recognized by his peers, he's having that kind of year."

Added Wells: "This definitely won't be his last one, that's for sure."

Minnesota Twins first baseman Justin Morneau of New Westminster, B.C., was a tough omission. Jim Thome and Paul Konerko, both of the White Sox, are the AL's backup first basemen.

Aside from Halladay and Ryan, Guillen's pitching staff includes three members of his White Sox: Jose Contreras, an early favourite to start for the AL, Mark Buehrle and closer Bobby Jenks. Minnesota's Johan Santana, Detroit's Kenny Rogers, Mark Redman of Kansas City and Oakland lefty Barry Zito are the other starters.

Also in the AL's fearsome bullpen are Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon and ageless Yankees stopper Mariano Rivera.

Joining Bay in the NL's starting outfield are Carlos Beltran of the Mets and Washington's Alfonso Soriano.

Paul Lo Duca of the Mets is the starting catcher, Albert Pujols, the St. Louis slugger who led all players with 3,418,555 votes, is at first, Philadelphia's Chase Utley is at second, the Mets' David Wright is at third and teammate Jose Reyes is at short.

Houston Astros manager Phil Garner can choose from Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine of the Mets, Arizona's Brandon Webb, Cincinnati's Bronson Arroyo, St. Louis' Chris Carpenter, Brad Penny of the Dodgers, San Francisco's Jason Schmidt and Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs for his starting pitcher.

In the NL bullpen are Philadelphia's Tom Gordon, Milwaukee's Derrick Turnbow, San Diego's Trevor Hoffman and Colorado's Brian Fuentes.

The bevy of all-star selections came as nice surprise to the Blue Jays, who weren't sure how the whole selection process was going to play out. The fact that all five were chosen in the players' vote stirred some pride in the clubhouse.

"I think every player will tell you that having the respect of other players is probably the biggest compliment," said Halladay. "The way we've been playing lately and the way guys have been producing, I think other teams are going to recognize that, especially when we get a chance to play them."

Halladay, who was going to start last year's game until a broken leg felled him the weekend before the game, won't have a chance to start this one. He's starting Sunday in Kansas City and will likely only be available for an inning.

"I don't really see a problem pitching. That's the reason you go, you look forward to getting in the game," said Halladay, 10-2 with a 3.22 ERA. "It was disappointing not to be able to go last year, but it's going to be more fun for me just because there are so many guys from here going."

Halladay, Ryan (1-0 with 0.45 ERA and 22 saves) and Wells (.315 with 20 homers and 62 RBIs) were obvious picks, but things were going to be tough for Rios (.330 with 15 homers and 54 RBIs) and Glaus (.248 with 22 homers and 57 RBIs).

But Glaus was a clear winner in the players' vote at third base over Oakland's Eric Chavez (205-183), Wells was second and Rios fifth among outfielders while Halladay was second among starters and Ryan second among relievers.

"You want to be respected by your peers, that's the biggest thing," said Ryan.

Cito Gaston was the manager the year the Blue Jays sent seven players to the 1993 all-star game, his reward for leading the club to its first World Series title in 1992. He was the manager again in 1994, when four Jays took part in the contest.

More recently the Blue Jays had three players chosen for the 2000 and 2003 affairs.

"I would have guessed five but I don't know how it all sets up," said Gibbons. "We have some good players, guys having good years. We have a good club. It's good for the town, well represented."

Glaus is hoping the all-star game isn't the only place the Blue Jays end up one-upping the Red Sox and Yankees.

"Obviously the talent that was in here was very, very good," he said. "Hopefully we can all stay healthy and put a run together and kind of get back into this thing and see where it goes."

Stones rolling into Halifax: reports

A year after leaving Moncton, N.B. black and blue, the Rolling Stones appear ready to return to the Maritimes.

Two Halifax newspapers are reporting that the legendary rock group will receive approval from the city's regional council on Tuesday to stage an outdoor show in Halifax in September.

A site hasn't been determined, but one possibility is the Halifax Commons, a large park in the middle of the city that hosted Pope John Paul II and 80,000 Catholics in 1984.

According to the Halifax Daily News, sources say the concert could cost the city between $100,000 and $150,000 in security, traffic control and site costs.

That would seem a bargain compared with the $671,477 tab Moncton ended up footing when it hosted the Stones' first concert in Atlantic Canada last September.

City officials blamed the hefty price tag on spiralling costs connected to security, medical care and improvements made to the Magnetic Hill concert site, but said the concert succeeded in attracting thousands of tourists to Moncton.

The Stones are also rumoured to be playing Regina, Vancouver and Windsor, Ont. this fall.

Paris Hilton Storms Billboard Charts

Debut single makes top 20; Hicks still strong

Although it seemed like she talked about recording an album for years, Paris Hilton has actually gone and done it. And she now has a (gulp) hit single to prove it.

The hotel heiress/reality-TV-and-sex-tape star/paparazzi magnet can add "recording artist" to her list of identifying tags. Hilton's first single, "Stars Are Blind," sits at No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The reggae-inflected song is the highest-ranking new song on this week's chart, though it didn't crack the top 10 as some were predicting it would. It's the third-best debut of the year, behind "American Idol" winner Taylor Hicks' "Do I Make You Proud," which was No. 1 last week, and former O-Town singer Ashley Parker Angel's "Let U Go," which entered the charts at No. 17.

'American Idol' Showcard

All three singers, oddly enough, have a reality-TV connection. Forty million people watched Hicks win "Idol" last month, and Angel, who starred in the original "Making the Band," chronicled his comeback attempt on MTV's "There and Back."

As her recording career unfolds, though, Hilton's TV fortunes are somewhat on the wane. "The Simple Life" migrated from FOX to cable network E! for its fourth season, and while ratings have been OK by the network's standards (about 1.3 million people watched the premiere earlier this month), they're a far cry from, say, "The Anna Nicole Show" at its height. Much of the buzz that once surrounded "The Simple Life" has disappeared as well.

Hilton's single couldn't overtake Hicks, who surrendered the No. 1 spot this week to Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's "Promiscuous" but is still going strong at No. 3.

Knightley didn't dig 'Pirates' at first

NEW YORK - Keira Knightley acknowledges she was a bit skeptical at first about appearing in a movie that shared a name with a Disney ride.

"I was like, 'Wait a minute, you're doing a pirate movie — something that hasn't worked in about 50 years — and it's based on an amusement park ride?!" the actress told the New York Daily News for a story published Sunday.

The 2003 film "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" went on to be a $650 million worldwide success, and co-star Johnny Depp earned an Oscar nomination for his role.

Knightley appears again in the sequel "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," opening Friday. A third "Pirates" installment is due out Memorial Day weekend next year.

Knightley says it wasn't until she was at the premiere of the first "Pirates" movie with co-star Orlando Bloom that she knew the premise would work.

"Orlando and I were sitting next to each other at the premiere, which was the first time I'd seen it, and we'd had a big talk and decided that if it was awful, we'd still leave the theater all smiles," she said.

"Halfway through the film, I nudged him and said, 'It's quite good, isn't it?' and he was like 'Yeah, it's really good.' We had no idea it would work."

Movie critic Ebert has emergency surgery

CHICAGO - Film critic Roger Ebert, who has battled cancer in recent years, was in serious but stable condition Sunday following an emergency operation to repair complications from a previous cancer surgery.

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper — co-host of the "Ebert and Roeper" movie review show — told the paper that Ebert's vital signs appeared to be good after the hours-long operation.

Ebert's family told WLS-TV, one of his employers, that they expected him to make a full recovery.

Ebert had surgery June 16 to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland. He told Sun-Times columnist Robert Feder at the time that the condition was not life threatening and he expected to make a full recovery.

About 8 p.m. Saturday, a blood vessel burst near the site of the operation, the Sun-Times reported Sunday on its Web site. A Northwestern Memorial Hospital spokeswoman declined to comment Sunday afternoon.

The 64-year-old 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.

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.

'Superman' soars to $52 million opening

LOS ANGELES - Superman may not be the world's greatest superhero at the box office, but the Man of Steel still flies high. "Superman Returns" took in $52.15 million over opening weekend, lifting its five-day total since its debut Wednesday to $84.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

That puts the Warner Bros. film ahead of the premiere of last year's "Batman Begins," another Warner superhero revival, which took in $48.7 million over its opening weekend and $72.9 million in its first five days. But "Superman Returns" finished far behind Sony's "Spider-Man 2," the record-holder for best five-day openings, with $152.4 million over Fourth of July weekend in 2004.

The weekend's other new wide release, 20th Century Fox's "The Devil Wears Prada," debuted far stronger than expected to come in second with $27 million. Industry analysts had expected the movie, starring Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, to debut at less than $20 million.

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Sony's Adam Sandler comedy "Click," fell to third place with $19.4 million, raising its 10-day total to $77.9 million.

Hollywood's overall revenues rose for the seventh straight weekend. The top 12 movies took in $140.1 million, up 5 percent from Fourth of July weekend last year. If estimates hold, it would be the second-best Fourth of July weekend ever, behind the $158.4 million haul in 2004, according to Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The first big-screen adventure for the Man of Steel in 19 years, "Superman Returns" traces the comic-book hero's homecoming after a mysterious five-year absence. Played by newcomer Brandon Routh, Superman finds lady love Lois Lane (Kate Bosworth) has a son and a new man in her life, while archenemy Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey) has hatched a plot to control the world.

Directed by Bryan Singer, who made the blockbusters "X-Men" and "X2: X-Men United," "Superman Returns" earned favorable reviews. A Superman fan since boyhood, Singer passed on doing a third "X-Men" to make "Superman Returns" after Warner let him throw out previous Man of Steel scripts and start from scratch with his own story.

"Bryan is just such a bright and creative individual. He had his own vision, and he was right and did a great job," said Dan Fellman, Warner head of distribution.

The movie should hit $110 million by Tuesday, Fellman said.

"Superman Returns" had big returns in 76 huge-screen IMAX theaters, most of which ran the movie incorporating 3-D footage in many action sequences. About $5 million of the film's grosses came from IMAX theaters.

"The Devil Wears Prada," adapted from Lauren Weisberger's best-selling novel, stars Hathaway as an aspiring journalist who reluctantly takes a job at a top fashion magazine, where she works for a tyrannical editor (Streep).

The movie's audience was four-fifths women, who turned out in far bigger numbers than 20th Century Fox had predicted.

"I don't know what to say. This is beyond my expectations," said Bruce Snyder, the studio's head of distribution.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures through July 4 will be released Wednesday.

1. "Superman Returns," $52.15 million.
2. "The Devil Wears Prada," $27 million.
3. "Click," $19.4 million.
4. "Cars," $14 million.
5. "Nacho Libre," $6.2 million.
6. "The Lake House," $4.5 million.
7. "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift," $4.4 million.
8. "Waist Deep," $3.3 million.
9. "The Break-Up," $2.8 million.
10. "The Da Vinci Code," $2.3 million.