The Couch Potato Report - September 12th, 2006
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on one of the Greatest Canadians, and some TV Shows on DVD Box Sets.
With all due respect to Tommy Douglas, it is my opinion that Terry Fox is the Greatest Canadian
In 1977, when he was only 18, Terry was diagnosed with a form of cancer called osteosarcoma. At the time the only way to treat his condition was to remove his right leg several inches above the knee.
Three years after losing his leg he decided to run across Canada in order to raise money for the fight against cancer.
He created the Marathon of Hope and once his initial target of one million dollars was in reach, he then hoped to raise one dollar for every Canadian.
On April 12th, 1980, Terry dipped his artificial leg in the Atlantic Ocean at St. John's, Newfoundland.
His goal was to dip it again in the Pacific Ocean at Victoria, British Columbia, but cancer had spread to his lungs.
Terry was forced to abandon his Marathon on September 1st, 1980, just northeast of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
After 143 days Terry had run 5,373 km - 3,339 miles - through Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario, all on one leg.
After stopping his Marathon Terry pledged to finish the Run, if he was able to. Sadly, he wasn’t and Terry Fox died less than a year later, on June 28th, 1981, just one month shy of his twenty-third birthday.
Even if it wasn’t true, and truly inspirational, Terry Fox’s life would make a great movie.
But one of the hardest types of films to make are biographies.
Movies are movies and since they are made to entertain and make money, sometimes facts and situations have to be changed for “cinematic” reasons.
Filmmakers call this “creative license.”
Sometimes those changes aren’t that noticeable - for instance the Johnny Cash Biography WALK THE LINE features several scenes with Cash on tour with Elvis.
In real life the two did know each other, but they did not go on tour together.
However, those scenes work for the film and there was little debate about that fact when the film came out.
Other times the changes are very noticeable - as the ongoing debate over PRAIRIE GIANT: THE TOMMY DOUGLAS STORY proves.
For that movie the filmmakers portrayed former Saskatchewan premier James Gardiner as arrogant, self-centered and vindictive.
Mr. Gardiner’s family has spent the better part of the past year saying he was anything but the way he was portrayed and defending his honour. As a result CBC has agreed to pull PRAIRIE GIANT from all scheduled broadcasts in response to criticisms it was historically inaccurate.
Yes, one of the hardest types of films to make are biographies.
So far, there have no been two films made about Terry Fox. The first was 1983’s THE TERRY FOX STORY and while it is a pretty good movie, it is quite flawed - to the point where it ignores the fact that Terry has two brothers and not just one.
The second film was TERRY. This was a tele-film that aired on CTV on September 11th, 2005.
Now, if you don’t know me personally, and haven’t figured this out yet, I admire and respect Terry Fox. He is one of my personal idols and, while I don’t know him, I know almost everything there is to know about him and the Marathon of Hope.
That said, I was still able to put the creative license of the filmmakers aside and I enjoyed TERRY.
Shawn Ashmore, a Canadian actor from British Columbia who is best know as Iceman in the X-MEN films does a good job as Terry and the rest of the cast are very believable as well.
Plus, the movie was shot on many of the actual locations where the Marathon Of Hope took place, and it gets extra points from me for that as well.
TERRY is not a perfect film, but I am not sure anyone could make a perfect film about the man I consider to be our Greatest Canadian.
That is because there will always be too much about Terry Fox to fit in a movie. He is bigger then life, and he is much bigger than any movie.
By the way, the 26th Annual Terry Fox Run will take place on Sunday - September 17th - and you can find out more about it at www.terryfoxrun.org.
And if you would like to sponsor my Terry Fox Run, just click RIGHT HERE.
In addition to the date of the annual The Terry Fox Run, the third week in September usually means the start of the new television season and many of our favourite shows will soon be making their season debuts.
In order to get us ready for the new seasons, the studios have released a wide array of comprehensive multi-disc DVD box sets.
And I have spent the last few weeks watching almost all of them - specifically I have watched the box sets for THE OFFICE - SEASON TWO, GREY'S ANATOMY - SEASON TWO, LAS VEGAS - SEASON THREE and THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of LOST, so let me recap.
While some feel it is blasphemy to praise the American remake of the classic BBC series THE OFFICE, I do not. While the British version is superior, Steve Carell and the cast and writers of the American one continuously come up with unique and interesting situations and jokes that make me laugh. That is the primary thing I expect from a comedy and there are many, many laughs in SEASON TWO of THE OFFICE.
THE OFFICE takes place in an office of a paper supply company and I highly recommend it, both in it’s original incarnation and the remake.
I also recommended season one of GREY’S ANATOMY when it came out on DVD, but while I was watching the SECOND SEASON of this drama centered on the personal and professional lives of five surgical interns and their supervisors, I couldn’t remember why.
GREY’S ANATOMY is one of the top ten shows on TV, and I know that it found many new fans during this SECOND SEASON, but I just didn’t enjoy this season as much as I did the first one.
I think that is because I am fascinated by medical shows and people who work in hospitals. SEASON TWO of GREY’S ANATOMY didn’t fascinate me, and I grew tired of the soap opera side of the show.
That said, the show is still as addictive as always, and I will watch SEASON THREE when that box set comes out next year.
Just as I watched SEASON THREE of LAS VEGAS.
In my reviews of past seasons of LAS VEGAS I have used the words “guilty pleasure” to describe it and I still feel that way because of that fact that Nikki Cox is one of the show’s stars.
But SEASON THREE of this show about a Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, where you can do anything you want, as long as you stay out of the way of the security and surveillance team that will be watching, wasn’t as entertaining as the first two.
Yet, it does try to be different and I give it points for that. I especially enjoyed the episode called “Everything old is you again” where the whole show took place in Vegas in the glory days of the 1960s.
What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but if the producers of the TV show about the city want to keep me interested, they should film more of the types of stories we should never see and leave the dramatic stuff to DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.
Alright, now, finally this week is THE COMPLETE SECOND SEASON of LOST.
A year ago LOST was a show I loved, craved, and couldn’t wait to watch every week. Today, LOST is a show I watch because I want to see what happens, but it has definitely lost most of it’s magic for me.
However, it did get some of it’s luster back when I watched this seven disc set because it allowed me to watch the Hanso Foundation instructional films a few times, I was able to look closer at the map on the back of the door in the hatch, and I saw more than a few things I missed the first time around when I was watching it on TV.
Now if you don’t know what any of that means, I still recommend that you go back and watch LOST from the beginning, even if SEASON TWO isn’t as good as season one.
But I do still have high hopes for SEASON THREE and I will be watching when the new season premieres on Wednesday, October 4th.
The second seasons of LOST, GREY’S ANATOMY and THE OFFICE and LAS VEGAS - SEASON THREE are all now available on DVD.
So is the very good TERRY, the latest film biography about Terry Fox.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
HARD CANDY is a Canadian film that is hard to explain, but I will do my best next week.
And after months of waiting, BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA - SEASON 2.5 will finally debut on DVD!!
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!
Nikita director Luc Besson says he's finished with filmmaking
Luc Besson, the French director of The Big Blue, Nikita and The Fifth Element, says his latest movie will be his last.
The 47-year-old filmmaker said Monday he wants to devote himself to other personal projects, including a foundation to help young people in France's depressed inner cities.
"I want to take a little care of my fellow citizens. I want to take a little care of my planet. I want to act in favour of the inner cities, in favour of the environment. I want to do lots of things," he said.
Besson's 10th directorial effort, the animated Arthur et les Minimoys, opens in France this December.
"They are my 10 little babies," he told a French radio program. "I love them all. I am pleased to have completed this cycle. That is finished."
In a lengthy interview, Besson said he would cease creating movies but did not say if he will cut himself off completely from the business.
Besson was usually the producer and director of his films, which include 1994's Léon (The Professional) starring Natalie Portman and The Transporter in 2002.
He also wrote films such as The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc starring Milla Jovovich and most recently, Banlieu 13 ( District B13).
Banlieu 13 was released in Canada in August and hinted at Besson's concerns about deteriorating conditions in the suburbs of Paris.
Condemnation of political elites
The action flick is set in a Paris ghetto in the near future. It's become so lawless and run by drug lords that the government decides to cordon it off.
Although the plot surrounds an undercover cop who must go into the ghetto to recover a stolen missile, the ending is a condemnation of France's political elites and their treatment of the disadvantaged — a thinly veiled reference to the ethnically charged riots in Paris suburbs in 2005.
Born in Paris, Besson began his movie career in the 1980s, directing his first movie, The Last Battle, in 1983. Born to two scuba divers, he also made Atlantis, an underwater wildlife documentary, in 1991.
Besson hit it big with 1990's La Femme Nikita (known as Nikita in North America), starring Anne Parillaud as a vicious street urchin hired by a secret organization to become a contract killer.
IMDB.com lists five more projects Besson has produced that are due out in 2006 and 2007, including the Jodie Foster-directed Flora Plum.
New Releases, Sept. 12: Justin Timberlake, Bob Seger, John Mayer
Justin Timberlake "FutureSex/LoveSounds"
The former leader of 'NSync has definitely stacked the cards in his favor this time around. For "FutureSex/LoveSounds," his follow-up to 2002's multi-platinum debut "Justified," Timberlake has called upon such A-list producers as Timbaland, Nate Hills, Will.I.Am (Black Eyed Peas) and Rick Rubin. The first single from the set is "SexyBack."
Last month, Timberlake got the hype machine rolling by embarking on a brief US club tour, which hit seven cities in a little over two weeks. His previous tour found the singer performing at major arenas across the country.
* * *
Bob Seger "Face the Promise"
The 61-year-old legend, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, finally returns with his first studio album in 11 years. Seger's last album was 1995's "It's a Mystery."
The first single from the new set, which is said to lean toward high-energy rockers, is titled "Wait For Me." The disc also contains two duets--"Real Mean Bottle" (with Kid Rock) and "The Answer's in the Question" (with Patty Loveless).
"It's a Mystery" is the latest chapter in a highly successful career that has stretched nearly 40 years. Seger's resume includes a lifetime albums-sales mark of almost 50 million and his 1994 "Greatest Hits" collection, which has sold more than 7 million copies.
* * *
John Mayer "Continuum"
Having spent time with the John Mayer Trio, a group that features bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan, the pop idol reclaims the spotlight with this solo offering.
"Continuum" is Mayer's first solo studio record since 2003's "Heavier Things." He did, however, release a concert disc in 2005--titled "Try!"--that featured his trio. The first single from the new album is "Waiting on the World to Change."
The vocalist/guitarist is currently on a co-headlining tour with Sheryl Crow, which stretches through a two-night stand (10/13-14) in Atlanta.
* * *
Shawn Colvin "These Four Walls"
The three-time Grammy winner is back with her first offering since 2001's "Whole New You." This is the folk singer's first release on Nonesuch, having spent the majority of her professional career on Columbia Records.
The disc was recorded in Texas and New York with producer John Leventhal, and features such guests as Patty Griffin, Marc Cohn and Teddy Thompson.
Colvin will support the CD with a round of fall tour dates, currently set to begin Oct. 11 in Baltimore and end Nov. 14 in New York City.
* * *
The Mars Volta "Amputechture"
The acclaimed prog-rock outfit deals its third album, which is the follow-up to 2005's "Frances the Mute." The band is currently on the road supporting the Red Hot Chili Peppers. John Frusciante, the Peppers' guitarist, is featured on "Amputechture."
* * *
More new releases:
Barenaked Ladies, "Barenaked Ladies Are Me" (Desperation)
Black Keys, "Magic Potion" (Nonesuch)
Black Label Society, "Shot to Hell" (Roadrunner)
Carbon Leaf, "Love, Loss, Hope, Repeat" (Vanguard)
Kasey Chambers, "Carnival" (Warner Bros.)
Robert Cray Band, "Live from Across the Pond" (Vanguard)
The Duhks, "Migrations" (Sugar Hill)
Peter Frampton, "Fingerprints" (New Door)
Mastodon, "Blood Mountain" (Reprise)
Pat Metheny and Brad Mehldau, "Metheny/Mehldau" (Nonesuch)
Madeleine Peyroux, "Half the Perfect World" (Rounder)
R.E.M., "And I Feel Fine: Best of the I.R.S. Years 1982-1987" (Capitol/I.R.S.)
Lionel Richie, "Coming Home" (Island)
Vittorio, "Vittorio" (Decca)
Yo La Tengo, "I Am Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass" (Matador)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Grey's Anatomy 2" (Hollywood)
Rush Wrestling With Faith On New Album
Rush has penned eight songs for its next studio album, which should be out in early 2007, according to drummer Neil Peart. The artist tells Billboard.com his lyrics for the as-yet-untitled set were greatly influenced by his motorcycle journeys throughout the United States, chronicled in the new book "Roadshow: Landscape With Drums."
Peart says he was struck by the ubiquity of religious billboards that have sprung up on America's highways, which got him thinking about some weighty topics. "Just seeing the power of evangelical Christianity and contrasting that with the power of fundamentalist religion all over the world in its different forms had a big effect on me," he says.
"You try to put your own way of seeing the world into some kind of congruence with other peoples, and that's difficult for me," he admits. "I mean, I see the world in what I think to be a perfectly obvious and rational way, but when you go out into it and see the way other people think and behave, and express themselves on church signs, you realize, 'Well, I'm not really part of this club.'"
"I looked for the good side of faith," Peart says. "To me it ought to be your armor, something to protect you and something to console you in dark times. But it's more often being turned into a sword, and that's one big theme I'm messing with."
Musically, the new album is continuing in much the same vein as 2002's "Vapor Trails," which returned Rush to a more guitar/bass/drums-driven sound. But Peart is quick to add that the music is "remarkably organic in a way that I haven't heard [from Rush] before. We spent a month together in May working on those songs and developing our individual instrument parts for them. It's early to characterize it, but it's definitely fresh and different and that's certainly satisfying."
Peart, bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson will regroup next month to finish pre-production and will begin recording in November. However, as Peart writes at the conclusion of "Roadshow," he is ambivalent about putting himself through yet another massive world tour.
"It is true that in 1989 I announced that I wasn't going to tour anymore, and have said that every time since and have gone back and decided [to do it] for all good reasons," he says. "One of the main ones to me is that a band plays live, so if I want to consider our band as a living, working thing then that's the case. I haven't in my own mind committed to [another tour] yet, but of course I haven't ruled it out, either."
Quebec diva Avila and Newfoundland's Sharpe wait for Idol crown
TORONTO (CP) - It's down to the diva from Quebec versus the power pipes of Newfoundland and Labrador.
But "Canadian Idol" fans will have to wait nearly a full week before learning if the country's next singing champ is soul-tinged Eva Avila of Gatineau, Que., or pop crooner Craig Sharpe of Upper Island Cove, N.L.
CTV won't reveal who got the most votes from Monday's final performance until the 90-minute "Idol" finale on Sunday.
The delay gives the network more time to prepare for the finale and drum up big audiences for the debuts of two new shows that will follow "Idol" on Sunday night, said executive producer John Brunton.
Brunton said he's not worried about potential leaks or lost momentum by delaying the announcement, traditionally made the day after the final performance show.
"There's not a chance in hell there will be a leak - I'll kill somebody if there's a leak," laughed Brunton, noting tight security measures have been put in place.
"Essentially, there will be a person who will know the results and the details of those results will not be revealed to anyone - anyone on the crew or anyone at CTV - until the need-to-know people will find out next Sunday."
He said the delay gives production staff more time to fine-tune performance details for the results show, which will feature sexy chart-topper Nelly Furtado, all top 10 competitors and last year's "Idol" winner, Melissa O'Neil.
"We wouldn't have been able to include all the things that we're hoping to include in the finale if we hadn't had the time to rehearse it," Brunton noted.
Monday's final performance show had Avila and Sharpe each tackle three songs - a favourite previously sung this season, a new selection, and the new Idol's single, "Meant to Fly," which will be released to radio stations after a winner is crowned.
Sharpe's version earned praise from all judges, spurring Zack Warner to leap out of his chair to embrace the dimpled 16-year-old on stage.
"That was without a doubt the best thing you've ever done on this show," said judge Jake Gold, who later criticized Sharpe for letting the band drown him out on Celine Dion's "I Surrender."
Avila also wowed the judges with her version of the uplifting ballad.
"It was your song - you delivered it like a goddess, fantastic," judge Sass Jordan said of the song, co-written by Winnipeg singer-songwriter Chantal Kreviazuk and her husband Raine Maida of Our Lady Peace.
Avila, a 19-year-old former postal clerk and beauty consultant, is one of only two singers from Quebec to crack the top 10 and the first to reach the finale.
She says she was taught to sing by her father.
"It's thanks to him that I'm here, really," Avila said in the days leading up to Monday's show. "He's my inspiration."
Sharpe, a student known for his high tenor voice, is the second from the Rock in as many years to make the finale. Last year's finalist, Rex Goudie of Burlington, N.L., lost out to O'Neil.
"My dream is so close to me and I'm so nearly there, " Sharpe said last week. "I'm so happy. I can't believe I'm in the finale."
Celebrity fans in the audience included tabloid favourite/Tori Spelling rival Mary Jo Eustace, "Canada AM" host Seamus O'Regan and TSN's Michael Landsberg.
Longoria says 'Housewives' her last show
PASADENA, Calif. - Eva Longoria says she's done with television after "Desperate Housewives" ends. The 31-year-old actress said she loves the medium of television and the routine it provides, but that "Housewives" will be her last series.
"I would never leave `Desperate Housewives,'" Longoria told The Associated Press. "I love doing both (TV and film), but I would never do another TV show after `Desperate Housewives.' No."
Longoria, who plays saucy Gabrielle Solis on the ABC dramedy, can next be seen on the big screen in "How I Met My Boyfriend's Dead Fiancee," due in 2007. She made her mainstream movie debut opposite Michael Douglas in "The Sentinel" earlier this year.
The third season of "Desperate Housewives" begins Sept. 24.
Seinfeld - Sony Serves Up 7th Season of Seinfeld
Today, Sony is announcing the November 21st release of Seinfeld - Season 7. The 4-DVD set contains all 24 episodes, running 541 minutes and costing $49.95 SRP.
Here is Sony's early info (including bonus material):
The pivotal year for Seinfeld with nearly 34 million viewers weekly! It's got everything: love, engagements, deaths, secret ATM codes, soup, Marisa Tomei and more! This hilarious DVD is packed with all new special features created in partnership with Jerry Seinfeld.
Guest stars this season include Marisa Tomei, Debra Messing, Rob Schneider, Jerry Stiller, Janeane Garafolo, “soup Nazi” Larry Thomas, Larry David and more!
Includes all new popular Sein-Imation!
Notes About Nothing
Inside Looks (Episode-Specific “Mini Making of” Documentaries)
In the Vault (Deleted Scenes)
Not That There's Anything Wrong With That (Bloopers)
Yada Yada Yada (Commentaries)
And More!
Evanescence leader Lee unlocks 'Door'
NEW YORK (Billboard) - Amy Lee is sitting cross-legged in a lounge chair on the roof of New York's Dream Hotel. She's decked out in worn jeans and a Joan Jett T-shirt, and her pale-blue eyes are translucent -- a sharp contrast to her long dark hair.
In the past three years, her band Evanescence has skyrocketed to fame thanks to its 2003 Wind-up debut, "Fallen," which won two Grammy Awards and has sold 6.5 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
But as quickly as the band hit the big time, the threads that held its members together began to fray. Co-founder Ben Moody abruptly left mid-tour in 2003; his replacement, former Cold guitarist Terry Balsamo, suffered a stroke last year; and bassist Will Boyd, whom Lee has known since middle school, opted out of the group in July.
Adding to the drama, Lee split from her boyfriend, Seether frontman Shawn Morgan, and changed managers. But the artist says the trials have made her stronger and more independent. "It took me awhile to figure out who I was," she says. "I'm the youngest person in the band. I'm the leader of the band. I'm a chick. I learned how to say no and draw boundaries."
Indeed, Evanescence's new album "The Open Door," due October 3, is an ode to a stronger Lee.
Q: "Fallen" was a multiplatinum smash. Were you under pressure to produce a follow-up that could stand up to it?
A: I think people sometimes lose the love of what they do and just try to put out another record. That's a crime. If you don't feel it, wait until you're hungry for it. What's the point of making a huge piece of music if it's not for the love of the art.
It took longer than I thought. But, I am a perfectionist. We took all the time we needed and wrote and wrote and wrote. If it wasn't good, I threw it away. I wanted every piece of it to be as good as it possibly could be. We accomplished what I wanted, which was to do something that I was more proud of than what I'd done before. I constantly have to top myself, it's just the way I am.
Q: Is "The Open Door" thematically different from "Fallen?"
A: What music is for me and what Evanescence has been is me purging all of the negative and hard, difficult experiences that I've had in life. Naturally that's still coming across; I'm still purging the trials. I feel like this album comes from a place that is not so hopeless. The first album, I was talking about the hard stuff, but I was also wallowing in it. I wasn't strong enough to take a stand and say no in a lot of situations.
I listen back to "Fallen" now and definitely hear all the vulnerability and the fear and all the childish things in me that are just human. But I've grown so much now. The lyrics on the new album are looking for the answers, looking for the solutions, looking for happiness. It's not, "I'm miserable, end of song." It's more, "I'm miserable, and what do I have to do to work this out and get out of this bad situation."
Q: Have you matured?
A: Yes, I've learned how to say no. This is a bad situation. See the signs and say, "I'm out of here." Especially in relationships. You have to be willing to jump off the cliff and know that when you get to the bottom that it's going to be way better, and know it could also be crash and burn. Those are the times in my life that I've really broken through and had great joy, because I took those chances. At least when you're at the bottom and all alone again and starting over, it's a clean slate.
Q: What is it like having such a different configuration of the band?
A: The biggest difference is (the absence of) Ben (Moody). We formed the band together. We were the main writers. Without him, it wasn't like I was thinking, "Oh, my God, what am I going to do?" It really had gotten to the point where it was so horrible and dramatic, it was a relief and I knew the band could continue. When it came to writing, I had so much by then to write about, it was spilling out of me. I didn't know how to stop writing.
I have so much more freedom to do everything myself this time, for a lot of reasons. I wanted to prove that not only could I do it myself, but I could make a better album than before. I've never really tried to sit, say OK and just start writing and go for it and not have anyone to answer to, at all. I'm the boss. Here we go! If it sucks, I figure it out.
Q: Terry Balsamo replaced Moody and has become your songwriting partner. How do you guys write together?
A: It's a completely different writing process (than with Moody). He's completely laid-back. There's no pressure of wanting to rule the world. It's just about writing great music.
Terry and I will just sit in a room and jam. As simple as that is, it's completely different for me. I was so insecure at the time, though I didn't realize it then. I thought I was strong. It's so hard to let yourself be vulnerable. In front of a huge audience, it's not so bad, because it's just a sea of people. But in front of two people you know, it's impossible. It was a first for me to just make music as we go.
Q: You are prepping for a major tour. What are your expectations?
A: We just started rehearsals. I was really stressed. It's been two years since I've been onstage.
More than that, Terry had a stroke. It's been about nine months and he's doing great. We had our first day of practice and he's playing guitar on every song. That is such a big step. There was so much pressure, but I didn't want to hire another guitar player. We wrote this record together. I knew he was going to get better. I knew he'd make it just in time. The doctor couldn't believe he was still alive.
Our band has been through so much together by now, we couldn't be more tight onstage. We love each other.
Q: Why are there so few female rockers today?
A: In the music industry today, there are a lot of holes. There are things I miss, like great female rockers like Joan Jett. She totally inspired me and inspired guys and everybody everywhere. Where did they go? It seems like if there were any women in music, it was either R&B or easy listening. No one was rocking. No one had the real power, not the sex appeal, the real power of rock 'n' roll. We need chicks in rock.
Q: "Fallen" was first released in the Christian market. Do you consider Evanescence a Christian band?
A: Can we please skip the Christian thing? I'm so over it. It's the lamest thing. I fought that from the beginning; I never wanted to be associated with it. It was a Ben thing. It's over. It's a new day.
'Pirates of the Caribbean' becomes 3rd film to surpass $1B bounty
The Walt Disney epic Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest has continued to cut a swath through the box office, becoming the third film to surpass $1 billion US in worldwide ticket sales.
Disney confirmed that, by the weekend, the second in the swashbuckler series had sold $1.003 billion US gross.
Titanic, directed in 1997 by Canadian James Cameron, still tops the list at $1.8 billion US, followed by Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), which amassed $1.1 billion US at the theatre.
However, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest has already beaten another record by taking in $135.6 million US at North American theatres on its opening weekend. It beat a record held by Spider-Man (2002).
A third film, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, is already shooting in Los Angeles with principal cast members Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom.
Sources in Hollywood say Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards has flown in to do a cameo.
Depp is reported to have modelled his eccentric character, Capt. Jack Sparrow, on Richards, who is rumoured to be playing Sparrow's father. Producers have yet to announce what role the musician is playing.
Pirates has been topping the movie charts consistently over the summer season.
The first installment, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, grossed more than $677 million US at box offices worldwide.
The movie is based on a Disney theme park attraction.
Classic Duran Duran Videos Hitting The Web
For the first time, Duran Duran's glamorous, bold and sometimes risque catalog of music videos will be made available as digital downloads beginning next month.
An initial offering of 20 videos will roll out Oct. 2 across video-enabled download services, as part of a worldwide initiative driven by EMI, with whom the group recorded for much of its 25-plus year career.
Groundbreaking promos for "Planet Earth," "Girls On Film," "Hungry Like the Wolf," "The Wild Boys" and "A View to a Kill" are among the first batch. Participating online retailers will set the price for the video downloads, according to an EMI spokesperson.
As part of the offering, an exclusive bundle will be available through Apple's iTunes Music Store, which includes two documentary shorts, "A Day in the Life" and "Liberty."
Keyboardist and founding member Nick Rhodes says band members welcome new opportunities in the digital music arena. "You have to accept that business has changed. We underwent the industrial revolution in the music business for the first time -- in many, many years -- over the last few years," Rhodes tells Billboard.com. "There were many of us, including myself and Duran Duran, who seized the opportunity as we saw this as the beginning of something exciting and new that would undoubtedly revolutionize what we are doing. And it is still only the tip of the iceberg."
As previously reported, Duran Duran will this month become the first major band to introduce its members as avatars in the Second Life virtual world.
R.E.M. Bringing Back The Rock On New Album
R.E.M. this week will release classic and rare material from its first five years on I.R.S. Records, but bassist Mike Mills says the veteran group remains most interested in moving forward with new music. As previously reported, R.E.M. is getting ready to return to the studio to record the follow-up to 2004's "Around the Sun."
"We'll start rehearsals probably some time in the next month or two," Mills tells Billboard.com. "I think [guitarist] Peter [Buck] and I probably both have a tone of stuff, but we haven't sat down and played it for each other yet. I don't think in terms of directions, but I think this next record might have a little more rock to it. I like 'Around the Sun," but I think, honestly, it turned out a little slower than we intended for it to, just in terms of the overall speed of songs."
In addition to R.E.M.'s early classics, the two-CD compilation "And I Feel Fine" features 11 unreleased tracks, foreshadowing a possible larger rarities boxed set at some point in the future. "We don't have any set plans," Mills says, "but I wouldn't be surprised if one day well into the future one or more of us will probably start digging through the pile and seeing if there's anything worth putting out. And if there is, maybe we'll do a fun box set with all kinds of even weirder stuff than this."
And although five vintage concert cuts are included on "And I Feel Fine," Mills says the prospect of an R.E.M. live album has never held much interest for the band.
"In my personal opinion, there are some great live albums," he explains. "[The Allman Brothers Band's] 'Fillmore East' is something I'll always enjoy. But for R.E.M., my feeling is if you weren't there, you missed it. The music is meant to be heard in conjunction with seeing the band in those situations, and I don't really like separating the two.
"But," he adds, "depending on what we find in the vaults, some more of that [live] stuff could make its way out."
This week, Mills, Buck and vocalist Michael Stipe will reunite with ex-drummer Bill Berry to rehearse for R.E.M.'s induction into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. The foursome will play three songs on Saturday (Sept. 16) at the ceremony in Atlanta, although Mills said no decisions have yet been made on which.