Spidey lands on 'Heroes'

Peter Parker fans may be feeling their spidey-sense tingling.

During Monday's 9 p.m. ET/PT cliffhanger episode of NBC's hit Heroes — it's the last new episode until April 23 — a one-minute clip from this summer's much-anticipated Spider-Man 3 will air. After Heroes, viewers can go to NBC.com to see six minutes of the movie.

Spider-Man 3 stars Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker, who struggles with inner demons while facing the evil Sandman (Thomas Haden Church) and Venom (Topher Grace). Spider-Man 3 opens May 4.

Grey's Heigl Fades to Black?

Just what the producers of Grey's Anatomy need: more discord within the cast.

Series star Katherine Heigl has bowed out of contract negotiations after reaching a stalemate with producers over a salary dispute.

Sources told E! Online TV columnist Kristin Veitch that Heigl is angling for a salary bump that would put her on par with the show's other female stars, namely Ellen Pompeo and Sandra Oh, both of whom were better known before the ABC hit launched.

Heigl apparently feels that she has become an integral part of the show and her star is on the rise. According to sources, Heigl's camp believes that, come the June release of her Judd Apatow comedy, Knocked Up, Heigl will be one hot commodity. (Think Steve Carell post-The 40-Year-Old Virgin.)

While neither producer Touchstone Television nor Heigl has commented on the contractual posturing, ABC confirmed to E! News that, dispute or not, rising star or not, Heigl isn't going anywhere. She's currently signed for three more years, through the show's sixth season.

"Katherine is an integral part of Grey's Anatomy and its success," ABC said in a statement. "Fortunately, we have a long term contract to ensure she'll be with the show for several years to come."

"In recognition of her tremendous talent and value to the show, we recently approached Katherine with an offer to raise her compensation significantly above the terms of her current contract. We were surprised to see this gesture reported negatively in the press, and want to reassure fans that she will continue as Izzie Stevens."

While Heigl's Dr. Isobel "Izzie" Stevens has become a major asset onscreen (she was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and shared the ensemble award from the Screen Actors Guild)—Heigl's offscreen behavior has been a distraction.

The 28-year-old was the most vocal cast member in the wake of Isaiahgate.

Heigl made frequent comments in support of costar T.R. Knight and against costar Isaiah Washington, who called Knight a "faggot" during an onset fracas last fall and then denied it following the Goldeon Globes.

"I'm not okay with it," she said before Washington sought treatment. "He needs to just not speak in public. Period...And I'm probably going to get in a lot of trouble for being that blunt."

While ABC denies that the current contract dispute is any sort of embodiment of behind-the-scenes turmoil, People reports Heigl is distressed that Washington's continued presence on the show seems to valued over her own.

Of course, the stalemate could be less about conspiracies and more about money.

Last June, Touchstone rewarded each of the Grey's Anatomy principal cast members with a cool $200,000 one-time bonus for a time slot well done.

At the time, it was reported that the bonuses were an attempt to head off actors' requests for bigger paydays down the line. Apparently the powers that be wanted to avoid the inevitable salary battles that occur when relatively unknown stars are catapulted to fame via a monster hit show and try to renegotiate their original deals (see: Friends, Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond).

Should they need it, the producers will likely have a little more pocket change at their disposal by the end of the season.

Last week, Touchstone confirmed that Kate Walsh, who plays Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd on the series, could be departing for the show's first spinoff.

A two-hour special episode of Grey's Anatomy, set to air during May sweeps, will act as the de facto pilot for the new, as yet untitled series, allowing ABC time to decide whether or not to pick up the show for its fall season. It's unlikely that any other regular cast members will join the new show, though Taye Diggs and Hector Elizondo have signed on to appear in the pilot.

A Christmas 2008 gift for Trekkies

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Captain's log: December 25, 2008.

Paramount Pictures has set a Christmas Day 2008 release date for the 11th "Star Trek" feature, to be filmed by "Mission: Impossible III" director J.J. Abrams. Shooting will begin in the fall, Paramount said Tuesday.

The screenplay, from "M:I 3" scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, is said to follow James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock during their Starfleet Academy years and into their first space mission.

The previous film in the series, the 2002 box office bomb, "Star Trek: Nemesis," was directed by Stuart Baird, and starred Patrick Stewart.

Oilers honour the 'Moose'

EDMONTON (CP) - Once everything else was behind him - the street naming, civic celebration, a gala evening with old friends - Mark Messier skated onto the ice at Rexall Place in full equipment and hoisted the Stanley Cup for an Oilers crowd that seemed to cherish him more than ever.

A man and the city's adoring fans. That's what this week was really about in Edmonton. When Messier took a final lap of the ice after his No. 11 jersey had been raised to the ceiling on Tuesday, the old building almost shook on its foundation while the sold-out crowd saluted him in a manner that bordered on strident.

It was a stirring moment on an emotional day for Oilers fans, who earlier had been given the shocking news that assistant captain Ryan Smyth had been traded to the New York Islanders.

A few fans shouted encouragement for Smyth during the Messier ceremony, but the night still belonged to the Moose.

He was already in tears when he finished his skate with the Stanley Cup and placed it on a table at centre ice. His three-year-old son Douglas, wearing a vintage Messier jersey, promptly jumped into his arms as the crowd again cheered.

"I want to thank each and every one of you for all of your support," Messier told the 16,839 in attendance. "(The Oilers are) an institution in the world of sports."

That institution started with the dynasty teams of the 1980's.

Messier, who grew up nearby in St. Albert, was the emotional leader of those talented teams that featured the likes of Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, Grant Fuhr and Al Hamilton - the men who have all previously had their jerseys retired in Edmonton.

Only one player will ever have worn No. 11 in the history of the Oilers. His name is Messier.

"One of the reasons that made it so special to play here is that I was born and raised here," he said to the crowd. "To be honoured in this way, standing down here, is a humbling experience."

Former teammates, friends and family joined him on the ice for the roughly 40-minute ceremony. It started with a video tribute that highlighted the many highs of Messier's fine career.

Six Stanley Cups, two Hart Trophies, one Conn Smythe Trophy and a point total of 1,887 that leaves him second all-time in league history. The most important thing for Messier is the mark he left on the city of Edmonton and the people he played with.

"I'd like to thank all the Oiler fans for properly honouring the greatest leader sport has ever produced," said current Edmonton coach Craig MacTavish, a former teammate of Messier's. "Mark, that skate brought back great memories.

"Welcome back to centre ice with the Edmonton Oilers."

While these ceremonies have become a regular occurrence around the league, they never seem to tire for the fans who attend them. It's part hero worship and part longing for a bygone era.

Messier is 46 now, yet it seems so easy for many to remember the glorious moments he produced for the Oilers more than two decades ago.

Even though the timing of the ceremony created a strange atmosphere because it coincided with the Smyth deal and the NHL's trade deadline, Messier thanked the team for it.

The Oilers had selected Feb. 27 so coach Gretzky and his Phoenix Coyotes could be there - just as they were when Coffey's No. 7 was honoured last season.

"Tonight would not have been the same without Wayne being here," said Messier. "Wayne was our leader. He was our inspiration. He was the guy we leaned on and he never let us down and never put himself above anybody."

Still, the Oilers regretted that the events had to coincide.

"When this day first came up months ago, I thought, 'Whatever we do on deadline day is not going to impact the evening,"' said GM Kevin Lowe. "I never in my wildest dreams ever imagined this sort of thing happening so I don't want to appear insensitive to the impact of the deal on the whole event."

Even Smyth himself wanted the day to be about Messier.

He refused to speak to reporters after news of the trade broke because he didn't want to take any of the spotlight.

"I want this to be a great night for Mark Messier," he said Tuesday morning before being traded. "For what he's done for this city. For what he's done for the run of five Stanley Cups."

Fortunately for all involved, Messier still had his moment. And it brought back a lot of memories seeing him holding the Stanley Cup.

Murphy "Storms Out" After Oscar Loss

Dreamgirls star Eddie Murphy was so devastated after losing the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award to Alan Arkin he stormed out of the ceremony, according to press reports in the US, including Roger Friedman of FoxNews.com.

Murphy was the favorite to win the Oscar, which instead was awarded to Little Miss Sunshine star Arkin.

The 45-year-old tried to downplay his disappointment telling American publication Us Weekly, "It's fine. It happens. It's OK."

But shortly thereafter, Murphy and girlfriend Tracey Edmonds left the show and didn't return.

Murphy missed out on his Dreamgirls cast mates Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose performing songs from the film, as well as Hudson's win for Best Supporting Actress.

Scorsese Departs on Post-Oscar Project

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Martin Scorsese has finally found a winning formula—and it seems he plans on sticking with it.

Fresh off his first Oscar win for directing The Departed, Scorsese has reteamed with the gritty gangster flick's Oscar-winning screenwriter William Monahan for the epic rock 'n' roll feature The Long Play.

The endeavor already reeks of credibility: Aside from Scorsese and Monahan jumping on board, Mick Jagger, a man who knows a thing or two about rock 'n' roll, will coproduce the flick through his Jagged Films.

The film will chronicle two friends over their 40-year ride in the music business. The Long Play will also highlight the rise and fall of musical genres along the way, touching on everything from the salad days of R&B to rock and up through contemporary hip-hop.

The movie is based on an idea from the Rolling Stone frontman that was originally earmarked for Disney. The Mouse House passed on the script because it didn't quite jibe with their family-friendly reputation.

The picture has since moved on to Paramount, where Scorsese signed a four-year first-look deal in November. Monahan has signed on to rewrite the screenplay, and while no start date has been set, it will be the next project for both men. The Oscar-winning twosome had reportedly been discussed some kind of sequel to The Departed, though that very tentative plan has now been pushed back.

The movie will not only mark Scorsese's second go-round with Monahan but also his second with Jagger.

Last fall, Scorsese shot a Rolling Stones concert documentary, in the vein of The Last Waltz, in New York City, which Paramount is prepping to release this fall.

In the meantime, Scorsese isn't the only Departed player angling to reteam with Monahan.

Oscar nominee Leonardo DiCaprio has also attached himself to the Monahan-penned flick Confessions of Pain, per the Hollywood Reporter. Like The Departed, Confessions is also based on a Hong Kong thriller.

The original, released last year, centers on two detective friends, one working for the police and one in private practice, who partner up to investigate the murder of the cop's father-in-law. There's no word yet on which lead role DiCaprio will take, though the actor is also set to produce the film through his company, Appian Way.

DiCaprio and Scorsese, meanwhile, are planning on yet another collaboration, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, with DiCaprio playing the youthful, prepresidential Roosevelt. The project is in development and no start date has been announced.

2008 OSCARS' 'BEST' BETS

February 26, 2007 -- The red carpet at the Kodak Theatre hasn’t even been rolled up, and Tinseltown is already talking about next year’s Oscar race.

That would be the Best Picture cliffhanger between a big-screen version of the Broadway musical "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" - starring Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep - and "Charlie Wilson’s War," an Afghanistan-themed political drama with two other Hollywood heavyweights, Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

Or maybe, experts say, the big showdown will come down to Steven Soderbergh’s "Che," showcasing Benicio Del Toro as the Cuban-guerrilla leader, and Ridley Scott’s ’60s Harlem crime saga "American Gangster," starring Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington.

Others are anticipating a duel for the gold that would pit "His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass" - the first installment in a pricey "Lord of the Rings"- style fantasy franchise with Nicole Kidman as the villain - against "The Golden Age," in which Cate Blanchett reprises her Oscar-nominated role as England’s first Queen Elizabeth.

Welcome to Hollywood’s version of fantasy baseball, where insiders try to dope out the Oscar prospects of films that largely haven’t been completed, or in some cases don’t have a confirmed release date - or even a U.S. distributor.

During Oscar Week a year ago, DreamWorks and Paramount invited press to the set of the still-filming "Dreamgirls," which was then rated as the one to beat for Best Picture. (It didn’t even get nominated.)

The other unseen favorite at that point was "Flags of Our Fathers," which didn’t make it into the final five either. "Letters from Iwo Jima," the other Clint Eastwood picture that did get nominated, wasn’t even on the 2007 schedule.

One veteran Oscar campaigner has a list of 45 possible Best Picture contenders for next year, which, the consultant says, looks "very weak" at this point.

"It’s a big list, but it’s not a very clear list in any way," says David Poland, who tracks Oscar contenders at his Movie City News Web site. "Every year, two or three movies jump out at you, but this year that’s not true. ‘Sweeney Todd’ has the size and Johnny Depp and Meryl Streep, both of whom the Academy love, but director Tim Burton is not exactly Oscar bait."

"Little Miss Sunshine," up for Best Picture last night, started at the Sundance Film Festival, which has been growing in importance as an Oscar launching pad for lower-budget films.

The consensus is that the strongest candidate from Sundance this year is "The Savages," a darkly funny drama about self-absorbed middle-aged siblings (Philip Seymour Hoffman and Laura Linney) coping with their father’s last months.

Two Sundance titles may make it into the acting races. The Weinstein Co. bought "Grace is Gone" specifically with the intention of mounting a Best Actor campaign for John Cusack, brilliant as the widower of a female soldier killed in Iraq.

And ThinkFilm, the tiny distributor that snagged a Best Actor bid for Ryan Gosling of "Half Nelson," is backing Julie Christie as a woman drifting into dementia in "Leaving Her."

But mostly, handicappers - and even studios - at this point are largely going on the past Oscar performances of actors, directors and writers involved in individual projects, as well as whether the subject matter fits into that of past Oscar nominees.

Teen sex comedies and, for the most part, summer event films need not apply. But there are several contenders with connections to the war in Iraq.

"Hanks is a lock for a nomination, Del Toro is a lock, Blanchett is a lock, and Depp is a lock if the movie is any good at all," Poland says. "But while a lot of the films on the list have a lot of pedigree, who the hell knows if they’re Oscar movies? The studios won’t decide until June and July, when they’ve got a look at significant footage, how much money they want to put behind backing these movies."

Paul Haggis, who directed last year’s winner, "Crash" (and also
wrote the previous year’s winner, "Million Dollar Baby"), is back with "In the Valley of Elah," starring Tommy Lee Jones, Susan Sarandon and Charlize Theron in a drama about a hunt for a missing Iraq-war soldier.

And there is buzz, or at least intense curiosity, surrounding Francis Ford Coppola’s "Youth Without Youth," a World War II drama that doesn’t even have a distributor.

New Releases, February 27: David Bromberg, Maynard Ferguson, Dean & Britta

David Bromberg "Try Me One More Time"

The acclaimed vocalist/guitarist is finally back, with his first new CD in 17 years. Bromberg, who had been previously focusing his energy on the craft of violinmaking, was last heard on 1990's "Sideman Serenade."

"Try Me One More Time" features a number of covers, including songs originally penned by Reverend Gary Davis, Elizabeth Cotton, Tommy Johnson, Blind Willie McTell and Bob Dylan. It also includes some original compositions.

Bromberg, who is equally comfortable with folk, blues, bluegrass and other musical genres, was known early in his career mostly as a session player and sideman for such stars as Dylan and Jerry Jeff Walker.

* * *
Maynard Ferguson "M.F. Horn 2"/"M.F. Horn 3"/"M.F Horn 4 & 5 - Live at Jimmy's"/"Wow: Formative Years"

Trumpeter Walter "Maynard" Ferguson, whose work includes the Grammy-nominated "Rocky" movie theme "Gonna Fly Now," died Aug. 23 2006 at the age of 78. These new reissues celebrate the jazz artist's impressive career.

* * *
Dean & Britta "Back Numbers"

Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips are best known for being, respectively, the vocalist/guitarist and bassist for Luna. That band called it quits in 2004, but the two musicians are still collaborating.

The duo now returns with its second offering, "Back Numbers." That should help all the fans who cried over Luna's passing. For more help, check out the 17-song retrospective, "The Best of Luna," which was released by Rhino Records last year.

* * *
Do Make Say Think "You, You're a History in Rust"

The Toronto-based psychedelic indie-rock band, which got its start in the late '90s, returns with a follow-up to 2003's "Winter Hymn, Country Hymn, Secret Hymn." It's the band's fifth release overall.

* * *
Nick Warren "Global Underground 030: Paris"

The pioneering DJ, an early champion in trance music, releases his latest in a line of worldly offerings. His past efforts have included 2003's "Global Underground: Reykjavik" and 2005's "Global Underground: Shanghai."

* * *
More new releases:
Paul Brown, "White Sand" (Peak)
John Denver, "The Essential John Denver" (RCA)
Dr. Dog, "We All Belong" (Park the Van)
Bill Engvall, "15 Degrees Off Cool" (Warner Bros.)
4hero, "Play With the Changes" (Milan)
Kenny Loggins, "How About Now" (180 Music) 9Target stores only)
Manowar, "Gods of War" (Circle Song)
Chieli Minucci and Special EFX, "Sweet Surrender" (Shanachie)
Money Mark, "Brand New by Tomorrow" (Brushfire/Universal)
Onetwo, "Instead" (There)
Pagoda, "Pagoda" Ecstatic Peace
Andy Palacio and Garifuna Collective, "Watina" (Cumbancha)
Jennifer Pena, "Dicen Que El Tiempo" (Univision)
Darryl Singletary, "Straight From the Heart" (Shanachie)
Patrick Simmons, "Arcade" (Wounded Bird)
Slim Thug and Boss Hogg Outlawz, "Serve & Collect" (Koch)
Otis Taylor, "Definition of a Circle" (Telarc)
Matt Wertz, "Everything in Between" (Nettwerk)
Rev. Timothy Wright, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus" (Koch)
Joe Zawinul, "Brown Street" (Heads Up)

After 50 years, a tip of the hat to one cool 'Cat'

He's still the fanciest feline in literature and and it's still a classic "home alone" story.

A brazen cat strolls uninvited into the home of a boy and girl whose mother is out. To the children's horror, he proceeds to trash the house — he calls it "lots of good fun that is funny!" Miraculously (with the help of Thing One and Thing Two), he manages to tidy up before Mom comes home.

He's the Cat in the Hat, and he turns 50 on Thursday.

The Cat in the Hat was published jointly by Houghton Mifflin and Random House on March 1, 1957. It was the 13th children's book by Theodor Seuss Geisel, who came to be known as Dr. Seuss. It made him a household name and his trickster furball a pop-culture icon.

Random House (now the sole U.S. publisher) estimates it has sold 10.5 million copies. Millions more — no one knows how many — have been sold by mail-order book clubs.

The Cat in the Hat was a product of the postwar baby boom. In 1957, 29 million children were in kindergarten and elementary school. The "Dick and Jane" primers used to teach reading were considered dull and uninspiring.

Challenged by a Houghton Mifflin executive to write a story that "first-graders wouldn't be able to put down," Geisel created The Cat in the Hat. The rest is publishing history.

"Teaching children how to read with The Cat in the Hat was a real breath of fresh air," says Philip Nel, whose The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (Random House, $30) was recently published. "The rhymes just propel the reader along."

Geisel was asked to use only 223 words from a list of 348 words for beginning readers. He ended up using 236. Even though it has been around for half a century, Cat is still popular with kids (and parents) and sells hundreds of thousands of copies a year.

It became a much-maligned movie starring Mike Myers as the cat in 2003.

"Reading it is like listening to a great song," says Nancy Karpyk, who teaches kindergarten in Weirton, W.Va. "When I read it to my students, the rhythm of it makes them feel good. They love the rhymes, and they love the way the cat struts in the illustrations."

But it's what the cat gets away with that may have clinched his legacy.

"He's a rebel, and Americans identify with rebels," Nel says. "He's a con artist who creates a sense of possibility like the Wizard of Oz or Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man."

Some Cat facts:

•Geisel thought he could write the book in a week, but it took him a year and a half.

•The cat's face is said to have been inspired by that of a Houghton Mifflin elevator operator who Geisel thought had "a secret smile" and who wore gloves.

Calling All Hosers

From the producers of the upcoming McKenzie Brothers documentary:

Me Jane Films is currently producing a special one hour documentary for CBC called "The Two-Four Anniversary of Strange Brew." That's right, Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas will be reuniting as Bob and Doug McKenzie for what may be their last show from the Great White North...and we want to hear from you!

We are looking for the best, most entertaining home video footage, photographs, collections of memorabilia, and Hoser stories. Do you have an entire room in your house dedicated to Bob and Doug? Do you or someone you know consider toques and parkas as wardrobe essentials? Have you ever tried to stuff a mouse inside a beer bottle...and videotaped it? Are your children named Bob and Doug...and they are both daughters?

You get the picture. We want to see how those original Hosers - and their comedy classic, "Strange Brew" - have impacted your lives.

E-mail us at info@mejanefilms.com and let us know if there's anything you'd like us to consider using in the show. Be sure to include your phone number because when we receive your submission we may need to contact you for more information.

Depending on the nature of your submission, we may request that an item be sent to us, such as a DVD or photo - or even better, you may be asked to participate in an on-camera interview! Payment may be available for some types of footage.

So put down that bottle of beer and jelly doughnut because here's your chance to show the rest of Canada (maybe even the world, eh!) just how much these two unforgettable Canadian Hosers mean to you.

Looking forward to hearing from you, eh!

Marty, Jerry bask in Oscar spotlight

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - An Oscarcast first: the award show host (or in this case hostess) running a vacuum cleaner in the audience. As amusing as it was, DeGenerously speaking, it did take the glamour of the Oscars down a notch or two.

And if it seemed as if Jerry Seinfeld was maybe auditioning for a future Oscar host gig, fuggedaboudit. He's been asked to do so by the Academy several times but has always said no. However, his time onstage as a presenter Sunday added such zing to the show that one hopes he'll reconsider one of these years.

Vacuum cleaners aside, the night did deliver one of the all-time great Oscar moments: the sight of Martin Scorsese, at last an Oscar champ, standing onstage with Spielberg, Coppola and Lucas. Talk about a memorial photo op.

And although Oscar quibbling is a tradition in itself, one certainly can't complain about a show that not only brings an Academy Award to Scorsese and such talented people as Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Alan Arkin, Jennifer Hudson, Sherry Lansing, Ennio Morricone and the others honored at Oscar's 79th but also offers for any reason Catherine Deneuve.

One little post-Oscar cautionary tale for you winners: Enjoy your triumph to the fullest, but give a compassionate thought to some gents who celebrated with all their might back on April 14, 1969, when their movie "Young Americans" was named best documentary feature. It was a joyful time for producers Robert Cohn and Alex Grasshoff.

But on May 7, it was learned that "Americans" had first been shown in a theater in October 1967, which made the movie ineligible for consideration. Soon after, the fellows had to give back their beautiful, shiny Academy Award statuettes; on May 8, the first runner-up in that category, "Journey Into Self," was declared the official winner.

It was, to say the least, a bummer for Cohn and Grasshoff but an unexpected and belated windfall for "Journey" producer Bill McGaw. Hiding your new Oscar, just in case, won't help if that should happen to any of you Oscared on Sunday. But you can take comfort in the fact that such a kerfuffle has happened only once in the Academy's 79-year past.

Philip Seymour Hoffman didn't have time to linger in L.A. after being a presenter at the big O festivities. He's already back in Manhattan for Tuesday night's first preview of "Jack Goes Boating," the new play he's starring in for the Labyrinth Theater Company at the Public. It opens March 18.

Previews also begin Tuesday at the Al Hirschfeld on "Curtains," the Kander & Ebb murder mystery satire with David Hyde Pierce and Debra Monk, which did a test run in Los Angeles. Its opening night is set for March 22. On Thursday, "Altar Boyz" at the Dodger Stages begins its third year off-Broadway.

BitTorrent launches legit service

LOS ANGELES (AP) - BitTorrent Inc., makers of a technology often used to trade pirated copies of Hollywood movies, is launching a website that will sell downloads of films and TV shows licensed from the studios.

The BitTorrent Entertainment Network was set to launch Monday with films from Warner Bros., Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Lionsgate and episodes of TV shows such as "24" and "Punk'd."

The service is squarely aimed at young men and boys who regularly use BitTorrent to trade pirated versions of the same films and who more often watch such files on their computer, instead of on a big screen TV in the living room.

The San Francisco-based company is betting at least one-third of the 135 million people who have downloaded the BitTorrent software will be willing to pay for high-quality legitimate content, rather than take their chances with pirated fare.

"The vast majority of our audience just loves digital content," Ashwin Navin, president and co-founder of BitTorrent, said.

"Now we have to program for that audience and create a better experience for that content so the audience converts to the service that makes the studios money."

To help wean users to paying for content, BitTorrent is featuring content and pricing that appeal to its target demographic - males between the ages of 15 and 35.

TV episodes are US$1.99 to download to own, which is typical for competitor sites such as Apple Inc.'s iTunes.

The new site will rent movies for a 24-hour viewing period for $3.99 for new titles and $2.99 for older films but the site has decided not to sell films for now because the prices demanded by the studios are too high.

"We're really hammering the studios to say: 'Go easy on this audience,"' Navin said.

"We need to give them a price that feels like a good value relative to what they were getting for free."

The service also will offer Japanese anime and high-definition video, which is popular with its users. Individuals will be able to publish their works to the site, which will compete for attention beside studio content.

The BitTorrent technology pioneered by Bram Cohen assembles digital movies and other computer files from separate bits of data downloaded from other computer users across the Internet. Its decentralized nature makes downloading more efficient, meaning a full-length movie should download in about a half-hour, about twice as fast as some other sites.

Navin said TV episodes should download in about one-third that time.

BitTorrent's decentralized structure also frustrated the entertainment industry's efforts to find and identify movie pirates.

In 2005, after the studios won a key legal decision against another pirate software company, Grokster, Cohen agreed to remove links to pirated files and start talks to licence legitimate content.

Studios also were more comfortable with the idea of distributing content over peer-to-peer networks after they adopted strong digital rights management safeguards created by Microsoft Corp.

BitTorrent's content is protected by Windows Media DRM and will only play back using Windows Media Player.

Studios striking deals with peer-to-peer networks is a good first step toward allowing users to more freely distribute films and TV shows on the Internet but it may take another five years or more for Hollywood to become completely comfortable with that, one analyst said.

"Their biggest concern is that an anonymous person passes it to an anonymous person," said Les Ottolenghi, chairman and president of Intent Mediaworks Inc., a company that helps content owners protect their works on peer-to-peer networks.

Ottolenghi recently chaired a task force that looked at digital watermarking, a technology that helps content owners track the route of its files as they make they way around the Internet.

"Their greatest hope is that someone at home passes it on to someone at home, from one device to the next and that becomes a value to the consumer," he said.

Aerosmith to rock Prince Edward Island: report

Rock veterans Aerosmith will be hosting Prince Edward Island's biggest concert ever according to a local newspaper.

The Charlottetown Guardian says it has confirmed the rock band will play the Charlottetown Driving Park Entertainment Centre on July 21.

The all-day event, part of Aerosmith's Ambassadors of Rock tour, will feature local performers such as Two Hours Traffic, In-Flight Safety and Nathan Wiley.

The tour's only other Canadian date is July 19 in Sarnia, Ont.

About 30,000 fans are expected to turn up, far more than the 18,000 who attended the Black Eyed Peas concert last year at the same venue.

Concert organizer David Carver is the person behind inviting Aerosmith to the Island. However, Carver ran into problems after last September's Black Eyed Peas event.

In early February, Deputy Mayor Stu MacFadyen said the city wouldn't allow Carver to host another concert until he paid a $17,000 bill for security. MacFadyen did say he was confident the debt would be settled soon.

John Gaudet of the Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce, predicts the event will bring huge economic rewards to the region but also wonders if it might draw visitors away from other events during the summer.

"Does one large event take away from the other?'' Gaudet asked in the newspaper. "It's something we'll be discussing.''

Aerosmith, which has sold 100 million albums worldwide, begins its tour April 15 in Buenos Aires. The band's other stops include Dubai, Frankfurt, Paris, London and Moscow.

Labels weigh potential fallout of satellite merger

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Would a merger between XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio be good or bad for the music business?

That's the question industry executives have been wrestling with since the two companies announced plans to combine in a $13 billion deal that creates a single satellite radio behemoth.

Officially, label executives are taking a wait-and-see approach. But privately, they are debating the ramifications of the tie-up on everything from promotion opportunities to licensing revenue to existing litigation strategies.

Some of the biggest question marks surround the impact of consolidation on satellite radio's role as a promotion and exposure platform.

XM claimed 7.6 million subscribers at the end of 2006, while Sirius had 6 million. If the two companies are integrated, similar channels likely will be eliminated, giving the labels fewer outlets where they can promote new artists.

Label sources say that support from XM and Sirius in terms of airplay for baby bands oftentimes can be a key early component in building momentum to take budding acts to terrestrial radio and MTV.

Such strategies have worked effectively, particularly in the rock genre with bands like Panic! at the Disco and Hellogoodbye.

"Anytime you take away airplay it hurts," said Mike Easterlin, senior vice president of promotion for Lava/Atlantic. "There's (fewer and fewer) places to go to break new music, and this is one place where we had a couple outlets that were aggressive about it. Now we're losing one."

That's not to say that a merger of the satellite radio rivals is going to be felt immediately in terms of sales.

EFFECT ON SALES UNCLEAR

Radio promo executives note that exposure via XM and Sirius is tough to gauge in terms of CD and download purchasing.

"When MTV is really spinning a video you see the sales," Easterlin said. "I don't know (that) you necessarily get a sense from satellite radio whether it turns into sales. It is difficult to quantify what is happening there."

But not everyone is convinced that consolidation among satellite radio players is going to negatively affect the music industry's ability to find early champions for developing artists.

Edison Media Research analyst Sean Ross suggests that airplay from the combined entity will have a greater impact on the artists it plays due to its increased size and potential reach of more than 13 million subscribers combined.

If a merger is allowed to go through -- far from a certainty, according to analysts like Maurice McKenzie of Signal Hill Capital, who calls the prospects of the deal clearing regulatory hurdles a "low probability" -- the merger could also hit the labels on the bottom line.

Record companies collect licensing fees of a few million dollars each from the two satellite operators. Income the labels take in from satellite is expected to increase meaningfully when the Copyright Royalty Board announces new rates for noninteractive performance rates for sound recordings. An opinion is expected to be delivered by March 5.

Labels are also trying to determine just how a merger would affect a copyright infringement lawsuit filed by the four major record companies against XM last May over the Inno, a handheld device that allows for downloading of satellite programming. A federal judge in January denied XM's attempt to dismiss the lawsuit. Some industry sources have suggested the merger could force XM to settle the deal.

'The Departed' wins best picture

LOS ANGELES - Martin Scorsese's mob epic "The Departed" won best picture at the Academy Awards on Sunday and earned the filmmaker the directing prize that had eluded him throughout his illustrious career.

"Could you double-check the envelope?" said Scorsese, who had been the greatest living American filmmaker without an Oscar. He also had never delivered a best-picture winner before, despite crafting such modern masterpieces as "Raging Bull" and "Goodfellas."

Scorsese received his Oscar from three contemporaries and friends, Steven Spielberg, Francis Ford Coppola and George Lucas. "So many people over the years have been wishing this for me," Scorsese said.

In an evening when no one film dominated as the Oscars shared the love among a wide range of movies from around the world, three of the four acting front-runners won: best actress Helen Mirren as British monarch Elizabeth II in "The Queen"; best actor Forest Whitaker as Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in "The Last King of Scotland"; and supporting actress Jennifer Hudson as a soul singer in "Dreamgirls."

The other front-runner, Eddie Murphy of "Dreamgirls," lost to Alan Arkin for "Little Miss Sunshine."

"For 50 years and more, Elizabeth Windsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty and her hairstyle," said Mirren, who has been on a remarkable roll since last fall as she won all major film and television prizes for playing both of Britain's Queen Elizabeths.

"She's had her feet planted firmly on the ground, her hat on her head, her handbag on her arm and she's weathered many many storms. ... If it wasn't for her, I most certainly wouldn't be here. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the queen," Mirren said, holding her Oscar aloft.

"The Departed" led the evening with four Oscars, also winning for adapted screenplay and editing.

The Oscars had their most diverse and international scope ever, with wins for two black actors and global dramas that included "Pan's Labyrinth," "Babel" and "Letters From Iwo Jima."

The soft-spoken Whitaker won for an uncharacteristically flamboyant role as the barbarous yet mesmerizing Amin.

"When I was a kid the only way I saw movies was from the back seat of my family's car at the drive-in movie," Whitaker said. "It wasn't my reality to think I would be acting in movies, so receiving this honor tonight tells me it's possible. It is possible for a kid from east Texas, raised in south-central L.A. and Carson, who believes in his dreams, commits himself to them with his heart, to touch them and to have them happen."

Arkin played a foul-mouthed grandpa with a taste for heroin in "Little Miss Sunshine," a low-budget film that came out of the independent world to become a commercial hit and major awards player.

"More than anything, I'm deeply moved by the open-hearted appreciation our small film has received, which in these fragmented times speaks so openly of the possibility of innocence, growth and connection," said Arkin.

Hudson won an Oscar for her first movie, playing a powerhouse vocalist who falls on hard times after she is booted from a 1960s girl group. The role came barely two years after she shot to celebrity as an "American Idol" finalist.

"Oh my God, I have to just take this moment in. I cannot believe this. Look what God can do. I didn't think I was going to win," Hudson said through tears of joy. "If my grandmother was here to see me now. She was my biggest inspiration."

"Little Miss Sunshine" also won the original screenplay Oscar for first-time screenwriter Michael Arndt.

The film follows a ghastly but hilarious road trip by an emotionally messed-up family rushing to get their darling girl (10-year-old supporting-actress nominee Abigail Breslin) to her beauty pageant.

"When I was a kid, my family drove 600 miles in a VW bus with a broken clutch," Arndt said, describing a road trip that mirrored the one in the film. "It ended up being one of the funnest things we did together."

The nonfiction hit "An Inconvenient Truth," a chronicle of Al Gore's campaign to warn the world about global warming, was picked as best documentary.

"People all over the world, we need to solve the climate crisis. It's not a political issue. It's a moral issue," Gore said, joining the film's director, Davis Guggenheim, on stage.

"An Inconvenient Truth" also won original song for Melissa Etheridge's "I Need to Wake Up."

"Mostly, I have to thank Al Gore for inspiring me, showing me that caring about the earth is not Republican or Democrat, it's not red or blue. We are all green," Etheridge said.

The openly gay Etheridge kissed her partner Tammy Lynn Michaels on the lips when her name was announced and onstage referred to Michaels as her wife. The couple held a commitment ceremony in 2003 and are the parents of twins.

"Maybe someone at home is going, `Did she say wife?'" Etheridge said backstage. "I was kissing her because that's what you do, you kiss your loved one when you win an Oscar, that's what I grew up believing."

Earlier, Gore appeared with best-actor nominee Leonardo DiCaprio to praise organizers for implementing environmentally friendly practices in the show's production.

DiCaprio set up a gag with Gore, asking the 2000 presidential candidate if there was anything he wanted to announce.

"I guess with a billion people watching, it's as good a time as any. So my fellow Americans, I'm going to take this opportunity right here and now to formally announce my intentions ...," Gore said, his voice trailing away as the orchestra cut him off.

Composer Gustavo Santaolalla won his second straight Oscar for original score for "Babel," a film "that helped us understand better who we are and why and what we are here for," he said. He won the same prize a year ago for "Brokeback Mountain."

The dancing-penguin musical "Happy Feet" won the Oscar for feature-length animation, denying computer-animation pioneer John Lasseter ("Toy Story") the prize for "Cars," which had been the big winner of earlier key animation honors.

"I asked my kids, `What should I say?' They said, `Thank all the men for wearing penguin suits,'" said "Happy Feet" director George Miller (news, bio, voting record).

The savage fairy tale "Pan's Labyrinth" took three Oscars. The Spanish-language film won for art direction, makeup and cinematography.

"To Guillermo del Toro for guiding us through this labyrinth," said art director Eugenio Caballero, lauding the writer-director of "Pan's Labyrinth," the tale of a girl who concocts an elaborate fantasy world to escape her harsh reality in 1940s Fascist Spain.

Germany's "The Lives of Others," about a playwright and his actress-girlfriend who come under police surveillance in 1980s East Berlin, won the foreign-language Oscar, the films it beat including "Pan's Labyrinth."

"Letters From Iwo Jima" won the sound-editing Oscar for Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman. Murray's father was an Iwo Jima survivor.

"Thank you to my father and all the brave and honorable men and women in uniform who in a time of crisis have all made that decision to defend their personal freedom and liberty no matter what the sacrifice," Murray said.

The record holder for Oscar futility, sound engineer Kevin O'Connell, extended his losing streak to 19 nominations without a win. This time, O'Connell and two colleagues were nominated for sound mixing on "Apocalypto," Mel Gibson's portrait of the savage decline of the ancient Mayan empire, but they lost to another trio of sound engineers that worked on "Dreamgirls." "Apocalypto" lost in all three categories in which it was nominated, all for technical achievements.

Once an evening of back-slapping and merrymaking within the narrow confines of Hollywood, the Academy Awards this time looked like a United Nations exercise in diversity.

The 79th annual Oscars feature their most ethnically varied lineup ever, with stars and stories that reflect the growing multiculturalism taking root around the globe.

"What a wonderful night. Such diversity in the room," said Ellen DeGeneres, serving as Oscar host for the first time, "in a year when there's been so many negative things said about people's race, religion and sexual orientation.

"And I want to put this out there: If there weren't blacks, Jews and gays, there would be no Oscars," she said, adding: "Or anyone named Oscar, when you think about that."

The 79th Annual Academy Awards

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Winner: The Departed (2006) - Graham King
Dan's Prediction - Little Miss Sunshine

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland (2006)
Dan's Prediction - Forest Whitaker

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Helen Mirren for The Queen (2006)
Dan's Prediction - Helen Mirren

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
Dan's Prediction - Eddie Murphy

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls (2006)
Dan's Prediction - Jennifer Hudson

Best Achievement in Directing
Winner: Martin Scorsese for The Departed (2006)
Dan's Prediction - Martin Scorsese

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Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Winner: Little Miss Sunshine (2006) - Michael Arndt

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Winner: The Departed (2006) - William Monahan

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Winner: Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006) - Guillermo Navarro

Best Achievement in Editing
Winner: The Departed (2006) - Thelma Schoonmaker

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Winner: Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006) - Eugenio Caballero, Pilar Revuelta

Best Achievement in Costume Design
Winner: Marie Antoinette (2006) - Milena Canonero

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
Winner: Babel (2006) - Gustavo Santaolalla

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Winner: An Inconvenient Truth (2006) - Melissa Etheridge ("I Need To Wake Up")

Best Achievement in Makeup
Winner: Laberinto del Fauno, El (2006) - David Martí, Montse Ribé

Best Achievement in Sound
Winner: Dreamgirls (2006) - Michael Minkler, Bob Beemer, Willie D. Burton

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
Winner: Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) - Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
Winner: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) - John Knoll, Hal T. Hickel, Charles Gibson, Allen Hall

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Winner: Happy Feet (2006) - George Miller

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Winner: Leben der Anderen, Das (2006)(Germany)

Best Documentary, Features
Winner: An Inconvenient Truth (2006) - Davis Guggenheim

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Winner: The Blood of Yingzhou District (2006) - Ruby Yang, Thomas Lennon

Best Short Film, Animated
Winner: The Danish Poet (2006) - Torill Kove

Best Short Film, Live Action
Winner: West Bank Story (2005) - Ari Sandel

'Ghost Rider' scares up $19.7M weekend

LOS ANGELES - The comic-book adaptation "Ghost Rider" burned the competition at the weekend box office, fending off a rush of new movies to rake in $19.7 million in its second week, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Sony film starring Nicolas Cage as a motorcycle stuntman turned Satanic bounty hunter continued its momentum after debuting last week with $52 million over the four-day President's Day weekend, the biggest opening ever for that holiday.

"It set the bar so high last weekend that for any newcomers, it was going to be real tough film to beat," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

Premiering at No. 2 with $15.1 million was the New Line Cinema psychological thriller "The Number 23," starring Jim Carrey as a man obsessed with the mysterious power of that digit.

The other new movies included the 20th Century Fox police spoof "Reno 911!: Miami," which opened at No. 4 with $10.4 million and "The Astronaut Farmer," which debuted at No. 9 with $4.5 million. The Warner Bros. film stars Billy Bob Thornton as an ex- NASA astronaut who struggles to build his own rocket.

Disney's "Bridge to Terabithia," based on the children's fantasy novel, slipped to third place with $13.6 million, lifting its total to $46.2 million. Dreamworks' Eddie Murphy comedy "Norbit" rounded out the top five with $9.7 million.

Despite bad reviews, "Ghost Rider" lifted Hollywood out of its box-office slump, with revenues up for the second straight week this year. The top-12 movies grossed $101.8 million, up 1.5 percent from the same weekend last year. However, movie attendance to date this year is down 2.2 percent.

"Ghost Rider" is based on the Marvel Comic books about motorcycle stunt driver Johnny Blaze, played by Cage, who sells his soul to the devil and gains fiery superpowers.

"It's an accessible movie to everyone," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "Not only does it have action and special effects, it also has a tremendous sense of humor to it."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Ghost Rider," $19.7 million.
2. "The Number 23," $15.1 million.
3. "Bridge to Terabithia," $13.6 million.
4. "Reno 911!: Miami" $10.4 million.
5. "Norbit," $9.7 million.
6. "Music & Lyrics," $8 million.
7. "Breach," $6.2 million
8. "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls, $5.3 million.
9. "The Astronaut Farmer," $4.5 million.
10. "Amazing Grace," $4.3 million.

Dan's Predictions

Well, for the third straight year it looks like there will be few - if any - surprises when the 79th Annual Academy Awards are handed out.

And for the third straight year, I will stick with my predictions, as I posted them the day the nominations themselves were announced.

So, for better or for worse, enjoy the show, cross your fingers for a few surprises, and here is that post:

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www.anythingbut.com - January 23rd, 2007.

Early Predictions

The nominations for the 79th annual Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday morning and they confirmed what all prognosticators already knew: the only open race is for "Best Picture."

Even prior to the Golden Globes, and their nominations, the following five of the big six races were already determined, due to buzz, the fact that the people themselves were showing contrition regarding winning an Oscar, and their performances themselves.

It is true that these people can lose their Oscars between now and Tuesday, February 20th when the Oscar Ballots are due, but as of today, those guaranteed to win on Oscar night are:

Those guaranteed to win on Oscar night are:

Best Actress
Helen Mirren, THE QUEEN

Best Actor
Forest Whitaker, THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Hudson, DREAMGIRLS

Best Supporting Actor
Eddie Murphy, DREAMGIRLS

And

Best Director
Martin Scorsese, THE DEPARTED.

So now, out of the five nominees, who wins Best Picture?

Well, BABEL was a surprise Golden Globe winner, so it has to make the final two; THE DEPARTED has no buzz at all in this category, but it will (finally) give Marty his Award, and Mark Wahlberg's nominations shows the academy notices a great performance - yes "Marky Mark" is now an Academy Award nominee - but no one thinks it was the Best Picture last year; the Academy loves Clint Eastwood, but LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA doesn't have the momentum of his previous Oscar winners MILLION DOLLAR BABY or UNFORGIVEN; LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE was the surprise winner of the top feature film award presented by the Producers Guild of America last weekend, confirming that voters are aware of this wonderful little film, so that gives it momentum; and THE QUEEN is also wonderful, and the nomination for Best Director for Stephen Frears is proof again that voters are aware of the movie, but it is getting all of it's buzz for Helen Mirren, not for the film itself.

So now, who wins Best Picture?

At this point, it looks like it is a race between BABEL and LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, with the latter poised to be the only surprise on Oscar night, February 25th.

That is a surprise I would enjoy.

Hollywood poised for its big day

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The limousines have been charged up, the hairdressers and stylists have worked their magic and the stars are ready to stroll down the red carpet in dresses that have been begged, borrowed or -- perish the thought -- bought.

And, of course, the champagne is on ice and the trendy parties booked.

Hollywood was ready for its big night on Sunday -- the Oscars. And this year there are a couple of notes of suspense in proceedings that have become been cut and dried and downright boring over the years.

The experts agree that no one knows who is going to win best film, adding some tension in the rarefied Oscar air.

Will it be that cute homage to dysfunctional family life, "Little Miss Sunshine," or that depressing tale of pain and suffering around the world, "Babel?"

Does "The Queen" stand a chance, or will Clint Eastwood walk off with the big award for his Japanese language masterpiece, "Letters From Iwo Jima?" Might the Oscar go to Martin Scorsese's "The Departed," a cops and gangsters film that could triumph if votes split between "Sunshine" and "Babel."

It has been years since the best picture nomination was as much of a toss-up as this year.

In addition, in the last 10 days, several experts have moved away from predictions that all the best acting nominations are locked up and are predicting close contests in three of the four -- best actor, best supporting actor and best supporting actress categories.

ALL HAIL THE QUEEN

Only Helen Mirren is regarded as a shoo-in for best actress for her regal work as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen."

In the days leading up to the Oscars, some heavyweight critics have thrown their support to "Sunshine," while some Oscar voters have turned their noses up at the movie, saying it is too lowbrow to merit an Oscar.

Then again, it is not hard to find fault with all the nominees. Some found "Babel" too dark, "The Departed" too much of a genre film, "The Queen" interesting for Brits but not Yank Oscar voters, and "Letters from Iwo Jima" is a terrific film -- if you speak Japanese.

Martin Scorsese is expected to win the best director for "Departed," and if so, it would be his first Oscar for an individual film after seven previous nominations. The sentiment around town is that it is "Marty's turn."

Regardless of who wins or loses, a lot of people will be glued to their TV sets to see what the stars are wearing on the world's most famous red carpet.

Although most stars have multiple designer gowns from which to choose -- making last-minute decisions based on whim and weather -- best actress nominee Mirren has said she will be wearing Christian LaCroix on the big night.

Many have speculated that Giorgio Armani will dress best supporting actress nominee Cate Blanchett, while others have cited fashion atelier Chanel as a likely choice for Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, a best actress nominee for "Volver."

Whatever the final choices, the Academy Awards are one evening in the flurry of Hollywood awards events where elegance and opulence, rather than in-your-face body-flaunting, are celebrated.

Many eyes will be on Ellen DeGeneres, the comedian who is hosting her first Oscars. She promises a kinder, gentler show.

L.A. Weekly Hollywood columnist Nikki Finke said viewers should expect at least one major change: all the acting awards may be given in the last third of the show instead of a couple at the start.

An Academy spokeswoman had no comment. You can tune in to find out, she said, adding another note of suspense to this year's Academy Awards.

'Basic Instinct 2' wins 4 Razzies

LOS ANGELES - Sharon Stone should have trusted her first "Basic Instinct" and left it alone, according to voters of the Razzies, which mocks the worst of Hollywood.

"Basic Instinct 2" won four Razzies on Saturday, including worst picture and worst actress for Stone.

The Wayans brothers comedy "Little Man" placed second with three Razzies, including shared prizes by Shawn and Marlon Wayans for worst actor and worst screen couple.

A follow-up to Stone's career-making 1992 hit, "Basic Instinct 2" revived her femme-fatale predator for a murder thriller set in London, with relatively unknown British actor David Morrissey inheriting the victim's mantle from Michael Douglas, the star of the first film who did not return for the sequel.

Razzies founder John Wilson said that while Stone still looked good in her late 40s, the movie had no other reason to exist.

"Yes, she still has some excuse to drop her robe, but the dialogue, the story, the overall attitude of the character is cartoon-like," Wilson said. "You have to sort of wonder, is she vamping the movie or does she think she's giving a serious performance? Is she the lone person on the project who got the joke?"

The other Razzies for "Basic Instinct 2" were worst screenplay and worst prequel or sequel.

Along with the Razzies for the two Wayans, "Little Man" also won for worst remake or rip-off because it essentially took the premise of a Bugs Bunny cartoon about a pint-sized hoodlum masquerading as a baby and expanded it to feature length, Wilson said.

The images of Marlon Wayans' grafted head on a 2 1/2-foot man's body were creepy rather than comical, Wilson said.

"I will admit there is `so stupid it's funny,' but there is also `so stupid, get out of my face,' and that's what this movie is," Wilson said.

Filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, a Hollywood darling a few years ago with such blockbusters as "The Sixth Sense" and "Signs," was named worst director and worst supporting actor for his fantasy flop, "Lady in the Water."

Unable to get Disney, which made his previous hits, to back "Lady in the Water," Shyamalan decamped to Warner Bros., which produced the movie that was based on a bedtime story the filmmaker dreamed up for his children.

The movie follows the plight of a mythical water nymph that turns up in a swimming pool at an apartment complex, whose residents band together to send her back to her otherworldly home.

Shyamalan has a pivotal role as a writer whose book will one day bring salvation to humanity.

"He cast himself as the savior role of the film on top of everything else," Wilson said. "Shyamalan falls into one of the traps that's almost guaranteed to win you a Razzie, when you let your ego run rampant as that man did."

Carmen Electra won for worst supporting actress for "Date Movie" and "Scary Movie 4," the latter featuring her as a character that spoofs Shyamalan's "The Village."

Robin Williams' road-trip comedy "RV" was chosen as worst excuse for family entertainment.

The Couch Potato Report - February 24h, 2007

This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on a show and movie I just don't understand and one group won't just shut up and sing.

The Trailer Park Boys is a popular Canadian mockumentary television series that premiered in April of 2001 and focusses on the misadventures of Ricky, Julian, Bubbles and the other residents of the fictional Sunnyvale Trailer Park, in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.

Filmed like a documentary, and seen from the camera person's point of view, the low-budget program has been very succesful, in fact it is the highest rated Canadian series on the cable network Showcase.

And now there is TRAILER PARK BOYS: THE MOVIE.

The movie features a storyline that is not related to the TV show, but features many of the same characters.

In the film Ricky and Julian get arrested for robbing an ATM machine and when they get out after spending 18 months in jail they come up with a scheme to steal large amounts of untraceable coins.

Now, let me be honest. I don't get it!

I personally know people who love this show and the characters.

I've seen their ratings, so I know that there are people across Canada - and the world for that matter - who love the Trailer Park Boys - and the film was nominated in the category of BEST MOTION PICTURE at the recent 27th Annual Genie Awards.

But I do not get it.

I don't understand the appeal, I have never laughed, not even once at the TV series or the movie, and I don't like any of the characters.

I don't know why anyone would watch this stuff.

But that is the beauty of the entertainment business! There is something for everyone!!

I don't have to like TRAILER PARK BOYS for it to be succesful, and you don't have to like everything that I like.

So if you are a fan of the TV show, then you need to see TRAILER PARK BOYS: THE MOVIE. If you are like me, and just don't understand why anyone would subject themselves to this piece of entertainment, than ignore it and let what happens in Sunnyvale Trailer Park stay in Sunnyvale Trailer Park.

Yes, in the entertainment business there is something for everyone and this week the next two titles are for me, and I will recommend each of them very highly.

Especially the documentary DIXIE CHICKS - SHUT UP AND SING.

Prior to that off the cuff statement from lead singer Natalie Maines in London the Dixie Chicks were one of the most successful bands on the planet.

After it, the entire world changed for the singer and her bandmates Martie and Emily.

But it wasn't just their record sales that were affected by what was said, and this spectacular film documents all of it.

SHUT UP AND SING was produced and directed by Academy Award-winning director Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck and it shows the firestorm of organized and personal right wing attacks that erupted against the Chicks for expressing a negative personal opinion about President George W. Bush.

In addition to the maestrom, the film also shows the ladies' resiliance as they attempt to put it behind them and start working on their new album.

An album that would go on to win all five categories for which it was nominated at the recent Grammy Awards, including the coveted Song, Record, and Album of the Year.

I am a huge fan of the Dixie Chicks, and I am also a huge fan of documentaries that take us inside stories and places we wouldn't normally get to go. SHUT UP AND SING does both, and it is a film I think you should see.

There is even a reference to our province in it.

The final release I have for you this week is THE PRESTIGE.

This film is about the rivalry of Robert Angier and Alfred Borden, two Victorian era stage magicians in late 19th- and early 20th-century London.

Angier blames Borden for a tragic accident, and a competitive one-upmanship ensues, in which both magicians, obsessed with creating the best stage illusion, stop at nothing to uncover the secret of each other's acts, with deadly results.

Co-written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the man who gave us the superb films MEMENTO and BATMAN BEGINS, THE PRESTIGE stars Christian Bale as Borden and Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier and also features Michael Caine, Scarlett Johansson, Piper Perabo and Andy Serkis.

And that is all I am going to say about this movie, other than to tell you to see it, and don't think too much about it.

THE PRESTIGE is a tremendous film, and it is my opinion that the less you know about it, the more you will enjoy it.

The tremendous film THE PRESTIGE, the spectacular documentary SHUT UP AND SING from the Dixie Chicks and TRAILER PARK BOYS: THE MOVIE, the movie that proves that there is something out there for everyone to enjoy, are all available now on DVD.

I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more reviews for you 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!

Timbaland 'Back With A Vengeance' On New Album

Producer Timbaland told Billboard in a 2001 interview that he'd never make a solo album as an artist. But that's exactly what will arrive March 27 in the form of "Shock Value," which, as previously reported, features such high-profile collaborators as Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, Elton John and Fall Out Boy.

"I had some of this album in mind before I hit with Justin and Nelly," he tells Billboard. "But Justin solidified it for me. He said I needed to do something for myself. I've never been this anticipated in my whole life when it comes to my own record. It's like a Jay-Z, Kanye West or Young Jeezy. But I'd really rather people like me as an entertainer versus an artist. I just like to entertain."

Timbaland describes "Shock Value" as "taking you through different emotions. It flows like a movie with different parts: horror, comedy and drama. My mission is to blow up boundaries, taking my music outside the box. It will shock the system."

Before roaring back to the top of the charts in 2006, Timbaland admits he was embittered by a period of time when the industry was indifferent to his ever-evolving sound. "I knew I wanted to do something different musically," he says. I got criticized for that. Labels wouldn't give me a shot. They were saying, 'He's lost it; he's over.' That's why I'm talking so cocky now. I got tired of people smiling in my face and then talking behind my back."

Next up on Timbaland's production docket are "Eve, M.I.A., Chris Brown, 50 Cent, Missy Elliott and Madonna," he says. "Missy and I still talk. She's like a sister to me and I'm with her till death do us part. I haven't gone into the studio yet with Madonna. I need to call someone now to talk about that further."

Asked who he'd like to work with that would surprise people, Timbaland replies, "the Rolling Stones because they make classic records, and I need one of those classic, Titanic records. I also want to work with Sade. And for personal reasons I'd like to work again with Ginuwine.

Van Halen Tour On Hold But Still In The Works

A prospective Van Halen tour with original frontman David Lee Roth has derailed. Sources tell Billboard.com the decision to postpone the outing indefinitely was not due to any internal strife among band members. Insiders close to the situation say a tour is still in the works and will happen, though when is anybody's guess.

The tour, negotiations for which were first tipped here on Jan. 24, will feature Roth, Eddie and Alex Van Halen, and Eddie Van Halen's teenage son Wolfgang on bass. A spokesperson for the Van Halen brothers confirmed the tour in a Feb. 3 press release.

Indeed, wheels were in motion for a 40-date, Live Nation-produced amphitheatre tour to be announced Feb. 20, including venues and on-sale dates.

The Van Halen camp has yet to make any official announcement about the postponement or the reasons behind it.

Canadian Oscar nominees celebrate with L.A. lunch

Director Deepa Mehta and animator Torill Kove were among the Canuck film luminaries who had lunch with the consul general of Canada on Thursday ahead of this weekend's Academy Awards.

Two major Canadian nominees — Ryan Gosling and Paul Haggis — were no-shows.

Gosling, originally from London, Ont., is nominated in the best actor category for his dark portrayal of a drug-addicted teacher in Half Nelson.

Fellow Londoner Haggis — the toast of the Oscars last year after his film Crash won best picture — is up for a screenwriting award on Sunday for the Clint Eastwood war saga Letters From Iwo Jima.

Mehta's Water is competing in the best foreign-language film category. She is from Toronto.

"That's what's so great about being Canadian, I have often said — Water is a Canadian film," said Mehta.

"I feel very proud — India, the country of my birth, gives me its inspiration for its stories but Canada gives me the freedom to tell those stories," she said.

Kove, from Montreal, is nominated for her animated short The Danish Poet.

Others invited to the lunch hosted by Consul General Alain Dudoit included Paul Massey, who is up for a sound mixing award for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. Massey was born in England but lived in Toronto for 13 years.

The Oscar broadcast begins Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

Borat Passes On Presenting Oscar

Sacha Baron Cohen will not be a presenter at Sunday's Academy Award ceremony, because he could not appear as his famous character Borat Sagdiyev. Baron Cohen has been reluctant to make appearances as himself, preferring to do interviews as the star of the faux documentary Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan. Oscar broadcast producer Laura Ziskin tells the Los Angeles Times, "He was asked, but he declined." There had been speculation that the comedian's participation in the ceremony would bring a welcome shot of excitement to the broadcast. Baron Cohen's acceptance speech at the Golden Globe ceremony last month was one of the most talked-about events of the night. When he won an acting award, he paid homage to his co-star Ken Davitian's naked backside, which was part of a memorable moment in the film. Although Baron Cohen passed on presenting, he could still appear on stage if the film wins for Best Adapted Screenplay.

GNR Scraps New Album Release Date Again

The seemingly never-ending saga of Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" album rolls on, as the group has once again postponed the project's release. The band announced in December that "Chinese Democracy" was tentatively due March 6, but with that date fast approaching, the album is back off the schedule.

"There is no official release date, as the band is currently mixing, but after some delays and scheduling difficulties, things appear to be moving along," reads a post on GNR's Web site.

"The good news is that all of the recording for the album has been completed," the post continues. "Drummer Frank Ferrer and guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot' Thal integrated themselves into the recordings seamlessly and will have their presence felt."

"Chinese Democracy" is the first Guns N' Roses album since the 1993 covers collection "The Spaghetti Incident." In the ensuing decade, the group has lost every original member besides vocalist Axl Rose and burned through a reported $13 million in recording expenses.

Yesterday, a high-quality version of planned album track "Better" made the rounds on the Internet but was quickly pulled from a number of blogs at the request of the band's management.

As previously reported, GNR will return to live duty for its first-ever shows on the African continent April 27 in Johannesburg and May 1 in Cape Town.

Zevon Saluted With Album, Reissues, Book

Late singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, who died of cancer in 2003, will be the subject of a double-disc rarities collection, three expanded reissues of vintage albums and a book in the coming weeks.

First up are new editions of the albums "Excitable Boy," "Stand in the Fire" and "Envoy," due March 27 via Rhino. Each album sports four previously unreleased bonus tracks. The 1981 live album "Stand in the Fire" had been out of print for years, while "Envoy," released the following year, has never been made available on CD until now.

On May 1, the new label Ammal Records will release "Preludes -- Rare and Unreleased Recordings," culled from 126 pre-1976 tracks found in a road case after Zevon's death by his son. In addition to demos and alternate versions, the album sports six previously unreleased songs: "Empty Hearted Town," "Going All the Way," "Steady Rain," "Stop Rainin' Lord" "Studebaker" and "The Rosarita Beach Cafe."

The second disc blends 40 minutes of music with segments of an interview between Zevon and KGSR-Austin, Texas' Jody Denberg.

Finally, Zevon's life and times are chronicled in the book "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead," which is told through interviews with family members and musicians such as Jackson Browne, Lindsey Buckingham and David Crosby.

Here is the track list for disc 1 of "Preludes":

"Empty Hearted Town" (solo piano)
"Steady Rain" (full band)
"Join Me in L.A." (solo guitar)
"Hasten Down the Wind" (solo piano)
"Werewolves of London" (full band)
"Tule's Blues" (solo piano)
"The French Inhaler" (solo guitar)
"Going All the Way" (full band)
"Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (full band)
"Studebaker" (solo piano)
"Accidentally Like a Martyr" (full band)
"Carmelita" (solo guitar)
"I Used To Ride So High" (full band)
"Stop Rainin' Lord" (solo guitar)
"The Rosarita Beach Cafe" (solo piano with backing vocals)
"Desperados Under the Eaves" (full band)

And they're 'Dancing' ...

When ABC's Dancing With the Stars returns March 19 (8 ET/PT) for a fourth season, it'll be with a slate of celebrities aimed at raising both eyebrows and heartbeats.

Heather Mills, estranged wife of Paul McCartney, headlines the list of 11 celebs. It includes two singers, three athletes, a former supermodel and an ex-beauty queen.

As Dancing's first amputee performer — part of her leg was lost after a motorcycle accident — Mills could burnish an image severely tarnished by the messy divorce proceedings with McCartney.

Says Dancing producer Conrad Green: "People will definitely be interested in how Heather copes."

Brian McDonald, a former U.S. dance champion and ballroom dancing judge, says Mills won't have an easy time. "She could gain a lot of sympathy from viewers and (the show's three) judges," he says. "But these dances can be very demanding and require a great deal of footwork."

The show, patterned after British hit Strictly Come Dancing, matches celebrities with pro ballroom dancers. Routines are rated by judges and viewers. Putting B-list celebs into ballroom costumes helped ABC draw an average 20 million viewers for last season's competition shows and 27.5 million for the finale, won by NFL all-time rushing leader Emmitt Smith.

Other competitors:

•Former 'N Sync singer Joey Fatone, 30, who says he had been courted for the show since Season 1. He says the large audience is part of the attraction of competing. "After seeing the show, I have no problem making (a fool) out of myself," he says.

•Vincent Pastore, the season's oldest competitor at 60, best known for playing mobster Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero on HBO's The Sopranos. Though he has no formal dance training, after three lessons, "call me Fred Astaire," he says. "I like to do competitive things, so I'm not going to fall on my face."

•Shandi Finnessey, 28, Miss USA 2004 and co-host of Game Show Network's Lingo. She says rehearsals are already taking their toll: "The first day, I got extreme blisters all over my feet. Yesterday, all the blisters broke."

•Laila Ali, 29, undefeated boxing pro and daughter of heavyweight legend Muhammad Ali. "She's a great athlete," Green says. "Smart, beautiful and driven. She could be the surprise" of the competition.

•Billy Ray Cyrus, 45, actor and country singer, who co-stars on the Disney Channel hit Hannah Montana with daughter Miley.

•Clyde Drexler, 44, the 6-foot-7 former Houston Rocket and Portland Trailblazer and one of the NBA's all-time top 50 players.

•Leeza Gibbons, 49, former Entertainment Tonight co-host.

•Apolo Ohno, 24, two-time Olympic gold medalist in short-track skating and the youngest competitor in Dancing history.

•Paulina Porizkova, 41, a supermodel in the '80s.

•Ian Ziering, 42, a Beverly Hills 90210 heartthrob

Winners will be crowned May 22.

Grey's Doc Spins Off

The good doctors at Seattle Grace may be focused on resuscitating Meredith Grey, but it's another female character who's moving to a better place.

According to the Wall Street Journal, ABC is attempting to duplicate the juggernaut success the network has achieved with Grey's Anatomy by moving forward on a spinoff centering on Kate Walsh's character of Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd.

A spokesperson for the network told the paper that a series title has not yet been determined, nor has a general plot—whether Walsh's character will remain in Seattle, move back to New York or do something else entirely is still up in the air.

ABC Television Studio, the series' producer, confirmed to E! News that a possible new series is in the works.

"We are producing an enhanced episode that has a potential for an afterlife," a rep said, declining to comment beyond the details in the Wall Street Journal report.

Walsh and Grey's Anatomy creator Shonda Rhimes are said to be under contract for the new series; neither would comment Wednesday.

The show will apparently give plenty of screen time to Addison, who has emerged from hated third party in Grey's Anatomy's central love triangle to become one of the most popular characters on the show.

The spinoff would allow Rhimes to be able to focus on a single character, something that is hard to do on the current show, where story lines and screen time are divvied up among 12 regular characters, something Rhimes herself has said is hard to juggle.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Rhimes only recently broke the news of the spinoff to the cast, and it's not expected than any other characters will jump ship along with Walsh to the new series—potentially disappointing (and spoilerish) news for fans of the budding Addison-Alex love connection.

The castmembers will, however, be involved in the set up for Addison's sendoff.

Per the Wall Street Journal, Rhimes is writing a special two-hour episode of Grey's Anatomy that will effectively serve as the Addison-centric series' pilot.

The episode is expected to air during May sweeps, allowing time for the network to decide whether or not to pick up the show for placement on its fall schedule. (In other words, ABC is waiting to see if the premise is more Rhoda than Joey.)

As it is, Grey's Anatomy, currently in its third season, has routinely topped the Nielsen ratings and just last week averaged 26 million viewers. Even a portion of those figures for the new show would make it a success.

Rhimes has reportedly put on hold another of her anticipated projects to move quickly on the spinoff. It's unclear when she made the decision to pursue the new show, but last fall she postponed work on another drama series that was expected to debut midseason.

That show was due to chronicle the lives of four female journalists and also had Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Grey's Anatomy's late Denny Duquette, on board to star. That project will now be pushed back even further.

Fall Out Boy downplays antics on CD

NEW YORK - Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz is far more recognizable than the average rock band bassist.

With jet-black asymmetrical bangs, slightly smeared eyeliner and a toothy grin, Wentz certainly makes for a memorable image, but it's his public antics that have created such an unforgettable impression.

"I honestly don't care what the perception is of me to the world," says the 27-year-old, while sipping on a Starbucks' vanilla latte on a rainy day in New York City. "It's a weird thing to have come to, but after you've gone through the ringer so many times you don't care. But I do care how people think of my band so that becomes problematic."

Since emerging from suburban Chicago, Fall Out Boy has sold an impressive 3 million copies of their major-label debut, 2005's "From Under the Cork Tree," received a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and secured their place as rock stars: their latest album, "Infinity On High," debuted at No. 1 on the album charts this month.

The four-piece band's singer/guitarist Patrick Stump is a seemingly reserved guy often credited as the band's musical mastermind — the Edge to Wentz's Bono. But their celebrity bassist has resumed duties usually reserved for frontmen. He's been linked to Hollywood starlets like Lindsay Lohan and Ashlee Simpson, and even underwent a media maelstrom after naked photos he took of himself with his Sidekick were leaked on the Internet.

"The first 48 hours I just like quit my band and wouldn't talk to anybody," says Wentz of Sidekickgate. "It's like a footnote now, like how Michael Jackson set his hair on fire in a Pepsi commercial."

And though he's been accused of releasing the photos himself, Wentz shrugs it off, understanding why people might pin such an allegation on him.

"It's this bizarre thing where you can kind of control your own destiny," he says of the Internet age. "People are able to kind of guide their own press and create this wave behind it."

Stump says the attention on Wentz made the band more focused as a unit.

"It basically forced us to make an album quickly because I wanted to make sure people remembered that we're a band and not a sideshow," says Stump. "People always want to see Pete in this 'I'm-a-crazy-rock-star' light and it's a shame because they lose so much about him in the fine print. And more than anything, they lose so much about the music. It's horribly frustrating."

"People only want to hear about drama and bad stuff," adds guitarist Joe Trohman. "No one wants to know that things are good."

And things are good for Fall Out Boy. Their new album's instant success came as a happy surprise to the band.

"It was strange," says Stump. "It's still one of those things where you're waiting to find out you're on 'Punk'd.'"

The album reunites the group with "Cork Tree" producer Neal Avron and, in an unexpected move for a young rock band, pop and R&B producer-extraordinaire Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds on two tracks.

It also finds the band taking more chances, including a Coldplay-inspired "piano song," a nod to Jeff Buckley (and ultimately Leonard Cohen) with a chorus of "Hallelujah" within a song, a guest rap by their boss, Def Jam President Jay-Z on the opener, and whispers of bad reviews they've received on another track.

"It's easy to hide behind conventions you've used before, a certain chord progression or melody that you know is going to be safe," says Stump. He says he pushed himself not to fear the musically unknown when writing "Infinity On High" because of the media misconception of his band.

"You don't get that much time in the public eye, and if that's what people expect ... all these sensationalized ideas about us ... if that's who you think we are, I'm going to make the best record I can possibly make to dispel that idea because I don't think that's who we are."

The result has been a critically acclaimed album, and a hit single, "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," that both mainstream and indie radio stations are supporting.

"Fall Out Boy has done everything right on their climb to the top of the next wave of commercially successful punk bands," says Joe Escalante, morning show host of Indie 103.1 FM in Los Angeles. "They earned a following by performing well, not by hustling kids with hype. And they paid their punk rock dues."

Fall Out Boy makes no bones about their joy of creating anthems for the masses, they maintain that commercial success is not their end goal.

"We're not denying that we want to be the biggest band and want to sell records, but we're not about moving units," says Trohman.

These guys have other interests. Wentz, for one, has self-published a book, "The Boy With the Thorn In His Side" (named after the song by his beloved Smiths), created an affordably priced clothing line, Clandestine Industries, that has partnered with DKNY for a line out this Spring, and even helped catapult the career of FOB's kid-brother equivalent Panic! At the Disco by signing them to his Decaydance label. He also recently bought a home in Los Angeles and acquired a roommate: his English bulldog Hemingway.

"Everything about my life was pretty narcissistic," he admits. "And now with him, there's this kind of love that you can't get from anything else."

The babble over how to pronounce `Babel'

NEW YORK - An Academy Award contender that no one's sure how to pronounce? "Babel" has seven Oscar nominations, meaning the name of the film will be read at least seven times Sunday night. But its pronunciation has stumped even its biggest star.

"Thank you for honoring our film `Babble.' Or `BAY-bel' or `Bah-BELL,'" Brad Pitt said after the film received an earlier award at a film festival in Palm Springs, Calif. "We're still arguing how to pronounce it."

The uncertainty over something as basic as the title is fitting, since the movie percolates with cultural confusion. It takes place over three continents in four different languages, five if you count sign language.

Robin C. Barr, the linguist-in-residence at American University in Washington, studies the phenomenon called folk-etymology — speakers' incorrect reinterpretations of, and anecdotes about, words — and notes that the name of the city first pops up in the texts of Sargon, an Akkadian king about 2300 B.C.

Which leaves us, oh, about 4,300 years for those reinterpretations and anecdotes to develop.

Such as the Tower of Babel story in Chapter 11 of the Bible's Book of Genesis. It tells of how, when humans all spoke the same language, they determined to build a tower up to heaven. Alarmed, God ended the project by confusing their language: They couldn't understand each other and couldn't work together anymore.

"The ancient storyteller of Genesis 11 is using the name in a satirical word play in the story," says Wayne T. Pitard, a religion professor at the University of Illinois.

Both Barr and Pitard offer that the word is actually a form of the name of the city of Babylon, and it has nothing to do with the Hebrew verb "balal" (confuse) in the Bible; it derives from the Mesopotamian Akkadian language and means "gate of the gods." The longer form of the ancient word "bab ilani" (hence, Babylon) is an alternative form that means the same thing.

Barr says the English word "babble" is not at all related etymologically to the Hebrew/Akkadian "Babel."

It's onomatopoeic, like boo or hiss.

"There are words for `babble' in many languages that have arisen independently via the imitation of children's speech or other unintelligible language," Barr says. She adds that the ancient Greek word for "barbarian" originally simply meant anyone who didn't speak Greek — "their language sounded like `bar-bar-bar-bar' to the Greeks, apparently."

The Middle English "babelen" (the source of "babble") is unrelated, but is also imitative of child language or flowing water (the common "babbling brook"), she says. And the Sanskrit word "balbala" means "stammer."

But before we all get tongue-tied, Barr avers that none of the pronunciations can be held up as the sole "correct" one.

And, really, does it matter?

George Orwell once wrote: "But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought."

Or as two other deep thinkers of the 20th century, George and Ira Gershwin, wrote (and Fred Astaire sang):

"You like potato and I like potahto,

"You like tomato and I like tomahto;

"Potato, potahto, tomato, tomahto!

"Let's call the whole thing off!"

Best-picture Oscar is anyone's guess

LOS ANGELES - The Academy Awards usually are like one of those high school popularity contests where all the other contenders show up, but there's that one girl everybody just knows is going to be crowned prom queen.

Not this time.

For the first year in longer than anyone in Hollywood can remember, the best-picture category is so wide open that any of the five films could come away with the big prize.

The typical Oscar ceremony has a clear front-runner or two, with the other best-picture nominees lumped into the thanks-for-showing-up crowd.

The main trophy for the 79th annual Oscars this Sunday is up for grabs among the far-flung ensemble drama "Babel," the crime epic "The Departed," the war story "Letters From Iwo Jima," the road comedy "Little Miss Sunshine" and the British-royalty tale "The Queen."

A final look at the five nominees going into the homestretch:

"BABEL" — A shot fired in the African desert is heard 'round the world as the wounding of an American tourist holds stinging repercussions for families in North America and Japan.

Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's tale had the grandest of coming-out parties, premiering at last spring's Cannes Film Festival, the filmmaker winning the best-director prize there the same weekend as the publicity frenzy over the birth of a daughter to Angelina Jolie and "Babel" star Brad Pitt.

Though not a universally beloved film, "Babel" has ridden a wave of admiration over its intricate structure, which weaves passionate stories in multiple languages, the action flitting back and forth among characters on three continents.

"Always through the whole process, I was very conscious of how I was going to put in four stories, three continents, five languages, and translate that into a visual grammar, a visual language in one single film that makes sense," Inarritu said.

Anchored by great performances from Pitt, Cate Blanchett and supporting-actress nominees Adriana Barraza and Rinko Kikuchi, "Babel" leads the best-picture field with seven nominations. It's the sort of heavy, ambitious drama academy members historically have anointed as best picture.

Yet despite its Golden Globe win for best drama, "Babel" is a film that may resonate more in the head than the heart. In keeping with the global expanses that separate the film's characters, some Oscar voters may appreciate it more from a distance, rather than holding it close to their breasts.

"THE DEPARTED" — If you haven't heard someone say that Martin Scorsese has never won an Oscar, you haven't been paying attention to awards season this year — or two years ago, when his "The Aviator" was in the running, or four years ago, when his "Gangs of New York" was nominated.

Revered as he is, Scorsese has been a perpetual bridesmaid, somehow trekking through one of the most eclectic, ambitious careers of any American filmmaker without winning a thing on Hollywood's big night.

After going oh-for-five on past nominations, Scorsese looks like a lock to finally win best director. With its ferocious action, macabre humor and snappy wiseguy patter, "The Departed" also could bring home the best-picture trophy, a prize his films have never won.

"To be in a movie when he finally gets his due would be awesome," said "The Departed" co-star Mark Wahlberg, a supporting-actor nominee for playing a distrustful, foul-mouthed cop. "I would just kind of look around at the surroundings, being on the set with all those talented people and Marty, and I really felt like wow, I arrived. It was the best experience of my career."

Many Scorsese fans think "The Departed" was not the best of Scorsese's career, though it's his biggest box-office hit. Critics welcomed the film as a return to the blood-soaked crime epic he has done so masterfully in the past, yet the sense among awards watchers is that "The Departed" falls a few notches below such Scorsese films as "Raging Bull" or "Goodfellas."

"LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA" — The results of his half-century-and-counting career are in: Clint Eastwood can do anything.

His far-flung World War II saga "Flags of Our Father" came out in October, greeted with solid critical acclaim but relative indifference from audiences, who were not all that interested in the ambitious account of the raising of the U.S. flag at Iwo Jima.

As "Flags" faltered, Eastwood's companion film "Letters From Iwo Jima," chronicling the lives of the Pacific island's doomed Japanese defenders, was moved from its 2007 debut date to a December release to qualify for the Oscars.

And Eastwood, a two-time best-picture and directing winner, scored his fourth nominations in both categories for the film that even he had viewed as the "smaller brother" to the more expansive "Flags."

"The whole thing was just to tell a story of what it must have been like to be defending this little island that had no significance when you look back at it now, but it did back then," Eastwood said. "The irony is I talked to many Iwo veterans who were very supportive of the idea of making `Flags.' They couldn't wait to see `Letters From Iwo Jima.' They were all still curious about what it was like for the other side."

The Japanese-language "Letters" was a surprise best-picture nominee, and a win would be even more unexpected, especially considering academy voters may figure they've already given Eastwood his due for past Oscar champs "Unforgiven" and "Million Dollar Baby."

Then again, this is Eastwood, so anything's possible.

"LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE" — The little film that could holds many parallels to "Crash," the surprise best-picture winner a year ago.

Both were low-budget independent films shot outside the Hollywood studio system, "Crash" costing $6.5 million to make, "Little Miss Sunshine" $7.5 million. Both were film-festival acquisitions, Lionsgate buying "Crash" at the Toronto fest, Fox Searchlight snapping up "Sunshine" at Sundance.

Both are ensemble flicks, "Crash" following a broad range of intersecting characters over a tumultuous day in Los Angeles, "Sunshine" focusing on a feuding family on the road trip from hell, including supporting-acting nominees Alan Arkin and Abigail Breslin. Both went into Oscar night fresh off a win from the Screen Actors Guild for best performance by an ensemble cast.

And both came out fairly early in the year, well before the fall onslaught of awards contenders, becoming critical darlings and big indie successes, each finishing with $55 million to $60 million at the box office.

"There's something about our film that truly connected with audiences in a very real way. A little bit of magic happened," said "Little Miss Sunshine" producer David Friendly. "Everybody can relate to the dysfunctional family. What's actually unrelatable is the functional family, which I don't know if it exists."

Directed by husband-and-wife team Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, the film is all about learning to make peace with your lot in life and gracefully accept the notion that you may be a loser. Come Oscar night, "Little Miss Sunshine" could be a winner.

"THE QUEEN" — For the second straight year, director Stephen Frears delivers a movie centered on a British dame of a certain age.

In 2005, it was Judi Dench as an upper-crust socialite in "Mrs. Henderson Presents." This time, it's Helen Mirren as the uppermost of the upper crust in "The Queen," a fiercely intelligent, surprisingly saucy drama about Elizabeth II's worst week on the job, the aftermath of Princess Diana's death and the public's criticism that the royal family bungled the period of national mourning.

Still alluring in her 60s, Mirren gleefully cloaks her sexiness beneath Elizabeth's frumpy, shapeless wardrobe and presents a truly profound glimpse into the psyche of a leader who has been uncompromising in her propriety and respect for tradition.

"I love the fact that she has never changed, and there's a consistency there that's admirable and so extraordinary. If her hairstyle one minute was a beehive in the '60s and then it was a shag cut or mullet in the '70s," Mirren joked. But "it's always been the same, and as one gets older in life, you realize the power of that consistency. ... You realize that consistency now has been there for 40, 50 years."

As good as the film is, Oscar voters may feel they've done loyal service to "The Queen" by giving Mirren the best-actress prize, leaving best picture to another contender.

4 fmr PMs gather again for TV competition

TORONTO (CP) - There were no fireworks but lots of smiles and handshakes Tuesday as four of the country's former prime ministers got together for this year's taping of "The Next Great Canadian Prime Minister," a TV competition aimed at finding a young person with serious leadership potential.

The CBC Broadcast Centre in downtown Toronto was heavy with security and star power as Paul Martin, Brian Mulroney, Joe Clark and Kim Campbell arrived to serve as judges for the show, airing on March 18.

Former Conservative prime ministers Clark and Mulroney, never the closest of political pals, greeted one another warmly as a svelte and stylish Belinda Stronach mingled with executives from Magna International and CBC, including president Robert Rabinovitch.

The Liberal MP's father, Frank Stronach, Magna's founder and chairman, started the popular nationwide contest in 1995.

It will be the second year the competition has been televised. CTV aired the show last season; this year, CBC snagged it with Rick Mercer as host.

For the most part, all of the ex-prime ministers - three Tories and a Liberal - steered clear of wading into current political events as they prepared to take the stage.

"I think Stephane Dion is doing very well," is all a coy Martin, the sole Liberal, would say of his successor as party leader when asked what he thought of the current federal government.

Instead, Martin focused on the show.

"It clearly reaches out to young Canadians and I understand they constitute by far the largest percentage of the audience," Martin said.

"They are the people we want to interest in public life, and what a great way to do it."'

Clark agreed.

"Aspiration is important and these are people who are very serious about their own futures and the country's future," he said.

"There's a certain advantage to calling upon the reflections of the people who had the privilege of serving in the highest office of the country, and are now beyond partisanship and able to take a look at things without the edge that there was in earlier times."'

Clark, however, did weigh in briefly on the current Conservative government's recent about-face on the environment.

"I'm glad their position's changed and I hope they actually deliver on it," he said.

Mulroney, meanwhile, held court under the glare of television lights to talk exclusively to a CBC crew. He reminisced about his years in power.

"You look back after a 10-or 15-year period and you think: 'I thought what I did was right for the country,' and either it's proved to be the case or not," Mulroney said, adding he was surprised by the vitriolic response to his free-trade stance when he was in power in the 1980s.

"I expected not a honeymoon but a bit of a walk in the park . . . but every day was a tough one."

Of the ex-PMs, Mulroney has been the most active of late. He prodded Prime Minister Stephen Harper late last year on the environment, and within months the Tories had made the issue a top priority.

Last year, Mulroney was named the "greenest prime minister" by left-leaning magazine Corporate Knights.

The winner of "The Next Great Canadian Prime Minister," whose identity won't be revealed until the show airs, gets $50,000 and a six-month paid corporate internship. The remaining four finalists each receive $5,000 and three-month internships.

The five contenders - selected from among thousands of applicants - are subjected to televised grilling by the four ex-prime ministers and judged on how they answer the questions.

Last year's winner was Deirdra McCracken of Sudbury, Ont., a political science graduate student at Laval University at the time. McCracken is now a spokeswoman for federal Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice.

Governor General reveals new inductees to Order of Canada

Filmmaker Arthur Hiller, anti-smoking activist Gar Mahood and authors Howard Engel, Barbara Gowdy and Frances Itani are among the latest citizens to be named to the Order of Canada.

Governor General Michaëlle Jean announced Tuesday 87 new appointments to the order, among the country's highest honours.

Fiction writers Engel, Gowdy and Itani are among the 55 new members to the order, which was established in 1967 to honour Canadians whose extraordinary achievements or outstanding service in various fields have made a difference across the country.

Others new members include:

TV personality Valerie Pringle.
Children's rights advocate Craig Kielburger.
Choral performer and music educator Sister Katherine Bellamy.
Painter Alex Janvier.
Singer-songwriter Connie Kaldor.
Visual art curator Joan Stebbins.
Theatre director Jean Roberts.
Mark Rowswell, better known throughout China as the stage performer and TV personality Dashan.

Hiller, director of the Hollywood classic Love Story, and Mahood, executive director of the Non-Smokers' Rights Association, are among the 29 people newly named officers of the order. Others include opera director Robert Carsen, journalist and writer Peter Desbarats and visual artist Gerald McMaster.

Three people were promoted to the order's highest level — companion — on Tuesday: Quebec lawyer and former Hydro-Québec executive Richard Drouin, Nisga'a leader Joseph Gosnell Sr. and Calgary business executive Ronald Southern.

The latest inductees will receive their insignia from the Governor General at a Rideau Hall ceremony later this year.

Any Canadian may be nominated for the Order of Canada, while non-Canadians may be considered for honorary appointments. The appointments are made on the recommendation of an advisory council chaired by the chief justice of Canada.

New Releases, February 20: Erasure, Ennio Morricone, Kidz Bop

Erasure "On the Road to Nashville"

This CD/DVD set captures the famed dance-pop duo during a 2006 performance at Nashville's legendary Ryman Auditorium, which is best known for being the former home of the Grand Ole Opry. Erasure was in the midst of an acoustic tour in support of the album "Union Street."

The CD features re-imagined renditions of such Erasure favorites as "Sometimes," "Love to Hate You," "Victim of Love" and "Stop!" The DVD portion includes concert footage as well as a short film.

* * *
Various Artists "We All Love Ennio Morricone"

A star-studded cast of musicians pay tribute to the composer known for his work on such films as "The Untouchables," "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," "Once Upon a Time in America," "Cinema Paradiso" and "The Mission."

Bruce Springsteen, Metallica, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones and Chris Botti are among the artists who show their respect for Morricone--who is also set to receive an honorary Oscar at the 79th annual Academy Awards later this month--on this disc.

* * *
Kidz Bop Kids "Kidz Bop 11"

The best-selling children's-music series delivers its 11th edition. The prior outing debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard album charts.

This time around, the Kidz Bop Kids cover such big hits as "Put Your Records On," "Waiting on the World to Change," "Chasing Cars" and, the number that everybody seems to be covering these days, "Crazy."

* * *
Explosions in the Sky "All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone"

The Texas band, which melds prog and alt rock, returns with another batch of instrumental tunes that adds to a catalog already marked by such acclaimed works as "The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place" and the "Friday Night Lights" soundtrack. This new disc was produced by John Congleton (The Roots).

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JJ Grey and Mofro "Country Ghetto"

Florida-based swamp-rockers JJ Grey and Mofro make their debut on famed blues label Alligator Records with a set of 12 original compositions.

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More new releases:
Anberlin, "Cities" (Tooth & Nail)
Ataris, "Welcome the Night" (Sanctuary)
Toni Braxton, "Essential Toni Braxton" (La Face)
Dir En Grey, "The Marrow of a Bone" (Warcon)
ELO, "Out of the Blue: 30th Anniversary Edition" (Sony)
Everlife, "Everlife" (Buena Vista)
Judy Garland, "The Very Best Of" (EMI)
Jesu, "Conqueror" (Hydrahead)
K-Os, "Atlantis: Hymns for Disco" (Virgin)
Kittie, "Funeral for Yesterday" (Kiss of Infamy)
Steve Kuhn, "Live at Birdland" (Blue Note)
Charlie Louvin, "Charlie Louvin" (Tompkins Square)
The Silos, "Come On Like the Fast Lane" (Bloodshot)
Southern Culture on the Skids, "Countrypolitan Favorites" (Yep Roc)
Tobymac, "Portable Sounds" (Forefront)
Various Artists, "Gerald Levert: Smooth Jazz Tribute" (CC Ent.)
Various Artists, "String Quartet Tribute to Dream Theater" (Vitamin)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Company (2006 Broadway Revival Cast)" (Nonesuch)
"Rome: Music From the HBO Series" (Rykodisc)

Planned Van Halen tour hits roadblock

Van Halen (music)'s recently announced summer reunion tour with original lead singer David Lee Roth (music) has been indefinitely postponed, according to a reliable source.

Earlier this month, Van Halen issued a press release in which the group announced it was hitting the road with Roth in tow for the first time since the mid-'80s. The announcement promised 40 shows featuring Roth, group co-founders Eddie and Alex Van Halen, and new bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie's son, who was to take over on stage for fired original bassist Michael Anthony.

The Feb. 2 press release came from Eddie Van Halen's girlfriend, Janie Lisewski, whose publicity firm, High Profile Media, recently became the guitarist's official mouthpiece. Neither the band's management, nor the management's publicity firm, ever commented publicly on the group's plans.

Reports indicated that a Roth-era best-of set was due out from Rhino Records this spring in anticipation of the tour, but it is believed that those plans have also been shelved.

While the band's future remains uncertain, one thing is for sure: the group will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame during a March 12 ceremony at New York City's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. Traditionally, inductees perform during the event, but Van Halen's volatile state has many fans wondering if the group will honor that tradition.

Roth split from Van Halen in 1985, and was replaced by Sammy Hagar.

Hagar parted with the band on bad terms in 1996 and was replaced by former Extreme frontman Gary Cherone, who recorded one album with the group, then split after a 1998 tour in support of the set.

Hagar returned to the group for a 2004 reunion tour, but went back to his solo career at tour's end after having another falling out with Eddie Van Halen. Hagar and Anthony subsequently toured with Hagar's solo band, and last year performed at each of Hagar's tour stops as The Other Half, a group whose setlist was comprised entirely of Van Halen material.

Eddie Van Halen has since expressed his displeasure about the Hagar/Anthony venture, in the wake of which the guitarist bounced Anthony out of the group.

Jacques Villeneuve releases CD

MONTREAL (CP) - Racing driver Jacques Villeneuve was focused on tunes instead of tune-ups Monday as he launched his first music CD, which includes a melodic tribute to his Formula One champion father.

Gilles Villeneuve, who died in a racing accident in 1982, was an inspiration to Jacques Villeneuve and the son said it was important for him to honour his father. "It felt great," Jacques Villeneuve said in an interview after doing a selection from his album "Private Paradise," which included "Father," a song he performed in a duet Monday with his sister Melanie.

"It's a very important song. It's the only personal song on the album. I don't write personal stuff and I don't want to sing personal stuff either, but this one, because it's with my sister, I'm quite happy doing it."

Villeneuve, who no longer drives on the Formula One circuit, said the song was a more emotional experience for his sister, who started writing it in the mid-1980s, a few years after Gilles Villeneuve died when he crashed his car into a fence during a practice run in Belgium.

"I wrote the end of it a few years ago so by the time I wrote it we had grown and we had been used to living without our dad."

"Private Paradise" goes into wide release next week after two concerts in Montreal, one at Villeneuve's downtown restaurant, and the other at the Cabaret du Capitole du Quebec.

There are no immediate plans to tour with the album, most of whose songs are in English.

Villeneuve is not going to give up his day job for music and is still in talks to participate on the NASCAR circuit. But the sounds of guitar chords stir him just as much as the squeal of tires on a track.

"I've always loved music," he said. "Everyone has music inside them anyway. Everyone enjoys going to a karaoke and singing."

He decided to go one step further and write and record his songs - six of which are on his album.

"I said OK, I'll rent a studio. I want to know how the songs properly sound once recorded fully and you just have to get going, you have to take the risks."

Villeneuve couldn't pin down a specific inspiration for his style - "I've been buying so many CDs over the years."

"It's always something I've listened to, a mood. Inspiration can sometimes be being stuck in a snowstorm for a week. That will give you some inspiration, having nothing else to do."

Villeneuve was a little shaky in his performance before the media, suggesting he still has some work to do before he's as at ease recording tracks as he is driving on them.

But Garou, a musical mega-star in Quebec, says he thinks his friend did pretty well.

"He doesn't need any advice because he doesn't want to be perfect," Garou said after the performance for the media. "He just wants to have fun and he wants to share what he loves - music and songs. And he does it perfectly. It has to stay natural.

"It's a passion he's been sharing for years and years and years with his friends and now he's doing it with the entire world."

Villeneuve is among several Canadian athletes who've tried their hand at music, including:

-Olympic figure skater Elvis Stojko recorded a duet with Canadian Idol finalist Ashley Leitao last year and will soon release an album of his own. He has also dabbled as an actor, appearing in the stage production of "Grease" in 2004.

-Calgary Flames forward Darren McCarty has his own band Grinder, whose motto is "the Toughest Band in Rock-n-Roll."

-Toronto Argo wide receiver Robert Baker quit pro football in 2006 to pursue a career in rap music under the name Shake Severs.

-Former Montreal Alouettes coach Don Matthews released a novelty song in 2005 called "What Time Is It?" The single was based on a speech he gave at the Alouettes' 2002 Grey Cup parade, when he asked his players: "What time is it?" and they responded with things like: "Time to get busy!"

-Football brothers Doug and Darren Flutie play in the Flutie Brothers Band, opening for acts such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bo Diddley and Meredith Brooks. They also wrote and recorded the Saturday Night Football theme song for the Canadian Football League that is featured weekly on CBC.

-Hockey star Guy Lafleur released a disco album in 1979.

-Legendary goaltender Johnny Bower had a hit single in 1965 with "Honky the Christmas Goose," selling more than 40,000 copies of the novelty tune.

The New Trailer Has Arrived

The new SIMPSONS MOVIE trailer!!

Trump's hair on the line at Wrestlemania

DETROIT - Will Donald Trump put his hair where his mouth is?

Trump and World Wrestling Entertainment owner Vince McMahon will pick a wrestler to represent them in the ring April 1 at Wrestlemania 23 at Detroit's Ford Field, The Detroit News reported last week.

If their pick is beaten in the "Battle of the Billionaires," the loser will get his head shaved after the match, the Detroit Free Press reported Monday.

WWE spokesman Gary Davis said the date of the event had prompted speculation that it was a hoax. But it's not an April Fool's Day joke, he said.

"If Trump loses, he shaves his head," he said.

The announcement of the match was made on a WWE television program that aired over the weekend.

XM and Sirius to combine; hurdles loom

NEW YORK - XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc., rivals in the fledgling satellite radio industry, have agreed to combine in a deal that investors hope will result in lower costs, assuming it overcomes significant regulatory hurdles.

The companies billed the deal announced Monday as a merger of equals, with shareholders of both companies owning approximately 50 percent of the combined entity. However, Sirius will be giving $4.57 billion of its stock to XM shareholders, a substantial premium to the value of their shares.

Sirius' Chief Executive Mel Karmazin will lead the combined company, and XM's CEO Hugh Panero will stay on only until the deal is closed. XM Chairman Gary Parsons will remain in that role.

The deal faces substantial obstacles in Washington, including a Federal Communications Commission provision that specifically forbids the two companies to combine.

Analysts have noted that the FCC could change the rule, but in a statement late Monday FCC Chairman Kevin Martin said that the "hurdle" would be "high" to prove that the deal would be in the public interest.

"The companies would need to demonstrate that consumers would clearly be better off with both more choice and affordable prices," Martin said.

A combination would also have to meet antitrust approval from the Department of Justice. The companies are expected to argue that they compete not only with each other but also with traditional radio and a growing base of digital audio sources such as iPods, mobile phones and non-satellite digital radio.

The XM shareholders will receive 4.6 shares of Sirius stock for every share they own, valuing them at $17.02 each based on Friday's closing price for Sirius shares. That gives XM shareholders a premium of 22 percent to the $13.98 closing value of their stock on Friday. Markets were closed Monday for the Presidents' Day holiday.

Investors and analysts have been speculating about a deal for months, and are hoping that the cost savings that would result would make up for softening retail demand for satellite radio units. Both services offer dozens of channels of talk and commercial-free music for monthly fees of about $13.

XM radio receivers can't receive signals from Sirius, and vice versa. But Karmazin and Parsons said in an interview that the companies are working on developing a receiver that could receive both signals.

In the meantime, they said, assuming the deal goes through, the companies would make other arrangements to bring programming that's currently exclusive to one provider to listeners of the other, such as getting Major League Baseball games — currently only available on XM — to Sirius listeners.

"We will be taking every effort to find the best possible programming combination," Parsons said.

It's too early to say what the deal will mean for subscription prices. The merger could bring down the cost of providing service, but at the same time give the company more pricing power as the only U.S. satellite radio provider.

Karmazin declined to comment specifically about how much the companies hoped to save by the merger, but he said he expected the deal to clear regulatory approval and close within six to nine months. "We understand that there's a lot of work to be done," Karmazin said.

Neither XM nor Sirius have turned a profit yet as they spent heavily to build up their programming lineups and subscriber bases, including a five-year, $500 million contract that Sirius made with the shock jock Howard Stern. Both stocks declined more than 40 percent last year on concerns about their continued growth in subscribers, but investors have held out hope of a merger.

The combined company would have had about $1.5 billion in revenues in 2006 and about 14 million subscribers, they said. The companies said they would work together to decide on a new name and also to determine where it would be based. XM is based in Washington, while Sirius is based in New York.

The new company's board will have 12 members, including Parsons, Karmazin, four independent directors named by each company, and one representative each from General Motors Corp. and Honda Motor Co.

News of a possible merger was reported earlier Monday by the New York Post.

On Friday, a Bear Stearns analyst said in a research note that a merger would have a good chance of overcoming regulatory obstacles.

Other analysts remain less sure. Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Craig Moffett said he gives the deal a "50-50" chance of passing regulatory muster.

Moffett said the deal could have a particularly tough time getting through the FCC, and said it was "anyone's guess" as to whether the FCC would change its rule barring a consolidation of the two satellite radio companies.

A group representing radio companies, the National Association of Broadcasters, put out a statement Monday urging federal regulators to block the satellite radio deal.

CBC News at Six renews local focus

Canadians will see a change in their CBC Television supper-hour newscasts beginning today.

In every region across the country, CBC's News at Six will become one-hour newscast with a mix of local, national and international news.

The half-hour Canada Now national news show produced out of Vancouver was aired for the last time on Friday.

Instead of a half-hour of national and international news and a separate half-hour of local news, Canadians will see a supper program that is a single, locally produced show, said Diana Swain, host of the Toronto version of News at Six.

"Basically what they've seen was two half hours that filled up the time from six to seven — one exclusively local and the other national," she said in an interview on CBC Radio.

"We've taken away that line … so you'll see a full seamless hour from six to seven."

The intention is to renew CBC's focus on local news, already a strength of radio and CBC.ca coverage, said Swain.

"The focus of the program will be local and we can put as much of that [local news] in as we want," she said.

She admitted this new format is similar to the supper-hour newscasts that CBC had before the creation of Canada Now in 2000.

"For some people it must look as if we're coming full circle and on some level we are. There's a recognition now that local news really is important to people," she said.

But she said CBC wants to "grow this show into something new," and hopes to build local coverage on television that mirrors what is heard on radio.

Canada Now host Ian Hanomansing will be hosting the local newscast in Vancouver.

In an information session for employees when the changes were announced last year, CBC said no new resources will be devoted to the locally focused newscasts.

George Canyon tops ECMAs

HALIFAX (CP) - Tears mixed with laughs when the best musicians in Atlantic Canada gathered Sunday night to pat backs, play a few tunes and bid farewell to a trio of trailblazers.

George Canyon, In-Flight Safety, Joel Plaskett Emergency and J. P. Cormier each walked away with three awards following the East Coast Music Awards gala at the Halifax Metro Centre. During a two-hour awards show broadcast nationally by the CBC and hosted by the Trailer Park Boys, Canyon added the new pieces of silverware to an already bulging trophy case.

The Nova Scotia country singer was named entertainer of the year for the third consecutive year. It was the only award voted on by fans.

"God is so good," said Canyon, resplendent in a glittery western suit and black Stetson.

Canyon, who came out of obscurity in 2004 by finishing second on the "Nashville Star" talent search, has won more than a dozen awards since, including a Juno in 2005 and the Canadian Country Music Awards fan choice honour.

Besides the nod from the fans, the granite-chinned singer from Pictou County also won for video of the year and country recording of the year for "Somebody Wrote Love."

"I'm scared to death to let a lot of this success in the last three years sink in," Canyon said later. "That's the God's honest truth."

In the night's emotional centrepiece, three Maritime legends who died in the past year - Denny Doherty of the Mamas and the Papas, Celtic pioneer John Allan Cameron and bluesman Dutch Mason - were remembered in a moving tribute that included performances by recent Grammy winner Gordie Sampson, Shaye, Canyon and Ashley MacIsaac.

"I've got a wound on my lip from biting it so hard. I was getting choked up," said Canyon, who sang "California Dreamin' " during the tribute.

"Being a part of that was one of the highlights for me."

Cormier, who performed many times with Cameron, became emotional when he told reporters about a late-night conversation he had with the Celtic troubadour in a hotel room several years ago.

"He really thought he was going to be forgotten," Cormier said. "He wasn't bitter about it. It was poignant.

"But it was apparent to me - and apparent to me tonight - that he's never going to be forgotten."

Jill Barber, an Ontario-raised singer-songwriter who moved to Halifax almost five years ago, won two awards on the strength of her first full-length release, "For All Time."

The album was named FACTOR recording of the year. She also won for solo female recording of the year.

Barber, who grew up in Toronto before moving to the Maritimes, said she came to the city on a whim.

"I knew Halifax was great for music and I felt the calling," she explained to reporters later. "But I never would have expected to find myself, as far as music."

Cormier, a Cape Bretoner whose musical chops span folk, country, bluegrass, rock and Celtic, won for bluegrass recording of the year, folk recording and instrumental recording.

Cormier figured he's won "eight or nine" ECMAs since attending the inaugural awards show 19 years ago in a smoky Halifax pub.

"The award was a pin at the end of a Q-Tip, or something," the burly musician quipped. "Everybody stood around saying, 'You rock!' 'No, you rock!' " It's come a long way since."

Newfoundland's Ron Hynes took the award for male solo recording of the year for his self-titled album.

In-Flight Safety, a Halifax-based band that met as students at Mount Allison University in Sackville, N.B., went into the night with four nominations.

Their first full-length release, "The Coast is Clear," was named alternative recording of the year, CBC Galaxie rising star recording of the year and XM Satellite Group recording of the year.

The rising star award came with a cheque for $5,000.

"We've gone from making records in a basement in Sackville to this awards show," said a clearly thrilled John Mullane, the band's singer.

"It's a hell of a difference."

Halifax's Joel Plaskett Emergency won for single of the year for "Nowhere With You," and DVD of the year.

Plaskett was also named SOCAN songwriter of the year, also for "Nowhere With You," a song that was used in a Zellers commercial.

The lanky performer said he fretted "for about five minutes" about being labelled a sellout for allowing the department store giant to use the song.

"Their prices are great," he joked to reporters later.

"That commercial brought a lot of kids out to the shows over the summer and made radio take notice, which has been hard to crack. It's tough getting on radio. It's a weird business."

Sloan won for rock recording of the year for the band's mammoth 30-song CD "Never Hear the End of It."

Chris Murphy, the lone member of the former Halifax independent faves to travel from Toronto for the show, said the new album has garnered more positive press than any of the band's recent releases, particularly in the U.S., where Sloan has a new record deal.

Wearing a Halifax T-shirt under a battered leather jacket, Murphy joked about being finally able to afford a house in Toronto.

"But I have a tenant, and we have mice, so we're not getting rich," he said.

The awards show was hosted for the second year in a row by Bubbles, Ricky and Julian of the popular cult TV hit "The Trailer Park Boys."

The showed opened with the three arriving late and ramming their old beater through a steel door and onto the floor of the packed hockey arena.

The foul-mouthed trio dropped several F-bombs during the broadcast, but all were bleeped out.

Comedian Mary Walsh wasn't bleeped, however, when she called the federal Conservatives "the arse-lickers of Satan," as an uncomfortable-looking Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay smiled in the front row.

Earlier in the evening while making a presentation on stage, MacKay was booed when he mistakenly referred to Halifax as Toronto.

ECMA winner's lst

HALIFAX (CP) - Winners at Sunday night's East Coast Music Awards:

Sirius Satellite Radio Entertainer of the Year: George Canyon.

FACTOR Recording of the Year: "For All Time" (Jill Barber).

Female Solo Recording of the Year: "For All Time" (Jill Barber).

XM Satellite Radio Group Recording of the Year: "The Coast is Clear" (In-Flight Safety).

Male Solo Recording of the Year: "Ron Hynes" (Ron Hynes).

CBC Galaxie Rising Star Recording of the Year: "The Coast is Clear" (In-Flight Safety).

Single of the Year: "Nowhere With You" (Joel Plaskett Emergency).

SOCAN Songwriter of the Year: Joel Plaskett for "Nowhere With You."

Video of the Year: "Drinkin' Thinkin' " (George Canyon).

DVD of the Year: "Make A Little Noise" (Joel Plaskett Emergency).

African-Canadian Recording of the Year: "Scotia Mix Vol. 1" (Jamie Sparks).

Tour Tech East Alternative Recording of the Year: "The Coast Is Clear" (In-Flight Safety).

Bluegrass Recording of the Year: "Take Five . . . a Banjo Collection" (J.P. Cormier).

Blues Recording of the Year: "Weight of the World" (John Campbelljohn).

Children's Recording of the Year: "Anne and Gilbert" (The Cast of Anne and Gilbert).

Classical Recording of the Year: "Extase" (Measha Bruggergosman).

Vibe Creative Group Country Recording of the Year: "Somebody Wrote Love" (George Canyon).

CBC Galaxie Francophone Recording of the Year: "Pied-a-terre" (Blou).

Folk Recording of the Year: "Looking Back - Volume 2: The Songs" (JP Cormier).

Gospel Recording of the Year: "I Love You So" (The LaPointes).

Instrumental Recording of the Year: "Looking Back - Volume 1: The Instrumentals" (JP Cormier).

Jazz Recording of the Year: "Crocus" (Duane Andrews).

Pop Recording of the Year: "Bring on the Storm" (Charlie A'Court).

Rap/Hip-Hop Single Track Recording of the Year: "Find Out" (Classified).

Newcap Radio Rock Recording of the Year: "Never Hear the End of It" (Sloan).

Roots/Traditional Group Recording of the Year: "El Viento Flamenco in Concert" (El Viento Flamenco).

Roots/Traditional Solo Recording of the Year: "Yours Truly" (Natalie MacMaster).

Urban Single Track Recording of the Year: "All I Need" (Jamie Sparks).

Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award: Presented posthumously to contralto Portia White.

Rep: Moynahan Pregnant With Tom Brady's Baby

LOS ANGELES (February 18, 2007) -- Actress Bridget Moynahan is pregnant with ex-boyfriend Tom Brady's baby, Access Hollywood has learned.

A rep for Moynahan told Access the actress is at least three months pregnant and claims the dad is NFL star Brady, who split from Moynahan in December.

The couple dated for three years.

Since their split, Brady has been linked to Giselle Bundchen.

The 29-year-old Brady, a two-time Super Bowl MVP who has led the New England Patriots to three NFL titles, was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" in 2002.

Moynahan, 36, has appeared in films such as "The Recruit," "Coyote Ugly" and "I, Robot." She also starred on the ABC television series "Six Degrees."

Access has reached out to Brady for comment and is awaiting a response.

Love — and rejection — is in the air at 'Studio 60'

With Studio 60, maybe two strikes are enough.

This much-heralded NBC hour from Aaron Sorkin has been rejected twice by viewers, who were even less enthralled with its winter reincarnation as a romantic comedy than they were with its fall stint as a backstage drama. And now it's being rejected by its network, which is pulling the show after tonight's episode to make way for The Black Donnellys.

Yes, NBC says Studio will return this spring (though the network also said the show would run through February, and that's not happening), but the odds of it returning for a second season are long at best. And if these latest episodes are any indication of what the future holds, perhaps it's best if the future ends now.

Death would not come without mourning, but the grief would be more for the promise represented by Sorkin and a stellar cast led by Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford than for anything they produced. The hope was that the show would expand beyond its good but too inside-the-business start to encompass TV's effect on all of us, both those who make it and those who watch it. Instead, it collapsed upon itself, devoting hour after hour to its head writer's struggles — interrupted only by an FCC-inspired crisis far too patently absurd to support a continuing story.

As you should expect from the stellar talents involved, Studio has given us flashes of brilliance, but ultimately, it never gave us enough reason to care. The people working on the show-within-a-show had nothing at risk because the fictional Studio was a smash from the very start. And we as viewers had nothing at stake in that show's survival, because most of what we saw of it was terrible. You get the feeling this is what The Dick Van Dyke Show would have looked like had it been made with too much self-aggrandizing angst and by too few funny people.

Yet for all their problems, those early episodes did at least seem to have a point, as opposed to the weightless, painfully silly romantic comedy the show has become. The only rooting interest we can possibly have in these two misaligned couples, Matt and Harriet (Perry and Sarah Paulson) and Danny and Jordan (Whitford and Amanda Peet), is to root against them.

Indeed, it's hard to say which woman you cringe for more: Jordan, who is being chased by a man who shares her own near-psychotic attachment to being overly cute; or Harriet, who is being chased by a self-absorbed, egotistic addict who routinely mocks her most closely held beliefs.

The change in tone came about, of course, because viewers weren't interested enough in the story Sorkin originally wanted to tell, but can he really be interested in telling this one? If so, it's hard to fathom. It's coming across as little more than a desperate, flailing attempt to find something, anything, to keep the lights on.

And if that's the case, well, maybe it's better to just turn them off now.

Source: Jays give Gibbons extension

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The Blue Jays have reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year contract extension with manager John Gibbons, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations. An official announcement could come as early as Monday.

"We've talked, but nothing's done," Gibbons said early Monday morning.

Gibbons' new deal would pay him $650,000 in 2008 -- a $150,000 raise over his salary for the upcoming '07 season. Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi was not immediately available for comment.

Last week, Gibbons said that he wasn't too concerned about his contract situation, describing the issue as a "low priority."

"To be honest with you, I haven't given it a whole lot of thought," Gibbons said on Thursday about being in the last year of his current deal. "I'm not paralyzed by that. It's a game of results. If we play good, good things happen. If we don't? Bad things happen."

Gibbons was named Toronto's interim manager on Aug. 8, 2004, after the Blue Jays let manager Carlos Tosca go. Since then, Gibbons has led the Jays to a 187-187 record -- highlighted by an 87-75 mark last season. In 2006, Toronto finished second in the American League East for the first time since winning the World Series in 1993.

Gibbons might have received an extension at the end of last season had it not been for well-publicized confrontations with former Toronto designated hitter Shea Hillenbrand and former Jays pitcher Ted Lilly. Ricciardi has insisted, though, that those unrelated -- and overblown -- incidents had no bearing on Gibbons' contract status.

Upcoming Film Releases: Weeks of February 19 & February 26

HOLLYWOOD (Reuters) - An update of the U.S. film calendar for this week and next. Dates are subject to change, and films initially may open only in select cities, mentioned wherever possible.

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23

* Amazing Grace (Dir: Michael Apted. Ioan Gruffudd, Albert Finney)

* The Astronaut Farmer (Dir: Michael Polish. Billy Bob Thornton, Virginia Madsen)

* The Number 23 (Dir: David Fincher. Jim Carrey, Virginia Madsen)

* Reno 911!: Miami (Dir/star: Robert Ben Garant. Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney-Silver)

* Gray Matters (Dir: Sue Kramer. Heather Graham, Tom Cavanaugh)

* Starter for Ten (Dir: Tom Vaughan. James McAvoy)

FRIDAY, MARCH 2

* Black Snake Moan (Dir: Craig Brewer. Samuel L. Jackson, Christina Ricci)

* Wild Hogs (Dir: Walter Becker. Tim Allen, John Travolta, William H. Macy, Martin Lawrence)

* Zodiac (Dir: David Fincher. Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Robert Downey, Jr.)

* Full Of It (Dir: Christian Charles. Ryan Pinkston, Teri Polo)

A sentimental journey for Keon

Dave Keon harbours no ill-will toward Maple Leafs forward Matt Stajan, general manager John Ferguson or the faithful Toronto fans.

In fact, if you looked closely, it almost appeared as if his eyes were getting a bit misty as he made his way along the blue carpet to centre ice at the Air Canada Centre last night for the ceremony honouring the 1967 Stanley Cup-winning team.

Led by fan favourite Johnny Bower, Keon's teammates joined the capacity crowd in clapping for the '67 Conn Smythe Trophy winner, who received a one-minute ovation in recognition of his long-waited return.

"None of us were going to joke with him about finally being back," Bower said. "In my case, I didn't want to bug him because I was scared he would turn around and go home."

Keon was gracious when asked about the reception, but was non-committal about the odds of him coming back.

"This was one night, one weekend," he said. "Let's leave it at that."

Having said that, he was quite appreciative of the warm greeting he received from the cheering throng.

"It was very nice," he said. "People have always been nice to me. I get letters all the time from people who wanted me to come back.

"John (Ferguson) did a nice job of bringing the entire team together."

Surrounded by a swarm of about 40 reporters, Keon added that young Matt Stajan should not be criticized for wearing his familiar No. 14.

"It's unfair (for him to get heat over it)," Keon said. "He shouldn't have to worry about that."

In the end, the ceremony lacked just two things -- the Stanley Cup and louder fans.

Since the Cup rests just two blocks away from the Air Canada Centre at the Hockey Hall of Fame, why could it not be on hand? After all, these players were the last Leafs to have their names engraved on it.

As for the crowd, the applause, while polite, lacked the deafening volume often associated in similar functions like those held in Montreal.

"Montreal has me back every year as part of their alumni," Senator Frank Mahovlich said. "They always honour their great heroes. It's nice to see Toronto doing this for us now, too."

The final word went to Ron Ellis, who made a prediction many fans will hold him to.

"People in Toronto are so loyal to the Leafs," he said. "Well, take it from me, this team will win another Cup. It'll be tough. But when it happens, look out!"

Wedding at Halifax musical showcase

HALIFAX (CP) - Renegade fiddler Ashley MacIsaac is a married man.

MacIsaac married Andrew Stokes on stage at the Cape Breton Rocks showcase of the East Coast Music Awards.

A spokesperson for the awards show confirmed today that the wedding took place at a Halifax hotel.

MacIsaac and Stokes were pictured on the front-page of the Halifax Daily News today kissing before the wedding took place sometime after midnight.

After breaking onto the musical scene in the 1990s with his own unique brand of hard-driving Celtic punk music, MacIsaac has made headlines recently for more than just his music.

MacIsaac, who was born in Nova Scotia but now lives in Toronto, considered running for the leadership of the federal Liberal party last year.

The 31-year-old has also staged stunts in the past by calling up media outlets to offer news tips about his life, including telling a Calgary newspaper in 2004 that he planned to have a gay wedding in Alberta.

The wedding never took place.

MacIsaac was scheduled to perform at Sunday night's ECMA awards in Halifax in a tribute to Nova Scotia musicians John Allan Cameron and Dutch Mason, who died last year.

'Ghost Rider' lights box-office fire

LOS ANGELES - Satan's bounty hunter has looted the wallets of movie-goers. "Ghost Rider," Sony's comic-book adaptation starring Nicolas Cage as a motorcycle stunt driver moonlighting as a collector of evil souls for the devil, debuted as the top weekend movie with $44.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Debuting in second place with $22.1 million was Disney's "Bridge to Terabithia," based on the children's novel about a boy and girl who create an elaborate fantasy land to escape from the troubles of the real world.

The movies bumped off the previous weekend's No. 1 flick, DreamWorks' Eddie Murphy comedy "Norbit," which slipped to third place with $16.8 million, lifting its total to $58.9 million.

Premiering at No. 4 with $14 million was the Warner Bros. romance "Music and Lyrics," starring Hugh Grant as a washed-up pop singer and Drew Barrymore as his unlikely songwriting partner.

The Lionsgate romance "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls" opened in fifth place with $12.1 million, a sharp drop from filmmaker Perry's February releases the last two years, 2006's "Madea's Family Reunion," which premiered with $30 million, and 2005's "Diary of a Mad Black Woman," which debuted with $21.9 million.

Universal's spy thriller "Breach" debuted at No. 6 with $10.4 million. It stars Chris Cooper as Robert Hanssen, the FBI man caught in 2001 for selling secrets to Russia, and Ryan Phillippe as a young bureau operative who helps bring him down.

Though trashed by critics, "Ghost Rider" helped pull Hollywood out of its box-office doldrums, with overall revenues rising for the first time in six weekends. The top 12 movies took in $141.4 million, up 28 percent from the same weekend last year.

"This is the weekend that could turn the tide and get us going in the right direction," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

Based on the Marvel Comic books, "Ghost Rider" delivered Hollywood's biggest opening so far this year, topping the $34.2 million debut for "Norbit." "Ghost Rider" was the best opening weekend ever for Cage, beating the $35.1 million debut of "National Treasure."

"Ghost Rider" also extended Hollywood's winning streak with comic-book adaptations, a genre some critics have said would eventually play itself out.

"I think as long as stories are being told in a way that audiences embrace them, you can go for a long, long, long, long time," Bruer said.

Coming this summer are two big comic-book sequels, Sony's "Spider-Man 3" and 20th Century Fox's "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer."

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Ghost Rider," $44.5 million.
2. "Bridge to Terabithia," $22.1 million.
3. "Norbit," $16.8 million.
4. "Music and Lyrics," $14 million.
5. "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls," $12.1 million.
6. "Breach," $10.4 million.
7. "Hannibal Rising," $5.5 million.
8. "Because I Said So," $5 million.
9. "The Messengers," $3.8 million.
10. "Night at the Museum," $3.7 million.

The Couch Potato Report - February 17th, 2007

This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on one Oscar nominee who is Canadian and another who is guaranteed to win!

When the 79th Annual Academy Awards are given out next Sunday night in Hollywood Canadian actor Ryan Gosling's name will be one of those listed off in the category of Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his work in the film HALF NELSON.

It is my belief - and the belief of prognoticators world wide - that Forest Whitaker will deservedly win the category for his work in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND.

But if there was going to be an upset, Gosling's performance is the one that could do it.

In HALF NELSON Gosling plays an eighth-grade history teacher in an inner-city school deep in the heart of Brooklyn.

He is a passionate, committed, engaging person who is trying to teach the kids to understand history, instead of just memorizing it.

But he has a secret...at least until the night that one of his 13-year-old students finds him almost passed out in a bathroom stall - from smoking crack.

After that night the film focuses on the unique friendship between the two, and his struggles to prevent her from ending up like him.

If you are looking for an interesting, engaging film, full of real people that doesn't promise you a happy ending, but simply tells you the story of two people and their effect on each other's lives, then search out HALF NELSON.

It isn't the type of film you can watch with the whole family, but I recommend that the grown-ups see this superb film featuring an incredible performance from an up and coming Canadian Actor.

Now if you are wondering why Ryan Gosling's name sounds familiar, he is the person who won Rachel McAdam's heart in the very entertaining, and very romantic film THE NOTEBOOK.

No, Ryan Gosling isn't expected to win an Oscar this year...but Martin Scorsese is.

The director has never won an Academy Award, despite the fact that he has been nominated five times in the past for such classics as RAGING BULL and GOODFELLAS.

Scorsese will get his first trophy on February 25th for his latest classic THE DEPARTED

In their song "Dead On Arrival the band Fall Out Boy sing: "The songs you grow to like never stick at first", and that is true about movies as well.

When I first saw Scorsese's latest in theatres, I didn't care for it at all, but after watching it again this week on DVD, let me paraphrase that song lyric: The movies you grow to like never stick at first.

If you are like me and think TAXI DRIVER, RAGING BULL and GOODFELLAS to be some of the best films ever made, then go out and get THE DEPARTED.

It is worthy of the Scorsese legacy.

In the film, Matt Damon is a mob informant who becomes a police officer and Leonardo DiCaprio is a police officer who becomes a gangster.

Eventually each side realized that their is a mole in their operation and violence and bloodshed are the result.

In addition to Damon and DiCaprio, the cast of THE DEPARTED is all a-list: Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Wahlberg - who was the only actor in the film to receive an Academy Award nomination - and the great Alec Baldwin.

THE DEPARTED is actually a remake of a superb Hong Kong action film called INFERNAL AFFAIRS - but if you pick up the superb TWO DISC SPECIAL EDITION DVD you will find out that in addition to taking material from that film, it is also based on a real mobster in Boston.

Plus, that edition of the film also has an 85 minute documentary featuring Martin Scorsese talking about this film, and his many others.

Now, if you are curious about the sourse material after you have seen the remake, well you are in luck my friend!

There is a new Special Collector's Edition Box Set available for the incredible INFERNAL AFFAIRS and that set features the original, it's prequel and a sequel.

INFERNAL AFFAIRS 2 and 3 aren't as good as number one, but it is my opinion that THE DEPARTED is better.

It is also my opinion that you see them for yourself and make up your own mind.

The final release I have for you is THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON.

This is a documentary on the life of the former Beatle that focusses on his life in the early seventies when he turned from being a lovable moptop into an anti-war activist.

As a fan of Lennon's, I was hoping that this film would give us some never-before-seen insight into his well documented FBI file, and feature an explanation of why Richard Nixon and his White House staff always seemed to have it in for him.

And there is some of that, but the majority of THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON is for people who don't know the man's post-Beatle history.

If you are one of those people, or a Lennon completist, than this is a must see.

Actually, the film is also a must see for those of us who know the story and have heard and seen the interviews with Lennon countless times before, simply because the man and his life will always be interesting and worth seeing.

THE U.S. VS. JOHN LENNON, Martin Scorsese's soon to be Oscar winning THE DEPARTED, the Special Collector's Edition Box Set for INFERNAL AFFAIRS - the film his movie is based on, and HALF NELSON featuring an Academy Award nominated performance from London, Ontario's Ryan Thomas Gosling are all available now on DVD.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

In TRAILER PARK BOYS: THE MOVIE - Ricky, Julian and Bubbles come up
with a scheme to steal large amounts of untraceable coins; After sweeping the Grammy Awards the DIXIE CHICKS documentary SHUT UP AND SING will debut on DVD, FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION features the same folks that gave us WAITING FOR GUFFMAN and BEST IN SHOW and in THE PRESTIGE two magicians vie to be the world's best.

Then, in two weeks, director Terry Gilliam's made-in-Saskatchewan film
TIDELAND debuts on DVD.

I'm Dan Reynish. I'll be back with more thoughts and reviews (from the
couch in 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!

Jays take first step toward '07 season

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- The next step has arrived. While fans back home in Toronto were digging themselves out of the winter's worst snowfall, the Blue Jays began reporting to their Spring Training complex in Florida.

With the offseason now officially in the rearview mirror, Toronto is eager to build on the progress it made last season. That quest began on Friday, when the Jays' pitchers and catchers filed into Dunedin, Fla. -- the only spring site the Jays have known in their 31-year history. On Saturday, those players will head to the Bobby Mattick Training Center for the club's first official workout.

"We like our team," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said on Thursday, when he first arrived at the complex. "We like the way we finished up last year and we think we're going to get better."

Once on the mounds, a select group of Toronto pitchers will enter into a competition that will last deep into March to determine the back end of the rotation. Right-handers John Thomson and Tomo Ohka, who both signed with the Jays in January, are the leading candidates for the final two spots, but they'll have to fend off Shaun Marcum, Josh Towers, Casey Janssen and Dustin McGowan.

The drills for pitchers and catchers will be in full swing by the time Toronto's position players are required to report on Wednesday. Then, on Thursday, the Blue Jays will hold the first full-squad workout for their revamped roster.

At that time, Gibbons will get a look at all the pieces he's been provided with for the upcoming year. The Jays reeled in free-agent slugger Frank Thomas, added shortstop Royce Clayton, and picked up a few reserves in outfielder Matt Stairs, infielder Jason Smith and catcher Sal Fasano.

Some of Toronto's biggest offseason moves actually dealt with players already on the roster. In December, the Jays locked up center fielder Vernon Wells with a seven-year, $126 million deal that begins in 2008. Then in January, Toronto handed first baseman Lyle Overbay a four-year, $24 million extension.

Thomas, Wells and Overbay, along with All-Stars Troy Glaus and Alex Rios, help give Toronto one of the best offenses in the American League. It will be up to Gibbons this spring to find out how exactly that impressive lineup will shape up for Opening Day.

"I think [the fans] like what we've done," Gibbons said. "You see each year we get closer and closer to where we want to be, and it's time to get over that hump. It won't be easy, but it's long overdue."

The Blue Jays will use Spring Training to help answer some of their remaining questions. Once the season begins, Toronto hopes to make a run at the playoffs. Last year, the Jays placed second in the American League East, marking the first time the club finished higher than third in the division since 1993. It was a step in the right direction, but the Blue Jays want to take the next step.

ACTRA, producers reach deal

Canadian actors have reached a tentative deal with producers to end a six-week-old strike.

The Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA), which represents 21,000 actors from across the country, verbally agreed with Canadian and Hollywood producers to end the dispute Friday afternoon.

Jeff Brinton, the spokesman for the Canadian Film & Television Production Association, said some details still need to be ironed out and the deal is subject to ratification, but an agreement is essentially in place.

Terms of the deal were not immediately available.

Wages and internet rights have been at the centre of a bitter battle between Canadian actors and producers that began in October and reached a head when ACTRA called a strike on Jan. 8.

The walkout began in Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and took effect later in other jurisdictions.

During the strike, ACTRA allowed its members to work only with producers who signed a special continuation letter, agreeing to ACTRA's terms on wages, benefits and electronic rights.

There was word earlier this week that the two sides might be inching closer to a deal.

'Batman' Sequel Lands 'Smoking' Two-Face

After a lengthy process in which nearly every 30-something actor in Hollywood was linked to the role, the part of Harvey Dent in the upcoming sequel "The Dark Knight" appears to be going to Aaron Eckhart.

According to a variety of media reports (and ample Internet scuttlebutt), Eckhart is in final negotiations to take the key role as district attorney of Gotham City. It's a part that Billy Dee Williams played in Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman." However, as fans of the DC lore know, Dent becomes the mad crime boss Two-Face and Tommy Lee Jones took on the part for "Batman Forever" in 1995.

"The Dark Knight," Christopher Nolan's sequel to the franchise rebooting "Batman Begins," already has one newly added villain in Heath Leger's Joker. Christian Bale is reprising his titular role and Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman are also believed to have booked return engagements for the summer 2008 release. Katie Holmes won't return as Bruce Wayne's love interest and casting rumors are afoot for new female leads.

Other actors linked online (and therefore probably not in the real world) to the Dent part, but nudged aside by Eckhart include Jamie Foxx, Ryan Phillipe, Josh Lucas, Guy Peace and Ethan Hawke.

Eckhart, who earned Golden Globe and Independent Spirit nominations for his work in "Thank Your For Smoking," next co-stars with Catherine Zeta-Jones in "No Reservations."

Forsberg Nashville bound

The Nashville Predators have won the Peter Forsberg sweepstakes.

The intense trade winds surrounding the veteran centreman were abutted on Thursday, when Forsberg was dealt prior to the Flyers' game against the Toronto Maple Leafs for promising youngsters Scottie Upshall, Ryan Parent and a first- and a third-round draft pick.

Forsberg is expected in the Preadators' lineup tomorrow night in St. Louis against the Blues.

Forsberg will become an unrestricted free agent July 1. The 33-year-old Swedish superstar was playing out the final months of a two-year US$11.5-million contract.

The former MVP, who's been slowed this season by a chronically troubled right foot, had 11 goals and 29 assists for 40 points in 40 games for the Flyers.

Upshall, 23, a left-winger from Fort McMurray, Alta., had two goals and an assist in 14 games for the Predators. Parent, 19, a six-foot-two defenceman from Prince Albert, Sask., was the Predators' first round pick from the Ontario Hockey League's Guelph Storm in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Forsberg had a meeting with Flyers chairman Ed Snider on Sunday to discuss his future, but declined to comment the next day about the specifics of the meeting and refused to say whether he asked to be traded.

He had said that he didn't want to address his future until he solved the issue with his right foot.

The foot injury kept him out 16 games this season, but since returning from an all-star break Forsberg has three goals and nine assists in nine games.

On Monday night, Forsberg scored the go-ahead goal in the third period of the Flyers' 6-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

The NHL trading deadline is Feb. 27.

How an indie studio goosed Gosling's Oscar drive

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - It takes guts to chase after an Oscar. It also takes serious money, luck, and insider experience. Fail to land a nomination, and that cash doesn't magically come back.

The stakes are precariously high, especially for a small indie distributor. ThinkFilm distribution and marketing president Mark Urman knew he was in for a wild ride when he decided to pursue a best actor Oscar nomination for "Half Nelson" star Ryan Gosling. Here's how he landed the awards season's most surprising nomination.

The Oscar question was first raised, as it often is these days, during the seductive tap-dance surrounding ThinkFilm's acquisition of "Half Nelson" at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2006.

"Half Nelson" concerns the touching relationship between a gifted inner-city high school teacher (Gosling) and a student (Shareeka Epps) who discovers the teacher's crack addiction. While it played well at Sundance, and the first reviews were strong, Urman told the rookie filmmakers, writer-director Ryan Fleck and co-writer and producer Anna Boden, that any talk of Oscar was "hideously premature." After all, the movie cost less than $1 million. "The likelihood of a low-budget American independent film making it to that pantheon was slim. I didn't rule it out. But if it didn't penetrate to a higher consciousness of the public, then it wasn't worth it to p--- in the wind," Urman recalls.

Urman, a veteran Oscar marketer who'd played a role in winning campaigns for Lionsgate's "Gods and Monsters" and "Affliction," knew that acting nominations for breakthrough newcomer performances are doable. "We all generalize that the Academy is one giant brain," he says. "But there are trends. There is a steady affection for the discovery, like Julie Christie in 'Darling.' The Academy has always enjoyed making an investment in a career."

In 2006, Sony Pictures Classics nabbed Amy Adams a supporting actress nomination for the micro-indie "Junebug." But Adams won a special jury prize for her performance from the Sundance dramatic jury. It was a bitter blow for Urman when "Half Nelson" won nothing on closing night in Park City.

In order to gain the necessary traction, the distributor opened "Half Nelson" in August -- well before the customary fall Oscar launch platform at the Toronto International Film Festival. "The only way to do it was not to go out in the fall," Urman says. "We had to go out ahead of the pack. And by August, people were fed up with summer fun."

The critics gave Urman reason for hope, including Oscar mentions in USA Today and Entertainment Weekly. One critic threw down the gauntlet, as Urman recalls, hoping that Gosling would get the support he deserved. "That was a terrifying moment," Urman says. "It was a personal challenge. I would be the person who lost Ryan Gosling his Oscar nomination."

At the start of the fall season, Urman checked out the competition for best actor. Who was Gosling up against? The actor's lucky break: The field was weaker than usual. In a normal year, there are twice as many strong best actor candidates as best actress possibilities, often as many as 15. For 2006, Urman counted just nine, including Gosling, aiming for five slots. And as the possible contenders were shot down, that number got even smaller. Falling by the wayside were George Clooney in "The Good German" and Derek Luke in "Catch a Fire," examples of how "you can't build a campaign on visible failure and a rapid exit," Urman says. Even though "Half Nelson" was limping along at the box office in only three runs, "you can build a campaign on a promise, but not a failed promise."

Another lucky stroke for ThinkFilm came in October, when the company received a healthy infusion of cash when it sold to David Bergstein and Ron Tudor's film financing and production company Capco Group for about $25 million. Having a cushion of extra money on hand made it a lot easier for Urman, who works closely with ThinkFilm CEO Jeff Sackman, to reach for the Oscar ring.

Suddenly, ThinkFilm had a different set of ambitions as it set about attracting filmmakers. "We needed to prove to the industry that we're real," Urman says. "A lot of actors make indie movies for prestige, not just money, to prove their chops. What better way to communicate our efficacy as a desirable home for these films than by landing an Oscar nomination for a low-budget movie about a crack addict?"

So he did what any smart company would do in this situation. He turned for counsel to publicity firm 42West's Cynthia Swartz, who won her chops at Harvey Weinstein's knee and helped pushed "Crash" to last year's surprise best picture win. ThinkFilm followed a similar strategy. It sent out DVDs early, in October, to every branch in the Academy, 5,800 strong. Another 2,000 went to the SAG nominating committee. About 200 went to critics' groups, and 90 went to the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn.

Sure enough, the movie wound up on many critics' 10-best lists, and while "The Last King of Scotland's" Forest Whitaker kept winning best actor prizes, Gosling was often a first runner-up.

ThinkFilm also spent a lot of time on the Internet, especially on blogs like Oscarwatch.com, which were asking whether ThinkFilm would cough up the dough for a real Gosling Oscar run.

"Half Nelson" hummed along on the crest of its year-end plaudits. At the box-office, it grossed more than $2 million, playing best in major cities, but never widening to more than 85 screens.

Then came Urman's worst fear. No Golden Globe nomination for Gosling, even with slots divided between the Globes' comedy and drama best actor categories. "I took antacids for days," Urman says.

It didn't help that while other stars were campaigning vigorously, Gosling refused to do television interviews. Urman sent Gosling to the Gotham Awards, where the film was named best feature; to the National Board of Review, where the actor was hailed for his breakthrough performance; to the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, where he presented the best first film award to Fleck; and to the AFI Awards lunch in Los Angeles.

Gosling also agreed to do a Screen Actors Guild Q&A. And his eventual SAG Award nomination proved crucial because "it influenced the Oscars," Urman says. A return engagement in Los Angeles for "Half Nelson" gave the distributor an excuse to take out ads in the L.A. Times. The trade ad campaign -- "never ostentatious," Urman says -- stressed three images from the film, showing Gosling as beautiful, sad and isolated. "The campaign was not about a crack addict," Urman says, "or a failure of liberal ideals. It was all about an explosive brilliant young talent."

On January 23, Oscar nominations morning, Gosling was on the best actor list. On the down side, ThinkFilm did not land nominations for Epps or the "Half Nelson" screenplay. Still, Urman was on cloud nine. "It was surreal," he says. "It was what we'd been working toward for so long. I couldn't allow myself to feel complacent. I became superstitious. When it happened, I realized what would have happened if it hadn't happened. All that money and my ass on the line."

One month later, just as interest is peaking in the Oscar race, the movie is coming out on DVD. That's real money in the bank. As for Gosling: He's now a member of the Oscar club. And on February 24, chances are real good he'll win an Independent Independent Spirit Award. "That's home," Urman says. "That will be a good a day for us."

Nicolas Cage set to win holiday box office race

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Between Valentine's Day and the Presidents Day holiday weekend, Hollywood is throwing a lot of product at moviegoers, hoping that some will stick.

The studios might have gotten it right this time, scheduling five new wide releases that target five different audiences.

After a cold streak with films such as "The Weather Man" and "The Wicker Man," Nicolas Cage is poised to take pole position with the Marvel Comics adaptation "Ghost Rider."

The long-gestating film is set for a huge start along the lines of writer-director Mark Steven Johnson's previous Marvel outing "Daredevil," which opened to $45 million during the 2003 Presidents Day weekend.

Cage plays a former motorcycle stuntman who, in order to secure the safety of his true love ( Eva Mendes), makes a deal with the devil. Wes Bentley, Sam Elliott and Peter Fonda co-star in the PG-13 film, which Sony opens on Friday.

It's possible that three of the other new wide releases could edge into the $20 million range for the four-day frame.

Bringing much-needed family product to the marketplace is Disney's "Bridge to Terabithia" from "Narnia" producer Walden Media. Directed by Gabor Csupo (writer-producer of "The Rugrats Movie" and "The Wild Thornberries Movie"), "Terabithia" is based on the 1978 Newbery Award-winning children's book from Katherine Paterson. The PG film stars Josh Hutcherson and AnnaSophia Robb as friends who create an imaginary land to escape their problems. Zooey Deschanel also stars.

The movie looks as if it will open in the $16 million-$19 million range for the four days, but with strong word-of-mouth expected, it could get a bump Monday, which could put it in the $20 million-plus category.

The weekend's other potential $20 million earners opened Wednesday to capitalize on Valentine's Day.

Lionsgate is expected to continue its Tyler Perry hot streak after it launched "Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls" on Wednesday to $4.5 million. "Daddy" marks the first Perry feature that doesn't star the writer-director-producer; the PG-13 film features Gabrielle Union as a successful attorney who falls for blue collar single father Idris Elba. "Daddy" should gross $20 million for the four-day frame.

Warner Bros. opened "Music and Lyrics" to $4.1 million. The PG-13 romantic comedy stars Hugh Grant as a washed-up '80s pop star who must come up with a hit song in a matter of days and turns to his plant lady ( Drew Barrymore) for help. "Music," attracting primarily females, is likely to gross in the high-teen millions, but could edge into $20 million territory.

"Breach" is not expected to match the numbers of the other new films. The spy drama, which stars Chris Cooper, Ryan Phillippe and Laura Linney, tells the true story of a Russian mole within the CIA (Cooper). Drawing a relatively older audience, the Universal Pictures film is looking to bow in the $7 million-$9 million range.

Murphy's run for Oscar sparks applause

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Eddie Murphy has been loved, hated and ignored but now he is back with Hollywood heavyweights rallying around him for his career-redefining turn in "Dreamgirls," a role that may win him an Oscar.

Murphy, 45, is one of the biggest wildcards in show business, making his best supporting actor Oscar run one of the most controversial Academy Awards stories this year.

After 25 years of mostly comic roles, Murphy took the leap into drama with "Dreamgirls" as thwarted cocaine-sniffing soul singer James "Thunder" Early, earning him the Oscar nomination as well as Golden Globe and Screen Actor Guild wins.

With the Oscars just 11 days away, Murphy's comic roots are back on display with "Norbit," a film scorned by critics but which topped the weekend box office with $33.7 million.

Some detractors say "Norbit" will hurt his Oscar chances by showing that Murphy rarely strays from the formulaic comedies that made him rich. Critical bloggers have even launched what has come to be known as the "Stop Eddie Murphy" movement.

Jeffrey Wells, author of the "Hollywood-Elsewhere" Web site, slammed Murphy's "Dreamgirls" performance as just a reprisal of his famous James Brown impersonation from the "Saturday Night Live" television comedy show.

"It may be too late and it may be a futile notion, but it's time for all good people to rise up and band together in order to stop Eddie Murphy from winning the Best Supporting Actor Oscar," wrote Wells.

Wells said Murphy encapsulates everything "smug, arrogant, closed-off and reactionary about today's Hollywood elite."

The criticism has drawn rare expressions of support for an Oscar nominee from top Hollywood executives.

DreamWorks Animation SKG chief executive Jeffrey Katzenberg, who has been friendly with Murphy for over 25 years, dismissed suggestions Murphy was disliked or difficult.

"People trash people out of envy and self interest. Eddie Murphy has been in this business for over 25 years. The question is why now are some people anonymously blogging lies about him and trying to hurt him?" Katzenberg told Reuters.

FAME CAME EARLY

Murphy soared to fame in the 1980s while working on "Saturday Night Live," and starred in films like "Beverly Hills Cop" and "48 Hours," making him one of the first black global box office stars. A few flops in the 1990s, however, saw his career cool.

Murphy had by then earned a reputation for being difficult, and egotistical, a perception he has not shaken despite a rebound with family comedies like "Daddy Day Care."

Just as he was mounting a comeback, Murphy was embroiled in scandal in 1997 after he was pulled over by police with a transvestite prostitute in his car. Murphy claimed he was simply being a Good Samaritan. The incident became tabloid fodder, but did not hurt his box office appeal.

"Anytime anyone's ready to count him out, he bounces back. He's been laughing all the way to the bank for years as people have disparaged his movies. Some performers are immune to criticism and he may be one of them," said Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian for the "Entertainment Tonight" television show.

Both Katzenberg and "Dreamgirls" director Bill Condon say Murphy was nervous about taking on the "Dreamgirls" role.

"He was a little insecure about doing the part, but having achieved such great results I believe he'll do others (dramas)," said Katzenberg.

Both Katzenberg and Condon said Murphy's performance was even more impressive since his marriage to Nicole Mitchell Murphy was ending at the time.

"My heart went out to him, but it did not translate into any kind of difficulties. It was just complete vulnerability. I love working with him because he's so gifted," said Condon.

Hasty crowns Johansson as woman of year

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Not quite the Oscar, but Scarlett Johansson still was all smiles Thursday about being crowned the Harvard Hasty Pudding woman of the year. And happy to participate in the rambunctious roasting that goes along with the honor.

She participated in a mock SAT exam, and endured a lampooning of her famous unclad Vanity Fair cover pose. But the blonde actress kept mum when asked to make an analogy between director Woody Allen, in whose films she has appeared, and fashion designer Issac Mizrahi, who groped her breast on the red carpet at the Golden Globes last year.

She was gleeful, though, in accepting the award.

"Thank you so much for this fabulous golden pot. It's been such a wonderful day. This is the closest I'll ever get to a Harvard degree for sure," Johansson said. "It's a real honor and I can't wait till later tonight when we party."

Before the roast, Johansson led a parade through Harvard Square, sitting in the back of a silver Bentley convertible, flanked by Harvard students in drag.

Johansson, 22, has appeared in films including "Lost in Translation," "The Girl with a Pearl Earring," "Match Point," and "The Black Dahlia."

Ben Stiller is to be crowned Harvard's Hasty Pudding Man of the Year on Feb. 23.

The awards are given to performers who have made a "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment" by Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the nation's oldest undergraduate drama troupe.

Last year's honorees were Halle Berry and Richard Gere.

New Rush album out in May

Rush has announced its 18th studio album, "Snakes & Arrows," will hit stores May 1.

Billboard.com reports that the album will be preceded by the single, "Far Cry," hitting North American radio outlets in mid-March.

According to drummer Neil Peart in a previous Billboard article, the lyrics of the album are inspired by his motorcycle trip through the U.S., chronicled in his book "Roadshow: Landscape With Drums."

"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," Peart said in the article.

"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.'"

Rush is set to tour the album, but dates have yet to be announced.

Fall Out Boy can't beat Norah

Chicago pop-punkers Fall Out Boy made a giant leap onto the Canadian album charts this week.

The quartet's new disc, "Infinity on High," buoyed by the hit single "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," debuted at No. 2 on sales of over 21,000.

It marks the band's best ever chart placement. Their previous disc, "From Under the Cork Tree," peaked at No. 7 back in March of 2005.

However, it wasn't enough to unseat Norah Jones's "Not Too Late," which remained at No. 1 with over 27,000 in sales, according to Nielsen SoundScan data.

It was a different story south of the border, where Fall Out Boy (260,000) checked in at No. 1, forcing Jones (236,000) down to No. 2 in the U.S.

Back here in Canada, the second-best debut went to Calgary's own Jann Arden, whose covers disc "Uncover Me" landed at No. 3, racking up over 15,000 in sales.

The movement up top forced the compilation "2007 Grammy Nominees" to fall from No. 3 to No. 4, Nelly Furtado's "Loose" was locked in at No. 5 for a second week in a row, and Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" dropped two spots to No. 6.

U.K.'s Bloc Party premiered at No. 7 with their second full-length album "Weekend in the City," and Gwen Stefani's "The Sweet Escape" sank two positions to No. 8.

Madonna had a rough second week on the charts, with her live CD/DVD "The Confessions Tour" sinking seven notches from No. 2 to No. 9, while James Blunt went the other way, rocketing up nine rungs to No. 10.

Other notable debuts included Ashley Tisdale's "Headstrong" at No. 13, The Used's "Berth" at No. 29, and the Barenaked Ladies' "Barenaked Ladies Are Men" at No. 39.

In the U.S., Daughtry's self-titled effort placed third, followed by Akon's "Konvicted" in fourth, and Ashley Tisdale in fifth.

'Bon Cop, Bad Cop' wins top Genie

TORONTO -- "Bon Cop, Bad Cop," a uniquely Canadian action movie about a pair of cops who bicker in both official languages in their hunt for a homicidal hockey fan, snagged the best picture prize Tuesday at the Genie Awards in a gala that was otherwise dominated by the powerful biopic about hockey legend Maurice Richard.

"I always suspected you people had taste and insight; thank you for confirming that," Kevin Tierney, producer of "Bon Cop," one of the top-grossing movies in Canadian history, told the cheering crowd at the Carlu in downtown Toronto.

"Just because a movie is popular doesn't mean it's not good."

Though "Bon Cop" took the top prize, "Maurice Richard/The Rocket" was the night's big winner as it took home nine Genies, including best actor for Roy Dupuis and best actress for Julie Le Breton.

Dupuis, the prolific Quebec actor, took home his second best actor Genie in as many years -- he won last year for his portrayal of an amnesiac in "Memoires affectives."

He became emotional as he accepted the award for "The Rocket."

"He opened up to me and he became a friend," said Dupuis of meeting the late Richard while he was researching the role. "He's a man who moved me."

"The Rocket" dominated the Genie acting categories, with Stephen McHattie also winning best supporting actor. Only Carrie-Anne Moss broke the "Rocket" stranglehold with her supporting actress win for "Snow Cake."

Director Charles Biname conceded it was bittersweet to nab so many Genies on Tuesday but not best picture -- but he praised the makers of "Bon Cop."

"They are buddies of ours; these are people that work as hard as we work and they made a really good film," he said. "The award really celebrates the inventiveness of that film."

Biname won the best director Genie, and the film also netted hardware for art direction, costume design, editing and cinematography, among others.

"Bon Cop's" only other Genie was achievement in overall sound, though it also won the Golden Reel Award, awarded to the Canadian film with the highest domestic box office earnings.

"Bon Cop" is vying for the title of the highest-grossing Canadian film of all time against "Porky's."

It earned more than $12 million last year in domestic box office receipts.

The other big box office hit of 2006, "Trailer Park Boys: The Movie," was shut out of the Genies despite earning its way onto many year-end critics' Top 10 lists and enjoying the biggest opening weekend in Canadian box office history. Ricky, Bubbles and Julian -- rum and coke in hand -- were at the gala on Tuesday night.

Taking home acting Genies didn't seem to matter too much to "Bon Cop" stars Patrick Huard and Colm Feore.

The pair kissed for the cameras before the gala got underway, and Huard, up for a best actor Genie, expressed doubt he'd win.

"I'm just here to have fun," said Huard, who co-wrote "Bon Cop."

He added that a sequel to the film was in the works in "about five years or so; I have to write it."

Producers Tierney and Patrick Roy said they hoped it would happen sooner than that.

After lip-locking his co-star, Huard said: "He's a great kisser. I didn't know that. So just for that, there will be a sequel."

Also taking home a Genie was "Manufactured Landscapes," a look at the work of famed photographer Edward Burtynsky that has been sold to a U.S. distributor. It won best documentary.

This year's Genies were handed out amid trying times for the Canadian film industry as ACTRA, the union representing Canadian performers, remains locked in a bitter dispute with producers about new rates and fair compensation for use of actors' work on the Internet.

But there was, for a change, a genuine buzz surrounding the awards this year due to the financial and critical success of "Bon Cop," "Trailer Park Boys: The Movie" and "The Rocket." All three movies did well in English Canada, a notoriously difficult market to crack for Canadian filmmakers, resulting in domestic box office success outside of Quebec that was double what it was in 2005.

The year ahead also promises to be a banner one for Canadian film, with movies including Sarah Polley's "Away From Her," the zombie comedy "Fido" starring Moss and Scottish comic Billy Connolly, and a highly anticipated new Denys Arcand film scheduled for release.

Roy, executive producer of "Bon Cop," said the success of his film shows that English Canadians want to see good Canadian films.

He added he hoped "Bon Cop" would become a franchise, saying it would be a shame if the sparkling rapport between Feore and Huard was contained to just a single film.

"The successes that we've had in Quebec in the past were really because we were making films for Quebec people," he said. "The biggest mistake we can make is to try to do what Americans are doing. If we start making movies for Canadians, I think they'll go see them, but it's going to take a few successes in a row. People will realize that Canadian movies can be successful and they'll go see them."

Genie Award winners list

Winners at the 27th annual Genie Awards, honouring the best in Canadian film:

Best motion picture: "Bon Cop, Bad Cop"

Performance by an actor in a leading role: Roy Dupuis, "Maurice Richard/The Rocket"

Performance by an actress in a leading role: Julie Le Breton, "Maurice Richard/The Rocket"

Performance by an actor in a supporting role: Stephen McHattie, "Maurice Richard/The Rocket"

Performance by an actress in a supporting role: Carrie-Anne Moss, "Snow Cake"

Best documentary: "Manufactured Landscapes," Jennifer Baichwal, Nick de Pencier, Gerry Flahive, Daniel Iron, Peter Starr

Achievement in direction: Charles Biname, "Maurice Richard/The Rocket"

Achievement in art direction: Michael Proulx, "Maurice Richard/The Rocket"

Achievement in costume design: Francesca Chamberland, "Maurice Richard/The Rocket"

Achievement in cinematography: Pierre Gill, "Maurice Richard/The Rocket"

Achievement in editing: Michel Arcand, "Maurice Richard/The Rocket

Achievement in music, original score: Jean Robitaille, "Sans elle/Without Her"

Achievement in music, original song: Jennifer Kreisbery, "Have Hope," from the film "Unnatural and Accidental"

Achievement in overall sound: Dominique Chartrand, Gavin Fernandes, Nathalie Morin, Pierre Paquet, "Bon Cop, Bad Cop"

Achievement in sound editing: Claude Beaugrand, Olivier Calvert, Jerome Decarie, Natalie Fleurant, Francine Poirier: "Maurice Richard/The Rocket"

Original screenplay: Philippe Falardeau, "Congorama"

Adapted screenplay: Robert Favreau, Gil Courtemanche, "Un Dimanche a Kigali/A Sunday in Kigali"

Best live action short drama: "Le Rouge au Sol/Red," Maxime Giroux, Paul Barbeau

Best animated short: "The Danish Poet," Torill Kove, Lise Fearnley, Marcy Page

Claude Jutra Award winners: Julie Kwan, "Eve and the Fire Horse"; Stephanie LaPointe, "La Vie secrete des gens heureux/The Secret Life of Happy People"

Golden Reel Award winner: "Bon Cop, Bad Cop"

Special award for outstanding achievement in make-up design: Nick Dudman, "Beowulf and Grendel"

The nominees for DVD availability

With the Academy Awards less than two weeks away, you can catch up on three of the five best-picture nominees — and many other categories — on DVD before the telecast Feb. 25.

On Tuesday, Martin Scorsese's best-picture nominee, The Departed, arrived on DVD ($29, Warner Home Video). It garnered four other nominations: director, supporting actor Mark Wahlberg, editing and adapted screenplay.

Babel arrives Feb. 20 ($30, Paramount). It has seven nominations, including best picture, director, supporting actresses Rinko Kikuchi and Adriana Barraza, editing and music.

Little Miss Sunshine has been on DVD since December. The day after it received four Oscar nominations for best picture, supporting actress Abigail Breslin, supporting actor Alan Arkin and original screenplay, sales spiked as much as 200% in stores across the country.

"We call it the Oscar bump," says Steve Feldstein of 20th Century Fox, which released the DVD.

No dates have been announced for the other best-picture nominees, The Queen or Letters From Iwo Jima.

Nor has a date been revealed for Dreamgirls, which earned eight nominations, more than any other movie, but not a best-picture nomination. It is still drawing crowds in theaters; it was No. 9 this week at the box office.

Studio DVD marketers are scrambling to announce release dates for other nominees before the ceremony, but they are held in check by their theatrical counterparts, who don't want dates announced while a film is still playing strongly in theaters.

Blood Diamond, with five Oscar nominations, including best actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and supporting actor (Djimon Hounsou), arrives March 20. The announcement was made just as the film dropped out of the box office top 20.

The Last King of Scotland, for which Forest Whitaker is up for best actor, comes out April 17 ($30, Fox). And Notes on a Scandal, with nominations for best actress (Judi Dench), supporting actress (Cate Blanchett), music and adapted screenplay, is due the same date ($30, Fox).

The leading candidate for best documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, has been on DVD since November ($30, Paramount), and others are coming:

•Deliver Us From Evil, about a molesting priest (May 8, Lionsgate).

•Iraq in Fragments, no date yet.

•Jesus Camp, about a camp that teaches children to be evangelists, out now ($27, Magnolia).

•My Country, My Country, about a doctor who runs for office in Iraq (March 20, Zeitgeist Films).

Other high-profile nominees on DVD:

•United 93, up for best director (Paul Greengrass) and editing ($20, Universal).

•The Devil Wears Prada, up for best actress (Meryl Streep) and costume design ($30, Fox).

•Best-animated-feature nominees Cars ($30, Disney) and Monster House ($29, Sony). Fellow nominee Happy Feet arrives on March 20.

A handful of other movies with Oscar nominations in minor categories also are available on DVD, including:

•Black Dahlia, up for best achievement in cinematography ($30, Universal)

•Superman Returns, best achievement in visual effects ($20, Warner Bros.)

•Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, nominated for achievement in sound, sound editing, visual effects and art direction ($30, Disney).

•Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers, up for best achievement in sound mixing and sound editing ($30, Paramount).

Cruise and Stiller, Hardy Men

It only took 80 years, but teenage super-sleuths Frank and Joe Hardy have finally grown up. And apparently it was worth the wait, at least for Hollywood, because they grew into Ben Stiller and Tom Cruise.

The box office golden boys have been tapped to play the now-adult brothers in the action comedy The Hardy Men, a reworking of the classic detective series The Hardy Boys, which kicked off in 1927 with The Tower Treasure.

As per Variety, The Hardy Men will feature the siblings, once inseparable but now estranged, reuniting to solve one last case. No word on whether they'll still go by Frank and Joe or if the screenplay will call for more modern monikers.

Cruise and Stiller have reportedly been exchanging plot ideas with Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy, who will helm the project for 20th Century Fox.

Meanwhile, the longtime pals—ever since Stiller nailed his first Cruise impression during his formative years on The Ben Stiller Show—are also contemplating teaming up for the making-of-a-movie-within-a-movie comedy Tropic Thunder, which Stiller will direct for DreamWorks. (Interestingly, Paramount would distribute the film, placing Cruise back in the industry arena with best bud Sumner Redstone.)

The pair also teamed up in 2000 for the short-form spoof Mission: Improbable, in which Cruise played himself and Stiller played a stuntman subbing for the heartthrob on the set of Mission: Impossible 2.

Fox is aiming to start production on The Hardy Men in 2008.

Although this will be the Hardys' first trip to the multiplex, the boys are no strangers to the small screen.

Before the era of Britney, Justin and Christina, Tim Considine and Tommy Kirk portrayed the Hardy brothers on the iconic Mickey Mouse Club from 1956-57.

Then, Parker Stevenson and Shaun Cassidy wielded the flashlights in the ABC primetime series The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries, costarring Pamela Sue Martin as the titian-haired heroine, which ran from 1977-79.

There was also a Hardy Boys Saturday-morning cartoon that premiered in 1969 and a 13-episode syndicated series that aired in Canada in 1995.

But first thing's first. Stiller has gone to bat again for the Farrelly brothers in The Seven Day Itch, due in theaters Oct. 5, while Cruise is set to star in the Robert Redford-directed Lions for Lambs, the first film in the pipeline for Cruise and production partner Paula Wagner's revamped United Artists nameplate.

Redford will also costar in the intersecting-lives drama, along with Meryl Streep and Derek Luke.

Canada's top films vie for Genie honour

Two Canadian box office blockbusters will battle it out Tuesday night for the country's top film honour.

Domestic hits Trailer Park Boys: The Movie and Bon Cop, Bad Cop are among the high profile nominees for best picture at the Genie Awards, Canada's version of the Oscars.

Trailer Park Boys grossed $1.3 million during its debut at the box office, making it the biggest opening weekend in history for an English-language Canadian film.

Bon Cop knocked long-running champion Porky's out of its post as the top-grossing Canadian movie ever made, after it earned $12.2 million at the domestic box last year.

Three French-language films are also vying for the best film Genie at the Toronto gala Tuesday night:

The Rocket, a portrait of hockey hero Maurice Richard starring Quebec acting superstar Roy Dupuis.

Un dimanche à Kigali (A Sunday in Kigali), the tale of a bi-racial romance set in 1990s Rwanda.

Guide de la petite vengeance (The Little Book of Revenge), a comedy about an accountant who enacts revenge on his psychotic boss.

Charles Binamé's The Rocket starts the evening ceremony with a leading 13 nominations but Bon Cop follows closely with 10 nods.

Other notable Genie nominees include:

Jennifer Baichwal's acclaimed documentary Manufactured Landscapes, in which she documents the life and work of photographer Edward Burtynsky;

Sundance film fest special jury prize-winner Eve and the Fire Horse;

British-Canadian co-production Snow Cake;

Quebec drama Congorama;

Romantic comedy La Vie secrète des gens heureux (The Secret Life of Happy People);

Animated short The Danish Poet, which is also up for an Oscar later this month.
21 awards to be presented at Genie gala

Overall, organizers will present Genies in 19 different categories and two special awards Tuesday night.

The team behind action comedy Bon Cop, Bad Cop will be presented with the Golden Reel Award, which honours the film that earns the year's highest domestic box office.

For the first time, the National Film Board of Canada's prestigious Claude Jutra Award will be shared by two directors who made their feature film debuts in 2006: Julia Kwan (Eve and the Fire Horse) and Stéphane Lapointe (La Vie secrete des gens heureux/The Secret Life of Happy People).

Established in 1993 to honour the memory of the renowned Quebec filmmaker, the annual Jutra award celebrates outstanding achievement by a first-time director.

Now in its 27th year, the Genie Awards celebrate Canada's film industry and are administered by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television.

Reunion surprise for Sting

LOS ANGELES -- Sting says his decision to rejoin bandmates Andy Summers and Stewart Copeland in '80s British New Wave band the Police for a 30th anniversary tour this year surprised him as much as everybody else.

"You know, if you'd asked me the day I made the decision, I would have said, 'You're out of your mind,' " the Police singer-bassist, 55, told about 200 assembled media and contest winners packed yesterday morning into the Whiskey A Go Go, the small, legendary Sunset Strip club.

"I woke up one morning, it was like three months ago, and this light bulb went off in my head -- "I'm going to call Andy and Stewart and tell them that we should do a tour." I thought, 'Well, it'll surprise them, it'll surprise the world, and it's surprising me too.' "

As Sun Media exclusively reported yesterday, the Police's 30th anniversary reunion tour of mostly arenas and stadiums will launch in North America on May 28 in Vancouver and visit Toronto on July 22 and Montreal on July 25. Tickets in all three cities go on sale this Saturday at 10 a.m.

Edmonton wasn't among the tour stops announced yesterday, but the date Sun Media reported yesterday -- June 2 -- is pencilled in and is expected to be confirmed in a few weeks.

The most recent time the Police toured together was in 1984, but rumours of a pending reunion began circulating after they announced they would open the Grammy Awards telecast this past Sunday night.

Sting acknowledged yesterday that he has been the lone holdout over the years.

"What's happening is very interesting, because it's very healing," Sting said. "It's a part of my life that I've sort of run away from for 25 years. So to come back and be with the band and develop these relationships again, we're wiser than we used to be. We still fight, argue about the music, but we have ways of navigating now that we didn't have before. We're wiser and a bit more mellow."

Added Copeland, 54, "We've never hated each other. We shouted and screamed, as Sting says, about the music. We fought tooth-and-nail over the music, but as human beings we always liked each other."

"Now we do yoga and eat granola," added Summers, 64. "We love everybody."

Copeland continued more seriously. "I just want to play my dreams and follow Sting's lead and play the songs with Andy."

"You've changed, Stewart," Sting said.

"He hasn't," Summers lobbed back. "We refer to Sting as our dear leader ... on a good day."

Yesterday, the trio -- which had rehearsed in Vancouver for the past couple of weeks -- roughly made their way through four of their songs: Message In A Bottle, When World Is Running Down, I Can't Stand Losing You and Roxanne. How rough? Sting had a teleprompter to one side, and Copeland kept yelling out chords.

Then they answered only about a half-dozen questions from the assembled media.

The band Fiction Plane -- led by Sting's son, Joe Sumner -- will open for the Police in North America. A portion of the proceeds from the tour will go toward WaterAid.

Is a new Police album part of the reunion plan? The trio refused to seriously answer that question.

Sting did say the band will play Police songs that they've never before performed live, and production-wise, "it's going to be three guys on stage, that's all. Simple but spectacular."

Tickets for the Toronto show -- priced $225, $95 and $59.50 -- go on sale Saturday at TicketMaster, the Air Canada Centre box office (no first-day sales), by phone at (416) 870-8000, or online at ticketmaster.ca or livenation.com. There is a limit of four tickets per person.

For ticket price and ordering information for the Montreal and Vancouver shows, go to livenation.com or thepolicetour.com.

POLICE STORY

1977: Stewart Copeland and Sting form the Police along with guitarist Henri Padovani, who soon is replaced by Andy Summers.

1978: Sign with A&M. Roxanne released. It fails to chart.
First album, Outlandos d'Amour, released.
So Lonely released as a single.

1979: Re-released Roxanne hits No. 12 on U.K. charts.
Second album, Reggatta de Blanc, released with single Message in a Bottle going to No. 1 in Britain.

1980: Third album, Zenyatta Mondatta, released. Band's North American breakthrough.
Don't Stand So Close to Me group's second No. 1 single in the U.K.

1981: Ghost in the Machine, band's fourth album, released. No. 1 in the U.K. and No. 2 in the U.S. Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic biggest hit to date.
Named Best British Group at the first Brit Awards.

1983: Return with album Synchronicity, No. 1 in U.K. and U.S. A blockbuster on the strength of Every Breath You Take, one of the biggest American hits of all time.
King of Pain and Wrapped Around Your Finger become hits, sending Synchronicity to multi-platinum status.
During record-breaking world tour, personal and creative tensions escalate greatly.
Band goes on "sabbatical" to pursue outside interests.
Sting embarks on a hugely successful solo career.

1986: Band plays an Amnesty International concert and attempts to record new tracks for a greatest-hits album. Studio session, however, unravel.

1992: Greatest Hits album released in the U.K.

2003: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, performing Roxanne, Message In a Bottle and Every Breath You Take live, as a group.

2007: Reunite for 30th anniversary to perform Roxanne at Grammy Awards. Announce North America tour.

Rocky Balboa plays to the final bell

Never count Rocky out. The sixth and final Rocky film Rocky Balboa is coming to DVD and Blu-Ray in March from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

Rocky Balboa has now been retired for some time, but hard-up for money, he decides to step back into the ring against a few small-time boxers.

Everything changes, though, when Rocky is offered the opportunity to step in with the reigning Heavyweight Champion, Mason “The Line” Dixon. Does Rocky still have what it takes to make another Championship comeback?

The DVD will contain bloopers, deleted scenes including an alternate ending, an audio commentary with Stallone and the featurettes Skill vs. Will: The Making of Rocky Balboa, Reality in the Ring: Filming Rocky's Final Fight and Virtual Champion: Creating the Computer Fight.

The DVD and Blu-Ray both arrive on March 20th with suggested retail prices of $28.95 and $38.96 respectively.

'Battlestar' will be back for a fourth season.

For a while, things looked iffy for "Battlestar Galactica." After the Sci Fi Channel last month moved the third-season drama about a human resistance movement against an occupying race of robots from Friday nights to Sunday nights in an attempt to goose ratings, viewership remained stagnant.

The network has ruled, however, that the show won't live by numbers alone: The Sci Fi Channel is expected to announce Tuesday that it has renewed the series for a fourth season. At least 13 new episodes will be produced this summer for a premiere next January.

The show's audience has always been modest, especially when compared with those for basic cable's "The Closer" and "Nip/Tuck," which typically reach double or triple the audience of "Battlestar Galactica." Since moving to 10 p.m. Sundays, the science-fiction show's episodes have averaged 1.7 million viewers overall and 1.1 viewers ages 18 to 49, the key demographic targeted by advertisers.

But "Battlestar Galactica" stands as one of the most critically acclaimed series on television. It also won the prestigious Peabody Award and was counted among the American Film Institute's top 10 outstanding TV programs two years in a row. Critics often describe the show in lofty terms, referring to it as a multilayered allegory for a post-9/11 world that raises questions about the ethics and politics of war.

The Sci Fi Channel cites the series' strong buzz and critical praise — a halo effect that can't be quantified in ratings points or ad dollars — as the reason for its renewal.

" 'Battlestar' is a cachet show. It gives us a lot of credibility with the creative community," said Mark Stern, head of programming for the cable network. "It's the kind of series we want to continue producing in the future."

Once known for its "Star Trek"-style space operas and Saturday night B movies, Sci Fi now boasts projects in development from George Clooney, Darren Star ("Sex and the City") and Mark Burnett ("The Apprentice"), in addition to a second miniseries for the channel from Steven Spielberg, who was the executive producer of "Taken" in 2002.

Stern also pointed out that 510,000 additional viewers in the 18-to-49 demographic are watching the show on digital video recorders. They bring the total demographic average closer to 1.6 million, the show's highest numbers since Season 1.

Advertisers, however, do not yet pay for the playback ratings because the general assumption is that viewers watching recorded programs fast-forward through the commercials. It could be a crucial point for the channel, and Stern is hopeful that the business model is shifting.

"Who knows? This upfront season you might find that we can monetize that DVR usage," he said. "The important thing is when you add in the DVR numbers, the audience is there."

Bringing back moderately rated, critically hailed series has largely been the privilege of subscription-based networks such as HBO and Showtime, which don't make money from advertisers.

The Sci Fi Channel acknowledged that "Battlestar Galactica" is the network's most expensive original series, but costs are also offset by strong DVD sales (more than 1 million discs of the show have been sold).

Either way, executives and producers say they are comfortable with where the ratings have settled.

"The show is always going to be limited [in appeal] by its title," said executive producer David Eick. "We just tell the best stories we can and hope that it will convince some people it's not a show just for 'Star Trek' fans." Ronald D. Moore, the executive producer who developed the remake of the 1978 series, and Eick are busy working on outside projects (Moore is writing a remake of the sci-fi thriller "The Thing" for Universal Pictures, while Eick is producing the NBC series pilot for "The Bionic Woman"), which gave some fans pause for concern.

Moore said with a laugh: "I don't think we ever doubted doing another season. I design my season-ending cliffhangers with the hubris that we'll be back."

Moore and Eick recently confirmed rampant online speculation that by the end of the season, one of the main characters would be revealed as a Cylon, the robotic race set on wiping out its human counterparts.

Moore said that he had a general idea of where the story would go in the fourth season but hadn't committed anything to paper. He and Eick went to Las Vegas over the weekend to get started.

"We'll hash it out over blackjack and Jack Daniels," Eick said. "We came up with the second season cliffhanger over a Johnny Walker Blue." The season finale airs March 25.

New Releases, February 13: Lucinda Williams, Van Morrison & Doctor Who!!

Lucinda Williams "West"

Williams, one of the most highly acclaimed songwriters of modern times, releases the follow-up to 2003's Grammy-nominated "World Without Tears." "West," the singer's eighth release, was co-produced by Williams and Hal Wilner (Lou Reed).

Notable contributors to the album include jazz guitar great Bill Frisell and Williams' longtime guitarist Doug Petibone. The first single is "Are You Alright."

The Louisiana native is currently on a short tour in support of the album, which stretches through a March 30 date in Nashville.

* * *
Van Morrison "At the Movies: Soundtrack Hits"

This 19-track collection reads pretty much like a greatest-hits set. The catch, as one can easily discern from the title, is that these are all Morrison songs that were featured in films.

The record includes such Van the Man staples as "Gloria," "Domino," "Wild Night," "Brown Eyed Girl" and "Into the Mystic." It also features Morrison's collaboration with Roger Waters on Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb," recorded live at the Berlin Wall in 1990 and featured in Martin Scorsese's Oscar-nominated "The Departed."

* * *
Gerald Levert "In My Songs"

"In My Songs" serves as the final farewell for this classy R&B singer. Levert, 40, died of Nov. 10, 2006 at his home in Cleveland. The soul singer's previous studio set was 2004's "Do I Speak For the World."

* * *
Doobie Brothers "Very Best Of"

The legendary San Francisco Bay Area band gets the royal Rhino treatment here. This two-disc collection includes such smokin' Doobie tunes as "China Grove," "Minute By Minute," "What a Fool Believes," "Long Train Runnin'" and "Listen to the Music."

* * *
Martha Scanlan "West Was Burning"

The former vocalist for the great bluegrass band the Reeltime Travelers delivers her solo debut. Scanlan is best known for her work with the Reeltime Travelers on the "Cold Mountain" soundtrack.

* * *
More new releases:
Uri Caine, "Plays Mozart" (Winter and Winter)
Dukedagod, "Jr Writer: Writer's Block 4" (Diplomatic Man)
Nina Hagen, "Fearless" (Koch)
Peggy Mcguire Hills, "Peggy's Violin: A Butterfly in Time" (Children's Group)
Infamous Stringdusters, "Fork in the Road" (Sugarhill)
Nouvelle Vague, "Late Night Tales" (LNT)
Daryl Sherman, "Guess Who's in Town" (Arbors)
Jean-Yves Thibaudet, "Aria: Opera Without Words" (Decca)
Various Artists, "Eat to the Beat: The Dirtiest of them Dirty Blues" (Bear Family)
Young Dubliners, "With All Due Respect: The Irish Sessions" (429)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Catch and Release" (Varese)
"Doctor Who: Original Television Soundtrack" (Silva Screen)
"Ghost Rider" (Varese)
"Music and Lyrics" (Atlantic)
"Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles" (Varese)

Morricone "Disappointed" by Honorary Oscar

Hollywood composer Ennio Morricone is disappointed he will receive an honorary Academy Award later this month, because it was his lifelong ambition to avoid winning an Oscar.

Morricone, who has scored music for over 400 films, has been nominated for Best Original Score Academy Awards for Days Of Heaven, The Mission, The Untouchables, Bugsy and Malena in the past, but failed to pick up an Oscar for his efforts.

The 70-year-old insists he liked the idea of joining iconic director Stanley Kubrick in missing out on a win - but concedes his Oscar may "fill a hole."

He says, "After five nominations I expected nothing, in fact I hoped I'd remain without an Oscar. I would have remained in the company of illustrious non-winners. I see the Oscar as a little bit of a fluke - even if those who win deserve it.

That doesn't mean that I'm not happy about it. I have received so many beautiful, incredible prizes, but there was a little hole. Maybe the Oscar fills the hole."

Goldman family subpoenas Simpson records

LOS ANGELES - In a new attempt to get some of the estimated $40 million O.J. Simpson owes it, the family of Ron Goldman subpoenaed several Hollywood groups Monday for information on payments he may have received for "The Towering Inferno" and other past film and TV appearances.

The subpoenas demand records kept by the Screen Actors Guild, the Producers Guild of America and the American Federation of Television Radio Artists.

Lawyers for Goldman's father, Fred, say they believe the records will show how much in residual payments Simpson has received for appearing TV shows and films, including the "Naked Gun" series. They said records could also show where the money has gone.

"We've all seen 'Naked Gun' repeatedly on cable. Each time it's shown again, his residuals add up," said Goldman's attorney, David J. Cook. "This is a matter of turning every stone."

Representatives for SAG and AFTRA said they haven't received the subpoenas and couldn't comment. A call to a Producer's Guild spokesman was not returned Monday.

The Goldman family has been in a decade-long battle to get the money following a 1997 civil judgment that held Simpson liable for the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ron Goldman. Simpson was acquitted at trial.

Fred Goldman alleges Simpson is trying to avoid paying the $33.5 million judgment, which has ballooned to about $40 million with interest.

A state judge last month issued a restraining order barring Simpson from spending or moving any earnings from past deals, including books, films, and sports memorabilia.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Gerald Rosenberg's ruling later applied to the advance Simpson may have received for his unpublished book, "If I Did It."

The order will remain in effect until a Feb. 20 hearing.

Simpson's book reportedly described how he theoretically would have killed his ex-wife and Goldman. It was canceled by publisher HarperCollins in November amid widespread public outrage.

THE POLICE ANNOUNCE WORLDWIDE CONCERT TOUR

Following an electrifying rehearsal performance at The Whisky on Los Angeles' Sunset Strip, The Police today confirmed their highly-anticipated concert tour will begin on May 28th in Vancouver, playing arenas, some stadiums & making some special appearances throughout North America. Some of the North American tour highlights announced include a headline performance at this year's July 16th Bonnaroo Festival, an appearance at Boston's historic Fenway Park on July 28th and two Madison Square Garden performances in New York City on August 1 and 3. Concert dates were also confirmed in Seattle, Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas, New Orleans, St. Louis, Toronto and Montreal.

Arthur Fogel, Live Nation Chairman of Global Music, also announced that the tour will continue this fall with dates in the UK and Europe, including appearances in Holland, Germany, Italy and France with additional countries to be announced. Additional dates in Mexico, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are anticipated. "The anticipation and excitement to see The Police is overwhelming and I am absolutely thrilled to be a part of bringing the band to their fans worldwide," said Mr. Fogel.

In 1977, The Police stormed the music scene by blending reggae, punk, jazz and rock. Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers created an unmistakably nuanced sound filled with evocative melodies, infectious lyrics and rock & roll swagger. The Police dominated the top of the charts and radio airwaves worldwide with five #1 albums and a succession of top 10 hit singles. In the six years they were together, The Police became one of the world's most famous bands, earning six Grammy Awards and countless fans around the globe.

The North American tour is presented by Best Buy, the leading consumer electronics retailer with nearly 1,000 retail locations in the United States and Canada. "The Police Live in Concert is one of the most anticipated musical events of this decade," said Gary Arnold, senior vice president of entertainment for Best Buy. "We are proud to be able to help bring this event to music fans and to be able to offer our best customers a chance to experience this incredible tour."

In the United States, members of Best Buy's Reward Zone program will have the opportunity to access tickets prior to the general public. To qualify for the presale, participants need to be 18 years old or older and must have a current Reward Zone program membership that was activated by February 1, 2007. Presale tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster on a first come first served bases. Complete details of the Reward Zone program presale can be found at www.bestbuy.com/thepolice. Information about the Canadian concert dates can be found at www.bestbuy.ca/thepolice.

Special guest Fiction Plane will join The Police for the North American portion of the tour. Known for their high-energy live shows, this dynamic rock trio will be releasing their 2nd full length album in May. Fiction Plane are: Joe Sumner (Bass); Seton Daunt (Guitar); Pete Wilhoit (Drums). Additional support artists will be announced in the coming weeks.

A portion of the proceeds from this tour will be donated to WaterAid, an international NGO founded in 1981 and dedicated to reducing poverty by improving access to safe water, sanitation, and hygiene education. Working in 17 of the world's poorest countries, WaterAid and its partners have already helped over 10 million people gain access to water and sanitation and is committed to helping to reduce by half the proportion of people living without these basic necessities of life by 2015.

Tickets for the North American leg of The Police tour will be scaled at 5.00, .00 and .00 in most markets (plus applicable service fees) and will go on sale beginning this Saturday, February 17th in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal. Tickets in Boston and New York City will go on sale Tuesday, February 20th. Additional on sale dates to be announced. There will be a 4 ticket limit per person for all arena shows and a 6 ticket limit per person for the stadium events.

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR ITINERARY 2007

DATE: CITY: VENUE: ON SALE DATE:
28-May Vancouver, BC GM Place Saturday, Feb. 17
06-June Seattle, WA Key Arena To Be Announced
09-June Denver, CO Pepsi Center To Be Announced
15-June Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena To Be Announced
16-June Manchester, TN Bonnaroo Festival To Be Announced
18-June Phoenix, AZ US Airways Arena To Be Announced
26-June Dallas, TX American Airlines Center To Be Announced
30-June New Orleans, LA New Orleans Arena To Be Announced
02-July St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center To Be Announced
22-July Toronto, ON Air Canada Centre Saturday, Feb. 17
25-July Montreal, PQ Bell Centre Saturday, Feb. 17
28-July Boston, MA Fenway Park Tuesday, Feb. 20
01-Aug New York, NY Madison Square Garden Tuesday, Feb. 20
03-Aug New York, NY Madison Square Garden Tuesday, Feb. 20

Additional North American concert dates in Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Edmonton, Hartford, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Philadelphia, Tampa, San Francisco's Bay Area, Minneapolis/St. Paul and the Washington/Baltimore area will be announced in the next few weeks.

Additional cities and venues to be announced soon.

For complete tour & ticket information, fan club memberships and more visit: www.thepolicetour.com.

Sunshine, Departed Have Write Moves

The little indie comedy about an oddball family road-tripping to a kiddie beauty pageant came up big at the 2007 Writers Guild Awards Sunday, with the film's mastermind, newcomer Michael Arndt, taking home the prize for Best Original Screenplay.

Veteran scribe William Monahan scored the hardware for Best Adapted Screenplay for his high-octane script for Martin Scorsese's The Departed, a crime thriller based on the popular Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs about two moles—a Massachusetts undercover cop and a mob informant who infiltrate each others' respective organizations.

The honors, doled out annually by the Writers Guild of America, officially confer frontrunner status on both films in their respective categories at this year's Oscars, which are due to be handed out by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences at Hollywood's Kodak Theater on Feb. 25.

Little Miss Sunshine and The Departed are also considered the favorites to win Best Picture after sweeping through the guild awards.

The former—the feature debut of music video directors Jonathan Farris and Valerie Faris and starring Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Alan Arkin and Abigail Breslin—has already snagged Best Picture props from the Producer's Guild of America and Best Ensemble from the Screen Actors Guild, while the latter flick garnered Scorsese his first Directors Guild of America trophy.

At the Oscars, they'll vie for Best Picture against Letters from Iwo Jima, The Queen and Babel.

In accepting his accolade, Arndt gave thanks to producers Marc Turtletaub, Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa for sticking by a virtual unknown and defending his vision during what was a long and tortuous development process.

"They spent five years trying to protect this script from studio notes," the screenwriter said.

Arndt, who started out as an assistant on the Matthew Broderick movie Addicted to Love, had previously earned a living as a script reader.

Meanwhile, Carell, who plays a suicidal gay Proust scholar in Little Miss Sunshine, collected some hardware of his own from his day at NBC's The Office.

He and his fellow show writers received the award for Best Comedy Series, and he was singled out for Best Episodic Comedy for penning the episode "Casino Night."

Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer pilot for HBO's Big Love was tapped for Best Episodic Drama, while The Sopranos was named Best Dramatic Series for creator David Chase & Co. Long-Form Writing went to Nevin Schreiner for A&E's 9/11 drama, Flight 93.

The writing staff for ABC's Ugly Betty took home the award for Best New Series.

The guild bestowed Best Documentary Screenplay honors to Amy Berg's Deliver Us from Evil, a searing examination of sexual abuse committed by a priest and the impact it has had on his victims and their families. The movie has also been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary.

Here's a list of all the 2007 WGA movie and TV winners:

Screen:
Original Screenplay: Little Miss Sunshine
Adapted Screenplay: The Departed
Documentary Screenplay: Deliver Us from Evil

Television:
Dramatic Series: The Sopranos, HBO
Comedy Series: The Office, NBC
New Series: Ugly Betty, ABC
Episodic Drama: Big Love, HBO
Episodic Comedy: "Casino Night," The Office, NBC
Long-Form Original: Flight 93, A&E
Animation: "The Italian Bob," The Simpsons, Fox
Comedy/Variety-Music, Awards, Tributes-Specials: The National Memorial Day Concert, PBS
Comedy/Variety (Including Talk) Series: Saturday Night Live
Daytime Serials: As the World Turns, CBS
Children's Episodic & Specials: Premiere (Just for Kicks), Nickelodeon
Documentary-Current Events: The Dark Side, PBS Frontline
Documentary-Other Than Current Events: Marie Antoinette, PBS
News-Regularly Scheduled, Bulletin or Breaking Report: Remembering Lou Rawls, CBS News
News—Analysis, Feature Or Commentary: Crisis Management (America's Investigative Reports), PBS

BAFTAs Crown Queen and King

The Queen and The Last King of Scotland enjoyed the royal treatment at Sunday's BAFTAs, the U.K. equivalent of the Oscars.

Helen Mirren won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Britain's monarch, while The Queen was named Best Film of the Year.

"This is great. What an honor," Mirren said, as she clutched her umpteenth trophy of the awards show season.

Mirren was not above poking fun at her domination of every kudos ceremony leading up to this year's Academy Awards, where she is heavily favored to win yet again.

"Oooh, she's coming in, she's coming it at 25:1. The bitch, the bitch is coming in, The Queen, I think she is going to win I think she is going to win. She is," Mirren joked with reporters backstage at the ceremony in London, comparing herself to a greyhound at the track.

Mirren's success over the course of the awards season has been mirrored by Forest Whitaker, who continued his reign over the Best Actor category with yet another win for his turn as the late Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.

In a touching acceptance speech, Whitaker dedicated his award to his grandmother, who, he said, "went to the realm of the ancestors two days ago."
The Last King of Scotland also nabbed awards for Best British Film and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The night was less lucky for Casino Royale, which was nominated in nine categories, but was shut out in all but the sound category.

United 93 helmer Paul Greengrass took the Best Director prize for his September 11 drama, beating out contenders including Stephen Frears (The Queen) and Martin Scorsese (The Departed).

"It was an amazing journey making this film," Greengrass said in his acceptance speech. "We gathered together to try and think about 9/11 and what it meant and what it means today and what it is going to mean going on from here."

Jennifer Hudson picked up another Best Supporting Actress nod for her breakout role in Dreamgirls, while Alan Arkin won in the Best Supporting Actor category for Little Miss Sunshine, which also won Best Original Screenplay.

The Spanish-language movie Pan's Labyrinth was named Best Foreign Film and also triumphed in the Costume Design and Hair and Makeup categories. Happy Feet took home the award for Best Animated Film.

Here's a complete list of the winners of the 60th Annual BAFTAS:

Best Film: The Queen
British Film of the Year: The Last King of Scotland
British Director, Writer or Producer for First Feature Film: Red Road, director Andrea Arnold
Best Director: Paul Greengrass, United 93
Best Original Screenplay: Michael Arndt, Little Miss Sunshine
Best Adapted Screenplay: Peter Morgan, Jeremy Brock, The Last King of Scotland
Foreign Film: Pan's Labyrinth
Animated Feature Film: Happy Feet
Actor in a Leading Role: Forest Whitaker, The Last King of Scotland
Actress in a Leading Role: Helen Mirren, The Queen
Actor in a Supporting Role: Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Actress in a Supporting Role: Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Music: Gustavo Santaolalla, Babel
Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, Children of Men
Editing: United 93
Production Design: Children of Men
Sound: Casino Royale
Special Effects: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Makeup and Hair: Pan's Labyrinth
Short Animation: Ian Gouldstone, Guy 101
Short Film: Asitha Ameresekere, Do Not Erase
The Orange Rising Star Award (voted by the public): Eva Green, Casino Royale

Police reunion tour starts in Van.

LOS ANGELES -- The Police 30th Anniversary reunion world tour will kick off May 28 at Vancouver's GM Place and travel through North America until early August.

The official tour announcement will be made this morning at legendary Sunset Strip club Whiskey A Go Go by singer-bassist Sting, 55, drummer Stewart Copeland, 54, and guitarist Andy Summers, 64.

Other Canadian dates are Edmonton on June 2 (venue TBA), Toronto's Air Canada Centre on July 22 and Montreal's Bell Centre on July 25.

Ticket prices are expected to be in three ranges -- approximately $225, $90 and $50 -- with Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal on sale Saturday (Feb. 17) and Edmonton's on-sale date still TBA.

'REHEARSALS'

There is also a chance there will be multiple shows in some markets that sell out fast.

Last week, the three members of the '80s British New Wave band invited select media and a small group of fans to the Whiskey A Go Go today for late-morning "rehearsals, where a special announcement will be made."

Last night, The Police kicked off the Grammy Awards at the Staples Centre in L.A. with their uber-hit Roxanne and have been spotted around Vancouver over the past two weeks where they were rehearsing at Lions Gate Studios on the city's North Shore.

The trio is expected to rehearse elsewhere before returning to the West Coast for more fine-tuning leading up to their tour launch.

BREAK IN AUGUST

The trek, The Police's first since 1984's Synchronity tour, will make its way through North American arenas and stadiums, although there are some specialized events on the schedule, until the first week of August before a break.

From late-August until mid-October, the trio will play the U.K. and Europe, before returning to North America in late October and then travelling beyond to Mexico, South America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

The Police 30th Anniversary tour is being produced by onetime Torontonian Arthur Fogel, currently Live Nation's L.A-based chairman of global music. Fogel's most recent tours have included those by Madonna and U2.

5 Grammys mark Dixie Chicks' comeback

LOS ANGELES - The Dixie Chicks completed a defiant comeback on Sunday night, capturing five Grammy awards after being shunned by the country music establishment over the group's anti-Bush comments leading up to the Iraq invasion.

The Texas trio won all the biggest categories, including record and song of the year for the no-regrets anthem "Not Ready to Make Nice." They also won best country album, which was especially ironic considering they don't consider themselves country artists anymore.

"I'm ready to make nice!" lead singer Natalie Maines exclaimed as the group accepted the album of the year award. "I think people are using their freedom of speech with all these awards. We get the message."

Mary J. Blige's comeback also was richly rewarded: She received three trophies for her double-platinum album "The Breakthrough." The Red Hot Chili Peppers won four for their double-disc "Stadium Arcadium."

The Dixie Chicks won all five awards they were nominated for, sweet vindication after the superstars' lives were threatened and sales plummeted when Maines criticized President Bush on the eve of the Iraq war in 2003. Almost overnight, one of the most successful groups of any genre was boycotted by Nashville and disappeared from country radio.

With "Taking the Long Way," the women relied on producer Rick Rubin's guidance for an album that was more rock and less country. (Rubin, who also produced "Stadium Arcadium," was honored as producer of the year.)

The standing ovations the Chicks received Sunday illustrated how much the political climate has changed regarding the Iraq war, and even Bush.

"That's interesting," Maines crowed from the podium after the country award was handed out earlier in the night. "Well, to quote the great 'Simpsons' — 'Heh-Heh.'

"Just kidding," added Maines. "A lot of people just turned their TVs off right now. I'm very sorry for that."

Bandmate Emily Robison noted, "We wouldn't have done this album without everything we went through, so we have no regrets."

All the trophies collected by the Dixie Chicks (who shared song of the year honors with songwriter Dan Wilson), Blige and the Chili Peppers contributed to the evening's old-school feel.

The show often derided as The Grannys embraced its baby boomer status as in its 49th year. Maybe the Recording Academy was trying to relieve the industry's glory years — 2006 saw a sharp downturn in record sales, a decline that seems to grow each year as fans flock to the Internet and even ringtones to experience their tunes.

The Grammys tried to tap that new technology with its "My Grammy Moment" contest, in which three unknown singers vied for the chance to perform on stage with Justin Timberlake. Viewers determined the winner by voting on the Internet and text messaging, but the winner's performance was forgettable.

The "Moment" also incorporated a bit of "American Idol" into the telecast. Last year the Fox talent contest crushed the Grammys on a head-to-head Wednesday night. So it was no surprise when the Grammys returned to Sunday this year.

Though the show featured a medley with bright new stars such as John Mayer, John Legend and Corinne Bailey Rae, it relied heavily on the classics: Nominee Lionel Richie sang his '80s hit "Hello" and Smokey Robinson sang the Motown classic "The Tracks of My Tears" in a tribute to R&B. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Police, who split in 1984, reunited to kick off the show with their rendition of "Roxanne" — even though they were not nominated for anything.

Soon afterward, Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder's dueted on a remake of Wonder's "For Once In My Life" beat out two of the year's biggest songs — Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's "Promiscuous" and Shakira and Wyclef Jean's "Hips Don't Lie" — for best pop vocal collaboration.

Even some of the more contemporary artists were relegated to singing songs that weren't their own. Christina Aguilera sang the late James Brown's "It's A Man's Man's Man's World" instead of her own nominated songs, while Carrie Underwood, the newcomer with one of last year's most successful albums, crooned "Desperado" and "San Antonio Rose" instead of her signature tune "Jesus, Take the Wheel," which was nominated for song of the year.

For a while, it seemed as if VH1 Classics had taken over the show's production.

But new artists were celebrated, a bit. Chris Brown injected some hot-footed funk with his "Run It," while Underwood was celebrated as the best new artist. And double winners included youngsters John Mayer, T.I. and Ludacris.

Blige was the overall nominations leader with eight. She won best R&B album for "The Breakthrough," her double-platinum triumph, plus best female R&B performance and R&B song for "Be Without You."

A tearful Blige said her album "has not only shown that I am a musician and an artist and a writer, it also shows I am growing into a better human being."

"Tonight we celebrate the better human being because for so many years, I've been talked about negatively," said Blige, who during her 15-year career has often discussed her past substance and self-esteem problems. "But this time I've been talked about positively by so many people."

Complete list of winners

(AP) - Winners at Sunday's 49th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles:

Album of the Year: "Taking the Long Way," Dixie Chicks.

Record of the Year: "Not Ready to Make Nice," Dixie Chicks.

Song of the Year: "Not Ready to Make Nice," Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Dan Wilson (Dixie Chicks).

New Artist: Carrie Underwood.

Female R&B Vocal Performance: "Be Without You," Mary J. Blige.

Pop Vocal Album: "Continuum," John Mayer.

Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "For Once in My Life," Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder.

Country Album: "Taking the Long Way," Dixie Chicks.

Rap Album: "Release Therapy," Ludacris.

Rock Album: "Stadium Arcadium," Red Hot Chili Peppers.

R&B Album: "The Breakthrough," Mary J. Blige.

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Rick Rubin.

Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Duets: an American Classic," Tony Bennett.

Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Ain't No Other Man," Christina Aguilera.

Male Pop Vocal Performance: "Waiting on the World to Change," John Mayer.

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "My Humps," Black Eyed Peas.

Pop Instrumental Performance: "Mornin'," George Benson (& Al Jarreau).

Pop Instrumental Album: "Fingerprints," Peter Frampton.

Rock Instrumental Performance: "The Wizard Turns On ... ," the Flaming Lips.

Rock Song: "Dani California," Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers);

Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "Someday Baby," Bob Dylan.

Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "Dani California," Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Hard Rock Performance: "Woman," Wolfmother.

Metal Performance: "Eyes of the Insane," Slayer.

Alternative Music Album: "St. Elsewhere," Gnarls Barkley.

Dance Recording: "Sexy Back," Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.

Electronic/Dance Album: "Confessions on a Dance Floor," Madonna.

Rap Solo Performance: "What You Know," T.I.

Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Ridin," Chamillionaire featuring Krayzie Bone.

Rap/Sung Collaboration: "My Love," Justin Timberlake featuring T.I.

Rap Song: "Money Maker," Christopher Bridges and Pharrell Williams (Ludacris featuring Pharrell).

Urban/Alternative Performance: "Crazy," Gnarls Barkley.

Male R&B Vocal Performance: "Heaven," John Legend.

R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: "Family Affair," (Sly and the Family Stone), John Legend, Joss Stone With Van Hunt.

Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "God Bless the Child," George Benson and Al Jarreau featuring Jill Scott.

R&B Song: "Be Without You," Johnta Austin, Mary J. Blige, Bryan-Michael Cox and Jason Perry (Mary J. Blige).

Contemporary R&B Album: "B'Day," Beyonce.

Traditional Blues Album: "Risin' With the Blues," Ike Turner.

Contemporary Blues Album: "After the Rain," Irma Thomas.

Female Country Vocal Performance: "Jesus, Take the Wheel," Carrie Underwood.

Male Country Vocal Performance: "The Reason Why," Vince Gill.

Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "Not Ready to Make Nice," Dixie Chicks.

Country Collaboration With Vocals: "Who Says You Can't Go Home," Bon Jovi and Jennifer Nettles.

Country Instrumental Performance: "Whiskey Before Breakfast," Bryan Sutton and Doc Watson.

Country Song: "Jesus, Take the Wheel," Brett James, Hillary Lindsey and Gordie Sampson (Carrie Underwood).

Bluegrass Album: "Instrumentals," Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder.

Contemporary Jazz Album: "The Hidden Land," Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.

Jazz Instrumental Solo: "Some Skunk Funk," Michael Brecker.

Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: "The Ultimate Adventure," Chick Corea.

Large Jazz Ensemble Album: "Some Skunk Funk," Randy Brecker With Michael Brecker, Jim Beard, Will Lee, Peter Erskine, Marcio.

Jazz Vocal Album: "Turned to Blue," Nancy Wilson.

Instrumental Composition: "A Prayer for Peace," John Williams, composer (John Williams), from "Munich - Soundtrack."

Instrumental Arrangement: "Three Ghouls," Chick Corea, arranger (Chick Corea), from "The Ultimate Adventure."

Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "For Once in My Life," Jorge Calandrelli, arranger (Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder), from "Duets: an American Classic."

Gospel Performance: "Victory," Yolanda Adams.

Gospel Song: "Imagine Me," Kirk Franklin (Kirk Franklin).

Rock or Rap Gospel Album: "Turn Around," Jonny Lang.

Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: "Wherever You Are," Third Day.

Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album: "Glory Train," Randy Travis.

Traditional Gospel Album: "Alive in South Africa," Israel and New Breed.

Contemporary R&B Gospel Album: "Hero," Kirk Franklin.

Short Form Music Video: "Here It Goes Again," OK Go.

Long Form Music Video: "Wings for Wheels: The Making of Born to Run," Bruce Springsteen.

Producer of the Year, Classical: Elaine Martone.

Classical Album: "Mahler: Symphony No. 7," Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor, Andreas Neubronner, producer (San Francisco Symphony).

Orchestral Performance: "Mahler: Symphony No. 7," Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony).

Opera Recording: "Golijov: Ainadamar: Fountain of Tears," Robert Spano, conductor, Kelley O'Connor and Dawn Upshaw; Valerie Gross and Sid McLauchlan, producers (Women of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra).

Choral Performance: "Part: Da Pacem," Paul Hillier, conductor (Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir).

Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra): "Messiaen: Oiseaux Exotiques (Exotic Birds)," John McLaughlin Williams, conductor; Angelin Chang (Cleveland Chamber Symphony).

Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra): "Chopin: Nocturnes," Maurizio Pollini.

Chamber Music Performance: "Intimate Voices," Emerson String Quartet.

Small Ensemble Performance: "Padilla: Sun of Justice," Peter Rutenberg, conductor (Los Angeles Chamber Singers' Cappella).

Classical Vocal Performance: "Rilke Songs," Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (Peter Serkin), track from Lieberson: Rilke Songs, The Six Realms, Horn Concerto.

Classical Contemporary Composition: "Golijov: Ainadamar: Fountain of Tears," Osvaldo Golijov (Robert Spano).

Classical Crossover Album: "Simple Gifts," Bryn Terfel (London Voices; London Symphony Orchestra).

Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Walk the Line," Joaquin Phoenix and Various Artists.

Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Memoirs of a Geisha," John Williams, composer.

Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Our Town (From Cars)," Randy Newman (James Taylor).

Musical Show Album: "Jersey Boys."

Musical Album for Children: "Catch That Train," Dan Zanes and Friends.

Comedy Album: "The Carnegie Hall Performance," Lewis Black.

New Age Album: "Amarantine," Enya.

Traditional Folk Album: "We Shall Overcome - the Seeger Sessions," Bruce Springsteen.

Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: "Modern Times," Bob Dylan.

Latin Pop Album (tie): "Adentro," Arjona. "Limon Y Sal," Julieta Venegas.

Latin Rock, Alternative or Urban Album: "Amar Es Combatir," Mana.

Tropical Latin Album: "Directo Al Corazon," Gilberto Santa Rosa.

Mexican/Mexican-American Album: "Historias De Mi Tierra," Pepe Aguilar.

Tejano Album: "Sigue El Taconazo," Chente Barrera.

Norteno Album: "Historias Que Contar," Los Tigres Del Norte.

Banda Album: "Mas Alla Del Sol," Joan Sebastian.

Latin Jazz Album: "Simpatico," the Brian Lynch/Eddie Palmieri Project.

Native American Music Album: "Dance With the Wind," Mary Youngblood.

Hawaiian Music Album: "Legends of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar - Live From Maui," Various Artists.

Reggae Album: "Love Is My Religion," Ziggy Marley.

Traditional World Music Album: "Blessed," Soweto Gospel Choir.

Contemporary World Music Album: "Wonder Wheel," the Klezmatics.

Polka Album: "Polka in Paradise," Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra.

Spoken Word Album for Children: "Blah Blah Blah: Stories About Clams, Swamp Monsters, Pirates and Dogs," Bill Harley.

Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books and Story Telling). (Tie): "Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis (Jimmy Carter)," Jimmy Carter. "With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together (Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee)," Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee.

Recording Package: "10,000 Days," Adam Jones, art director (Tool).

Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: "Stadium Arcadium," Flea, John Frusciante, Anthony Kiedis, Chad Smith and Matt Taylor, art directors (Red Hot Chili Peppers).

Album Notes: "If You Got to Ask, You Ain't Got It!" Dan Morgenstern, album notes writer (Fats Waller).

Historical Album: "Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry 1891-1922."

Engineered Album, Classical: "Elgar: Enigma Variations; Britten: the Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Four Sea Interludes," Michael Bishop, engineer (Paavo Jarvi and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra).

Engineered Album, Non-Classical: "At War With the Mystics," the Flaming Lips and Dave Fridmann, engineers (The Flaming Lips).

Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: "Talk (Thin White Duke Mix)," Jacques Lu Cont, remixer (Coldplay).

Surround Sound Album: "Morph the Cat," Darcy Proper, surround mastering.

Police reunion opens Grammy Awards

Showing a punkish verve that echoed back to 1978, the Police opened the Grammy Awards on Sunday with a reunion that advertised an upcoming tour.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are the Police and we're back!" Sting shouted at the beginning.

Wearing a punk-short haircut and displaying biceps that most 55-year-olds would kill for, Sting sang the rock trio's first hit, "Roxanne." He even managed to make the high notes during the reggae-tinged story about a prostitute.

Drummer Stewart Copeland and guitarist Andy Summers joined him onstage, the gray-haired Copeland grinning throughout the song.

The Police were scheduled to announce a reunion tour on Monday.

The band was among the most commercially successful of rock's "new wave" in the late 1970s, with hits like "Message in a Bottle" and "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic." The brooding song of romantic obsession "Every Breath You Take" was its biggest.

The group splintered amid ego problems following its 1983 career peak, the album "Synchronicity."

Sting moved on to a successful solo career after the breakup but has faced the same problems many aging rockers have in trying to draw attention to new work. Copeland and Summers both maintained active, if low-key, solo careers.

They reunited in 2003 in New York for a three-song set when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but otherwise hadn't performed in public in more than two decades.

On the Grammys, the Police performed to an audience filled with musicians who were crawling around in diapers during its heyday. Comic Jamie Foxx noted the changing times.

"There was a little confusion," he said. "When they said the Police were opening up the Grammys, Snoop left."

Blige takes tearful Grammy spotlight

LOS ANGELES - The Grammys took on an old-school feel Sunday night as Mary J. Blige and the Red Hot Chili Peppers each won three trophies.

Blige, the overall nominations leader with eight, won best R&B album for "The Breakthrough," her double-platinum triumph, plus best female R&B performance and R&B song for "Be Without You."

A tearful Blige said her album "has not only shown that I am a musician and an artist and a writer, it also shows I am growing into a better human being."

"Tonight we celebrate the better human being because for so many years, I've been talked about negatively," said Blige, who during her 15-year career has often discussed her past substance and self-esteem problems. "But this time I've been talked about positively by so many people."

The Chili Peppers' double album, "Stadium Arcadium," was a triple winner, including best rock song and rock performance by a duo or group for "Dani California."

The show kicked off with a retro feel as the Police, who are reuniting for a tour, gave a much-anticipated performance. Soon afterward, Tony Bennett and Stevie Wonder, who dueted on a remake of Wonder's "For Once In My Life," beat out two of the year's biggest songs, Nelly Furtado and Timbaland's "Promiscuous" and Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy," for best pop vocal collaboration.

Among the double winners were John Mayer, T.I. and comeback darlings the Dixie Chicks, who won the coveted song of the year honors for their angry tome "Not Ready to Make Nice." It was written in the aftermath of the country music backlash over lead singer Natalie Maines' 2003 criticism of President Bush.

"For the first time in my life I'm speechless," laughed Maines on the podium.

Carrie Underwood won best female country vocal performance for "Jesus Take the Wheel."

"This is my first Grammy! Hopefully the first of a few more," said Underwood, the 2005 "American Idol" champ, who also singled out "Idol" creator Simon Fuller in her acceptance speech. (Last year, another "Idol" champ, Kelly Clarkson, was scolded for not paying tribute to her "Idol" roots.)

The Dixie Chicks were up for album of the year along with Justin Timberlake for his futuristic club disc "FutureSex/LoveSounds"; Mayer's "Continuum"; the Chili Peppers' "Stadium Arcadium"; and "St. Elsewhere" from the "Crazy" duo Gnarls Barkley.

The Recording Academy, now in its 49th year, was hoping to inject more excitement into the show with its contest, "My Grammy Moment," in which three women were contending for the chance to sing onstage with Timberlake during his performance; the winner was to be determined by viewers and revealed during the show.

The Police to launch Grammy gala

One of the most highly anticipated rock band reunions will take place at the Grammy Awards gala Sunday night as the three members of the Police officially take the stage together for the first time in more than 20 years.

Singer Sting and his bandmates, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers, all went their separate ways after their Synchronicity tour in 1984.

The Police had a string of hits from the late 1970s to the early 1980s such as Roxanne, Don't Stand So Close to Me, Every Breath You Take and Every Little Thing She Does is Magic.

After their breakup the band did perform together on the occasion of their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003. The trio is expected to announce a summer tour on Monday.

Other performers slated to perform for the Grammys ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles include Justin Timberlake, the Dixie Chicks, James Blunt, Shakira, John Legend, Beyoncé, Gnarls Barkley and Lionel Richie.

R&B star Mary J. Blige leads the field with eight nominations, while the Red Hot Chili Peppers follow with six. A raft of other music acts have five nods each: James Blunt, the Dixie Chicks, John Mayer, Danger Mouse and Prince.

Blige's nominations include record of the year and song of the year for Be Without You and best R&B album for The Breakthrough.

In the record of the year category, she faces tough competition from Blunt's You're Beautiful, Not Ready To Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks, Crazy by Gnarls Barkley and Put Your Records On by Corinne Bailey Rae.

With the exception of Gnarls Barkley, the same nominees are up for best song, along with American Idol winner Carrie Underwood for Jesus, Take The Wheel.

Gnarls Barkley, the Dixie Chicks, John Mayer, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Justin Timberlake are competing for best album.

The Grammys are awarded in 108 categories from pop and jazz to gospel and polka.

Several Canadians have made the list of nominees, including:

- Michael Bublé: Best traditional pop vocal album for Caught in the Act.

- Winnipeg's The Duhks: Best country performance by a duo or group with vocal for Heaven's My Home.

- Nelly Furtado: Best pop collaboration with vocal for Promiscuous with Timbaland.

- Diana Krall: Best jazz vocal album for From This Moment On.

- Lisa Lambert: Best musical show album for her work on the Broadway hit The Drowsy Chaperone.

- Sarah McLachlan: Best traditional pop vocal album for the holiday release Wintersong.

- Northern Cree and Friends from Alberta: Best native American music album for Long Winter Nights.

- Walter Ostanek: Best polka album for his album with Fred Ziwich, Good Friends, Good Music.

- Daniel Powter: Best pop male vocal for Bad Day.

- Neil Young: Best solo rock vocal performance for Lookin' For a Leader; best rock song for Lookin' For a Leader and best rock album for Living With War.

Blige, Dixie Chicks lead Grammy nominees

LOS ANGELES - Mary J. Blige, the self-described Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, had a chance to become the Queen of the Grammys on Sunday with a leading eight nominations for her best-selling, critically acclaimed album, "The Breakthrough."

While Blige wasn't nominated for album of the year, she is up for the coveted record and song of the year trophies for her ballad "Be Without You." Her other nominations include R&B album of the year.

While Blige was the overall Grammy leader, there are several contenders for a Grammy sweep. The Dixie Chicks are also comeback darlings and were nominated for a total of five awards for their album, "Taking the Long Way," their first disc since the country backlash over lead singer Natalie Maines' criticism of President Bush in 2003. The trio is nominated for album of the year, and also for record and song of the year for their defiant anthem, "Not Ready to Make Nice."

Other contenders for album of the year include Justin Timberlake, for his futuristic sounding club disc "FutureSex/LoveSounds"; John Mayer's "Continuum"; the Red Hot Chili Pepper's "Stadium Arcadium"; and "St. Elsewhere" from the duo Gnarls Barkley.

Gnarls Barkley had one of the year's most infectious tunes with the psychedelic soul of "Crazy," and the group was rewarded with four Grammy nominations, including a record and song of the year nomination for the tune. Besides Blige and the Dixie Chicks, the other record of the year nominees were British newcomer Corinne Bailey Rae for her sweet and soulful "Put Your Records On," and another Brit, James Blunt, for his aching ballad "You're Beautiful."

Both Rae and Blunt are nominated for best new artist, along with another British singer-songwriter, Imogen Heap, and teenage R&B singer Chris Brown. But former "American Idol" champ Carrie Underwood, who had an amazing year with her multiplatinum debut album, "Some Hearts," was seen by many as the favorite to win.

Of course, being the favorite and actually winning are two different things, and finding out who will take a Grammy home is part of the evening's drama. But the Recording Academy, now in its 49th year, was hoping to inject more excitement into the show with its contest, "My Grammy Moment," in which three women were contending for the chance to sing onstage with Timberlake during his performance; the winner will be determined by viewers and revealed during the show.

Another performance was also primed to be the most-talked about of the night: the reunion of The Police. The band split in 1984, and last performed together in 2003 when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. They are set to go on a comeback tour this year.

Other performers were to include Mayer and Blunt, who are each up for five Grammys; the Dixie Chicks, Blige, Brown, Shakira, Rae and the Chili Peppers.

The main Grammy ceremony was to be aired live on CBS starting at 8 p.m. EST; however, the bulk of the 108 Grammys were to be handed out a few hours earlier in the pre-televised portion of the ceremony.

Murphy rules box office with 'Norbit'

LOS ANGELES - Movie fans couldn't pass up three Eddie Murphys for the price of one. Murphy's comedy "Norbit," in which he plays three wildly different roles, opened as the top weekend movie with $33.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Paramount-DreamWorks release easily beat the debut of the MGM-Weinstein Co. thriller "Hannibal Rising," a prequel about "The Silence of the Lambs" serial killer Hannibal Lecter that came in at No. 2 with $13.35 million.

Murphy had not had a starring role in a movie since 2003's "The Haunted Mansion," but "Norbit" benefited from huge acclaim and publicity he has received for "Dreamgirls," for which he is expected to win the supporting-actor Academy Award.

"He wasn't that visible on marquees in huge hits for a while, then suddenly every time you turn around, it's `Wow, what a surprise. Eddie is great,'" said DreamWorks spokesman Marvin Levy.

But while it was the year's biggest opening so far, "Norbit" was not able to lift Hollywood out of its box-office funk that has seen revenues fall for six straight weekends. The top 12 movies took in $91.3 million, down 10.5 percent from the same weekend in 2006, when "The Pink Panther" and "Final Destination 3" both debuted in the $20 million range.

"Norbit" was the 14th No. 1 opening for Murphy and came in well above the expectations of distributor Paramount, which had projected the movie might pull in about $25 million over its opening weekend.

The movie was trashed by critics, but the lure of Murphy again handling multiple roles as he did in "Coming to America" and "The Nutty Professor" proved irresistible. Murphy plays mild-mannered Norbit, his grossly overweight and overbearing wife and a Chinese orphanage owner who raised him.

"Dreamgirls," another Paramount-DreamWorks release, also remained in the top 10 with $3.1 million, lifting its total to $97.1 million. Murphy has another sure hit coming in May with DreamWorks' animated sequel "Shrek the Third," in which he reprises his voice role as gabby sidekick Donkey.

"It really doesn't get much better than this for an actor at this point in your career," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "This is a guy whose career has spanned over two decades, and he's still as viable a box-office star as anyone out there."

Psychopath Lecter, however, has lost his box-office luster. With French actor Gaspard Ulliel starring as a young version of the killer played in three films by Anthony Hopkins, "Hannibal Rising" was savaged by critics and drew only modest crowds.

Sony Pictures Classics' "The Lives of Others," a German film nominated for the foreign-language Oscar, debuted strongly in limited release with $222,727 in 13 theaters. The film follows a playwright and actress under surveillance by police in 1980s East Berlin.

Heer are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "Norbit," $33.7 million.
2. "Hannibal Rising," $13.35 million.
3. "Because I Said So," $9 million.
4. "The Messengers," $7.2 million.
5. "Night at the Museum," $5.75 million.
6. "Epic Movie," $4.45 million.
7. "Smokin' Aces," $3.8 million.
8. "Pan's Labyrinth," $3.55 million.
9. "Dreamgirls," $3.1 million.
10. "The Queen," $2.5 million.

WKRP in Cincinnati - Season 1 Press Release

One Of The Most Requested Programs From Fox Home Entertainment Tops The Charts On DVD April 24, With Commentaries, Featurettes and More

CENTURY CITY, Calif. - Don't touch that dial! Dr. Johnny Fever, Venus Flytrap and the whole gang are back on the air when "WKRP In Cincinnati" Season One hits DVD April 24 from Fox Home Entertainment. Nominated for 10 Emmy® Awards during its run from 1978 to 1982 - including three back-to-back nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series - "WKRP In Cincinnati" follows the hilarious misadventures of the staff at a struggling Cincinnati radio station as their new program director tries every trick in the book to make the station a financial and commercial success. Starring blonde bombshell Loni Anderson ("So NoTORIous," A Night At The Roxbury), Howard Hesseman ("Head of the Class," About Schmidt) and Tim Reid ("That '70s Show," "Sister, Sister"), "WKRP In Cincinnati" featured some of the most memorable characters in television sitcom history including the sultry receptionist Jennifer Marlowe, the lovable veteran DJ Dr. Johnny Fever and the soulful evening DJ Venus Flytrap. The long-awaited, three-disc "WKRP In Cincinnati" Season One DVD set includes all 22 episodes from the series' laugh-out-loud first season, including the infamous "Turkeys Away" episode, as well as never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes featurettes and audio commentaries with creator Hugh Wilson and cast members Loni Anderson, Tim Reid and Frank Bonner. "WKRP In Cincinnati" Season One will be available to own for $39.98 US/$54.98 Canada. Prebook is March 28, 2007.

Marketing Support:

Fox Home Entertainment will support the release of the "WKRP In Cincinnati" Season One with a multifaceted marketing program, including extensive radio, online and publicity campaigns.

Synopsis:

We're on the air! "WKRP In Cincinnati," classic TV's wildest, funniest, rock'n'roll sitcom is here at last on DVD. Join WKRP's hilarious staff - program director Andy Travis, deejays Dr. Johnny Fever and Venus Flytrap, neurotic newsman Les Nessman, sultry receptionist Jennifer Marlowe and the rest - both on and off the air, as they take their floundering station from hard times to hard rock. Starring Howard Hesseman and Loni Anderson, this is the one show that has it all. So, set that dial for "WKRP In Cincinnati" ...and turn it up, man!

"WKRP In Cincinnati" Season One DVD Special Features And Disc Content Specifics: "WKRP In Cincinnati" episodes are compiled on three discs and include English Dolby Stereo audio with Spanish subtitles, and are presented in full screen format. In addition, the following episodes and special features are exclusive to each disc:

Disc One - Side A
"Pilot (1)"
Commentary with Creator Hugh Wilson and Cast Members Loni Anderson and Hugh Wilson
"Pilot (2)"
"Les On A Ledge"
"Hoodlum Rock"

Disc One - Side B
"Hold-Up"
"Bailey's Show"
"Turkeys Away"
Commentary with Creator Hugh Wilson and Cast Members Loni Anderson and Hugh Wilson
"Love Returns"

Disc Two - Side A
"Mama's Review"
"A Date With Jennifer"
"The Contest Nobody Could Win"
"Tornado"

Disc Two - Side B
"Goodbye, Johnny"
"Johnny Comes Back"
"Never Leave Me, Lucille"
"I Want To Keep My Baby"

Disc Three - Side A
"A Commercial Break"
"Who Is Gordon Sims?"
"I Do, I Do... For Now"

Disc Three - Side B
"Young Master Carlson"
"Fish Story"
"The Preacher"
"Do My Eyes Say Yes?" Featurette
"A 'Fish Story' Story" Featurette

Jeff Bridges to Join "Iron Man"

According to Filmstew.com, 57-year-old actor, Jeff Bridges, has now signed on to Marvel Comics Entertainment's Iron Man.

The Seabiscuit star will play a close associate to the main character, billionaire Tony Stark, who is also known as "Iron Man".

Directed by Jon Favreau, the cast will be led by Robert Downey Jr. as the iron-clad hero.

Also joining the team are actors Terrence Howard and Gwyneth Paltrow. A release date is anticipated for sometime in May 2008.

Good times for Wahlberg

Mark Wahlberg has had his share of career changes. He went from Boston street thug to Calvin Klein model to rap singer to actor. This year, he was nominated for an Oscar for his role as a tough-talking Boston policeman in The Departed, and he's in talks to do a sequel. He speaks with USA TODAY's Scott Bowles about his latest role: supporting-actor Oscar nominee.

Q: You've never been to the Oscars. Why?
A: It's weird. I didn't want to show up if I wasn't nominated. It sort of felt like crashing a party you weren't invited to.

Q: How did it feel to be the only actor nominated, considering the caliber of the cast?
A: I felt funny about it. You look at the amazing actors who were a part of this: Jack (Nicholson), Leo (DiCaprio), Matt (Damon), Alec (Baldwin), Martin Sheen. And it was just very hard to believe that I got a nomination. It was very humbling.

Q: If there's a sentimental favorite this year, it's for director Martin Scorsese winning his first Oscar. Which would you rather see: You with the Oscar or Scorsese?
A: Marty, for sure. What was funny about being on the set was that, even with that amazing cast, we were all there for Marty, to see his vision come to be on the screen. I'm going to be pretty upset if he doesn't win it.

Q: You have to be pulling for yourself.
A: You know who I really feel good for? My parents. I put them through so much crap the first 15 years of my life, dealing with the Boston Police Department in the wrong way. It felt great to tell them that I finally put my experiences to good use.

Q: So what are you looking forward to most about the ceremonies?
A: Seeing Jack (Nicholson). Every day he was on set, it brightened my day. I'm not kidding. That guy lights up a room.

More tests needed in Smith death case

DANIA BEACH, Fla. - Prescription drugs were found in Anna Nicole Smith's hotel room, but there were no pills in her stomach, and investigators said Friday they are awaiting tests that would tell whether the former centerfold died of an overdose, as some close to her suspect.

Dr. Joshua Perper, the Broward County medical examiner, said no illegal drugs were found in her room at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood. He would not identify the prescription drugs.

But CNN quoted an unidentified law enforcement source as saying investigators found a large amount of prescription medicine, including Valium and antibiotics, and over-the-counter cold and flu medication.

Perper said there were no pills in Smith's stomach and no other immediate indication of an overdose, but officials "do not exclude any kind of contribution of medication to the death."

Describing signs of inflammation in Smith's heart, Perper said he saw "something which looks a little bit unusual," but added, "It may be nothing."

He said it would take three to five weeks to conclude the investigation.

Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger said there was no indication Smith was the victim of a crime, and Perper said the autopy was able to exclude any types of physical injury such as blows to the body or asphyxiation.

"There are a number of possibilities" as to the cause of death, Perper said, including natural causes, a drug reaction or some combination.

Smith apparently had been sick for several days with some kind of stomach flu, Perper said.

Authorities planned to interview nurses and examine medical records before settling on a cause of death, Perper said.

On Thursday, a private nurse found Smith unconscious in her room and called 911. Smith was declared dead at a hospital. She was 39.

In another bizarre twist to the case, the husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, Prince Frederick von Anhalt, claimed that he might be the father of Smith's infant daughter.

Two other men are already waging a paternity battle over the little girl, who stands to inherit Smith's estate. Von Anhalt, 59, told The Associated Press he and Smith had been having an affair since the 1990s. "She wanted to be a princess," he said.

"I think she had too many drugs, just like Danny (Smith's late son)," Smith's mother, Vergie Arthur, told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Friday. "I tried to warn her about drugs and the people that she hung around with. She didn't listen."

"She was too drugged up," Arthur said. "By the last interview I saw of her, she was so wasted."

Smith's attorney, Ron Rale, said the one-time reality TV star had been ill for several days with a fever and was still depressed over the death five months ago of her 20-year-old son from what a private medical examiner determined was a combination of methadone and two antidepressants.

Is this what a future Oscar winner looks like?

Eddie Murphy's on the verge of an awards season trifecta — his charismatic portrayal of a tragic R&B singer in "Dreamgirls" has already nabbed him a Screen Actors Guild award and a Golden Globe, and he's considered a front-runner for a best supporting Oscar.

But the most high-profile image of Murphy these days — while Oscar ballots are still out — is on billboards and in movie trailers wearing a fat suit, garish eye shadow and little else.

The tagline for his new comedy, "Norbit," poses the question: "Have you ever made a really big mistake?"

Some Oscar observers are questioning the timing of the movie's Friday arrival, and whether it may unintentionally put off potential academy voters, while some black activists are taking Murphy to task for engaging in what they say are demeaning racial stereotypes.

"Every time I pass that billboard, it makes me sick," said one veteran Oscar consultant, who declined to be identified and is not involved in a rival campaign. "I think his performance in 'Dreamgirls' is so fabulous" and deserves to win the Academy Award. But, he added, Murphy's latest comedy offering "doesn't help."

Award season aside, Murphy and "Norbit" are under fire from some black activists who say the film is just the latest to build a movie around a black man dressing up as an unsophisticated, overweight black woman. Adding fuel to their anger is the movie's release during Black History Month.

"For Eddie to follow what he did with 'Dreamgirls' with this just doesn't make sense," said Robert M. Entman, author of "The Black Image in the White Mind: Media and Race in America." "There's no excuse for him to lend his prestige to something like this…. There has to be a point where African American stars of his stature have to take some responsibility for their actions and just say no."

Murphy's stunning turn as James "Thunder" Early in "Dreamgirls" has earned him rave reviews and renewed respect for a performer who has had one of Hollywood's most up-and-down careers. He's had his share of hits ("48 Hrs.," "Beverly Hills Cop," "Trading Places" and the "Shrek" movies) and flops ("The Adventures of Pluto Nash," "The Haunted Mansion.")

Now, Murphy is in contention for the industry's top honors, which will be handed out Feb. 25. Ballots are due back Feb. 20.

"Norbit" could end up working in Murphy's favor, the creative forces behind it say, because the comedy demonstrates Murphy's range and ability to morph into multiple characters. It's an approach the actor has used to great success in "Coming to America" and the two "The Nutty Professor" films. "Norbit," about a wimpy man trapped in a horrible relationship with a woman (also played by Murphy), was co-written by Murphy and his brother Charles Murphy, and produced by the actor's production company.

Murphy, who has shunned print interviews for years, declined to comment.

The comedy has done well with focus groups, said Stacey Snider, co-chairwoman of DreamWorks: "Audiences have always loved it."

She added that she was "confident" that "Norbit" would have no influence on academy members' evaluation of Murphy's work in "Dreamgirls." "People can separate the performance in 'Dreamgirls' for the career-defining role that it was…. They accept this movie for the comedy that it is…. I think people are wise enough and savvy enough to understand the spirit that was intended. They know not to read too much into it."

One academy voter, John DiSimeo, who is a member of the public relations branch, agreed. "As a voter, it doesn't impact me. We're able to focus on the work itself…. The focus has been on his work in 'Dreamgirls' and whatever comes out after it is for the most part irrelevant." (He has already sent in his ballot, but declined to specify his pick.)

The film's release date, planned months in advance, was tied to research that showed February to be a good month for comedies, according to Paramount.

Gerry Rich, president of worldwide marketing at Paramount Pictures, said that time of year was a "robust moviegoing period for mainstream comedies. 'Hitch' did really well during this time of year."

Murdoch says Sacha Baron Cohen signs for "Borat 2"

NEW YORK (Reuters) - British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has signed a deal to make "Borat 2," a sequel to the hit film about a boorish Kazakh journalist on a road trip across America, News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch said on Thursday.

Murdoch, whose company owns the Hollywood studio behind the original film, 20th Century Fox, offered no details about the planned follow-up as he spoke to reporters at a media conference, other than to say the film's star and creator was on board.

"He's signed up to do a sequel for us," Murdoch told attendees of the gathering sponsored by McGraw-Hill.

A spokesman for Cohen declined further comment.

Cohen's faux documentary, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," was a surprise box-office sensation, grossing $248 million worldwide and earning an Oscar nomination for best adapted screenplay.

Cohen also won a Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a comedy or musical for his playing Borat Sagdiyev, a cluelessly offensive Central Asian journalist with a thick mustache, rumpled gray suit, wild-eyed grin and boisterous catch phrases like "sexy time!"

The character is one of several oddball personas Cohen introduced to U.S. audiences on his HBO cable TV series "Da Ali G Show."

Left unclear by Murdoch is whether a "Borat" sequel would -- or even could -- follow the same "mockumentary" premise as the first movie.

Chronicling Borat's exploits on a cross-country U.S. road trip, the original film was driven by Cohen's improvised, unrehearsed encounters with ordinary people who become his unsuspecting comic foils.

Cohen has said his film has drawn such worldwide notoriety that it might be difficult to pull off a similar feat in the near future.

Besides its commercial success, "Borat" sparked a fair amount of controversy. The film drew protests from Kazakh authorities outraged by Cohen's portrait of their country as a backward nation of imbeciles. It also sparked lawsuits by some unwitting subjects, including two fraternity brothers shown guzzling alcohol and making racist remarks in the film.

Nonetheless, a 20th Century Fox rival -- Universal Pictures which is controlled by General Electric Co . -- reached a deal with Cohen in November for film rights to another of his alter egos, a gay Austrian fashionista named Bruno, for a reported $42.5 million. The Hollywood Reporter said at the time that Universal plans to start shooting the Bruno film this summer for a 2008 release.

Plans by Fox for a "Borat" sequel remain murky.

Asked whether he had seen "Borat," Murdoch said, "Sure, about three times. ... We laughed like hell. We went out to dinner and laughed all over again."

Anna Nicole Smith dies in Florida at 39

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Anna Nicole Smith, the pneumatic blonde whose life played out as an extraordinary tabloid tale — Playboy centerfold, jeans model, bride of an octogenarian oil tycoon, reality-show subject, tragic mother — died Thursday after collapsing at a hotel. She was 39.

She was stricken while staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and was rushed to a hospital. Edwina Johnson, chief investigator for the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office, said the cause of death was under investigation and an autopsy would be done on Friday.

Just five months ago, Smith's 20-year-old son, Daniel, died suddenly in the Bahamas in what was believed to be a drug-related death.

Seminole Police Chief Charlie Tiger said a private nurse called 911 after finding Smith unresponsive in her sixth-floor room at the hotel, which is on an Indian reservation. He said Smith's bodyguard administered CPR, but she was declared dead at a hospital.

Dr. Joshua Perper, the chief Broward County medical examiner who will perform the autopsy, said if her death was from natural causes, the findings would likely be announced quickly. He cautioned, however, that definitive results could take weeks.

"I am not a prophet, and I cannot tell you before the autopsy what I am going to find," he said.

Through the '90s and into the new century, Smith was famous for being famous, a pop-culture punchline because of her up-and-down weight, her Marilyn Monroe looks, her exaggerated curves, her little-girl voice, her ditzy-blonde persona, and her over-the-top revealing outfits.

Recently, she lost a reported 69 pounds and became a spokeswoman for TrimSpa, a weight-loss supplement. On her reality show and other recent TV appearances, her speech was often slurred and she seemed out of it. Some critics said she seemed drugged-out.

"Undoubtedly it will be found at the end of the day that drugs featured in her death as they did in the death of poor Daniel," said a former attorney for Smith in the Bahamas, Michael Scott.

Another former Smith attorney, Lenard Leeds, told the celebrity gossip Web site TMZ that Smith "always had problems with her weight going up and down, and there's no question she used alcohol." Leeds said it was no secret that "she had a very troubled life" and had "so many, many problems."

"She wanted to be like Marilyn her whole life and ironically died in a similar manner," Leeds said. Monroe died of a drug overdose at age 36 in 1962.

Smith attorney Ron Rale told The Associated Press that he had talked to her on Tuesday or Wednesday, and she had flu symptoms and a fever and was still grieving over her son.

"Poor Anna Nicole," he said. "She's been the underdog. She's been besieged ... and she's been trying her best and nobody should have to endure what she's endured."

The Texas-born Smith was a topless dancer at strip club before she entered her photos in a search contest and made the cover of Playboy magazine in 1992. She became Playboy's playmate of the year in 1993. She was also signed to a contract with Guess jeans, appearing in TV commercials, billboards and magazine ads.

In 1994, she married 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II, owner of Great Northern Oil Co. In 1992, Forbes magazine estimated his wealth at $550 million.

In a 2005 interview with ABC, Smith recalled meeting Marshall at what she called a "gentleman's club' in Houston. "He had no will to live and I went over to see him," she said. "He got a little twinkle in his eyes, and he asked me to dance for him. And I did."

Marshall died in 1995 at age 90, setting off a feud with Smith's former stepson, E. Pierce Marshall, over his estate. A federal court in California awarded Smith $474 million. That was later overturned. But in May, the U.S. Supreme Court revived her case, ruling that she deserved another day in court.

The stepson died June 20 at age 67. But the family said the court fight would continue.

Smith starred in her own reality TV series, "The Anna Nicole Show," in 2002-04. Cameras followed her around as she sparred with her lawyer, hung out with her personal assistant and interior decorator, and cooed at her poodle, Sugar Pie. She also appeared in movies, performing a bit part in "The Hudsucker Proxy" in 1994.

After news came of Smith's death, G. Eric Brunstad Jr., the lawyer who represented Marshall, said in a statement: "We're very shocked by the news and extend the deepest condolences to her family."

In a statement, Playboy founder Hugh Hefner said: "I am very saddened to learn about Anna Nicole's passing. She was a dear friend who meant a great deal to the Playboy family and to me personally."

Smith's son died Sept. 10 in his mother's hospital room in the Bahamas, just days after she gave birth to a daughter.

An American medical examiner hired by the family, Cyril Wecht, said he died accidentally of a combination of methadone and two antidepressants. Last month, a Bahamas magistrate scheduled a formal inquiry into the death for March 27.

Meanwhile, the paternity of Smith's now 5-month-old daughter remained a matter of dispute. The birth certificate lists Dannielynn's father as attorney Howard K. Stern, Smith's most recent companion. Smith's ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead was waging a legal challenge, saying he was the father.

Debra Opri, the attorney who filed his paternity suit, said Birkhead "is devastated. He is inconsolable, and we are taking steps now to protect the DNA testing of the child. The child is our No. 1 priority."

Smith was born Vickie Lynn Hogan on Nov. 28, 1967, in Houston, one of six children. Her parents split up when she was a toddler, and she was raised by her mother, a deputy sheriff.

She dropped out after 11th grade after she was expelled for fighting, and worked as a waitress and then a cook at Jim's Krispy Fried Chicken restaurant in Mexia.

She married 16-year-old fry cook Bill Smith in 1985, giving birth to Daniel before divorcing two years later.

Sting announces `The Police Rehearsals'

LOS ANGELES - The Police, who are reuniting to perform at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, will celebrate their 30th anniversary at the Whisky A Go Go the following day.

To enter the drawing for a spot at "The Police Rehearsals," fans must be "legacy members" of Sting's official Web site, Sting.com, the 55-year-old singer announced in a posting Wednesday. Twenty lucky winners will be notified Friday.

"After the event, we would like the winners to each submit to us 250 words that describes their experience of the day — we can say with some certainty that none of you will be lost for words!" the announcement said.

Sting fanned speculation of a Police reunion and tour when he told the Television Critics Association last month that he and former bandmates Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers were "talking about" doing something to commemorate their anniversary.

The Police, whose hits include "Roxanne" and "Every Breath You Take," will open the Grammys, which will air live on CBS-TV from the Staples Center on Sunday night.

The band broke up in 1984 amid internal conflict. They last performed together in 2003, when they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Lawyer says Anna Nicole Smith has died

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - Anna Nicole Smith died Thursday after collapsing at a hotel and being being rushed to the hospital, one of her lawyers said.

She had been unresponsive and was rushed to the hospital Thursday while staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Cafe Hotel and Casino, hotel officials said.

"She checked in Monday at 8 p.m. as a guest. She was due to check out tomorrow," said Danielle Giordaano, a spokeswoman for Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

Genies have a lot to celebrate in '07

TORONTO (CP) - It's not every year that the movies nominated for best picture at the Genie Awards are actually films that Canadians are talking about.

But with the box office and critical success in 2006 of "Bon Cop, Bad Cop," "Trailer Park Boys: The Movie" and "The Rocket" in English Canada - a notoriously difficult market to crack for Canadian filmmakers - there's a genuine sense of excitement and optimism surrounding this year's gala.

All three movies are up for best picture at Tuesday's ceremony in Toronto, alongside "Guide de la petite vengeance (The Little Book of Revenge)" and "Un Dimanche a Kigali (A Sunday in Kigali)," both popular films in Quebec but not in English Canada.

"We're catching a wave and a certain momentum, and that can only bode well for the future of the Genies," Paul Gratton, chairman of the Genies, said in a recent interview. "There are at least three titles there out of the five that have had very successful careers in English Canada. That's a considerable achievement."

Gratton says he remembers years that were starkly different in terms of best-picture nominees.

"There have been some years when I've been very conscious of the fact that there was a pretty thin array of titles that we were presenting for best picture - and some years it's very obvious who the winner is, end of story," said Gratton, who's also vice-president of entertainment specialty channels at CHUM.

"But this year, it's not that obvious and I'd say there are at least two or three front-runners. It's hard to say which way it's going to go. I was pleased to see the jury went for some recognizable titles because there's often a disconnect between critical acceptance and popular acceptance."

Does that mean more Canadians will tune in for the show and the festivities at the after-party, airing on CHUM stations on Tuesday night beginning at 9 p.m. in all time zones?

Gratton hopes so, but is quick to add that ratings are not what the Genies - in their 27th year - are all about.

"If you look at the history of the Oscars and their relationship with the television ratings, there's a direct relationship between whether a front-running film has had extraordinary box office or not," he said.

"But I don't think the Genies value themselves exclusively in terms of its TV audience - part of it is simply the amount of attention that's paid to Canadian movies surrounding the whole event. It's a celebration."

This year the Trailer Park Boys - in character as Ricky, Julian and Bubbles - will be on hand for the Genies, as will American actress Sigourney Weaver, nominated for best actress for her role in "Snow Cake."

"She's obviously very committed to that role and to promoting it," Gratton says. "I am really looking forward to a good show."

And this year, in particular, Gratton says, there's a lot to celebrate.

Canadian filmmakers are hot right now. Amid the success of "Trailer Park Boys" and "Bon Cop, Bad Cop" - considered one of the top-grossing films in Canadian history - unprecedented numbers of homegrown movies were selected for prestigious film festivals like Sundance and Berlin this year.

The immediate future looks bright: "Away From Her," Sarah Polley's critically acclaimed feature-film directorial debut, arrives in theatres in May. The performances of Julie Christie and Gordon Pinsent have already generated buzz for the Alzheimer's drama.

"Fido," a smart and stylish zombie comedy set in the 1950s from Canadian director Andrew Currie, and starring Carrie-Anne Moss and Scottish comic Billy Connolly, will be released in March, and Oscar-winner Denys Arcand also has a highly anticipated release this year in "L'Age des tenebres."

"This year we're in the mood to celebrate some positives," Gratton says. "The momentum's growing and I expect next year's Genies to be a vintage year."

Here are the nominees in key categories for the 2007 Genie Awards, honouring the best in Canadian-made cinema:

Best motion picture: "Bon Cop, Bad Cop" (Kevin Tierney); "Guide de la petite vengeance/The Little Book of Revenge," (Roger Frappier, Luc Vandal); "The Rocket/Maurice Richard" (Denise Robert, Daniel Louis); "Trailer Park Boys: The Movie" (Barrie Dunn, Mike Clattenburg, Michael Volpe); "Un Dimanche a Kigali/A Sunday in Kigali" (Lyse Lafontaine, Michael Mosca).

Direction: Erik Canuel, "Bon Cop, Bad Cop"; Jean-Francois Pouliot, "Guide de la petite vengeance/The Little Book of Revenge"; Charles Biname, "The Rocket/Maurice Richard"; Robert Favreau, "Un Dimanche a Kigali/A Sunday in Kigali"; Stephane Lapointe, "La Vie secrete des gens heureux/The Secret Life of Happy People."

Actor in a leading role: Roy Dupuis, "The Rocket/Maurice Richard"; Colm Feore, "Bon Cop, Bad Cop"; Olivier Gourmet, "Congorama"; Patrick Huard, "Bon Cop, Bad Cop"; Luc Picard, "Un Dimanche a Kigali/A Sunday in Kigali."

Actor in a supporting role: Hugh Dillon, "Trailer Park Boys: The Movie"; Robert Joy, "Whole New Thing"; Chan Chit Man Lester, "Eve and the Fire Horse"; Stephen McHattie, "The Rocket/Maurice Richard"; Michel Muller, "Guide de la Petite Vengeance/The Little Book of Revenge."

Actress in a leading role: Jodelle Ferland, "Tideland"; Julie Le Breton, "The Rocket/Maurice Richard"; Fatou N'Diaye, "Un Dimanche a Kigali/A Sunday in Kigali"; Ginette Reno, "Le Secret de ma mere"; Sigourney Weaver, "Snow Cake."

Actress in a supporting role: Caroline Dhavernas, "Niagara Motel"; Marie Gignac, "La Vie secrete des gens heureux /The Secret Life of Happy People"; Emily Hampshire, "Snow Cake"; Carrie-Anne Moss, "Snow Cake"; Vivian Wu, "Eve and the Fire Horse."

Original screenplay: Phillippe Falardeau, "Congorama"; Ken Scott, "Guide de la Petite Vengeance/The Little Book of Revenge"; Ken Scott, "The Rocket/Maurice Richard"; Martin Girard, Ghyslaine Cote, "Le Secret de ma mere"; Stephane Lapointe, "La Vie secrete des gens heureux /The Secret Life of Happy People."

Tributes to Doherty, Cameron part of ECMA gala

The East Coast Music Awards in Halifax later this month will feature tributes to former Mamas and Papas singer Denny Doherty, blues musician Dutch Mason and Celtic great John Allen Cameron.

The tribute to Doherty, who died in January, has recently been added to the lineup, which also includes plans to honour Mason, who died in December, and Cameron, who died in November.

Celebrated contralto Portia White, a Truro, N.S.-born singer who lived from 1911 to 1968, will also be honoured with the Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award, given annually to an artist who has made a significant contribution to the musical legacy of Atlantic Canada.

A Nova Scotia award for the arts is named after White, a black singer who had a career in the 1940s with performances in Toronto and New York, and retired from the stage to teach music.

Doherty, the tenor voice in the 1960s folk group the Mamas and the Papas, later became the beloved harbour master on Theodore Tugboat.

Multiple ECMA and Juno award winner George Canyon will be joined on stage by Dave Gunning and Doris Mason to perform a musical tribute to Doherty.

Nova Scotia-born bluesman Mason, known as the Prime Minister of the Blues, will be honoured in song by blues guitarists JP LeBlanc and Charlie A'Court.

The awards show, to be hosted for the second consecutive year by the Trailer Park Boys, will pull out all the stops to honour Cameron, a favourite Nova Scotia son said to have spawned the Celtic revival in Atlantic Canada.

Singer-songwriter Gordie Sampson, Fiona MacGillivray, JP Cormier, Ashley MacIsaac, The Barra MacNeils, Shaye and Stuart Cameron will perform a tribute to the man known as the Godfather of Celtic Music.

Newfoundland's Rex Goudie, popularized on the television show Canadian Idol, and banjo songster Old Man Leudecke, performing with young singer-songwriters Rose Cousins, David Myles and Catherine MacLellan, have also been added to the playlist.

Other performers set for the gala include:

Halifax-based rockers In-Flight Safety and Joel Plaskett Emergency.
Rap singer Classified.
Halifax singer Jill Barber.
Veteran singer-songwriter Ron Hynes.
Classical soprano Measha Brueggergosman.
The live awards ceremony Feb. 18 will be broadcast on CBC Television.

Celine Dion to unveil new song at Oscars

LOS ANGELES - Celine Dion will unveil her new song, "I Knew I Loved You," during a tribute to Italian composer Ennio Morricone at this year's Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Wednesday.

Morricone, who will receive an honorary Oscar at the Feb. 25 awards, orchestrated the song for 1984's "Once Upon a Time in America," directed by Sergio Leone.

Songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman wanted to write lyrics for the song, but the film's producers felt none were needed. The Bergmans got their chance with Dion's version.

Morricone, 78, has received original score Oscar nominations for "Days of Heaven," "The Mission," "The Untouchables," "Bugsy" and "Malena."

The new rendition of "I Knew I Loved You," produced by Quincy Jones, will appear on Morricone's upcoming greatest-hits album and on Dion's forthcoming record.

The Pursuit of Happyness is almost over

The Academy recognized the work in Sony PIctures' The Pursuit of Happyness. The film is on its way to DVD and Blu-Ray.

Chris Gardner is a San Francisco salesman who’s struggling to make ends meet. When his girlfriend Linda walks out, Chris is left to raise their 5-year-old son Christopher on his own. Chris’ determination finally pays off then he lands an unpaid internship in a brutally competitive stockbroker-training program, where only one in twenty interns will make the cut. But without a salary, Chris and his son are evicted from their apartment and are forced to sleep on the streets, in homeless shelters and even behind the locked doors of a bus station bathroom. With self-confidence and the love and trust of this son, Chris Gardner rises above his obstacles to become a Wall Street legend.

The Blu-Ray and DVD both come with and audio commentary with director Gabriele Muccino and the featurettes Father and Son: Onscreen and OFf, The Man Behind the Movie, Making Pursuit: An Italian Take on the American Dream and Inside the Rubik's Cube plus the song I Can.

The DVD and BRD are priced at $28.95 and $38.96 respectiely and will both arrive on March 27th.

2 buddies, 1 vision, big success

Johm Lasseter and Randy Newman both grew up in Southern California, but they couldn't possibly come from more different worlds. Lasseter is from Whittier, son of the parts manager at a Chevy dealership. Newman grew up on the Westside of Los Angeles, where he spent much of his boyhood on Hollywood sound stages, watching his uncles Alfred, Lionel and Emil Newman conduct studio orchestras.

But when it comes to their work, it's hard to imagine two masters of their craft more in sync with each other; Newman is one of the great songwriters of our time, and Lasseter is the reigning wizard of computer animation.

Whether discussing the importance of emotion in music or reminiscing about their favorite Bugs Bunny cartoons, they always seem to be on the same page, with one starting a thought, the other finishing it.

Since they met in 1991, Lasseter and Newman have creatively been virtually inseparable. Newman has done the score and written songs for every Lasseter-directed Pixar film, including both installments in the "Toy Story" series, "A Bug's Life" and "Cars," as well as "Monsters, Inc.," a Pixar hit that Lasseter also produced.

They are both up for Oscars again this year: Lasseter for best animated film ("Cars"); Newman for best song for "Our Town," the ballad from "Cars" performed by James Taylor. (Newman is up for a Grammy for "Our Town" as well.)

At a dinner that stretched late into the night, the conversation ranged far and wide; Lasseter — earnest, if a bit overpowering — served as the ringmaster, with Newman, sardonic and self-deprecating, proving the comic relief.

Lasseter remains astounded that Newman has now been nominated for 17 Oscars and won only one, for "If I Didn't Have You" ("Monsters, Inc."). Praising "You've Got a Friend in Me," a song Newman wrote for "Toy Story," Lasseter says, "I can't believe he didn't win with that — everyone has recorded that song. I've often thought the academy should go back 10 years later and reexamine who won their awards because it often takes time to see how films or songs grow and become absorbed in the culture."

I asked Newman what he thought of a version Robert Goulet did. "I was at the session," Newman recalls. "And he kept singing, 'You've got a friend in me, babe.' " Newman laughs. "Clearly nobody else was going to do it, so it was my job to say, 'Drop the 'babe.' You could tell he took it badly because he said, 'Oh, I get it. Get rid of the soul.' "

The Oscars are also something of a sore subject for Lasseter. Despite the groundbreaking nature of his work in animation, Lasseter has never won an Oscar for any of his features.

"I was around the Oscars since I was boy — my uncle [Alfred] won nine of them," says Newman. "I know it's not always about merit. But they suck you into it. When I finally won, I saw the orchestra [in the pit] stand up and applaud and…."

Newman wags his head. "I got pretty choked up. I was worried I was going to lose it, like Sally Field."

Lasseter first met Newman when he began work on "Toy Story."

"At first we even thought about not having songs at all," Lasseter recalls. "But [Disney music executive] Chris Montan convinced me of the value of songs to tell the story. I loved Randy's scores — I used to listen to his music from 'The Natural' and 'Avalon' driving in my car. And he appealed to me because he could not only write emotional music but music with a sense of humor."

Composers and filmmakers speak a very different language. So the challenge for the two men was to find a means of communication. Composers often find it difficult to understand what a director wants from them, especially when the director's idea of helpful advice is something like, "I want the music to be more powerful!"

Newman says he asks Lasseter to give him adjectives to describe what feeling he's looking for. "My songs are usually exactly like the instructions I've received," he says. "John will tell me he wants something to feel cheerful and friendly, and I end up with 'You've Got a Friend in Me.' "

Still, creative misunderstandings occur. Even Newman, who is quick to say, "The director is your boss — it's their picture," has had fallings-out with filmmakers, notably with Gary Ross on "Seabiscuit."

"It killed me to hear stuff I wrote used in the wrong way," he says. "It was as if he'd fallen in love with what Ennio Morricone did on 'Once Upon a Time in the West.' He loved this lugubrious temp music and he rerecorded my stuff, very, very slowly. We just couldn't communicate. Your whole job is to do what the director wants, but in that case, it was alien to everything I knew."

For Lasseter, the importance of the score is that it captures, better than anything else, the underlying emotion of the film. When he was developing "Toy Story 2," Lasseter knew the film revolved around the idea: What if you were a toy and your kid outgrew you?

"When you're outgrown, there's no coming back to it," Lasseter explains. "But whenever we tried to convey that through dialogue, it never worked. So we went to Randy and said, 'Let's do it through song.' I remember what I told Randy: 'This song doesn't have a happy ending.' "

The result was "When She Loved Me," which was performed by Sarah McLachlan. Lasseter says he burst into tears when he watched McLachlan sing it at a recording session with Newman at the piano. The song had such an indelible effect on the film that Lasseter went back into the movie and recut the sequence to Newman's lyrics.

Newman's "Our Town" is a great example of how a song, when paired with the right images, can propel a film into deeper emotional territory. Propelled by James Taylor's soulful vocals, it evokes the sense of loss that the town of Radiator Springs feels when the new interstate turns the burg into a backwater. After interviewing residents of similar dying towns, Lasseter told the stories to Newman, giving him photos to inspire him.

Newman's song is full of yearning, gently balancing a sense of hometown pride with a sense of loss. Its lyrics are simple and direct, yet tinged with laconic Newman-isms, especially in the tale's opening line: "Long ago, but not so very long ago …"

This wasn't the way Newman wrote as a singer-songwriter — any hint of yearning was overwhelmed by sly satire or a gruff cynicism. "Back then I wrote some of the roughest songs anyone had heard before rap," he says. "It was because I believed in indirection. I could only write love songs for other people. Working on these movies with John has allowed me to be more emotionally direct."

Newman playfully complains that Pixar has been "kind of phasing me out" as a singer, noting that though he sang three songs in "Toy Story," he's down to "none" in "Cars."

Not that's he's insulted. "The verdict on my voice from the American people is not positive," he says. Lasseter says he sought out Taylor because he wanted a voice for "Our Town" that had the feel of folk Americana.

"It was no disrespect to Randy," he says.

Newman laughs. "I thought, 'Hey, it's a beat-up town, why not a beat-up voice [like mine]?' "

Hearing Lasseter reminisce about his youthful love for muscle cars only emphasizes something that most academy members have somehow managed to miss: Animated films can be just as personal as any auteur-driven drama. When Lasseter was a boy, he spent endless hours ogling '69 Camaros, especially the ones with orange racing stripes, at his dad's Chevy showroom.

Lasseter learned to drive in his father's '55 Chevy pickup. "My favorite memory is my dad taking me to the local dump, putting me on his lap and letting me drive. I'll never forget that feeling of freedom I had."

Newman's youthful driving experiences were more like Keystone Kops outtakes. "What I remember is how many accidents I had — 15 major wrecks altogether," he says. "When I got my learner's permit, I drove down Sunset with my mother in the car and spun out on Dead Man's Curve and hit a guy in a Morris. I got so professional about it that when I'd get into a wreck I'd run and get a witness."

Apparently it ran in the family. Newman recalls riding home after school with his late Uncle Emil when he was working on "The Great Sioux Massacre." "He'd drive me home and he used to have a little vodka and milk, and anything could happen. They had these shrubs on the road just past Beverly Glen — he'd hit them every time. I was just as bad. I hit so many different cars that the right side of my car was like a mural with all the colors of the rainbow."

When Lasseter and Newman got up to leave after dinner, I jokingly asked the crash-prone Newman if he thought he could make it home safely. "Oh, I'm only eight minutes from home," he said. "But you never know. My wife says it's not a trip unless there's a close call."

Canadian publisher interested in O.J.'s If I Did It

A Canadian publisher has expressed interest in releasing O.J. Simpson's book, If I Did It, Here's How It Happened.

Montreal-based Barclay Road Inc. issued a statement Monday saying that it "would be prepared to look at and possibly publish" the cancelled title from the former football star and actor.

In the book, Simpson was to have discussed how, hypothetically, he could have killed his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman.

"Although those at Barclay Road were disgusted by the initial information surrounding the book, representatives decided that in order to do justice to the name of free speech, giving the manuscript a read might just prove that the press did not have all the facts," the statement read.

Barclay Road said it has been in contact with Simpson's representatives and that, if a deal occurred, it would "look at re-titling and creating a new cover for the book."

The company has previously published books by motivational writer Og Mandino and former Hearst Newspaper Group chief Robert Danzig.

In 1994, Barclay Road imprint Lifetime Books met controversy with its book All the Secrets of Magic Revealed: The Tricks and Illusions of the World's Greatest Magicians. Magician David Copperfield tried to block publication of the book, which was eventually released in 1995.

Simpson's book — and a corresponding Fox TV special — were called off in November by News Corp. after an outcry from critics and the families of the victims. HarperCollins, the News Corp. subsidiary that was scheduled to publish the book, said at the time all copies of the book would be destroyed, including some that had already been shipped to stores.

Simpson was acquitted on criminal charges of murder in 1995, but later lost a civil suit for "wrongful death" in the killings. He was ordered to pay the Goldman family $33.5 million US.

John Mayer takes 'Continuum' tour to Canada

Singer/songwriter John Mayer has added an eight-date Canadian leg to his tour supporting his critically acclaimed September release, "Continuum."

Mayer is currently in the midst of a US outing that hits cities from the Midwest to the East Coast and wraps up Feb. 28 at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The performer will pair up with Ben Kweller for an Australian run April 1-12, then it's off to Canada beginning April 17 in Toronto. North American dates are listed below; Australian shows can be found at Mayer's website.

Members of Mayer's official fanclub, Local-83, have access to ticket pre-sales and are eligible to attend pre-show soundcheck parties. Details can be found at the Local-83 website.

"Continuum" is Mayer's third studio album and his first shot as producer. The blues-infused set follows 2003's "Heavier Things" and 2005 live album "Try!" by the John Mayer Trio, which is the singer's collaboration with drummer Steve Jordan and bassist Pino Palladino.

A blog written by Mayer at his website says the trio plans to record a studio album before too long.

Mayer, already a three-time Grammy winner, is up for five more trophies this year: Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for "Continuum," Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for the song "Waiting on the World to Change," Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance for "Route 66," and Best Rock Album for "Try!"

Mayer is also scheduled to perform at the Grammys with fellow nominees John Legend and Corinne Bailey. The Feb. 11 ceremony at Los Angeles' Staples Center will air live on CBS-TV.

Here is Mayer's tour itinerary. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.

February 2007
6 - Knoxville, TN - Knoxville Civic Coliseum
7 - Roanoke, VA - Roanoke Civic Center
8 - Columbia, SC - The Colonial Center
13 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
14 - Madison, WI - Alliant Energy Center
16 - Murray, KY - Murray State University
17 - Bloomington, IL - US Cellular Coliseum
18 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center
20 - Dekalb, IL - NIU Convocation Center
22 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
23 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
24 - Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena
26 - Amherst, MA - Mullins Center
27 - Syracuse, NY - Oncenter Complex
28 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

April 2007
17 - Toronto, Ontario - Air Canada
18 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
20 - Ottawa, Ontario - Scotiabank Place
22 - London, Ontario - Labatt Centre
26 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
28 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
30 - Victoria, British Columbia - Save on Foods Memorial

May 2007
1 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Pacific Coliseum

Casting Couch

Keri Russell is ready to slip on a pair of Scrubs. The former Felicity is set to make two guest appearances as the college roommate of Elliot Reid (Sarah Chalke) during May sweeps. The hospital comedy airs Thursdays on NBC.

Wal-Mart entry to video downloads a 'game changer'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s entry into movie downloading should have a bigger impact on the growth of digital video distribution in the near term than on the ultimate decline in DVD sales.

Media industry experts say Wal-Mart, whose stores make an estimated 40 percent of annual U.S. DVD sales, will introduce millions of its customers to the practice of downloading movies to their computers or portable media players.

The world's largest retailer unveiled on Tuesday the first download-to-own service to offer movies from all major Hollywood studios, at a price comparable to Wal-Mart's retail prices for DVDs.

Last year, media reports said Wal-Mart and other "big-box" retailers had threatened to retaliate against studios offering films for download at prices that undercut the stores, which rely on new DVD releases to drive traffic.

Wal-Mart's embrace of movie downloading comes about two years after it pulled out of online DVD rental and directed its subscribers to Netflix Inc., and months after it protested Walt Disney Co.'s move to sell movies on Apple Inc.'s iTunes online music store at below-retail prices.

Industry experts said the move was natural for the retail giant.

"They are doing an internal analysis and saying, 'We jumped into DVD rental late and Netflix and others got entrenched."' a media industry source said.

"A lot of experts this year expect DVD sales to be flat," said James McQuivey, principal analyst with Forrester Research. "There is a fear ... we'll see a reduction in DVD sales (from downloads). We're seeing Wal-Mart respond in advance to that threat, not that downloads is a threat to DVD sales because not many people are downloading."

Download sales equaled about 1 percent of the $24.5 billion in DVD and home video sales and rentals in 2006, but industry experts expect downloads to grow to 10 percent within a decade.

About 100 million U.S. households have DVD players, and an estimated 46.7 million households had access in 2006 to broadband Internet services needed to access video content.

Industry analysts said Wal-Mart's move into downloads was unlikely to dent DVD sales in the short term, but could remove barriers to digital growth, such as the limited number of movie titles now available and the inability of most customers to transfer movies easily from the Internet to the TV.

"They are able to say (to the studios), 'We are going to do this and you are going to do it with us,"' McQuivey said. "My hope is that movie studios will now say, 'We've got the Wal-Mart thing taken care of, we can move really aggressively."

Rob Enderle, an independent analyst at the Enderle Group, said Wal-Mart's download offering is a "game changer" that will help set off "a long decline" for DVD sales.

"The need to buy discs will not go away, but it will cut into any growth the market has," Enderle said. "We are talking about the beginning of the end for DVDs."

Prince's halftime imagery questioned

NEW YORK - In the sensitive post-wardrobe malfunction world, some are questioning whether a guitar was just a guitar during Prince's Super Bowl halftime show.

Prince's acclaimed performance included a guitar solo during the "Purple Rain" segment of his medley in which his shadow was projected onto a large, flowing beige sheet. As the 48-year-old rock star let rip, the silhouette cast by his figure and his guitar (shaped like the singer's symbol) had phallic connotations for some.

A number of bloggers have decried "Malfunction!" — including Sam Anderson at New York magazine's Daily Intelligencer. Daily News television critic David Bianculli called it "a rude-looking shadow show" that "looked embarrassingly rude, crude and unfortunately placed."

CBS spokesman Dana McClintock said Tuesday that the network has received "very few" complaints on Prince's performance. CBS last aired the Super Bowl in 2004 when Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake's "wardrobe malfunction" sparked criticism and a subsequent crackdown on broadcast decency from the Federal Communications Commission.

But this time, it was the NFL that produced the halftime show (MTV had in 2004). Spokesman Greg Aiello said the league has received no complaints.

"We respect other opinions, but it takes quite a leap of the imagination to make a controversy of his performance," Aiello said. "It's a guitar."

The majority of the reaction to Prince's performance has been laudatory, including positive reviews from The Associated Press, the New York Times and USA Today — all of which noted the lack of controversy in this year's halftime show. AP Entertainment Writer Douglas J. Rowe wrote: "He delivered one of the best Super Bowl halftime shows — ever."

For decades, the electric guitar, by nature, has been considered phallic. From Jimi Hendrix's sensual 6-string swagger to Eddie Van Halen's masturbatory soloing, the guitar has often been thought an extension of a male player's sexuality.

Was Prince's pose phallic?

"The short answer is, of course it is," says Rolling Stone magazine contributing editor Gavin Edwards, who points out that on Prince's "Purple Rain" tour in the mid `80s, he performed with a guitar that would ejaculate, squirting water out of its end during the climax of "Let's Go Crazy."

"All that said, it didn't seem like a sniggering little puppet show," adds Edwards. "I think it was one of those things because a guitar at waist level does look like an enormous phallus."

By enlarging his shadow, it's possible Prince intended to accentuate this aspect of his solo, but it's just as likely it was accidental. (You can find videos of the halftime show at YouTube.com.) A message left with Prince's publicist Tuesday wasn't returned.

The late-night shows have taken notice. On CBS's "The Late Late Show" on Sunday night, host Craig Ferguson said of Prince: "He was obviously very happy to be there, wasn't he?"

Stephen Colbert reacted with mock outrage on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" Monday night: "They knew that they were dealing with a lustful, pansexual rock 'n' roll deviant," said Colbert, who joked that the sheet hid (not enhanced) Prince's "demonic guitar phallus."

In recent years, Prince has scaled down his performances, which were once renown for their gymnastics. His mini-concert at the Colts-Bears game in Miami included parts of "Purple Rain," "Let's Go Crazy," "Baby I'm a Star," Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," the Foo Fighter's "Best of You" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary."

The Minnesota native has attracted controversy before. Tipper Gore launched a campaign to place a warning sticker on his 1984 album "Purple Rain" because of the lyrics to the song "Darling Nikki." Though his musical style has been expansive, he's best known for funky, sexually charged songs like "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "Get Off."

Prince's previously most talked-about performance came at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards, where he donned yellow, butt-baring pants, (a stunt later spoofed by Howard Stern). Always eccentric, he famously changed his name to The Artist Formerly Known as Prince, then to simply a symbol and finally back to Prince. He also became a Jehovah's Witness in the mid-`90s.

But Prince's halftime performance, though celebrated, came in a much different cultural environment, where even the fleeting outline of a man and his guitar could, for some, suggest shaded depravity.

"If people want to be hypersensitive, they can be hypersensitive," says Rolling Stone's Edwards. "Those trombones are phallic, too. What are you going to do?"

Furtado, Billy Talent, k-os lead Juno noms

TORONTO (CP) - Hip-shaking songstress Nelly Furtado will not only be hosting this year's Juno Awards - she'll also have a shot at winning five trophies.

Furtado, the British Columbia-raised singer who has had a remarkable career resurgence this year with her chart-topping album "Loose," led the list of nominees announced Tuesday along with rockers Billy Talent and hip-hop star k-os, who also received five nods apiece.

Triple nominees include Sarah Harmer, Quebec recording star Gregory Charles, francophone band Malajube, and Hedley - the hard-driving outfit fronted by former "Canadian Idol" contestant Jacob Hoggard.

Hoggard was not the only Idol alum nominated Tuesday. Eva Avila, who won last year's edition of the televised singing contest, and 2005 winner Melissa O'Neil are both up for new artist of the year.

Alberta rockers Nickelback received a nod for the fan choice award.

The 2007 Juno Awards will be staged April 1 at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre and broadcast live.

In recent years, the awards have been held in various locations across Canada, including Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg and - last year - Halifax. The strategy to take the show on the road has been a resounding success, generating fan buzz in the host cities.

This year that trend will no doubt continue with Furtado as host. The singer, after all, began her career in 2001 as a Juno darling, taking home a slew of trophies for her debut album, "Whoa, Nelly."

Her subsequent release, "Folklore," did not have the same success, prompting some to wonder if Furtado was a flash in the pan. But the singer re-emerged with a vengeance earlier this year with "Loose" and a new sexed-up image that surprised many of her fans.

In Saskatoon, "Promiscuous" - her smash hit featuring Timbaland - will vie for single of the year. Furtado is also up for album of the year, artist of the year, pop album of the year and for a fan's choice award.

K-os is also no stranger to the Junos, with nine previous nominations and a handful of trophies. This time around he got nods for single of the year, songwriter of the year, pop album of the year and video of the year. He's also nominated for a producing award.

Billy Talent, meanwhile, has three previous Juno wins. The Toronto-based band is nominated for single of the year for "Devil in a Midnight Mass," album of the year, group of the year, rock album of the year and video of the year.

The nominees are selected based on a combination of sales and votes from members of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

The academy also announced Tuesday that producer Bob Rock will be this year's inductee to the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

-

Some of the key categories in the 2007 Juno nominations announced Tuesday:

Artist of the Year: Diana Krall; Gregory Charles; Loreena McKennitt; Nelly Furtado; Pierre Lapointe.

Group of the Year: Alexisonfire; Billy Talent; Hedley; the Tragically Hip; Three Days Grace.

Single of the Year: "Devil in a Midnight Mass," Billy Talent; "All I Can Do," Chantal Kreviazuk; "Pull Me Through," Jim Cuddy; "Sunday Morning," k-os; "Promiscuous," Nelly Furtado (featuring Timbaland).

Album of the Year: "Billy Talent II," Billy Talent; "I Think of You," Gregory Charles; "Hedley," Hedley; "Loose," Nelly Furtado; "ONE-X," Three Days Grace.

New Artist of the Year: Eva Avila; Melissa O'Neil; Neverending White Lights; Patrick Watson; Tomi Swick.

New Group of the Year: Evans Blue; Idle Sons; Jets Overhead; Mobile; Stabilo.

Rock Album of the Year: "Billy Talent II," Billy Talent; "Tomorrow Starts Today," Mobile; "Chemical City," Sam Roberts; "Never Hear the End of It," Sloan; "World Container," the Tragically Hip.

Country Recording of the Year: "Big Wheel," Aaron Pritchett; "Love & Negotiation," Carolyn Dawn Johnson; "Doc Walker," Doc Walker; "Countrified," Emerson Drive; "Somebody Wrote Love," George Canyon.

Rap Recording of the Year: "The Frenzy of Renown," Arabesque; "Hitch Hikin' Music," Classified; "Organic Music for a Digital World," DL Incognito; "The Answer," Rich London; "Black Magic," Swollen Members.

Adult Alternative Album of the Year: "The Light That Guides You Home," Jim Cuddy; "When the Angels Make Contact," Matt Mays; "Living With War," Neil Young; "Time Being," Ron Sexsmith; "I'm a Mountain," Sarah Harmer.

Alternative Album of the Year: "Skelliconnection," Chad VanGaalen; "Sometimes," City and Colour; "Return to the Sea," Islands; "Trompe-l'Oeil," Malajube; "Not Saying/Just Saying," Shout Out Out Out Out.

Pop Album of the Year: "Ghost Stories," Chantal Kreviazuk; "Atlantis: Hymns for Disco," k-os; "Loose," Nelly Furtado; "Wintersong," Sarah McLachlan; "Stalled Out in the Doorway," Tomi Swick.

International Album of the Year: "Taking the Long Way," Dixie Chicks; "Ancora," Il Divo; "FutureSex/LoveSounds," Justin Timberlake; "Confessions on a Dance Floor," Madonna; "Stadium Arcadium," Red Hot Chili Peppers.

A full list of nominees can be found at www.junoawards.ca.

Juno nominees to be announced today

The nominees for the 2007 Juno Awards will be announced this afternoon in Toronto with Canadian chart-toppers Nelly Furtado, Billy Talent and Three Days Grace all expected to make the list.

The 36th annual Junos, to be broadcast on CTV, will be held on April 1.

Furtado has also signed on to host the event which will be held at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon.

"The Juno Awards are part of the Canadian fabric and to be asked to host is a privilege I'm charmed to accept," Furtado said recently in an exclusive eTalk interview. "Hosting The Juno Awards is a dream come true and I look forward to carrying on this rich Canadian tradition."

Double-platinum Quebec superstar Gregory Charles and platinum-selling hip-hop artist k-os are the most recent additions to the musical lineup -- which also includes Billy Talent and Three Days Grace.

Furtado takes over the master of ceremonies job from last year's host Pamela Anderson. Other high-profile hosts have included Brent Butt in 2005; Alanis Morissette in 2004; Shania Twain in 2003 and the Barenaked Ladies in 2002.

Last year, 1.7 million viewers watched the 2006 Junos, surpassing the 48th Grammy Awards broadcast in Canada by 26 per cent and making it the most-watched music awards program of the year.

The 2006 Juno Awards climaxed with 2.1 million viewers and attracted almost 30 per cent more viewers than the previous year, making it the second-most watched awards telecast since they were broadcast from Ottawa in 2003.

Hardy Boys II Men: Cruise & Stiller at Fox?

Apparently, Kevin Federline's recent self-effacing Superbowl stunt has inspired Tom Cruise.

Insiders tell TMZ that Tom Cruise has been talking with Ben Stiller about starring in an updated version of "The Hardy Boys" at Twentieth Century Fox.

Tentatively titled "The Hardy Men" -- a comedy that would be directed by Stiller's director on "A Night At the Museum," Shawn Levy ("The Pink Panther," "Cheaper By the Dozen").

"The Hardy Boys" detective novels date back to 1927, though a variety of ghost writers using the pen name of Franklin W. Dixon kept Frank and Joe Hardy perpetual teenagers. "The Hardy Men" would have them finally grown up, but up to their old tricks once more.

While nothing is set in stone, (like, say, that T. Rex skeleton from "Museum") the discussions do reveal a larger, more interesting development stemming from Cruise's L'affaire de sofa d' Oprah: What to do next when your public image has taken a public beating?

For starters: acknowledge the elephant in the room, and make fun of it. People familiar with Cruise's plans say that Cruise met with Stiller about starring in "Tropic Thunder," a farcical action-comedy Stiller has set up at DreamWorks Pictures that paraodies Cruise's work in Paramount's "Mission: Impossible" franchise.

It's not clear why Cruise ultimately decided not to "go there" as "Thunder" would have been a way to publically demonstrate that Cruise actually has a sense of humor about his over-the-top antics. Perhaps it seemed simply too risky a financial prospect; in the ten years since its debut, the "Mission: Impossible" franchise has sold $1.4 billion worth of tickets worldwide. That kind of money, even with a franchise at its nadir, is hard to poke fun at when the checks have your name on them.

For now, it appears that Stiller will both play the lead role in and direct "Tropic Thunder." But insiders tell TMZ he hasn't given up on recruiting Cruise into a part that would allow the megastar to poke fun at his super-serious Ethan Hunt alter ego. "The Hardy Men" is primed to go into production come October, and regardless of whether he takes the gig, Cruise clearly sees comedy as a means to redeem both his public persona and the box office crown. Indeed, the fruits of Levy and Stiller's last collaboration are still being savored at Fox, where "A Night at the Museum" is in its seventh week on 3,000 screens, and has grossed $421 million worldwide. Or, put another way, $23 million more than "Mission: Impossible 3."

Well folks, the year's Spidey blitz has officially begun.

Sony has just officially announced that a Spider-Man 2.1: Extended Cut DVD will be released on 4/17 (SLP $19.94).

The 2-disc set will include 8 minutes of new footage added back into the film. Video will be anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 5.1 audio.

Extras will include an introduction by producers Grant Curtis and Avi Arad, the Inside 2.1 featurette, audio commentary by producer Laura Ziskin and screenwriter Alvin Sargent, and an exclusive sneak peak at the upcoming Spider-Man 3.

There's no word yet on a Blu-ray Disc release.

Rick Rubin - the man behind-the-scenes

WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. (AP) - Rick Rubin is a healthy reminder of the danger of relying on superficial impressions.

He's a bearish man with long, flowing hair, a bushy beard and ever-present dark sunglasses. See him at a club and you might be tempted to slip out, taking care not to tip over any motorcycles on the way.

Then you would have lost the chance to meet one of the top producers in the music business, who is up for a Grammy award next week in that category. He produced two of the five discs nominated for album of the year and contributed to another, each in completely different styles. He captured the country-pop of the Dixie Chicks and funky rock of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and produced one track of Justin Timberlake's state-of-the-art dance-pop.

Each of those discs landed in the top 10 of the Rolling Stone magazine reader's poll of favourites from 2006, along with Rubin's fifth album with Johnny Cash, whose late-career resurgence will likely be remembered as one of the producer's most important achievements.

Oh, and that tough guy look? The gentle, soft-spoken Rubin wouldn't let a stranger leave one of his three Los Angeles-area homes recently without wrapping him in a warm hug.

"He's the exact opposite of what you would think he would be," said Emily Robinson of the Dixie Chicks. "With the hard rock and rap background, this guy with the long hair and big beard, everyone was a little intimidated by him at first. But when you realize what he's like, he's just a big teddy bear."

If that weren't enough influence, Rubin has been offered a job as co-chairman of Columbia Records and is in talks with executives there, according to a report in the New York Times, confirmed by a close associate of Rubin's who requested anonymity.

Rubin made his name - and fortune - at the intersection of rock and rap in the 1980s. He founded the Def Jam label with partner Russell Simmons while a student at New York University and helped make music by Public Enemy, the Beastie Boys and LL Cool J. He loves the aggressiveness of metal and rap and was behind Run-DMC's influential cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way."

Simmons moved on and Rubin headed West, where his production credits continued to diversify. Slayer, Mick Jagger, AC/DC, Tom Petty, Neil Diamond, Jay-Z and U2 are on the lengthening list of clients.

Unlike Timbaland's jittery beats and synthesizers, Pharrell's spacy soundscapes or Phil Spector's famed "wall of sound," Rubin has no sonic signature.

"I love music and I love bands and my goal, always, working with them is to help them be their best, whatever that is," Rubin said.

The Dixie Chicks were intrigued by Rubin because they noticed his name on a lot of the albums they were listening to. They were sold on him because he didn't come into their first meeting with an agenda, saying how he would make them sound, Robinson said.

Most music producers are technical masters, able to manipulate sounds with the twist of a knob, and obsessed about doing so. Rubin freely admits to having little such expertise. He's a fan.

When musicians express an interest in working with him, Rubin's first step is usually to invite them to one of his homes. His place tucked in the West Hollywood hills has intricately-restored woodwork, a statue of Buddha, art from the "Help!"-era Beatles and a kickin' sound system.

They'll talk music. He probes into their history, what made them become artists in the first place, and whether he feels a personal connection.

That's the level on which he bonded with Cash, despite the appearance - to outside eyes - that they'd be the least likely of collaborators. Cash was easy to talk to, Rubin recalled, and "had a million songs at his fingertips." They became very close friends.

Rubin had sought out Cash because he was interested in working with an established artist creatively adrift and neglected by the industry. Cash, by the early 1990s, had nearly given up recording. The deceptively simple approach they set upon of having Cash sing a wide swath of songs to sparse accompaniment yielded five albums (with a sixth posthumously to come) that energized his career.

Cash sang songs he remembered from growing up and unlikely ones fed by Rubin, most memorably Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt."

He's not a producer who spends much time creating in the studio. Rubin has his artists rehearse and experiment extensively ahead of time, so when they enter the studio they know the songs well.

"There's a humanity to a great performance," he said. "It's more like jazz. It could be a pop song or a rock song or a country song, but we approach it more from the standpoint of jazz, and try to get this special interactive moment. We know the tunes, we know the songs, now we're trying to get that special magic moment."

He may be an affable man, but he isn't afraid to tell artists what he thinks. One major star looked at Rubin, mouth agape, when told his songs weren't good enough. Nobody had ever told him that before.

Rubin pushed another artist, Diamond, particularly hard. He made Diamond sing with his acoustic guitar, something he hadn't done since the 1960s. Diamond told The Associated Press upon release of his 2005 disc "12 Songs" that Rubin made him realize that throughout his career the recordings had become more important than the songs, and that was a backwards way of looking at things.

He was grateful when it was done. But he fought every day while working with Rubin.

"Guess what?" Diamond said. "He was right."

Rubin said he believes the artists know that everything he does is to try to make the best music possible.

"A lot of artists really like having someone to bounce things off of, because it's hard to know," he said. "Most of them, especially the ones that are established and have had success, tend to be in a little bit of a vacuum, because most people tell them what they do is great. But there's a lack of reality in that world and it's not beneficial to the artist to be in that world."

He had seen the Dixie Chicks before they became famous and was impressed. Working with them on the "Taking the Long Way" disc interested him because here was a sassy, country-crossover act forced to become serious in the aftermath of the political storm created when singer Natalie Maines criticized President George W. Bush. He was curious how they'd react.

The Dixie Chicks had plenty of ideas but lacked a sense of direction, Robinson said. They were also somewhat sensitive to being dictated to, given the experience they'd just been through.

"I think he knows when it's right and he's very decisive, which is refreshing," she said. "But he's also a very good listener. You just respect his ears and his taste so much. That's an earned trust. We knew the legend but we didn't know the actual reason . . . We came to learn that it's just that he has great ears."

Rubin just finished a new disc with Linkin Park, and he's working now with Metallica. His dream job is to make a full album with U2 and he produced two new songs for their greatest hits disc.

Working so much has its drawbacks, as Rubin learned recently when a friend came over with a mixtape and they listened to the music together. That's kind of cool, Rubin said about one song. Who's singing that?

His friend looked at him incredulously. "You produced it!" he replied.

"I literally had no recollection of it at all," Rubin said, "and I'm a sober person."

New Releases, February 6: Fall Out Boy, Bloc Party, Patty Griffin

Fall Out Boy "Infinity on High"

Chicago's Fall Out Boy--having just wrapped up the largely sold-out Friends or Enemies Tour with New Found Glory, The Early November and Permanent Me--will now drop its sophomore major-label release, which follows 2005's "From Under the Cork Tree."

Coinciding with the release of "Infinity on High," Fall Out Boy will team with MTV for a publicity stunt that finds the pop-rockers performing in three cities in one day. The Infinity Flight 206 trek will include Feb. 6 performances in New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Fans that don't live in one of those cities can follow the action by logging onto FalloutBoy.MTV.com.

Later this month, Fall Out Boy is scheduled to start a run of concerts in Europe, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. The group will then return to the states for a headlining slot on the seventh annual Honda Civic Tour, which begins April 18 in Charlotte, NC.

* * *
Bloc Party "A Weekend in the City"

British rock band Bloc Party, which is often lumped in as part of the new New Wave movement, is set to release "A Weekend in the City." The first single from the record--which follows the group's 2005 full-length debut, "Silent Alarm"--is "The Prayer."

The band will back "A Weekend in the City" next month with a tour that kicks off March 11 in Seattle and includes a March 15 appearance at the South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, TX.

Bloc Party was forced to cancel most of its previous North American tour, due to an injury to the band's drummer.

* * *
Patty Griffin "Children Running Through"

The Texas folk-singer/songwriter returns with a follow-up to 2005's "Impossible Dream." On this new album, "Children Running Through," she worked with producer Mike McCarthy (Spoon).

Griffin is in the midst of a mini-tour in support of the new set, which is currently due to wind up Feb. 17 in Birmingham, AL. She is scheduled to embark on a more extensive tour next month.

* * *
Ashley Tisdale "Headstrong"

The star of Disney's "High School Musical" phenomenon attempts to further make a name for herself with her debut solo album. Tisdale has enlisted a talented crew to help her accomplish that goal. The guest list includes such hot writer-producers as The Matrix (Britney Spears), Guy Roche (Christina Aguilera) and Scott Storch (Usher).

* * *
Tierney Sutton "On the Other Side"

The jazzy vocalist is obviously feeling mighty "happy" on her latest disc. "On the Other Side" includes such selections as "Get Happy," "Happy Days are Here Again," "Sometimes I'm Happy," "Happy Talk" and "Make Someone Happy."

* * *
More new releases:
Apples in Stereo, "New Magnetic Wonder" (Yep Roc)
Jason Michael Carroll, "Waitin' in the Country" (Arista)
Joe Ely, "Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch" (CBUJ)
Cat Empire, "Two Shoes" (Velour)
John Digweed, "Transitions Vol. 2" (Thrive)
Maynard Ferguson, "On a High Note: Best of the Concord Jazz Recordings" (Concord)
Ruthie Foster, "Phenomenal Ruthie Foster" (Blue Corn)
Sondre Lerche, "Phantom Punch" (Astralwerks)
Jordan Pruitt, "No Ordinary Girl" (Hollywood)
Jesse Sykes and the Sweet Hereafter, "Like, Love, Lust and the Open Halls of the Soul" (Barsuk)
Therion, "Gothic Kabbalah" (Nuclear Blast)
Various Artists, "8-Bit Operators - An 8-Bit Tribute to Kraftwerk" (Astralwerks)
John Waters, "Date With John Waters" (New Line)
Keller Williams, "Dream" (Sci Fidelity)

Fall Out Boy's Honda Civic dates announced

The itinerary for the Honda Civic Tour is finally in. Fall Out Boy will headline the seventh annual trek, which kicks off April 18 in Charlotte, NC, and travels all over North America, wrapping with a two-night stand June 10-11 in Fall Out Boy's hometown of Chicago.

Tickets are set to go on sale Feb. 17 in most cities. Pre-sales are available starting tomorrow (2/6) through a promotion with Target stores or Feb. 14 through the Honda Civic Tour website. Dates are listed below.

The tour, which organizers tout as a combination of hot acts, moderate ticket prices and environmental consciousness, will also be used to promote the Honda Civic Hybrid. The members of Fall Out Boy designed custom features for one of the vehicles, which will be showcased at each venue and given away to a lucky concertgoer who enters a drawing, according to a press release.

Fall Out Boy's next album, "Infinity On High," will hit stores tomorrow (2/6)--the same day the band embarks on one-day, three-city, publicity-stunt tour for which the members will jet from New York City to Chicago to Los Angeles.

Later this month, Fall Out Boy will take off on an international jaunt, visiting Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Europe into April. Those shows are listed at the band's website.

Here is their tour itinerary:

April 2007
18 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
19 - Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
20 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheater
21 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheater
23 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
24 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Centre
25 - San Antonio, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
27 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion
28 - Las Vegas, NV - The Orleans
29 - San Diego, CA - Coors Amphitheater

May 2007
1 - Marysville, CA - Sleep Train Amphitheatre
2 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
3 - Anaheim, CA - The Honda Center
4 - Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion
6 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Pacific Coast Coliseum
7 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
8 - Portland, OR - The Rose Garden Arena
10 - Salt Lake City, UT - The E Center
11 - Denver, CO - Coors Amphitheater
12 - Kansas City, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
13 - Council Bluffs, IA - Mid America Rec. Center
15 - Moline, IL - Mark of the Quad Cities
16 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
17 - Milwaukee, MN - The Bradley Center
18 - St. Louis, MO - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
20 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
21 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
22 - Pittsburgh, PA - Post-Gazette Pavilion
23 - Virginia Beach, VA - Verizon Wireless Virginia Beach Amphitheater
25 - Montreal, Quebec - The Bell Centre
26 - Toronto, Ontario - Molson Amphitheater
27 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theater
28 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center
30 - Saratoga, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
31 - Boston, MA - Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts

June 2007
1 - Philadelphia, PA - Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
2 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center
4 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion
5 - Wantaugh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre
6 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
8 - Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center
10-11 - Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island

Larry Sanders Show, The - Not Just the Press Release

With More Than 8 Hours of Newly-Produced Material Including Garry Shandling in Personal and Intimate Meetings With Stars Like Alec Baldwin, Tom Petty, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, and More, This DVD is...

NOT JUST THE BEST OF THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW

The DVD Set Also Includes 23 Classic Episodes of the Emmy Award-Winning TV Program, the Documentary - "The Making of The Larry Sanders Show" - and Features Guest Appearances by Jason Alexander, Warren Beatty, Jim Carrey, Ellen DeGeneres, Sean Penn, Vince Vaughn and More

The Four-Disc DVD Collection Debuts on April 17

Culver City, Ca (February 5, 2007) - Forget about the 23 featured episodes of the Emmy Award®-winning "The Larry Sanders Show" (it received a whopping 56 Emmy nominations during its run on HBO). NOT JUST THE BEST OF THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW contains more than eight hours of newly produced material that makes this not just your usual DVD - not even close! The four-disc DVD boxed set debuts on DVD on April 17 at the suggested retail price of $49.95.

This innovative, provocative and hugely entertaining release includes personal, intimate, indulgent visits meant until now for only Garry Shandling to see - raw, real-life situations between Shandling and stars who appear in the featured episodes - including Alec Baldwin, Tom Petty, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Sharon Stone and many others. These unrehearsed visits surpass even the Larry Sanders reality, as they once again explore the core ingredients of the ground-breaking program - unexpected human behavior, truth and humor.

The DVD includes the documentary, The Making of The Larry Sanders Show, which reveals an in-depth and surprising look at the process of turning a script into a show that was ahead of its time. The Los Angeles Times selected Garry Shandling‚s series as one of ten TV programs that had inarguable influence‚ on the industry and this DVD is a celebration of the series‚ unique place in entertainment lore.

NOT JUST THE BEST OF THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW also features guest appearances on the featured episodes by a wide slate of stars which includes Jim Carrey, Vince Vaughn, Warren Beatty, Sean Penn, Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Alexander, Carol Burnett and Winona Ryder. The featurette "Rip Torn and Jeffrey Tambor Visit Garry Shandling in His Living Room" is a reunion of Shandling, Torn and Tambor discussing working together on the show.

Also included are interview featurettes with cast members Penny Johnson, Wallace Langham, Scott Thompson, Janeane Garofalo, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Sarah Silverman, Jeremy Piven, Bob Odenkirk, and Linda Doucett.

The Larry Sanders Show debuted on HBO August 1, 1992, and was ahead of its time, becoming an immediate critical and audience hit for its satirical, tongue-in-cheek look at Hollywood. The series that combined documentary-like camerawork with a clever blend of fact and fiction set the standard of quality for HBO and influenced the development of shows like Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, The Sopranos, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and The Office.Over the course of its six-year, 89-episode run, the series was nominated for 56 Emmy Awards [winning three: Outstanding Writing (Shandling & Peter Tolan); Outstanding Directing (Todd Holland); Outstanding Supporting Actor (Rip Torn)]. The show also won three Golden Globe® nominations, two Peabody Awards, and five CableACE Awards for Best Comedy Series.

Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show episodes include:

What Have You Done for Me Lately?
The Spider Episode
The Hey Now Episode
The List
The Hankerciser 200
Life Behind Larry
The Mr. Sharon Stone Show
Hank's Night in the Sun
Office Romance
Hank's Divorce
Hank's Sex Tape
I Was a Teenage Lesbian
Larry's New Love
Everybody Loves Larry
My Name Is Asher Kingsley
Ellen, or Isn't She?
Pilots and Pens Lost
Another List
The Beginning of the End
Adolph Hankler
The Interview
Putting the Gay‚ Back in Litigation
Flip (1-hour)

DVD Special Features Include:
Documentary: The Making of The Larry Sanders Show
Featurette: Trio
Exclusive Interviews: Personal, Intimate, Indulgent Meetings With My Friends That Are Meant Only for Me to See - Interviews with:
Alec Baldwin
Ellen DeGeneres
David Duchovny
Tom Petty
Jerry Seinfeld
Sharon Stone
Jon Stewart
Carol Burnett
Featurette: Interview with Penny Johnson
Featurette: Interview with Wallace Langham
Featurette: Interview with Scott Thompson
Featurette: Interview with Janeane Garofalo
Featurette: Interview with Mary Lynn Rajskub
Featurette: Interview with Sarah Silverman
Featurette: Interview with Jeremy Piven
Featurette: Interview with Bob Odenkirk
Featurette: Interview with Linda Doucett
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Alternate Takes
Audio Commentary and Documentary Introduction on What Have You Done for Me Lately with Garry Shandling and Peter Tolan
Audio Commentary and Documentary Introduction on Hank‚s Night in the Sun with Garry Shandling and Todd Holland
Audio Commentary and Documentary Introduction on Putting the ŒGay‚ Back in Litigation with Garry Shandling and Judd Apatow
Audio Commentary on Flip with Garry Shandling and Peter Tolan
Digitally Remastered Audio and Video
Full Screen Presentations
Audio: English (Dolby Surround)
Subtitles: Spanish
Closed Captioned
Broadcast Years: 1992 - 1998

Not Just the Best of The Larry Sanders Show has a run time of approximately 660 minutes and is not rated.

For more information on the project, visit www.thelarrysandersdvd.com.

'Lost' tries to win back fans

NEW YORK (AP) - Flash back to last fall: With intense buzz surrounding "Lost," ABC split Season Three in two, hoping to launch new shows "The Nine" and "Day Break" and eliminate grumbling about reruns.

Cut to the present: Not only has ABC cancelled both new shows (which got good reviews but few viewers), but the resulting "Lost" mini-season deflated the island drama's momentum, leaving many fans and critics disappointed, discouraged and worried that "Lost" may have lost its way.

The formerly white-hot drama about plane crash survivors on a remote island returns Wednesday at 10 p.m. EST for 16 new uninterrupted episodes. ABC bumped it an hour later to steer clear of Fox's "American Idol" juggernaut and CBS's solid "Criminal Minds."

Part of what had made "Lost" so extraordinary was the gradual unveiling of new information that unlocked the secrets behind each character and the surreal island as a whole. But during last fall's six episodes, "Lost" hastily compressed too much into too little time.

The first three episodes of the mini-season began in true "Lost" fashion. As multiple cliffhangers from the explosive second season finale were resolved, new questions surfaced for every question answered.

Soon, however, the eagerly anticipated unveiling of The Others' compound and the extraneous introduction of additional plane crash survivors became a bombardment of too many new faces and foreign environments.

Familiar favourites were suddenly lost in a convoluted crowd.

Also, the fates of those who did receive considerable air time were rather difficult to digest. It was disconcerting watching Jack, Kate and Sawyer, three of the show's most beloved characters, suffer as powerless, manipulated lab rats in cages.

It's hard to be optimistic with the all-too-frequent reminder that favourite characters can be tortured or killed at any time. Consider the rapid demise of Mr. Eko. He was the only survivor with the strength and conviction to stare down the island monster. So it was disheartening to witness the amorphous black smoke mortally toss the powerful Nigerian around like a rag doll.

This felt especially drastic since Eko was killed almost immediately after twice cheating death - first by surviving the hatch explosion, then by escaping a polar bear.

None of the protagonists are saints, but viewers still cheer for their imperfect heroes to succeed in overcoming obstacles. The current story lines of retribution and undue punishment merely reinforce the miseries of defeat.

Just like cast members constantly reminded of their lack of job security, "Lost" fans are now aware that they have to enjoy the ride while it lasts. Serialized television can abruptly change course - or end - at any time.

Apple and Beatles settle trademark squabble

LONDON (Reuters) - Apple Inc. has settled its long-running trademark dispute with The Beatles' company, Apple Corps Ltd, in a deal that could finally pave the way for the Fab Four's songs to be sold on the iTunes music store.

The two companies said Apple Inc. would now own all the trademarks related to "Apple" and would license certain trademarks back to Apple Corps for continued use.

"We love the Beatles, and it has been painful being at odds with them over these trademarks," Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs said in a statement.

Neil Aspinall, manager of Apple Corps, said it was great to put the dispute behind them and move on. "The years ahead are going to be very exciting times for us. We wish Apple Inc. every success and look forward to many years of peaceful cooperation with them."

The dispute centers around a 1991 trademark agreement between the two sides regarding the use of their respective apple-shaped logos. The music firm said that the computer company had violated the agreement by moving into the music business through its market-leading iTunes online store.

In May 2006 a judge at the High Court in London sided with Apple Inc. Apple Corps, owned by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon's widow Yoko Ono and the estate of George Harrison, said it would appeal.

Apple, which has sold over a billion downloads, had argued that iTunes was primarily a data transmission service and that it was permitted by the agreement.

ONLINE SPECULATION

The statement said the trademark lawsuit between the two companies would now end, with each party bearing its own legal costs.

The Beatles are high-profile holdouts from Internet music services such as iTunes, but it also emerged during the trial that Apple Corps was preparing the band's catalog to be sold online for the first time.

A spokeswoman for Apple Corps said the agreement announced on Monday did not change anything regarding the group's online plans, but speculation has been rife the Beatles' music will be sold online in the future.

At the recent high-profile launch of the new Apple iPhone, Jobs raised hopes that the band could be about to go digital when it played one of their songs and used a Beatles' album cover to grace its giant monitor.

A source familiar with the situation told Reuters at the time that it was "safe to assume that something sooner rather than later will happen."

Jupiter research analyst Mark Mulligan said the trademark settlement would certainly help in the move to sell the Beatles' music online via services such as iTunes.

"Put it this way, Beatles music could not be sold on iTunes until that happened, so it was an important step," he told Reuters.

Asked if there were any immediate plans for the Beatles' music to be sold online, a spokeswoman for EMI, the band's record label, declined to comment.

No malfunction as Prince rocks halftime

Phew! CBS got through the halftime show without a "wardrobe malfunction." The Artist Formerly Known as a Munchkin of Wardrobe Dysfunction began by singing "Let's Go Crazy," but he didn't.

Prince, who became a Jehovah's Witness in the mid-1990s, no longer wears yellow, butt-baring pants as he did at the 1991 MTV Video Music Awards (prompting Howard Stern's send-up at the '92 VMAs). The closest thing to a fashion statement Sunday night was an odd kerchief on his head. So the NFL had no repeat of the 2004 Janet Jackson/ Justin Timberlake show, which happened the last time CBS broadcast the game.

The 48-year-old Prince, who rose to stardom in the '80s with his distinctive fusion of R&B, funk, soul and rock, once looked androgynous and produced songs that (lest we forget) drove Tipper Gore nuts (and made her a fat target for anti-censorship types like Frank Zappa).

Musically, the diminutive, erstwhile prodigy from Minneapolis kept it old-school, rockin' the house with "Purple Rain" and other golden hits.

He delivered one of the best Super Bowl halftime shows — ever. Consequently, he didn't come across as a painfully safe choice — or a has-been, the rap against the previous couple of Super Bowl halftime acts, Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones.

Before and after Prince took the midfield stage (shaped like his symbol when he was The Artist Formerly Known As Prince), Jim Nantz and Phil Simms gave a bravura performance in the booth. Now in their third season together, the duo have a nice rapport.

Making his Super Bowl play-by-play debut, Nantz kept viewers on top of the action. Simms managed to be self-effacing about at least one comment that was off the mark. He insisted the weather would not be a factor; but the rain got heavier than he anticipated, and after the third of four turnovers in the first quarter, he chuckled about what he said.

"The rain is absolutely having a little effect," he acknowledged.

It had an effect on CBS, too.

CBS Sports spokeswoman Leslie Anne Wade explained that the production crew kept cutting away from cameras that had condensation from the soggy conditions and kept wiping down the lenses as fast as possible between shots. In the control truck, they could see which of the 48 cameras needed to be cleared up.

"They're working pretty hard, and they're getting pretty clear pictures for the most part, for what the weather's like here," she said.

"Not easy conditions for anyone. Even our crew," Nantz noted on the air.

Maybe high-definition TV owners annoyingly got more than their money's worth, being able to see every drop and just how sharp — or not — fog can look on their fancy flat screens.

But it certainly was refreshing to see the elements affect a Super Bowl.

As usual, much of the day's viewing diet had more to do with quantity than quality.

But, how can the nation's highest-rated TV program — and the run-up to it — NOT be bloated?

Ingesting 10-plus hours of Super Bowl coverage forces you to act like an anaconda: Just unhinge your jaws, swallow your prey and try not to be too conscious of your distended, distorted body.

There isn't enough party dip in the world to give you that much indigestion (although the food segment with chef Bobby Flay came close).

The six-plus hours of pregame hoo-ha began at noon EST with an NFL Films recap of the season, "Road to the Super Bowl," with Tom Selleck capably filling the old John Facenda role of narrator.

Next came "Phil Simms All-Iron Team," which the neurotic Caveman from the Geico commercials gave a lighthearted beginning, middle and end.

The ever-needy Caveman tried to wheedle the picks out of Simms on the golf course before they were announced on the selection show — with limited success, and limited satisfaction.

Derrick Brooks? "I just don't get it," said the Caveman, who would have picked, uh, Bonnie Raitt.

The quality of the players' character (including Brooks') was a big determinant in being chosen for Simms' squad, which gave the show a heartwarming touch and made it appealing to casual fans.

Then came the four-hour "The Super Bowl Today," which — in the true commercial spirit of the whole affair — began with Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr., who also was promoting the upcoming film "Norbit."

Just like every other Sunday of the football season, the CBS studio quartet of host James Brown along with analysts Dan Marino, Boomer Esiason and Shannon Sharpe made you miss the guys on Fox. They simply lack the chemistry of Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long et al. And no one on either show is as funny as Fox's Frank Caliendo.

The heart-tugging stories really kicked in during the last pregame extravaganza, almost ad nauseam — among them, Everson Walls' willingness to donate a kidney to former Dallas Cowboys teammate Ron Springs; Chicago Bears running back Thomas Jones' supportive family; a visit with soldiers in Iraq; and Bill Walsh's much-chronicled battle against cancer.

They even went all the way back to the tragically early deaths of long-ago Bears running backs Walter Payton and Brian Piccolo. (Hmmm. Might Netflix get a run on "Brian's Song"?)

Almost all of the ground covered was well-trod: Indianapolis Colts receiver Marvin Harrison's taciturn tendencies; the Jekyll-Hyde performances of Rex Grossman; the matchup between the first two black coaches to lead their team to the NFL title game.

As you can imagine, all the feel-good segments got a lot more airtime than, say, the story about the Bears' Tank Johnson needing a judge's OK to get out of house arrest on gun-possession charges and travel to Miami.

The story barely got four minutes (remember: out of four hours!) including Esiason, Sharpe and Marino weighing in on whether Johnson should have been allowed to play. (Predictably, Esiason opposed Tank's participation, Sharpe defended it, and Marino came down hard in the middle of the issue).

Katie Couric, who can chant "We're No. 3" about CBS News, joined the guys, for yet another "very touching story indeed," as Brown put it after introducing the high-priced "Evening News" anchorwoman by citing her sports reporting credibility. ("She brings a sports background to the desk. She ran track — an outstanding cheerleader").

She tackled the topic of Hines Ward, last year's Super Bowl MVP, and his Korean mother, who was shunned in her native country because of her biracial marriage, winding up a single mother here, and the bigotry that mother and son were subjected to.

But isn't this a year-old story? Where's the fresh, hard-hitting news?

Before all those hours fully dedicated to hyping the game, "Face the Nation" with Bob Schieffer was broadcast from Dolphin Stadium. At least the conversation was a little more serious with new league commissioner Roger Goodell as a guest.

Meanwhile, Tim Russert's "Meet the Press" was busy with presidential candidate John Edwards. Who cares about that, right?

Colts tame Bears for Super Bowl victory

MIAMI - A wet and wild Super Bowl, the winning conditions for Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. A team built for indoors found its footing on a rain-soaked track and outplayed the Chicago Bears to win the NFL title 29-17 Sunday night.

The Colts were far less sloppy, particularly their star quarterback, who proved he can indeed win the big game — the biggest game.

That's what it was for Tony Dungy, too. He became the first black coach to win the championship, beating good friend and protege Lovie Smith in a game that featured two black coaches for the first time in Super Bowl history.

It was a game of firsts: the first rainy Super Bowl and the first time an opening kickoff was run back for a touchdown when sensational Bears rookie Devin Hester sped downfield for 92 yards.

And not since the Buffalo Bills self-destructed with nine turnovers in losing to Dallas 14 years ago had there been so much messiness. The first half was marred by six turnovers, three for each team. Even football's most clutch kicker, Adam Vinatieri, missed a chip-shot field goal, and an extra point attempt was botched, too.

The second half wasn't quite so ugly, but when much-maligned Bears quarterback Rex Grossman's wobbler was picked off and returned 56 yards for a touchdown by Kelvin Hayden with 11:44 remaining, it was over.

Chicago (15-4), which led the league in takeaways this season, finished with five turnovers, including two interceptions by Grossman.

The Colts (16-4) will take it. It's their first title since the 1970 season, when they played in Baltimore.

Manning ended up 25-for-38 for 247 yards, with one touchdown and one interception, and was the game's most valuable player.

It was confirmation of his brilliance, even if he didn't need to be dynamic. The son of a quarterback who never got to the playoffs, Manning has been a star throughout his college career at Tennessee and his nine pro seasons with the Colts.

Now he is a champion.

It also was a validation of Dungy's leadership. He helped build Tampa Bay, one of the NFL's worst franchises, into a contender before being fired after the 2001 season. The next year, the Bucs won the Super Bowl under Jon Gruden.

The Colts hoisted their coach on their shoulders and he switched his blue Colts cap for a white one that read "NFL champions." Dungy was carried from the sideline, then was lowered so he could share a long embrace and a handshake with Smith.

Then Dungy waded through the mob to find his quarterback, giving him a big hug.

The Colts reached the pinnacle by winning four postseason games with a defense that made a complete turnaround in the playoffs.

And with a running game that perfectly complemented Manning, thanks to Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes, who combined for 190 yards — 113 on 21 carries by Rhodes and 77 on 10 carries by Addai, who also had 66 yards receiving.

Chicago was denied its first Super Bowl title since the powerhouse 1985 team. These Bears could have used Da Coach, Sweetness and their buddies.

It rained from start to finish; there was even "Purple Rain" during halftime when Prince sang some of his signature songs. And though Vinatieri twice was a victim of the slop, he kicked three field goals.

Hester's spectacular return provided a stunning beginning — and a severe jolt to the Colts. The local product and only rookie All-Pro this season pumped his arms to excite the crowd before the kickoff, then lifted the fans from their seats with an electrifying run on which he never was touched.

He barely touched the ball again as Indy went to squibbing kickoffs.

Leading 16-14 at halftime, the Colts spent half the third quarter with a march to Vinatieri's 24-yard field goal. Twice on the drive, Manning fell to the ground while throwing. But he completed them.

Grossman had it even worse on Chicago's initial possession of the second half, twice in a row slipping and getting sacked. Maybe he would have done better on icy turf.

Thomas Jones, forced to carry the Bears' entire rushing load when Cedric Benson was hurt in the first half, was Chicago's best player. But with Grossman ineffective, even inept, all the Bears managed in the second half was Robbie Gould's 44-yard field goal late in the third period.

After Hester's opening dagger, Manning tried to force a pass to Marvin Harrison in double coverage and was picked off by Chris Harris to spoil Indy's first possession, but the Colts struck back on their next series, converting three third-downs. The final one was the most important as Manning got everything on a long pass to the uncovered Reggie Wayne even though Tank Johnson had his hands on the quarterback. Wayne trotted into the end zone for a 47-yard score.

Then the rain ruined three straight plays.

Holder Hunter Smith dropped the snap on the extra point and Vinatieri couldn't get off a kick. Then Vinatieri, well aware of who was lurking deep, squibbed the kickoff to tight end Gabe Reid, who fumbled at his 35, with Tyjuan Hagler recovering for the Colts.

But Manning and Addai botched the handoff on the next snap and Chicago's Mark Anderson recovered, the third turnover in the first 8 1/2 minutes.

Couldn't anybody play this game?

Jones certainly could. He used a sharp cutback to break a 52-yard run, the longest of his career, to the Colts' 5, and Grossman found Muhammad in the front of the end zone for a 14-6 lead.

Jones finished with 100 yards rushing.

A fourth giveaway in the opening quarter, by Benson on his first carry before injuring his knee, didn't damage Chicago.

Vinatieri, who made two Super Bowl-winning kicks for New England, nailed a 29-yard field goal early in the second period but was wide left from 32 y ards at the end of the half.

Vinatieri still set a record with 49 postseason points.

'Fall Out Boy' high on new album

For a band founded and so deeply invested in the MySpace generation, nude Internet photos on the run are just par for the course.

In this case, we're talking about pop-punk icon's Fall Out Boy, bassist/lyricist/melodramatist Pete Wentz and a series of photos in which the emo rocker can be seen posing with his naked goods in his hands for all to see.

"If I was reading this, my first impression would be, 'Oh, this guy probably released the photos himself,' or something like that, no matter what the guy says and I think people keep that in the back of their heads when they're talking to me," says Wentz, during an interview backstage at the band's recent MTV Live gig in Toronto. "The only thing I can say is that I'd probably put out better pictures if I was going to do it myself."

Wentz says someone hacked into his PDA and went buckwild on the web (shortly thereafter, the bassist topped an AOL poll of the most popular Internet search keyword, ahead of second and third place searches -- Pamela Anderson and Paris Hilton). No real word on why the bassist was carrying around nude photos of himself. Although, he suggests it was just a pre-fame thing.

"The pictures were actually taken like a year before (they were released) and, at that time, I was this dude who no one cared about, 'cause, otherwise, I don't think I'd have those," he says. "Somebody just decided to put them out and it's pretty much the most terrible thing ever. Having the choice between three million people seeing me naked or three million people not seeing me naked, well, everyone would pick the latter."

It certainly hasn't hurt the plight of Fall Out Boy, who are set to release their sophomore major label album, Infinity On High, on Tuesday.

After premiering the record's first single, This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race, during a live performance at the American Music Awards in November, the track went No. 1 as a digital single in its opening week, selling 162,000 copies.

This, after selling more than three million copies of their major label debut, From Under The Cork Tree (which went double-platinum in Canada alone).

It was pretty hard to get away from either of the album's singles last year, particularly the ruthlessly catchy summer anthem Dance, Dance.

Much Music and MTV have showered the group -- rounded out by vocalist/guitarist Patrick Stump, guitarist Joe Trohman and drummer Andrew Hurley -- with awards and the Grammys nominated the emo troupe for best new artist last year.

Despite their initial success, Fall Out Boy's staying power has come as a bit of a surprise in this fast-food/pop-music climate -- the same one where bands like The All-American Rejects and Jimmy Eat World come out strong and fizzle out quicker than the kids can delete them from their MySpace friends list.

"Some of the bands that have really exploded in the past couple of years need to show that they can stick around for a couple records," says Wentz. "I think a band like Green Day are a good example of a band that can have ups and downs in their career then come back and have even more success than before. It's something we really look up to."

If Fall Out Boy doesn't work out, Wentz has built up quite the proverbial emo empire to fall back on. He founded Decaydance Records (and promptly signed Panic! At The Disco) and started his own hoodies-and-tees clothing line, Clandestine Industries (the clothes bear the same bat-and-heart shaped image that the bassist has tattooed above his you-know-what, as can be seen in the infamous rogue photos).

If that ain't enough, there are Fall Out Boy dolls and a self-published Wentz-penned book for the hardcore fans. Rumour has it that Wentz is set to release a novel in 2007 called Rainy Day Kids.

"Fall Out Boy is the most important thing and is the basis for all of that because no one would care about anything else any of us did if it wasn't for Fall Out Boy," says Wentz. "That's the thing we take the most care with -- it's always important that the outside projects aren't superseding the band. When you're in a band and you get to the level that we're at, you have to interact with corporations and I always think, 'Why can't you just be the corporation?' Then you'll always know what ideals are and then you can sleep at night."

Wentz insists his side projects are not his Fall Out Boy-insurance policy.

"I don't think it's a safety net; I think it's the other way around. I think Fall Out Boy is the safety net," he says. "If Fall Out Boy goes away, who would ever care what I was doing?"

Smokey puts film under fire

UNLIKE so many cineplex offerings these days, the big-screen adaptation of "Dreamgirls" does not open with the tagline "inspired by a true story" — even if the movie and the smash Broadway musical that preceded it have done little to conceal their real-life inspiration: Motown Records supremo Berry Gordy and his management of Diana Ross and the Supremes in the '60s and '70s.

As the film has made its inexorable march through award season toward the Oscars, doing increasingly big business at the box office along the way, neither Gordy nor Ross have offered their opinions. But "Dreamgirls," which leads the field with eight Academy Award nominations, has roiled another Motown legend: Smokey Robinson.

" 'Dreamgirls' is an affront to Berry, to Motown, to Diana Ross, to our legacy," Robinson says. "It defames something we've been building for 50 years. And for a group of people who weren't there and don't know what went on at the time to come along and distort Motown — for people all over the world who don't know the true story — that's not acceptable to me."

The soul crooner voices anger at the filmmakers but also particular disappointment with "Dreamgirls" stars Eddie Murphy, Beyoncé Knowles and Jamie Foxx — performers he feels have lost sight of their African American cultural heritage.

"For them to depict [Gordy] as this shyster who was underhanded from the very first moment, paying people off, manipulating everybody and he's hooked up with the Mafia and doctoring the books at his house — that's unacceptable," Robinson explains in uncharacteristically heated tones.

Specifically addressing Robinson's displeasure with "Dreamgirls," the film's distributor, DreamWorks/Paramount, issued this statement:

"On behalf of the filmmakers, we would like to remind Mr. Robinson that 'Dreamgirls' is a work of fiction based on a Broadway play. We also take exception to Mr. Robinson's unwarranted attack on the cast of 'Dreamgirls,' who are all at the zenith of their careers."

The studio's piquant rejoinder notwithstanding, Robinson remains resolute that amends are in order. "Let them tell me why they depicted us in such a negative light," he says. "Berry Gordy broke down racial barriers and brought people together through music. He and Diana Ross deserve an apology."

No Longer a 'Wonder' Boy

''Buffy'' creator Joss Whedon announces he's no longer attached to direct a ''Wonder Woman'' movie

Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon announced today on the fan website Whedonesque that ''I'm no longer slated to make Wonder Woman.''

Whedon had been attached to the long-gestating Warner Bros. project as a writer-director since March 2005. The announcement comes a day after a Hollywood Reporter story about a separate Wonder Woman script written by two unknown scribes that was ''quietly'' being purchased by Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures.

That story suggested that the studio was attempting to avoid any conflict with Whedon's now-defunct script.

Reps for Whedon, Silver, and Warner Bros. were not immediately available for comment.

Bond star Daniel Craig named best actor

LONDON - Daniel Craig was honored but Helen Mirren was denied Sunday at the 34th annual Evening Standard British Film Awards.

Craig was named best actor for "Casino Royale," his debut outing as James Bond. Craig, who has won both critical praise and box office favor as the first blond Bond, is also up for the best-actor prize at next week's British Academy Film Awards.

Mirren, who is an Academy Awards favorite for her turn as Queen Elizabeth II in "The Queen," lost the best actress prize to Judi Dench, awarded for her portrayal of a predatory schoolteacher in "Notes on a Scandal."

The best-film prize went to "United 93," Paul Greengrass' harrowing dramatization of the final flight of one of the planes hijacked in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Peter Morgan won the screenplay award for two scripts — "The Queen" and "The Last King of Scotland."

Sacha Baron Cohen, creator of the gauche Kazakh journalist Borat, won the Peter Sellers Award for comedy.

Stephen Frears, director of "The Queen," received a special award for "for making British film reverberate around the world." The veteran director's socially conscious films include "My Beautiful Laundrette," "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Dirty Pretty Things."

The Evening Standard awards are sponsored by London's afternoon newspaper and selected by a jury of film critics.

`The Messengers' delivers No. 1 debut

LOS ANGELES - The made-in-Regina fright film "The Messengers," about a city family that moves into a creepy haunted house in the country, debuted as the top weekend movie with $14.5 million in ticket sales.

Opening in second place was Diane Keaton and Mandy Moore's mother-daughter comedy "Because I Said So," the Universal release taking in $13 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The latest in a string of horror hits from Sony, "The Messengers" bumped off the previous weekend's No. 1 flick, 20th Century Fox's "Epic Movie," which slipped to third place with $8.2 million, raising its 10-day total to $29.4 million.

It was a quiet weekend at theaters as many fans were preoccupied with Sunday's Super Bowl. The top 12 movies took in $71.6 million, down 12.5 percent compared to the same weekend last year.

"The Messengers" — starring Dylan McDermott, Penelope Ann Miller, John Corbett and Kristen Stewart — is the first English-language film from Hong Kong siblings Danny and Oxide Pang, whose horror tales include "The Eye."

It was the seventh-straight year that Sony had the No. 1 movie on Super Bowl weekend, many of them similar low-budgeted horror hits such as last year's "When a Stranger Calls." "The Messengers" was shot on a thrifty $16 million budget.

"This business model of creating these modestly budgeted horror films is just something that consistently works for Sony," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

Key Academy Awards contenders continued cashing in on their honors, including best-picture nominees "The Queen" (Miramax) with a $2.7 million weekend, "The Departed" (Warner Bros.) with $2.3 million and "Babel" (Paramount Vantage) and "Letters From Iwo Jima" (Warner Bros.) with $1.7 million each.

Paramount's "Dreamgirls," which led the field with eight nominations, pulled in $4 million, while foreign-language nominee "Pan's Labyrinth" (Picturehouse) remained a top 10 hit with $3.7 million.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Messengers," $14.5 million.
2. "Because I Said So," $13 million.
3. "Epic Movie," $8.2 million.
4. "Night at the Museum," $6.75 million.
5. "Smokin' Aces," $6.3 million.
6. "Stomp the Yard," $4.2 million.
7. "Dreamgirls," $4 million.
8. "Pan's Labyrinth," $3.7 million.
9. "The Pursuit of Happyness," $3.1 million.
10. "The Queen," $2.7 million.

Shaye has new CD, reality show

Cameras are rolling on a new reality show featuring the three women of Canadian pop group Shaye.

Kim Stockwood, Damhnait Doyle and Tara MacLean are starring in the series (also titled Shaye) that will debut this summer on CH stations followed by a run on Global Television and Country Music Television.

The show will chronicle the trio’s efforts to achieve fame and fortune following the release of its sophomore CD, Lake of Fire, on Feb. 6. Shaye enjoyed some success with its 2003 debut album, The Bridge – thanks in large part to the hit single Happy Baby.

All three women, originally from the East Coast, had solo careers before coming together as Shaye.

"Shaye will afford our viewers a rare, inside look at the journey of an accomplished, Juno award-nominated Canadian musical group," said Christine Shipton, Vice President of Original Programming for CanWest MediaWorks, in a release. "We love this series because it features more than just music from a talented trio of women. It gets to the heart of what it takes to make it in the music industry both personally and professionally."

Shaye collaborated with EMI Music Canada to ensure the packaging for Lake of Fire was made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper. And the trio made a “zero footprint” commitment by replacing the resources used in production of the CD through tree planting.

The band will showcase its new songs with live performances Feb. 3 in Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square, Feb. 5 on CTV’s Canada AM and at the East Coast Music Awards on Feb. 18 (airing on CBC Television).

Scorsese wins DGA prize for 'Departed'

LOS ANGELES - Martin Scorsese won the top honor Saturday from the Directors Guild of America for his mob saga "The Departed," moving him a step closer to finally receiving Hollywood's biggest filmmaking prize at the Academy Awards.

Scorsese was chosen as filmmaker of the year by his peers, his first win at the guild awards after six previous nominations. The guild winner usually goes on to win the best-director Oscar.

The self-deprecating Scorsese said he was pleased at the apparent success of the film but that he only became convinced it was doing well when the studio called with box-office revenues from the first couple of weekends.

"If you look at the graph at the spikes at where the picture is doing really great figures, it's like looking at a veritable map of the American underworld," such as Boca Raton, Fla., Scorsese said. "Vegas, forget about it, it was amazing."

Adapted from the Hong Kong crime thriller "Infernal Affairs," "The Departed" stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a cop who's undercover in a Boston crime outfit, Matt Damon as a mob mole who has infiltrated the police, and Jack Nicholson as the merciless gang leader pulling everyone's strings.

It has become Scorsese's biggest commercial hit, and critics praised it as a welcome return to the vivid, bloody crime genre whose modern conventions the director helped pioneer in such films as "Taxi Driver" and "Goodfellas."

"I started watching his work when I was 15 years old, said DiCaprio, who has starred in Scorsese's last three films and introduced the director to the guild audience earlier in the evening. "It was like entering a seamless cinematic reality."

Walter Hill won the guild's directing honor for TV movies for the Western "Broken Trail."

Other TV winners included Richard Shepard for comedy directing on the pilot episode of "Ugly Betty," Jon Cassar for drama directing for an episode of "24," and "Chicago" filmmaker Rob Marshall for musical variety directing for " Tony Bennett: An American Classic."

Arunas Matelis won for feature-film documentary for "Before Flying Back to the Earth," a portrait of children hospitalized with leukemia. The film won over two Oscar nominees, "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Iraq in Fragments."

"The Departed" marked Scorsese's sixth nomination for best director at the Academy Awards, an honor that also has eluded him. A sixth loss at the Oscars would put Scorsese in the record books as the filmmaker with the most nominations without winning.

But many awards watchers feel this is Scorsese's year, labeling him the front-runner for the Feb. 25 Oscars. A Directors Guild win helps give him the inside track.

The guild prize is a solid forecast for who might win the directing honor at the Academy Awards. Only six times in the 58-year history of the guild awards has the winner failed to go on to receive the directing Oscar.

The other guild nominees were Bill Condon for the musical "Dreamgirls," Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris for the road-trip tale "Little Miss Sunshine," Stephen Frears for the palace saga "The Queen" and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu for the ensemble drama "Babel."

Scorsese, Inarritu and Frears were the only three of the five guild nominees who also earned best-director slots for the Oscars. The other Oscar nominations went to Clint Eastwood for the World War II epic "Letters From Iwo Jima" and Paul Greengrass for the Sept. 11 docudrama "United 93."

"Dreamgirls" had been viewed as a potential best-picture favorite at the Oscars, but it missed out on a nomination, as did director Condon. With Condon out of the race, Scorsese's path to Oscar victory could prove a bit easier.

Scorsese was coy backstage when asked if it was his year to win at the Oscars.

"I don't know," Scorsese said. "It's good to have a nomination, especially for this picture."

Allen Woos Cruz as New Muse

If Woody Allen is shooting his next film in Barcelona, how could he resist casting Spain's hottest leading lady?

According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, Allen has cast Oscar nominee Penelope Cruz in his upcoming untitled comedy, set to begin production this summer.

The Madrid-based actress, currently earning acclaim for her work in "Volver," would speak both English and Spanish in the film, though any and all details beyond that are shrouded in typical Allen mystery.

Allen's past two films, the Oscar nominated "Match Point" and the not-so-Oscar nominated "Scoop" were filmed in London, as was "Cassandra's Dream," his upcoming film with Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell.

Cruz, who just won a Goya for her "Volver" work, was most recently seen in "Bandidas" and "Sahara."

And Van Halen Will Rock

It turns out David Lee Roth was right. Not about fashion sense or talk radio, mind you, but about the inevitability of a Van Halen reunion.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-bound band—Roth included—have announced plans for a 40-date North American summer tour.

"I am very excited to get back to the core of what made Van Halen," Eddie Van Halen said in a statement Friday.

Roth, who unceremoniously parted ways with Van Halen in 1985, told billboard.com last summer that getting him and his former hair-band brothers back together would not be "rocket surgery."

"It's very simple to put together," Roth said. "And as far as hurt feelings and water under the dam, like what's-her-name at the end of the movie Chicago—'So what? It's showbiz!' So I definitely see it happening."

Unlike, say, his career in morning radio.

The former heavy metal frontman last rocked out with his fellow "Hot for Teacher" artists in 1996, when they recorded a few songs that ended up on the greatest hits album Best of Volume I. But an appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards that year by all four original bandmates—siblings Eddie and Alex Van Halen, Roth and bassist Michael Anthony—proved that the guys weren't really ready to reconcile.

While fans hoped that their group showing—the quartet's first public appearance together in 11 years—was a sign of a full-fledged reunion, Roth issued a statement several weeks later saying he'd been the "unwitting participant" in a publicity stunt engineered to sell more copies of Best of Volume I, and that he told Eddie at the time he didn't "think it was a good idea for the band to go to New York half-cocked."

The Van Halen brothers and Anthony denied Roth's take on the situation, saying "the intention all along was to do two new songs" and that Roth was "never led to believe anything but that."

Despite the inauspicious undertones of that exchange, along with Roth's comment to tmz.com last month characterizing a possible Van Halen reunion as "Jerry Springer meets Knots Landing," it looks as if fans are going to get the chance to "Jump" for Roth, Eddie & Co. after all, with Billboard reporting that a contract could be signed as early as Wednesday.

Anthony, however, will not be along for the proposed ride, having since joined up with Van Halen's second former frontman Sammy Hagar for a series of shows in which they billed themselves as the Other Half and performed both Roth and Van Hagar-era Van Halen tunes.

Instead, Eddie's 15-year-old son, Wolfgang, will take over bass responsibilities when the band hits the road again, a notion that apparently doesn't sit well with Hagar, who last performed with Van Halen in the summer of 2004.

"That’s a lot of pressure for Wolfie," Hagar told billboard.com a couple weeks ago. "Just 'cause he's Eddie's son doesn't mean he can go out and play in arenas and perform and entertain an audience for two hours. I would love to see Eddie and Alex get behind Wolfie, with a kid of his age singing, and produce the record for him and help him launch a career. I'd rather see it go that way than come out and say 'Wolfie's the bass player in Van Halen and maybe singing, too.' Van Halen's got way too much history to have that put on him."
Hagar will have a chance to give Eddie some parenting advice in person in March, when Hagar, the Van Halen brothers, Roth and Anthony are scheduled to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

"My hope is that everyone lets everything go and we go there in complete respect of each other and in a loving way, with the attitude that 'I couldn't have done it without you' toward everybody," said Hagar, ever the optimist.

Nash earns all-star nod

NEW YORK (CP) - Canadian Steve Nash of the Phoenix Suns was one of seven reserves named Thursday night to the Western Conference team that will play in the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas.

The Victoria born player, who will be making his fifth all-star appearance, is averaging 19.6 points and 12 assists per game through 43 games, while shooting 49.6 per cent from three-point range and 87.6 per cent from the free-throw line. Phoenix faced San Antonio at home later Friday.

One bad night may have overshadowed all the good Carmelo Anthony has done this season.

The NBA's leading scorer was not among the seven reserves announced.

Denver teammate Allen Iverson was chosen, extending his streak of consecutive all-star appearances to eight. He started the last seven games, while playing for Philadelphia. Anthony, who is averaging 31.3 points, but missed 15 games, while suspended for his role in the brawl at Madison Square Garden, was the most obvious omission.

Earlier Thursday, Anthony said that he hoped his suspension wouldn't prevent him from earning his first all-star spot.

"I hope no one holds that over my head over anything," he said. "Things happen. One incident like that is held over one person's head, life ain't fair."

"I did my punishment. I could've easily kept my name out there by appealing it and doing other stuff about it, but I just did my 15 games suspension and hopefully put that behind us."

Nash, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion were all chosen from the Phoenix Suns, the league's highest scoring team. Suns coach Mike D'Antoni will lead the West.

"It will be great to be able to go with our coaches and teammates," said Nash, the two-time NBA MVP. "It will be great to have them there and have them be recognized, too."

Stoudemire, averaging 18.6 points and 8.9 rebounds, made it after sitting out most of last season because of knee surgery.

"It was a goal of mine," he said. "I told you guys that before the season started, back in training camp, that I was planning on making it. So I was really striving for it."

"The past two years have been tough for me and it's definitely paid off. There may be people who doubt you, but you can never doubt yourself."

Dirk Nowitzki was the only player picked from the Dallas Mavericks, who have the league's best record. The Mavericks had been hoping Josh Howard would be selected as well.

"I think Dallas having the best record and only one guy, I thought that was surprising," D'Antoni said.

Detroit and New Jersey had multiple reserves picked for the Feb. 18 game. Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton, who both made their first appearances last season, are going back for Detroit, while Jason Kidd and former Toronto Raptor Vince Carter will represent the Nets in the game at University of Nevada-Las Vegas' Thomas & Mack Center.

"I'm happy that Rip made it, too, because he's having a career year," Billups said. "If I only made it, a piece of me would've been disappointed. I've always felt like we're a package deal."

Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal and first-timers Dwight Howard of Orlando and Caron Butler of Washington round out the East reserves.

The seven reserves were voted on by the head coaches in their respective conferences. Coaches couldn't vote for their own players, and had to select two forwards, two guards, a centre and two players regardless of their position.

The remainder of the West reserves were San Antonio guard Tony Parker and Utah forward Carlos Boozer.

The starters were announced last Thursday.

Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade and Gilbert Arenas were picked in the East. Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Kobe Bryant were voted in by fans to start for the West.

Anthony still has a chance to play in Las Vegas. NBA commissioner David Stern will choose a replacement for Yao, who is still recovering from a broken bone under his knee, and Boozer also could be unavailable because of a hairline fracture in his left leg.

He's expected to miss a few weeks, but said Thursday he hopes to return in time for all-star weekend. He doesn't know when he would need to resume running for that to happen.

"Hopefully if everything works out, it will be right on time," he said. "I'll put it like that."

Anthony and Josh Howard are the most likely replacement choices, but could face competition for those spots from Seattle's Ray Allen, Portland's Zach Randolph, the Clippers' Elton Brand and another Denver player, Marcus Camby.

Stern said that he expected to make his decision in the next few days, and that when doing so he wouldn't consider the suspension he gave Anthony for the punch the Denver star hit the Knicks' Mardy Collins with on Dec. 16.

D'Antoni will lead the West squad, because Dallas coach Avery Johnson is ineligible after coaching last season. The same three Suns were chosen as reserves to the 2005 game.

"I'm sure they'll be out there at some time, but I haven't thought about it," D'Antoni said. "I'm thinking about San Antonio and Utah and everyone else in between."

Washington's Eddie Jordan is close to clinching the East coaching spot, largely because of the play of Butler. The forward is averaging 20.6 points and 8.0 rebounds, both career highs.

"Coach Jordan gave me more and more freedom and I really thought I had a chance," Butler said. "I dedicated my time last summer and look what came out of it. I couldn't be happier with this, but I know there is still work to be done."

Toronto forwards Andrea Bargnani and Jorge Garbajosa will take part in the rookie challenge on Feb. 16.

Ryder CD a love letter to Canada

TORONTO - "Whoa," Serena Ryder exclaims, with the phone to her ear. The thin drumming of her tour van's engine whistling in the background, as her driver overtakes a truck somewhere between Winnipeg and Regina, "driving in the prairies is really quite interesting," she continues. "It's windy out here and we kind of lost control for a minute. Where were we?"

Two albums into her burgeoning folk-rock career, the 23-year-old singer-songwriter, is turning back the clock, uncovering a slate of Canadian musical gems for her recently released major-label debut, "If Your Memory Serves You Well."

Her soulful whisper broods through the Band's "This Wheel's On Fire" and her piano-led version of Paul Anka's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore." And her beautifully plaintive take on Bonnie Dobson's "(Take Me For A Walk In The) Morning Dew" builds on Lanois-like atmospherics that give way to a Wainwright-y blast of popera on her plucky rendering of "Boo Hoo," a campy 1937 number co-written by Guy Lombardo's brother Carmen.

Sounding like a less emotionally ground-down version of Fiona Apple, the Millbrook, Ont., native also glides through Leonard Cohen's "Sisters Of Mercy," Percy Faith's "My Heart Cries For You" and Sylvia Tyson's "You Were On My Mind."

"I love Canada," says Ryder, on day two of a cross-country tour that continues throughout the month. "Since I was seven-years-old, I've been singing other people's songs, so it was an easy decision for me to embrace my influences and embrace where I come from.

"I thought it was a beautiful project to do, so I did it."

Recorded in Toronto and Vancouver the album got a bit of a kick-start from veteran music publisher Frank Davies, who founded the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, hot on the heels of Ryder's 2004 indie debut, "Unlikely Emergency," which was released with some help from Hawksley Workman.

"I really wanted to hear material that I'd never heard before, and Frank has that well of information where he's able to find all these rare Canadian songs," she says. "We started with over 500 songs, but how I chose which ones to cover was by listening to myself singing them.

"Seeing how the song fit vocally, seeing if I could put myself in those shoes and seeing if I could really believe in what I was singing? The songs I was able to do all those things with, popped out right away and ended up being the ones I picked."

But "If Your Memory Serves..." isn't strictly a spin through some classic Canadian covers; Ryder also drops three originals, one of which was co-written with Randy Bachman, at the end of the 15-song set.

"I've been writing a lot," she informs proudly, "but I'm not quite sure what the next record will sound like 'cause I'm constantly changing my mind about what my ideas of what I want to do or what I want to sound like is going to be.

"Usually when I record a record it's a snapshot of a certain time. It's a snapshot of a moment in my life."

The mostly all-covers album, usually reserved to fill an artist's schedule when they've stumbled into a case of late-career writer's block, clocking in early for the songstress, Ryder says she's happy to be interpreting a slate of other people's material to listeners across the country.

"I don't even think of my own songs as my own songs," she admits. "I think of music as belonging to everybody. That's what art is. It's a universal language that doesn't belong to any one person."

And the reason she chose to cover strictly Canadians?

"That's all I really know," she says. "That's where I come from. So I figured this was the best place to start."

Here are the dates for Serena Ryder's current Canadian tour:

February 1, Victoria, BC - The Central Bar and Grill

February 3, Tofino, BC - Tofino Legion

February 4, Vancouver, BC - The Media Club

February 6, Kimberley, BC - Bean Tree Cafe

February 7, Lethbridge, AB - Tongue 'N' Groove

February 8, Red Deer, AB - Elks Hall

February 9, Edmonton, AB - Sidetrack Cafe

February 10, Saskatoon, SK - Amigo's Cafe

February 22, Hamilton, ON - Casbah

February 24, Toronto, ON - Mod Club

February 26, Ottawa, ON - Barrymores

February 28, Whitehorse, YT - Atco Place

March 1, Whitehorse, YT - Atco Place

CBS Picks Up Another 'Big Brother'

CBS has ordered up an eighth season of its reality franchise "Big Brother" for this summer.

The strangers-in-a-box series has aired every summer since 2000 when it premiered within weeks of the launch of CBS' other venerable unscripted contest, "Survivor."

Julie Chen will return for another round of bare-shouldered hosting and Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan will remain on board as executive producers. Arnold Shapiro, another long-time executive producer, will serve as a creative consultant.

Last summer "Big Brother: All-Stars" welcomed back an assortment of favorites and saw Mike "Boogie" Malin top the other 19 all-stars to win the $500,000 top prize.

For its eighth installment, "Big Brother" will go back to its regular, unknown contestants who will, once again, share a house bedecked in cameras for three months, voting people out every week.

Dave's 25 Years of Bringing the Funny

David Letterman is planning to ring in his 25th anniversary in late-night comedy Thursday night with an old favorite—and no, we don't mean Larry "Bud" Melman.

Bill Murray, Letterman's first visitor when he debuted as host of NBC's Late Night on Feb. 1, 1982, and again the inaugural guest on Letterman's CBS Late Show on Aug. 30, 1993, is slated to appear once again on a milestone episode.

Also on hand to help celebrate the occasion: NBA superstar LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The 59-year-old host, showing no ill effects from 2000 bypass surgery, signed a contract extension last month that will keep him on the air through 2010, a year longer than longtime adversary Jay Leno, who announced plans to pass the Tonight Show baton to Conan O'Brien in 2009.

That would put Letterman within spitting distance of the mark set by his mentor, Johnny Carson, who hosted The Tonight Show for 30 years until his retirement in 1993. Letterman famously coveted Carson's desk, but when NBC went with Jay Leno, Letterman moved a few blocks from 30 Rockefeller to set up shop at the Ed Sullivan Theater, where he's been ever since.

Despite regularly ranking behind Leno in the ratings, Letterman's show has proven more critically adored, winning 14 Emmys in 89 nominations.

Safe to say it's produced a lot of Top Ten lists—3,325 to be precise, emanating from such far-flung Home Offices as Tahlequah, Okalahoma, and Wahoo, Nebraska.

Thursday's show will look back at a quarter-century of Stupid Pet Tricks (there have been 110 segments total), Stupid Human Tricks (73), gag suits (ranging from the Suit of Velcro to the Suit of Alka-Seltzer to the Suit of Suet) and too many Paul Shaffer gags to count.

But with 4,506 broadcasts, 14,772 guest appearances (led by Regis Philbin's 71) and 3,417 musical performances (topped by Warren Zevon's 26 visits, including a poignant interview shortly before the "Werewolves of London" rocker's death), Letterman and his team have plenty of material to choose from for the retrospective.

In keeping with the spirit, here are our nominations for the Top Ten Moments in Lettermania:

- Bill Murray doing jumping jacks while singing Olivia Newton-John's hit "Physical" on the premiere episode of Late Night
- Any visit by Andy Kaufman, particularly the 1982 segment in which the comic appears to fight with pro wrestler Jerry Lawler
- Sandra Bernhard's finger getting bitten by a chimp wearing the "Late Night Monkey Cam"
- Bruce Springsteen turning up as the surprise musical guest on his last NBC show
- Launching watermelons and household appliances off the roof of the Ed Sullivan Theater and watching the destruction
- His frequent haranguing of his employers, most notably poking fun at CBS honcho Les Moonves for meeting with Fidel Castro in 2001
- Two moments with Cher, one segment in which he arranged a memorable reunion with ex-hubby Sonny Bono and the two sang "I Got You Babe," and the other, a not so pleasant visit in which she calls Letterman an epithet on the air
- Drew Barrymore flashing her breasts at him on his birthday and/or Courtney Love flashing him in, what we think was a bid to upstage Barrymore
- The heartfelt and emotional Late Show just six days after 9/11, the first late-night comedy program to return following the attacks, which featured an uncharacteristically serious monologue
- Letterman interviewing Janet Jackson about her "wardrobe malfunction" at the 2004 Super Bowl, beginning with the immortal query, "So how's Tito?"

Prince headlines Super halftime show

MIAMI - Prince barely spoke, and still stole the show. It was billed as a news conference about the Super Bowl entertainment lineup, featuring pregame performers Cirque du Soleil, national anthem singer Billy Joel and Prince, the halftime-show headliner.

Typically, these events have been question-and-answer sessions.

Then again, there's little that's typical about Prince, the enigmatic six-time Grammy winner who once changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and was best-known for racy lyrics and gyrations before toning his act down considerably in recent years.

"We are not taking questions at the end," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told a room packed with reporters and photographers, trying to give fair warning about a minute before Prince arrived, "but we think the trade-off will be pretty good."

The trade-off was a 10-minute concert with Prince and his 10-person entourage using that as their taste of what's coming at halftime on Sunday night.

His jacket, shirt, pants and shoes were orange — surprising since he is, after all, known as "The Purple One." Shielded from view moments before taking the stage, Prince came out, took a deep breath, grabbed his guitar and sauntered to the microphone.

"Thank you," he said, after finishing the quick set. "See you at the Super Bowl. Peace."

Then he was gone.

"I think he's brilliant," Joel said. "He's one of the most talented people in the industry today."

A six-time Grammy winner, Joel will become the first two-time performer of the national anthem in Super Bowl history. He also sang it before the 1989 game in Miami.

Sunday's game entertainment opens with Cirque du Soleil — touted as "a high-energy extravaganza of music, dance, gymnastics and circus arts" — pairing with well-known Miami artist, Romero Britto, for a pregame show. Grammy winner Louie Vega will provide an original musical score for the show.

Some Cirque performers were present. They were dressed as football referees and sat atop eight-foot flamingo puppets who pranced around the room.

Final Harry Potter book due out in July

LONDON - "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the last of seven installments of the boy wizard's adventures, will be published July 21, author J.K. Rowling said Thursday.

Rowling announced the publication date on her Web site.

Bloomsbury, her British publisher, said it would publish a children's hardback edition, an adult hardback, a special gift edition and an audio book on the same day.

Scholastic Children's Books, the U.S. publisher, said it would offer a hardback edition at a suggested retail price of $34.99, a deluxe edition at $65.00 and a reinforced library edition at $39.99.

Bloomsbury noted that this year is the 10th anniversary of the publication of the first "Harry Potter" book in the phenomenally successful series.

The "Potter" books have sold 325 million copies worldwide and been translated into 64 languages, Bloomsbury said.

The last book, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," sold 2,009,574 copies in Britain on the first day of its release, Bloomsbury said.

The Potter franchise is so important to the company's earnings that it announced the publication to the London Stock Exchange.

Bloomsbury shares were up 2.2 percent to $4.40 after the announcement.