A mellowing Bruce Willis dishes on Demi, 'Die Hard'
Yippee-ki-yay: Die Hard's John McClane is back June 27. And after 12 years, Bruce Willis' McClane is showing his, ahem, maturity.
The actor, 52, tells the next Vanity Fair: "A lot of the physical stuff that they had me doing was still, let's say, low-tech. I don't bounce as well off the concrete floors as I used to. … I'm glad I didn't wait a couple more years to do this."
A lot has happened to Willis since the last Die Hard. After 11 years of marriage and three children (daughters Rumer, 18, Scout, 15, and Talullah, 13), he and Demi Moore split up in 1998 and were divorced in 2000. Moore married Ashton Kutcher in 2005, and Willis was among the wedding guests.
Willis refers to the Moore-Kutchers as his "extended family," according to Vanity Fair, which has photos of the group on vacation in Turks and Caicos, where he has a home. "It's hard for people to understand," he says, "but we go on holidays together. We still raise our kids together. … Demi is the mother of my children and Ashton is the stepfather of my children. I'm thrilled that Ashton turned out to be such a great guy. I love Demi, and I know she loves me."
As for Willis, no serious girlfriend has emerged, though there have been plenty of tabloid reports. He doesn't feel the need to address gossip these days because "they're not writing about guys my age much anymore, unless I do something naughty. They're writing about the kids. That's what drives pop culture now. Anything goes, to the point when if it's O.K. for young pop stars or film stars to show photos of their naked vaginas in a magazine, then it's over, man. It's the (expletive) Fall of Rome."
The June issue of Vanity Fair hits newsstands in New York and Los Angeles on Wednesday and nationwide May 8.
300, Pirates Top MTV Movie Noms
Spartans versus pirates? The 2007 MTV Movie Awards is shaping up to be a bloodbath.
This time around, the numbers are on 300's side, with the agro period flick raking in a leading five nominations, including one in the all important Best Movie category as well as a Best Performance nod for leading warrior Gerard Butler.
Sadly, Best Supporting Performance by a Loincloth was not among the categories up for grabs this year.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest also made for a strong nominee, wrangling four nominations, while The Devil Wears Prada, Blades of Glory and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhastan each man-wrestled their way to three nods apiece.
The films will all vie for a chance to take home the Golden Popcorn—the most coveted of all gilded snack-food-based movie awards—for Best Movie, with Little Miss Sunshine rounding out the top category.
In addition to nods for Butler and the flick itself, 300 scored nominations for Lena Headey, who snagged a Breakthrough Performance nomination, Rodrigo Santoro, who got name-checked as Best Villain, and Butler versus "the Über-Immortal," whose big-screen combat earned the duo a nod for Best Fight.
Among their competition for the category is Blades' boys Will Ferrell and Jon Heder and the man-on-man stylings of Borat's Sacha Baron Cohen and Ken Davitian.
As for the Pirates' booty, Johnny Depp scored a requisite Best Performance nod, facing off against both Butler and costar Keira Knightley—last year, MTV melded its separate actor and actress categories for the more gender-neutral grouping. Fellow eye candy Orlando Bloom, meanwhile, failed to make the solo nominee cut.
Cohen also managed to earn himself a Best Comedic Performance nod for his sister-kissing Kazakh reporter, going up against Ferrell and, in something of a surprise, Emily Blunt, among others.
Blunt, who earned her nod for the scene-stealing assistant in The Devil Wears Prada, also happened to steal the thunder of the movie's supposed star Anne Hathaway, who failed to earn a nomination. Blunt managed a pair of them, including one for Breakthrough Performance.
Her competition in the latter category includes Justin Timberlake, who earned an out-of-left-field nomination for his not so heralded turn in Alpha Dog.
The big showdown for Best Kiss pits Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby's Ferrell and Cohen (who at least have the precedent of a Brokeback Mountain win in the same category last year) against The Holiday's Cameron Diaz and Jude Law, Stomp the Yard's Columbus Short and Meagan Good, Invincible's Mark Walhlberg and Elizabeth Banks and Little Man's Marlon Wayans and Brittany Daniel.
In addition to the same old categories, this year MTV is rolling out two new awards, one of which will be completely user-generated.
Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet, which as its name suggests honors a buzz-worthy flick that has yet to be released, features an inaugural slate of Evan Almighty, Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer, Hairspray, Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix, Rush Hour 3 and Transformers.
The other new category, Best Movie Spoof, will be populated entirely from entries from viewers, who can submit their own movie short parodies through MTV.com.
As always, the winners will be determined by viewer votes through both the cable net's Website and text message. Sarah Silverman hosts the ceremony, taking place June 3 in Los Angeles.
Here's a complete list of nominees for the 2007 MTV Movie Awards:
Best Movie
300
Blades of Glory
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Little Miss Sunshine
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Best Performance
Gerard Butler, 300
Johnny Depp, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Keira Knightley, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Beyoncé Knowles, Dreamgirls
Will Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Breakthrough Performance
Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Lena Headey, 300
Columbus Short, Stomp the Yard
Jaden Smith, The Pursuit of Happyness
Justin Timberlake, Alpha Dog
Best Comedic Performance
Emily Blunt, The Devil Wears Prada
Sacha Baron Cohen, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Will Ferrell, Blades of Glory
Adam Sandler, Click
Ben Stiller, Night at the Museum
Best Kiss
Cameron Diaz & Jude Law, The Holiday
Will Ferrell & Sacha Baron Cohen, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Columbus Short & Meagan Good, Stomp the Yard
Mark Wahlberg & Elizabeth Banks, Invincible
Marlon Wayans & Brittany Daniel, Little Man
Best Villain
Tobin Bell, Saw III
Jack Nicholson, The Departed
Bill Nighy, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Rodrigo Santoro, 300
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Best Fight
Jack Black & Hector Jimenez versus Los Duendes, Nacho Libre
Gerard Butler versus "the Über-Immortal," 300
Sacha Baron Cohen versus Ken Davitian, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Will Ferrell versusJon Heder, Blades of Glory
Uma Thurman versus Anna Faris, My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet
Evan Almighty
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
Hairspray
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix
Rush Hour 3
Transformers
McCartney says new CD is retrospective
NEW YORK - Paul McCartney says his upcoming album, "Memory Almost Full," looks back to the past.
"In places it's a very personal record and a lot of it is retrospective, drawing from memory, like memories from being a kid, from Liverpool and from summers gone," the 64-year-old ex-Beatle said Monday in a statement.
"The album is evocative, emotional, rocking, but I can't really sum it up in one sentence," he said.
"Memory Almost Full," McCartney's 21st solo album, will be released June 5 in the United States. It is his first for Hear Music, Starbucks' new music label.
A medley of five songs on the 13-track disc is "purposely retrospective," said the legendary singer-songwriter. "I thought this might be because I'm at this point in my life, but then I think about the times I was writing with John (Lennon) and a lot of that was also looking back."
Film director Michel Gondry has directed a music video — starring Natalie Portman — for the opening track "Dance Tonight," but McCartney said he's "not going to give the plot away."
McCartney last released the acclaimed "Chaos And Creation In the Backyard," in 2005.
Carson's foil Tommy Newsom dies at 78
PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Tommy Newsom, the former backup bandleader on "The Tonight Show" whose "Mr. Excitement" nickname was a running joke for Johnny Carson, has died. He was 78.
Newsom died of cancer Saturday at his home in Portsmouth, the city of his birth, according to his nephew, Jim Newsom.
Newsom, who played saxophone, joined "The Tonight Show" in 1962 and rose from band member to assistant music director. He retired along with Carson in 1992.
Newsom won music direction Emmys for "Night of 100 Stars" in 1982 and "The 40th Annual Tony Awards Show" in 1986. "The Tonight Show" received five Emmy awards during Newsom's years on it.
"I hope he will be remembered as a gifted musician," Jim Newsom said Monday in a telephone interview. "I'm sure he will be remembered for his wit and deadpan humor on `The Tonight Show.' And to some of us a certain age, he will always be remembered as Mr. Excitement."
That was the name Carson gave Newsom to make light of his low-key personality and drab brown and blue suits — a sharp contrast to the flashy style of bandleader Doc Severinsen.
"He became a running character in Carson's monologue," Jim Newsom said. "Tommy enjoyed that."
Not long after the Carson era ended in 1992, Newsom remarked that his image as an ordinary guy was "fairly accurate — compared to Rambo."
"I realize things have to end sometime," Newsom said at the time. "I felt regrets at it ending and there was a sense of relief in a way."
Along with his work on "The Tonight Show," Newsom arranged and composed music for Skitch Henderson, Woody Herman, Kenny Rogers, John Denver and other performers.
He also released several albums as a bandleader, including "Live From Beautiful Downtown Burbank" in 1978 and "I Remember You, Johnny" in 1996.
Newsom was born in 1929 and got his first horn for Christmas at age 8. He graduated from the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, then toured with a U.S. Air Force jazz ensemble during a four-year enlistment.
Before landing his "Tonight" gig, he toured the Soviet Union and South America with Benny Goodman and played in "The Merv Griffin Show" orchestra.
Newsom is survived by his wife of 50 years, Patricia, and their daughter, Candy Newsom.
Lambert seeks repeat success with new CD
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - She torched a cheating lover's home in "Kerosene" and loaded up a shotgun for an abusive man in "Gunpowder & Lead."
She named the title track to her latest album "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," for Pete's sake.
And yet Miranda Lambert, a striking blond with pouty lips, laughs at the suggestion she might be, well, the girlfriend from hell.
"I'm actually a nice person, most of the time," she says softly.
And despite the tough demeanor, she's actually feeling a touch fragile these days. She faces the pressure of following up a successful debut, and she's scared to death about it.
"If I don't do that well, I let everybody down. I let myself down," she said.
While her 2005 debut "Kerosene" went platinum, it didn't get much help from country radio. Her highest-charting single by far was the title cut, and it failed to make the Top 10 on Billboard's country music singles chart.
The edgy title track from her new album, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," stalled at No. 50. Her latest single, the more traditional "Famous in a Small Town," is just now registering on the charts.
"I think with the right single she's going to break. The question is does she have it yet," said Brian Jennings, program director at WGAR in Cleveland.
No one questions Lambert's talent. She's been writing and performing since she was a teenager. She's toured with superstars George Strait, Keith Urban and Toby Keith. Her performance at last year's Country Music Association awards was a jaw-dropper for the normally staid CMA, with Lambert smashing her guitar on stage like Pete Townsend.
On the new record, she again wrote or co-wrote most of the songs. And while she can still come across as the wild blonde whose idea of a night out involves tequila and gunplay, she shows a more vulnerable side with ballads like "Love Letters," "More Like Her" and "Easy From Now On."
"I'm 23 years old, and I go through the things that a regular 23-year-old girl goes through," she said. "I don't want people to look at me and think, 'Oh my God, she's scary. She's the crazy ex-girlfriend.'"
Lambert has one of the more unusual stories in country music. Growing up in Lindale, Texas, her parents were private detectives who shared stories of cheating and deceit over dinner every night.
"To me, it was just mom and dad's job. But seeing that harsh reality of real life early on started coming out when I was writing," she said.
They got the case of a lifetime when Paula Jones hired them for her sexual discrimination lawsuit against President Clinton. They worked on it for two years, and it left a big impression on Lambert and her younger brother.
"Mom and dad would leave the house and say, 'These men in black might come to the door, and they'll want our files. Just let them in, and you go to your room and lock the door,'" she recalled.
Crazy stuff, and pure gold for an aspiring country singer. She began writing songs at 17 and playing at rodeos, fairs and radio stations across Texas.
She cracked the Texas music chart before she even finished high school and won a spot on the inaugural season of USA Network's "Nashville Star" talent show, finishing third behind winner Buddy Jewell.
Lambert stood out from the get-go, said Tracy Gershon, a judge on the show and a Sony Nashville executive who ended up signing her.
"She had a lot of focus and vision," recalled Gershon, now vice president of A&R at Warner Brothers Nashville. "She was an old soul in a lot of ways. Her points of reference for songs were Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton. She had a great sense of music history about her and a real sense of herself."
By not winning, Lambert did herself a favor. Unlike Jewell, she got a recording contract without the pressure to put something out right away. And she took full advantage it.
Gershon remembers a meeting with former Sony Nashville President John Grady and other top brass where Lambert told them she wanted to write her own songs and pick her own musicians, and she was willing to walk away if she didn't get what she wanted.
"I had my mouth open," Gershon said. "She said it with such force, and they said OK. I had never seen that."
The resulting album "Kerosene" debuted at No. 1 in 2005 and established Lambert as a rising star.
With the new record, she knows that radio airplay is key, and she said she's ready to go back to promoting herself one radio station at a time if she has to.
"Hey, I did it before and I'll do it again," Lambert said. "I'll march my happy butt right into the station and tell them to play my music, because it worked when I was 17."
Love plans to sell Cobain's belongings
NEW YORK - Courtney Love, widow of Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain, says she plans to sell most of his belongings.
"I'm going to have a Christie's auction," Love, 42, tells AOL music Web site Spinner.com. "(My house) is like a mausoleum."
Love and Cobain wed in 1992 and had a daughter, Frances Bean, that year. Cobain committed suicide in 1994.
"My daughter doesn't need to inherit a giant ... bag full of flannel ... shirts," says Love, former frontwoman of the rock band Hole. "A sweater, a guitar and the lyrics to `(Smells Like) Teen Spirit' — that's what my daughter gets. And the rest of it we'll just ... sell."
No date has been set for the auction, AOL publicist Kurt Patat told The Associated Press on Monday.
Love, whose upcoming album is titled, "Nobody's Daughter," says friends support the idea.
"Everyone's been positive and behind me on it," she says. "We'll make a lot of money and give a bunch of it to charity."
She'll have a chance to move on from Cobain, too.
"I still wear his pajamas to bed. How am I ever going to go form another relationship in my lifetime wearing Kurt's pajamas?"
...Here Are The Grey's Anatomy spinoff details
By this point, it's one of the worst kept secrets in TV land.
But if you haven't already heard, the medical staff at Seattle Grace will be short one redhead come the fall.
That's because ABC plans to launch a spinoff series from Grey's Anatomy, one of the sole bright lights in the network's historically dim Thursday night lineup.
While little is known about the series (at this point, not even a name has been confirmed, although Private Practice seems to be the tentative fave), we can tell you the show will focus on Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd (Kate Walsh), ex-wife of one Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) -- or McDreamy, as he's better known to the rest of the world.
The show's creators are playing their hand pretty close to their vest, opting not to do any advance press, nor even let critics see in advance the two-hour Grey's Anatomy episode that will set the stage for Addison's departure this coming Thursday night. But our friends at CTV were kind enough to share a few details, confirming that this week's instalment will see Addison take a road trip to Los Angeles, ostensibly to visit with a few old friends from med school.
Also, the show boasts a host of guest stars, among them Taye Diggs (Chicago), Tim Daly (The Nine), Paul Adelstein (Prison Break), and Amy Brenneman (Judging Amy).
A recent piece in the Los Angeles Times helped fill in a few more blanks -- namely, that two of Addison's pals (Diggs and Merrin Dungey) work at a successful oceanside health co-op with a staff that's just quirky enough -- widowed holistic-med expert, self-doubting therapist, male gyno who's clueless with the ladies -- to provide years of sexy, soap-opera fodder.
Addison, still reeling from her own disastrous romantic encounters, concludes that while her new cohorts' personal lives may be a mess, their professional standards are exemplary, leading her to ditch Seattle's rain-streaked vistas for the far sunnier environs of Santa Monica.
So will the show find an audience, especially in a TV landscape that's already cluttered with quip-prone doctors who can't keep their hands off each other?
Well, spinoffs are always a gamble, which probably explains why there are so few of them these days (and, no, we don't count the myriad permutations of either the CSI or Law & Order franchises). For every well-received Frasier there's a disastrous dud such as Joey, which means only time will tell whether audiences will respond warmly to a sexy neo-natal surgeon and her dating peccadilloes.
OUR PICKS: MINI & MEGA!
Summer movies are all about wallowing in great, gooey gobs of excess. This is the season for the big (“Shrek the Third”), the loud (“Transformers”), and the uncomplicated (“Fantastic Four”) - stuff that goes perfectly with arctic air conditioning and extra-large troughs of buttery popcorn. Still, there will be times when you want some subtlety - more Zach Braff, less Michael Bay.
So rather than giving you a rundown of absolutely everything being released in the next four months (and excluding any film that is a third in a franchise) this summer movie calendar offers one marquee-topping flick and one indie alternative for each of the 17 weeks. Happy viewing!
MAY 11
The Smash: “28 Weeks Later . . . ” In a sequel to “28 Days Later,” London’s declared free of the virus that turned its citizens into zombies - then one last carrier surfaces.
Why we care: Panders to our worst avian-flu imaginings.
The Sleeper: “Provoked: A True Story” Bollywood superstar Aishwarya Rai in a true story of an Indian woman who killed her abusive husband (Naveen Andrews) and was sentenced to life in prison.
Why we care: Might be good enough to wipe out memory of similarly themed J.Lo flick, “Enough.”
MAY 18
The Smash: “Captivity” Hot guy and girl (Daniel Gillies and Elisha Cuthbert) are kidnapped, held prisoner in a basement and tortured.
Why we care: Firestorm about overly torture-y billboards has predictably piqued our interest.
The sleeper: “The Wendell Baker Story” Luke Wilson’s the writer, co-director and star of this ’70s-throwback comedy about an ex-con; brother Owen co-stars, brother Andrew co-directs.
Why we care: You can never have too many Wilsons.
MAY 25
The Smash: OK, there’s “Bug” with Ashley Judd playing a bartender who becomes convinced she has parasites under her skin. But let’s just face facts: You’re going to see “Pirates of the Caribbean” and nothing else this week has much of a chance.
The sleeper: “Paprika” Trippy anime feature about a machine that lets you enter someone else’s dreams. Inevitably, it falls into the wrong hands.
Why we care: Perfect plot for sophisticated animators to really go nuts on the visuals.
JUNE 1
The Smash: “Knocked Up” Seth Rogen’s the lead in this comedy, from the director of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” about a schlub who impregnates a one-night stand (Katherine Heigl).
Why we care: It’s a “Freaks and Geeks” reunion: director Judd Apatow, Rogen, Jason Segel and Martin Starr.
The sleeper: “Day Watch” The Russian sequel to 2006’s “Night Watch” is the follow-up in a trilogy of sprawling, high-octane Russian vampire movies.
Why we care: Takes every conceivable American action-film technique and throws it in a blender with some Russian actors.
JUNE 8
The Smash: “Surf’s Up” “It” boy Shia LaBeouf voices the lead in this animated story about a penguin who wants to be a surfer.
Why we care: If you can get past the penguin fatigue, it looks more promising than a lot of last year’s animated animal flicks.
The sleeper: “La Vie En Rose” French biopic about legendary singer Edith Piaf (Marion Cotillard), a cabaret sensation who died at 47.
Why we care: Cotillard reportedly knocks it out of the park as the long-suffering but charismatic Piaf.
JUNE 15
The Smash: “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis & Co. return as the superhero foursome, this time to battle not only Dr. Doom (Julian McMahon), but also the mysterious Silver Surfer.
Why we care: Ever since “X2,” we keep hoping another superhero sequel will surpass the original.
The sleeper: “Eagle vs. Shark” Socially awkward New Zealand woman (Loren Horsley) falls for even more socially awkward guy (Jemaine Clement, of comedy duo “Flight of the Conchords”).
Why we care: It’s the Kiwi “Napoleon Dynamite,” which will likely work both for and against it.
JUNE 22
The Smash: “Evan Almighty” Steve Carell reprises his character from “Bruce Almighty,” who’s called by God (Morgan Freeman) to build an ark.
Why we care: Anything Carell touches turns to funny.
The sleeper: “A Mighty Heart” Michael Winterbottom tells the story of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter murdered in Pakistan in 2002. Angelina Jolie stars as his widow.
Why we care: Winterbottom brings the serious-film cred; Jolie brings the spectacle.
JUNE 29
The Smash: “Ratatouille” Pixar takes on French restaurants through the eyes of a Parisian rat (Patton Oswalt) who wants to become a chef.
Why we care: It’s Pixar. Resistance is futile.
The sleeper: “You Kill Me” (June 27) Ben Kingsley stars as a hit man who’s trying to change his life.
Why we care: Directed by John Dahl, who one day will craft a worthy follow-up to 1994’s “The Last Seduction.”
JULY 4
The Smash: “Transformers” The Deceptacons and the Autobots battle it out on planet Earth, Michael Bay- style!
Why we care: Doesn’t seem possible to take the concept of kiddie toys as scary alien invaders seriously - but you never know.
The sleeper: “Joshua” (July 6) New twist on the “Bad Seed” story, with Vera Farmiga and Sam Rockwell as parents of creepy 9-year-old boy.
Why we care: Farmiga and Rockwelboth have the chops to carry any film.
JULY 13
The Smash: “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” Fifth installment of the J.K. Rowling saga sees Hogwarts overtaken by a fascistic leader.
Why we care: Each successive Potter pic gets a little farther afield from being just a kids’ movie.
The sleeper: “Talk to Me” Don Cheadle stars as rabble-rousing ’60s radio DJ and ex-con Ralph Waldo “Petey” Green.
Why we care: Three reasons - Martin Sheen, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Cheadle.
JULY 20
The Smash: “I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry” Adam Sandler and Kevin James are fireman buddies who marry to get health benefits.
Why we care: Can Sandler play gay without turning it into Mr. Roper-style caricature?
The sleeper: “Hairspray” Film version of the Broadway musical, stars John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken and Amanda Bynes.
Why we care: Travolta in a fat-lady suit!
JULY 27
The Smash: “The Simpsons Movie” Feature version of the insanely long-running show sees Homer tasked with saving the world . . . from himself, as usual.
Why we care: Penned by the original writers, this could be a return to original, impeccable comedy.
The sleeper: “No Reservations” Catherine Zeta-Jones’ type-A chef becomes the guardian of her young niece, softens up and falls for fellow chef Aaron Eckhart.
Why we care: Eckhart, never the soft-and-cuddly type, is a good bet for a non-mushy romantic comedy.
AUG. 3
The Smash: “Hot Rod” Stuntman Andy Samberg attempts the ultimate jump to raise money to cure his abusive stepdad - so he can beat him up.
Why we care: Produced by Will Ferrell, this looks like “Talladega Nights Lite” - and that’s just fine by us.
The sleeper: “The Ten” David Wain (“Wet Hot American Summer”) directs series of comic vignettes based (loosely, one presumes) on the Ten Commandments.
Why we care: All-star cast includes Adam Brody, Paul Rudd, Jessica Alba, Famke Janssen, Winona Ryder, Liev Shreiber, Gretchen Mol, Oliver Platt.
AUG. 10
The Smash: “Stardust” Epic fantasy about young man trying to find his way back from a magical world. Stars Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Sienna Miller and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Why we care: Based on a novel by acclaimed “Sandman” comic creator Neil Gaiman.
The sleeper: “Rocket Science” A teenage boy with a major stuttering problem tries to get the girl by joining the debate team.
Why we care: Won director award at Sundance.
AUG. 17
The Smash: “The Invasion” Update of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” stars Nicole Kidman as a psychiatrist who discovers what’s causing an alien plague.
Why we care: Kidman can clearly do creepy well, as in “The Others.”
The sleeper: “King of Kong” Old-school video game champions battle to be the best Donkey Kong player.
Why we care: Every so often, a documentary gets us totally engrossed in a random subculture - could “Kong” be this year’s?
AUG. 24
The Smash: “Virgin Territory” Hayden Christensen and Mischa Barton as Florentines in the Middle Ages who escape to the countryside during the Black Plague.
Why we care: This is why Barton left “The O.C.” Was it worth it?
The sleeper: “The Hottest State” Ethan Hawke writes, directs and appears in this adaptation of his novel about a Texan who moves to New York to make it as an actor.
Why we care: Hawke’s proven he can direct (“Chelsea Walls”) and write screenplays (“Before Sunset”) as well as act - can he juggle all three?
AUG. 31
The Smash: “Halloween” Rob Zombie’s remake of John Carpenter’s 1978 horror classic ups the gore ante but leaves the William Shatner mask pretty much intact.
Why we care: Zombie’s already proven himself a horror virtuoso with “House of 1000 Corpses,” its sequel and a “Grindhouse” trailer.
The sleeper: “Atonement” Keira Knightley and James McAvoy star in this adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel.
Why we care: Director Joe Wright did great things with Knightley in “Pride and Prejudice.”
'Disturbia' earns $9.1M as Spidey looms
LOS ANGELES - Movie-goers continued to keep their eyes on the Peeping Tom thriller "Disturbia," which fended off a weak batch of newcomers to remain No. 1 for the third straight weekend with $9.1 million.
The movie business seemed to be on hold in anticipation of a huge summer that begins this week with Sony's "Spider-Man 3." The top-12 movies took in an anemic $62.9 million, down 30 percent from the same weekend last year, when "RV" was the No. 1 movie with $16.4 million.
DreamWorks and Paramount's "Disturbia," starring Shia LaBeouf as a house-bound teen whose surveillance of neighbors uncovers a killer, raised its total to $52.2 million after three weekends, according to studio estimates Sunday.
Disney's supernatural thriller "The Invisible" turned in the best performance among the weekend's ho-hum debuts, taking in $7.6 million to open at No. 2. The movie centers on a teen trying to solve his own murder while trapped in a nether zone between life and death.
Paramount's "Next," starring Nicolas Cage as a man whose ability to see into the future is exploited by federal agents trying to stop a terrorist nuclear attack, premiered at No. 3 with $7.2 million.
Lionsgate's "The Condemned," with wrestler Stone Cold Steve Austin as one of 10 Death Row inmates dropped on an island to fight to the death for an Internet reality show, debuted in ninth-place with $4 million.
Yari Film Group's comedy "Kickin' It Old Skool," starring Jamie Kennedy as a man who wakes from a 20-year coma and tries to revive his break-dancing career, opened at No. 11 with $2.8 million.
Though movie attendance is up 1.2 percent so far this year compared to last, Hollywood has been in a lull in recent weeks as a huge crop of summer films looms, including Friday's premiere of "Spider-Man 3," followed closely by DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third" and Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."
"I think people are just absolutely ready for a big summer movie," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "You can see by the box office over the last few weekends, they're ready, and it's been a long time coming. I do anticipate it's going to be an incredible weekend for us."
"Spider-Man" took in $114.8 million in its first weekend in 2002, a three-day opening that remained an all-time high until "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" set a new record last summer with $132 million.
In 2004, "Spider-Man 2" opened on a Wednesday before a long four-day Fourth of July weekend and took in a record $180.1 million in its first six days.
"This was an incredibly slow weekend. To have a top movie come in under $10 million just shows how the marketplace is in a holding pattern," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "It'll all be made up next weekend with `Spider-Man 3.'"
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. "Disturbia," $9.1 million.
2. "The Invisible," $7.6 million.
3. "Next," $7.2 million.
4. "Fracture," $7.1 million.
5. "Blades of Glory," $5.2 million.
6. "Meet the Robinsons," $4.84 million.
7. "Hot Fuzz," $4.8 million.
8. "Vacancy," $4.2 million.
9. "The Condemned," $4 million.
10. "Are We Done Yet?", $3.4 million.
THE COUCH POTATO REPORT - April 28th, 2007
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on some spectacular releases, and one you may want to avoid.
There is a lot for me to talk about this week, so let's jump right in, starting with the Academy Award winning fim THE QUEEN.
THE QUEEN is a spectacular movie about what might have taken place behind-the-scenes between Queen Elizabeth and British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the week following the death of Princess Diana.
A week that features an outpouring of emotion that no one could have predicted, and an equally unpredictable response from The Royal Family.
Helen Mirren won the Academy Award for her work as Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth The Second, and it was well deserved.
From the moment just before the movie's opening credits when she looks directly toward the camera, and right at us, she is The Queen.
It is an exceptional performance!!
We may never know what actually happened behind-the-scenes between after the death of Princess Diana, and the DVD of THE QUEEN even features a commentary from British historian & royal expert Robert Lacey acknowledging that.
But what we do get is an exceptionally well done movie that seems plausible, and above all else respects the people in real life that it is based on.
THE QUEEN is a spectacular film.
I will also use the word spectacular to describe the BBC documentary series PLANET EARTH.
There has been a lot of stories in the news this week about our planet, and if you'd like to get a unique look at what we could lose if we don't take care of it, then this is the box set for you!!
PLANET EARTH is a five-DVD, eleven part series that doesn't just cover the wildlife on our planet, it also gives us a one-of-a-kind look at mountains, caves, deserts, shallow seas, and much, much more!!
If you've ever wanted to see birds fighting caribou, a polar bear against a walrus, or watch North America turn from Summer to autumn using a camera from space, then do not miss PLANET EARTH.
It is simply spectacular!!
Up next this week is the three-DVD set for CHILLY BEACH, the CBC show about the Canadian island town where the tourists are few and the beer is plentiful
If you have never seen the show Saturday mornings on CBC Television, well the two main residents of Chilly Beach are Dale and Frank, two hockey-playing, beer-drinking best friends.
Yes, this show is distinctly Canadian!
CHILLY BEACH might be an animated show that is intended for kids, but as an adult, I enjoyed watching the show this week on DVD as well.
It has a great sense of humour.
Okay, right now I'd like to tell you about the DVD release of the classic television series WKRP IN CINCINNATI.
Finally this show is available on DVD...well, actually, the show that we watched when it aired from 1978 to 1982, the show we loved about the radio station and the eclectic group of people who worked there, the show that remains a television classic, will never appear on DVD.
What is actually available now is an edited version with most of the great music, and even some of the classic scenes and plots taken out, because they have references to songs and their lyrics, and those songs and references aren't free.
The producers of WKRP would have had to pay upwards of $100,000 for each and every song they featured in the show, and since the show takes place at a radio station, there is lots and lots of music.
So instead of working hard to get permission from the artists and paying them, like many other old shows have done in order to secure a DVD release of their shows as they originally aired, the studio decided to just substitute most of the music.
So if you are a fan of the series as it first aired, you will be very, very disappointed by this three-disc DVD set.
Now, if you are a completest, you would obviously want the episodes as you remember them...as they originally aired....as we've enjoyed them on TV for the past 29 years...but they are not available....and due to the cost of licensing the music, they may never be available.
However, the laughs are still there, the characters are still there, and while the episodes are not the same in this edited version as they once were, this box set is the next best thing.
And for now, that will have to be good enough.
Finally this week is THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW!
This TV show originally aired in 1955 and 1956 and they are an important part in Johnny's journey to stardom.
After a series of local radio and TV jobs in Nebraska, where he was raised, Carson started in Los Angeles in 1950. His sketch comedy show, "Carson's Cellar," ran from 1951-53 and drew attention from Hollywood.
A staff writing job for "The Red Skelton Show" followed.
The program provided Carson with a lucky break. When Skelton was injured backstage, Carson took the comedian's place in front of the cameras.
People then tried to find the right vehicle for the up-and-coming comic, trying him out as host of the summer quiz show "Earn Your Vacation" in 1954 and then "The Johnny Carson Show."
The 2-DVD set for THE JOHNNY CARSON SHOW is very entertaining, but if it more than that. It is also fascinationg.
It allows us to watch a very thin 29-year-old Carson, begin to form some of the mannerisms and style he used to eventually make "The Tonight Show" his own, en route to becomming the undisputed king of late night television.
The very entertaining JOHNNY CARSON SHOW, the edited but still one of the the five best TV shows ever WKRP IN CINCINNATTI, the enjoyable CBC show CHILLY BEACH, the spectacular DVD Box Set for the BBC documantary series PLANET EARTH, and the also spectacular THE QUEEN are all now available on DVD.
Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report
THE ARROW is the true story of how Canada almost built one of the world's most advanced fighter planes, back in the 1950s; teh TV series ROBSON ARMS debuts on DVD; LITTLE CHILDREN is a very, very interesting movie starring Kate Winslet and Jennifer Connelly; and then there is FLETCH! I'll also talk about THE JANE DOE EDITION of Chevy Chase's classic film FLETCH next week.
Also coming up next week, since the action filled, very loud, check-your-brain-at-the-door summer movie season will be upon us in theatres, I will offer you an alternative.
Each week during the summer movie season we will have a FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL and I will tell you about at least one current release on DVD that you need your brain to enjoy.
I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.
For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.
Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next time on The Couch!
Red Sock-gate
BOSTON (AP) - Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling offered US$1 million to anyone who could prove it was not blood that blotted his famous sock in the 2004 playoffs, and criticized members of the media in a blog on his personal Web site Friday.
The controversy over what stained Schilling's sock was reignited this week when Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Gary Thorne said Red Sox catcher Doug Mirabelli had told him it was paint, not blood, and that it was done for a publicity stunt.
Mirabelli called that a lie, and Thorne said Thursday he had misreported what Mirabelli said.
Still, Schilling blasted Thorne and the media in general Friday in his first public statement since Thorne's on-air comments.
Schilling was injured in Game 1 of the 2004 AL championship series against New York. Team doctors stitched a tendon in his right ankle to keep it from flopping around, and he returned to lead the Red Sox to a remarkable win in Game 6 to tie the series at 3-3. The Red Sox went on to win that series, and won the World Series for their first title since 1918.
"If you have ... the guts, grab an orthopedic surgeon, have them suture your ankle skin down to the tissue covering the bone in your ankle joint, then walk around for four hours," Schilling wrote on his website www.38pitches.com. "After that go find a mound, throw a hundred or so pitches, run over, cover first a few times. When you're done check that ankle and see if it bleeds."
Thorne did not immediately return a message Friday left with his employer, the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.
Schilling offered $1 million to anyone who could prove the blood on his sock was not authentic. But it's unclear where the sock is. Schilling has said he put it in the laundry; on Friday he wrote that he suspects a Yankees clubhouse employee still has it. The pitcher donated another bloodstained sock worn in Game 2 of the World Series to the Hall of Fame.
"If the blood on the sock is fake, I'll donate a million dollars to that person's charity, if not they donate that amount to (Schilling's charities for ALS research)," he wrote. "Any takers?"
Schilling also ripped several members of the national sports media for exaggerating stories based on their own insecurities and for "rolling their eyes" when he talks about his faith in God. His recommendation: "Put them all on an island somewhere.
"If you haven't figured it out by now, working in the media is a pretty nice gig," the pitcher wrote. "Barring outright plagiarism or committing a crime, you don't have to be accountable if you don't want to."
Rush shows humour on new album
Yes, veteran Canadian prog-rockers Rush deal with some pretty heavy issues — such as religion and war — on their new album Snakes & Arrows, which hits stores Tuesday.
But they also maintain their sense of humour, having lifted the title of one of their new instrumentals — Malignant Narcissim — from a line about how terrorists think in the outrageous 2004 movie comedy, Team America: World Police.
The irreverant film sprang from the same minds, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, who brought the world South Park.
“We’re all big Matt Stone fans, and South Park fans, so we we were all fans of that movie,” Rush singer-bassist Geddy Lee said yesterday in Toronto. “And (Rush drummer-lyricist) Neil (Peart) is friends with Matt Stone. And Matt and Trey Parker were both Rush fans at some point. So they keep in contact. And (Neil) said, ‘Look, we want to do this song called Malignant Narcissim, and (Matt) was thrilled. He said, ‘Great!’ ”
But when the band found out their Snakes & Arrows co-producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Velvet Revolver) had never seen the movie, they set up a special screening while recording with him in the Catskills.
“We were recording during American Thanksgiving,” Lee said. “And we planned this big dinner, actually in this big drum room, in this big recording room. So we set this giant table up and everybody and the crew, even the chef who was cooking for us that night, sat down with us and had this big meal. And at the end of it, we all crowded around the control room and on their big giant screen that comes down for when they’re doing film work there, we watched World Police as our big celebration.”
Raskulinecz laughed his butt off.
“Oh, yeah, how could you not?” Lee said. “It’s so ridiculous. I think it should offend, but it’s funny. They’ll offend anyone. They’re equal-opportunity offenders.”
'Studio 60' returning in May
NBC has set a return date for "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."
The Aaron Sorkin drama, which arrived last fall as the season's most hyped show and vanished from NBC's schedule amidst sinking ratings, will move to Thursday nights at 10 p.m. starting on May 24, at least according to the network's website for the show.
Not-so-coincidentally, that Thursday is the day after the end of the crucial May sweeps period and it comes a week after the upfront presentation at which NBC will reveal to advertisers whether or not "Studio 60" has a future on the network next season.
The show's chances for renewal are believed to be relatively slim.
Savvy viewers will recall that this is a return of sorts for "Studio 60." Last May, NBC announced that the series would air on Thursday nights at 9 p.m., only to run scurrying to Mondays after ABC moved "Grey's Anatomy" into the same time period.
"Studio 60" had a solid premiere, but by the time February rolled around the series was drawing only around 7 million same-day viewers (factoring in DVR usage gave the series a boost). The last original "Studio 60" aired back on February 19, before NBC shelved it a week earlier than expected for "The Black Donnellys."
Of course, "The Black Donnellys" failed to even premiere big and NBC pulled the plug on that Paul Haggis-created drama after only six episodes, replacing it with "The Real Wedding Crashers," which also didn't exactly dominate the time period.
NBC has yet to announce its specific intentions for the truncated "Studio 60" return. Six episodes remain unaired.
White Stripes return to the road with an 'Icky Thump'
The White Stripes are set to embark on a world tour this summer to support their upcoming album, "Icky Thump."
Following a two-week stint in Europe beginning June 1, the garage-rock duo will kick off North American dates June 17 at Manchester, TN's Bonnaroo Festival. The outing includes shows in all 10 Canadian provinces, as well as the Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest territories.
"Having never done a full tour of Canada, [drummer] Meg [White] and I thought it was high time to go whole hog," frontman Jack White said in a statement, adding that the July 14 concert in Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, will fall on The White Stripes' 10th anniversary.
Following the Canadian run, the Whites will return to the US for performances in 16 Eastern states that they have yet to visit in their career, plus a few other markets including New York City and Boston, according to the band's website. Confirmed North American dates are listed below. More are expected soon. Euro gigs can be found at the duo's website.
To help celebrate The White Stripes' 10th year, the band has teamed with British music mag NME to distribute a limited-edition, red vinyl, seven-inch single of the track "Rag and Bone" from the "Icky Thump" album, which will be released June 19 in the US. The special NME issue, which hits the streets June 6, will mark the first time in more than a decade that a vinyl record has been given away with a magazine, according to The White Stripes' website.
Less than a week later, the band will release the album's first radio single, the title track, on white vinyl. In the meantime, the song "Icky Thump" is available exclusively online at iTunes starting today (4/26).
The new set is The White Stripes' sixth studio effort following 2005's "Get Behind Me Satan," which scored a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album.
June 2007
17 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Festival
24 - Burnaby, British Columbia - Deer Lake Park
25 - Whitehorse, Yukon - Yukon Arts Centre
26 - Yellowknife, Northwest Territories - Shorty Brown Multiplex Arena
27 - Iqaluit, Nunavut - Arctic Winter Games Arena
29 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
30 - Edmonton, Alberta - Shaw Convention Center
July 2007
1 - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - TCU Place
2 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTS Centre
3 - Thunder Bay, Ontario - Community Auditorium
5 - Toronto, Ontario - Molson Amphitheatre
6 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
7 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre
8 - Ottawa, Ontario - LeBreton Flats Park (Ottawa Bluesfest)
10 - Moncton, New Brunswick - Moncton Coliseum Arena
11 - Charlottetown, Price Edward Island - Charlottetown Civic Centre
13 - Halifax, Nova Scotia - Cunard Centre
14 - Glace Bay, Nova Scotia - Savoy Theatre
16 - St. John's, Newfoundland - Mile One Center
22 - Portland, ME - Cumberland Civic Center
23 - Boston, MA - Agganis Arena
24 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
25 - Wallingford, CT - Chevrolet Theater
27 - Wilmington, DE - Grand Opera House
28 - Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
29 - North Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
30 - Birmingham, AL - Sloss Furnace
31 - Southaven, MS - Snowden Grove Park Amphitheater
Silverman Is Magic for MTV Movie Awards
MTV announced Thursday that Silverman will host the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, bringing her particular brand of pretty-girl-says-filthy-things humor to the irreverent trophy show. She takes over for Jessica Alba, who hosted the awards last year.
The awards are scheduled to air live on Sunday, June 3. "Survivor" guru Burnett is executive producing the show, his first collaboration with MTV.
"Sarah's irreverent, no-holds-barred sarcasm and humor have made her one of the hottest comedians in the industry," says Christina Norman, president of MTV. "Sarah is just the person to orchestrate the madness and keep everyone guessing about who'll be her next target."
Silverman stars in "The Sarah Silverman Program," which returns for a second season on MTV's Viacom sibling Comedy Central in the fall. She also hosted the Independent Spirit Awards in 2006.
Her movie and TV credits also include "The School of Rock," "Greg the Bunny" and a feature-film version of her one-woman show, "Jesus Is Magic."
Kelly Clarkson Ready To Rock On Summer Trek
Kelly Clarkson will spend nearly three months on the road this summer and fall in support of her upcoming RCA album, "My December." The tour begins July 11 in Portland, Ore., and will run through Sept. 28 in Las Vegas, with venues to be announced. Clarkson will also perform July 7 at the Live Earth benefit in East Rutherford, N.J.
"My December," a release date for which has yet to be confirmed, is led by the single "Never Again," which is just now settling in at U.S. radio outlets.
Before the tour, Clarkson will appear May 12 at Los Angeles radio station KISS FM's Wango Tango show in Irvine, Calif., and will perform May 15 with Reba McEntire at the Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas.
Here are Kelly Clarkson's tour dates:
July 7: East Rutherford, N.J. (Giants Stadium / Live Earth)
July 11: Portland, Ore.
July 13: Seattle
July 15: Sacramento, Calif.
July 17: San Jose, Calif.
July 19: Anaheim, Calif.
July 21: Denver
July 22: Kansas City, Mo.
July 25: Minneapolis
July 27: St. Louis
July 29: Chicago
July 31: Detroit
Aug. 2: Toronto
Aug. 4: Boston
Aug. 5: Albany, N.Y.
Aug. 12: Uncasville, Conn.
Aug. 14: Cleveland
Aug. 16: Philadelphia
Aug. 18: Uniondale, N.Y.
Aug. 19: Washington D.C.
Aug. 22, 24: East Rutherford, N.J.
Aug. 26: Nashville
Aug. 28: Atlanta
Aug. 30: Ft Lauderdale, Fla.
Sept. 1: Orlando, Fla.
Sept. 2: Tampa, Fla.
Sept. 5: Dallas
Sept. 7: Houston
Sept. 9: Las Vegas
Sept. 13: Calgary, A.B.
Sept. 14: Edmonton, A.B.
Sept. 16: Vancouver
Sept. 19: Fresno, Calif.
Sept. 21: San Diego
Sept. 23: Phoenix
Sept. 26: Los Angeles
Sept. 28: Las Vegas
Beastie Boys name new album
Beastie Boys have revealed exclusively to NME.COM that their new album will be called 'The Mix Up' and will be released in June.
Bandmember Mike D said the follow-up to 2004's 'To The 5 Boroughs' will be "radically different" to its' predecessor. The rockier record will instead hark to the style of the band's classic albums 'Check Your Head' and 'Paul's Boutique'.
Mike D said: "We play instruments on the whole album, as opposed to sampling. There's more rock on there. If you know us you can trace the influences and they're no completely surprising. Someone who listens to us casually might think 'What the hell are these guys doing?'
"It might make you flip your wig right off, or your hairpiece, if you're a casual listener."
The star also talked about the band's forthcoming appearance at the London leg of the Live Earth shows, which aim to promote action to confront global climate change.
Beastie Boys will perform at Wembley Stadium alongside the likes of Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Snow Patrol.
Speaking about the cause, Mike D said: "It's come to the point where drastic measures have to be taken now. To really create a mass consciousness of what needs to be done, mass action, it's gonna take mass awareness. And these huge concerts around the globe are probably one of the best means of doing so."
Asked if he would be playing any new material at the event, the star replied: "By that point we'll already be playing new songs. But I dunno - you don't wanna do 'Jazz Odyssey' in front of a crowd of 60,000."
Film lobbyist Jack Valenti dies at 85
LOS ANGELES - Jack Valenti, the former White House aide and film industry lobbyist who instituted the modern movie ratings system and guided Hollywood from the censorship era to the digital age, died Thursday. He was 85.
Valenti had a stroke in March and was hospitalized for several weeks at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center in Baltimore.
He died of complications from the stroke at his Washington, D.C., home, said Seth Oster of the Motion Picture Association of America.
"In a sometimes unreasonable business, Jack Valenti was a giant voice of reason," Steven Spielberg said in a statement. "He was the greatest ambassador Hollywood has ever known, and I will value his wisdom and friendship for all time."
Valenti was a special assistant and confidant to President Lyndon Johnson when he was lured to Hollywood in 1966 by movie moguls Lew Wasserman and Arthur Krim.
When he took over as president of the Motion Picture Association of America, Valenti was caught between Hollywood's outdated system of self-censorship and the liberal cultural explosion taking place in America.
Valenti abolished the industry's restrictive Hays code, which prohibited explicit violence and frank treatment of sex, and in 1968 oversaw creation of today's letter-based ratings system.
"While I believe that every director, studio has the right to make the movies they want to make, everybody else has a right not to watch it," Valenti told The Associated Press shortly before his retirement in 2004. "All we do is give advance cautionary warnings and say this is what we think is in this movie."
Dan Glickman, his successor at the MPAA, said Thursday that Valenti embodied the "theatricality" of the industry.
"Jack was a showman, a gentleman, an orator, and a passionate champion of this country, its movies, and the enduring freedoms that made both so important to this world," Glickman said in a statement.
John Fithian, who heads the National Association of Theatre Owners, recalled Valenti as a wise and ready mentor. Fithian said he had lunch with Valenti shortly before his stroke.
"I was going to lunch to ask him advice actually on one or two critical issues. He was on top of his game, taking calls from leading directors in the middle of lunch to answer questions and give them advice," Fithian said.
The white-haired Valenti was familiar to movie fans through his appearances at the Academy Awards, when frequent Oscar host Johnny Carson would poke fun at his speeches. But Valenti was a showman, equally animated whether testifying at a congressional hearing, hobnobbing with celebrities at the Cannes Film Festival, or previewing films for Washington's elite in his office's private theater.
His friends ranged from actors Kirk Douglas and Sidney Poitier to, more improbably, Sen. Jesse Helms, a conservative often at odds with Hollywood.
"Jack Valenti was a true leader and gentleman whose wit, fire and passion for our business inspired everyone regardless of politics or opinion, background or belief," Barry Meyer, chairman and chief executive officer of Warner Bros., said in a statement.
In Valenti's later years he handled tricky new challenges from the Internet and technologies that allow movies to be illegally reproduced and distributed in an instant. Valenti also traveled worldwide seeking to thwart movie piracy and boost film exports to reluctant countries such as China.
Valenti's Washington career was born from tragedy. As a Texas-based political consultant working for then-Vice President Johnson, Valenti was riding in the presidential motorcade on Nov. 22, 1963, when President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. Valenti, six cars behind the president, initially didn't know what happened.
"Without a trace of warning, the car in front of us accelerated from eight miles an hour to eighty," he wrote in his memoir, "This Time, This Place," to be published in June. "The whole spectacle turned bizarre, like an arcade game run amok, as we drove madly toward or away from some unnamed terror."
In an Associated Press interview, he said in 2003 that the assassination "is so seared in my memory I literally, sometimes at night — not often, but once or twice a year — I relive that day."
Oliver Stone's 1991 film "JFK" angered Valenti. Stressing he wasn't speaking for the MPAA, he said the film's implication that LBJ was involved in the assassination was "quackery" plucked from a "slag heap of loony theories."
Hurried aboard Air Force One for Johnson's historic flight back to Washington, Valenti was instantly drafted as a special assistant to the new president.
His duties grew to include congressional relations, diplomacy and speech editing, and he attended Cabinet and National Security Council meetings. Valenti became known for his loyalty, likening Johnson to Lincoln for his civil rights efforts and declaring, to widespread ridicule, "I sleep each night a little better" knowing Johnson was in charge.
Yet Valenti resigned in 1966, over Johnson's objections, to accept the movie post. He became one of the highest-paid and best-known trade association executives, with a salary topping $1 million and his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
A lifelong film lover, he once cited the 1966 film "A Man for All Seasons" as his all-time favorite.
The ratings program that featured labels such as "G" for general audiences remained his greatest legacy, even as social mores evolved even further, creating new criticism over Hollywood's attempts to protect its audience.
The ratings system has met with recent disapproval from many film critics, cinema fans and moviemakers, especially directors of independent films who say the system is stacked in favor of big studio productions and against edgier, low-budget fare. Critics also say the system is overly prudish on sex while allowing excessive violence. Recently, tobacco opponents have even sought to add smoking to the list of activities deemed too sensitive for younger viewers.
Director Kirby Dick's 2006 documentary "This Film Is Not Yet Rated" depicted the system as a secretive and inconsistent process that did not provide adequate methods to appeal decisions.
The system did undergo changes over the decades. A PG-13 rating (parental guidance strongly recommended) was added in the 1980s. The X rating for adult films was transformed into the NC-17 rating in the 1990s.
But the format Valenti laid out in the late 1960s generally has remained intact. Valenti was always quick to rebut critics, saying frequent MPAA surveys found that parents with young children felt the ratings system was a helpful guide.
Without the ratings system, Valenti said, Hollywood could be faced with a labyrinth of local censorship boards with conflicting standards.
Born in Houston, the grandson of Sicilian immigrants, Valenti swept floors and made popcorn in a local theater as a boy. He never lost his wonder at what he called the "miraculous, unfathomable alchemy" of moviemaking.
After earning the Distinguished Flying Cross for piloting bombing missions over Italy in World War II, he worked his way through night school at the University of Houston, then earned a master's in business administration from Harvard.
In 1952, he co-founded an advertising and political consulting agency. He was introduced to Senate Majority Leader Johnson three years later and was "mesmerized," Valenti recalled. "I felt a primal force was in my presence."
He met his future wife, Mary Margaret Wiley, through his budding friendship with the senator — she was Johnson's longtime secretary. They had three children.
Valenti wrote a handful of books, including one on Johnson, "A Very Human President," and a novel, "Protect and Defend," published in 1992 by Doubleday with the help of one of its senior editors, Jacqueline Kennedy.
By the time he retired, the movie business had been on a growth spurt for more than a decade, with admissions climbing to their highest level since the late 1950s.
"I'm the luckiest guy in the world, because I spent my entire public working career in two of life's classic fascinations, politics and Hollywood," he said in 2004. "You can't beat that."
'Monster Mash' singer Pickett dies at 69
NEW YORK - He does the "Monster Mash" no more. Bobby "Boris" Pickett, whose dead-on Boris Karloff impression propelled the Halloween anthem to the top of the charts in 1962, making him one of pop music's most enduring one-hit wonders, has died of leukemia. He was 69.
Pickett, dubbed "The Guy Lombardo of Halloween," died Wednesday night at the West Los Angeles Veterans Hospital, said his longtime manager, Stuart Hersh. His daughter, Nancy, and his sister, Lynda, were at Pickett's bedside.
"Monster Mash" hit the Billboard chart three times: when it debuted in 1962, reaching No. 1 the week before Halloween; again in August 1970, and for a third time in May 1973. The resurrections were appropriate for a song where Pickett gravely intoned the forever-stuck-in-your-head chorus: "He did the monster mash. ... It was a graveyard smash."
The novelty hit's fans included Bob Dylan, who played the single on his XM Satellite Radio program last October. "Our next artist is considered a one-hit wonder, but his one hit comes back year after year," Dylan noted.
The hit single ensured Pickett's place in the pantheon of pop music obscurities, said syndicated radio host Dr. Demento, whose long-running program celebrates offbeat tunes.
"It's certainly the biggest Halloween song of all time," said Demento. The DJ, who interviewed Pickett last year, said he maintained a sense of humor about his singular success: "As he loved to say at oldies shows, `And now I'm going to do a medley of my hit.'"
Pickett's impression of Karloff (who despite his name was an Englishman, born William Henry Pratt) was forged in Somerville, Mass., where the boy watched horror films in a theater managed by his father.
Pickett used the impersonation in a nightclub act and when performing with his band the Cordials. A bandmate convinced Pickett they needed to do a song to showcase the Karloff voice, and "Monster Mash" was born — "written in about a half-hour," said Dr. Demento.
The recording, done in a couple of hours, featured a then-unknown piano player named Leon Russell and a backing band christened The Crypt-Kickers. It was rejected by four major labels before Gary Paxton, lead singer on the Hollywood Argyles' novelty hit "Alley Oop," released "Monster Mash" on his own label.
The instant smash became a sort-of Christmas carol for the pumpkin and ghoul set. In a 1996 interview with People magazine, Pickett said he never grew tired of it: "When I hear it, I hear a cash register ringing."
While Pickett never re-created its success, his "Monster's Holiday," a Christmas follow-up, reached No. 30 in December 1962. And "Graduation Day" hit No. 80 in June 1963.
He continued performing through his final gig in November. He remained in demand for Halloween performances, including a memorable 1973 show where his bus broke down outside Frankenstein, Mo.
Beside his daughter and sister, Pickett is survived by two grandchildren.
Marr, Dixie Chicks Enrich Crowded House Album
As expected, the newly reformed Crowded House will release its first album in nearly 15 years this summer. "Time on Earth" will feature contributions from guitarist Smiths/Modest Mouse guitarist Johnny Marr on a pair of songs, plus production credits from Ethan Johns and Steve Lillywhite.
The album will be released July 2 in the U.K. via Parlophone and July 10 in North America via ATO Records.
"Time on Earth" was formed from the foundation of what would have been frontman Neil Finn's next solo album, which was in the works with Crowded House bassist Nick Seymour. It will be the first album to feature the band's new drummer Matt Sherrod, who replaces the late Paul Hester. One cut, "Silent House," was co-written with the Dixie Chicks, whose own version of the song appeared on last year's Grammy-award winning "Taking the Long Way."
Crowded House's last studio effort, "Together Alone," was released in 1993. In January, the group released the CD/DVD set "Farewell to the World," which chronicled its final concert in 1996 in Sydney.
Crowded House is confirmed for only a handful of concerts so far, including a gig tomorrow (April 26) at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Ariz., which precedes an appearance at Coachella this weekend.
Here is the track list to "Time on Earth":
"Nobody Wants To"
"Don't Stop Now"
"She Called Up"
"Say That Again"
"Pour Le Monde"
"Even a Child"
"Heaven That I'm Making"
"Silent House"
"English Trees"
"Walked Her Way Down"
"Transit Lounge"
"You Are the One To Make Me Cry"
"A Sigh"
"People Are Like Suns"
Networks' top shows at a ratings loss
In the past few weeks, a raft of top shows on all major networks have hit record lows: Lost, Desperate Housewives, ER, My Name Is Earl, The Simpsons, Two and a Half Men, CSI: Miami and, just Monday, Heroes. Still others, such as 24, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and American Idol, had their worst ratings in two years or more.
The losses, never welcome, are especially alarming as networks gear up for their annual ritual of unfurling fall lineups in mid-May and selling the bulk of their ad time for next season, often based on current ratings.
No one has a definitive answer as to the cause. But as usual, there's lots of finger-pointing. Some excuses wielded by TV executives and advertisers:
•Daylight. The switch to daylight saving time in March, three weeks early, depressed viewing levels compared with last year as more viewers stayed outdoors. That, coupled with a larger load of repeats, hurt ratings for original episodes airing in recent weeks. "The two created a compound effect that has depressed regular-series viewing levels," says CBS' David Poltrack.
•Long breaks. Serialized dramas have suffered from long hiatuses. They don't repeat well, so networks are largely pulling them off; fans lose interest or lose track when they return. Lost, Jericho, Ugly Betty and Heroes — which returned with 12 million viewers — have been particularly susceptible.
•DVR use. For some shows, time-shifting accounts for most of the falloff. Last year at this time, only 5% of the homes in Nielsen's sample had the recording devices; now 15.8% do. That has sparked a wider gap between ratings for shows watched live — the only yardstick used by Nielsen last year — and those watched within seven days of their initial airing.
"If you look at live plus seven-day viewing, those declines for several shows start to vanish," says Fox's Preston Beckman. Lost lost 14% of its live viewing this season, but when time-shifting is factored in, the show is down only 1%. The Office, down 10%, is actually up 2% with delayed viewing included.
"We can't really examine things in the same mind-set that we did a year ago," ABC research chief Larry Hyams says.
Trouble is, advertisers so far are refusing to pay for all those procrastinating viewers, arguing that many skip commercials. So Nielsen is testing ways to measure audiences for commercials, not just programs.
Still other observers worry the shortfall may mark a tipping point as networks lose share to the Internet, cable and other media. "When you put it all together, it snowballs," says Starcom Media's Sam Armando. Yet hope springs eternal as the finale-filled May sweeps begins: "In another month we can have turned the corner."
Barrymore is People's `most beautiful'
NEW YORK - She was born with her acting family's classic beauty, but Drew Barrymore credits her fun-loving approach to life for her No. 1 spot on People magazine's annual "100 Most Beautiful People" list.
"I just think happiness is what makes you pretty. Period," she tells the magazine. "Happy people are beautiful. They become like a mirror and they reflect that happiness."
Barrymore, 32, graces the cover of the issue that hits newsstands Friday. It's her fourth time on the list, but first as cover girl.
Making the cover "made my peacock feathers shine in the golden-hour light and extend to the heavens," says Barrymore, who stars in the upcoming Warner Bros. film "Lucky You," opposite Eric Bana.
Inside, she weighs in on a host of beauty-related topics. Her beauty rules for dating? "The only fundamental rule for me is to just be yourself," she says. "Let your freak-flag fly, and if someone doesn't get you, move on."
Barrymore is one of 11 celebrities — including Eva Longoria and the three Jessicas (Simpson, Alba and Biel) — photographed for the issue without makeup.
"I find that men, in my past, have preferred me without it," Biel, 25, says of makeup.
Among others on the "Beautiful People" list: Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey, Alicia Keys, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Garner, Scarlett Johansson, Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Halle Berry, Julia Roberts and Jennifer Lopez.
Baldwin's request to quit sitcom denied
LOS ANGELES - Divorced dad Alec Baldwin, caught yelling at his daughter on a voicemail message, said Wednesday he asked NBC to let him out of his "30 Rock" contract so he can devote his time to the issue of "parental alienation."
"If I never acted again I couldn't care less," Baldwin said in a pre-taped appearance for ABC's "The View," scheduled to air Friday.
The actor, in a transcript provided to The Associated Press by "The View," said that he also wanted to quit "30 Rock" so the sitcom and the hundreds who work on it wouldn't "be hurt by the situation."
NBC, however, quickly shot down the idea. The actor has became a key asset for the freshman sitcom, stealing the show as an oily but charming network executive overseeing a "Saturday Night Live"-type program.
"Alec Baldwin remains an important part of `30 Rock.' We look forward to having him continue his role in the show," NBC said in a statement Wednesday.
A network spokeswoman said she didn't know how many seasons his contract covered. A call to Baldwin's publicist in New York was not immediately returned.
Baldwin intends to fulfill his obligation to the show, a source close to the actor said Wednesday, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to make a statement.
"30 Rock," created by and starring "Saturday Night Live" alumna Tina Fey, has been renewed for a second year. Production wrapped in March and the season finale airs Thursday for the show that has gotten rave reviews but mediocre ratings.
Baldwin and ex-wife Kim Basinger have been embroiled since their 2002 divorce in a custody dispute over their daughter, Ireland, 11. It boiled up recently over Baldwin's telephone message for his daughter, berating her as a "rude, thoughtless little pig" for missing his call.
A tape of the message was obtained by celebrity Web site TMZ.com and broadcast worldwide. The actor blamed his former wife for leaking the tape, which she denied.
Baldwin was interviewed on "The View" by Barbara Walters and Rosie O'Donnell.
Walters asked Baldwin about his harsh remarks to his daughter.
"You didn't mean to say it to your child?" she said.
"Well, there's nothing wrong with being frustrated or angry about something," he replied. "It's the way you do it, and as people often do in this world, I took it out on the wrong person because I'm unable, under the current dynamic, to address the other person."
"I realize that was wrong," Baldwin added.
"You said it to your daughter, but you meant it for your ex-wife?" Walters asked.
"Well, I think that goes without saying, quite frankly," Baldwin said.
Asked by Walters if he had spoken to his daughter since and how things stood, Baldwin declined to answer, citing "ongoing procedures and so forth."
The next hearing on visitation issues is scheduled for May 4.
According to the partial transcript from "The View," Baldwin said he intended to take "three years or five years, it doesn't matter," and focus on the problem of divorced parents and their children. He has a book coming out about divorce litigation, possibly this fall, he said.
"There were bills that were proposed in (by California lawmakers) that were killed which were about equality and co-parenting and divorce litigation and ... this is work that I've been creeping up on, but I've been busy," he said.
Acting has lost its importance to him, he said.
"I've had enough of this quite frankly to last me a lifetime, especially in the modern tabloid world and ... there's a bigger thing I want to do, there's a more important thing I want to do," Baldwin said.
O'Donnell leaving 'The View'
NEW YORK (AP) - Rosie O'Donnell's stormy tenure on "The View" will be a short one. The opinionated host was unable to agree on a contract with ABC, and she'll leave the show in June.
O'Donnell said on the show Wednesday that she wanted to stay for one more year, and ABC wanted three. So she decided to leave, although she said she will appear occasionally next season for things like a planned one-hour special on autism.
"It just didn't work," she said, "and that's show biz. But it's not sad because I loved it here and I love you guys and I'm not going away."
O'Donnell has helped raise the ratings for the daytime chat show invented by Barbara Walters. But her outspokenness has caused continual controversy, including a nasty name-calling feud with Donald Trump that placed Walters squarely in the middle.
"We have had, to say the least, an interesting year," Walters said.
Walters said she had nothing to do with the decision, reached after talks between representatives for ABC Daytime and O'Donnell.
"This is not my doing or my choice," she said.
Walters was frequently left to clean up the damage after O'Donnell. She did it most recently Monday, when O'Donnell was criticized for using bad language and attacking Rupert Murdoch from the dais of the annual New York Women in Communication awards luncheon.
"I would like to point out that Rosie's view is not always mine," Walters said. "I would like to say for the record that I am very fond of Rupert Murdoch."
In the Trump imbroglio, O'Donnell was reportedly mad that Walters did not come more swiftly to her defence, while Trump said Walters told him she didn't want O'Donnell on the show - a claim Walters denied.
Trump quickly went on Fox News Channel Wednesday to claim that O'Donnell was fired by ABC because of remarks made at the Women in Communications luncheon.
"Barbara's the happiest person in the world that Rosie's been fired," Trump said.
Cindi Berger, spokeswoman for both O'Donnell and Walters, denied Trump's claim, wondering how he would know what had happened in contract talks between O'Donnell and ABC.
"She wasn't going to commit to anything for three years and they would not commit to her for one more," Berger said. Locking in O'Donnell to a three-year deal could protect ABC from year-to-year increases if the ratings continue to be good for the show.
Despite controversy - or maybe because of it - O'Donnell was good business for ABC, owned by the Walt Disney Co. Ratings for "The View" during February sweeps were up 15 per cent in key women demographics over the same time in 2006.
Bill Carroll, an expert in the syndication market for Katz Television, said he'd be surprised if ABC didn't try hard to keep O'Donnell, given the attention she brought to the long-running show.
The timing of the announcement doesn't particularly suit O'Donnell if she wants to remain in daytime television. She wouldn't be able to introduce a new program to the syndication market until September 2008, he said. But the company that produced O'Donnell's long-running daytime show has expressed interest in having her back, he said.
O'Donnell has discussed acting on the FX show, "Nip/Tuck." But she has not decided what she wants to do in TV in the future, Berger said.
O'Donnell made headlines repeatedly for comments on "The View," and for testy exchanges with her more conservative partner, Elisabeth Hasselbeck.
She criticized "American Idol" in January for airing humiliating auditions. "Isn't that what America thinks of entertainment? To make fun of someone's physical appearance. And when they leave the room, laugh hysterically at them. Three millionaires, one probably intoxicated."
She accused fellow ABC daytime host Kelly Ripa of making a homophobic remark, said "radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam in a country like America" and has been critical of President Bush.
Statements by public figures are being watched more closely in the post-Don Imus era. The lobbying group Focus on the Family said it was preparing to contact advertisers on "The View" as part of a campaign against O'Donnell. The group is angry at O'Donnell for comments they feel were insulting to Catholics.
Lucas, Hamill reunite for 'Star Wars' spoof
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - George Lucas and Mark Hamill will reunite for "Robot Chicken: Star Wars," a 30-minute stop-motion animation special for Adult Swim, Cartoon Network's late-night programming block.
The special spoofs key scenes and favorite characters from the "Star Wars" universe. It was done in collaboration with Lucas' production company Lucasfilm. Lucas, the creator of the "Star Wars" franchise, will voice a cartoon version of himself, and Hamill will resurrect Luke Skywalker.
The special, set to premiere at 10 p.m. on June 17, comes from "Robot Chicken" creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich. Green directed.
The voice cast also includes Conan O'Brien, Seth MacFarlane, Robert Smigel, Malcolm McDowell, Hulk Hogan, James Van Der Beek, Donald Faison, Abraham Benrubi, Breckin Meyer and Joey Fatone.
The special stems from three "Star Wars" skits on "Robot Chicken," including the popular "Emperor's Phone Call," featuring Darth Vader calling Emperor Palpatine to tell him that the Death Star has been blown up.
Representatives for Lucasfilm wanted to post that sketch on StarWars.com, and they set up a meeting with Green and Senreich that turned into a pitch meeting for a special.
"We were big fans of the work that Matt and Seth had done, so when they approached us about the idea to make a 'Robot Chicken' episode dedicated to 'Star Wars,' we were really enthusiastic about it," said Tom Warner, Lucasfilm's senior director of marketing.
The "Star Wars" special was developed with Lucasfilm's approval at every stage. The company also helped with sound files on Chewbacca and R2-D2.
Like just about every child in 1977, Green saw the first "Star Wars" movie.
"It informed my whole creative sensibility, and the 'Star Wars' toys I played with in my childhood inspired my imagination," Green said. "I've always wanted to be a part of a 'Star Wars' project, and I got to make one."
And he got to direct Lucas.
"It was really exciting," Green said. "He was very shy but very playful."
Mock metal group Spinal Tap to reunite
NEW YORK (AP) — Spinal Tap is back, and this time the band wants to help save the world from global warming.
The mock heavy metal group immortalized in the 1984 mockumentary, "This is Spinal Tap," will reunite for a performance at Wembley Stadium in London as part of the Live Earth concerts scheduled worldwide for July 7.
The original members of Spinal Tap will be there: guitarist Nigel Tufnel (played by Christopher Guest), singer David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). Rob Reiner, who both directed "This is Spinal Tap" and played the fake documentarian Marty DeBergi in the film, will also be in attendance.
A new 15-minute film directed by Reiner on the band's reunion will also play at the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival in New York on Wednesday. The slate for the opening gala, to be hosted by Al Gore, was previously announced, excepting the Reiner short.
The festival is to open with a showing of several global warming-themed short films produced by the SOS (Save Our Selves) campaign. SOS is also putting on the Live Earth concerts, to be held across seven continents.
Reiner spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday to explain the reunion of Spinal Tap — a band always known more as a parody of rock `n roll excess than environmental awareness.
"They're not that environmentally conscious, but they've heard of global warming," said Reiner, whose other films include "When Harry Met Sally" and "Stand By Me." "Nigel thought it was just because he was wearing too much clothing — that if he just took his jacket off it would be cooler."
Spinal Tap has reunited several times since the film, but hasn't for a number of years. For the band — whose last album was 1992's "Break like the Wind" — the occasion warranted a new single: "Warmer Than Hell."
Reiner provided a sneak peak at the lyrics: "The devil went to Devon, it felt like the fourth degree/ He said, `Is it hot in here, or is it only me?'"
The director said the new short film explains what the band has been doing with their lives lately. Nigel has been raising miniature horses to race, but can't find jockeys small enough to ride them; David is now a hip-hop producer who also runs a colonic clinic; and Derek is in rehab for addiction to the Internet.
Reiner, 60, has for over 20 years worked with the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental action organization. Though the Spinal Tap reunion will be a lot of laughs, he hopes the SOS short films program and the Live Earth concerts have a substantial effect.
"What I think is going to be nice about this whole effort is there will be marching orders for people," said Reiner. "Not only from a personal standpoint of what individuals can do in their lives, but a macro perspective with respect to the public sector and government."
Atwood says Tories out to 'squash the arts'
Canadian author Margaret Atwood has torn a strip off the current Conservative government over its arts policies.
The Tories are out to "squash the arts into the dust," she said in Montreal just ahead of the opening of the Blue Metropolis International Literary Festival.
She was deeply critical of the Harper government's cuts to the arts, especially the literary arts.
"They basically just hate us," she said in an interview with CBC Radio. "You know it’s people who have never seen any arts in their own lives — they would rather not have gardens, they would rather have parking lots. They just think it’s a frill probably."
It was particularly short-sighted to cut funding for cultural tours that allow Canadian artists to develop fans overseas, she said.
"When selling artistic things abroad, that money comes into Canada and is taxed in Canada, so it’s a net gain for Canada," she said.
"Would they like to guess how much Yann Martel’s novel The Life of Pi generated abroad? Would they like to know … how much my foreign editions bring in? Would they like to know how much [Canadian producer] Robert LePage generates abroad?"
The arts are being neglected despite bringing economic activity and prosperity to the country, Atwood said.
Events such as the opening of the Four Seasons Performing Arts Centre in Toronto bring in millions of dollars from international guests, she said, yet the centre is one of six Toronto cultural projects still awaiting a funding announcement from Ottawa.
'Would they like to guess how much Yann Martel's novel The Life of Pi generated abroad? Would they like to know … how much my foreign editions bring in?'—Margaret Atwood
"Well, it is really a great mystery for a section of the economy that supports so much. It is so that the government supports all kinds of infrastructure for hockey and sports, they support all sorts of stuff for business, so why are they being this way about the arts, a sector which contributes a great deal."
Atwood will be awarded the $10,000 Grand Prix at the Blue Met Festival, which starts Wednesday.
The Montreal festival itself lost $150,000 in funding this year, Atwood said.
Atwood is one of three giants of Canadian literature who are in the running this year for the Man Booker International, one of the richest prizes in literature.
She will be interviewed on stage in Montreal Friday at 8 p.m. by CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi.
CanWest to bring celebrity-focused E! Network to Canadians
The U.S. cable network that popularized "where are they now?" celebrity exposés and red carpet reporting by Joan Rivers is heading north of the border.
CanWest will bring E! Networks to Canada by rebranding its CH network E! as of Sept. 1, CanWest MediaWorks announced Tuesday.
In an agreement with the U.S. network, the upcoming Canadian version of the celebrity and entertainment-focused channel will feature a mix of E! programming as well as Canadian-produced content, CanWest said.
Current E! offerings include the popular celebrity documentary series E! True Hollywood Stories, the Playboy mansion-set reality show The Girls Next Door and a news show hosted by American Idol's Ryan Seacrest.
CH stations will continue to have relaunched local news and information programming, CanWest said.
"We are very confident that the powerful combination of the E! brand and content, alongside our Canadian and local programming, will resonate strongly with Canadian audiences," said Kathleen Dore, CanWest's president of Canadian television.
The Walrus dominates in magazine awards finalists
For the second consecutive year, The Walrus has dominated the nominee list for the upcoming National Magazine Awards, which celebrate their 30th anniversary this year.
Organizers announced the nominees for awards in 37 categories at an evening event in Montreal on Monday. More than 300 articles from 78 different titles are vying for the annual prizes.
General interest magazine The Walrus, which launched in 2003, scored 51 nominations overall. Earning the second-highest number of nods was perennial favourite city title Toronto Life, with 23 nominations.
Other Canadian magazines that have won multiple nominations include Maclean's, Toro, Report on Business and L'actualité.
Competing for the magazine of the year honour are L'actualité, Explore and The Walrus.
Early winners announced in Montreal
At Monday night's event, aside from unveiling this year's main nominees, organizers announced the winners of three special honours.
Buffy Cram won the second annual best student writer award for her article "Man Hands," which appeared in Prairie Fire.
Jeremy Klaszus was named best new writer for articles like "Big Oil on Trial" and "Trouble in the Field," both published in Alberta Views.
The National Magazine Award Foundation will also pay tribute to longtime publisher Neville Gilfoy with its Foundation Award for Outstanding Achievement.
Established in 1977, the foundation honours excellence in the Canadian magazine industry with categories that recognize writing, photography and visual presentation.
The 30th annual National Magazine Awards will be presented at a lavish ceremony in Toronto on June 15.
Zach Braff Is Out Of Fletch
When it was supposed to be written directed by Kevin Smith and star Jason Lee, remaking Chevy Chase’s Fletch seemed like a fun idea. When Paramount refused to allow Jason Lee to play the lead and Kevin Smith left the project, it still seemed like it might be cool since word was that ‘Scrubs’ star Zach Braff would step in to play Fletch. But maybe now is a good time to just forget about the whole Fletch remake thing, since TV Guide says Zach Braff has turned down the part.
The good news is that Zach ditched it to run off and write and direct his own movie, a project called Open Hearts. Personally, that’s what I’ve been saying he should be doing all along. His first film, Garden State was a critically acclaimed hit, yet instead of getting back behind the camera he’s been wasting time doing voice work in bad Disney cartoons and acting in other people’s less than great movies. Doing his own thing is where Braff should be.
Braff’s ‘Scrubs’ boss Bill Lawrence is still attached to direct the movie, Fletch Won, so it’s not lost in development hell quite yet. He’s out looking for another Fletch. However, unless he hires Jason Lee, my excite-o-meter for this project has dropped to zero.
Best. Theme Park Ride. Ever.
NBC-Universal's theme parks are planning a ride based on 20th Century Fox's animated smash "The Simpsons."
The company announced on Tuesday (April 24) that families will be able to experience the world of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson at the Universal Orlando Resort and at Universal Studios Hollywood starting in the spring of 2008.
"The ride is designed to duplicate the Simpsons home-viewing experience, only at high speed and with lots of screaming," quips "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening.
Dana Walden and Gary Newman, presidents at 20th Century Fox TV add, "'The Simpsons' is nothing short of a cultural phenomenon and nearly 400 episodes in, the multiple Emmy-Award winning show continues to be as hilarious and inspired as ever. Creating an attraction based on this landmark series is a fantastic opportunity for our viewers to experience The Simpsons in a whole new way, as well as potentially expose it to an even wider audience."
The official release boasts that visitors will be able to "experience a side of Springfield previously unexplored as they enjoy the new ride's interpretation of thrill rides, dark rides and 'live' shows that make up a new fantasy amusement park dreamed up by the show's cantankerous Krusty the Clown." Of more interest is the announcement that all of the voices on the attraction will be provided by the show's original vocal cast.
"I am particularly thrilled since, like most people, I'm forever looking for a way to cut the line at Universal Theme Parks," adds James L. Brooks.
The 400th episode of "The Simpsons" will air this May, toward the end of the show's 18th season. After seemingly endless rumors and ample anticipation, "The Simpsons Movie" will hit theaters everywhere on July 27.
Raconteurs In The Thick Of Recording New Album
The Raconteurs are in a Nashville recording studio working on the follow-up to their 2006 debut "Broken Boy Soldiers" and hope to have a new album out sometime next year.
The group, which features Jack White of the White Stripes, Brendan Benson, and Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler of The Greenhornes, has been recording at Blackbird Studio in Nashville for a week-and-a-half and currently has 12 songs written, White tells Billboard.com.
The group is attempting to get as much of the as yet unnamed sophomore album done before the White Stripes start touring in support of their next album, "Icky Thump," due June 19 on Third Man Records/Warner Bros. Records. That outing also is slated to begin in June.
White, who once again is serving as the producer for the Raconteurs, cautions that the band may not have a completed product in place by the time it wraps its scheduled three-week recording session. "We don't know if were going to finish but we wanted to get everything down before we got busy," White says. "We have a lot bigger ideas about certain things, so we will see how far we get."
The Raconteurs are working with engineer Joe Chiccarelli (Beck, The Shins, Frank Zappa), who also teamed with the White Stripes on "Icky Thump," which likewise was recorded at Blackbird.
The band is signed to White's Third Man Records but remains in need of a marketing and distribution partner in the U.S. in the wake of the shuttering of
V2 Records in January. Warner Bros.' deal with Third Man covers only The White Stripes, sources say. However, the band hopes to have that situation sorted and an album out by 2008.
White is keeping mum on the sound of the new Raconteurs songs. However, he describes them as "very different" from the first album. So far, he's pleased with the results. "It's coming out great, man," he says.
Disfigured film critic Ebert defies paparazzi
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Borrowing a line from "Gone With the Wind," film critic Roger Ebert is telling the paparazzi to take all the pictures they want when he appears in public after surgery that has left him temporarily disfigured.
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," Ebert said in a column published on Tuesday in the Chicago Sun-Times.
The Pulitzer Prize winner and co-host of the syndicated television show "Ebert & Roeper" had surgery last year for salivary gland cancer that spread to his lower jaw.
Part of his jawbone was removed, and two replacement operations have failed, he said. He is awaiting a third operation.
Ebert, 64, also had a tracheotomy that left him unable to speak. While he has written some movie reviews during recovery, his TV show has used guest critics.
This week Ebert kicks off his annual Overlooked Film Festival in Urbana, Illinois, south of Chicago. As he has for the last eight years, he will host the event.
He said people had urged him not to attend because the paparazzi would take unflattering photos and gossip columns would dish up mean-spirited comments about him.
"When I turn up in Urbana, I will be wearing a gauze bandage around my neck, and my mouth will be seen to droop. So it goes," Ebert wrote.
"We spend too much time hiding illness. There is an assumption that I must always look the same. I hope to look better than I look now. But I'm not going to miss my festival," he added.
Ebert said he now communicates "with written notes and a lot of hand waving and eye-rolling." If a planned surgery is successful, "my speech will be restored."
Upcoming CD releases
April showers bring May flowers, and this year, they've also brought a flood of CDs.
Major releases will be springing up like weeds over the next couple of months.
Here's our quick guide to the toppermost of the poppermost. Mark your calendars, but do it in pencil since this is subject to change.
May 1
MICHAEL BUBLE
Call Me Irresponsible
We have called Mr. Bubble many things over the years. Irresponsible would be a big step up.
May 1
DINOSAUR JR.
Beyond
J. Mascis, Lou Barlow and Murph reunite after 18 years. Our ears are sore already.
May 1
TORI AMOS
American Doll Posse
Big Red's ninth CD is a concept album with her portraying five different characters. Yikes.
May 1
FEIST
The Reminder
The Broken Social Scenester cut her mellow sophomore disc in France -- and in her pyjamas.
May 1
RUSH
Snakes & Arrows
Geek alert! It's another set of mathy prog epics from Canada's beloved power trio.
May 1
BJORK
Volta
Just when you thought Bjork couldn't get weirder, she teams up with -- get this -- Timbaland.
May 8
LINKIN PARK
Minutes to Midnight
Hey guys, Iron Maiden called -- they want their album title back.
May 15
RUFUS WAINWRIGHT
Release the Stars
Rufus releases a set of bleak, bare-bones ballads recorded in Brooklyn and Berlin.
May 15
WILCO
Sky Blue Sky
Jeff Tweedy and Co. return to a more traditional alt-country sound on this sixth studio album.
May 15
MAROON5
It Won't Be Soon Before Long
Adam Levine and his boys embrace the sound of '80s acts like Police, Talking Heads and Prince.
May 22
OZZY OSBOURNE
Black Rain
We noticed if you move one letter, this album is called Lack Brain. Just saying.
May 22
USED, THE
Lies for the Liars
The Utah screamers take it to the next level with this ambitious third album.
May 22
R. KELLY
Double Up
RK does his lawyer a favour by toning down the horndog R&B balladry for upbeat hip-hop.
May 29
SATELLITE PARTY
Ultra Payloaded
Perry Farrell and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt front this groovy guitar-rock outfit.
May 29
VELVET REVOLVER
Libertad
Scott Weiland, Slash and the boys add some depth and texture to their second CD.
May 29
CHRIS CORNELL
Carry On
Ex-Soundgarden/Audioslave wailer takes another ill-advised stab at solo success.
June 5
MARILYN MANSON
Eat Me, Drink Me
Says this is his most personal CD. That's scarier than anything he could make up.
June 5
RYAN ADAMS
Easy Tiger
It's been over a year since his last CD -- and it's still his fourth album in two years.
June 5
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Live in Dublin
The Boss and his Seeger Sessions Band kick it in Ireland.
June 5
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE
Era Vulgaris
Trent Reznor and Julian Casablancas guest on the latest robo-rock fest from gigantic singer-guitarist Josh Homme.
June 12
THE WHITE STRIPES
Icky Thump
Everybody's favourite fake brother-and-sister drums-and-guitar duo returns with another disc of minimalist indie-rawk.
June 19
BON JOVI
Lost Highway
He's a cowboy -- no, really. The hair-rocker and his band go country on this album. Oh, goodie.
June 19
BRYAN FERRY
Dylanesque
Apparently, the crooner's crooner loves him some Zimmy.
June 19
PAUL MCCARTNEY
TBA
Get a Big Mac at Starbucks when the ex-Beatle debuts on the coffee giant's Hear Music label.
TBA
GUNS N' ROSES
Chinese Democracy
Psyche! Give it up, kids; this sucker is never coming out.
New CD Releases, April 24: Patti Smith, Arctic Monkeys, The Nightwatchman
Patti Smith "Twelve"
Smith is widely considered to be one of the greatest songwriters in rock music history. That's why "Twelve," a collection of cover tunes, comes as a bit of surprise. But, then again, Smith has certainly delivered her share of surprises during her 30-plus-year career.
Smith and her band--Lenny Kaye (guitar), Jay Dee Daugherty (drums) and Tony Shanahan (bass, keyboards)--tackle a dozen cover tunes originally penned by such artists as Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Paul Simon. The set includes such songs as Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants to Rule the World," Young's "Helpless," The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."
"Twelve" is the first new studio offering for Smith since 2004's "Trampin'." The poet/punk-rocker was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year, as part of a class that also included R.E.M. and Van Halen.
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Arctic Monkeys "Favourite Worst Nightmare"
The British indie-rock act, which ranked as the ultimate buzz band of 2006, will hope to generate more attention with the release of its sophomore set. The first single from the new disc, "Brianstorm," has already been released to radio.
"Favourite Worst Nightmare" follows the 2006 debut "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not." That disc was a smash in the band's native country, debuting at No. 1 on the British album charts and quickly going triple platinum.
The Brits will back the new album with a North American tour that kicks off with an April 27 appearance at the Coachella festival in Indio, CA.
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The Nightwatchman "One Man Revolution"
Guitar whiz Tom Morello--best known for his unorthodox six-string stylings with Rage Against the Machine and, more recently, Audioslave--goes it alone for his first solo album. The politically and socially active Morello--who handles lead vocals on the set--channels his idealism into "One Man Revolution" via his alter ego, The Nightwatchman.
The album's release comes in the wake of Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell's February announcement that he had left the group--a situation to which Morello is no stranger; Rage frontman Zack de la Rocha jumped ship in 2000.
Morello, who has been touring in advance of his new album's release, will appear as part of a reunited Rage Against the Machine lineup during a handful of summer festivals.
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Donny Osmond "Love Songs of the '70s"
Hoping to follow in the footsteps of Rod Stewart and Barry Manilow--two stars that found new success by covering old songs--the most-famous Osmond brother releases "Love Songs of the '70s."
The set features Osmond's covers of such former hits as Al Green's "Let's Stay Together," The Bee Gees' "How Deep is Your Love," Leo Sayer's "When I Need You" and Billy Preston's "Will It Go Round in Circles." Most appropriately, Osmond also visits the Manilow songbook and walks away with his own rendition of "Mandy."
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Porcupine Tree "Fear of a Blank Planet"
The experimental rock troupe will support its latest set with a nearly month-long North American tour that kicks off on May 8 in Seattle.
"Fear of a Blank Planet," an obvious (and clever) play on the title of Public Enemy's classic "Fear of a Black Planet," has already been released on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean and has charted in the Top 20 in some European countries.
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Various Artists "A Tribute to Joni Mitchell"
An eclectic crew of artists band together to pay tribute to the great singer/songwriter. "A Tribute to Joni Mitchell" features recordings by such stars as jazz pianist Brad Mehldau, quirky pop/rock queen Bjork and funk-master Prince.
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More new releases:
Norman Brown, "Stay with Me" (Peak)
Patrizio Buanne, "Forever Begins Tonight" (Republic)
Charlotte Gainsbourg, "5:55" (Vice)
Bebel Gilberto, "Momento" (Six Degrees)
Colin Hay, "Are You Looking At Me?" (Compass)
Joe, "Ain't Nothing Like Me" (Jive)
Marillion, "Somewhere Else" (MVD)
Keiko Matsui, "Moyo" (Shout Factory)
Jane Monheit, "Surrender" (Concord)
The Nightwatchman, "One Man Revolution" (Sony)
John Prine and Mac Wiseman, "Standard Songs for Average People" (Oh Boy)
Neil Sedaka, "The Definitive Collection" (Razor and Tie)
Simply Red, "Stay" (Simply Red)
Mavis Staples, "We'll Never Turn Back" (Anti)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Evil Dead: The Musical (2006 Original Off-Broadway Cast)" (Time Life)
'Doctor Who' Season Three Travels to Sci Fi
Sci Fi Channel and BBC Worldwide Americas has acquired the third season of the popular time travel series "Doctor Who" for premiere on Sci Fi in July.
Season Three stars David Tennant as the tenth actor to play the titular timelord and introduces Freema Agyeman as Martha Jones, his new companion who replaces last season's Rose Tyler (Billie Piper). The Doctor's new adventures kick off with the "Doctor Who Christmas Special: The Runaway Bride," guest-starring award-winning comedy actress Catherine Tate.
"'Doctor Who' has become a favorite among Sci Fi audiences," says Chris Regina, the channel's Vice President of Programming. "We are happy to bring the show back for its third season and look forward to following the Doctor's continuing adventures with his newest companion."
The series' executive producer and lead writer Russell T. Davies adds, "We were delighted and honored by the second series' success, and we can promise new thrills, new laughs and some terrifying new aliens. The Doctor and Martha are destined to meet William Shakespeare, blood-sucking alien Plasmavores, The Judoon -- a clan of galactic stormtroopers -- and a sinister Dalek plot in 1930s New York."
"Doctor Who" is the longest-running science fiction TV series to date and was revived recently starring Christopher Eccleston ("Heroes") as the ninth incarnation of the Doctor. Tennant replaced him last season, which aired on Sci Fi to solid viewership.
May Sweeps will flower with finales, cliffhangers
We've reached the May Sweeps, a time for see-you-in-September cliffhangers from shows that are coming back and we're-outta-here goodbyes from shows that aren't. It's jam-packed; USA TODAY leads you through the May maze.
•April 26
30 Rock, NBC, 9 ET/PT (Thursday)
Raines, NBC, 9 ET/PT (Friday)
The sweeps kick off with two early farewells, one of them final. 30 Rock wraps up with a special episode featuring fabulous Broadway diva Elaine Stritch, which should be a great setup for the show's fall return. No such luck for Raines, which pours out its last hour Friday.
•May 3
My Name Is Earl, NBC, 8 ET/PT
Those jokers at NBC are spicing up — more exactly, smelling up —Earl with a "scratch and sniff" episode, which sounds like fun. Unfortunately, they're also "super-sizing" the whole schedule, including a 67-minute ER, which sounds like considerably less fun. Not that it matters: Most people will likely watch the two-hour Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 9).
•May 6
The Amazing Race, CBS, 8 ET/PT
This "all-star" version of the Race has been less amazing than a mistake. But if you've been watching this long, you probably want to see who wins. Or at 9, tune to NBC for a special look back at SNL in the '90s.
•May 7
Drive, Fox, 8 ET/PT
Well, that was fast — which I guess is only fitting. Fox's cross-country car race comes to a sudden stop with what it hopes is a cliffhanger, and not just a plunge off the TV cliff.
•May 10
Without a Trace, CBS, 10 ET/PT
Trace ends its season on the night where it belongs. Welcome back, old friend. Where have you been?
•May 13
7th Heaven, CW, 8 ET/PT
The family soap meets its maker after a long run. The run was a year longer than it should have been, but loyal fans will still want to say goodbye.
•May 14
King of Queens, CBS, 9 ET/PT
Speaking of long runs and late goodbyes, CBS' working-class, worker-bee sitcom signs off after nine seasons. Find it hard to believe the show lasted that long? They probably do, too.
•May 16
The Price is Right Spectacular, CBS, 8 ET/PT
If anyone deserves a salute for longevity, it's Bob Barker. He gets two this week: Wednesday's Spectacular and Thursday's Bob Barker: A Celebration of 50 Years on Television.
•May 17
Ugly Betty, ABC, 8 ET/PT
It's the last Thursday of the season, meaning you'll also be taking leave of the night's biggest hits, Grey's and CSI. But considering the ride so far, you just know Betty has one of the year's wildest ends in store.
•May 21
24, Fox, 8 ET/PT
Jack's dreariest day ends. We know he'll prevail over the bad guys. Whether he prevails over Heroes (NBC, 9) remains to be seen.
•May 22
Veronica Mars, CW, 8 ET/PT
Goodbyes can be tough even when the time is right for parting. Like the two-hour finale of Veronica Mars, a great show that has sadly run its short course.
•May 23
American Idol, Fox, 8 ET/PT
Lost, ABC, 9 ET/PT
Not an easy choice: Idol winner or the two-hour finale of Lost? I'll be Lost, but most of you will be running on Idol.
Letterman to appear on Regis' talk show
NEW YORK - David Letterman will be Regis Philbin's first guest when he returns Thursday to "Live With Regis and Kelly" after having triple heart bypass surgery six weeks ago.
Philbin was a guest host on CBS' "Late Show" after Letterman underwent heart bypass surgery in 2000. He also stepped in when Letterman was recovering from an eye infection in 2003.
"Very appropriate," said "Live" co-host Kelly Ripa, who made the announcement Monday on the syndicated talk show.
Philbin, 75, has been at home recuperating since his surgery last month.
He has been a frequent guest on Letterman's late-night show.
Smashing Pumpkins Settle On 'Zeitgeist' Track List
The Smashing Pumpkins have settled on the track list for "Zeitgeist," the first album since 2000. As previously reported, the album is due July 7 via Martha's Music/Reprise. A first single has yet to be specified, nor has the makeup of the band beyond original frontman Billy Corgan and drummer Jimmy Chamberlin.
"Is everyone afraid? Has everyone changed?," Corgan sings on opener "Doomsday Clock," a big, loud rocker in the vein of "Geek U.S.A." from "Siamese Dream." The set is frontloaded with songs of this ilk, hearkening back to the grunge era with detuned guitars and pounding drums on tracks such as "Tarantula," "Orchid" and "7 Shades of Black."
A more nuanced, less abrasive approach is evident on "Never Lost," which has vibraphone and organ tucked into the mix, while "For God and Country" is a bass-driven tune with shades of Depeche Mode-style synth-rock. The album closes with the mostly synth-powered "Pomp and Circumstance," as Corgan's multi-tracked vocals take on an angelic effect.
The band will play its first show in six-and-a-half years May 22 at the Grand Rex Theatre in Paris. European festival appearances will follow through mid-June; the Pumpkins' first U.S. show will be July 7 at the Live Earth concert in East Rutherford, N.J.
Here is the track list for "Zeitgeist":
"Doomsday Clock"
"7 Shades of Black"
"Orchid"
"That's the Way"
"Tarantula"
"Starz"
"United States"
"Never Lost"
"Bring the Light"
"Come On (Let's Go)"
"For God and Country"
"Pomp and Circumstance"
'Disturbia' No. 1 for 2nd straight week
LOS ANGELES - The face of Hannibal Lecter was no match for Shia LaBeouf in a box-office battle of murder thrillers. DreamWorks and Paramount's "Disturbia," starring LaBeouf as a teen who suspects a neighbor of murder, took in $13.5 million to hold the top weekend movie spot for a second straight weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.
New Line Cinema's "Fracture" starring Anthony Hopkins — who played serial killer Lecter in three films — debuted at No. 2 with $11.2 million. Hopkins plays a sly defendant accused of killing his unfaithful wife, with Ryan Gosling co-starring as the prosecutor.
DreamWorks and Paramount's figure-skating comedy "Blades of Glory," starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder, was No. 3 with $7.8 million in its fourth weekend to cross the $100 million mark.
Sony Screen Gems' horror flick "Vacancy," starring Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson as a couple marked for grisly death at a sleazy motel, led a rush of other new wide releases, opening at No. 4 with $7.6 million.
The buddy-cop comedy "Hot Fuzz," released by Focus Features' Rogue Pictures unit, had a strong start in narrower release, premiering at No. 6 with $5.8 million in 825 theaters, about a third the number of cinemas where "Fracture" and "Vacancy" played.
"Hot Fuzz" comes from the "Shaun of the Dead" team of director Edgar Wright and his co-writer and star Simon Pegg, who plays a London super-cop exiled to a sleepy British town, where he encounters a series of grisly deaths.
The Warner Bros. drama "In the Land of Women" opened at a weak No. 8 with $4.9 million. The movie stars Adam Brody as a heartbroken writer who moves in with his grandmother and forges a relationship with a neighbor ( Meg Ryan) and her teenage daughter.
After a solid start this year, Hollywood's overall revenues were down for a second straight weekend. The top 12 movies took in $74 million, off 26 percent compared to the same weekend last year, when "Silent Hill" opened at No. 1 with $20.2 million.
"This is like an onslaught of films trying to get into the marketplace before the big summer rush," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "People are just holding their breath waiting for summer to start, and while they're holding their breath, they didn't go to the movies in big numbers."
However, attendance is up 2.4 percent from last year, and studio executives predict this could be a record summer for modern Hollywood with major sequels including "Spider-Man 3," "Shrek the Third" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."
"Disturbia" raised its 10-day total to $40.7 million, already taking in roughly double what it cost to make the movie.
The film has established the 20-year-old LaBeouf, whose big break came as the star of the Disney Channel series "Even Stevens," as a bankable leading man.
"He has this appeal which I think works for the girls obviously, who are big suspense fans, and guys like him, too, so that's a double plus," said DreamWorks spokesman Marvin Levy.
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. "Disturbia," $13.5 million.
2. "Fracture," $11.2 million.
3. "Blades of Glory," $7.8 million.
4. "Vacancy," $7.6 million.
5. "Meet the Robinsons," $7.1 million.
6. "Hot Fuzz," $5.8 million.
7. "Are We Done Yet?", $5.2 million.
8. "In the Land of Women," $4.9 million.
9. "Perfect Stranger," $4.1 million.
10. "Wild Hogs," $2.9 million.
The Couch Potato Report - April 21st, 2007
This week The Couch Potato Report shines the spotlight on some great Canadian inventions and two very different films about two very different American presidents.
First up this week is the DVD release of the exceptionally interesting CBC Television special THE GREATEST CANADIAN INVENTION.
I am a technology freak. A gadget geek. I like reading about them, finding out where they came from, how they work...and I am usually one of the first people on my block to have a new item when it comes out for sale.
So it was with great excitement back on Wednesday, January 3rd, that I sat down to watch THE GREATEST CANADIAN INVENTION, a two hour show that celebrated the finest innovations and innovators our country has ever produced.
Canadians from Coast to Coast to Coast used the CBC's website to vote for the invention they thought was the greatest and the show co