MTV's "Unplugged" reborn with Police, Bon Jovi

NEW YORK (Billboard) - MTV's on-again, off-again "Unplugged" program will return in a big way this summer, with new episodes featuring the Police, Bon Jovi, Kenny Chesney, Mary J. Blige and John Mayer.

This time around, however, the show will be rolled out on a variety of related channels and platforms, including VH1, CMT and MTV.com.

Bon Jovi will usher in the 2007 edition of the series beginning June 22 on MTV. The next two evenings, VH1 and CMT will air a version of "Unplugged" specifically tailored to those channels' audiences.

Bon Jovi is credited with inspiring the "Unplugged" format after its stripped-down performance on the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. The group's appearance coincides with its new country-tinged album, "Lost Highway," due in stores June 19.

No information has yet been unveiled about the other tapings, although the Police will reportedly hold their "Unplugged" show in mid-July in Miami.

Ed McMahon wants DVD gifts for troops

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. - Former longtime "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon is urging people to donate DVDs for U.S. troops in Iraq, saying movies offer a safe and comforting escape from wartime realities.

"This program accomplishes two things: the troops are entertained and they know that citizens at home care and support them," McMahon, 84, said Wednesday during ceremonies at the Palm Springs Airport's USO facility.

Operation DVD collects new and used DVDs to distribute overseas to U.S. military personnel. The year-old program has already collected more than 250,000 DVDs.

"This war in Iraq is unusual because soldiers never know where the next attack will come from. They need a safe mode of recreation since they become potential targets playing soccer or softball outdoors," said McMahon, a retired Marine officer who flew artillery-spotting missions in the Korean War.

Operation DVD began when a soldier approached the Rev. Scott Dryden in Kansas last May requesting parishioners donate books and DVDs for fellow troops overseas. The group American Veterans — AMVETS — then signed on to the project.

Robert Boots, California spokesman for Operation DVD, said the goal is to eventually have 1 million DVDs distributed to U.S. troops with more than 200 titles in rotation at each base.

"The least we can offer them is some DVDs for entertainment so they can escape their realities for a while," Boots said.

Collection boxes are located nationwide at schools, retail stores, churches, and government offices.

Heigl: Washington apologized for slur

NEW YORK - Katherine Heigl says castmate Isaiah Washington apologized to her on the set of "Grey's Anatomy" after she publicly denounced his use of an anti-gay slur.

"Isaiah thanked me, which I didn't understand," the 28-year-old actress tells Entertainment Weekly. "He was almost grateful. I don't know Isaiah well, but he takes his work seriously and he loves his character."

Washington came under fire for using the epithet at the Golden Globe Awards in January while denying he'd used it previously against fellow "Grey's" star T.R. Knight. Heigl, who plays outspoken Dr. Izzie Stevens on the hit ABC medical drama, says she was "furious and frustrated" at the time, so she leapt to Knight's defense.

"He made a big mistake, and it was thoughtless and boneheaded, and I think he's very sorry and embarrassed," she says in the magazine's Friday issue. "This is something that will have changed the scope of his life."

Heigl, who stars in the new Judd Apatow-directed comedy "Knocked Up," speaks out in the interview, too, about her protracted contract negotiations with ABC. The bottom line, she says, is that she wants "the same respect they're showing the other actors."

And she says she doesn't like the label that seems to go along with a woman who stands up for what she wants.

"In this town, women who don't just snap and say, `Okay, yessir, yes ma'am,' start to get a reputation for being difficult," she says. "But within the last five years, I've decided it's not worth it to me to be pushed around so much."

Heigl, who calls "The Notebook" one of her "all-time favorite movies," says she'd rather laugh than get too serious when it comes to movie roles.

"I just want to play happy people," she says. "I'm a commercial kind of gal, and yeah, I would love to do a `Monster,' but I don't have any grand aspirations to do my Academy Award-winning movie. I love Kate Winslet, but I know I couldn't have her career."

Disney sets "Lost," "Desperate," "Anatomy" DVD releases

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Disney wants to breathe some excitement into the TV-DVD business, which after several years of explosive growth is beginning to lose some of its luster.

The studio is taking the unusual step of announcing all its upcoming marquee TV-DVD releases at once and packing into them a wealth of novel extras, from Spanish-language audio tracks to a virtual fashion show, extended and bonus episodes and unaired story lines.

The highlight: Season 3 sets of top-rated shows "Lost," "Desperate Housewives" and "Grey's Anatomy." Breaking tradition, each set gets a special name, similar to special editions of movies.

"Desperate Housewives: The Complete Third Season -- The Dirty Laundry Edition" will arrive in stores September 4. The six-disc set includes all 23 episodes along with such extras as a behind-the-scenes look at the season finale, a Spanish audio track, a conversation with series star Eva Longoria in which she shares stories from some of her favorite bloopers, a collection of creator Marc Cherry's favorite scenes and several unaired story lines, deleted scenes and outtakes.

A week later, on September 11, comes "Grey's Anatomy: The Complete Third Season -- Seriously Extended Edition," a seven-disc set with all 25 episodes, four of them extended exclusively for the DVD release. Other bonus features include a one-on-one with series star Ellen Pompeo, a visit to the race track with star (and race-car enthusiast) Patrick Dempsey, cast and crew members' favorite scenes and audio commentaries.

"Lost: The Complete Third Season -- The Unexplored Experience" follows December 11 on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The 23-episode, seven-disc set comes with a one-on-one with star Matthew Fox, a featurette on "The Others," a documentary chronicling 24 hours in production and a selection of never-before-seen flashbacks. Also included are behind-the-scenes looks at 10 episodes, audio commentaries, deleted scenes and bloopers.

Also in the pipeline are three new series that never before have been available on DVD.

"Ugly Betty: The Complete First Season -- Bettyfied Edition" will be out August 21. The six-disc set contains all 23 episodes as well as an exhibit of some of the first season's best and worst fashions, a Spanish audio track, a discussion with the cast on the show's origins and a behind-the-scenes documentary with the show's production, costume and set designers.

"Brothers & Sisters: The Complete First Season," also a six-disc set, is scheduled for a September 18 release. On September 25 comes "What About Brian? -- Seasons 1 & 2," a five-disc set.

The Disney announcement comes at a time when the pace of TV-DVD releases is slowing. Just 158 multi-disc TV-DVD season sets came to market in the first four months of this year, according to the DVD Release Report, down 12.2% from the same period last year.

Extras goes to Series Two

It's sad that the BBC/HBO series Extras can't be brought up without a call to Ricky Gervais' work on The Office. D'oh, I just did it. But Extras can stand on its own, and its second and final season will hit DVD soon from HBO Home Video.

Andy Millman is a 40-something actor who gave up his day job to pursue movie fame – only to find he couldn't land the substantial parts. Undaunted by failure and convinced of his star potential, Andy’s success finally turns the corner when a comedy pilot he wrote gets picked up by a British TV network. Despite his many gaffs and foibles, Andy may well be on his way to fame and fortune...if only he can survive meddling network executives, questionable fans, and the gross ineptitude of his clueless agent, Darren Lamb. Throughout Andy's latest misadventures there is one reassuring constant: his ongoing friendship with Maggie Jacobs, the perky if none-too-bright actress who continues to slog away as an extra on various big-budget movie sets, all the while searching for a man with two even legs.

The DVD contains all the episodes and some featurettes including Art of Corpsing, Extras Backstage and Taping Nigel: The Gimpening plus outtakes and bloopers.

The set arrives on July 10th with a suggested retail price of $29.98. Hopefully one day we'll get the talked about final episode, but until then, this is all for Andy Millman.

Apple's iTunes begins selling unlocked songs

Apple Inc.'s iTunes Store started selling thousands of songs without copy protection Wednesday, marking the trendsetting company's latest coup and providing a model for what analysts say will likely become a pattern for online music sales.

Launching initially with songs from music company EMI Group PLC, iTunes Plus features tracks that are free of digital rights management, or DRM, technology — copy-protection software that limits where songs or movies can be played and distributed.

The unrestricted content means some songs purchased from iTunes will work for the first time directly on portable players other than Apple's iPod, including Microsoft Corp.'s Zune.

The inaugural batch of iTunes Plus songs includes music from Coldplay, the Rolling Stones, Norah Jones, Frank Sinatra, Pink Floyd and more than a dozen of Paul McCartney's classic albums.

The DRM-free tracks feature a higher sound quality and cost $1.29 US apiece — 30 cents more than the usual 99-cent price of other, copy-protected songs at the market-leading online music store.

If available, users could upgrade existing purchases to DRM-free versions for 30 cents a song or $3 US for most albums, Apple said.

London-based EMI, the world's third-largest music company by sales, and Cupertino-based Apple announced their partnership in April to deliver the industry's first major offering of DRM-free songs, sharing a vision of what both companies say their consumers want: flexibility and CD-audio quality.

Other smaller online music vendors, such as EMusic.com, already offer songs without DRM, but the selections have been limited to mostly content from independent labels.

Barney Wragg, the global head of digital music at EMI, said the iTunes Plus launch capped six months of work to convert almost all of the company's digital catalogue into a DRM-free format.

"Our customers told us two things deterred them from buying digital," Wragg said. "They weren't 100 per cent confident that the songs they'd purchase could play on their devices, and they wanted something closer to CD quality."

Earlier this year, Apple CEO Steve Jobs called on the world's four major record companies to start selling songs online without copy-protection software.

Rolling Stones' 'Bang' tour to hit Best Buy shelves on DVD

Just a few months after finishing up the US leg of what their publicist claims is the best-selling tour of all time, The Rolling Stones return with a concert DVD documenting the band's "A Bigger Bang" tour.

The Stones will partner with electronics and entertainment retailer Best Buy for the four-DVD set, titled "The Biggest Bang." The seven-hour collection, which features two complete concerts along with two documentaries, will be available at all Best Buy stores starting June 12.

The package, which will retail in the US for $29.99, can be pre-ordered through Best Buy's website starting today (5/30). The set will also be available in Canada at Best Buy outlets as well as Future Shop stores, and an international release is planned later this summer.

"'The Biggest Bang' DVD set lets fans join us as we traveled around the world," the band said in a press release. "They will go behind the scenes at the Super Bowl, see us play an intimate club show in Toronto and for 2 million people on the beach in Rio, as well as gigs in Shanghai, Buenos Aires and Japan. It features classics but also rarities--songs we've never released before on DVD."

"The Biggest Bang" marks the second time that the legendary rockers have worked with retailing giant Best Buy on a concert DVD. In 2003, the band and the company teamed up on "Four Flicks," an exclusive, four-DVD concert set that became the highest-selling long form concert DVD in US history, according to the retailer.

"'Four Flicks' was great, but practice makes perfect and 'The Biggest Bang' is even better--it's got all the right stuff," said "A Bigger Bang" tour promoter Michael Cohl in a press statement. "It's great to be back with Best Buy, and we're pleased that they have decided to offer fans the same low price as they did with Four Flicks three years ago."

Approaching two years since the band launched its record-breaking outing, the Stones continue to tour behind their latest studio album, 2005's "A Bigger Bang." The group is currently gearing up for a fresh European leg, which kicks off June 5 in Werchter, Belgium. The full European itinerary is included below.

June 2007
5 - Werchter, Belgium - Werchter Park
8 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Goffert Park
10 - Isle of Wight, United Kingdom - Isle of Wight Festival
13 - Frankfurt, Germany - Commerzbank
16 - Paris, France - Stade de France
18 - Lyon, France - Stade Gerland
21 - Barcelona, Spain - Olympic Stadium
23 - San Sebastian, Spain - Estadio de Anoeta
25 - Lisbon, Portugal - Alvalade Stadium
28 - Madrid, Spain - Estadio Vicente Calderon
30 - Almeria, Spain - Estadio Santo Domingo

July 2007
6 - Rome, Italy - Olimpico Stadium
9 - Budva, Montenegro - Jaze Beach
14 - Belgrade, Serbia - Hippodrome
17 - Bucharest, Romania - National Lia Manoliu
20 - Budapest, Hungary - Puskas Ferenc Stadium
22 - Brno, Czech Republic - Outdoor Exhibition Centre
25 - Kiev, Russia - Olympic Stadium
28 - Saint Petersburg, Russia - Palace Square

August 2007
1 - Helsinki, Finland - Olympic Stadium
3 - Goteborg, Sweden - Ullevi Stadium
5 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Parken Stadium
8 - Oslo, Norway - Vallehovin Stadium
11 - Lausanne, Switzerland - La Pontaise
13 - Düsseldorf, Germany - LTU Arena
15 - Hamburg, Germany - AOL Arena
18 - Dublin, Ireland - Slane Castle
21, 23, 26 - London, United Kingdom - O2 Arena

New Kanye Album Coming Sooner Than Expected

Kanye West's forthcoming album, "Graduation," is coming sooner than expected. The album, originally due in September, has been pushed slightly ahead to a late August release, according to Def Jam.

West leaked the news through a recently released, 25-track Internet mixtape called "Can't Tell Me Nothing," which features him rapping over such intriguing samples as Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" and Peter Bjorn & John's indie hit "Young Folks."

"Can't Tell Me Nothing," the first single from "Graduation," was co-produced by West and DJ Toomp. A Hype Williams-directed video for the song debuted last Friday on West's Web site.

As previously reported, the new album will also include a collaboration with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin on the song "Graduation."

Toronto's iconic Sam the Record Man flagship to close

Sam the Record Man, the one-time cross-Canada music store chain, will close its iconic downtown Toronto flagship location next month.

Jason and Bobby Sniderman, sons of founder Sam Sniderman, announced Tuesday evening that the venerable Yonge Street location will close its doors for good on June 30.

"Culture and society are changing. Our decision is a reflection on the state of the industry. We can't compete with what's happening in technology," Bobby Sniderman told CBC Wednesday morning.

He cited declining traditional CD sales and the vast availability of CDs and digital music from online retailers for the decision to close — one his family has "agonized" over.

"It was an inevitable decision. The role of the record retailer is being phased out," Sniderman said. "The store's been a labour of love for us. It's just different now than what it used to be."

Over the past decade, the doors have closed on most of the Sam the Record Man locations, stores that were often touted for their devotion to Canadian artists, cache of hard-to-find titles and knowledgeable staffers.

"The greatest asset we have are this wealth of employees that have worked with us, that are like our family and who have an encyclopedic knowledge of music," Sniderman said.

The Sniderman family originally operated a shop selling appliances and car radios, but Sam Sniderman decided to break away and get into the record business in 1937 — in order to impress a girl who was interested in music, Bobby Sniderman said.

"That story of love has turned into this overall labour of love we all have for this store," he said.

The first Sam the Record Man location was on College Street, but around 1960, the operation moved to its now famed location on Yonge Street, where the four-storey store sits emblazoned with the fabled spinning records neon signage.

Though the chain was once one of Canada's top music retailers, with 130 stores across the nation, it has suffered from fierce competition from multinational chains and the advent of online music sharing and purchasing.

In 2001, the firm filed for bankruptcy, but the flagship shop in Toronto was able to reopen in 2002.

As one of Canada's most vocal proponents of domestic artists and a major supporter of the establishment of Canadian content regulations for radio, Sam Sniderman has won a host of honours, including being named a member of the Order of Canada and winning the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Voluntarism in the Performing Arts. He retired in 2000.

Following the upcoming shuttering of the Toronto flagship, two franchise locations in Ontario will remain open: Belleville and Sarnia.

Upbeat ceremony sheds light on new CBC-TV season

CBC has raised the curtain on a schedule of slick, vibrant and youthful programming set to roll out over the 2007-2008 television season.

In a glitzy afternoon ceremony presided over by host George Stroumboulopoulos and peppered with the broadcaster's most famous faces, the CBC unveiled a raft of programming — both brand new and returning shows — scheduled to hit the airwaves beginning this fall.

The high-energy presentation kicked off with a nod to the CBC's recent runaway hit, Little Mosque on the Prairie, which was given the heady title of "saviour of the CBC" and is one of next season's highlights.

"I thought it was hilarious. My favourite headline of all time is 'The Muslims have saved the CBC,'" Little Mosque creator Zarqa Nawaz told CBC Arts Online.

Even before its January premiere, the sitcom drew international interest. It has since played to packed audiences in Los Angeles, New York and overseas, where it has been sold for distribution in France and piqued interest from Norway to Australia, said producer Mary Darling.

Other surprise hits set for sophomore seasons include crime drama Intelligence, the entrepreneur-based reality show Dragon's Den and a language-related edition of the quiz show Test the Nation.

Though many criticized the public broadcaster's entrance into the world of reality programming, the audience has warmed to it, said Kirstine Layfield, CBC-TV's executive director of network programming.

'[Audiences] saw that we weren't going to this kind of weird, Extreme Makeover plastic-surgery place … they understand we're doing this with a purpose.'—Kirstine Layfield, CBC-TV
"It was hard for people to understand what reality TV was in the world of CBC," she said Tuesday afternoon.

"Now that they've seen what we've done, I think it's less scary. Now that they've seen Dragon's Den, they've seen Test the Nation, they saw that we weren't going to this kind of weird, Extreme Makeover plastic-surgery place and they're less frightened and they understand we're doing this with a purpose."

Current affairs and entertainment show The Hour, hosted by Stroumboulopoulos, comedy hits like Rick Mercer Report, long-running drama Coronation Street and David Suzuki's venerable The Nature of Things are among other returning favourites.

Flagship newscast The National will be added to CBC-TV's expanding slate of high-definition programming, joining documentary specials and hockey broadcasts.

In addition to building on traditional strengths like hockey and curling coverage, CBC Sports will tackle the Olympics in Beijing, Blue Jays baseball games and two World Cup soccer tournaments: the FIFA U-20 and the Women's World Cup.

Noteworthy new CBC productions and co-productions will range from the sexy Henry VIII miniseries The Tudors and an adaptation of Mordecai Richler's St. Urbain's Horseman to the reality show No Opportunity Wasted and Garth Drabinsky's theatre world talent search Triple Sensation, hosted by CBC Radio's Andrew Craig.

Former theatre impresario Drabinsky called his show "the antidote of all the other reality shows" and a celebration of young Canadian talent.

"It's not about a publicity stunt to find an audience for an old and tired musical," he said. "It's not a karaoke contest."

For the three-episode series, competitors will be whittled down to a dozen finalists who will compete for a $150,000 scholarship to the world-renowned theatrical training school the winner chooses.

"We didn't follow any of those judging gimmicks," said actress Cynthia Dale, who joins Drabinsky as one of the show's five judges.

"It's scrutinizing talent in a very rigorous way and in an intelligent way," Drabinsky said. "Not to destroy talent, but to raise them up."

While Layfield admitted the schedule is an attempt to attract younger audiences, "I'm not going after 16-year-olds."

More importantly, she said, she wants to draw all viewers who want more than the "typical American programming that they're going to get on our competition.

"Television is about trying and risk and experimentation. It's also about doing it in as measured a way as you can," Layfield said.

"We have to try things that are different. We can't just make Canadian versions of American shows. We have to make things that are truly our own."

New CD Releases, May 29: R. Kelly, Richard Thompson, Jason Alden

R. Kelly "Double Up"

The R&B king has called upon a number of his talented pals, including T.I., Nelly, Snoop Dogg and Kid Rock, to help on his latest offering, "Double Up."

The set features the song "Rise Up," which was penned in response to last month's killings at Virginia Tech. According to a press release, Kelly and his label, Jive, will donate 100% of the net proceeds from the digital sales of that single to Virginia Tech's official fund, the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund.

* * *
Richard Thompson "Sweet Warrior"

The British troubadour, who first came to fame as part of the influential folk-rock band Fairport Convention, plugs in for his first electrified rock record since 2003's "The Old Kit Bag." The 14-song "Sweet Warrior" includes some overtly political numbers, notably the "War on Iraq"-inspired "Dad's Gonna Kill Me."

* * *
Jason Aldean "Relentless"

The cowboy crooner will try to live up to his fast start(he was dubbed the Academy of Country Music's Top New Male Vocalist for 2006) on this sophomore set. The album contains the mega-hit single "Johnny Cash" as well as a duet with Miranda Lambert on "Grown Woman."

* * *
Perry Farrell's Satellite Party "Ultra Payloaded"

The former leader of Jane's Addiction, undeniably one of the most important bands in alt-rock history, is out to make some noise with a different cast of characters. Farrell's fellow Party-goers include The Red Hot Chili Pepper's Flea, dance-queen Fergie and--get this--classic-rock legend Jim Morrison, who makes a posthumous appearance on this set.

* * *
Johnette Napolitano "Scarred"

The voice behind Concrete Blonde, the eclectic rock band best known for the hit "Joey," returns to the fray with this new solo effort. Napolitano performed some of the "Scarred" material during her set at South by Southwest earlier this year and is supporting the album with a tour that currently stretches through mid-June.

* * *
More new releases:
Herb Alpert, "Rise" (Shout Factory)
Cary Brothers, "Who You Are" (Bluhammock)
Circa Survive, "On Letting Go" (Equal Vision)
Glenn Gould, "Bach: The Goldberg Variations 1955 Performance" (Sony)
Juliana Hatfield, Frank Smith, "Sittin' in a Tree" (EP) (Ye Olde)
Katatonia, "Live Consternation" (Peaceville)
Kool Keith, "Ultra-Octa-Doom" (2b1)
Gary Moore, "Close as You Get" (Eagle)
Piano Magic, "Part Monster" (Important)
Len Price 3, "Rent a Crowd" (Wicked Cool)
Ray Price, "The Essential Ray Price" (Sony)
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, "In Glorious Times" (The End)
Jay Soto, "Stay a While" (Nu Groove)
Spur of the Moment, "Urban Renewal" (SOTM)
Russell Watson, "The Voice: The Ultimate Collection" (Universal)
Cephalic Carnage, "Xenosapien" (Relapse)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Transformers: The Movie" (Sony)

There'll Be a 'Shrek 4' and '5,' But That's All

DreamWorks Animation plans to produce two more Shrek movies before shutting down the franchise, CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg has told the Australian newspaper The Age.

"It's a finite story, has been from the beginning and I think that's part of its integrity, part of its strength, that we're not thinking this up as we go," he said in an interview with the Melbourne newspaper.

"Ultimately we will come back to understand how Shrek arrived in that swamp. We will reveal his story."

Although acknowledging that he is committed to making movies that will make money for DreamWorks' investors, Katzenberg maintained that he himself never thinks about money.

"I've never done anything in my entire life for money. ... I'm amazingly disengaged from it, always have been. I probably would have done even better had I ever paid any attention to it. [His wealth is estimated at $800 million.] My partner David Geffen is a genius at it. He's worth a gajillion times more than me because he does pay attention to it -- he's brilliant at investing."

Springsteen Rocks With 'Seeger' Band On CD/DVD

The last time Thom Zimny edited a Bruce Springsteen concert film, it was "Hammersmith Odeon, London '75," a recording that -- as the legend goes, anyway -- was literally forgotten and left in a cold dark corner of Springsteen's vaults.

When the tapes were finally discovered a few years ago, it took Zimny a while to figure out what they contained, as they had no labels, set lists, track titles, scribbled-on notebook paper, sticky notes -- anything that would have offered the slightest hint what he was looking at.

The new "Live in Dublin," due June 5 via Columbia, was probably a little easier. Shot at the Point in Dublin over three nights in November, it captures the final stand of Springsteen's Seeger Sessions band (credited on the live set as only The Sessions Band) as it roars through nearly two dozen traditionals ("Jesse James," "Eyes on the Prize"), resculpted folk and rave-up gospel numbers ("When the Saints Go Marching In," "This Little Light of Mine").

There are also radically reconfigured takes on songs from Springsteen's own catalog, including a 10-minute big-band take on the "Nebraska" track "Open All Night," a shimmering, violin-flavored "Atlantic City" and an effervescent run through "Blinded by the Light."

To capture "Live in Dublin," which will see release as a concert DVD, a Blu-ray disc (both featuring stereo and 5.1 surround sound), a two-CD release and a combination DVD/CD package, Zimny set up nine HD-ready cameras in the Point and operated under a rule he uses whenever shooting Springsteen in performance: try to stay out of the way.

"In all my experiences working with Bruce, the music is the central focus," he tells Billboard.com. "You want to make sure the energy is translated, but in a way that doesn't interfere with the dialogue between performer and audience."

Zimny's relationship with Springsteen began back in 2000, when he edited the Emmy-winning "Live in New York City," which documented Springsteen's reunion tour with the E Street Band. Since then, he's worked on 2003's Emmy-nominated "Live in Barcelona" and Springsteen's 2005 edition of "VH1 Storytellers."

"Each film really has its own unique journey," Zimny said, "With 'Storytellers,' for instance, it's a smaller space and you want to incorporate the sense of audience. But this was a really different experience. It's such a large band, and a great band, and it's crazy to see the effects of all the performers in this footage."

Zimny adds that Springsteen plays as big of a role behind the scenes as he does on stage. "Bruce and (manager Jon) Landau are always involved in the filmmaking process," Zimny said. "Bruce is very aware of that film process; he's always been there in the cutting room. I imagine it's what it's like to be working with him as he makes the albums: all the details are examined, from the writing to the stage design to how things translate to screen. All the choices are tried. That's the beauty of the cutting room: that's where you find the soul of the piece."

GM Place, Vancouver - May 28, 2007 - Police kick off reunion tour

VANCOUVER - And they said it wouldn't happen.

The reunion tour that no one ever thought was going to materialize finally did on Monday night as '80s New Wave kingpins The Police opened their 30th anniversary trek with a sold-out show at GM Place in front of some 20,000 ecstatic fans.

Singer-bassist Sting, 55, the lone holdout all these years - 23 to be exact since The Police last toured for their last studio album, Synchronicity - seemed genuinely happy to be on stage again with his former bandmates - drummer Stewart Copeland, 54, and guitarist Andy Summers, 64 - who have patiently been waiting for him to return to the fold while he enjoyed a hugely successful solo career.

For God's sake, the trio of two Brits and one American even hugged each other in front of the cheering crowd after performing a two-hour, hit-heavy set from their seven year career (1977-1984) that saw them sell a staggering 50 million albums while infighting broke out towards the end.

"Tonight is our first official concert in 25 years, we chose Vancouver, 'cause you're Vancouver, alright?" said Sting, who had been rehearsing with Copeland and Summers most recently in a log house on the Squamish Indian reserve in North Vancouver. "I like this city very much."

Still, anyone expecting the fierce punk-tinged reggae rock of The Police at their prime when they split up in 1984, instead got a jazzier, more mellow version of the acclaimed trio of accomplished musicians.

Many songs got some serious retooling and not always for the better: Don't Stand So Close To Me, Truth Hits Everybody, and Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic were among the disappointments.

Still, The Police's show, a comparatively stripped down affair compared to the huge productions put on by the likes of The Rolling Stones and U2, opened strongly with Message In A Bottle, Synchronicity II, Spirits In The Material World and the combo of Voices In My Head/When The World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around.

But there was a serious lull in the middle portion of the show with plenty of slow songs or ballads - Driven To Tears, Walking On The Moon, Wrapped Around Your Finger, The Bed's Too Big Without You, and Murder By Numbers.

At a press conference earlier this year to announce their reunion tour, Sting insisted it would be just "three guys on stage, that's all. Simple but spectacular."

Well, he was mostly right.

Their in-the-round stage saw the trio playing in a pit with steps up to a semi-circular catwalk behind them so they could play to audience members behind them whenever the mood struck.

There was also small steps up to ramps on either side of the stage which Sting used to the delight of the crowd.

It has to be said that Sting looked and sounded outstanding with his brilliant blue eyes offset by a nice tan, chiselled arms and a tight-fitting sleeveless white shirt and narrow black pants along with black combat boots.

Whenever he performed a scissor-kick at the end of song or stood on Copeland's drum riser and wiggled his bum, the reaction from fans was palatable.

But other than genuinely slick lighting and a video screen, onto which footage of a moving dinosaur skeleton was projected during Walking In Your Footsteps, it was a surprisingly simple affair.

Musically, the most interesting choices came from Copeland, who looked like a mad scientist behind his enormous drum kit with white gloves, glasses and a head band.

He often alternated with a second set of percussion instruments that were placed on a riser above his drum kit, including a gong that he struck to kick off the entire evening.

By the final third of the show, such highlights as Invisible Sun, during which warn-torn video of Iraq was shown, I Can't Stand Losing You, Roxanne, King Of Pain, So Lonely, Every Breath You Take and Next To You, saw that old Police magic return.

Opening Monday night was Fiction Plane, a rock trio fronted by Sting's 31-year-old son Joe Sumner, whose upper register sounds uncannily like that of his father's. (Also seen in the audience was Sting's second wife, Trudie Styler and L.A Law alum Corbin Bernsen.)

Fiction Plane's 45-minute set was perfectly serviceable but hardly exceptional and given the circumstances, they can hardly be blamed for being a little overwhelmed.

With the passage of time, they are sure to become more relaxed, and hopefully, the headliners will pick up a little more steam in that troublesome middle section or just change the songs outright.

The Police return to the same Vancouver venue for a second show Wednesday night before heading to Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday where some tickets are available - a rarity on the otherwise mostly sold out tour. The trio don't arrive in Toronto until July 22-23 for shows at the Air Canada Centre followed by Montreal's Bell Centre on July 25-26 before a return to the ACC on Nov. 8.

SET LIST

What The Police played on Monday night at their world tour launch in Vancouver:

Message in a Bottle

Synchronicity II

Spirits in the Material World

Voices Inside My Head/When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around

Don't Stand So Close to Me

Driven to Tears

Walking on the Moon

Truth Hits Everybody

Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic

Wrapped Around Your Finger

The Bed's Too Big Without You

Murder by Numbers

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da

Invisible Sun

Walking in Your Footsteps

Can't Stand Losing You

Roxanne

ENCORE:

King of Pain

So Lonely

Every Breath You Take

SECOND ENCORE

Next to You

Can Wii prolong winning streak?

SEATTLE — As it raced past rivals to become the hottest new video-game console, some analysts predicted that Nintendo Co.'s Wii was little more than a fad.

Try telling that to Geoff Allen, who hasn't grown sick of playing the Wii after almost five months. He, his wife and his father all are hooked on "Wii Sports."

"Within minutes, I can have fun," said Allen, a 36-year-old technology entrepreneur from Potomac Falls, Va. "I don't have to spend hours crawling through dungeons and learning all the complex button combos to become proficient. I love the Wii. It makes me happy."

U.S. consumers have snapped up 2.5 million Wii consoles since they hit the market in November. It's a sharp turnaround since the last round of the console wars, when its GameCube got wiped out by Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox.

But Nintendo isn't taking its initial success for granted. At an event here last week, it unveiled a series of games, such as "Mario Strikers Charged" and "Big Brain Academy," aimed at keeping a wide range of players interested, not just teenage boys and traditional video-game enthusiasts. The Osaka, Japan-based company also is relying on girls, women and older players to continue its growth.

Some analysts think the novelty may wear off and, when it does, consumers will stop buying new games for the Wii. The difference between the Wii's graphics and those of its rivals, the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, also may become more noticeable as developers create new games that take advantage of the more powerful consoles' processing power.

"Its appeal is primarily to casual gamers, and there's a serious question about how long casual gamers will stay engaged with the platform," said Van Baker, a consumer technologies analyst with Gartner Inc., which is headquartered in Stamford, Conn. "It wouldn't be surprising to see them lose interest after a relatively short amount of time."

So far, demand is outstripping supply. Stores are selling out of the Wii within hours of getting them. Sales of the Wii are so hot, the Japanese company is widely expected to increase its annual sales forecast of 14 million units for its current fiscal year.

It helps that the Wii is $249, compared to the PS3 at $599 and the Xbox 360, priced from $299 to $479, depending on the features. Last month, U.S. consumers bought 360,000 Wii systems, versus 174,000 Xbox 360s and 82,000 PlayStation 3s, according to NPD Group.

Reginald Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer for Nintendo's North American division, said at the press event last week that Nintendo in April had taken the No. 1 spot for sales of consoles, games and hand-held game devices, with its DS portable player. The last company to accomplish that feat, he said, was Nintendo itself — in the 1980s. "We have become a viral and cultural phenomenon," Fils-Aime said.

To bring in more casual gamers who don't have the time or patience to learn their way around a 16-button controller like the PS3, Nintendo developed a novel remote that uses a motion sensor to let players use their arm movements to control the action on the screen. For example, to swing a club in "Super Swing Golf," players swing the controller.

That's what hooked Allen and his family. When he showed the games to his 63-year-old father, Allen had to pull him away from the TV screen. "He was so into it, he forgot he was playing a video game," Allen said.

The controller, Allen explained, makes games such as the Wii version of tennis much more intuitive to play.

"If I want a cross court shot, I start low and rotate my forearm, and I get a nice cross-court spinning shot, just like real tennis," he said. "I don't have to learn anything new."

That ease, combined with realistic physics, has led the Wii to pop up in some unexpected places. The Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital in Edmonton, Canada, uses the Wii to help physical therapy patients improve movement and balance. Norwegian Cruise Line, which caters to seniors, has purchased the system for all of its ships.

The Wii's popularity has made it an attractive system for game publishers, whose ability to crank out fresh games for the device is vital to keeping consumers interested. It also generally costs less to create games for Wii than for the Sony and Microsoft systems, especially since it shares technology with its predecessor, the GameCube.

Wii games can cost anywhere from $1 million to $7 million and take less than a year to make, whereas a typical PS3 and Xbox 360 game can cost more than $20 million and take more than a year to produce because of the complexity and high-level graphics involved in those consoles.

"The console with the greatest momentum now is the Wii," said Brian Farrell, chief executive of THQ Inc., the Calabasas-based game publisher. "The controller is highly innovative. The price point is attractive. The demographics are broad. And the cost to develop games on the system is relatively low. There's a lot to like about the Wii."

Developers also like the Wii because it frees them to focus less on making games look visually beautiful and more on just making them fun to play.

"Coding for the PS3 and the 360 is a daunting challenge," said Kevin Ray, chief technology officer for Majesco Entertainment Co., a game publisher in Edison, N.J., that found the Wii business model so attractive that last year it decided to make games exclusively for that console. "With the Wii, we can afford to get creative and develop something really fun and bizarre."

Nintendo's in-house games studio plans to release its own stable of titles later this year, such as "Metroid Prime 3: Corruption" and "Super Mario Galaxy."

While this coming holiday season is shaping up to be a blockbuster one for Nintendo, some analysts question whether the Wii has enough steam to last longer. The sophisticated hardware for PS3 and Xbox 360 is expected to keep those consoles relevant for another decade.

"The Wii in a couple of years is going to look like old technology with low resolution, slow performance," Baker said. "People may not be accepting of that."

But 31% of Wii owners surveyed in March by Frank N. Magid Associates, a media consulting firm, said they expected to play the Wii more often a year from now, compared to 21% of Xbox 360 owners.

"We don't see it fading," said Mike Vorhaus, a managing director with the Sherman Oaks firm. He credits the success to families who play together, as well as singles who get together for Wii parties.

That's what Nintendo is banking on. While the Xbox 360 and the PS3 are played primarily by young men, the Wii is played on average by more people in each household. That means Nintendo has a good shot at selling more games per console than its rivals, said George Harrison, Nintendo of America's senior vice president of marketing.

"Before, it was the teenage boy playing by himself," Harrison said. "Now, the whole family is playing."

Big Studios Hate Woody Allen

Woody Allen is one of the most eccentric and arguably the greatest filmmaker in the history of Hollywood. The New York obsessed neurotic has been nominated for an astounding twenty-one Academy Awards. Fourteen of those honors came in the screenwriting category. His 1977 masterwork Annie Hall is one of the greatest films I have ever seen and still sets the bar for the entire romantic comedy genre. After a lull of mediocre films in the early ‘aughts, Allen stormed back with his brilliant 2005 release Match Point. So why the hell won’t anyone buy his new film?

According to Teletext through Film Stalker, none of the big studios have shown interest in purchasing the quirky helmer’s new film. Cassandra’s Dream, which stars Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell, centers on the relationship of two brothers who turn to crime after a girlfriend pits the two against each other. I’d pay to see this movie right now!

It’s really a shame to see a cinematic legend struggle at the end of his career. It’s true that most of his films are set on an elevated intellectual level, alienating a large portion of American audiences, but he still has a rabid, cult following. For some reason, I don’t really think this bothers Woody to much, though; after all, he was the one that said, “If you’re not failing now and again, it’s a sign that you’re not doing anything very innovative.”

The Police Return To The Stage With Vancouver Warm-Up

The Police played their first concert in more than 20 years last night (May 27) in front of a fan club-only audience at Vancouver's GM Place, rocking through a 21-song, 125-minute set that went heavy on hits from the band's early 1980s heyday. The show opened with "Message in a Bottle" and closed with the spirited early hit "Next to You."

The group officially begins its mammoth reunion tour tonight at the same arena, with support from Fiction Plane. The trek is expected to last through the end of the year and will likely finish as the top ticket seller of 2007, according to estimates by Billboard.

Among the oddities that appeared in the warm-up show set list were "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic," which was rarely played live during the band's first incarnation, and a medley of "Voices Inside My Head" and "When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around," which was first tested out during a February press conference in Los Angeles.

Here is the Police's May 27, 2007, set list:

"Message in a Bottle"
"Synchronicity II"
"Don't Stand So Close to Me"
"Voices Inside My Head"/"When the World Is Running Down, You Make the Best of What's Still Around"
"Spirits in the Material World"
"Driven to Tears"
"Walking on the Moon"
"Truth Hits Everybody"
"Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic"
"Wrapped Around Your Finger"
"The Bed's Too Big Without You"
"Murder by Numbers"
"De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da"
"Invisible Sun"
"Walking in Your Footsteps"
"Can't Stand Losing You"
"Roxanne"
"King of Pain"
"So Lonely"
"Every Breath You Take"
"Next to You"

Early summer movies underperform at box office

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Moviegoers are not following the script written for them by the Hollywood studios. In a sign that big-budget sequels may be losing their allure, North American ticket sales for the first three big films of the lucrative summer season have not kept pace with their respective predecessors.

The numbers for "Spider-Man 3," "Shrek the Third" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" are still impressive, and the studios do not seem too worried. For the most part, they blamed increased competition, although -- apart from the big three -- there is little else of significance playing in theaters.

The third film in Walt Disney Co.'s "Pirates" trilogy led the Memorial Day holiday weekend with four-day sales of $156 million, setting a record for the busy period, the studio said on Monday. The previous record of $123 million was set last year by "X-Men: The Last Stand."

The Friday-to-Monday haul for "Pirates" was boosted by estimated sales of $14 million from Thursday-night previews, drawing moviegoers who likely would have seen the film at some other time during the weekend. Disney's inclusion of the Thursday tally raised eyebrows at other studios.

If the Monday and Thursday figures are stripped out, the traditional three-day sum of $115 million pales against the then-record $135.6 million start of last year's "Pirates" installment, "Dead Man's Chest," as well as those of "Spider-Man 3" ($151 million) and Shrek the Third ($122 million).

OVERSEAS STRENGTH

Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Marketing and Distribution, said he was "as pleased as could be" about the opening, given the tough competition.

On a worldwide basis, the film has earned $401 million, with hefty contributions from the likes of Britain ($26 million), Korea ($18 million) and Germany ($16.8 million).

The first film, 2003's "The Curse of the Black Pearl," finished with $653 million worldwide, while "Dead Man's Chest" topped out at $1.1 billion.

Meanwhile, the previous weekend's champion, "Shrek the Third" has earned $219 million in North America after 11 days. By contrast, "Shrek 2," released at the same time in 2004, had earned $260 million through the Memorial Day holiday. (The earlier film opened two days earlier, however.)

The latest installment in DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc's family comedy series earned $69.1 million during the four-day weekend, the studio said. But the three-day portion of $53 million represented a hefty 56 percent slide from its first weekend.

Anne Globe, head of marketing at DreamWorks Animation, said she was "very happy" with the new film's performance, and comparisons with "Shrek 2" were invalid because of the tougher competition.

Sony Corp's "Spider-Man 3" was third for the weekend with four-day sales of $18 million, driving its total to $307.6 million. "Spider-Man 2," also released in 2004, had earned about $328 million in that time.

"It's really hard to complain about $307 million," said Rory Bruer, president of domestic theatrical distribution at Sony's Columbia Pictures unit. "Ultimately, we're going to be fine."

According to industry analyst boxofficemojo.com, "Spider-Man 3" took 24 days to hit $300 million, two days slower than 2004's "Spider-Man 2" and five days slower than 2002's "Spider-Man."

But on a worldwide basis, the new film is on track to beat the $821 million total of "Spider-Man" later this week, said Columbia. "Spider-Man 2," despite a stronger start, finished with $784 million worldwide.

Romanian film wins top Cannes prize

CANNES, France -- A modest film from a humble filmmaker put Romania on top of the world yesterday at the 60th anniversary Cannes Film Festival.

Cristian Mungiu's drama 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days -- the story of how two female university students deal with an illegal abortionist who wants to exploit them sexually -- won the Palme d'Or as best film.

The surprise triumph by the 39-year-old Romanian, who won with only his third feature film, pushed aside higher profile films from established directors.

That list included the Coen Brothers' No Country for Old Men, David Fincher's Zodiac, Wong Kar Wai's My Blueberry Nights, Gus Van Sant's Paranoid Park, Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof, Bela Tarr's The Man From London, James Gray's We Own the Night, Emir Kusturica's Promise Me This and Alexander Sokurov's Alexandra.

Former Palme d'Or winners such as the Coens, Tarantino and Kusturica got nothing this time around from the nine-member, star-studded jury headed by British filmmaker Stephen Frears.

That was shocking in the case of the Coens because their macho stars, Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones, were thought to be contenders for best actor and the film itself was thought to be in the running for the Palme d'Or.

Another humble filmmaker, Japan's Naomi Kawase, took the second prize, or the Grand Prix, for her contemplative human drama Mogari No Mori (The Mourning Forest).

One former Palme d'or winner Van Sant, meanwhile, took home the made-up third prize, the Prix du 60th Anniversaire, for Paranoid Park. "It had very humble beginnings," the gracious Van Sant said of his project, the story of a Portland skateboarder who accidentally kills a security guard and covers up the incident.

Two other films shared the Prix du Jury, which essentially put them in a tie for fourth. One was Mexican director Carlos Reygadas' Silent Light. The other was the enormously popular animated film Persepolis from Franco-Iranian director Marjane Satrapi and French filmmaker Vincent Paronnaud. Satrapi essentially told her own story of growing up in the politically volatile Iran and emigrating to France.

The best actor prize went to a Russian, Konstantin Lavronenko, who played the role of the father who returns to his birthplace with his young family in The Banishment, a film that hardly anyone had been talking about.

The best actress prize went to a Korean, Jeon Do-Yeon, who played a distraught widow whose son is kidnapped in Secret Sunshine. It is another performance that few outsiders had been talking about before the jury made its decision.

An American -- colourful painter-filmmaker Julian Schnabel -- won the best director prize for making a French-language drama about the triumph of the human spirit.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is the true-life story of a French socialite who, by blinking his eye for an interpreter, writes a book about his anguish after a stroke totally paralyses his body.

A sweetly excited Schnabel, rambling through a monologue, finally said: "In my wildest dreams, I never thought that I would be here because, basically, I am just a movie fan. I never thought I would become a movie director."

The best screenplay prize went to Turkish writer-director Fatih Akin, who quickly issued thanks for his award. Then he made a declaration to his countrymen, who are about to vote on whether to maintain a secular state: "I have one message for Turkey. All is one; united we stand; divided we fall."

The Palme d'Or for short films -- which was selected by a separate jury -- went to Watching It Rain from Mexico's Elisa Miller. Special mentions went to New Zealand's Mark Albiston for Run, and Singapore's Anthony Chen for Ah Ma.

In the Un Certain Regard section, a parallel group of official selections, the top prize coincidentally went to another Romanian film.

Yet another jury handed the Prix Un Certain Regard Cristian Nemescu's California Dreamin' (Endless).

The Camera d'Or, a coveted prize for first-time directors with films in any of the official programs, went to Meduzot, co-directors Elgar Keret and Shira Geffen's entry in the International Critics Week.

"I haven't worn a suit since my bar mitzvah," Keret quipped. Anton Corbun's Control earned a special mention in this category.

Actor Charles Nelson Reilly dies at 76

LOS ANGELES - Charles Nelson Reilly, the Tony Award winner who later became known for his ribald appearances on the "Tonight Show" and various game shows, has died. He was 76.

Reilly died Friday in Los Angeles of complications from pneumonia, his partner, Patrick Hughes, told the New York Times.

Reilly began his career in New York City, taking acting classes at a studio with Steve McQueen, Geraldine Page and Hal Holbrook. In 1962, he appeared on Broadway as Bud Frump in the original Broadway production of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." The role won Reilly a Tony Award.

He was nominated for a Tony again for playing Cornelius in "Hello, Dolly!" In 1997 he received another nomination for directing Julie Harris and Charles Durning in a revival of "The Gin Game."

After moving to Hollywood in 1960s he appeared as the nervous Claymore Gregg on TV's "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" and as a featured guest on "The Dean Martin Show."

He gained fame by becoming what he described as a "game show fixture" in the 1970s and 80s. He was a regular on programs like "Match Game" and "Hollywood Squares," often wearing giant glasses and colorful suits with ascots.

His larger-than-life persona and affinity for double-entendres also landed him on the "Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson more than 95 times.

Reilly ruefully admitted his wild game show appearances adversely affected his acting career. "You can't do anything else once you do game shows," he told The Advocate, the national gay magazine, in 2001. "You have no career."

His final work was an autobiographical one-man show, "Save It for the Stage: The Life of Reilly," about his family life growing up in the Bronx. The title grew out of the fact that when he would act out as a child, his mother would often admonish him to "save it for the stage."

The stage show was made into the 2006 feature film called "The Life of Reilly."

Reilly's openly gay television persona was ahead of its time, and sometimes stood in his way. He recalled a network executive telling him "they don't let queers on television."

Hughes, his only immediate survivor, said Reilly had been ill for more than a year.

No memorial plans had been announced.

STORK REALITY

May 27, 2007 -- FAME, FORTUNE and box-office records be damned - Judd Apatow swears he will never be one of the popular kids.

"I'm the guy the girl breaks up with," the director insists. "I'm never the guy who breaks up with the girl."

Nor is Ben Stone, the lead character in his new movie, "Knocked Up." Or, for that matter, Steve Carell's character in 2005's "40-Year-Old Virgin."

Or any of the scrawny guys in his short-lived TV shows, "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared," or in his other projects over the years: "The Larry Sanders Show," "The Ben Stiller Show" and "The Critic."

Apatow's underdog schtick is getting a little harder to pull off, though. What do you do when you see yourself as the nerdy outsider, but are nonetheless making a major name for yourself in Hollywood?

You stick to your roots, casting the guy least likely to be the leading man - that would be actor Seth Rogen - as the leading man.

Then, you prominently feature a close-up of his naked butt (maybe the closest you can get to actually mooning Hollywood).

"When we were shooting, we saw it small, on the monitor - but on the big screen, every hair on his butt is like a pine tree," says Apatow. "Seth said that if you were in stadium seating, it'd look like you might get sucked into it. It was like a scene out of 'Willy Wonka.'"

"No one," adds Rogen, "should see their a-- that big."

Like many of the movie's most memorable bits, that scene was a spur-of-the-moment thing.

"It was supposed to be that they woke up in bed together, that Katherine Heigl woke up with Seth breathing in her face," explains Apatow. "But when we were shooting, it occurred to me that it might be hilarious to have her already showered, waking him up, with his a-- out there for all to see. For way too much of the scene."

It's a small moment that encapsulates much about what's put Apatow on the map - first with "40-Year-Old Virgin," his big-screen directorial debut, and now with "Knocked Up," the story of an unlikely one-night stand that results in an unintended pregnancy.

Apatow has several stylistic staples: The ability to push comedy well into the realm of the awkward and still pull it off. An improvisational energy on his sets. Easy camaraderie that comes from working with the same group of actors, movie after movie.

And, of course, the Rogen factor.

The 25-year-old Canadian has been involved in nearly everything the director's done since 1999's "Freaks and Geeks," which was cancelled after only 18 episodes. In that show - and in every role since - Rogen's played the sarcastic, stonery sidekick type. The guy who may not get the girl, but reliably gets the funniest line.

Except now, he gets the girl, too. Much to Apatow's delight.

"I wanted Seth to be the lead of 'Undeclared,'" says Apatow, "and they laughed. They really laughed at me. They acted like it was the most insane idea. So it's nice to see him carry this movie and really do a great job.

"Seth's a great comic presence," he adds. "I just find him a very kind of relatable everyman."

"40-Year-Old Virgin" fans may know Rogen best from a scene in which he and Paul Rudd goof on macho posturing:

"You know how I know you're gay?"

"How? How do you know I'm gay?"

"Cause you macraméd yourself a pair of jean shorts."

"You know how I know you're gay? You just told me you're not sleeping with women anymore."

"You know how I know you're gay? You like Coldplay."

"You know how I know you're gay? I saw you make a spinach dip in a loaf of sourdough bread once."

That largely improvised scene - which can be viewed in all its unedited glory on the DVD - is a stellar example of why Apatow's directorial style works. He may start with the scripted version, then go off-book, either feeding new lines to his actors via earpieces, or simply letting them roll with it.

"I'm really just trying to make the performances come alive," says Apatow. "I find that when all the actors in a scene know that at any moment, an actor may change his lines a little bit, everyone is on their toes. And I tend to cast people who aren't that different from their part, so they can riff and speak naturally. Seth can talk all day long from his character, because it's 70 percent his real life."

One of Apatow's favorite improvised bits in this movie, he says, is a conversation between the couple about why Ben didn't wear a condom on their one-night stand.

"She says, 'I thought you were wearing one.' And Seth says," Apatow laughs, "'How come you couldn't tell? Did you think I was wearing a condom made of penis skin?'

"Another," he adds, "was a really funny line where he asks her if they can do it doggie style. And she says, 'I don't want you to do it like I'm a dog.' And he says, 'Well, it's just a style.'

"And then Seth adds this: 'I mean, we don't have to go outside or anything.'"

The movie's core group of stoners - Ben's four roommates - is particularly close to Apatow's heart, as they're drawn from his TV shows. Jason Segel and Martin Starr come from "Freaks and Geeks," while Jay Baruchel was the star of "Undeclared." (Jonah Hill, the youngest of the bunch, stars in an upcoming movie, "Superbad," which was co-written by Rogen). The actors have been close ever since, and it shows in their effortless banter onscreen (not to mention that all four play characters with their own names).

In the film's longest running gag, Starr grows out his facial hair on a bet with his housemates, who rib him about which hirsute personality he resembles. "We fed them a lot of lines," says Apatow. "We're like, do one about Serpico! Do one about Yasser Arafat! Do one about ZZ Top!"

As befits the R-rated comedy genre - which Apatow has been credited with reviving - off-color jokes are the mainstay. But the director also clearly relishes pushing the boundaries of what adult comedy entails.

The climactic birth scene is where he breaks new ground this time around. "I thought if I didn't show something very graphic, it would feel like a sitcom," he says. "In the script, it says: 'You see everything. This is not 'The Cosby Show.'"
And yet, popularity-wise, "Knocked Up" looks to be similarly huge. Which tends to make Apatow and co. nervous.

"Before, we could say 'well, the critics like us, and f--- everyone else,' like [we did] with 'Freaks and Geeks' and 'Undeclared,'" says Rogen. "[But] it's much scarier to be accepted on a wide scale."

"Pirates" opens with $112.5 million

LOS ANGELES - Box-office treasure is a little harder to come by on the new voyage of "Pirates of the Caribbean." The third installment in the Walt Disney Co. franchise, "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," hauled in $112.5 million from Friday to Sunday, well below last summer's $135.6 million opening weekend for its predecessor, "Dead Man's Chest."

"At World's End" had the fifth-biggest three-day opening ever, with this month's "Spider-Man 3" ($151.1 million) and "Shrek the Third" ($121.6 million) both outperforming it.

Adding in $14 million from Thursday night preview screenings, "At World's End" had taken in $126.5 million domestically, according to studio estimates Sunday. The Thursday night screenings skewed the weekend figures for "At World's End," which likely would have done much of that business on Friday without those previews.

"At World's End" took in an additional $205.5 million internationally since it began rolling out overseas Wednesday, putting its worldwide total at $332 million.

Though it missed out on key box-office records, "At World's End" is on course to surpass last year's "X-Men: The Last Stand," which had the best four-day Memorial Day weekend debut with $122.9 million.

"We will go flying by that," said Chuck Viane, Disney head of distribution.

After 2003's acclaimed "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl," reviews were mixed at best for both sequels.

Critics found the second and third movies more akin to the Disney theme-park attraction on which the franchise is based, cinematic thrill rides whose huge visual set pieces supplanted much of the charm of the first film, which earned Johnny Depp an Academy Award nomination as boozy buccaneer Jack Sparrow.

Released just 10 months after "Dead Man's Chest," the new movie picks up from that cliffhanger as Sparrow's friends and foes ( Keira Knightley, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush) set sail to rescue him from Davy Jones' locker.

It remains to be seen how well "At World's End" will measure up in the long run to "Curse of the Black Pearl," which topped out at $305 million, and "Dead Man's Chest," last year's biggest hit with $423 million.

"Fifth-biggest opening of all time. There's really nothing to complain about here," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "These numbers tell us that people love to see these `Pirates' movies, regardless of reviews, regardless of any other factors."

With a big first weekend behind it, "At World's End" appears positioned to avoid the fate of some third installments such as "Jurassic Park III" and "The Matrix Revolutions," whose returns fell far short of their predecessors.

The new "Pirates" poached the box-office crown from DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third," whose No. 1 debut a week earlier was a record opening for an animated film. "Shrek the Third" slipped to second place with $51 million, pushing its domestic total just beyond $200 million.

With $13.7 million, Sony's "Spider-Man 3" came in third, raising its domestic take to $303.3 million. Worldwide, "Spider-Man 3" has topped $800 million.

"At World's End" was hindered by a running time of two hours, 47 minutes, limiting the number of screenings theaters could schedule. "Dead Man's Chest" was about 15 minutes shorter and "Spider-Man 3" was nearly a half-hour shorter.

But "At World's End" made up for that by playing in more theaters, an all-time high of 4,362, 110 more than "Spider-Man 3," the previous record-holder.

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

1. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," $112.5 million.
2. "Shrek the Third," $51 million.
3. "Spider-Man 3," $13.7 million.
4. "Bug," $3.3 million.
5. "Waitress," $3.1 million.
6. "28 Weeks Later," $2.5 million.
7. "Georgia Rule," $1.9 million.
8. "Disturbia," $1.8 million.
9. "Wild Hogs," $1.1 million.
10. "Fracture," $1.08 million

The Couch Potato Report - May 26th, 2007

This week The Couch Potato Report peels some Inuit journals, a few Oscar nominees and a moustache.

Another very busy week with five new films to talk about, so let me get right to them!

The original Inuktitut language is spoken in THE JOURNALS OF KNUD RASMUSSEN, a Canadian film about an Inuit shaman and his headstrong daughter.

This is the latest release from the people who gave us the superb THE FAST RUNNER back in 2001.

THE JOURNALS OF KNUD RASMUSSEN is told from the views of a man who traveled the Arctic in the 1920s. There is no narration, but what he sees and discovers is what we experience as well.

And these experiences are very uique.

This is a movie with some great stories, and some superb acting, from a mostly unknown cast of actors.

There is a point in the film where the shaman is explaining how he survived his birth, despite a curse on his mother, and became the leader of his people.

It is all done in one extremely long take, one that goes on for almost twenty minutes.

I'd like to see some of the biggest names in Hollywood do that!!

My only complaint with THE JOURNALS OF KNUD RASMUSSEN is that it has some of the worst subtitles I have ever seen.

There are many times when people on screen are talking, mostly in groups to other people, and instead of telling us what is being said, the subtiles just read "lamenting", "murmuring" and "chattering".

I wanted to know what was being said so I could understand the characters even more, but I didn't get it.

And unless you speak Inuktitut, you'll never get it either, because the subtitles don't tell us.

And you may not even want to, THE JOURNALS OF KNUD RASMUSSEN isn't the type of film that is for everyone because it is very, very slow moving.

But, this film that takes place in the Canadian Arctic in January of 1912 does feature several things in it that you aren't going to see in many films - like the construction of an igloo, for instance - and that is why it is worth seeing.

It is not an exceptional film, but it is exceptionally interesting from start to finish.

Up next this week is VENUS. This movie features screen legend Peter O'Toole in his Oscar Nominated role as an aging actor who finds a new friend in a young woman who becomes his ideal of female beauty

Peter O'Toole has starred in some of the greatest films ever made - including Goodbye, Mr. Chips, The Lion in Winter, and Lawrence of Arabia - and in VENUS he plays a famous actor who - not unlike the man himself - is in the twilight of his career, and life.

His "Venus" is the niece of his friend.

At first she ignores him as she does her elderly Uncle.

But then they come to a mutally beneficial arrangement.

He spends money on her, and she makes him feel young.

O'Toole and the other actors in VENUS do a great job, but I was ultimately disappointed by the film.

The emotions and relationships seem real, but parts of the story feel forced. There is also a subplot about a boyfriend for the neice that is completely unnecessary.

VENUS isn't a bad film, but it isn't good enough to recommend.

And that is true about THE GOOD GERMAN as well.

Tobey Maguire, George Clooney and Cate Blanchett star in THE GOOD GERMAN.

Clooney is an American military journalist in post-war Berlin who is drawn into a murder investigation involving his former mistress, his driver, and a man named Emile Brandt.

The film tries to answer the question: Who is Emile Brandt, while the question that I have is how did director Steven Soderbergh let a film with this many flaws get released. The story moves from one uninteresting plot point to another with no sense of momentum, the acting is unfocussed and even though the film was shot in black-and-white, there is nothing special about that either.

If you are the type of film lover who always laments that "they don't make 'em like they used to", then you might enjoy the look and feel of THE GOOD GERMAN.

Usually I am that type of person, but this film just didn't do it for me. I am glad I saw it, but I won't ever see it again.

I will see our next film this week again...in fact, I have seen it three times already.

That film is Clint Eastwood's Academy Award nominated LETTER FROM IWO JIMA.

Originally envisioned as a companion piece to Eastwood's FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS this second movie is no companion. It surpasses that movie!

FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS is a very uninteresting movie that tells the life stories of the six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima, those men have been seen millions of times in the iconic photograph that was taken of them.

LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA tells the other side of that Battle...a side unseen in a Hollywood film until now.

This film shows us the Battle from the perspective of the Japanese.

Whereas FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS was over long, boring at times, and a complete waste of my time, LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA is engaging, full of interesting characters, and with it's unique perspective, I enjoyed it immensely.

The film was nominated for 4 Academy Awards including Best Writing, Original Screenplay for Canadian Paul Haggis' original story, and Best Picture.

It certainly was one of the best films of 2006.

And since it is in Japanese with subtitles, it gives me a great segue into our FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD.

The action filled, very loud, very hyped, check-your-brain-at-the-door summer movie season is upon us in theatres, this week's entry is the very loud, very explosive and very hyped sequel PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN - AT WORLD'S END.

So, if you would like something different, I'll be offering you an alternative every week.

This week's selection is the French film LA MOUSTACHE.

This film begins in a bathtub as a man is washing and shaving.

He tells his wife that he is thinking about shaving off his moustache and her immediate reply is "I don't know you without it."

So as she goes out to get some food, he shaves it off.

Once she returns home he playfully hides his face and the reveals his newly shaven face to he, and waits patiently for his wife's reaction.

But neither she nor his friends seem to notice.

Then, he calls them on it, and they all insist he never had a mustache.

Is he going crazy?!?

Is he the victim of some elaborate conspiracy?!?

Or has something gone terribly awry with the world just because he has shaved off his moustache?!?

Well, I am sure not going to tell you.

LA MOUSTACHE is a very interesting film because it doesn't provide an easily understood ending with everything explained and a bow on top.

Instead, it will leave you with more than a few questions, and you can fill in the blanks any way you'd like.

Watch it with someone you enjoy talking about movies with, because you will definately want to discuss it when it is over.

It is another must see entry in the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD

LA MOUSTACHE, the engaging LETTERS FROM IWO JIMA, the not very special THE GOOD GERMAN, and VENUS, and the not exceptional, but exceptionally interesting, Canadian film THE JOURNALS OF KNUD RASMUSSEN are all now available on DVD.

Coming up in the next Couch Potato Report

THE MICHAEL J. FOX COMEDY COLLECTION features four of his best known films not named BACK TO THE FUTURE, including THE SECRET OF MY SUCCESS.

We will also meet a cinematic monster in HANNIBAL RISING and a real one in the documentary DELIVER US FROM EVIL. Plus, Season Two of teh superb television series THE CLOSER is now on DVD and the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL on DVD continues with the Finnish film FC VENUS, a romantic comedy about men, women and soccer.

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!

Sandler's 'Gay Robot' May Get Animated

Comedy Central is reportedly considering reimagining Adam Sandler's "Gay Robot" pilot as a potential animated series.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Comedy Central is giving thought to redeveloping the property after clips of "Gay Robot" acquired a cult following on sites including MySpace and YouTube.

Sony Pictures Television and Sandler and Jack Giarraputo's Happy Madision Productions did "Gay Robot," based on a Sandler skit, in live action form for Comedy Central back in 2005.

The cable network opted not to pick up the pilot, which featured the voice of Nick Swardson, who also co-wrote the pilot with Tom Gianas and originated the character on Sander's comedy album "Shhh... Don't Tell."

"Gay Robot" tells the story of a robot who turns out gay after his designer accidentally spilled a wine cooler on his circuits. In the pilot, the rainbox-festooned title character was prone to hanging out with a group of frat boys who try to get him a date to the homecoming dance.

Gay Robot has 32,000-plus MySpace friends and the clips on YouTube have tens of thousands of page views.

Green Day Punks Up 'Simpsons' Theme Song

In a new twist, the score soundtrack for the upcoming "Simpsons" movie, featuring Green Day's rendition of the show's famous theme, will be released simultaneously by three companies.

On July 24, three days before the film opens in U.S. theaters, Warner Bros. Records will put out the Green Day single (the band also appears in the film). Fox Music will make a digital score album available through its Web site and other outlets. And Extreme Music, usually known for its vast production music library, will release 25,000 pink doughnut cases to such specialty retailers as Best Buy, Circuit City, Wal-Mart and Barnes & Noble.

For traditionalists, jewel-cased CDs also will be available. "We really wanted to think outside of the box," Fox Music president Robert Kraft says. "'The Simpsons Movie' was a perfect vehicle to try a new approach."

The idea largely was the brainchild of Kraft and composer Hans Zimmer, who scored the film. "Hans has a great relationship with Extreme Music," Kraft says. "They are known for their creative packaging. The model of handing over a soundtrack or score to a traditional label and then hoping it does well is changing. This is a coordinated marketing effort of behalf of Extreme, the studio and Warner Bros. Records."

As previously reported, Green Day recently recorded a cover of another famous tune, John Lennon's "Working Class Hero," for the upcoming Darfur benefit "Instant Karma." The song, which the group performed on Wednesday's "American Idol" finale, climbs 25-14 on this week's Billboard Modern Rock chart.

New Garbage Song Enriches CD/DVD Compilation

A newly recorded Garbage single, "Tell Me Where It Hurts," will be included on an upcoming best-of collection, "Absolute Garbage." Due July 17 via Geffen, the CD/DVD combo includes 17 audio tracks on its first disc, a second disc with 14 remixes and a DVD with 15 music videos, live clips and behind-the-scenes footage.

Among the acts chipping in with remixes on the bonus disc are UNKLE, Massive Attack, the Crystal Method, Todd Terry and Felix Da Housecat.

Meanwhile, "Tell Me Where It Hurts" will arrive July 9 on two separate 7-inch vinyl singles -- one with the B-side "Bad Boyfriend (Sting Like a Bee remix)" and the other with "All the Good in This Life." The CD single sports the B-side "Betcha." A video for the new song, directed by Sophie Muller, began airing internationally last week.

Garbage has been on hiatus since 2005, although the group reunited in late January to play a benefit concert in Glendale, Calif. It is unknown if further activity is in the offing, as frontwoman Shirley Manson is moving forward with her first solo album.

Here is the track list for "Absolute Garbage:

Disc one:
"Vow"
"Queer"
"Only Happy When It Rains"
"Stupid Girl"
"Milk"
"#1 Crush"
"Push It"
"I Think I'm Paranoid"
"Special"
"When I Grow Up"
"You Look So Fine"
"The World is Not Enough"
"Cherry Lips"
"Shut Your Mouth"
"Why Do You Love Me"
"Bleed Like Me"
"Tell Me Where It Hurts"
"It's All Over But the Crying"

Disc two (remixes):
"The World Is Not Enough" (UNKLE remix)
"When I Grow Up" (Kagz Kooner remix)
"Special" (Brothers In Rhythm remix)
"Breaking Up the Girl" (Timo Maas remix)
"Milk" (Massive Attack remix)
"Cherry Lips" (Roger Sanchez remix)
"Androgyny" (Felix Da Housecat remix)
"Queer" (Rabbit In The Moon remix)
"Paranoid" (Crystal Method remix)
"Stupid Girl" (Todd Terry remix)
"Androgyny" (the Neptunes remix)
"You Look So Fine" (Fun Lovin' Criminals remix)
"Push It" (Boom Boom Satellites remix)
"Bad Boyfriend" (Garbage remix)

DVD:
"Vow"
"Queer"
"Only Happy When It Rains"
"Stupid Girl"
"Milk"
"Push It"
"I Think I'm Paranoid"
"Special"
"When I Grow Up"
"You Look So Fine"
"The World Is Not Enough"
"Cherry Lips (Go Baby Go)"
"Shut Your Mouth"
"Why Do You Love Me"
"Bleed Like Me"
"Tell Me Where It Hurts" (ex-North America ONLY)
"Thanks For Your Uhh Support"

Paul Newman says he's too old for acting

NEW YORK - Paul Newman says he's given up acting.

"I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," Newman, 82, told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."

Newman, star of films such as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," added: "I've been doing it for 50 years. That's enough."

He has other plates spinning. Newman plans to focus on the Dressing Room, his new organic restaurant in Westport, Conn., and his Hole in the Wall Gang camps for critically ill children.

His Newman's Own brand of dressings, pasta sauces, popcorn and salsa has raised more than $200 million for charities.

Newman, who won an Oscar for his leading role in 1986's "The Color of Money," was last seen — or heard, rather — as the voice of Doc Hudson in the 2006 animated feature "Cars."

Rosie fights last fight on 'The View'

NEW YORK - Rosie O'Donnell has fought her last fight at "The View." ABC said Friday she asked for, and received, an early exit from her contract at the daytime chatfest following her angry confrontation with co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck on Wednesday. She was due to leave in mid-June.

It ended a colorful eight-month tenure for O'Donnell that lifted the show's ratings but no doubt caused heartburn for show creator Barbara Walters. O'Donnell feuded with Donald Trump and frequently had snippy exchanges with the more conservative Hasselbeck.

O'Donnell said last month she would be leaving because she could not agree to a new contract with ABC executives.

"Rosie contributed to one of our most exciting and successful years at `The View,'" Walters said. "I am most appreciative. Our close and affectionate relationship will not change."

In a statement, O'Donnell said that "it's been an amazing year and I love all three women."

No one was feeling the love on Wednesday, when the argument with Hasselbeck began over O'Donnell's statement last week about the war: "655,000 Iraqi civilians have died. Who are the terrorists?"

Talk show critics accused O'Donnell of calling U.S. troops terrorists. She called Hasselbeck "cowardly" for not saying anything in response to the critics.

"Do not call me a coward, because No. 1, I sit here every single day, open my heart and tell people what I believe," Hasselbeck retorted, and their riveting exchange continued despite failed attempts by their co-hosts to cut to a commercial.

According to a New York Post report, O'Donnell's chief writer, Janette Barber, was allegedly led out of the building on Wednesday after she was caught drawing mustaches on photographs of Hasselbeck in "The View" studios. ABC executives didn't return repeated calls for questions on the incident Friday.

On Thursday O'Donnell had asked for a day off to celebrate her partner's birthday. "The View" aired a taped show on Friday.

On her Web site, O'Donnell posted a scrapbooklike video on Friday with pictures and news clippings of her tenure at "The View." Cyndi Lauper's "Sisters of Babylon" played in the background.

A day earlier, she posted messages on her Web site indicating she might not be back.

"When painting there is a point u must step away from the canvas as the work is done," she wrote. "Any more would take away."

Fall Out Boy on high

"Wait, (wasn't) it going to be that Sanjaya guy?" Patrick Stump says, prematurely reacting to last night's American Idol finale. "He was doing great wasn't he?

"To be honest," he goes on, laughing, "my only interest in that show was seeing if he'd win. So when he was voted off, I stopped watching."

It's a Friday morning, and as he steps onto the balcony of his Los Angeles condo, besides forecasting Idol's end, Fall Out Boy's lead vocalist is wondering if it's too early to go shopping for CD's.

"As we speak, I'm looking at the Virgin Megastore, just kind of contemplating," he says. "Should I go over there? Do you think they're open yet," he asks, gazing towards Sunset Blvd.

"I don't think they are," he continues, moving back inside, "but I might walk over there anyway. Everything you want to waste your money on, they have in triplicate. I'm so stoked about it. I could go on forever."

Days away from starting an amphitheatre trek in support of their platinum-selling sophomore disc, "Infinity on High," Stump, 23, pondered the Illinois-foursome's uncanny rise from suburban outcasts to mainstream hitmakers.

Scoring one of the decade's biggest rock singles, "Dance, Dance," the band's major-label debut, "From Under the Cork Tree," moved close to three million copies following its release in 2005.

Bass player, Pete Wentz's lyrics a kaleidoscopic romp through teenage angst, Fall Out Boy found itself shoved from Warped Tour oddities, to trading licks with Jay-Z (on "Thriller") and adding hooks to Timbaland's "One & Only."

"It was right before Christmas when we got the call from Timbaland, and I flew out to Norfolk, Va., with Andy and we were there, we were doing it and everything was awesome," he says, speaking at a rapid pace. "But on the way out, every flight got cancelled and it was almost like 'Home Alone,' where we didn't make it back. I called my mom and said, 'Mom, I might miss Christmas this year. I'm here with Timbaland.'"

Kanye West also got in on the act, producing a remix of "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race," and when the boys asked Babyface to help produce "Infinity on High," he graciously obliged.

"We bluffed really," Stump says. "We were talking to MTV or someone and we just said that Babyface was going to produce some of the songs. Then, when they were fact-checking it, they called him up and he was like, 'Who Out Boy?' But he decided to do it."

Friends since meeting inside the clubs flogging Chicago's hardcore scene, Stump says the band's members gravitated towards one another because of a shared desire to do something different.

After splintering off from the metalcore outfit, Arma Angelus, ex-members Wentz, Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman hooked up with Stump, and the musical bond between vocalist and lyricist was instant. "He writes words and I write background music. We're constantly writing. In fact, we've written three songs since starting this interview.

"He gives me his words and I just start writing melodies around those lyrics," adds Stump. "The first verse of 'You're Crashing, But You're No Wave,' the one about the DA dressed to the nines, I love that. I thought that was such a cool image when I first read that."

Now headliners on the seventh-annual edition of the Honda Civic tour, Stump says that playing in front of 16,000 fans (as they are expected to do this weekend in Toronto) hasn't really fazed them. "We're really just stoked on playing anywhere.

"Our first show was our first big break. It was at DePaul University (in Chicago) in a mess hall in front of a bunch of really mathy, experimental hardcore bands.

"No one liked us, but we were really hyped about it anyways."

In retrospect, though, it shouldn't surprise anyone that record labels were vying for the rights to the band's airtight teen melodramas.

At the merchandise table hawkers sell everything from T-shirts to action figures. "You can't really call them action figures," Stump says, with total seriousness. "Because there isn't really that much action. My guy just stands there.

"However, the real me doesn't get that much action in the first place, and the legs don't move and you can't take the hat off. So, maybe they are just like real life."

Almost as intriguing as the collectibles, however, is Stump's unabashed adoration of singer-songwriter Prince. "I've heard a surprising amount of Prince," he allows.

"I was in Missoula, Mont., walking through a used record store and they had two cassette tapes. Count them, two cassettes in the entire place. One was Dr. Dre's 'The Chronic' and the other was the Time's 'Pandemonium.'

"'Pandemonium' just looked ridiculous and I'd always wanted a copy of 'The Chronic,' so I bought both thinking I was mostly going to listen to 'The Chronic.' I don't think I've ever listened to that copy of 'The Chronic,' though. I exclusively listened to the Time and I got obsessed with that record. Then, I went through all the bands that Prince made and all the bands he put together, working my way back to him."

But with virtually all aspects of the band's personal life made public (anyone recall seeing shots of Wentz's penis on the Internet?), isn't Stump worried that Fall Out Boy are getting too big to stay true to their humble beginnings?

"Chris Rock has a good quote that being famous is a lot like having a girlfriend with a really nice rack," he chuckles. "A lot of people will be really nice to you and give you a lot of attention, but nine times out of ten, they're just looking at your rack."

Here are the remaining dates on the Honda Civic Tour:

May 2007

25 - Montreal, Quebec - The Bell Centre

26 - Toronto, Ontario - Molson Amphitheater

27 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theater

28 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center

30 - Saratoga, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center

31 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center for the Performing Arts

June 2007

1 - Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center at the Waterfront

2 - Hartford, CT - New England Dodge Music Center

4 - Columbia, MD - Merriweather Post Pavilion

5 - Wantaugh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre

6 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center

8 - Noblesville, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center

10-11 - Chicago, IL - Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island

13 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

14 - Atlanta, GA - HiFi Buys Amphitheatre

15 - Tampa, FL - Ford Amphitheater

16 - West Palm Beach, FL - Sound Advice Amphitheater

18 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

19 - Dallas, TX - Smirnoff Music Centre

20 - Selma, TX - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

22 - Phoenix, AZ - Cricket Pavilion

23 - Inglewood, CA - The Forum

24 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl

25 - West Valley City, UT - The E Center

27 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome

28 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Pacific Coast Coliseum

29 - Portland, OR - The Rose Garden Arena

30 - Concord, CA - Sleep Train Pavilion

July 2007

1 - Chula Vista, CA - Coors Amphitheater

2 - Anaheim, CA - The Honda Center

Love Kicks Cobain Shoe Ad to the Curb

Thanks in part to an outraged Courtney Love, a new Doc Martens ad has been given the boot.

The 42-year-old entertainer was steamed after learing that a new advertising campaign for the footwear company features late husband Kurt Cobain and other iconic punk rockers modeling boots in heaven.

The print ads, promoting the manufactuer's AirWair line and only approved for use in the United Kingdom, portrayed the Nirvana star sitting in a cloudbank, clad all in white except for a pair of black boots. A tag line in corner reads: "Dr. Martens. Forever." Similar ads featured the Sex Pistols' Sid Vicious, the Clash's Joe Strummer, and the Ramones' Joey Ramone. The photos were leaked earlier this month via the music blog thedailyswarm.com.

"Courtney never approved the use of these images [for commercial gain] nor would she ever approve it. She knew nothing about it," Love publicist Alan Nierob tells E! Online.

The rep said British law, unlike American, appears to allow companies to use the images of dead celebrities without explicit permission from their estates.

Nierob said that Love was having her lawyers double check, but added that any suggestion she'd take legal action at this point was "premature."

Dr. Martens wasn't willing to push the issue. Facing a PR nightmare and backlash from the same fans the company was trying to court, the shoemaker said it was scuttling the campaign.

"Dr. Martens is very sorry for any offense that has been caused by the publication of images showing dead rock icons wearing Dr. Martens boots," the company said in a statement to E! Online. "Dr. Martens did not commission the work as it runs counter to our current marketing activities based on FREEDM, which is dedicated to nurturing grass roots creativity and supporting emerging talent.

"As a consequence, Dr Martens has terminated its relationship with the responsible agency."

The "responsible agency," London-based Saatchi & Saatchi, defended the work, saying the photographs of Cobain and company were legally purchased from Corbis, one of the world's largest stock photo companies.

“We believe the ads are edgy but not offensive. There has been blog commentary both for and against the ads, but it is our belief that they are respectful of both the musicians and the Dr. Martens brand,” said Kate Stanners, the agency's executive creative director.

Earlier, another campaign mastermind explanied the concept behind the ads to British music site NME. com

"We wanted to communicate that Dr. Marten boots are 'made to last' and we discovered that these idolized musicians wore them," copywriter Andrew Petch said. "Showing them still wearing their Docs in heaven dramatized the boots' durability perfectly. And, as images, they feel very iconic."

But Nierob says Dr. Martens made the right move.

"They obviously realized they did something wrong," the publicist said. "It was in poor taste."

Aside from Love, many fans took issue with anti-establishment punkers being used to promote shoes, others questioned the veracity of the ads.

"Kurt wore...Converse. Don’t know about Doc Martens," Ruby 17 wrote on Love's official Website, moonwashedrose.com. "Even so, they could have at least asked permission. Wondered if they asked permission from Joey Ramone’s estate or Sid Vicious estate as well? Does look tacky I agree."

"I can’t say I knew Kurt, but to me he doesn’t seem like the guy that would wanna be a spokesperson for clothing and shoes. Neither does Sid or Joey," a user named Linn added.

Love and Cobain married in 1992 and had a daughter, Frances Bean, before the grunge star killed himself in the couple's Seattle home two years later.
Love controls Cobain's estate and has been very hands-on when it comes to overseeing her late husband's legacy.

But earlier this month, the "Doll Parts" singer announced plans to auction off the bulk of Cobain's belongings.

"I still wear his pajamas to bed," she told spinner.com. "How am I ever going to go form another relationship in my lifetime wearing Kurt's pajamas? Everyone's been positive and behind me on it," she told the site. "We'll make a lot of money and give a bunch of it to charity."

No word yet on a date or which organization/s will receive the spoils. The garage sale comes about a year after Love struck a $50 million deal with Primary Wave Music Publishing for a 25 percent stake in Cobain's music royalties.

Love, meanwhile, has been putting her past drug problems behind her, boasting online that she's now clean and sober, has dropped 44 pounds, has fixed what she said was a botched nose job and is now living on a macrobiotic diet. She's also prepping a new solo album, Nobody's Daughter, which should be out later this year.

Paul McCartney debuts video on YouTube

NEW YORK - Paul McCartney snagged Natalie Portman to star in his new music video — thanks to his fashion designer-daughter, Stella.

Portman, 25, makes a cameo as a ghost in the video for "Dance Tonight," a track from McCartney's new studio album, "Memory Almost Full." The video had its world premiere Wednesday on YouTube.com.

"The connection with Natalie came from my daughter Stella, who makes non-leather shoes that Natalie buys, so I just thought, `Well, I'll ring her up and just see if she'll do it.' So I rang her up and said, `Hey, I'm Stella's dad!'" the 64-year-old former Beatle said in a statement posted on his Web site.

Portman, whose screen credits include "Closer" and "V for Vendetta," plays a "futurist electronic ghost" who is summoned by the sound of McCartney's mandolin.

Filmmaker Michel Gondry ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind") directed the video.

"Memory Almost Full," McCartney's 21st solo album, will be released June 5 in the United States. It's his first release for Hear Music, Starbuck Corp.'s new record label.

McCartney last released the acclaimed "Chaos and Creation in the Backyard," in 2005.

Osmonds reuniting for 50th celebration

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Osmonds will reunite this summer for a TV special celebrating a half-century in the entertainment business.

Seven Osmond siblings — Alan, Wayne, Merrill, Jay, Donny, Marie and Jimmy — are scheduled to be onstage Aug. 13-14 at The Orleans Hotel Showroom, publicist Kevin Sasaki said Thursday from Los Angeles.

Tickets for the live shows range from $75 to $125.

The shows will be taped for "The Osmonds 50th Anniversary," which will air next March on PBS stations.

"At first it was just a tribute to my brothers, but it came together as a celebration of everybody. It's out of control," Jimmy Osmond, producer of the special, said Thursday.

"We started so young, you would think 50 years means we're a bunch of old guys. We aren't a bunch of old guys," he said, noting that family members perform frequently before audiences young and old.

Third "Pirates" sets sail for Memorial Day record

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Spider-Man 3" and "Shrek the Third" may have set opening weekend box office records this month, but Hollywood thinks the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie will steal a hefty chunk of the summer movie season's treasure.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," which opens on Friday in 102 countries and territories is the final film in a trilogy that has so far grossed $1.7 billion at global box offices and has sold 40 million DVDs and home videos for the Walt Disney Co..

Advance ticket sales for the film were on par with the record-breaking $151 million debut earlier this month for Sony Corp.'s "Spider-Man 3," but the film's length -- nearly three hours with trailers -- will limit the number of times it is shown and could affect its 3-day total, said Jeff Bock, an analyst for box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.

But "At World's End" will be opening in a record 4,362 North American theaters, about 110 more than "Spider-Man 3" and about 200 more than DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc.'s "Shrek the Third," which set an opening-weekend record last week for an animated film at $122 million.

"We are looking at a bow (debut) that's got to be between 'Shrek the Third' and 'Spider-Man 3,' and if everything works out it, could surpass it," Bock said.

"No doubt it will be the biggest Memorial Day opening weekend, eclipsing 'X-Men: Last Stand' with a four-day $122 million total."

Top U.S. online ticket sellers Fandango.com and MovieTickets.com both showed "At World's End" outpacing "Spider-Man" at the same point in the sales cycle.

Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger told attendees at the Society of American Business Editors and Writers this week he was anxiously awaiting the public's reaction to the new film.

"This is one of those weekends where you are on your computer or waiting by the phone to get the results almost on an hourly basis," Iger said.

"Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," the second film in the series, was the first live-action movie to pass $1 billion in global box-office sales during a theatrical run. Disney has positioned itself to reap the full benefit of what could be the lucrative franchise's final film.

The company enlisted 13 corporate partners -- the most ever for any Disney film -- to promote "At World's End." The partners include Volvo, Verizon Communications Inc., Coca-Cola Co., Circuit City, Best Buy and Toys 'R Us.

Disney has shipped 2.8 million of its new video game and 2 million books from its "Pirates of the Caribbean" series in conjunction with the release of "At World's End." The book franchise, which boasts 60 titles, has already sold 9 million copies.

"Pirates" merchandise is the company's No. 2 selling line from a feature film, behind "Cars," and the company plans to continue with the line of clothing, jewelry, furnishings, toys and collectibles for years to come, a Disney spokesman said.

The Walt Disney World and Disneyland theme parks installed WiFi hot spots that let gamers download exclusive content for the online "Pirates" game. Disneyland retooled its Tom Sawyer Island as a "Pirates Lair" that opens on Friday.

'Star Wars' 30th anniversary marked

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Seventeen hours to go in a darkened theatre not so far away?

Welcome to the "Star Wars" marathon. A free showing of all six "Star Wars" movies began Wednesday morning at the Los Angeles Convention Center and was expected to end at 2 a.m. Thursday. The event kicked off a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of the original film.

Several thousand people showed up for the screening, which included brief intermissions.

"Because the saga spans 30 years, it spans multiple generations of fans as well," event spokesman Jonathan Zaleski said. "There are people in costume, families. It's an interesting mix."

"You get the usual assortment of stormtroopers running around," he added. "I imagine its pretty uncomfortable to sit for 17 hours encased in plastic."

Lucasfilm Ltd. supplied the digital prints for the movies and also is involved in "Star Wars Celebration IV" at the Convention Center.

That event, open to fan club members on Thursday and to the paying public on Friday through Monday, was to include costume contests, exhibitions of movie props, autograph opportunities from "Star Wars" celebrities, and even a stormtrooper "Olympics."

Jordin Sparks crowned `American Idol'

LOS ANGELES - Jordin Sparks grew up on "American Idol," watching the show since she was 12 years old and telling her mother it was what she wanted to do.

"Now I'm actually doing it," the 17-year-old told reporters backstage after winning the competition in Wednesday's season finale.

The announcement that the Arizona teenager bested Blake Lewis, 25, the beat-boxer from Washington, came at the end of a two-hour extravaganza at the Kodak Theatre.

"I've just been trying to top myself each week," Sparks told The Associated Press. "I would sing my song and after I was done I was like, `OK, what am I going to do next week that's going to be ... either just as good or better."

Sparks, with a floor-length gown and movie-star hair, gushed like a teenager when her name was called.

"Thank you so much for everything," she told the crowd. "Mom, Dad, I love you. Nana, Papa, P.J., thank you guys."

Then she began "This Is My Now," the tune picked by viewers in a new online "American Idol" songwriting contest. Both she and Lewis performed the track Tuesday, and judge Simon Cowell reiterated Wednesday the song sold him on Sparks.

"If I'm going to call it, based on the last song, congratulations Jordin," Cowell said, before the winner was announced.

The contest came down to the stronger singer, Sparks, or the better entertainer, Lewis. Sparks delivered her songs simply and powerfully; Lewis' flourishes included beatboxing and sharp dance moves.

Lewis said backstage that he didn't mind coming in second.

"I picked Jordin Sparks at the top 24 as the American Idol winner," he said proudly. "I was actually going to try to wear a `Vote for Jordin Sparks' T-shirt last night but they wouldn't let me do it."

Lewis compared his sound to Michael Jackson and Jamiroquai and said his forthcoming album will be "like electro pop, very danceable."

Sparks won a recording contract as part of her "Idol" prize, but Lewis hasn't yet secured a deal.

"Hopefully some creative minds would like to work with me," he said.

The finale pulled out the stops and the stars, with Gwen Stefani, Smokey Robinson, Tony Bennett, Bette Midler, and Green Day among the performers.

Stefani sang her new single, "4 in the Morning," via satellite from a tour stop in Massachusetts.

Midler took the stage as the show drew near its close, singing "The Wind Beneath My Wings."

Past "Idol" winners and this season's contestants got a hefty share of attention, starting with first-season winner Kelly Clarkson. She performed her new single "Never Again," the gritty rock song matched by her black dress and thigh-high boots.

Carrie Underwood, the fourth-season idol, sang "I'll Stand by You" and was honored by legendary music mogul Clive Davis for reaching 6 million in sales for her debut album, "Some Hearts."

Taylor Hicks, last season's winner, also had his moment, as did Ruben Studdard, the winner from year two.

Robinson, a Motown great, performed "Being with You" after the top six male contestants, including fan fave Sanjaya Malakar, sang "Ooh Baby Baby," a hit for Robinson and his group the Miracles.

"All the guys are very nice guys, wonderful young people" Robinson said of the Idol finalists backstage. Sparks deserved to win, he said.

"She is an awesome singer. She sings so good it's hard to believe she's 17," he said. "To sing like that, you would have to have lived for a long time. She's an old soul."

Blake, whose beat-boxing scored with viewers and brought a hip-hop element to "Idol," performed with veteran rapper Doug E. Fresh on his old hit, "The Show." It was a signature moment for a contest that has introduced young viewers to Gershwin and other standards.

"True originals," host Ryan Seacrest said of the duo.

Backstage, Fresh called Lewis "an incredibly talented, good guy."

"He just has such an incredible energy and he loves hip hop so much," Fresh said from behind aviator sunglasses.

Gladys Knight took the stage with the six female finalists, belting out "I Feel a Song" and "Midnight Train to Georgia." Bennett performed a mellow version of "For Once in My Life" that ended with a big finish.

"A true idol, Tony Bennett, ladies and gentlemen," gushed Seacrest.

Melinda Doolittle, arguably the best "Idol" contestant to miss out on the finale, returned to impress the crowd again as she sang "Hold Up the Line" with gospel stars BeBe and CeCe Winans.

"She has proven in the last few months to be spectacular," BeBe Winans said backstage of Doolittle.

The show took a serious turn when Green Day performed "A Working Class Hero is Something to Be," a single from "Instant Karma: The Campaign to Save Darfur," a fundraising album for the embattled region.

Viewers cast more than 74 million votes in making Sparks the winner. Hundreds of "American Idol" fans lined Hollywood Boulevard leading up to the theater before the show.

On Tuesday, judges Cowell and Randy Jackson made it clear Sparks was their favorite. Diplomatic Paula Abdul kept her counsel as usual, praising both singers. Although the judges didn't have a say in the decision, their opinions can sway voters.

Gripping 'Lost' season-ender offers hope

NEW YORK - The good news: The plan hatched by our "Lost" friends to call for help actually worked. The bad news: They may be in deeper trouble than before.

Wednesday night's season finale of ABC's adventure-mystery was terrific, a two-hour testament to being careful what you wish for (even when things seem to go right for the "Lost" crew, they actually get worse).

This season was often slow-moving and unfocused. But the powerful season-ending episode redeemed the series with the shrewdness and intrigue that made it so addictive in the first place. It will be a long wait for smitten viewers until early 2008, when "Lost" comes back for its fourth season.

Spoiler alert: Go no further if you don't want to know what happened in the finale.

The latest opportunity to get off the island had presented itself with the parachute arrival of Naomi and her satellite phone, which could contact a freighter just a few miles offshore.

But two obstacles remained: Rousseau's tape-loop plea for help, which had aired nonstop for 16 years from the island's radio tower and was blocking any sat-phone calls. Worse, the infamous Others were jamming all radio signals from an underwater lab.

Last week, Charlie volunteered to make the perilous dive to the submerged station and disable the jamming device — despite Desmond's premonitions that the excursion would end with Charlie drowning.

Nothing ever happens as expected on "Lost," of course. But despite unforeseen complications, rock star Charlie (played by Dominic Monaghan) shut off the jammer, as he hoped. Then, as predicted, he drowned.

For a while, it appeared that three other regulars — Jin, Sayid and Bernard — were also on the show's hit list: They were taken prisoner during the Others' beach raid, and were thought to have been executed. But by episode's end they were alive and free.

Meanwhile, the main group, led by Jack, made the journey to the radio tower, where Rousseau's message was successfully silenced.

But then, as Naomi attempted to place the sat-phone call to the ship, she was stabbed to death. The killer was none other than Locke, who long ago "went native" and has sabotaged efforts by his fellow plane-crash survivors to flee the island.

Locke's appearance was a surprise: Two episodes ago, viewers saw him shot and left for dead in the jungle by Ben, leader of the Others.

When Jack retrieved the phone from the fallen Naomi, Locke aimed a gun at Jack, threatening to kill him, too, if he made the call.

"You're not supposed to do this," Locke said.

Naturally, none of the survivors bought his argument.

Nor had they believed Ben, arriving moments earlier to implore Jack not to place the call. Naomi wasn't who she claimed to be, he warned Jack. She was "one of the bad guys."

"If you phone her boat," declared Ben, who has been known to lie for his own purposes, "every single living person on this island will be killed."

But Jack completed the call. It seemed that help was on the way.

That is, unless Ben and Locke were right that alerting the boat was a grave mistake — a fear that viewers were starting to share.

"I'm telling you," Ben said, "making that call is the beginning of the end."

Maybe Ben was telling the truth. And with the narrative cutaways throughout this episode, "Lost" may have signaled a shift into a new phase next season, positioning the saga for its end: Instead of the customary flashbacks, viewers for the first time got a glimpse of the future.

And that future guarantees there's life after the island.

The scenes focused on Jack, in miserable shape in Los Angeles. A lost soul, he was drunk and drugged out, barely able to function. When his eye fell on a newspaper story that reported someone's death (just who, the viewer didn't learn), he was nearly driven to suicide.

Then, in the closing scene, he met up with Kate, for whom he seemed to be carrying a torch. Pathetically, he told her he makes a practice of taking airline flights — hoping that the jet will crash and put him back where he thinks he belongs.

"Every little bump we hit, I actually close my eyes and pray that I can get back," he said. "We made a mistake. We were not supposed to leave."

"Yes, we were," Kate said sternly.

"We have to go back, Kate!" Jack said in despair.

Viewers, left mystified and tantalized, won't be able to go back to "Lost" until next year.

Barker's Final 'Price' Right for Primetime

After months of suspense, we finally know when Bob Barker's final episode of "The Price Is Right" will air.

CBS announced on Wednesday (May 23) that Barker's 35-year tenure on "The Price Is Right" will conclude with an episode set for Friday, June 15.

Likely to tape at least a week before, Barker's final "Prince" will show first in the game show's regular daytime slot (11 a.m. ET and 10 a.m. PT) and will then get an encore showing that night in primetime, showing at 8 p.m. and leading directly into CBS' telecast of the 34th Annual Daytime Emmys, a ceremony that will see Barker up for two awards to add to an already hefty pile.

After a number of previous hosting gigs, including "Truth and Consequences," Barker began hosting "The Price Is Right" on Sept. 4, 1972. In his time as host, Barker earned 13 individual Emmys and three Emmys as one of the show's producers. He received a Daytime Television Lifetime Achievement Emmy in 1999 and was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in June 2004.

Although he's ready to go off into the sunset, Barker's ratings might is still impressive. This past week a pair of specials dedicated to his retirement -- one a "Price Is Right Million Dollar Spectacular" and the other a retrospective of his TV tenure -- averaged roughly 14 million viewers apiece and ranked among the Top 11 most watched shows for the frame.

New CD Releases, May 22: Ozzy Osbourne, Maroon 5, Joan Osborne

Ozzy Osbourne "Black Rain"

If you want to attend this year's Ozzfest, you might want to get a copy of tour founder Ozzy Osbourne's latest CD.

As previously announced, tickets for Ozzfest will be free. That, of course, brings up the issue of how those tickets will be distributed. Osbourne, a master at marketing, is enticing fans to purchase "Black Rain" by including Ozzfest tickets with the CD.

Specially marked, limited-edition copies of the set include a code that fans can use to obtain two Ozzfest tickets via tour-promoter Live Nation's website.

If you need another reason to buy the disc, "Black Rain" is Osbourne's first studio set of all-new material in six years.

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Maroon 5 "It Won't Be Soon Before Long"

The melodic pop-rock band is back with a proper studio follow-up to its multi-platinum debut, 2002's "Songs About Jane." The first single from the album is "Makes Me Wonder."

Maroon 5 worked on "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" in a Hollywood mansion reputed to have once been owned by legendary magician Harry Houdini. Some of Houdini's magic apparently has carried over to the recording: it's already a top-seller thanks to blistering Internet pre-sales.

The group will first support the album with a short tour of small venues, beginning May 30 in Boston and continuing through a June 11 date in New York. After that, a longer trek through arena-sized venues is expected.

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Joan Osborne "Breakfast in Bed"

Everybody's doing it--going all retro and recording albums of oldies-but-goodies, that is. Osborne is the latest to jump on the bandwagon with her new set, "Breakfast in Bed."

The bluesy vocalist, who recently collaborated with members of The Dead, has chosen to cover such songs as Hall and Oates' "Sara Smile" and Bill Withers' "Ain't No Sunshine."

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The Used "Lies for the Liars"

The Used called upon the talents of producer John Feldmannn (The Matches, Story of the Year) to help with its third release, "Lies for the Liars," the studio follow-up to 2004's gold-certified "In Love and Death." The group's previous release was "Berth," a CD/DVD combo recorded and shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, during its last headlining tour.

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The Bravery "The Sun and the Moon"

The Bravery will attempt to lick the sophomore jinx with the release of its second album. "The Sun and the Moon," which features production work by Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bob Dylan), follows the band's self-titled 2005 debut.

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More new releases:
Tim Armstrong, "A Poet's Life" (Hellcat)
Battles, "Mirrored" (Warped)
The Beach Boys, "The Warmth of the Sun" (Capitol)
Michael Brecker, "Pilgrimage" (Heads Up)
Jeff Buckley, "So Real: Songs from Jeff Buckley" (Sony)
Barbara Cook, "No One is Alone" (DRG)
Chick Corea, Bela Fleck, "The Enchantment" (Stretch)
Hillsong United, "All of the Above" (Integrity)
Candye Kane, "Guitar'd and Feathered" (Ruf)
The National, "Boxer" (Beggars Banquet)
Sonata Arctica, "Unia" (Nuclear Blast)
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