CD Review

Bruce Springsteen - Magic

There's only one event in music guaranteed to generate more buzz than a new album from Bruce Springsteen: A new album from Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band.

Why? The answer is right there in the title of The Boss's 15th studio disc.

As spellbinding and brilliant as the 58-year-old rock icon is on his own, when he plays with The E Streeters, it's magic. Call it a spark or chemisty or anything you like; whatever it is, it has always been an unmistakable, inimitable sound far greater than the sum of its parts. That's what you get on Magic, their first collaboration since 2002's stirring album The Rising (and perhaps their final album together, based on some reports).

But that's not all you get. Along with the heartland-rock sonic touchstones and everyman lyrics that preach to Bruce's congregation of fans, the dark 11-song album - recorded in Atlanta with Rising producer Brendan O'Brien - includes forays into '60s-style orchestral rock.

And while it doesn't equal Born to Run or Born in the U.S.A. - really, how many albums do? - Magic's gritty intensity almost puts it on par with Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River.

Which is to say: Bruce and the E Streeters still have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Radio Nowhere 3:18

"I want a thousand guitars, I want pounding drums," The Boss demands. And on this driving rocker, that's what the band supplies - along with a howling sax solo, a jangling riff that echoes Tommy Tutone's 867-5309/Jenny and a darkly yelpy vocal reminiscent of Warren Zevon. A killer single - assuming radio will play a song about how much it sucks.

You'll be Coming Down 3:45

After Radio Nowhere, the downtempo gait of this karmic warning seems slight at first. After a few listens, the shimmery U2ish guitars, '60s folk-pop overtones and seductive chorus hook you.

Livin' in the Future 3:56

Between the bouncy swagger, twangy guitar licks, wailing sax and shimmering organ, this is a soulful celebration in the style of Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out and Hungry Heart - though lyrics about liberty sailing away add political overtones.

Your Own Worst Enemy 3:18

Bruce gets in touch with his inner Brian Wilson on this midtempo ballad, wrapping his dour melody and weary vocals in a lush blanket of sombre strings, kettle drums, percussion and bells.

Gypsy Biker 4:31

The band kicks back into high gear with a swelling, anthemic roots- rocker about a small-town hero coming home - in a coffin. The revving guitars and piercing solo are outstanding.

Girls in Their Summer Clothes 4:19

Another orchestrated pop ballad, with sweeping strings and a growling sax that follow Bruce's heartbroken protagonist as he roams the streets looking for love - and getting passed by.

I'll Work for Your Love 3:34

The tinkly piano at the start harkens back to Thunder Road - but the tune breaks into a bittersweet, Dylanesque folk-rocker laced with Biblical lyrics symbolizing the sanctity of love.

Magic 2:45

A woozy carnival organ, a sawdusty beat, a fluttery mandolin and a ghostly violin decorate this dreamy vignette in which innocent deception quickly gives way to monstrous trickery.

Last to Die 4:17

Another gritty, hard-hitting rocker accented with strings and fuelled by lyrics built upon John Kerry's famous statement about the Vietnam War. One guess what this one is about.

Long Walk Home 4:34

With its lightly strummed guitar and gently melancholy vibe, this one opens like Streets of Philadelphia, but quickly moves into a roots- rock lament about finding your way back home.

Devil's Arcade 5:05

The disc's most overtly poltical cut is this tale of a soldier wounded in battle. The striking arrangement elegantly builds from mournful strings and guitar to a richly intense orchestration.

Bonus Track: Terry's Song 4:11

Springsteen pays tender tribute to his longtime assistant Terry MacGovern, who died this summer at age 67. It's the most nakedly personal song he's written in years. And one of the most moving.

'Away From Her' tops Director's Guild Awards

TORONTO - Sarah Polley's poignant "Away From Her" was the big winner at the 2007 Directors Guild of Canada Awards on Saturday, taking home the best picture.

Polley herself was named best director and her husband, David Wharnsby, won the prize for best picture editing.

The critically acclaimed movie chronicles the intrusion of Alzheimer's disease into the lives of an aging couple, played by Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie.

On the television front, CBC's "Dragon Boys" was named best television movie or miniseries, while "Slings and Arrows" won the best television drama award. CTV's "Corner Gas" won the best television series comedy award.

The best documentary prize went to "Sharkwater."

The other winners:

Family Television Movie/Miniseries: "Me and Luke."

Family Television Series: "Instant Star," Episode 213.

Direction, Television Movie/Miniseries: Sturla Gunnarsson, "Above and Beyond."

Direction, Television Series: Stephen Surjik, "Intelligence," Episode 311.

Production Design - Feature Film: Rob Gray, "Fido."

Production Design - Television Movie/Miniseries: Jennifer Stewart, "October 1970."

Production Design - Television Series: Sandra Kybartas, "Regenesis," Episode 301.

Picture Editing - Television Movie/Miniseries: Jeff Warren, "Above and Beyond."

Picture Editing - Television Series: Christopher Donaldson, "Slings and Arrows," Episode 303.

Sound Editing - Feature Film: Stephen Barden, Alex Bullick, Jill Purdy, Craig Henighan and Nelson Ferreira, "The Fountain."

Sound Editing - Television Movie/Miniseries: Jonas Kuhnemann, Richard Calistan and Mark Beck, "In God's Country."

Sound Editing - Television Series: Joe Mancuso, Dan Sexton, Matt Hussey and Richard Calistan, "Regenesis," Episode 301.

Canadian stars to appear on 'Little Mosque'

TORONTO - "Little Mosque on the Prairie" kicks off its second season Wednesday on a definite high.

The show is starting to air in countries around the globe while a roster of beloved Canadian personalities are showing up this year in the fictional Prairie town of Mercy.

Dave Foley of "Kids in the Hall" and "Newsradio" fame is slated to appear on the popular CBC sitcom, as is Samantha Bee from "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and Darcy Tucker, the pugnacious Toronto Maple Leaf winger who will appear as himself.

At a recent lunch at a Moroccan restaurant in downtown Toronto, the cast was relaxed and chatty after just wrapping up season two in Regina and Toronto.

"It's been the most fun I've ever had in my life," said Sheila McCarthy, who plays Sarah Hamoudi, a convert to Islam who's turned out to be more devout than her husband, Yasir.

That's quite a compliment coming from one of Canada's most celebrated actresses - McCarthy has won two Geminis, two Genies and two Doras throughout her prolific 25-year acting career on stage and screen.

"When these little projects come up from out of the blue that are completely different from anything you've ever done, it's just great," says McCarthy, who will soon be seen in the "The Stone Angel," which premiered at the recent Toronto International Film Festival.

McCarthy, 51, says she's proud to be in a TV show with a gentle message of tolerance and understanding as it's poised to air in some of the world's most troubled hotspots, including Israel, Gaza and the West Bank.

"My mother knows what Ramadan is now," McCarthy says with a laugh. "I feel very lucky to be the visible minority in this show, and I'm proud to be in something that has a little bit of weight.

"We're knocking down stereotypes, and the show is growing and developing in good ways, and I think it's a wonderful thing."

"Little Mosque" proved to be a prime-time ratings saviour for the struggling CBC last winter, routinely drawing an audience of about a million people per show for its truncated eight-episode season.

The network poached two key writing and production figures from CTV's "Corner Gas" in the spring, and has high hopes the show will sustain its audience this season with a full 20-show slate.

Season two will feature not only cameos from Canadian personalities but also a Christmas Eve special and a look at the back stories of some favourite "Little Mosque" characters, including Amaar's complex relationship with his mother back in Toronto.

"There will also be a quick glimpse into something hilarious that happened in his past," says Zaib Shaikh who, as the only Muslim in the cast, was observing Ramadan and forgoing feasting on lamb and chicken with the rest of his castmates on a warm September afternoon.

For Carlo Rota, who also plays Morris on the dark and intense American megahit "24," "Little Mosque" offers him some sweet relief.

"It's the absolute best; it's the best of all worlds," said the 46-year-old Rota, who was born in London but spent many years working as an actor in Toronto. "The adage 'to those that have much is given' is applying to me right now.

"I just hope it lasts and I can continue to appreciate it. Life is fleeting, and your fame is fleeting too."

Jackie Chan no fan of 'Rush Hour' series

HONG KONG - "Rush Hour" put Jackie Chan in Hollywood's major leagues, but the Hong Kong star isn't a fan of his successful action comedy franchise.

Chan said when he made the first installment of the "Rush Hour" series in 1998 he only wanted to test the U.S. market and didn't have high hopes.

"When we finished filming, I felt very disappointed because it was a movie I didn't appreciate and I did not like the action scenes involved. I felt the style of action was too Americanized and I didn't understand the American humor," Chan said in a blog entry on his Web site seen Sunday.

The actor said he made the sequel because he was offered an "irresistible" amount of money to do it and made the recently released third installment to satisfy fans of the series.

Chan said "Rush Hour 3" was no different from the first two installments for him.

"Nothing particularly exciting stood out that made this movie special for me ... I spent four months making this film and I still don't fully understand the humor," he said, adding the comedic scenes may be lost on Asian audiences.

Chan's comments came even though the "Rush Hour" series, which revolves around the racial humor stemming from the pairing of a Chinese (Chan) and a black (Chris Tucker) police officer, helped the action star cross over to mainstream American audiences.

"Rush Hour" was Chan's first movie to break $100 million at the U.S. box office, earning $141 million, according to the box office tracking Web site, Box Office Mojo. "Rush Hour 2" made $226 million and "Rush Hour 3" has earned $137 million so far.

Chan has been known to be blase about his Hollywood work. He said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press that he uses the high salary he earns in the U.S. to fund Chinese-language projects that truly interest him.

He also showed little enthusiasm for his latest Hollywood project, "The Forbidden Kingdom," which marks his first on-screen collaboration with fellow action star Jet Li.

Bond's Moneypenny, Lois Maxwell, dies

LONDON (AP) — Lois Maxwell, who starred as Miss Moneypenny in 14 James Bond movies, has died, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported Sunday. She was 80.

The Canadian-born actress starred alongside Sean Connery in the first James Bond movie, "Dr. No," in 1962 as the secretary to M, the head of the secret service.

She died Saturday night at Fremantle Hospital near her home in Perth, Australia, the BBC cited a hospital official as saying.

Bond star Roger Moore said she was suffering from cancer.

"It's rather a shock," Moore, who had known her since they were students at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1944, told BBC radio.

"She was always fun and she was wonderful to be with," he said.

Born Lois Hooker in Ontario, Canada, in 1927, she began her acting on radio before moving to Britain with the Entertainment Corps of the Canadian army at the age of 15, the BBC said.

In the late 1940s, she moved to Hollywood and won a Golden Globe for her part in the Shirley Temple comedy "That Hagen Girl."

After working in Italy, she returned to Britain in the mid-1950s.

In addition to her 14 appearances as Miss Moneypenny, she also acted in Stanley Kubrick's "Lolita" and worked on TV shows including "The Saint," "The Baron, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)," and "The Persuaders!," the BBC said.

She was 58 when she appeared in her final Bond film, 1985's "A View To A Kill." She was replaced by 26-year-old Caroline Bliss for "The Living Daylights."

Her last film was a 2001 thriller called "The Fourth Angel," alongside Jeremy Irons.

'Game Plan' pays off with $22.7 million

LOS ANGELES - Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson had the winning game plan at the box office. Disney's "The Game Plan," starring Johnson as a football quarterback whose bachelor lifestyle is disrupted by the arrival of a daughter he never knew he had, opened as the top weekend flick with $22.7 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The weekend had looked like it would be a showdown between "The Game Plan" and Universal's Middle East thriller "The Kingdom," which stars Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner as members of a U.S. team investigating a terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia.

But "The Kingdom" fell short, debuting at No. 2 with a solid $17.7 million.

The previous weekend's top movie, Sony's action tale "Resident Evil: Extinction," fell a steep 66 percent from its opening-weekend gross, finishing in third place with $8 million and raising its total to $36.8 million.

Johnson was the latest action hero aiming to broaden his audience with a family film. With a PG rating, "The Game Plan" took advantage of a long dry spell for kid-friendly movies, as parents with children made up two-thirds of the audience.

"There was definitely pent-up demand for people who don't necessarily want to go to the heavy R-rated films," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution for Disney. "The entire general audience has been underserved lately."

"The Kingdom" faced heavy competition from other violent R-rated films, among them "3:10 to Yuma," "The Brave One" and "Eastern Promises." Though not an overtly political film, "The Kingdom" also had to test audience interest for action tales set against the war on terrorism.

"If you're going to tell stories like this, you're going to tell stories of what's actually going on in our world. It's very difficult, challenging subject matter," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal. "Either you're going to like this kind of movie or you're not."

In limited release, Fox Searchlight's "The Darjeeling Limited" opened strongly, taking in $140,000 at two New York City theaters on Saturday and Sunday, following its premiere Friday at the New York Film Festival.

Directed by Wes Anderson ("The Royal Tenenbaums"), the film stars Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman as brothers on an odyssey across India.

Focus Features' World War II saga "Lust, Caution" also did well in its debut at one New York City theater, taking in $61,688. From director Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain"), the NC-17-rated "Lust, Caution" features scenes of explicit sex as a Chinese woman goes undercover in a plot to kill a man collaborating with invading Japanese forces.

Both films expand to more theaters Friday.

It was the second straight weekend that Hollywood business was down after a summer of record revenue. The top 12 movies took in $76.7 million, down 11 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Open Season" was the No. 1 movie with $23.6 million.

"What goes up must come down," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "It would be really difficult to maintain three, four months of up box office, so this was kind of inevitable. It was quite a strong fall last year, so we're having a little trouble competing."

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

1. "The Game Plan," $22.7 million.
2. "The Kingdom," $17.7 million.
3. "Resident Evil: Extinction," $8 million.
4. "Good Luck Chuck," $6.3 million.
5. "3:10 to Yuma," $4.2 million.
6. "The Brave One," $3.8 million.
7. "Mr. Woodcock," $3 million.
8. "Eastern Promises," $2.9 million.
9. "Sydney White," $2.7 million.
10. "Across the Universe," $2.05 million.

The Couch Potato Report - September 29th, 2007

This week The Couch Potato Report peels an Emmy Award winning western shot in our neck of the woods and one of the funniest films of the year!

It has been a busy two weeks full of releases, and I have six notable ones for you right now.

So let me jump right into things with an Emmy Award winning movie that was filmed in Western Canada!

The book BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE was written by Dee Brown and it was first published in 1970.

It is a history of Native Americans in the West in the late nineteenth century, and their displacement and slaughter by the United States federal government.

The book features strong documentation to original sources and is still in print 37 years later.

The movie BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE was made in and around Calgary last year and a few weeks ago it won the Emmy Award for "Outstanding Made for Television Movie".

Now while I wouldn't personally call the film Outstanding, it is very entertaining, educational and informative.

The displacement of Native Americans, and First Nations peoples here in Canada is too long, heartbreaking and detailed a story to tell in a 133 minute movie, but BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE does a good job of detailing the horrors that took place before and at the slaughter of men, women and children who were considered Sioux prisoners at Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

The film's performances are all superb, especially Montreal's August Schellenberg as Sitting Bull, Winnipeg's Academy Award winning Anna Paquin, and Ashern, Manitoba's Adam Beach as a college-educated Sioux doctor that the Americans exploit.

The only reason I can't call BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE outstanding is because it is too big a story to tell, and this film version only has the time to tell a few small parts of it.

Still, that being said, it is a solid piece of entertainment and an important encapsulation of history.

BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE is worth seeing, by young and old alike, because those who forget their history - good and bad - are condemmed to repeat it.

Up next is the comedy hit of the summer, KNOCKED UP, starring Vancouver's Seth Rogan.

Rogen plays a 23-year-old slacker, who meets the beautiful Katherine Heigl - from GREY'S ANATOMY - at a club and theys pend the night together.

And then she gets (see the name of the film!).

After that, the pair try to make the relationship work.

Now, the reason that the film works, and it works both as a love story and a comedy, is due to Rogan.

From the moment we meet him on screen, we know he doesn't deserve this girl, but he works hard to earn her, and the audience's love.

KNOCKED UP is the latest film from Judd Apatow, the man who gave us THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN, so in addition to the heartwarming scenes, this film is also very, very funny!

KNOCKED UP is one of my favourite films of the year! I laughed very, very hard, even this week when I saw it for the third time, and in addition to that, I also enjoyed it.

It's a great film!

Yes, the funny, raunchy, heartwarming KNOCKED UP is one of my favourite films of the year.

Before it was released as a part of the GRINDHOUSE double feature film back in April, I thought that Quentin Tarrantino's latest film DEATH PROOF would also be one of my favourites of 2007.

Unfortunately..., it is not.

I love Tarantino's work! From RESERVOIR DOGS and PULP FICTION through JACKIE BROWN and KILL BILL, it is my standing policy that whatever he does, I will be the first in line to see...and when this film came out, I was.

I was also disappointed...but I still enjoyed it...or parts of it anyway.

GRINDHOUSE was concieved as a double feature film collaboration with Robert Rodriguez as a tribute to the B-Movies that used to play at drive-ins and as late, late shows at some theatres in the 1970s.

As I mentioned, it was a double feature in theatres, but the two movies are being released seperately on DVD, starting with DEATH PROOF, a film about some two sets of female friends and a psychopathic stunt man who targets them with his stunt car.

Tarantino's films are known for their dialogue and action. The action in this film as it is great, but this time, his dialogue lets his film down.

Instead of interesting people talking about interesting things, full of pop culture and real life references, we get characters who have nothing to say, saying a lot of nothing.

No, I didn't love DEATH PROOF, even though I thought Kurt Russell was great in it, but I am proud to own Quentin Tarantino's latest.

And, even though I don't recommend it, I know that I will watch it again some day.

As for our next release, the high profile football movie WE ARE MARSHALL...I will never watch that movie again...and you should never see it for a first time!

WE ARE MARSHALL had the chance to be an exceptional movie, albeit one inspired by a real life tragedy.

But instead of something that will inspire, inform, and entertain movie goers, the result is something you should just ignore, even if it does feature a football team wearing green and white.

WE ARE MARSHALL is based on the true story of the Marshall University football team from West Virginia.

On November 14th, 1970, most of the school's team - and coaches - died in a plane crash. In all, there were 75 people killed.

The University was ready to shut the football program down, but in the end they kept it going. Then, by 1984, Marshall football began a streak of 21 straight winning seasons.

Now those are the facts, the real life facts.

To me, as tragic as it is, it sounds like a great idea for a very moving film.

But somehow, WE ARE MARSHALL ended up as just another sports movie full of chiches.

There are the usual, waaaay too-familiar, training montages and field action, and the film just never seems to find the right tone between sports, action and drama.

WE ARE MARSHALL does have some touching moments, but what could have been a powerful movie about never giving up, even in the face of tragedy, just is not.

Instead, it is a film that just isn't worth your time.

I will also use the contraction "isn't" for the poker movie LUCKY YOU.

It "isn't" worth your time either!

LUCKY YOU was shot and completed over two years ago, and it was finally released this year...but it shot have stayed unreleased.

It is about Huck, the gambling son of a gambler, who's itching to earn a seat in the World Series of Poker, where he'll play high-stakes Texas Hold-'Em against the world's finest, including his semi-estranged father, with whom he doesn't get along with.

Enter the female love interest who watches as Huck wins his way to the big game, but she can't fully love, or trust him, because of his gambling lifestyle.

LUCKY YOU doesn't have an engaging romantic angle, there is little to no tension between the father and the son, and even if you play poker, it is unlikley that you will feel that you have been dealt a winning hand with thsi film.

So to recap, if you watch LUCKY YOU, you will be unlucky.

Even with a cast that includes the great Robert Duvall, Eric Bana from MUNICH and the usually reliable Drew Barrymore, skip this movie! Cash out and rent or buy something else!!

Like a stupid, juvenile, exceptionally funny DVD like SEASON TWO of the hilarious TV show ROBOT CHICKEN.

ROBOT CHICKEN is an Emmy Award-Winning animated television series with short, quick sketches that parody a number of well known pop culture icons, such as Batman, Lord Of The Rings, Harry Potter, Hilary Duff, the Muppets, Austin Powers, Inspector Gadget, Looney Tunes, Spy Vs. Spy, and My Little Pony.

Each episode is less than 12 minutes long, and if you enjoy being entertained by stupid or juvenile humour, and you have not seen this show yet, then rush out and get ROBOT CHICKEN right now, and have a laugh...or two...or even more!!

The very funny SEASON TWO of ROBOT CHICKEN, the not-worth-your-time LUCKY YOU and WE ARE MARSHALL, Quentin Tarantino's DEATH PROOF, the hilarious KNOCKED UP and the very good, Emmy Award winning film BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE are all available now on DVD.


Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report

IMAGINE THE SOUND is a Canadian made documentary on some of the key pioneers of the free jazz movement from the sixties and early seventies.

The line between reality and delusion is blurred in the BUG, the latest film from the director of THE EXORCIST.

The foreign film A FEW DAYS IN SEPTEMBER begins on September the 1st, 2001, and concludes on September the 11th.

In RED ROAD a woman starts stalking a man, and the reason for her obsession is gradually revealed.

Finally next week, we will share some laughs as THE ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER COMEDY FAVOURITES COLLECTION features the Governator's best foray's into comedy - TWINS, JUNIOR, and KINDERGARTEN COP.

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!

iPod Nano commercial the Apple of singer Feist's eye

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The use of Canadian singer-songwriter Feist's song "1, 2, 3, 4" in an iPod Nano TV spot is generating major attention -- online and on the Billboard charts.

Since the ad debuted in mid-September, sales of "1, 2, 3, 4" and its parent Cherrytree/Interscope album, "The Reminder," have skyrocketed.

Earlier this month, the track was selling about 2,000 downloads per week, while the album was shifting 6,000, according to Nielsen SoundScan. On the most recent charts, "1, 2, 3, 4" clears 73,000 downloads and reaches new peaks of No. 7 on Hot Digital Songs and No. 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. "The Reminder" jumps from No. 36 to No. 28 on the Billboard 200, with sales of 19,000.

In total, "1, 2, 3, 4" and "The Reminder" have amassed sales of 181,000 and 235,000, respectively. (Feist's debut album, 2005's "Let It Die," has sold 147,000 copies.)

While the iPod Nano spot is introducing Feist to mainstream America, online chatter is paving the way to sales of the singer's music. Feist is not identified in the campaign -- created by TBWA/Media Arts Lab -- and this has led many consumers to the Web in search of the voice behind the song in the commercial.

According to Nielsen BuzzMetrics -- which monitored such search terms as "1234," "iPod," "Nano" and "campaign" -- Web discussion is increasing by triple-digit percentages weekly. In the days following the singer's August 27 appearance on "Late Show With David Letterman," where she performed "1, 2, 3, 4," online buzz increased 190 percent. On the heels of Labor Day weekend, discussion of the iPod Nano ad soared 402 percent. One week later, there was a 166 percent spike in discussion.

Feist is the latest in a string of Interscope acts to appear in iPod/Apple commercials, including the Fratellis, Wolfmother, Eminem and U2.

And while bloggers have fueled rumors of a "deal" between the companies, Interscope Geffen A&M president of marketing and sales Steve Berman denied any such thing. (Apple and TBWA/Media Arts Lab declined to comment.)

"We have a great working relationship with them," Berman said. "We are a company with much music that can be construed as left-of-center."

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers get ready for their close-up

The story behind Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will be told in a four-disc DVD/CD collection that is set to hit shelves next month and debut on big screens in select cities.

"Runnin' Down A Dream: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" will be sold exclusively at Best Buy retail outlets beginning Oct. 16. Two days before, the film will close the 2007 New York Film Festival at the Walter Reade Theatre, and will then premiere Oct. 15 for one night only in 21 cities across the country (listed below). The Sundance Channel is also scheduled to run the film commercial-free on Oct. 29

"Runnin' Down A Dream," directed by Peter Bogdanovich, takes viewers from Petty and the Heartbreakers' humble beginnings in Gainesville, FL, to last year's 30th anniversary celebration. It also follows Petty's solo career and his time as a Traveling Wilbury alongside George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne and Roy Orbison. The film features in-depth interviews with Petty and the band, as well as their circle of musicians, friends and collaborators, according to a press release.

Petty toured last year to support "Highway Companion," his third solo release and 18th overall career album. The set debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200, making it the singer/songwriter's highest-ever chart debut. At the time of the outing, Petty told Rolling Stone the trek could be his last.

Petty continues to stay busy hosting the XM Satellite Radio show "Tom Petty's Hidden Treasures," which recently began its third season. He and his band can also be heard on the just-released tribute CD "Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino," on which they do a rendition of "I'm Walkin."

Over the past three decades, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have sold more than 50 million records. Between his work with the band and his solo efforts, Petty has picked up 18 Grammy nominations. He and the Heartbreakers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, which was the first year they were eligible for the honor.

Oct. 15 screenings in the following cities:
Los Angeles, CA
New York, NY
San Francisco, CA
Berkeley, CA
Santa Rosa, CA
San Diego, CA
Austin, TX
Boston, MA
Chicago, IL
Detroit, MI
Evansville, IN
Lansing, MI
Grand Rapids, MI
San Luis Obispo, CA
Livermore, CA
Fairfax, CA
Martinez, CA
Petaluma, CA
Dallas, TX
Denver, CO
Washington, DC

Madonna, Beasties, Mellencamp Up For Rock Hall

Madonna, the Beastie Boys, John Mellencamp and Leonard Cohen lead a wildly disparate class of nominees for 2008 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

They join Afrika Bambaataa, Chic, the Ventures, Donna Summer and the Dave Clark Five on the ballot. Five acts will be inducted March 10, 2008, at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

For eligibility, artists had to release their first single no later than 1982. Last year's inductees were R.E.M., Van Halen, Patti Smith, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and the Ronettes.

'South Park' creators back new series

NEW YORK - The current kings of juvenile humor on Comedy Central, "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, are pitching in to bring a series of silly competitions to the cable channel.

Comedy Central has acquired rights to a Canadian series, "Kenny vs. Spenny," and fans Parker and Stone agreed to help produce new episodes.

The series essentially consists of two friends, Kenny Hotz and Spencer Rice, who engage in all manner of silly competitions for bragging rights. Some of the challenges: Who can stay naked the longest? Who can sell more Bibles? Who do gay guys like more? Who can wear a dead octopus on their heads the longest?

An episode about which man could stay awake the longest — Spenny ate health food for help, Kenny (the winner) kept gobbling caffeine — caught Parker and Stone's eyes as they were pulling all-nighters to finish the movie "Team America: World Police."

"It touched our hearts because we had just gone through that," Stone told The Associated Press on Thursday.

Parker and Stone essentially gave Hotz and Rice advice on which ideas would work best and are lending their comedy cachet.

"I'd like to make a joke about how we made them understand the differences between the Canadian and American senses of humor, but it was really just letting them make their own show," Stone said.

The two buddies can't stand to lose to each other, no matter what the competition, and many guys will see themselves in it, he said.

"It's what guys do," he said. "Guys will sit around and ask, `can you throw that beer can into the waste basket?' and before you know it they've created an intricate competition."

Comedy Central has agreed to make 10 new episodes of the series and acquired 10 old ones. It will premiere Nov. 14.

Meanwhile, Parker and Stone are at work making another episode of "South Park." One new episode to look forward to: Cartman pretending he has Tourette's syndrome.

"That one seems so natural," Stone said, "we wondered why we hadn't thought of it before."

Mistrial in Phil Spector murder trial

LOS ANGELES - Music producer Phil Spector's murder trial ended in a mistrial Wednesday because of a deadlocked jury. Each juror told Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler they could not reach a verdict.

The mistrial came on the 12th day of deliberations on whether Spector murdered actress Lana Clarkson more than 4 1/2 years ago.

Spector, 67, is charged with second-degree murder. Clarkson, 40, died when a gun went off in her mouth as she sat in a chair in the foyer of Spector's Alhambra mansion about 5 a.m. on Feb. 3, 2003. She had met Spector just a few hours earlier at her job as a nightclub hostess and went home with him for a drink after work.

The Simpsons Movie comes home!

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is bringing The Simpsons Movie to DVD and Blu-ray Disc this December.

"The Simpsons" are nothing less than a cultural phenomenon - a hodge podge of pop references and satire, the television show is one of the longest running series in TV history.

Both versions released to home video will include two Commentary Tracks. The first will feature James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Mike Scully, David Silverman, Dan Castellaneta, and joined by Yeardley Smith, while the second one features David Silverman, Mike B. Anderson, Steven Dean Moore and Rich Moore.

Also included are Six Deleted Scenes, including an Alternate Ending. Further you will find Clips and Featurettes on the disc, such as “Homer’s Monologue On The Tonight Show,” “The Simpsons Judge American Idol,” “Homer Introduces American Idol,” “Let’s All Go To The Lobby,” and Alternate Character Designs by the directors and Matt Groening.

"The Simpsons Movie" will drop on shelves on December 18 and will cost you $29.98 for the DVD and $39.98 for the 1080p, high definition Blu-ray.

Jessica Biel: The Next Wonder Woman?

Look out, Justin Timberlake, your leading lady's might be making a move on the Man of Steel.

Jessica Biel is in talks to play Wonder Woman in Warner Bros.' upcoming Justice League of America, with the superhero all-star flick possibly serving to launch Biel's own comic-book movie franchise, according to Variety.

The live-action film aims to bring together several of DC Comics biggest stars: Wonder Woman, Superman, Batman, Aquaman and the Flash.

A studio rep declined to comment on Tuesday, saying Warners would rather make one big announcement regarding the ensemble. So far, Biel is the first big-name actor linked to the highly anticipated—at least among fanboys—project.

(London's Guardian newspaper has reported that producers have also done a screen test with up-and-coming Australian actress Victoria Hill.)

If Biel ends up being cast in as Diana, the busty Amazonian princess warrior turned American icon, the 25-year-old actress would also be in line to star in a series of Wonder Woman feature-film spinoffs. Warners is reportedly envisioning JLA as a means to kick start both Wonder Woman and Flash stand-alone features.

A Wonder Woman flick has long been a passion of the studio. At one point, Buffy the Vampire Slayer mastermind Joss Whedon was on board to write and direct, but he pulled out last February, criting creative differences and leaving the project in limbo.

Whedon and the studio had apparently clashed over the casting the lead role.

And although former Buffy stars Sarah Michelle Gellar and Charisma Carpenter were among those rumored to be in contention to don the tiara, Whedon said he had not settled on his dream Wonder Woman.

JLA had also been on the drawing board for years, but things began to pick up steam when director George Miller, best known for his Mad Max and Babe franchises as well as last year's Oscar-winning 'toon Happy Feet, had come aboard to direct the superfriends film.

Studio executives are reportedly eager to get JLA before cameras before a potential Hollywood strike by writers and actors next summer.

After breaking out as minister's daughter Mary Camden on the long-running WB series 7th Heaven, Biel transitioned to feature films, including the 2003 remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blade: Trinity, Stealth with Jamie Foxx and The Illusionist, opposite Edward Norton.

Her most recent credits include the Iraq War drama Home of the Brave, the sci-fi thriller Next with Nicolas Cage and the summer's hit Adam Sandler-Kevin James comedy, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. After Biel wraps Powder Blue with Forrest Whitaker and Ray Liotta, she'll segue to A Woman of No Importance, Bruce Beresford's upcoming film based on the Oscar Wilde play.

If Warner Bros. can get the casting situation resolved quickly, JLA could start shooting by early next year, enough time to beat the strike deadline, and be in theaters by 2009.

But finding the right people to fill the tights has always proven problematic, especially when it comes to the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader.

Neither Superman Returns star Brandon Routh nor Batman Begins hero Christian Bale will appear in JLA—both have expressed concerns that the new film will dilute their already successful franchises.

Production on the next Superman film is expected to proceed as soon as director Bryan Singer completes work on Valkyrie, his World War II drama starring Tom Cruise.

Meanwhile, Christopher Nolan has been shooting his Batman sequel, The Dark Knight, for a July 18, 2008 release.

Beasties eyeing guest vocalists for new album

NEW YORK (Billboard) - The Beastie Boys are moving ahead with plans for a vocal version of their latest album, the all-instrumental "The Mix-Up."

Adam "MCA" Yauch said the trio is "talking to some different artists who might do kinda like remixes and put vocals on it, so it wouldn't be us doing vocals on it. It would be kind of like a different version of the album, with a bunch of people guesting on it."

Among those in the loop, according to Yauch, are M.I.A., Lily Allen and Pulp's Jarvis Cocker -- "a bunch of British people," Yauch told Billboard.com. "It'll be interesting to see what they do with the stuff."

That might not be the only outgrowth of the "The Mix-Up," which Yauch, Mike "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz released in June. Yauch said the Beasties have an idea for a visual version of the album as well, incorporating images from the group's touring to support "The Mix-Up."

"We've been traveling with a Super 8 camera," he said, "and a lot of times we'll just make something. While we were in Singapore we filmed stuff, and in Australia and different places. We're talking about cutting it together into a full-length film that kinda goes the length of the album."

Yauch said there are no plans to document the tour with a live album or DVD. After the trek wraps September 27 in Chicago, the Beasties plan to return to the studio.

Erik the Viking is recut

The Terry Jones' satire Erik the Viking is making its way to DVD in a special Director's Son's Cut. Yes, the son of Terry Jones - with Jones' blessing - has recut the film for DVD and it is coming your way from MGM Home Entertainment.

An unusually principled young Viking becomes increasing uncomfortable with all the killing and plundering that goes with the job, and sets out on a magical journey in order to bring about world peace.

The new cut is nearly thirty minutes shorter than the original cut with rearranged and shortened scenes and a remixed soundtrack. No release for the theatrical cut is planned. In addition to the film, the disc contains a Commentary Track with Terry Jones, a Behind the scenes featurette on the new cut as well as a vintage Featurette from 1989, a Trailer and a Photo Gallery.

The new DVD is priced at $19.98 when it arrives on November 7th.

Canadian painter Ken Danby dies at 67

Renowned artist Ken Danby, one of Canada's foremost realist painters, has died at age 67.

Danby died Sunday while canoeing in Algonquin Park, according to Greg McKee, the manager of the Danby Studio in Guelph, Ont.

It's believed Danby died of a heart attack, but the cause of death will not be known until an autopsy is completed, McKee said.

Danby is best known for his 1972 painting At the Crease, showing a masked hockey player. The egg tempera work hangs in reproduction in countless homes of Canadian hockey lovers.

Danby's sports paintings are among his best-loved images, among them Lacing Up and Hockey Night in Canada, a tribute to 50 years of CBC coverage of the game.

His famous sports images include The Great Farewell, painted for Wayne Gretzky when he decided to retire from playing hockey.

In the 1980s, he prepared a series of watercolours on the Americas Cup and the Canadian athletes at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.

'Canada's soul and spirit'

While many Canadians connect Danby with hockey images, he points out they make up only a dozen images in a long painting career.

"I still love the game," he said in a 2002 interview. "I respond to it, so there's that appeal. That there has been such a focus on them in Canada shows that I've tapped into something that has to do with Canada's soul and spirit."

He also has done portraits of Canadian icons such as singer Gordon Lightfoot and former prime minister Pierre Trudeau.

And he is renowned for his landscapes, including the 1997 painting Niagara. A retrospective at the Joseph Carrier Gallery in 2004 featured 60 paintings, many capturing Canadian scenes such as Lake Louise.

"I didn't set out to try and do that," he said in a 2007 interview with the Guelph Mercury. "I am Canadian … but I just respond to things I experience."

Danby was born March 6, 1940, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., and was interested in drawing from an early age.

He enrolled at the Ontario College of Art in 1958, but quit two years later because of the college's emphasis on abstract art and spent the next three years working in art-related jobs while exploring various directions in his painting and drawing.

In 1963, he approached gallery owner Walter Moos of Toronto to review his work, a meeting that resulted in his first one-man show at Gallery Moos in 1964.

The show sold out and began a long dealer-artist relationship between Moos and Danby, though Moos is no longer exclusive dealer for Danby's works.

Attention of collectors

Danby's realism drew the attention of collectors and he has had sustained commercial success throughout his 43-year career.

Living and working on a sprawling 20-hectare retreat just outside Guelph, a place he called his "sanctuary," Danby cared less about the sale of the work than the process of painting.

"The fulfilment of that painting is in its completion, not about where it goes. I don't worry about them selling, I don't worry about them finding a home," Danby said.

He took five years to complete a two-metre image called Stampede, based on the annual Calgary rodeo.

"The work has to be given its fullest opportunity to be right. I often set pieces aside for months at a time, come back and see them with fresh eyes," he said.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York, The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Montreal Museum of Fine Art, the Governor General of Canada, the Vancouver Art Gallery and the City of Jerusalem are among the institutions that own Danby works.

He also has been much sought after for commissions, painting both Gordie Howe and Tim Horton, and designing an Olympic coin for the Royal Mint in 1975.

Both his 1968 painting of Trudeau and his 1973 painting of Robert Stanfield graced the covers of Time magazine.

As a painter who combined realism with an abstract edge, Danby has been compared with Christopher Pratt.

But his subject matter wasn't as rarefied. He painted a seedy room interior in 1971's Motel, a youngster staring into space in Guelph Carousel and himself, hockey stick in hand, in the 1996 painting Kissing Bridge.

In 2005, a collection of his landscape paintings entitled Earth, Sky & Water showed at the Bernarducci Meisel Gallery in New York City.

Success "is very gratifying," Danby said. "But that's not the reason I do it. I don't recycle a theme just because it has been popular. But it's gratifying to be able to reach out to an audience. To have an audience is important to every artist."

Danby was a member of the governing board of the Canada Council from 1985 to 1991, a trustee of the National Gallery of Canada from 1991 to 1995 and was awarded an honorary doctorate of fine arts from Laurentian University in 1997.

Danby was a member of both the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada.

He is survived by his wife, Gillian, and three sons.

New CD Releases, September 25: Rascal Flatts, Foo Fighters, Melissa Etheridge

Rascal Flatts "Still Feels Good"

The hugely popular country trio releases its fifth studio album. "Still Feels Good" follows 2006's "Me and My Gang," which topped The Billboard 200 chart and became the biggest sales debut of the year.

"Still Feels Good" was recorded with award-winning producer Dan Huff and its lead single, "Take Me There," is already a hit on country radio.

The new album drops during what has already been a mighty big year for the band. In particular, Rascal Flatts has been stacking up the awards this year, so far scoring a pair of People's Choice honors, Video of the Year at the CMT Music Awards and its fifth consecutive Vocal Group of the Year trophy from the Academy of Country Music. In November, Rascal Flatts will be vying for Vocal Group of the Year and Entertainer of the Year at the 41st Annual Country Music Association Awards.

The country-pop trio is touring in support of "Still Feels Good." The band, which has been criss-crossing the US since July, now has dates stretching into November.

* * *
Foo Fighters "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace"

The Grammy-winning Foos are back and ready to rock with "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace." The album was produced by Gil Norton, who also was at the controls for 1997's double-platinum seller "The Colour and the Shape." ("Colour," by the way, was recently remastered and reissued as a 10th anniversary deluxe edition with six bonus tracks.)

The album's lead single, "The Pretender," premiered on ESPN last month and was featured throughout the network's coverage of the Summer X-Games. The song is currently making waves on Billboard's rock and pop charts.

The Foos will support "Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace" with a series of dates. Currently, the band is scheduled to perform a half-dozen club and arena dates along the East Coast next month.

* * *
Melissa Etheridge "The Awakening"

The rock vocalist/guitarist has already had quite the 2007. The big year began when her song "I Need to Wake Up," a cut featured in former Vice President Al Gore's Oscar-winning documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in February. She followed that up in the summer with a high-profile set during the Live 8 concerts.

Now, Etheridge returns with her ninth studio album. "The Awakening" was co-produced with David Cole and features Etheridge's rocking band mates, guitarist Philip Sayce, bassist Mark Browne and drummer Mauricio ‘Fritz' Lewak.

* * *
Herbie Hancock "River: The Joni Letters"

The genre-shifting keyboardist/composer, who first came to fame as a sideman for Miles Davis, is ready to follow-up 2005's "Herbie Hancock: Possibilities." That previous set was a collection of all-star collaborations, which included work by Phish's Trey Anastastio, Sting, Annie Lennox, John Mayer, Christina Aguilera, Paul Simon and Carlos Santana.

This time around, Hancock delivers another star-studded affair, which pays tribute to great lyricist Joni Mitchell. This 13-song tribute features appearances by Tina Turner, Norah Jones, Corinne Bailey Rae, Luciana Souza, Leonard Cohen and Mitchell herself.

* * *
Joni Mitchell "Shine"

The Mitchell mania continues with this 10-track set. The collection features many of the great singer/songwriter/guitarist's best cuts, including "Night of the Iguana," "Bad Dreams" and, of course, "Big Yellow Taxi."

* * *
More new releases:
Tony Bennett, "Tony Bennett Sings The Ultimate American Songbook, Vol. 1" (Sony)
Chris Botti, "Italia" (Sony)
David Crowder Band, "Remedy" (Six Step)
Dethklok, "Dethalbum" (Williams Street)
Steve Earle, "Washington Square Serenade" (New West)
Iron & Wine, "The Shepherd's Dog" (Sub Pop)
Chaka Khan, "Funk This" (Strategic Marketing)
Bettye LaVette, "Scene of the Crime" (Anti)
Raul Malo, "Marshmallow World and Other Holiday Favorites" (New Door)
Meshell Ndegeocello, "The World Has Made Me the Man of My Dreams" (Emarcy)
Queen Latifah, "Trav'lin' Light" (Verve)
Jill Scott, "The Real Thing: Words And Sounds Vol. 3" (Hidden Beach)
Stars, "In Our Bedroom After the War" (Arts and Crafts)
Various Artists, "Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino" (Vanguard)

Springsteen gives fans preview of tour

ASBURY PARK, N.J. - Bruce Springsteen was back in familiar territory with a rehearsal show Monday night in the city that has become known worldwide through his songs.

The show at the oceanfront Convention Hall was the first of two benefit rehearsals for Springsteen and the E Street Band, who are about to embark on their first tour together in four years. They will also play Tuesday night, and a third rehearsal concert has been added for Friday at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford.

Springsteen and the band opened up with "Radio Nowhere," a song from their new album.

"We're going to run through some things, some new things, some old things. There may be some mistakes — but I doubt it," Springsteen told the crowd.

Asbury Park and the boardwalk where the Convention Hall is located have been featured prominently in the New Jersey native's work. His first album was titled "Greetings From Asbury Park, N.J.," and the boardwalk Casino was the scene of the title track video for his 1987 "Tunnel of Love" album. Blocks away is the Stone Pony nightclub where Springsteen has performed numerous times.

Fans young and old gathered for hours before the show in warm sunshine on the boardwalk outside the hall.

"I think it's rare that you get any musician who appeals to so many generations," said Dara Webster, 34, of Westport, Conn. She was there with her 63-year-old mother, Maida Webster.

The elder Webster, a retired social worker from New Canaan, Conn., was attending her 20th Springsteen show. "I think he speaks from the heart," Maida Webster said. "He's down to earth."

Those without tickets, which cost $100, hoped to be included in the group of 100 people traditionally given last-minute admission. Standing among 300 hopefuls, Kevin Statesir, 52, a nightclub owner from Burlington, Vt., said he wasn't optimistic.

The hall isn't far from the clubs — many now closed — where Springsteen and the E Street Band rose to fame in the 1970s. Springsteen has used Convention Hall for other pre-tour rehearsals.

A native of nearby Freehold, the 58-year-old rocker still lives in Monmouth County.

Springsteen and the band are to begin a tour in support of their new album, "Magic," which is due out Oct. 2. The tour opens with a show in Hartford, Conn., that night.

Springsteen will be back at the Continental Airlines Arena Oct. 9-10, and is scheduled to perform Oct. 17-18 at Madison Square Garden in New York.

"Magic" is the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's first album with his longtime New Jersey mates since the Sept. 11-inspired "The Rising" in 2002. Their 15-month tour in support of the album has sold out stadiums and arenas around the globe.

Aside from the atmospheric title track, "Magic" returns Springsteen to rock 'n' roll, and all 11 songs are new. He released a solo acoustic effort, "Devils & Dust," in 2005 and the folk-inspired "The Seeger Sessions" last year.

"Magic" features guitarists Steve Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren, bassist Garry Tallent, drummer Max Weinberg, keyboardists Danny Federici and Roy Bittan, "Big Man" Clarence Clemons on saxophone, violinist Soozie Tyrell and vocalist Patti Scialfa, Springsteen's wife.

New CD Releases, September. 18: James Blunt, Reba McEntire, Mark Knopfler

James Blunt "All the Lost Souls"

The singer/songwriter returns with his sophomore set, which follows the mega-hit "Back to Bedlam." "All the Lost Souls" was produced by Tom Rothrock--who also oversaw Blunt's debut--and features the leadoff single "1973."

Blunt was one of the biggest "overnight" success stories of 2005-06. Thanks to some major help by Oprah Winfrey, who featured the singer on her highly rated daytime television show, Blunt rose from relative obscurity to sell more than 11 million copies of "Bedlam" worldwide. His best-known single, "You're Beautiful," was one of the most-played tracks on radio last year.

Blunt is currently scheduled to make three concert stops to back "All the Lost Souls." He has dates set for San Francisco (Sept. 23), Los Angeles (Sept. 25) and Toronto (Oct. 1).

* * *
Reba McEntire "Reba Duets"

The country queen has called upon her talented friends to lend a hand on her new album. The diverse crop of players hail from both the country and pop worlds, including Kenny Chesney, Kelly Clarkson, Ronnie Dunn, Vince Gill, Don Henley, Faith Hill, Carole King, Rascal Flatts, LeAnn Rimes, Justin Timberlake and Trisha Yearwood.

The first single from "Reba Duets" is "Because of You," which features Clarkson. That single is already a hit--in fact, according to a press release, it's McEntire's fastest-climbing song since 1998's "Forever Love." The tune also marks the performer's 55th Top 10 single, tying her with Dolly Parton for the female artist with the most Top 10 hits, according to Net Music Countdown.

McEntire is making a few concert appearances in support of "Reba Duets." Her next gig is Oct. 15 at Carnegie Hall in New York.

* * *
Mark Knopfler "Kill to Get Crimson"

The Grammy-winning guitarist--who came in at No. 27 on Rolling Stone's list of 100 greatest axe men of all time--is set to follow last year's "All the Roaadrunning," which was a collaboration with country vocalist Emmylou Harris.

"Kill to Get Crimson" is Knopfler's fifth solo record. Despite the success he's had in the solo world, however, Knopfler remains best known for his work as the leader of Dire Straits. That band has sold some 100 million records across the globe.

* * *
KT Tunstall zDrastic Fantastic"

Having drawn some rave reviews for her performance at the recent Live 8 event, Scottish songbird Tunstall is now ready to release a follow-up to 2006's popular "Eye of the Telescope."

Tunstall can only hope that this sophomore set, "Drastic Fantastic," will prove as popular as her debut. "Eye to the Telescope" was certified platinum in the US and featured three hit singles, one of which--"Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"--was nominated for a Grammy.

* * *
Luciano Pavarotti "Pavarotti's Greatest Hits"

The legendary singer, who died Sept. 6 at age 71 following a lengthy battle with cancer, is remembered on this two-disc set. The collection features the Italian tenor singing pieces by such composers as Puccini, Verdi and Bellini.

* * *
More new releases:
Chamillionaire, "Ultimate Victory" (Motown)
Dropkick Murphys, "The Meanest of Times" (Born and Bred)
Gloria Estefan, "90 Millas" (Sony)
Emmylou Harris, "Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems" (Rhino)
Diana Krall, "The Very Best of Diana Krall" (Verve)
Barry Manilow, "The Greatest Songs of the Seventies" (Arista)
Pat Monahan, "The Last of Seven" (Sony)
Paul Potts, "One Chance" (Sony)
Various Artists, "Hannah Montana: Karaoke" (Disney)
Various Artists, "High School Musical 2: Karaoke" (Disney)
Various Artists, "Love Is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970"
Eddie Vedder, "Music for the Motion Picture Into the Wild" (J-Records)

Soundtracks and scores:
"House M.D. Original Television Soundtrack" (Nettwerk)
"The Simpsons: Testify" (Shout Factory)

J.K. Rowling to meet Harry Potter fans in Toronto

Popular Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling will be in Toronto in October, her only stop in Canada on her North American tour.

Raincoast Books, which publishes her wildly successful wizard-in-training series, announced Monday that Rowling will be at the Wintergarden Theatre on Oct. 23 during Toronto's International Festival of Authors.

Tickets to the 950-seat downtown venue are free. Starting Monday afternoon, 10 tickets a day will be awarded to fans online through the Raincoast Books website where an application is posted.

Other tickets will be disseminated through Canadian libraries, and public and Catholic school boards.

Children in Ontario can apply by taking part in the Forest of Reading program through the Ontario Library Association. The OLA will use a lottery system to award tickets.

Rowling will be reading from the seventh and final book in the series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which was released in July. The book became the fastest-selling novel, with more than 15 million copies purchased within 24 hours.

The 41-year-old author will also entertain questions and sign books during her Canadian appearance.

Rowling's six previous Harry Potter books sold more than 325 million worldwide.

A complete set of signed books, believed to be the only kind in the world, is being auctioned in England.

The charity Books Abroad, which supplies books to children in 80 countries, announced Monday a set will be auctioned on eBay.

A relative of Rowling is a volunteer for the charity.

"It could be worth £20,000 ($41,000 Cdn) or even an awful lot more," a spokesman for Books Abroad told the BBC.

What celebs didn't say onstage

As usual, some of the most interesting Emmy moments were not on screen but off, backstage with the nominees and on the red carpet before the show.

Highlights:

Field's silent moment

Brothers & Sisters star Sally Field was ecstatic on her surprise win as best actress in a drama. But explaining why Fox censors bleeped her acceptance speech, Field said, "I probably shouldn't have said the 'god' in front of the 'damn.' … I didn't have a point to get across. I have no agenda, I didn't have any political something I wanted to say. I wanted to pay homage to mothers, period, and especially the mothers waiting for children to come home from the war."

Winners all

•Tina Fey, who created best-comedy winner 30 Rock, is looking to the Emmy to boost ratings. "I certainly hope that it will," she said. "I don't think it will hurt us, but I had friends who worked on (low-rated Emmy winner) Arrested Development, so I know how hard it can be." The Emmy, word of mouth and big-time guest stars "can help us a little bit," Fey said.

•Ugly Betty's America Ferrara, who picked up the Emmy for best actress in a comedy, said the win "symbolizes all the wonderful blessings of the past year. I'm so happy and humbled to be on a show that's not only fun … but is making a difference and inspiring people and changing the way we look at prejudice and diversity."

•My Name Is Earl's Jaime Pressly, who won for best supporting actress in a comedy, lit up a backstage smoke. Nervously picking up her award, her hands were shaking. "I can't even hold it. I'm like this," she said, exaggerating the shaking. Asked what she would do with the statuette, she joked, "I'm gonna go rub it in the cast's face."

Reflecting on her career and life: "I've been in the business 13 years. It's nice to finally get noticed." She gave birth to son Dezzi in May. On having a baby and winning the Emmy in the same year: "This is not my life. It's been a new one."

•Grey's Anatomy's Katherine Heigl, who won for supporting actress in a drama, said she had begun to relax and enjoy the ceremony after leaving the stage earlier as a presenter. "I felt I wasn't going to win. So when they said my name, it took a good couple of seconds to realize they meant me and that I had to get back up and say something profound. So that was a little nerve-racking."

Of mom Nancy, whom she thanked from the stage: "She's the most phenomenal woman I've ever met. She's who I hope to be. This (Emmy) is for her because of all her strength, courage and fight. She never doubted me."

Grey'sAnatomy creator Shonda Rhimes and castmates Sara Ramirez and Kate Walsh skipped the Tony Bennett/Christina Aguilera number so they could toast Heigl backstage. "We're so proud and happy for our Katie," Ramirez said.

•Robert Duvall, who won for best actor in a miniseries for AMC Western Broken Trail, said he didn't mess around when it came to training for the role. "I bought a horse a year in advance. I could have been a cowboy. But I ride mainly in an English saddle."

•Entourage's Jeremy Piven, who won his second consecutive supporting-actor Emmy, said, "I'll never, ever get used to this."

Piven offered some insight into his obsessive talent-agent character, Ari Gold. "We all have our demons. I don't think it's me that's winning this. It's this character. He's an aggressive, type-A wrecking ball."

Winning again was humbling. "I never thought I'd be the people's favorite in anything. I've never been on anyone's list. I've never been a 'type.' I've been playing the abrasive best friend for decades."

Piven later sat in the front row with his Emmy between his legs, playing with a cigar he seemed anxious to smoke. About that snarky line from host Ryan Seacrest at the opening about keeping him away from Heroes' just-turned-18 Hayden Panettiere? "I was sort of blindsided. I don't really know where that (ladies' man rep) comes from."

•Lost's Terry O'Quinn, who won for best supporting actor in a drama, was told he could pick any of the Emmys. He paused and looked at the table with 45 statutes. He picked the third one in and third from the right. "I got the best one," he said.

As for the win, "It's a little frosting on being nominated. Beyond that, I don't have expectations. I'm gratified to be invited to the party." What keeps O'Quinn sane amid his relatively late-found fame? "The hovering specter of poverty. And my wife."

•Dick Wolf on winning for best made-for-TV movie for Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee: "This was the icing on the cake" after a long process to get the film made. We were six years at HBO. This was a labor of love and a labor of conscience."

Mirren's minor miracles

Though Helen Mirren, best actress in a movie or miniseries for Prime Suspect: The Final Act on PBS, appears to have been on a roll at the last few awards shows — including an Oscar this year and an Emmy last year — she is quick to point out, "I have had a few losses. Other years I've sat out there and not won. It's been an amazing year for me. It's always down to the writing. The writing is where the role springs from."

Could anyone have predicted she'd have such a strong year? "I don't believe in astrology, but I'd be very curious to what my astrological sign said about this year."

Male bonding

Steve Schirripa came with Sopranos castmate Michael Imperioli, who later lost to O'Quinn. "This is it. It's a little bit of sweet," Schirripa said. Imperioli said this last time is "bittersweet," and it was fun to get together with his castmates. But, he said, "we'll be friends forever. I'm not afraid of not seeing them again."

As for Entourage's Kevin Dillon, who lost to Piven for supporting actor, he and his castmates were almost as tight off the set as their characters were on the HBO comedy. "I play golf with Jerry Ferrara (Turtle) every week."

Denis Leary, who was up for best actor in FX's Rescue Me, picked his personal favorite in the category before the show: "James Gandolfini should win every award tonight — best actor, best drinker, best eater, everything you can win." Neither Leary nor Gandolfini did; James Spader (Boston Legal) took the gold.

Food for thought

What was on the breakfast menu for Emmy day?

•"I had lox, onions and eggs," reported Ugly Betty's Eric Mabius, on the red carpet with his wife, Ivy Sherman. "A nice Jewish breakfast, even though I'm Catholic."

•"I made breakfast for my hair and makeup team — eggs, bacon and fruit smoothies," said Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria.

•"Scrambled egg whites," said Julia Louis-Dreyfus, nominated for best comedy actress for The New Adventures of Old Christine.

•And how was Weeds' Mary-Louise Parker keeping her pre-Emmy show strength up? "Peanut M&Ms," she said.

'Sopranos' goes out on high note

In an Emmy broadcast that meandered between comedy, music and simple uncertainty, it was only fitting that there was no clear winner Sunday night at the 59th annual show.

But "The Sopranos," one of the most highly regarded TV series in history, took home the biggest prize, best drama.

The top six categories -- outstanding comedy, outstanding drama, and lead male and female performers in both genres -- were split among six different winners. "30 Rock" picked up the Emmy for best comedy series. Ricky Gervais of "Extras" and America Ferrera of "Ugly Betty" won awards for lead acting in comedy series.

Sally Field added a political statement Sunday night.

"If the mothers ruled the world, there would be no g--damned wars in the first place," said Field, trying to recover her train of thought while accepting her Emmy for best actress in a drama for "Brothers & Sisters."

Her Emmy was a mild upset, as she defeated previous winners Edie Falco and Mariska Hargitay to take the award.

James Spader took home the Emmy for best actor in a drama.

"I feel like I just stole a pile of money from the Mob," said Spader, referring to his "Sopranos" competition.

Another sometime political figure, former vice president and "recovering politician" Al Gore, received an Emmy -- and a standing ovation -- Sunday night at the 59th annual TV awards show.

Gore and Joel Hyatt won their Emmys for creating Current TV, a cable television network whose programs are often created by viewers.

"We are trying to open up the television medium so that viewers can help to make television, and join the conversation of democracy, and reclaim American democracy by talking about the choices we have to make," said Gore.

The TV honor is the latest Hollywood recognition for Gore. The film "An Inconvenient Truth," which starred Gore, earned an Oscar in February.

"Ugly Betty's" America Ferrera won best actress in a comedy series, and "Extras" star Ricky Gervais won best actor in a comedy series.

HBO's "The Sopranos," considered the front-runner for best drama series, won two awards at the Emmys, for directing and writing.

The second award went to the show's creator, David Chase. The show's lead acting performers, James Gandolfini and Edie Falco, lost in their categories.

The AMC miniseries "Broken Trail" was also roundly honored at the show, winning three awards in the early going -- for best actor, best supporting actor and best miniseries or movie.

Helen Mirren continued her remarkable run with another Emmy -- she also won last year -- this time for "Prime Suspect: The Final Act." Mirren has won several awards in the last year, including an Oscar for best actress for "The Queen."

"Come on, music," she laughed, believing that she was going on too long in her speech.

"Prime Suspect: The Final Act" also won for directing and writing.

Tony Bennett was also honored at the Emmy ceremony. His special "Tony Bennett: An American Classic" picked up several awards, including outstanding variety, music or comedy special.

In a mild upset, Ricky Gervais won best actor in a comedy for his performance in "Extras." "The Amazing Race" won best reality/competition program for the fifth time.

Katherine Heigl of "Grey's Anatomy" and Jaime Pressly of "My Name Is Earl" took home Emmys in supporting categories.

"Here's to our little engine that could, that finally did," said a tearful Pressly, accepting her honor.

Heigl maintained she didn't come prepared with a speech because her mother told her she wasn't going to win.

"My own mother told me I didn't have a shot in hell at winning tonight," said Heigl. "This is my dream come true. I've been doing this for 17 years."

Also taking home supporting performer Emmys were Jeremy Piven of "Entourage" and Terry O'Quinn of "Lost." Piven, who emotionally thanked his late father after winning at last year's Emmys, did so again this year.

The show began with an irreverent musical number sung by "Family Guy's" Stewie and Brian, taking aim at everything from "the garbage on the airwaves" to the reputations of the broadcast networks.

"We're definitely on Fox tonight," joked host Ryan Seacrest, noting the characters' jibes.

"The Office's" Rainn Wilson wasn't taking the awards too seriously.

Asked to explain why he was nominated this year but not last, he had a straightforward answer: "I'm a much better actor this year than last year," he told CNN on the red carpet.

He didn't win, which was probably for the best. If he had, he impishly threatened to put the statue on eBay. E-mail to a friend

Emmy Award Winners

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Winner: "The Sopranos" (1999)

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Winner: "30 Rock" (2006)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Winner: James Spader for "Boston Legal" (2004)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Winner: America Ferrera for "Ugly Betty" (2006)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Winner: Sally Field for "Brothers & Sisters" (2006)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Winner: Ricky Gervais for "Extras" (2005)

OUTSTANDING REALITY COMPETITION PROGRAM
Winner: "The Amazing Race" (2001)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Winner: Helen Mirren for Prime Suspect: The Final Act (2006) (TV)

OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE
Winner: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007) (TV)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Winner: Judy Davis for "The Starter Wife" (2007) (mini)

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SPECIAL
Winner: Tony Bennett: An American Classic (2006) (TV)

OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
Winner: "The Daily Show" (1996)

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES
Winner: Broken Trail (2006) (TV)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Winner: Robert Duvall for Broken Trail (2006) (TV)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Winner: Katherine Heigl for "Grey's Anatomy" (2005)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Winner: Thomas Haden Church for Broken Trail (2006) (TV)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Winner: Jaime Pressly for "My Name Is Earl" (2005)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Winner: Terry O'Quinn for "Lost" (2004)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Winner: Jeremy Piven for "Entourage" (2004)

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM (PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED)
Winner: "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List" (2005)

OUTSTANDING ANIMATED PROGRAM (PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED)
Winner: "South Park" (1997)

Cronenberg, Maddin big winners at TIFF awards

Winnipeg director Guy Maddin was the big winner at the Toronto International Film Festival Awards, capturing the prize for best Canadian feature film for My Winnipeg.

The director, known for his quirky films such as Tales from the Gimli Hospital and The Saddest Music in the World, was given the Toronto-City Award for Best Canadian Feature Film at a gala luncheon held in Toronto on the final day of the festival.

Maddin also goes home with $30,000.

The film has been described as a poetic meditation on the filmmaker's hometown and his childhood. It was hailed as a work of "remarkable ingenuity [and] originality."

Meanwhile, another Canadian director scored a major prize. David Cronenberg's Russian mob thriller Eastern Promises, starring Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts, was handed the Audience Choice Award, which comes with $15,000.

His movie beat out Jason Reitman's Juno, starring Ellen Page and Michael Cera.

Other Canadians at the podium include Stéphane Lafleur for Continental, Un Film Sans Fusil for best Canadian first feature film.

The film follows four people whose lives unexpectedly intersect because of a man's disappearance in the woods.

Chris Chong Chan Fui's Pool, in which the main character is a water reservoir, won best Canadian short.

The international critics' award, known as the FIPRESCI Prize, was given to La Zona by Rodrigo Plá. The film explores the relationship between the rich and the poor in Mexico through the strange friendship that develops between two teenage boys.

Other winners include Cochochi, by Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán, in the Discovery Award category, while the Artistic Innovation Award went to Anahí Berneri's Enacarción.

Enacarción — about a B-list actress who makes a difficult trip back to her hometown and faces her family — was noted for its "economy of vision."

The jury commended Berneri's ability to "render the fetishized female body in a distilled and forceful examination of both the movie star and movie industry and their relationship to everyday life."

The festival, which launched Sept. 6 with Canadian director Jeremy Podeswa's Fugitive Pieces, featured 349 films over a 10-day period.

O.J. faces felony charges in robbery

LAS VEGAS - O.J. Simpson was arrested Sunday and faces multiple felony charges in an alleged armed robbery of collectors involving the former football great's sports memorabilia, authorities said.

Simpson was arrested shortly after 11 a.m., Capt. James Dillon said.

The charges against Simpson will include robbery with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a firearm, all felonies, Dillon said. More charges could be brought against him, he said.

Simpson was being held at Las Vegas police offices pending the arrival of his lawyer, who was expected later Sunday, Dillon said.

"He was very cooperative, there were no issues," Dillon said.

At least one other person has been arrested and police said Sunday that as many as six people could be arrested in connection with the alleged armed robbery that occurred in a room inside the Palace Station casino-hotel on Thursday.

Simpson, 60, has said he and other people with him were retrieving items that belonged to him. Simpson has said there were no guns involved and that he went to the room at the casino only to get stolen mementos that included his Hall of Fame certificate and a picture of the running back with J. Edgar Hoover.

Simpson told The Associated Press on Saturday that he did not call the police to help reclaim the items because he has found the police unresponsive to him ever since his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend, Ron Goldman, were killed in 1994.

"The police, since my trouble, have not worked out for me," he said, noting that whenever he has called the police "It just becomes a story about O.J."

The Heisman Trophy winner, ex-NFL star and actor lives near Miami and has been a tabloid staple since his ex-wife and Goldman were killed in 1994. Simpson was acquitted of murder charges, but a jury later held him liable for the killings in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Police said two firearms and other evidence were seized at a private residence early Sunday.

Walter Alexander, 46, of Arizona, was arrested Saturday night on two counts of robbery with a deadly weapon, two counts of assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy to commit robbery and burglary with a deadly weapon.

He was released without bail on Saturday night, Dillon said.

Besides the two firearms, police said they seized other evidence during early morning searches of two residences, Lt. Clint Nichols said.

"It was evidence of a crime that was committed," Nichols said. "And I believe we recovered some clothing that the individual was wearing in the commission of the robbery."

Simpson said auction house owner Tom Riccio called him several weeks ago to say some collectors were selling some of his items. Riccio set up a meeting with collectors under the guise that he had a private collector interested in buying Simpson's items.

Simpson said he was accompanied by several men he met at a wedding cocktail party, and they took the collectibles.

Alfred Beardsley, one of the sports memorabilia collectors involved in the alleged robbery, has said he wants the case dropped and that he's "on O.J.'s side."

'The Brave One' is No. 1 at box office

LOS ANGELES - The Jodie Foster vigilante flick "The Brave One" scared up $14 million at the box office to become the weekend's top film.

The Warner Bros. tale of revenge transcended gender, appealing to older women as well as men who might naturally be expected to enjoy the violent, R-rated film.

"Revenge movies often appeal to men, but the fact that Jodie Foster was in it brought in the women," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "That combination worked."

While the film's box office take was fairly modest, it is about right for this transition time of year between the summer blockbuster season and the fall Oscar push. The Warner Bros. film displaced last week's box-office winner, "3:10 to Yuma," which placed second with $9.2 million in ticket sales.

The post-summer season is also a time when R-rated, adult-themed fare stands a better chance with audiences.

"After the summer, your midweek business drops substantially and you become a weekend business," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros. "You need strong reviews to keep your motor going."

Fellman said the film should stand up well against the more youth-oriented films that will fight for the top spot next weekend — "Good Luck Chuck" and "Resident Evil."

Three smaller films hoping to build Oscar buzz finished out of the top 10 over the weekend, but did well in limited release.

The David Cronenberg crime thriller "Eastern Promises," had an impressive per-screen average of $36,845 playing on 15 screens. The movie, about Russian mobsters in London, stars Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts.

Also opening well was "Across the Universe," the Julie Taymor film inspired by music from The Beatles.

The film, starring Evan Rachel Wood, earned $685,000 for a per-screen average of $29,783.

The Iraq war film "In the Valley of Elah," opened with $138,000 on nine screens for an average take of $15,333. The movie stars Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron.

"We could be talking about all three of these films come Oscar time," Dergarabedian said. "The per-screen average indicates the intensity with which people are interested in these films and deservedly so. This is what the fall is all about."

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

1. "The Brave One," $14 million.
2. "3:10 to Yuma," $9.2 million
3. "Mr. Woodcock," $9.1 million.
4. "Dragon Wars," $5.4 million.
5. "Superbad," $5.2 million.
6. "Halloween," $5 million.
7. "The Bourne Ultimatum," $4.2 million.
8. "Balls of Fury," $3.3 million.
9. "Rush Hour 3," $3.3 million.
10. "Mr. Bean's Holiday," $2.7 million.

The Couch Potato Report - September 15th, 2007

This week The Couch Potato Report peels the careers of some former child stars, including Canadian Sarah Polley.

There is an eerie concidence that coincides with this week's Report.

You see, I plan which movies I am going to discuss week's in advance. I look for ways to tie films together, in addition to consulting the studio's planned release dates, and always attempt to attach a Saskatchewan and Canadian angle, whenever possible.

It had been decided that this week I would use the films AWAY FROM HER and GEORGIA RULE to talk about two former child stars who are now moving into very different positions as adults in the movie world.

And for all child stars, Jodie Foster has the career that most of them asprire to.

Jodie began her career at the age of three in a television commercial, and before long she made her debut as a television actress in a 1968 episode of Mayberry R.F.D.

After several TV movies, she then moved on to make films in her teens, including FREAKY FRIDAY and TAXI DRIVER, before winner her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1988 for THE ACCUSED and her second in 1991 for THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.

And then, in addition to starring in movies and winning Oscars, she started directing movies, including LITTLE MAN TATE and HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS.

And now, Jodie is back in theatres this weekend with her new film THE BRAVE ONE, just as Sarah Polley's AWAY FROM HER and Lindsay Lohan's GEORGIA RULE debut on DVD.

Coincidence?

Maybe...maybe not.

Either way, between Polley and Lohan, the former star of ROAD TO AVONLEA is the one who seems most likley to follow in Jodie's footsteps, especially with her spectacular directorial debut AWAY FROM HER.

Sarah Polley was born in Toronto and her film debut came at the age of four. At the age of eight, she was cast in the title role of the television series RAMONA, and starred in the Terry Gilliam film TEH ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN.

Her next role was Sara Stanley in the CBC show ROAD TO AVONLEA, and she followed that up with roles in the films THE SWEET HEREAFTER, GO, MY LIFE WITHOUT ME and DAWN OF THE DEAD.

This year, she went behind the camera to direct Oscar winner Julie Christie of DOCTOR ZHIVAGO fame and the great Gordon Pinsent from THE SHIPPING NEWS in AWAY FROM HER, based on the Alice Munro short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain."

AWAY FROM HER is about Grant and Fiona, a couple who have been married for 45 years.

Their lives change forever when Fiona begins to suffer from Alzheimer's.

Eventually Fiona moves into a nursing home, where she loses virtually all memory of her husband.

In addition to Christie and Pinsent, who both give unforgettable performances, AWAY FROM HER also stars seasoned actors like Olympia Dukakis, Michael Murphy, Wendy Crewson and Alberta Watson, and Polley uses the fact that these are actors we know to benefit her film.

Their experience in front of the camera benefits her behind it.

Had she cast actors who we aren't as familiar, or as comfortable with seeing on screen, AWAY FROM HER could have been a completely different film.

Meaning, it could have been an uncomfortable film from an inexperienced director.

But it is neither of those things...AWAY FROM HER is a quiet and very confident film. It is a mature film, starring mature actors, for a mature audience...from a first time feature film director who is only twenty-eight years old.

It is a solid movie that is quite worthy of your time, even with it's heavy subject matter.

If Sarah Polley aspires to have the career that Jodie Foster has, as most young actresses do, she is well on her way.

Lindsay Lohan, on the other hand, has become a cautionary tale for young actresses, and her film GEORGIA RULE, on the other hand, is not worth your time.

Lindsay Lohan started in show business as a child fashion model for magazines and television commercials. At age ten, she began her acting career in a soap opera; at eleven, she made her motion picture debut by playing both twins in the 1998 remake of THE PARENT TRAP, and soon she was playing the Jodie Foster role in the 2003 remake of FREAKY FRIDAY.

She rose to stardom with the 2004 film MEAN GIRLS, and she also released her first music CD that year as well.

Since then, she hasn't made a film, or record worth mentioning.

Then, on January 18th of this year she checked herself in to a rehabilitation facility for drugs and alcohol.

In May and July she once again ran into trouble with the law, and went to rehab, and on August 23rd it was announced that Lohan would serve one day in jail and 10 days community service for both her DUI arrests.

In between all of the attention she received for her lifestyle, Lohan also got some mentions in the press for the two movies that she was in this year...but the two came together with the film GEORGIA RULE as the producer of the film publically criticized Lohan for excessive partying and showing up late to the set.

I am not sure if the resulting film would have been any different had she stopped partying, and showed up on time, and it really doesn't matter. This just isn't a very inventive movie.

In GEORGIA RULE, a rebellious uncontrollable teenager is sent to live with Georgia, her unrelenting, non-flexible grandmother who has a series of rules that she, and anyone who knows her, has to follow.

This is all done in an attempt to settle the teenager down....but maybe there is a larger problem at the core of her rowdiness....and as teh film goes on, we find out that her step-father might have been making late night visits to her room.

In addition to Lindsay Lohan, GEORGIA RULE also stars legendary actress Jane Fonda, the great Felicity Huffman from DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, and it was directed by Garry Marshall, who gave us HAPPY DAYS, LAVERNE & SHIRLEY, PRETTY WOMAN, and BEACHES.

So, this film's pedigree is top notch, but the film just does not work.

The scenes that are supposed to be funny, are not funny, and the dramatic stuff doesn't work either...and for me that was primarily die to the fact that I wasn't able to see Lohan as an actress playing a role.

Instead, I saw a young troubled woman in real life, playing a young troubled woman in a movie.

So what I was left with was a one-hour and fifty-three minute film that wasn't worth my time, and I don't think it is worth yours.

But, let me conclude by saying that I think Lohan is an actress with talent, so here's hoping that she can get her life back on track, so her career can follow.

And maybe some day, she will have a career like Jodie Foster's...or even Sarah Polley's.

Okay, I have two other new releases to quickly tell you about this week.

These days Sam Raimi is known around the world as the man who directed the SPIDER-MAN trilogy of films.

But before that trio of movies, he was involved with the great DARKMAN TRILOGY.

The original DARKMAN movie came out in 1990 and starred a pre-SCHINDLER'S LIST Liam Neeson as a scientist working on skin replacement technology who is beaten up by a group of mob hitmen and left for dead.

He survives, but is left disfigured, and he uses his replacement skin to mold a new face for himself, and other ones that will allow him to get revenge on the men who attacked him.

DARKMAN did well enough at the box office to warrant two direct-to-video sequels - DARKMAN II: THE RETURN OF DURANT and DARKMAN III: DIE DARKMAN DIE - both of which were filmed in Toronto.

The sequels weren't anywhere near as good as the original, as both Raimi and Neeson had moved on to other projects, and eventual huge success.

Now all three films are available in THE DARKMAN TRILOGY, an inexpensive package that is very worthy of your time.

And if you are a fan of the SPIDER-MAN films that Raimi has made, you should definitely see DARKMAN because he set the stage for a lot of what he did in those films in it.

Finally this week is a film called EVEN MONEY.

EVEN MONEY has a cast that includes Oscar winners Kim Basinger and Forest Whitaker, along with Danny DeVito, Kelsey Grammer, Nick Cannon, Ray Liotta, Carla Gugino and Jay Mohr.

That cast, and the description on the back of the DVD case might tempt you into renting or buying this movie, but I am here this morning to tell you not to bother.

The film is about how gambling addiction ruins three unconnected people's lives....but those lives, teh people and all of it is just a...slow...moving...melodrama.

Unless you are on the verge of a gambling addition, and you need a movie to show you how your life can change forever if that happens, then don't bet on EVEN MONEY.

Just remember, the casino always wins!!

The medicore EVEN MONEY, the THE DARKMAN TRILOGY with one great film and two mildly entertaining sequels, the Lindsay Lohan film GEORGIA RULE and the great AWAY FROM HER directed by Canadian filmmaker Sarah Polley are all available now on DVD.

Oh, and the new Jodie Foster film THE BRAVE ONE, is in theatres now!

Coming up in Two Weeks on the next Couch Potato Report

BURY MY HEART AT WOUNDED KNEE is the Emmy winning film that was made right here on teh prairies and adapted from the book of the same name by Dee Brown; KNOCKED UP is the comedy hit of the summer, starring Vancouver's Seth Rogan.

I will also talk about Quentin Tarrantino's latest film, his half of the GRINDHOUSE double feature called DEATH PROOF; the football movie WE ARE MARSHALL; the poker movie LUCKY YOU; and SEASON TWO of the hilarious TV show ROBOT CHICKEN.

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

McCready gets a year in prison

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (AP) - Mindy McCready was sentenced Friday to a year in prison on a probation violation after being charged in a domestic dispute in Florida.

The 31-year-old country singer has been in jail since July, when she returned to Nashville after being accused of scratching her mother in a scuffle and resisting sheriff's deputies in her hometown of Fort Myers.

McCready received a suspended three-year sentence in 2004 for fraudulently obtaining prescription painkillers.

The singer sobbed as she asked for leniency from Circuit Judge Jeff Bivins.

"Your honour, I can honestly tell you this: This has been the longest two months of my life . . . not being able to hold my son . . . has been excruciatingly painful."

"I could only say I'm sorry," she said. "Please give me a chance to make things as right as they can possibly be."

Bivins sentenced her to a year in the county jail with credit for 75 days of time served. After her release she will face another two years of probation.

Deputy District Attorney General Derek Smith said McCready violated probation by being charged in a new offence, not reporting those charges immediately to her probation officer and by the nature of the new assault charges.

McCready had a hit in 1996 with "Guys Do It All the Time."

She has struggled with legal and personal problems that included a beating by her then-boyfriend and suicide attempts. She gave birth to her son in 2006.

Still pending is a charge of violating her probation for driving on a suspended licence in 2005. She pleaded guilty to the driving charge but her attorney has since sought to withdraw the plea, citing new evidence.

Will `Sopranos' soar in final Emmys?

LOS ANGELES - Will "The Sopranos" bury its Emmy competition Sunday? Will Ryan Seacrest shine as the ceremony's host or hit a sour note? Will controversy help or hurt contenders "Grey's Anatomy" and Alec Baldwin?

And most importantly, will anyone be watching the 59th annual Primetime Emmy Awards (8 p.m. EDT, Fox), given that it's airing against a big-time NFL matchup between the Chargers and Patriots on NBC?

Viewers who snub the awards pageant will miss out on high drama, cautioned Tom O'Neil, author of "The Emmys" and host of theenvelope.com, an entertainment awards Web site.

"You have the breakout hit comedy and drama shows, `Ugly Betty' and `Heroes,' competing for top series awards," O'Neil said. "And the stars of those shows are clashing with TV royalty: `Ugly Betty's' America Ferrera is competing with Felicity Huffman and Julia Louis-Dreyfus."

"Those are exciting diva clashes," he said. Huffman is nominated for "Desperate Housewives," while Louis-Dreyfus is trying for consecutive trophies in the comedy actress category for "Old Christine."

Their other rivals are Tina Fey for "30 Rock" and Mary-Louise Parker for "Weeds.

As for Seacrest — who's proven himself a smooth host on "American Idol" if not a comedian — "sometimes just a ringmaster works," O'Neil said.

Seacrest could be dealing with a three-ring circus. The TV academy has dropped coy hints that Justin Timberlake might perform the song from "(Blank) in a Box," the racy "Saturday Night Live" fake music video about a gift-wrapped part of the male anatomy.

If Kathy Griffin is any inspiration, the winners' speeches could be interesting. Griffin's acceptance of a creative arts Emmy trophy last weekend for her reality show, "My Life on the D-List," was to be censored for the show's weekend airing on the E! channel.

But there's even the possibility of substance as well as flash Sunday.

Former Vice President Al Gore, whose global-warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" received an Oscar earlier this year, could be an Emmy winner. Current TV, his youth-oriented channel featuring viewer-created videos, is up for best interactive TV programming. (The juried award can have more than one winner or none.)

The Emmys could be meaningful as well for "30 Rock," the critically acclaimed but low-rated sitcom created by Fey. It's up for best comedy series and Baldwin has a shot at best comedy actor.

Winning a top trophy helped "Cheers," "Hill Street Blues" and "All in the Family," which once found themselves in the same tenuous position as Fey's small gem. After the shows were anointed by Emmy, audiences discovered them and they became long-running, influential hits.

Baldwin's chances may depend on how voters feel about him, not just his acting. In April, the divorced dad was caught yelling at his daughter on a leaked voicemail message. He also has declared that he "couldn't care less" if he dropped acting in favor of focusing on parents' rights.

Competing against Baldwin are Tony Shalhoub, "Monk"; Steve Carell, "The Office"; Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men" and Ricky Gervais, "Extras."

Whether behind-the-scenes events count in the Emmy race also could be an issue for "Grey's Anatomy," which is up for best drama series and saw four cast members nominated in the supporting categories (stars Ellen Pompeo and Patrick Dempsey were snubbed).

The series was rocked by Isaiah Washington's use of an anti-gay slur involving cast mate T.R. Knight. The turmoil culminated with Washington's firing from the hit medical drama.

All the drama for "The Sopranos" was on-screen, which famously faded to black in the final scene of the final episode of the landmark HBO series. It's going out in a blaze of glory, vying for best drama series and with acting nominations for five of its stars.

History might be working against the modern mob saga: It's rare for a drama to be crowned best series after it's off the air. That quirk might open the way for a surprise winner, maybe "Grey's Anatomy" or the freshman sci-fi sensation "Heroes."

There could, however, be Emmy riches for the "Sopranos" cast, including stars James Gandolfini and Edie Falco and, with supporting nods, Michael Imperioli, Aida Turturro and Lorraine Bracco.

While departing dramas usually lose out, that doesn't hold true for their stars. Alan Alda, for instance, was honored last year for outgoing "The West Wing."

Gandolfini's toughest competitor could be Hugh Laurie of "House," a Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild winner who's been waiting for his Emmy. Other nominees are James Spader, "Boston Legal"; Denis Leary, "Rescue Me," and last year's winner, Kiefer Sutherland, "24."

Falco is up against last year's best-actress winner, Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," along with Sally Field, "Brothers & Sisters"; Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer"; Patricia Arquette, "Medium," and Minnie Driver, "The Riches."

In the pattern of recent years, HBO claimed the most nominations, 86, and came out of last week's creative arts Emmy awards (for technical and other achievements) with a leading 15 honors. With "The Sopranos" and leading nominee "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" in the hunt, HBO looks like it will keep its winning streak alive.

Simpson named suspect in casino break-in

LAS VEGAS - Investigators questioned O.J. Simpson and named him a suspect Friday in a confrontation at a casino hotel room involving sports memorabilia. The former football star acknowledged going to the room to get property he said was stolen from him but denied breaking in.

Simpson told The Associated Press auction house owner Tom Riccio called him several weeks ago to say some collectors "have a lot of your stuff and they don't want anyone to know they are selling it."

Simpson, who was in Las Vegas for a friend's wedding, said he arranged to meet Riccio at the hotel and conducted a "sting operation."

"Everybody knows this is stolen stuff," Simpson said. "Not only wasn't there a break-in, but Riccio came to the lobby and escorted us up to the room. In any event, it's stolen stuff that's mine. Nobody was roughed up."

Investigators were reviewing a complaint of a break-in at the hotel late Thursday night, police spokesman Jose Montoya said.

"When they talked to him, Simpson made the comment that he believed the memorabilia was his," Montoya said. "We're getting conflicting stories from the two sides."

Simpson is considered a suspect in the case, Montoya said. He was released after he and several associates were questioned, and he remained in Las Vegas.

"We don't believe he's going anywhere," Montoya said.

The Heisman Trophy winner, ex-NFL star and actor lives near Miami and has been a tabloid staple since his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ron Goldman were killed in 1994. Simpson was acquitted of murder charges, but a jury later held him liable for the killings in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Simpson has had to auction off his sports collectibles, including his Heisman Trophy, to pay some of the $33.5 million judgment awarded in the civil trial.

On Thursday, the Goldman family published a book about the killings that Simpson had written under the title, "If I Did It," about how he would have committed the crime had he actually done it. After a deal for Simpson to publish it fell through, a federal bankruptcy judge awarded the book's rights to the Goldman family, who retitled it "If I Did It: The Confessions of a Killer."

Fred Goldman, Ron's Goldman's father, defended the family's decision to publish the book. He noted Simpson's penchant for breaking headlines.

"He brings attention to himself every time we turn around and he will continue to do that forever," Goldman said Friday on NBC's "Today Show."

The Las Vegas district attorney's office will decide whether to pursue charges in the casino case, but had not received police paperwork by Friday morning, an office assistant said.

Simpson had been scheduled to give a deposition Friday in Miami in a bankruptcy case involving his eldest daughter. But it was rescheduled because Simpson had told attorneys that he would be out of town.

The Palace Station, an aging property just west of the Las Vegas Strip, is one of several Station Casinos-owned resorts that cater to locals. The 1,000-room hotel-casino, with a 21-story tower and adjacent buildings, opened in 1976.

A company spokeswoman did not immediately return a call for comment.

Foster enters "Brave" new world at box office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Jodie Foster's latest thriller, "The Brave One," leads three new releases that will attempt to stir North American moviegoers from their theatrical ennui.

The Warner Bros. film, in which Foster plays a brutalized woman seeking justice and revenge in equal measures, looks likely to fetch at least $15 million and probably cop the weekend crown.

An even braver performance would see "Brave One" drawing from other demographics in addition to Foster's core base of women aged 25 and older. Tracking data also show good interest among older males.

Also opening Friday are the comedy "Mr. Woodcock" and the effects-heavy action movie "Dragon Wars."

"Mr. Woodcock," which casts Billy Bob Thornton as a hard-boiled gym teacher, could reach the double-digit millions. Executives at the film's distributor, New Line Cinema, see younger moviegoers as the key, but hope the "Woodcock" premise holds broad appeal. "Woodcock" also stars Susan Sarandon as Thornton's intended bride and the mother of his appalled former student (Seann William Scott).

"Dragon Wars," distributed by Freestyle Releasing, is the weekend wild card. A Korean production, the English-language film boasts a Western cast and was shot partly in Los Angeles -- a city beset by dragons.

Observers figure "Dragon's" box office will be limited to the single-digit millions, with genre interest likely to be keenest in home-entertainment windows.

Last weekend's champ, "3:10 to Yuma," should produce a decent sum after shooting up $14 million in its first round, as word-of-mouth spreads among older-skewing moviegoers. "Yuma" also needs to load up on as much loot as possible before the September 21 arrival of "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," which stars Brad Pitt as the iconic gangster.

In limited release, Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg's London-set mob thriller "Eastern Promises," drawing rave early reviews, debuts on single screens in Los Angeles, New York and seven other U.S. markets as well as in Toronto and Vancouver.

Focus Features plans to expand the film to about 1,400 runs within a week.

Winnipeg band tops list of Western Canadian Music Awards nominees

Roots quartet Nathan has snagged a leading five nominations for this year's Western Canadian Music Awards, followed closely by rising country music star Shane Yellowbird.

The Winnipeg-based band is up for outstanding roots recording by a duo or group and outstanding independent album for their third disc, Key Principles.

Nominations were announced Wednesday in Moose Jaw, Sask. where the fifth annual Western Canadian Music Awards will be held Oct. 21.

Nathan also has two nods for video of the year and one for songwriter of the year.

"I'm actually really surprised, I was thinking we were old news by now," said lead singer and guitarist Keri Latimer.

"We've just been around a while and it's our third album and I figured people would be starting to get sick of us by now. So it's very nice, it's good to know that we're still making things that people like."

The band's first album, Stranger, was more pop-based and the second, the Juno-nominated Jimson Weed, had a lot more of a roots element to it, Latimer said.

"The third one, we just sort of found a middle ground and I think it suits us the best," she said.

In the video of the year category, Nathan is up against Yellowbird.

The Alberta-born Yellowbird, who captured the rising star award at the Canadian Country Music Awards on Monday, has three nominations: outstanding aboriginal recording, outstanding country recording, and video of the year for his debut album Life is Calling My Name.

Other artists with multiple nominations include Manitoba group Doc Walker and Saskatchewan's Donny Parenteau with two nods each.

Led Zeppelin Takes Flight, For One Night Only

Legendary rock combo Led Zeppelin is reforming, but for one night only. The British band will play a one-off show at London's 22,000-capacity O2 arena on Nov. 26 as part of a tribute to Atlantic Records co-founder and chairman emeritus Ahmet Ertegun, who died last December. The band recorded for Atlantic its entire career.

The Who's Pete Townshend, former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman, Foreigner's Mick Jones and Paolo Nutini will also perform at the event. Profits will benefit the Ahmet Ertegun Education Fund, which provides scholarships to universities in the United States, United Kingdom and Ertegun's homeland, Turkey.

Tickets costing £125 ($254) will be allocated on a lottery basis through the Ahmettribute.com web site. Billboard.com understands there are no plans to broadcast or commercially release music from the show.

Putting an end to several months of speculation, it was confirmed on Wednesday during a press conference at the O2 that the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin -- Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones -- would reunite onstage for just the third time in 27 years. The drummer for the evening will be Jason Bonham, son of the band's original drummer John Bonham, who died from a heart attack in 1980.

"This is going to be the largest demand for one show in history," promoter Harvey Goldsmith said today, adding that Zeppelin will play a full two-hour set. "I can only tell from the buzz going around now, but it is really just filtering around the world. I feel there's going to be a huge amount of pressure (on tickets)."

None of the band members, however, were on hand at the media gathering. "I didn't want them to come down today," Goldsmith told Billboard.com. "It's enough that they're committed to doing this show."

Goldsmith also downplayed prospects of a larger Zeppelin reunion. "The band members are getting along really well at the moment, but there's no talk of them making a new record off the back of this," he noted.

Page, Plant and Jones initially reformed with Genesis' Phil Collins and Chic/Power Station sticksman Tony Thompson sharing drum duties for a performance at Live Aid in Philadelphia in 1985. In May 1988, Jason Bonham joined the three originals for another 'one-off" reunion at an Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert in New York.

Plant and Page teamed in 1994 for an MTV special and subsequently toured globally and released two albums. Jones has also released two solo albums, although his post-Zeppelin work has largely concentrated on production and arranging.

The concert will follow the release of a new Atlantic/Rhino two-disc, 24-track best-of Zeppelin set, "Mothership," due Nov. 13 in the United States.

Jon Stewart will host Academy Awards

LOS ANGELES - Jon Stewart is getting a do-over as Oscar host. America's favorite faux newscaster, who drew mixed reviews for his first stint in 2006, has been picked for a return engagement in February, the film academy announced Wednesday.

"I'm thrilled to be asked to host the Academy Awards for the second time because, as they say, the third time's a charm," Stewart said Wednesday in a statement from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

"He did a great job two years ago," Oscar telecast producer Gil Cates told The Associated Press Wednesday. "You need a host who is not afraid of the unexpected, who can stand out and really work a room and deal with a live show. Jon, of course, does that on his show every night."

Stewart, 44, is also "a very, very nice guy and very easy to work with," Cates said.

The 2007 show, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, drew 40.1 million viewers, compared to the 38.9 million who watched when Stewart hosted the previous year. But bringing back Stewart is "not a bad choice," said longtime TV critic David Bianculli of the New York Daily News.

"Stewart has such good will, and the worst mistake people have made — in the Oscars especially — is trying to be a little bit too cold to the room rather than cool enough for the room," he said.

Besides, people don't tune into the Oscars for the host, Bianculli said: "It's up to the films in contention more than anything else."

AP television critic Frazier Moore called Stewart a "TV veteran" who "did a good job last time and will be even more comfortable this time in the role."

"He always brings some needed irreverence and smarts to pretty much anything he does," Moore said. "The Oscars are an often very pretentious, self-important institution, and somebody like Jon Stewart is very useful to help deflate a little of that pomposity."

In his first Oscar gig, the star of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" made jokes about the Iraq war and ribbed Hollywood's elite about their ties to the Democratic Party.

"His usually impeccable blend of puckishness and self-effacement fell flat," an AP review said, adding he was "too deferential, too nice and too obvious in his targets."

Stewart, who also hosted the Grammys in 2001 and 2002, noted the split decision on his own cable TV show the night after the Oscars, saying he had a great time but didn't know how he fared until he saw the reviews.

"I sucked and was great!" he joked.

The 2008 Oscars will take place Feb. 24 at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

Who hosts the Oscars each year is up to the telecast producer. Cates also produced in 2006, and chose Stewart then. Previous Cates-selected hosts include Steve Martin, Chris Rock and Billy Crystal. Laura Ziskin selected DeGeneres.

"We love them both," Academy president Sid Ganis said of the two most recent Oscar emcees.

So is it because 2008 is an election year that Stewart was chosen?

"The choice was not impacted by political issues," Ganis said. "The choice was impacted by funny issues and he's funny funny. That's the main criteria."

Stewart is "able to communicate with the live, hot-shot audience in the theater," Ganis added, "and of course we know he's great on television."

Cates said he hadn't thought about the election connection in selecting Stewart.

"I'm sure some of that might make its way into the show," Cates said, "although the show is totally nonpartisan."

Hummingbird Centre renamed Sony Centre

TORONTO (CP) - Toronto's Hummingbird Centre, originally known as the O'Keefe Centre, has a new name and a new title sponsor - Japanese electronics giant Sony.

The storied arts centre on the eastern edge of Toronto's downtown theatre district has been renamed the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts in a $10 million, 20-year title sponsorship.

The 47-year-old building will undergo an interior renovation beginning in June 2008 that will transform it into "a state-of-the-art versatile, multimedia theatre and concert venue," the centre said Friday.

"Sony Canada's investment in our theatre signifies the importance of Toronto as a major centre for arts and creativity," centre chief executive Dan Brambilla said in a release.

"We strategically approached Sony as the naming sponsor of our venue because of their commitment to continually provide the very best entertainment experience. We see this partnership as a collaboration between a leading entertainment company and a live entertainment venue."

As part of the renovation, the centre will be fitted with "the most technically advanced audio and video Sony products" the company said.

"The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts will offer the highest quality live entertainment, performing arts and multicultural programming which will raise the profile of this unique centre for the City of Toronto," said Sony Canada president and CEO Doug Wilson.

The theatre, the brainchild of beer magnate E.P. Taylor who headed the O'Keefe Brewing Co. and Argus Corp. opened in 1960 with the pre-Broadway premiere of the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot, starring Richard Burton, Julie Andrews and Robert Goulet.

Software company Hummingbird Hummingbird Ltd. bought naming rights to the theatre in 1996. Last year Hummingbird was acquired by rival Open Text Corp.

Ontario rocker wins 'Canadian Idol'

Hats off to Brian Melo. The raspy Hamilton rocker with a thing for headwear can add the Canadian Idol crown to his wardrobe.

Melo, 25, got the better of five million votes to beat out twangy teen Jaydee Bixby and become the fifth Idol last night. In other words, his life is now complete.

"This is incredible. I didn't think a year ago I'd be standing here," said the construction worker who undoubtedly won't be reporting back to the job site this week.

A glowing Melo embraced family and friends after singing the CTV karaoke competition's victory song, All I Ever Wanted. The track will instantly become his first single this morning, when it hits airwaves across the country. After last night's show, Melo signed a contract with Sony BMG, and will soon be off to the recording studio to work on his album, due out in fall. Not a second to waste here, folks.

Despite having been done wrong on national TV, there were no tears in Drumheller, Alta. native Bixby's beer for a couple of reasons: 1) He's only 17 and can't legally drink; and, 2) He'll have a music career regardless -- or at least a regular casino stint impersonating his beloved Elvis.

"No matter what, Jaydee wins because he's just created such a buzz about himself," judge Zack Werner said before the final results came in.

A consistently strong Melo clearly had this one in the bag -- especially after Bixby "completely bombed" (the singer's own words) a cover of Bon Jovi's Who Says You Can't Go Home and the aforementioned winners single on Monday's performance show. Hamilton's Melo continued to pick the right tunes for his hoarse rocker voice -- notably Radiohead's Karma Police -- and Canada totally dug it.

But of course, his moments of glory were a measly six minutes at the tail end of a two-hour-long show. If it wasn't a commercial break, it was a bad cover song. Or worse: a castoff singing a bad cover song. First case in point is the loooong opening Bon Jovi medley, which called on Martha Joy, Dwight d'Eon, Greg Neufeld, and the rest of this year's Top 10 to give love a bad name, live on a prayer, be there for us, etc. The castoffs returned just 40 minutes later -- and 20 minutes after that - to reprise our, uh, favourite performances from the past 10 weeks. Good times.

On the celebrity side of things, Avril Lavigne was first up to perform singles Hot and When You're Gone off her latest disc, The Best Damn Thing, before making herself scarce. After showing Bixby and Melo a thing or two on Monday's episode, Bon Jovi returned to tout new album Lost Highway with a performance of the title track. They also revisited the past -- not just with their hairdos -- but with 1999 single It's My Life.

And in true Idol tradition, last year's winner Eva Avila returned to prove she's still got it. She sang her latest single Fallin' For You and gave a word of warning to the two possible winners: "You don't know what you're into." Compared to some reality competition finales we've seen (cough cough, So You Think You Can Dance), Canuck Idol's wrap held back on totally pointless filler. Instead of running an hour of clips, producers closed off the season with live hits from Bixby and Melo's hometowns, a glimpse at this year's Media Idol competition, a recap of the celeb appearances (yes, more Umbrella-ella-ella) and pre-recorded interviews from the Top 10.

And, just when you thought it was over, CTV yesterday announced a 15-city concert tour starring Melo, Bixby and fellow finalist Carly Rae Jepsen. It kicks off Nov. 18 in Charlottetown and wraps Dec. 12 in Edmonton. Tickets are on sale now. Hurry! If you're lucky, the trio will make it to your city before they reach their Best Before dates. But not likely. Congrats Brian.

Bond packaging update

The previously announced Bond Ultimate Collector's Set offers no new content, merely a repackaging of the existing box sets and Casino Royale. But new images of the package reveal it is barely that. The new set is merely the existing boxes of the first 20 Bond films and the single DVD of Casino Royale with a shelf to hold them in.

Fredericton to host East Coast Music Awards for first time

Fredericton will be the location of the 2008 East Coast Music Awards (ECMAs), the ECMA board of directors announced Tuesday in the New Brunswick capital.

"We are excited to be playing first-time hosts to such an event and we will look forward to the community coming together to showcase, in a very special way, the impressive music and artistry in this part of the country," said Tim Yerxa, chair of the 2008 event in Fredericton, in a statement.

There's no word yet on the host.

The 2007 event took place in February in Halifax and was hosted by the Trailer Park Boys — Bubbles, Ricky and Julian (played by Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay and Mike Smith).

The ECMAs honour the best in music from the Atlantic region. The five-day event, from Feb. 7 to 10, culminates in a gala awards night.

During the five days, musicians are slated to perform all over the city including the Aitken Centre, the UNB Campus and the downtown core.

Joy Division Albums Expanded With Live Shows

As tipped here Friday, Joy Division's three albums each will be expanded with an extra disc of rare live material Oct. 30 via Rhino. The same day, the label will issue the soundtrack to the film "Control," based on the life of late Joy Division singer Ian Curtis.

The band's debut, "Unknown Pleasures," features a 16-song, July 13, 1979, show at Manchester, England's iconic Factory club. Among the cuts played was "Love Will Tear Us Apart," which was not released until after Curtis' suicide on May 18, 1980.

"Closer" is expanded with a 12-song set taped Feb. 8, 1980, at the University of London, while "Still" includes 14 songs from a soundcheck and show on Feb. 20, 1980 at High Wycombe Town Hall. The original album, as released in 1981, features Joy Division's final show from May 2 at Birmingham University.

As for the "Control" soundtrack, it balances previously released cuts from the Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Roxy Music and Kraftwerk, as well as the Killers' cover of "Shadowplay" and three excerpts from the film's score by New Order. The film cast's version of "Transmission" is also included.

A Joy Division vinyl box will be available today (Sept. 11) exclusively at Rhino.com, before rolling out as individual sets across all retail beginning Sept. 25.

"The strangest thing is that when Ian died, our manager [the late Rob Gretton] said to us not to worry because Joy Division would be much bigger in 10 years, which of course wasn't much solace at the time," Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook tells Billboard. "Up to Ian's death, I think we'd sold about 10,000 records. But strangely his words have proved to be true 10, 20, 30 years on. It's almost become a myth."

Here are the Joy Division bonus disc track lists:

"Unknown Pleasures":
Live at the Factory, Manchester, England (July 13, 1979)
"Dead Souls"
"The Only Mistake"
"Insight"
"Candidate"
"Wilderness"
"She's Lost Control"
"Shadowplay"
"Disorder"
"Interzone"
"Atrocity Exhibition"
"Novelty"
"Transmission"
"Novelty" (mono)
"Transmission" (mono)
"Love Will Tear Us Apart"
"Glass"

"Closer"
Live at ULU, University of London (Feb. 8, 1980)
"Dead Souls"
"Glass"
"A Means To An End"
"Twenty Four Hours"
"Shadowplay"
"Insight"
"Colony"
"These Days"
"Love Will Tear Us Apart"
"Isolation"
Encore:
"The Eternal"
"Digital"

"Still"
Live at High Wycombe Town Hall (Feb. 20, 1980)
"Isolation"
"The Eternal"
"Ice Age"
"Disorder"
"The Sound of Music"
"The Eternal"
Soundcheck:
"The Sound of Music"
"A Means To An End"
"Colony"
"Twenty Four Hours"
"Isolation"
"Love Will Tear Us Apart"
"Disorder"
"Atrocity Exhibition"

Here is the track list for "Control":
Film Score, Part 1, New Order
"What Goes On," Velvet Underground
"Shadowplay," the Killers
"Boredom" (live), the Buzzcocks
"Dead Souls," Joy Division
"She Was Naked," Supersister
"Sister Midnight," Iggy Pop
"Love Will Tear Us Apart," Joy Division
Film Score, Part 2, New Order
"Drive in Saturday," David Bowie
"Chicken Town," John Cooper Clarke
"2 H.B.," Roxy Music
"Transmission," Cast Band Version
"Autobahn," Kraftwerk
"Atmosphere," Joy Division
Film Score, Part 3, New Order
"Warszawa," David Bowie

Foster turns vigilante for `Brave One'

TORONTO - Thirty years ago, Jodie Foster earned her first Academy Award nomination, for "Taxi Driver," with anti-hero Travis Bickle storming New York in psychotic rage over the street scum he encountered.

Now it's Foster's turn to prowl the city in a whirlwind of violence in the vigilante tale "The Brave One," playing a woman who embarks on a bloody spree after recovering from an attack that killed her boyfriend and left her near death.

In a strange sense, the film combines aspects of Foster's roles in "The Accused" and "The Silence of the Lambs," which each earned her the best-actress Oscar.

In "The Accused," Foster was a victim, gang-raped by men in a bar. In "The Silence of the Lambs," she was young FBI agent Clarice Starling, pursuing a monstrous serial killer preying on women.

In "The Brave One," directed by Neil Jordan, Foster is both victim and monster herself. After the attack, she turns her fear and emotional devastation outward, buying a gun initially to feel safe but using it to administer justice as judge, jury and executioner of other evildoers.

The film is a thinking-person's take on vengeance thrillers such as Charles Bronson's "Death Wish."

"It amuses me to no end. I say to my agent, `I'm the one with the gun? When did that happen? Me? I'm like 5 feet 3,'" Foster, 44, said in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, where "The Brave One" played in advance of its theatrical debut Friday.

While that aspect amuses Foster, there is nothing remotely humorous about "The Brave One," a grim tale that raises provocative moral questions as viewers find themselves empathizing with a woman whose actions they may find repugnant. The film co-stars Terrence Howard as a police detective whose own unwavering moral code is knocked off course as he pursues Foster's vigilante.

Though a far different story than "Taxi Driver," "The Brave One" similarly reflects the New York and America of its time, the former a nation that cut and ran from Vietnam, the latter a country wounded by the destruction of the World Trade Center and living amid the war on terrorism, Foster said.

The New York of "Taxi Driver" was a place of crime and corruption through which Robert De Niro's Bickle rampaged. The New York of "The Brave One" is a city that has undergone economic rebirth and become a safer place to live, yet which carries the hurt and anger of the Sept. 11 attacks.

"In the 1970s, New York and America were coming out of Vietnam having been terribly disappointed by who we were, having left that country in a mess and left ourselves in this terrible, complicated mess," Foster said. "Travis Bickle's mission is to look at what New York is and say, `I'm going to fix this. There's got to be some way that I can fix this. We couldn't fix it over there, but I'm going to fix it here.'

"Post 9/11 is such a different beast. It's the safest big city in the world. There's a cop on every corner. It's beautiful and beautified. Times Square is like Disneyland. And why is it that we're on Orange Alert? Why is it that we're a quarter-inch away from this rage and fear that has no basis in reality? That's kind of who America is right now. We are rediscovering that there's part of our national psyche that is really angry."

Foster was an ideal person to embody that anger, a performer with whom viewers could identify despite the character's dark deeds, director Jordan said.

"She's got this remarkable thing where she quite effortlessly holds your imagination," Jordan said. "She puts herself in that place and without question, as a member of the audience, I am there with her. And I don't know how she does it."

Co-star Howard counts Foster among Hollywood's greatest screen stars.

"She's Marlene Dietrich, Glenn Close, she's Marlon Brando, all of them combined," Howard said. "Fifty years from now, the people who can say they worked with Jodie Foster and have that on their resume, I can see my grandkids looking at it and saying, `You worked with Jodie Foster?' and them being amazed, like I marched with Martin. That's what it was like for me."

Though Foster has slowed down her career the last decade to raise her two sons, "The Brave One" comes amid a diverse mix of big and small films the actress has taken on in the last few years.

She starred in the thrillers "Panic Room" and "Flightplan" and took a juicy supporting role in last year's bank-heist tale "Inside Man." Fluent in French since childhood, Foster also took on a supporting role in the French-language romance "A Very Long Engagement."

Foster is just finishing the family flick "Nim's Island" and has been toiling for years to star in a film about Leni Riefenstahl, the filmmaker vilified after World War II for her propaganda pieces about Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany.

"I wish I was better at making these things happen fast. That particular project is really hard to get right," Foster said. "It's going to be an interesting, challenging experience to make the movie and to defend it. I think that's what's going to be fun about it, really, is the discussion about it, these big, moral questions."

Starting her career at age 3 in Coppertone tanning-lotion commercials, Foster went on to appear in "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and "Paper Moon" for television and earned a supporting-actress Oscar nomination as a child prostitute in "Taxi Driver."

After her Oscar wins for "The Accused" and "The Silence of the Lambs," Foster moved into directing with "Little Man Tate" and "Home for the Holidays." Other directing projects have fallen through, including one starring Russell Crowe and another on which Foster had planned to direct "Taxi Driver" co-star De Niro.

"I will certainly direct again. I think it's my biggest disappointment, that I haven't directed more. But as a director, I know it means a year away from my kids, and it means an enormous level of commitment. It's not something that I can take lightly," Foster said. "Maybe someday I'll take a big break from acting, and that's probably when I'll be directing more."

Emerson Drive steers its way to three Canadian country music awards

REGINA (CP) - Pop-country band Emerson Drive steered its way to the Canadian Country Music Awards Monday night and left with a trunk full of hardware.

The smooth-sounding sextet, who got their start in Grand Prairie, Alta., took home song and video of the year awards for their hit "Moments," which they performed to kick off the show, as well as for group of the year.

"The last two and a half years, there have been so many people who have put in a ton of effort to put out the countrified CD," said lead singer Brad Mates, as he accepted the award for group of the year, which they also won in 2002 and 2003.

"First and foremost, obviously the fans that have really jumped on board this year. Thank you so much."

The ballad "Moments" hit No. 1 as a single on the Billboard country music charts south of the border earlier this year. The song peaked at No. 4 in Canada.

The group also includes guitarist Danick Dupelle, drummer Mike Melancon, David Pichette on fiddle, Patrick Bourque on bass and Dale Wallace on keyboards.

Veteran Canadian country act Brad Johner impressed fans in his home province, picking up the first award of the night for male artist of the year. Johner, who got his start with his brother Ken as The Johner Brothers, was born in Midale, Sask., about 150 kilometres southeast of Regina.

"Well, that makes for a good beginning doesn't it?," Johner said as the crowd screamed.

Johner told the crowd about how he wrote an acceptance speech when he and his brother were nominated for an award in 1992 and he has kept it in his wallet ever since. But he ended up forgetting his billfold in the dressing room back stage.

"I'm going to wing it again after all those years," Johner joked.

Alberta singer-songwriter Carolyn Dawn Johnson - a perennial winner at the annual awards show - won female artist of the year honours, but was edged out for the fan's choice award by another Alberta songstress, Terri Clark.

"I must be really tired because I'm feeling very emotional," Johnson said holding back tears.

"I love music so much," she said as someone in the crowd yelled back: "We love you!"

Clark accepted the award via video from Toronto, where she is recording her next album.

"We're just going to keep doing what we do," she said.

Mitch Merrett, Aaron Pritchett and Deric Ruttan won the songwriter of the year award for the irreverent hit "Hold My Beer," which Pritchett recorded himself.

Pritchett called the tune - which features the refrain "hold my beer, while I kiss your girlfriend" - a "killer fun song" that everyone can sing along to.

"I swear to God, I didn't think we were going to win this at all," he said. "Listen to my voice, I am so nervous ... big crowd too, it's kind of weird."

Album of the year honours were taken home by the Manitoba group Doc Walker for its self-titled release.

The Corb Lund Band won the award for roots group of the year, while Shane Yellowbird of Hobbema, Alta., took home the rising star honour. Yellowbird, whose debut album is "Life is Calling My Name," was nominated for five awards overall.

Nova Scotia's George Canyon was also nominated from five awards, but failed to take home any hardware.

Awards show host Paul Brandt, whose long-awaited new album "Risk" comes out Tuesday, was also shut out in the four categories in which he was nominated.

2007 Canadian Country Music Association award winners, announced Monday night:

Fans' choice: Terri Clark

Single of the year: Moments (Emerson Drive)

Album of the year: Doc Walker (Doc Walker)

Songwriter of the year: Mitch Merrett, Aaron Pritchett, Deric Ruttan (Hold My Beer, Aaron Pritchett)

Video of the year: Moments (Emerson Drive)

Female artist of the year: Carolyn Dawn Johnson

Male artist of the year: Brad Johner

Group of the year: Emerson Drive

Roots artist or group of the year: Corb Lund Band

Rising star: Shane Yellowbird

Emerson Drive steers its way to three Canadian country music awards

REGINA (CP) - Pop-country band Emerson Drive steered its way to the Canadian Country Music Awards Monday night and left with a trunk full of hardware.

The smooth-sounding sextet, who got their start in Grand Prairie, Alta., took home song and video of the year awards for their hit "Moments," which they performed to kick off the show, as well as for group of the year.

"The last two and a half years, there have been so many people who have put in a ton of effort to put out the countrified CD," said lead singer Brad Mates, as he accepted the award for group of the year, which they also won in 2002 and 2003.

"First and foremost, obviously the fans that have really jumped on board this year. Thank you so much."

The ballad "Moments" hit No. 1 as a single on the Billboard country music charts south of the border earlier this year. The song peaked at No. 4 in Canada.

The group also includes guitarist Danick Dupelle, drummer Mike Melancon, David Pichette on fiddle, Patrick Bourque on bass and Dale Wallace on keyboards.

Veteran Canadian country act Brad Johner impressed fans in his home province, picking up the first award of the night for male artist of the year. Johner, who got his start with his brother Ken as The Johner Brothers, was born in Midale, Sask., about 150 kilometres southeast of Regina.

"Well, that makes for a good beginning doesn't it?," Johner said as the crowd screamed.

Johner told the crowd about how he wrote an acceptance speech when he and his brother were nominated for an award in 1992 and he has kept it in his wallet ever since. But he ended up forgetting his billfold in the dressing room back stage.

"I'm going to wing it again after all those years," Johner joked.

Alberta singer-songwriter Carolyn Dawn Johnson - a perennial winner at the annual awards show - won female artist of the year honours, but was edged out for the fan's choice award by another Alberta songstress, Terri Clark.

"I must be really tired because I'm feeling very emotional," Johnson said holding back tears.

"I love music so much," she said as someone in the crowd yelled back: "We love you!"

Clark accepted the award via video from Toronto, where she is recording her next album.

"We're just going to keep doing what we do," she said.

Mitch Merrett, Aaron Pritchett and Deric Ruttan won the songwriter of the year award for the irreverent hit "Hold My Beer," which Pritchett recorded himself.

Pritchett called the tune - which features the refrain "hold my beer, while I kiss your girlfriend" - a "killer fun song" that everyone can sing along to.

"I swear to God, I didn't think we were going to win this at all," he said. "Listen to my voice, I am so nervous ... big crowd too, it's kind of weird."

Album of the year honours were taken home by the Manitoba group Doc Walker for its self-titled release.

The Corb Lund Band won the award for roots group of the year, while Shane Yellowbird of Hobbema, Alta., took home the rising star honour. Yellowbird, whose debut album is "Life is Calling My Name," was nominated for five awards overall.

Nova Scotia's George Canyon was also nominated from five awards, but failed to take home any hardware.

Awards show host Paul Brandt, whose long-awaited new album "Risk" comes out Tuesday, was also shut out in the four categories in which he was nominated.

2007 Canadian Country Music Association award winners, announced Monday night:

Fans' choice: Terri Clark

Single of the year: Moments (Emerson Drive)

Album of the year: Doc Walker (Doc Walker)

Songwriter of the year: Mitch Merrett, Aaron Pritchett, Deric Ruttan (Hold My Beer, Aaron Pritchett)

Video of the year: Moments (Emerson Drive)

Female artist of the year: Carolyn Dawn Johnson

Male artist of the year: Brad Johner

Group of the year: Emerson Drive

Roots artist or group of the year: Corb Lund Band

Rising star: Shane Yellowbird

New CD Releases, September 11th: Kanye West, 50 Cent, Kenny Chesney

Kanye West "Graduation"

Unless you've been living under a rock recently--or been avoiding all music news--you've probably heard that there's a feud going on between Kanye West and 50 Cent. The rapppers are beefing over whose new album (both of which hit stores today)--will sell better.

Those rooting for Mr. West will certainly mention his track record at the Grammy Awards. He's scored double-digit nominations and actually won six Grammy Awards, three apiece for his two solo records, 2004's "The College Dropout" and 2005's "Late Registration." He's also one of the most critically acclaimed rappers of all time.

Furthermore, the 30-year-old rapper is no slouch in the sales department, having moved more than 6 million CDs in the US.

West has plenty of help in his corner on "Graduation." Notable contributors include Daft Punk, Edwin Birdsong, T-Pain and Coldplay's Chris Martin.

* * *
50 Cent "Curtis"

The big 5-0 has a lot riding on this release. He's promised that he will retire as a solo artist if West's "Graduation" outsells "Curtis," but he later backed down a bit.

Given his past performance on the charts, "Fitty" could end up on top in this matter. His previous outings--including 2003's "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" and 2005's "The Massacre"--have been multi-platinum smashes that posted huge numbers in their first weeks on the shelves. All told, 50 Cent has sold more than 20 million records worldwide.

The 32-year-old rapper has enlisted a powerful posse to help him try to knock out Kanye. The list of contributors includes Dr. Dre, Eminem, Timbaland, Akon, Justin Timberlake, Mary J. Blige and Robin Thicke.

* * *
Kenny Chesney "Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates"

If, as some have predicted, Kanye West and 50 Cent split the vote--with the rap-lovin' public buying one or the other of the two releases, but not both--the real winner could be Kenny Chesney. Indeed, Chesney might turn out to be the week's top-seller regardless of what happens with West and Fitty. That's because Chesney is arguably the top name in country music, a genre that is in a whole lot better health than hip-hop.

The country crooner--who recently was nominated for four trophies at the upcoming 41st annual Country Music Association Awards--has sold more than 25 million records. And it looks like he should add to that tally handsomely with "Just Who I Am: Poets and Pirates.'' The album's first single, "Don't Blink," has already set a new record for the highest-ever debut on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.

* * *
Ann Wilson "Hope and Glory"

The legendary vocalist for Heart, known for such classic rock staples as "Barracuda," "Never" and "Crazy on You," is ready to drop her first-ever solo album. "Hope and Glory" features such guest stars as Elton John, Shawn Colvin, Gretchen Wilson and Wynonna. The album is a covers-set that includes the likes of Neil Young's "War of Man," Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" and Pink Floyd's "Goodbye Blue Sky."

* * *
Ani DiFranco "Canon"

The indie-folk singer/guitarist is set to release her first-ever career retrospective. The two-disc "Canon" includes such fan favorites as "Fire Door," "God's Country," "You Had Time" and "Coming Up."

* * *
More new releases:
Animal Collective, "Strawberry Jam" (Domino)
The Birthday Massacre, "Walking with Strangers" (Metropolis)
Black Francis, "Bluefinger" (Cooking Vinyl)
The Go! Team, "Proof of Youth" (Sub Pop)
Joe Henry, "Civilians" (Anti)
Iced Earth, "Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked Pt. 1" (Steamhammer)
Pinback, "Autumn of the Seraphs" (Tough and Go)
Chris Potter Underground, "Follow the Red Line: Live at the Village Vanguard" (Sunnyside)
Trisha Yearwood, "Greatest Hits" (MCA)

'Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'

In 1981, he was one of the “Raiders of the Lost Ark” on a quest for the fabled Lost Ark of the Covenant. In 1984, he traveled into the heart of darkness where he faced unspeakable evil in the “Temple of Doom.” In 1989, he embarked on the “Last Crusade” to find the Holy Grail, and his own estranged father.

Now, in 2008, Indiana Jones will journey into the unknown and the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” when the screen’s greatest hero returns! There’s no further need to call the long-awaited next chapter in Indy’s adventures “Indiana Jones 4” or “The Untitled Genre Project” any longer, as it’s official. Indiana Jones will return in “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

The anticipated title was announced without fanfare at tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards when “Indiana Jones” co-star Shia LaBeouf teased millions of fans across the globe with the fourth film’s title in an almost non sequitur fashion.

And what a title it is! Filled with enough mystery and wonder to set any fans’ mind ablaze, “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is loaded with Indy lore. Previously, the series’ titles only hinted at either the object of Indy’s quest (or the McGuffin), or the locale of his adventures. The new title has already received charges of being too verbose — can any Lucasfilm title avoid being negatively dissected in this day and Internet age? — but for our money, it’s darned exciting since you get the double whammy of location and treasure right there in the name. An Indiana Jones first!

You can also pre-order an exclusive t-shirt emblazoned with “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’s” title at Lucasfilm’s official Shop StarWars.com Web site. And as always, stick with SpielbergFilms.com and the official IndianaJones.com site for spoiler-free, trusted information as we move toward May 2008.

“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” opens worldwide on May 22, 2008.

Damnit, it feels good saying that!

Letterman appears on Oprah's talk show

NEW YORK - David Letterman says the birth of his son, Harry, has made a "huge difference" in his life — but the 3-year-old doesn't always get daddy's sense of humor.

"Mommy has to tell him a lot that I'm just teasing," Letterman said Monday on the season premiere of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" — an appearance that generated interest because of the two stars' much-publicized rift.

It was also a rare appearance for Letterman, host of CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman," on someone else's show. Winfrey asked whether he's "interview-phobic."

"It's just that you know, when you have your own show, you have plenty of time to talk about whatever you want to talk about anyway," Letterman said.

Letterman, 60, said he struggles between using "patience or discipline" with Harry, his son with girlfriend Regina Lasko. Harry was placed on the "naughty chair" this weekend after misbehaving, he said.

"He's still there," Letterman joked.

He talked about his love for his home in Montana and how he was honored to have a communications building dedicated in his name at Indiana's Ball State University, his alma mater. He also showed family photos.

The show was taped at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan instead of the customary Harpo Studios in Chicago to mark the start of the show's 22nd season.

Winfrey, 53, said her relationship with Letterman had warmed. She showed footage of her office in which two photos of Winfrey and Letterman are among photos of Winfrey with John Travolta, Stevie Wonder, Nelson Mandela and her boyfriend, Stedman Graham.

In the midst of their rift, which lasted more than a decade, Letterman started keeping an "Oprah Log" as a gag on his show. He would record whether Winfrey had called that day to invite him to be her guest.

Winfrey said she believed Letterman's staff would contact her staff if he wanted to appear.

"I wanted to be asked, Oprah. Don't you understand that?" Letterman said, then opened the notebook to read: "`Day No. 20. 11/27/01. Oprah. Noprah.' It was humiliating."

Letterman frequently joked about Winfrey, and she rejected repeated offers to appear on his program. In 2003, she told Time magazine she wouldn't appear with him because she was "completely uncomfortable" as the target of Letterman's jokes.

Their reconciliation began in 2005 when Winfrey appeared on his CBS show. It was her first guest appearance with Letterman, though she twice appeared on his NBC show before he jumped networks in 1993.

"Johnny Belinda" actress Jane Wyman dies

LOS ANGELES - Jane Wyman, an Academy Award winner for her performance as the deaf rape victim in "Johnny Belinda," star of the long-running TV series "Falcon Crest" and Ronald Reagan's first wife, died Monday morning at 93.

Wyman died at her Palm Springs home, said Richard Adney of Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary in Cathedral City. No other details were immediately available.

Wyman's film career spanned from the 1930s, including "Gold Diggers of 1937," to 1969's "How to Commit Marriage," co-starring Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason. From 1981 to 1990 she played Angela Channing, a Napa Valley winery owner who maintained her power with a steely will on CBS' "Falcon Crest."

Her marriage in 1940 to fellow Warner Bros. contract player Reagan was celebrated in the fan magazines as one of Hollywood's ideal unions. While he was in uniform during World War II, her career ascended, signaled by her 1946 Oscar nomination for "The Yearling."

The couple divorced in 1948, the year she won the Oscar for "Johnny Belinda." Reagan reportedly cracked to a friend: "Maybe I should name Johnny Belinda as co-respondent."

After Reagan became governor of California and then president of the United States, Wyman kept a decorous silence about her ex-husband, who had married actress Nancy Davis. In a 1968 newspaper interview, Wyman explained the reason:

"It's not because I'm bitter or because I don't agree with him politically. I've always been a registered Republican. But it's bad taste to talk about ex-husbands and ex-wives, that's all. Also, I don't know a damn thing about politics."

A few days after Reagan died on June 5, 2004, Wyman broke her silence, saying: "America has lost a great president and a great, kind and gentle man."

It was 1936 when Warner Bros. signed Wyman to a long-term contract. She long remembered the first line she spoke as a chorus girl to show producer Dick Powell: "I'm Bessie Fuffnik. I swim, ride, dive, imitate wild birds and play the trombone."

Warner Bros. was notorious for typecasting its contract players, and Wyman suffered that fate. She recalled in 1968: "For 10 years I was the wisecracking lady reporter who stormed the city desk snapping, `Stop the presses! I've got a story that will break this town wide open!'"

In 1937, Wyman married a wealthy manufacturer of children's clothes, Myron Futterman, in New Orleans. The marriage was reported as her second, but an earlier marriage was never confirmed. She divorced him in November 1938, declaring she wanted children and he didn't.

The actress became entranced by Reagan, a handsome former sportscaster who was a newcomer to the Warner lot. She wangled a date with him, and romance ensued.

After returning from a personal appearance tour with columnist Louella Parsons, they were married on Jan. 26, 1940. The following year she gave birth to a daughter, Maureen. They later adopted a son, Michael. They also had a daughter who was born several months premature in June 1947 and died a day later.

In Reagan's autobiography "An American Life," the index shows only one mention of Wyman, and it runs for only two sentences. "That same year I made the Knute Rockne movie, I married Jane Wyman, another contract player at Warners," Reagan wrote. "Our marriage produced two wonderful children, Maureen and Michael, but it didn't work out, and in 1948 we were divorced." The final divorce decree was issued in 1949.

Their daughter Maureen died in August 2001 after a battle with cancer. At the funeral, Wyman, balancing on a cane, put a cross on the casket. Reagan, suffering from Alzheimer's disease, was not well enough to attend.

Early in their marriage, Reagan's career grew with "Knute Rockne — All American" and "King's Row" while Wyman languished as "Joan Blondell of the B's." That changed after Reagan joined the army.

Wyman escaped B-pictures by persuading Jack Warner to loan her to Paramount for "The Lost Weekend." The film won the Academy Award for 1945 and led to another loanout — to MGM for "The Yearling." De-glamourized as a backwoods wife and mother, the actress received her first Oscar nomination.

After 40 films at Warner Bros., Wyman achieved her first acting challenge with "Johnny Belinda." When Jack Warner saw a rough cut of the film, he ranted to the director, Jean Negulesco: "We invented talking pictures, and you make a picture about a deaf and dumb girl!"

He changed his attitude when "Johnny Belinda" received 12 Academy Award nominations and the Oscar for Jane Wyman.

Her acceptance speech was brief: "I accept this award very gratefully for keeping my mouth shut once. I think I'll do it again."

Reagan became increasingly active in politics as his wife's career climbed. When she divorced him, she testified: "Politics built a barrier between us. I tried to make his interests mine, but finally there was nothing to sustain our marriage."

Wyman continued making prestigious films such as "The Glass Menagerie," Alfred Hitchcock's "Stage Fright," "Here Comes the Groom" (with Bing Crosby). Two tearjerkers, "The Blue Veil" (1951) and "Magnificent Obsession" (1954), brought her Oscar nominations as best actress.

Other film credits include: "So Big," "Lucy Gallant," "All That Heaven Allows," "Miracle in the Rain," "Holiday for Lovers," "Pollyanna" and "Bon Voyage!"

Her first entry into television came with "The Jane Wyman Show," an anthology series that appeared on NBC from 1955 to 1958. She introduced the shows, half of them starring herself, half with other actors. She quit the show after three years, saying that "putting on a miniature movie once a week" was exhausting.

In 1952 Wyman married Fred Karger, a studio music director. They divorced, later remarried and divorced the second time in 1965. She remained single thereafter. While not working, she devoted much of her time to benefits and telethons for the Arthritis Foundation.

When Wyman received the script for "Falcon Crest," she was undecided about undertaking the nasty, power-mad Angela Channing, so different from the self-sacrificing characters of her movie days.

But she liked the idea that Angela "runs everything. She goes straight through everything like a Mack truck."

Riding the wave of prime-time soap operas that made "Dallas" and "Dynasty" national sensations, "Falcon Crest" lasted nine seasons. The series ended with Angela again in control of the vineyard. Her battered family raised their glasses in a toast: "The land endures."

After Reagan became president in 1981, his former wife gave few interviews and responded to questions about him with a stony look. When "Falcon Crest" ended, she withdrew from public view. She saw a few intimates and devoted much time to painting.

She summed up her long career in a 1981 newspaper interview: "I've been through four different cycles in pictures: the brassy blonde, then came the musicals, the high dramas, then the inauguration of television."

In the end, she had survived for decades in a town notorious for exploiting talent and then discarding it.

Sarah Jane Fulks was born in St. Joseph, Mo., in 1914. She grew up in a cheerless home in which her mother's time was devoted to her seriously ailing husband. After the father died, Sarah Jane accompanied her mother to Los Angeles, where the girl tried to get jobs in the studios. There was no work for the snub-nosed teenager, and she returned to St. Joseph.

She attended the University of Missouri, worked as a manicurist and switchboard operator, then sang on radio as Jane Durrell. When that career dwindled, she decided to try Hollywood again, began playing bit parts, and changed Durrell to Wyman.

MTV Awards flourish despite Britney bomb

LAS VEGAS - As in most train wrecks, it was hard to focus on just one thing as the Britney Spears disaster unfolded. There was just so much that went wrong.

Out-of-synch lip-synching. Lethargic movements that seemed choreographed by a dance instructor for a nursing home. The paunch in place of Spears' once-taut belly. At times she just stopped singing altogether, as if even she knew nothing could save her performance.

Designed to drum up excitement for her upcoming album, Spears' kickoff to the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night became another example of how far she has fallen. It would have been understandable if MTV's show had been crushed under the weight of the opening fiasco — yet somehow it rebounded, and even flourished.

The show banked heavily on its own reinvention. After poor reviews and a decline in ratings over the last few years, MTV moved the show to Vegas, shortened it from three hours to two, went to a hostless format and focused more on performances than awards.

Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, Kanye West, Fall Out Boy and the Foo Fighters hosted separate suite parties where most of the performances took place.

But the performance most people will be talking about was Spears'. And unlike her last VMAs appearance, when she locked lips with Madonna in 2003, this time it will be for all the wrong reasons.

"It definitely could have been a lot better," the hitmaking singer and producer Akon commented afterward. "She seemed nervous ... you could tell by the expression on her face. Instead of just blocking everybody out and doing her thing, you could tell she was thinking about it."

After that, though, the changes to the show worked, leading to several exciting performances and some watercooler drama. An off-camera fight between Pamela Anderson exes Kid Rock and Tommy Lee led Jamie Foxx to quip: "Stop all this white-on-white violence."

Timberlake's suite was flooded with revelers, alcohol and eight lingerie-clad stripper types on raised platforms. Before Timberlake accepted the Quadruple Threat of the Year award at his suite, the DJ summoned the partygoers to watch the monitor and go crazy if Timberlake won. He did, they did, and Timberlake said: "I want to challenge MTV to play more videos!" Then he was whisked away by bodyguards and disappeared.

Timberlake was the night's big winner, with four trophies. After accepting the award for Male Artist of the Year, he jabbed at the video issue again: "We don't want to see the Simpsons on reality television." Apparently he's not a fan of either Jessica or Ashlee's MTV shows.

Rihanna won the coveted Video of the Year award, plus Monster Single of the Year for "Umbrella." The Best Group was Fallout Boy, and Gym Class Heroes won Best New Artist.

Beyonce and Shakira won Most Earthshattering Collaboration for "Beautiful Liar." Beyonce's shimmering gold dress barely contained her top; immediately after she picked up her trophy she asked an assistant backstage to help fix her dress, apparently to prevent a wardrobe malfunction.

Other performers appeared on the show's main stage, in front of an industry-only audience seated at tables, like at the Golden Globes. Chris Brown gave one of the evening's most extravagant performances — hopping from table to table in a dance spectacle that channeled Michael Jackson, right down to a brief "Billie Jean" imitation.

Alicia Keys had the evening's most rousing performance, debuting her new song "No One" and then an inspired, choir-backed cover of George Michael's "Freedom."

While performances like Keys' and Spears' were delivered on the main stage, others came in snippets: Akon crooned a bit of his "Smack That" before an award was announced, while the cameras zoomed in on Fall Out Boy and the Foo Fighters mid-performance in their suites, giving viewers the sense that they had happened upon an intimate concert.

Cee-Lo delivered a rocking version of Prince's naughty classic "Darling Nikki" in the smoky Foo Fighters suite (where a beer bong was in operation as Dave Grohl danced, sang Cure songs, played air drums and posed for snapshots); Soulja Boy was showing Kanye West his "Crank That" dance in West's suite.

Though the suites appeared to be chaotic parties, the MTV-cast revelers were carefully organized, strategically placed and encouraged to imbibe for the cameras.

Choreographed or not, Timberlake and Timbaland's suite looked the most exciting — T.I., buffeted by pole dancers, delivered a rousing version of "Big Things Poppin'" while 50 Cent stopped by to perform "Ayo Technology" with Timberlake and Timbaland.

Not to be outdone, T-Pain and West danced high atop Las Vegas in a balcony suite as they celebrated "The Good Life." And Lil Wayne, doing double duty in the Fall Out Boy suite after opening the pre-show with Nicole Scherzinger, was particularly animated.

TV viewers never got full views of those shows, though MTV promised more via its Web site and other "remixed" versions of the show. That might have been the purpose: to whet appetites for repeat viewings by promising glimpses of what they missed during the traditional broadcast.

Unlike in recent years, there was plenty reason to come back for more.

RECORDS THAT'LL ROCK THE REST OF THE YEAR

September 9, 2007 -- THE MUSIC business may be staggering blindly into the digital era, but musicians just keep doing what they always have - writing great songs that capture our imaginations and fill dance floors. Compared to recent years, this fall stands out as a potential blockbuster season.

Kanye West and 50 Cent are just a luscious first course in this fall's diverse banquet of delectable music. There are sophomore discs from youthful chartbusters Chamillionaire, KT Tunstall and Carrie Underwood. Rockers Foo Fighters, Kid Rock, Eddie Vedder and Matchbox 20 all have new albums. And geezers like Bruce Springsteen, Melissa Etheridge, Barry Manilow and John Fogerty are all offering new work.

Even Britney Spears, Alicia Keys and J.Lo are getting back in the game after a few years off.

Fans were thrilled to hear rumors of new records from Whitney Houston and Gnarls Barkley, but they've been pushed to next year. Still, there'll be plenty of new tunes to download onto your now-massive 160 gigabyte iPod (which holds 40,000 songs). From a field of thousands, here are the hottest 40 albums, in chronological order, coming out this fall.

SEPTEMBER

1.CHAMILLIONAIRE
"Ultimate Victory"
The Houston rapper returns with his second album after conquering the ringtone world. Not only did last year's "The Sound of Revenge" go platinum and win a Grammy for the single "Ridin'," but it generated more than 4 million rigntone sales. He even got RIAA certification for it. "Ultimate" boasts cameos from Lil' Wayne, Krazyie Bone, Pimp C, Famous and Devin the Dude. (Tuesday)

2.KENNY CHESNEY
"Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates"
Country superstar Chesney, who's quietly sold more then 25 million albums with rock-saturated country, is back with his lucky 13th studio record. The grammatically challenged first single, "Never Wanted Nothing More," has topped the country charts for 5 weeks. Guest twangers include Dwight Yoakam, George Straight and Joe Walsh. (Tuesday)

3.JAMES BLUNT
"All the Lost Souls"
Mr. "You're Beautiful" follows his multi-platinum "Back to Bedlam" with more smooth, acoustic-pop balladeering. The first single, "1973," surprises with disco-flavored jams and Bee Gees references. (Sept. 18)

4.BARRY MANILOW
"The Greatest Songs of the Seventies"
Sounds like a perfect storm forming: Barry on the mike, singing "The Way We Were," "My Eyes Adored You" and, as a duet with Rosie O'Donnell, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." He even covers himself with "Mandy" and "Copacabana." (Sept. 18)

5.KT TUNSTALL
"Drastic Fantastic"
The Scottish singer, whose soulful pop tunes got a big boost from "Grey's Anatomy" and "American Idol," follows her platinum debut, "Eye to the Telescope," with an album on which she plays lead guitar, piano and ukulele. The first single, "Hold On," takes inspiration from the dance hall rhythms of her London 'hood. (Sept. 18)

6.EDDIE VEDDER
"Into the Wild"
The Pearl Jam frontman scores movie music for Sean Penn's upcoming film. Originally a pure instrumental disc, the grunge vocalist couldn't help himself, and sings on nearly every track of this pretty, string-jam record. (Sept. 18)

7.STEVE EARLE
"Washington Square Serenade"
The controversial folk, rock, outlaw-country artist left Nashville for New York, and this is an ode to his new home. The deluxe edition will include a DVD documentary. (Sept. 25)

8.MELISSA ETHERIDGE
"The Awakening"
A collection of confessional songs dealing with her cancer battle and her life as a mother, "Awakening" is Etheridge's first album in four years. "The album is my story and my journey, but I hope that it will ring universally," she says. Umm, OK - we just hope it rocks. (Sept. 25)

9.FOO FIGHTERS
"Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace"
For their sixth album, Dave Grohl and company combine big, arena-rock songs with acoustic ballads for a disc that reflects the Foo's loud-soft concert tour this year. Grohl, the one-time Nirvana drummer who turned to the guitar when he went Foo, plays piano for this record.
(Sept. 25)

10.JOSÉ GONZÁLEZ
"In Our Nature"
The Swedish singer drew a cult following when his song got hitched to a fab Sony Bravia spot featuring a 250,000 brilliantly colored superballs spinning through San Francisco. That helped his debut, "Veneer," go on to sell 700,000 copies worldwide, which isn't so cult-y after all. (Sept. 25)

11.PJ HARVEY
"White Chalk"
Polly Jean Harvey, poster child for alt-rock chicks, wrote her eighth disc on the piano. Check the first single, the ballad "When Under Ether." She performs at the Beacon on Oct. 10. (Sept. 25)

12.IRON AND WINE
"The Shepherd's Dog"
Sam Beam's cover of the Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" on the "Garden State" soundtrack brought his one-man band to the attention of the national indie scene. Now he expands his hushed folk sound, lending "Lovesong of the Buzzard" soul organs, slide guitars and upbeat rhythms, and layering "House by the Sea" with positively psychedelic guitars. (Sept. 25)

13.QUEEN LATIFAH
"Trav'lin Light"
The follow to 2004's "The Dana Owens Album" takes the former rapper farther from hip-hop, bowing deeply to jazz, soul and blues standards. (Sept. 25)

14.VARIOUS ARTISTS
"Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino"
The roster of classic-rock royalty contributing covers of Fats' best known songs is nearly as incredible as the man himself. The double disc features Elton John ("Blueberry Hill"), Neil Young (Walkin' to New Orleans"), and Willie Nelson ("I Hear You Knockin'"), among others. There's even John Lennon's take on Domino's most popular song, "Ain't That a Shame." (Sept. 25)

15.will.i.am
"Songs About Girls"
He calls this a semi-autobiographical, hip-hop concept album "where all the songs tell stories of falling in love, falling out of love and trying to get back in love." The Black Eyed Pea mastermind has truly gone solo - the only guest artist is Snoop Dogg, who's featured on "The Donque Song." (Sept. 25)

OCTOBER
16.JOHN FOGERTY
"Revival"
After retrospectives and a couple of years on the road, Fogerty is back with a studio album that's a return to Credence-style swamp rock. "Revival," get it? No foolin', it really does have the classic CCR sound and there's even a tune titled "Creedence Song." (Oct. 2)

17.BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND
"Magic"
For Springsteen's 15th studio album, and the first E Street disc since 2002's "The Rising," the Jersey boys make no radical moves - at least not if the single "Radio Nowhere" is a barometer. (Oct. 2)

18. MATCHBOX 20
"Exile on Mainstream"
After a five-year hiatus, MB20 goes for what singer Rob Thomas says is a "live feel." This is officially a "best of" album, but there are six new tunes written by the whole band, not just Thomas. (Oct. 2)

19. ALTERBRIDGE
"Blackbird"
The Scott Stapp-less Creed, better known as Alterbridge, is back with a 13-track sophomore disc of straight-ahead rockers. Listen for the power ballad "Watch Over You" to break through. If some songs are already familiar, it's because "Rise Today" has been enlisted by "CSI: Miami" and "White Knuckle" is an NFL theme tune on ESPN. (Oct. 9)

20.KID ROCK
"Rock and Roll Jesus"
Still cocky on the autobiographical title track, Kid offers more Southern and classic-rock riffs. On "All Summer Long," he cross-pollinates "Werewolves of London" with "Sweet Home Alabama." Unfortunately, with the exception of the tune "Sugar," he seems to have abandoned rap 'n' roll. (Oct. 9)

21.EVE
"Here I Am"
After a four-year break, the Philadelphia rapper, actress and fashion designer released her first single, "Tambourine," in April. She wants to cross over to the Top 40 with her fourth solo album - on two songs she even sings rather than raps. She might just blow ya mind. (Oct. 16)

22. JENNIFER LOPEZ
"Brave"
After her first (and maybe last) Spanish-language album tanked earlier this year, J.Lo makes a quick recovery. Her sixth studio album is fast-paced pop with a hip-hop edge, produced by Middi Mafia and Bloodshy. The first single, "Do It Well" is already all over radio.
(Oct. 9)

23.JIMMY EAT WORLD
"Chase This Light"
The standard bearers of the emo scene stick to what works for them: being simultaneously mopey and uplifting. Singer Jim Atkins offers nostalgic lyrics tied to swelling, sing-along choruses. (Oct. 16)

24.ANGELS & AIRWAVES
"I-Empire"
Singer and guitarist Tom DeLonge continues his quest to put distance between himself and former band, blink-182. The second disc by his artsy supergroup blends synth-rock, punk, arena anthems and light drum-and-bass. (Oct. 23)

25.ROBERT PLANT & ALISON KRAUS
"Rising Sand"
An ethereal, dreamy album that has four breakout rockers that are fantastic. This odd-couple pairing is worth a listen, but you won't want to pound "Sand" every day.

26. CARRIE UNDERWOOD
"Carnival Ride"
The 2005 American Idol champ's second disc continues down traditional country roads with a couple of nice ballads that have major Faith Hill influences.
(Oct. 23)

27.BABYSHAMBLES
"Shotter's Nation
Who would think that Peter Doherty's druggy antics could be topped. Thank Amy Winehouse for that. "This time around we hit the nail on the head, whereas with 'Down in Albion' there were lots of nails flying all over the place," Doherty says. "This time I was able to sing, and self-control was a bit more exercised all together." Maybe he has grown up. (Oct. 23)

28.AVENGED SEVENFOLD
self-titled
Having polarized the new metal scene, the Huntington Beach bad boys are back with a self-produced album. As with 2005's "City of Evil," the quintet strays further from their screaming metalcore origins. But A7X's hasn't gone soft. There's more than enough of their signature blistering guitar solos and riffs, matched with aggressive drumbeats, to go around. (Oct. 30)

29.DURAN DURAN
"Red Carpet Massacre"
The '80s pop kings update their sound with a help from friends such as Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Nate Hills, who were hungry like wolves to work with Simon LeBon. (Oct. 30)

NOVEBMBER
30.ALICIA KEYS
"As I Am"
Keys says her third album is "Aretha Franklin doing a Janis Joplin song." John Mayer helps the lady get her rock while Keys gives her shiny new harpsichord a workout. (Nov. 6)

31.CELINE DION
"Taking Chances"
The French-Canadian pop singer took a break in 2002 to perform 600 shows in Vegas. She recorded an album in French in 2005, but her heart and new album goes on in English. (Nov. 13)

32.NELLY
"Brass Knuckles"
The St. Louis rapper is back with his first disc in three years. The single "Wadsyaname?" recalls "Hot In Herre'" and he's got plenty of guest stars, including Chuck D., Akon, T.I. and Snoop. (Nov. 13)

33.SEAL
"System"
Heidi Klum's hubby says his first new work since 2003 is about roots: "I wanted to go back to the guitar, to the instrument I wrote 'Crazy' and 'Killer' on, and get back to the fundamentals of what I really love to do." (Nov. 13)

34.SHAGGY
"Intoxication"
From Kingston to Flatbush, reggae fans will love Shaggy's boombastic vocals on the propulsive title track. Highlights include a duet with Akon on "What's Love?" (Nov. 13)

35.Britney Spears
Title TBA
Spears says her record "is about feeling good and celebrating womanhood" and not about problems in her personal life. T-Pain produced three of the new songs and Annie Lennox wrote "Everybody." which heavily samples the Eurythmics' "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)." (Nov. 13)

36.WU-TANG CLAN
"The 8 Diagrams"
In their 15th year, Staten Island's finest release their first album in six years. New rhymes from Redman and the RZA will be joined by ODB vocals recorded for the group's first album. Collaborators include: Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante and George Harrison's son Dhani. (Nov. 13)

37. MARY J. BLIGE
Title TBA
It's shaping up to be a day of R&B drama as Blige and Mariah Carey duke it out Kanye-Fitty style as the Grammy-winning, Bronx-born hip-hop diva releases her eighth studio album.
(Nov. 20)

38.MARIAH CAREY
Title TBA
Comeback classic "The Emancipation of Mimi" sold nearly 6 million copies, so how will she top it? With co-production help from Jermaine Dupri, Bryan Michael Cox and will.i.am, she may find a way. (Nov. 20)

39.JORDIN SPARKS
Title TBA
Last week the youngest-ever "Idol" champ released "Tattoo," the debut single from her upcoming album. The Arizona teen's in the studio working with production duo Stargate, who has crafted hits for Beyoncé and Ne-Yo. (Nov. 20)

DECEMBER
40. MISSY ELLIOTT
"The Countdown"
Missy works it with Nate "Danjahands" Hill and Timbaland on her seventh album. It's only a working title, so don't be surprised if it's just a working release date. You'll get a preview in an upcoming Doritos campaign that stars Elliott in the studio. (Dec. 20)

Husband asks singer to admit affairs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Country star Sara Evans' husband is asking the singer in a court filing whether she was romantically involved with nearly a dozen people, including Kenny Chesney, Richard Marx and former "Dancing With The Stars" partner Tony Dovolani.

The 118-page document was filed Tuesday in Williamson Country chancery court as part of Evans' divorce from Craig Schelske, according to The Tennessean newspaper.

It asks Evans to state under oath and penalty of perjury whether or not she admits to "an affair/sexual relationship/romantic involvement" with Chesney, Marx, Dovolani or any member of her band. It also seeks to find out if there was any relationship with Brad Arnold, Matt Roberts, Todd Harrell or Chris Henderson — all members of the group 3 Doors Down.

The questions are included in a document used to obtain information from opposing parties during legal proceedings.

Evans has not yet responded, and the court filing provides no evidence that she had relationships with any of the named people.

John Hollins Sr., Evans' attorney, told the newspaper he could not comment because of a court-issued gag order. Evans' publicist did not return calls. Schelske's attorney, who is also bound by the gag order, did not return a call seeking comment.

A publicist for Chesney and a former manager for Marx declined to comment. Calls left for Universal/Republic, the record label of 3 Doors Down, were not immediately returned.

Evans filed for divorce the day after a blowup between the couple in a Los Angeles restaurant, after which police were called to the scene.

In previous court filings, Schelske alleged that he had learned of his wife's "intimate relationship" during the dinner.

A hearing in the case is set for Sept. 28 in Hickman County.

Evans made her recording debut in 1997, and her 2000 album "Born to Fly" went double platinum. Her hits include "Perfect," "Suds in the Bucket" and "Real Fine Place to Start."

Racy Timberlake 'Box' video wins Emmy

LOS ANGELES - An off-color "Saturday Night Live" video featuring Justin Timberlake and strategically placed gift boxes was honored at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

"Dick in a Box," last December's fake music video performed by Timberlake and "SNL" cast member Andy Samberg, is about wrapping a part of the male anatomy and presenting it to a loved one as a holiday present.

"I think it's safe to say that when we first set out to make this song, we were all thinking 'Emmy!'" Samberg said in accepting the award Saturday for best original music and lyrics.

"The other thing we were thinking was, 'Hey! Here's this young up and comer, Justin Timberlake, who is clearly very talented and could clearly use a break,'" Samberg said. "So, Justin, if you're out there, congrats to you, kid.'"

The video, which beat out competition that included two songs from a musical edition of "Scrubs," became an Internet sensation. It garnered millions of views on YouTube and NBC's Web site, which posted an un-bleeped version.

The Creative Arts Emmys, which recognize technical and other achievements for the 2006-07 season, will air Sept. 15 on E!, the night before the Primetime Emmy Awards on Fox.

Timberlake was elsewhere Saturday: He had a concert scheduled in Tacoma, Wash. But his tour takes him to Los Angeles on Primetime Emmys night, raising the possibility he could perform "Box" at the ceremony.

As Samberg arrived at the creative arts awards, he told The Associated Press that he had yet to be asked by the TV academy to perform the song with Timberlake on the Fox broadcast — but he was willing, he said.

Other winners Saturday included the four actors who received awards for series guest roles: Elaine Stritch for "30 Rock," Leslie Caron for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," John Goodman for "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" and Stanley Tucci for "Monk."

"I think I was nominated in 1951 for the most promising newcomer. I'm glad I finally realized my potential," Caron said.

Spike Lee's New Orleans documentary, "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts," received three awards, including a directing trophy.

"Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee" won a leading five awards. The film, which chronicles events leading up to the assassination of Sitting Bull and the Sioux massacre at Wounded Knee Creek in 1890, is up for more Emmy honors, including best TV movie, next weekend.

"This project has been a labor of love and a labor of conscience for everyone who worked on it," said executive producer Dick Wolf.

Entertainment industry executive Rich Frank, former president of Television Academy, received the Syd Cassyd Founders Award.

HBO collected the most trophies, 15, followed by NBC with 12, CBS with nine and Cartoon Network with eight. Fox earned seven awards, PBS six and ABC four.

Fall TV: Uphill climb for major networks

NEW YORK - Here's one of the safest bets you'll find this fall: one month into the new television season the media will be filled with stories about how poorly the networks are doing.

What's a little less certain is whether those stories will actually be true.

The broadcast networks are trying hard to get your attention for a season that kicks off on Sept. 23. ABC is passing out daisies to pedestrians to hawk its new series "Pushing Daisies." CBS is advertising its Miami-set "Cane" with an ad that smells like mojitos. Every new NBC series can be seen online before they air on television.

They're talking tough, too. "Our fall is like the summer motion-picture blockbuster time and we are really confident that we will get a big audience," said Ben Silverman, NBC entertainment president.

Yet if there's a faint odor of desperation in the air, that's understandable.

The networks suffered through an alarming spring of poor ratings, followed by a lackluster summer. And it's not like the factors driving those problems have gone away.

Last spring was a benchmark in large numbers of TV viewers beginning to take control of their schedules. Through digital video recorders, video on demand and streaming of programs on iTunes and elsewhere, there's no reason to fear anymore if you can't be in front of the TV Thursday to watch "Grey's Anatomy" live.

The problem is the TV business is used to instant results. Network executives have faxes in their bedrooms, or can call a special number before dawn to hear how many people watched their prime-time shows the night before.

An estimated one in five American TV homes now have digital video recorders, a sharp jump from the 12 percent last September, researchers say. Those numbers alone tell you more people will be taping their favorite programs to watch later.

That's bound to make those initial ratings ugly compared to the year before, fueling the notion that viewers are abandoning network television.

To get a truer sense of how the industry is doing, it's probably better to wait for Nielsen Media Research's measurement of who watches a program within seven days of its first airing. Network suits would also be very interested in ratings for commercial minutes, and they take three weeks.

But who wants to wait that long when there are snap judgments to be made?

"The technology of measuring how many people watch TV has not caught up with how people are watching TV," said Sarah Bunting, co-founder of the Web site Television Without Pity. "They watch. They're just not making appointment television, because that's not really necessary."

Add in DVR viewing, broadband streaming, video on demand and, eventually, DVDs and more people may see certain shows than they have in the past — even if that's not the public perception, said Jeff Bader, scheduling chief for ABC.

Perhaps. Or there could be less people interested in what the networks have to offer.

The networks largely dismiss the summer months, but there were still some disturbing signs this year. Viewership on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox was down 9 percent this summer compared to 2006, even though they aired twice as many new shows, said Jack Wakshlag, chief researcher for the Turner Networks.

That's a loss of 1.5 million households, or about the size of the Tampa-St. Petersburg market.

Viewers abandoned reruns in droves, particularly drama reruns, and increasingly sought out fresh series on cable like TNT's "The Closer." Television's biggest event of the summer, the premiere of "High School Musical 2," was on cable's Disney Channel.

Broadcasters suggest there will be little carryover into the fall. But when the average American home has more than 100 channels, it's probably not a good idea to so willingly cede ground. They may not come back.

"This makes people shift around more," said Steve Sternberg, an analyst for the Madison Avenue firm Magna Global. "It's not, `let's just see what's on cable.' People are becoming more familiar with the individual networks."

Some network executives are worried that DVR usage also may make it tougher for new series to catch on. If people have a choice of trying out something new, or catching a "Heroes" episode they have taped, the unfamiliar may lose out.

It would help if there were intense curiosity among the public — call it buzz — about new shows like NBC's "Bionic Woman" remake, ABC's "Cavemen" or CBS' "Kid Nation."

The online media marketing firm BrandIntel suggests there is. Its measurement of "buzz," essentially how much Internet chatter there is about upcoming network series, is up over last year, the company reported. Others who watch the industry are suspicious.

"There are several interesting pilots," said veteran television critic Frazier Moore of The Associated Press, who's watched them all. "It is hard to say if the series will be interesting. But there is less buzz about them than any recent season I can recall."

The whole idea of whether a series is buzzed about is pretty meaningless anyway, Sternberg said. There's no correlation between buzz and success: far more people were talking late last summer about "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" than "Heroes," for example, he said.

"Every two or three years you have excitement at the start of a season," he said. "Most of the time people say there's nothing on the schedule. I remember the year `ER' and `Friends' came out — that was considered one of the blandest schedules I'd ever seen."

'Yuma' guns down box office competition

LOS ANGELES - The critically acclaimed Western "3:10 to Yuma" outgunned the fright fest "Halloween" to become the weekend's top box office draw.

The remake from Lionsgate took in $14.1 million from Friday through Sunday according to studio estimates. While the film did not produce huge numbers, it performed well for a genre picture on a historically slow weekend.

"We ended the summer on a strong note and we're starting off the fall in typical fashion," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "It wasn't a huge weekend, but it was better than the same weekend in 2006."

This weekend's top 12 films took in 22.5 percent more than last year's post Labor Day crop, making the ninth straight weekend the box office has exceeded 2006 results.

The performance of "3:10 to Yuma," which paired Russell Crowe and Christian Bale, thrilled Lionsgate executives, who chose this weekend to position the film for Oscar consideration.

"We wanted to be the first Western into the marketplace this fall, we wanted to be the first prestige film this fall and we wanted to set ourselves up as the first award-caliber picture of the fall and I think we accomplished all of those goals," president of Lionsgate theatrical films Tom Ortenberg said.

Westerns, once a Hollywood staple, are a tough sell these days. The last critically acclaimed film of note in that genre was 1992's "Unforgiven," starring Clint Eastwood.

This fall will see two Westerns contending both for box office and awards buzz. "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," starring Brad Pitt, opens Sept. 21.

Lionsgate picked the weekend after Labor Day to separate its film from the slew of fall Oscar contenders that will be released starting in the next few weeks. Topping the box office gives the film legitimacy with awards voters, Ortenberg said.

"The genre films that have gone on to win best picture — 'Gladiator,' 'Braveheart,' 'Unforgiven' — all of them were commercial successes before they were award winners," he said. "Voters want to see a level of commercial success before they grant you awards success."

The weekend's other high profile opener, "Shoot 'Em Up," starring Clive Owen took in only $5.5 million, but it was good enough to finish sixth in an otherwise slow movie weekend.

The documentary about the Apollo space program, "In the Shadow of the Moon," did well in limited release. The movie, from ThinkFilm, took in $41,200 in four theaters for a per-screen average of $10,300.

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

1. "3:10 to Yuma," $14.1 million
2. "Halloween," $10 million.
3. "Superbad," $8 million.
4. "Balls of Fury," $5.7 million.
5. "The Bourne Ultimatum," $5.5 million.
6. "Shoot 'Em Up," $5.5 million.
7. "Rush Hour 3," $5.3 million.
8. "Mr. Bean's Holiday," $3.4 million.
9. "The Nanny Diaries," $3.3 million.
10. "Hairspray," $2 million.

The Couch Potato Report - September 8th, 2007

This week The Couch Potato Report peels one of the greatest moments in Canadians sports history, and some TV shows on DVD.

Good morning and welcome, I am about to recap some classic hockey games, from twenty years ago, and over 55 hours of television shows.

Here we go....To some September of 1972 featured the greatest goal in Canadian sports history. To other, including me, that goal came in September of 1987.

The voice of the great Dan Kelly still gives me chills everytime I hear the call of that goal, and now his calls for all of the three final games of the 1987 Canada Cup are available in the spectacular three DVD Box Set CANADA CUP 1987 - THE FINAL SERIES.

The 1987 Canada Cup took place from August 28th to September 15th that year, and games were played in Calgary, Hartford, Halifax, Sydney, Montreal, Regina and at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.

It was in Hamilton where the final two games took place.

While it is common place now to see Russian stars in the NHL, at the time, they weren't allowed to pursue playing careers in North America, and so it was only through tournaments like the Canada Cup where hockey fans could see their skills head-to-head against the best of the NHL.

Some people remember where they were when Paul Henderson scored THE goal against Russia in 1972, and other people know exactly where they were when Canada beat the United States in Salt Lake City in 2002, and then there are others who are fans of other games and series as well.

But, I remember where I was on September 15th, 1987. I working at the World Trade and Convention centre in Halifax...okay, I wasn't actually working...my colleagues and I were watching the game!!

Each one of those words has a unique memory attached to them, and I completely enjoyed reliving them as I watched the DVDs in the CANADA CUP 1987 - THE FINAL SERIES.

This Box Set features the games, as they aired, in their entirety. There are no interviews, retrospective looks back or anything like that...just the games.

And as we approach the twentieth anniversary of that final game, I really appreciated that.

We live in a day and age where sports DVDs are over produced, over edited, and feature load booming narration.

This set lets the games, the plays, the great Dan Kelly, and the incredible excitement of this once-in-a-lifetime Series speak for itself.

From a great Canadian hockey series that is available for you to own on DVD, we movie now to a short lived television series, created by an Oscar winning Canadian.

That series is THE BLACK DONNELLYS.

In Canadian history, The Black Donnellys is the common nickname of the Donnelly family; a family that emigrated from Ireland, to Canada in the mid-1800s, and who participated in a notorious feud in Ontario.

Stompin' Tom Connors wrote a song about it called "The Black Donnellys' Massacre" and Steve Earle mentions the family in his song "Justice in Ontario".

Writer and director Paul Haggis - who was nominated for an Academy Award for writing Clint Eastwood's MILLION DOLLAR BABY and won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for CRASH in 2004 - is from London, Ontario, and his naming of the family in his TV show is no coincidence.

He references the real-life Black Donnellys' situations as the Donnelly brothers in the TV show also participate in feuds.

Plus, they are also Irish, but their stories don't happen in Canada, they take place on the streets and in the bars of New York.

The TV series follows four young Catholic Irish-American brothers in Hell's Kitchen and their involvement with organized crime, their family and each other.

THE BLACK DONNELLYS debuted on February 26th of this year, and after seven episodes it was cancelled. There were thirteen episodes produced, but only seven aired.

You could only see the last six episodes online, and even though I had been watching the series, I didn't bother watching the reamining episodes as I knew it would eventually come out on DVD...and now it has!

THE BLACK DONNELLYS - THE COMPLETE SERIES is a three disc set and if you were left hanging when this less than superb, but very satisfying series was cancelled, you can now find out what happens to Jimmy, Tommy, Kevin, and Sean Donnelly, and Jenny Reilly.

While it isn't as engaging a story as the Canadian Black Donnellys is...the show is still worth seeing.

Another show that is also worth seeing, that also suffered low ratings when it aired, but wasn't cancelled is 30 ROCK.

Executive produced by Toronto's own Lorne Michaels, 30 ROCK is a show about what happens behind the scenes at a television variety show...not unlike Saturday Night Live, the iconic television show that Michaels created back in 1975.

But 30 ROCK isn't just about the fictional TV show at it's core, it is also about the people who work there.

The insecure, sometimes idotic, but always interesting people who work there.

The first few episodes of 30 ROCK aren't as good as the last few. The show, and it's ensemble cast, got better as the season went on, lead by it's star, creator, and writer, the great Tina Fey.

The other reason for the show's success is Alec Baldwin...he owns every scene he is in.

30 ROCK - SEASON ONE is also a 3 DVD set and it is a show I always enjoy.

THE OFFICE, as I have mentioned before, is a show that I always love!

While some feel it is blasphemy to praise the American remake of the classic BBC series THE OFFICE, I do not.

Yes, the British version is superior, and always will be, Steve Carell and the cast and writers of the American one continuously come up with unique and interesting situations and jokes that make me laugh. That is the primary thing I expect from a comedy and there are many, many laughs in SEASON THREE of THE OFFICE.

I highly recommend THE OFFICE, both in it's original incarnation and the remake.

It is laugh out loud funny!!

I also laughed a lot as I watched Season Two of the show WEEDS.

WEEDS stars Mary-Louise Parker from THE WEST WING and FRIED GREEN TOMATOES as a suburban widower who is also the mother of two kids...and a pot dealer in the Los Angeles suburb of Agrestic.

In the Second Season of the show, her brand new business - and crop - is a hit, but she now has to work hard to keep up with her competition, her kids and her neighbors.

WEEDS isn't a perfect show, but it is exceptionally entertaining, smart and funny. If the premise doesn't bother you, give it a shot.

Up next is FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS - THE FIRST SEASON.

This show is based on the movie of the same name, a film I liked.

Unfortunately, I didn't like the TV series as much, but it isn't bad.

In both the film and the movie, FRIDAY NIGHT's lights shine on high school football in Odessa, Texas. To some people in the small town, the weekly game is the only game in town and every single game is a must win.

The reason I have for not completely embracing this rock and roll, high energy football show, is simply due to that fact that I wasn't engaged by it.

For a two hour movie, the story of this team, it's players and fans kept me interested, and I felt a connection to it.

Over the course of the series' 22 episodes, I just lost interest.

It is well written, acted and done, but it is just not the show for me...but maybe it is the show for you, and that is one of the greatest thinsg about the fact that there are so many shows! We all fine one that we love!

One of the shows I loved when I was a kid was the program VOYAGERS!

It was a time travel series that aired during the 1982-83 television season.

Due to the fact that they always met actual historical people and events, the show engaged me when I was a kid.

Cleopatra, Babe Ruth, the Titanic, and Moses were just some of them...and there were many others.

Watching VOYAGERS! this past week did make me feel like a kid again, but it didn't hold up as well through the years. It is still entertaining, but some of the special effects and footage looks really dated.

All that said, I did enjoy re-living the VOYAGERS! adventures, and I would recommend it to kids today.

That is because it is a very positive show, that always encourages the viewer to find out more.

The entertaining, if dated, eighties TV show VOYAGERS!, the way too dramatic, but entertaining first season of FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, the superb second season of WEEDS, the less than superb, but very satisfying THE BLACK DONNELLYS, the great first season of 30 ROCK, the spectacular third season of the American version of THE OFFICE, and one of the greatest moments in Canadian sports history - CANADA CUP '87 - THE FINAL SERIES - are all available now on DVD.

Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report

I will talk about two very different child stars who are moving into adult positions in the movie world.

Canadian actress Sarah Polley from ROAD TO AVONLEA will be featured as she continues her path forward with her superb film - and directorial debut - AWAY FROM HER.

And the other side of that coin will feature the downward spiral of American actress Lindsay Lohan's and her latest GEORGIA RULE, a movie that also stars the great Jane Fonda and Felicity Huffman.

Also next week, before Sam Raimi made the SPIDER-MAN trilogy, he was involved with the great DARKMAN TRILOGY; Reiko Aylesworth from TV's 24 stars in CRAZY LOVE; and an all-star cast are featured in EVEN MONEY a movie about how gambling addiction ruins three unconnected people's lives.

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!

Led Zeppelin Announcement Expected Next Week

Billboard reported in July that the band may get together for a proposed tribute to the late producer/record mogul Ahmet Ertegun at the O2 in London in November,

Now on Ledzeppelin.com the date 11.13.07 mysteriously appears with the familiar Zep symbols. And several people saw the band touring the O2 during Prince's recent stand at the new 20,000-seat London venue. A press conference next Wednesday (Sept. 12) in London may clear everything up.

There has been talk that tour producers AEG Live and Michael Cohl's CPI (Rolling Stones, Genesis, Barbra Streisand) have put in offers on a Zep tour featuring founding members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones with late drummer John Bonham's son Jason on drums. But it is also well known in the industry that standing offers have been on the table for a Led Zeppelin tour for more than a decade.

Nov. 13 also has another significance: it's the release date of a new Atlantic/Rhino two-disc, 24-track best-of set, "Mothership." Additionally, a deluxe reissue of the soundtrack to the 1976 concert film "The Song Remains the Same" with previously unreleased material and a new DVD edition of that movie will arrive Nov. 20 via Atlantic/Rhino and Warner Home Video, respectively.

Osbourne, Zombie Scare Up Joint Fall Tour

Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Zombie will join forces for a North American fall tour, beginning Oct. 18 at the Key Arena in Seattle and wrapping Jan. 24, 2008, at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The 40-date trek finds Osbourne visiting U.S. arenas for the first time in six years.

Fresh off of this summer's Ozzfest tour, Osbourne will be on the road in support of his first studio album in six years, "Black Rain," which has sold 372,000 copies in the United States since May, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Along with visiting a handful of markets that Osbourne has never performed in, the AEG Live-promoted jaunt is scheduled to play such cities as Salt Lake City, San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago and a Halloween show in Minneapolis. A Dec. 22 concert at New York's Madison Square Garden will be Osbourne's first show at the venue in 23 years.

Tickets go on sale Sept. 14. Pricing information has not yet been released.

Meanwhile, Zombie will tour in support of his first concert set, "Zombie -- Live," due Oct. 23 via Geffen/UMe. The album was recorded last year during the tour in support of "Educated Horses," which debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200. A DVD companion to the live album is slated to arrive next spring.

Zombie has also had his hands full with the remake of classic horror film "Halloween," which is currently in theaters. Along with directing the film, Zombie curated its soundtrack (out now on Hip-O Records).

Here are Ozzy Osbourne/Rob Zombie tour dates:

Oct. 18: Seattle (Key Arena)
Oct. 20: Vancouver (GM Place)
Oct. 22: Edmonton (Rexall Place)
Oct. 24: Saskatoon (Credit Union Centre)
Oct. 27: Winnipeg (MTS Centre)
Oct. 29: Fargo, N.D. (Fargodome)
Oct. 31: Minneapolis (Target Center)
Nov. 2: Des Moines, Iowa (Veterans Memorial Auditorium)
Nov. 4: Sioux City, Iowa (Gateway Arena)
Nov. 6: Rapid City, S.D. (Rushmore Plaza Civic Center)
Nov. 9: Billings, Mont. (MetraPark Arena)
Nov. 11: Salt Lake City (The E-Center)
Nov. 14: Portland, Ore. (Rose Garden)
Nov. 16: Stockton, Calif. (Stockton Arena)
Nov. 18: Oakland, Calif. (Oracle Arena)
Nov. 20: San Diego (San Diego Sports Arena)
Nov. 24 Las Vegas (the Joint)
Nov. 26: Bakersfield, Calif. (Rabobank Arena)
Nov. 28 Glendale, Ariz. (Jobing.com Arena)
Nov. 30: Los Angeles (Staples Center)
Dec. 4: Denver (Pepsi Center)
Dec. 6: Oklahoma City (Ford Center)
Dec. 8: Wichita, Kan. (Kansas Coliseum)
Dec. 11: Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center)
Dec. 13: Milwaukee (Bradley Center)
Dec. 16: Chicago (Allstate Arena)
Dec. 18: Detroit (Joe Louis Arena)
Dec. 20: Pittsburgh (Mellon Arena)
Dec. 22: New York (Madison Square Garden)
Jan. 3: Portland, Maine (Cumberland County Civic Center)
Jan. 5: Washington, D.C. (Verizon Center)
Jan. 8: Worcester, Mass. (DCU Center)
Jan. 10: Philadelphia (Wachovia Spectrum)
Jan. 14: Quebec City (Colisee Pepsi Arena)
Jan. 16: Montreal (Bell Centre)
Jan. 19: London, Ontario (John Labatt Centre)
Jan. 21: Toronto (Air Canada Centre)
Jan. 24: Cleveland (Quicken Loans Arena)

Mourners bid farewell to Pavarotti before funeral

MODENA, Italy (Reuters) - Thousands of mourners filed past the open coffin of Luciano Pavarotti in the cathedral of his Italian home town on Friday, in an emotional farewell to the singer whose death prompted tributes from around the world.

Italian President Giorgio Napolitano joined the crowds in Modena's ancient cathedral where fans were allowed a last look at one of the greatest tenors in opera's history.

"I wanted to personally represent the emotion and the gratitude of Italians ... towards someone who took with him everywhere the purest voice and the purest image of our country," he told reporters.

The imposing, bearded opera star, who died of cancer on Thursday at the age of 71, was dressed in a black tuxedo, hands folded on his stomach and holding a rosary and a white handkerchief -- a favorite prop during his recitals.

Mourners included his second wife, Nicoletta Mantovani, who had their four-year-old daughter Alice in her arms, and his first wife, Adua Veroni, with two of his three daughters from that marriage, all in their 40s.

As admirers waited patiently in the long queue winding across the square in front of the cathedral, Pavarotti's singing could be heard from a recording played by loudspeakers.

At a nearby music store, his music was selling out. "Since yesterday it has been crazy," said store manager Giovanni Ricci.

Condolences came from everywhere, with U.S. President George W. Bush and Russia's Vladimir Putin joining opera singers Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras in praising Pavarotti.

"He brought to the world everything that is good about this town: simplicity, honesty and happiness," said Luigi Febbrano, a 51-year-old court clerk standing in line.

BONO AND BOCELLI

"The world at your feet," read the headline in a local paper in Modena, where Pavarotti was born into a humble family -- his father a baker, his mother a cigar factory worker -- and which he never forgot despite his stardom.

His gilded voice and huge personality touched millions around the world, and he achieved superstardom at the celebrated "Three Tenors" concert with Domingo and Carreras in Rome during the 1990 soccer World Cup in Italy.

"Nessun Dorma" will be played ahead of Euro 2008 soccer matches by the Italian and English national teams on Saturday.

Pavarotti had surgery for cancer in New York in July 2006, then retreated to Modena where he had two weeks of treatment in hospital last month before going home for the last time.

He spent his final hours at home with family and friends by his side, said his manager Terri Robson.

Although his family wants a private funeral, celebrity friends and fans are expected from around the world.

U2 frontman Bono, one of several rock stars to have performed with Pavarotti, confirmed he would attend.

Former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is also expected, city officials said.

Blind Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli will sing in the church service which is scheduled for 3 p.m. (9:00 a.m. EDT) on Saturday.

Bulgarian opera singer Raina Kabaivanska, who shared the stage with Pavarotti more than 20 years ago, will also sing.

Pavarotti's voice may also ring out at the funeral, local media reported, saying organizers were considering playing a recording of him singing the hymn "Panis Angelicus" ("bread of angels") with his father.

"People say his father sang better than he did, but he only sang at weddings," said Piero Ronchi, from whose pastry shop Pavarotti ordered cakes when he played cards with old friends.

The tenor will be laid to rest at the Montale Rangone cemetery near his villa outside of town, where his parents and his stillborn son Riccardo are buried.

The atmosphere was somber at the cathedral as mourners of all ages passed slowly by the coffin, some stopping to kneel in the pews to pray, others signing memorial books outside.

Beside the books was a framed black-and-white picture of a smiling Pavarotti to remind them of his bonhomie and legendary fondness for the good things in life.

"I hope St. Peter welcomes you with a chunk of parmesan and a bottle of Lambrusco, ice-cold as you like it," said Pavarotti's friend, Italian rock singer Zucchero.

TMZ.com makes jump from online to on-air

LOS ANGELES - Wander through TMZ.com at any given moment and it's easy to grasp what the Web site is gleefully pushing. There are stars smooching. Stars sunning. Stars looking hot, or not. And, always, there are stars misbehaving.

TMZ broke the news of Mel Gibson's DUI arrest and Michael Richards' comedy-club tirade. Looking for "new pics" about a car crash involving Hulk Hogan's son? Or of Lindsay Lohan in any number of interesting activities? They're here.

It all adds up to the most popular online entertainment site and, starting Monday, a television show. "TMZ," joining the crowded field of entertainment news magazines, will test the bounds of the TV audience's fascination with celebrity.

The new venture also is a groundbreaking bid to turn an online success into an even more lucrative TV commodity, a tantalizing possibility that has yet to be realized.

Harvey Levin, managing editor of TMZ.com and host and executive producer of the syndicated series, says he isn't thinking about being a crossover pioneer. He's just preoccupied with getting "TMZ" going.

"I am so charged right now. ... We've been running test shows for a month now and I just want to put the show on the air," said Levin, a lawyer who became a TV reporter, commentator and producer ("Celebrity Justice," "The People's Court").

"TMZ," which will be carried on Fox-owned stations as well as on a mix of other network outlets, is to air as a half-hour show on weekdays (mostly within the 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. window) and in an hourlong version on the weekend.

When TMZ.com launched in November 2005 as a joint venture of Telepictures Productions and Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, it was with the intent of eventually translating it to TV, said Hilary Estey McLoughlin, president of Telepictures.

TMZ.com's success was the prerequisite. According to comScore Media Metrix, it's the leading celebrity-news site, with 120 million-plus monthly page views and more than 9 million unique visitors.

(The name is based on the phrase "thirty mile zone," coined in the 1960s for a part of Los Angeles used for location shooting and subject to studio production rules.)

"TMZ" the show is "an important launch for us and a great way to tout that you can brand new projects other than on television and succeed," McLoughlin said. "Part of our strategy is to incubate all kinds of formats and talents and bring them to television."

Jim Paratore, the former Telepictures president who launched TMZ.com and who's producing the TV series with Levin, said they are "trying to do what others are, find the voice that crosses over" from online to on-air.

The program has a good shot at making it, said Bill Carroll, an expert in syndication for Katz Television.

"In a million years, I never would have believed that the national conversation would have been Paris, Britney and Lindsay," Carroll said. "No organization is better at covering that than TMZ. If they can take the tongue-in-cheek sensibility that the Web site has and translate it to broadcast, I'd be very surprised if it's not a success."

It's an interesting test case, said David Card, senior analyst at JupiterResearch.

Whether a show can be launched from a Web site "and then make money and get big audiences" has yet to be seen, Card said. But, he added, "I can't believe it won't happen."

Lew Leone, general manager of WNYW Fox 5 in New York, figures he has solid evidence that "TMZ" will prove a hit for his station.

"I get all the gossip magazines at work, and I get in trouble with my wife if I don't bring them home," Leone said. "It's all the same pictures, same people, but she doesn't tire of looking at them over and over. She's probably typical of viewers out there when it comes to celebrities."

He's also enthusiastic about what's packaged with "TMZ": visitors to WNYW's news Web site can find breaking stories from TMZ.com and promos for the show, which is being distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television.

"It will work for us, it will work for TMZ.com and it will work for the show. I think it's a very powerful way to launch a show and to reach an audience," Leone said.

The competition for "TMZ" includes "Entertainment Tonight," the elder statesman of the Hollywood news shows, along with "The Insider," "Access Hollywood" and, also from Telepictures, "Extra."

"Celebrity Expose," an hour-long weekly program profiling one star at a time, starting with Lohan, debuts Oct. 1 on MyNetworkTV.

Levin is unfazed by the list. In rapid-fire remarks, he asserts that "TMZ" is in a league of its own.

"It doesn't feel like the other shows ... We're not sucking up (to stars). We're not doing junkets. We're not doing red carpets," Levin said.

Humor will be part of the mix because TMZ.com has demonstrated that people enjoy seeing Hollywood covered with irreverence, he said. But he acknowledged that the online vibe — which can veer from snarky to off-color — and that of the show will differ.

"There are obviously things we can do on the Web site that we can't do on TV, and we're not trying to do that. So it's finding the right tone and the right personality," Levin said. "But I know what people want: They want different and they want humor."

Bring it on, said "TMZ's" rivals, including sibling Telepictures entry "Extra," returning for its 14th season Monday.

"The way I look at it, we're in the limo with the stars. They're chasing the limo," said Lisa Gregorisch-Dempsey, "Extra" senior executive producer (and Levin's former colleague on "Celebrity Justice"). "It's a completely different point of view."

Linda Bell Blue, executive producer for "Entertainment Tonight" and "The Insider," adopted an equally confident posture in an e-mailed comment.

"With 26 years under `ET's' belt, we have the best connections in the entertainment business and the best connection with our audience. We're excited that people's interest in celebrity journalism remains very high ...." Bell Blue said.

As yet another show joins the fray, however, consumer fatigue seems to be a possibility.

"I don't see any signs of it. The television marketplace has an insatiable appetite for celebrity news," said Greg Meidel, president of MyNetworkTV.

Offers Gregorisch-Dempsey of "Extra": "All this guilty pleasure stuff that people want to talk about ... they have to get it somewhere."

Hollywood's long awards season opens

TORONTO - With nearly six months until Hollywood's biggest party, everyone already is thinking about the Academy Awards. Not many will admit that the thought of winning an Oscar crosses their mind, though.

"Pass," Oscar winner Cate Blanchett said with a laugh, declining to discuss the awards prospects for "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," the follow-up to 1998's "Elizabeth" that earned the actress her first nomination.

Surely people who haven't won an Oscar must fret over their chances?

"No," said Brad Pitt, a nominee for "Twelve Monkeys" who delivers a potent performance as the legendary Old West outlaw in "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. "And I don't read the tabloids, either."

Both Blanchett and Pitt's movies are playing the Toronto International Film Festival, which (with its Telluride and Venice counterparts) marks the unofficial start of awards season by showcasing prestige productions looking to catch some early Oscar buzz.

Whether any festival entries will maintain awards momentum through nominations day on Jan. 22 and the 80th Oscars ceremony on Feb. 24 remains to be seen. The idea for studios and publicists is simply to trot out the films, get the stars and filmmakers to mug for photographers at red-carpet premieres and hope the critics say nice things such as "Oscar-worthy performance" or "serious best-picture contender."

Other Toronto films that will get the once-over by awards watchers include "Michael Clayton," with Oscar winner George Clooney in a sober legal drama; director Sean Penn's "Into the Wild," the real-life tale of a fiercely independent young man (Emile Hirsch) who came to a tragic end in Alaska; "The Brave One," with two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster delivering a chilling performance as a woman who turns vigilante after a violent ordeal; "Sleuth," an update of the 1972 romp that earned Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine best-actor nominations, the new version starring two-time Oscar winner Caine in the Olivier role and Jude Law in Caine's part; and "In the Valley of Elah," a murder mystery set among returning Iraq war veterans that stars Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon.

Actors brush aside Oscar questions, not wanting to appear covetous of that little golden statue. Clooney, a supporting-actor winner for "Syriana," said they all think about the Oscars, though.

"Every actor in the world would be lying if they denied that somehow in their head they had always wanted to win an Oscar," Clooney said. "The funny thing is, once you've won one, you actually have beaten your expectation of what you thought you'd achieve. I've got a statue sitting at home somewhere in a room. ...

"Now I just keep doing things I want to do and if they work out and people want to be nice at the end of the year, that's great. But any kind of pressure to chase something has long, long left me, which is nice."

Oscar candidates have emerged from films released early this year, notably best-actress winner Julie Christie, who delivers a powerhouse performance in "Away From Her," which arrives on DVD Tuesday. So far, no slam-dunks have materialized such as last year's top acting winners, Helen Mirren for "The Queen" and Forest Whitaker for "The Last King of Scotland."

At this point, many potential Oscar contenders remain under wraps, so it's impossible to assess likely front-runners. December releases on the awards radar include "Charlie Wilson's War," a foreign-policy drama starring Oscar recipients Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman from best-director winner Mike Nichols, and Tim Burton's musical "Sweeney Todd," with past nominees Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.

Other upcoming films with awards possibilities, at least on paper, include Robert Redford's war on terrorism saga "Lions for Lambs," with Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep; Ridley Scott's crime tale "American Gangster," starring Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe; Francis Ford Coppola's first film in 10 years, "Youth Without Youth," a thriller set just before World War II; the Gabriel Garcia Marquez adaptation "Love in the Time of Cholera," with Javier Bardem, Fernanda Montenegro and Catalina Sandino Moreno; and the drama "Things We Lost in the Fire," with Halle Berry and Benicio Del Toro.

Bardem also gives a deliciously cold-blooded performance as an unstoppable killer on the trail of lost loot in the Coen brothers' Toronto entry "No Country for Old Men."

Because of the pedigree of the talent involved, many films land on awards lists sight-unseen, only to drop out of the picture once they premiere.

"Often, before anyone even sees a movie, people put it in that category, and then when they see it, they end up disappointed," said Foster, a best-actress winner for "The Accused" and "The Silence of the Lambs." "I keep it out of my mind."

"In the Valley of Elah" was written and directed by Paul Haggis, whose ensemble drama "Crash" premiered at the 2004 Toronto festival and went to win 2005's best-picture Oscar.

Haggis has become a fixture at the Oscars, earning a directing nomination for "Crash" and three-straight writing nominations, for "Million Dollar Baby," "Crash" and "Letters From Iwo Jima." A nomination for "In the Valley of Elah" would make it four in a row.

"Or not," Haggis said. "There's a lot of great films this year, and you just do the best you can and hope the film itself first of all isn't going to be embarrassing. I just want people to come to the film and be able to sit through it and think that they got their 10 dollars worth out of it. At this point, I can think no more than that."

"In the Valley of Elah" star Jones — a supporting-actor winner for "The Fugitive" who also stars in "No Country for Old Men" — said he dreads awards season because of the demands his handlers try to place on him.

"If I did everything that's requested of me in terms of public relations, I would not have a day off between now and the middle of November," Jones said. "If I did everything they're asking me to do, it would wreck my health and my marriage."

Apple dramatically chops iPhone cost

SAN FRANCISCO — Apple slashed the price of its popular iPhone to $399 Wednesday and introduced a new line of iPod media players aimed at dramatically boosting its holiday business.

Apple CEO Steve Jobs told USA TODAY that he expects finally to have digital music from the Beatles available via Apple's iTunes Store by the middle of 2008. And he announced an alliance with coffee retailer Starbucks to sell music.

Jobs said Apple (AAPL) expects to ship the 1 millionth iPhone — which just launched in June — by the end of the month. "We want to put the pedal to the metal," he said. "A holiday season is approaching."

The heavily hyped iPhone originally sold for $499 and $599 with 4 or 8 gigabytes. Apple is eliminating the smaller model. The quick price cut angered some early buyers who paid that price.

But it "will really accelerate sales," says Van Baker, an analyst with market tracker Gartner. "Apple skimmed the cream from the market in the initial months, and now they're getting really aggressive."

The new iPod Touch is a direct clone of the iPhone, minus the phone and built-in camera. The unit sells for $299 with 8 GB or $399 with 16 GB, and has the acclaimed 3.5-inch touchscreen from the iPhone and Wi-Fi wireless Internet capability.

Jobs also introduced a new version of the small Nano with added video functionality, multiple colors and more capacity. In refreshing the iPod line, Apple has either dramatically lowered prices or given products substantially more storage. The 80 GB iPod was $349; now a similar model is $249. The iPod Nano with 2 GB was $149, now it has 4 GB.

When iPhone and iPod Touch customers enter a Starbucks, they will be able to access iTunes from the in-store Wi-Fi network for free. Stores in Seattle, New York and San Francisco will get it this year. Starbucks expects most of the USA's major markets to have it by the end of 2008. "The No. 1 question we get from our customers is, 'What song is that?' " Starbucks Chairman Howard Schultz said.

Apple introduced a new version of its iTunes software Wednesday that lets customers make custom ring tones for the iPhone with songs they've purchased. The tones are available for 99 cents on top of the 99-cent song purchase. The company also said it has sold 3 billion songs, 95 million TV shows and 110 million iPods to date.

Apple competitor Microsoft, which has been struggling to get a foothold in digital music, said Wednesday it would cut the price of its underperforming Zune music player by $50, to $199 from $249. The Zune has 30 GB of storage.

"Yuma" vs. "Halloween" at weekend box office

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The surprisingly strong box office hit "Halloween" could score a second weekend as the top movie in North America, despite an onslaught of violent pictures that will siphon off male moviegoers.

"3:10 to Yuma," a remake of the classic Western, and "Shoot 'Em Up," a campy action thriller, will both open in theaters on Friday, as will the sex farce, "The Brothers Solomon."

Lionsgate's "Yuma" is skewing older, as Westerns always do, but the solid pairing of Russell Crowe and Christian Bale could draw nicely across a broader range of demos. "Yuma" has been something of a critics' darling, with early reviews calling the film a well-executed remake of the 1957 original.

Gunning for up to $12 million in prerelease tracking forecasts, "Yuma" could capture the weekend crown. That's unless "Halloween" manages a better-than-average hold.

Director Rob Zombie's reimagining of the horror classic grossed $30.6 million for distributor MGM during the four-day weekend, a record opening for the Labor Day period. If "Halloween" were to hold its Friday-Sunday drop to a relatively modest 40%, that would shape a second-weekend haul of about $16 million.

Tracking data show keenest interest in "Shoot 'Em Up" limited to younger males, for whom star Clive Owen has been something of a rock star since his ace turn in the edgy thriller "Sin City." And the fanboys won't exactly hate seeing Monica Bellucci's name atop one-sheets, either.

Still, word-of-mouth could swing positive or negative, depending on how early audiences react to the film's quirky mix of cartoonish violence and dark humor. Anything in the teen millions would represent a solid outing for the New Line Cinema release.

"Brothers Solomon" might fetch a bit of date-movie business, but its humor is more of the gross-out variety, meaning that core appeal will be narrow. The Sony Pictures release is likely to open in the single-digit millions.

"In the Shadow of the Moon" honors human endeavor

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The nostalgic, bittersweet tone of "In the Shadow of the Moon," an acclaimed documentary about the Apollo space program, aims to remind viewers that even at its most destructive, humankind is capable of feats of breathtaking splendor.

The film, which opens commercially on Friday, brings together for the first time crew members of each of the nine U.S. spacecraft that voyaged to the moon between 1968 and 1972, as the Vietnam War raged a quarter-million miles away on Earth.

"Even though it did start to beat the Soviets, we did try to do it for the right reasons," Alan Bean, Apollo 12 lunar module pilot, recalled of the moon program. "I think people need a dose that America can do these things. Human beings can do amazing things if they get together and put their egos aside."

"Shadow" features familiar images from the Apollo era, including the famed "Earth rise" photo taken from Apollo 8 and footage of Neil Armstrong stepping onto the lunar surface, but also weaves in never-seen archival footage the filmmakers found in extensive searches through NASA's film library.

Moreover, the documentary marries, also for the first time, silent 16mm films of Mission Control during the Apollo flights with audio recordings of the controllers' voices.

There is no narration other than that provided by the 10 astronauts who agreed to be interviewed, and the digitally remastered NASA film footage is surprisingly vivid.

But the film also intersperses footage of ticker tape parades for the astronauts with combat scenes from Vietnam.

Most of the Apollo astronauts were recruited from the military, and several talked in the film of feelings of guilt that they had done little to deserve their hero status while their friends were fighting and dying in Vietnam.

The film won an audience award for world documentary at the Sundance Film Festival, and reviews have so far been positive.

Director David Sington, who is British, said he was surprised that many in the festival audience drew a parallel between Vietnam and the Iraq war.

"It wasn't really until we got to Sundance that I began to sense in some mysterious and serendipitous way that the film was very timely," Sington said. "One can't help compare how proud the world was of America during the space race."

"Shadow" was not without moments of levity, as when Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin claimed the distinction of being the first human to fill a urine bag on the moon.

"There are not many of us left, and (we're) maybe mellower, and now is the time to revisit the human-ness of feelings that we have," Aldrin, now 77, said. "Its time has come."

Italian tenor Pavarotti dies at 71

ROME - Luciano Pavarotti, opera's biggest superstar of the late 20th century, died Thursday. He was 71. He was the son of a singing baker and became the king of the high C's.

Pavarotti, who had been diagnosed last year with pancreatic cancer and underwent treatment last month, died at his home in his native Modena at 5 a.m., his manager told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement.

His wife, Nicoletta, four daughters and sister were among family at friends at his side, manager Terri Robson said.

"The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer," Robson said. "In fitting with the approach that characterised his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness."

Pavarotti's charismatic personna and ebullient showmanship — but most of all his creamy and powerful voice — made him the most beloved and celebrated tenor since the great Caruso and one of the few opera singers to win crossover fame as a popular superstar.

For serious fans, the unforced beauty and thrilling urgency of Pavarotti's voice made him the ideal interpreter of the Italian lyric repertory, especially in the 1960s and '70s when he first achieved stardom. For millions more, his thrilling performances of standards like "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot" came to represent what opera is all about.

"Nessun Dorma" turned out to be Pavarotti's last aria, sung at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin in February 2006. His last full-scale concert was at Taipei in December 2005, and his farewell to opera was in Puccini's "Tosca" at New York's Metropolitan in March 2004.

Instantly recognizable from his charcoal black beard and tuxedo-busting girth, Pavarotti radiated an intangible magic that helped him win hearts in a way Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras — his partners in the "Three Tenors" concerts — never quite could.

"I always admired the God-given glory of his voice — that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range," Domingo said in a statement from Los Angeles.

Pavarotti, who seemed equally at ease singing with soprano Joan Sutherland as with the Spice Girls, scoffed at accusations that he was sacrificing his art in favor of commercialism.

"The word 'commercial' is exactly what we want," he said after appearing in the "Three Tenors" concerts. "We've reached 1.5 billion people with opera. If you want to use the word 'commercial,' or something more derogatory, we don't care. Use whatever you want."

In the annals of that rare and coddled breed, the operatic tenor, it may well be said the 20th century began with Enrico Caruso and ended with Pavarotti. Other tenors — Domingo included — may have drawn more praise from critics for their artistic range and insights, but none could equal the combination of natural talent and personal charm that so endeared Pavarotti to audiences.

"Pavarotti is the biggest superstar of all," the late New York Times music critic Harold Schonberg once said. "He's correspondingly more spoiled than anybody else. They think they can get away with anything. Thanks to the glory of his voice, he probably can."

In his heyday, he was known as the "King of the High C's" for the ease with which he tossed off difficult top notes. In fact it was his ability to hit nine glorious high C's in quick succession that turned him into an international superstar singing Tonio's aria "Ah! Mes amis," in Donizetti's "La Fille du Regiment" at the Met in 1972.

From Beijing to Buenos Aires, people immediately recognized his incandescent smile and lumbering bulk, clutching a white handkerchief as he sang arias and Neapolitan folk songs, pop numbers and Christmas carols for hundreds of thousands in outdoor concerts.

His name seemed to show up as much in gossip columns as serious music reviews, particularly after he split with Adua Veroni, his wife of 35 years and mother of their three daughters, and then took up with his 26-year-old secretary in 1996.

In late 2003, he married Nicoletta Mantovani in a lavish, star-studded ceremony. Pavarotti said their daughter, Alice, nearly a year old at the time of the wedding, was the main reason they finally wed after years together.

In the latter part of his career, he came under fire for canceling performances or pandering to the lowest common denominator in his choice of programs, or for the Three Tenors tours and their millions of dollars in fees.

He was criticized for lip-synching at a concert in Modena. An artist accused him of copying her works from a how-to-draw book and selling the paintings.

The son of a baker who was an amateur singer, Pavarotti was born Oct. 12, 1935. He had a meager upbringing, though he said it was rich with happiness.

"Our family had very little, but I couldn't imagine one could have any more," Pavarotti said.

As a boy, Pavarotti showed more interest in soccer than his studies, but he also was fond of listening to his father's recordings of tenor greats like Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Jussi Bjoerling and Giuseppe Di Stefano, his favorite.

Among his close childhood friends was Mirella Freni, who would eventually become a soprano and an opera great herself. The two studied singing together and years later ended up making records and concerts together.

In his teens, Pavarotti joined his father, also a tenor, in the church choir and local opera chorus. He was influenced by the American movie actor-singer Mario Lanza.

"In my teens I used to go to Mario Lanza movies and then come home and imitate him in the mirror," Pavarotti said.

Singing was still nothing more than a passion while Pavarotti trained to become a teacher and began working in a school.

But at 20, he traveled with his chorus to an international music competition in Wales. The Modena group won first place, and Pavarotti began to dedicate himself to singing.

With the encouragement of his then-fiancee, Adua, he started lessons, selling insurance to pay for them. He studied with Arrigo Pola and later Ettore Campogalliani.

In 1961, Pavarotti won a local competition and with it a debut as Rodolfo in Puccini's "La Boheme."

He followed with a series of successes in small opera houses throughout Europe before his 1963 debut at Covent Garden in London, where he stood in for Di Stefano as Rodolfo.

Having impressed conductor Richard Bonynge, Pavarotti was given a role opposite Bonynge's wife, Sutherland, in a Miami production of "Lucia di Lamermoor." They subsequently signed him for a 14-week tour of Australia.

It was the recognition Pavarotti needed to launch his career. He also credited Sutherland with teaching him how to breathe correctly.

Pavarotti's major debuts followed — at La Scala in Milan in 1965, San Francisco in 1967 and New York's Metropolitan Opera House in 1968.

Throughout his career, Pavarotti struggled with a much-publicized weight problem. His love of food caused him to balloon to a reported 396 pounds in 1978.

"Maybe this time I'll really do it and keep it up," he said during one of his constant attempts at dieting.

Pavarotti, who had been trained as a lyric tenor, began taking on heavier dramatic roles, such as Manrico in Verdi's "Trovatore" and the title role in "Otello."

In the mid-1970s, Pavarotti became a true media star. He appeared in television commercials and began singing in hugely lucrative mega-concerts outdoors and in stadiums around the world. Soon came joint concerts with pop stars. A concert in New York's Central Park in 1993 drew 500,000 fans.

Pavarotti's recording of "Volare" went platinum in 1988.

In 1990, he appeared with Domingo and Carreras in a concert at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome for the end of soccer's World Cup. The concert was a huge success, and the record known as "The Three Tenors" was a best-seller and was nominated for two Grammy awards. The video sold over 750,000 copies.

The three-tenor extravaganza became a mini-industry and widely imitated. With a follow-up album recorded at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in 1994, the three have outsold every other performer of classical music. A 1996 tour earned each tenor an estimated $10 million.

Pavarotti liked to mingle with pop stars in his series of charity concerts, "Pavarotti & Friends," held annually in Modena. He performed with artists as varied as Ricky Martin, James Brown and the Spice Girls.

The performances raised some eyebrows but he always shrugged off the criticism.

Some say the "word 'pop' is a derogatory word to say 'not important' — I do not accept that," Pavarotti said in a 2004 interview with the AP. "If the word 'classic' is the word to say 'boring,' I do not accept. There is good and bad music."

It was not just his annual extravaganza that saw Pavarotti involved in humanitarian work.

During the 1992-95 Bosnia war, he collected humanitarian aid along with U2 lead singer Bono, and after the war he financed and established the Pavarotti Music Center in the southern city of Mostar to offer Bosnia's artists the opportunity to develop their skills.

He performed at benefit concerts to raise money for victims of tragedies such as an earthquake in December 1988 that killed 25,000 people in northern Armenia.

Pavarotti was also dogged by accusations of tax evasion, and in 2000 he agreed to pay nearly roughly $12 million to the Italian state after he had unsuccessfully claimed that the tax haven of Monte Carlo rather than Italy was his official residence.

He had been accused in 1996 of filing false tax returns for 1989-91.

Pavarotti always denied wrongdoing, saying he paid taxes wherever he performed. But, upon agreeing to the settlement, he said: "I cannot live being thought not a good person."

Pavarotti was preparing to leave New York in July 2006 to resume a farewell tour when doctors discovered a malignant pancreatic mass. He underwent surgery in a New York hospital, and all his remaining 2006 concerts were canceled.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most dangerous forms of the disease, though doctors said the surgery offered improved hopes for survival.

"I was a fortunate and happy man," Pavarotti told Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview published about a month after the surgery. "After that, this blow arrived."

"And now I am paying the penalty for this fortune and happiness," he told the newspaper.

Fans were still waiting for a public appearance a year after his surgery. In the summer, Pavarotti taught a group of selected students and worked on a recording of sacred songs, a work expected to be released in early 2008, according to his manager. He mostly divided his time between Modena and his villa in the Adriatic seaside resort of Pesaro.

Just this week, the Italian government honored him with an award for "excellence in Italian culture," and La Scala and Modena's theater announced a joint Luciano Pavarotti award.

In his final statement, Pavarotti said the awards gave him "the opportunity to continue to celebrate the magic of a life dedicated to the arts and it fills me with pride and joy to have been able to promote my magnificent country abroad."

He will be remembered in Italy as "the last great Italian voice able to move the world," said Bruno Cagli, president of the Santa Cecilia National Academy in Rome.

The funeral will be held Saturday inside Modena's cathedral, Mayor Giorgio Pighi told SkyTG24.

World mourns Italian tenor Pavarotti

ROME - Friends and admirers of Luciano Pavarotti joined in a chorus of grief as the world paid homage to the thrilling voice and exuberant personality of the great Italian tenor who died Thursday.

Amid an outpouring of tributes, the Vienna State Opera raised a black flag in mourning and his northern Italian hometown of Modena, where he died at age 71 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, said it would name the city's theater after its native son.

Newscasts and Web sites across the globe, from Israel to the U.S. to Europe, led with news of his death. Radio stations aired his unmistakable recordings in tribute to his memory.

"The whole world will be listening today to his voice on every radio and television station. And that will continue. And that is his legacy. He will never stop," said conductor Zubin Mehta, who directed Pavarotti in Rome and Los Angeles for his "Three Tenors" concerts with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.

"I always admired the God-given glory of his voice — that unmistakable special timbre from the bottom up to the very top of the tenor range," Domingo said in a statement from Los Angeles. "They threw away the mold when they made Luciano. He will always be remembered as a truly unique performer in the annals of classical music."

Carreras told reporters in Karlstad, Sweden, that "there is no doubt that he has been one of the most important tenors of all times."

"I remember that last time I was visiting him in his town in Modena, at his home, he was preparing some special bread and tomato for me together with prosciutto. He was entertaining also in the gastronomic aspect that he liked very much," Carreras said. "We have to remember him as the great artist that he was, the man with such a wonderful charismatic personality, very good friend and a great poker player."

Mirella Freni, an opera great and one of Pavarotti's close childhood friends, told The Associated Press: "The world has lost a great tenor, but I've lost a great friend, a brother. We grew up together, studied singing and God blessed us with great careers. I've lost a brother."

For fans and colleagues, the beauty of Pavarotti's voice and his charismatic performances made him the ideal interpreter of the Italian lyric repertory, especially in the 1960s and '70s when he first achieved stardom.

"It was incredible to stand next to it and sing along with it," soprano Joan Sutherland said of Pavarotti's voice at the time.

A 14-week tour of Australia with Sutherland and her husband, conductor Richard Bonynge, gave Pavarotti the recognition he needed to launch his career. He also credited Sutherland with teaching him how to breathe correctly.

"My husband ... and I had great joy working with him. The quality of the sound was so different. You knew immediately it was Luciano singing," Sutherland told BBC radio.

Soprano Renee Fleming, preparing for a performance in Matsumoto, Japan, remembered singing with Pavarotti during a telecast at Lincoln Center.

"He had the most perfect technique in the history of recorded music," she said in an e-mail to the AP. "He also captured the hearts of the larger public in a way which rivaled only Enrico Caruso in the 20th century."

But Pavarotti's voice was just the beginning. He was credited with bringing opera to millions through his showmanship and his outdoor concerts.

"He brought arts performance to people who don't go to opera house. None of the classical singers have had the ability and courage to do that," said Hong Kong tenor Warren Mok.

The Royal Opera House in London said in a statement that Pavarotti was "one of those rare artists who affected the lives of people across the globe in all walks of life.

"Through his countless broadcasts, recordings and concerts he introduced the extraordinary power of opera to people who perhaps would never have encountered opera and classical singing, in doing so he enriched their lives."

21 Flavors of Bond

MGM is preparing a new box set of all 21 Bond films on DVD arriving later this year.

All the discs from the existing Bond Collector's Sets will be available with their supplemental materials as well.

All films are presented in remastered anamorphic widescreen transfers along with Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 surround tracks.

An additional upgrade from some of the older Bond DVDs is the original burned subtitles instead of DVD created ones. The 42 disc set contains all the films from Dr. No through Casino Royale.

Arriving on November 6th, the set will be priced at $239.98.

DVD-sniffing dogs visit Canada

TORONTO (CP) - A pair of canine crimefighters who have sniffed out nearly two million illegal DVDs overseas showcased their noseworthy skills Wednesday, as an industry watchdog executive reiterated the need to remain vigilant in the fight against piracy.

Lucky and Flo, who are sponsored by the Motion Picture Association of America, are the world's first dogs specially trained to identify discs by the scent of their chemicals.

One by one, the black Labradors were unleashed to sniff among a suitcase and seven brown boxes scattered in close proximity in search of the one holding the DVDs, before flipping off the lid to unveil its contents.

Piracy cost the worldwide film industry US$18.2 billion in 2005, including US$225 million to the Canadian industry, said John Malcolm, the MPAA's executive vice-president and director of worldwide anti-piracy.

"That represents huge lost opportunities for creative artists here in Canada to get their films made and their stories told and represents a huge lost opportunity in terms of being able to showcase the talents of Canadian filmmakers," he said.

The dogs' Canadian visit comes one week after the canines sniffed out a large inventory of knock-off DVDs in the New York City borough of Queens. Three people were arrested and officials seized between 10,000 and 12,000 discs. The dogs were also recently honoured in Malaysia for helping unearth nearly two million bootleg DVDs.

In recent months, Ottawa has moved swiftly to get an anti-camcording law on the books. Bill C-59, which gained royal assent June 22, amends the Criminal Code to make recording a movie without permission a crime, punishable by two years in jail. Taping a film for future sale or rental carries a maximum five-year jail term.

The bill was introduced just two days after Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger that Canada would crack down on piracy.

While Malcolm applauds the government's efforts to stem bootlegging, Canadian camcording remains a problem, accounting for about 25 per cent of the illegal recordings available worldwide, he said.

"Let's be clear: when we talk about piracy, there's nothing swashbuckling about this. It is stealing, pure and simple, no different than any other kind of theft. This is a serious criminal activity."

Neil Powell, a search and rescue dog handler based in northern Ireland, has worked with Flo and Lucky for 2 1/2 years. He was approached by a representative of the Motion Picture Association in the U.K. who asked if he was able to train dogs to find DVDs and CDs.

The training process took 12 weeks and was divided into three segments: determining whether there was a detectable odour on DVDs, teaching the dogs to find the discs and environmental training exposing the duo to different types of search areas.

Despite their ability to detect discs, they can't distinguish between the legitimate and pirated ones.

"Any searching we have to do is done where we know there are no genuine discs so they cannot tell the difference between the two," Powell said.

"So you would get them to search consignments of clothing or furniture, that sort of thing, and if the discs are then hidden away in that the dogs will most certainly find them."

The dogs were honoured in Malaysia last month following a six-month assignment dubbed "Operation Double Trouble" where they participated in 35 raids in the country and the Philippines resulting in 26 arrests.

The operations were so successful that Malaysian movie pirates reportedly placed a bounty on the dogs.

"When we started off, this was cutting-edge because it had never been done before anywhere in the world, so when I did it at first I thought, 'Well, how can this be used? Where can we actually use these dogs?' But it would seem the amount of interest around the world now is growing steadily," Powell said. "I am amazed by the impact they've made."

After a four-week break in Ireland, Lucky and Flo will be back on the road, heading to eastern Europe.

'I'm basically a brand'

He is famous for playing wise-cracking slackers. But, John Cusack tells Ryan Gilbey of the British website Guardian Unlimited Arts, that's only because those are the parts he gets offered - and it drives him crazy

'I've made 10 good films'... John Cusack, Hollywood's Mr Honesty.

John Cusack wastes no time getting down to business. "I've made 10 good films," says the 41-year-old actor shortly after striding into the Berlin hotel room in a backwards baseball cap and sprawling in an armchair. "I'm sure you know which ones they are. The ones that suck I tend to blank out. It's like I never even made them." I'm slightly taken aback at his honesty, though his tally is in the right ballpark. Here's my list: The Sure Thing, Eight Men Out, Say Anything, The Grifters, Bullets Over Broadway, Grosse Pointe Blank, The Thin Red Line, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Max - that pretty much covers it. But has he really made 40 movies that suck? He mulls it over. "Well, there aren't 40 that are great, put it that way." He pauses for an eternity, eyes widening. "But that's fine. Ten is a good batting average, don't you think?"

To that hallowed 10 he now adds his latest picture, a claustrophobic chiller called 1408. What a happy coincidence, you might think: the movie he happens to be promoting this week is one about which he is cock-a-hoop. But it doesn't take long in Cusack's company to realise he's a straight-shooter. Isn't that why audiences respond to him? Whether he's playing chirpy and idealistic (Say Anything) or amoral (The Grifters, Grosse Pointe Blank), he cuts through the celebrity fog that surrounds so many performers of his stature and generation; you feel you're getting something real, even if another of his selling-points is paradoxically that you can never be sure of its precise nature. "This John Cusack guy: I always see something going on in there, and I don't know what it is," remarked the late Robert Altman. And if Altman couldn't define it, what hope the rest of us?

Not only has Cusack learned a lot about the way the industry works in his 20-plus years as an actor, but he is eager to share his findings; and to shatter any illusions I might have about how an actor such as him comes to make the films he does - only 20% of which, don't forget, are actually any cop. So it's unlikely he would beat around the bush if he had reservations about 1408. It is adapted from a Stephen King story (Cusack's second: he was the hero's idealized older brother in Stand by Me) about a hack who checks into a malevolent hotel room as research for a book on haunted hostelries. What he encounters there is a radio clock that only plays the Carpenters, eerie paintings that spill free of their frames and a hammer-wielding assailant with a scary receding hairline.

He falters somewhat talking about the finished film. "If I'm in something that I think is kinda good, it stays with me like a fever dream for a long time afterwards. I don't recall the finished product so much as the feeling of making it." Working largely on his own altered the typical film-making dynamic: if being on a movie set is like living in a bubble, then Cusack was in a bubble within that bubble. "It was all so intimate," he enthuses. "The director, the cinematographer and I created our own little world, with its rules and internal logic that only we understood. I loved it because it was a high-wire act. I knew that if it worked, it would be great, and if it didn't, I'd fall on my ass real hard. It's insane doing something where you don't know whether it's going to work on any level, but it's so exciting." His long face crinkles into a grin.

Only a handful of actors have ever been entrusted with the lion's share of an entire film - think of Tom Hanks shooting the breeze with a basketball for most of Cast Away, or Philip Baker Hall prowling the Oval Office alone as Nixon in Secret Honour. But to this elite breed we can now add Cusack, who dominates 1408. Samuel L Jackson is there to hand over the key, and various bit-players drift in and out of Cusack's ensuing hallucinations, but for the most part we are alone with him and his distinctive brand of rumpled, smart-aleck cynicism.

When I ask him about how consciously he has cultivated this persona, he gives an easy-going shrug. "I suppose I have a certain thing I do well that people seem to like. Not everyone likes it, of course. The guy in the Guardian last week certainly didn't." Cusack is referring to a negative review of 1408, in which Joe Queenan wrote that the actor's "wise-cracking slacker persona is starting to wear thin". He seems both amused and quietly irritated by this remark. "So there you go," he smiles. "Some people like it, other people don't." Yes, I insist, but what exactly is it that you do well? He's laughing now. "Well, you see I'm trying to avoid answering that question."

With films like The Sure Thing, Say Anything and High Fidelity, Cusack developed a knowing, slightly nerdy screen image that was a forerunner of what Seth Rogen is flogging in Knocked Up. In these movies, Cusack became a symbol of hope, both for those men who figured it might not be so bad being a nerd after all, and for those women who found themselves dating one. "I'm aware of the affection those characters inspired," he says. "I feel close to Lloyd in Say Anything. He was like a super-interesting version of me. Only I'm not as good as him. Whatever part of me is romantic and optimistic, I reached into that to play Lloyd. Of course, now it's all gone. Now I'm just bitter."

There seems to be some discomfort involved for Cusack in articulating what he's good at, but he gamely has a go anyway. "I think I'm pretty brave," he says seriously. "I'll take risks. I can look at my career and point to the movies that were risky." He singles out Max, in which he played a fictional gallery-owner who urges the young Adolf Hitler to channel his rage into his painting, and Being John Malkovich, where his down-at-heel puppeteer charged customers to enter Malkovich's head via a clammy hole behind some filing cabinets. "Being John Malkovich worked out great, so people tend to forget what a risk it was - first-time writer, first-time director and so on. I read that screenplay four years before it got made. I'd said to my agents: 'Show me scripts that are fantastic and crazy.' I love getting up on that tightrope. I wish I could do it more, but I have to balance what I want to do with what people want me to do."

Who are these "people"? "People who offer me work," he says. "There's this brand that they think I am, and I get sent stuff that corresponds to that. I have to do it. It's not like there are 10 projects on offer at any one time, and six of them are brilliant." I'm astonished that Cusack hasn't earned the right to pick and choose, given his track record. "It's absolutely true," he says. "No one cares. The movies have got more corporate, they're making fewer movies in general, and those they are making are all $200-$300m tent-pole releases that eat up all the oxygen."

This may seem rich coming from a man who profited from exactly that species of movie when he appeared as an FBI agent in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced blockbuster Con Air. Yes, his character wore sandals and quoted Dostoevsky, but he still ended the film wrestling the bad guy atop a speeding fire engine. At the time, Cusack claimed he did Con Air because it had come time for him to be a businessman. "You know: get my name above the title, my face on a billboard," he told me in 1997. "I use those kinds of films to get leverage," he says now. "You wouldn't think Con Air had anything to do with Max, but in my career it does. It's doing Con Air, or doing romantic comedies, that makes Max possible. The bad stuff you just try to make as good as you can."

It may be pragmatic, but isn't it also depressing? "Sure, it's depressing." Another long, wide-eyed pause. "But you aren't gonna talk about that in the press. 'Poor John, he's depressed because he can't have it all his way' - you know, with everything going on in the world that's going to sound ridiculous." He hoots at the thought. "I get to do the stuff I want. I have a good voice, I think, and it comes through in my work."

To illustrate this, he cites two upcoming films concerned in varying degrees with war: Grace Is Gone, in which he plays a man whose wife is killed in Iraq, and War, Inc, a "spiritual cousin to Grosse Pointe Blank", and partly inspired by Naomi Klein's article Baghdad Year Zero.

You can see the strategy in juggling such disparate projects, but from the outside it resembles a kind of personality crisis. When the same actor who throws himself into writing, producing and starring in War, Inc or Grosse Pointe Blank turns up in featherweight romantic daydreams such as Serendipity or Must Love Dogs, it's as though there are two John Cusacks walking the earth.

To his credit, he retains a palpable sense of mystery on screen and off; the most diligent showbiz reporter would be hard-pressed to fill a paragraph about him. "The thing about John," says Mikael Hafstrom, the director of 1408, "is that he is full of secrets. You never read anything about him in the gossip papers, he doesn't talk about his private life, so you never feel you've had enough of him." Cusack calls it his survival instinct. "It seems like common sense to me. When I was growing up, I never wanted to know what my favourite musicians or artists ate for breakfast, or who they were dating. I found out what they felt about the world from their work."

On the downside, there is the real possibility that he will get taken for granted - that he'll always be there, being wry and enigmatic, and is destined never to receive proper approbation. He was daring in The Grifters and Being John Malkovich, and droll in Bullets Over Broadway, and yet on all those occasions he had to stand by as virtually everyone associated with those films, from the caterer upwards, was nominated for Academy Awards while he - the leading man, no less, in all three cases - was overlooked. Doesn't he want an award? "Do you have one?" he shoots back, mock-excitedly. "If you wanna give me an award, I'll take it. Just don't make me go to the party afterwards."

Pam Splits from Real-Life Jim

Pam Beesly knows a thing or two about thwarted romance. Unfortunately, Jenna Fischer is now familiar with the concept, as well.

The Office star and hubby James Gunn are separating after almost seven years of marriage, People reports.

"We are sorry for any pain this causes family and friends," the couple said in a joint statement to the magazine that's now posted on Fischer's MySpace page.

"The enthusiasm we have expressed for each other's lives, spirits and careers is real—we have been each other's cheerleader and friend during the past six years and continue to be so now and in the future."

So the split appears to have been amicable.

The duo were introduced by Gunn's brother, Gilmore Girls actor Sean Gunn, a longtime friend of Fischer's, and they tied the knot in October 2000. They do not have any children.

Fischer, who during her myriad talk show appearances in recent years always spoke affectionately of her man but never failed to mention that the two spent lots of time apart due to work commitments, costarred last year in Gunn's feature directorial debut, the horror flick Slither. Before that, he had penned the 2002 Scooby-Doo movie, its 2004 sequel and the remake of George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead.

In another note on MySpace, Fischer asked that their fans respect their privacy and refrain from mudslinging, however well-intentioned.

"We appreciate your support over the years, and would be overjoyed to have you continue supporting us both," she wrote. "You might be tempted to make one of us 'feel better' by putting the other one down in a post. Please don't—we still have the utmost respect for one another, and we'd have to delete you.

"We aren't taking questions or doing interviews about this particular aspect of our lives. We're also avoiding reading any press on the subject, so don't send us any clippings or links about the split. Thank you in advance for respecting our privacy.

Fischer, who scored a supporting actress Emmy nod this year for her role as half of the as-yet star-crossed Jim-and-Pam on The Office, was also in Blades of Glory and appears in the upcoming comedy The Brothers Solomon. Next, she costars with John C. Reilly in Judd Apatow's mock biopic Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, in theaters Dec. 21.

Pavarotti's condition reportedly worsens

ROME - Luciano Pavarotti's health has deteriorated and the tenor was in very serious condition, suffering kidney problems and losing consciousness, a local Italian TV station reported Wednesday.

Television station E' TV Antenna-1 in Modena reported that the 71-year-old tenor, who has pancreatic cancer, had lost consciousness and was suffering from kidney problems at the Modena home where he has been recovering following a hospital stay.

The ANSA news agency, citing medical sources, said Pavarotti was believed to have lost consciousness for brief moments in recent days. The AGI news agency said Pavarotti was in "very serious condition." It didn't name its sources.

Modena hospital spokesman Alberto Greco confirmed Pavarotti was at home, but said he had no further information.

Pavarotti's manager, Terri Robson, did not deny the reports; an associate answering Robson's phone said she had no comment.

Pavarotti was released from the hospital Aug. 25, more than two weeks after he was admitted with a high fever. At the time, Robson denied Italian news reports that he had been treated for pneumonia.

The opera star had surgery for the cancer in July 2006 in a New York hospital.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly forms of the disease, though doctors said the surgery offered improved hopes for survival.

At the time of the operation, Pavarotti had been preparing to resume his farewell tour. He has made no public appearances since then.

Springsteen's wife records new album

NEW YORK (AP) - While writing songs for her new album, Patti Scialfa was inspired by a wide range of women: Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, doomed poet Sylvia Plath, renowned author Joan Didion, and, shifting gears, drag racer Shirley "Cha Cha" Muldowney.

Ladies and gentlemen, start your iPods.

"I didn't realize I'd done that, believe me!" the singer-songwriter says, laughing about the seemingly mismatched group. "I just like strong women. No matter how old you are, you still need your role models.

"That's why churches were built with high ceilings, you know? To look up."

For "Play It As It Lays," her third solo record, the 53-year-old Scialfa raised her personal bar for success. She decided to write about relationships, with her lyrics matched to the R&B sounds of classic Aretha and Al Green.

"I did want to expand myself musically, lyrically and emotionally," Scialfa says between sips of Earl Grey tea. "I wanted to push myself. I like to hide. . . . I had to come up a little tougher."

The effervescent Scialfa wears a black jacket and pants, her red hair falling past her shoulders and a white ruffled shirt. Sitting in a Manhattan hotel suite, she's excited and expansive about the album.

"This record for me is exploring the complexities of long-term relationships," she says. "Real relationships. A partner, people who've been together for a long time. At this point in my life, that's very fascinating to me."

Not just romantic relationships - one track, "The Word," was initially written after her father's death. And, as she observes on "Like Any Woman Would," Scialfa's been a mother, sister, friend and confidant, as well as a spouse.

Her husband of 16 years is Bruce Springsteen; now the mother of three, she joined his band in 1984, and became his wife seven years later.

But Scialfa said she wasn't worried about people reading her lyrics as a referendum on their marriage.

"No, that's OK," she said. "First of all, when you're writing, you're pulling from many, many different areas. I like to start out with something - a seed of some sort of feeling that I know deeply about, or else I feel that I don't write the song well.

"But once it gets going, you can pull anything into it."

While Scialfa's music reflected her love of great R&B, her lyrics were influenced in part by Plath (on "Like Any Woman Would"), Didion (on title track "Play It As It Lays") and Muldowney (on "Run Run Run").

Helping along the way was a great band assembled for the album, featuring guitarist Nils Lofgren, drummer Steve Jordan, bassist Willie Weeks, keyboardist Cliff Carter and utility player Springsteen (harmonica, guitars, B3 organ).

The improbable group improbably dubbed itself "the Whack Brothers."

"They had a lot of fun playing with each other - the jokes and the fooling around all the time," she explains.

Lofgren, a fellow member of Springsteen's E Street Band, praised Scialfa's effort on his website. "Her new album is really amazing," Lofgren wrote, "and I'm happy to be a part of it."

Scialfa, who grew up in Asbury Park, N.J., emerged from the same Jersey shore music scene that spawned her husband, Little Steven Van Zandt and Southside Johnny Lyon. She wound up as a backing vocalist for the Rolling Stones, Buster Poindexter and Southside's Asbury Jukes.

Her first solo record, "Rumble Doll," was released in 1994 - and then came children, and band tours, and 10 years elapsed until her autobiographical "23rd Street Lullaby." Three years later comes "Play It As It Lays," which Scialfa deliberately limited to 10 songs.

"I thought, 'Clear, about one thing - it'll be like reading a short story,' " she says. "And that's how I wanted it to go down, like a short story. Trim the fat. . . . I don't like the excess."

There will be a tour of some sort, most likely in early 2008, for Scialfa to perform her own music. It might be during a break from her other musical gig with Springsteen's E Street Band, which has a new album out Oct. 2 and a tour.

"Really, just selfishly, I have to do something for myself," she says. "You don't want to be resentful, when things come up in your life and you can't do the things that are important to you. My kids are a little older now. So I can go out - even if it's only for a month - just to get out there."

Kidman was secretly engaged post-Cruise

NEW YORK - Nicole Kidman says she was engaged to a mystery man in between breaking up with Tom Cruise and marrying Keith Urban. "I didn't really want a relationship," the 40-year-old actress says. "I just wanted my kids to have me, and I didn't feel comfortable having some person in that small hubbub."

"And then I got engaged to somebody ... but it just wasn't right," she continues in Vanity Fair magazine's October issue, on newsstands Sept. 11. "I wasn't ready. We weren't ready."

Details, please.

"I get engaged and I get married — that's my thing," she says, declining to reveal her former fiance's identity. "I don't want to date. I'm interested in a very, very deep connection."

Kidman and Cruise divorced in 2001 after 10 years of marriage. They have two adopted children, Isabella, 14, and Connor, 12; Cruise has a 1-year-old daughter, Suri, with actress-wife Katie Holmes.

Kidman, who married country singer Urban in June 2006, says she has no regrets when it comes to her marriage to Cruise.

"My agents told me, `Once you become Mrs. Tom Cruise, you do know your career is going to die,'" says Kidman, who won an Oscar for her portrayal of Virginia Woolf in 2002's "The Hours."

"I was appalled," she says. "I was like, `Hello? I'm in love, and I don't care if it's shooting myself in the foot. I'd much rather be married and have a family.'"

The couple "lost a baby early on, so that was really very traumatic," she says. "And that's when it came that we would adopt Bella."

Cryptically, she adds: "There's a complicated background to that, given that I never speak much about many things. One day maybe that story will be told."

Kidman hopes to have a baby with Urban.

"I'm yearning to have one," she says. "I think I would be very sad if I wasn't able to have a baby. Keith knows I want one, and he has been getting there slowly."

Murray explains golf cart incident

VENICE, Italy (AP) -- Bill Murray says he was just dropping people off after a party when he was stopped in downtown Stockholm driving a golf cart.

The police "asked me to come over and they assumed that I was drunk and I explained to them that I was a golfer," Murray told reporters Monday at the Venice Film Festival, where he appeared before the premiere of his new film "The Darjeeling Limited," which also stars Adrien Brody, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson.

The star of 1980's "Caddyshack" said he was in Stockholm last month to play in a pro-am golf tournament, and hitched a ride to a post-event party in a golf cart. When no one wanted to drive home, he volunteered.

"I ended up stopping and dropping people off on the way like a bus. I had about six people in the thing and I dropped them off one at a time.

He said police called him over as he was dropping the last couple off at a 7-Eleven, adding "I didn't know they had 7-Elevens in Stockholm."

Swedish police took a blood test after the actor refused a breath test. He could face drunken driving charges.

It's not illegal to drive a golf cart through downtown Stockholm, just unusual.

New CD Releases, Sept. 4: Pink Floyd, Manu Chao, Patti Scialfa

Pink Floyd "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn"

The seemingly endless 40th anniversary celebrations--which have included marking the Summer of Love and the release of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"--continue with this worthy reissue of Pink Floyd's debut album.

The special-edition package of "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" includes three discs. Two of those CDs will sound decidedly similar, yet different enough for audio aficionados--one features the original "Piper'' in mono, while the other is a stereo mix. Both, however, have been remastered.

Disc 3 is what makes this a must-have for Floyd freaks. It is made up of bonus tracks, including all of the band's singles from 1967. It also features rare B-sides and alternative versions of "Piper'' tracks.

The whole set comes in a fancy, Storm Thorgerson-designed package, which is said to resemble a cloth-covered book, and has a 12-page reproduction of vocalist/lyricist Syd Barrett's original notebook.

* * *
Manu Chao "La Radiolina"

Ending a six-year recording hiatus, the international music star returns with the highly anticipated "La Radiolina." Chao's last album was 2001's well-regarded "Esperanza."

The Latin alt-rock pioneer, who came to fame as the leader of Mano Negra, has been very active this year. His 2007 North America tour included high-profile stops at the Coachella, Sasquatch, Quebec Summer and Bonnaroo music festivals.

* * *
Patti Scialfa "Play It as It Lays"

The singer/songwriter/guitarist returns with her third solo album, which follows 1993's "Rumble Doll" and 2004's "23rd Street Lullaby."

Scialfa, of course, is best known for being the wife of Bruce Springsteen. She is also a member of Springsteen's fabled E Street Band and took part in hubby's Seeger Sessions project.

* * *
Ted Nugent "Love Grenade"

The Motor City Madman takes a break from hunting wild animals to release his first CD in five years. Perhaps the most notable selling point for "Love Grenade" is that it includes a re-recording of the 1967 Amboy Dukes classic "Journey to the Center of The Mind." And, yes, that ranks as yet another 40th anniversary celebration, for those of you who simply can't get enough.

* * *
Greg Brown "Yellow Dog"

The folk/roots star returns with a follow-up to last year's "The Evening Call." The Grammy-nominated performer is known as a "songwriters' songwriter" and his tunes have been covered by Willie Nelson, Shawn Colvin, Ani DiFranco and other acclaimed lyricists.

* * *
Other new releases:

Joshua Bell, "Red Violin Concerto" (Sony)
Suzy Bogguss, "Sweet Danger" (Loyal Dutchess)
Chiodos, "Bone Palace Ballet" (Equal Vision)
Every Time I Die, "The Big Dirty" (Ferret)
Ari Gold, "Transport Systems" (Centaur)
Calvin Harris, "I Created Disco" (Almost Gold)
Lee Hazlewood, "Lee Hazlewood-ism: Its Cause and Cure" (Water)
Israel and New Breed, "Deeper Level" (Sony)
Andre Rieu, "Radio City Music Hall: Live in New York" (Denon)
Michelle Shocked, "To Heaven U Ride" (Mighty Sound)
Various Artists, "Bam Margera Presents: Viva La Bands, Vol. 2" (Ferret)
Various Artists, "Guilt By Association" (Engine Room)

Beatles' 'Help!' Expanded For New DVD

The Beatles' second film, 1965's "Help!," will be released in a double-DVD edition Oct. 30 via Apple Corps Ltd and EMI Music. The movie was released in DVD in 1997 and again in 2000, but has been off the market ever since due to rights issues.

In "Help!," drummer Ringo Starr comes into possession of a cursed ring, which he cannot remove, prompting adventures in London, the Austrian Alps and the Bahamas.

The first disc of "Help!" boasts a digitally restored version of the film plus a new 5.1 audio soundtrack, with songs like "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away," "Ticket To Ride," "The Night Before," "Another Girl" and "You're Going To Lose That Girl."

Disc two offers a 30-minute documentary about the making of the movie, a missing scene, a featurette on the restoration process, interviews with cast and crew, three theatrical trailers and vintage radio advertisements.

"Help!" will also be available in a boxed set with a reproduction of director Richard Lester's original script and a 60-page book with rare photos and production notes.

Kelly Clarkson revives her tour

NEW YORK - Kelly Clarkson, who scrapped an earlier tour this summer due to slow sales, is heading back on the road this fall.

The Grammy-winning singer announced Tuesday she would kick off a theater tour Oct. 14 at New York City's Beacon Theater, winding down in Nashville on Dec. 4 at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium.

"I'm getting pumped to get out there and rock with y'all," she said in a statement. "We intend to blow the roof off these theaters."

The former "American Idol" champ had a rough summer, splitting with her manager amid friction with her record label over the direction of her third album, "My December," which debuted at a disappointing No. 2 on the charts. In July Clarkson canceled an arena tour due to slow ticket sales, and organizers said that they planned to re-evaluate the size of the tour.

"Gap Year" and Fifth Series Plans Announced

Following media speculation, the BBC have confirmed future plans for Doctor Who in a press release today.

After the fourth series airs in 2008, David Tennant will continue in the role of the Doctor for a Christmas special at the end of 2008. After that, instead of a full series beginning filming, the production team, with Tennant still in the role, will be working on three Doctor Who specials, led by Russell T Davies, to be shown on BBC1 throughout the year of 2009. A fifth full series is scheduled for 2010, though as BBC News point out, casting is unconfirmed for that far ahead.

Media speculation was sparked by reports that Tennant had been cast in the title role of Hamlet, in a production for the Royal Shakespeare Company from July to November 2008. This would have conflicted with filming a fifth series for airing in the spring of 2009. The RSC 2008 Flyer and BBC News are confirming Tennant's role in the play.

Rumors over the past several months have suggested that the show would be going on a sort of 'temporary hiatus' after the fourth series, though the BBC has emphasized the series' return for a full fifth year. It is not known whether Davies will continue in the helm of the series when it does return on a weekly basis, however.

The press release included the following quotes:

Jane Tranter, Controller, BBC Fiction, says: "Doctor Who is one of the BBC's best loved and most successful dramas. Its journey over the past three series has been one of the most ambitious and exciting that we have had, and I'm delighted to be able to confirm not only three exciting specials for 2009, but a fifth series in 2010."

Menna Richards, Controller, BBC Wales, says: "The success of Doctor Who is a fantastic tribute to the dedication and expertise of the production team at BBC Wales who have worked on the project from the outset. This announcement is marvellous news for all involved, and more importantly for the programme's amazing fan base and audience. BBC Wales is looking forward to producing the fifth series."

Jerry Lewis' telethon hits new record

LAS VEGAS - Showman Jerry Lewis raised nearly $64 million on Monday during his annual Labor Day Telethon to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association, topping last year's event by $3 million.

"We did it. We did it. I got my buck more. And more. We can go shopping," a jubilant Lewis said as the tote board topped $63.7 million for his 42nd telethon. Last year's record was $61 million.

As in the past, the International Association of Fire Fighters anchored the donations from local fill-the-boot drives with $25.2 million, eclipsing last year's $23.5 million.

"Whoa, whoa firefighters. They're all my heroes — every firefighter you see," Lewis said.

Harold Schaitberger, the union's general president, replied, "Jerry, you care about them and we care about you. We'll be with you every year."

Lewis, who has conquered both age and illness to anchor every telethon for more than half of his 81 years, showed no signs of slowing as he asked for pledges on Monday. While he spent many of the final hours of the 21 1/2-hour show behind a desk, his forays on stage to greet guests were spry and witty.

"We'll be here every year as long as I'm breathing in and out," Lewis said.

The telecast has raised $1.46 billion to fight the disease since it began in 1966 on a single television station in New York City. This year's telecast was carried by 190 stations in the United States and Canada and carried worldwide on the Internet.

The broadcast returned to Lewis' home town of Las Vegas last year after 11 years in Los Angeles.

"We're back in Vegas!'" he said. "It's the best location we could ask for to send out MDA's message of hope."

`Halloween' scares up $31 million debut

LOS ANGELES - "Halloween" came early and closed Hollywood's strong summer season with a record-breaking Labor Day weekend debut.

Rob Zombie's new take on John Carpenter's 1978 horror sensation "Halloween" slashed its way to a $31 million haul over the four-day weekend, surpassing the $20.1 million gross for 2005's "Transporter 2," which had held the record for best Labor Day opening.

Released by the Weinstein Co. and MGM, "Halloween" also topped the $29 million Labor Day gross for 1999's "The Sixth Sense," which had been the biggest-grossing movie over the holiday. That blockbuster ghost story was in its fifth weekend when Labor Day came around.

Sony's comedy "Superbad," the No. 1 movie the previous two weekends, slipped to second place with $15.6 million, raising its total to $92.4 million.

Focus Features' "Balls of Fury," a comedy about a washed-up pingpong player recruited by the feds to help bring down a criminal mastermind (Christopher Walken), opened at No. 3 with $13.8 million.

"Death Sentence," 20th Century Fox's revenge thriller starring Kevin Bacon, debuted at No. 8 with $5.2 million.

Led by "Halloween," Hollywood set a new overall record for Labor Day, with the top 12 movies taking in $119.6 million, surpassing the previous high of $106.1 million in 2003.

"`Halloween' was far beyond anything we've seen on Labor Day," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "It was just a perfect ending to a perfect summer. Hopefully, we can do this every year."

The industry finished the summer season with record receipts of $4.18 billion since the first weekend in May.

Factoring in higher ticket prices, though, movie attendance did not set a record. Media By Numbers estimates 610 million tickets were sold, the fifth-best admissions figure for modern Hollywood.

Unlike Carpenter's original, Zombie's "Halloween" delved into the childhood of unstoppable slasher Michael Myers to explain why the masked madman wages his own personal war of terror.

"Carpenter's genius was in not giving the back story, so you had this force of evil unto itself," said Bob Weinstein, co-founder of the Weinstein Co. "Rob was more like, what's behind the evil? I think the fan base loved the idea that there'd be a new version that would also add something to it."

"Halloween" will turn a tidy profit even if it follows the pattern of most horror films and drops off quickly in subsequent weekends. The movie was shot on a modest $15 million budget, meaning it took in twice its production costs in just four days.

The movie was a renewed success for the horror genre, which had hit hard times with a few underperforming releases earlier this year, among them "Hostel II."

"It's funny how Hollywood keeps writing things off," said Weinstein, whose company also scored a summer success with the supernatural tale "1408." "After `Hostel II,' they said horror's done. Horror's not done. If there's something unique in the story, nothing's done."

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

1. "Halloween," $31 million.
2. "Superbad," $15.6 million.
3. "Balls of Fury," $13.8 million.
4. "The Bourne Ultimatum," $13.2 million.
5. "Rush Hour 3," $10.4 million.
6. "Mr. Bean's Holiday," $8.1 million.
7. "The Nanny Diaries," $6.4 million.
8. "Death Sentence," $5.2 million.
9. "War," $5.1 million.
10. "Stardust," $3.9 million.

FOSTER PLAYS DARK ROLE IN NEW MOVIE

NEW YORK (AP) -- Parallels to Martin Scorsese's dark classic "Taxi Driver" led Jodie Foster to take a role in her new movie, "The Brave One."

The 1976 film portrays a cabby driven to madness amid a crime-ridden and debt-filled New York City climate. The newer film is a story about living with fear in New York after Sept. 11.

"When I first read the script, honestly, it didn't remind me enough of 'Taxi Driver,'" Foster said in an interview published in this week's Newsweek. "That was one of my issues with it. There was all this room for something more beautiful."

Foster, who was in "Taxi Driver" as a 13-year-old, stars as Erica Bain, a radio host who survives an attack that kills her fiance. Afterward, she learns to use a gun and finds situations in which to use it.

The two-time Oscar winner spoke to Newsweek last summer, on the film's set in Brooklyn. The Warner Bros. release opens Sept. 14.

Director says Owen Wilson doing better

VENICE, Italy - Actor Owen Wilson, who was hospitalized Aug. 26 after an apparent suicide attempt, is doing well and even making colleagues laugh, the director of his latest film said Monday.

"Obviously he has been through a lot this week," said Wes Anderson, who directed Wilson in "The Darjeeling Limited," one of the films in competition for the Venice Film Festival's top award.

"I can tell you he has been doing very well, he has been making us laugh," Anderson told a news conference to promote the film.

"When he is ready he's going to speak for himself much better than any of us could," the director said, asking that the actor's privacy be respected.

Wilson and Anderson have worked together for over a decade, in pictures including "The Royal Tenenbaums." Wilson is also known for appearing in recent hits such as "Wedding Crashers."

The 38-year-old Wilson was taken by ambulance to a hospital after police responded to a call about a suicide attempt at his Santa Monica home. The day after he was hospitalized, he issued a statement asking for privacy so he could "receive care and heal."

In "Darjeeling," Wilson plays a distraught man — bandaged throughout the film — who other characters imply has attempted suicide.

Wilson plays one of three brothers who haven't said a word to each other in a year and who take a train journey across India in an attempt to find themselves and their relationship again.

Adrien Brody, who plays one of the brothers, described how it was to work with Wilson on the set.

"Owen has a tremendous sense of humor and he's very mischievous," Brody told the news conference. "I would say it was a brotherly thing."

The movie also stars Jason Schwartzman, Anjelica Huston and Bill Murray.

After being hospitalized, Wilson dropped out of the upcoming DreamWorks movie, "Tropic Thunder," which was already in production in Hawaii.

The fall CD preview

This year, Sept. 25 is the day to circle on your calendar. That's when more than a dozen major artists -- including Steve Earle, Foo Fighters, Joni Mitchell, will.i.am, Blue Rodeo, PJ Harvey, Tony Bennett and more -- are putting out new CDs.

The rest of the fall calendar is quickly getting crowded too. So crowded, in fact, that we're adding an extra page of CD reviews every week. To kick things off, here's a quick look at the biggest and best discs due this fall, along with a sidebar of key box sets.

And while you're there, start making your own list. And checking it twice.

Bruce Springsteen -- Magic

The Boss reunites with the E Street Band for their first disc in five years (and, some say, their last collaboration). Album of the year? We wouldn't be surprised. Oct. 2.

50 Cent -- Curtis vs. Kanye West -- Graduation

The beef of the fall: Fiddy vows to retire if he doesn't outsell Kanye on the first day. Wonder how much Kanye paid him to say that? Sept. 11.

Foo Fighters -- Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace

If the rest of this disc rocks as hard as the leaked single Pretender, this could be Dave Grohl's biggest, baddest disc yet. Sept. 25.

Joni Mitchell - Shine

The legendary folksinger delivers her first new album in a decade. The same day, Herbie Hancock releases a Joni tribute CD. Coincidence? We think not. Sept. 25

Neil Young -- Chrome Dreams II

The original was recorded and scrapped in the '70s. This version supposedly resurrects some of those old songs, along with new material. Oct. 16.

The Eagles -- Long Road Out of Eden

Too bad they already used the title Hell Freezes Over: It would have been perfect for the country-rockers' first full-length studio album in 28 years.

Steve Earle -- Washington Square Serenade

The backwoods meet the Big Apple. Roots-rocker Earle tones down the politics and gets personal on this folksy CD, singing the praises of his newly adopted hometown: New York City. Sept. 25

The Hives -- Black and White Album

Howlin' Pele Almqvist and his Swedish garage-rock titans squeeze into their matching suits to crank it up and crank it out once again. Oct. 9.

John Fogerty -- Revival

Can the original roots-rocker reclaim his past? We'll see. Either way, you just know somebody's going to sue him over that title. Oct. 2.

PJ Harvey -- White Chalk

Word is that Polly Jean wrote most of this disc on piano instead of guitar. Which presumably means we'll see fewer upskirt pix from her next tour. Sept. 25.

will.i.am -- Songs About Girls

The Black Eyed Peas mastermind releases his next collection of ringtones ... er, songs. Sept. 25.

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss -- Raising Sand

The legendary Led Zep frontman teams up with the rootsy singer- songwriter. Could be the most interesting matchup of the fall. Oct. 23.

Mariah Carey -- Illusions: The Butterfly Within

Uh-oh. Is it just us, or does that title sound like Mariah's gone off her meds again? Nov. 20

Guns N' Roses -- Chinese Democracy

Ha! Not a chance. But we had you going for a second there, didn't we?

BOX SETS

The box set everyone's waiting for -- Neil Young's 10-disc Archives Vol. 1 -- was finally due this fall after more than a decade in the works. But in typical Young fashion, it's now been pushed back to Valentine's Day. Oh, well. Here are five others to spin while you wait.

Emmylou Harris -- Songbird

Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems The angel of Americana assembled this five-disc collection, which has 78 rarities and unreleased cuts, along with a DVD of live performances. Sept. 18

Billie Holiday -- Lady Day

The Master Takes and Singles The most tragic figure in jazz -- and that's saying something -- gets her due in a four-disc anthology featuring 79 of her finest moments. Sept. 25

Frank Sinatra -- A Voice in Time (1939-1952)

This four-disc, 80-song set follows Old Blue Eyes from his first solo recordings to his final tracks for Columbia. Sept. 25

Bob Dylan -- Dylan

Fans got to vote on the 51 tracks that form this three-disc retrospective, which is packaged with postcards, mini vinyl sleeves and a 40-page booklet. Oct. 2

The Heavy Metal Box -- Various Artists

Headbangers will have a ball with this 70-song anthology from Rhino -- which comes in a box shaped like a Marshall amp, with a knob that goes to 11. Oct. 2

The Brit Box -- Various Artists

Also from Rhino, this four-disc set of Britrock classics comes in a foot-high replica of an English phone booth -- with a working light! Oct. 2

The key CD releases due between now and Christmas (all information subject to change):

Sept 11
Black Francis -- Bluefinger
Kenny Chesney -- Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates
Elvis Costello -- My Aim is True (Deluxe Edition)
Ani DiFranco -- Canon
50 Cent -- Curtis
Go! Team -- Proof of Youth
Joe Henry -- Civilians
Hot Hot Heat -- Happiness Ltd.
The Proclaimers -- Life With You
Kanye West -- Graduation
Ann Wilson -- Hope & Glory

Sept 18
Babyface -- Playlist
James Blunt -- All the Lost Souls
Johnny Cash -- Best of Johnny Cash TV show (DVD)
Chamillionaire -- Ultimate Victory
The Donnas -- Bitchin
Kevin Drew (Broken Social Scene) -- Spirit If ...
Dropkick Murphys -- The Meanest of Times
Gloria Estefan -- 90 Millas
Mary Gauthier -- Between Daylight & Dark
David Gilmour -- Live at Royal Albert Hall (DVD)
Hard-Fi -- Once Upon a Time in the West
Emmylou Harris -- Songbird: Rare Tracks and Forgotten Gems (Box)
Mark Knopfler -- Kill to Get Crimson
Diana Krall -- The Very Best of
Alvin Lee -- Saguitar
Love is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets -- Various Artists (Box)
Barry Manilow -- The Greatest Songs of the '70s
Reba McEntire -- Reba Duets
Ministry -- The Last Sucker
Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) -- Trees Outside the Academy
Mya -- Liberation
New Found Glory -- From the Screen to Your Stereo Pt. 2
Otis Redding -- Dreams to Remember: The Legacy of (DVD)
Simon & Garfunkel -- Live 1969
The Simpsons -- Testify
KT Tunstall -- Drastic Fantastic
Twista -- Adrenaline Rush 2007
U2 -- Popmart Live from Mexico City (DVD)
Eddie Vedder -- Into the Wild (Soundtrack)

Sept 25
Devendra Banhart -- Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon
Tony Bennett -- Ultimate American Songbook
Blue Rodeo -- Small Miracles
Miles Davis -- The Complete on the Corner Sessions (Box)
The Doors -- The Very Best of
Down -- Down III: Over the Under
Steve Earle -- Washington Square Serenade
Melissa Etheridge -- The Awakening
Foo Fighters -- Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace
Give Us Your Poor -- Various Artists
Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino -- Various Artists
Herbie Hancock -- River: The Joni Letters
PJ Harvey -- White Chalk
HIM -- Venus Doom
Billie Holiday -- Lady Day: The Master Takes and Singles (Box)
Iron and Wine -- The Shepherd's Dog
Chaka Khan -- Funk This
Nellie McKay -- Obligatory Villagers
Bill Medley -- Damn Near Righteous
Joni Mitchell -- Shine
Meshell Ndegeocello -- The World Has Made Me the Man of my Dreams
Pearl Jam: Picture in a Frame (DVD)
Queen Latifah -- Trav'lin Light
Brian Setzer Orchestra -- Wolfgang's Big Night Out
Billy Joe Shaver -- Everybody's Brother
Frank Sinatra -- A Voice in Time (1939 - 1952) (Box)
Stars -- In Our Bedroom After the War
Status Quo -- In Search of the Fourth Chord
Supagroup -- Fire for Hire
Sweet Honey in the Rock -- Experience ...101
Randy Travis -- Songs of the Season
Scott Walker -- And Who Shall Go to the Ball? And What Shall Go to the Ball?
Weakerthans -- Reunion Tour
will.i.am -- Songs About Girls

Oct. 2
The Beatles -- Unseen Beatles (DVD)
The Brit Box: Indie U.K., Shoegaze and Brit-Pop Gems of the Last Millennium -- Various Artists
Brooks & Dunn -- Cowboy Town
Ian Brown (Stone Roses) -- The World is Yours
Boyz N Da Hood -- Back Up N Da Chevy
Peabo Bryson -- Missing You
David Byrne -- Live From Austin Tx. (DVD)
Cake -- B-Sides & Rarities
J.J. Cale -- Rewind: Unrelased Recordings (Box)
The Cult -- Born Into This
Dashboard Confessional -- The Shade of Poison Trees
Celine Dion -- These are Special Times (Collector's Edition)
Bob Dylan -- Dylan (Box)
John Fogerty -- Revival
Merle Haggard -- Bluegrass Sessions
Heavy Metal Box -- Various Artists
Faith Hill -- The Hits
Mick Jagger -- The Very Best of
Elton John -- Elton 60: Live at Madison Square Garden (DVD)
Annie Lennox -- Songs of Mass Destruction
matchbox twenty -- Exile on Mainstream
Megadeth -- Warchest (Box)
The Most Serene Republic -- Population
Prong -- Power of the Damager
LeAnn Rimes -- Family
The Sadies -- New Seasons
Siouxsie -- Mantaray
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band -- Magic
Stax--Volt Revue Live in Norway 1967 -- Various Artists (DVD)

Oct. 9
Avenged Sevenfold -- Avenged Sevenfold
David Banner -- Greatest Story Ever Told
Bizarre -- Blue Cheese 'n' Coney Island
Alter Bridge -- Blackbird
Vanessa Carlton -- Heroes & Thieves
Chicago -- The Best of Chicago 40th Anniversary
Eric Clapton -- Complete Clapton
Fiery Furnaces -- Widow City
Deborah Harry -- Necessary Evil
Hives -- Black & White Album
Engelbert Humperdinck -- The Winding Road
Kid Rock -- Rock n Roll Jesus
Jennifer Lopez -- Brave
Bob Mould -- Circle of Friends: Live at 9:30 (DVD)
Willie Nelson -- Willie Nelson (Box)
LeAnn Rimes -- Family
She Wants Revenge -- This is Forever

Oct. 16
AC--DC -- Plug Me In (DVD Box)
Eve -- Here I Am
Robyn Hitchcock -- I Wanna Go Backwards (Box)
Jimmy Eat World -- Chase This Light
Toby Keith -- A Classic Christmas
R.E.M. -- Live DVD
Santana -- Ultimate Santana
Nicole Sherzinger -- Her Name is Nicole
Shaggy -- Intoxication
Soulsavers -- It's Not How Far You Fall, It's the Way You Land
Angie Stone -- The Art of Love & War
Underworld -- Oblivion With Bells
Dan Wilson -- Free Life
Neil Young -- Chrome Dreams II

Oct. 23
Angels & Airwaves -- I-Empire
Ashanti -- The Declaration
Babyshambles -- Shotter's Nation
Coheed and Cambria -- No World for Tomorrow
David Gahan -- Hourglass
Alicia Keys -- As I Am
Alison Moyet -- The Turn
Robert Plant + Alison Krauss -- Raising Sand
Reliant K -- Let it Snow, Baby ... Let it Reindeer
Lionel Richie & The Commodores -- Number Ones
Seether -- Finding Beauty in Negative Spaces
Serj Tankian -- Elect the Dead
Dwight Yoakam -- Dwight Sings Buck
The Temptations -- Back to Front
Carrie Underwood -- Carnival Ride
Ween -- La Cucaracha
Rob Zombie -- Zombie Live (CD--DVD)

Oct. 30
Backstreet Boys -- Unbreakable
Natasha Bedingfield -- N.B.
Bob Dylan -- Live at Newport (DVD)
The Eagles -- Long Road Out of Eden
Gram Parsons -- Archives Vol. 1: The Flying Burrito Brothers Live at the Avalon 1969
Buck 65 -- Situation

Nov. 6
Garth Brooks -- The Ultimate Hits
Chris Brown -- Exclusive
Jimmy Buffett -- Live in Anguilla (CD--DVD)
Counting Crows -- Saturday Nights, Sunday Mornings
Duran Duran -- Red Carpet Massacre
Wyclef Jean -- Carnival II
Spice Girls -- Greatest Hits
James Taylor -- One Man Band (CD--DVD)
Stevie Ray Vaughan -- Solo Sessions & Encores -- Pride & Joy (DVD)

Nov. 13
Boyz to Men -- Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA
Dillinger Escape Plan -- Ire Works
Celine Dion -- The Woman in Me
Goo Goo Dolls -- Greatest Hits Vol. 1
Led Zeppelin -- Mothership
Paul McCartney -- The McCartney Years (DVD)
Ja Rule -- The Mirror
Seal -- System
Wu-Tang Clan -- The 8 Diagrams
Trisha Yearwood -- Heaven, Heartache and the Power of Love

Nov. 20
Sebastian Bach -- Angel Down
Mariah Carey -- Illusions: The Butterfly Within
Daft Punk -- Alive 2007
Jennifer Hudson -- TBA
Led Zeppelin -- Song Remains the Same (DVD)
Lupe Fiasco -- The Cool
Jordin Sparks -- TBA

Dec. 4
Foxy Brown -- Brooklyn's Don Diva
Primal Scream -- TBA

Dec. 18
Q-Tip -- The Renaissance

Fall music DVD preview

Not all the best discs this fall go in your CD player. Here are the key music DVDs destined for your home theatre.

Johnny Cash -- Best of the Johnny Cash

TV Show What could be better than two DVDs of vintage Cash? How about guests like Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Ray Charles, CCR, Neil Diamond, Derek and the Dominos and more? Sept. 18

Otis Redding -- Dreams to Remember: The Legacy

More than a dozen performances by the late soul giant -- including a TV appearance taped less than 24 hours before his death. Sept. 18

The Ramones -- It's Alive 1974 - 1996

Hey, ho, let's go watch four hours of classic and previously unseen live footage from the Noo Yawk punk bruddas. Oct. 2

AC/DC -- Plug Me In

If you want blood, you'll get in on this three-disc set with more than seven hours of clips from the Aussie rockers' entire career. Oct. 16

Bob Dylan -- The Other Side of the Mirror: Live at Newport

Zimmy and his acoustic guitar get their folk on at the 1963 edition of the long-running U.S. music fest. Oct. 30

Paul McCartney -- The McCartney Years

Big Mac empties the vault for this this three-disc set of live cuts and videos from his post-Beatles era. Nov. 13

Led Zeppelin -- The Song Remains the Same

Maybe it does ... but this version of the ultimate '70s rock movie comes with four previously unseen tunes. Nov. 20

New "Blade Runner" cut is "how it should have been"

VENICE (Reuters) - Twenty-five years after "Blade Runner" was panned by critics and pulled from theaters, British director Ridley Scott savors revenge with the final cut of the science-fiction film now considered a cult classic.

Presenting the new version of what he considers his most accomplished movie, Scott recalled the difficulties he had when he first pitched the work to Hollywood.

"I was a new kid on the block in Hollywood, so driving to those studios every day was a magical mystery tour. But it was hard, the whole process of making the movie became quite difficult," he told reporters at the Venice film festival after a press screening.

"I wasn't used at that point in my career to having too many cooks in the kitchen, and I think there were many people who started to get involved.

"So out of it came a hybrid version of what I'd originally intended. Consequently ... we had a bad opening, bad previews, confused previews. I was killed by some critics ... then I thought it would be gone away for ever," Scott said.

The futuristic thriller is set in the year 2019 and follows policeman Deckard (Harrison Ford), a "blade runner" trying to catch and kill four human replicants who have escaped from a space-based colony.

The response at early sample screenings before the official release in June 1982 was so weak that the producers forced Scott to add voice-overs to the film and change the final scene to make it a more "happy ending."

"I thought I'd really nailed it, I really thought I'd nailed it. And the person I used to show it to was my brother (director Tony Scott). And my brother, he loved it so much. Then we preview, and the previews are really, really bad, and my confidence is really dented," said Scott.

The reworking of the film led to "voice overs which started to explain what was about to happen, who the characters were and who was going to do what to who, which is the antithesis of a good movie making process," he said.

CULT MOVIE

Despite the changes and two Oscar nominations, bad reviews and the almost simultaneous release of Steven Spielberg's hugely popular "E.T." ended the theater run of "Blade Runner" prematurely.

Yet the film eventually achieved cult status through re-issue on television and home video.

Scott, 69, said he had almost forgotten about it until he saw clips on music television channel MTV and realized that his film "was having a strong influence on younger generations."

Over the years, five versions of the film have been released, including a director's cut in 1992. But Scott said the "Final Cut" -- which will be issued as a collector's DVD edition later in the winter -- was "really as it was intended to be."

"A good film is like a good book, you might go to the shelf and take it off and revisit it. There are not a lot of films I can do that with from my collection of material," said Scott, whose other titles include international hits such as the first "Alien," "Thelma & Louise" and "Gladiator."

At present, Scott is working on "Body Of Lies," one of several Hollywood movies on the war in Iraq due for release in the next few months. But he said he would like to make another science fiction film.

"I am continuously looking for that so if anyone has got a science fiction script in their briefcase, give it to me."

Movie studios bask in blockbuster summer

LOS ANGELES - Hollywood lived its own second-chance "Rocky" story this summer as a business that looked to be going down for the count two years ago rebounded with record revenue and an unparalleled string of blockbuster hits.

The movie industry had its first $4 billion summer and will finish with a haul of about $4.15 billion from the first weekend in May through Labor Day, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

That was up 8 percent from last summer and surpassed the previous high of $3.95 billion in summer 2004.

Hollywood did not set a movie attendance record, though. Factoring in annual rises in admission prices, about 606 million tickets were sold this summer, up 3 percent from 2006. But the season was only the sixth-best for modern Hollywood, whose biggest summer for attendance since the golden age of the 1930s, '40s and '50s came in 2002, when 653.4 million tickets were sold, according to Media By Numbers.

Still, it was a sharp turnaround from summer 2005, when attendance plunged 11.5 percent compared to the previous summer and critics predicted the movie industry would continue to decline as consumers turned to home theaters, video games and other entertainment choices.

"Everyone should be very happy with the result. The movie industry is alive and well, in comparison to maybe what was being said a few years ago," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony, which started the summer with a record-breaking $151.1 million opening weekend for "Spider-Man 3" and also released "Superbad," which is on its way to becoming a $100 million hit.

"Spider-Man 3" was quickly followed by DreamWorks Animation's "Shrek the Third" and Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," the third installments in those three franchises all shooting past $300 million domestically.

It was the first summer ever to start with three such huge blockbusters, yet Hollywood lost momentum in June. The month had hits with Universal's "Knocked Up" and 20th Century Fox's "Live Free or Die Hard" and "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer."

Though packing in solid audiences, the star-studded Warner Bros. sequel "Ocean's Thirteen" and Universal's "Evan Almighty," a follow-up to the blockbuster "Bruce Almighty," failed to live up to their predecessors, contributing to a soft box-office month.

Then Disney's "Ratatouille," Paramount's "Transformers" and Warner's "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" reignited movie fever. Quickly following were hits such as Universal's "The Bourne Ultimatum," New Line's "Hairspray" and "Rush Hour 3" and 20th Century Fox's "The Simpsons Movie," providing a surge to the second half of summer, when the movie business usually slows down as fall approaches.

While there were a couple of box-office underachievers, Hollywood was conspicuously free of outright bombs this summer, unlike two years ago, when the season was littered with flops such as "The Island," "Stealth" and "The Bad News Bears."

"It's a tribute to the fact that we as a collective group paid attention to the audience and made sure that what we put out was satisfying," said Chris Aronson, senior vice president of distribution for 20th Century Fox. "At the end of the day, it says that if it's good, they're going to come. The demise of the movie business is very premature. It's a healthy business as long as the quality of the movies is there."

For the full year, movie revenues are up 7 percent and attendance has risen 2.5 percent compared to last year.

But the movie business is fickle, and that momentum could falter through the fall and holidays, when the film schedule is unusually barren of big franchise flicks.

The one major sequel is "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," but that does not come out until late December. If Hollywood hopes to maintain its strong year, audiences will have to turn out in big numbers for such original films as Johnny Depp's musical "Sweeney Todd," Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig's fantasy "The Golden Compass" and Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe's crime drama "American Gangster."

"Look how important sequels were to summer of 2007. If we're counting on that for the fall and holiday season, we're going to be out of luck," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. "It's going to be about originality having to win out over franchise films."

Originality certainly had its place over the summer, with such R-rated comedies as "Knocked Up" and "Superbad." Both came from the same creative team, with Judd Apatow ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin") directing "Knocked Up" and producing "Superbad."

Apatow has found big-screen success with the sort of smart comedy that failed on television, as networks quickly pulled the plug on his critically acclaimed shows "Freaks and Geeks" and "Undeclared."

"It makes me feel like I was not crazy for yelling and crying at everybody when those shows got canceled," Apatow said. "I'm always happy to have these films do well enough that they'll just let me make another one. So everything else is gravy."