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."