"Cleveland" on map as "Family Guy" spin-off

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Family Guy's" henpecked husband Cleveland Brown might be getting his own show.

The Fox network and the show's producer, 20th Century Fox TV, are developing a spin-off from their hit animated series centered on Peter Griffin's bathtub-accident-prone neighbor, sources said.

The project, tentatively titled "Cleveland," is being written by "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry -- a writer/producer who voices Cleveland -- and Rich Appel, an executive producer on MacFarlane's other Fox cartoon, "American Dad."

Cleveland, who plays off black stereotypes, is the most levelheaded among Griffin's trio of friends. He's also pushed around by his wife.

Once canceled by Fox, "Family Guy" triumphantly returned on the network in 2005. It is Fox's top-rated comedy and has grown into a $1 billion franchise with red-hot DVD and merchandise sales.

Fox executives have made it a priority to find another hit animated comedy to complement their Sunday comedy lineup. They have several cartoons in the works, including an animated version of the 2003 short-lived live-action comedy "The Pitts." In addition to "Cleveland," Fox is also developing a spin-off of the drama series "Prison Break," set at a female prison.

Weinsteins start upscale DVD label

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Bob and Harvey Weinstein have already made their mark on Hollywood.

Now, the former Miramax Films chiefs are bent on leaving their imprint on the DVD business as well, with a premium label they hope will rival the prestigious Criterion Collection or Warner Home Video's extravagant collector's editions of such marquee films as "Gone With the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz."

The Miriam Collection, named after the brothers' mother, launched in late January with the release of one of the last great epics not previously available on DVD, Anthony Mann's "El Cid."

The second release is another Mann film, "The Fall of the Roman Empire," a lavish 1961 production starring Alec Guinness, Sophia Loren and Omar Sharif. The film earned its place in the record books for the largest outdoor set in Hollywood history: more than 55 acres, with a reconstructed Roman Forum.

The film comes to DVD on April 29 from Genius Products, the independent DVD distribution company majority owned by the Weinsteins.

"The Miriam Collection is a very personal selection of films," Harvey Weinstein said. "The brand is not only about remastering films for the best picture and sound but also to showcase the backstory of each film and develop compelling features that complement the title."

Weinstein said he and his brother plan to pick 12-15 films for branded release each year, ranging from such big productions as "El Cid," "Roman Empire," "Circus World" and "55 Days at Peking" to niche titles like "The Deal," a British TV movie from "The Queen" director Stephen Frears.

Weinstein clearly relishes being able to play kingmaker and give deserving films the true DVD VIP treatment a la the fabled Criterion Collection.

"'The Fall of the Roman Empire,' for example, is fully loaded," Weinstein said. "It looks and sounds astonishing, and the bonus materials fully explore the sheer magnitude and grandeur of making a film of this scale in a time long before the advent of CGI."

Indeed, the Weinsteins' DVD version of "Roman Empire" will come in an elegantly packaged three-disc edition. Extras include a commentary by Bill Bronston, son of producer Samuel Bronston, and film expert Mel Martin; a reproduction of the original 1964 souvenir program; a behind-the-scenes look at the fall of the real Roman Empire; a detailed "making of" documentary; five Encyclopedia Britannica featurettes on the Roman Empire; and a set of six color production stills.

Genie awards show ignores "Juno"

TORONTO (Hollywood Reporter) - Any film awards show overlooks good movies. But among the glaring omissions at next Monday's Genies, Canada's version of the Oscars, is "Juno." The box office smash was shot in Vancouver by a Canadian director, Jason Reitman.

The comedy about a 16-year-old girl's pregnant path to enlightenment stars Ellen Page and Michael Cera, both also Canadian.

Don't blame Genie voters for the snub. The rule book requires that some of a film's production budget must come from Canada for it to be deemed a Canadian film.

Because L.A.-based Mandate Pictures developed and financed "Juno" and Fox Searchlight released the comedy, the Genies considers the film American and thus ineligible for competition.

Canada's film awards really falls down the rabbit hole into Wonderland when you consider that "Eastern Promises," a British film about a Russian mob family in London, and directed by hired-gun Canadian David Cronenberg, will contend for best Canadian film at the Genies.

Reitman, attending a pre-Oscars luncheon at the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles last week, told reporters he was puzzled by the selection process.

"It's a Canadian director, Canadian stars, Canadian cast, Canadian crew, shot in Canada -- how are we not eligible for a Genie when David Cronenberg's film about Russians living in London shot in England with a British crew and British cast is eligible? I'm sorry, but somebody is going to have to explain that to me; I don't get it," he said, with proud father Ivan Reitman at his side.

Well, "Eastern Promises" is a British film. But because the film's co-producer, Toronto-based Serendipity Point Films, steered enough Canadian subsidies to make up about 20% of Cronenberg's production budget, the Genies dipped "Eastern Promises" in maple syrup and gave it 12 nominations.

The message: Leave it to other awards shows to honor filmmaking excellence, whatever its origins. The Genies celebrate government support.

New Eminem book to detail his thoughts

NEW YORK - Eminem is working on a book that's "every bit as raw and uncensored as the man himself," according to his publisher.

Dutton Books, an imprint of The Penguin Group, announced Wednesday that it would be publishing the best-selling rapper's "The Way I Am" this fall.

"It will be illustrated with never-before-seen photographs of Eminem's home and life along with original drawings," Dutton said in a statement.

The rapper's spokesman, Dennis Dennehy, said the memoir "is still in the process of being written and edited."

The book was described as an intimate look inside the life of Eminem, who has sold tens of millions of records since he made his provocative debut in 1999.

"Offering a window on the star's private thoughts on everything from his music and the trials of fame to his love for his daughter, Hailie, this title is every bit as raw and uncensored as the man himself," Dutton said.

The Grammy and Academy Award-winning rapper has published one other book, "Angry Blonde." The 2002 work detailed his lyrics.

Eminem has not released a new album since 2004's "Encore," and his representative said there's no CD scheduled to be released from the rapper at this time.

Rock Band knock-off announced for Wii, DS

Disney on Wednesday announced Ultimate Band for Wii and DS, no peripherals required (but isn't that part of the fun?).

"Disney is working with some of the very biggest names in rock, alternative, popular, emo and indie rock music, allowing band mates to play sets from a broad selection of current hits and all-time rock favorites," says a presser. "Friends and families can rock out on guitar, bass, drums or as the front man."

Ultimate Band will exclusively use either the Wii remote or DS stylus when hitting on screen notes. Without the use of a microphone, however, we wonder if the "front man" will merely play the tambourine, or better still, the cowbell.

Sadly, a list of licensed tracks were missing from today's announcement, but Disney says the included songs are "instantly-recognizable.. from every decade since the 60s." The game is slated for a 2008 holiday release on Wii and DS.

More rhythm games can only be a good thing, but we'll keep our expectations low until we learn more about Ultimate Band.

'70s is the go-to decade for comedy

NEW YORK - Platform shoes, leisure suits, fondue, fro picks. What used to be cool is now the stuff of comedy.

When it comes to period comedies, the `70s are the equivalent of Victorian era costume drama. While serious-minded filmmakers are forever reaching back to the time of royalty clad in waistcoats and dressing gowns, comedians are more likely to cull from the less halcyon days of disco and sideburns.

Will Ferrell is again mining the decade with "Semi-Pro," a movie in theaters Friday about a fictional ABA basketball team, otherwise realistically set in the `70s. Ferrell earlier traveled back to the "Me Decade" for 2004's "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."

"Whenever I look back at old photos and this and that, it just seems like such an alien time," Ferrell said. "The `80s are funny too, and I guess we'll look back and the `90s will be funny too, but the `70s are holding strong."

Ferrell is far from alone. In 2004's "Starsky & Hutch," Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson returned to when a Ford Gran Torino could be an object of obsessive pride. Cameron Crowe's "Almost Famous" (2000) captured the `70s — like many films set in the decade — through music.

"I'm Gonna Git You Sucka" (1988) parodied `70s blaxploitation movies, ground eventually covered in the `60s-oriented "Austin Powers" films, specifically the third installment: "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002).

On the tube, the eight seasons of "That `70s Show" proved far more successful than its spinoff, "That `80s Show," which lasted for just a season. Though it takes place in 1980 and 1981, the cult classic series "Freak and Geeks" was largely imbued with `70s culture, like laser light shows and proms with Styx blaring.

"The danger with any period piece, especially of a more recent history, is that it can become cartoony really fast," said "Freaks and Geeks" creator Paul Feig, 45. "The biggest thing on `Freaks and Geeks' was monitoring up front the costumes and all that. A show like `That `70s Show' is clearly making fun of those archetypes — and that's fine, that works for that show — but it was a big thing for me to go like, `No, everyone did not wear leisure suits.'"

Even without the period cliches, the particular vibe of the `70s is especially suited to comedy. If the decades are characterized stereotypically, the `50s were uptight and fearful, the `60s were turbulent and optimistic, and the `80s were crass and commercial. The mood of the `70s is often viewed as a period of cynicism and languor: both innate qualities of comedy.

"Anchorman" director Adam McKay recalls the `70s as a "very bipolar decade" of grim reality and rich fantasy. Vietnam ended in failure, recession and gas shortages spread across the country — all while disco ruled the airwaves and drug-fueled parties raged.

"The reality of the change of the `60s was coming into place, and a lot of the time, it was pretty funny," said McKay. "The `60s were what legitimately brought in a lot of social change, but the `70s is when some of it seeped into the actual day-to-day living patterns of most Americans."

In Richard Linklater's 1993 classic, "Dazed and Confused," the red-haired character Cynthia Dunn (Marissa Ribisi) explores the "every-other-decade theory" on the last day of school in 1976:

"The fifties were boring. The sixties rocked. And the seventies, oh my God, they obviously suck. Come on! Maybe the eighties will be radical."

In an essay, film critic Kent Jones praised "Dazed and Confused" for achieving an accurate "balance between the aggressive and the dreamy" particular to "this odd, floating moment in history, when all decisive gestures seemed strange and suspect."

"There was a melancholy feel to the `70s," said the 40-year-old Ferrell, who nevertheless remembers them fondly. "I was so into the bicentennial. No joke. I bought a Liberty Bell necklace that was pewter. It was like a prized possession."

Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights" (1997) was ultimately a drama, but took much of its comedy from depicting outlandish aspects in the `70s pornography industry. You have Rollergirl (Heather Graham), a kung-fu fanatic (Mark Wahlberg) and a director (Burt Reynolds) worried by a new medium: videotape.

The period details in "Semi-Pro" are considerable: Evel Knievel-style stunts, medallions slung over turtlenecks, tri-colored basketballs and, of course, the expression "jive turkey."

"If it feels like there's a fun way to comment, you find those little moments, otherwise it should fit in the texture of the film," said Ferrell.

In "Anchorman," Ferrell's newsman character, Ron Burgundy, memorably discovers a "new fad": "I believe it's jogging or yogging. It might be a soft `J.' I'm not sure but apparently you just run for an extended period of time. It's supposed to be wild."

McKay, 39, believes `70s-set comedies remain relevant because of a universal theme of old meeting new — albeit a "new" often ridiculously dressed and grooving to Rush.

"What's the common thread in all of them? In `Dazed and Confused' the quarterback has the conflict with the old-school football coach," said McKay. "In (`Semi-Pro') it's the ABA verse the uptight NBA. And in `Anchorman,' you have the new sharp woman journalist against the old guard."

That films set in the `70s continue to proliferate isn't just a coincidence; that's when many of the comedians now currently dominating the scene came of age. It's only natural they would return to what all comedians perpetually contemplate: adolescence.

"I was just starting to have my opinion about what I thought was funny, and trying to be funny," recalled Ferrell. "All those things were happening around that period of time."

McKay, who was reluctant to make "Anchorman" in the `70s because it had been done before, is amazed the `70s — skipped over by everyone else — continue to be such fertile ground for comedians.

"I was shocked to see that it's still continuing," he said. "It's turned out to be a really deep well."

Quebec comedy takes top-grossing Canadian film award

Les trois p'tit cochons, a Quebec comedy about three brothers who reunite during their mother's illness, has won the Golden Reel Award as the highest-grossing Canadian film of 2007.

The film earned more than $4.6 million in Canada from Jan. 1, 2007, to Dec. 31, more than any other qualifying film.

The Golden Reel Award is given at the Genie Awards, Canada's film awards, scheduled for March 3 in Toronto.

The film is the debut directorial effort of Patrick Huard, the veteran Quebec actor who starred in Les Boys and Bon Cop, Bad Cop.

It stars Paul Doucet, Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge and Claude Legault as brothers who tell the stories of their lives and loves while their mother lies in a coma.

Legault has been nominated for a best actor Genie, Lemay-Thivierge for best supporting actor and the film is nominated for best original screenplay and best editor.

Producers Pierre Gendron and Christian Larouche have previously received Golden Reel awards — Gendron in 1990 for Jesus of Montreal and Larouche in 2002 for Les Boys III.

Rush goes live with 'Snakes & Arrows'

As promised, prog-rock heroes Rush will release a new live album just ahead of their extended Snakes & Arrows World Tour.

The double-CD, "Snakes & Arrows Live," is scheduled to arrive in stores April 8--three days before the band returns to the road. The set was recorded last October at the Netherlands' Ahoy Rotterdam arena during Rush's five-month world tour. The album's live rendition of "Workin' Them Angels" is expected to be delivered to rock radio outlets nationwide on March 10, according to a press release.

The original version of the single comes from the Canadian trio's latest studio release, "Snakes & Arrows," which debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 last May and became Rush's 11th Top 10 album in the US. The set marked the band's first collection of new material since 2002's "Vapor Trails."

Rush's 2007 tour behind "Snakes & Arrows" was its highest-grossing outing to date, and the members--Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart--are getting ready to hit the road hard again this spring.

The 2008 trek is scheduled to launch April 11 with the band's first-ever concert in San Juan, Puerto Rico. From there, Rush will jump over to North America, where it will conquer nearly 50 dates across the US and Canada through July. Since last check, a second night has been added in Los Angeles. Details are listed below.

The upcoming tour will bring the trio to a host of cities it hasn't played in more than a decade, including Winnipeg, MB; Regina, SK; New Orleans; Oklahoma City, OK; Reno, NV; Moline, IL; Boise, ID; Austin, TX; and Orlando and Jacksonville, FL.

Since releasing its self-titled debut in 1974, Rush has achieved worldwide sales topping 35 million units, according to a press release.

'Beat It' Cover Bolsters Fall Out Boy CD/DVD

A cover of Michael Jackson's "Beat It" is among the many treats to be found on "****," Fall Out Boy's first live release. Due April 8 via Island, the project will be available as a CD/DVD or DVD only; the Jackson cover is a studio version featuring a "special guest guitarist" yet to be named.

"****" was taped in June 22, 2007, at Phoenix's Cricket Pavilion. Beyond the band's own hits ("Sugar, We're Going Down," "Thanks Fr The Mmrs," "This Ain't a Scene, It's An Arms Race"), a wide array of covers are included, such as Akon's "Don't Matter," Timbaland's "One and Only" and Panic At The Disco's "I Write Sins, Not Tragedies."

The DVD sports all eight Fall Out Boy music videos, a wealth of behind-the-scenes footage and a making-of segment for the "Me & You" video, which was filmed in Uganda.

"Before watching ourselves on film we never really realized how much we swear," bassist Pete Wentz wrote on the band's blog, by way of explaining the strange title for the upcoming release. "It's pretty gross ... though it's edited as to not hurt your little munchkin ears. And as for how to say the name, well any little four letter word will work."

Here is the DVD track list for "****":

"Thriller"
"Grand Theft Autumn/ Where Is Your Boy"
"Don't Matter"
"Sugar, We're Goin Down"
"Our Lawyer Made Us Change The Name Of This Song So We Wouldn't Get Sued"
"Of All The Gin Joints In All The World"
"Hum Hallelujah"
"I Slept With Someone In Fall Out Boy And All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me"
"Tell That Mick He Just Made My List Of Things To Do Today"
"I'm Like A Lawyer, The Way I'm Always Trying To Get You Off (Me & You)"
"Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More "Touch Me""
"Beat It"
"Carpal Tunnel Of Love"
"Golden"
"I Write Sins, Not Tragedies"
"This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race"
"Thnks Fr Th Mmrs"
"The Take Over, The Breaks Over"
"One and Only"
"Dance, Dance"
Drum Solo
"Saturday"

Maxim apologizes for Black Crowes review

NEW YORK - Maxim magazine has apologized for publishing a negative review of the Black Crowes' new album by a writer who hadn't listened to the whole CD.

The review in Maxim's March issue gives the Crowes' "Warpaint" a rating of two-and-a-half stars out of five. The band posted an exasperated statement on its Web site last week saying the Maxim writer hadn't heard the entire album because advance copies weren't available. The Crowes' manager, Pete Angelus, said the magazine explained that its review was an "educated guess."

Maxim editorial director James Kaminsky responded Tuesday with this statement: "It is Maxim's editorial policy to assign star ratings only to those albums that have been heard in their entirety. Unfortunately, that policy was not followed in the March 2008 issue of our magazine and we apologize to our readers."

A spokeswoman for the magazine contacted by The Associated Press declined to say whether the writer would face disciplinary action.

"Warpaint," the Black Crowes' first album in seven years, is set for release March 4. The blues-rock group, fronted by Chris Robinson, has released only one song from the disc, "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution."

The band's hits include "Hard to Handle" and "She Talks to Angels."

Madonna to release new album "Hard Candy" in April

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Madonna has dubbed her final album of new material for her longtime Warner Bros. label "Hard Candy," and will release it on April 29, her publicist confirmed on Tuesday.

The album, which features such songs as "Candy Store" and the first single "Four Minutes," is the follow-up to "Confessions on a Dance Floor," which debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. pop chart in November 2005.

The title and release date were first reported by Entertainment Weekly's Web site, and the details were confirmed by Madonna's spokeswoman, Liz Rosenberg. Entertainment Weekly quoted Rosenberg as saying the 49-year-old singer "loves candy."

"Hard Candy" will be Madonna's last studio release for Warner Bros. before she begins a wide-ranging 10-year recording, touring and merchandising deal with Artist Nation, a new initiative launched by concert promoter Live Nation. Warner Bros., a unit of Warner Music Group Corp will also release a hits collection.

New "Terminator" film set for May 2009 release

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - The fourth movie in the "Terminator" franchise will reach North American theaters on May 22, 2009, coinciding with the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend, distributor Warner Bros. said.

Christian Bale will star as rebel leader John Connor in "Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins," which is scheduled to begin production in the spring in New Mexico.

"Charlie's Angels" filmmaker McG will direct the movie, which is expected to be the first in a new "Terminator" trilogy.

The series, which originated in 1984 and made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star, centered on a robot from the future where machines wage war against humanity, whose goal was to kill Sarah Connor, the mother of the future leader of the human resistance. As the movies progressed, the son, played by Edward Furlong in 1991's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and Nick Stahl in 2003's "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," took a more prominent role.

Sony Pictures will handle international distribution. Warner Bros. and Sony had a similar arrangement for "Terminator 3," which grossed $433 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo.

Diablo Cody pays the price of fame, too

NEW YORK — Being the most famous stripper-turned-screenwriter in the world isn't always as pleasant as it may sound.

Diablo Cody, whose blog-to-riches fairy tale culminated in an Academy Award win for "Juno," has spent the past few months dominating a tiny little niche of Hollywood stardom: the celebrity writer. Not even wordsmith heavies Paul Haggis, Wes Anderson or Charlie Kaufman have stood in a spotlight so bright — but then, none of them had the allure of a pole-dancing past, punkish attitude or surprising smash-hit, Oscar-worthy pregnancy comedy.

And in Cody's case, there's a downside: The very things that make her star unique are suddenly being panned and scrutinized. From tabloid newspapers to well-trafficked celeb- and media-sniping blogs, Cody's meteoric rise has made her something of a target.

The first-time scriptwriter from Lemont, Ill., demonstrated her no-nonsense, rebellious personality last week when she took to her MySpace blog to vent about the $1 million diamond-laced shoes designed for her by Stuart Weitzman to wear on Oscar's red carpet.

"They're using me to publicize their stupid shoes and NOBODY ASKED ME," wrote Cody, who ultimately wore gold flats. "I would never consent to a lame publicity stunt at a time when I already want to hide."

Cody, who has been unapologetic and candid about her colorful life, drew praise in the blogosphere for her remarks at the time. But in the days that followed, Weitzman told the celebrity Web site TMZ that Cody actually selected the shoes herself, and bloggers (and subsequent commenters) had their fun calling her out for what they saw as diva behavior.

The New York Post chose a picture of Cody for its after-Oscars cover that prominently featured her bikini-clad stripper tattoo. The headline: Who's Tat Girl! And on Tuesday, Photos of a scantily clad Cody surfaced on the Web site Egotastic — nothing new, considering she's posted scantily clad photos of herself before.

With her Oscar firmly in hand, Diablo is laying low for now. She is "out of town," spending her time writing — and won't be available for media interviews "for the foreseeable future," her representative, Craig Bankey, told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Earlier this month, the Web site Something Awful posted three pages of a fake Cody screenplay called "Quotey" that mocked the hipster wordplay she showcased in "Juno," which had the oft-mocked line: "Honest to blog?"

And right before the Oscars, New York comedian Jackie Clarke released a video impersonation of Cody, complete with the writer's trademark black bob. In it, Clarke-as-Cody quipped: "Hey, did I ever tell you I used to be a stripper?"

"Everybody was ... rallying behind her before `Juno' hit $125 million at the box office, and now comes the inevitable backlash where they see her selling out to Hollywood," observed Tom O'Neil, a columnist for the Los Angeles Times' "The Envelope" Web site.

"She always seemed like a rebel, a social rebel who now seems to have cashed in and joined the club. And I think what we're witnessing is resentment to that," said O'Neil, who noted that Cody's raunchy backstory likely proved irresistible to Hollywood types who don't get a chance to show their bohemian, darker sides in public.

O'Neil called Cody's rise a "naughty Cinderella" story. Cody, whose real name is Brook Busey, caught the eye of manager Mason Novick after he found her sexy blog while surfing for porn online several years ago. She wrote a memoir about her year as a stripper in Minneapolis — and whipped up "Juno" on a laptop at a Starbucks in a Target store.

Cody's new projects include the Steven Spielberg-produced "The United States of Tara" for Showtime, featuring Toni Collette as a mom with split personalities, and the horror film "Jennifer's Body," which counts "Juno" director Jason Reitman among the producers. She's also taking a turn as a backpage pop-culture columnist for the magazine Entertainment Weekly.

"She was wooed by Hollywood from the start to join them," O'Neil said. "And once she did, then they exalted her. She became the ultimate epitome of Hollywood's free spirit."

Movie critic Robert Wilonsky of the Dallas Observer thinks potshots against Cody are rooted in jealousy.

"She deserves what she has coming to her," Wilonsky said. "This is not accidental and it's not undeserved. Anyone who says otherwise is just a would-be screenwriter with a movie script sitting in their desk that nobody has any interest in."

New York magazine recently published a chart showing "Juno" as experiencing "backlash to the backlash": "Almost everyone we know hates it," the magazine said. "So much so that others are now hating on the haters."

One of those haters is the mag's film critic, David Edelstein, who has professed to be "almost alone" — among critics, anyway — "in disliking" the dramedy.

"A lot of people I know have problems with the film because they think it's not the way a 16-year-old girl talks," Wilonsky said. "That's probably right to some extent. It's not meant to be a documentary."

O'Neil said the trick for Cody now is to deal with the pressure to match the success of "Juno."

"She's got to deliver," he said. "She's got to prove that all of this adulation is not just about her, but was really about her work."

The self-deprecating, yet self-promoting It Screenwriter seems as awed by her good fortune as her fans and detractors.

"I've always been a writer, I've always been a storyteller, but I never thought about screenwriting," Cody said after her Oscar victory. "I grew up in the Midwest, you don't know any screenwriters. It didn't seem like a realistic career possibility."

And until now, neither did the fame — and all of its pitfalls — that came along with it.

Anderson seeks to annul 2-month marriage

LOS ANGELES - Court documents show that Pamela Anderson is seeking an annulment, rather than a divorce, from husband Rick Salomon. The actress is seeking to annul the two-month marriage based on fraud. No other details were available, and Anderson's publicist did not immediately return an e-mail request for comment Tuesday.

In court papers filed in Los Angeles on Friday, Anderson asked the court not to award spousal support and to keep her and Salomon's income and property separate. On Monday, Anderson filed a request to have a retired judge handle the annulment proceedings — a common practice in celebrity split-ups as it keeps matters private and out of the court.

Anderson and Salomon, both 40, were married Oct. 6 in Las Vegas and separated Dec. 13. He's best known for making a sex videotape with then-girlfriend Paris Hilton and was previously married to actress Shannen Doherty.

Anderson was previously married to singer Kid Rock and Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee.

Sandra Oh to host Genie Awards gala

Actress Sandra Oh is coming back to Canada next weekend to host the Genie Awards, the annual celebration of the year's top Canadian films, organizers announced Monday evening.

Though perhaps most well-known for her Golden Globe-winning turn as an ambitious young surgeon on hit TV medical drama Grey's Anatomy, Oh has also maintained strong links to the independent and Canadian film communities.

Earlier this year, the Nepean, Ont.-born, Ottawa-raised Oh served as a juror for the dramatic competition grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Oh is also a former best actress Genie-winner for her roles in Don McKellar's Last Night and Mina Shum's Double Happiness. Her credits range from the Oscar contender Sideways to the HBO comedy Arliss to early work in Canadian productions like CBC's The Diary of Evelyn Lau.

In December, the Toronto branch of the group Women in Film and Television presented Oh with the international achivement honour at its 2007 Crystal Awards. She recently returned to filming Grey's Anatomy after the end of the recent U.S. screenwriters strike — during which she was a prominent face on the picket lines supporting her writer colleagues.

With 12 nominations each, David Cronenberg's Russian mafia thriller Eastern Promises and the Rwandan genocide drama Shake Hands with the Devil are the lead nominees going into the 28th annual Genie Awards.

The ceremony will be held in Toronto on March 3.

New CD Releases, February 26: Dolly Parton, Janet Jackson, Tift Merritt

Dolly Parton "Backwoods Barbie"

The country music legend releases her first new studio set since 2005's "Those Were the Days." According to a press release, "Backwoods Barbie" is Parton's "first album of mainstream country music in 17 years."

The 12-track "Backwoods Barbie" features nine originals, including the Parton-penned title track, which will be used in the score for a Broadway-musical adaptation of "9 to 5" (based on the 1980 movie of the same name that co-starred the singer with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin) currently planned for 2009. The first single from the album is "Better Get to Livin'."

Parton will support "Backwoods Barbie" on the road. The singer postponed the tour's initial start date after she was instructed by doctors to rest her back for six to eight weeks in order to recover properly, but the trek is now scheduled to kick off April 22 in Pittsburgh, PA.

* * *
Janet Jackson "Discipline"

Janet--still "Ms. Jackson, if you're nasty"--is dropping her 10th studio album, her first under a new recording contract with Island Records. The first single from "Discipline" is "Feedback," a track that was leaked to radio stations back in December.

"Discipline" follows 2006's "20 Y.O.," which sold more than 296,000 copies in its first week on shelves and debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 album chart. Besides recording, Jackson has remained busy with film work. She appeared in the 2007 Tyler Perry film "Why Did I Get Married?," which opened at No. 1 at the box office back in October.

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Tift Merritt "Another Country"

The Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter is ready to release her first studio album in four years. Merritt's previous studio set was 2004's Grammy-nominated "Tambourine," although she did release a live album and a concert DVD more recently.

The alt-country songstress will support "Another Country" on tour. The trek launches March 1 in Albany, NY, and is currently set to wrap at the April 26 Merlefest gathering in Wilkesboro, NC.

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Erykah Badu "New AmErykah, Pt. One: 4th World War"

Having taken a lengthy hiatus from the studio, the neo-soul singer finally returns with her fourth album. Badu's last studio effort was 2003's gold-certified "Worldwide Underground."

The lead single from "New AmErykah, Pt. One: 4th World War" is "Honey." The new album comes out on the same day that Badu will celebrate her 37th birthday.

* * *
Goldfrapp "Seventh Tree"

The British electronic music group, fronted by vocalist/synthesizer queen Alison Goldfrapp, hits with its fourth studio album. "Seventh Tree" follows 2005's "Supernature," a work that was nominated for Best Electronic/Dance Album at the 49th Grammy Awards.

* * *
More new releases:
The Afters, "Never Going Back to OK" (Sony)
Beach House, "Devotion" (Carpark)
Death Angel, "Killing Season" (Nuclear Blast)
Michael English, "The Prodigal Comes Home" (Curb)
China Forbes, "'78" (Heinz)
Ghostland Observatory, "Robotique Majestique" (Trashy Moped)
Hapa, "Hapa Live" (Finn)
Missy Higgins, "On a Clear Night" (Reprise)
The High Kings, "The High Kings" (Manhattan)
Leeland, "Opposite Way" (Provident)
Pillar, "For the Love of the Game" (Flicker)
Punch Brothers, "Punch" (Nonesuch)
Lizz Wright, "The Orchard" (Verve)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Disney's The Little Mermaid (2008 Original Broadway Cast)" (Disney)
"Ring of Fire: The Musical" (Time Life)

Oscars are a TV ratings dud

NEW YORK - The Oscars are a ratings dud. Nielsen Media Research says preliminary ratings for the 80th annual Academy Awards telecast are 14 percent lower than the least-watched ceremony ever.

Nielsen said Monday that overnight ratings are also 21 percent lower than last year, when "The Departed" was named best picture.

The least-watched Oscars ceremony ever was in 2003, when there were 33 million viewers.

Nielsen has no estimate yet on how many people watched Sunday night, but based on ratings from the nation's biggest markets, the Oscars will be hard-pressed to avoid an ignominious record.

The show had a 21.9 rating and 33 share.

Dan's Oscar Picks!

Well, I expected to go 5 for 6 with the BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS giving me the headache once again this year, in what was another fairly easily predictable year.

But I went 4 for 6 again this year...but remember, I made my predictions the day of the nominations.

Now, I do give myself some credit in the BEST ACTRESS category.

So lets recap....The 80th Annual Academy Awards...here is what I got right:

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Winner: No Country For Old Men
Dan's Prediction - No Country For Old Men

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Dan's Prediction - Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner: Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men
Dan's Prediction - Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men

And this is what I missed:

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose."
Dan's Prediction - Julie Christie, Away From Her

I had been saying all along that this was a two horse race between Julie Christie, "Away From Her" and Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose". I thought that Julie Christie would win as Hollywood loved their own...I was wrong, but I do give myself some credit here.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton"
Dan's Prediction - Ruby Dee, American Gangster

Well, I was wrong...but backstage, Swinton said she was completely shocked.

"I thought Ruby Dee would win and then, frankly, anybody but me," Swinton told reporters.

Oh well, an Academy Award winner agreed with me, so I don't feel so bad.

As for the night's other notable category for me:

Original Song: "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "Raise It Up" from "August Rush," Nominees to be determined; "So Close" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.

I was so happy that "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova won!!!

This was the highlight of the night for me!!

Oscar noms awaiting DVD release

Only one of this year's best-picture nominees has debuted on DVD.

Michael Clayton, with seven nominations in total, arrived this week in a single-disc edition with modest-yet-effective bonus materials. The highlight is a revealing commentary by writer-director Tony Gilroy, who explains how star George Clooney empowered his project after years of "walking in the wilderness."

Up next is No Country for Old Men, the violent masterpiece from Joel and Ethan Coen and the nominations co-leader with eight. It debuts March 11 in a single-disc edition.

Predictably, the Coen Brothers won't say much. They often give mumbling answers in interviews. But the DVD extras may illuminate the challenges of the project, anyway. Hopefully, they will focus on the stellar work of Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin and Woody Harrelson, all overlooked in the Oscar noms as Javier Bardem burst into prominence.

Further out is P.T. Anderson's There Will be Blood, the other nominations co-leader with eight. It is due April 8 in a two-disc collector's edition, which obviously will include generous bonus materials on the second disc.

Following that is Juno, set for an April 15 release in single-disc format. Juno is doing very well in theatres, despite minor backlash over its pregnant-teen theme. The worldwide box office is up to $143 million, most of it in North America. It is the clear box-office winner among the best-picture noms.

As for the final best-picture nominee, Atonement (tied with Michael Clayton with seven noms), no DVD dates have been announced yet.

Other Oscar nominees are currently available on DVD.

Among them is Ratatouille (five noms); La Vie en Rose (three noms); The Bourne Ultimatum (three noms); Transformers (three noms); Away From Her (two noms); 3:10 to Yuma (two noms); Elizabeth: The Golden Age (two noms); American Gangster (two noms); Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (two noms); In The Valley of Elah (one nom); The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (one nom); Eastern Promises (one nom); Gone Baby Gone (one nom); Surf's Up (one nom); Once (one nom); Across the Universe (one nom); and the idiotic Norbit (one nom).

Nominees due soon include Into the Wild (two noms), which is due March 4, and Enchanted (three noms), due March 18.

If you want to delve into Oscar's past, however, Fox, MGM and United Artists have teamed on five new box sets, all keyed to historic Oscar winners.

Three boxes contain best- picture winners, organized by studio. MGM's four-disc Best Picture Collection has Rocky, Platoon, Dances With Wolves and The Silence of the Lambs. The five-disc Fox box has How Green Was My Valley, Gentleman's Agreement, All About Eve and The Sound of Music. The four-disc United Artists set has Marty, The Apartment, West Side Story and Tom Jones.

There are two other boxes, each devoted to the acting craft. The five-disc Best Actor Collection has In Old Arizona, The King and I, Patton, Harry and Tonto and Wall Street, featuring winners from Warner Baxter to Michael Douglas. The five-disc Best Actress Collection has Anastasia, The Three Faces of Eve, Norma Rae, Boy's Don't Cry and Walk the Line, featuring winners from Ingrid Bergman to Reese Witherspoon.

'No Country' wins top Oscars

HOLLYWOOD -- No Country for Old Men had a great, if not a killer, night at the 80th annual Academy Awards.

The dark tale of a serial killer on the trail of a looted fortune won three of the "big six" Oscars and four overall, including best picture. But No Country lost in four technical categories, a sign that there is no longer any evidence of the across-the-board voting that helped set most-Oscar records for films such as Titanic.

The brother team of Joel and Ethan Coen won three of No Country's Oscars -- for best picture, director and adapted screenplay.

Javier Bardem picked up the movie's fourth Oscar, in the supporting-actor category, for portraying a particularly brutal serial killer.

During his acceptance speech, the Spaniard -- directing his comments toward his mother in the audience -- told her in Spanish that this Oscar will help "to recover the dignity of actors... and it's for our pride."

The Coens went into the evening hoping to make Academy Awards history by winning all four categories in which they were nominated. But when The Bourne Ultimatum won for film editing, that dream died. Only legendary animator Walt

Disney has ever won four Oscars in the same year, albeit not for the same movie.

No Country lost in three other technical categories, one to There Will Be Blood in cinematography, and two more to The Bourne Ultimatum, in sound editing and sound mixing. The latter meant that Kevin O'Connell's incredible Oscar losing streak was extended to 0-for-20. The 50-year-old sound mixer extended his record for the most Academy Award nominations without a win; he was up for Transformers.

In winning for adapted screenplay, the Coens defeated Canadian Sarah Polley, 29, who was nominated for her celebrated feature-film directorial debut, Away From Her. Polley adapted her screenplay from Alice Munro's short story.

No Country for Old Men won the best-picture Oscar over the oil epic There Will Be Blood, the Second World War drama Atonement, the corporate drama Michael Clayton and the popular made-in-Canada comedy Juno, starring Canadian Ellen Page.

The Bourne Ultimatum won three Oscars, albeit in technical categories. There Will Be Blood and La Vie en Rose were the only other multiple winners, with two apiece.

As expected, Daniel Day-Lewis won as best actor for There Will Be Blood. There were huge upsets in the actress categories, though.

French actress Marion Cotillard beat huge favourite Away From Her's Julie Christie for the best-actress Oscar. In her broken Engish, a clearly rattled Cotillard on stage thanked "life" and "love" for her victory. Page of Halifax, who just turned 21, was up for best actress for her turn as the pregnant teen in Juno.

Cotillard was beguilling backstage, entertaining the press with an a capella excerpt from one of Edith Piaf's songs, and she charmed everyone with her unbridled joy.

"I'm totally overwhelmed with joy and sparkles and fireworks, and everything that goes boom, boom, boom," she said. "It's all going off in here."

In another big surprise, Tilda Swinton won the supporting-actress Oscar for Michael Clayton. Cate Blanchett's turn as folk-era Bob Dylan in I'm Not There and 83-year-old Ruby Dee, for American Gangster, were seen to be the favourites in that category. Blanchett also lost in the best-actress category for her work in Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

Backstage, Swinton said she was completely shocked.

"I thought Ruby Dee would win and then, frankly, anybody but me," Swinton told reporters.

She did not react to her name being announced as winner, she admitted.

"I had a reverse Zoolander moment when I thought I heard someone else's name. Then I slowwwwly heard my own."

Other Canadians were up for Oscars at the Kodak Theater.

Two Canadian filmmakers lost in the animated-shorts category. Josh Rankin's I Met the Walrus and Chris Lavis and Maciek Szcerbowski's Madame Tutli-Putli failed to gain more academy votes than Peter & the Wolf.

Also for Juno, Montreal-born Jason Reitman, himself only 30, was up for best director but lost to the Coens.

Outside the Kodak Theater, it had been raining sporadically all day -- with breaks of sunshine only to be dashed by the next shower. The rain did not wash out the red carpet festivities, however.

The telecast was only three hours, 18 minutes -- the second shortest this decade.

Complete list of Oscar winners

Complete list of winners at the 80th annual Academy Awards, presented Sunday night at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles:

Best Motion Picture: "No Country for Old Men."

Lead Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood."

Lead Actress: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose."

Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men."

Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton."

Director: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men."

Foreign Language Film: "The Counterfeiters," Austria.

Adapted Screenplay: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men."

Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, "Juno."

Animated Feature Film: "Ratatouille."

Art Direction: "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street."

Cinematography: "There Will Be Blood."

Sound Mixing: "The Bourne Ultimatum."

Sound Editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum."

Original Score: "Atonement," Dario Marianelli.

Original Song: "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova.

Costume: "Elizabeth: The Golden Age."

Documentary Feature: "Taxi to the Dark Side."

Documentary Short Subject: "Freeheld."

Film Editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum."

Makeup: "La Vie en Rose."

Animated Short Film: "Peter & the Wolf."

Live Action Short Film: "Le Mozart des Pickpockets (`The Mozart of Pickpockets')."

Visual Effects: "The Golden Compass."
_

Academy Award winners previously announced this year:

Honorary and technical Oscars: Robert Boyle; Eastman Kodak Co.; David A. Grafton.

The Oscar moments you didn't see on TV

LOS ANGELES - Most of the action on the Oscar stage is choreographed and rehearsed. Backstage is another story.

In the wings of the Kodak Theatre, stars grapple with nerves, have impromptu meetings with colleagues and make last-minute adjustments to their hair and makeup. Presenters and performers mingle with brand-new Oscar winners while dodging props and cameramen.

What you see on TV is Hollywood magic. Backstage is like a home movie, where everybody knows each other and they're all excited about putting on a show.
___

OSCAR SHOCK: As Marion Cotillard stepped offstage with the best-actress Oscar for "La Vie En Rose," Forest Whitaker enveloped her in a hug that lasted at least a minute.

Then they looked at each other and laughed.

"I'm shaking, like wow," Cotillard trembled.

Stopping by the backstage "thank you" cam, she expressed her gratitude in French and studied her Oscar.

"I'm shaking so much I think I can't talk," she said.

Whitaker led her arm-in-arm behind the stage on the winner's walk.

"This is huge, this is huge," she gushed as backstage workers applauded.

At a stop for a makeup touch up she tried to breathe deeply.

"This is crazy, this is totally crazy. Ooh la la la la! It's totally surreal," she said.

Tilda Swinton was so stunned by her win for supporting actress in "Michael Clayton" that she could only keep repeating "wow, wow" as she walked offstage.

Presenter Alan Arkin chased her with the winner's envelope.

"Oh yes, this is the proof," Swinton said, leaving arm-in-arm with Arkin.

___

JITTERS: Katherine Heigl wasn't kidding when she told the Oscar audience she was nervous.

Behind the scenes, a stagehand asked if she was OK.

"I just need a cigarette," she said, bumming one from a security guard and heading out to a loading dock.

___

NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOE BUSINESS: Adjusting her dress as she stepped into the theater wings and prepared to take the stage, Jennifer Garner confessed to the stage manager: "I'd like to take my shoes off."

"We could do it," he replied.

Instead, she looked skyward and said, "I didn't mean it, karmic dressing gods," and walked in a small circle.

"I'm just going to make sure I'm not going to fall," she explained.

Rene Zellweger had slung her silver Christian Louboutins over her shoulder when Johnny Depp ran into her.

"I like your shoes," Depp said.

"Thanks man," Zellweger replied. "I used to like the shoes."

___

STAR CLUSTER: At times it seemed there were as many stars in the green room as in the audience.

Penelope Cruz sat by her sister, Monica, and fanned herself. They were joined by Miley Cyrus, Johnny Depp and companion Vanessa Paradis, and Forest Whitaker.

Marion Cotillard was about to join them when she learned she would have to smoke outside.

___

CELEBRITY PLUMBING: The restroom just offstage was another Kodak Theatre hotspot.

Jessica Alba and Forrest Whitaker waited in line, and Javier Bardem brought his Oscar inside with him.

First-time presenters Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill passed the crowd on the way to the stage, but Hill paused and thought better of it. They joined lineup.

___

LADIES MAN: This backstage reporter was just trying to get out of Jack Nicholson's way, but ended up in his crosshairs.

As he passed in a narrow corridor he brushed against her synthetic white fur coat.

"Nice jacket," he said half under his breath.

As the reporter thanked him, photographers in the hallway aimed their cameras.

"Let's have a picture," said Nicholson.

Dan's Oscar Picks!

2008 - I expect to go 5 for 6 with the BEST ACTRESS giving me the headache in what is another easily predictable year.

1. Best Picture: "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood."

This is the Coen Brothers' year, so No Country for Old Men wins this.

2. Actor: George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"; Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"; Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"; Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"; Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises."

Daniel Day-Lewis wins here. Although Tommy Lee was great, and Clooney seems to have all the buzz right now.

3. Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"; Julie Christie, "Away From Her"; Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"; Laura Linney, "The Savages"; Ellen Page, "Juno."

This is a two horse race between Julie Christie, "Away From Her" and Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose", with Julie Christie winning as Hollywood loves their own!

4. Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"; Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"; Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"; Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton."

INTO THE WILD was one of the two worst pictures of last year, but Hal Holbrook was spectacular in it! However this seems to be Javier Bardem's as part of the Coen's year.

5. Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"; Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"; Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"; Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"; Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton."

I have heard good things about Amy Ryan, and everyone else in this category, but it seems that Ruby Dee - who has never been nominated before - takes home the Award.

6. Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"; Jason Reitman, "Juno"; Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"; Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood."

Coen Brothers! Period, end of story!

SOME EXTRAS AS WELL...BUT THESE ARE JUST HOPES, NOT PREDICTIONS

8. Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"; Sarah Polley, "Away from Her"; Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"; Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"; Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood."

Would love to see Sarah Polley win here!

9. Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, "Juno"; Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"; Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"; Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco, "Ratatouille"; Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages."

Diablo Cody wins here...but all the rest are more interesting films.

16. Original Song: "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "Raise It Up" from "August Rush," Nominees to be determined; "So Close" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.

This is the category that means the most to me as ONCE was my favourite film of 2007, so I truly hope it wins!!

So, to recap:

The 80th Annual Academy Awards

Best Motion Picture of the Year
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - No Country For Old Men

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - Julie Christie, Away From Her

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - Javier Bardem, No Country For Old Men

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - Ruby Dee, American Gangster

Best Achievement in Directing
Winner:
Dan's Prediction - Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country For Old Men

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2007 - DAN CORRECTLY PREDICTED FOUR OF THE SIX MAJOR CATEGORIES AGAIN THIS YEAR - AND HE ALSO SAID THAT IF EDDIE MURPHY DIDN'T WIN, ALAN ARKIN WOULD.

The 79th Annual Academy Awards

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

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

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

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

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

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

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2006 - The 78th Annual Academy Awards were - Dan went 4 out of 6

Best Picture
WINNER - Crash
Dan's Prediction - Brokeback Mountain - All the buzz remains behind this film. CRASH has some headlines, but the buzz is all about BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN.

Best Actor
WINNER - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote
Dan's Prediction - Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote - WALK THE LINE is selling lots of DVDs and Terrence Howard has a nice groundswell of support, but Hoffman's performance is just head and shoulders above everyone else's that - barring a BROKEBACK sweep he is a lock to win.

Best Actress
WINNER - Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line
Dan's Prediction - Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line - Remember the year Julia Roberts won, well now it is Reese's turn.

Best Supporting Actor
WINNER - Best Supporting Actor - George Clooney.
Dan's Prediction - Paul Giamatti, Cinderella Man - Had he only been nominated for SIDEWAYS last year...but he wasn't, so this Oscar is his.

Best Supporting Actress
WINNER - Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener
Dan's Prediction - Rachel Weisz, The Constant Gardener - She was the only thing worth watching in an unwatchable movie, and with all of the previous acting awards to her credit, she wins and thanks Ralph Finnes for being "Every actor's dream to work with."

Best Director
WINNER - Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain
Dan's Prediction - Ang Lee, Brokeback Mountain - I believe in all of my predictions, but this is the evening's one sure bet!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2005 - The 77th Annual Academy Awards were - Dan went 5 out of 6

This is what I predicted in the six major categories:

BEST ACTOR - Jamie Foxx - RAY
BEST ACTRESS - Hilary Swank, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Morgan Freeman, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Virginia Madsen, SIDEWAYS
BEST PICTURE - MILLION DOLLAR BABY
And
BEST DIRECTOR - Clint Eastwood, MILLION DOLLAR BABY

The category I got wrong was BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Winner: Cate Blanchett for The Aviator

...here are the best Oscar alternatives on TV

When someone says "Juno," do you say, "Awards"?

When someone says "3:10 to Yuma," do you say, "Air Canada totally has screwed up my itinerary?"

When someone says "No Country For Old Men," do you say, "Are the Rolling Stones touring again?"

When someone says "There Will Be Blood," do you say, "Yeah, I'm really looking forward to the next federal election"?

And when someone says "Ratatouille," do you say, "There's no way I'm eating that goulash"?

If any of those examples rings a bell, then maybe the Academy Awards, which will be televised tonight on CTV and ABC, aren't for you.

Luckily, there always are TV alternatives. Among them:

Intruders: Aliens Speak Out (Space)

In some previous years, you could categorize the Oscar acceptance speeches this way, couldn't you? Anyway, this Canadian-produced documentary digs into the phenomenon of so-called alien abductions by featuring the stories of five alleged abductees. If this all sounds quite reasonable to you, then hey, tear yourself away from your $11,000 worth of video games and enjoy!

On Screen (Bravo)

The presentation tonight looks at the movie Kissed, which is Lynne Stopkewich's 1996 film about necrophilia. Hey, we said there were alternatives. We didn't say they'd all be suitable for the whole family.

The Godfather Part II (AMC)

OK, this movie officially has replaced The Blues Brothers as the most frequently seen movie on TV. Rarely while clicking around does one come across the original version of The Godfather, nor do we encounter the largely dreadful Godfather III. It's always Part II. Sheesh, if we knew anyone named Fredo, we'd take him fishing, if you know what we mean.

Big Brother: 'Til Death Do You Part (Global, CBS)

The nomination ceremony and food competition take place. Hmmm, hopefully no one is serving ratatouille.

Cheerleader Nation (CMT)

America's bizarre and borderline creepy fascination with cheerleading continues as tryouts start for the Dunbar High School Varsity and Junior Varsity squads. "Gimme a C. Gimme an R. Gimme an A. Gimme a P. What's that spell?"

Monarchy: The Royal Family at Work (CBC)

The third and final instalment of this documentary series sees the Queen's children discussing the lifetime jobs into which they were born. Wait a minute, the Queen's kids have jobs? We've never seen any of those positions posted on Workopolis.

Hannah Montana (Family)

Okay, this whole Miley Cyrus craze caught us totally off guard. Of course, when we look in the mirror, we don't see a 9-year-old girl, either. Anyway, with an episode called "She's a Super Sneak" (Rick James is rolling in his grave), here's a chance to investigate what all the fuss is about. By the way, Miley Cyrus will be one of Barbara Walters' victims tonight on her annual Oscar "Let's see who I can make cry" interrogation special on CTV and ABC, along with Vanessa Williams, Harrison Ford and Canuck Ellen Page.

Trailer Park Boys (Showcase)

Two words: Bubbles wrestles.

80 YEARS OF OSCAR MEMORIES

1929: First Academy Awards held at Hollywood's Hotel Roosevelt. WWI drama "Wings" wins Best Picture.

1930: Best Actor George Arliss ("Disraeli") and Best Actress Norma Shearer ("The Divorcée") pose with their statuettes two days before the banquet.

1931: Ten-year-old Jackie Cooper, nominated for Best Actor in "Skippy," falls asleep during the ceremony.

1932: Academy members pay $10 to attend the banquet. It sells out, anyway.

1933: The Academy skips a year in order to honor films made during the previous calendar year.

1934: Walt Disney calls his statuette "Oscar" while accepting Best Short Subject for "The Three Little Pigs." Insiders used the nickname after Academy librarian Margaret Herrick, on first seeing the trophy, said, "It's looks like Uncle Oscar." The Academy adopts the name in 1939.

1935: Bette Davis snubbed for "Of Human Bondage." Ensuing outrage inspires the Academy to allow write-in candidates.

1936: In an Oscar first, Best Writer winner Dudley Nichols ("The Informer") refuses his award in solidarity with striking unions.

1937: Best Supporting Actor and Actress are recognized for the first time. But winners get plaques instead of statuettes.

1938: Spencer Tracy's Best Actor Oscar for "Captains Courageous" is incorrectly engraved "Dick Tracy."

1939: Shirley Temple stands on a chair to present Walt Disney with an honorary award for "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

1940: Hattie McDaniel breaks the color barrier. She's the first African American to attend the Oscars and the first to win, as Best Supporting Actress in "Gone With the Wind."

1941: Orson Welles becomes the first simultaneous nominee for Best Picture, Actor, Director and Screenplay for "Citizen Kane." He wins as a writer.

1942: As a symbolic gesture to the war effort, Oscar statuettes are made of plaster.

1943: The show is held at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the Awards' first public venue.

1944: Best Supporting Actor and Actress receive full-sized Oscars instead of a miniature on a plaque.

1945: The Best Picture category is limited to just five nominees instead of as many as 10. Other categories soon follow.

1946: For the first time, nominated songs, including winner "It Might As Well Be Spring" from "State Fair," are performed at the ceremony.

1947: For the first time, only Academy members can cast ballots.

1948: Foreign films finally get their due, as Italy's "Shoe-Shine" picks up an honorary award.

1949: Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet" becomes the first foreign film to win Best Picture. Olivier wins Best Actor.

1950: The Academy begins numbering statuettes, beginning with 501. "Mighty Joe Young" wins that one, for Best Special Effects.

1951: Marlene Dietrich steals the show when, ascending stairs to present an award, she flashes her fabulous gams.

1952: Marlon Brando's breakout role in "A Streetcar Named Desire" is usurped for Best Actor by Humphrey Bogart in "The African Queen."

1953: An estimated 43 million viewers tune in for the two-hour broadcast.

1954: Brando finally wins Best Actor for "On the Waterfront," beating out, among others, Bogart in "The Caine Mutiny."

1955: Best Actress nominee for "A Star Is Born," Judy Garland is unable to attend because she's in the hospital - as the mother of day-old Joey Luft.

1956: "Marty" becomes the first TV-to-motion-picture transfer to win Best Picture.

1957: For the first time, every Best Picture nominee is in color. "Around the World in 80 Days" wins.

1958: Miyoshi Umeki becomes the first Asian actress to win an Oscar, as Supporting Actress in "Sayonara."

1959: "Gigi" breaks the record for most Oscars for a single film: nine.

1960: "Ben-Hur" shatters the record from the previous year, claiming 11 Oscars.

1961: The Oscar broadcast moves from NBC to ABC.

1962: Sophia Loren delivers the first foreign-language performance to win Best Actress in "Two Women."

1963: At 16, Best Supporting Actress Patty Duke is the youngest Oscar winner for "The Miracle Worker."

1964: Sidney Poitier is the first black man to win an Oscar, as Best Actor in "Lilies of the Field."

1965: All four acting awards are won by non-Americans: Rex Harrison ("My Fair Lady"), Julie Andrews ("Mary Poppins"), Peter Ustinov ("Topkapi") and Lila Kedrova ("Zorba the Greek").

1966: "The Sound of Music" wins Best Picture, but star Julie Andrews loses her bid for a second Best Actress award to Julie Christie in "Darling."

1967: Sisters Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave are both up for Best Actress (for "Morgan!" and "Georgy Girl," respectively). But Elizabeth Taylor beats them both for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"

1968: Bob Hope emcees the awards for the 14th straight year.

1969: First worldwide telecast goes out to 37 nations.

1970: Cary Grant receives an honorary Oscar. He'd been nominated twice, but never won.

1971: Best Picture winner "Midnight Cowboy" is the first and only X-rated film to be honored.

1972: The awards' golden sheen wears thin. The LA Times claims host Bob Hope is "excruciatingly unfunny" and Variety says, "At 43, Oscar looked tired."

1973: Marlon Brando sends Sacheen Littlefeather to refuse his Best Actor award for "The Godfather" to protest film portrayals of Native Americans.

1974: As David Niven introduces Elizabeth Taylor, a streaker runs across the stage, flashing a peace sign.

1975: "The Godfather: Part II" is the first sequel to win Best Picture.

1976: Best Actress for "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," Louise Fletcher is the first Oscar recipient to use sign language at the podium.

1977: "Network" star Peter Finch receives the first posthumous Best Actor award. He died of a heart attack two months before the awards.

1978: "Annie Hall" is the first comedy to win Best Picture since "Tom Jones" in 1964.

1979: Johnny Carson makes his first appearance as host of the Oscars.

1980: Sally Field wins Best Actress for "Norma Rae," but later jokes that "the Academy is slacking off in the class quotient - after all, I won."

1981: The awards are postponed for 24 hours after the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan.

1982: Katharine Hepburn's fourth win, as Best Actress for "On Golden Pond" makes her the all-time Academy Award champ.

1983: German sub flick "Das Boot" gets six nominations, the most ever for a foreign film. It wins nothing.

1984: Oscar's longest show, at three hours and 42 minutes. Says Shirley MacLaine: "This show has been as long as my career."

1985: Steven Spielberg rages when the Awards producers consider barring his unwed and pregnant lover, Amy Irving, from appearing on the show.

1986: With 11 nominations and no wins, "The Color Purple" joins
1977's "The Turning Point" as the two most nominated nonwinning films in the Academy's history.

1987: Nominated for Best Actress in "Aliens," Sigourney Weaver is the first female action star to be recognized by the Academy.

1988: The ceremony moves to LA's Shrine Auditorium. Drivers get lost on the way and many stars, including pregnant Glenn Close, dash through traffic to get inside on time.

1989: The phrase "and the winner is" is replaced with "and the Oscar goes to."

1990: "Driving Miss Daisy" is the first film to win Best Picture without a Best Director nod since "Grand Hotel" in 1932.

1991: "Dances With Wolves" is the first Western to win Best Picture since "Cimmaron" in 1931.

1992: Upon winning Best Supporting Actor for "City Slickers," Jack Palance does one-arm push-ups.

1993: Al Pacino is the first actor to be nominated for leading ("Scent of a Woman") and supporting ("Glengarry Glen Ross") roles. He wins Best Actor.

1994: "Schindler's List" is the first (mostly) black-and-white film to win Best Picture since "The Apartment" in 1961.

1995: Elton John and Tim Rice's three "Lion King" songs are the most ever nominated in a single year. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" wins.

1996: In "Dead Man Walking," Susan Sarandon is the first Best Actress winner to portray a nun.

1997: With nine Oscars, "The English Patient" dominates, but stars Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas go home empty-handed.

1998: "Titanic" ties "Ben-Hur" as the most-honored film in history with 11 awards. None of its actors wins.

1999: For the first time, the ceremony is held on Sunday.

2000: Angelina Jolie wins Best Supporting Actress for "Girl, Interrupted," making her and Jon Voight the only father-daughter Oscar winners other than Henry and Jane Fonda.

2001: For the first time in 51 years, the Best Picture winner ("Gladiator") doesn't pick up an additional award for either Best Director or Best Screenplay.

2002: Halle Berry becomes the first African-American woman to win Best Actress for "Monster's Ball."

2003: All five of the Best Picture nominees were released in the last two weeks of 2002 (December 18 or after). "Chicago" wins.

2004: Billy Crystal hosts the awards for the eighth time.

2005: Clint Eastwood and Albert Ruddy share the Best Picture Oscar for "Million Dollar Baby." Eastwood had been the presenter for Best Picture when Ruddy won his first Oscar as producer of "The Godfather" in 1973.

2006: With "Good Night, and Good Luck," and "Syriana," George Clooney is the first nominee for Best Director and Supportng Actor for different films. He wins Best Supporting Actor.

2007: With 71 letters and 12 words, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" has the longest title of any film ever nominated.

Sources: "65 Years of Oscar," by Robert Osborne, "Inside Oscar" by Damien Bona and Mason Wiley, "The Academy Awards: The Complete Unofficial History," by Gail Kinn and Jim Piazza.

Maxim fabricated CD review, Black Crowes say

The Black Crowes say an album review by Maxim magazine was fabricated because advance CDs were not available.

The critique, published in Maxim's March issue, gives the Crowes' Warpaint a rating of 2½ stars out of five.

"The writer — who has not heard the album, since advance CDs were not made available — wrote what appears to be a disparaging assessment anyway, citing, 'it hasn't left Chris Robinson and the gang much room for growth,' " said a statement on the band's official website.

The band's manager, Pete Angelus, said the band raised the issue with Maxim, which, he said, responded in an e-mail with the following: "Of course, we always prefer to [sic] hearing music, but sometimes there are big albums that we don't want to ignore that aren't available to hear, which is what happened with the Crowes. It's either an educated guess preview or no coverage at all, so in this case we chose the former."

Maxim, which has not confirmed the authenticity of the e-mail message to Angelus, released this statement in response: "Maxim will continue to provide our readers with information that is important to them, whether it is about fashion, lifestyle, technology, music, movies and more."

"It's a disgrace to the arts, journalism, critics, the publication itself and the public," Angelus said.

"What's next — Maxim's concert reviews of shows they never attended, book reviews of books never read and film reviews of films never seen?"

Warpaint marks the band's first album in seven years and is set for release March 4. The blues-rock group has released only one song from the disc, Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution.

Lohan's I Know Who Killed Me reaps most Razzies ever

Eddie Murphy and Lindsay Lohan shared some nasty honours by each capturing three 2007 Razzies, awards given to the worst performances and films.

The 28th annual Golden Raspberry Awards, always handed out the day before the Oscars, bestowed Lohan with two worst-actress awards for playing twins in I Know Who Killed Me, which was named worst movie of the year.

Adding to the dishonour, she also won worst onscreen couple for a scene in which she appears opposite herself in a story about siblings stalked by a serial killer.

I Know Who Killed Me was a box office flop with a take of $9 million US worldwide, and won eight of nine Raspberries for which it was nominated.

"Part of why the Razzies exist is to make fun of the academy, which takes itself too seriously," Razzies founder John Wilson said at the ceremony on Saturday at a magic shop in Santa Monica, Calif.

"If you had tried to make something certain to offend the average 90-year-old academy voter, I don't think you could have done a better job than the foul-mouthed, physically ugly, emotionally ugly movie [Lohan] unleashed on the world."

The film also garnered Raspberries for Chris Siverston in the director category as well as Jeffrey Hammond for worst screenplay, and in the new category of Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie.

I Know Who Killed Me broke a record of seven wins previously held by Showgirls and Battlefield Earth.

Murphy's roles in Norbit rack up Razzies

Norbit, a hit worldwide with $158 million US in box office receipts, captured three of the four worst-acting categories.

Murphy had several parts in Norbit so, besides worst actor, he also nabbed worst supporting actor and supporting actress Raspberries for roles as a Chinese man and Norbit's screaming overweight wife.

It's been quite a journey for the comedian, who is now the first person ever to win three acting Razzies in one year. That's only a year after he was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actor in Dreamgirls.

The only award left over was given to Daddy Day Camp for Worst Prequel or Sequel.

The winners almost never are in attendance to get their gaudy gold trophies. An exception was Halle Berry, who showed up to accept her 2005 prize for Catwoman.

In the history of the award, Sylvester Stallone is the overall Razzies champ with 30 nominations and 10 wins.

The winners are decided by Razzie members, who must buy a membership to take part in the vote.

Juno soars at Independent Spirit Awards

Teen-pregnancy comedy Juno dominated the Independent Spirit Awards by taking three trophies, including best picture and the lead actress prize for Canadian Ellen Page.

The film, directed by Montreal-born Jason Reitman, also garnered a first-time screenplay honour for Diablo Cody at the awards, which honour the best in independent filmmaking.

Halifax actress Page landed on top of a heap of Hollywood heavyweights — including Angelina Jolie and Parker Posey — for her portrayal as a spirited 16-year-old who becomes pregnant through her best friend and decides to give her baby away.

Page, who has said she feels "numb" by all the attention she's getting for the role, honoured Cody in her acceptance speech.

"This is all Diablo Cody's fault. She wrote one of the best screenplays I have ever read," said the 21-year-old at the low-key ceremony Saturday afternoon on the beach in Santa Monica, Calif.

"I got to work with some amazing actors who all poured their hearts into this film because we all believed in it so much."

Reitman, who lost in the best director category to Julian Schnabel for The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, was visibly moved as Page went on to praise him.

All three — Page, Reitman and Cody — are up for Oscars in their respective fields on Sunday night. Cody said she's just grateful.

"Having your film get made is your reward," said the 29-year-old writer, whose script for Juno was her first screenplay. "That alone is the miracle, so to get an award is beyond imaginable. It's so cool."

Other winners included a pregnant Cate Blanchett, who won the best supporting actress award for her role in the Bob Dylan biopic I'm Not There.

She dedicated her award to co-star Heath Ledger, who died following an accidental drug overdose last month. To "one of the most beautiful independent spirits of all, Heath Ledger," Blanchett said. "This is for him."

First Altman award

Blanchett beat out the likes of Canadian Tamara Podemski, who was nominated for best supporting actress for her work on the film Four Sheets to the Wind. She won a special jury prize for acting at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival for the role.

I'm Not There also took the first ever Robert Altman Award — named after director Robert Altman, who died in 2006 — for a filmmaker, casting director and acting ensemble.

"I have no doubt [Heath Ledger] would have made an astounding director," director Todd Haynes said in his acceptance speech.

Philip Seymour Hoffman walked away with the best actor trophy for The Savages, which also garnered a best screenplay prize for Tamara Jenkins. Hoffman is nominated in the same category at the Oscars, but for another role, in Charlie Wilson's War.

Chiwetel Ejiofor won for best supporting male for Talk to Me while The Lookout, directed by Scott Frank, captured best first feature film.

The best foreign film award went to low-budget Irish film Once, starring Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglov.

Toronto' s Jennifer Baichwal lost out in the documentary category to Crazy Love. Her film, Manufactured Landscapes, had won a Genie.

Springsteen, Young join anti-war soundtrack

NEW YORK (Billboard) - Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young and Peal Jam have contributed tunes to the anti-war soundtrack for a documentary about a U.S. soldier paralyzed in Iraq.

The 30-song, two-disc album "Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran" will be released March 18 via Warner Music's Sire Records label. All proceeds from the sale of the album will benefit Iraq Veterans Against the War.

"Body of War" focuses on Tomas Young, an Army soldier paralyzed upon arriving in Iraq. It will open on March 13 in Austin, Texas, and expand nationally in subsequent months. Talk show veteran Phil Donahue directed the film with Ellen Spiro.

The album was put together by Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, who composed the first single, "No War," specifically for the film. Pearl Jam's live version of Bob Dylan's "Masters of War" also graces the soundtrack.

Springsteen contributed "Devils & Dust," and Neil Young "The Restless Consumer." Other tracks include "Yo George" from Tori Amos, "Son of a Bush" from Public Enemy, and "Bushonomics" from Talib Kweli & Cornel West.

'Vantage Point' gets top box office vote

LOS ANGELES - The political thriller "Vantage Point" secured the top spot at the weekend box office, earning an estimated $24 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The previous No. 1 movie, 20th Century Fox's "Jumper," dropped to second with $12.7 million, raising its domestic total to $56.2 million in two weeks. Paramount's family fantasy "The Spiderwick Chronicles" was a close third with $12.6 million. Disney's dance saga "Step Up 2 The Streets" and Warner Bros.' romantic comedy "Fool's Gold" rounded out the top five.

"Vantage Point," a Sony Pictures action-drama about a presidential assassination seen from the viewpoints of different characters, included a star-studded ensemble cast that featured Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox as Secret Service agents.

"Audiences really love it when they get a summer-style popcorn movie at a time of the year when they don't expect it," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers.

The studio said "Vantage Point" appealed to a broad audience — 52 percent of moviegoers were male and half were under age 30.

"It's fresh with lots of twists and turns. Audiences become very invested in it," said Rory Bruer, Sony president of distribution.

The only other new release to crack the top 10 was the Jack Black comedy "Be Kind Rewind," which took in $4.1 million and was tied at No. 7 with "Juno." The Fox Searchlight pregnancy comedy has rung up $130 million since opening 12 weeks ago.

Paramount Vantage's oil saga "There Will Be Blood" moved up two slots to No. 10 with $2.6 million for a total of $35 million in nine weeks.

The weekend's other two debuts, Lionsgate's "Witless Protection" and MGM's "Charlie Bartlett," came in at Nos. 13 and 14, respectively.

Box office revenues were down for the second straight week. The top 12 movies grossed $90 million, down 23 percent from last weekend and 10 percent from the same weekend in 2007.

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. "Vantage Point," $24 million.
2. "Jumper," $12.7 million.
3. "Spiderwick Chronicles," $12.6 million.
4. "Step Up 2 the Streets," $9.8 million.
5. "Fool's Gold," $6.3 million.
6. "Definitely, Maybe," $5.2 million.
7. "Juno," $4.1 million.
7. "Be Kind Rewind," $4.1 million.
9. "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins," $4 million.
10. "There Will Be Blood," $2.6 million.

The Couch Potato Report - February 23rd, 2008

This week The Couch Potato Report peels three high profile Oscar nominees, and four other films.

Yes, I have seven releases to tell you about on this very busy week, so let me get right to it, starting with this week's HOT POTATO, the latest release from Canadian filmmaker Paul Haggis, the crime drama mystery thriller IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH.

In this film Tommy Lee Jones is a war veteran, searching for his son, a soldier who recently returned from Iraq but has mysteriously gone missing.

Charlize Theron plays a sympathetic police detective who helps him in the search.

For his work, Tommy Lee Jones was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actor Category, and he deserves it as this is one of those roles where you can't imagine anyone else playing it.

Inspired by actual events, IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH is very slow and very dramatic, but it is also very effective.

If you enjoyed Paul Haggis' writing on MILLION DOLLAR BABY, or his direction on CRASH...both films winner of the Best Picture Oscar...then I think you will find merit in this film as well.

Now, if you are a fan of THE GODFATHER and SCARFACE I think you will find more than merit in our next release this week - Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe star in AMERICAN GANGSTER...a film that is nominated twice for tomorrow night's Academy Awards - in the Best Achievement in Art Direction and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role categories.

The legendary Ruby Dee will probably win the SupportinG Actress Oscar, but her role in this film is so small, that I am going to focus on Washington and Crowe instead.

Oscar winner Denzel portrays Frank Lucas, a real-life heroin kingpin from Harlem who smuggled heroin into the US on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War.

Oscar winner Crowe is Richie Roberts, a detective attempting to bring down Lucas' drug empire.

The DVD for AMERICAN GANGSTER features the original theatrical version of the film, and an unrated extended version of it that runs almost three hours.

Both versions are exceptionally well written, acted and directed, and while I did like the film a lot, due to the fact that there are too many extra characters and side stories in it that take away from Washington and Crowe's time on screen, AMERICAN GANGSTER falls more than a bit short of being the best mobster or crime film I have ever seen.

Still, it is very good...and very worthy of your time.

MICHAEL CLAYTON is also a film worthy of your time.

It is also very worthy of it's Seven Academy Award Nominations, including: Original Screenplay, Best Director, Best Picture, Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton, Best Supporting Actor: Tom Wilkinson, and Best Actor: George Clooney.

Clooney plays an attorney and former gambling addict employed by a prestigious law firm in New York City as a "fixer", someone who rectifies difficult situations, often through unconventional or expedient methods.

This film shows us how Clayton tries to deal with a colleague's apparent mental breakdown and the corruption that exists with a major client of his law firm.

MICHAEL CLAYTON is an exceptional Oscar film, and a tremendous movie. In a year where there weren't films like NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN, THERE WILL BE BLOOD and JUNO, it would actually have a shot at winning Best Picture.

This year, it might not win an Oscar...but if you are looking for a great crime thriller to watch, you will be the winner if you pick up this DVD.

So pick it up...and don't worry...you won't have to stand up in front of millions of people and say thank you.

Up next this week are four more films...films that aren't all bad, but they won't appeal to everyone, so I am just going to make sure you know that they are out there, in case they might appeal to you.

Up first is KURT COBAIN: ABOUT A SON.

Kurt Cobain was the lead singer of the band Nirvana and considered by many to be the musical voice of his generation after the release of his band's album NEVERMIND in 1991.

He committed suicide in April of 1994.

ABOUT A SON is a documentary about Cobain that debuted at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.

It features insightful audio of interviews between Cobain and journalist Michael Azerrad done for the book Come As You Are: The Story of Nirvana.

Those interviews are seen over footage of the actual locations in Seattle and Washington state that Cobain is talking about, and we never see him.

Now, I remain a huge fan of Kurt Cobain, his music, words, and his band, so for me the fact that we don't see Cobain, or hear his music, allowed ABOUT A SON to avoid being eerie.

Instead, it is an insightful look into a man who I, and many of my generation, wish was still around...communicating with us using new words and not just through ones that were recorded over 17 years ago.

All fans of the man must see KURT COBAIN: ABOUT A SON...but only fans of Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhall, Meryl Streep or Peter Saarsgaard should see RENDITION.

There has been a lot of talk over the past year about the fact that moviegoers are rejection films featuring stories about the war due to the fact that we see it on TV every night.

I say that is simply not true...people are avoiding these films because most of them just aren't very good...and RENDITION is a prime example!!

RENDITION is a very bad movie about a suspected terrorist who is taken away by the authorities.

His pregnant wife then travels to Washington to try and learn the reason for his disappearance.

And there are also several secondary and tertiary stories, but none of them are very engaging.

RENDITION wants to be a dramatic film with a powerful emotional core...but it just isn't.

Skip it, ignore it, do not waste your time on it!!

That also needs to be said for Ang Lee's latest LUST, CAUTION.

Now, I am a huge fan of Ang Lee's films...from THE WEDDING BANQUET and EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN to SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, THE ICE STORM, CROUCHING TIGER HIDDEN DRAGON and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN...Lee is a filmmaker who always provides us with something new and engaging to watch.

Well, usually he always does....I admit that LUST, CAUTION help my interest for over two-and-a-half hours due to the fact that I am an Ang Lee fan...but what a boring movie!!

LUST, CAUTION is set in 1942 in the city Shanghai, which is under Japanese occupation.

A group of young, patriotic Chinese students are plotting to kill a member of the Japanese government using a young woman as a lure.

Unfortunately, even though it is a beautiful film, LUST CAUTION is ultimately just too long and too slow to be worthy of your time.

Yes, as an Ang Lee fan, I am glad I saw it....but I wouldn't recommend it, even to other fans of Ang Lee!!

However, I will recommend the Canadian film SURVIVING MY MOTHER, to both fans of the actress Caroline Dhavernas, and to those who don't even know who she is.

If you don't, she is the actress who starred in the short lived, but much loved, series WONDERFALLS.

SURVIVING MY MOTHER is about a woman who is taking care of her dying mother.

While on her death bed she tells her daughter how much she regrets the fact that they weren't closer.

Subsequently, the woman decides to pursue a closer relationship with her own daughter.

Caroline Dhavernas is the youngest daughter, a woman who has secrets of her own.

Even though it did receive a Genie nomination, SURVIVING MY MOTHER is one of those small Canadian films that you would probably never hear about, unless someone told you about it.

Well, please allow me to be that someone!

SURVIVING MY MOTHER isn't a spectacular film, but it is a unique and interesting film that has some great scenes and actors.

I really enjoyed it, and if you see it on the shelf as you are looking for something to rent...give it a chance!

The quirky and interesting Canadian film SURVIVING MY MOTHER, the very boring LUST, CAUTION and RENDITION, the insightful documentary KURT COBAIN: ABOUT A SON, and the entertaining MICHAEL CLAYTON, AMERICAN GANGSTER and IN THE VALLEY OF ELLAH are all available now on DVD.


Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report

KENNY VS. SPENNY - SEASON THREE allows the guys to battle each other once again.

THE ARISTOCATS - SPECIAL EDITION and 101 DALMATIONS - 2 DISC PLATINUM EDITION and the three DVD SPECIAL EDITION Box Set for EL CID allow us to see these classic films restored and look great!

And then there is the hilarious comedy DEATH AT A FUNERAL and SEASON ONE of the unforgettable cartoon series THE SMURFS

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!

Davies Still Hopeful For Kinks Reunion

A few weeks back, a supposed reunion by the Kinks was trumpeted by several outlets. But frontman Ray Davies tells Billboard.com not to get its hopes up just yet.

Davies acknowledges he's had reunion discussions with the members of the Kinks' original lineup -- his brother, guitarist Dave Davies, bassist Pete Quaife and drummer Mick Avory. But "it depends on if Dave and I get together," he says, acknowledging that the younger Davies is still recovering from a stroke he suffered in 2004. "He's gradually getting his strength back, but he's playing again, so that's a good sign."

New material would also have to be part of the equation. "I can't get a band together just to play the old hits," Davies says. "They'd have to be able to do, like, 10% new material. I think that will be the determining factor in the long run."

The problem: Dave Davies seems to want no part of a reunion, having posted on his Web site that "it would be like a poor remake of 'Night of the Livin (sic) Dead' " and declaring that Ray has been doing "Karaoke Kinks shows since 1996," when the band last worked together. Ray's response: "He's getting well enough to shout at me. That's a good sign."

Oddly enough, a second full-length solo album hasn't made Davies any more comfortable with the idea of being on his own. "I still have a problem with being a solo artist. I don't know why," says the artist, who released "Working Man's Cafe" earlier this week via New West/Ammal.

Davies plans to tour to promote "Working Man's Cafe," though only two mid-March shows in Australia are announced so far. He says the new album came "a lot quicker" than 2006's "Other People's Lives," and is also "unwittingly" a more personal album than its predecessor.

"It's about getting back in touch with yourself as a person," Davies explains. "It is more about me, 'cause 'Other People's Lives' tends to be, 'Oh, this is about other people;' It really is me, but I'm trying to sing about other people. But ('Working Man's Cafe') is more personal than I thought it was. It's mentality rather than a geographical or tangible thing. It's a philosophy, really."

Clooney: "I'm the Hillary Clinton of the Oscars"

George Clooney has compared his battle for the Best Actor Oscar at the forthcoming Academy Awards to the U.S. presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Clooney is convinced he would be a sure winner if fellow actor Daniel Day-Lewis wasn't in the running for the prize.

And he likened their situation to that of Democrat candidates Clinton and Obama - insisting the former first lady would be on a definite course to win the 2008 election if her opponent wasn't Obama.

He tells U.S. magazine Time, "For me, it's like being Hillary Clinton. If it weren't for Barack Obama, it would have been a very good year. I thought Daniel Day-Lewis had the best performance of the year."

Clooney is nominated for the coveted prize at Sunday's awards for his role in Michael Clayton, while Day-Lewis has been tipped to take the prize after his acclaimed performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood.

Cast changes in store for 'Law & Order'

LOS ANGELES - Jesse L. Martin is putting down his "Law & Order" detective's shield, and Anthony Anderson is in negotiations to pick it up.

Martin, who has been with the NBC drama since fall 1999, will film an episode to air this spring explaining the departure of his character, New York police Detective Ed Green, a person familiar with the show said Wednesday.

Anderson is concluding negotiations to join the cast as a new partner for Detective Cyrus Lupo, played by Jeremy Sisto, said the person, who wasn't authorized to announce the change and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Martin is set to play Marvin Gaye in "Sexual Healing," a movie biography of the ill-fated singer, with James Gandolfini ("The Sopranos") costarring. Filming on the project from Gandolfini's production company is to begin this spring, according to trade paper reports.

Anderson recently starred in the Fox TV series "K-Ville." His other credits include FX's "The Shield" and the films "The Departed" and "Transformers."

Martin once took a break from "Law & Order" to star in the 2005 film version of "Rent," the Broadway version of which he appeared in.

Arctic Monkeys win top Brit Awards

LONDON - Amy Winehouse and Paul McCartney set their recent troubles aside to steal the show Wednesday at the Brit Awards, the British music industry's most prestigious prizes.

Rockers Foo Fighters and British bands Take That and Arctic Monkeys were all double winners at Britain's equivalent of the Grammys.

Although she wasn't up for any awards, troubled jazz-pop diva Winehouse received a rapturous reception when she appeared to perform "Valerie" with Brit-nominated collaborator Mark Ronson. She followed that up with the sultry ballad "Love is a Losing Game" from her breakthrough album "Back to Black."

Winehouse, who appeared composed and confident, urged the crowd at London's Earl's Court arena to "make some noise for my Blake." Winehouse's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, is in prison awaiting trial for assault and lying to police.

Winehouse, 24, has had a tumultuous 12 months since she was named best female British act at last year's Brits. She won five Grammys earlier this month - a rare high point in a year of erratic behaviour, cancelled concerts, tabloid headlines and a spell in drug rehab.

McCartney, who has spent the last week in court trying to settle his acrimonious divorce from Heather Mills, closed the show with a crowd-pleasing medley of hits, including "Hey Jude" and "Live and Let Die" - a song he co-wrote with his late first wife Linda.

Accepting a lifetime achievement award, the former Beatle said: "I just think British music is the best."

Grown-up boy band Take That took the British single of the year prize for its song "Shine" and also was named best live act. The band - which split in 1996 but reformed a decade later minus original member Robbie Williams - joked about its advancing years.

"I'm 37 years old, I've got an arthritic knee," band member Jason Orange said. "We stand before you bruised and battered, but dead chuffed (pleased)."

The spiky pop quartet Arctic Monkeys was named British group of the year and also took the British album of the year prize for "Favourite Worst Nightmare."

Performer-producer Ronson, who has worked with Winehouse, Christina Aguilera and Jay-Z, was named British male solo act.

"I've never felt so British or male in my entire life," said Ronson, who divides his time between New York and London.

The British female solo artist trophy went to singer-songwriter Kate Nash - like Winehouse, a former student at the London arts academy the Brit School.

Beirut-born, London-raised Mika, whose flamboyant vocal style has been likened to Queen's Freddie Mercury, was named British breakthrough act.

Kanye West and Kylie Minogue were named international solo acts of the year, a category which featured two Canadian nominees, Calgary-raised Leslie Feist and Vancouver's Michael Buble.

Foo Fighters took prizes for international group and international album of the year for "Echoes Silence Patience & Grace," beating out Montreal's Arcade Fire and their CD, "Neon Bible."

The show, hosted by rock elder statesman Ozzy Osbourne and his family, was largely full of surprises or expletive-laden slips of the tongue.

The Osbournes took the stage accompanied by jets of flame and sat on thrones between two stages intended to reflect the two faces of British music - punk and glam.

Performers at the show included Kaiser Chiefs, Minogue and R & B star Rihanna, who sang her song "Umbrella" with British band Klaxons.

The awards are run by the British Phonographic Industry Ltd., an industry association. Most winners are selected by a vote of more than 1,000 industry members, including representatives from record companies, the media, retailers, record producers, disk jockeys and promoters.

The British single, British breakthrough act and British live act prizes are decided by public phone or online voting.

6 million music singles selling on eBay for minimum $3M bid

An astounding music collection of 3.3 million record albums and CDs representing every genre of American music is up for sale on eBay until Thursday evening.

Paul Mawhinney, owner of the Record Rama Sound Archives in Pittsburgh, Penn., is selling off what he calls "The World's Greatest Music Collection" — as a whole — with a starting bid price of $3 million US.

"This is my life's work," the 69-year-old music enthusiast told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

"I've had a lot of people that wanted it, but they didn't have the right kind of capital."

Mawhinney wants to sell his collection due to his failing health — he has diabetes — as well as a desire to spend more time with his five grandchildren.

The collection contains musical treasures such as an unreleased, untitled Rolling Stones album of early singles — only 300 copies were made — as well as 15 copies of the first edition of Elvis' Christmas Album from 1957.

The majority of the collection is vinyl, with about 300,000 CDs, and includes acetates, eight tracks and LPs in every speed.

$28.5 million offer fell through

Mawhinney almost sold the collection nine years ago, getting an offer of $28.5 million US in 1999 but the deal collapsed when the internet company went bankrupt.

He's tried to sell it to American institutions, such as the Library of Congress, but to no avail, as funding always seems to fall through.

Mawhinney says he'd like the collection to be available to the public, which is a proviso of the sale. "I want the history of American popular music to be available for future generations," he told The Toronto Star.

The buyer is required to either donate the collection or create a public space for people to access it. His eBay posting also mentions that there are "many thousands of duplicate copies, which could be sold individually on the collectibles market to recoup a substantial part of the purchase price."

Mawhinney says more than 80,000 people have visited his eBay page. The auction will be stopped on Thursday, Feb. 21 at 6 p.m. PST. Mawhinney has vowed to re-list should there be no bids.

The seller does have a couple of bonuses for whomever buys the collection.

He's offering his services for six months to the buyer to help organize the thousands of albums and CDs. In addition, the buyer also inherits more than $100,000 worth of antique recording and listening devices.

Saturn Award Nominees Announced, 300 Scores Big

The Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films has announced it’s 34th annual nominations for the Saturn Award.

Leading the nominations this year is 300, with a stunning 10 nominations in various categories. Close behind is Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix with 9, and Sweeney Todd with 8.

They’re more than just movies though. They also hand out awards to television and even DVD. Lost and Dexter lead the television nominations with 7 and 5 nominations each. Check out all of this year’s nominees in the massive, complete Saturn Award nomination list below:

FILM NOMINATIONS

Best Science Fiction Film
Cloverfield (Paramount)
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (20th Century Fox)
I Am Legend (Warner Bros.)
The Last Mimzy (New Line Cinema)
Sunshine (Fox Searchlight)
Transformers (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)

Best Fantasy Film
Enchanted (Buena Vista)
The Golden Compass (New Line Cinema)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner Bros.)
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (Buena Vista)
Spider-Man 3 (Sony)
Stardust (Paramount)

Best Horror Film
30 Days of Night (Sony)
1408 (The Weinstein Co.)
Ghost Rider (Sony)
Grindhouse (The Weinstein Co.)
The Mist (The Weinstein Co.)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)

Best Action / Adventure / Thriller Film
3:10 to Yuma (Lionsgate)
300 (Warner Bros.)
The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal)
Live Free or Die Hard (20th Century Fox)
No Country for Old Men (Miramax)
There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage)
Zodiac (Paramount)

Best Actor
Gerard Butler (“300”) (Warner Bros.)
John Cusack (“1408”) (The Weinstein Co.)
Daniel Day-Lewis (“There Will Be Blood”) (Paramount Vantage)
Johnny Depp (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”) (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)
Viggo Mortensen (“Eastern Promises”) (Focus Features)
Will Smith (“I Am Legend”) (Warner Bros.)

Best Actress
Amy Adams (“Enchanted”) (Buena Vista)
Ashley Judd (“Bug”) (Lionsgate)
Helena Bonham Carter (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”) (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)
Naomi Watts (“Eastern Promises”) (Focus Features)
Belen Rueda (“The Orphanage”) (Picturehouse)
Carice van Houten (“Black Book”) (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Supporting Actor
Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men”) (Miramax)
Ben Foster (“3:10 to Yuma”) (Lionsgate)
James Franco (“Spider-Man 3”) (Sony)
Justin Long (“Live Free or Die Hard”) (20th Century Fox)
Alan Rickman (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”) (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)
David Wenham (“300”) (Warner Bros.)

Best Supporting Actress
Lizzy Caplan (“Cloverfield”) (Paramount)
Marcia Gay Harden (“The Mist”) (The Weinstein Co.)
Lena Headey (“300”) (Warner Bros.)
Rose McGowan (“Grindhouse” – “Planet Terror”) (The Weinstein Co.)
Michelle Pfeiffer (“Stardust”) (Paramount)
Imelda Staunton (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) (Warner Bros.)

Best Performance by a Younger Actor
Alex Etel (“The Water Horse”) (Sony)
Freddie Highmore (“August Rush”) (Warner Bros.)
Josh Hutcherson (“Bridge to Terabithia”) (Buena Vista)
Daniel Radcliffe (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) (Warner Bros.)
Dakota Blue Richards (“The Golden Compass”) (New Line Cinema)
Rhiannon Leigh Wryn (“The Last Mimzy”) (New Line Cinema)

Best Direction
Tim Burton (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”) (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)
Frank Darabont (“The Mist”) (The Weinstein Co.)
Paul Greengrass (“The Bourne Ultimatum”) (Universal)
Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man 3”) (Sony)
Zack Snyder (“300”) (Warner Bros.)
David Yates (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) (Warner Bros.)

Best Writing
Roger Avary, Neil Gaiman (“Beowulf”) (Paramount)
Brad Bird (“Ratatouille”) (Buena Vista)
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (“No Country for Old Men”) (Miramax)
Michael Goldenberg (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) (Warner Bros.)
Michael Gordon, Zack Snyder, Kurt Johnstad (“300”) (Warner Bros.)
John Logan (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”) (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)

Best Music
Tyler Bates (“300”) (Warner Bros.)
Jonny Greenwood (“There Will Be Blood”) (Paramount Vantage)
Nicholas Hooper (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) (Warner Bros.)
Mark Mancina (“August Rush”) (Warner Bros.)
Alan Menken (“Enchanted”) (Buena Vista)
John Powell (“The Bourne Ultimatum”) (Universal)

Best Costume
Colleen Atwood (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”) (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)
Ruth Myers (“The Golden Compass”) (New Line Cinema)
Penny Rose (“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”) (Buena Vista)
Sammy Sheldon (“Stardust”) (Paramount)
Jany Temime (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) (Warner Bros.)
Michael Wilkinson (“300”) (Warner Bros.)

Best Make-Up
Howard Berger, Greg Nicotero, Jake Garber - (“Grindhouse” – “Planet Terror”) (The Weinstein Co.)
Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight - (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) (Warner Bros.)
Davina Lamont - (“30 Days of Night”) (Sony)
Ve Neill, Martin Samuel - (“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”) (Buena Vista)
Peter Owen, Ivana Primorac - (“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”) (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)
Shaun Smith, Mark Rappaport - (“300”) (Warner Bros.)

Best Special Effects
Tim Burke, John Richardson, Paul Franklin, Greg Butler - (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix”) (Warner Bros.)
Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl, John Frazier - (“Transformers”) (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)
Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris, Trevor Wood - (“The Golden Compass”) (New Line Cinema)
John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson, John Frazier - (“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”) (Buena Vista)
Scott Stokdyk, Peter Nofz, Spencer Cook, John R. Frazier - (“Spider-Man 3”) (Sony)
Chris Watts, Grant Freckelton, Derek Wentworth, Daniel Leduc - (“300”) (Warner Bros.)

Best International Film
Black Book (Sony Pictures Classics)
Day Watch (Fox Searchlight)
Eastern Promises (Focus Features)
Goya’s Ghosts (Samuel Goldwyn Films)
The Orphanage (Picturehouse)
Sleuth (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Animated Film
Beowulf (Paramount)
Meet the Robinsons (Buena Vista)
Ratatouille (Buena Vista)
Shrek the Third (DreamWorks SKG / Paramount)
The Simpsons Movie (20th Century Fox)
Surf’s Up (Sony)

TELEVISION NOMINATIONS

Best Network Television Series
Heroes (NBC)
Lost (ABC)
Pushing Daisies (ABC)
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Fox)
Journeyman (NBC)
Supernatural (CW)

Best Syndicated / Cable Television Series
Dexter (Showtime)
Battlestar Galactica (Sci Fi Channel)
Stargate SG-1 (Sci Fi Channel / MGM)
The Closer (TNT)
Kyle XY (ABC Family)
Saving Grace (TNT)

Best Presentation on Television
Battlestar Galactica: Razor (Sci Fi Channel)
The Company (TNT)
Fallen (ABC Family)
The Family Guy: “Blue Harvest” (Fox)
Masters of Science Fiction (ABC)
Shrek the Halls (ABC)
Tin Man (Sci Fi Channel)

Best International Series
Doctor Who (Sci Fi Channel)
Torchwood (BBC America)
Meadowlands (aka Cape Wrath) (Showtime)
Jekyll (BBC America)
Life On Mars (BBC America)
Robin Hood (BBC America)

Best Actor on Television
Matt Dallas (Kyle XY) (ABC Family)
Matthew Fox (Lost) (ABC)
Michael C. Hall (Dexter) (Showtime)
Kevin McKidd (Journeyman) (NBC)
Edward James Olmos (Battlestar Galactica) (Sci Fi Channel)
Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies) (ABC)

Best Actress on Television
Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies) (ABC)
Lena Headey (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) (Fox)
Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer) (CBS)
Holly Hunter (Saving Grace) (TNT)
Evangeline Lily (Lost) (ABC)
Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer) (TNT)

Best Supporting Actor on Television
Michael Emerson (Lost) (ABC)
Greg Grunberg (Heroes) (NBC)
Josh Holloway (Lost) (ABC)
Erik King (Dexter) (Showtime)
Terry O’Quinn (Lost) (ABC)
Masi Oka (Heroes) (NBC)

Best Supporting Actress on Television
Jaime Alexander (Kyle XY) (ABC Family)
Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter) (Showtime)
Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) (Fox)
Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) (ABC)
Jaime Murray (Dexter) (Showtime)
Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) (NBC)

DVD NOMINATIONS

Best DVD Release
Behind The Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (Starz / Anchor Bay)
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (remix) (Image)
Driftwood (Image)
The Man From Earth (Anchor Bay)
The Nines (Sony)
White Noise 2 (Universal)

Best Special Edition DVD Release
Big (Extended Edition) (Fox)
Blade Runner (5 Disc Ultimate Collector’s Edition) (Warner)
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (30th Anniversary – Blu Ray) (Sony)
Death Proof (Grindhouse Presentation: Extended & Unrated) (Genius)
Pan’s Labyrinth (Platinum Series) (New Line)
Troy: Director’s Cut (Ultimate Collector’s Edition) (Warner)

Best Classic Film DVD Release
Alligator (Lionsgate)
The Dark Crystal (Sony)
Face/Off (Paramount)
Flash Gordon (Universal)
The Monster Squad (Lionsgate)
Witchfinder General (MGM)

Best Collection on DVD
The Godzilla Collection (Classic Media)
The Mario Bava Collection (Vol. 1 & 2) (Anchor Bay)
The Sergio Leone Anthology (MGM)
The Sonny Chiba Collection (BCI / Eclipse)
Stanley Kubrick (Warner Home Video Directors Series) (Warner)
Vincent Price (MGM Scream Legends Collection) (MGM)

Best Television Series on DVD
Eureka (Season 1) (Universal)
Heroes (Season 1) (Universal)
Hustle (Complete Seasons 2 and 3) (BBC Warner)
Lost (The Complete Third Season) (Buena Vista)
MI:5 (Volumes 4 & 5) (BBC Warner)
Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series (BBC Warner)

Best Retro Television Series on DVD
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones (Volume 1: The Early Years) (Paramount)
Count Dracula (BBC Mini-series 1977) (BBC Warner)
Land of the Giants (The Full Series) (Fox)
Mission Impossible (The Second and Third Seasons) (Paramount)
Twin Peaks (The Definitive Gold Box Edition) (Paramount)
The Wild Wild West (The Second and Third Seasons) (Paramount)

Report: Strike Cost $2.5 Billion

Lesson learned from the recent writers' strike: The pen is costlier than the sword.

A report released Wednesday by Jack Kyser, the chief economist for the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corp., has revealed that the three-month walkout by film and TV writers took a heavier toll on Tinseltown's bottom line than predicted—$2.5 billion in lost show business.

The 71-page study, dubbed the Economic Forecast Report, concluded that the writers' strike, which started Nov. 5 and ended last week, resulted in millions of dollars in lost wages for the cast and crews of shuttered film and television productions.

The strike's impact alone on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual Golden Globes Award ceremony cost the Industry upwards of $60 million, including lost advertising dollars and missed promotional opportunities by studios looking to boost their prestige pictures ahead of this Sunday's Oscars.

Despite solid gains at the domestic and global box office in 2007, as well as last week's deal in which scribes won concessions for royalties from content streamed over the Internet, Kyser and his analysts expressed concern that the devastating economic effect of the protracted strike could lead the Screen Actors Guild to dig in its heels when its own contract is up on June 30.

It's widely expected that the actors will follow the template forged by the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America in their new accords with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.

However, Kyser's report said another strike wasn't out of the question, as SAG leaders are still "talking tough" about their negotiations.

Given how the work stoppage has thrown the scripted TV season for next fall into chaos, leaving many of its members scrounging for work, the union may hold out for a better revenue-sharing deal than the ones obtained separately by writers and directors.

The guild may seek to make up the shortfall in DVD sales, per the report. Sales remain flat this year, after suffering a steep 3.4 percent drop last year to $16 billion.

But with stars like Tom Hanks, George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Robert De Niro leading the charge, several key members of the Screen Actors Guild have urged the union to initiate early talks with the alliance to head off the possibility of another walkout.

While another strike would be grim news, the economic forecast for Los Angeles County for 2008 already predicts continued job losses in the manufacturing, information service and construction sectors due to the fallout from the strike.

Hasbro, Universal pact may produce Monopoly movie

NEW YORK (Reuters) - H