Stompin' Tom is going digital for Canada Day.
The Canadian music legend is issuing five of his classic albums, including Bud The Spud, on iTunes beginning Tuesday.
It's the first time Tom Connors, who has recorded 49 albums, has released his work digitally, EMI said in a release Monday.
The other albums to be released are:
- Fiddle & Song.
- Ode For The Road.
- My Stompin Grounds.
- Live At The Horseshoe.
Individual songs from the albums, including hits such as Sudbury Saturday Night, are also available.
More of Connors's catalogue is expected to be released digitally over the next few months.
Connors has a new album coming out later this year, recently performed duirng the NHL awards show in Toronto and will be honoured with his own stamp next year.
He is already a recipient of the Order of Canada and the Governor General's Award of Performing Excellence.
Bon Jovi Playing Free Central Park Show
Iconic New Jersey rockers Bon Jovi will play a free concert in Central Park on July 12, mayor Michael Bloomberg announced today (June 30).
Alongside frontman Jon Bon Jovi, as well as officials from Major League Baseball and Bank of America, Bloomberg outlined the details of the event at a City Hall press conference.
The show, billed as an "All-Star Concert in Central Park," will take place in conjunction with the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which is set for July 15 at Yankee Stadium.
"We've gotten the chance to bookend what is the most successful tour in the world this year with a free concert for anyone in New York," Bon Jovi said. "I just traveled the world again, and New York is still the greatest city in the world."
The concert will take place at 8 p.m. on the park's Great Lawn and will not be televised. Fans will be allowed to enter the area beginning at 2 p.m. Tickets will be available beginning July 2 at baseball parks as well as at events throughout New York.
The majority of the tickets will be available at Yankee Stadium, but will also be available at Shea Stadium and at the parks of the Brooklyn Cyclones and Staten Island Yankees. Additionally, tickets will be available through radio sweepstakes, promotional giveaways and in-store programs. Fan can also get tickets at MLB.com.
No more than 60,000 tickets will be distributed in an attempt to maintain the safety and integrity of the lawn's grass, Bloomberg said. "Our interest is in keeping the park open and making sure at the same time that we protect the investment the public has made," he said.
Bon Jovi said fans should expect a full-blown rock show despite the restrictions in place to protect the grass. "This will be our major stadium production," he said.
The band's "Lost Highway" tour wraps July 14-15 in New York.
New CD Releases, July 1: John Mayer, Alkaline Trio, Los Lonely Boys
John Mayer "Where the Light Is: John Mayer Live in Los Angeles"
This 2-CD live set was recorded during the vocalist/guitarist's gig on Dec. 8, 2007 at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. It features Mayer performing in three different settings: an acoustic show, fronting the John Mayer Trio (with bassist Pino Palladino and drummer Steve Jordan) and leading his regular electric band.
"Where the Light is" will also be released on DVD and Blue-Ray configurations, and is being shown in theaters across the country for one night only (June 30).
Mayer is also scheduled to tour this summer. The trip will commence with a July 2 date in Milwaukee, WI, and is currently scheduled to last through the end of August. Support acts rotating through the tour will include Colbie Caillat, Brett Dennen, Paramore and OneRepublic.
* * *
Alkaline Trio "Agony & Irony"
The Chicago-based alt-rockers return with their sixth studio album, which marks the group's first collection of all-new material since 2005's "Crimson." The latter set peaked at No. 25 on The Billboard 200 chart.
Last year, the group issued "Remains," a 22-track compilation album. The dual CD/DVD release features non-album sides that the band has recorded for compilations, EPs and international versions of its studio albums, along with a 45-minute DVD including all of the band's music videos from the three studio albums preceding "Agony."
Fans can share in the "Agony" during Alkaline Trio's in-progress tour. The trek is currently scheduled to stretch through an Aug. 3 date in Lawrence, KS.
* * *
Los Lonely Boys "Forgiven"
The Garza brothers--Henry (guitar), JoJo (bass) and Ringo (drums)--are back and ready to release their third album. The set follows 2006's "Sacred," which debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200, and the band's double-platinum-selling, Grammy-winning 2003 self-titled debut, which spawned the No. 1 adult-contemporary hit "Heaven."
The first single from "Forgiven" is "Staying With Me." These "Texican" rockers will support the new album during a co-headlining trek with Los Lobos. Dubbed the "Brotherhood Tour," the outing is set to begin July 18 in Portland, OR.
* * *
My Chemical Romance "The Black Parade is Dead"
"The Black Parade," released in late 2006, made these modern goth rockers into superstars in the music business. Yet, all good things must come to an end. Judging by the title of their new release, "The Black Parade is Dead," the band members are presumably just about ready to turn the page on this chapter in their careers and get on the next thing. This live set, released in both CD and DVD formats, documents two concerts from Oct. 2007: a small club show in New Jersey and the final "Black Parade" gig in Mexico City.
* * *
Vanessa Hudgens "Identified"
You might not know her name, but trust that your kids know her voice. Hudgens is best known for her role in the Disney phenomenon "High School Musical" (she starred as Gabriella Montez). The 19-year-old vocalist already has one hit record to her credit--her platinum-selling 2006 debut, "V"--and now she's hoping for another taste of success with her sophomore effort, "Identified."
* * *
More new releases:
Deltron 3030, "Deltron 3030" (Traffic)
G-Unit, "T.O.S.: Terminate on Sight" (G-Unit)
Kansas, "Two for the Show" (Sony)
Van Morrison, "Enlightenment" (Polydor)
Van Morrison, "Live at the Grand Opera House Belfast" (Polydor)
Van Morrison, "A Night in San Francisco" (Polydor)
Van Morrison, "No Guru, No Method, No Teacher" (Polydor)
Van Morrison, "Veedon Fleece" (Polydor)
Night Ranger, "Hole in the Sun" (VH1)
Relient K, "The Bird and the Bee Sides" (Warner Bros.)
Tech N9ne, "Killer" (Strange Music)
Thrillseekers, "Nightmusic, Vol. 3" (Water Music)
Various Artists, "Hed Kandi Beach House 2008" (Ministry of Sound)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Hancock" (Varese)
Maher and Shandling honor George Carlin at service
LOS ANGELES - He was the comedian who actually said the seven words you can never say on television, but close friends and family members remembered George Carlin as a man who, when he was off stage, had only a kind word for everyone he met.
At a private memorial service Sunday attended by some 150 people — "That was as small as we could keep it," chuckled Carlin's daughter, Kelly Carlin McCall — her father was memorialized by comedians Bill Maher, Garry Shandling and others as someone who had no enemies, in part because he was nice to everyone he spoke to.
"What everyone said tonight is if you spent time with my father, whether it was five seconds or five hours, he was kind, attentive, very connected to you, compassionate," said Carlin's daughter.
Among those who spoke at the service, which was closed to the public and news media, was Shandling, who told of being a teenage college student when he sought out Carlin nearly 40 years ago.
"My dad read his material and encouraged him to continue on, which was a life-changing moment in Gary's life," McCall told The Associated Press after the service.
Overall, Carlin's daughter said, the service was a happy event, one presided over in part by her father himself, who spoke from a montage of video clips assembled from his 51-year career.
Carlin, who died June 22 of heart failure, recorded nearly two dozen albums, 14 HBO comedy specials, wrote three best-selling books and appeared in numerous movies and TV shows.
"It was a very, very light event, as he wanted it," McCall said of the two-hour service. "He wanted a lot of laughter. I'd say 90 percent of it was laughing and just remembering what he brought to us in his funny way."
Although his standup routines were often filled with four-letter words — so many that early in his career Carlin was sometimes hauled off stage and taken to jail — his dead-on ability to highlight the absurdities of everyday life, and do so in such comical voices and faces, made his humor come across as anything but harsh.
And although famous for four-letter words, Carlin, 71, did not always use them. He was also Mr. Conductor on the children's show "Shining Time Station," Fillmore the hippie van in the 2006 children's movie "Cars," and the guest host of the first "Saturday Night Live" episode ever broadcast. That 1975 show was replayed by NBC on Saturday night in his honor.
There also was more to Carlin than just the comedian, said McCall, and that too was reflected at her father's funeral.
He loved music, and his service was attended by Kenny Rankin, who sang "Here's That Rainy Day," and Spanky McFarland of the 1960s pop group Spanky and Our Gang, who performed the song "Coming Home."
Other speakers included Carlin's older brother, Patrick, his partner, Sally Wade, and his former standup partner, Jack Burns. Carlin's wife, Brenda Hosbrook Carlin, died in 1997.
Carlin and Burns had met in 1960, and although they worked as a comedy duo only briefly they remained lifelong friends.
In an earlier AP interview, Burns recalled Carlin calling him several times a year to remind him of such things as the anniversary of the day they met, the day they did their first show together and, in one less-than-joyful incident, the day they were jailed for armed robbery in Texas in a case of mistaken identity.
That's just the sentimentalist he was, said McCall, who is Carlin's only child.
"He went out of his way to make sure friends and family members, if they needed anything, he was there for them," she said. "He was a complete man. He was more than just the seven words you can never say on television."
'Rock Band 2' to include new online modes, songs
LOS ANGELES - "Rock Band" is ready for an encore.
A sequel to the play-along music game that redefined the genre last year will be released first for the Xbox 360 in September, according to publisher MTV Games and developer Harmonix. "Rock Band 2" will feature a new variety of instruments, online modes and songs, and will allow players to import their previously purchased "Rock Band" tunes.
"With the original 'Rock Band,' the focus was on innovation," Harmonix co-founder and CEO Alex Rigopulos told The Associated Press. "With 'Rock Band 2,' the focus is on perfection of the experience. We've had a year to listen to our fans and build out the scope, depth and polish of the experience, so it feels like a second-generation band game."
MTV Games and Harmonix will debut "Rock Band 2" on Microsoft's Xbox 360 in September then make the game available for Sony's PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2 as well as Nintendo's Wii later in the year. The original "Rock Band" was simultaneously released on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 last November before later coming to the PlayStation 2 and Wii.
"Microsoft has been a great partner for 'Rock Band,'" said Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks Music Group, which oversees the "Rock Band" franchise. "It's just so easy to download the content using the Xbox 360 system. It's evolved into a great marketing partnership as well. They'll really blow it out for us."
"Rock Band" allows up to four gamers to form a virtual band, thrashing and singing along to songs with friends online or in-person on various phony instruments. The second edition will feature a playlist of over 80 songs — all master recordings — which will include more female-fronted bands and artists who have never contributed tunes to a music game.
If you've already downloaded a song for the original "Rock Band" — at about $1.99 per track, which can't be transferred to an MP3 player — it will immediately be loaded into your "Rock Band 2" song list without needing to be repurchased or re-downloaded. It's the first time such retroactive compatibility has been introduced in a music game.
"It's the No. 1 most-requested feature from our fans," said Rigopulos.
All prior versions of "Rock Band" instruments, as well as many from the competing "Guitar Hero" franchise, will also be compatible with "Rock Band 2." Harmonix will unleash a collection of new instrument-shaped controllers, including a sturdier drum kit and a Fender Stratocaster reproduction guitar lined with faux wood-grain buttons.
"For fans interested in hardware, the second-generation peripherals are an amazing step forward from the first-generation guitar and drums," said Rigopulos of Harmonix, which created the first two "Guitar Hero" games. "The instruments make huge strides in both fit and finish as well as features and functions."
Thus far, over 15 million songs of the over 200 available tracks have been downloaded from the "Rock Band" online music store since the game's launch last November. The catalog includes songs from rock acts such as The Rolling Stones, Blondie, The Cars, Wolfmother, Queens of the Stone Age, Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth and Jimmy Buffett.
MTV Games and Harmonix are releasing 12 "Rock Band" songs on July 15 from The Who — ranging from "My Generation" to "Who Are You" — that all utilize the band's master recordings. The tracks will be available for $1.99 individually or $19.99 together. The special release coincides with the upcoming "VH1 Rock Honors" ceremony commemorating The Who.
"Their music really comes alive when you're playing it," said Rigopulos. "We were trying to release 'Who's Next' in its entirety, but we were unable to locate all the masters. So in the face of that, Pete (Townshend) and Roger (Daltrey) helped curate this best-of soundtrack of everything we were able to find."
The official announcement of "Rock Band 2" means the industry's rhythm game rivalry will enter a three-way matchup this fall against Activision and RedOctane's latest "Guitar Hero" title and Konami's new-music-game-on-the-block "Rock Revolution," which will use the Wii's controllers to simulate air guitars and drums.
Playing music on plastic guitars has become a big business. "Guitar Hero III" has sold 2.5 million units while "Rock Band" has moved 1.3 million units. Both music games are in the top-10 moneymakers for 2008 so far, according to the most recent monthly video game sales data from NPD Group analyst Anita Frazier.
Rigopulos wouldn't comment on how much "Rock Band 2" would cost. The original game bundled with all the instruments went for about $170 at launch. Rigopulos said MTV Games, Harmonix and distributor Electronic Arts were making every effort possible to provide several choices for consumers looking to gear up for "Rock Band 2."
"Guitar Hero World Tour" — the fourth iteration of the franchise that started the music-game trend — will be released in October and will feature a "Rock Band"-like assemblage of peripheral instruments for the first time, as well as the ability make instrumental music, a feature Rigopulos said won't be found on "Rock Band 2."
"We really felt like we wanted to do it right," said Rigopulos. "We're taking a radically different approach to that problem. It's something we wanted to take more time to do it right. It's actually something we're not focused on in 'Rock Band 2.' We're really focused on other areas related to the music and bringing the community together."
MTV Games and Harmonix plan to announce additional "Rock Band 2" details — including the game's playlist — at the E3 Media and Business Summit in July. MTV executive Toffler hinted that "Rock Band 2" will be expanding upon idea of what it means to play online as well eventually broadening the musical genres of available downloadable content.
"I believe we're going to see global online competitions where bands performing throughout the world will compete against each other," said Toffler. "I'm personally excited to open up the genres of music to country, hip-hop and R&B. We've just scratched the surface, really."
'WALL-E,' 'Wanted' team up as $100 million duo
LOS ANGELES - A lonely little robot made millions of friends during the weekend — and even outgunned Angelina Jolie.
"WALL-E," the Pixar Animation tale of a robot toiling away on a long-abandoned Earth, debuted as the No. 1 movie with $62.5 million in ticket sales, with Jolie's assassin thriller "Wanted" opening in second place with $51.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.
The two movies combined to keep Hollywood on a roll. The top 12 movies took in $179.2 million, up 22 percent from the same weekend last year, when Pixar's "Ratouille" opened with $47 million.
It was the fifth straight weekend that revenues climbed. Revenues for the summer season that began May 2 are up 6 percent over last year's record pace, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.
The sour economy and high gas prices may be helping to fuel Hollywood's boom, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. Movies tend to thrive when times are tough because they are relatively cheap compared to sports events, concerts and other outings.
"Audiences are obviously gravitating toward the movies as their first choice for entertainment," Dergarabedian said. "It doesn't take that much gas to get to the local multiplex. That might have a little something to do with this, as well."
The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, the Warner Bros. comedy "Get Smart," slipped to third place with $20 million, raising its total to $77.3 million.
"WALL-E" maintains the perfect track record of Pixar, the Walt Disney unit that has made nine films, all of them critical and commercial successes, including "Cars," "Monsters, Inc." and the "Toy Story" flicks. "Finding Nemo" and "The Incredibles" put up the biggest opening-weekend numbers among Pixar movies, both pulling in just over $70 million.
Set centuries in the future, "WALL-E" is the story of a rickety, walking trash compactor that humans left running after abandoning the over-polluted planet.
The movie overcame a dialogue challenge — the two main robot characters barely speak, beyond each other's names — using wildly inventive visuals and sound effects to propel much of the story.
Like other Pixar films, "WALL-E" packed in family crowds, as well as adults without children.
"The real secret is they're not children's movies. They're movies for everybody. Children absolutely adore them, but parents enjoy them on a different level," said Mark Zoradi, president of Disney's motion-picture group. "You can't be nine-for-nine like Pixar is without that."
The G-rated "WALL-E" was complemented by Jolie's R-rated "Wanted," which distributor Universal originally planned to release back in March. The studio decided the movie was too good to release at a slower moviegoing time and moved it to summer on a weekend when competition for a violent action tale would be light.
"We knew `WALL-E' would be huge, but it's not the same audience as `Wanted,'" said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal.
"Wanted" stars Jolie as a member of a secret society of assassins whose new recruit (James McAvoy) is trained to use his superhuman abilities to take out a rogue killer.
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. "WALL-E," $62.5 million.
2. "Wanted," $51.1 million.
3. "Get Smart," $20 million.
4. "Kung Fu Panda," $11.7 million.
5. "The Incredible Hulk," $9.2 million.
6. "The Love Guru," $5.4 million.
7. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," $5 million.
8. "The Happening," $3.9 million.
9. "Sex and the City," $3.8 million.
10. "You Don't Mess With the Zohan," $3.2 million.
The Couch Potato Report - June 28th, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels a few Canadian films, one about rails and ties, and My Name Is Juani, from Spain.
It is the pre-Canada Day edition of The Report, and the the Hot Potato this week comes from La Belle Province, it is the Quebec film CRUSING BAR or MEET MARKET, en anglais.
This film is a comedy, with some very funny scenes, about four very different men from very different lifestyles, who are all going out to try and find some companionship on a Saturday night.
The four men don't know each other, and they don't even interact in the movie, but they do all have a connection.
All four of them - the very shy nerd, a broken- hearted junkie, a snob yuppy, and a middle-aged married man - are all played by the same actor.
Michel Côté plays all four lead characters, and he gives all four a unique series of body movements and voices.
CRUISING BAR or MEET MARKET - en Anglais - was actually released in Canadian theatres in 1989, but it is only debuting on DVD now, and I am glad it is. It isn't perfect, but it is very, very good and I easily recommend it...and the cheesy 80's disco music it features.
Our next two films don't feature one actor giving multiple performances, but they do both have the same guy playing one role.
That guy is Vancouver born Ryan Reynolds and the films are DEFINITELY MAYBE and CHAOS THEORY.
Did I like them...definitely...well, maybe...lets get to the facts...but first this clip.
In DEFINITELY MAYBE Reynolds is a man who tries to explain his impending divorce and past relationships to his 11-year-old daughter, after she pesters him relentlessly to do so.
Abigail Breslin from LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE is the daughter.
Rachel Weisz, Elizabeth Banks and Isla Fisher are the women who Reynolds has romanced and they, he, and Breslin are all pretty good in this film, and the film itself would like to be a cross between WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and THE PRINCESS BRIDE...but ultimately it comes up just a bit shy.
I liked it, and it has a really nice ending, but as a whole DEFINITELY MAYBE is a film that I would only say is definitely not bad.
I would also say that the other Ryan Reynolds film I have for you would like to be not bad, but it isn't even worthy of that mild praise.
CHAOS THEORY isn't awful, but it definitely is the lesser of these two films.
In this made-in Vancouver film, Reynolds is a man who has every day of his life planned out, but when he misses the morning ferry, his whole life changes in a way that could never have planned, let alone imagined.
After his planned out world falls apart, he becomes completely spontaneous as his life falls apart...and I wish I could tell you chaos reigns...the good type of chaos...but instead the film just becomes overly dramatic, and while there is some good stuff in CHAOS THEORY, there just isn't enough for me to say very many good things about it.
So, if you liked Ryan Reynolds work in VAN WILDER, or the made in Saskatchewan film JUST FRIENDS, and you need to make a choice between CHAOS THEORY or DEFINITELY MAYBE...see the latter...or just close your eyes and pick...let chaos reign, baby!!!
MAMA'S BOY is this week's next release, and it is the type of film that we have seen before...this one marks the third time in the past two years, in fact, that we have seen the story of an mid-twenties man who either whon't move out of his Mother's house, or can't let her be happy with the man she has fallen for.
FAILURE TO LAUNCH came out in 2006 with Matthew McCoaughey...MR. WOODCOCK was last year's entry, it starred Sean William Scott and Billy Bob Thornton, and this year we have MAMA'S BOY, with Jon Heder, Jeff Daniels and Diane Keaton.
Poor, poor Diane Keaton!
Jon Heder from NAPOLEON DYNAMITE plays a twenty-nine year-old slacker named Jeffery who lives with his mom.
His lifestyle is threatened when Mom and her self-help guru boyfriend fall in love.
MAMA'S BOY also stars Canadian born actress Sarah Chalk from SCRUBS, but even her presense, and the fact that the film co-stars the great Diane Keaton can't save this mess.
At one point, Anna Ferris - who also stars in this film, an dthe previoulsy mentioned made-in-Saskatchewan movie JUST FRIENDS - calls the Jeffery character pathetic...and that is what he is. The lead actor in MAMA'S BOY is pathetic, and as a result the film is not worth your time, just like FAILURE TO LAUNCH and MR. WOODCOCK weren't.
RAILS & TIES is our second to last release this week, and it is a very well written and acted movie, that marks the directorial debut of Allison Eastwood, daughter of Clint.
Kevin Bacon plays a train engineer who is at the controls during a deadly collision.
A young boy escapes the accident, and he, Bacon and Bacon's terminally ill wife - played by Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden - all form a unique bond.
RAILS & TIES is a very, very dramatic movie, but it is very worthy of your time.
And this week's entry in the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD is also worthy of your time!!
This week I'd like to tell you about the you, fresh and hip film MY NAME IS JUANI from Spain
In this film a small-town girl named Juani and her best friend leave to seek fame and fortune in the big city.
Once they arrive in Madrid - population 3.2 million - some of their dreams are fulfilled and others are dashed.
Through it all the young actresses and the filmmakers give us music, cars, gadgets, and unique on screen visuals to wash it all down with.
Unfortunately, the ending of MY NAME IS JUANI is extremey unsatisfying, but this is still a very good film, and it is the latest entry in The FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL On DVD!!
The entertaining Spanish film MY NAME IS JUANI, the very dramatic, but very good RAILS & TIES, the useless MAMA'S BOY, Ryan Reynold's latest two films - CHAOS THEORY and DEFINIETLY MAYBE and the Quebec movie CRUISING BAR or MEET MARKET - en Anglais - are all available now on DVD.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
The Canadian made film DAKOTA about two friends who were once were inseparable; now they barely speak; the British film IN BRUGES; the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD continues with GONE WITH THE WOMAN from Norway; and the 2 DVD set YANKEE STADIUM looks at BASEBALL'S CATHEDRAL from OPENING DAY 1923 TO Opening Day 2008.
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!
Activision launches Aerosmith-only "Guitar Hero"
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Aerosmith fans can finally get their chance to step into the shoes of Steven Tyler and Joe Perry as video game developer Activision Inc released its Guitar Hero: Aerosmith game on Friday.
Dozens flocked to the Hard Rock restaurant in Times Square to see the legendary five-member rock band debut the game and try out the latest Guitar Hero addition.
Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford even brought his sons to take a look at the band's creation.
The game features 30 of the band's most notable hits such as "Love in an Elevator" and "Sweet Emotion." It also includes songs from various artists Aerosmith performed and collaborated with over the years, including Run D.M.C.'s "Walk This Way" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You" by Joan Jett.
There is even a special guitar controller emblazoned with the band's red-and-white logo for hard core fans.
The game and guitar controller bundle for Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360, Sony Corp's PlayStation3 and Nintendo Co Ltd's Wii sells for $99.99, with an additional PlayStation2 version for $89.99. The game is also sold individually for each of the consoles and costs $59.99 and $49.99, respectively.
The Aerosmith game is the first Guitar Hero edition that focuses on an individual rock band. The previous three versions of the game featured various rock music genres that ranged from grunge, classic rock, metal, punk and '80s hits.
"This is an experiment for us," said Charles Huang, co-founder of Activision's RedOctane unit, which oversees the Guitar Hero franchise. "There are certain artists that have so much great music like Aerosmith, Metallica and Van Halen ... but we wanted to do something much bigger."
The Santa Monica, California-based company said Aerosmith's vast collection of rock hits and elite status in the music industry made the band the ideal choice for the new game.
"There's only a handful of bands that have that longevity," Huang said.
During the game's creation, band members spent two weeks performing in a motion capture studio in order for their video game figures to move exactly as the group performs on stage.
Activision is set to come out with a Metallica Guitar Hero edition in 2009, but declined to specify what month the game will be released.
The company will also release Guitar Hero: World Tour during the Christmas season, which will include a drum set and microphone in addition to the guitar controller. This version will rival Activision's biggest competitor "Rock Band," produced by Viacom Inc's MTV unit and Electronic Arts Inc.
Mr. Big out, Goldblum in for `Criminal Intent'
LOS ANGELES - Mr. Big is out, and Mr. Goldblum is in.
Jeff Goldblum will be joining "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" while Chris Noth — Mr. Big in the "Sex and the City" TV show and movie — is leaving after three seasons, a series spokeswoman said Thursday.
"Criminal Intent," part of the "Law & Order" franchise that includes the original series and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," recently was picked up for a 16-episode eighth season by USA Network.
"Jeff's presence will add a new dimension to an already successful show," series creator Dick Wolf said.
Noth's character, New York police Detective Mike Logan, was a member of the "Law & Order" family since the start, Wolf noted, adding, "We all wish him the best."
Noth played Logan on the original NBC series from 1990 to '95, in a "Law & Order" TV movie and then on "Criminal Intent" starting in 2005. The show's seventh season airs Sundays on USA.
A call requesting comment from Noth was not immediately returned by his representative.
Goldblum recently starred in the short-lived NBC series "Raines" but is mostly known as a film actor with credits that include "Jurassic Park," "The Lost World," "Independence Day" and "The Fly."
He shared an Academy Award nomination in 2005 for the live-action short film "Little Surprises."
"Criminal Intent" originally aired on NBC. But when the network decided that last season's schedule had room for only two of the shows a deal was struck to air "Criminal Intent" first on USA, then on NBC.
NBC and USA are corporate cousins within NBC Universal, and "Criminal Intent" reruns on USA already had proved among its most popular programming.
"Criminal Intent," which looks at cases from both the perspective of police and lawbreakers, stars Vincent D'Onofrio, Kathryn Erbe and Eric Bogosian.
'Dark Knight' credits pay tribute to Ledger
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Heath Ledger is getting a fond tribute from his collaborators on "The Dark Knight." The end credits of the "Batman Begins" sequel include a farewell note to Ledger, who died in January from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs; and to special-effects technician Conway Wickliffe, who was killed last September in a stunt-car accident.
"In memory of our friends Heath Ledger & Conway Wickliffe," reads the tribute included in the credits, which went up Thursday on the Warner Bros. publicity Web site.
Ledger plays the villainous Joker in "The Dark Knight," who begins a reign of terror on Gotham City that pits him against conflicted hero Batman (Christian Bale).
Arriving in theaters July 18, the movie reteams Bale with director Christopher Nolan and returning co-stars Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. Joining the cast are Aaron Eckhart and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Beginning months before Ledger's death, his frenetic performance and demented-clown makeup have been a cornerstone of the marketing campaign for the film.
"I needed a phenomenal actor, but he also had to be someone unafraid of taking on such an iconic role," Nolan says in the production notes for "The Dark Knight." "Heath created something entirely original. It's stunning, it's captivating. ... It's going to blow people away."
Oasis set to 'Dig Out' new album after tour
Oasis is set to release its first studio album in three years when the band drops "Dig Out Your Soul" in fans' laps this fall.
The British pop-rockers--who are currently gearing up for a North American run kicking off Aug. 26 in Seattle, followed by visits to eight Canadian cities--have a set an Oct. 7 release date for the new LP, which sees Dave Sardy return to production duties following his work on the band's 2005 album, "Don't Believe the Truth."
"I wanted to write music that had a groove; not songs that followed that traditional pattern of verse, chorus and middle eight," said the band's principal songwriter, guitarist Noel Gallagher, in a press release. "I wanted a sound that was more hypnotic; more driving. Songs that would draw you in, in a different way. Songs that you would maybe have to connect to--to feel."
The set's first single, "The Shock of the Lightning," is scheduled to hit radio stations in late September.
"If 'The Shock of the Lightning' sounds instant and compelling to you, it's because it was written dead fast," Gallagher recently posted on the group's website. "And recorded dead fast. [The single] basically is the demo. And it has retained its energy. And there's a lot to be said for that, I think. The first time you record something is always the best."
In 2006, Oasis also put out a two-disc career retrospective dubbed "Stop the Clocks," which features hits including "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova," as well as B-sides such as "Acquiesce" and "Half the World Away."
Meanwhile, the Gallagher brothers recently released their first digital single, "Lord Don't Slow Me Down," which comes from the double-DVD of the same name. The film, which surfaced in October, captures Oasis' yearlong world tour to support "Don't Believe the Truth." The first disc includes a feature-length documentary and Q&A with Noel Gallagher, and the second comprises the band's homecoming concert at the City of Manchester Stadium and footage sent in by fans.
August 2008
26 - Seattle, WA - WaMu Theater
27 - Vancouver, British Columbia - GM Place
29 - Edmonton, Alberta - Rexall Place
30 - Calgary, Alberta - Pengrowth Saddledome
September 2008
1 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - MTC Centre
4 - Ottawa, Ontario - Scotiabank Place
5 - Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
7 - Toronto, Ontario - Toronto Island Park/Virgin Festival
9 - London, Ontario - John Labatt Centre
Saturday Night Live Rewinds For Carlin Tribute
Saturday Night Live will pay tribute to late comedian George Carlin this coming weekend by re-airing the programme's 1975 debut, which the funnyman hosted.
Carlin died after suffering a heart attack on Sunday. He was 71.
In a tribute to the comic, SNL creator Lorne Michaels says, "He was gracious, fearless, and most of all, funny."
'Big Bird' costume creator Kermit Love dies of heart failure at 91
POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - The man who helped Jim Henson create the beloved "Sesame Street" character Big Bird has died from congestive heart failure. He was 91.
Kermit Love died Saturday. He was a prolific costume designer for some of ballet's most prominent choreographers, including luminaries like Twyla Tharp, Robert Joffrey and George Balanchine. His work creating costumes and masks caught Jim Henson's attention.
Henson designed the original sketches of Big Bird and Love then built the three-metre-tall yellow-feathered costume for "Sesame Street," which was first televised in the U.S. in 1969. It was Love's idea to add a few feathers designed to fall off, to create a more realistic feel.
Love also helped design costumes and puppets for Mr. Snuffleupagus, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster, among other "Sesame Street" characters. He even appeared on the show himself as Willy, the fantasy neighborhood's resident hot dog vendor.
According to the New York Times, Love always insisted he wasn't the namesake of Henson's famous frog.
Love also designed costumes and puppets for theatre, film and advertising, including the Snuggle bear from the fabric softener commercials.
Anne Hathaway's ex-boyfriend arrested on fraud charges
NEW YORK (Reuters) - An Italian businessman who had been the long-time boyfriend of actress Anne Hathaway was arrested on Tuesday on charges of operating a fraudulent real estate scheme that he claimed was linked to the Vatican, U.S. authorities said.
Raffaello Follieri, 29, was charged with conspiracy, wire fraud and money laundering in a criminal complaint unsealed on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Manhattan. He was expected to appear in court later in the day.
Follieri is accused of operating a scheme in which he led investors to believe that he had close connections with the Vatican that enabled him to buy the Catholic Church's unwanted U.S. real estate properties at a discount, according to federal prosecutors and the FBI.
Follieri and others used the investors' money for expensive clothes and restaurant meals, a $37,000-a-month Manhattan apartment, dog-walking services and other personal expenditures including medical expenses for his girlfriend at the time, according to the complaint. Authorities did not identify the girlfriend.
For four years, Follieri had dated Hathaway, who starred in "Get Smart," "The Devil Wears Prada" and other movies. Last week, Britain's The Daily Mail reported that the two had split.
The complaint said Follieri, of Foggia, Italy, had made false representations that included claims that the Vatican formally appointed him to manage its financial affairs and that he met with the Pope when he visited Rome.
WITNESSES
In reality, according to the complaint, Follieri did not have any connections that allowed him to buy Church real estate at below-market rates.
The complaint cites witnesses who said Follieri kept various ceremonial robes at his office in New York, including those of senior clergymen. In one instance, according to the complaint, Follieri asked a monsignor who was traveling with him to change out of his robes "and put on the robe of a more senior clergyman in order to create the false impression that Follieri had close ties to the Vatican."
When asked for comment, Follieri's lawyer, Flora Edwards, said: "It's a little premature at this time. I am hopeful we will be able to resolve everything."
The complaint contends Follieri got millions of dollars in investment money from an unspecified private equity firm based on his misrepresentations. The fraudulent scheme lasted from June 2005 through June 2007, according to the complaint.
According to published reports, California supermarket mogul Ron Burkle has previously sued Follieri in Delaware of misusing money from a joint real estate venture involving buying and reselling properties owned by the Catholic Church.
In the complaint, Follieri was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, six counts of wire fraud, and five counts of money laundering.
If convicted, he could face as much as five years in prison for conspiracy, 20 years for wire fraud and 20 years in prison for money laundering, plus fines.
'Sopranos' box set on sale in November
NEW YORK - A 30-disc box set with every episode of the HBO series "The Sopranos" goes on sale Nov. 11 with a list price of US$399.99, HBO Video said Monday.
Besides seven seasons worth of episodes, the set has two bonus DVDs that include an interview with creator David Chase by Alec Baldwin. The set will have two "Supper with the Sopranos" features, sit-down dinners (food not included) with Chase and various actors discussing their favourite scenes, auditions and other aspects of the show.
Chase also discusses how the show was cast and the evolution of the characters. He includes three music soundtrack CDs that he curated and were previously released, and 16 scenes that were filmed but never made it on the air. The set includes a recording of a New York seminar on cast members who were whacked and various spoofs on other TV outlets.
Four hundred dollars won't buy you Tony Soprano, however. James Gandolfini didn't participate in any of the "extras."
Diva Dion's AC/DC cover deemed worst ever: guitar mag
Céline Dion has a dubious distinction to add to her myriad awards and achievements: world's worst song cover, according to a popular European guitar magazine.
British-based Total Guitar conducted a poll that named the French-Canadian singer's rendition of You Shook Me All Night Long the No. 1 "worst cover song," editor Stephen Lawson said, according to Agence France-Presse.
Performed about six years ago during her hit Las Vegas run, the diva's version of the classic AC/DC anthem was sung as a duet with U.S. pop singer Anastacia. The magazine dubbed the cover "sacrilege" and an "offence."
Other cover songs the magazine scoffed at include:
British girl groups Sugababes and Girls Aloud performing Walk This Way, made famous by Aerosmith and Run DMC.
British boy band Westlife's rendition of rock ballad More Than Words by Extreme.
Pop Idol winner Will Young's version of Light My Fire by The Doors.
Oasis hit Wonderwall as performed by easy-listening lounge act The Mike Flowers Pops.
Flops aside, the poll also highlighted a handful of the most successful song tributes.
"The best covers are unlikely choices and they do something radical," Lawson said.
Electric-guitar legend Jimi Hendrix's version of Bob Dylan's All Along the Watchtower came in first, followed by the Beatles version of Twist and Shout — originally recorded by U.S. R&B group The Top Notes.
Rounding out the best five were:
The Guns N' Roses cover of Live and Let Die, by Paul McCartney and Wings.
Nirvana's rendition of David Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World.
British rock band Muse's version of Feeling Good, written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for the 1965 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint — the Smell of the Crowd.
Total Guitar, touted as the bestselling guitar magazine in Europe, is known for regularly carrying tablatures (guitar-music notations) of popular music, reviews of guitar equipment and interviews with prominent guitarists.
The Beatles Reportedly Heading to “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band”
Following the success of two weeks of the Beatles‘ music on American Idol, the Fab Four’s catalog may be branching out again: Reps for the band are reportedly talking to both Activision and MTV Games about possibly releasing a Guitar Hero or Rock Band based around Beatles’ tunes.
According to a source close to the negotiations, the final deal could be worth millions, but first must get the approval of both Apple Corps. and EMI. Apple Corps’ tight grip on the Beatles catalog has loosened since Jeff Jones became the company’s chief executive, as evidenced by the band’s music appearing in American Idol, Cirque du Soleil Love show and the film Across the Universe.
“To my view, it’s only a matter of time before we see Beatles songs that are the original recordings in motion pictures, in television work, and yes, maybe even one day in a commercial,” said Sony/ATV chief executive Martin Bandier, who holds more than 200 Beatles copyrights.
Whichever video game company wins the battle to release a Beatles-themed game, a source says a deal “could be reached in a matter of weeks.”
New CD Releases, June 24: Motley Crue, Amos Lee, Sigur Ros
Motley Crue "Saints of Los Angeles"
These veteran head-bangers are set to release their first new studio album since 2000's "New Tattoo." "Saints of Los Angeles" was recorded by the band’s original lineup: drummer Tommy Lee, guitarist Mick Mars, bassist Nikki Sixx and vocalist Tommy Lee. The previous record to feature that cast was 1997's "Generation Swine."
The first single from "Saints of Los Angeles" is its title track, which includes backup vocals from Buckcherry's Josh Todd, Papa Roach's Jacoby Shaddix, Sixx:A.M.'s James Michael and Trapt's Chris Brown.
The Crue will support the record this summer by headlining its own touring festival, dubbed Crue Fest. The road trip, which also features Buckcherry, Papa Roach, Crue bassist Nikki Sixx's side-project Sixx:A.M. and alt-rockers Trapt, kicks off July 1 in West Palm Beach, FL.
* * *
Amos Lee "Last Days at the Lodge"
The Philadelphia-born singer/songwriter returns with a follow-up to 2006's "Supply and Demand," which was produced by Natalie Merchant's bassist, Barrie Maguire, and peaked at No. 76 on The Billboard 200 chart.
"Last Days at the Lodge" was produced by legendary studio presence Don Was (Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones), and features a veteran cast of back-up talent, including Doyle Bramhall, Jr (Eric Clapton) on guitar, Spooner Oldham (Neil Young, Aretha Franklin) on keys, Pino Palladino (The Who, John Mayer Trio) on bass and James Gadson (Bill Withers) on drums, among others.
Lee will support "Last Days at the Lodge" with a tour that begins July 8 in Kitchener, Ontario, and stretches into late August.
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Sigur Ros "Med Sud i Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust"
These Icelandic alt-rockers never make things easy on their listeners--especially not those who speak only English. The title of their latest album, "Med Sud i Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust," won't be attempted by many DJs on air. The English translation of the title is "With a Buzz in Our Ears We Play Endlessly."
This disc, the band's fifth studio album and its first since 2005's "Takk...," does include one song performed in English ("All Alright"), which is a first for the band. "Med Sud i Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust" was co-produced by the band with veteran producer Flood (U2, Smashing Pumpkins) and recorded in New York City; London; the band's hometown of Reykjavik, Iceland; and Havana, Cuba.
The group recently finished up a short North American tour, which included a set at the giant Bonnaroo festival in Manchester, TN.
* * *
Alejandro Escovedo "Real Animal"
The popular singer/songwriter/guitarist is ready to unleash "Real Animal," which follows 2006's "The Boxing Mirror." Wasting no time, the road warrior is already on tour in support of the album.
The 13-track "Real Animal" was produced by legendary studio hand Tony Visconti (David Bowie, T Rex). Escovedo's previous album was helmed by another great producer, The Velvet Underground’s John Cale.
* * *
Shinedown "The Sound of Madness"
The platinum-selling hard-rock troupe is back with its third album, which follows 2003's "Leave a Whisper" and 2005’s "Us and Them." The lead single from "The Sound of Madness" is "Devour."
* * *
More new releases:
Gerald Albright, "Sax for Stax" (Peak)
Eric Darius, "Goin' All Out" (Blue Note)
Jon Foreman, "Spring and Summer" (Credential)
Hercules and Love Affair, "Hercules and Love Affair" (Mute)
Billy Idol, "The Very Best of Billy Idol: Idolize Yourself" (Capitol)
Edwin McCain, "Nobody's Fault But Mine" (Time Life)
Reckless Kelly, "Bulletproof" (Yep Roc)
Thalia, "Lunada" (EMI)
Three 6 Mafia, "Last 2 Walk" (Sony)
Walter Trout, "The Outsider" (Megaforce)
Steve Tyrell, "Back to Bacharach" (Koch)
Various artists, "Big Blue Ball" (Real World)
Soundtracks and scores:
"Into Great Silence: Office of the Night" (Jade)
"Wall*e" (Disney)
Dody Goodman, stage and TV comedian, dies at 93
NEW YORK - Dody Goodman, the delightfully daffy comedian known for her television appearances on Jack Paar's late-night talk show and as the mother on the soap-opera parody "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," has died at 93.
Goodman died Sunday at Englewood (N.J.) Hospital and Medical Center, said Joan Adams, a close family friend. The actress had been ill for some time and had lived in the Actors Fund Home in Englewood since October, Adams said.
Goodman, with her pixyish appearance and Southern-tinged, quavery voice, had an eclectic show-business career. She moved easily from stage to television to movies, where she appeared in such popular films as "Grease" and "Grease 2," playing Blanche, the principal's assistant, and in "Splash."
It was on "The Tonight Show" when Paar was the late night TV program's second host in the late 1950s that Goodman first received national attention. Her quirky, off-kilter remarks inevitably got laughs and endeared audiences.
"I was just thrown into the talking," Goodman said in a 1994 interview with The Associated Press. "I had no idea how to do that. In fact, they just called me up and asked me if I wanted to be on 'The Jack Paar Show.' I didn't know who Jack Paar was. They said, 'We just want you to sit and talk."'
After a falling out with Paar, other chat shows took up the slack, including "The Merv Griffin Show" and "Girl Talk." And there were roles on TV series, too, most notably her appearances as Martha Shumway (Louise Lasser's mother) on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," starting in 1976, and guest shots on such shows as "Diff'rent Strokes," "St. Elsewhere" and "Murder, She Wrote."
In later years, Goodman was a regular in "Nunsense" and its various sequels, appearing off-Broadway and on tour in Dan Goggin's comic musical celebration of the Little Sisters of Hoboken. She started out playing Sister Mary Amnesia, later graduating to the role of Mother Superior.
"Dody had the most impeccable comic timing," Goggin said. "When we had her in the show, she was the only person on Earth who could walk on stage, say, 'Are you ready to start?' and bring the house down. Within seconds, the audience was eating out of her hand."
The actress was born Dolores Goodman on Oct. 28, 1914, in Columbus, Ohio, where her father ran a small cigar factory. She arrived in New York in the late 1930s to study dance at the School of American Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School, and later graduated to Broadway musicals.
The actress performed regularly on stage in the 1940s and early '50s as a chorus member in such musicals as "Something for the Boys," "One Touch of Venus," "Laffing Room Only," "Miss Liberty," "Call Me Madam," "My Darlin' Aida" and "Wonderful Town," in which she originated the role of Violet, the streetwalker.
"I had to make so many transitions into other things," Goodman said in the AP interview. "When I first came out of dancing, I did revues."
It was the early to mid-'50s, when small, topical nightclub revues flourished. Goodman, a natural comedian, thrived in them. She performed in shows by Ben Bagley and Julius Monk, and in Jerry Herman's first effort, a revue called "Parade."
In more recent times, she appeared on David Letterman's late-night talk show.
"He understands my sense of humor. I will do a dumb thing for fun. That's how I got the reputation for being dopey and dumb. I don't like dumb jokes but I will do dumb things for a laugh," she said in the AP interview.
Goodman, who never married, is survived by seven nieces and nephews, 11 great nieces and nephews and 15 great-great nieces and nephews, Adams said.
A memorial service is planned.
George Carlin mourned as counterculture hero
LOS ANGELES - Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television. Some People Are Stupid. Stuff. People I Can Do Without.
George Carlin, who died of heart failure Sunday at 71, leaves behind not only a series of memorable routines, but a legal legacy: His most celebrated monologue, a frantic, informed riff on those infamous seven words, led to a Supreme Court decision on broadcasting offensive language.
The counterculture hero's jokes also targeted things such as misplaced shame, religious hypocrisy and linguistic quirks — why, he asked, do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?
Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, went into St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica on Sunday afternoon complaining of chest pain and died later that evening, said his publicist, Jeff Abraham. He had performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.
"He was a genius and I will miss him dearly," Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told The Associated Press.
The actor Ben Stiller called Carlin "a hugely influential force in stand-up comedy. He had an amazing mind, and his humor was brave, and always challenging us to look at ourselves and question our belief systems, while being incredibly entertaining. He was one of the greats."
Carlin constantly breached the accepted boundaries of comedy and language, particularly with his routine on the "Seven Words" — all of which are taboo on broadcast TV to this day.
When he uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace, freed on $150 bail and exonerated when a Wisconsin judge dismissed the case, saying it was indecent but citing free speech and the lack of any disturbance.
When the words were later played on a New York radio station, they resulted in a 1978 Supreme Court ruling upholding the government's authority to sanction stations for broadcasting offensive language during hours when children might be listening.
"So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," he told The Associated Press earlier this year.
Despite his reputation as unapologetically irreverent, Carlin was a television staple through the decades, serving as host of the "Saturday Night Live" debut in 1975 — noting on his Web site that he was "loaded on cocaine all week long" — and appearing some 130 times on "The Tonight Show."
He produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a few TV shows and appeared in several movies, from his own comedy specials to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" in 1989 — a testament to his range from cerebral satire and cultural commentary to downright silliness (sometimes hitting all points in one stroke).
"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms?" he once mused. "Are they afraid someone will clean them?"
He won four Grammy Awards for best spoken comedy album and was nominated for five Emmys. On Tuesday, it was announced that Carlin was being awarded the 11th annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, which will be presented Nov. 10 in Washington and broadcast on PBS.
Carlin started his career on the traditional nightclub circuit in a coat and tie, pairing with Burns to spoof TV game shows, news and movies. Perhaps in spite of the outlaw soul, "George was fairly conservative when I met him," said Burns, describing himself as the more left-leaning of the two. It was a degree of separation that would reverse when they came upon Lenny Bruce, the original shock comic, in the early '60s.
"We were working in Chicago, and we went to see Lenny, and we were both blown away," Burns said, recalling the moment as the beginning of the end for their collaboration if not their close friendship. "It was an epiphany for George. The comedy we were doing at the time wasn't exactly groundbreaking, and George knew then that he wanted to go in a different direction."
That direction would make Carlin as much a social commentator and philosopher as comedian, a position he would relish through the years.
"The whole problem with this idea of obscenity and indecency, and all of these things — bad language and whatever — it's all caused by one basic thing, and that is: religious superstition," Carlin told the AP in a 2004 interview. "There's an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. ... It's reflected in these prohibitions and these taboos that we have."
Carlin was born on May 12, 1937, and grew up in the Morningside Heights section of Manhattan, raised by a single mother. After dropping out of school in the ninth grade, he joined the Air Force in 1954. He received three court-martials and numerous disciplinary punishments, according to his official Web site.
While in the Air Force he started working as an off-base disc jockey at a radio station in Shreveport, La., and after receiving a general discharge in 1957, took an announcing job at WEZE in Boston.
"Fired after three months for driving mobile news van to New York to buy pot," his Web site says.
From there he went on to a job on the night shift as a deejay at a radio station in Fort Worth, Texas. Carlin also worked variety of temporary jobs, including carnival organist and marketing director for a peanut brittle.
In 1960, he left with $300 and Burns, a Texas radio buddy, for Hollywood to pursue a nightclub career as comedy team Burns & Carlin. His first break came just months later when the duo appeared on Jack Paar's "Tonight Show."
Carlin said he hoped to emulate his childhood hero, Danny Kaye, the kindly, rubber-faced comedian who ruled over the decade Carlin grew up in — the 1950s — with a clever but gentle humor reflective of the times.
It didn't work for him, and the pair broke up by 1962.
"I was doing superficial comedy entertaining people who didn't really care: Businessmen, people in nightclubs, conservative people. And I had been doing that for the better part of 10 years when it finally dawned on me that I was in the wrong place doing the wrong things for the wrong people," Carlin reflected recently as he prepared for his 14th HBO special, "It's Bad For Ya."
Eventually Carlin lost the buttoned-up look and changed to his trademark beard, ponytail and all-black attire.
But even with his decidedly adult-comedy bent, Carlin never lost his childlike sense of mischief, even voicing kid-friendly projects like episodes of the TV show "Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends" and the spacey Volkswagen bus Fillmore in the 2006 Pixar hit "Cars."
Carlin's first wife, Brenda, died in 1997. He is survived by wife Sally Wade; daughter Kelly Carlin McCall; son-in-law Bob McCall; brother Patrick Carlin; and sister-in-law Marlene Carlin.
'Get Smart' gets audience with $39.2M debut
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Audiences still get Maxwell Smart. Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway's "Get Smart," the Warner Bros. big screen update of the 1960s spy sitcom, raked in $39.2 million to debut as the No. 1 weekend movie, according to studio estimates Sunday.
But movie-goers did not get Mike Myers' "The Love Guru," the weekend's other new wide release. The Paramount Pictures comedy about a self-help mentor took in just $14 million to open at No. 4.
In limited release, "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl" opened strongly with $222,697 in five theaters, averaging $44,539 a cinema, compared with $10,012 in 3,911 theaters for "Get Smart."
"Kit Kittredge," released by Picturehouse and based on the popular line of American Girl dolls, stars Abigail Breslin as a 9-year-old aspiring newspaper reporter during the Depression. The film expands into wide release July 2.
The weekend's No. 2 spot was a photo finish between DreamWorks Animation and Paramount's "Kung Fu Panda" and Universal's "The Incredible Hulk."
In its third weekend, "Kung Fu Panda" pulled in $21.7 million, raising its domestic total to $155.6 million. "The Incredible Hulk" was right behind with $21.6 million in its second weekend to lift its total to $96.5 million.
"Panda" and "Hulk" were close enough that their rankings could change when final numbers are released Monday.
Hollywood's summer surge continued, with total revenues climbing for the fourth straight weekend compared to last year. The top 12 movies took in $136.9 million, up nearly 10 percent from the same weekend in 2007, when Carell's "Evan Almighty" opened at No. 1 with $31.2 million.
The industry is on track to beat the revenue record set last summer, when receipts topped $4 billion for the first time.
"While the country may be suffering with a so-called recession, people are finding movies a fairly inexpensive way to get their entertainment," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "This proves the conventional wisdom that, during tough economic times, the movies flourish."
In "Get Smart," Carell re-creates the bumbling Max Smart character created by Don Adams, with Hathaway playing the capable Agent 99 as the duo try to stop a plot to arm unstable governments with nuclear bombs. Dwayne Johnson co-stars as a superstar spy colleague.
Critics picked apart the movie for emphasizing action over the crisp verbal comedy of the TV show, but Warner Bros. figures that was a wise commercial move. While 60 percent of the audience was 25 or older, that still meant a sizable younger crowd that was more keen on the movie's action, said Dan Fellman, the studio's head of distribution.
"We were very pleased to have 40 percent under 25, because they did not grow up on the television show," Fellman said. "The filmmakers did a great job in making that happen. They broadened the audience and brought it into a modern-day bent."
Myers — who dreamed up the "Love Guru" character, co-wrote the script and was a producer on the movie — has been accustomed to blockbuster openings with the three "Shrek" flicks and his two "Austin Powers" spy sequels.
"Mike Myers, the master of the spy spoof, opens his movie against a spy comedy, and the spy movie genre was obviously a lot more appealing to audiences," Dergarabedian said.
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. "Get Smart," $39.2 million.
2. "Kung Fu Panda," $21.7 million.
3. "The Incredible Hulk," $21.6 million.
4. "The Love Guru," $14 million.
5. "The Happening," $10 million.
6. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," $8.4 million.
7. "You Don't Mess With the Zohan," $7.2 million.
8. "Sex and the City," $6.5 million.
9. "Iron Man," $4 million.
10. "The Strangers," $1.9 million.
The Couch Potato Report - June 21st, 2008
This week The Couch Potato Report peels some muffins for Granny and asks if you feel lucky. Well, do ya? Punk?!?
Saturday is National Aboriginal Day.
It is an important day in our Country.
In cooperation with national Aboriginal organizations, the Government of Canada designated June 21 National Aboriginal Day. This date was chosen because it corresponds to the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, and because for generations, many Aboriginal groups have celebrated their culture and heritage at this time of year.
National Aboriginal Day provides an opportunity for us all to become better acquainted with the cultural diversity of Inuit, Métis and First Nations peoples, discover the unique accomplishments of Aboriginal peoples in fields as varied as agriculture, the environment and the arts, and celebrate their significant contribution to Canadian society.
One sad chapter of Canadian's history that is bound to come up today is the Canadian residential school system, partially due to the Prime Minister's recent apology on behalf of the Canadian Government in front of an audience of First Nations delegates in the House of Commons.
Perhaps, on a day of Celebration for Canada's Aboriginal people, referencing the residential school system isn't a good idea...but, those who forget their history are condemed to repeat it...and this sad chapter of our country's history must never be forgotten!
And that is why the Hot Potato this week is MUFFINS FOR GRANNY.
MUFFINS FOR GRANNY is filmmaker Nadia McLaren's story of her grandmother.
To tell her Granny's story, she uses home movies, and animation.
She also features seven elders who talk openly and honestly about their experiences in residential school in Ontario, and how if affected them.
The stories in MUFFINS FOR GRANNY are so powerful and tough to hear, especially if you don't know a lot about what happened in the residential schools, or have never spoken to someone who survived the experience.
The work of the filmmaker with a project like this is to not let the movie get in the way of the stories being told on screen, but unfortunately McLaren's movie does get in the way at times.
Some of the Survivor's stories are edited together with others, and they would have been much more effective had she just left the camera on the Elders until they were done telling their story, and there were times that silence would been more effective than adding music.
But, regardless of my "reviewer" issues with it, this one film that I feel stands above any criticisms I could offer.
MUFFINS FOR GRANNY is a documentary that everyone should see, so we can all find out what happened in the residential schools, and help the ongoing healing process...if we can.
You might not find MUFFINS FOR GRANNY in every store, but it is one that you should search out and watch with others.
Our next release this week, switching genres completely, is one that you will find in almost every store...it is THE DIRTY HARRY (START CLIP) ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION.
This seven-disc box set features newly remastered versions of all five "Dirty Harry" films, as well as a wide array of new and old commentaries, special features and documentaries that take us deep into what Inspector Harry Callahan and Clint Eastwood have meant to pop culture.
The set also includes reproductions of telegrams related to the production, a 40-page souvenir booklet and the documentary "Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows," a comprehensive look at Eastwood's career that is narrated by Morgan Freeman and features many stars in their own right talking about the man.
THE DIRTY HARRY ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION is a fantastically comprehensive set, and if you are a fan of these films, or Clint Eastwood...it is a must have!
This week's next two films should have come together in a Box Set, or been released as a Two-Disc Special Edition, but they don't...however, I am going to speak about them as if they are one.
And if you like music, especially the unique sounds that were being produced in the late seventies and early eighties, then do not miss the film CONTROL and the documentary JOY DIVISION!
Joy Division were a British band from Manchester who evolved from their initial punk rock influences, to develop a sound and style that pioneered the post-punk movement of the late 1970s.
Despite the band's growing success, vocalist Ian Curtis was beset with depression and personal difficulties, including a dissolving marriage and his diagnosis with epilepsy and he found it increasingly difficult to perform at live concerts, and often had seizures during performances.
In May 1980, on the eve of the band's first American tour, Curtis, overwhelmed with depression, committed suicide.
The film - CONTROL - is a profile of Ian Curtis, with some facts changed for cinematic effect, and the documentary JOY DIVISION is a fact filled chronological account of the band.
I love Joy Division, and so I completely enjoyed both of these releases.
If you love the group as well, or just enjoy films about musicians and music then you should see them as well.
I think the documentary is the better of the two, but they do go together, even if love will tear us apart.
Okay, let me quickly tell you about the romantic comedy FOOLS GOLD and the non-comedy BE KIND REWIND.
Quickly only due to the fact they are only worth seeing if there is absolutely nothing else available!
FOOLS GOLD is definitely the better of the two as Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughay reunite, and the chemistry they had in HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN TEN DAYS is still present.
In this film they play about a recently divorced couple who rekindle their romantic life while searching for a lost treasure.
Admittedly, I liked FOOLS GOLD, because I like Kate and Matt, but there is way too much plot and it gets less interesting as it plays out.
BE KIND REWIND is a film that I should have LOVED because it is about movies, but unfortunately it is a misfire from the same director who gave us the brilliant ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND!!
When all of their video tapes go blank due to a magnetic presence in co-star Jack Black, two hapless friends have to recreate the films as there are customers who are still looking for movies to watch, and the friends don't want the store's pwner to find out what they have done.
And - as it turns out - the recreations turn out to be more popular with customers than the originals.
There are some entertaining moments, and if you are a lover of films as well, there might be a few moments when you find yourself smiling at BE KIND REWIND, but ultimately it is a cliche filled film of scenes that we have seen many times before...and that is too bad as I wanted to love this movie, and I didn't.
But if there is nothing else on the shelf, and you are in the mood for a film, it isn't awful.
Faint praise, I know, but I have reserved the praise I have left this morning for this week's entry in the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD!
This week's film is THOSE WHO REMAIN from France.
Bertrand and Lorraine are those who remain.
Those who try and find a way to live each day while their spouses are being treated for cancer.
To help each other bear the guilt they feel from being alive, Bertrand and Lorraine become friends and they help each other get through the days, until an attraction develops.
There are moments in THOSE WHO REMAIN when you may find yourself actually yelling at the characters as they make decisions that you might not agree with, and that is why - even though it is a very slow moving film - I think you should search this one out as well.
It is just so infuriating at times, but the French film THOSE WHO REMAIN is worthy of your time, and it is available now on DVD..., along with the non-comedy BE KIND REWIND, the okay rental FOOLS GOLD, the great CONTROL and the documentary on the band JOY DIVISION, the fantastic THE DIRTY HARRY ULTIMATE COLLECTOR'S EDITION and the residential school documentary MUFFINS FOR GRANNY, a movie that you might not find in every store, but it is one that you should search out and watch with others.
Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report
I will have five new films for your summer movie viewing, and the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD rolls on with MY NAME IS JUANI from Spain
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!
Julie Couillard plans to write autobiography
An autobiography of Julie Couillard, the woman at the heart of a scandal involving former foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier, will be published this fall.
The autobiography, to be published in French and English, was announced Friday by both Les Editions de l'Homme, Quebec's largest publishing house, and English Canada's McClelland & Stewart.
"Her book will recount a unique life from her modest beginnings in a working-class neighbourhood of Montreal to her spectacular emergence on the national scene last May," McClelland & Stewart said in its release about the autobiography.
No terms of the book deal were disclosed.
Bernier resigned as foreign affairs minister in May only hours before Couillard described in a television interview how he had left classified briefing documents for a NATO summit at her Montreal home. The two had recently ended their relationship.
It was then revealed that Couillard had been involved with three men who had ties to the Hells Angels, going back to the 1990s.
McLelland & Stewart said Couillard would chronicle her life from childhood experiences, through the tragic death of her companion in 1990s biker gang wars, to her meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush while at Bernier's side.
"Julie Couillard will reveal the details of a life marked by both tragedy and exhilaration," the release said.
Blue Jays Fire Gibbons, Bring Back Cito Gaston
fter being swept in Milwaukee by the Brewers and losing five straight games, the Toronto Blue Jays have fired manager John Gibbons, coaches Marty Pevey, Ernie Whitt and Gary Denbo.
Cito Gaston has returned as the manager. Nick Leyva will coach at third base and Gene Tenace returns as the hitting coach. Roving hitting instructor Dwayne Murphy will take over as the first base coach.
Gaston becomes the first two-time manager of the Blue Jays, moving over from his position as club ambassador and special assistant to the president and CEO.
He managed the Blue Jays from 1989-1997 and led the team to four playoff appearances including back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993.
The team made the announcement Friday afternoon in Pittsburgh before the start of their three game series with the Pirates.
The Jays, who were expected to contend in the AL East and the Wild Card, find themselves in last place in the division with a 35-39 record.
Gibbons, took over the Jays job at the end of the 2004 season, replacing Carlos Tosca. In three full seasons from 2004-2008 under Gibbons, the Jays never finished with fewer than 80 wins or more than 87.
"You never really anticipate it, there's always that possibility," Gibbons said during a conference call. "We were struggling, there's no question about that. Hopefully change is good. I'm still a big fan of these guys and I want to see them succeed."
In 610 career games as a manger, Gibbons has a 305-305 record. He was making $650,000 this year.
The 61-year-old Tenace worked as the Blue Jays' hitting coach and bench coach between 1990-97. Leyva also is making a return to the Jays. The 54-year old was the third-base coach from 1993-97.
Gaston becomes the fourth Blue Jays manager in seven years under General Manager J.P. Ricciardi. Tosca replaced the fired Buck Martinez, whom Ricciardi inherited from former GM Gord Ash.
Hockey Night in Canada theme contest opens
Canadians will have an opportunity to leave their musical mark on the country's most famous sports show with the official launch Thursday of Canada's Hockey Anthem Challenge.
Aspiring composers will be able to submit audio or video files with their bid to provide the new theme music for Hockey Night in Canada.
"Between now and October, we invite musicians to create and everyone in the country to help us select the perfect new music to represent the most famous hockey broadcast in the world," said Scott Moore, executive director of CBC Sports.
"With Canada’s Hockey Anthem Challenge, we will create a new theme for the hockey nation, something that will tell the world what CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada is all about."
The winning entry will receive $100,000 in cash and half of the ongoing performance royalties, with the other half going to Canadian minor league hockey.
At least five semifinalists will be presented to the country and judged by a celebrity panel on a CBC network television special on Oct. 4. The judges will be announced shortly.
"We’re going to create just the right mix [of judges] to ensure we come up with a winner that’s both musically exceptional and appealing to the all-Canadian hockey fan," said Moore.
Two finalists will then face off at the beginning of the HNIC doubleheader on Thursday, Oct. 9, with fans having the opportunity to vote for the winner.
The new theme will be unveiled two days later on the traditional Saturday broadcast of Hockey Night in Canada.
"Canadians have never been shy about anything to do with hockey," said Moore. "This is going to be an event where hockey history is made."
Song entries will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. ET Aug. 31. Even those without a song in the hunt will able to weigh in on submissions, posting reviews and ratings at the contest website CBCSports.ca/hockey/anthemchallenge.
The contest is open to Canadian residents only.
"Get Smart," "Love Guru" compete for laughs
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Oh, we've got comedy.
"Get Smart" and "The Love Guru" will open in North American theaters on Friday, saddled with middling to bad buzz, and the result could make the weekend no laughing matter for at least one of them.
"Get Smart" -- the big-screen adaptation of the classic TV show -- looks likely to top the weekend rankings with ticket sales of $30 million-$35 million. The $80 million film, which stars Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway, is a co-production between Warner Bros. and Australia's Village Roadshow. The two previously partnered on the recent bomb "Speed Racer."
Paramount's Mike Myers spoof "The Love Guru" should conjure about $20 million, finishing third after a second-weekend haul of $25 million or so for Universal's incumbent champion "The Incredible Hulk."
Paramount has been subjected to industry snickering for deciding to release its $60 million comedy at the same time as the clearly stronger "Get Smart." But though Warners is operating from a position of strength, even its willingness to stick with its first-choice date has many suggesting that the situation is less than ideal for either studio.
"The thought was always, 'When is one of these two pictures going to move?"' a rival distribution boss said. "It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they're going to hurt each other and that one of them is going to do better than the other."
Paramount executives said their film's lower cost and a crowded summer schedule make such concerns much ado about something that little could be done about. Additionally, the studio shared the financial burden with independent producer Spyglass.
Myers hasn't appeared onscreen in six years. His biggest live-action bow remains "Austin Powers in Goldmember," which debuted with $73.1 million in July 2002. "The Love Guru" has drawn fire -- some might say free publicity -- from activist groups claiming that its mocking of a phony-baloney Indian spiritual leader treads heavily on Hindi religious sensitivities.
New Oscar rule limits song noms to 2 per film
LOS ANGELES - Last time around, the Oscar songs category was three times "Enchanted" — a trick that may never be repeated.
The number of original songs that can be nominated from a single movie will now be limited to two, according to a rule change by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The academy's governors approved the change late Tuesday.
Last year, Disney's "Enchanted" had three titles in contention: "Happy Working Song," "So Close" and "That's How You Know." The winner of best original song: "Falling Slowly," from "Once."
The new rule would also have applied in 2007, when three songs from "Dreamgirls" were nominated. That year, the Oscar went to "I Need to Wake Up" from "An Inconvenient Truth."
Seinfeld a comedian, not an actor
NEW YORK - Jerry Seinfeld claims a cookbook author is cooking up some fancy semantics by calling him an actor rather than a comedian to minimize the humour in statements she says defamed her.
Lawyers for Seinfeld say Missy Chase Lapine's lawyers resorted to the switch in words to describe Seinfeld when several weeks ago they filed a rewritten version of her lawsuit against him and his wife in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.
"Jerry Seinfeld is an enormously wealthy and well-known actor," Lapine's revised lawsuit said. The original had called him a comedian.
Lapine, the author of "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals," accused Seinfeld's wife, Jessica Seinfeld, of plagiarizing her cookbook when in October she published her own, entitled: "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food."
During an appearance on CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman," Jerry Seinfeld said Lapine was accusing his wife of "vegetable plagiarism" and compared her to the three-name killers of John Lennon and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
"If you read history, many of the three-name people do become assassins," Seinfeld said. "Mark David Chapman. And you know, James Earl Ray. So that's my concern."
His lawyers said in court papers filed late Tuesday: "No reasonable viewer could have thought that Seinfeld really meant that Lapine ... might become an 'assassin' simply because she has three names."
Lapine's lawyers have said Seinfeld, best known for the popular television comedy series "Seinfeld," used the Letterman appearance to launch a "malicious, premeditated and knowingly false and defamatory attack" on her.
"The issues of law will be decided by the court, and we are confident of the outcome," Lapine lawyer Howard B. Miller said Wednesday.
Seinfeld's lawyers asked a judge to toss out the lawsuit on First Amendment grounds.
In separate court papers, Jessica Seinfeld accused Lapine of falsely claiming she invented the idea of hiding fruits and vegetables in children's meals when "countless prior works utilized this very same unprotectable idea," including a 1971 book. She called the lawsuit "opportunistic."
Canadian war epic to open TIFF
TORONTO - Paul Gross' Passchendaele, an epic about the famously tragic battle in the First World War, will open the Toronto International Film Festival in September.
The all-Canadian film, which is poised to become the signature piece of Gross' career, was announced yesterday as the festival's opening-night gala. This is the prestige position in Toronto's annual extravaganza of film.
Gross, widely known as the Mountie from the TV series Due South, wrote, directed and produced Passchendaele, in which he co-stars as a Canadian soldier who returns to the Belgium front despite severe injuries from an earlier campaign. Canadian troops, as they had at Vimy Ridge, proved to be among the most heroic and effective among the Allies fighting the German Imperial Army at Passchendaele, a village near Ypres in West Flanders.
"It is rare that Canadians get to experience their own histories via the moving image, particularly on the big screen," Piers Handling, director and CEO of the Film Festival Group, said yesterday in a statement.
"Paul Gross is an inspiring Canadian and a leader in our industry," Cameron Bailey, filmfest co-director, said in his statement.
"By paying tribute to our nation's heroes -- including his own grandfather, an Alberta veteran of Passchendaele -- Gross uses the visceral charge of movies to contribute a foundation chapter to our national history. While never ignoring the horrifying truths of this or any war, Passchendaele stands as truly epic storytelling from western Canada."
The Calgary-born Gross, 49, comes from a family of Canadian soldiers. After his grandfather served in WWI, his father, Bob Gross, became a tank commander in the Canadian Army. While Paul was growing up, his family moved about from base to base in Canada, the U.S., England and Germany.
As an actor, Gross made his TV debut in 1985 and gradually evolved into a homegrown star who has tapped into the Canadian psyche before, including as the narrator of the 2006 mini-series, Hockey: A People's History.
As a writer, Gross wrote for TV series and specials, including two episodes of Due South and the drama Gross Misconduct in 1993. He also wrote the script for the curling comedy Men With Brooms, which marked his directorial debut. Passchendaele is his second feature as a director.
In the new film, Gross plays an injured soldier who falls in love with a nurse, played by Caroline Dhavernas, while being nursed back to health in Calgary. When her sickly brother enlists, he feels obliged to return to the war effort to protect the youth, who is portrayed by Joe Dinicol. Gil Bellows also has a major role.
The Battle of Passchendaele, also known as the Third Battle of Ypes, was fought in several stages for six months in 1917 under horrific conditions, including in water-logged trenches and over muddy fighting terrain. Paralyzed by the brutally bad decisions of the British commander, Field Marshal Douglas Haig, the Allies suffered staggering losses in the campaign, which proved to be futile in the overall war effort.
The Canadians were instrumental in what successes could be gained in the second battle of Passchendaele in late 1917. Gross' film tells that tale literally "on the ground." The filming took place in Alberta.
Moranis unsure of Bob & Doug Toon
TORONTO - The Fox network is eyeing the new Global-TV cartoon "The Animated Adventures of Bob and Doug McKenzie" - and Doug is ready to dump a reluctant Bob in order to continue with the show.
Dave Thomas says his McKenzie sibling, Rick Moranis, was a hesitant participant in the series, airing on Global this fall.
"He doesn't enjoy doing any showbiz stuff anymore," Thomas said Tuesday in an interview from Los Angeles, where he was busy working on scripts for the show.
"I can't even guarantee his involvement long term in this, but whatever ... if I have to drag a sound-alike in for his voice, I'll do that. I don't think anyone would care because it's a new product."
Thanks to Global's haste in green-lighting the show, Thomas says, Fox executives were immediately interested when he pitched it to them and asked to see scripts and the pilot.
"We submit the pilot in early August, and we'll hear after that. But I think they'll go for it - I think they like this show. Just to get them this close is good, and means we can probably get someone else interested if they're not."
The series is based on the lovable hosers from the SCTV show, but Thomas says the beer-swilling brothers find themselves in a whole different environment in the new series.
"They are in a world that they weren't in before, and they have some friends who are a little raunchier than they are," he says.
"But Bob and Doug are tolerant guys and they like everybody. That's why people like them - they're so good-natured. They don't hate anybody."
U.S. fans have long loved the iconic Canadian duo, Thomas adds, and there's been no push by Fox to have him Americanize the show in any way. The network has had runaway successes with its animated series, including "The Simpsons" and "American Dad."
"They've got thoughts on jokes and stuff like that but nothing that would make it any less Canadian," Thomas says.
"And Americans have been behind Bob and Doug from the get-go ... 'Strange Brew' is a perennial college, beer-drinking movie here in the States. Americans are looking for stuff to laugh at just like Canadians."
Thomas says he never dreamed that Bob and Doug would have such enduring appeal when he and Moranis dreamed up the concept almost 30 years ago as a raised middle finger to the CRTC's Canadian content regulations during SCTV's heyday.
Offended by the CBC's request to add some obvious Canadian content into the show to keep the CRTC happy, Moranis and Thomas came up with Bob and Doug, who embodied every possible Canadian stereotype - from their fondness for beer, toques and lumberjack jackets to their use of the word "eh" in almost every sentence.
"I thought it was a bit of a nightmare back then, when I thought of myself as a young artist, but now that I think of myself as an old hack, I'm glad I have Bob and Doug," Thomas says.
Best of 10: AFI releases top-10 genre film lists
LOS ANGELES - The American Film Institute's top-10 lists of the best in 10 film genres:
ANIMATION
1. "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," 1937.
2. "Pinocchio," 1940.
3. "Bambi," 1942.
4. "The Lion King," 1994.
5. "Fantasia," 1940.
6. "Toy Story," 1995.
7. "Beauty and the Beast," 1991.
8. "Shrek," 2001.
9. "Cinderella," 1950.
10. "Finding Nemo," 2003.
FANTASY
1. "The Wizard of Oz," 1939.
2. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring," 2001.
3. "It's a Wonderful Life," 1946.
4. "King Kong," 1933.
5. "Miracle on 34th Street, 1947.
6. "Field of Dreams," 1989.
7. "Harvey," 1950.
8. "Groundhog Day," 1993.
9. "The Thief of Bagdad," 1924.
10. "Big," 1988.
GANGSTER
1. "The Godfather," 1972.
2. "Goodfellas," 1990.
3. "The Godfather Part II," 1974.
4. "White Heat," 1949.
5. "Bonnie and Clyde," 1967.
6. "Scarface: The Shame of a Nation," 1932.
7. "Pulp Fiction," 1994.
8. "The Public Enemy," 1931.
9. "Little Caesar," 1930.
10. "Scarface," 1983.
SCIENCE FICTION
1. "2001: A Space Odyssey," 1968.
2. "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope," 1977.
3. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," 1982.
4. "A Clockwork Orange," 1971.
5. "The Day The Earth Stood Still," 1951.
6. "Blade Runner," 1982.
7. "Alien," 1979.
8. "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," 1991.
9. "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," 1956.
10. "Back to the Future," 1985.
WESTERN
1. "The Searchers," 1956.
2. "High Noon," 1952.
3. "Shane," 1953.
4. "Unforgiven," 1992.
5. "Red River," 1948.
6. "The Wild Bunch," 1969.
7. "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," 1969.
8. "McCabe & Mrs. Miller," 1971.
9. "Stagecoach," 1939.
10. "Cat Ballou," 1965.
SPORTS
1. "Raging Bull," 1980.
2. "Rocky," 1976.
3. "The Pride of the Yankees," 1942.
4. "Hoosiers," 1986.
5. "Bull Durham," 1988.
6. "The Hustler," 1961.
7. "Caddyshack," 1980.
8. "Breaking Away," 1979.
9. "National Velvet," 1944.
10. "Jerry Maguire," 1996.
MYSTERY
1. "Vertigo," 1958.
2. "Chinatown," 1974.
3. "Rear Window," 1954.
4. "Laura," 1944.
5. "The Third Man," 1949.
6. "The Maltese Falcon," 1941.
7. "North By Northwest," 1959.
8. "Blue Velvet," 1986.
9. "Dial M for Murder," 1954.
10. "The Usual Suspects," 1995.
ROMANTIC COMEDY
1. "City Lights," 1931.
2. "Annie Hall," 1977.
3. "It Happened One Night," 1934.
4. "Roman Holiday," 1953.
5. "The Philadelphia Story," 1940.
6. "When Harry Met Sally ...," 1989.
7. "Adam's Rib," 1949.
8. "Moonstruck," 1987.
9. "Harold and Maude," 1971.
10. "Sleepless in Seattle," 1993.
COURTROOM DRAMA
1. "To Kill a Mockingbird," 1962.
2. "12 Angry Men," 1957.
3. "Kramer Vs. Kramer," 1979.
4. "The Verdict," 1982.
5. "A Few Good Men," 1992.
6. "Witness for the Prosecution," 1957.
7. "Anatomy of a Murder," 1959.
8. "In Cold Blood," 1967.
9. "A Cry in the Dark," 1988.
10. "Judgment at Nuremberg," 1961.
EPIC
1. "Lawrence of Arabia," 1962.
2. "Ben-Hur," 1959.
3. "Schindler's List," 1993.
4. "Gone With the Wind," 1939.
5. "Spartacus," 1960.
6. "Titanic," 1997.
7. "All Quiet on the Western Front," 1930.
8. "Saving Private Ryan," 1998.
9. "Reds," 1981.
10. "The Ten Commandments," 1956.
Actress-dancer Cyd Charisse dies in L.A. at 86
LOS ANGELES - Cyd Charisse, the long-legged beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, died Tuesday. She was 86.
Charisse was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Monday after suffering an apparent heart attack, said her publicist, Gene Schwam.
She appeared in dramatic films, but her fame came from the Technicolor musicals of the 1940s and 1950s.
Classically trained, she could dance anything, from a pas de deux in 1946's "Ziegfeld Follies" to the lowdown Mickey Spillane satire of 1953's "The Band Wagon" (with Astaire).
She also forged a popular song-and-dance partnership on television and in nightclub appearances with her husband, singer Tony Martin.
Her height was 5 feet, 6 inches, but in high heels and full-length stockings, she seemed serenely tall, and she moved with extraordinary grace. Her flawless beauty and jet-black hair contributed to an aura of perfection that Astaire described in his 1959 memoir, "Steps in Time," as "beautiful dynamite."
"Her beauty was breathtaking," Debbie Reynolds, who starred with Charisse in the 1952 classic "Singin' in the Rain," said in a statement. "The world will miss her dancing."
Charisse arrived at MGM as the studio was establishing itself as the king of musicals. Three producers — Arthur Freed, Joe Pasternak and Jack Cummings — headed units that drew from the greatest collection of musical talent. Dancers, singers, directors, choreographers, composers, conductors and a symphony-size orchestra were under contract and available. The contract list also included the screen's two greatest male dancers: Astaire and Kelly.
Astaire, who danced with her in "The Band Wagon" and "Silk Stockings," said of Charisse in a 1983 interview: "She wasn't a tap dancer, she's just beautiful, trained, very strong in whatever we did. When we were dancing, we didn't know what time it was."
She first gained notice as a member of the famed Ballet Russe, and got her start in Hollywood when star David Lichine was hired by Columbia Pictures for a ballet sequence in a 1943 Don Ameche-Janet Blair musical, "Something to Shout About."
Although that film failed to live up to its title, its ballet sequence attracted wide notice, and Charisse (then billed as Lily Norwood) began receiving movie offers.
"I had just done that number with David as a favor to him," she said in "The Two of Us," her 1976 double autobiography with Martin. "Honestly, the idea of working movies had never once entered my head. I was a dancer, not an actress. I had no delusions about myself. I couldn't act — I had never acted. So how could I be a movie star?"
She overcame her doubts and signed a seven-year contract at MGM. She also got a new name, the exotic "Cyd" instead of her lifelong nickname Sid to go with her first husband's last name.
"Singin' in the Rain" marked a breakthrough.
When Freed was dissatisfied with another dancer who had been cast, Charisse inherited the role and danced with Kelly in the "Broadway Melody" number that climaxed the movie. She stunned critics and audiences with her 25-foot Chinese silk scarf that floated in the air with the aid of a wind machine.
Charisse also danced with Kelly in "Brigadoon," "It's Always Fair Weather" and "Invitation to the Dance." She missed what might have been her greatest opportunity: to appear with Kelly in the 1951 Academy Award winner, "An American in Paris." She was pregnant, and Leslie Caron was cast in the role.
In 1996, Charisse recalled her reaction on entering the movies: "Ballet is a closed world and very rigid; MGM was a fairyland. You'd walk down the lot, seeing all these fabulous movies being made with the greatest talent in the world sitting there. It was a dream to walk through that lot."
Her first assignment was a "Ziegfeld Follies" sequence in which she was one of the female dancers "flitting around Astaire as he danced."
Like most young MGM contract players, she was schooled in drama and voice, and diction lessons eliminated her Texas accent. The singing lessons didn't take, however, and the songs in her musicals were dubbed.
She graduated to featured dancer in sequences for such films as "Till the Clouds Roll By," "Fiesta," "On an Island with You" and "Words and Music." She also appeared in such dramatic films as "East Side, West Side," "Tension" and "Mark of the Renegade."
"Silk Stockings" in 1957 marked the end of her dancing career in films, as well as the twilight of the movie musical. With the film business suffering from the onslaught of television, MGM dismantled its great collection of talent. Musicals were too expensive, and foreign audiences had soured on them.
Charisse continued with dramatic films, several of them made in Europe. She and Martin took their musical act to Las Vegas and elsewhere. In 1992 she finally made her Broadway debut, taking over the starring role as the unhappy ballerina in the musicalized "Grand Hotel." The musical had premiered in 1989 with Liliane Montevecchi in the role.
"I've done about everything in show business except to play on Broadway," Charisse said in a 1992 Associated Press interview. "I always hoped that I would one day. It's the World Series of show business. If anybody tells you they're not intimidated, they're lying."
In 1974, Charisse returned to MGM for a TV drama. Gazing over the half-filled commissary at lunchtime, she mused: "You never realize that good things are going to be over sometime. It all seemed so natural then: Clark Gable and Robert Taylor lunching at one table. Lana Turner would be lunching at a table in the corner. Ava Gardner, too.
"I grew up at this studio, and it didn't seem unusual to see all those stars. Nowadays, you'd never find so many names in one commissary. In fact, there aren't that many stars."
Her name was Tula Ellice Finklea when she was born in Amarillo, Texas, on March 8, 1922. From her earliest years she was called Sid, because her older brother couldn't say "sister." She was a sickly girl who started dancing lessons to build up her strength after a bout with polio.
"I was so frail they were afraid to touch me," she recalled in that 1996 interview.
At 14 she auditioned for the head of the famed Ballet Russe, and became part of the corps de ballet and toured the U.S. and Europe. To appear with the nearly all-Russian company, she was first billed as Celia Siderova, than as Maria Istromena.
At one point during the European tour, she met up again with Nico Charisse, a handsome young dancer she had studied with for a time in Los Angeles. They married in Paris in 1939.
The Ballet Russe disbanded after the war broke out, and the newlyweds returned to Hollywood. In 1942, a son, Nicky, was born.
In 1948, the year after she and Nico divorced, Charisse married Martin. Her second son, Tony Jr., was born in 1950.
Elton John set for two Regina shows
REGINA -- The rumours of Sir Elton John coming to Regina are correct, with just one small qualifier.
For months rumours have been swirling around the Queen City that John would follow in the footsteps of the Rolling Stones and play an outdoor concert at Mosaic Stadium in September.
Well, everything but the location of the performance was correct -- instead of playing Mosaic Stadium, John will play two shows at the Brandt Centre on September 16 and 17.
The Regina dates are part of a growing list of shows in Western Canada, joining Calgary (Sept. 12), Edmonton (Sept. 13) and Winnipeg (Sept. 19). Dates for Saskatoon and Vancouver might also be added in the coming days.
John currently performs with three different types of shows: He performs solo with his piano; he performs Red Piano shows in Las Vegas, which combines the music with visual imagery; and, he performs with a five-piece band. The Regina dates will be John and his band.
If ticket sales for the Winnipeg date are any indication, selling out two shows at the Brandt Centre shouldn't be a problem. When tickets went on sale Monday for the show at the MTS Centre, which can seat up to 15,000 for concerts, the Sept. 19 show reportedly sold out in less than one minute.
The 61-year-old John is a rock and roll legend and it is estimated that he has sold over 200 million albums worldwide, including 100 million in the United States. "Candle In The Wind 1997," a tribute to Princess Diana, is the No. 1-selling single in music history having sold more than 33 million copies. It also raised $30 million for the Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Fund.
John's list of chart success is equally impressive: 59 Top 40 hits, 16 Top 10 hits and nine No. 1 singles. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on Jan. 19, 1994, John also has captured five Grammy Awards and one Academy Award. He also received the Grammy Legend Award in 1999.
His impressive catalogue of singles includes "Your Song," "Rocket Man," "Crocodile Rock," "Daniel," "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Candle In The Wind," "Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me," "Philadelphia Freedom," "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (a duet with Kiki Dee), "Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word," "The Bitch Is Back," "I Guess That's Why The Call It The Blues," "I'm Still Standing," "Nikita," "Circle of Life," and "I Want Love."
A tireless worker on behalf of AIDS-related issues, John was knighted by Queen Elizabeth on Feb. 12, 1998.
Tickets for the Regina dates will go on sale at 10 a.m. on June 23. Tickets will be $149 and $99, with an additional $2 charity fee and the regular service fees. Tickets will be available at the Brandt Centre box office, by phone (543-7800) and online (www.ticketmaster.ca).
A limited amount of tickets will also be made available to members of the Rocket Club, John's fan club. Members are given the opportunity to purchase tickets before they go on sale to the general public. However, the Rocket Club does not guarantee tickets with membership.
Carell, Hathaway smarten up as new Max, Agent 99
LAS VEGAS - Steve Carell did not necessarily see the Maxwell Smart in himself. Everyone else did, including co-star Anne Hathaway and the studio behind the big-screen "Get Smart," which simply called Carell in and offered him the job, no questions asked.
Carell takes on the title role created by Don Adams in the 1960s TV show about a brainy but bungling spy, with Hathaway playing his supremely capable partner, Agent 99, a part originated by Barbara Feldon.
Created by Mel Brooks and Buck Henry as a comic response to James Bond and other espionage adventures, "Get Smart" has endured in syndication, in follow-up movies and a short-lived second TV series in the 1990s.
Directed by Peter Segal, the new "Get Smart" chronicles Max's rise from crackerjack analyst to field agent for U.S. spy outfit Control, paired with dubious 99 as they try to foil a plot to distribute nukes to unstable governments.
The cast includes Dwayne Johnson as a star Control agent, Alan Arkin as the Chief and bad guy Terence Stamp, who played Kryptonian supervillain Zod and made Christopher Reeve kneel before him in "Superman II."
Carell and Hathaway chatted with The Associated Press, fondly recalling Feldon and the late Adams, discussing the show's longevity and sharing a funny Zod tale.
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AP: People tend to be skeptical about TV adaptations, but when Steve was cast as Max, they kind of nodded and said, "Good choice." What do you and Don Adams have in common?
Carell: There's a bit of a physical resemblance that would be part of the equation. But aside from that, it's hard talking about him in the same breath as myself, because I don't aspire to be as good as he was. He's iconic and the way he did the character is iconic, and I don't have any pretense of trying to live up to that. If anything, I'm just trying to get an essence of what he did as opposed to any sort of imitation or channeling.
Hathaway: I thought it was perfect casting. He pays me to say this, but Steve's being very, very humble, because his take on Max is just spectacular. I think the reason Steve Carell seems to fit (glances at Carell and laughs) — I can't look at you while I'm saying this ...
Carell: I love it when you use my whole name.
Hathaway: The thing about Steve stepping into Don's shoes that makes sense is Steve's take on comedy. He can do the big, over-the-top, slightly absurd stuff really well, but he also does the real subtle moments really well. And the thing about Don Adams, he never played Maxwell Smart as a fumbling goon. He played him as a very serious man who didn't know he was in a comedy. And Steve's really good at doing that. A lot of his characters don't know that they're funny, and that's what makes him hilarious.
AP: Now the same question for Anne. What do you and Barbara Feldon have in common?
Hathaway: I appreciate this question now. It's a tough one. I'm so very different from Agent 99, and the bar that Barbara Feldon set and what Barbara Feldon's 99 meant to people, I'm never going to be able to touch that. The world was in a very different place then. We needed Agent 99. When Barbara Feldon played her, we needed to see a girl who could keep up with the boys, who was smart and who was sexy while being smart. She inspired so many women. When you look at the kind of women we aspire to be today, a lot of them are very similar to Barbara Feldon's 99. There's no way I'm going to be able to touch that kind of legacy, but I do think I have good chemistry with my co-star, so that's probably what I have in common with her.
Carell: Anne was the first person to come in and do a screen test. It was actually the first time I'd said any of the lines. And after she walked out of the room, we all looked at each other and knew it. It was almost as if everyone else could have gone home at that point, frankly. I'd seen a lot of Anne's work, but there was a sophistication to her and a slyness and sort of a coolness and a deadpan. And she is a great improviser, too. I tend to play around, especially during an audition, just to find different moments and beats, and she was not only there, following, but leading and sharing it.
Hathaway: I always tell people regarding improvising, Steve's an abstract expressionist and I finger paint. I'm a very good finger painter, but it's on a different level.
AP: Why has "Get Smart" endured so well?
Hathaway: It's sophisticated family humor. That's what the show had going for it. My parents watched it when they were kids, and then when it was on Nick at Nite in reruns, I would watch it with them when I was a kid. In addition to it just being so funny was the chemistry that Don Adams and Barbara Feldon had. You couldn't take your eyes off them. It was fun to watch them play. ... Don Adams, people don't remember that he was a fantastic actor. There's this one episode where he has to pretend he's gone bad and he has to convince 99 that he's gone bad, and he plays it so straight. It's a different Max. It's colder and harder and harsher. Don Adams was a really, really good straight actor.
Carell: Also, look at who created it. Mel Brooks and Buck Henry. In terms of having longevity, "Young Frankenstein" is still one of my favorite movies. "The Producers," obviously. His stuff just holds up. For the most part, it really does. That's a huge element, the writing staff, if you look at the people involved.
Hathaway: Steve, you're such a nice person. I'm like, "It was the actors. The actors are what endured."
AP: The movie's more an action comedy than a spy spoof. Were you trying to avoid parodying spy flicks?
Carell: When I first started talking to Pete (Segal the director) about just tonally what the movie could potentially look like, I said, "What about a comedic `Bourne Identity?'" You take the action in that and you make it a legitimate spy movie that's funny, as opposed to taking the cliches of spy movies and turning them on their heads. If the villains are like Terence Stamp, these guys are scary and actually have some threat to them. There's some sense of jeopardy. The comedy laid on top of that might resonate more.
Hathaway: There's a great story about Terence. He was switching hotels when we were shooting in Montreal. He just went downstairs and he couldn't find a taxi. He was standing around looking for a taxi and some guy just drove up and went, "Zod?" And he goes, "Yes." And the guy goes, "What are you doing in Montreal?" "I'm making a movie. Can you give me a ride?" And the guy goes, "Absolutely." So the guy drove him to his hotel.
AP: I hope the guy didn't make him say, "Kneel before Zod."
Carell: I'm sure he's had to say it to like, cash a check.
Effects guru Stan Winston dies of cancer at 62
LOS ANGELES - Hollywood special-effects maestro Stan Winston has died at age 62.
The Oscar-winning visual effects artist died at his home Sunday evening surrounded by family after a seven-year struggle with multiple myeloma, according to a representative from Stan Winston Studio.
Winston won visual effects Oscars for 1986's "Aliens, "1992's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and 1993's "Jurassic Park."
Winston is survived by his wife, Karen; a son, daughter, brother and four grandchildren.
Hedley cleans up at MMVAs
Torrential downpours couldn't dampen the spirits at last night's MuchMusic Video Awards in downtown Toronto where love 'em or hate 'em pop-punk act Hedley cleaned up with four awards.
The B.C.-based group -- whose outspoken, heavily tattooed and ear-pierced frontman Jacob Hoggard has been known to flash his backside at previous MMVAs -- won for best video and best director for the song For The Nights I Can't Remember and best rock video and best cinematography for She's So Sorry.
Heading into the freewheeling, performance-heavy awards ceremony held at MuchMusic's Toronto headquarters which draws thousands of people into the streets every year, Hedley had a leading six MMVA nods. (Hoggard gained national prominence placing third during Season 2 of Canadian Idol.)
Close behind Hedley's six nods were Palestinian-born, Ottawa-based rapper Belly and Mississauga, Ont., ska-punk outfit illScarlett with five nominations each.
At press time, the three People's Choice Awards had yet to be handed out with Hedley and illScarlett also in the running for favourite Canadian group and Belly up for favourite Canadian artist.
Another multiple winner last night was R&B-pop singer Rihanna whose clip for Don't Stop The Music won for best international video (artist) while Umbrella featuring Jay-Z picked up MuchMusic.com's most watched video.
Linkin Park's Bleed It Out took home best international video (group), while the clip for shaggy-haired Montreal rocker Sam Roberts' latest single Them Kids, won best post-production.
Ridin' by Belly featuring Mario Winans picked up best rap video, and Wintersleep's Weighty Ghost was named best independent video.
"This one really goes to the (director) Dave Pawsey and (effects supervisor) Jonathan Legris, again we're just happy that they managed to make a statement with our song through video, they did all the hard work," said Roberts, accepting the award during the MMVA red-carpet special.
In addition to Hedley, Rihanna and illScarlett, among last night's scheduled MMVA performers were New Kids On The Block, whose recent reunion has led to three shows at the Air Canada Centre including the tour launch on Sept. 19, Girlicious, Simple Plan, rappers Kardinal Offishall featuring Akon and Flo Rida, Sean Kingston, and America's Best Dance Crew (Season 2) JabbaWockeeZ.
Presenters included Mel C, aka Sporty Spice of the Spice Girls, Gossip Girl's Chace Crawford, Brody Jenner of The Hills, Kristen Cavallari of Laguna Beach fame, and gossip monger Perez Hilton.
"We're really excited, 15 years has been way too long," joked Jocz of the NKOTB reunion.
Also in attendance was comic actor Rainn Wilson of The Office -- who could be seen on the red carpet taking pictures with fans before the rain fell.
"It's a little Rain-ny this year," kidded Wilson of the dark storm clouds above that eventually opened up and soaked the red carpet and everyone on it. "Hey, do you want to get under my umbrella, brella, brella, brella?"
New CD Releases, June 17: Coldplay, Rihanna, Judas Priest
Coldplay "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends"
The mega-popular UK band finally returns with its fourth studio album, "Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends." The disc--perhaps the year's most highly anticipated rock record--follows 2005's tremendously successful "X&Y," which has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide to date.
"Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends" was produced by Brian Eno and Markus Dravs. Its first single is the track "Violet Hill," which already is a hit on modern rock radio.
Coldplay will support the new album with a major North American tour, which kicks off next month and is currently scheduled to run through November.
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Rihanna "Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded"
This limited-edition CD/DVD upgrade to Rihanna's recent chart-topping album features three bonus tracks as well as behind-the-scenes footage with the star. The three new songs are "Disturbia," a cover version of Maroon 5's "If I Never See Your Face Again" (which features Maroon 5) and "Take a Bow," which recently topped Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.
The CD also features all the songs that fans have come to love off the original "Good Girls Gone Bad," including, of course, the mega-hit "Umbrella." In other news, Rihanna recently finished up her stint as the main support on Kanye West's Glow in the Dark Tour, the blockbuster trek that also offered up sets by Lupe Fiasco and N.E.R.D.
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Judas Priest "Nostradamus"
These metal-music titans are back with a follow-up to 2005's "Angel of Retribution." "Nostradamus" is a highly ambitious affair--a double-disc concept album that tells the tale of the world-famous 16th Century French prophet.
Priest will support "Nostradamus" as part of the Metal Masters Tour. The 15-date trek--which should help fill the head-banging void left by the Ozzfest tour's transformation this year to a one-off event--will also feature Heaven & Hell, Motorhead and Testament, and is scheduled to begin Aug. 6 in Camden, NJ.
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The Offspring "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace"
The O.C. pop-punk troupe is ready to drop its eighth studio album. "Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace" comes after a four-and-half year recording hiatus; the band's previous disc was 2003's "Splinter."
"Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace" was produced by Bob Rock (Metallica, The Cult). The new album's first single, "Hammerhead," is already a hit on modern rock radio.
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Wolf Parade "At Mount Zoomer"
The acclaimed indie-rock act is set to follow 2005's "Apologies to the Queen Mary." Singer/keyboardist Spencer Krug and guitarist Dan Boeckner handled the bulk of the songwriting duties on "At Mount Zoomer." The Canadian band will support the new album with a headlining tour that kicks off July 7 in Pontiac, MI.
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More new releases:
Chicago, "Stone of Sisyphus (XXXII)" (Rhino)
Kathy Griffin, "For Your Consideration" (Red Ink)
Mick Hucknall, "Tribute to Bobby" (Rhino)
Chanté Moore, "Love the Woman" (Peak)
The Notwist, "The Devil, You + Me" (Domino)
Katy Perry, "One of the Boys" (Capitol)
The Pogues, "Just Look Them