Weakerthans, Corb Lund vie for Western Canadian Music Awards

Veteran Winnipeg rockers The Weakerthans and Albertan country music star Corb Lund are among the top nominees for the sixth annual Western Canadian Music Awards.

Organizers announced nominees in 19 categories on Thursday in Edmonton. The city will host the conference and awards gala this fall. As in the past, the awards are a publicly voted honour.

The Weakerthans (Reunion Tour) and Lund (Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!) scored four nods each and will go head-to-head in categories like outstanding independent album. Their rivals in that category include Jeremy Fisher (Goodbye Blue Monday), Immaculate Machine (Immaculate Machine's Fables) and The Perpetrators (Tow Truck).

Other nominees include:

Classical Recording
David Harding, Phillip Bush & Jonathan Crow (Brahms)
Jasper Wood (A Child's Cry from Izieu)
Michael Horwood (Suite and Serious)
Shauna Rolston (Dreamscape)
Tiresias (Delicate Fires)

Country Recording
Aaron Lines (Moments that Matter)
Gord Bamford (Honkytonks and Heartaches)
Hey Romeo (Hey Romeo)
Jo Hikk (Ride)
Paul Brandt (Risk)

Jazz Recording
Altered Laws (Metaphora)
Greg Lowe (Guitar and Bass Sessions)
Hutchinson Andrew Trio (Music Box)
Ian McDougall Big Band (No Passport Required)
Saul Berson Quartet (Intricacy)

Rock Recording
Maybe Smith (Animals & Architects)
Social Code (Social Code)
State of Shock (Life, Love & Lies)
The Evaporators (Gassy Jack and Other Tales)
The Weakerthans (Reunion Tour)

Urban Recording
GreenTaRA (Global Baby)
Moka Only (Vermillion)
Moka Only & Def 3 (Dog River)
Souljah Fyah (Truth Will Reveal)
Touch & Nato (Intelligent Design)

Songwriter(s) of the Year
Aaron Lines (Moments that Matter)
Corb Lund (Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!)
Jeremy Fisher (Goodbye Blue Monday)
Social Code (Social Code)
The Weakerthans (Reunion Tour)

Video of the Year
I Wanna Be In The Cavalry, Corb Lund
Transportation, James Murdoch Band
Cigarette, Jeremy Fisher
Civil Twilight, The Weakerthans
Viva la Vinyl, Twilight Hotel

A full list of nominees can be found at the awards website.

Part of the celebrations will include tributes to Vancouver's Spirit of the West and Albertan bandleader and Senator Tommy Banks.

The gala is set for Oct. 19, as a grand finale to a music festival, conference and industry awards that kicks off in Edmonton Oct. 16.

Batman may bow down to "Mummy"

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - This is the weekend Batman should get whooped by somebody's mummy.

Universal on Friday opens "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor," which could earn upwards of $50 million for the weekend in United States and Canada, enough to end the two-week reign of "The Dark Knight."

Warner Bros.' massive Batman sequel appears likely to gross $40 million or so during its third session.

"The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" marks the third film in the Brendan Fraser adventure franchise, following 1999's "The Mummy," which opened to $43.4 million, and 2001's "The Mummy Returns," which unwrapped a $68 million bow. They ended up with $155.4 million and $202 million, respectively.

The addition of Jet Li as a villain in the threequel seems to have restoked interest among the franchise's fan base. Michelle Yeoh also joins the cast, while Maria Bello replaces Rachel Weisz.

Also Friday, Disney debuts the Kevin Costner political comedy "Swing Vote," but low turnout among an older-skewing crowd should limit returns to the single-digit millions.

Cheech and Chong reunite as feud goes up in smoke

LOS ANGELES - Their feud finally having gone up in smoke, Cheech and Chong say they're eager to get back on the road for their first comedy tour in more than 25 years.

"We had such a legacy, such a history. We couldn't escape it, even if we tried," Tommy Chong told reporters at a news conference Wednesday at the Troubadour, the Los Angeles nightclub where the pair were discovered more than 35 years ago.

The duo said their "Light Up America" tour will kick off Sept. 12 in Philadelphia.

"It's going to be very theatrical," said Cheech Marin.

If Wednesday's news conference was an indication, it won't spare the pothead humor, either.

"We're definitely still smoking," Chong said when asked.

"I get transfusions now," quipped Marin.

"I like the taste," Chong said. "I'm old fashioned."

Marin told AP Radio earlier this month that he and the 70-year-old Chong had recently decided that if ever they were to reunite the time was now because, "You're not getting any younger and neither am I."

They tossed around some ideas and figured a comedy tour would be "the most fun" and "the least hassle," the 62-year-old Marin said.

Marin and Chong, who broke up amid creative differences, have tried to reunite before, but have always fought too much.

"It takes about three minutes for that to happen, Marin said. "There's this veiled hatred." But he added: "We've kind of resolved that."

During their original run, Marin and Chong released nine comedy albums between 1972 and 1985, were nominated for four Grammy Awards and won one. They also starred in eight feature films, almost always portraying a pair of comical stoners.

"We've gotten to the age where we don't feel like fighting anymore," Marin said, "because the end is a lot closer than the beginning."

Farrell leads CCMA noms

TORONTO - Newcomer Jessie Farrell leads the nominees for the Canadian Country Music Awards this year, snagging a total of seven nominations Wednesday, including single, album, songwriter and female artist of the year.

The Vancouver singer, a 30-year-old redhead with a strong pop bent, dominated a field heavy with more traditional fare from more established acts.

They include Winnipeg's Doc Walker who raked in six nominations, Calgary's Paul Brandt with five, and Gord Bamford of Lacombe, Alta., with four.

Farrell said she was still drifting in and out of sleep in Vancouver when the nominations were being announced at a Toronto press conference.

"I was kind of half-asleep thinking: 'I wonder if I should get up. What am I doing now?' and the phone rang. So I jumped out of bed and there's nothing like waking up to good news," said Farrell, who got word from her record label at about 8:30 a.m. Pacific time.

"I've been working so hard for the last eight years and it's only been in the last year and a half that I've been on the radar. It is kind of surprising.... It's such an amazing thing to think people are listening to the music. I am lucky."

The album of the year is a race between Doc Walker, Deric Ruttan, Johnny Reid, Farrell and Brandt while nominees for songwriter of the year include Doc Walker, Farrell, Bamford, Ruttan and Brandt.

The awards will be handed out at a gala in Winnipeg on Sept. 8. Country singer Terri Clark will host the bash, which will feature performances by nominees George Canyon, Emerson Drive, Farrell and Reid.

Bamford, who showed up at the announcement clad in a black coat and black hat, said he and his band have been pleased with the success of his nominated single, "Blame It On That Red Dress."

"When you work hard at something you hope that there's rewards and they're starting to happen for me so it's very cool," Bamford said.

"We just keep putting out stuff that we think we do well at and whether there's trends or not, you see how music kind of goes through the pop to country, I'm real traditional. We've just tried to stick with the grassroots of that. I think that the consistency of doing that and the persistence of doing that is what's paying off."

Nominees Doc Walker have been designated honorary chairs for Country Music Week, a series of music-related events leading up to the awards bash. They said they were thrilled to serve as ambassadors for their hometown of Winnipeg, which will host the awards for the first time in more than 20 years.

Frontman Chris Thorsteinson said they were blown away to hear they were up for six trophies.

"It's pretty amazing, that's a lot of nominations," said Thorsteinson.

"It's pretty humbling when you look at the people we're in the categories with. I grew up listening to these artists and respecting these artists and to be in the same category is pretty amazing. We're really excited."

Prairie Oyster singer Russell deCarle said the group was honoured to be named this year's inductees into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

"I don't feel that old but it's a real honour for us," said deCarle, who formed the band in the mid-70s and went on to craft a sound that blended rockabilly, folk and country traditions.

"We're certainly in incredible company there - I think of the years I watched people like Hank Snow, and Gordon Lightfoot and Ian Tyson, a whole host of others."

The awards show is set to air on CBC-TV on Sept. 8.

Canadian Country Music Award nominees

TORONTO - Here are some of the major nominations for this year's Canadian Country Music Awards:

FANS' CHOICE AWARD: Paul Brandt, George Canyon, Doc Walker, Emerson Drive, Jessie Farrell.

SINGLE OF THE YEAR: "Beautiful Life," Doc Walker; "Best of Me," Jessie Farrell; "Blame It on That Red Dress," Gord Bamford; "Risk," Paul Brandt; "You Can Let Go," Crystal Shawanda.

ALBUM OF THE YEAR: "Beautiful Life," Doc Walker; "First Time in a Long Time," Deric Ruttan; "Kicking Stones," Johnny Reid; "Nothing Fancy," Jessie Farrell; "Risk," Paul Brandt.

FEMALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Lisa Brokop, Terri Clark, Jessie Farrell, Carolyn Dawn Johnson, Crystal Shawanda.

MALE ARTIST OF THE YEAR: Paul Brandt, George Canyon, Johnny Reid, Deric Ruttan, Shane Yellowbird.

SONGWRITER(S) OF THE YEAR: "Beautiful Life" (written by Murray Pulver, Chris Thorsteinson, Dave Wasyliw; recorded by Doc Walker); "Best of Me" (written by Jessie Farrell, Jared Kuemper, Jesse Tucker; recorded by Jessie Farrell); "Blame It on That Red Dress" (written by Gord Bamford, Byron Hill, Zack Turner; recorded by Gord Bamford); "First Time in a Long Time" (written by Jimmy Rankin, Deric Ruttan; recorded by Deric Ruttan); "Risk" (written by Paul Brandt; recorded by Paul Brandt).

GROUP OR DUO OF THE YEAR: Ambush, Doc Walker, Emerson Drive, the Higgins, the Wilkinsons.

ROOTS ARTIST OR GROUP OF THE YEAR: Ridley Bent, the Cruzeros, Sean Hogan, Corb Lund, Prairie Oyster.

TOP NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR - FEMALE: Jessie Farrell, Amber Nicholson, Alex J. Robinson.

TOP NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR - MALE: Gord Bamford, Ridley Bent, Jason Blaine.

TOP NEW TALENT OF THE YEAR GROUP OR DUO: Desert Heat, Hey Romeo, Jo Hikk.

CMT VIDEO OF THE YEAR: "Beautiful Life," Doc Walker; "Best of Me," Jessie Farrell; "Blame It on That Red Dress," Gord Bamford; "In This Room," Ambush; "Ring of Fire," George Canyon.

TOP SELLING ALBUM: "Carnival Ride," Carrie Underwood; "Raising Sand," Robert Plant/Alison Krauss; "Reba Duets," Reba McEntire; "Taylor Swift," Taylor Swift; "Ultimate Hits," Garth Brooks.

TOP SELLING CANADIAN ALBUM: "Classics," George Canyon; "Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!" Corb Lund; "Kicking Stones," Johnny Reid; "Nothing Fancy," Jessie Farrell; "Risk," Paul Brandt.

"Dark Knight" overshadows box office rivals again

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Batman buried his rivals at the North American box office for a second weekend on Sunday, racing past $300 million in a record 10 days.

The Caped Crusader's blockbuster outing, "The Dark Knight," sold an estimated $75.6 million worth of tickets during the three days beginning Friday, taking its haul to $314.2 million, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said.

The previous speed record for a $300 million film was 16 days set by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" in 2006. "The Dark Knight" now ranks as the biggest movie of the year, surpassing the $315 million haul of "Iron Man."

The next target is $400 million, which took "Shrek 2" 43 days to reach in 2004. Warner Bros. distribution president Dan Fellman predicted "The Dark Knight" would take just 18 days to reach that milestone.

As was the case with last weekend, when "The Dark Knight" enjoyed a record-breaking $158 million opening, the other films were a bit of an afterthought.

The Columbia Pictures comedy "Step Brothers," starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as perpetual adolescents, opened surprisingly strongly at No. 2 with $30 million. The 20th Century Fox sci-fi sequel "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" came in at No. 4 with $10.2 million, a figure at the lower end of expectations.

In between, the ABBA-inspired musical romance "Mamma Mia!" slipped one place to No. 3 with $17.8 million while its 10-day total rose to $62.7 million.

Carmen Electra & Kim Kardashian dazzle comics fans

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The line snaked through the Comic-Con floor. Hundreds of camera-toting fans jockeyed for position, barely able to contain their excitement.

They weren't trying to see the latest world-saving superhero or never-before-seen footage. They were waiting to see Carmen Electra and Kim Kardashian.

The two beauties made their Comic-Con debut Saturday, signing autographs to promote their new film, "Disaster Movie." Both wore formfitting, cleavage-bearing dresses as they posed for fans' photos.

For 18-year-old John Kilgore, attending the signing was the day's top priority.

"It's Carmen Electra," he explained. "What's not to like about a woman like that?"

David Benker, 46, was embarrassed to reveal exactly how excited he was to meet the two women.

"Aw, come on," he said. "My son is here and he'll tell his mom."

Most fans sheepishly shuffled by collecting their posters, but a few were brave enough to talk to the pinup pair.

"You look even more beautiful in person," said one blushing fan. "Wow."

Another whipped out his cell phone to show Electra her own photo. "You're on my screen saver right now," he said.

Despite the frenzy of excitement, the fans were well behaved, Electra said: "They were all really sweet."

A Lionsgate release, "Disaster Movie" — which features a wrestling scene between Kardashian and Electra — hits theaters Aug. 29.

'Indiana Jones' star LeBeouf arrested for DUI

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Officers in Los Angeles say "Indiana Jones" co-star Shia LaBeouf has been arrested for drunk driving following an early morning car accident in Hollywood.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Sgt. S. Wolf says LaBeouf was the driver of a vehicle that was involved in a 3 a.m. collision.

LeBeouf and his passenger were injured, as was the other driver. Wolf said he didn't know the extent of their injuries.

Wolf says officers at the scene Sunday morning reported it was clear to them that LaBeouf was intoxicated.

Wolf says it is unknown whether LaBeouf will face felony or misdemeanor charges.

The Couch Potato Report - July 26th, 2008

This week The Couch Potato Report peels films made in Regina, Moose Jaw, Montreal and Australia. Yup, we are global!

Even though the film crews and people who work on the movies and shows made here in Saskatchewan do great work that is easily on par or better that the work done on any other location in the world, the actual films themselves don't always stand up for repeat viewing.

Sure, there have been a few movies made here that I would - and have happily sat through a second, third, or even fourth time - but for the most part - with all due respect to those local folks who work hard on these films - the truth is - that there haven't been a lot of cinematic classics that have been filmed in our province.

Sadly, that remains the case with this week's HOT POTATO...the made-in-Regina and Moose jaw film SLEEPWALKING, starring Academy Award winner Charlize Theron from MONSTER and this summer's HANCOCK.

However, even though it isn't a cinematic classic, it is still a pretty interesting film.

Theron stars in SLEEPWALKING as a mother who leaves her teenage daughter with her well-meaning brother, along with a note indicating that she has a plan and will be back.

The hapless brother then loses his job, gets evicted from his apartment and Social Services decides to take the girl away from him.

So they run away...in search of a better life....and they run straight to his abusive father's farm.

The father is played by the great Dennis Hopper.

No, SLEEPWALKING isn't a cinematic classic...and for a while around the 55 minute mark it gets really, really slow...but the total result is an interesting and intriguing movie, with some very good scenes, and a very nice ending.

The movie isn't for everyone, but I think that it is definitely worth seeing if slow, dramatic movies are what you enjoy .

And it is certainly worth seeing if you worked on it, or know someone who did.

From a movie made in our province, let's head to Quebec now for the latest release from Academy Award nominated director Denys Arcand, the man who gave us JESUS OF MONTREAL, THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS and THE DECLINE OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE.

His latest is the very entertaining comedy DAYS OF DARKNESS

DAYS OF DARKNESS takes place in Montreal - primarily at Olympic Stadium no less - in the not-too-distant future in a time when all is not well. People are dying, oceans are rising and countless epidemics are sweeping the country.

Jean-Marc Leblanc is an underachiever public servant; married to an ambitious real estate broker, and they don't seem to have much use for each other.

She for him because she is busy, and he for her as he is constantly fantasising about a better life with four gorgeous women, including actress Diane Kruger of the NATIONAL TREASURE films.

He envisions her as a confidant and multiple award winner.

When his wife leaves him, he starts to put his life back together, and the result is a great time. Sure, the Medievil Festival scenes go on a bit too long, but the stuff with the brutally honest doctor is very funny.

There are more than a few great moments in this very witty film, the Rufus Wainwright cameos are very funny, and it makes great use of foreshadowing as well...and...

Sorry, yes, I do have a lot of other films to get to this week, so let me surmise by saying that I enjoyed DAYS OF DARKNESS.

I wanted to enjoy SUPERHERO MOVIE and the direct to DVD release GET SMART'S BRUCE AND LLOYD - OUT OF CONTROL, but unlike DAYS OF DARKNESS, they were only mildly entertaining.

As I am sure you can figure out, SUPERHERO MOVIE is a spoof of superhero films, mainly the first SPIDER-MAN.

The film also pays tribute to AIRPLANE! and THE NAKED GUN, two films that co-starred the same Regina born actor, and yes, that same actor - Mr.Leslie Nielsen - co-stars in SUPERHERO MOVIE.

Sadly, SUPERHERO MOVIE - even at only 77 minutes is waaaay too long, and there are only a few funny scenes. If you have seen AIRPLANE! then you know almost all of the jokes here, and if you have seen SPIDER-MAN, then you know the whole story and that doesn't leave a lot for me to recommend...other than AIRPLANE! and the original SPIDER-MAN.

They are great films!!! As for SUPERHERO MOVIE...surely you can't be serious.

Just as SUPERHERO MOVIE needs AIRPLANE! and SPIDER-MAN, the film GET SMART'S BRUCE AND LLOYD - OUT OF CONTROL needs this summer's GET SMART remake to exist.

In that summer blockbuster Bruce and Lloyd are the two gadget technicinas that provide Maxwell Smart and Agent 99 with the support they need to work on their missions.

In this direct-to-DVD release the story runs concurrently to the events in the feature film, but it is a standalone story as Bruce and Lloyd are given their own assignment: to recover an invisibility cloak that has been stolen.

If you enjoyed the GET SMART remake, or are a huge fan of Anne Hathaway - who co-starred along with Steve Carrell in the film and makes a cameo in this DVD release - then you might get a kick out of BRUCE AND LLOYD - OUT OF CONTROL.

At only 62 minutes, it isn't too long, and there is some good stuff in it...most notably Anne Hathaway...but all told, unless you have all the free time in the world, I say skip the direct to DVD release and just go and see the GET SMART film.

That is because GET SMART'S BRUCE AND LLOYD - OUT OF CONTROL misses the mark, by that much.

If you have a lot of driving to do this summer with young kids, and you need some new DVDs to entertain them along the way, I have two to tell you about this week.

The first is the 45th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION of Walt Disney's THE SWORD IN THE STONE.

THE SWORD IN THE STONE is a little slow by today's animation standards, but it remains a fun film for kids who have a bit of an imagination.

The other release that I think would be great for kids in the car is the first release in the UNSTABLE FABLES series - THREE PIGS AND A BABY.

This series of stories are computer animated films produced by The Jim Henson Company...the same folks who gave us The Muppets...and they retell classic fairy tales and fables with an irreverent, unfaithfull and modern twist.

THREE PIGS AND A BABY is about how the three pigs become the target of a special-ops team of wolves.

It is a great program for kids, and might even have you adults laughing as well.

Enjoy the kids DVDs, and safe travels!!

Finally this week is ROMULUS, MY FATHER from Austrailia.

It is this week's entry in the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD.

ROMULUS, MY FATHER tells the story of Romulus and his less-than-faithful wife Christina, and their struggle in the face of great adversity on their farm, and in their lives, as they raise their son, Raimond.

The film is incredibly well made and acted, and it won the Australian Film Institute awards for Best Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and a Young Actor's Award was presented to Kodi Smit-McPhee, the young man who plays the son.

If you enjoy very slow moving films that are very dramatic then ROMULUS, MY FATHER is a must see!! It is heartbreaking at times, uplifting at others, and features some good twists and turns that you won't necessarily see coming.

I liked it, ROMULUS, MY FATHER is a good movie, and this Australian film is the latest entry in The FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL On DVD!!

ROMULUS, MY FATHER; the kids DVDs UNSTABLE FABLES - THREE PIGS AND A BABY and SWORD IN THE STONE, the not bad GET SMART'S BRUCE AND LLOYD - OUT OF CONTROL, the mildly okay SUPERHERO MOVIE, the Quebec film DAYS OF DARKNESS and the made-in-Saskatchewan movie SLEEPWALKING are all available now on DVD.

Coming up in on the next Couch Potato Report

LATE FRAGMENT is a Canadian made interactive film that allows YOU to decide how it ends.

I will also talk about EARTH - THE BIOGRAPHY, HAROLD AND KUMAR ESCAPE GUANTANAMO BAY and THE FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD entry next week is CHAOTIC ANNA 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!

Aronofsky rebooting 'Robocop'

Darren Aronofsky has accepted MGM's challenge to relaunch the "Robocop" franchise.

The company announced on Thursday (July 24) that the new "Robocop" feature is being fast tracked for a 2010 release with the "Requiem for a Dream" helmer directing from a script by David Self.

"Darren is undeniably one of the most talented, original and visceral film makers, and David is one of the greatest writers in Hollywood," says Mary Parent, chairman of MGM's Worldwide Motion Picture Group. "All of us at MGM couldn't be more excited."

The project will be produced by Phoenix Pictures' Mike Medavoy, Arnold Messer, Brad Fischer and David Thwaites.

In a statement, Medavoy says, "After making the first 'Robocop' at Orion more than 20 years ago, I'm thrilled to be helping to return this character to the screen with our partners at MGM and through the eyes of Darren Aronofsky and David Self."

Paul Verhoven directed the 1987 original, which focused on a Detroit cop played by Peter Weller. After being terminally wounded, the character is brought back as a law-enforcement cyborg bent on cleaning up urban blight.

The relatively low-budget film was a box office success and even picked up a pair of Oscar nominations.

"With a filmmaker of Darren Aronofsky's vision and imagination and a writer of David Self's caliber, we are poised to bring to the screen an entertaining and provocative film, which will now be under the creative guidance of two of the best storytellers working in our industry today," say Fischer and Thwaites in yet another statement.

Other credits for Aronofsky include "Pi," "The Fountain" and the upcoming "The Wrestler."

Self wrote the dramas "Thirteen Days" and "Road to Perdition."

Martie Maguire of the Dixie Chicks welcomes third daughter

NEW YORK - Martie Maguire of the Dixie Chicks and her husband, Gareth, have welcomed another addition to their all-girl brood: daughter Harper Rosie Maguire.

The baby was born Friday morning in Austin, Texas, weighing in at seven pounds, 10 ounces, the Dixie Chicks announced on their website. The couple have twin daughters, Eva and Katie, born in 2004.

"Martie is doing very well and Gareth and the family are over the moon," the band said in a statement.

Maguire, 38, plays fiddle and mandolin in the Dixie Chicks, which also includes Natalie Maines and Maguire's sister, Emily Robison. Hits by the Chicks include "Wide Open Spaces," "Without You," and "Travelin' Soldier."

Rolling Stones switch recording deal to Universal

LONDON - The Rolling Stones, the world's top-earning music act last year, have signed a long-term, exclusive worldwide contract with Vivendi SA's Universal Music, dealing a major blow to the group's former recording company, EMI Group PLC.

Universal said on Friday that the new deal covered both future albums by the Stones and their back catalog including such albums as "Sticky Fingers" and "Black and Blue" and songs "Brown Sugar" and "Start Me Up."

Universal, the world's biggest recording company, did not disclose terms of the deal.

The Stones' departure from EMI, where they'd been for more than 20 years, is a low point in a bumpy ride for Terra Firma Capital Partners Ltd., the private equity firm that bought the London-based recording company last year.

New EMI boss Guy Hands failed to re-sign British band Radiohead. Other major artists, including Coldplay and Robbie Williams, have expressed unhappiness with some changes at the company since the buyout.

"Universal are forward-thinking, creative and hands-on music people," the Stones said in a statement. "We really look forward to working with them."

The British group has already had some experience of working with Universal after the company, a subsidiary of French media and telecommunication giant Vivendi SA, in March released the soundtrack album from "Shine A Light," director Martin Scorsese's film of the Stones' 2006 performance at the Beacon Theater in New York.

Universal will now release all new recordings by the group through its Polydor label and take over full digital and physical rights. It added that it will "begin planning an unprecedented, long-term campaign to reposition the Rolling Stones' entire catalog for the digital age."

The Stones topped Forbes magazine's list of wealthy music acts last year, reportedly earning some $88 million between June 2006 and June 2007, mostly from their "Bigger Bang Tour."

EMI, whose artists also include the Beastie Boys, Norah Jones and Kylie Minogue, announced plans this year to cut more than one-third of its work force to offset a drop in CD sales revenue and the departure of several major artists, including Paul McCartney.

EMI has struggled more than the other major labels — Universal, Sony BMG and Warner Music Group — as digital music downloading has gained in popularity.

The company blamed disappointing North American results for a series of damaging profit warnings, but industry experts also pointed to internal control problems and the company's lack of new music.

Just 34 hours left for TV's "Lost"

SAN DIEGO - "Lost" fans can start expecting some answers.

Writer-producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof said Friday that they know exactly how the ABC series will end.

"We have 34 hours left for you guys to see — seasons five and six," Lindelof told the Comic-Con crowd. "We owe answers. We know the answers that we owe. The questions have to begin to diminish."

"We know where we're going and we know how long we have left to tell the story," Cuse added. "There's also an organic process that goes on."

They compared the process to a road trip, which can often include alternate routes and unexpected stops.

The showrunners said they will continue to supplement their storytelling with Webisodes, mobisodes (on mobile devices) and games.

"We're doing it primarily for the die-hard fans of the show," Lindelof said.

They offered no spoilers at Entertainment Weekly's panel dedicated to visionary TV producers. But they did reveal they'd like to see the return of Mr. Eko.

"Mr. Eko was a character we really loved," Cuse said of the role played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. Turns out the British actor didn't like living and working on an island.

"Hawaii was not his bag," Cuse continued. "Real life intervened and forced us to end the arc of that character much sooner than we would have liked."

No word on whether Mr. Eko will come back when "Lost" returns this fall.

5 nominated reality hosts to preside over Emmys

LOS ANGELES - The reality is, there won't be an Emmy host this year — there will be five.

The reality-TV hosts nominated in the new category that honors their work will preside over the show, ABC and The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences told The Associated Press on Friday.

They are: Tom Bergeron, of "Dancing With the Stars"; Ryan Seacrest, of "American Idol"; Howie Mandel of "Deal or No Deal"; Heidi Klum of "Project Runway"; and Jeff Probst of "Survivor."

The Emmy Awards will be held Sept. 21 and broadcast on ABC.

The Simpsons go to season 11

Twentieth Century Fox is back to the business of Simpsons box sets, after a brief hiatus for the movie. The eleventh season of the series is coming later this year.

The set will be similar to past sets including deleted scenes, commentaries on each episode and the featurettes A Line From Matt Groenig and The Many Faces of (D'oh), an animation showcase, and commercials. No mention is made on whether one or more versions of the season finale (which has multiple versions) will be included on the disc.

Like previous sets, the box will be available in regular packaging or in special packaging that seems to go in five year increments. Both bersions will retail for $49.98 and will arrive on October 7th.

XM, Sirius deal closing in on FCC approval: reports

The proposed merger of the U.S.'s two satellite radio broadcasters is expected to be approved after the companies agreed to pay $19.7 million US to settle rules violations.

Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin said Thursday the regulatory agency reached agreements Wednesday night in which XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc. will pay $17.5 million and Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. will pay $2.2 million to settle agency violations.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday the deal was all but done after commission member Taylor Tate cast the deciding vote.

"I think it's fair to say an agreement in principle has been reached," Martin was quoted by the Journal on Thursday as saying.

The proposed merger — whereby Sirius would buy out XM in a $3.9-billion US deal — has been in a holding pattern during an FCC approval process that has gone on for more than a year.

Critics of the deal, including the ground-based radio industry and consumer groups, argue the merger would essentially create a monopoly in the satellite radio industry.

It remains unclear how the proposed merger would affect the two companies' Canadian partners, which operate under a separate regulatory structure.

Sirius Canada Inc. is owned by Sirius Satellite, Toronto-based Standard Radio and the CBC. XM Canada is run by Canadian Satellite Radio Holdings, also of Toronto, in partnership with XM Satellite.

XM Canada has maintained that the U.S. development has no immediate implications for Canadian subscribers and that the stated intent of its XM U.S. partner and Sirius is to maintain two separate satellite delivery systems.

Sirius Canada Inc. said it has more than 750,000 paying subscribers, while XM Canada claims close to 400,000 subscribers. Their U.S. parents have 8.3 million and about nine million subscribers, respectively.

An XM Canada spokesperson said the company had no comment, since no official announcement has been made. However, XM Canada has repeatedly stated that a merger would not bring any change in the service for Canadian subscribers.

Sirius Canada spokesman Jeff Roman said the company also wouldn't speculate on the outcome until a decision from the FCC is final.

He said regardless of the outcome, Sirius Canada is a separate company and its subscribers won’t experience interruption to their programming and their radios "will not become obsolete as a result of a merger."

Metallica Reveal “Death Magnetic” Track List

After a sheet music website accidentally revealed (and then deleted) the track list for Metallica’s Death Magnetic earlier today, the band confirmed the ten songs that will appear on their Rick Rubin-produced album, due out in September.

One title immediately jumps out: “The Unforgiven III,” following the Metallica’s “The Unforgiven” and roughly 11 years after ReLoad’s “The Unforgiven II.” The rest of the song titles are packed with common Metallica-esque themes of nightmares, suicides and the apocalypse.

There’s also a song called “The End of the Line,” which shares its title with a Traveling Wilburys song, but we’re assuming it’s not a cover.

Despite reports from earlier in the day, there’s no track called “Death Magnetic” included.

The album isn’t due out for another two months, so you still have plenty of time to figure out if you want these ten songs delivered to you in a coffin box and sufficiently prepare yourself to play “Broken, Beat & Scarred” on Guitar Hero III.

Here is the full track list and proper running order!

“That Was Just Your Life”
“The End Of The Line”
“Broken, Beat & Scarred”
“The Day That Never Comes”
“All Nightmare Long”
“Cyanide”
“The Unforgiven III”
“The Judas Kiss”
“Suicide & Redemption”
“My Apocalypse”

Keitel Set For Life On Mars

Movie tough guy Harvey Keitel has signed up to star in his first TV series after joining the cast of U.S. drama Life On Mars.

The hit British show, which has been recast for American TV audiences, will also feature Jason O'Mara and The Sopranos star Michael Imperioli.

The Piano star Keitel will play the leader of a no-nonsense homicide task force.

The show revolves around O'Mara's cop character, who wakes up in the 1970s after he's knocked unconscious in a traffic accident.

'Wallace & Gromit' to become episodic video game

LOS ANGELES - "Wallace & Gromit" are going on a new adventure.

Telltale Games is creating an episodic video game based on Aardman Animations' Oscar-winning animated film series titled "Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures." The popular stop-motion clay animated franchise stars the cheese-loving, hair-brained inventor Wallace (voiced by Peter Sallis) and his long-suffering loyal pooch, Gromit.

"We're certainly going for the clay look with this," Telltale Games CEO Dan Connors told The Associated Press. "Clay presents a challenge if you really get into the detail of it. For example, adding fingerprints in a medium where there aren't any is one of the discussions of how far we should go with the game's detail."

"Grand Adventures" will allow gamers to play as both Wallace and Gromit, engaging in zany entrepreneurial schemes and tinkering with kooky contraptions. Connors said "Grand Adventures" will feature more physical and situation-based comedy and would likely follow the distribution model of Telltale's episodic video game series "Sam & Max."

Aardman Animations has produced three Academy Award-winning "Wallace & Gromit" animated short films as well as the full-length feature film "The Curse of The Were-Rabbit," which won an animated film Oscar in 2006. "A Matter of Loaf and Death," a fourth animated short starring the twosome, is currently in production.

The characters previously appeared in the standalone games "Cracking Contraptions," "Project Zoo" and "Curse of The Were-Rabbit."

Connors hopes the new take on "Wallace & Gromit" will be more true to the franchise than previous games.

"The other games captured the personality, but all you ended up doing was running through the world," said Connors. "It was a standard platform game. We feel like the gameplay should be more of an experience. You should be able to interact with the other characters and really feel like you're in the world of 'Wallace & Gromit.'"

Comic-Con: Hugh Jackman's Wolverine Surprise

Los Angeles (E! Online) - In the first twist of this year's San Diego Comic-Con, an unscheduled Hugh Jackman bonded with fans and showcased footage from next summer's prequel, X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

"Without you guys, I wouldn't have a career," Jackman told an energized crowd, who had gathered to see Keanu Reeves promote The Day the Earth Stood Still and Mark Wahlberg talk about Max Payne.

The party-crashing Jackman, muttonchops-free and just off a plane from Australia, offered a shout-out to Wolverine creator Len Wein and waded into the audience to shake hands with the comics vet.

Sneak-peek footage from the flick, due May 2009, had a few surprises as well:

Most notable were the glimpses at Wolverine's mutant costars, including Gambit (Friday Night Lights' Taylor Kitsch), Kestrel (will.i.am) and Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds). "You're going to see a lot of beserker rage," Jackman promised the jacked-up crowd, obviously hungry to see more of Wolverine's hard-to-cage anger.

The clip's money shot, according to fan reaction: Wolverine facing off against archrival Sabretooth (Liev Schreiber), and declaring, "I'm going to cut your goddamned head off. See if that works."

Yes, Hugh, in fact it does.

The Hip recording another Rock album

The Tragically Hip thought it went so nice they'd try it twice.

According to a video clip released yesterday on the band's website, the group is working on a new studio album with producer Bob Rock. Rock also produced 2006's World Container, the band's previous studio effort.

The band will continue working on the as-yet untitled album at Rock's home studio in Maui, following its appearance at the inaugural Pemberton Festival in B.C. on Saturday.

"I think after doing World Container we were pretty happy with the results, and it seemed like we just got to know each other as the album was ending," Rock says in the clip. "We kind of figured out what everybody did and stuff. Really it was done three or four songs at a time. We just knew that we had to kind of try to at least raise the bar a bit. We knew we had to come up with something different."

"It's going really well. Bob's been here three times since about April, we've worked out the songs and whittled them down," lead singer Gord Downie says. "We're at about 14 right now and I think that's what we'll continue with."

The band worked on the album at its Bathouse Studio near Kingston following touring in support of World Container last year. According to bassist Gord Sinclair, the group hopes to have the record completed by the end of August.

Mulder, Scully believe in `X-Files' audience

LOS ANGELES - Some Mulder and Scully fans were dubious when the title for the new movie based on their favorite TV show was announced: "The X-Files: I Want to Believe."

How, the skeptics wondered, could the two former FBI agents be anything but true believers after years of encountering aliens, monsters, ghosts and everything else that might go bump in the night?

But so-called X-Philes want to believe in this franchise that started way out on the fringes and eventually brought the creepy and paranormal into the mainstream. The feeling among its creators is mutual.

"We want to believe in the audience," said David Duchovny, who reprises his role as Fox Mulder, the guy with boogeymen on the brain, co-starring with Gillian Anderson as his soul mate and doubting Thomas, science-minded Dana Scully.

Devoted as fans might be, it's a leap of faith for "The X-Files" to return after such a long absence in an era when so many franchises compete for audiences' attention and sequels tend to come every two or three years.

It's been a decade since the first "X-Files" movie and six years since the series went off the air after nine seasons.

The keepers of "The X-Files" figure the long wait has only fired up fans even more for a new adventure. In an interview with The Associated Press alongside Duchovny, Anderson and producer Frank Spotnitz, series creator Chris Carter described the reception he got at a fan gathering in Chile, where he had no idea the show had such a following.

"It was wild and warm and enthusiastic. They had an expo where they re-created Mulder's desk," said Carter, who also directed the new movie and co-wrote it with Spotnitz. "It was just amazing to be sitting there eating sunflower seeds (Mulder's favorite snack) at Mulder's desk in Chile."

Anderson recalled a similar reaction when they appeared earlier this year at New York Comic Con, a fan convention.

"The response that we got from the audience was almost, it was crazy. That was kind of the beginning of my realizing, people do still care," Anderson said. "I also think it's gotten passed down through the generations to kids of people who first watched it on TV."

"The X-Files" debuted in 1993 and quickly won a loyal cult audience. Strong word of mouth gradually drew more and more fans to the weird show with its ongoing story arc about alien visitations to Earth and clever stand-alone stories that one week might deal with life-sucking bugs unleashed from old-growth timber, and another week might touch on monstrous humans resulting from generations of inbreeding.

At the heart was Mulder, a brilliant FBI agent convinced his sister was abducted by aliens. Nicknamed "Spooky" by derisive colleagues, Mulder handled the X-Files, cases involving unexplained phenomena the bureau would prefer to sweep under the rug.

Scully, a medical doctor, was assigned as Mulder's partner, mainly to debunk his work, but she eventually became his comrade in arms, the two complementing each other's talents and maintaining a deep but chaste romantic longing.

Spotnitz said when he joined the show in the second season, "none of my friends knew what it was at that point. But by the end of season two, people were writing fan fiction. I remember distinctly somebody saying to me, `Oh, you've got them. Once they're actually making it their own, you've actually captured their imagination.' And it's true. They're still writing fan fiction 15 years later."

The 1998 big-screen film was immersed in the show's dense alien mythology. "I Want to Believe" is patterned after the stand-alone episodes, requiring little prior knowledge of Mulder and Scully.

Drummed out of the FBI as the series wound down, Mulder has been living in exile, collecting news clips of strange happenings and hurling pencils at the ceiling out of boredom.

Scully, now a practicing doctor at a hospital, is approached by FBI agents (Amanda Peet and Xzibit) as an intermediary to bring Mulder in to consult on a case in which a defrocked-priest-turned-psychic (Billy Connolly) claims to have visions about a missing bureau agent.

And they're off and running on a trail that leads them to a stash of severed arms buried in the snow, more missing persons and some ghoulish medical experiments worthy of Frankenstein.

"Chris had a Border collie when we started and I had a half-Border collie, and I always thought of Mulder like a Border collie. He needed a job, so when you see him at first, he's like a Border collie who's a lapdog," Duchovny said. "It's not right. And the movie's a little bit about him getting his job back. That's where his heart is."

His heart also clearly remains with Scully. They spar just like old times, but they share the most explicit moments of affection in their 15 years together, though still restrained by Hollywood romantic standards.

Many fans always wanted to see Mulder and Scully in an all-out love affair, but Anderson said it was wise for Carter and Spotnitz to steer the show clear of that.

"They ended up playing the parents of the fans who thought they knew what they wanted, but if they had gotten what they wanted, I think they would have been sorely disappointed," Anderson said. "It would have had a negative effect on the series. But what was given to them was so electric and so long-lasting that it helped to carry through all the way to the end."

Cast and crew are game for more "X-Files" movies if fans still believe strongly enough to convince distributor 20th Century Fox that the audience is there.

Now that Mulder has his foot back in the door at the FBI, the alien mythology that obsessed him on the job could be resurrected for a future film, Carter said.

"There's a looming date in 2012 which is part of the literature, if you will, on a Mayan calendar. It's supposed to be when the aliens do something," Carter said. "We've mentioned that date a number of times in the series, so it's something that we certainly would be looking at. I'm not sure exactly how yet, but if there is a next movie, we would consider doing it then."

Jessica Simpson Sets Date For, Names Album

Jessica Simpson has christened her debut country album "Do You Know" and will release it Sept. 9 via Columbia Nashville. First single "Come on Over" rises 26-23 this week on Billboard's Hot Country songs chart.

There are several other potential winners on the album, particularly the slow-burning "Might As Well Be Making Love," which has shades of Faith Hill's powerful belting, and the autobiographical "Pray Out Loud," which nods to the rootsy charm of the Dixie Chicks.

Elsewhere, Simpson offers comfort to a victim of domestic abuse on "Remember That" and sings with Dolly Parton on the title track, which Parton penned. "I look in the mirror and I know I'm doing the right thing with my career and my life," Simpson told Billboard recently. "It's a great place of comfort."

The album was produced by Brett James and John Shanks, with songwriting contributions coming from Rachel Proctor, Victoria Banks, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey, among others.

Beyond a slew of morning and late-night talk show performances in the coming weeks, Simpson is making the rounds at U.S. country festivals. Next up is the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis on Aug. 7.

In addition, Simpson will in August launch a new fragrance, "Fancy," to complement her existing fashion line of shoes, outerwear and lingerie.

Neil Young's 'Archive' To Be Available On CD, DVD

With "CSNY: Deja Vu," his documentary of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's controversial 2006 Freedom of Speech Tour, rolling out this week, Neil Young says his upcoming musical plans mostly involve his long-in-the-works "Archive" series as well as hitting the road.

This fall, the "Archive" series will begin to roll out with a 10-disc set of performances from 1963-72. Contrary to previous reports, and Young's own comments in the media, the set will be available in standard CD and DVD configurations and not exclusively in Blu-ray, but Young says he hopes fans will take advantage of the state-of-the-art format.

"Blu-ray is the future," Young tells Billboard. "It sounds the best, the navigating system is the best. I've made a lot of CDs and we've made a lot of DVDs, and Blu-ray technology is so far superior to anything else. The fact there aren't many players out there now doesn't meant that much to me, because it is the future, so I would rather focus on what's next. If you were to get a Blu-ray of the 'Archive,' you would get the best."

Young is also confident that the next volume of the "Archive" series will come in short order. "We've developed the platform," he says. "We have the format. We have everything together to do it. It just took 15 years to develop this platform and also to wait for technology that was strong enough for the platform to stand on."

As for live performances, Young says he'll "be touring pretty extensively for the next year, year-and-a-half," Young says. "That's what I'm focusing on. Playing for people with a great band is very rewarding. It's very good for me -- it keeps me in top form physically, and that makes me feel good.

"And I've found a way of doing it so I'm on and I'm off and I can get enough time on that I can focus on (other projects) and then I go right back out on the road again and take another couple shots at that."

Young does note, "as far as new music, there's just a few things that are going on, but nothing to speak of. Usually when it happens with me, it doesn't happen 'cause I planned it. It just happens. As fortunate as I have been so far, there'll be new music coming along the pike."

Young resumes touring Aug. 7 in Helsinki, playing in Europe throughout August and returning home for the Farm Aid concert Sept. 20 in Mansfield, Mass.

Christian Bale questioned by UK police: reports

LONDON (Reuters) - Actor Christian Bale, star of the latest Batman movie blockbuster, "The Dark Knight," has been released on bail by British police after being questioned on allegations of assault, media reported on Tuesday.

The reports could not be independently confirmed by his U.S. representatives, who did not immediately reply to messages. But when asked if Bale had been arrested and released on bail, a police spokeswoman said:

"A 34-year-old man has been bailed to return to a police station on a date in September."

The wording is the usual tangential way that British police have of confirming news about well-known personalities.

The arrest follows an allegation of assault made by his mother and sister, the British tabloid Sun newspaper said.

It came the day after Bale attended the European premiere of "The Dark Knight," the latest in the Batman film franchise co-starring the late Heath Ledger as the Joker.

Ledger died of an accidental drug overdose shortly after completing the filming of "Dark Knight," which grossed more than $158 million in its first three days of release to rank as the biggest opening weekend for a movie in North America.

The studio behind the film, Warner Bros. Pictures, which is part of Time Warner Inc., was not immediately available for comment.

Bale was on the red carpet with co-stars Michael Caine and Maggie Gyllenhaal in central London's Leicester Square on Monday night.

A martial-arts enthusiast and environmental activist, Bale has also appeared in "Batman Begins," "American Psycho" and "Empire of the Sun."

New At the Movies Cohosts: Bens There, Done That

Los Angeles (E! Online) - A day after Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper announced they were vacating their aisle seats on At the Movies, producer Disney has given two thumbs-up to a couple of new hosts for the venerable movie-review show.

Producers have tapped E!'s resident movie buff Ben Lyons and Turner Classic Movies go-to man Ben Mankiewicz as the new cinematic tastemakers on the weekend show.

"I am incredibly excited to be involved with such a prestigious show," Lyons said. "Reviewing films for a living is a thrill, and now that I will be a critic for At the Movies, it is an honor and huge responsibility that I look forward to."

As for their first review—that is, of their new joint gig—the two critics are unanimous.

"I am thrilled and honored beyond words to be joining the series," Mankiewicz said. "As a movie fanatic, this is my dream job. Without question, I certainly have big shoes to fill."

In addition to the new hosts, the show will also be introducing several new segments come its September relaunch.

The signature "cross-talk" reviews will continue, but the series will also introduce a "Critics Roundup," where the Bens are joined via satellite by reviewers across the nation to discuss new releases.

Both hosts will also chime in for a new "3 to See" segment, where, as the title would suggest, Lyons and Mankiewicz give viewers their recommendations for new features.

`Golden Girls' actress Estelle Getty dies at 84

LOS ANGELES - Actress Estelle Getty has died at the age of 84.

Her son, Carl Gettleman, says the co-star of the TV show "The Golden Girls" died early Tuesday at home in Los Angeles. Gettleman says she suffered from advanced dementia.

The diminutive actress spent 40 years struggling for success before landing the role of a lifetime in 1985, playing the sarcastic octogenarian Sophia on "The Golden Girls."

Mike Milbury joins Hockey Night in Canada

Hockey Night in Canada will welcome a familiar face and opinionated hockey mind next season, with Mike Milbury joining the show as an analyst.

Milbury, who has spent over 30 years in the NHL as a player, coach and general manager, will also be a regular contributor to the Hot Stove segment on HNIC.

“We're very pleased to welcome Mike to our talented broadcast team,” HNIC executive producer Sherali Najak said in a statement. “His experience as an NHL player and executive is reflected in an entertaining on-air style. We look forward to his honest opinions and knowledge on what's happening around the NHL on a weekly basis.”

Milbury played 754 games over 12 seasons as a defenceman for the Boston Bruins, collecting 238 points and 1552 penalty minutes, and reaching the Stanley Cup final twice. He also coached Boston to a Stanley Cup appearance, in 1989-90.

Milbury, 56, then joined the New York Islanders, serving as coach, general manager and vice-president in nearly a dozen years with the organization.

He called it "a privilege" to join the most famous hockey broadcast.

“For more than half a century, CBC has brought hockey into living rooms across Canada with passion, insight and joy,” said Milbury. “Hockey Night in Canada has been a chronicler and caretaker of the game and part of its history."

Coach-player with Big Bad Bruins reunite

Milbury will be reunited on the show with a familiar jousting partner, Don Cherry.

Cherry coached Milbury for three seasons in Boston. In Cherry's autobiography, Grapes, the colourful commentator recounted memorable arguments the pair engaged in en route to the team's practice facility.

Hockey Night in Canada will kick off its North American schedule in 2008-09 with a doubleheader on Thursday, Oct. 9. The Detroit Red Wings will unveil their Stanley Cup banner before taking on the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Calgary Flames will face the Canucks in Vancouver.

Report: Eminem Working on Fifth Album, Label Says

Rapper Eminem is officially back in the studio and working on his new album, a label source tells EW.com. Bishop Lamont, another protégé of Eminem and Dr. Dre, said, “Em is excited. He’s been quiet too long, and he’s got a lot to get off his chest.”

It’s been four years since Slim Shady released his last studio album, Encore. In the time since, one of Eminem’s closest friends, rapper Proof, was shot and killed, leaving Em emotionally devastated. There were also reports late last year that the 8 Mile star suffered a mild heart attack, thought people close to him said he just had the flu.

“He went through what he had to go through, and now he’s been able to take all the pain and stress and put it out in his music,” Lamont added.

No release date for the Marshall Mathers’ fifth album has been announced.

New CD Releases, July 22: Sugarland, Miley Cyrus, U2

Sugarland "Love on the Inside"

The popular country act is set to drop its third full-length effort. "Love on the Inside" follows 2006's multi-platinum-selling "Enjoy the Ride," which featured a pair of No. 1 singles, "Want To" and "Settlin'," as well as the tune "Stay," which scored Sugarland two trophies at the recent Academy of Country Music Awards.
The album's first single, "All I Want to Do," is already a major hit on country music radio. "Love on the Inside" will be offered as a regular 12-song CD as well as in a deluxe edition, which includes five bonus tracks, an expanded CD booklet and access to download exclusive music videos and behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the album.

Sugarland has a heavy tour itinerary coinciding with the release of "Love on the Inside." The band is currently on the road and will remain active on the concert circuit through mid-November.

* * *
Miley Cyrus "Breakout"

The pop vocalist is known to millions of young music fans as TV character Hanna Montana. Her focus as of late, however, has been on establishing her own name in the music business.

She'll continue with that endeavor with the release of "Breakout," which is the star's first CD billed solely to her own name. Her recent live album and last studio release both were released as Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus projects.
The first single from "Breakout' is the tune "7 Things," which has been receiving spins on both Top 40 and Adult Top 40 radio stations.

* * *
U2 "Boy," "October," "War"

Good news for fans of Ireland's biggest band: U2 plans to issue re-mastered versions of its first three albums. The re-mastering was done using the original audio tapes and the end result is available in both digital and physical formats.
Each physical set will be available in three formats: as a standard single CD, a deluxe two-disc version featuring a disc of b-sides, live tracks and rarities, and an LP record pressed on 180gm virgin vinyl. The packaging on all three titles has been restored and expanded with new liner notes, previously unseen photos and full lyrics. The list price for each title is $34.98.

A box set that collects all three offerings is being offered exclusively through Amazon for a list price of $79.98.

* * *
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young "CSNY: Deja Vu Live"

The new music documentary "CSNY: Deja Vu" is scheduled to hit theaters on July 25. The film was directed by Neil Young (who has quite a few movie credits under his hat) and was shot during Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young's "Freedom of Speech 2006" tour of North America.

Fans can get ready for the movie by picking up this soundtrack. "Deja Vu Live" features such well-known songs as "Wooden Ships," "For What It's Worth" and "Teach Your Children."

* * *
Paul Weller "22 Dreams"

The influential British singer/songwriter, who is best known for fronting The Jam, returns with his first new release in three years. "22 Dreams" draws on several different styles of music, including rock, funk, soul, free jazz and electronica. Weller plans to tour the US beginning Sept. 2.

* * *
More new releases:

Black Kids, "Partie Traumatic" (Red Ink)
Black Sabbath, "The Rules of Hell" (Rhino)
David Bowie, "Live in Santa Monica '72" (Virgin)
Candlebox, "Into the Sun" (Silent Majority)
Dr. Dog, "Fate" (Park the Van)
Bob Dylan, "Best of Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour Vol. 2" (Video Music)
Noel Gourdin, "After My Time" (Epic)
Buddy Guy, "Skin Deep" (Zomba)
Janis Ian, "Best of Janis Ian--The Autobiography Collection" (Rude Girl)
Danny Tenaglia, "Futurism" (Tommy Boy)
Various Artists, "Video Games Live" (Angel)
Wiggles, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (Koch)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Batman: Gotham Knight" (La-La Land)
"X-Files: I Want to Believe" (Decca)

Alanis Morissette samples 'Flavors' on fall tour

Alanis Morissette has announced dates for a substantial fall tour to support her latest studio album, "Flavors of Entanglement," which hit stores last month.

The Canadian singer/songwriter will kick off the lengthy trek Sept. 18 in Charlottesville, VA. The 37-city outing will cover most major North American markets and is scheduled to run through mid-November.

Details regarding pre-sales and other ticketing information will be released soon through Morissette's website. The complete schedule is below.

"Flavors of Entanglement," released June 10 in the US, is Morissette's seventh studio album and first since 2004's "So-Called Chaos." The album is also the singer's first studio effort since her 2006 breakup with her former fiancee, actor Ryan Reynolds.

"I just needed to figure out who I was and step away from pretty much everything, including my career," the singer told LiveDaily earlier this year, explaining the long delay between albums. "So it was good. It was very mandatory and well used."

Morissette worked with producer Guy Sigsworth (Jem, Britney Spears) on the new set, which features the single "Underneath."

"He's so beautifully meticulous and particular and his way of making records is completely different from how I used to do it," Morissette said. "I say very loosely that I used to produce. I definitely produced my records but I don't consider myself a good producer. He's a pro. He's a magician. That's how he is with technology, and the kinds of people he has working with him and around him are all pure technological geniuses, I think."

September 2008
18 - Charlottesville, VA - Charlottesville Pavilion
19 - Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre
20 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
22 - Washington, DC - DAR Constitution Hall
23 - Baltimore, MD - Lyric Opera House
24 - Wallingford, CT - Chevrolet Theatre
26 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
27 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Spa and Resort
29 - Providence, RI - Providence Performing Arts Center

October 2008
1 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre
2 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
4 - Minneapolis, MN - Orpheum Theatre
5 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theatre
7 - Ann Arbor, MI - Michigan Theatre
8 - Toronto, Ontario - Massey Hall
9 - Montreal, Quebec - Place des Arts
11 - Hamilton, Ontario - Hamilton Place Theatre
12 - Ottawa, Ontario - National Arts Centre
14 - Louisville, KY - Louisville Palace Theatre
15 - Atlanta, GA - Cobb Energy Performance Arts Centre
16 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
20 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Broward Center for the Performing Arts
21 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
23 - Bossier City, LA - Horseshoe Casino and Hotel
24 - Houston, TX - Jesse H. Jones Hall
25 - Grand Prairie, TX - Nokia Theater
27 - Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater
28 - Kansas City, MO - Midland Theatre

November 2008
2 - Boise, ID - Morrison Center for the Performing Arts
4 - Vancouver, British Columbia - Orpheum
5 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre
6 - Portland, OR - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall
10 - San Diego, CA - San Diego Civic Center
11 - Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theatre
13 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre
15 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
17 - Oakland, CA - Paramount Theatre

Songwriters devote album to baseball

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Dusk is setting on a cool evening at Yankee Stadium, as Yankee pitcher Andy Pettitte sets down the San Diego Padres. Steve Wynn and Scott McCaughey, two songwriters behind new band The Baseball Project, are doing what they love: sipping beer and talking baseball and music.

The Baseball Project is celebrating the release of its first album, "Volume 1: Frozen Ropes and Dying Quails," on Yep Roc Records earlier this month. It is a record solely about baseball, which is not a subject people might associate with veteran rockers like McCaughey and Wynn.

The subject turns to "walk-on" music -- music baseball players select to be played on stadium loudspeakers when they come up to bat -- that McCaughey and Wynn might select for themselves if they were ball players.

Wynn says, "Maybe 'Waiting For My Man," a song by the Velvet Underground about a dope addict and his dealer.

Scott McCaughey quips, "All right, I'll pick 'Sister Ray,"' referring to a 17-minute Velvet Underground song consisting primarily of abrasive white noise and off color lyrics.

McCaughey is a founding member of the Young Fresh Fellows and currently a sideman with R.E.M. Wynn is an original member of the Dream Syndicate, who helped pioneer the so-called Paisley Underground sound in Los Angeles in the early 1980s.

Other Baseball Project band members include drummer Linda Pitmon, who also plays with the likes of Freedy Johnston and John Wesley Harding. R.E.M.'s Peter Buck plays guitar throughout the album.

Wynn and McCaughey knew of each other's bands throughout the 1980s, but didn't actually meet until Wynn passed through McCaughey's home town of Seattle.

"According to Steve, we met in a rock club. Probably in the urinal in a rock club where all the great summits occur," McCaughey said. "But I was a fan and had seen him play many times, and we have plenty of mutual friends, so it was just a matter of time."

Wynn recalls, "The funny thing is we didn't talk much about baseball until last year. We were at R.E.M.'s Hall of Fame induction party. And we talked about baseball for hours. Somewhere in that conversation we both mentioned that we wanted to do a record about baseball."

Wynn found himself talking about the album with friends incessantly, until Pitmon said, "You better stop talking about this record and actually make it before someone else does."

McCaughey sent Wynn three songs: "Sometimes I Dream Of Willie Mays," "Past Time," and "Satchel Paige." Three days later, Wynn completed five songs of his own.

Rather than trafficking in sports cliches, the album sets its sights on lesser known stories and players such as pitcher Jack McDowell, who won the Cy Young award in 1993, but who is perhaps better known for making an obscene gesture to a Yankee Stadium crowd after they booed him in 1995.

Wynn believes his songs are as autobiographical as anything he's ever written. In particular, he points to "Gratitude," a paean to Curt Flood, whose legal challenge to the reserve clause helped usher in the age of free agency. The reserve clause bound a player to his team, even after his contract expired, until he was traded or released.

"The song is about how difficult it is to be the sacrificial lamb -- the one that paves the way for something that is not an easy cause. Everybody else benefits from what you did," Wynn said.

"These are things that could be felt as if someone who started in indie rock in 1982, playing in all the punk rock clubs in the 1980s," he added. "I wrote about it from a place I could understand."

Both Wynn and McCaughey already are stockpiling songs for Volume 2. Wynn has a song in the works about Cal Ripken, the Hall of Fame shortstop who holds the record for consecutive games played.

The thrust of the song? "The guy's greatest accomplishment is that he went to work every day," Wynn laughs. "What's so great about that?"

Film critics Ebert, Roeper leaving their TV show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Influential film critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper are departing the movie-review show that bears their names, the two announced separately, leaving the program's future unclear.

Ebert, 66, who has been sidelined as co-host of "At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper" since 2006 due to health problems, said in a statement posted on Monday on the Web site of the Chicago Sun-Times that he was ending his relationship with the show.

He had no explanation for his departure, but said producers had decided to "take the program in a new direction." Ebert, arguably America's best-known film critic, had remained active behind the scenes despite losing his voice to cancer.

His announcement came a day after Roeper, 48, said his last appearance on the show would be an episode airing August 17. Both Ebert and Roeper are columnists for the Sun-Times.

The show's production company, Disney-ABC Domestic Television, had no immediate comment on the future of the long-running program, which Ebert launched 33 years ago with late Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel.

Ebert said he and Siskel's widow, Marlene Iglitzen, will retain the show's trademarked catch-phrase "two thumbs up" for some future use.

"After 33 years on the air, 23 of them with Disney, the studio has decided to take the program named 'Siskel & Ebert' and then 'Ebert & Roeper' in a new direction. I will no longer be associated with it," Ebert's statement said.

Roeper joined the show eight years ago, after Siskel died of complications from a surgery to remove a brain tumor.

Roeper said in his statement that Disney had offered to extend his contract several months ago, but ultimately he and the company did not come to terms.

"Much transpired after that behind the scenes, but an agreement was never reached, and we are all moving on," Roeper said.

Roeper said he intends to "proceed elsewhere" and co-host another film review show that "honors the standards established by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert more than 30 years ago."

"I will be free to share the details on that program in the near future," he said.

Leno's last 'Tonight' is May 29; O'Brien in June 1

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) — Conan O'Brien will take over the "Tonight" Show next June — and what happens to deposed host Jay Leno after that is anybody's guess.

Leno's last show will be Friday, May 29, and O'Brien will start the following Monday, June 1, NBC executives told a Television Critics Association meeting Monday.

NBC is angling to keep Leno with the network but the late-night king has indicated he's ready to jump ship. Eager NBC competitors, including other networks and syndicators, are eager to help him make the leap.

Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff, NBC Entertainment co-chairmen, were asked about the specter of Leno being hired by ABC and overpowering O'Brien in the ratings.

"We really believe in the decisions we've made with our partners, including Jay" and are standing by them, Silverman replied.

Jimmy Fallon is poised to take over O'Brien's "Late Night" in March or April of 2009, after honing his approach in brief Internet shows, Silverman and Graboff said.

O'Brien will wrap his "Late Night" run sometime in the first quarter of the year, with exact dates to be determined, the executives said. O'Brien reruns will fill the gap until Fallon takes over.

Brenda Lives! Doherty Zips Back to 90210

Los Angeles (E! Online) - The beeyotch is back.

The CW has confirmed that erstwhile Brenda Walsh Shannen Doherty will be reprising her role as one-half of Beverly Hills' best-loved Minnesota twins for a multiple-episode stint when the 90210 spinoff hits small screens this fall.

Doherty's reprisal marks the fourth official return from a Beverly Hills, 90210 regular to the spinoff, joining Tori Spelling, whose Donna Martin is now an upscale boutique owner, Joe E. Tata, whose Nat is still the owner of the Peach Pit, and—cue the maniacal moustache-twirling—Jennie Garth, whose Kelly Taylor is now the guidance counselor at West Beverly High.

It remains to be seen whether she—Taylor or Garth—also reprises her role as a certain brunette's mortal frenemy.

Though murmurs of such a casting coup have been circulating for weeks, with E! Online's Kristin Dos Santos reporting earlier this month that Doherty's appearance was a done deal, the network only made it official this morning, with an announcement at the Television Critics Association conference.

As for Doherty, she will apparently remain the show's resident drama queen.

Since leaving West Bev, Brenda has become a successful theater actress and director who divides her much-sought-after time between the London and New York stages. She is dragged back into the high school fray when her alma mater approaches her to direct a musical production for the students.

For more details on what's in store for the gang come the Sept. 2 premiere, jump over to our Watch With Kristin TV blog.

'Dark Knight' sets weekend record with $155.34M

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Batman has sent Spidey packing as king of Hollywood's box-office superheroes.

"The Dark Knight" took in a record $155.34 million in its first weekend, topping the previous best of $151.1 million for "Spider-Man 3" in May 2007 and pacing Hollywood to its biggest weekend ever, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"We knew it would be big, but we never expected to dominate the marketplace like we did," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released "The Dark Knight." The movie should shoot past the $200 million mark by the end of the week, he said.

Hollywood set an overall revenue record of $253 million for a three-day weekend, beating the $218.4 million haul over the weekend of July 7, 2006, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

"This weekend is such a juggernaut," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, whose musical "Mamma Mia!" debuted at No. 2 with $27.6 million.

Factoring in higher admission prices, "Spider-Man 3" may have sold slightly more tickets than "The Dark Knight."

At 2007's average price of $6.88, "Spider-Man 3" sold 21.96 million tickets over opening weekend. Media By Numbers estimates today's average movie prices at $7.08, which means "The Dark Knight" would have sold 21.94 million tickets.

Revenue totals for "The Dark Knight" could change when final numbers are released Monday.

The movie's release was preceded by months of buzz and speculation over the performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, Batman's nemesis. Ledger, who died in January from an accidental prescription-drug overdose, played the Joker as a demonic presence, his performance prompting predictions that the role might earn him a posthumous Academy Award nomination.

"The average opening gross of the last five `Batman' movies is $47 million. This tripled that, and for a reason," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. "A big part of that was the Heath Ledger mystique and a phenomenal performance that absolutely deserves the excitement surrounding it."

"The Dark Knight" reunites director Christopher Nolan with his "Batman Begins" star Christian Bale, whose vigilante crime-fighter is taunted and tested by Ledger's Joker as the villain unleashes violence and chaos on the city of Gotham.

Overseas, "The Dark Knight" added $40 million in 20 countries where it began opening Wednesday, including Australia, Mexico and Brazil. The film opens in Great Britain this weekend and rolls out to most of the rest of the world over the next few weeks.

"The Dark Knight," which cost $185 million to make, also broke the "Spider-Man 3" record for best debut in IMAX large-screen theaters with $6.2 million. "Spider-Man 3" opened with $4.7 million in IMAX cinemas.

"Every single show is sold out," said Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president. "We're adding shows as much as we can, but we're at 100 percent capacity."

On opening day Friday, "The Dark Knight" also took in more money than previously counted, Fellman said. The film pulled in a record $67.85 million, up nearly $1.5 million from the studio's estimates a day earlier.

The previous opening-day record also had been held by "Spider-Man 3" with $59.8 million.

Women accounted for most of the audience for "Mamma Mia!", which Universal opened as counter-programming to the male-dominated audience for "The Dark Knight."

"With the crowded summer, we knew we would have to find the right weekend, and this seemed like the perfect one considering three-quarters of our audience was female," Rocco said.

Based on the stage musical set to the tunes of ABBA, "Mamma Mia!" features Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski.

The weekend's other new wide release, 20th Century Fox's animated family flick "Space Chimps," opened at No. 7 with $7.4 million.

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

1. "The Dark Knight," $155.34 million.
2. "Mamma Mia!", $27.6 million.
3. "Hancock," $14 million.
4. "Journey to the Center of the Earth," $11.9 million.
5. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," $10 million.
6. "WALL-E," $9.8 million.
7. "Space Chimps," $7.4 million.
8. "Wanted," $5.1 million.
9. "Get Smart," $4.1 million.
10. "Kung Fu Panda," $1.8 million.

The Couch Potato Report - July 19th, 2008

This week The Couch Potato Report peels an awful movie, some unique
documentaries and…come drink with me.

Up first this week is the latest film from Oscar nominee Ellen Page from
JUNO, and Genie and Gemini Award winning director Bruce McDonald - the man
behind ROADKILL, HARD CORE LOGO and DANCE ME OUTSIDE.

Yes, the two titans, the current cover girl and established best man of
Canadian cinema team up for this week's Hot Potato.

The film is called THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS and it is possibly the absolute
worst film that I have ever seen.

In the film Page's Tracey Berkowitz is looking for her missing little
brother Sonny, a boy who thinks he's a dog...and the film follows her as
she looks for him, lives her life before he goes missing, and plays games
and talks with her shrink and the boy she has a crush on.

Now had the film followed a linear storyline, and just told the story, the
result might have been interesting, but it doesn't.

Instead McDonald piles images and sounds on the screen.

At times there are up to 16 different scenes happening on screen, and just
as many audio tracks.

Now the explanation from the director as to why there are that many images
and sounds on screen at the same time is due to the fact that he want sthe
viewer to feel as if they are inside Tracey's head, and since her brain
isn't thinking in a linear fashion...her story shouldn't either.

My response...that is just an excuse to cover up a bad film, and even at
77 minutes, this is one of the worst films I have ever seen, with Ellen
Page playing the same character that she always plays...yet again..

If you are a film student, someone who abhors mainstream movies, or just
seem to enjoy films that people say are garbage, then perhaps you will
find THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS to be visually stunning and provocative.

But I don't share that opinion, this film just annoyed me....and I think
that films should inform or entertain, not annoy.

So, to be 100% clear, in the 17 years that I have been doing The Couch
Potato Report, I have never hated a film more than THE TRACEY
FRAGMENTS...period, end of story.

Up next this week is a film that is infinately better that THE TRACEY
FRAGMENTS...okay, that isn't saying much, but HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD is
better, and not a complete waste of your time, so it is definitely a step
up!

The two Canadian filmmakers behind HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD follow that band from the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003 to the present day.

Imagine all you wanted to do was rock out and make music with your
friends, but due to a war in your country, it just wasn't possible...you
can't even see them for fear of being killed...and they only live 15
minutes away.

Well that is what this film is about.

HEAVY METAL IN BAGHDAD is a very interesting, but unfortunately it is not
a compelling documentary. The people in the band and their stories are
interesting, but the filmmakers aren't able to completely succeed in
telling the Iraqui's story as they spend too much time telling their own
story about what it took for them to make the movie.

But I do recommend it, especially if you like heavy metal, are a musician,
or have ever felt that you or your art were being oppressed here in
beautiful war-free Canada.

Alright, let switch gears now to two titles that I completely enjoyed, and
would recommend for the who family.

They are MEERCAT MANOR - THE STORY BEGINS and SEASON ONE of the show
MEERKAT MANOR.

Man this is good stuff!!

A meerkat is a small mammal and a member of the mongoose family.

Timon, the character that Nathan Lane voiced in the film THE LION KING was
a meerkat.

MEERKAT MANOR is a show that blends traditional animal documentary style
footage with narration, making it sort of a Meerkat soap opera....one that
at times is very dramatic, like Shakespeare dramatic!

Both the STORY BEGINS movie, and SEASON ONE of the show feature some great footage, including scenes from a few well-placed underground cameras, and well-written narration.

Due to the fact that there is death involved in the show, it isn't for
very young or sensitive kids...but otherwise it is a very interesting for
the whole family, and it is all completely real.

Yup, it is good stuff!! Check it out and have some fun!!

BATMAN - GOTHAM KNIGHT is also good stuff...well, no, okay, it is great
stuff!!

This direct-to-DVD anthology film is inspired by Japanese anime and it
features six short stories, from several different filmmakers, and most of
them are pretty good.

The stories help bridge the gap in the timeline between the 2005 film
BATMAN BEGINS and the new, spectacular movie THE DARK KNIGHT....which is
in theatres now.

GOTHAM KNIGHT is partially a stand alone unique experience all it's own,
and a tie-in for the new film.

PLUS...on the two-disc edition...there is also a great documentary about
Bob Kane, the man who created Batman back in 1939.

BATMAN - GOTHAM KNIGHT is primarily it is just a release for huge fans of
Batman like me, people who can't get enough of the caped crusader, so if
you are like me, enjoy!!

If you are the opposite of folks like me, folks who love the action
filled, very loud, check-your-brain-at-the-door summer movie season.

Well, each week during the summer movie season I am telling you about at
least one current release that you'll need your brain to enjoy in this
year's FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD

This week's film is COME DRINK WITH ME from Japan, and it is the 2003
version of the film, not the original one from 1966.

In the film a group of bandits kidnaps the governor's son and demands
their imprisoned leader to be set free in exchange.

There is drama, love, tension...and lots of great martial arts fighting!!

COME DRINK WITH ME doesn't have the best martial arts choreography that
you will see in a film, in fact some of it is a bit slow by today's
standards, and it isn't even the best Foreign Film that you will see this
summer, but I still enjoyed it, and it is the latest entry in The FOREIGN
FILM FESTIVAL On DVD!!

COME DRINK WITH ME, BATMAN - GOTHAM KNIGHT, MEERCAT MANOR - THE STORY BEGINS and SEASON ONE of MEERKAT MANOR, HEAVY METAL IN BAGDAD and the awful film THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS are all available now on DVD.

Coming up in on the next Couch Potato Report

I will offer my thoughts on the made-in-Saskatchewan film SLEEPWALKING, and the FOREIGN FILM FESTIVAL ON DVD entry is the Award Winning ROMULUS,
MY FATHER from Australia.

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!

'Dark Knight' sets box office record

LOS ANGELES - Nothing dark about Batman's first night at the box office.

"The Dark Knight" lit up cash registers during its midnight debut, stealing away with a record $18.5 million from 3,040 theatres, distributor Warner Bros. said Friday.

That bested the 2005 performance of "Star Wars Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith," which took in $16.9 million during its midnight debut in 2,915 venues.

"The Dark Knight" figure did not include any of its 3 a.m. or 6 a.m. showings.

And while Batman only strikes at night, all indications are that "The Dark Knight" will keep landing blows. Advance ticket sales were booming. Cineplex Entertainment in Canada said advance sales set a new record this week for its theatres at about $1 million.

The early numbers mean "The Dark Knight" will likely join the ranks of 10 other films that debuted on non-holiday weekends and cleared more than $100 million from Friday to Sunday, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of tracking firm Media By Numbers LLC.

"There is an unbelievable demand for this movie," he said. "The Heath Ledger factor is a major part of this. Beyond that, the movie is so good, it's worthy of all these accolades."

The movie directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale as Batman cost $185 million to make, excluding money spent marketing, Fellman said.

Critics have heaped praise on the movie - especially the late Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker, which has already generated whispers of a posthumous Oscar nomination.

"We're very proud of the film," said Dan Fellman, Warner's head of distribution. "It's the magic of the movie business, how one film just stands out above the others."

Affleck, Garner expecting 2nd child

Who better is there to confirm your pregnancy than your former TV dad?

Victor Garber, who played Jennifer Garner's father on "Alias," confirmed the speculation that the actress is indeed pregnant with her second child with husband Ben Affleck, reports Usmagazine.com.

Garner, 36, has been wearing loose-fitting tops of late, fueling rumors that she's expecting.

A source claims that the pregnancy is five months along.

The couple already has a daughter, 2-year-old Violet.

Garner last starred in "The Kingdom" and appeared in the teen pregnancy comedy "Juno." Affleck, 35, last wrote and directed "Gone Baby Gone" and will co-star in the relationship film "He's Just Not That Into You" next year.

Jimi Hendrix coming to 'Guitar Hero'

LOS ANGELES - Jimi Hendrix is coming to "Guitar Hero."

The Seattle-based company Experience Hendrix, which controls the rock icon's musical legacy, is providing Hendrix's music and likeness for the latest "Guitar Hero" video game, Aaron Grant, a spokesman for publisher and developer Activision and Red Octane, told The Associated Press on Thursday.

It's the first time Hendrix's likeness will be showcased in the game.

An avatar of Hendrix as well as the song "The Wind Cries Mary" and a live version of "Purple Haze," which was recorded in 1969 at the San Diego Sports Arena, will be included on "Guitar Hero World Tour" — the fourth edition of the popular game franchise scheduled for release Oct. 27.

"World Tour" will be the first "Guitar Hero" to feature playable drums and a microphone.

Experience Hendrix provided Activision and Red Octane with various songs from Hendrix, who famously played the Woodstock music festival in 1969 and died of a drug overdose in 1970. Other Hendrix tunes would be released in the future as downloadable content for the game, Grant said.

Barenaked Lady admitted drug use

TORONTO - Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page, known for his quirky lyrics, environmental activism and clean-cut image, admitted to New York police that he was snorting cocaine prior to his arrest last week, court documents allege.

The documents, filed with the Fayetteville Village Court in New York, contain details from police as well as a statement from a woman arrested at the same time as the 38-year-old Toronto resident.

A felony complaint against the singer states he was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance early Friday morning after police stumbled upon a car parked across a driveway with its driver-side door open.

After tracking the license plate of the vehicle, police entered an apartment where they found Page and 25-year-old Stephanie Ford in the kitchen.

In a statement to police filed with the court, Ford said the two had just finished snorting what she believed to be cocaine using a rolled-up Canadian bill.

She said Page had stored several capsules containing a white powdery substance in a bottle labelled Calcium.

A separate court document states that police questioned Page about the substance he was snorting after it tested positive for cocaine.

"Yeah, it's cocaine," the documents quote Page as saying.

Police allege Page had about a third of an ounce of the drug on him at the time of his arrest. He was taken into police custody, but was later released after posting $10,000 bail. He is scheduled to appear in a New York court on August 26. If convicted, he faces a maximum of 15 years in prison.

The court documents say Ford, who was also charged with drug possession, told police the evening's events began when Page got into a fight with his girlfriend, Christine Benedicto, at a local bar.

In her statement to police, Ford said Page believed Benedicto was flirting with another man.

Ford told police the two argued, with Page leaving the bar and planning to drive back to Canada after he had been drinking. Ford told police she forcibly restrained him from getting behind the wheel by following him back to the apartment she shares with Benedicto and sitting on him.

Benedicto later arrived at the apartment, confiscated Page's car keys, and drove off, according to Ford's statement. She was later arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of marijuana.

The criminal charge is a notable blemish on what has otherwise been a squeaky-clean run for the bespectacled Page and bandmates Ed Robertson, Tyler Stewart, Jim Creeggan and Kevin Hearn.

Since forming nearly 20 years ago in Toronto's east end, they've crafted a sizable catalogue of catchy, humour-filled hits including "If I Had a $1,000,000," "Yoko Ono," "One Week" and "It's All Been Done" while garnering several Juno wins and two Grammy nominations.

The band recently released a children's album called "Snacktime." Their next public appearance is slated for a benefit concert hosted by Disney and Playskool on behalf of four children's charities.

In a brief message posted on its website, the band thanked fans for their support and said "the validity of the charges against Steven will be strongly contested."

"While this is happening, it's business as usual for Barenaked Ladies," states the message at www.bnlmusic.com.

"We will continue to perform and look forward to heading into the studio later this year to record a new album. We want to thank our loyal fans for their continued support during this difficult time."

Zach Braff leaving 'Scrubs'

If "Scrubs" has life beyond the 2008-09 season, it will probably have to live without Zach Braff.

The new-to-ABC comedy series is at this point only guaranteed to air this season, its eighth overall. But ABC Entertainment President Stephen McPherson has made no secret that he'd like to keep "Scrubs" around if it does well, and Wednesday at the TCA press tour, creator Bill Lawrence said he's open to the idea as well.

"I think it's Zach's last year on the show," Lawrence says. But that doesn't necessarily mean that would be it for the series.

"When I created this show, Steve McPherson [was] president of the studio," Lawrence explains. "... He was really supportive when I pitched it as this show possibly being like 'ER' as a comedy, with some revolving cast members and, you know, putting new blood in."

To that end, Aziz Ansari ("Human Giant"), Betsy Beutler ("The Black Donnellys") and Eliza Coupe ("I Think I Love My Wife") have joined the cast as new interns at Sacred Heart. The long-serving regular cast is all back as well -- even the retired Bob Kelso (Ken Jenkins), who is still collecting his free-muffins-for-life reward at the hospital coffee stand.

Lawrence says the regulars would all be welcomed back should "Scrubs" get picked up beyond the coming season (it's scheduled to debut on ABC in early 2009). Both he and Braff acknowledge, though, that the end of the road is near for Braff's character, J.D.

"The sense is that we thought we were ending, and then thanks to [McPherson], this has been a bonus, amazing year. We're having a blast doing this," Braff says. "My sense is this is my last year. If the show does continue like he's saying, like an 'ER' kind of thing, I would love to come back and visit and definitely direct some -- and do craft service if they need some help."

Lawrence also says that J.D. will get a proper sendoff: "If this show pulls a legitimate number and people like yourselves still find it creatively viable, I think there's a chance it will go forward. We're making the shows now, so we're certainly going to film the last one like it's young Zach Braff's exit and make a big deal out of it."

Amy Poehler says she's bound for 'Office' spinoff

NEW YORK (AP) — Amy Poehler confirmed to The Associated Press that she'll be joining the planned "Office" spinoff, paving the way for her eventual exit from "Saturday Night Live" and promoting the comedian to primetime.

Speaking by phone Thursday shortly after her Emmy nomination for outstanding actress in a comedy series on "SNL," Poehler said she will join NBC's spinoff of "The Office." She's expected to star.

"I can kind of confirm that I will be working in some capacity on that show," said Poehler. "I don't really have any other details yet."

The 36-year-old Poehler has been a cast member on "Saturday Night Live" since 2001 and in recent seasons has served as a co-anchor on "Weekend Update."

Poehler, whose husband Will Arnett also received an Emmy nomination Thursday (for his guest performance on "30 Rock"), is pregnant and due this October. She plans to be part of the expanded fall schedule for "Saturday Night Live" during the election, but that what happens in the spring isn't clear.

"It's been quite a week," said Poehler of the negotiations. "I'm very excited about all the good stuff that's coming down the pike."

A spokesman for NBC said the network had no comment.

'Mad Men,' 'Damages' make Emmy noms history

LOS ANGELES - Basic cable TV looked more like a pop-culture bargain Thursday as AMC's "Mad Men" and FX's "Damages" snared historic best-series Emmy nominations, while stars from cable's less glamorous channels also made a splash in major acting categories.

Meanwhile, premium channel HBO and broadcast networks saw their share of awards glory erode.

In the lead drama actor category, four of the six nominees were stars of cable shows, including Jon Hamm of "Mad Men." The sleek drama about 1960s America set in New York's advertising world was also the leading drama series contender with 16 nominations.

Three best-actress nods also went to cable series stars, including Glenn Close of "Damages." The hard-nosed legal drama joins "Mad Men" as the first basic cable shows put up for best series.

"I think it's changed the landscape of television," Close said of basic cable's growing creative strength.

HBO failed to field a best-drama series contender for the first time since 1998, after its now-departed "The Sopranos" claimed the honor last year. The premium cable channel still scored a leading 85 bids overall, followed by ABC with 76.

Boosting HBO's total was the historical drama "John Adams," the overall front-runner with a record 23 bids. That included a lead-actor nomination for Paul Giamatti's turn as one of America's founding fathers.

"30 Rock," last's year's best comedy series winner, was the top nominee among sitcoms with 17 bids. Other best comedy series nominees were "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Entourage," "The Office" and "Two And a Half Men."

"The Wire," the just-ended, critically acclaimed HBO drama about police and drug dealers in Baltimore, lost its last shot at a best-drama nod after years of Emmy snubs. It received one nomination Thursday, for writing.

But other cable series made a serious dent in several top categories, gaining further ground on the networks. Broadcast favorites that failed to make a serious showing included "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives," both left out of the best-series categories. "Grey's" stars Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson received nominations — but the "Desperate" cast was shut out.

"Lost," rebounding with a well-received season, joined "Mad Men" and "Damages" in the best-drama series category with six nominees, including "Boston Legal, "Dexter" and "House." Only one acting nomination went to "Lost," a best-supporting actor nod for Michael Emerson's role as the manipulative Ben.

Oh and Wilson are competing in the best supporting drama actress category that last year was won by castmate Katherine Heigl — who took herself out of the running this time, blaming her decision on lackluster scripts.

Joining Hamm with lead drama acting nods were last year's winner James Spader, "Boston Legal," Bryan Cranston of "Breaking Bad," Michael C. Hall, "Dexter," Hugh Laurie, "House" and Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment."

"I'm surprised," Hamm said. "For someone like me to be included is amazing. Look at this list: These are people I've been watching, and been a fan of, for years and years. It's a genuinely wonderful feeling."

Close's competition for lead drama actress honors includes 2007 winner Sally Field for "Brothers & Sisters," Kyra Sedgwick, "The Closer," Mariska Hargitay, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and Holly Hunter, "Saving Grace."

"I'm very honored," Field said in an email. "It never gets old. I do, but it doesn't."

"Damages," in which Close plays a tough-as-nails litigator, won critical acclaim last year but not great ratings. Close is hoping the Emmy attention will boost the show's audience for season two.

"We need all the help we can get," said Close, who was being driven to a shooting location on Long Island when her sister, Nancy, called her cell phone with the nomination news.

As for her nomination, she was more sanguine.

"I don't believe in comparison among artists," she said, "but, given the amazing number of talented people in this profession, to be included with a distinguished group of people is a huge honor."

Actresses nominated for best comedy series were Tina Fey of "30 Rock," the series she created; last year's honoree America Ferrera of "Ugly Betty," Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?" and Mary-Louise Parker, "Weeds."

Nods for comedy series lead actors went to Tony Shalhoub for "Monk," Steve Carrell, "The Office," Lee Pace, "Pushing Daisies," Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" and Charlie Sheen, "Two And A Half Men."

Ryan Seacrest, host of top-rated series "American Idol" made the cut in the new category of best host for a reality or reality-competition show. Other nominees were Howie Mandel of "Deal or No Deal," Heidi Klum of "Project Runway," Jeff Probst of "Survivor" and Tom Bergeron of "Dancing with the Stars."

"I'm thrilled that they've added this category, and thrilled to be part of this virgin group, if you will," Bergeron said.

The "Dancing" host said he debated whether to watch the announcement: "You know, there's that sort of weird sort of superstitious-think, like, 'Well, if I don't watch, maybe I'll get nominated, but if I do watch, I won't.' Like that's gonna change anything."

Nominees in the top categories for the 60th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards were announced at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences by Kristin Chenoweth, Neil Patrick Harris and TV academy Chairman John Shaffner.

Shaffner surprised Harris and Chenoweth at the end of the telecast by announcing supporting-actor nominations for each. Chenoweth, of "Pushing Daisies," stood open-jawed, while Harris, the regular scene-stealer of "How I Met Your Mother," pumped his fist and exclaimed, "Nice!"

The trio then blew out candles on a birthday cake to celebrate the Emmys' 60th anniversary.

Harris kidded about his easy rapport onstage with Chenoweth, whose seemingly off-the-cuff quips injected some life into the normally mundane reading of a list.

"We dated for years and years," joked the actor, who came out as gay to People magazine in 2006.

Besides ABC's 76 nods, the broadcast networks tallies were CBS, 51 nominations; NBC, 50 and Fox, 28. PBS had 33 bids, while AMC garnered 20 bids.

The Emmy Awards ceremony will be held Sept. 21 and broadcast on ABC. Other Emmy honors, including those for technical achievement and guest actors and actresses in series, will be given at the creative arts ceremony on Sept. 13.

'Hellboy II' catches fire with $35.9 million debut

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Superheroes battling inner demons often rule the box office. This time, the superhero was a demon as "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" pulled in $35.9 million to debut as the No. 1 weekend film.

Universal's "Hellboy" sequel, starring Ron Perlman as the red-skinned devil fighting for the good guys, took over the top spot from Will Smith's superhero tale "Hancock," which slipped to second place with $33 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Sony's "Hancock" raised its domestic total to $165 million.

Opening at No. 3 with $20.6 million was New Line's "Journey to the Center of the Earth," starring Brendan Fraser in an underground adventure shot in digital 3-D.

Eddie Murphy bombed with his comedy "Meet Dave," a 20th Century Fox release that took in just $5.3 million. The movie features Murphy in dual roles as a tiny alien and his spaceship — which is designed to resemble a full-sized human for a visit to Earth.

"It was a tough concept to get across," 20th Century Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston said of "Meet Dave," which cost about $55 million to make. "It's upsetting for all of us and for Eddie. He's very funny in this. Just not enough people came."

Science-fiction comedy has not been a kind genre for Murphy. His biggest bomb ever was the sci-fi tale "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," which cost about $90 million and took in just $4.4 million during its entire run.

"Hellboy II" was a rare case of one studio taking on another's hand-me-downs. Sony released the first "Hellboy" in 2004 but passed on the sequel, which allowed Universal to step in.

The original movie was a modest box-office performer, hauling in $23.2 million over opening weekend and $59 million in its entire run. However, it really caught fire on DVD, convincing Universal executives that a sequel was in order.

"When a film is a franchise that another studio didn't want to continue to pursue, it makes things even better," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution at Universal. "We believed in the filmmakers, the talent packaged together. We saw the potential."

Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth") returned to direct the sequel, which pits Perlman's Hellboy against an elf who aims to unleash a monstrous mechanical army on humanity.

"`Pan's Labyrinth' made a big impression on a lot of people," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "If they weren't fans of Guillermo del Toro before, they certainly are now."

"Journey to the Center of the Earth" stars Fraser in a modern twist on Jules Verne's classic tale about a trip to the planet's core.

Though 3-D screens accounted for fewer than a third of 2,811 theaters where the movie played, those cinemas pulled in $11.7 million, well over half of the picture's revenues, according to Warner Bros., which handled its distribution.

Warner had to book the movie largely in traditional 2-D theaters because not enough cinemas have been converted to projectors capable of showing digital 3-D movies.

"We would have liked to have more of these," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner.

Overall Hollywood revenues fell compared to the same weekend a year ago, when "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" opened with $77.4 million. The top 12 movies took in $145 million, down 16 percent from the same weekend in 2007.

However, Batman arrives Friday to heat up the box office again. The Batman sequel "The Dark Knight" is one of the year's most-anticipated films even without the death of co-star Heath Ledger. His death and the buzz over his maniacal performance as Batman nemesis the Joker has fans in a frenzy to see the movie.

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. "Hellboy II: The Golden Army," $35.9 million.
2. "Hancock," $33 million.
3. "Journey to the Center of the Earth," $20.6 million.
4. "WALL-E," $18.5 million.
5. "Wanted," $11.6 million.
6. "Get Smart," $7.1 million.
7. "Meet Dave," $5.3 million.
8. "Kung Fu Panda," $4.3 million.
9. "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl," $2.5 million.
10. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," $2.3 million

Muppets return home to DC in Smithsonian exhibit

WASHINGTON - Bert and Ernie are paying a special visit to the city that helped give birth to the "Sesame Street" gang.

But don't expect to see the popular puppets strolling around Washington. Their fame and age (they're sensitive to light) make too much exposure a security risk. Instead, they will be making their home, at least temporarily, in the underground International Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution as part of the exhibit "Jim Henson's Fantastic World."

Visitors to the show, which opens Saturday and continues through Oct. 5, will find the Muppets under special lighting, behind glass and closely guarded.

"We consider every single thing in here to be precious," said project director Deborah Macanic. Technically speaking, they're all antiques.

It's a homecoming for Muppets such as Kermit, the piano-playing dog Rowlf and others that first achieved stardom on Washington-area television shows and commercials — long before the success of "The Muppet Show" and "Sesame Street." Muppets creator Jim Henson grew up in nearby Hyattsville, Md., and attended the University of Maryland, where his creative approach began to take shape.

"We're showing how he went from drawing to a cartoon to a puppet to a moving image," Macanic said, explaining the exhibit's themes of visual thinking, storytelling and character development.

Through more than 100 original drawings, cartoons and story boards and about 14 famous Muppets, the exhibit traces Henson's career as a puppeteer and filmmaker until his death in 1990.

Henson got his television start in 1954, creating a TV show, "Sam and Friends," for Washington's NBC station while still in college. Kermit the Frog's character began developing from this show and later became a superstar.

The exhibit features one of the earliest sketches of Kermit, and a 1970s version of the puppet sits front and center to greet visitors near the entrance of the International Gallery, which is part of the Smithsonian's Ripley Center.

Kermit was originally conceived as a more abstract reptile character with less defined features. The original puppet was made in 1955 from an old turquoise coat with eyes made from a pingpong ball. Kermit continued to evolve from there to a frog in the 1960s.

"Then Kermit just kind of took over and became the news (reporter) guy with the hat and the trench coat and all that he was by the time he got to Sesame Street," Macanic said.

The skinny, green frog became the most enduring Muppet character, in part because Jim Henson considered Kermit to be his alter-ego.

Henson's personality shines through other characters as well, such as the furry, hippie Mahna Mahna who sings scat to a jazz song with two backup singers called the Snowths. The skit debuted in 1969 on "The Ed Sullivan Show," with Henson performing the gruff voice of Mahna Mahna.

A few days before the exhibit's opening, the three singers emerged from a wooden storage crate — all in need of a little primping. Josette Cole and Viki Possoff, Smithsonian exhibit registrars, carefully fluffed the pink Snowth puppets and twisted an arm to match a dance pose from a photograph.

"There's a whole technique to it," Cole said. "You use a dog brush, for one, and you don't pull it through the hair because you'll pull it off. You sort of have to pat it in place."

Bert and Ernie were unpacked after the Snowths, apparently needing some extra rest after their last public appearance in June in Louisiana.

Museum workers are becoming experts in Muppet care as the exhibit makes a three-year tour. After the show in Washington, the Muppets will travel to Atlanta, Orlando, Fla., and five other cities through early 2011. The Smithsonian's experts escort their Muppet treasures by tractor-trailer, tending to them at each stop.

The exhibit anchors a Muppet-themed summer of events at the Smithsonian and elsewhere in the Washington area. Through much of July and August, the AFI Silver Theatre in Silver Spring, Md., will host the film series "Muppets, Music and Magic: Jim Henson's Legacy" as a tribute to Henson's work. There will also be programs on puppetry and free Podcast tours.

The only thing missing from the Muppet festival may be the elegant Miss Piggy, who aggressively flirted with Kermit. Miss Piggy will show up in film only, but her puppet isn't available. Apparently, the materials used to create Miss Piggy weren't as sturdy for travel as Kermit's, said Karen Falk, an archivist with The Jim Henson Co. who curated the exhibit.

"As you might expect," said Falk, "she's more sensitive."

Lyle Lovett sells millions, earns nothing

DETROIT (Billboard) - Lyle Lovett says he has "never made a dime" from album sales during his two-decade career, and hopes to rectify that situation when his contract expires.

The eclectic country singer has two more albums on his deal with Curb/Universal, his home since 1985, and figures the horizons are wide open.

"The possibilities are very exciting, I think," Lovett told Billboard.com. "I've never made a dime from a record sale in the history of my record deal. I've been very happy with my sales, and certainly my audience has been very supportive. I make a living going out and playing shows."

Lovett, 50, has sold 4.6 million albums in the United States since 1991, the year when SoundScan sales data were introduced. His most recent release, "It's Not Big It's Large," has sold about 145,000 copies since debuting at a career-best No. 18 on the Billboard 200 last September, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"Records are very powerful promotional tools to go out and be able to play on the road, but you do have to think about it as a way of sustaining itself at some point. I'm very excited about being able to do some of that on my own, maybe," Lovett said.

He did not, however, rule out another label deal.

"Certainly if a major label is interested in working with me after these next two records and is able to come up with a strategy that does engage some of the new technology in a way that can benefit everybody, I'd be very interested in that."

Lovett said he hopes to start work on his next album in time for a 2009 release. He has a direction in mind but says, "I don't know if I want to talk about it yet."

He is currently touring North America with his Large Band through mid-August, and has also financed an album recorded at some of the singer/songwriter shows he does with John Hiatt, Guy Clark and Joe Ely but is having trouble getting his label interested in putting it out.

Lovett, who has graced the big screen in such films as "The Player" and "The Opposite of Sex," recently added to his acting resume with "a very small contribution" to Michael Meredith's film "The Open Road," which stars Justin Timberlake and Jeff Bridges, and is expected to open later this year.

"I got to do a scene with Justin, which was fun. I enjoyed meeting him," said Lovett, who also performed a song for the soundtrack with Charlie Sexton, who's scoring the film.

Larry David primed for more "Curb"

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Larry David is bringing back "Curb Your Enthusiasm" for a seventh season, HBO said on Thursday.

The premium cable network hopes the latest installment of the edgy comedy series will p