The Godfather Collection: The Coppola Restoration

On Paramount Home Entertainment’s release of 'The Godfather: The CoppolaRestoration' DVDset, the studio has included some hidden features, ready for you to discover.

Insert the fourth disc of the DVD set, which contains all of the new 2008 bonus materials. On the Main Menu highlight the 'Set Up' menu option and then press the 'Up' arrow key on your remote control. This will highlight a Godfather icon on the right. If you press 'enter' now you will have the chance to see a clip of Francis Ford Coppola discussing his initial research into the mafia.

Now insert the fifth disc of the DVD set in your player, which ich chock full of hidden features. On the Main Menu, select 'Set Up' and once you are in that submenu, press the 'Right' arrow key on your remote control. This will highlight a globe in the background, giving you access to a collage of clips from various language version of the film, including Italian, German and English.

Another hilarious hidden feature can be found on the same disc. From the main menu, go to 'Galleries' and there select 'DVD Credits.' In this section, keep following the next arrow at the bottom of the screen all the way to the end and you will be treated to a great clip of the Sopranos trying to watch an 'advance bootleg' version of the Godfather DVD.

Another hidden feature can be found on this disc. Go to the 'Family Tree' section and select 'Sonny,' which takes you to the family tree of Santino Corleone. Here, select 'Sonny' again and you will be taken to his biography. Press the 'Left' arrow key on your remote control to highlight the image of James Caan and then press 'Enter.' This brings up Caan’s own biography. Now, press the 'Left' arrow key once again to highlight the portrait of him on the left side and if you press 'Enter' now, you will be treated to a screen test by James Caan for his part as Sonny Corleone.

And there's another one, which can be found in the 'Filmmakers' section on this fifth disc. Go there and select 'Mario Puzo's' biography. Once you get there, press the 'Left' arrow key on your remote control twice and a large dollar sign will appear. It gives you access to a short clip, in Coppola asks the writer, why he actually wrote 'The Godfather.' Puzo's answer to it is quite revealing...

Stars flocking to Newman tribute

Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks will be among the A-list stars who will pay tribute to movie legend Paul Newman at a benefit gala for the late actor's California kids camp The Painted Turtle.

Sean Penn, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Willis, Danny Devito, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and Billy Crystal will also take the stage at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, California on October 27.

The stars will perform a stage reading of The World of Nick Adams, an adaptation of a number of Ernest Hemingway's autobiographical stories, written by Newman's longtime pal A.E. Hotchner.

Metallica dismisses fan complaints

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich has slammed fans for complaining about the sound quality of the group's latest album Death Magnetic - insisting the unpolished finish was intentional.

Hoardes of rock fans have hit online music forums to discuss their disappointment in the LP's production, with many feeling the record is "too loud".

As a further blow, fans have labelled the version available through the Guitar Hero video game as superior to the actual official release.

But Ulrich disagrees with the comments that have surfaced since the record hit stores earlier this month, and is proud of the album's live feel.

He tells Blender magazine, "(Producer) Rick Rubin's whole thing is to try and get it to sound lively, to get it (to) sound loud, to get it to sound exciting, to get it to jump out of the speakers. Of course, I've heard that there are a few people complaining. But I've been listening to it the last couple of days in my car, and it sounds f**kin' smokin."

And the drummer blames the Internet for fan's unrest - because it fuels people's urge to complain.

He adds, "The difference between back then and now is the internet. The internet gives everybody a voice, and the Internet has a tendency to give the complainers a louder voice."

Paul Gross war epic to screen for Canadian troops in Kandahar

Canadian troops in Afghanistan are getting a special advance screening of Paul Gross's epic First World War film, Passchendaele.

Gross — who wrote, starred in, and directed the tale of love and valour — said Monday that soldiers stationed in Kandahar will be among the first Canadians to see his film on Friday.

"It has taken an uncommonly long time to bring this movie to the big screen, but we are finally able to present it to the Canadian public and in some small way pay homage to the sacrifice of our forefathers in the Great War of 1914-1918," Gross said in a statement.

"It seems fitting that the troops who today so valiantly serve our country are among the first to see it," Gross added on Monday night, as he and co-stars Caroline Dhavernas, Joe Dinicol and Meredith Bailey hosted a special screening in Ottawa for dignitaries including Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean, army commander Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie and various military brass.

He noted that several soldiers from the Canadian Forces added a dose of realism to the film — largely shot at an aboriginal reserve not far from Calgary — by helping out as background actors and choreographing battle scenes.

And instead of staying in hotels provided by the production during filming, soldiers camped out on set at a site they dubbed Camp Hornberg in honour of Cpl. Nathan Hornberg. The 24-year-old mechanic from the King's Own Calgary Regiment was killed while serving in Afghanistan.

Gross is in the midst of an eight-city national tour to promote Passchendaele, a $21-million project that he began envisioning about a dozen years ago after being inspired by war stories told by his grandfather. The movie opened the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month.

The film starts with a harrowing battle that leaves Sgt. Michael Dunne, played by Gross, wounded. The Canadian soldier later falls in love with a nurse, Sarah (portrayed by Dhavernas), at a Calgary hospital. When Sarah's asthmatic brother David (Dinicol) decides to join the fight, Dunne feels compelled to protect him from the horrors of war and they both find themselves at the epic battle of Passchendaele.

Gross takes his special screenings to:

Winnipeg on Thursday.

Halifax on Oct. 6.

Montreal on Oct. 7.

Quebec City on Oct. 8.

Edmonton on Oct. 9.

Calgary on Oct. 15.

Vancouver on Oct. 16.

Passchendaele will be released across Canada on Oct. 17.

AC/DC Extends Tour, Heads To 'Rock Band'

AC/DC has extended its Black Ice tour of North America into early 2009. New dates begin Dec. 20 in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and run through Jan. 31 in Nashville.

Tickets begin going on sale Saturday (Oct. 4). Eighteen previously announced shows have already sold out, according to the band's label, Columbia.

The tour comes in support of a new album of the same name, due Oct. 21 exclusively via Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores and AC/DC's Web site. First single "Rock'n'Roll Train" is No. 3 this week on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.

"Black Ice" won't be the only AC/DC title available exclusively at Wal-Mart. In November, the retailer will be the only U.S. source for "AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack," a special edition of the popular video game devoted to the veteran Australian band. In December, the game will be available through multiple retailers in Europe, Australia and New Zealand.

"AC/DC Live" includes 18 songs from the band's DVD "Live at Donnington." This will be the first "Rock Band" version focused on one group. "Guitar Hero" already has an Aerosmith game and is planning another based around Metallica.

Here are AC/DC's new tour dates:

Dec. 20: Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Bank Atlantic Center)
Dec. 21: Tampa, Fla. (St. Pete Times Forum)
Jan. 5: Cleveland (Quicken Loans Arena)
Jan. 7: Pittsburgh (Mellon Arena)
Jan. 9: Toronto (Rogers Centre)
Jan. 11: Cincinnati (U.S. Bank Arena)
Jan. 13: St. Louis (Scottrade Center)
Jan. 15: Omaha, Neb. (Qwest Center)
Jan. 17: Fargo, N.D. (Fargodome)
Jan. 19: Minneapolis (Xcel Energy Center)
Jan. 21: Kansas City, Mo. (Sprint Center)
Jan. 23: Dallas (American Airlines Center)
Jan. 26: Tulsa, Okla. (BOK Center)
Jan. 28: Little Rock, Ark. (Alltel Arena)
Jan. 30: Memphis (FedEx Forum)
Jan. 31: Nashville (Sommet Center)

Here is the track list for "AC/DC Live: Rock Band Track Pack":

"Thunderstruck"
"Shoot To Thrill"
"Back in Black"
"Hell Ain't a Bad Place to Be"
"Heatseeker"
"Fire Your Guns"
"Jailbreak"
"The Jack"
"Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"
"Moneytalks"
"Hells Bells"
"High Voltage"
"Whole Lotta Rosie"
"You Shook Me All Night Long"
"T.N.T."
"Let There Be Rock"
"Highway To Hell"
"For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)"

Paul McCartney Reignites 'Fireman' Project

Sir Paul McCartney is returning to his Fireman alias after a decade away from the collaborative project with producer Youth.

McCartney releases "Electric Arguments" by the Fireman on Nov. 17 via MPL, an imprint of his own London-based publishing company. The 13-track album will be manufactured and distributed by U.K. indie One Little Indian worldwide except the U.S., where ATO will issue it.

"Electric Arguments" is the third set from the Fireman, although it is the first to feature vocals and is described as "entirely different" from the dance and electronic music of previous releases.

McCartney and Martin "Youth" Glover, a former member of Killing Joke, released an ambient dance album, "Strawberries Oceans Ships Forest" (Parlophone), in 1993; McCartney's involvement was initially a secret but later leaked. They followed that with another electronica project, "Rushes" (Hydra/EMI) in 1998.

The new album features more traditional songwriting, including classic rock and acoustic tracks, "yet is in keeping with the genre-hopping spirit of the first two the Fireman albums," according to a statement. One track, "Lifelong Passion," was donated to the charity Adopt-A-Minefield as download for those making donations.

"Electric Arguments" was recorded in just 13 days, although the sessions were spread out over nearly a year. Each track was written and recorded in one day and the duo also produced the album.

The statement adds that it was "made with no record company restraints or a set release date to work to" and "with complete artistic and creative freedom." The radio edit of "Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight" debuted in the U.K. on national top 40 station Radio 1 on Zane Lowe's show and it is the DJ's "Hottest Record in the World Right Now."

McCartney released his last solo album, "Memory Almost Full," via Hear Music in June 2007. It was his first release since leaving EMI.

The "Electric Arguments" track listing is:

"Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight"
"Two Magpies"
"Sing the Changes"
"Travelling Light"
"Highway"
"Light From Your Lighthouse"
"Sun Is Shining"
"Dance 'Til We're High"
"Lifelong Passion"
"Is This Love?"
"Lovers in a Dream"
"Universal Here, Everlasting Now"
"Don't Stop Running"

To Be Thor Director, or Not To Be

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Flowing locks. Tights. Well, yeah, Thor kinda could pass for a Renaissance man…

If comic-book fans squinted real hard, today's news that actor-filmmaker Kenneth Branagh was in talks to direct Marvel's upcoming Thor movie looked not so bad. And pretty good even.

"I think it's kinda cool," said Rob M. Worley, editor of Comics2Film. "[But] he's not anybody I would have thought of."

Branagh, 47, is better known for interpreting William Shakespeare, on stage and in the movies (Henry V, Hamlet, etc.), than Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the two comics giants who made a Marvel star of the ancient Norse god in the 1960s.

"It's definitely a stretch for Branagh, and for Marvel—more in the vein of getting Ang Lee to direct Hulk," Heidi MacDonald, who writes about the comics world on the Publishers Weekly blog The Beat, said in an email.

In what might give Marvel a good fright, Worley also made the Lee analogy, as in: "This could be like Jon Favreau, or it could be Ang Lee in a total mismatch."

To recap, Favreau was the unlikely directorial choice who succeeded with this summer's Iron Man; Lee was the unlikely directorial choice who, um, didn't with 2003's Hulk.

So, if Branagh becomes the unlikely choice to helm Thor—Marvel said it couldn't confirm the Variety report—then what? Is he the next Favreau? Or the next Lee?

Worley thinks the Thor script—a "more Lord of the Rings than Spider-Man" adventure by I Am Legend's Mark Protosevich—could be a good fit for Branagh's classical background.

"It's meant to be a big epic, and kind of Old World," Worley said.

MacDonald seemed to agree.

"Frankly, it seems kind of wacky," she said, "but if Thor is going to talk in 'thees' and 'thous,' who better than a Shakespearean vet to get it right?"

To be fair, Branagh is versed in verse other than iambic pentameter. As a movie star, he's done J.K. Rowling (in 2002's Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets) and blockbuster-ese (in 1998's Wild Wild West). As a filmmaker, he's made Robert De Niro go Boris Karloff (in 1994's Frankenstein, his last major Hollywood movie as director).

Thor is penciled in for a July 16, 2010, release. Under a new deal (or rather an extension of an old deal) announced today, Paramount Pictures will distribute the Marvel-made adventure along with four other planned films: The First Avenger: Captain America; The Avengers; and Iron Man 2—and 3.

Given the Branagh story, MacDonald has another project for Marvel to ponder.

"Maybe Emma Thompson will direct Spider-Woman," she said.

Springsteen, Joel team up for Obama

WASHINGTON - Rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel are teaming up for their first joint concert to benefit Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Obama plans to attend the concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on Oct. 16, the day after Obama's final debate with Republican John McCain at Hofstra University, located several miles outside the city in Hempstead, N.Y.

Seeing the two superstars together won't come cheap. Tickets start at $500 and range up to $10,000.

The event was first reported by the Huffington Post Web site and confirmed by an Obama aide.

The Couch Potato Report - September 27th, 2008

This week The Couch Potato Report peels an awful summer movie, one pretty good one, and we flashback to movie High School.

We all have those actors and acrtresses that we admire and love more than others.

Some of the folks I love and admire include Kate Winslet, Jim Carrey, Anne Hathaway, Billy Crystal, Jennifer Connelly, Bill Murray, Jodie Foster and Mike Myers.

I adore Mike Myers, and I love his work!!

From his years on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, through the WAYNE'S WORLD films, SO I MARRIED AN AXE MURDERER, AUSTIN POWERS, the SHREK...I loved it all and - with few exceptions - THE CAT IN THE HAT - he could do no wrong!

Or so I thought...man, what a stinker his new film is!! THE LOVE GURU may not go down as the worst movie of the year, but I certainly think it is the greatest disappointment.

It is awful!!!

Normally when I sit through a movie this bad, I feel sorry for myself because of the waste of time, the ruing of my expectations, and sometimes even the shattering of a carrer - or two - that I enjoyed watching.

When THE LOVE GURU concluded, I just felt bad for Scarborough, Ontario's own Mike Myers...I still feel bad for him...how could someone so talented, someone who is usually so cinematically reliable, how could he write and star in garbage like this?!?

I hope he is okay!!

Now, many of us saw this disater coming from the moment we saw the trailer, or read the synopsis, which I have for you now, and bear in mind the majority of the film takes place in Toronto, Canada, yet here is the synopsis:

Pitka - an American raised outside of his country by gurus - returns to the States in order to break into the self-help business.

His first challenge: To settle the romantic troubles and subsequent professional skid of a star hockey player whose wife left him for a rival athlete.

It takes place in Canada, but even the synopsis, and the movie's trailer says that it takes place in America!

I have watched THE LOVE GURU twice now, out of allegience to Mike Myers, and both times I thought the same things - Justin Timberlake is very entertaining as a Frech Canadian - Celine Dion loving goaltender who plays for the Los Angeles Kings, some of Stephen Colbert's work as a Hockey Night In Canada commentator is smile enducing, Jessica Alba looks fantastic, and how could Mike Myers give us a movie this bad?!

And THE LOVE GURU is bad, even if you love Mike Myers, as I continue to, skip it, ignore it, just walk away!!

Just walk away!!

Now as surprisingly bad as THE LOVE GURU was, our next release was the polar opposite.

SEX AND THE CITY - THE MOVIE was surprisingly good!

I still can't believe how much I enjoyed this movie.

If you are unfamilar with the television series that this film is based on, SEX AND THE CITY is about four female friends - Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda - living, loving and shopping in New York City.

The series often portrayed frank discussions about romance and sexuality.

THE MOVIE is set four years after the events of the series finale, the film begins with Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie and her long-time onagain-off again lover Big viewing apartments with the intention of moving in together.

Yes, SEX AND THE CITY - THE MOVIE is about Carrie & Big's attempts to be happy, but it - like the series - is primarily about Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda living, loving and shopping in New York City....even though Samantha - played by Canadian actress Kim Cattrall - now lives in Los Angeles...yet she - for plot reasons - always seems to be back in New York.

Yes, I am on record as having enjoyed this film, but that is one thing about it that I still take exception to...when anything happens - little or huge - Samantha flies right back, and never looks tired or wrinkled.

But hey, if you love the characters, you want them together, so I can forgive that plot device.

What still prevents me from loving the film is that fact that it is too long, and the DVD release has 12 extra minutes that weren't in the theatrical version, making it almost two and a half hours long!

Plus, and this is the final issue I have with the SEX AND THE CITY MOVIE...Oscar winner Jennifer Hudson from DREAMGIRLS - who play's Carrie's new assistant - cannot act! She was great in he Academy Award winning role, but she is not great here.

Still, with all that said, I will always love movies about old friends spending time together, an dthat is what I liked about the movie. The clothes, the fashions, the loves, the passions, that stuff was okay...but I loved, yes loved, almost every scene that just featured Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda.

And yes, I am still surprised that I enjoyed THE SEX AND THE CITY MOVIE as much as I did.

Oh, and by the way for you fans of the series or film, writer and director Michael Patrick King says that he is hoping to have another film in theatres the summer after next!

Okay, let me give you capsule reviews of this week's other four releases, as there are actually 8 movies here, and I will start with George Clooney's LEATHERHEADS.

This is a wannabe romantic comedy set in the world of 1920s football, where the fast-talking Clooney recurits a strait-laced college sensation to join his team.

The college boy is being followed by a reporter - played by Oscar winner Renee Zelweger - and both men fall for her.

LEATHERHEADS wants to be a comedy, it wants to be slapstick, it wants to be the type of film they don't make anymore, but all it really is is over in 114 minutes, and that is too long!

Even though I liked the cast and characters, their film is not very good, and I say skip it.

RUN FATBOY RUN is up next, and it stars Simon Pegg from SHAUN OF THE DEAD and Thandie Newton from CRASH, two actors I always enjoy seeing in a film.

In this one he is an out-of shape guy who - five years after jilting his pregnant fiancée on their wedding day - decides to run a marathon to win her back.

RUN FATBOY RUN is not perfect, but it also isn't a complete waste of time. The characters are likeable, and there are more than a few laughs, so although it is utterly predictable, I liked it.

I also liked the films THE BREAKFAST CLUB, SIXTEEN CANDLES and WEIRD SCIENCE when they first came out in the mid-1980s, and now, all these years later, I have no problems admitting I love them!

And now these three John Hughes films are available in the HIGH SCHOOL FLASHBACK COLLECTION!

They have all been digitally remastered, and there are several retrospective features on each DVD.

If part of your cinematic childhood was defined by THE BREAKFAST CLUB, SIXTEEN CANDLES or WEIRD SCIENCE, I hope you still enjoy them as much today as I do!

Finally this week is the 5-DVD Box Set for THE GODFATHER TRILOGY - THE COPPPOLA RESTORATION.

Director Francis Ford Coppola and a team or restoration experts have taken the time to restore the first two GODFATHER films, and the new transfers for Parts I and II are exceptional!

At times it is like seeing them for the very first time!!

In addition to the three films, there is also two discs of bonus features, and many of them are all new!!

So even if you have the original DVD box set for these movies, it is completely worth it to buy them again, something I rarely say, because the restoration job on the first two films is just that good!

Enjoy!!

The spectacular FRANCIS FORD COPPPOLA RESTORATION of his GODFATHER TRILOGY, the memory-inducing HIGH SCHOOL FLASHBACK COLLECTION featuring John Hughes' films THE BREAKFAST CLUB, SIXTEEN CANDLES and WEIRD SCIENCE, the mildly entertaining comedy RUN FATBOY RUN, the failed and flawed film LEATHERHEADS, the super successful SEX AND THE CITY MOVIE and the awful on almost every level "comedy" THE LOVE GURU are all available now on DVD.

Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report

Yes, next week it is a special Sunday edition of the report, and at that time I will tell you about four new TV ON DVD Sets, including SEASON FOUR of the Canadian series KENNY VS. SPENNY and SPORTS NIGHT, one of my favourite shows of all time!

Plus, the summer blockbuster IRON MAN is new on DVD, and so is the underrated comedy FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL.

I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, 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!

The Dark Knight falls in December

At the end of the year, Warner will release the undisputed box office champ of the last few years when The Dark Knight arrives on DVD and Blu-ray.

The film will arrive in Dolbt TrueHD and 1080p VC-1 on Blu-ray and anamorphic widescreen on DVD. As mentioned many months ago, the film will change aspect ratios slightly during playback to accommodate the scenes filmed for IMAX.

Extras include Gotham Uncovered: Creation of a scene, Batman Tech - The Incredible Gadgets and Tools, Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight, six episodes of Gotham Tonight, art galleries, trailers and TV Spots. This will also be Warner's first BD-Live title.

The discs will be available individually, or as part of a gift set which includes a replica of the Batpod.

All will arrive during the night on December 9th.

New CD Releases, September 30th: James Taylor, Ben Folds, T.I.

James Taylor "Covers" (Hear Music)

The acclaimed singer/songwriter pays respect to other songwriters with the release of "Covers." The album includes versions of songs made famous by such artists as Leonard Cohen, Eddie Cochran, The Dixie Chicks, George Jones, The Temptations, Buddy Holly and John Anderson.

"Covers" was created in a Massachusetts barn-turned-studio with Taylor's regular band. The selections are all songs that the vocalist has performed in concert over the years, but previously had not recorded.

Taylor is no stranger to the cover tune. Many of his best-known recordings have been cover songs, including "You've Got a Friend" and "How Sweet It Is."

* * *
Ben Folds "Way to Normal" (Sony)

The singer/songwriter/pianist is back with an eagerly awaited new studio album, which follows 2005's "Songs for Silverman."

"Way to Normal" was produced by Dennis Herring (Elvis Costello, Modest Mouse) and it features bassist Jared Reynolds and drummer Sam Smith. Guest vocalist Regina Spektor appears on the album's first single, "You Don't Know Me."

Folds is currently showcasing his "Normal" sides on tour. The road show is scheduled to last through mid-November.

* * *
T.I. "Paper Trail" (Grand Hustle)

The Grammy-winning hip-hop star returns with his sixth album, which follows last year's "T.I. vs. T.I.P." The lead single from "Paper Trail" is the tune "No Matter What."

The album features tons of guest performers and top-name producers, including Lil Wayne, Rihanna, Usher, The Dream, Fall Out Boy, Kanye West, B.O.B, John Legend, DJ Toomp, Swizz Beatz, Drumma Boy and Danja.

Along with releasing several hit albums over the years, T.I. has also experienced his share of legal problems. Notably, earlier this year he was sentenced to a year in prison on weapons charges.

* * *
Jennifer Hudson "Jennifer Hudson" (Arista)

Having already established herself as a superstar vocalist in the film version of "Dreamgirls," Hudson finally gets around to releasing her eponymous debut CD.
Hudson, who first came to fame competing on "American Idol," is joined on this 13-track disc by some big-name guest stars. Included in the mix are fellow "Idol" vet Fantasia and rap star Ludacris.

* * *
Faith Hill "Joy to the World" (Warner Bros.)

Although Halloween is still a month away, the Christmas-time CD blitz has already started. Getting a jump on the competition is Hill, who delivers "Joy to the World."

The collection features the country star performing such holiday standards as "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Holly Jolly Christmas" and "Silent Night."

* * *
More new releases:
Anberlin, "New Surrender" (Universal)
Ani DiFranco, "Red Letter Year" (Righteous Babe)
Dream Theater, "Chaos in Motion 2007-2008" (Roadrunner)
Linda Eder, "The Other Side of Me" (Verve)
Enigma, "Seven Lives Many Faces" (EMI)
Jack's Mannequin, "The Glass Passenger" (Warner Bros.)
Kellie Pickler, "Kellie Pickler" (BNI)
Joshua Radin, "Simple Times" (Mom & Pop)
Andre Rieu, "Live in Vienna" (Denon)
Todd Rundgren, "Arena" (Hi Fi)
Robin Thicke, "Something Else" (Interscope)
Trivium, "Shogun" (Roadrunner)
U2, "Under a Blood Red Sky (Deluxe Edition)" (Island)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Nightmare Revisited" (Disney)

Plant: No Tour Or Recording With Zeppelin

Robert Plant has put the hammer down on rumors he will join Led Zeppelin for a 2009 tour and recording sessions. In a statement on his Web site, Plant says he "has no intention whatsoever of touring with anyone for at least the next two years."

Following Zeppelin's one-off reunion last December in London, rumors of further activity have been constant. Most recently, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham were said to have been rehearsing together and mulling vocalists to replace Plant on tour if he opted not to participate.

"It's both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects and move forward," he said.

"I wish Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects," he added.

Plant has reaped critical acclaim for his 2007 album with Alison Krauss, "Raising Sand," and will wrap an extensive tour with her Oct. 5 in Saratoga, Calif. The artists performed over the weekend at the Austin City Limits festival in Austin, Texas.

There is one piece of Zeppelin news to report. On Nov. 4, Rhino will release a 10-disc boxed set featuring the band's nine studio albums plus the rarities album "Coda" in mini-LP replica sleeves with artwork from the original U.K. vinyl releases.

The attention to detail is eye-popping: "Led Zeppelin III" has its gatefold sleeve with a rotatable laminated card disc, while six different versions of the cover for "In Through the Out Door" are featured. Even the complex "Physical Graffiti" inner/outer cover is faithfully reproduced.

Newman on DVD: A dozen picks from a superb career

In his five-decade evolution from hunk-ish Actors Studio rebel to the voice of Doc Hudson in Pixar's 2006 Cars, Paul Newman was initially admired for a forceful presence (one not exactly diminished by his looks). And, eventually, he came to be both admired and beloved on an extraordinary number of levels. He carried himself with classy reserve, becoming a celebrity role model for how to keep your private life private and for being that low-key face on the salad dressing bottle and at the track.

None of this discounts his trove of treasured movies. On his way to winning a best-actor Oscar, life achievement Oscar, a Jean Hersholt humanitarian Oscar and eight more acting nominations, Newman amassed a filmography with uncommon consistency, though like every superstar, he had to survive such clunkers as Lady L or When Time Ran Out.

Early on, he specialized in playing hustlers and heels and floundered when attempting comedy; his touch just wasn't light. Only later did Newman become one of the movies' best relaxed actors.

Though Newman's career did benefit from high-profile stage work in the early 1950s (Picnic, The Desperate Hours) and memorable contributions to TV's Golden Age (The Battler, the original Bang the Drum Slowly and several more), it was a sometimes sticky apprenticeship, as evidenced by his earliest appearance available on DVD. It's on Vol. 1 of ABC-TV's cheesy Tales of Tomorrow (Image, $25), a live sci-fi anthology series that anticipated The Twilight Zone. Cast as an Army sergeant on an Aug. 8, 1952, episode, Newman hysterically describes the fatality of one colleague after a woebegone rocket blast somehow leads to the freeze-over of a U.S. desert. At least the teleplay's title is nothing if not precise: "Ice From Space."

But in the end, the best of Newman's film career is an embarrassment of riches. Among his movies with robust fan bases are The Left-Handed Gun, The Long Hot Summer, Harper, The Towering Inferno, Blaze, Mr. & Mrs. Bridge, Empire Falls and Road to Perdition. But for a combination of must-viewing and full career perspective, start with the following dozen DVDs:

- Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956, Warner)

Newman became a star in his second feature with this slick adaptation of middleweight boxer Rocky Graziano's autobiography. Essentially, it's a story of rehabilitation: Despite years in reform schools and a dishonorable Army discharge, the Rock became a valued member of society.

- Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958, Warner)

After the julep-heavy The Long Hot Summer, Newman solidified his career by going South again in this adaptation of Tennessee Williams' play. He stole enough attention from Elizabeth Taylor for them both to earn Oscar nominations. When they reunited as Oscar presenters in 1991, Newman responded to a Cat clip by saying, "I thought we were lookin' pretty good back then." Taylor replied, "Hey, I think we're still looking pretty good."

- The Hustler (1961, Fox)

The definitive movie about pool hustling pit Newman's callow "Fast Eddie" Felson against Jackie Gleason's wizened pro, Minnesota Fats. Newman, who had never held a cue, was coached by pool legend Willie Mosconi. The two swapped Newman's dining-room table for a pool table and practiced every night.

- Hud (1963, Paramount)

In a morality play about generational clashing on a Texas cattle ranch, Oscar-nominated Newman wrestled a greased pig and too many other men's wives. And even though James Wong Howe's spectacular cinematography is in black-and-white, you all but feel the pinkness of Newman's Cadillac.

- Cool Hand Luke (1967, Warner; also on Blu-ray)

After drunkenly vandalizing parking meters, Newman's Luke ends up on a Southern chain gang where the only things to do are watch a buxom blonde suds up a car or brazenly ingest 50 hard-boiled eggs on a bet. He also finds himself on the wrong side of Southern chain gang warden Strother Martin's "What we have here … is a failure to communicate" catchphrase.

- Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969, Fox; also on Blu-ray)

Newman ended the decade as half of a casting coup for the ages. Playing off Robert Redford's breakout performance in William Goldman's jokey script, he gave a performance that at the time was his most loosened-up. An actor whose attempts at comedy once seemed overbearing suddenly seemed easygoing, beguilingly so.

- The Sting (1973, Universal)

A reunion with Redford and Butch director George Roy Hill, this critical/commercial bonanza so captivated the public that Scott Joplin's theme ended up sharing concurrent Billboard pop chart placement with Steely Dan and Stevie Wonder.

- Slap Shot (1977, Universal)

A key contender for Newman's best movie of the decade is this hockey comedy from director Hill, whose Nancy Dowd script may have set new standards for screen profanity at the time. It's probably Newman's funniest performance -- especially in scenes with the Hanson Brothers, a trio of violence-prone Neanderthals who bash opposing players and soft-drink machines with equal zeal.

- The Verdict (1982, Fox)

Newman's best outing of the '80s, besting 1981's Absence of Malice. As an alcoholic has-been attorney seeking redemption, Newman headlined one of the best courtroom nail-biters ever, with assists from screenwriter David Mamet and director Sidney Lumet.

- The Color of Money (1986, Touchstone)

A quarter-century later, The Hustler's Eddie Felson wasn't so "fast," yet it was an inspired idea to bring him back to the screen with some hard-earned middle-age maturity. It was also a good commercial move for Martin Scorsese, who needed a box-office hit. This time, Tom Cruise is the callow one, and Newman finally won his acting Oscar, just a year after he'd won a special one that paid tribute to his entire career.

- Nobody's Fool (1994, Paramount)

In the movie of Richard Russo's novel, Newman is a family-estranged laborer battling a scoundrel contractor (Bruce Willis). Though nominated Newman missed the Oscar, he found a productive partner in Russo. He would win a 2005 Emmy for HBO's movie of the Pulitzer-winning Empire Falls.

- Cars (2006, Pixar/Disney)

Newman's one live-action movie about auto racing (1969's Winning) was a stiff. But computer animation offered restitution, with the actor's final theatrical feature keenly casting him as a judge with substantial racing-car history. It was a smooth project to go out on and a no-lose chance to widen his fan base. You could almost hear someone saying to some oblivious tyke: "You know that old geezer who was the voice of Doc Hudson? The guy's been a superstar for 50 years."

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND TO PERFORM DURING BRIDGESTONE SUPER BOWL XLIII HALFTIME SHOW ON NBC

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND THE E STREET BAND will perform in the BRIDGESTONE SUPER BOWL XLIII HALFTIME SHOW on NBC Sports at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa on Sunday, February 1, the NFL announced today.

The Super Bowl halftime show is annually the most-watched musical performance. More than 148 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year's show. The Super Bowl and halftime show will be broadcast worldwide in more than 230 countries and territories.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band join an esteemed list of recent halftime acts that includes the Rolling Stones, U2, Paul McCartney, Prince and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

The BRIDGESTONE SUPER BOWL XLIII HALFTIME SHOW is an NFL NETWORK PRODUCTION and will be executive produced by Ricky Kirshner and Glenn Weiss of WHITE CHERRY ENTERTAINMENT and by DON MISCHER PRODUCTIONS. Don Mischer also will serve as director.

Blue Jays end season with big win

BALTIMORE -- It's not difficult to decipher what went wrong for the Blue Jays this season. In the early stages of the 2008 campaign, Toronto labored in the batter's box, and that made for an intimidating game of catchup down the stretch.

On Sunday afternoon, the Blue Jays showed that they've made some positive strides in that department, enjoying a 10-1 romp over the Orioles in their season finale at Camden Yards. That early hole proved too deep, though, and Toronto is now peering toward 2009 rather than moving on to the postseason.

"Hopefully, next year, if we're going back to Toronto [after the season finale], we're going back for a playoff game," said manager Cito Gaston, while his players packed their suitcases and prepared to welcome the coming winter.

The finale in Baltimore served as another reminder of the Blue Jays' potential. There was stellar pitching -- the one constant of Toronto's season -- in the form of a strong seven-inning performance from Jesse Litsch. There was also plenty of offense, led by a pair of home runs by Vernon Wells.

It was that combination that made for an easy victory. Throughout much of this season, the Blue Jays struggled to have both elements working in unison. Often, Toronto's dominant pitching went wasted in light of low run support. And on the days the bats did show up, it wasn't always enough.

It wasn't until the Jays' season was on life support in late August that the offense, pitching and defense all clicked, producing a 10-game winning streak, the longest such run for Toronto since 1999. That push temporarily put the Jays in the American League Wild Card discussion, but a fourth-place finish in the East was the end result.

"We just didn't get on the same page early on," first baseman Lyle Overbay said. "I think when we started winning all those games -- 10 in a row -- we did get on the same page. All three cylinders were clicking."

The pitching staff rarely was the issue.

Toronto finished with an 86-76 record, marking only the third time in the past 10 years that the team achieved at least that many wins, and the club led baseball with a 3.49 staff ERA. That represented the second-lowest team ERA in franchise history and the group's 1,184 strikeouts established a new club record.

Against the Orioles (68-93), Litsch yielded just one run over his seven innings, scattering three hits and ending with five strikeouts and one walk in the win. The victory gave the 23-year-old right-hander a 13-9 record this year and lowered his season ERA to 3.58. Litsch was one of three Jays starters to win at least 13 games this year.

"That's definitely good going into next year," Litsch said of Sunday's win. "Not just for me, but for all of us."

The offense will prove integral in 2009, considering the pitching staff includes more than its share of question marks heading into next year.

Toronto is at risk of losing starter A.J. Burnett to free agency, if he opts out of his contract, and the club will likely be without Shaun Marcum (right elbow) until 2010. Right-hander Dustin McGowan, who had season-ending surgery on his right shoulder in July, is expected to be out until at least May.

Needless to say, depending on what the Blue Jays do to acquire pitching help this winter, the offense may have to bail out its staff more often in '09 than was required this year.

"I think our pitching has, obviously, led this team the last couple years," Wells said. "Offensively, that's where we need to turn things around and support those guys a little better."

Wells did just that for Litsch, slamming two home runs to give the center fielder a team-high 20 on the season. The Blue Jays also received a solo shot from Overbay, giving Toronto 126 long balls this year. That total represents the lowest power output by the club since the Jays belted just 106 homers in 1982.

The 10 runs scored by the Blue Jays on Sunday gave the team 714 this season, marking the fewest in a campaign since Toronto plated 654 in 1997. The Jays also ended with a .264 team average, a .331 on-base percentage and a .399 slugging percentage -- the last figure being the lowest by Toronto since '97 as well.

It wasn't all doom and gloom, though.

The offense did gather steam after Gaston replaced former manager John Gibbons on June 20. Toronto held a 35-39 record upon Gaston's arrival and had hit just .231 with runners in scoring position with 49 homers in the first 74 games. With Gaston at the helm, the Jays went 51-37, launched 77 homers and hit .285 with runners in scoring position.

"Any time you make a change like that, something's going to change," said Wells. "You realize that you weren't doing enough, and you consequently ended up getting a good man fired.

"A new philosophy came in. It was more, just go up there and get your pitch and get to swinging. Guys responded and, unfortunately, it took a firing to do that."

The offense under Gaston produced the type of numbers Toronto hoped it'd put up when the season began.

"I think everybody knew that that was there, the offense," third baseman Scott Rolen said. "There's a lot of talented offensive players on the team, and everybody talked about, 'It's a matter of time.'

"I guess everybody was right, but maybe the timing was a little too late."

That's why Gaston and the players stressed that opening 2009 the way the club ended this season is important.

"I think we have to get off to a good start," Gaston said. "Early in the year, the problem we had was no hitting. I think it's getting better. We'd like to get it to a point where we're more consistent with scoring runs. That's what I think we really have to do."

Next year's Opening Day is more than six months away for the Blue Jays. That gives Toronto plenty of time to sort out what went awry in 2008 and to enjoy the few bright spots within this trying season.

That includes Sunday's win.

"It was nice to finish up with a win today," Gaston said. "The guys played hard, and they finished up good. I'm very proud of them."

Actor Bill Murray Excited For ‘Ghostbusters III,’ Thanks To ‘Ghostbusters’ Game

Fans have clamored for a third “Ghostbusters” film for years, but it’s never happened. One reasons is because actor Bill Murray (aka Peter Venkman) was against it.

But in recent weeks, that’s started to change. Writers behind “The Office” are working on a script for a brand-new “Ghostbusters.”

The question has been whether Murray will show up for it. It looks like he very well might, actually, and the reason comes from an unlikely source: the video game.

Movie site Ain’t It Cool News attended Fantastic Fest this week, where Murray made a surprise appearance to promote his new movie, “City of Ember.” During a Q&A, someone asked him about his thoughts on the proposed “Ghostbusters III.” And that’s where the game comes in!!

“[Murray] also went on to say that his enthusiasm for Ghostbusters was heightened after recording the voice of Peter Venkman for the video game over the summer. In fact, he said he found himself walking down the street singing the Ghostbusters theme song and then thought people walking around him were going to start yelling at him to “get over yourself, Bill,” so he stopped… But the enthusiasm was there. “

As a fellow “Ghostbusters” fanboy, this has me extremely excited. Now, we just need news on who’s picking up the publishing rights to the “Ghostbusters” game so it can come out.

Best Buy Snags Guns N' Roses Album Exclusive

Best Buy is set to be the exclusive retailer for Guns N' Roses decade-plus-in-the-making new album "Chinese Democracy" before year's end, sources close to the situation tell Billboard. Some details of the deal are still being worked out, including the release date.

The news brings a semblance of closure to the bizarre history of "Democracy," which Guns N' Roses has been working on since the mid-1990s. Since then, every original member of the once mighty group has left besides vocalist Axl Rose, and millions of dollars have been spent working on the new material.

"Democracy" was most recently on the Interscope release schedule in March 2007. The endless delays encountered by the project reached comic levels this spring, when soft drink manufacturer Dr Pepper offered to send a free can of the beverage to "everyone in America" (excluding ex-GNR members Slash and Buckethead) if "Chinese Democracy" were to arrive anytime during the calendar year 2008.

In June, nine purported "mastered, finished" tracks from the album were leaked online, prompting an FBI investigation into their source. A sign "Chinese Democracy" was perhaps finally nearing release came in July, when the band agreed to debut new track "Shackler's Revenge" in the video game "Rock Band 2," which hit stores earlier this month.

Guns N' Roses is now managed by Irving Azoff's Front Line Management, and Azoff is a well-known proponent of issuing albums exclusively through retailers. He released the Eagles' "Long Road Out of Eden" through Wal-Mart in 2007, much to the chagrin of other merchants, but the album was a runaway hit, having sold 3.1 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Scarlett Johansson, Ryan Reynolds marry in Canada

LOS ANGELES - Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds did a little rushing into it after all. The couple married this weekend, according to publicist Meredith O'Sullivan. She did not provide details.

Us Weekly reported on its Web site Sunday that the small wedding took place at a resort outside Vancouver, British Columbia. Guests included Scarlett's mother, Melanie Sloan, and her brother, Adrian Johansson, the magazine said.

The couple announced their engagement in May.

"We're just enjoying our time," the actress said last month. "We're just recently — very recently — engaged. So, you know, we're just taking it easy. And no big plan yet. But it's a good time and we're just ... enjoying our time to be young and engaged.

"I mean, I'm 23. There's no reason to rush into it. Everything feels very natural and relaxed."

Johansson most recently starred in the Woody Allen film "V CB." Reynolds starred on the TV show "Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place" and the romantic comedy "Definitely, Maybe."

'Eagle Eye' soars to No. 1 at box office with $29M

LOS ANGELES - Shia LaBeouf's conspiracy thriller "Eagle Eye" debuted at the top of the weekend box office with $29.2 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

The Paramount-DreamWorks release was the second No. 1 premiere for LaBeouf and director D.J. Caruso, who also teamed on 2007's hit "Disturbia."

Opening in second place with $13.6 million was another reunion, the Warner Bros. romantic drama "Nights in Rodanthe" featuring "The Cotton Club" and "Unfaithful" co-stars Richard Gere and Diane Lane.

The previous weekend's top flick, Sony's thriller "Lakeview Terrace," slipped to No. 3 with $7 million, raising its 10-day total to $25.7 million.

The Samuel Goldwyn release "Fireproof," a Christian drama starring Kirk Cameron as a firefighter who turns to God to help save his marriage, premiered in fourth-place with $6.5 million.

"Eagle Eye" helped pull Hollywood out of the box-office doldrums that have lingered the last two months. The top 12 movies took in $87.8 million, up 15 percent from the same weekend last year.

"You put a summer-style movie in the heart of the fall, and you can take advantage of the marketplace," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

Spike Lee's World War II drama "Miracle at St. Anna" opened weakly with $3.5 million, coming in at No. 9. The Disney release features Derek Luke in a saga of four soldiers from an all-black unit stuck behind enemy lines in Italy.

Two other movies — Fox Searchlight's "Choke" and Lionsgate's "The Lucky Ones" — opened in narrower release of about 400 theaters each, compared to 3,510 cinemas for "Eagle Eye."

"Choke," starring Sam Rockwell and Anjelica Huston in a quirky tale of a sex addict who feigns choking in restaurants to get money for his mom's psychiatric care, opened outside the top 10 with $1.3 million.

"The Lucky Ones," a road trip tale among three Iraq War veterans (Tim Robbins, Michael Pena and Rachel McAdams), bombed with just $208,000.

"Eagle Eye" stars LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan as strangers hurled together in an escalating series of politically motivated adventures, their lives controlled by a mysterious female voice directing their actions through technology.

"The conceit of the film is intriguing to all," said DreamWorks spokesman Chip Sullivan. "Between GPS, employee codes, bank PIN numbers, this could conceivably be within the realm of possibility within a few years."

The movie secures LaBeouf's position as a steady box-office draw. His other credits include "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and "Transformers," along with the latter's upcoming sequel.

"Nights in Rodanthe" features Gere and Lane as strangers who fall for each other over a weekend at a secluded inn as a hurricane approaches.

The romance made for good counterprogramming to the action-oriented "Eagle Eye," said Warner Bros. general sales manager Jeff Goldstein. Female movie-goers made up three-fourths of the audience for "Nights in Rodanthe," he said.

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

1. "Eagle Eye," $29.2 million.
2. "Nights in Rodanthe," $13.6 million.
3. "Lakeview Terrace," $7 million.
4. "Fireproof," $6.5 million.
5. "Burn After Reading," $6.2 million.
6. "Igor," $5.5 million.
7. "Righteous Kill," $3.803 million.
8. "My Best Friend's Girl," $3.8 million.
9. "Miracle at St. Anna," $3.5 million.
10. "Tyler Perry's the Family That Preys," $3.2 million.

Appreciation: Newman was among rare breed of star

Paul Newman couldn't have existed today — at least, not the way we came to know him.

Sure, the talent would have been there, the classic good looks, the magnetism, the easy charm. But the privacy he demanded (and won), which helped establish and solidify his mystique as a bona fide movie star, never would have been afforded him in our tabloid-driven, celebrity-obsessed culture.

Sad but true. Part of why we were fascinated with Newman, who died Friday at 83 of cancer, was because we didn't know every gory detail of his life, even though he'd reached the zenith of fame and popularity. He left us craving more — and that he lived and died far from Hollywood's glare in the small town of Westport, Conn., in the converted farmhouse he shared with his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward, speaks volumes not only about who he was but who he didn't want to be.

It's hard to think of an actor today who compares in that regard: someone who's blazingly confident on-screen but maintains some mystery about who he really is off of it, someone who would make even hardened, cynical journalists go weak in the knees upon meeting face-to-face. Newman's longtime friend and co-star, Robert Redford, certainly qualifies. But of the current generation of stars? We know too much about Tom Cruise. Will Smith? Leonardo DiCaprio? Johnny Depp, maybe — though he's carved out a path of quirky character roles, despite his leading-man looks.

George Clooney springs to mind, but even he has fought public battles with the paparazzi over the need to respect celebrities' privacy. Clooney himself seemed to recognize the legacy Newman left in reacting to his death Saturday morning: "He set the bar too high for the rest of us ... not just actors, but all of us. He will be greatly missed," he said — through his publicist.

Larger than life? Sure. But looking back at Newman's career, which encompassed nearly 60 feature films over the past half-century, it's the range that leaves an impression. You never forgot you were watching Paul Newman. He was a superstar, after all. He was the draw. But he could fit into a wide variety of parts — unlike some other actors with longevity and stature, who shall remain nameless for these purposes, who have devolved into caricatures of themselves as they've aged.

In just a sampling, Newman played:

• A washed-up football player in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1958).

• Pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felson in "The Hustler" (1961), the role he would reprise in "The Color of Money" (1986), which, surprisingly, earned him his only Academy Award in 10 nominations.

• A bad-boy cowboy in "Hud" (1963).

• A rebellious prisoner in "Cool Hand Luke" (1967).

• A train robber alongside Redford, iconically, in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969).

• The player-coach of a small-town hockey team in the comedy cult favorite "Slap Shot" (1977).

• A wrongly accused suspect in a rare film that gets journalism right, "Absence of Malice" (1981).

• A cantankerous grandfather in "Nobody's Fool" (1994).

• A formidable mob boss in "Road to Perdition" (2002).

Newman came up in the Method-acting tradition, a la Brando, but there was never anything obviously studied about him; he made the swagger look natural. And his evolution over the years — from young and dangerous to middle-aged and struggling to older and wiser — constantly carried with it the aura of dignity.

"His powerful eloquence, his consummate sense of craft, so consummate that you didn't see any sense of effort up there on the screen, set a new standard," said Martin Scorsese, who directed him in "The Color of Money."

Newman himself didn't enjoy talking about acting, and could come off as a bit distant in interviews when asked about it. He did offer some insight to his motivation, however, in 2002:

"I used to make three pictures a year, and now I make a picture every three years. Things change. There have been a lot of good things out there, but they weren't the kind of pictures that I wanted to make. I didn't want to do pictures about explosions. I don't want to do pictures about shattered glass and broken bodies and blood. That just doesn't interest me."

Of course, we came to understand what interested him through his off-camera pursuits later in life. His passion came shining through in his love of, and talent for, auto racing. But it's through his philanthropy — the Newman's Own Foundation, which has raised more than $250 million for charities worldwide, and the Hole in the Wall Camps for children with life-threatening diseases — that he showed his true heart.

Maybe Paul Newman wasn't so hard to figure out after all.

Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83

WESTPORT, Conn. - Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money" — and as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83.

Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.

In May, Newman had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues.

He got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Oscars 10 times, winning one regular award and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."

Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."

He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer," and Newman directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."

With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. "I was always a character actor," he once said. "I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."

Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.

A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast" Eddie Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler."

Newman delivered a magnetic performance in "The Hustler," playing a smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats — played by Jackie Gleason — and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel — directed by Scorsese — "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but rather an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback.

He won an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft." In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.

His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film "Road to Perdition." One of Newman's nominations was as a producer; the other nine were in acting categories. (Jack Nicholson holds the record among actors for Oscar nominations, with 12; actress Meryl Streep has had 14.)

As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO drama "Empire Falls" and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars."

But in May 2007, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."

He received his first Oscar nomination for playing a bitter, alcoholic former star athlete in the 1958 film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Elizabeth Taylor played his unhappy wife and Burl Ives his wealthy, domineering father in Tennessee Williams' harrowing drama, which was given an upbeat ending for the screen.

In "Cool Hand Luke," he was nominated for his gritty role as a rebellious inmate in a brutal Southern prison. The movie was one of the biggest hits of 1967 and included a tagline, delivered one time by Newman and one time by prison warden Strother Martin, that helped define the generation gap, "What we've got here is (a) failure to communicate."

Newman's hair was graying, but he was as gourgeous as ever and on the verge of his greatest popular success. In 1969, Newman teamed with Redford for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," a comic Western about two outlaws running out of time. Newman paired with Redford again in 1973 in "The Sting," a comedy about two Depression-era con men. Both were multiple Oscar winners and huge hits, irreverent, unforgettable pairings of two of the best-looking actors of their time.

Newman also turned to producing and directing. In 1968, he directed "Rachel, Rachel," a film about a lonely spinster's rebirth. The movie received four Oscar nominations, including Newman, for producer of a best motion picture, and Woodward, for best actress. The film earned Newman the best director award from the New York Film Critics.

In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1972 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.

"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.

Despite his love of race cars, Newman continued to make movies and continued to pile up Oscar nominations, his looks remarkably intact, his acting becoming more subtle, nothing like the mannered method performances of his early years, when he was sometimes dismissed as a Brando imitator. "It takes a long time for an actor to develop the assurance that the trim, silver-haired Paul Newman has acquired," Pauline Kael wrote of him in the early 1980s.

In 1982, he got his Oscar fifth nomination for his portrayal of an honest businessman persecuted by an irresponsible reporter in "Absence of Malice." The following year, he got his sixth for playing a down-and-out alcoholic attorney in "The Verdict."

In 1995, he was nominated for his slyest, most understated work yet, the town curmudgeon and deadbeat in "Nobody's Fool." New York Times critic Caryn James found his acting "without cheap sentiment and self-pity," and observed, "It says everything about Mr. Newman's performance, the single best of this year and among the finest he has ever given, that you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way."

Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the majesty of the act offensive, according to one friend.

He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies.

"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said.

Off the screen, Newman had a taste for beer and was known for his practical jokes. He once had a Porsche installed in Redford's hallway — crushed and covered with ribbons.

"I think that my sense of humor is the only thing that keeps me sane," he told Newsweek magazine in a 1994 interview.

In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.

"We will miss our friend Paul Newman, but are lucky ourselves to have known such a remarkable person," Robert Forrester, vice chairman of Newman's Own Foundation, said in a statement.

Hotchner said Newman should have "everybody's admiration."

"For me it's the loss of an adventurous freindship over the past 50 years and it's the loss of a great American citizen," Hotchner told The Associated Press.

In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.

He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea.

Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte.

Scott died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. After his only son's death, Newman established the Scott Newman Foundation to finance the production of anti-drug films for children.

Newman was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the second of two boys of Arthur S. Newman, a partner in a sporting goods store, and Theresa Fetzer Newman.

He was raised in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, where he was encouraged him to pursue his interest in the arts by his mother and his uncle Joseph Newman, a well-known Ohio poet and journalist.

Following World War II service in the Navy, he enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he got a degree in English and was active in student productions.

He later studied at Yale University's School of Drama, then headed to New York to work in theater and television, his classmates at the famed Actor's Studio including Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden. His breakthrough was enabled by tragedy: Dean, scheduled to star as the disfigured boxer in a television adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Battler," died in a car crash in 1955. His role was taken by Newman, then a little-known performer.

Newman started in movies the year before, in "The Silver Chalice," a costume film he so despised that he took out an ad in Variety to apologize. By 1958, he had won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the shiftless Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer."

In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age.

"I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious," he said. "Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore," he said.

Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.

And the Oscar-Hosting Job Goes to...Ricky Gervais?

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Ricky Gervais as the next host of the Oscars?

Not so fast.

No doubt the Extras funnyman knows how to crack us up, but reports of him already being a leading contender for hosting duties have been greatly—well, hugely—exaggerated.

"We haven't made one single phone call," Larry Mark, who was announced yesterday as a coproducer of the 81st Annual Academy Awards show with writer-director Bill Condon, said earlier today. "There has been no reaching out."

"We haven't gotten that far yet," said Sid Ganis, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. "We're just not there yet."

Ganis knows they'll never please everyone no matter who they pick for the top job. "If you toss up all the opinions on last year's shows and they all came down, 50 percent of them will say, 'It was a sensational show' and fifty percent of them say, 'Uck, it's the worst thing I have ever seen on television,' " he said. "It's hard. Everyone has an opinion."

Unfortunately, last year's Oscar telecast with Jon Stewart as host hit an all-time ratings low with just 32 million U.S. viewers, down about 8 million from 2007.

This will be Mark and Condon's first time producing the Oscars. The show telecasts live from Hollywood's Kodak Theatre on ABC Feb. 22.

"We were taken aback for a moment," Mark said about being offered the gig. "And then we took a moment to figure our schedules and whatever else, and then we were like, This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance." (Condon wasn't available for an interview today because he is finishing a script for a movie he's going to direct about comedian Richard Pryor.)

Mark comes to the job with a lengthy producing résumé that includes Jerry Maguire, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion and Dreamgirls. Condon wrote and directed Dreamgirls, Gods and Monsters and Kinsey.

As for pumping up the ratings, Ganis said a lot depends on what movies are nominated. "Hopefully, there will be films in contention this year that are of a more populist nature," he said.

Not that he wasn't a fan of last year's big winners like No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, but "I also know that all of them were kind of on the low side in terms of eyeballs."

Letterman keeps up verbal assault on John McCain

NEW YORK - David Letterman kept up his verbal assault on John McCain, commiserating with Paris Hilton and saying he felt like an "ugly date" because the GOP presidential candidate backed out of an appearance on the "Late Show."

The late-night CBS comedian was upset Wednesday when McCain canceled an appearance to deal with the economic crisis. After backing out of the Letterman show, McCain sat for an interview with Katie Couric, then didn't leave New York until Thursday, further angering Letterman.

At first, Letterman said, he felt like a "patriot" to let McCain off.

"Now I'm feeling like an ugly date," Letterman said. "I feel used. I feel cheap. I feel sullied."

McCain spokeswoman Nicolle Wallace said the campaign "felt this wasn't a night for comedy."

"We deeply regret offending Mr. Letterman, but our candidate's priority at this moment is to focus on this crisis," Wallace said Thursday on NBC's "Today."

Later Thursday, Letterman banged away at McCain in his opening monologue.

"You're here on a good night," he told the audience. "So far none of our guests have canceled."

He talked about daredevil David Blaine's feat of hanging upside-down in New York's Central Park for 60 hours.

"They just left the guy hanging there," he said. "It's the same thing McCain did to me last night."

He described Hilton — Thursday's guest whose celebrity was once used in a McCain campaign ad to mock Democrat Barack Obama — as McCain's first choice for a running mate.

"Here's how it works: You don't come to see me? You don't come to see me? Well, we might not see you on Inauguration Day," Letterman said.

Noting that McCain wanted to postpone Friday's first debate with Obama, Letterman said running mate Sarah Palin wanted to put off her debate with Democrat Joe Biden until after Election Day. Letterman said Palin's meeting with world leaders at the United Nations was like "take-your-daughter-to-work day."

Letterman's Top 10 list was "surprising facts about Sarah Palin," read by citizens of Wasilla, Alaska, where she was once mayor.

No. 10: Palin "sometimes calls John McCain grandpa."

Later in the show, Letterman couldn't resist another mention of "that John McCain" while chatting with Hilton, who replied, "I heard he dissed you. He dissed me."

Milking the moment, Letterman consoled her: "You had a little run-in with him, too, didn't you?"

Halladay wins 20th in Jays home finale

TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays began Thursday night with an address from team president Paul Godfrey affirming the futures of GM J.P. Ricciardi and manager Cito Gaston, and capped it by celebrating ace Roy Halladay's 20th win.

Thus ended the home portion of their disappointing 2008 season, an 8-2 victory over the New York Yankees allowing their franchise pitcher to post the seventh 20-win season in team history after bigger things had played out behind the scenes.

The Blue Jays (84-75) officially settled the key pillars of their management structure before hitting the road for three games in Baltimore to close out the campaign, with Godfrey confirming Ricciardi's return after Gaston's two-year contract extension was announced.

"To me, it says we're going to continue to try and win and that's important for me," said Halladay. "I like what Cito has done in the time he's been here. I think we've gone in some good directions and I've always trusted J.P. ...

"I like that they're coming back. I feel confident the organization will continue to go the right way."

As for his own future, Godfrey refused to tip his hand, although all signs point to his departure. He said a decision would come "probably next week sometime" and if he does indeed step down, bringing Ricciardi and Gaston back and his talk with the team would be his final acts after eight years in his role.

"I thanked all the players," Godfrey said, "basically told them that I'm sure they're as disappointed as everyone else about not making the playoffs, but that we honestly believe that we have the nucleus of a great team here.

"And I said that those who can come back, should come back next year."

He denied looking in the direction of A.J. Burnett, who can opt out of his contract after the World Series, when making that last comment. The expected departure of the enigmatic right-hander is one of the main issues the team faces this winter.

With Thursday's victory Halladay (20-11) and Burnett (18-10) surpassed Jack Morris (21) and Juan Guzman (16) as the winningest duo in team history, a 1-2 punch they'd be hard-pressed to match without Burnett.

"He's been huge for me," said Halladay. "To have somebody that's right there with you, I really felt like we kind of pushed each other at times."

It will take big money to keep Burnett, and with about US$70 million already committed next season, the Blue Jays are only likely to have in the neighbourhood of $20-$25 million to spend barring a payroll hike.

Godfrey also recently submitted cost projections for 2009 with player salaries at the top of the list.

"I think it will be an appropriate payroll," said Godfrey, "but I can't say it will be significantly higher."

A payroll around $95 million this season earned them a 47-34 home record and helped them draw a total of 2,399,786 fans, up for the sixth straight season. There was a crowd of 44,346 on hand to watch Halladay complete his second 20-win season.

The big right-hander, the club's foundation, mowed through the Yankees (87-72), allowing just two runs on six hits and a walk in his career-high matching ninth complete game. He struck out five, giving him a career-high 206 for the season.

And in a rare gesture of emotion, he traded hugs with his teammates and tipped his cap to the crowd before heading into the clubhouse.

"I want everybody to know how much I appreciate them and how important they were in this," said Halladay. "Really it was more that than being excited about the number, I just felt like there were a lot of guys who helped me do it."

The Blue Jays are expected to start talks on a contract extension with Halladay, who is signed through 2010, in the off-season and he's open to it.

"As long as we continue to make that effort to be that post-season team," he said, "then you can sign me up."

Win No. 20 was a highlight for fans in an event-filled season in which the Blue Jays locked up young cornerstones Alex Rios and Aaron Hill shortly before the home opener, cut ties with DH Frank Thomas two weeks later, fired manager John Gibbons on June 20, brought back Gaston to replace him, won 10 straight games in late August in early September in a too-little, too-late run at the post-season, and ultimately settled for what is likely to be fourth in the AL East.

The Blue Jays were 35-39 when Gibbons was fired following a three-game sweep in Milwaukee and have been 49-36 since.

"We felt very strongly that what we saw during the Milwaukee series was a problem symptomatic of the leadership and coaching of the club that if left, would lead to a very unsatisfactory conclusion this year," said Godfrey.

Not that the inevitable conclusion looming this weekend is particularly palatable either, but it's better than the fiasco they were headed for. More offensive nights like this one early in the season would have made the difference.

"It was a good night," said Gaston.

Vernon Wells erased an early 1-0 deficit with a two-run shot off Carl Pavano (4-2) in the third and after Joe Inglett's RBI single, added a two-run single in the fourth.

"The thing with (Halladay), if you can give him a few, he doesn't need too many," said Wells.

Travis Snider, the top prospect who's made quite a September impression, and Gregg Zaun, in his final days with the team, ripped RBI doubles in the fifth and Marco Scutaro's RBI single in the seventh made it 8-2.

The Yankees scratched out a run on Robinson Cano's RBI single in the third and picked up another when Cody Ransom scored on Francisco Cervelli's double play ball in the fifth.

Notes: A day after serenading Burnett with a standing ovation and chanting his name to prompt a curtain call, a sign in the outfield read "A.J. Stay." ... Snider batted eighth for the second straight game. ... Wells' first two RBIs of the night gave moved him past Lloyd Moseby's 651 for fourth on the club's all-time list.

Canadian actress McAdams to play Sherlock Holmes's love interest

St. Thomas, Ont., actress Rachel McAdams, who starred in The Notebook, will be directed by Guy Ritchie in the film Sherlock Holmes.

Robert Downey Jr. is her co-star in the reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's sleuth.

The movie features a less stuffy Holmes, who has a more adventurous approach to sleuthing, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Ritchie is Madonna's husband and the British director behind films such as Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

Jude Law plays Dr. Watson and Mark Strong, who starred in Ritchie's RocknRolla, is the villain, Blackwood.

McAdams, who studied drama at York University in Toronto before going on to a career in Hollywood, is Holmes's love interest Irene Adler.

Conan Doyle created her character, an opera singer reputed to have had an affair with the King of Bohemia, in the 1891 story A Scandal in Bohemia.

McAdams's upcoming roles also include State of Play with Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe, which is due in theatres in April, and The Time Traveler's Wife, based on the best-selling book, which will be released in fall 2009.

The Lucky Ones, a story about returning Iraqi War vets, in which McAdams stars with Tim Robbins, screened at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this month.

AC/DC’s Angus Young on Snubbing iTunes: “We Don’t Make Singles, We Make Albums”

When AC/DC release their new album Black Ice on October 20th exclusively through Wal-Mart, the album will join the Beatles catalog and Kid Rock’s Rock N Roll Jesus in the small “Not Available on iTunes” club. While the stance has done wonders for Jesus‘ renaissance, it nearly ruined Estelle’s chart momentum.

Despite the Wal-Mart exclusivity, AC/DC’s Angus Young said Black Ice wouldn’t show up on Apple’s digital store anyway because “We don’t make singles, we make albums.”

iTunes allows customers to choose between single song or full album purchases. “Way back in the Seventies, we drew these figures on the back of an envelope for our record company. We showed them how much they earned from us if we sold 1 million singles and how much they earned if we sold 1 million albums,” Young said. “The difference was staggering. That was to get them off our back because we only very grudgingly release singles. Our real reason is that we honestly believe the songs on any of our albums belong together.”

Young also says that he recently met some bands that discussed withdrawing from iTunes as well because “I told them that since iTunes came into existence, we’ve actually increased our back catalog sales without being on the site.” Young makes an interesting point: The Beatles and AC/DC rank one and two on the list of highest-selling back catalogs, and neither appear on iTunes. The Rolling Stones, meanwhile, ranked sixth on the list and are available on iTunes.

'The Simpsons' hits a landmark

Homer Simpson is gunning for you, Matt Dillon.

With Sunday's premiere (Fox, 8 ET/PT), The Simpsons will tie Gunsmoke's record of 20 seasons on the air.

The writing staff keeps track of the longevity milestones, executive producer Al Jean says, but creator Matt Groening only cops to one record for the iconic Springfield family, its friends and neighbors. "I think we've used more yellow paint than any other TV show," he says.

Both believe the show is still performing strongly despite recording 445 episodes, including a season premiere that has Homer and neighbor Ned Flanders teaming as bounty hunters and Marge Simpson unwittingly going to work at an erotic bakery. "The writers and animators continue to amaze me," Groening says.

He has proof of the show's staying power, too: its 10th Emmy for outstanding animated series, bestowed this month.

"Every time we get an Emmy, it buys us a couple more years" on the air, Groening says. "That gives us one year to wreck the show and one year to run it into the ground."

Actually, they probably have more time for demolition, if they so choose, with the voice actors signed for four years, including the one that starts this weekend. That would put the show over the 500-episode mark, leaving it trailing only Dillon's Gunsmoke (633) and Lassie (588) for the most episodes of an entertainment series.

Other evidence of The Simpsons' continued vitality includes The Simpsons Movie, which took in $526 million worldwide, and The Simpsons Ride, which opened this year at Universal theme parks in California and Florida.

Jean says there will be a movie sequel, but there are no plans yet and it probably wouldn't happen until the TV show ends production.

Asked for a favorite Simpsons moment, Groening chooses slapstick over satiric, each a show specialty.

"There's an episode from a few years ago in which Homer tries to kill a spider in his garage and ends up getting his neck smashed repeatedly by the automatic garage-door opener. It's just an exquisite little piece of mayhem," he says.

His rare disappointment comes when he feels a gag or concept contradicts the history of the show, "such as when we found out that Principal Skinner was really an imposter."

If the show seems to be more political these days, Jean says that it's just reflecting a more politicized "us vs. them" society of recent years.

Even though production begins nearly a year before broadcast, some upcoming shows are timely. When the Simpson house is foreclosed, neighbor Ned Flanders buys it back and rents it to Homer, Marge and company.

"Things turn nasty," Groening says.

In another, when Bart befriends a Muslim boy, Homer suspects the boy's family of organizing a terrorist plot. In a segment of "Treehouse of Horror XIX" (Nov. 2), the annual Halloween trilogy, Homer tries to vote for Barack Obama, but the machine keeps casting ballots for John McCain before attacking him. That episode also features "It's a Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse."

After such a long time, Groening says a major show challenge is to avoid repeating itself, as sometimes happens. He disagrees with critics who question the quality of the show as it ages.

"We've had our ups and downs, but it seems like most people who say the show has gone downhill don't watch it," he says. "The latest episodes are as clever, complicated, sophisticated and wild as any we have ever done."

The Simpsons' 20th season will add to its honor roll of guest voices as Jodie Foster plays an adult Maggie and says the character's first words since Elizabeth Taylor voiced "Daddy" as baby Maggie years ago.

Guest episodes include:

Homer needs a bail bondsman (Robert Forster) in Sunday's premiere.

Bart tries to be a good Samaritan to impress a girl (Anne Hathaway).

When Homer is cast as a new movie superhero, Everyman, he needs a trainer (Seth Rogen) to get in shape.

Mark Cuban, Jeff Bezos and Marv Albert are featured in an episode in which Lisa protests Mr. Burns' new sports arena.

Bart gets Denis Leary's cellphone and makes prank calls pretending to be Leary.

Lisa meets pop teen singer Alaska Nebraska (Ellen Page).

Kenneth Branagh guests in an episode when Homer and Grampa buy an Irish pub.

Kelsey Grammer will be back as Bart's perennial would-be killer, Sideshow Bob, and Joe Mantegna returns as Mob boss Fat Tony.

Who has eluded the show? "U.S. presidents," executive producer Al Jean says. "Going back to Richard Nixon. They've all said no."

Cash recording to be released with new documentary

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — An unreleased recitation by Johnny Cash will be available as part of a new documentary examining Cash's views on America. In "I Am The Nation," the deep-voiced singer personifies the country with references to important events and people in American history.

The recording was discovered in Cash's personal belongings after his death. It will be released as part of "Johnny Cash's America," a documentary airing Oct. 23 on the Biography Channel. The companion DVD/CD package on Legacy Recordings will be available Oct. 28.

The documentary features interviews with Bob Dylan; Al Gore; Snoop Dogg; Sheryl Crow; Steve Earle; Kris Kristofferson; Loretta Lynn; Merle Haggard; U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander; Tim Robbins; Vince Gill; Cash; his sister, Joanne; and his children, John Carter Cash and Cindy Cash.

In the film, Cash, who was outspoken on social issues, discusses the political process and the two parties.

"The whole film and soundtrack are poignant for what's going on in the political climate right now," said Charlie Dougiello, a spokesman for the project.

'Ghost Town' vanishes at box office

HOLLYWOOD -- It looked like a can't-miss proposition.

There was that proven Topper-meets-Heaven Can Wait premise, an enviable 86% favourable rate on the Rotten Tomatoes review site, and Ricky Gervais, in his first lead feature role, was being hailed as a bona fide big screen comedy star.

But when it hit the megaplex over the weekend, Ghost Town was all but dead on arrival, scaring up an eighth place-ranking $5 million take.

So why the vanishing act?

Good question.

Paramount, the studio distributing the DreamWorks picture, began smelling trouble a few weeks ago when audience tracking figures revealed there was little anticipation for the film and scaled back the number of theatres lined-up to show it.

Could it have been that the movie's "He sees dead people ...and they annoy him" tag-line sounded more like a Sixth Sense spoof than a romantic comedy?

And if it was supposed to be a romantic comedy, shouldn't they have shown co-star Tea Leoni in the ads, instead of just Gervais and a see-through Greg Kinnear sitting on a park bench?

Or maybe, despite the accolades, the general public considers Gervais more of a television commodity and chose, accordingly, to wait for Ghost Town's DVD arrival?

All of the above could have played a role in the movie's box office no-show, but a more likely reason had to do with a crowded marketplace that was targeting the same, adult, female-skewing audiences.

You had the Coen Bros.' Burn After Reading with Pitt and Clooney, Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys, and even the critically savaged The Women all drawing bigger crowds than Ghost Town.

Of course, good word of mouth could still provide some life support for the next few weeks, but the initially disappointing results just go to show that in the ever-shifting world of movie release scheduling, timing is everything.

Crystal Shawanda, Eagle & Hawk top nominees for Aboriginal Music Awards

Country singer Crystal Shawanda and Winnipeg rockers Eagle & Hawk each have a leading five nominations for this year's Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards.

Eagle & Hawk, an alternative rock group, are nominated for best group, best album for Sirensong and best single and best songwriter for the title song Sirensong.

The group, which won a Juno in 2002, is scheduled to perform with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra next year.

Shawanda, of Wikwemikong, Ont., has made a splash in Nashville and on the Canadian country scene with her chart-topping debut album Dawn of a New Day.

She's nominated for best album, best country album, best female singer, best video and best single. The Ojibwa singer's surname, Shawanda, translates to "dawn of a new day."

She is competing against Vancouver's Christa Couture and Savona, B.C.'s Farah Palmer for best female artist.

Shawanda and Eagle & Hawk will vie for the best album honours along with Tanya Tagaq, the Inuit throat singer nominated for her album Auk-Blood.

Tagaq, a native of Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, who has been filling concert halls for her unusual performance with strings group Kronos Quartet, has nominations for best traditional female singer and best album cover.

Red Power Squad of Morinville, Alta., and Lester of White Rock, B.C., have been nominated for best group.

The nominees for best male artist are:

Mitch Daigneault of Battleford, Sask.
Main Event of Barrie, Ont.
Jace Martin of Ohsweken, Ont.

Nominees for best rap artist:

7th Generation, from Penticton, B.C.
Feenix, from Edmonton.
Wabs Whitebird of Toronto.

This year's ceremony adds several new awards, including categories for best original score and best hip-hop music video.

The Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, in their 10th year, will be given out Nov. 28 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto.

Michael Moore political movie released free on Web

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Filmmaker Michael Moore released his latest documentary for free on the Internet on Tuesday, marking a first for the maverick director who aims to encourage young people to vote -- preferably for Democrats -- in November's U.S. presidential election.

"Slacker Uprising," a feature-length film documenting Moore's tour of swing states during the 2004 presidential election year, was made available for a free download instead of being released in movie theaters.

The maker of the award-winning anti-Iraq war blockbuster "Fahrenheit 9/11," said in a statement the gesture was "entirely as a gift to my fans."

"The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters at the polls in November," Moore said.

Moore has long been known as a firebrand filmmaker. He took on large corporations in 1989's "Roger & Me" and the U.S. gun industry in 2002's "Bowling for Columbine," which earned him an Oscar. "Slacker Uprising," made for about $2 million, comes on the heels of Moore's blistering expose of the U.S. health care system, "SiCKO," in 2007.

Although "Slacker Uprising" chronicles the director's efforts to get young people on either side of the political spectrum to vote, he said the documentary was also a "tribute to the young voters who are going to save this country from four more years of Republican rule."

Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain are in a neck-and-neck race for the White House in the November 4 election, according to opinion polls.

Moore encouraged fans to download, e-mail or share the movie with everyone and anyone, or to show it in schools, colleges, church halls and community centers, adding, "I don't want to see a dime from this."

He said several websites, including iTunes and Amazon.com, were providing streaming or downloading services for free.

Moore marked the release with a one-hour online chat with fans. Hundreds of Obama supporters responded on the www.slackeruprising.com message boards, thanking Moore.

"Wow .. I really enjoyed the film ... sent it to all my friends on yahoo, myspace, facebook ... we cannot have another republican in the White House ... Vote Obama 08," wrote a contributor called Don.

The documentary is also available as a low-cost DVD for those not in the download community.

WHAT YOU DIDN'T SEE AT THE EMMYS

The stars of TV stumbled back to work yesterday - after a three-hour Emmy telecast and a night of partying.

Sure, it was the biggest night of Tina Fey's life - three Emmys for her sitcom, "30 Rock."

But here's a glimpse of what went on away from the cameras:

A LEGEND WIPING OUT

Mary Tyler Moore, on hand to pay tribute to former co-star Betty White, took a nasty spill while climbing a red carpet platform to be interviewed by "The Insider."

The actress, 72, was helped back to her feet and was able to walk away, telling reporters: "I feel fine, thanks."

ARI GOLD TEARING UP

Jeremy Piven got all choked up when a reporter asked what his late father would think of the "Entourage" star's third Emmy.

"I was talking to my mother before I came here and she was sayin' 'Just raise it up to him,'" he said, holding back tears.

ONE MAD WRITER

Kirk Ellis (Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, "John Adams") was mad as hell at his acceptance speech being cut short.

"When I got up there, as soon as I got up there, they were already flashing the 'Wrap It Up' light," he complained backstage.

"I find it very interesting that we can have 30 minutes of the ceremony devoted to reality show hosts, but the people who actually create the work, don't get time to talk!"

CASE OF THE MISSING PURSE

"If anyone has seen a small purple purse with an iPhone in it with a picture of a naked toddler, please let me know," Tina Fey pleaded backstage.

"I left it under my chair when we went up to accept the award (for Outstanding Comedy Series for '30 Rock')".

NEXT YEAR, CABLE

Add up the ratings for the Emmys - the lowest in 18 years - and the number of awards going to cable TV shows like "Mad Men" and "Damages" and what do you get?

The four broadcast TV networks - which rotate the Emmys each year - may be ready to let the Emmy show go to cable.

The current Emmy contract ends in 2010, Variety reports, and the old-line networks may want to see the the back of the awards show.

BALD & THE BEAUTIFUL

"I was late getting here because I really won't leave the house until my hair is perfect," "Breaking Bad" star Bryan Cranston joked after picking up his first-ever Emmy (Lead Actor in a Drama). "It feels like Velcro to me. And it works like Velcro. There are all kind of things sticking to my head, fuzz and Jujubes."

WARDROBE MALFUNCTION

It took some extra time for portly "Lost" star Jorge Garcia to get his Woody Wilson tux red-carpet ready. "I had to call housekeeping for some safety pins," he admits. "I discovered one of my suspenders broke."

ISN'T IT TIME

...that Heidi Klum got some speech lessons?

All she says on "Project Runway" is "You're either in or you're out" and "Auf Wiedersehn."

Using her as a comedienne at the Emmys was a mistake. Her lines, delivered in a thick accent, were incomprehensible.

TALK ABOUT MISSING A CUE

How jaded do you have to be to not give cancer-comeback kid Christina Applegate a standing ovation?

The only standing O all night was when Kathy Griffin ordered the crowd to its feet for Don Rickles.

'Godfather' films finally restored to glory

The Godfather is remembered as a dark picture. But over the years it has become less dark than intended.

The opening scene of the best-picture Oscar winner is the ultimate example. Emerging from shadow is the face of Bonasera (Salvatore Corsitto), the father who asks Don Corleone (Marlon Brando) for a favor on the day of the Don's daughter's wedding.

But when director Francis Ford Coppola saw the 1972 film on a screen for its 25th anniversary, he thought, "Gee, the picture doesn't look like I remember it looking. This very, very beautiful photography of (cinematographer) Gordon Willis over the years had faded."

The movie is back to its inky finest — thanks to an assist from Steven Spielberg — on The Godfather: The Coppola Restoration, available today on a new five-disc DVD collection with all three Godfather films and two discs of bonus features, as well as a four-disc Blu-ray set ($73 and $120, respectively; each film on individual DVDs, $20).

The Godfather was a victim of its own success. It earned $135 million in the USA, which in modern terms would make the film the No. 21 box-office earner of all time, according to boxofficemojo.com.

To meet demand, Paramount quickly made large numbers of copies to ship to theaters. As a result, "the negative was ultimately destroyed through the practice of printing it so much," Coppola says from Buenos Aires while editing the film Tetro.

A decade ago, Paramount stored all its Godfather film elements in a cold vault to help preserve them until a full digital makeover was possible. "No matter how seriously the studio wished to solve the problems at that time, it would not be possible until digital technology provided the tools," says Robert Harris of The Film Preserve, which eventually handled the restoration of both The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II (1974).

Fast-forward to 2005: Coppola, looking to renew the preservation effort, wrote to Spielberg when DreamWorks was acquired by Paramount. Could Spielberg, who had been involved in restoring Lawrence of Arabia, spur on the project? It was an offer Spielberg could not refuse. He took the request to studio chairman Brad Grey, who set into motion the two-year process, overseen by Paramount post-production executive Marty Cohen and done at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging in Burbank, Calif.

No single usable Godfather negative remained that was suitable as a source. In the end, Harris and the preservation team gathered a bunch of backup film elements and an Italian-subtitled print used as a color reference.

Over months, the restoration technicians carefully scanned the material and then began cleaning up the footage in its digital form, 4K files (meaning the video is made up of 4,000 lines of horizontal resolution, more than four times the quality of HDTV).

In addition to digitally removing scratches and repairing damage — more than 1,000 man-hours of dirt removal was performed on The Godfather— the technicians were able to fix errors that were more than three decades old. The restaurant scene in which Michael (Al Pacino) shoots Sollozzo (Al Lettieri) and Capt. McCluskey (Sterling Hayden) had been filmed over two nights. But one night's footage had been incorrectly processed, resulting in less detail and a washed-out look — an error that has been corrected digitally.

"Without those innovations, we would not have been able to move forward with the same results," Cohen says. "This is about rebuilding to some degree and putting new paint on the house."

Coppola and Willis consulted on every step of the restoration, which is detailed in a documentary on the new collections. Thanks to the restoration, Willis has regained his title "Prince of Darkness," Coppola says.

"So much of his art was to have the blackness of the black be so vividly black that everything else stood out from it," he says. "The restoration achieved that again."

Blu-Ray is getting cheaper this Christmas

As we expected, in time for the holiday season, prices for technology and gadgets are plummeting. For all those who held out to see prices for Blu-Ray players to drop, the time is now. Memorex has just announced the MVBD-2510 Blu-Ray Disc player to hit retail shelves for only $269.50. The player is available immediately and should be available at various retail outlets.

The MVBD-2510 is a full-featured player that offers 1080p resolution at 24 and 60 frames per second as well as compatibility with pretty much all recorded optical media, such as DVD, DVD-R, DVD+R, CD, CD-R, video discs, etc.

The player also offers Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD decoding and bit stream output, as well as Master audio bit stream output. It supports both 5.1 and 7.1 audio signals through HDMI.

When Blu-Ray players were first introduced into the market they hovered around $1000. It is great to see prices for the hardware to come down so dramatically in such a short period of time, making this high definition format more affordable for everyone. After all, always keep in mind that Blu-Ray does not devalue your DVD collection. You can play back DVD on any Blu-Ray player and will get tremendous looking results. But in addition you can now add high definition titles as you go forward that will simply blow your mind.

New channel offers Canadians more HBO shows

A new pay channel with a slate of HBO programs never before seen on this side of the border is to be launched in Canada in October.

Astral Media and Corus Entertainment are jointly launching a channel that will be known as HBO Canada, they announced Monday.

It will be available at no extra charge to those who already subscribe to the Movie Network and Movie Central.

HBO is the U.S. network Canadians most often say they would like to see offered in Canada.

But the federal broadcast regulator has blocked attempts to launch U.S. pay channels, such as HBO and USA Network, in Canada saying Canadian players are not well enough developed to withstand the competition.

The Movie Network and Movie Central already carry a large slate of HBO programs such as Entourage, True Blood and Flight of the Conchords.

But Corus and Astral said this will be the first chance for Canadians to get programs such as Real Time with Bill Maher, Def Comedy Jam and Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger.

The network will also carry older HBO series such as OZ and Da Ali G Show, movies Gia, The Late Shift and If These Walls Could Talk and older miniseries including From the Earth to the Moon and Angels in America.

"For years, HBO's dramatic programming has been available on The Movie Network and Movie Central. But even with all of the HBO titles we offered, Canadians still wanted more," John Riley, president of Astral Television Networks, said in a release Monday.

HBO, backed by Time Warner, will have no business interest in the new channel, but Astral Media and Corus Entertainment have expanded their long-term programming deal with the U.S. network.

HBO Canada, like all other Canadian stations, will be required to carry Canadian content, and that will include the series Durham County and Terminal City.

TMN, owned by Astral, is available only in eastern Canada while Movie Central, owned by Corus, is available in western Canada.

New CD Releases, September 23rd: Kings of Leon, Jackson Browne, David Gilmour

Kings of Leon "Only by the Night" (RCA)

The Southern alt-rock troupe returns to the fray with its fourth album, "Only by the Night," which is a follow-up to last year's "Because of the Times."

"Only by the Night" was recorded on the band's home turf in Nashville, TN, and features the leadoff single "Sex on Fire." Fans can hear the new tracks in concert during Kings of Leon's fall tour, which launches Oct. 11 in Las Vegas.

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Jackson Browne "Time the Conqueror" (Inside Recordings)

The acclaimed singer-songwriter returns with his first new studio release in six years. "Time the Conqueror" follows 2002's "The Naked Ride Home," which also marked the end of a six-year hiatus between studio recordings.

The new 10-song set was recorded with the performer's longtime band--Kevin McCormick, Mark Goldenberg, Mauricio "Fritz" Lewak and Jeff Young--along with additional members Chavonne Morris and Alethea Mills.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer kicked off his "Time the Conqueror World Tour" last week in Washington, DC. The trek will continue to stop at North American venues through early November.

In other news, Browne recently sued Senator John McCain and the Republican National Committee. The move was in response to a recent TV commercial supporting McCain's presidential bid that incorporates the Browne signature song "Running on Empty."

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David Gilmour "Live in Gdansk" (Sony)

The legendary vocalist/guitarist from Pink Floyd gives fans a full-fledged document of his most recent solo tour. The two-CD, two-DVD set captures a full gig that Gilmour performed at the shipyards in Gdansk, Poland.

"Live in Gdansk" includes performances of such Pink Floyd favorites as "Shine On You Crazy Diamond, "Breathe" and "Echoes." It also features tracks from Gilmour's most recent studio outing, "On an Island."

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TV on the Radio "Dear Science" (Interscope)

The avant-garde New York rock band is set to release its third studio album, which follows 2006's highly acclaimed "Return to Cookie Mountain."

TV on the Radio is already out supporting "Dear Science." The road show began early this month in Portland, OR, and is scheduled to hit approximately 26 cities. Detroit garage rockers The Dirtbombs will open the October and November dates, while folksinger Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson will provide support for most of the September shows.

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Jenny Lewis "Acid Tongue" (Reprise)

The Rilo Kiley vocalist adds to her solo resume with the release of "Acid Tongue." It's Lewis' second solo offering, following 2006's "Rabbit Fur Coat." She's currently in the midst of a 14-date tour in support of "Acid Tongue." The trek will include a stop at the Austin City Limits Music Festival on Sept. 26.

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More new releases:
Cold War Kids, "Loyalty to Loyalty" (Downtown)
Fourplay, "Energy" (Heads Up)
Demi Lovato, "Don't Forget" (Hollywood)
Bette Midler, "Jackpot: The Best Bette" (Warner Bros.)
Mogwai, "The Hawk is Howling" (Matador)
Old Crow Medicine Show, "Tennessee Pusher" (Nettwerk)
Pussycat Dolls, "Doll Domination" (Interscope)
The Replacements, "Pleased to Meet Me" (Rhino)
The Replacements, "Tim" (Rhino)
Jazmine Sullivan, "Fearless" (J-Records)
Thievery Corporation, "Radio Retaliation" (Eighteenth Street)
Hank Williams III, "Hank III Collector's Edition" (Curb)
Within Temptation, "Black Symphony" (Roadrunner)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Sex and the City, Vol. 2" (Steady)

Ghostbusters game delayed to 2009!!

The new "Ghostbusters" game, which was scheduled to come out this fall, may have been delayed.

But beyond a vague statement from a PR rep that the game is "not canceled," there's been no indication yet of what will happen to the "Ghostbusters" game. Since it's so close to completion, surely it won't just be thrown to oblivion and never published, right?

Sony Pictures, which of course owns the rights to "Ghostbusters" and licensed the IP to Vivendi last year, has said that they are working with Activision Blizzard "to evaluate various options surrounding the release of the 'Ghostbusters' video game." That's obviously vague, but it does contain an important nugget: it wants the game to be released, one way or another.

Sony goes on to state that "this has presented [Sony Pictures Consumer Products] with an opportunity to reevaluate the game release marketing strategy to potentially coincide with the 25th anniversary of the original film in '09."

So the studio's plan now is to get the game released in 2009. But who will publish it? There's no official word yet, but my understanding from further reporting is that Activision Blizzard and Sony are talking to other publishers about picking up the game right now. Given the strength of the brand and the marketing that has already gone into the game, I can't imagine the studio will have any trouble finding multiple interested partners. The only question may be whether that new publisher can reach a deal with Activision Blizzard to pay for the millions already spent on development.

Of course regardless of who releases it, developers Terminal Reality and Red Fly now have an extra year to work on the game. So there's no reason it shouldn't be really good.

Some Facebook users aren't fond of website's new face

SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook's new face is drawing frowns from some of its users.

They're grousing about a spanking new redesign intended to unclutter their profiles on the social network. Several groups requesting a return to the old design have surfaced, including one with 1 million members.

Facebook has shifted millions of users to its new design in a bid to draw more members and advertisers to a cleaner interface. Facebook's torrid growth — it has added 90 million members the past two years — has put it in a prime position to vie for an estimated $2 billion market for social-networking ads this year.

But the new look has rankled some. "It's really difficult to read, and I don't like the tabs that you have to go through to see the whole profile. I hate it," says Jenny Smelyanets, 22, a public relations specialist in Palo Alto, Calif.

The facelift includes partitioning members' personal profiles into different areas of the site and offering more tools to make it easier to share information and photos. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said the changes, although for the better, might alienate some of the more than 100 million active users.

Facebook made the changes over several months and has left it up to individuals to decide when they want to switch over. So far, more than 80 million people have the new Facebook.

The process started in February, when Facebook launched a preview page to solicit user feedback. By late July, users had the ability to opt into the new design, says Mark Slee, a product manager at Facebook. The company began migrating everyone on Sept. 10 and will finish the task by the end of the month.

Despite some dissatisfaction, few users are expected to defect.

"Change is good, and change makes us angry," says Ben Parr, a blogger who started a protest group about the site's "news feed" feature two years ago but is fine with the new Facebook look.

Redesigns of tech hangouts typically elicit hand-wringing from loyal users. When Facebook introduced news feeds, critics called them an invasion of privacy. The feature — which outlines profile changes, upcoming events and birthdays, for instance — is now one of the most popular.

"There is backlash to change, simple as that," says Jeremiah Owyang, an analyst at Forrester Research. "There was to news feeds and Beacon (Facebook's advertising system that sparked privacy concerns). This time, Facebook gave users an opt-out option. They handled it as well as they could have."

A redesign at social network MySpace met with minimal criticism when it was unveiled in June. It enhanced functions of its home page, a video player and Profile Editor, which lets users customize their profiles. Since then, its number of unique users and the amount of time spent on the site are up. The site has 122 million members, up 2.7 million.

"Everything we did was shown to users six months to a year before they were finalized, and we were very sensitive to their input," says Steve Pearman, MySpace's senior vice president of product strategy.

No more 'Bond, James Bond'!

Don't you love to hear the words "Bond, James Bond" in a James Bond movie? Well, you won't be hearing them in the new Quantum of Solace film, out in November. For the first time in his 22 screen outings, Britain's super cool secret agent will not utter the words of introduction that have been a tradition for 46 years. He also won't say another classic one-liner – "shaken not stirred" – when ordering his martini, according to director Marc Forster in The Independent.

"There was a 'Bond, James Bond' in the script," he said. "There are several places where we shot it as well, but it never worked as we hoped. I just felt we should cut it out," he says, and the producers as well as star Daniel Craig "agreed."

Graham Rye, who edits an online 007 Magazine says that Craig is much closer to author Ian Fleming's original vision for the character. "The Bond films had become tired and needed reinvigorating," he said. "Rather than going away from Fleming I think the producers have gone back to him." Rye added, "His announcing of himself had become a bit corny."

Emmy telecast bombs in ratings and reviews

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The 60th annual Primetime Emmys show, roundly panned by critics as perhaps the worst ever, laid a big, fat ratings egg as well, with early figures pointing to the smallest audience in the awards' history.

According to preliminary data from Nielsen Media Research, ABC's three-hour Sunday telecast, featuring major wins for "Mad Men" and "30 Rock," averaged 12.2 million viewers, falling just below the historic low of 12.3 million posted by the 1990 ceremony aired on Fox.

Final national ratings for Sunday's broadcasts are due Tuesday.

By comparison, 13 million viewers tuned in for last year's ceremony and its farewell send-off of "The Sopranos," which ranked as the second-lowest Emmys audience on the books.

Sunday's telecast no doubt suffered from the fact that the shows and stars getting most of the attention, including best drama "Mad Men," comedy champion "30 Rock" and winning actors from shows like "Damages" and "Breaking Bad," represent programs that draw relatively few viewers themselves.

The Emmy telecast on ABC also collided in the eastern half of the country with NBC's highly rated Sunday Night Football broadcast of the Dallas Cowboys' 27-16 defeat of the Green Bay Packers.

And many New York viewers were likely siphoned off by an ESPN telecast of the last baseball game by the New York Yankees at historic Yankee Stadium.

Still, ABC's cause was not helped by an Emmy presentation that critics largely derided as a flop, especially an oddly ad-libbed opening monologue shared by five reality-show hosts who served as the evening's collective emcees.

In an apparent homage to their unscripted TV genre, Howie Mandell ("Deal or No Deal"), Ryan Seacrest ("American Idol") Jeff Probst ("Survivor"), Tom Bergeron ("Dancing with the Stars") and Heidi Klum ("Project Runway") took to the stage for about five minutes to joke about how they literally had nothing prepared to say.

Probst, Seacrest and Mandell then left the stage to Bergeron and Klum, who were joined by William Shatner for a gag that involved ripping off Klum's clothes.

The whole bit was panned by reviewers and other performers. Emmy winner Jeremy Piven, co-star of HBO's "Entourage," called the opening confusing and a "celebration of nothingness."

The ceremony then lurched into overdrive by mid-show with many presenters and winners forced to rush through their appearances to make up for lost time.

"It was hideously awful from start to harried finish, dragged down by five amateurish reality anchors who would have been unwelcome as guests, let alone hosts," USA Today wrote.

ABC, a unit of the Walt Disney Co. and fellow networks doubt hoped for a more auspicious official kickoff to prime-time TV's premiere week, seen by industry executives as a kind of reboot for television after last season was cut short by the Hollywood writers strike.

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