Can 'Law & Order' outlive 'Gunsmoke'?

NEW YORK - "POPPA DON'T TAKE NO MESS!"

The outburst comes from Anthony Anderson, who is describing the essential qualities of Kevin Bernard, the latest detective to join NBC-TV's long-running "Law & Order." The fun-loving and funny Anderson debuted last season as Bernard and resumes busting bad guys on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 10 p.m. EST (in Canada the premiere airs Tuesday, Nov. 4 at 9 p.m.).

If Anderson has an off-camera "off switch," it's nowhere to be found this day as he shoots scenes inside Silver Screen Studios at Chelsea Piers, which houses the crime drama's precinct, district attorney's office, courthouse, prison and morgue. He bellows throughout the day, at one point jokingly scolding a crew member, "GET OFF THE TELEPHONE, WOMAN!" And he even speaks in tongues - "TELEMUNDO! OH, THIS IS A TELENOVELA!" - to describe an episode's plot twist involving double murder, DNA evidence and an illicit affair.

Anderson's outsized personality doubtless proved a draw for show creator Dick Wolf, who cast him as Detective Cyrus Lupo's (Jeremy Sisto) partner. Wolf hand-picks each police detective and prosecutor on "Law & Order," and deemed Anderson a "natural" successor to Detective Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin), citing his comic timing, screen presence and acting chops.

Another factor? Youth.

Anderson, 38, follows Sisto, 34, and Linus Roache, 44, as the third in a swift succession of young actors - well, young by "Law & Order" standards - recruited by Wolf for the 18th season, which concluded in May. The venerable series is a recent victim of near-cancellation, and fresh blood could be just the bait needed to lure the younger viewers that advertisers love and keep the show going for another two decades.

"Law & Order" is returning to the air earlier than the announced date of early 2009, the result of an NBC schedule reshuffling to shore up the network's ratings as sweeps month begins. After almost two decades, this durable old veteran still has the juice to help rescue NBC's prime-time.

The new season has S. Epatha Merkerson (Lieut. Anita Van Buren) remaining on duty, overseeing Sisto and Anderson; Roache as Chief Assistant District Attorney Michael Cutter, who succeeded Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston), the newly promoted district attorney. And Alana De La Garza (Executive Assistant District Attorney Connie Rubirosa) resumes her role.

But it remains to be seen whether the cast reshuffling will achieve Wolf's greatest ambition: to surpass "Gunsmoke" as the longest-running prime-time drama in the history of television.

Wolf, 61, has long voiced his desire to overtake the classic Western, which ran from 1955-1975 on CBS; Wednesday's season premiere will herald 19 years for "Law & Order." "It's one to tie and two to win. I think after that, (we'll do) another 20," Wolf said.

But the TV mogul, who oversees the spinoffs "Law & Order: SVU" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," nearly lost his chance when NBC threatened to cancel after a sharp ratings drop last season.

Any plug-pulling seems preposterous, given the series' enduring status as the mother ship of one of the strongest franchises on TV. Wolf struck a last-minute deal to save the show in May 2007 by trading "Criminal Intent" to the NBC-owned USA Network in exchange for another year of "Law & Order" on the Peacock Network.

As it happens, the original series fared well in its 18th season: It debuted in January amid the writers strike with fresh episodes, and averaged a total 10.7 million viewers. That's a major jump, up 19 per cent from the previous season (nine million average viewers), according to NBC ratings expert Tom Bierbaum.

It's also a positive sign for a show that peaked in its 2001-02 season with an average viewership of 18.7 million, and has steadily decreased in the ratings as TV began losing viewers to the Internet and other digital phenomena.

Waterston attributed the audience bump to the show's move to Wednesday from Friday, one of the least-watched nights on TV, and to Wolf's talents at keeping it fresh without tinkering too visibly with a tried-and-true format.

"He's a magician. ... He changed the look of the show, he changed the way it's lit, he changed the way it's shot and the way it's edited, but not so that you go, 'Oh this is not the same show.' But it's all refreshed," said the 67-year-old actor, citing the increased practice of shooting scenes from different angles and lighting scenarios to provide more options in the editing room.

Waterston, a series veteran alongside Merkerson, takes a laissez-faire approach to the health of the show ("I'm fine with whatever happens") but he'd like to beat the "Gunsmoke" record.

"The only reason for me to care about whether this show lasts or not is the absurd goal of beating 'Gunsmoke,' and that's too much fun as an idea to want it to be defeated by the fact that there's a temporary dip in the ratings here and there," he said, with a laugh.

Dipping into the fountain of youthful actors could help Wolf achieve that goal.

If "Law & Order" has a weakness, it's that its core audience - boomers who value a good whodunit - skews outside the target 18-49 demographic coveted by advertisers, said TV historian Tim Brooks, who compared the show to non-glitzy, well-written mysteries such as "Matlock" and "Murder, She Wrote" - and "a comfortable old shoe."

That's not a bad thing, though. It provides stability for NBC, which continues to struggle in the ratings, and has also grown a following in syndication on cable; on any given night, viewers can find "Law & Order" on TNT, and "SVU" and "Criminal Intent" on the USA and Bravo networks.

"Law & Order" pioneered the concept of the TV franchise by extending the brand to "SVU," "Criminal Intent" and the short-lived "Trial by Jury." It inspired copycats including CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

-

Wolf is the Great Oz behind the business model. The New York-born guru started as an East Coast ad man, writing commercials for brands that included Crest toothpaste, before heading to Hollywood to pursue a career in entertainment. He eventually became one of the industry's biggest players, producing feature films and writing for "Hill Street Blues"; in 1988, he formed his own production company, Wolf Films, and debuted "Law & Order" two years later.

Wolf, who milked a TV empire from the show, said the reason it has remained on the air so long rests with its self-contained, plot-driven formula.

"You don't have to see it for a week, a month, a year," said Wolf, who's based in Los Angeles. "You come back into a totally complete hour of television with a beginning, middle and an end, and hopefully, a satisfying conclusion. And you can go on your merry way and, if you catch it two years later, it can be a completely different cast. But it still works as exactly the same."

Despite cast turnover, "Law & Order" has retained its tradition of using real-life headlines and twisting them into dramatic plot lines. Wednesday's show delivers a thriller of messy elegance as the detectives and attorneys clash over McCoy's bold move to classify a bloody street fight as a terrorist attack; in this case, the viewer is treated as a jury member, forced to decide between two convincing arguments.

The first victim: A stockbroker beaten to death in broad daylight. "In this economy, this is the kind of thing that might catch on," quips Bernard upon inspecting the body.

The episode could easily be one of the show's greatest hits, with strong writing that continues the creative momentum of last season's finale in which McCoy wrestled with a prostitution scandal involving a New York governor (hints of former Gov. Eliot Spitzer).

The final word on cast changes rests with Wolf, who reserves the power to hire - and veto - the actors and actresses working full-time in the 27th Precinct and the DA's office.

But he couldn't control the nine-year itch of Martin, who decided to depart his popular role in the middle of last season because he "was just feeling really burned out," Wolf said.

Enter Anderson. The actor makes No. 11 in a long succession of police detectives: George Dzundza, Chris Noth, Paul Sorvino, Jerry Orbach, Benjamin Bratt, Martin, Dennis Farina, Michael Imperioli, Milena Govich and Sisto. Anderson grabbed Wolf's attention playing tough cops in the Oscar-winning film "The Departed," the former Fox series "K-Ville" and in a guest spot on "SVU."

Once Martin backed out, Wolf made a play last fall for Anderson, wooing the actor over lunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel amid the Hollywood writers strike. Anderson's police drama "K-Ville," set in New Orleans, shuttered production during the strike, and lasted half a season before Fox pulled it from the schedule.

By the end of the meeting, Anderson recalled Wolf dispensing advice on moving his family from Los Angeles to New York - without so much as a "you're hired."

"And I was like, 'Did he? Was this like a Jedi mind trick? Did he just tell me I got the job without telling me the job is mine?' I think he did,"' says Anderson, who has also appeared in "Transformers," "Hustle & Flow" and TV's "The Shield."

Wolf likened Anderson to the late Jerry Orbach, who delivered one-liners with a wink as Detective Lennie Briscoe from 1991-2004.

"He has the ability in terms of his wry observations to bring the same type of rhythm to certain scenes that Jerry did," he said. "And not to compare them as actors, but it's great to have somebody who has mastered the art of comic timing."

But while Orbach's Briscoe was warm and comforting, Anderson's Bernard can be cool and combative.

"There's something innately likable about him and, at the same time, innately tough and innately 'cop,"' said executive producer Fred Berner. "And that combination is kind of fun to watch and dangerous all at the same time. As a human being and an actor, he's a total joy. And as a character, he's beginning to find his sea legs."

His chemistry with the understated Sisto is a plus.

"The secret of partners is always to have ideally one be the yang to somebody else's yin, and I think that they are really very complementary to each other," Wolf said.

Wolf also sees a good yin-yang balance between De La Garza, 32, and new hire Roache, who has shown off Cutter's cocky side.

"He's a huge find," Wolf said of the British actor, who has big shoes to fill following Waterston. "He has really brought Alana into a whole other level. The dynamic between the two of them is terrific."

Waterston, meanwhile, has settled nicely into his new gig as district attorney. Initially, he wasn't so sure he'd enjoy the upgrade after standing up to the lions of injustice for 13 years as Jack McCoy.

"I pretty categorically had said I was never going to (accept the job)," said Waterston, who envisioned he'd portray the Executive Assistant District Attorney as long as the show ran or until he wanted out.

He also thought McCoy himself might disapprove, given the character's strong moral compass and disdain for the politics that come with the high-level position.

But Wolf and executive producer Rene Balcer persuaded him to take the bigger office.

"They were both extremely generous and very smart with me," Waterston recalled. "They said that it was up to me, I could do whatever I wanted. And then they sort of dangled the enticement of more free time in front of me and made it sound like that might be kind of nice."

When asked if his seniority had anything to do with his promotion, Waterston laughed and said: "The word 'age' didn't cross anybody's lips."

Wolf said it's a natural progression for McCoy - and for Waterston.

"(He) said, 'I don't know. I'm not killing the bull every week,"' Wolf recalled. "But I said, 'Look, Sam, it's the same thing that all of us face at some point. It's intergenerational. It's believable.' You know, I think playing that note is incredibly interesting. It's handing over power to the next generation."

-

Plasma computer screens sit atop desks cluttered with papers, folders, coffee cups and tired old books. A series of hallways leads from the den of offices to a courtroom scattered with wooden witness boxes that the crew will clear for later scenes. Even more passageways lead to the morgue, which contains the requisite storage spaces for dead bodies. The Rikers Island jail is recreated, complete with an admissions office and steely gates through which inmates pass to enter the slammer.

The true star of the set, though, is the squad room, a virtual museum of "Law & Order" nostalgia. Though some NYPD precincts updated their look following the Sept. 11 attacks, Wolf left it alone "because it actually is so emblematic of the show," Berner said.

Computers displaying screen grabs of Web sites and fingerprint scans are flourishes of the new, yet the old-school grit continues: a retro typewriter; peeling green paint; the worn look of a sign that reads, "N.Y.C. Detectives: the greatest detectives in the WORLD."

An American flag hangs above a doorway. An empty holding cell, big enough for one, stands next to a bulletin board littered with "Wanted" posters. A coffee pot awaits a refill - and, oddly, there are no doughnuts.

Here, like so many before them, detectives Bernard and Lupo crack cases.

"Ted Sanderson - he did nine years for killing his wife until DNA evidence cleared him last year," Bernard, wearing a grey suit and stern expression, informs Van Buren as cameras roll for the third take of a one-minute scene in her office.

Bernard, who thinks Sanderson murdered his wife's ex, tells the boss the suspect drives a white Suffolk County truck (which may be the vehicle that ran over the victim); Lupo, who's not so sure Sanderson is the guy, stands in the doorway.

Van Buren directs the duo to "take a closer look."

They file out, and that's a wrap.

Anderson becomes himself again, laughing boisterously at a personal joke between him and Sisto.

The race to outlive "Gunsmoke" was never so much fun.

Fox 'Toons Out King of the Hill

Los Angeles (E! Online) – The preening queens of The Hills? Reigning media darlings. The animated cast of King of the Hill? Out of a job.

Fox has finally called time on its Sunday-night staple, opting not to pick up any more episodes of the second-longest-running animated prime-time series in history, behind The Simpsons, after the end of its 13-episode 13th season.

Talk about unlucky. And familiar.

The network has more than flirted with canceling the show in the past, actually wrapping production on the Hank Hill-centric series before turning around and ordering more episodes.

And while Fox's M.O. is apparently to never say never—having revived both Family Guy and Futurama in recent years—it appears that 260 episodes out from its 1997 debut, the network is officially over the Hill.

Not that everyone's on board.

"We've been here before," exec producer John Altschuler told Variety. "When it's time for King of the Hill to go, it will go. But I think with the ratings this good, and with the quality that doesn't seem to be diminishing, it would be very odd for King of the Hill not to keep going."

Odd, but seemingly natural.

Both of the series' creators, Greg Daniels and Mike Judge, have moved on to other prime-time projects, namely The Office and ABC's soon-to-launch The Goode Family, respectively.

King of the Hill revolved around the blue-collar Texas-based Hill family and featured the vocal talents of Brittany Murphy, Kathy Najimy, Stephen Root, Tom Petty and Judge himself.

Sadly, the show will taper out without a proper sendoff: No series finale has or will be made.

As for Fox, it's wasting no time in filling the new animated-comedy hole in its lineup, with two new series, the Family Guy spinoff The Cleveland Show and Sit Down, Shut Up, already in production. It was also announced this morning that the network has ordered a fifth season of American Dad.

Russia communists say Ukraine Bond girl a traitor

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – First it was Indiana Jones. Now it's James Bond's latest lady friend.

The Communist Party in St. Petersburg says Olga Kurylenko, the Ukrainian-born model who plays a Bolivian agent in the latest Bond film, "Quantum of Solace," has betrayed her roots.

"In the name of all communists we appeal to you, prodigal daughter of poor Ukraine and deserter of Slavic world," the party said in an open letter dated Oct. 21 and posted on their Web site Friday.

The Soviet Union "gave you free education, free medical care but nobody knew you would commit an act of intellectual and moral betrayal that you would become a movie kept girl of Bond, who in his movies kills hundreds of Soviet people and citizens of other socialist countries: Cubans, Vietnamese, North Koreans, Chinese and Nicaraguans," the party said.

Sergei Malenkovich, head of the party's regional organization, told The Associated Press that latest Bond movie is "an insult for Russians"
"In this movie they wanted to show that a Ukrainian girl sleeps with an American. It's a part of information and psychological war," he said.

In fact, Kurylenko does not have sex with Daniel Craig's Bond — unlike nearly all other leading ladies in the Bond films — only exchanging a kiss toward the end of the film. And Bond is actually a British secret agent.

The vitriol from the St. Petersburg communists — an independent party not formally affiliated with the national Communist party — is the latest to be directed at a Western film.

The party took great umbrage at "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," which features an evil KGB agent played by Cate Blanchett, saying the film undermined communist ideology and distorted history.

Bruce Springsteen posts Halloween song on Web site

RUMSON, N.J. – Bruce Springsteen has a Halloween treat for his fans.

The rocker has posted a free download of a new song, "A Night With the Jersey Devil," on his Web site. The song has a blues beat, and Springsteen sings about "16 witches casting 16 spells."

Writes Springsteen: "If you grew up in central or south Jersey you grew up with the 'Jersey Devil.' Here's a little musical Halloween treat. Have fun!"

There's also a video showing Springsteen as the legendary Jersey Devil.

Earlier this week, Springsteen announced that he and his wife would not hold their annual elaborate Halloween display at their Rumson mansion. The couple said they were worried about people's safety because the event attracted too many visitors.

Beatles music to be in new video game

NEW YORK – The Beatles are coming to a game console near you.

For the first time, the legendary group's music will be featured in the lucrative video game market in a deal with MTV Games and Harmonix, creators of the "Rock Band" series. The game is scheduled to make its debut sometime next year, according to a statement Thursday.

"The project is a fun idea which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out," said Paul McCartney.

Ringo Starr added: "The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time and how wonderful that The Beatles' legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in. Let the games commence."

The video game has become a key and profitable market for musical acts to expose their music to fans; some bands have debuted their music via video games.

New CD Releases, October 28: The Cure, John Legend, Pink, Toby Keith, and Snow Patrol

The Cure "4:13 Dream" (Geffen)

The legendary modern-rock troupe is set to release its 13th full-length album. The offering, "4:13 Dream," is The Cure's first collection of new music since 2004's "The Cure."

The band, which consists of iconic vocalist Robert Smith, guitarist Porl Thompson, bassist Simon Gallup and drummer Jason Cooper, has already given fans a healthy taste of the new album. Since May, The Cure has released four singles from "4:13 Dream": "The Only One," "Freakshow," "Sleep When I'm Dead" and "The Perfect Boy."

The group reportedly recorded 33 songs for "4:13 Dream" and originally intended to release it as a double album. As it turned out, the single-disc work due to hit record stores features only 13 tracks, which has led some to speculate that a companion piece to "4:13 Dream" might be in the cards.

* * *
John Legend "Evolver" (Sony)

The Ohio-born R&B star drops the follow-up to 2006's "Once Again." The first single from "Evolver" is the track "Green Light," which hit radio waves in late July.

"Evolver" features guest appearances by OutKast's Andre 3000, hip-hop/soul singer Estelle, pop singer Brandy and rapper Kanye West, who also lends his skills on the production end, along with Will.I.Am and The Neptunes.

Hopefully, all of that will help "Evolver" meet, or exceed, the high expectations set with "Once Again." That earlier offering helped further establish Legend as one of soul's top vocalists; it sold more than 231,000 copies during its first week in stores, entered The Billboard 200 album chart at No. 3, peaked at No. 1 on the R&B Album chart and earned the singer a Grammy award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance (for "Heaven").

Legend will support "Evolver" with a 14-city tour, which kicks off Nov. 19 in Minneapolis and continues through mid-December. The singer's Columbia Records labelmate, Raphael Saadiq, will provide opening support on all dates.

* * *
Pink "Funhouse" (La Face)

The Grammy-winning pop vocalist returns with her fifth studio album, which follows 2006's platinum-certified "I'm Not Dead."

"Funhouse" features the blockbuster single "So What," which was released in August and has already topped the charts in the US and several other countries.

The next single is said to be the track "Sober," which was co-written by Pink and No Doubt's Tony Kanal.

* * *
Toby Keith "That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy" (Show Dog)

The country mega-star, known for such hit singles as "Beer for My Horses" and "As Good as I Once Was," obviously likes to stay busy. His many activities include touring, making movies, playing for US troops and running a record label and a restaurant chain.

Now, Keith makes time to release his 13th studio album, "That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy," which follows the 2007 chart-topper "Big Dog Daddy." The first single from the album is the hit ballad "She Never Cried In Front of Me."

With "That Don't Make Me a Bad Guy," Keith adds a new feather to his cowboy cap: record producer. The effort marks the first time that Keith has produced an entire album himself.

* * *
Snow Patrol "A Hundred Million Suns" (Geffen)

The Grammy-nominated alt-rock troupe from Scotland offers up its fifth studio album. "A Hundred Millions Suns," a follow-up to 2006's "Eyes Open," was recorded with producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee," who recently helmed R.E.M.'s "Accelerate."

* * *
More new releases:
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, "Cardinology" (Lost Highway)
Bloc Party, "Intimacy" (Atlantic)
Celtic Woman, "The Greatest Journey: Essential Collection" (Manhattan)
Cradle of Filth, "Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder" (Roadrunner)
Celine Dion, "My Love--Ultimate Essential Collection" (Sony)
Kaiser Chiefs, "Off With Their Heads" (Motown)
Loreena McKennitt, "A Midwinter Night's Dream" (Universal))
The Partridge Family, "Bulletin Board" (Collector's Choice)
Queen, "The Cosmos Rocks" (Hollywood)
Rascal Flatts, "Greatest Hits Volume 1" (Lyric Street)
Boz Scaggs, "Speak Low" (Decca0
Straight No Chaser, "Holiday Spirits" (Atlantic)
Susan Tedeschi, "Back to the River" (Verve)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Quantum of Solace" (J-Records)
"Wicked: 5th Anniversary Special Edition" (Decca)

The Beatles Onboard With 'Rock Band'

It looks like the Beatles are coming to top-selling video game "Rock Band."

The Beatles' Apple Corps Ltd. and MTV have scheduled a press teleconference tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. ET to announce "an exclusive agreement to develop a global music project."

Although the announcement does not offer details on the agreement, representatives for the Beatles have been talking to MTV's "Rock Band" team for months.

If a deal is signed, "Rock Band" will have secured two of the top-selling catalog bands of all time for versions of the game. AC/DC recently became the subject of a "Rock Band Track Pack," featuring 18 live versions of hits like "Thunderstruck and "Back in Black." The title, like the band's new album, "Black Ice," is a Wal-Mart exclusive.

Both AC/DC and the Beatles remain absent from digital music services,
including the iTunes Music Store, AmazonMP3 and others.

MTV declined to comment.

Official: David Tennant Leaving DW After TV Specials

David Tennant will be leaving Doctor Who at the conclusion of the 2009 specials currently in production, the actor announced live on stage this evening at the National Television Awards.

The Guardian newspaper this evening broke the story prematurely, reporting on their website (in a report subsequently pulled down) that Tennant is "vacating the TARDIS and leaving the BBC's Doctor Who series at the end of next year. Tennant's decision brings to an end his popular four-year tenure as the time lord." The article went on to say that the BBC had confirmed that the actor "would complete the filming of four special episodes to be screened this year and in early 2010, as well as 2009's Christmas special."

The BBC Doctor Who website has now posted the full news: "I've had the most brilliant, bewildering and life changing time working on Doctor Who. I have loved every day of it," the actor says. "It would be very easy to cling on to the TARDIS console forever and I fear that if I don't take a deep breath and make the decision to move on now, then I simply never will. ... I'm still the Doctor all next year but when the time finally comes I'll be honoured to hand on the best job in the world to the next lucky git - whoever that may be."

Tennant added that he "always thought the time to leave would be in conjunction with Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner who have been such a huge part of it all for me. Steven Moffat is the most brilliant and exciting writer, the only possible successor to Russell and it was sorely tempting to be part of his amazing new plans for the show. I will be there, glued to my TV when his stories begin in 2010." He furthermore says that he feels "very privileged to have been part of this incredible phenomenon, and whilst I'm looking forward to new challenges I know I'll always be very proud to be the Tenth Doctor." Says Russell T Davies, "I've been lucky and honoured to work with David over the past few years - and it's not over yet, the Tenth Doctor still has five spectacular hours left! After which, I might drop an anvil on his head. Or maybe a piano. A radioactive piano. But we're planning the most enormous and spectacular ending, so keep watching!"

Says the BBC News site, Tennant is quoted as saying, "I love this part, and I love this show so much that if I don't take a deep breath and move on now I never will, and you'll be wheeling me out of the Tardis in my bath chair." Tennant also says, "I think it's better to go when there's a chance that people might miss you, rather than to hang around and outstay your welcome," he said.

Tennant will appear in this year's Christmas special, as well as four specials being produced for 2009 and 2010 airdates by executive producers Russell T Davies and Julie Gardner. Tennant confirmed to BBC News that the four specials for 2009/2010 will be "the four last stories that I do." New incoming executive producer Steven Moffat will then take over the series with new leads as the show returns for a normal, fifth series of episodes in 2010.

More details as they come in...

Robert Downey Jr. Going the Distance With Iron Man

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Here's some Stark reality for you.

The rejuvenated Robert Downey Jr. has inked an extensive deal with Marvel Studios that will have him not only suiting up for two more Iron Man films but also reprising the role of Tony Stark and his heavy-metal alter ego in the upcoming superhero all-stars film The Avengers, reports Variety.

While planning for Iron Man 2 has been in full swing for some time, with the most recent announcement being that Don Cheadle will be playing Col. James Rhodes instead of Terrence Howard, Marvel had not confirmed that Downey and director Jon Favreau would be back.

Well, not only will Favreau be behind the camera again, but he will also serve as a producer on The Avengers, featuring the Marvel characters Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor (and not to be confused with the laughable 1998 film of the same name starring Ralph Fiennes and Uma Thurman).

But really, why wouldn't he and Downey want to give it another go?

In addition to mainly positive reviews, Iron Man grossed nearly $580 million worldwide, and sequel talk began before the movie had earned even half as much.

Iron Man 2 is currently slated for a May 7, 2010, release, while The Avengers is tentatively set to unspool July 15, 2011.

Downey, who after Iron Man made a splash this summer in the raunchy Tropic Thunder, is currently in London shooting his role as the titular sleuth in Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes, costarring Jude Law and Rachel McAdams.

BNL's frontman avoids jail time

FAYETTEVILLE, N.Y. - Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page apologized to his fans, friends and family Tuesday and expressed gratitude to those who secured a deal that will result in an acquittal on drug possession charges as long as he stays out of trouble for six months.

Extensive negotiations between the Onondaga County District Attorney's office and lawyers for Page, his girlfriend Christine Benedicto and her roommate Stephanie Ford resulted in a "very favourable" deal for the trio, said Judge Thomas Miller.

All three received a so-called "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal" ruling, which means the charges against them will be dismissed in six months time if they aren't arrested again, receive therapy and pass drug screening, Miller said.

Page, 38, Benedicto and Ford were charged with drug possession in July after police found cocaine at a Fayetteville apartment. Benedicto was 27 at the time of the arrests, while Ford was 25.

After the court hearing, a calm, stern-looking Page read a statement to the media and said he hopes to prove himself to be a productive and law-abiding member of society.

"The respect and responsibility I have earned over the course of my life and my career thus far are important to me and I am moving forward from this with gratitude and with hope," Page said.

"I also apologize to all of those I have hurt or embarrassed during this episode."

When asked what he learned from the experience, Page declined to answer any questions.

He also expressed thanks for the support he received in the difficulty times after his arrest went public and the media scrutinized every detail of his case.

Almost a dozen TV cameras from Canadian and American networks were in the small-town court to cover the case on Tuesday.

"It has meant a great deal to me to be shown the impact I have on others' lives," he said.

"From people on the street who've stopped me to share their support and encouragement, to those friends and loved ones closest to me who've opened their homes and their hearts, I am deeply moved and thankful. The greatest gift a person can know is to not go through their life alone and I am fortunate enough to have been afforded that gift."

Page's lawyer, Mark Mahoney, said the ruling the co-accuseds received is common in New York state and he's confident they will escape from the incident with an unblemished record.

"We are very appreciative of the fact the district attorney's office... was sensitive to the fact that this was simply a charge of possession, everyone has a clean record and the exemplary performance of all the accused since the time of the arrest," he said.

The deal also means Page will have no problems crossing the border into the United States and his case won't affect his band's future, Mahoney added.

Page's arrest came just months after Barenaked Ladies released an album of children's music called "Snacktime."

Police in Fayetteville said the arrests were made after they spotted a suspiciously parked car with its driver-side door open. They knocked on the door of the apartment where the car was parked and were invited inside by Page and Ford.

Ford said in a statement to police filed with the court that she and Page had snorted a white powder she assumed to be cocaine using a rolled-up Canadian bill.

A separate court document says Page told police: "Yeah, it's cocaine."

Page pleaded not guilty and on Tuesday, Mahoney said his charges had been reduced from felonies to misdemeanours after laboratory analysis of the white powder revealed it to be a low quantity and quality of cocaine.

After Page's arrest, Barenaked Ladies cancelled an appearance at a children's benefit concert organized by Disney in Long Island, N.Y.

Recently, the band announced two concerts for kids and three Christmas-themed shows in Toronto and Ottawa in December.

Born in Toronto, Page met Barenaked Ladies bandmate Ed Robertson in school. In the late 1980s, the pair began performing acoustic sets injected with humour at various university campuses.

They were eventually joined by other band members - including Tyler Stewart, Jim Creeggan and Kevin Hearn.

Their hits have included "If I Had A Million Dollars," "Brian Wilson" and "The Old Apartment."

Last year, Page reportedly separated from his wife of almost 15 years. The couple have three children.

'Mad Men' flying high -- except in the ratings

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- "Mad Men" draws a slice of viewers as slender as Don Draper's 1960s neckties, yet the TV drama unquestionably is all the rage.

There was a "Mad Men"-themed category last week on "Jeopardy!" along with an online game. A "Mad Men" homage is tucked like a fancy chocolate treat into the November 2 Halloween episode of "The Simpsons."

Fashion designer Michael Kors cited "Mad Men" as an inspiration. The show's beautifully retro-styled stars are on magazine covers. A "Mad Men" DVD was spotted at the elbow of Barack Obama aboard his campaign plane.

Jon Hamm, who stars as New York ad man Draper, was picked to host NBC's "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, the night before the AMC series concludes its second season (10 p.m. EDT Sunday).

And, no small point, "Mad Men" was crowned best drama at this year's Emmy Awards, the first basic cable show to claim top series honors. Shy of being pumped into the water supply, "Mad Men" is everywhere -- except on most people's TV sets.

About 1.5 million U.S. viewers tune in weekly, with another half-million watching later on DVRs. That compares with the 19 million-plus audience for last week's No. 1 program, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" on CBS.

Doesn't matter. It's "Mad Men" that's permeating the zeitgeist.

"It's been great. It's been amazing. Do you have a theory about why it is?" asks series creator and executive producer Matthew Weiner, sounding both delighted and overwhelmed.

"It's hard to break out from basic cable. ... I had no foresight I would get articles sent to me from friends where it's become an adjective, or involved in the presidential election," Weiner said. "And there's the rest of it: 'Why don't we dress that way? Why don't people have better manners?' "

So how does a period drama -- albeit a really cool one with a great-looking cast -- end up being so influential? Let's check with an expert for answers (caution: references to both "elite" and "intellectual" follow).

It's a recurring phenomenon, said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.

"It happens in literature all the time," Thompson said. "Everyone knows about Herman Melville's 'Moby-Dick,' but a tiny percentage of the population has read it. But we all know about it and it's highly influential in American literature."

Television isn't exempt. Consider the 1987-91 drama "thirtysomething," which never attained hit ratings but influenced fashion, language and the look of commercials. Or "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," which Thompson calls an important part of the civic conversation despite its small audience.

"You get one of those programs that grip the elite intellectual minority, the people that are writing and about talking about culture, and the influence extends a lot further than the actual audience would indicate," he said.

In the case of "Mad Men," it's deserved: Thompson calls the show "brilliant" and a gift to television (both here and abroad, where it's widely distributed).

Al Jean, executive producer of Fox's "The Simpsons," pronounces himself a "Mad Men" devotee.

"My wife and I were huge 'Sopranos' fans," Jean said, citing the HBO show that Weiner wrote for. "When 'The Sopranos' ended, we were really jonesing for a show like that."

It was Jean's inspiration to adapt the animated title sequence of "Mad Men" for a segment of The Simpsons" annual Halloween trilogy titled "How to Get Ahead in Dead-Vertising."

In the drama's opening, a sleek, silhouetted figure (presumably Draper) carries a briefcase into his high-rise office and then is seen tumbling in free-fall past images of ads and slogans ("Enjoy the best America has to offer").

"The Simpsons" version plays to the haunting theme music of "Mad Men." A rotund, lunchbox-carrying figure, undoubtedly Homer Simpson, enters a living room and then floats past windows bearing Springfield-centric displays that include a Duff Beer ad.

The long-running animated show always is laden with pop culture references but, says Jean, only those with heft.

"We want to make sure that when people watch these shows 10 years in the future" they'll get the joke, Jean said. He's convinced "Mad Men" will be "well-remembered. It's just a great show."

Rewarding followers, AMC's drama has become even more dramatically and emotionally rich in its second season as its vibrant characters push against self-imposed and social limits. Meanwhile, the world quivers with approaching change.

"Mad Men," which started in 1960, fast-fowarded in season two to 1962, the year that Marilyn Monroe died (the secretarial pool at the Sterling Cooper agency was in tears) and nuclear destruction loomed.

When he planned the season and its finale, Weiner decided it was "going to be about the end of the world," a theme he knew would echo with viewers even before the economic crisis hit.

But "Mad Men" is more than social commentary; it's a dazzling and intimate chronicle of specific lives and a visual tour de force.

"If you're lucky, (a show) resonates on more than one level. If it's just, `I wish I could dress like that, 'I hate Pete Campbell,' 'Jon Hamm is so handsome,' " that's OK, Weiner said. "I'd love to have people welcome it on any level they want to."

All they have to do is watch.

`High School Musical' graduates to No. 1 with $42M

LOS ANGELES – Crazed killer Jigsaw has been done in by a bunch of singing and dancing teens.

Disney's "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" hoofed its way to the top of the weekend box office class with $42 million, while Lionsgate's horror sequel "Saw V" had to settle for second place with $30.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

A big-screen sequel to the Disney Channel TV movies, "High School Musical 3" had a record opening for a song-and-dance flick, easily beating the previous best of $27.8 million, set last summer by "Mamma Mia!"

"High School Musical 3" and "Saw V" combined to send Hollywood revenues soaring. The top 12 movies took in $120.5 million, up 41 percent from the same weekend last year, when "Saw IV" led the weekend with a $31.8 million debut.

"It was good vs. evil at the box office, and both won," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box office tracker Media By Numbers. "That combination of a G-rated and an R-rated movie, both chasing completely different audiences, proved to be a huge success."

"Saw V" pulled in about the same amount of cash over opening weekend as the last three flicks in the franchise about the diabolical Jigsaw, but it was the first that failed to finish at No. 1 since the original "Saw" debuted in third place in 2004.

The horror crowd was simply outnumbered by young fans and their parents turning up to see how senior year played out for the "High School Musical" cast — led by Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Lucas Grabeel and Corbin Bleu.

Mark Zoradi, president of Disney's motion-picture group, said the continuing story of lovebirds Troy and Gabriella played largely to the TV audience of young girls, though the big-screen version also broadened the "High School Musical" fan base.

"There's no question there's a female skew to it and a family skew to it," Zoradi said. "The movie is working not only to that core preteen audience, but also aging up a little bit and also bringing in some boys."

"High School Musical 3" also pulled in $40 million in 19 other countries where it has opened, among them Great Britain, Germany and Spain.

The weekend's other new wide release, the Warner Bros. police saga "Pride and Glory," opened weakly with $6.3 million to come in at No. 5. "Pride and Glory" stars Edward Norton and Colin Farrell in a tale of corruption among a family of New York City cops.

The previous weekend's No. 1 flick, 20th Century Fox's action tale "Max Payne," fell to third place with $7.6 million, raising its 10-day total to $29.7 million.

Clint Eastwood's "Changeling," starring Angelina Jolie as a single mom tormented by police handling the investigation of her missing son, got off to a healthy start with $502,000 in limited release. It played in 15 theaters to averaged a strong $33,441 a cinema, compared to $11,593 in 3,623 theaters for "High School Musical 3." Distributor Universal expands "Changeling" into nationwide release Friday.

Also in limited release, Sony Pictures Classics' "Synecdoche, New York" had a solid opening of $172,926 in nine theaters, averaging $19,214. It stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as a writer staging a mammoth theater production that fills warehouses, and the directing debut of screenwriter Charlie Kaufman ("Being John Malkovich").

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. "High School Musical 3," $42 million.
2. "Saw V," $30.5 million.
3. "Max Payne," $7.6 million.
4. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," $6.9 million.
5. "Pride and Glory," $6.3 million.
6. "The Secret Life of Bees," $5.9 million.
7. "W.", $5.3 million.
8. "Eagle Eye," $5.1 million.
9. "Body of Lies," $4.1 million.
10. "Quarantine," $2.6 million.

Live from New York, it's Amy Poehler's baby

NEW YORK – "Saturday Night Live" just won't be the same without Amy Poehler — who gave birth to a son hours before the "Baby Mama" star was to appear on the NBC show.

The live show's parody news anchor was missing from her spot alongside Seth Myers on "Weekend Update" because she gave birth earlier Saturday.

On behalf of Poehler and her husband, Will Arnett, "I can confirm that Amy gave birth to Archie Arnett on Saturday," read a statement from Poehler's spokesman, Lewis Kay.

The baby was born early Saturday evening in New York, weighing 8 pounds, 1 ounce.

Mother and child were "healthy and resting comfortably," according to the statement.

Poehler, who performed on Thursday night's special edition of "SNL" and is known for playing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, was rehearsing the show until Friday. She also starred opposite Tina Fey in this year's "Baby Mama" as a working class girl who agrees to be a surrogate mother for a single businesswoman.

The Couch Potato Report - October 25th, 2008

This week The Couch Potato Report peels a Canadian made documentary, a HULK, and four films to get you ready for Halloween!

The huge summer blockbuster THE INCREDIBLE HULK is new on DVD this week...but I will be telling you about that one last this morning.

Even though this new HULK movie was primarily filmed in Toronto, I have a different movie with a Canadian connection that I have made this week's HOT POTATO.

This one is called UP THE YANGTZE and it is a documentary by Chinese-Canadian director Yung Chang.

The film focuses on people affected by the building of the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze river in China.

Even as I speak with you, engineers are constructing the largest dam in the world across the great Yangtzee. When finished, it will produce the energy of 15 nuclear power plants.

To China's leaders, the dam is the greatest engineering feat since the construction of the Great Wall, but to critics worldwide, it is a social and environmental disaster.

During the planning stages in the 1990s it was estimated that 1.13 million residents would be forced to relocate due to the construction of The Three Gorges Dam, however the final number - as of June - was 1.24 million.

UP THE YANGTZE focuses on the transition that is required of some of the peasant farmers who live in areas that were flooded as China develops this rural area, and it also shows us how others are benefitting from the Dam.

It also takes us aboard a cruise ship to meet some of the tourists who are flocking to the area before it is no more.

UP THE YANGTZE is very interesting from start to finish, but it is a film that contains so many people's stories that it can't help but leave you wanting more.

Personally, I wanted to see how more farmers were relocating and how they are coping in new homes, especially at one point, when a displaced farmer says about the Dam: "It is beneficial for China, but I don't think it will do me any good."

I also wanted to see more of this massive Dam...but, all that said, I still highly recommend UP THE YANGTZEE to you, this is a very engaging movie.

Today is October 25th, the last Couch Potato Report before Halloween, so to help get you ready, I have four movies to suggest...starting with the claustrophobic and fantastic terror film THE STRANGERS.

Yes, you heard me right. I didn't refer to THE STRANGERS as a horror...this is a terror film!

Three strangers, their faces hidden behind masks force the young couple in this film to go beyond what either of them thought capable in order to survive, and I loved every minute of it.

THE STRANGERS is creepy, and it features some fantastic frights. If you - or someone you love - enjoys these types of films, turn off the lights, sit close on the couch and enjoy!!

If modern day terror, or horror films aren't your cup of tea, and you prefer the way they used to make 'em, then you are also in luck heading into Halloween as well because three of Alfred Hitchcock's classic films have just been re-released in spectacular Two-Disc SPECIAL EDITIONS.

Get ready to re-admire REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO and PSYCHO.

The 1960 film PSYCHO is about a young woman who steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and then meets Norman Bates, a motel proprietor who is under the domination of his mother.

In 1958's VERTIGO a San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend's wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.

And in the great 1954 film REAR WINDOW a wheelchair bound photographer spies on his neighbours from his apartment window and becomes convinced one of them has committed murder.

All three of these SPECIAL EDITIONS allow the films to look better than they ever have before, and they also feature a wealth of extras...incluidng some facts I guarantee that you have never even thought about before!

If you like old school scares, REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO and PSYCHO are fantastic films by a master filmmaker, and as you may suspect, I do highly recommend all three!!

Oh, and happy Halloween!!

Finally this week...THE INCREDIBLE HULK!

This made-in-Toronto summer blockbuster stars Edward Norton and the great Liv Tyler and it is not a sequel to the 2003 film HULK, it is a reboot...and it is good based on characters from a comic book movie fun!

Unlike the previous film, this one gives you the plot set up - a scientist is exposed to a deadly amount of gamma rays and as such becomes a huge, green Hulk whenever he gets mad - during the opening credits, and then it is on to the mayhem as Bruce Banner is on the run from General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross, and forced to fight a creature known as the Abomination.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK is just a pure adrenaline rush of a based-on-a-comic-book movie, and it is also fun! If you think you will enjoy it, give it a a chance, because I think you will!

Especially if you have been a fan of the character, either since the character first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #1 in May 1962, or because you grew up with the television show THE INCREDIBLE HULK that was based on the comic books of the same name ran from 1978 to 1982 and starred Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno.

If you are a fan of the TV show, there is a new 20 disc box set that may appeal to you, it is THE INCREDIBLE HULK - THE COMPLETE SERIES, and it has all five seasons of the show, and some great special features!

For true believers, it is a must have!!

THE INCREDIBLE HULK - THE COMPLETE SERIES, the very enjoyable 2008 version of THE INCREDIBLE HULK, Alfred Hitchcock's immortal thrillers REAR WINDOW, VERTIGO and PSYCHO, the exceptional terror film THE STRANGERS and the documentary UP THE YANGTZE are all available now on DVD.

Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report

Brendan Fraser stars in the family film JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH and SIDNEY CROSBY - ON THE ICE AND BEYOND takes us behind the scenes of Sid The Kid's 2007-2008 NHL season

Plus, I will tell you about releases featuring LOU REED, B-BOYs, THE SMURFS, and THE COMPLETE THIRD SEASON of ROBOT CHICKEN.

I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next time on The Couch!

Stompin' Tom speaks up for patriotism

HALTON HILLS, Ont. - Country-folk legend Stompin' Tom Connors has established himself as one of Canada's biggest cultural icons, but as he prepares to release his 50th album he says he is still yearning to be embraced by radio.

The 72-year-old musician lashed out at traditional radio in a recent interview that also touched on his ongoing beef with the Junos, his disappointment with a U.S.-dominated music industry and the lack of a strong successor to continue his patriotic musical campaign.

"I've never had a hit song on any hit parade," Connors declares while seated at a table in his kitchen, his eyes shaded by a signature black cowboy hat.

"Out of 50 albums, it's amazing. They tell me I don't fit the format or I'm too Canadian or I'm too country or I'm too this or I'm too that - I'm too something. Whatever it is, I don't fit the format. So I don't understand."

"I'm a man of the land, I go out into the country and I talk to people. ... And I would think that people in the media would kind of catch on and go, 'Hey, this guy knows a little bit about the country, maybe we should play one of his songs or two and maybe somebody might like it out there."'

It was a rare flash of bitterness from the jovial and friendly Connors, who earlier had spent much of the day entertaining record company staff and reporters with "Newfie jokes," a silly dance he had invented and stories about his upcoming album, "The Ballad of Stompin' Tom," in his wood-panelled rec room.

With his son Tom Jr. working the bar and his wife Lena shaking hands, Connors introduced some of his favourite tracks for several dozen people invited to his home in rural Halton Hills, an hour's drive west of Toronto, for a casual listening party.

Chain-smoking and with a bottle of beer in hand, Connors stomped his left boot to keep time as music blasted from a stereo, and at other moments silently mouthed the lyrics. The disc includes a live version of "Take Me Back to Old Alberta" and reworked versions of "The Hockey Song," "My Hockey Mom" and "The Olympic Song."

"Maybe they'll get a little patriotism or something on that last song and . . . play a little bit (on the radio) - who knows," he said of "The Olympic Song," which includes a new verse about the 2010 Winter Games slated for Vancouver.

Although wide commercial appeal has escaped Connors for much of his four-decade career, he has earned a devoted following for straight-ahead country-folk tunes.

Heritage-soaked songs like "Canada Day, Up Canada Way," "Bud the Spud" and "Sudbury Saturday Night" have come to be regarded as veritable national anthems thanks to their unabashed embrace of all things Canadiana. The fact he remains a towering figure in this genre appeared to be another sore point.

"I don't know why I seem to be the only one, or almost the only one, writing about this country," Connors says later in his kitchen, slipping into another rant.

"It just amazes me, I've been going so long I would think that somebody else (would have) picked up the torch a long time ago and started writing tons of songs about this country. This country is the most underwritten country in the world as far as songs are concerned. We starve - the people in this country are starving for songs about their homeland."

In the past, Connors's fervent patriotism has put him at loggerheads with the Canadian music industry.

In 1978 he famously returned six Juno Awards he had amassed in previous years, complaining that some artists were being recognized in categories outside their genre while other winners had done most of their work outside the country. He derided musicians who moved to the United States as "border jumpers."

Connors says his feelings have not changed since then.

"It's worse today, I would say, then it was then. Nothing's changed," he says.

If he were to qualify for a nomination for "The Ballad of Stompin' Tom," he dismissed outright the possibility of a reconciliation with the Juno Awards.

"No," he says decisively. "No, to hell with them. I wouldn't even go there."

From Connors's earliest days, life was a battle.

He was born in Saint John, N.B., on Feb. 9, 1936, to an unwed teenage mother. From the age of three he lived hand-to-mouth, begging on the street with his mom until he was placed in the care of child welfare officials. At age nine he was adopted by a family in Skinners Pond, P.E.I., running away four years later to hitchhike across the country. He picked up a guitar as his constant companion.

Connors sings about those tumultuous years on the new disc's title track, "The Ballad of Stompin' Tom." He says he was inspired after seeing the success of the play of the same name, mounted in Blyth, Ont., two years ago. Based on his two autobiographies, "Before the Fame" and "The Connors Tone," the play has gone on to successful runs in Charlottetown and the Ontario communities of Penetanguishene, Drayton and Gananoque.

Connors says it was difficult for him to put those painful experiences into a song. Even during the listening session, the rugged troubadour appeared choked up as he listened quietly to lyrics such as: "When the long road took us back to Saint John, momma cried / That night the strong arm of the law tore me from her side."

"It's a hard song to write," he said afterwards, his voice faltering slightly.

Connors says he was able to reconnect with his mother as an adult, but by then relations were strained irreparably. He says she died "at a ripe old age."

"When you don't know somebody, even your own mother, it's awful hard to relate," he says.

And although she was proud of his immense musical success, Connors says his mother rejected repeated offers of assistance.

"She was one of these people that if she ever got the idea that you were giving her something she'd pick up the frying pan and throw it at you," he says.

As for the incredible journey his life has taken, Connors refuses to revel in his accomplishments.

"You can't pat yourself on the back," he says. "If you're liked by the people, let them do it. Don't go about saying, 'Hey, I am somebody, I am this, I am that...' No, you'll never get that out of me.

"Whatever I do, in my writing, I do it for others. I do it for my country and I do it for my countrymen and that's the only value that I really have."

"The Ballad of Stompin' Tom" comes out Tuesday.

Quantum Of Solace Director Hated The Title Too!

You probably remember your exact reaction when you heard the title of the latest James Bond movie: Huh? Quantum of Solace isn't exactly the simplest title, or the easiest to understand-- it's no Octopussy, that's for sure. But who would have guessed the movie's director felt exactly the way you did?

"I was like, 'Quantum of Solace, what's that about?'" Marc Forster told a group of journalists in New York today. He said the movie's producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson brought the title to him, and it never came from the screenwriter Paul Haggis. Mentioning its origins in an original Ian Fleming short story, Forster explained, "It's one of the last few titles left. There are only two more after that that Fleming ever used."

Ever the diplomat, though, Forster said he eventually came around to the title. "At the beginning it took me a little while to get used to it. But it kind of grew on me."

Quantum of Solace will be released in the U.S. on Nov. 14. Check back here that week for more from Forster as well as the latest Bond girl, Olga Kurylenko.

Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother slain in Chicago

CHICAGO – The mother and brother of Jennifer Hudson were found shot dead Friday at a South Side home, and police were looking for a missing child who is the nephew of the singer and Oscar-winning actress.

"We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation concerning the deaths of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson," Hudson's personal publicist, Lisa Kasteler, said in a statement. "No further comment will be made and the family has asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time."

Police spokeswoman Monique Bond said the deaths appeared to be the result of domestic abuse.

Deputy Chief Joseph Patterson said a family member entered the home around 3 p.m. Friday, found a woman shot on the living room floor and left to notify authorities. Responding officers found a man shot in the bedroom, Patterson said. There was no sign of forced entry.

Police tape blocked access to the large, white house, where a crowd gathered outside.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for 7-year-old Julian King and were seeking a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban. The child was the grandson of the female victim, Patterson said.

The alert said the child was possibly abducted and could be accompanied by a man named William Balfour — considered armed and dangerous — who was a suspect in the double homicide investigation. Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show Balfour, 27, who has not been charged with a crime, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.

The two could also be in a teal or green Chrysler Concorde with a temporary license plate, a left front headlight hanging out and scratches on the left side of the vehicle, police said.

The tragedy comes as Hudson, who grew up in Chicago, continues to reach new heights in her career. Her song "Spotlight" is No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop charts and her recently released, self-tiled debut album has been a top seller. She was featured in this year's blockbuster "Sex and the City" movie and is also starring in the hit film "The Secret Life of Bees."

She won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in 2007 for her role in "Dreamgirls." In an interview last year with Vogue, Hudson credited her mother with encouraging her to audition for "American Idol," which launched her career.

The singer, whose father died when she was a teenager, described herself as very close to her family. In a recent AP interview she said her family, which includes older siblings Julia and Jason, helped keep her grounded.

"My faith in God and my family, they're very realistic and very normal, they're not into the whole limelight kind of thing, so when I go home to Chicago that's just another place that's home," she said. "I stand in line with everybody else, or, when I go home to my mom I'm just Jennifer, (so she says), 'You get up and you take care of your own stuff.' And I love that; I don't like when people tell you everything you want to hear, I want to hear the truth, you know what I mean."

Hudson recently announced her engagement to David Otunga, best known for his stint on VH1's reality show "I Love New York."

Hudson's representatives would not disclose her whereabouts Friday. She had been scheduled to appear Monday in Los Angeles to collect an ensemble cast honor at the Hollywood Awards for "The Secret Life of Bees" with co-stars including Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning.

From Scranton to Winnipeg: The Office goes north

Winnipeg is about to take a star turn in the offbeat TV comedy The Office.

An episode scheduled to air Nov. 13 has star Steve Carell, in his role as office manager Michael Scott, taking a business trip to the windy capital of Manitoba.

Emmy-winning writer Brent Forrester chose Winnipeg as a suitable destination for the cringe-inducing boss of fictional paper firm Dunder Mifflin.

"It seemed like Montreal was maybe too exotic and Vancouver also a little maybe too conventionally sexy, and Winnipeg seemed to strike the right balance between exotic and obscure," he told CBC News in an interview from Los Angeles.

"In fact, some people on our staff have named it the Scranton of Canada in a way — a nice kind of analogy to where Michael is from."

Office underling characters Oscar Nunez and Andy Bernard make the trip to Winnipeg with Michael. The episode centres around Michael having an affair with the concierge at a hotel in the city.

"Michael Scott is trying to turn Winnipeg into a city of international intrigue in his mind so much that he wants this business trip to be all it's cracked up to be. We sort of imagined that Winnipeg in November was not Paris in summer, so it's a little colder and a little lonelier than he hopes," Forrester said.

Episode shot in California

Carell and the rest of the cast and crew actually never set foot on Canadian soil.

The whole episode was shot in the Los Angeles area, with the aid of some background footage and a shipment of Canadiana from Destination Winnipeg.

The show's propmaster contacted the Winnipeg tourism promotion agency, which sent along airport baggage tags, shopping bags from The Bay, Old Dutch potato chips, Fort Garry brewing company paraphernalia and other distinctive items.

In consolation to fans of The Office who had hoped to see its stars in Winnipeg, Los Angeles also stands in for Scranton, Penn., the supposed location of the office featured in the NBC sitcom.

Forrester says the show, the U.S. version of a British sitcom of the same name, has too tight a budget to move locations.

"We know it's cold and we know, if we had the budget, we would have put a lot more snow in the shots," he said.

"The episode is supposed to represent Michael travelling in November, when presumably you would have a bit of snow there, but it turns out snow is incredibly expensive and difficult to create, especially in downtown Los Angeles, which is where we filmed our fake Winnipeg."

The show is known for its irreverent humour and improvisational acting.

"I would think there would be a joke or two at our expense, but I think we'll laugh," said Jody Tresoor of Destination Winnipeg, who helped send Winnipeg artifacts to Los Angeles for the shoot.

"We have a really good sense of humour over here and we're willing to accept the jokes, but we're really curious," she told CBC News.

Beastie Boys In The 'Middle' Of New Album

As the Beastie Boys prepare to begin their barnstorming Get Out and Vote tour, the group is also at work on the follow-up to the 2007 instrumental album "The Mix-Up."

"We're actually in the middle of recording it right now," group member Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz tells Billboard. "We hope to have it out sometime next year. It's a lot of vocals, a lot of words -- very wordy. And it's political, depending on what you call political. You know, if toilet talk and fart jokes are political, which they can be, in that sense yeah, very."

Any chance of new material getting played on the "Get Out and Vote 08" tour? "I don't think so," Horovitz laughs. "It's always weird when you play the new songs that people don't know. Anytime we play new songs, it always seems like a brick."

Horovitz says the decision to stage Get Out and Vote came down to the simple fact that in the last presidential election, 70 million registered voters didn't make to the polls.

"70 million people is a lot of people to not vote," Horovitz says. "So this all happened really quick, like a month or so ago and within the past few weeks, literally. We were just stressing on what to do and then we were like, 'We're a band and we play shows, so let's go to these swing states.' We thought it would be a good idea to get people to vote.

"Basically, we just called a bunch of people and asked them if they wanted to play," he says. "It's literally like, whoever called us back (is on the tour)."

The seven-date trek begins Oct. in Charlotte, N.C., and runs through Nov. 2 in Denver. Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Crosby & Nash, Santogold and Tenacious D will play in different incarnations throughout. Horovitz says the Beasties also reached out to De La Soul, Nas, Nine Inch Nails and Moby, but those acts were unable to participate for scheduling reasons.

Beastie Boys In The 'Middle' Of New Album

As the Beastie Boys prepare to begin their barnstorming Get Out and Vote tour, the group is also at work on the follow-up to the 2007 instrumental album "The Mix-Up."

"We're actually in the middle of recording it right now," group member Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz tells Billboard. "We hope to have it out sometime next year. It's a lot of vocals, a lot of words -- very wordy. And it's political, depending on what you call political. You know, if toilet talk and fart jokes are political, which they can be, in that sense yeah, very."

Any chance of new material getting played on the "Get Out and Vote 08" tour? "I don't think so," Horovitz laughs. "It's always weird when you play the new songs that people don't know. Anytime we play new songs, it always seems like a brick."

Horovitz says the decision to stage Get Out and Vote came down to the simple fact that in the last presidential election, 70 million registered voters didn't make to the polls.

"70 million people is a lot of people to not vote," Horovitz says. "So this all happened really quick, like a month or so ago and within the past few weeks, literally. We were just stressing on what to do and then we were like, 'We're a band and we play shows, so let's go to these swing states.' We thought it would be a good idea to get people to vote.

"Basically, we just called a bunch of people and asked them if they wanted to play," he says. "It's literally like, whoever called us back (is on the tour)."

The seven-date trek begins Oct. in Charlotte, N.C., and runs through Nov. 2 in Denver. Sheryl Crow, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Crosby & Nash, Santogold and Tenacious D will play in different incarnations throughout. Horovitz says the Beasties also reached out to De La Soul, Nas, Nine Inch Nails and Moby, but those acts were unable to participate for scheduling reasons.

'Sky's the limit' for 'High School Musical' movie

Disney's popular High School Musical TV franchise matriculates to the big screen this weekend — most likely with financial honors.

Friday's theatrical release of High School Musical 3: Senior Year "is an event movie for tweens and teens, and that translates to big box office," says Gitesh Pandya of industry tracker boxofficeguru .com. "The sky's the limit."

Unlike other small-screen series that transitioned to film, the High School Musical franchise is rooted in just two made-for-TV films. But the August 2007 sequel drew 17.2 million viewers on the Disney Channel — the most-watched non-sports basic cable program ever.

And the global popularity of the 2006 original and sequel have spawned top-selling DVDs, soundtracks, sold-out concert tours and a merchandising empire.

With a huge fan base, savvy marketing campaign and the star power of leads Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale and Corbin Bleu, HSM 3 could challenge the October weekend box office records of 2003's Scary Movie 3 ($48.3 million) and 2004's Shark Tale ($47.6 million). "Based on the strength of the franchise, it has an excellent chance of one of the biggest openings of October," says boxofficemojo .com's Brandon Gray.

Disney production chief Oren Aviv is steering away from predictions, but says he'd be happy if it grossed comparable opening-weekend numbers to musicals Hairspray ($27.5 million) and Mamma Mia! ($27.7 million).

"We've got our fingers crossed," says Aviv. "The goal was to have a movie worthy of the big screen — that meant everything needed to be notched up higher. It was important to deliver on the script, the choreography and the songs. The filmmakers did their job really well."

Tisdale says fans of the first two will enjoy HSM 3's 10 musical numbers and the plotline surrounding the graduating Wildcats, which she calls "bittersweet."

Advance ticket sales at Fandango.com are "easily outpacing pre-sales of Mamma Mia! and Hairspray," says chief operating officer Rick Butler. "People are looking for good old-fashioned entertainment, and movie musicals are one of the purest forms of escapism," he says.

With the exception of Saw V, the latest in the horror franchise, there's little competition for young viewers this weekend, says Gray. Moreover, HSM 3 could have staying power: "Musicals lend themselves to repeat business."

"The musical numbers are huge, the choreography is intense and the characters have evolved," says Bleu, en route to Rome to promote the $30 million film. "This is High School Musical on steroids."

Critic Ebert Criticized By Critics

After initially defending his decision to write a scathing review of the indie movie Tru Loved after walking out after the first eight minutes, Roger Ebert has had a change of heart. In a message posted on his website, he concedes, "In reviewing the first eight minutes, I was guilty of too much affection for my prose."

Later, he vows: "I will never, ever, again review a film I have not seen in its entirety. Never. Ever." (He has since seen the entire film and posted a detailed review of it.)

Some of Ebert's fans and fellow critics are not willing to let him off the hook so fast, however. In the Los Angeles Times, media columnist Patrick Goldstein writes today (Thursday): "If there were ever an act that indelibly painted critics as elitist snobs, it would be America's best-known critic reviewing a movie after only bothering to watch for eight minutes."

Orlando Sentinel critic Roger Moore says that writing a review of a movie based on its first eight minutes is "not cricket." He then concludes, "If we're going to start writing reviews of movies we haven't suffered all the way, or at least most of the way through, the way most people who shell out $10-12 do after they've spent the cash, we're all doomed."

And Gary Susman, a sometime critic who writes the PopWatch blog for Entertainment Weekly's website, comments: "No other movie critic in America could have pulled off such a stunt without getting fired. I fear that, even though he corrected his mistake, he's still set a bad example. At a time when film critics all over America are losing their jobs, it can't be good for readers, editors, or filmmakers to think that when he did passes for professional, acceptable behavior among film critics and the outlets that publish their work, even for a moment."

Dr Pepper flowing as new Guns album arrives

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Guns N' Roses fans thirsting for the band's first album of new material in 17 years will have a sweet, fizzy treat to savor as they listen.

Dr Pepper is making good on a promise to provide every person in America a can of the soft drink if "Chinese Democracy" were to arrive in 2008, and has revealed details of the plan.

"We never thought this day would come," Dr Pepper vp marketing Tony Jacobs said Wednesday. "But now that it's here all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."

Interested fans are being asked to visit www.DrPepper.com on November 23, the day "Chinese Democracy" is released in the U.S. exclusively via Best Buy.

After registering online, fans will receive a coupon redeemable for a 20-ounce Dr Pepper wherever the drink is sold.

The twist: The coupon is available for only 24 hours and will expire on February 28.

Gross's passion no Porky's

Actor-director Paul Gross's First World War epic Passchendaele failed to notch a breakout hit for Canadian film at the box office this weekend. The movie was the second highest-grossing film in Canada on the weekend, earning an estimated $940,000 from its debut on 202 Canadian screens, according to its distributor Alliance Films. The movie had a budget of approximately $20-million as well as at least a $2-million marketing budget.

Howard Lichtman, the veteran Toronto-based box-office analyst, said Passchendaele's performance wasn't "an unmitigated success ... but in perspective it did just fine," since it's aimed at an older audience and is being released in the fall, traditionally a time for either "art films" or "adult-oriented fare."

"Is it a commercial blockbuster like a Quantum ofSolace [the new James Bond film opening Nov. 14]? It's not - but I don't think it was intended to be," Lichtman noted. "If you take the just-under million dollars it generated and divide that by the average ticket price, there's still an awful lot of people that went to see a Canadian piece of history. Which isn't too bad."

"We're thrilled with the box-office," said Carrie Wolfe, Alliance vice-president of marketing, publicity and promotion, yesterday in Toronto. "Canadians across the country have embraced the film," which opened this year's Toronto International Film Festival.

Passchendaele was bested for top spot by Max Payne, a new Mark Wahlberg action vehicle shot mostly in Toronto earlier this year. No specific Canadian weekend gross was available yesterday for Payne but Box Office Mojo estimated its North American receipts were $18-million (U.S.) from a total of 3,376 screens. Using what Lichtman calls "the 10-times factor" - that is, movies in the U.S. tend to have, on average, 10 times the box-office of Canadian releases - then it's likely Max Payne opened on 250-300 screens in Canada and earned $1.5-$1.8-million here.

It appears Passchendaele isn't en route to surpass Porky's (1982) or 2006's Bon Cop, Bad Cop as a Canadian box-office champion. (Porky's earned more than $11-million in theatrical receipts, while Bon Cop's take was more than $11.5-million.)

Nor is it likely to best Men with Brooms which Gross also directed, co-wrote and starred in. That comedy, budgeted at $7.5-million, played on 207 screens on its opening weekend in the winter of 2002 and earned $1.125-million. Its eventual total take from its theatrical release was $3.9-million.

Lichtman, however, said a film's performance needs to be evaluated in terms of its release date and its competition. He suggested the more apt comparison for Passchendaele should be with W., Oliver Stone's biopic of the current U.S. president. W grossed $10.6-million on slightly more than 2,000 screens. "It's right in the range [of the 10-times factor]," said Lichtman, meaning W.'s weekend box-office in Canada probably totalled about $1-million from approximately 210 screens - very close to that of Passchendaele.

Weird Al Reflects On Download Experiment

Weird Al Yankovic has weighed on his first experiment to make available a new song digitally while the song it parodies was still hot on the charts.

"Whatever You Like," a takeoff on T.I.'s hit of the same name, sold 21,000 digital downloads in its first week as an iTunes exclusive, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It sold another 7,600 this week.

"I probably won't be as inclined to announce new singles in advance, though," Yankovic says on his MySpace blog. "I've learned from hard experience that iTunes is not able to guarantee a time -- or, apparently, even a day -- that a song will go live online. So perhaps it's best for me to wait until a new song is actually available, and THEN announce it.

"Also, I'm not sure that I'd agree to give iTunes any kind of an exclusivity window in the future," he continues. "It seems like the amount of publicity I received from them didn't really compensate for the sales I lost by not also having my song available elsewhere."

"Whatever You Like" is now available via all digital retailers.

Guns N' Roses to finally release `Democracy' album

NEW YORK – After years of delay, Guns N' Roses is finally releasing "Chinese Democracy."

Geffen Records has announced that the band's eagerly awaited album will be released Nov. 23 at Best Buy stores and the retail chain's Web site.

"Chinese Democracy" is the first album of new Guns N' Roses material since 1991's "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II."

The band, fronted by Axl Rose, has sold 90 million albums and made a splash in the '80s with the hits "Sweet Child o' Mine," "Paradise City" and "Welcome to the Jungle."

Their 14-track album includes the song "If The World," which is part of the soundtrack to the recent film "Body of Lies." The band recently completed a world tour.

Shatner upset Takei didn't invite him to wedding

LOS ANGELES – William Shatner is setting his phaser to stun against his old "Star Trek" co-star George Takei. In a video posted on Shatner's Web site Wednesday, he lashed out at Takei for not inviting him to his wedding last month.

The 77-year-old Kirk said Takei, who played Enterprise helmsman Sulu, apparently harbors a grudge against him that kept him from being invited to Takei's nuptials.

"The whole thing makes me feel badly," Shatner said in the video. "Poor man. There is such a sickness there. It's so patently obvious that there is a psychosis there. I don't know what his original thing about me was. I have no idea."

Takei and Brad Alman tied the knot Sept. 15. "Star Trek" alums Nichelle Nichols and Walter Koenig — who played Uhura and Chekhov, respectively — were among the attendees at the multicultural ceremony at the Japanese American National Museum. Takei and Altman had previously stated that Shatner was invited to their wedding, but he never RSVPed.

"It is unfortunate that Bill was unable to join us for our wedding as he indeed was invited to attend," Takei responded. "It is our hope that at this point he joins us in voting no on Proposition 8, which seeks to eliminate the fundamental right for same-sex couples to marry in California."

Shatner said he felt he never knew Takei when they worked together on the original TV series and later in the "Star Trek" films.

The "Boston Legal" co-star also attacked Takei's decision to come out of the closet later in life, saying "Who cares? Be gay. Don't be gay.

Terrence Howard: 'Iron Man' replacement a surprise

LOS ANGELES – Terrence Howard says was surprised to learn that Don Cheadle would replace him in "Iron Man 2."

"It was the surprise of a lifetime," the actor and musician told National Public Radio on Tuesday. "There was no explanation, (the contract) just up and vanished."

Howard said he read news reports that money was the issue, saying the contracts he signs apparently "aren't worth the paper that they're printed on sometimes."

Cheadle assumes the role of James Rhodes, a character that becomes Iron Man's sidekick War Machine in the comics, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Robert Downey Jr. will reprise his role as weapons mogul Tony Stark.

Howard, who also starred in "Hustle & Flow," is promoting his new album "Shine Through It."

Joseph To Be First Black Doctor?

David Tennant hasn't yet abandoned his starring role in the BBC SF series Doctor Who, but rumors have already begun circulating that Paterson Joseph--who guest-starred in the first season--may be the leading candidate to replace Tennant as the 11th Doctor. Joseph would be the first black actor to assay the iconic role.

Joseph's agent reportedy denied the Doctor Who rumor when approached about it last week. When SCI FI Wire contacted Joseph directly, his initial response was a text message that said, "I am on a list of God knows how many others, but flattered to be considered."

That was followed by an e-mail a day later, saying, "The news on Who was news to me as of last Wednesday, when my agent said they'd had lots of journos asking if the rumors were true. That's all I know, and I'm very pleased to even be thought of in this way. It's a blast!"

The rumor, which should be taken with a grain of salt, was first reported by British journalist Richard Johnston last week in his online column "Lying in the Gutters."

Joseph played Roderick in the Doctor Who two-part episode "Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways."

Joseph's recent TV appearances include the U.K. series Peep Show, Green Wing and Hyperdrive, but he is probably best known to genre fans for his scene-stealing performance as the Marquis de Carabas in writer Neil Gaiman's short-lived 1996 BBC series Neverwhere.

Perhaps more germane to this particular story is the actor's work in last year's Jekyll miniseries, which was created by Steven Moffat, who will be taking over as the new Doctor Who show runner in the upcoming fifth season in 2010. Did that role give Joseph the inside track? Only time will tell.

While many Doctor Who purists are already resisting the notion of a black actor taking on the role, the biggest obstacle could actually be Joseph's role as Greg Preston in the BBC's upcoming revival of the 1970s post-apocalyptic drama Survivors. According to the show's producer Adrian Hodges (Primeval), "He's a lovely actor, and he has immense likeability on screen. To me, he has hero written and integrity written all over him, and he's a great actor. We're very pleased with him, and we won't kill him off any time soon, I promise you that!"

The fourth season of Doctor Who will be released in the United States on Nov. 18. The series is currently on hiatus in the United Kingdom but will continue with a series of one-off specials, after which a new production team will take over with season five in 2010.

After playin' Palin, Tina Fey returns in '30 Rock'

NEW YORK – This couldn't be better if Tina Fey had written it herself. And she's an Emmy-winning writer.

Here's how it unfolds: Fey is the creator-star of "30 Rock," an NBC comedy series that everybody loves (though a few more viewers wouldn't hurt). Then, shortly after the show starts shooting its third season, a presidential candidate announces as his running mate the governor of a large state you can see Russia from. And the would-be Republican veep happens to look a lot like Fey.

Can you see where this is going — uh, went?

Fey makes several guest appearances spoofing the candidate on the late-night satire show where she used to be a regular, and she's a smash. Then the real-life candidate does a much-anticipated walk-on, doing her version of how Fey has been doing her. Spoofing the spoof. About 17 million tune in for this spectacle of twice-removed reality.

Then everyone on "30 Rock" awaits its season premiere Oct. 30, riding this powerful publicity wave. On the big night, the whole country is watching, bless its heart. And faster than you can say "you betcha," "30 Rock" explodes as the hit it was destined to be.

"I hope this ends up helping `30 Rock,'" allows Fey, referring to her Sarah Palin sideline the past few weeks on "Saturday Night Live." But she's keeping her expectations modest. "I would like the audience to go up just enough so that people don't have to refer to it as 'the ratings-challenged "30 Rock'" anymore."

Never mind those doggone ratings. Last year "30 Rock" averaged about 6 million viewers every week. But that's just pointing backwards. As the new season nears, Fey is giving everyone a shout-out who hasn't been watching.

"If they want to try a fun comedy show," she says, "then we'll be there."

Over coffee last week around the corner from the Manhattan apartment she shares with husband Jeff Richmond (music director of "30 Rock") and Alice, their 3-year-old daughter, Fey is enjoying a rare morning off from the studio. She's clad in jeans, T-shirt and tennies, and looks relaxed, noting happily she got to sleep late.

But it's been a jam-packed autumn, which, along with her "SNL" gig, entailed a whirlwind trip to Los Angeles to collect a new batch of Emmy Awards, adding to the Peabody and Golden Globe earlier this year.

And then word leaked about Fey's book deal.

"I don't know much yet," she said when asked for details, "except it would be a humor book and not a memoir, and that my mom has already pre-ordered 50 of them."

In short, Fey, 38, seems as busy as her fictitious "30 Rock" alter ego.
Along with serving as a writer and producer, she plays Liz Lemon, the overextended producer of an NBC comedy inspired by "SNL" (where Fey toiled for nine seasons, the last six as head writer as well as cast member).

But "30 Rock" is a finely crafted marvel of looniness concerned with lampooning more than the TV world. It also mines humor from absurd corporate scheming and from Liz's nonstarter romantic life, plus (in the spirit of "Seinfeld") skewering the solipsistic vanities of being a Manhattanite.

Liz is surrounded by kookie comrades like company boss Jack Donaghy (played with purring megalomania by Alec Baldwin) and Tracy Jordan (portrayed by Tracy Morgan), Liz's boisterously unhinged star.

Jane Krakowski, Scott Adsit, Jack McBrayer, Judah Friedlander and Keith Powell richly complete the ensemble, supplemented by frequent guest stars. Oprah Winfrey, Steve Martin and Jennifer Aniston will appear on future episodes, as well as Salma Hayek as Jack's new love interest.

In the season premiere (which Fey wrote) Liz wants to adopt a child. But Liz's screwball workplace could raise questions about her fitness as a parent when the agency's counselor (guest star Megan Mullally) pays a visit.

Wait — isn't something about Mullally's appearance familiar?

"It's funny: Megan chose a very Sarah Palin hairstyle for her character," says Fey. "It may look purposeful now, but it's not. The episode was shot before any of that." Fey makes no claims to prophesy. It was only when she saw TV coverage of Palin at a rally nearly two weeks after teaming with John McCain that she began to see the possibilities. "That was the first time I thought, `Well, I kinda do look like her. I'd better really listen to how this lady talks.'"

Apparently, she did. Just a few days later, she greeted "SNL" viewers with her funny-mirror debut as Palin. It created a sensation, and made clear: Through some sort of accident of timing, genes and public mandate, Fey and Palin had occupied adjoining berths in the zeitgeist.

"The `SNL' stuff has certainly changed things for me," says Fey. "A lot more people seem to know who I am."

And it's been fun. But with a political race as harsh and divisive as this one, her prominence within it "has made me feel weird and vulnerable."

It's not that she hadn't mimicked or otherwise mocked politicians before, sometimes creating a stir. "But this is at a different level," she says. "It will settle down after the election — whoever wins."

And far beyond the election — far beyond it, she hopes — "30 Rock" will keep her at full throttle.

"We're so in the thick of it," says Fey, looking pleased and, come to think of it, not so much like Palin. "We're spending all day every day trying to figure out ways to make stuff funny. That's the business at hand."

CBC big winner of Geminis for news, sports and documentaries

CBC Television's The National was named best newscast and also took home a trophy for best reportage at the Gemini News, Sports and Documentary Gala on Monday evening.

Two other CBC TV shows earned three awards each at the ceremony — current affairs show The Fifth Estate and Hockey Night in Canada.

The National's Adrienne Arsenault, Erin Boudreau and Richard Devey won the Gemini for best news magazine segment for "Moshe and Munir," about the friendship between a Palestinian and an Israeli.

The Fifth Estate was named best information series, and host Hana Gartner won the Gemini for best host or interviewer in a current affairs series.

Avi Lev won the award for best picture editing for his work on The Fifth Estate episode "Brian Mulroney: The Unauthorized Chapter."

Hockey Night in Canada's coverage of its annual outdoor game was named best live sporting event, with Geminis going to Sherali Najak, Brian Spear and Doug Walton. Inside Hockey: The Aud won the award for best sports feature segment.

Don Wittman, the veteran CBC sportscaster who died in January in Winnipeg, won the Gemini for best play-by-play announcing for his work on Hockey Night in Canada.

Wittman joined CBC Sports in 1961 and went on to call some of the most vicious, arresting and triumphant moments in Canadian sports history. He worked with Hockey Night in Canada from 1979 until the 2007-08 season.

Another veteran CBC News reporter, Don Newman, senior parliamentary editor and host of CBC Newsworld's Politics, was honoured with the Gordon Sinclair Award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

Newman, who joined CBC in 1976 as its Washington correspondent, began reporting on Ottawa in 1981.

The award is given annually for outstanding contribution to Canadian television journalism.

Other winners included:

- Pierre McGuire, best game analyst, IIHF World Junior Hockey Gold Final: Canada vs. Sweden, TSN

- Bob McKenzie best studio analyst, IIHF World Junior Hockey Gold Final: Canada vs. Sweden, TSN.

- Diamond Road, best documentary series, TVO.

- Confessions of an Innocent Man, best biography documentary program, CTV.

Confessions of an Innocent Man was a documentary about William Sampson, a dual Canadian-British citizen who was imprisoned and tortured in Saudi Arabia after being accused of orchestrating a car bombing.

In June 2006, CTV News announced it would no longer nominate its news programs for the Gemini Awards, saying too much work was involved in the nomination process.

CBC's The National had nine nominations and The Fifth Estate had 11 heading into the Geminis. Winners in some categories will be declared later in the week.

The Gemini gala for lifestyle, children's and youth winners will be held Tuesday and the gala for drama, variety and comedy will follow on Wednesday.

The main Gemini show is to be held in Toronto on Nov. 28.

Eminem Reveals All In New Memoir

Eminem has returned in a major way. The 36-year-old rap superstar's re-emergence comes four years after his last studio album, three years after he was treated for a sleep medication dependency and two years since the violent death of his best friend and the collapse of a second marriage to his childhood sweetheart.

His new track, "I'm Having a Relapse," has caused a stir on the Web and is fueling talk of a new record and tour. But before Eminem moves forward musically, he first is taking a step back with a memoir out tomorrow (Oct. 21) that shares quite a few revelations about a man whose autobiographical lyrics have tantalized fans for years.

In "The Way I Am," the man born Marshall Bruce Mathers III takes readers into his painful childhood and adolescence and inside the studio and beyond as the former Detroit factory floor sweeper and short-order cook enters the rap game and becomes a worldwide hip-hop sensation.

The book is 200-plus pages worth of text, behind-the-scenes photographs and reproductions of Eminem's original lyric sheets -- hotel stationery and other scraps of paper he used to scratch out partial verses of the songs that would make him famous.

Eminem may not love being in the public eye, but he loves music, and that's drawn him out, said publisher Brian Tart, president of Dutton Books, an imprint of the Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

"I think he doesn't like being famous, but he sure likes being an artist," Tart said. "Getting away from the trappings of fame was something he needed to do. But in his bones and his blood, he's an artist."

The book kicks off with a prologue that provides one of the reasons Eminem has shunned the spotlight for the past few years. He describes in-depth just how difficult it has been for him to come to grips with the loss of his longtime best friend and fellow rapper Proof (Deshaun Holton), who was gunned down at a Detroit after-hours club in April 2006.

"After he passed, it was a year before I could really do anything normally again," Eminem writes. "It was tough for me to even get out of bed, and I had days when I couldn't walk, let alone write a rhyme. I have never felt so much pain in my life. It's a pain that is with me to this day. A pain that has become a part of who I am."

It was Proof, he says, who not only urged him to become an emcee, but also served as a "ghetto pass" -- allowing the white Eminem the street cred he needed to enter Detroit's black-dominated hip-hop scene.

"If Proof hadn't gotten me ... into the rap game, I don't know where I'd be," he writes. "I certainly wouldn't be someone you've heard of."

But millions of people have heard of him, and what they know of Eminem largely is based on his lyrics, his outsized public persona and the 2002 semi-autobiographical film, "8 Mile."

"The Way I Am" answers a few lingering controversies and questions, including his 2000 arrest for pistol-whipping a man who kissed his wife ("Guns are bad, I tell you"); his substance-abuse problem ("I'm glad that I realized it and set myself in the right direction"); the flap over his perceived homophobia ("Ultimately, who you choose to be in a relationship with and what you do in your bedroom is your business"); and ethnicity ("Honestly, I'd love to be remembered as one of the best to ever pick up a mike, but if I'm doing my part to lessen some racial tension I feel good about what I'm doing.")

Eminem also recounts his early years, living in public housing in Savannah, Mo., before moving to Detroit. He discusses the hurt he felt at never having known his father, the complicated relationship with his litigious mother and the suicides that ended the lives of his two uncles.

After he made the move to the Motor City, Eminem describes being a quiet outsider at school, having his home repeatedly robbed, getting pummelled by the police and later bouncing between dead-end jobs trying to make ends meet to provide for his then-wife, Kim, and daughter, Hailie.

But things turned in his favor when Proof urged him to start rap-battling at Detroit's Hip Hop Shop. He made a name for himself in his home city by trading insult rhymes with fellow battlers and eventually branched out, competing in rap battles in Ohio and California. It was in Los Angeles that Eminem was spotted by an assistant in the office of Interscope Records executive Jimmy Iovine.

Before long, rap icon Dr. Dre came in to help produce what would become Eminem's ticket to stardom, 1999's "The Slim Shady LP." While the pair had worked out the songs, Dre said the album lacked the image of what the Slim Shady character should look like.

A drug-fueled impulse buy took care of that problem. After two hits of Ecstasy, Eminem popped into a drugstore and on a whim purchased a bottle of peroxide. He threw some on his head and the platinum blonde hair and white T-shirt Slim Shady look was born. "I wasn't thinking that the peroxide thing was going to be my look," he writes. "I was just being stupid on drugs."

Along the way, he's had more than a few quirky high-profile run-ins, many of which he touches upon in the book: a fling with Mariah Carey, a performance with Elton John at the Grammys and the televised tiff with hand-puppet Triumph the Insult Comic Dog.

Still, as he prepares to again enter the public eye, a more grounded, mature Eminem says he's trying to keep everything in perspective. Music is important, but being a father to three girls -- Hailie, niece Alaina and another girl, Whitney, who isn't biologically his -- is where it's at.

"All three of my girls call me Daddy," he writes. "They're all loved the same and they all get the same treatment. Because of my success, I've been able to provide for them in ways my family never could for me. That's what it's all about."

Comedian Rudy Ray Moore dies

AKRON, Ohio (AP) — Rudy Ray Moore, a raunchy 1970s comedian who played the title role of a flashy pimp in the movie Dolemite and influenced a generation of rappers, has died. He was 81.

Moore died Sunday evening at an Akron nursing home from complications of diabetes, said his brother, Gerald Moore.

Services will be held in Akron and Spokane, Wash., where his mother and other family members live, he said.

Rudy Ray Moore was part of the heyday of black "party records." His stage personality featured blunt sex routines but, unlike contemporaries Redd Foxx and Richard Pryor, he never crossed over to mainstream white audiences.

The Washington Post said in a 1992 profile that Moore was "an astounding renderer of 'toasts,' — elaborately boastful, profane and scatological tales of life in the old-style urban subculture of pimps, prostitutes, gamblers and badmen. His husky, down-home voice is ideal for it."

Moore said he developed the style, later a feature of rap music, by listening to men sitting outside joints "drinking beer and lying and talking (expletive)."

Moore played the fast-talking pimp and title character in the 1975 film Dolemite. In later years Moore collaborated with 2 Live Crew, Big Daddy Kane and Snoop Dogg.

Moore's other acting credits during the Blaxploitation era of black action films included The Human Tornado in 1976 and Disco Godfather in 1979.

"Saw" horror franchise faces test with 5th movie

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Everybody loves a spooky mystery. Here's a good one: How the hell has "Saw," a horror flick made for $1.2 million and nearly dumped straight to video, spawned a franchise that has scared up more than $1 billion?

Given the films' enduring appeal amid a flood of horror product, it's a question whose answer provides insight into how to manage a low-budget franchise. And with "Saw V" opening on Friday, Lionsgate's strategy of releasing a new film each Halloween faces a crucial test. Last October's installment dipped from "Saw III's" $163 million in worldwide box office to $137 million, raising the question of how long the property can keep up its hugely profitable pace.

The "Saw" story is as simple as its premise. Australian duo James Wan and Leigh Whannell wrote a script about a pair of confined strangers manipulated by Jigsaw, a diabolical mastermind who forces them to make ghastly choices. They filmed a seven-minute short featuring Whannell with his head in a macabre bear trap, which the late producer Gregg Hoffman found and brought to partners Mark Burg and Oren Koules of Twisted Pictures in early 2003. They decided to turn it into a feature on the cheap.

The producers showed the short to Lionsgate, which picked up the rights and planned to release it direct to video. Burg and Koules retained ownership of the property, and co-writer/director Wan wisely sacrificed his upfront fee for a cut of the gross.

MIDNIGHT MADNESS

"It was perfect timing because Lionsgate as a company was just starting to grow," Koules says. "And it was a perfect film that the marketing department could get behind."

The film packed three midnight screenings at Sundance in 2004, and tests in suburban Los Angeles and Las Vegas scored so highly that Lionsgate decided to release the film in theaters, on October 29 as a Halloween treat. It opened at a startling $18.3 million and grossed more than $100 million worldwide.

"Saw II," helmed by music video and commercials director Darren Lynn Bousman, was greenlighted the weekend the first film opened. Then came the kicker: Fans bought more than $70 million worth of videos and DVDs of the first installment.

The "Saw" team shrewdly stood its blood-soaked ground on the weekend before Halloween for three consecutive years. While Lionsgate is far from the first studio to target that holiday with a horror release, its marketing team made this explicit by utilizing the tagline: "If it's Halloween, it must be 'Saw.'"

And it slaughtered the marketplace, tallying $153 million, $162 million and $137 million worldwide for the second, third and fourth installments.

"What they have done with 'Saw' is a very unusual approach," says Roy Lee, producer of recent horror films "The Strangers" and "Quarantine." "Making the release of a new installment of 'Saw' an annual event is something no other studio has been able to accomplish. It seems similar to the model of a television series. Look at '24.' Does anyone argue that they are beating the concept to death?"

FRANCHISES FRIED

Such old-school slasher properties as "Friday the 13th," "Halloween," and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" generated enduring horror villains Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. "Nightmare" even put New Line on the map in 1984 much the way "Saw" has boosted Lionsgate.

But the stewards of those popular franchises essentially took the money and ran, milking six, seven or 10 sequels without developing the story line or the main characters. As a result, the properties quickly thinned their returns and devolved into camp, with Freddy becoming a Borscht Belt one-liner machine.

Such second-tier brands as "Child's Play," which was campy from the get-go, and "The Stepfather," which was airing on TV by its third installment, were never really that popular. Such recent successes as "Scream" and "I Know What You Did Last Summer" were self-referential, ironic and relatively expensive to make.

"The Ring" and "The Grudge," both derived from Asian horror source material, have stalled after two films, as has the torture-porn movement typified by "Hostel."

"Saw," in contrast, is deadly serious. Its moralistic ethos of righteous living, designed and perpetrated by a methodical, intellectual madman, evolves while remaining consistent in the ways that count. The intricacy of Jigsaw's vision -- executed even beyond his death -- lends itself to repeat viewings.

"Any one of these movies could have been completely phoned in," says Steve "Uncle Creepy" Barton, co-founder and editor in chief of horror fan site DreadCentral.com. "But the people who make them are basically the same core group who have been working on every one of them. They keep twisting it. They keep giving you reasons to wonder, What is going to happen next?"

MONEY MACHINE

Using unknown talent and rewarding them with a continued role in the franchise also has paid off. "Saw's" cinematographer and editor have built their careers on the series, and David Hackl, the director of "Saw V," was a production and trap designer for the previous three films. Wan and Whannell have stayed involved throughout.

"Quite frankly, the reason we all bust our ass is it's really, really profitable to everybody involved," producer Burg says.

No kidding. In terms of return on investment, it might be one of the most profitable franchises ever. No single film's budget has exceeded $10.8 million (the first four together cost $26 million total), which also includes DVD-only cuts. Even with $20 million of prints and marketing outlays, episodes two, three and four were all profitable by the end of their opening weekends. The quartet has grossed $553 million in theaters and sold more than 24 million DVDs.

Merchandising is getting big, though it took Lionsgate five years to convince retailers like Target that "Saw" merchandise was mainstream enough to populate their shelves. "Saw"-themed haunted houses are multiplying, and the U.K.'s Thorpe Park will launch its "Saw -- The Ride" roller coaster in the spring.

But what happens if "Saw V" tanks? The worldwide gross of "Saw IV" was 84% that of "Saw III," and the law of diminishing returns makes each new sequel a riskier gambit.

And like zombies rising from the dead, other genre distributors are reanimating old classics to compete with the brand awareness of movies like "Saw." "The Birds," "The Last House on the Left," "Friday the 13th," "Nightmare" and "The Crazies" are just a few of those headed back to life in theaters. Rogue is working on a sequel to Lee's $59 million-grossing "The Strangers."

"Saw" producers, citing recent tracking and European sales, are undeterred. "If this movie doesn't open giant, I think we'll all be disappointed," Burg says. "When that happens, we'll stop."

"There will be that day," says Koules, who denies that a straight-to-DVD release would ever be a likely option. "I'm not being cocky, but I don't think we're there yet."

Unsurprisingly, Koules and Burg have spent the past month with writers working on a sixth installment that will be greenlit if the script passes muster and the fifth performs as expected.

New CD Releases, October 21st: 'High School Musical,' KISS, Hank Williams III

Various Artists "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" (Disney)

The Disney Channel's Emmy-winning, mega-popular franchise--which already has produced two hit TV films: 2006's "High School Musical" and "High School Musical 2: Sing It All or Nothing!"--is now set to make its big-screen debut.

Directed and choreographed by Kenny Ortega, the "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" film is scheduled to open in US theaters on Oct. 24. The film's cast includes young stars Zac Efron, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Tisdale.

Seemingly everything with the "High School Musical" name on it--from concert and ice-skating tours to video games--has been incredibly successful. It will be a shocker if this "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" soundtrack makes its chart debut anywhere other than the top spot.

* * *
KISS "Ikons" (Mercury)

The multimillionaires in make-up release yet another collectible: a four-disc greatest-hits package. What's intriguing about "Ikons," however, is how it is organized: Each disc spotlights the career highlights of a different member from the signature KISS lineup.

Gene Simmons, of course, goes first, and disc one features such Simmons signatures as "God of Thunder" and "Calling Dr. Love." Paul Stanley's showcase comes on disc two, with such tunes as "Detroit Rock City" and "Strutter."

Disc three is dedicated to Ace Frehley's major accomplishments, which include "New York Groove" and "Shock Me." The set concludes with disc four, featuring such Peter Criss cuts as "Hard Luck Woman" and "Beth."

* * *
Hank Williams III "Damn Right, Rebel Proud" (Curb)

The rowdy, alt-country performer--grandson of Hank Williams, Sr. and the son of Hank Williams Jr.--will continue to carry on the family tradition with the release of his fourth studio album.

"Damn Right, Rebel Proud" follows 2006's "Straight to Hell," an ambitious, two-disc affair that (we kid you not) included a "Hidden Track" that clocked in at 42 minutes. Williams is expected to tour in support of "Damn Right, Rebel Proud," though no dates have yet been announced.

* * *
Lee Ann Womack "Call Me Crazy" (MCA)

The two-time Grammy-winning country star returns with her seventh studio album, a follow-up to the 2007 offering "Finding My Way Back Home."

The first single from the Tony Brown-produced album is the track "Last Call." "Call Me Crazy" also features duets with George Strait ("Everything But Quits") and Keith Urban ("The Bees"), as well as a re-make of the Strait classic "The King of Broken Hearts."

* * *
Of Montreal "Skeletal Lamping" (Polyvinyl)

The indie-rock troupe--which actually hails from Georgia, not Montreal--returns with its ninth studio album. The set, which follows 2007's "Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?," was produced by Of Montreal singer/songwriter Kevin Barnes.

* * *
More new releases:
Brett Dennen, "Hope for the Hopeless" (Dualtone)
The Doors, "Perception" (Rhino)
Electric Six, "Flashy" (Epitaph)
Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, "Evening Star" (DGM)
Brian Eno, Robert Fripp, "No Pussyfooting" (DGM)
Escape the Fate, "This War is Ours" (Epitaph)
Sara Groves, "O Holy Night" (Dedicated)
Jimmy Herring, "Lifeboat" (Abstract Logix)
Jazzanova, "Of All the Things" (Verve)
Waylon Jennings, "Waylon Forever" (Vagrant)
Labelle, "Back to Now" (Verve)
Craig Morgan, "That's Why" (UBEU)
The Nields, "Rock All Day Rock All Night" (Nields)
OhGr, "Devils in My Details" (SPV)

New Musical Based on Oscar-Winning Film "Once" Aiming for Broadway Bow in 2010-2011

"Once," the intimate Academy Award-winning film about a struggling Irish street musician, will be adapted into a Broadway musical. Producers are aiming for a bow during the 2010-2011 season.

Tony-winning producers John N. Hart, Jr., Jeff Sine and Fred Zollo, who have collectively presented Spring Awakening; Caroline, Or Change; and The Who's Tommy to Broadway audiences, have acquired live theatrical rights to the film that was penned and directed by John Carney.

"In a landscape where the American musical must evolve, Once provides a wonderful, unique opportunity," said producer John Hart in a statement. "Those of us who fell in love with it and its score at the movie theater came out singing, and will do so again when it finds its way to the stage."

"The film was shot modestly, on a shoe-string budget and managed to capture the hearts of fans around the world, wildly exceeding all critical and box office expectations. It did so, because it invited its audience into the process of artists making music and did not stoop to melodrama," added producer Fred Zollo.

The stage production will incorporate songs from the film, which were penned and performed by The Frames band member Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová. The duo won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original song for "Falling Slowly."

The film follows a down-and-out Dublin street performer who encounters a young Czech immigrant flower seller, who is taken with his music. Named only "Guy" and "Girl," the duo begin a music-fueled relationship where they spend a week writing and performing music together. The tale culminates in a nightlong recording session for a demo which they hope will land them a music contract in London. While only one of them ever makes it to London, the impact of their relationship leaves them both changed.

Representative for the production state that a creative team for Once will be announced shortly.

The independent Irish film was made for under $150,000, was shot in 17 days, and went on to gross over $10,000,000, becoming a critically acclaimed international smash. Songwriters Hansard and Irglová continue a worldwide tour performing songs from the Grammy-nominated soundtrack.

MURMUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION OUT IN NOVEMBER

On November 25, 2008, the two-CD 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition of Murmur will be released on Universal. The two-CD set features R.E.M.'s debut album, remastered, plus an additional disc with a previously unreleased concert recorded at Larry’s Hideaway in Toronto, three months after Murmur’s April 1983 release.

The 16-song live performance boasts nine of Murmur’s 12 songs, including “Radio Free Europe," three songs from the Chronic Town EP, early renditions of "7 Chinese Bros." and "Harborcoat," as well as “Just A Touch,” eventually a track included on R.E.M.’s fourth album, 1986’s Lifes Rich Pageant. The live set also features a cover of the Velvet Underground’s “There She Goes Again,” which R.E.M. recorded in the studio for the b-side of “Radio Free Europe.”

Exclusive essays by producers Mitch Easter and Don Dixon, as well as former I.R.S. executives Jay Boberg, Sig Sigworth, Carlos Grasso round out the deluxe edition.

Stay tuned for more details and information on how you can pre-order Murmur--The Deluxe Edition. In the meantime, go to Pitchfork for their coverage, and have a look at the tracklisting below:

Murmur (Deluxe Edition):

Disc 1:

01 Radio Free Europe
02 Pilgrimage
03 Laughing
04 Talk About the Passion
05 Moral Kiosk
06 Perfect Circle
07 Catapult
08 Sitting Still
09 9-9
10 Shaking Through
11 We Walk
12 West of the Fields

Disc 2 (Live at Larry's Hideaway):

01 Laughing
02 Pilgrimage
03 There She Goes Again
04 7 Chinese Bros.
05 Talk About the Passion
06 Sitting Still
07 Harborcoat
08 Catapult
09 Gardening at Night
10 9-9
11 Just a Touch
12 West of the Fields
13 Radio Free Europe
14 We Walk
15 1,000,000
16 Carnival of Sorts (Box Cars)

In 'Quantum,' it's Bond, James Bond, without the catchphrases

Daniel Craig is betting that absence will make the 007 fan's heart grow fonder.
The new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, which opens Nov. 14 and screened for the press for the first time Saturday evening, leaves out some of the trademark phrases and habits of the iconic superspy.

No "Bond, James Bond" introduction, no "shaken, not stirred" martini order, still no gadget-master Q, and vengeance rather than seduction is the common interest with one of the Bond girls.

After Craig's first outing as Bond in 2006's Casino Royale, which rebooted the now 22-film franchise with 007's origin story, Quantum picks up right where that film ended: with the hero trying to unravel the network of villains that led the woman he loved to betray him.

"Everybody says to me, 'Is Bond going to be Bond now?' And I've been like, 'Yeah, well, kind of,' " Craig says. "But he's got a way to go yet."

His story arc takes 007 from soldier to the ultra-smooth operator immortalized in the previous films.

Saturday's screening received applause during one foot-chase sequence, and again as the credits rolled.

"He's supposed to be this superspy, suave and sophisticated," Craig says. "But I didn't want to start by copying what came before, but to get to that point by making it a real journey."

Producer Michael G. Wilson, whose family originated the films and has personally worked on every Bond since 1979's Moonraker, says that though some Bond fans will consider it heresy, he was glad to break tradition.

"I feel free," he said during a location shoot in Chile last spring. "We always had to have those scenes in the movie. Now we have scenes only if they're necessary."

Craig is signed to at least two more Bond films, and he says eventually all the familiar characteristics will reveal themselves. And he hopes they will be more satisfying now that they aren't delivered by rote.

"I'm as big a fan as anybody of all his catchphrases and the martini," he says. "But I want to find a new way of doing them."

Chase Not Tickled By Palin's SNL Appearance

Comedian Chevy Chase wasn't laughing at U.S. vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's guest appearance on sketch show Saturday Night Live this weekend (18/19Oct08), insisting TV bosses made a "big mistake" inviting her on.

The National Lampoon's Vacation star, a former SNL alum, was not impressed by Palin's lack of improvisation skills on Saturday's programme, which was hosted by W star Josh Brolin and featured Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin.

Palin appeared in an opening skit with staunch Democrat Baldwin, and again in the Weekend Update segment, when she nodded along to a rap song by SNL's Amy Poehler.

But the Alaska Governor's performance failed to crack a smile from Chase.

He tells Access Hollywood, "Quite frankly, it's a big mistake to let her go on. What was brilliant about (SNL producer) Lorne (Michaels) was that he had nothing written for Sarah and that apparently she cannot improvise herself out of a paper bag!

"On Weekend Update, that was her big chance. Nothing."

And Chase has no doubt that Palin's performance has had a negative effect on the campaign of her running mate, White House hopeful John McCain.

He adds, "The management behind McCain's campaign has been dumb. This has only helped accentuate the problem of his judgement in choosing, in such a cynical way, a candidate like Sarah Palin for vice president. I think the last thing that they would want right about now is to have the rest of America knowing all that... to have her be seen on SNL, certainly never there... If anything, you just want her to be seen just from a distance."

Weakerthans win three WCMAs

EDMONTON - Maybe they should be called the Strongerthans.

Songs about curling, a Winnipeg bus driver and Big Foot helped The Weakerthans dominate the Western Canadian Music Awards Sunday. The indy pop recording darlings, who have been winning rave reviews as they play around the world in support of their latest album Reunion Tour, were honoured for outstanding independent album and songwriters of the year at the awards show in Edmonton.

The band, which crafted Reunion Tour in a factory on the outskirts of Winnipeg during a few frigid weeks in March 2007, also won video of the year for Civil Twilight, a song about a city bus driver whose route takes him past a house that is haunted only for him.

The Weakerthans appear to have a love-hate relationship with buses. This summer the band missed playing the Lalapalooza festival in Chicago when their tour bus broke down after a show, stranding them in Ohio.

The Western Canadian Music Awards recognizes the best recording artists from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon in 19 categories.

"It was definitely a great weekend," said Kennedy Jensen, executive director of the Western Canadian Music Alliance.

"We were thrilled to be hosting the event in Edmonton this year - to share our hospitality and amazing spirit."

Alberta native son Corb Lund won the outstanding roots recording - solo - award for the title song of his Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! album, a ballad that chronicles the changing fortunes of cavalrymen throughout history.

The show opened with a tribute to the life and career of jazz icon Tommy Banks, who was inducted into the Western Canadian Music Hall of Fame, as were Spirit of the West. The Vancouver-based artists performed rousing renditions of their hit singles during the program.

Feist, k.d. lang and Nickelback were all honoured with awards for international achievement.

Country crooner Paul Brandt, who has sold more than one-million albums during his career, won the top country recording award for his album Risk.

Winnipeg rockers The Liptonians were honoured for outstanding pop recording for their self-titled debut album.

Altered Laws' Metaphora, an album that explores Latin, pop, Brazilian, mainstream and avant-garde jazz, won top jazz recording.

Other award winners included; Little Miss Higgins for outstanding blues recording for the album Junction City, State of Shock's Life, Love and Lies was top rock record, Twilight Hotel' Highway Prayer was honoured for outstanding roots recording.

List of winners from the 2008 Western Canadian Music Awards

EDMONTON - Here's the list of winners from the Western Canadian Music Awards presented Sunday night in Edmonton:

The 2008 Western Canadian Music Award winners are:

Outstanding Aboriginal Recording: Tracy Bone, No Lies.

Outstanding Blues Recording: Little Miss Higgins, Junction City.

Outstanding Children's Recording (Tie): Googol Power, Crazy 4 Math. The Kerplunks, The Kerplunks.

Outstanding Contemporary Christian/Gospel Recording: Steve Bell, The Symphony Sessions.

Outstanding Classical Composition: Elizabeth Raum, Dark Thoughts (How Bodies Make Ecstatic Marks).

Outstanding Classical Recording: Jasper Wood, A Child's Cry from Izieu.

Outstanding Country Recording: Paul Brandt, Risk.

Outstanding Francophone Recording: Ariane Mahryke Lemire, Double Entendre.

Outstanding Instrumental Recording: Bob Evans, 4 on 6.

Outstanding Jazz Recording: Altered Laws, Metaphora.

Outstanding Pop Recording: The Liptonians, Self-Titled.

Outstanding Rock Recording: State of Shock, Life, Love & Lies.

Outstanding Roots Recording - Duo/Group: Twilight Hotel, Highway Prayer.

Outstanding Roots Recording - Solo: Corb Lund, Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier!.

Outstanding Urban Recording: Souljah Fyah, Truth Will Reveal.

Outstanding World Recording: Alex Cuba, Agua Del Pozo.

Outstanding Independent Album: The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour.

Songwriter(s) of the Year: The Weakerthans, Reunion Tour.

Video of the Year: The Weakerthans, Civil Twilight.

Hall of Fame: Senator Tommy Banks, Spirit of the West.

International Achievement Award: Feist, k.d. lang, Nickelback

Fashion critic Mr. Blackwell dies in Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES – Mr. Blackwell, the acerbic designer whose annual worst-dressed list skewered the fashion felonies of celebrities from Zsa Zsa Gabor to Britney Spears, has died. He was 86.

Blackwell died Sunday of complications from an intestinal infection, publicist Harlan Boll said.

Blackwell, whose first name was Richard, was a little-known dress designer when he issued his first tongue-in-cheek criticism of Hollywood fashion disasters for 1960 — long before Joan Rivers and others turned such ridicule into a daily affair.

Year after year, he would take Hollywood's reigning stars and other celebrities to task for failing to dress in what he thought was the way they should.

Being dowdy was bad enough, but the more outrageous clothing a woman wore, the more biting his criticism. He once said a reigning Miss America looked "like an armadillo with cornpads."

A few other examples:

Madonna: "The Bare-Bottomed Bore of Babylon."

Barbra Streisand: "She looks like a masculine Bride of Frankenstein."

Christina Aguilera: "A dazzling singer who puts good taste through the wardrobe wringer."

Meryl Streep: "She looks like a gypsy abandoned by a caravan."

Sharon Stone: "An over-the-hill Cruella DeVille."

Lindsay Lohan: "From adorable to deplorable."

Patti Davis: "Packs all the glamour of an old, worn-out sneaker."

Ann Margret: "A Hells Angel escapee who invaded the Ziegfeld Follies on a rainy night."

Camilla Parker-Bowles: "The Duchess of Dowdy."

Bjork: "She dances in the dark — and dresses there, too."

Spears: "Her bra-topped collection of Madonna rejects are pure fashion overkill."

The critic acknowledged he had mixed feelings about appearing so publicly mean. Most of the women he put through the wringer, he said, were people he genuinely admired for their talent if not their fashion sense.

"The list is and was a satirical look at the fashion flops of the year," he said in 1998. "I merely said out loud what others were whispering. ... It's not my intention to hurt the feelings of these people. It's to put down the clothing they're wearing."

He told the Los Angeles Times in 1968 that designers were forgetting that their job "is to dress and enhance women. ... Maybe I should have named the 10 worst designers instead of blaming the women who wear their clothes."

Surprisingly, the woman who topped his worst dressed list for 1982 (announced in early 1983) was the newly married Diana, Princess of Wales. He said she had gone from "a very young, independent, fresh look" to a "tacky, dowdy" style. She quickly regained her footing and wound up as a regular on Blackwell's favorites list, the "fabulous fashion independents."

Blackwell had started out as an actor himself, having been spotted by a talent agent while still in his teens. He landed a job as an understudy in the Broadway production of Sidney Kingsley's heralded drama "Dead End."

Although he got to the play the role of the Dead End Kids' leader on stage only one time, it led him to Hollywood where he landed bit parts in such films as "Little Tough Guy" (uncredited) and "Juvenile Hall" (as Dick Selzer).

He abandoned his acting career in 1958 after failing to make it in movies and switched to fashion design. He claimed to be the first to make designer jeans for women, and his salon had begun to attract a few Hollywood names when he issued his first list covering the fashion faux pas of 1960. (Italian star Anna Magnani and Gabor were among his early victims.)

It quickly brought him the celebrity he had long coveted, and he quickly became a favorite on the TV talk show circuit. He also became for a time, in his words, "The worst bitch in the world."

He hosted his own show, "Mr. Blackwell Presents," in 1968 and appeared as himself in such TV shows as "Matlock" and "Matt Houston."

In 1992, he sued Johnny Carson for claiming that he had added Mother Teresa to his list, saying the comment exposed him to hatred and ridicule. NBC's response was that the "Tonight Show" host was obviously joking.

"Did you see what he said about Mother Teresa? 'Miss Nerdy Nun is a fashion no-no,'" Carson had said. "Come on now, that's just too much."

During his heyday the issuing of Blackwell's annual list was an eagerly anticipated media event.

On the second Tuesday in January he would assemble reporters at his mansion for a lavish breakfast before making a dramatic entrance for the television cameras.

By the turning of the millennium, however, the list had lost its juice and Blackwell took to issuing it by e-mail.

Born Richard Sylvan Selzer in 1922, Blackwell recounted in his autobiography, "From Rags to Bitches," a troubled, poverty-ridden childhood in which he was variously a truant, thief and prostitute.

Furtado a married woman

TORONTO - Canadian singer Nelly Furtado has revealed she was secretly married over the summer.

The Grammy winner told Entertainment Tonight Canada on Friday that she married sound engineer Demacio Castellon on July 19.

The two worked together on Furtado's 2006 album "Loose," which included the hits "Promiscuous" and "Maneater."

They have been engaged since last year.

Furtado, 29, has a four-year-old daughter from a previous relationship that ended in 2005.

'Max Payne,' 'Chihuahua,' 'Bees' out-poll 'W'

LOS ANGELES – Movie-goers elected a "W," but it was Mark Wahlberg, not George W. Bush. Wahlberg's action flick "Max Payne" debuted with $18 million to outdo Oliver Stone's film biography of George W. Bush, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Stone's "W." actually ran fourth, opening with $10.6 million to finish behind the family comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" (No. 2 with $11.2 million) and the chick flick "The Secret Life of Bees" (No. 3 with $11.1 million).

"For me, an Oliver Stone film about George Bush doesn't necessarily scream big box office," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "A film like this is very tough to gauge, but this is exactly what I thought it would do."

Lionsgate's "W.," starring Josh Brolin as Bush, came in well behind the $18.7 million debut of Stone's last movie, 2006's Sept. 11 saga "World Trade Center." That movie opened in nearly 3,000 theaters, about 900 more than "W.," however.

Playing in 2,030 cinemas, "W." averaged a solid but unremarkable $5,197 a theater, compared with a $6,334 average for "World Trade Center." "W." was shot on a modest budget of $25 million.

The film had been on political junkies' radar since Stone put "W." on the fast track less than a year ago so he could have it out before the November election. Stone started shooting in May, his five-month turnaround time remarkably short by Hollywood standards, where major movies can take a year or more.

If he needed more time, Stone contractually had the option of releasing the film around the time Bush leaves office in January.

But with two weeks until the election, this is prime time for a Bush biography, said Steve Rothenberg, Lionsgate head of distribution.

"We felt it was very important to release the film after the presidential debates but before the election," Rothenberg said. "We felt interest in the election would be at its height, and interest in George W. Bush would be much greater now than after January. We feel we have a good corridor over the next two weeks."

The movie received mixed reviews, with critics surprised at how relatively tame it turned out coming from liberal firebrand Stone, who made the paranoia-laden presidential tales "JFK" and "Nixon."

Brolin's Bush has some buffoonish moments, but Stone showed empathy for the president, casting him as a man with serious daddy issues but an unshakable relationship with wife Laura to fall back on.

Among the weekend's other new movies, 20th Century Fox's "Max Payne" averaged $5,332 in 3,376 theaters and Fox Searchlight's "The Secret Life of Bees" did $6,945 in 1,591 cinemas.

Disney's "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," which had been the No. 1 movie the previous two weekends, raised its total to $69.1 million.

Adapted from the video game, "Max Payne" stars Wahlberg as a New York City cop hunting the killers of his wife and child.

"The Secret Life of Bees" stars Dakota Fanning, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Sophie Okonedo in a drama about a troubled teen learning life lessons through the beekeeping operations of three Southern sisters.

"Max Payne" had a predominantly male audience, "The Secret Life of Bees" played to women, "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" continued to grab family crowds and "W." was the choice for politically minded adults.

"You've got all kinds of pictures out there," said 20th Century Fox distribution executive Bert Livingston. "When this business is great is when there are a lot of different pictures out that people want to go see."

Hollywood's overall revenues rose for the fourth-straight weekend. The top-12 movies took in $86.4 million, up 10 percent from the same weekend last year.

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. "Max Payne," $18 million.
2. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," $11.2 million.
3. "The Secret Life of Bees," $11.1 million.
4. "W.," $10.6 million.
5. "Eagle Eye," $7.3 million.
6. "Body of Lies," $6.9 million.
7. "Quarantine," $6.3 million.
8. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," $3.9 million.
9. "Sex Drive," $3.6 million.
10. "Nights in Rodanthe," $2.7 million.

The Couch Potato Report - October 18th, 2008

This week The Couch Potato Report peels some young people...hugging, and the late great Misters Orson Welles and Paul Newman.

The title of this week's main new release, our Hot Potato - is one that I can't say on the radio...if I want to keep my job.

Actually, I can say two of the words in the title...I just can't say the third one.

Those first two are YOUNG and PEOPLE...and for the third word, let me just use the word HUGGING...I can say that and still keep my job...right?!?

Okay...so, the film, for my selfish keep my job purposes, is called YOUNG PEOPLE HUGGING...but imagine the most intense, passionate, pleasureable type of HUGGING that you can think of, and that is what this film offers...or, wants to offer!

Let me back up a bit, when I first heard last year at the Toronto International Film Festival that there was a Canadian film coming out that was called YOUNG PEOPLE HUGGING, I knew right then and there that it would not be very good.

And I don't mean not very good because it was a Canadian film, I mean it because of the title.

If the filmmakers had a better and more interesting movie on their hands, they would have given it a better name...instead, they have to rely on a cheap publicity stunt - putting an expletive word in the title, the word I am replacing with HUGGING this morning - using that expletive in the title just so their film would get some attention.

For that, I will just say, they should have gone back to the beginning and written a better film.

Sadly, they didn't.

YOUNG PEOPLE HUGGING wants to be a smart and fast-paced comedy...it isn't.

It is - however - a movie that intertwines the stories of five couples over the course of one evening as these YOUNG PEOPLE attempt to do what birds do, and what bees do...heck, even educated fleas do it.

YOUNG PEOPLE HUGGING is full of attractive people, but boring characters, and an utterly predictable and bad script...and the filmmakers - even though they probably will never admit it until their dying breath - know this, which is why they gave it the title they have.

Look...I am usually happy to state that Canadian made films should at least be seen and supported....but not in this case.

Stay away from YOUNG PEOPLE HUGGING, it just isn't worthy of your time.

Up next are four films that are all worthy of your time, and you might even enjoy watching them with someone to hug sitting beside you.

Let start with the 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Orson Welles' classic film TOUCH OF EVIL

I am not sure that I have mentioned this before, but I am a HUGE fan of Orson Welles and his films and work. I could talk for hours about him...but I won't. I will just speak for a couple of minutes.

TOUCH OF EVIL stars Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh and Welles and it takes place in a U.S./Mexico border town.

Heston is a high ranking Mexican narcotics official on honeymoon with his bride who is drawn into a murder investigation.

Welles is the 330 pound sheriff who run sthe town, and he isn't all too happy to have Heston in the way.

TOUCH OF EVIL has always been a misunderstood film as the version that played in theatres wasn't Welles' version. The studio didn't like the film he gave them, so they re-shot some scenes with another director and released their version, which was a few scenes less than coherant.

Welles countered by writing a 58-page memo to the studio on how they could make it better, which went largely ignored.

In the 1970s a longer version was discovered in the studio's vault, and that was also released in theatres, but it stil wasn't Welles' film.

Then, in 1998 the film was restored in a version that attempted to follow Welles's 1958 memo as closely as possible.

And now all three versions are available in the TOUCH OF EVIL - 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, along with a copy of Welles' memo.

In 1993, Touch of Evil was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and the film was placed #64 on American Film Institute's 100 Years, 100 Thrills...and I could go on and on about it, but I will stop now....after 11 more words.

It is a classic, I recommend it...see it, and enjoy!!

I also recommend our next movie, the semi-historical film MONGOL about the young Genghis Khan and how events in his early life lead him to become a legendary conqueror.

MONGOL is the first in what is planned to be a trilogy about Genghis Khan's life and it was nominated for the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film as a submission from Kazakhstan.

MONGOL features epic battles with graphic violence and action scenes, a great unknown cast, and an interesting story.

If all that sounds interesting to you, don't miss this film!!

If none of that appeals to you...how about a Paul Newman movie?

When Paul Newman died on September 26th, I said on this show that I wasn't going to eulogize him, instead, his work should speak for itself.

This week the DVD's COOL HAND LUKE and THE PRICE OF SUGAR allow that work to do that.

The DELUXE EDITION of COOL HAND LUKE allows this always interesting film about a man in prison who refuses to conform to the system to look and sound better than it has in years.

It also has a nice 30 minute retrospective look back...but unfortunately it doesn't feature any new interviews with the screen icon.

But the film still, and will always stand on it's own. It is a great movie!

The documentary THE PRICE OF SUGAR that Newman narrates isn't what I would call great, but it is very insightful and illuminating.

THE PRICE OF SUGAR focusses on the exploitation of Haitian immigrants in the Dominican Republic involved with production of sugar, and the efforts of a Spanish priest to make their lives and work situation better.

As I said, it is insightful and informative from start to finish, but even though the lives of the workers are unimaginable, the film failed to connect with me emotionally.

I watched it, it was over. Usually I feel one way or another after a documentary ends.

With this one, I felt nothing...well, I thought of Paul Newman, and wished he was still alive and well...but I am I will think that for a while.

He was a true conematic icon who will be missed.

The documentary THE PRICE OF SUGAR with narration from Mr. Paul Newman, the DELUXE EDITION of Mr. Newman's classic COOL HAND LUKE, Best Foreign Language Film Oscar Nominee MONGOL from Kazakhstan, the 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION of Orson Welles classic film TOUCH OF EVIL and the wannabe provocative but isn't even worth your time Canadian film YOUNG PEOPLE HUGGING are all available now on DVD.

Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report

UP THE YANGTZE is a 2007 documentary film directed by Chinese-Canadian director Yung Chang. The film focuses on people affected by the building of the Three Gorges Dam across the Yangtze river in Hubei, China.

And to get you ready for Halloween: I will tell you about new versions of three classic Alfred Hitchcock films, PSYCHO, VERTIGO and REAR WINDOW; an dthe new terror filled release THE STRANGERS.

I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next time on The Couch!

'Passchendaele' a labour of love

Paul Gross does not quit – and no, this isn’t a reference to how he parlayed small screen stardom on the ‘90s sleeper, “Due South,” into leading man status in the 2002 romantic comedy “Men With Brooms” through sheer grit.

It’s a testimonial to how he ambitiously wove the graphic First World War stories his maternal grandfather, veteran Michael Dunne, told him about life in the trenches at Passchendaele, Belgium, into an epic, feature-length film.

“It’s not Rambo or John Wayne, but it’s our heroism,” Gross, 49, said in an interview days after the $20-million “Passchendaele” opened the Toronto International Film Festival. “And I worry about us forgetting that history of the First World War, because the very definition of what it means to be Canadian was fought for in the slaughter yards of the Western front.”

A stark contrast to the country’s current role in Afghanistan, the Battle of Passchendaele saw Canadian troops waging a bloody 12-day campaign against German troops in a Belgian village. Tens of thousands were killed and the success of the victory was limited – the Germans eventually regained control of the territory. But the victory forged the idea that Canadian soldiers were something to fear.

“We are very definitely peacekeepers; we more or less invented it,” said the writer, director and star. “But we’re also warriors and we need to know we’re both these things. To suggest that we simply just run around keeping the peace is not accurate historically.”

But to give the battle the big screen treatment, Gross quickly found that the country’s meager film subsidies needed to be topped up by some deep-pocketed millionaires.

“We did begin to set it up as a UK-Canada co-production, but that proved to be too complicated. To do it that way, they wanted the main character, the one that I play (Michael Dunne, named after his grandfather), to be British.”

Admittedly intrigued by the idea of fast-tracking the film into development, Gross ultimately nixed telling his story this way. “I wanted to make a film that was about us; not some hybrid story.”

So he abandoned the co-production route and was then faced with a problem: How do you raise $20 million domestically?

“You pretty much have to kill somebody,” he laughed.

After seven years, Gross cobbled together money from both public and private sources, with the Alberta government coughing up over $5 million from a centennial legacy fund.

“Thank God for Ralph Klein,” Gross said. “The first big stake came from Ralph Klein and the Alberta government. Without that, it would have been very hard to convince the private sector to fund this.

“I’m not saying we need to make $50 million movies every day, but some stories,” he said, pausing, “cost a little bit more to tell.”

Money in hand, Gross began shooting the film on an aboriginal reserve outside Calgary last year. Of course seduced by big-budgeted American war movies, he may have been influenced by Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan,” but it was the conversations with his grandfather that dictated how he would shoot it.

“I remember asking him, ‘What did you know of the war? What was your war?’ And my grandfather replied, ‘My war was 25 yards on either side of me.’ So, the protocol for filming was; we’d only shoot those things that a soldier in a battlefield could arguably see.

“The immediacy of the combat scenes,” he continued, referring to a sequence when his character jabs a knife into a German soldier’s head, “had to be effective.”

Recounting Canada’s heroism in the fall of 1917 also forced Gross to take a hard look at our current military involvement in Afghanistan.

“I started writing this when the Russians were still in Afghanistan,” he said. “So, I didn’t think of it in terms of contemporary relevance. It became that way when we were shooting because many of the extras in our film were actual soldiers who are in Afghanistan now.

“It’s very hard on a film set to not get sucked into the Peter Pan-y, make-believe world of it. But having soldiers with us, who were about to go into battle, made us realize the importance of the story we were telling.

“I’m not sure this will change the debate, but it’s been interesting to me to follow the robust public discourse about our role in Afghanistan. And I think ultimately, no matter what your view, you can support our soldiers and honour what it is they’re doing whether you agree with the nature of the mission they are on or not.”

“Passchendaele” opens across Canada today.

Film Franchise to Be 'Bourne' Again

It seems "The Bourne Ultimatum" wasn't so ultimate after all.

Universal is planning yet another installment of the Jason Bourne spy franchise, choosing George Nolfi to write the script, report the trades.

Matt Damon, who starred in the previous three films, is attached to star in the fourth.

Nolfi helped adapt "Ultimatum", which earned $442 million at the worldwide box office. Although the first three films were based on Robert Ludlum's books, the new film will be based on an original story.

Author Eric Van Lustbader, with the permission of the Ludlum estate, has written four other novels in the series.

Four Tops frontman Levi Stubbs dead at 72

DETROIT – Four Tops frontman Levi Stubbs, whose dynamic and emotive voice drove such Motown classics as "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" and "Baby I Need Your Loving," died Friday at 72.

He had been ill recently and died in his sleep at the Detroit house he shared with his wife of 48 years, said Dana Meah, the wife of a grandson. The Wayne County medical examiner's office also confirmed the death.

With Stubbs in the lead, the Four Tops sold millions of records and performed for more than four decades without a change in personnel.

"Levi Stubbs was one of the great voices of all times," former Motown labelmate Smokey Robinson said. "He was very near and dear to my heart. He was my friend and my brother, I miss him. God bless his family and comfort them."
The Four Tops began singing together in 1953 under the name the Four Aims and signed a deal with Chess Records. They later changed their names to the Four Tops to avoid being confused with the Ames Brothers.

They also recorded for Red Top, Riverside and Columbia Records and toured supper clubs.

The Four Tops signed with Motown Records in 1963 and produced 20 Top-40 hits over the next 10 years, making music history with the other acts in Berry Gordy's Motown stable.

"It is not only a tremendous personal loss for me, but for the Motown family, and people all over the world who were touched by his rare voice and remarkable spirit," Gordy said Friday. "Levi was the greatest interpreter of songs I've ever heard."

When he and others at Motown first heard "Baby I Need Your Loving," Gordy remembered: "Levi's voice exploded in the room and went straight for our hearts. We all knew it was a hit, hands down."

Their biggest hits were recorded between 1964 and 1967 with the in-house songwriting and production team of Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. Both 1965's "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)" and 1966's "Reach Out" went to No. 1 on the Billboard pop chart.

Other hits included "Shake Me, Wake Me" (1966), "Bernadette" and "Standing in the Shadows of Love" (both 1967).

The acclaimed documentary film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," which took its name from the Four Tops song, was released in 2002 and focused on the Funk Brothers, the talented but unheralded musicians who played backup on many Motown recordings.

While Stubbs didn't play a direct role in the film's production, director Paul Justman spoke Friday of the singer's immense talent.

"He was a tremendous artist," Justman said.

Stubbs "fits right up there with all the icons of Motown," said Audley Smith, chief operating officer of the Motown Historical Museum. "His voice was as unique as Marvin's or as Smokey's or as Stevie's."

Gladys Knight remembered Stubbs as an immensely talented and kind man whom she had known since the 1950s. "We were family," she said. "Have you ever heard a voice that sounded like his? It was emotional. It was crisp, with energy and an edge."

She said he was as good a person as he was a performer. "He was amazing, very unassuming," Knight said. "Very humble. So many artists don't like to share. He would hand you the mike in a minute."

The Four Tops toured for decades after their heyday and reached the charts as late as 1988 with "Indestructible" on Arista Records. In 1986, Stubbs provided the voice for Audrey II the man-eating plant in the film "Little Shop of Horrors."
The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Stubbs' death leaves one surviving member of the original group: Abdul "Duke" Fakir. Original Top Lawrence Payton died of liver cancer in 1997. Renaldo "Obie" Benson died of lung cancer in 2005.

Stubbs hadn't done much performing in recent years because of his declining health, but was known to step up on stage from time to time when a Motown touring production came through Detroit.

He was born in 1936 and grew up in Detroit, where he sang with Fakir. They met fellow Payton and Benson while singing at a mutual friend's birthday party, then decided to form a group.

Stubbs is survived by his wife Cliniece, five children and 11 grandchildren.

CBC won't renew contracts with Don Murray, Patrick Brown

The CBC says it is not renewing the contracts of reporters Don Murray in London and Patrick Brown in Beijing.

Jeff Keay, spokesman for the public broadcaster, says "economic reasons" were behind the decision, but would not elaborate further.

The veteran newsmen had been working under part-time contracts since 2006.

Keay says their contracts are to expire next month and that the CBC is interested in establishing "an ongoing freelance relationship" with Murray and Brown.

He added that the affected bureaus would otherwise remain fully staffed.

They include reporters Michel Cormier in Beijing, Anthony Germain in Shanghai, and Ann McMillan and Adrienne Arsenault in London.

"The relationship remains to be defined, I think," Keay said Thursday of the CBC's relationship with Murray and Brown.

"We hope to see them on the air in future."

'Battlestar Galactica' Begins Swan Song January 16

Mid-January marks the beginning of the end for " Battlestar Galactica" fans.

The acclaimed Sci Fi Channel show will return with the second half of its fourth and final season on Friday, Jan. 16 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.

So that means just before our new president takes office, "Battlestar" will pick up from June's cliffhanger, during which the Colonial fleet and their Cylon allies finally discover Earth, only to find it a barren nuclear wasteland.

The final 10 episodes of the Peabody-winning show will end with the ultimate finale on March 20.

Those wanting just a bit more "Battlestar" can also look forward to the previously announced "Battlestar Galactica" two-hour special next year starring Michael Trucco, Aaron Douglas and Dean Stockwell reprising their roles as Sam T. Anders, Chief Galen Tyrol and Cavil.

"Max Payne" has box-office crown in its sights

ORLANDO (Hollywood Reporter) – The movie theater operators who attended the ShowEast conference here had to rush back to change their marquees Friday as another batch of new titles hit multiplexes.

Among the newcomers is 20th Century Fox's "Max Payne," an adaptation of the action-packed videogame that stars Mark Wahlberg in the titular avenging-cop role and has the young-male demographic in its sights. How high into the teen millions it will open depends on how many young men bring dates to the theater Saturday, with its Friday debut likely to be substantial regardless.

But the movie certainly won't have the market to itself, and the studio even has a second wide-release debutante of its own in Fox Searchlight drama "The Secret Life of Bees."

"Bees" -- which stars Queen Latifah and Dakota Fanning in a drama based on the novel of the same name -- couldn't target a more distinct audience from "Payne." It aims to reach older women and, to a lesser extent, younger females. Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys and Paul Bettany fill out the ensemble cast, but reviews could prove key to "Bees" being anywhere near a breakout hit during the crowded weekend.

Elsewhere among the debutantes, Lionsgate unspools Oliver Stone's George W. Bush biopic "W." amid decent early response from critics lauding a relatively even-handed treatment of the subject matter by the film's controversial helmer.

A top-three finish seems likely given broad audience anticipation for the release just weeks before the presidential election.

Summit Entertainment's R-rated comedy "Sex Drive" goes after much the same demographic group as does "Payne." Light prerelease interest, according to tracking surveys, indicates that "Sex" will fetch a weekend gross somewhere in the single-digit millions.

Meanwhile, the four wide openers will increase a recent glut of films crowding multiplexes for a piece of the box-office action in a season hardly known for robust grosses. Yet if one or more of the new releases click, that could put another notch in the win column for the industry, much like the year-over-year uptick posted during the previous weekend despite some misfires among the frame's wide releases.

Seasonal grosses are tracking about 8 percent ahead of the same portion of fall 2007. That's mostly thanks to easy comparisons with limp year-ago weekends -- as well as some good box-office bite from Disney's family comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua."

"Chihuahua" could approach double-digit millions during its third session to grab one of the frame's top rankings after finishing No. 1 in its first two weekends.

McCain tries to make peace with Letterman

NEW YORK – John McCain told David Letterman that "I screwed up" by canceling a "Late Show" appearance three weeks ago, then faced a sharp round of questioning about Sarah Palin and his campaign tactics.

Not willing to risk the wrath of Letterman again, the Republican presidential candidate rented a helicopter to fly to New York after a weather delay grounded his campaign airplane in Philadelphia. He had canceled a Sept. 24 appearance during the brief suspension of his campaign because of the economic crisis, and Letterman has been hammering him ever since.

The band played the Who's "I Can't Explain" as McCain walked onstage at the Ed Sullivan Theater. After he sat down, Letterman asked, "Can you stay?"
"Depends on how bad it gets," McCain answered.

Letterman had replaced McCain with the GOP hopeful's persistent critic, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, on Sept. 24. Olbermann was waiting in the wings Thursday — and McCain had a pained expression when he noticed that.

Although Letterman said he was "willing to put this behind us," he came after McCain hard with questions. He asked whether Palin was his first choice as vice president.

"Absolutely," McCain answered.

He said he didn't know her well before choosing her, but that he was impressed by her reputation as a reformer.

Letterman repeatedly pressed McCain on her qualifications, asking if he was confident she could lead the country in a time of crisis.

"In all due respect, one of the people I admired most was an obscure governor of a southern state called Arkansas and he turned out to be a fairly successful president," McCain said, complimenting Bill Clinton. "Ronald Reagan was a cowboy, no experience in international affairs. I think she has shown leadership."

As Letterman pressed on, McCain asked, "Have we pretty well exhausted this?"
"No, no," Letterman said. "I'm just getting started."

Letterman questioned him about Palin's claim that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama "palled around with terrorists," and McCain backed her up, saying his opponent need to better explain his relationship with former Weather Underground activist William Ayers.

"Did you not have a relationship with Gordon Liddy?" Letterman asked about Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy.

McCain said he knew him. Then, after a commercial break, McCain said, "I know Gordon Liddy. He paid his debt, he went to prison ... I'm not in any way embarrassed to know Gordon Liddy."

"You understand the same case could be made of your relationship with him as is being made with William Ayers?" Letterman said.

McCain said he has been completely open about his relationship with Liddy.
Letterman appeared to ridicule McCain about the implication that Obama and Ayers had a relationship.

"Are they double-dating, are they going to dinner, what are they doing?" Letterman asked. "Are they driving across country?"

"Maybe going to Denny's," McCain said.

Letterman said that Obama was 8 when Ayers was 29, and McCain appeared exasperated. "There's millions of words said in a campaign. C'mon, Dave," he said.

McCain said he thought Palin would appear on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," where Tina Fey has been doing a dead-on impersonation of her. "Probably get more of an audience than our debate did," he said.

Although Letterman had said he felt like an "ugly date" after McCain's initial cancellation, representatives for the two men never stopped talking about a return date.

While McCain risked a rough appearance — "I haven't had so much fun since my last interrogation," he said — it gave him the chance to show courage in the face of fire. Letterman reaches about 4 million people a night, a number sure to increase with McCain as guest. With clips on the Internet and Friday morning news, countless more people will undoubtedly learn about their encounter.

McCain did offer one campaign promise that he was probably more likely to keep after he left the stage.

"It's not the time to raise anybody's taxes — except yours," he said to Letterman. "I guarantee you if I become president, I'll do it. First executive order."

Eminem Ready for Relapse

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Eminem's done the rehab. Now it's time for the Relapse.

During an interview last night on his Sirius Satellite Radio channel, Shade 45, Eminem announced his forthcoming sixth album would be titled Relapse and include the track "I'm Having a Relapse."

While the rap superstar stopped short of announcing a release date, he has previously indicated it will drop by year's end, likely before pal 50 Cent's Before I Self Destruct on Dec. 9.

The Shade 45 interview, hosted by DJ Kayslay and Angela Yee, was part of an on-air party for Eminem's new book, The Way I Am, which goes on sale next Tuesday.

The new album, whose working titles reportedly included King Mathers and Em-Pact, is rumored to include collaborations with 50 Cent, DMX, Obie Trice and Cashis, among others. In a recent interview, current chart-topper T.I. said he also recorded a track with Em that included both artists' alter egos, T.I.'s dark side, T.I.P., and Em's Slim Shady.

Eminem's last studio album, Encore, came out four years ago, followed by the compilation Curtain Call: The Hits in 2005. Curtain Call, originally titled The Funeral, per early rumors, marked the start of Eminem's supposed retirement as a recording artist. But whispers of a comeback began just months later, when Eminem collaborated with Akon on the 2006 Grammy-nominated hit "Smack That."

Said Akon at the time, "Eminem told me he was getting bored with everything, which is why he took a break. But he's back working on an album."

Later that year, Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers III, appeared on the Shady Records compilation Eminem Presents the Re-Up. Then in September 2007, Eminem told NYC radio station Hot 97 that he was in fact working on new material, though he wasn't sure if he'd release it. During a Shade 45 interview this past September, the 35-year-old Oscar and Grammy winner finally confirmed a new album was in the works.

With album sales declining faster than the Dow Jones, retailers can take heart that the holiday season could see new albums by cohorts Eminem, 50 Cent and Dr. Dre. Earlier this week, Tony Yayo even upped the ante by telling MTV News that he's hoping for some kind of combo tour with G-Unit to follow.

Red carpet opening for war film shot near Calgary

Calgary is rolling out the red carpet for Passchendaele, a First World War drama with significant Alberta pedigree.

The province invested more than $5 million in the $21-million production, and much of it was shot last year in and around Calgary — the birthplace of the movie's writer, director, co-producer and star, Paul Gross.

Gross is best known for his role as the upright Mountie in the television program Due South.

An invitation-only screening at the Jack Singer Concert Hall kicked off Wednesday evening with a marching military band and a "red carpet photo opportunity."

In an interview with CBC News Wednesday afternoon, Gross recalled the initial funding meeting with then-premier Ralph Klein, who was expected to be in the audience for the Calgary premiere.

"It was one of the oddest meetings I've had in my life .… I think he was kind of eager to get the meeting over with, because he was already wearing golf cleats," Gross said. "[Without] the confidence this province had in the project, we really would not have made it."

Passchendaele kicked off Toronto's film festival in September to great fanfare, but the absence at Calgary's film festival a week later had some of the city's film workers miffed.

"The Toronto Film Festival is international," explained Gross on Wednesday. "Of course it makes a lot of people aware of it and we thought it was a good way to kick-off the overall promotional part of it."

Inspired by his grandfather

Gross has spent the last decade trying to get the project made. He was inspired by his grandfather, one of thousands of Albertans who fought in the small Belgian village of Passchendaele in 1917. The main character of the film bears his grandfather's name, Sgt. Michael Dunne.

"He was there all the way through it. A very guiding spirit," recalled Gross.

The battle, also known as the Third Battle of Ypres, resulted in half a million Allied casualties for a gain of only a few miles.

Beginning on Oct. 26, 1917, Canadian troops drove back the German army to take Passchendaele in a 12-day offensive across marshland pitted with craters and made almost impassable by heavy rains.

Some 16,000 Canadians were killed or wounded, and the strategic gains were small — eight kilometres of territory, which would be taken back by the Germans later in the war. But the victory helped establish the Canadian soldier’s international reputation for awe-inspiring tenacity.

Rhona Mitra Rumored As Catwoman In Batman 3

Batman 3 still isn’t anywhere near close to being made, which means that any casting rumor you hear related to the film is still almost certainly nothing but bunk. Now that I’ve gotten that warning out of the way, here’s the latest in probably wrong Batman 3 casting rumors.

Batman-On-Film says Rhona Mitra may be “in the mix” to play Catwoman in Batman 3. This presupposes Catwoman is even in Batman 3, something which everyone in the world seems to have simply assumed, even though no one involved with the production has even hinted that it’s so.

According to the BOF guys (who themselves are quick to point out this rumor is probably vapor), people were impressed by her role in Doomsday.

Her performance may have gotten someone’s attention, which could have Rhona in contention to wear Batman 3’s as of yet non-existent cat suit. It’s unlikely to pan out, but I’m hoping the mainstream rumor picks this rumor up and runs with it, just to wash the taste of Cher out of everyone’s mouth. In case you were wondering, Cher as Catwoman tastes like dried industrial waste stuck in the ass crack of wet leather.

Give me Rhona Mitra instead.

Alicia Keys, Coldplay, Eagles lead AMA nominees

Alicia Keys, Coldplay and The Eagles led the pack when nominees for the 2008 American Music Awards were announced Tuesday (10/14).

Keys garnered five nominations to top the field, while Coldplay and The Eagles followed closely behind with four apiece. Each of the top-three nominees are in the running for the overall Artist of the Year prize, along with Chris Brown and Lil Wayne.

Nominations for the awards, which are divided into several categories--including Pop/Rock, Country, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Alternative, Adult Contemporary, Latin and Contemporary Inspirational--were announced by comedian Jimmy Kimmel at a press conference in Beverly Hills. The awards will be presented during a November 23rd live broadcast from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles.

The complete list of nominees is included below.

AMA nominations are based on sales data compiled by music-industry trade magazine Radio & Records and Nielsen SoundScan. For the second consecutive year, winners will be determined through an online vote open to the general public. In previous years, winners were selected via a national sampling of about 20,000 people.

Votes will be collected through Nov. 7.

Nominees for the 2008 American Music Awards:
POP/ROCK MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist
Chris Brown
Kid Rock
Usher

Favorite Female Artist
Mariah Carey
Alicia Keys
Rihanna

Favorite Band, Duo Or Group
Coldplay
Eagles
Daughtry

Favorite Album
Coldplay, "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends"
Eagles, "Long Road Out of Eden"
Alicia Keys, "As I Am"

COUNTRY MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist
Garth Brooks
Kenny Chesney
Brad Paisley

Favorite Female Artist
Reba Mcentire
Taylor Swift
Carrie Underwood

Favorite Band, Duo Or Group
Brooks & Dunn
Rascal Flatts
Sugarland

Favorite Album
Garth Brooks, "The Ultimate Hits"
Rascal Flatts, "Still Feels Good"
Carrie Underwood, "Carnival Ride"

RAP/HIP-HOP MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist
Flo Rida
Lil Wayne
Kanye West

Favorite Band, Duo Or Group
G Unit
Three 6 Mafia
Wu-Tang Clan

Favorite Album
Jay-Z, "American Gangster"
Lil Wayne, "Tha Carter III"
Kayne West, "Graduation"

SOUL/RHYTHM & BLUES MUSIC
Favorite Male Artist
Chris Brown
J. Holiday
Usher

Favorite Female Artist
Mary J. Blige
Alicia Keys
Rihanna

Favorite Album
Mary J. Blige, "Growing Pains"
Mariah Carey, "E=Mc2"
Alicia Keys, "As I Am"

SOUNDTRACKS
Favorite Album
"Alvin And The Chipmunks"
"Juno"
"Mamma Mia!"

ALTERNATIVE ROCK MUSIC
Favorite Artist
Coldplay
Foo Fighters
Linkin Park

ADULT CONTEMPORARY MUSIC
Favorite Artist
Daughtry
Eagles
Jordin Sparks

LATIN MUSIC
Favorite Artist
Enrique Iglesias
Juanes
Wisin Y Yandel

CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL
Favorite Artist
Casting Crowns
Mercyme
Third Day

T-MOBILE BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST
Colbie Caillat
Flo Rida
Jonas Brothers
Paramore
The-Dream

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Lil Wayne
Chris Brown
Alicia Keys
Eagles
Coldplay

Dan Akroyd confirms Ghostbusters game still exists

In a radio interview Wednesday morning, actor Dan Akroyd confirmed that Atari has picked up the Ghostbusters game--but don't hold your breath on a release date.

The sad tale of the Ghostbusters game took a turn for the better today after actor Dan Akroyd told a Dallas radio station that the game is still alive.

During the interview with 105.3 KLLI, Akroyd said the game has been picked up by Atari, and is about "a year away" from being released.

The news is by no means definitive, but it's a far cry from the doom and gloom fans experienced after former Ghostbusters developer Sierra Games was acquired and axed by parent publisher Activision Blizzard.

So, Ghostbuster fans can take solace in the fact that this game "might" be coming out in time for the 2009 holiday season, according to Dan Akroyd. Stock up on Ecto Cooler and tune in next year for more info.

Neal Hefti, composer of 'Batman' theme, dies

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Neal Hefti, a Big Band trumpeter, arranger and composer of themes for the movie The Odd Couple and the Batman television series, has died. He was 85.

Hefti died unexpectedly Saturday at his home, said his son Paul Hefti. He said his father was in good health and may have suffered a heart attack or stroke.

Neal Hefti's notable achievements include the iconic theme of the 1960s superhero series Batman, which became a Top 40 hit and won a Grammy Award in 1966 for best instrumental theme. He also composed music for The Odd Couple,Barefoot in the Park and Harlow, which featured his classic track Girl Talk.

His son said the Batman theme was Neal Hefti's most difficult piece, taking him at least one month to compose the driving bass and explosive trumpet bursts.

"He threw away more music paper on this thing than any other song," Paul Hefti told The Associated Press. "It got down to the blues with a funny guitar hook, the lowest common denominator and a fun groove."

As a working composer, Hefti's inspiration was "the job offer and the deadline," said Paul Hefti. "He didn't write songs in between jobs and when he retired he never wrote another song."

"He was one of the really great arrangers and composers of all time," radio and television personality Gary Owens, a longtime friend, told the Los Angeles Times.

Neal Hefti was born Oct. 29, 1922, in Hastings, Neb., and played trumpet with local bands as a teenager to earn money.

As an adult, he worked with and arranged music for the greats of the Big Band era, including Count Basie, Woody Herman, Charlie Spivak and Harry James.

His son described a humble beginning to Neal Hefti's career. In 1941, a traveling band that had lost some members to the war effort invited him to tour with them on the East Coast but replaced him afterward, Paul Hefti said.

"He was way over his head," Paul Hefti said. After leaving the band, "he was alone in New York with his trumpet and his case, but there was so much work there those days."

"Porno" proves a five-letter word for movie's ads

LOS ANGELES - Kevin Smith made a movie with such a bothersome title he cannot even place ads for it in some places.

Some newspaper, TV and outdoor ads for Smith's comedy "Zack and Miri Make a Porno" have been rejected because of their content or the five-letter word that ends the title, said Gary Faber, head of marketing for the Weinstein Co., which is releasing the film.

Among those refusing to carry ads are about 15 newspapers and several TV stations and cable channels, Faber said. Commercials for the film during Los Angeles Dodgers games on Fox Sports were dropped at the team's request after some viewers complained, said Dodgers spokesman Josh Rawitch.

One complaint came from a man watching a game in September with his young son, who did not understand a suicide-squeeze bunt the Dodgers tried, Rawitch said.

"He was explaining to his son what a squeeze bunt was. Commercial break, the ad comes on, and the kid asks, `Dad, what does porno mean?'" Rawitch said. "Dodgers baseball has always been about family, and we've always been sensitive to the type of advertising that runs on our games."

The city of Philadelphia refused "Zack and Miri" posters at bus stops. Similar posters at Boston bus stops have drawn complaints from a child-development expert who said they are inappropriate for children.

Smith found it ironic that the posters have been a problem. Some playfully risque ads with images of "Zack and Miri" stars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks were forbidden by the Motion Picture Association of America, which called the ads "highly sexually suggestive and not suitable for general audiences."

So Weinstein came up with posters using stick figures to represent the actors.

"The whole idea was, our hands were so tied on all previous entries we'd given them that this ad was meant to be the innocuous one that would get approved everywhere," Smith said.

Rina Cutler, Philadelphia deputy mayor for transportation, said the stick-figure posters were cute and clever but unacceptable for bus shelters where schoolchildren would see the word "porno."

"If they want to call the movie `Zack and Miri,' that's fine, but Zack and Miri cannot make a porno on my bus shelters," Cutler said.

Opening Oct. 31, "Zack and Miri" features Rogen and Banks as platonic best buddies and roommates who decide to make their own skin flick to dig themselves out of debt.

Diane Levin, an education professor specializing in child development at Boston's Wheelock College, said the posters at city bus stops send a message to children that working in the porn industry is an acceptable occupation.

"It's drawing attention to a movie which is mainstreaming and normalizing pornography, saying if you need money, this is what you do," said Levin, co-author of "So Sexy So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids."

The stick-figure images are especially appealing to youngsters, since "stick figures are something for children," she said.

Weinstein marketing boss Faber countered: "It's a comedy. It's a joke. We're not advertising a porno. It's not a porno. The word `porno,' it's not supposed to turn you on. It's supposed to make you laugh."

The ratings board of the MPAA initially slapped "Zack and Miri" with an NC-17 rating, a box-office kiss of death because audiences view such films as explicit adult-only flicks. Smith appealed and talked the film down to an R rating.

Faber said the company has been able to place its ads in most of the outlets it has approached. For newspapers that rejected them because of the word "porno," Weinstein might play around with variations that exclude the title, he said.

The company developed a version of the stick-figure poster without the film's name, bearing the slogan, "Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks made a movie so outrageous that we can't even tell you the title."

Madonna and Guy Ritchie announce their divorce

LONDON - Madonna and filmmaker Guy Ritchie will end their marriage after nearly eight years, the couple said in a joint statement Wednesday.

The couple asked the media to "maintain respect for their family at this difficult time," said the statement, e-mailed to The Associated Press by Liz Rosenberg, Madonna's publicist.

A financial settlement has not been agreed by the wealthy couple, who must also decide child custody issues.

In London, Ritchie's mother, Lady Amber Leighton, told reporters that the family wouldn't be making any statement.

Madonna and Ritchie, director of "Snatch" and "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels," married in December 2000 at a Scottish castle. The couple have two children: Rocco, 8, and David Banda, 3, who was adopted from Malawi in 2006. Madonna also has a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from her relationship with personal trainer Carlos Leon.

The couple are reportedly worth some $525 million, the bulk of that belonging to Madonna. Ritchie has an estimated $35 million fortune. They own homes in London, Los Angeles and New York, and a 1,200-acre retreat in Wiltshire, England.

Madonna is to perform concerts Wednesday and Thursday in Boston as her "Sticky and Sweet" tour continues. Ritchie's latest movie, "RocknRolla," recently opened to mixed reviews.

Lawyers said the couple would likely try to come to an agreement before heading to court.

"The judgment of the court would be to try and assess what they came in with and divide what they built up fairly equally," said David Allison, a lawyer with Family Law in Partnership, a London firm.

Ritchie's career has faltered during the marriage, while Madonna's songs, videos and concerts remain popular worldwide.

The needs of the couple's children will also be factored by the court, as they were in Britain's latest high-profile celebrity divorce, the battle between former Beatle Paul McCartney and model Heather Mills. In that case, McCartney and Mills fought over money and custody of their young daughter.

Mills received 24.3 million pounds in the divorce after four years of marriage.

"The needs of children figure quite highly, and that was one of the reasons Heather Mills got a gigantic amount of money, despite the fact that the bulk of Sir Paul's money was made before the marriage," Allison said.

The Sun newspaper splashed the split across its front page Wednesday under the headline: "We're Divorcing." It was the second time this year that the superstar couple's marriage has come under the media microscope. Over the summer, Madonna was linked — unfairly, she said — to the breakup of New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez and his ex-wife Cynthia.

Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year.

Tim McGraw upset by label's decision

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tim McGraw says his record label, Curb Records, released a greatest hits package of his songs against his wishes and without his involvement.

McGraw, 41, said in a statement Tuesday that he's been working on a new studio album for more than a year, playing some of the new songs on tour and wanted to release the CD this fall.

But instead, he said, Curb Records released the greatest hits collection — his third overall and second since just 2006 — last week to extend his recording contract term.

"I'm saddened and disappointed that my label chose to put out another hits album instead of new music," McGraw said. "I've only had one studio album since my last hits package. It has to be just as confusing to the fans as it is to me."

The singer said he had no involvement in the creation or presentation of the record, "Greatest Hits 3."

The 12-track disc includes McGraw hits going back to 1995 up to his current single, "Let It Go." It also includes two tracks not previously released on any of McGraw's albums: "Find Out Who Your Friends Are" with Tracy Lawrence and Kenny Chesney, and "Nine Lives" with the rock group Def Leppard.

"Sure I love the songs and I don't want to take anything away from all the creative people who were part of making those records. But the whole concept is an embarrassment to me as an artist.

"In the spirit of the election year, I would simply say to my fans 'I'm Tim McGraw and I don't approve their message,'" he said.

Curb Records Executive Vice President and General Manager Dennis Hannon said in a statement that he had several conversations with McGraw's representatives about all aspects of "Greatest Hits 3." He also said the CD is projected to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard Country chart this week, though he expressed concern that it was released "right at the peak of the collapse of the economic and finance markets."

"We are going to work hard to try to take the current single 'Let It Go' to number one in hopes that the economic climate is improving and that sales will also improve."

Nielsen SoundScan releases the previous week's sales figures on Wednesdays. Billboard uses the figures to calculate its country albums chart.

McGraw has been with Curb, an independent label, since his 1993 debut. Other artists on the roster include LeAnn Rimes, Jo Dee Messina and Rodney Atkins.

McGraw had a similar dispute with Curb Records in 2000 when he wanted release an album of new material, but the label instead put out his first greatest hits package in time for the holiday season.

The Couch Potato Report - October 14th, 2008

This week The Couch Potato Report peels a mountain, a rock, some meerkats, a visitor and a man who killed a Beatle.

On a weekend where we spend some time every year remembering the people and things we appreciate, how about being thankful for Canada, and our collective Canadian history this year?

Specifically, let us remember October 5th, 1982 when - at 9:30am local time - Laurie Skreslet scaled more than twenty-nine thousand feet to become the first Canadian to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

That 1982 Canadian Mount Everest Expedition had taken five years to plan, $3 million to finance and required 27 tons of equipment to outfit the party.

The expedition also experienced tragedy as four climbers perished.

If you didn't experience the triumph and tragedy through the extensive media coverage in 1982, or the story is new to you, well you can remember it all through two new releases, the documentary THE CLIMB, and the CBC TV movie EVEREST '82.

Filmed on location in Nepal, in the Rocky Mountains, and right next door in Alberta, in and around Calgary, EVEREST 82 looks very real and it does a great job bringing the story of the 82 expedition to film...the triumphs and the tragedies.

I didn't completely remember all of the events that surrounded the climb, other than the fact that Laurie Skreslet was the first Canadian to reach the summit of Mount Everest, so many of the behind-the-scenes and on the mountain facts in the film seemed new to me, and so it wasn't just a rehash of stories I already knew.

EVEREST 82 isn't a perfect film due to some wooden performances by a few of the young leading actors, but William Shatner who plays a reporter and 90210's Jason Priestly who has a small role as a fellow climber are very good, and the story itself overcomes any of the film's shorcomings, so - to surmise - I did enjoy EVEREST 82 and I can easily recommend it to you.

And as a companion piece, let me also recommend THE CLIMB.

This is a documentary that takes Skreslet and fellow summiter Pat Morrow back to Base Camp at Mt. Everest to relive and discuss the traumatic and triumphant events of 1982.

In addition to the look back, THE CLIMB also features some new stories.

Just before the team leave for Nepal Pat Morrow - who - in addition to topping Everest - was the first person in the world to have climbed the highest peaks of all seven continents - comes down with a mystery illness that might prevent his return to the mountain and and Laurie Skreslet has brought his nineteen year old daughter, Natasha - a young woman who has hardly seen her father in ten years - so he can try and show her what he went through.

Truth be told, I preferred THE CLIMB documentary to the film EVEREST 82. The news footage it contains from the original attempt, the retrospective look back by the mountaineers, and the new stories make for a great 52 minute show, but both of them are worthy of your time.

And both of them may also give you an added sense of pride, just in case you want to be thankful for your country this Thanksgiving Day (START CLIP HERE) weekend.

Lets go from a montain now, to rock...30 ROCK in fact.

Executive produced by Toronto's own Lorne Michaels, 30 ROCK is a show about what happens behind the scenes at a television variety show...not unlike Saturday Night Live...the iconic television show that Michaels created back in 1975.

But 30 ROCK isn't just about the fictional TV show at it's core, it is also about the people who work there.

The insecure, sometimes idotic, but always interesting people who work there, lead by it's star, creator, and writer, the great Tina Fey as Liz Lemon.

The other reason for the show's success is Alec Baldwin...he owns every scene he is in.

30 ROCK really hit it's stride in it's second season, which is now out on DVD, and if you have never seen it, I couldn't reccomend it any higher. This is funny stuff!!

I also highly reccomend SEASON TWO of MEERKAT MANOR, just not as much as SEASON ONE.

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

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

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

I really enjoyed SEASON ONE of MEERKAT MANOR and I was really looking forward to seeing this SEASON TWO set.

Unfortunately, this season isn't as dramatic, and it is very, very repetitive, but there is still some great footage, including scenes from a few well-placed underground cameras, and the meerkats are just so entertaining to watch, so while it isn't as good, I still liked it.

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

Yup, MEERKAT MANOR - SEASON TWO is good stuff!!

THE VISITOR is also good stuff!

In THE VISITOR a widowed college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple, who turn out to be illegal immigrants, living in his apartment.

He decides to let them stay, and they all become friends, and the young man teaches the professor how to play the drums.

There are several unfortunate things that happen in the film, including some immigration issues, but that is all I will say about THE VISITOR as I think you should discover these plot points on your own.

THE VISITOR is a nice, small film that is big on emotion and very worthy of your time, especially if you like films that are populated by people and characters that seem real.

I liked it, and I recommend it.

Our last film this week isn't one I can easily recommend, and I can't tell you to stay away from it either. I must try and be objective with this one, and that is hard...especially this weekend.

You see John Lennon would have been 68 on Thursday.

CHAPTER 27 is a film about Mark David Chapman that takes place in the two days leading up to the former Beatle's John Lennon.

Yes, I must stay objective.

Personally, as a John Lennon fan and member of the human race, I don't think the world needs a film about Mark David Chapman, but professionally since the film was made, it is my responsibility to review it, no matter how uncomforable it made me, so review it I will, and so let me tell you that Jared Leto from FIGHT CLUB and PANIC ROOM stas as Chapman, and he gained 67 pounds to play the killer.

Lindsay Lohan also stars in the movie, she plays a Lennon groupie named Jude.

CHAPTER 27 is not poorly made, the acting is very good, the story about this killer's final few days is somewhat interesting, and the filmmakers used the actual exterior of the Dakota building in New York City...so as a person who talks about movies, I should now tell you that CHAPTER 27 is a movie you should see...but...and I am losing my objectivity...who cares about Mark David Chapman?!?

He robbed the world of a man who tried to make the planet a better place...so who cares?!

All I will say in conclusion is this...Happy Birthday John Lennon! I wish you could have been here to celebrate with us.

Can you imagine?

The creepy film CHAPTER 27, the small and enjoayble film THE VISITOR, SEASON TWO of the fun TV show MEERKAT MANOR, SEASON TWO of the superb sitcom 30 ROCK, and the two new releases about the first Canadians to climb Mt. Everest - the documentary THE CLIMB and the movie EVERST '82 are all available now on DVD.

Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report

Y.P.F. is a Canadian movie whose real name I can't even say on the radio without being fired, but I will try to review the movie next week AND keep my job.

I will also talk about Orson Welles superb TOUCH OF EVIL and it's 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION, and we will remember Paul Newman with two new releases, THE PRICE OF SUGAR and the DELUXE EDITION of COOL HAND LUKE.

I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in seven days.

For now, that's this week's COUCH POTATO REPORT.

Enjoy the movies and I'll see you back here next time on The Couch!

Cheadle replaces Howard in "Iron Man" sequel

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - In a surprise move, Don Cheadle will replace Terrence Howard as Robert Downey Jr's best friend in "Iron Man 2," the sequel to the superhero saga.

In the Marvel Studios summer smash, Howard played Jim Rhodes, Tony Stark/Iron Man's future armor-clad hero War Machine. One scene featured Howard looking at a silver suit of armor and saying "Next time," a line that caused great delight for fans.

But there will be no next time for Howard.

Marvel had no comment, but sources close to the deal said negotiations with Howard fell through over financial differences, among other reasons. Marvel, which had wanted to work with Cheadle, then decided to take the role in another direction and approached the actor, who is shooting Antoine Fuqua's "Brooklyn's Finest" with Richard Gere and Ethan Hawke.

The Rhodes character is expected to play a larger part in the sequel, which is rumored to go beyond high-tech villains. Justin Theroux is writing the screenplay.

Jon Favreau is returning as director, and Downey is expected back as billionaire industrialist Stark/Iron Man. Gwyneth Paltrow also is expected to be back as Stark's assistant, Pepper Potts. "Iron Man 2" is scheduled for release on May 7, 2010;

Cheadle most recently starred in "Traitor," a thriller on which he was also a producer. He will next be seen in DreamWorks' "Hotel for Dogs."

Rolling Stone ends large format after 4 decades

NEW YORK - Rolling Stone magazine is shrinking with the times.

After more than four decades of standing out with a larger format than other magazines, it will step back and look like everyone else starting with the Oct. 30 issue, due out this week.

The adoption of a standard format could boost single-copy sales and reduce production costs for advertising inserts such as scent strips and tear-out postcards. The magazine says any cost savings, though, will be offset by the inclusion of more pages and the shift to thicker, glossier paper.

Like other devoted readers, Eddie Ward, 35, said he will miss the old format, which was an inch taller and two inches wider. But he looks forward to the change and might even buy a "more fashionable" bag to carry his belongings.

"For years since I graduated from college, I have refused to buy a small messenger bag ... since it couldn't fit my Rolling Stone," Ward said. "I never wanted to crease the pages or put cracks in the cover."

Rolling Stone chose will Obama, who is campaigning for president on a theme of change, for the cover of the Oct. 30 issue. By contrast, the last issue in the oversize format featured a cartoon of Obama's opponent, John McCain.

"Like the man we are featuring on the cover for the third time in seven months ... we embrace the idea of change," editor Jann S. Wenner wrote in the new issue. "Not change for the sake of change, but change as evolution and growth and renewal, change as the kind of cultural renaissance that gave birth to Rolling Stone more than four decades ago."

Magazines constantly undergo redesigns — The Atlantic, for instance, debuts new sections with its November issue out Tuesday. A few also have changed dimensions over the years, including TV Guide, which grew into a full-size format in 2005.

In fact, Rolling Stone has changed formats twice before. It first published in 1967 as a tabloid-size newspaper because that was all its budget covered. It began printing on a four-color press in 1973 and magazine-quality paper in 1981, when it also shrank to its just-abandoned 10-by-12-inch size and adopted the feel of a magazine-newspaper hybrid.

The switch to a standard format completes the magazine's transformation into, well, a magazine and comes as readers depend less on the printed pages for breaking news common in newspapers, said Anthony DeCurtis, a longtime writer for the magazine.

And size may not matter in the Internet era, though Rolling Stone says the Web site will remain supplemental to print, which has seen circulation stable since 2006 at about 1.45 million.

The decision to change officially came down to this: Why not?

"The size is a nostalgic element but not the iconic part of the magazine," publisher Will Schenck said in an interview. "Evolution and change is part of our DNA."

Will Dana, the magazine's managing editor, said the size change forced Rolling Stone to "think a little differently ... (and) open our minds out a little more." He said editors can now squeeze in more content and better sprinkle longer stories with photos, though he insists the length and types of stories won't change.

Rolling Stone said it will add enough pages to each issue to offset the loss of space from switching to the smaller size. The 148 pages in the next issue, for instance, accommodate about as much material as 100 pages in the old size.

The smaller format lets the magazine run more full-page photos, however, because each now takes up less surface area. Comic strips and other elements also take less space, even though they are in the same proportion to the rest of the page. That opens the added pages to new content.

Likewise, full-page ads will take less space — though ad rates won't drop.

"It's like, should somebody pay more for a commercial on TV if it's a 50-inch screen or a 20-inch screen?" Schenck said. "We're really selling the relationship with readers, and the size of the ad is really irrelevant."

This summer, Rolling Stone produced one issue in both formats and sent 3,000 copies of the smaller version to selected subscribers. The feedback was mostly positive — to the surprise of even many at Rolling Stone.

The new paper should make photographs shine more, and the smaller size will make it easier to carry and read. A glued rather than stapled binding should make ad inserts easier to produce.

The new size also will fit better on magazine racks and could help boost single-copy sales, which now account for only 8 percent of the magazine's circulation.

"We're expecting to get better placement," Schenck said. "Right now because of the size, it tends to be placed on the floor."

Ana Barbu, an Adelphi University student who regularly reads the magazine, said she hopes the change will expose the magazine to readers previously intimidated by seeing so much text on the larger pages.

"Switching the format to attract more readers is a logical decision that will continue Rolling Stone's tradition of revolutionizing society's way of thinking," Barbu said.

Prince Charles says no thanks to Doctor Who appearance

Prince Charles has turned down an offer to star in the hit BBC series Doctor Who, triggering an angry response from the show's executive producer.

Russell T. Davies, speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival on Sunday night, called the Prince of Wales "a miserable swine" for declining the invitation.

However, the Prince's Clarence House office said the Prince never had a chance to view the invite himself.

"We did receive a request from Doctor Who 's producers," said a spokeswoman. "It was not turned down by Prince Charles but by a Clarence House official. We receive hundreds of requests and he doesn't see them all."

The official did provide another opening for Davies: "It's not uncommon for people to resubmit requests with different criteria and if it was resubmitted we would look at it again."

The Prince is a self-confessed fan of the show and has appeared on other TV series. In 2000, he made a guest appearance in a live episode of Coronation Street to mark the program's 40th anniversary.

He also read his own story, The Old Man of Lochnagar, on the children's show Jackanory.

Davies, who was head writer on the show for four years, announced he was stepping down as Doctor Who's executive producer earlier this year.

"There's nothing I regret," he told an audience of 2,000 fans at the festival. "The show has stayed successful and popular and good, so I'm really proud of it."

Davies was at the event to promote his book about his time on the show.

A fifth season of Doctor Who is not due until 2010 but there are three one-off specials featuring the time-travelling adventurer due out in 2009.

New CD Releases, October 14: Kenny Chesney, Lucinda Williams, Ray LaMontagne

Kenny Chesney "Lucky Old Sun" (BNA)

The country superstar is set to issue a follow-up to last year's platinum-plus-selling "Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates." The first single from "Lucky Old Sun" is "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven," which was released in August and became Chesney's 38th Top 40 country hit.

Also of note, "Lucky Old Sun" includes the track "I'm Alive," which is collaboration with rock-star Dave Matthews.

Thanks to such smash hits as "How Forever Feels" and "She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy," Chesney has become one of the most highly decorated performers in country music history. He has been named "Entertainer of the Year" by both the ACM and CMA on multiple occasions.

* * *
Lucinda Williams "Little Honey" (Lost Highway)

Having released the Grammy-nominated "West" just last year, the acclaimed alt-country singer/songwriter quickly returns with a follow-up, "Little Honey."
The 13-track set features numerous guest stars, including Elvis Costello, Matthew Sweet, Susanna Hoffs, Jim Lauderdale and Charlie Louvin. "Little Honey" also includes Williams' version of AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n' Roll)," which she has already added to her concert repertoire.

Williams is currently supporting "Little Honey" on the road. The tour is scheduled to last through mid-November, ending with a two-night stand, Nov. 16-17, at San Francisco's legendary Fillmore.

* * *
Ray LaMontagne "Gossip in the Grain" (RCA)

The pop vocalist gets back to business with his third studio release, "Gossip in the Grain." LaMontagne recorded "Gossip in the Grain" in England with producer Ethan Johns.

After recording his previous two albums--2004's "Trouble" and 2006's "Till the Sun Turns Black"--as mostly solo endeavors (with Johns serving as a contributing instrumentalist), Lamontagne enlisted the help of a couple of his touring-band members while recording the new record: bassist Jennifer Condos and guitarist Eric Heywood.

LaMontagne is showcasing "Gossip in the Grains" during his current North American tour, which is scheduled to stretch through a Nov. 9 show in Seattle.

* * *
Keane "Perfect Symmetry" (Interscope)

Already mega-stars in their native UK, Keane hopes to create a similar sensation in the US with the release of its third studio album, "Perfect Symmetry." The record follows 2004's "Hopes and Fears" and 2006's "Under the Iron Sea," both of which hit the No. 1 spot on the charts in the UK.

* * *
Elvis Presley "Christmas Duets" (Sony)

The King of Rock and Roll has some posthumous company on this holiday offering. The album features some of today's most-popular female stars, including Gretchen Wilson, Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride, adding their voices to Presley's treasured Christmas classics. Some might dub the package as morbid, but it's easy to see "Christmas Duets" becoming a popular gift idea come the holiday season.

* * *
More new releases:
Kristin Chenoweth, "A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas" (Sony)
Copeland, "You Are My Sunshine" (Tooth and Nail)
Billy Currington, "Little Bit of Everything" (Jazz Alliance)
Al Jarreau, "Christmas" (Rhino)
Gojira, "The Way of All Flesh" (Prosthetic)
Yo-Yo Ma, "Songs of Joy & Peace Deluxe Version" (Sony)
Yngwie Malmsteen, "Perpetual Flame" (Rising Force)
Mary Mary, "The Sound" (Sony)
Dave Mason, "26 Letters 12 Notes" (MRI)
Ingrid Michaelson, "Be OK" (Cabin 24)
New Kids on the Block, "Merry, Merry Christmas" (Sony)
Todd Snider, "Peace Queer" (MRI)
J.D. Souther, "If the World Was You" (MRI)
Various Artists, "Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins" (Wildflower)

Fall Out Boy Album Moved Back Six Weeks

Fall Out Boy's new Island album, "Folie a Deux," has shifted from its original Nov. 4 release date to Dec. 16. A post on the band's Web site cited concerns over the planned election day tie-in as one of the reasons for the shift.

"Six months ago we thought it would be a fun idea to release our album on election day but this is not the election to be cute," the band says. "We felt as though rather than making a commentary we were only riding the wave of the election. This seemed less and less like what we intended to do and more of a gimmick."

Later today, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz said Dec. 16 "is not the date we had originally planned nor the optimal date according some demographic marketing analysis, [but] we put our eight feet down told our label it must come out this year. We're already bummed enough that 'Chinese Democracy' is gonna beat us to release."

An Island spokesperson was unavailable for comment at deadline.

To offset the delay, Fall Out Boy promises "a surprise or two" (one of which has been identified as an Elvis Costello guest appearance) as well as "an extensive preorder campaign that will take into account the current state of our economy" and both new songs and a podcast series via iTunes.

The first single from the album, "I Don't Care," has sold 167,000 downloads in four weeks of U.S. release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

As another olive branch to expectant fans, Fall Out Boy will play "extremely small club shows" in the U.S. in November, with tickets only being available on the day of. Details have yet to be announced.

"Folie a Deux" is the follow-up to 2007's "Infinity on High," which has sold 1.3 million copies.

Ford Denies LaBeouf Will Take On Indiana Role

Actor Harrison Ford has denied reports his Indiana Jones sidekick Shia LaBeouf will replace his role as the action hero in a new installment of the franchise film.

LaBeouf starred alongside the 66-year-old actor as the whip-cracker's young friend Mutt Williams.

And the Star Wars actor insists there are no plans for the young star to take on the role he made famous, despite the open ending in summer blockbuster Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Ford brushed off the rumours, sparked after he passed the archaeologist's trademark hat to LaBeouf's character, alluding to the switch.

He tells Moviefone: "No, that's never been (the idea)... I think it just doesn't work that way. And there's definitely a distinction between passing the fedora and someone picking it up."

----------------------------------------------------------------------

South Park's Spielberg Parody Sparks Controversy At TV Network

An episode of controversial cartoon series South Park has sparked outrage after depicting Hollywood director Steven Spielberg in a rape scene with Harrison Ford.

The show made its season 12 debut on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur on Thursday.

In the opening episode, entitled The China Problem, the show's characters have flashbacks of Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford getting raped by Jewish director Spielberg and his fellow filmmaker George Lucas.

Anti-Defamation League spokesperson Myrna Shinbaum tells the New York Daily News, "South Park has been offensive and has had very anti-Jewish pieces in the past. We understand that the show is trying to satirise, but it may get lost on those who are haters."

According to reports, bosses at Paramount Pictures have scheduled a meeting with executives at its parent company, which produces the Comedy Central series.

Comedy Central's Senior Vice President Steve Albani says, "We don't comment episode by episode on South Park or whether they cross the line, but South Park has a history, and people know what they are getting into when they watch it."

Paramount have declined to comment on the episode.

Neil Young preps "new" live set, delays "Archives"

NEW YORK (Billboard) - There's good news and bad news for long-suffering Neil Young fans.

The good: highlights from a sought-after November 9-10, 1968, run from the Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Mich., will be released as "Sugar Mountain: Live at Canterbury House 1968" November 25 via Reprise Records.

The bad: Young's endlessly delayed "Archives Vol. 1 (1963-1972)" is officially pushed back to some point in 2009. Young has waffled about whether the project will only be available on Blu-ray and DVD or whether there will be CDs sold; the latest word from Reprise is that "Archives" will be DVD only.

"Sugar Mountain," which will not be included in "Archives Vol. 1," was taped a few days shy of Young's 23rd birthday. Young had split from Buffalo Springfield six months earlier, and was testing out his solo material in front of audiences more accustomed to seeing him perform with a band.

The album features future young staples such as "Mr. Soul," "Expecting To Fly," the title track and "Broken Arrow," along with several snippets of between-song banter where Young discusses the menial jobs he held in Toronto.

Ringo Starr says he has no time for fan mail

LONDON (AFP) - Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr has told his fans in a bizarre online video message to stop sending him fan mail as he is too busy to sign or read it, and it will only be "tossed".

"This is a serious message to everybody watching my update right now. Peace and love, peace and love," the musician said.

"I want to tell you please -- after the 20th of October do not send fan mail to any address that you have. Nothing will be signed after the 20th of October. If that has the date on the envelope it's going to be tossed.

"I'm warning you with peace and love I have too much to do. So no more fan mail, thank you, thank you, and no objects to be signed. Nothing."

Fans of the former Fab Four can, however, still get their Ringo fix with a Ringo Starr bag, "perfect for groceries, the beach or any other daily activities", sold on the website alongside a Ringo hoodie or t-shirt.

Spielberg rejoins Universal in DreamWorks deal

LOS ANGELES - Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks studio has signed on with Universal Pictures to distribute its films as his company parts ways with Paramount.

Under the seven-year deal, Universal will distribute up to six DreamWorks movies a year domestically and overseas, except for India, executives for both companies said Monday.

Spielberg made his early films, including "Jaws," for Universal, and his Amblin Entertainment production company remained based on the Universal lot even after Paramount acquired DreamWorks in 2006.

"Universal has always been my home base so this agreement starts a new chapter in what has been a long and successful association," Spielberg said in a news release. "While it feels great to come home again, it feels like I never left."

Universal will handle distribution in exchange for an 8 percent fee on revenues.

The deal had been anticipated as DreamWorks broke off from Paramount, where there had been ongoing friction over the costs of keeping Spielberg and his outfit there.

In a partnership with Reliance Big Entertainment of India, DreamWorks has lined up $1.5 billion to finance its future film slate. Reliance is handling distribution of DreamWorks films in India.

Remaining in charge at DreamWorks is Stacey Snider, who became chief executive officer in 2006. Snider previously was chairwoman of Universal Pictures.

"I really feel like it is a homecoming for Steven and Stacey," said Marc Shmuger, Universal Pictures chairman.

DreamWorks films already finished or nearing completion at Paramount, such as the dramas "The Soloist" and "The Lovely Bones" and next summer's "Transformers" sequel, still will be distributed by Paramount.

About 30 other films in development while DreamWorks was at Paramount are being split between them. They will retain the option to co-finance and co-distribute those films.

David Geffen, who co-founded DreamWorks SKG with Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg in 1994, negotiated the deal but is not joining the new incarnation of DreamWorks.

The deal does not affect films from Katzenberg's DreamWorks Animation, which was spun off as a public company in 2004. DreamWorks Animation's distribution deal with Paramount runs through 2012.

James Bond mystery: 'Golden gun' goes missing

The $162,000 gun used in the James Bond film The Man With The Golden Gun has been stolen from a studio in Britain.

Staff at Elstree Studios, located in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire north of London, noticed it was missing on Friday, according to BBC News.

The prop was used in the 1974 film starring Roger Moore and Christopher Lee as Bond's nemesis Scaramanga, who kills people using a gun that also functions as a cigarette case, a lighter and a pen.

It's not known how long the prop, valued at $162,000, has been missing.

Hertfordshire police would only say that "inquires are ongoing."

In the film, Bond receives a golden bullet inscribed with 007 while on a mission.

He decides to track down Francisco Scaramanga, an assassin known as "the man with the golden gun."

The latest high jinx comes as the newest Bond film, Quantum of Solace starring Daniel Craig, is due to be released at the end of October.

McCain set for makeup appearance on Letterman show

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - He may be trailing his Democratic rival in the polls, but it looks like Republican U.S. presidential nominee John McCain is headed for a rapprochement with late-night TV comedian David Letterman.

The CBS network announced on Sunday that Letterman would welcome the Arizona senator back to his program on Thursday, three weeks after McCain irked the CBS "Late Show" host by abruptly backing out of a scheduled guest appearance.

At the time, McCain declared he was suspending his presidential campaign and immediately hurrying back to Washington to take part in congressional efforts to fashion an emergency bailout package for the financial industry.

But McCain's last-minute cancellation drew relentless ribbing from Letterman, who suggested the senator's move was a political stunt that ran contrary to the Vietnam War veteran's status as an "American hero."

"I'm more than a little disappointed by this behavior," Letterman said, questioning McCain's motives for suspending his campaign. "Are we suspending it because there's an economic crisis or because the poll numbers are sliding?"

Later in the program, Letterman learned McCain was still in New York, several blocks away, preparing for an interview with CBS News anchor Katie Couric, while a live internal network video feed showed the politician having makeup applied.

"He doesn't seem to be racing to the airport, does he?" Letterman said, shouting at the TV monitor, "Hey John, I got a question! You need a ride to the airport?"

Letterman has since taken numerous on-air shots at McCain for standing him up last month.

McCain's newly scheduled visit to the show on Thursday, a day after his third and final nationally televised debate with Democrat Barack Obama, will mark the Republican's 13th guest appearance on Letterman and the first since he formally accepted his party's nomination.

Obama appeared on the "Late Show" on September 10, during which he sought to clarify a controversial "lipstick on a pig" remark that drew fire from Republicans.

There was no word yet on whether McCain will be bringing Letterman any sort of peace offering.

Leapin' Lizards! V Gets Rebooted

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Hide the hamsters...the Visitors are baaack!

Hoping to do for V what the Sci Fi Channel did for Battlestar Galactica, ABC has given the go-ahead on a reboot of the hit 1980s franchise about alien lizards from another planet who take over Earth.

Scott Peters, the brain behind The 4400, will write and executive produce the update with Warner Bros. TV, per Variety. Warners shepherded the 1983 NBC TV movie, its sequel and a standalone series that ran during the 1984-85 season.

The new version will completely revamp the original, including changing the allusions from the Holocaust to 9/11.

Original V mastermind Kenneth Johnson, the über-producer who also created The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk and Alien Nation, had previously tried to get a new V off the ground, but he is not involved in the new incarnation.

"I was convinced that V should be a movie," he tells E! News. "I discovered that Warner controlled the TV rights. I, as the creator, own the motion picture rights to V. Virtually all the majors wanted to do it...and pay me a lot of money to write and produce a $200 million tentpole."

Back in the '80s, Johnson was shunted aside by NBC and Warners and had nothing to do with V: The Final Battle or the subsequent TV series, both of which failed to match the critical or commercial success of the original. Still smarting, he has been reluctant to hand over the reins to a movie version, preferring to do it himself.

Enter Peters.

"Warners felt they wanted to develop [a new TV project] and had Scott write a script. And now they announced they have a development deal with ABC for a potential pilot for a potential series. But that's what it is, development for a potential," says Johnson. "In the meantime, I've been trying to get V done the way I want it done so I can...make sure the integrity, quality and substance of the original is maintained."

Should he manage to get financing for his big-screen vision, Johnson also has plans for a sequel, V: The Second Generation, which would pick up with Earth's freedom fighters 20 years later and possibly feature castmembers from the 1980s edition, including Marc "Beastmaster" Singer and Faye Grant.

"It'd be a real treat for the fans and the cast of V to be reunited again," says Johnson. "So that's the game plan."

"Chihuahua" fetches $17.5M to win another weekend

LOS ANGELES - An adorable talking dog remained just the sort of escapist movie hero audiences wanted after a week of awful economic news.

Disney's family comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," with Drew Barrymore providing the voice of the pooch, was the No. 1 flick for the second-straight weekend with $17.5 million, raising its 10-day total to $52.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"Beverly Hills Chihuahua" is the only light comedy in a market heavy on drama. Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution, said movie-goers may be turning to the perky pooch to help forget the market free-fall on Wall Street.

"This is only word-of-mouth coming back to us from theaters. I don't have any statistical proof. But they're telling us we're getting more unaccompanied-by-children adults coming on their own. They're looking for a little entertainment," Viane said. "The axiom we've always lived by is funny is money. People come out for comedy. They love to sit back and let someone give them a couple of hours of escapism."

The weekend's No. 2 flick — the fright film "Quarantine," which debuted with $14.2 million — filled the escapism needs for the horror crowd. The Sony Screen Gems release centers on a contagion that turns an apartment building's tenants into flesh-hungry monsters.

"It's probably the perfect kind of movie for today's climate," said Rory Bruer, Sony head of distribution. "Let's just get away from the news, from all that's going on, and go someplace else, and this is something that'll take you someplace else."

The marquee trio of Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe and director Ridley Scott had to settle for third-place with their terrorism thriller "Body of Lies," which had a $13.1 million debut. The Warner Bros. film centers on a CIA operative hunting the terrorist responsible for bombings around the world.

"Body of Lies" may have dealt with too sober a topic after all the disastrous financial news, said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros.

"I think we ran into really difficult timing. The nation suffered such an economic loss this week that the mood of our audience was such that they were probably looking for a little more escapism than to see a movie on terrorism," Fellman said.

The weekend's other new wide releases, Universal's football drama "The Express" and 20th Century Fox's family fantasy "City of Ember," opened weakly.

"The Express" — starring Rob Brown and Dennis Quaid in the story of Ernie Davis, the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy — came in at No. 6 with $4.7 million.

"City of Ember," with Tim Robbins and Bill Murray in a post-apocalyptic adventure set in an underground realm, took in $3.2 million to finish at No. 10.

Keira Knightley's historical saga "The Duchess" climbed into the top 10 as it expanded nationwide after three weekends in limited release. The Paramount Vantage drama, which stars Knightley as an 18th century aristocrat stuck in a loveless marriage, pulled in $3.32 million to place No. 9.

Two British movies started well in limited release. Guy Ritchie's London crime romp "RocknRolla" opened with $141,000 in seven theaters. The Warner Bros. release features Gerard Butler, Thandie Newton and Tom Wilkinson heading an ensemble cast.

Mike Leigh's "Happy-Go-Lucky," a Miramax release starring Sally Hawkins as a woman whose eternal optimism is continually challenged, premiered with $80,000 in four theaters.

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. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," $17.5 million.
2. "Quarantine," $14.2 million.
3. "Body of Lies," $13.1 million.
4. "Eagle Eye," $11 million.
5. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," $6.5 million.
6. "The Express," $4.7 million.
7. "Nights in Rodanthe," $4.6 million.
8. "Appaloosa," $3.34 million.
9. "The Duchess," $3.32 million.
10. "City of Ember," $3.2 million.

Vote Now!

"Sticks To The Ice" by Robert Fraser Burke and ``Canadian Gold" by Colin Oberst are the two finalists from over 14,000 entries in the search for a new Hockey Night in Canada anthem.

Voting for the winner has already begun.

Burke is a 13-year-old composer from Toronto who jumped for joy when he was announced as one of the semi-finalists. He participates in the school band and has been playing piano for as long as he can remember.

"Sticks To The Ice" was initially intended only for his friends' enjoyment until his uncle heard it and encouraged him to enter the Anthem Challenge.

Oberst, composer of "Canadian Gold," is an elementary school teacher from Beaumont, Alta., and has been teaching music for the last decade.

Oberst, an avid music writer and member of an Edmonton-based band, submitted five entries to the challenge.

The Anthem Challenge winner is to be announced Saturday during the traditional Saturday night NHL double header (Montreal at Toronto or Detroit at Ottawa/Vancouver at Calgary) on CBC-TV.

People can vote online, by phone or by text messaging.

Before Thursday night's announcement, some major Canadian entertainment figures had weighed in on the Anthem Challenge.

Rock icon Burton Cummings listened to the five tunes in the running and said the high-energy, funky "Ice Warriors" by Gerry Mosby of Toronto "kills the rest of them."

Apparently, it didn't.

"Sticks to the Ice," caught the attention of Chris Patterson of the Toronto-based group the Arrogant Worms and David Hamelin of the Stills in Montreal.

Canadian country music star George Canyon said he was drawn to the Oberst composition.

Beastie Boys Plot Star-Studded Vote Shows

The Beastie Boys have drafted Sheryl Crow, Norah Jones, Jack Johnson and Ben Harper to join them on the Get Out and Vote tour, which will begin Oct. 28 in Richmond, Va. Shows are also set for Nov. 1 in St. Paul, Minn., and Nov. 2 in Milwaukee.

"This election is too important to stay at home," the rap trio said this morning (Oct. 10), adding that it is endorsing Barack Obama for president. "We hope that you can come out, have a nice night, dance, sing, get your freak on, and then wake up the next morning and get everyone that you possibly can to get out and vote."

Crow, Jones, Johnson and Santogold are on the bill for the Richmond show, while Harper and Tenacious D will support in St. Paul. Harper, Tenacious D and David Crosby and Graham Nash will join the Beasties in Milwaukee.

For ticket information, visit the Beasties' Website.

Green Day working with Nirvana producer

Green Day are working on new material with former Nirvana producer and Garbage drummer Butch Vig, according to Vig's bandmate Shirley Manson.

Manson confirmed that Vig was working with the band in an interview on 'MTV's Last Call With Carson Daly'.

Asked whether Garbage were going to record any new material, Manson said: "I don't know, to be honest. We're sort of doing our different things. Butch is producing Green Day, so he's busy, so we'll see."

No more details about the sessions have yet emerged.

Green Day reappeared under the name Foxboro Hot Tubs last year. Their last album under their usual moniker was 2004's 'American Idiot'.

Yes guitarist says don't feel too bad for vocalist replaced by Montreal singer

TORONTO - Yes guitarist Steve Howe says fans shouldn't feel too bad for ousted singer Jon Anderson, and is warning audiences against "musical terrorism" during the band's 40th anniversary tour with new Canadian vocalist Benoit David.

Howe said he hopes fans won't give David a hard time in Anderson's absence, and cautioned them against heckling.

He called hecklers "idiots" and said it makes no sense to show up to a concert if you can't enjoy it.

"They're basically disruptive people who pay their money and then go spoil it for everybody, it's almost like musical terrorism," Howe said in a telephone interview from Montreal.

The U.K. band's plans for a world tour were halted in June when Anderson was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure and was told he couldn't work for at least half a year without further endangering his health. Dates in 25 cities were cancelled.

But a month ago the band announced that David - who had been singing in a Montreal-based Yes tribute band - would be the new lead vocalist and that the tour was back on track.

Anderson subsequently posted a statement on his website saying that he was "disappointed and disrespected" and hadn't even had a personal conversation with his bandmates about being replaced. The statement has since been taken down.

Howe said the band was sympathetic to Anderson's condition but decided their fans couldn't wait any longer, particularly since tour plans had previously been delayed for years due to the singer's solo pursuits.

"Jon put an announcement out and said, 'Oh, it's not really Yes, they've not been kind to me,' and that's nonsense," Howe said, adding that the band still hopes that Anderson can hit the road again in 2009 for the European leg of the tour.

"We've been kind to him, we've been considerate, we've not let him down, but he started up a movement to boycott the tour. But it's not working, we're getting great ticket sales, people want to come and see us."

Howe said "it's going to be a really big yawn if there are (hecklers), and we will attempt to silence them, because it's not fair."

"You're not allowed to go to the London Philharmonic Orchestra and shout out, 'Get the other violinist, we don't like this violinist,"' Howe said. "You pay your money and you go and see your show - you don't go to disrupt the show."

"You've got a lot of happy people and then you've got some crass person who thinks he's got the God-given right to spoil it for everybody else."

Yes is scheduled to launch its tour at Hamilton Place Theatre on Nov. 4 and play Toronto's Massey Hall the following night. Cancelled shows in Quebec City and Vancouver have not yet been rescheduled.

Is Hugh Hefner going bankrupt?

Hugh Hefner has fuelled reports he's facing bankruptcy after opening the doors of his infamous Playboy Mansion to the public - for a fee.

Last month, Hefner was reportedly advised to dismiss employees in his Los Angeles and New York offices to avoid financial ruin.

Hefner's spokesperson Elizabeth Austin would neither confirm nor deny the financial problems at the time, stating: "It is our policy not to comment on corporate matters such as employee issues."

The Playboy boss has since extended an invitation to the exclusive parties held at the mansion, charging $5,000 to $25,000 a ticket, depending on the celebrities in attendance.

Hefner, whose Playboy Enterprises owns the mansion, pays a reported $700,000 annually in rent for the pad.

A company spokesperson denies Hefner's recent split from girlfriends Holly Madison and Kendra Wilkinson are related to his finances, adding the girls "are not even on the payroll. So, they would be the last to go."

BNL star's day in court delayed

TORONTO - The next U.S. court appearance for Barenaked Ladies singer Steven Page on drug possession charges has been delayed.

Page was due to appear in court in Fayetteville, N.Y., on Oct. 14 but his Buffalo-based lawyer says the case will resume on Oct. 28. Mark Mahoney says there's an dialogue ongoing with the district attorney's office on how the case could be resolved.

He says it's taking some time because there are three defendants and three lawyers involved.

Page was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance on July 11.

Court documents allege Page admitted to snorting cocaine in his girlfriend's upstate New York apartment last month.

Page was taken into police custody, but was later released after posting $10,000 bail. If convicted, he faces up to 5 1/2 years in prison.

Completely Unnecessary Bull Durham Sequel Coming

When Kevin Costner says he thinks a movie doesn't need to be made, you have to listen to the guy. I mean, he thought Waterworld and The Postman were necessary works of art--- can't we trust him when even he's willing to show restraint? But apparently Costner's contention that Bull Durham doesn't need a sequel is no match for some producers, who are hard at work getting Bull Durham 2 ready to shoot next summer.

Moviehole picked up on a story in the The Durham Herald-Sun, the hometown paper of a city clearly glad to have movie crews returning. Because the script is still in the works, apparently none of the original cast have been contacted, including Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon.

I don't think I need to tell you my exact feelings on a sequel to a 20-year-old movie that seems to have done OK standing on its own over the decades. Good for the people of Durham for getting some film industry money, but do the rest of us really have to be faced with yet another unnecessary sequel?

Guns N' Roses to release new album next month

NEW YORK (Billboard) - More than a decade after its conception, Guns N' Roses' "Chinese Democracy" will finally see the light of day before year's end, sources close to the situation told Billboard.

The set will be a Best Buy exclusive and will be available Sunday, November 23, rather than the usual Tuesday.

In the run-up to release date, album track "Shackler's Revenge" will debut in the video game "Rock Band 2," while a portion of "If the World" is playing over the end credits in the new Leonardo DiCaprio/Russell Crowe film "Body of Lies."

In addition, GNR's seminal 1987 full-length debut, "Appetite for Destruction," will be reissued on vinyl on October 28 via Interscope.

The band's last new studio albums were the simultaneously released "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" in September 1991. A covers set, "The Spaghetti Incident?," followed in 1993, and featured some of the last GNR recordings from original guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan.

This spring, 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. A Dr Pepper spokesperson was not immediately available for comment.

Could Megan Fox Be Any More Perfect?

Los Angeles (E! Online) - Sure, Megan Fox may not be obtainable. We get that. It's understood. That fantasy went buh-bye a long time ago.

Nevertheless, the girl continues to make it harder and harder to stop worshipping the bed she rolls around on.

It seems that behind all those sexy photo spreads and come-hither stares, there lies, quite simply, a nerd.

"Megan's a bit of a geek," Fox's How to Lose Friends & Alienate People costar, Simon Pegg, tells OK! magazine. "She was a fan of [my zombie movie] Shaun of the Dead."

He also points out that while working with the 22-year-old starlet, she often shared her appreciation for comic books.

Here's hoping a love for football, buffalo wings and Guitar Hero are not too far behind.

Musicians weigh in on 'HNIC' anthem

TORONTO - Rock icon Burton Cummings would like to see a hockey anthem that suits the toughness of the game. Members of the Stills and the Arrogant Worms prefer a puck theme with charm. And country star George Canyon wants something with a Celtic flair.

Canadian musicians are weighing in on CBC-TV's "Hockey Night in Canada" anthem challenge as the field of five finalists is set to be whittled down to two on Thursday. The winner, as chosen by the voting public, will be unveiled Saturday.

Cummings, an avid hockey fan, listened to the five tunes during an interview this week and said the high-energy, funky "Ice Warriors" by Gerry Mosby of Toronto "kills the rest of them."

"From what I heard there, I would go hands down with ('Ice Warriors'), I wouldn't even think twice," Cummings - who was in the city promoting his new album, "Above the Ground," set for release Nov. 4 - said after sampling all the tracks on a laptop in his hotel room.

"('Ice Warriors') is miles above the rest as far as being suited for 'Hockey Night in Canada,"' said Cummings, who was playing air guitar and bopping his head while sitting in a chair listening to the song.

"The visual will change from year to year - what shots they use of what players and whatever - but I think that one suits the mood of what's to come: a tough Canadian game. To me, I'd go with ('Ice Warriors')."

"Sticks to the Ice," a brassy tune by 13-year-old Toronto native Robert Fraser Burke, meanwhile, has caught the attention of a few other artists.

Chris Patterson of the Toronto-based farcical musical trio the Arrogant Worms says the song "set itself apart from the other ones."

"I don't think it made much difference that it came from a 13-year-old, to be honest, but it was just different enough from the other ones that it sounded the best," said Patterson, who sings and plays bass in the band which released the album "Torpid" last month.

"It worked with the visuals that they've now provided for it and it just kind of got me excited way more than the other ones did."

David Hamelin of the Stills is also rooting for the teen's track.

"I think it's got the most melody. I think it's the most memorable. I think the other ones just sound like they rely on production tricks too much and they don't really have the essence of that one that the 13-year-old kid made," the singer-guitarist said over the line from Montreal, where the rock outfit is based.

"I really absolutely do not care that he's young. He could be nine years old or he could be 100 years old or he could be a fetus or he could be a corpse or anything - like, it doesn't matter. It's a good song and ... I think that should be the one."

To country star George Canyon, the old "Hockey Night in Canada" theme - which CBC lost the rights to earlier this year - is one of the most recognizable melodies in the world.

"Replacing this is a really big deal. It's a serious venture," he said from his ranch outside Calgary, adding that his future grandchildren might one day be sitting down to watch hockey and listen to the new theme.

He was impressed by Burke's entry, calling the youngster an "incredibly talented young man," but said his favourite was the Celtic-tinged submission from Beaumont, Alta.-based elementary school teacher Colin Oberst.

"Being born and raised in Nova Scotia, all I knew growing up was hockey ... hockey was life," he said.

"And, of course, being of Scottish descent, whenever I hear the bagpipes, or anything that sounds like the bagpipes, I go into what I like to call battle mode. It just makes me stand up and feel alive, and it always has."

Canyon, whose new record, "What I Do," drops Nov. 11, says he thinks producer Bob Rock did a great job finessing the entries, adding that he never could have written anything close to what the five finalists have done.

The other two contenders in the Top 5 are "Let the Game Begin" by Christian St-Roch & Jimmy Tanaka of Chateauguay and Verdun, Que., and "Eleventh Hour" by Graham McRae of Burnaby B.C.

CBC received 14,685 entries for the contest to replace the old theme, which is now the property of TSN and was recently given a new arrangement by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

The Top 2 finalists in the CBC contest, as chosen by the voting public, will be unveiled Thursday evening during a double-header NHL broadcast (the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Detroit Red Wings and the Calgary Flames at the Vancouver Canucks).

Viewers can start voting for the final winner - via online, text message or phone - during Thursday night's twin bill until Oct. 10 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

The winning anthem will be unveiled on Saturday during "Hockey Night in Canada."

Late fiddler Oliver Schroer leads Canadian Folk Music nominations

Toronto fiddler Oliver Schroer, who died of leukemia July 3 at the age of 52, leads the lineup for this year's Canadian Folk Music Awards with four nominations.

Schroer, who combined folk music traditions with classical arrangements, received nominations for contemporary album of the year, solo instrumentalist, producer and a category called pushing the boundaries. He'll be honoured in a tribute at the CFMA ceremony next month.

Close behind him are Vancouver signer-songwriter Wyckham Porteous and Nova Scotia fiddler Troy MacGillivray with three nominations each.

With more than 400 submissions from across Canada this year, it has become more difficult to decide on nominations for the awards, notes Jean Hewson, a St. John's singer who is on the organization committee.

Nominees for traditional album are:
Troy MacGillivray & Shane Cook, When Here Meets There (Lanark, N.S.).
Le Vent du Nord, Dans les Airs (Montreal).
Mariam Matossian, In the Light ( Vancouver).
Yves Lambert and Le Brébert Orchestra, Le Monde à Lambert (Montreal).
Genticorum, La Bibournoise (Montreal).

Nominees for contemporary album:
Oliver Schroer, Hymns and Hers (Toronto).
Justin Rutledge, Man Descending (Toronto).
NQ Arbuckle, X O K (Toronto).
Annebelle Chvostek, Resilience (Montreal).
Luke Doucet & The White Falcon, Blood's Too Rich (Toronto).

Nominees for Children's Album of the Year are:
Rik Barron, Shine (St. John's).
Celtic Rathskallions, All Around the Circle (Ottawa).
Funky Mamas, Rollin' Along (Guelph, Ont.).
The Kerplunks, The Kerplunks (Gabriola Island, B.C.).
Art Napoleon, Mocikan: Songs for Learning Cree (Victoria).

Nominees for traditional singer are:
Norah Rendell, Wait There Pretty One (Richmond, B.C.).
Enoch Kent, One More Round (Toronto).
Mary Beth Carty, Voici … Bette et Wallet (Quebec City).
Allison Lupton, Fly Like Swallows (Cambridge, Ont.).
Daniel Payne, Chain (Cow Head, N.L.).

Nomines for contemporary singer are:
Amos Garrett, Get Way Back (Turner Valley, Alta.).
Wyckham Porteous, 3 AM (Vancouver).
Tannis Slimmon, Lucky Blue (Guelph, Ont.).
Dave Carroll, Perfect Blue (Halifax).
Rita Chiarelli, Uptown Goes Downtown (Toronto).

Nominees for instrumental solo artist are:
Oliver Schroer, Hymns and Hers (Toronto).
Pierre Schryer, Melange (Kakabeka Falls, Ont.).
Sarah Burnell for the Sarah Burnell Band, Return Ticket (Ottawa/Montreal).
Craig Korth, Suspicious Minds (Edmonton).
Troy MacGillivray, Live at the Music Room (Lanark, N.S.).

Nominees for instrumental group are:
Marc Atkinson Trio, Vol. IV (Victoria).
Odessa/Havana, Odessa/Havana (Toronto).
Troy MacGillivray & Shane Cook, When Here Meets There (Lanark, N.S.).
Sagapool, Sagapool, Episode Trois (Montreal).
UCalgary String Quartet, Far Behind /Left My Country (Calgary).

Nominees for English songwriter are:
Garnet Rogers, Get a Witness (Brantford, Ont.).
Tim Hus, Bush Pilot Buckaroo (Calgary).
Wyckham Porteous, 3 AM (Vancouver).
Corb Lund, Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! (Edmonton).
Lindsay Jane, Lovers Find Reasons (Winnipeg).

Nominees for French songwriter are:
David Jalbert, Des Histoires (Mascouche, Que.).
Anique Granger, Pepins (Montreal).
Yves Desrosiers, Chansons indociles (Montreal).
Tomas Jensen, Quelqu'un d'autre (Montreal).
Swing, Tradarnac (Ottawa).

Nominees for vocal group are:
Sisters of Sheynville, Sheynville Express (Toronto).
The Sojourners, Hold On (Vancouver).
Chic Gamine, Chic gamine (Winnipeg).
Dala, Who Do You Think You Are? (Toronto).
Frida's Brow, Frida's Brow (Wakefield, Que.).

Nominees for ensemble of the year are:
Foggy Hogtown Boys, The Golden West (Toronto).
Yves Lambert and Le Brébert Orchestra, Le Monde à Lambert (Montreal).
Rita Chiarelli, Uptown Goes Downtown (Toronto).
Le Vent du Nord, Dans les Airs (Montreal).
Hungry Hill, Ride (Smithers, B.C.).

Nominees for solo artist are:
Wyckham Porteous, 3 AM (Vancouver).
Ken Whiteley, One World Dance (Toronto).
Michael Jerome Browne, Double (Montreal).
Lindsay Jane, Lovers Find Reasons (Winnipeg).
Corb Lund, Horse Soldier! Horse Soldier! (Edmonton).

Nominees for world solo artist are:
Musa Dieng Kala, Exile (Brossard, Que.).
Ines Canepa, Capricho (Montreal).
Celso Machado, Jogo da Vida (Gibsons, B.C.).
Harry Manx, Harry Manx and Friends Live at the Glenn Gould Studio (Saltspring Island, B.C.).
Eliana Cuevas, Vidas (Toronto).

Nominations for world group are:
Compadres, Buddy Where You Been? (Calgary/Winnipeg).
Odessa/Havana, Odessa/Havana (Toronto).
Sagapool, Episode Trois (Montreal).
Constantinople et Françoise Atlan, Ay! Amor (Montreal).
Sisters of Sheynville, Sheynville Express (Toronto).

Nominees for new/emerging artist are:
The Polyjesters, Kitchen Radio (Calgary).
Mariam Matossian, In the Light (Vancouver).
Chic Gamine, Chic Gamine (Winnipeg).
Chloe Albert, Dedicated State (Edmonton).
David Jalbert, Des Histoires (Mascouche, Que.).

Nominees for producer of the year are:
Steve Dawson for Steve Dawson, Waiting for the Lights to Come Up (Vancouver).
Mathieu Dandurand for David Jalbert, Des Histoires (Montreal).
Erik West-Millette for Bia, Nocturno (Montreal).
Oliver Schroer for Oliver Schroer, Hymns and Hers (Toronto).
Othentic for Swing, Tradarnac (Montreal).

Nominees for pushing the boundaries are:
Oliver Schroer, Hymns and Hers (Toronto).
Steve Dawson, Waiting for the Lights to Come Up (Vancouver).
The Marc Atkinson Trio, IV (Victoria).
Harry Manx, Harry Manx and Friends Live at the Glenn Gould Studio (Saltspring Island, B.C.).
Bia, Nocturno (Montreal).

Nominees for young performer are:
Emma Beaton, Pretty Fair Maid (Qualicum Beach, B.C.).
Chrissy Crowley, Demo (Margaree, N.S.).
Kierah, Irish Madness (White Rock, B.C.).
Drumlin, Mackerel Skies (Bridgewater, N.S.).
Paul Cresey, Piece the Picture (Edmonton).

Rik Barron, nominated for children's album of the year, said he is glad to be a part of this year's awards. "Up until three or four years ago, we didn't have an award that was just for children," he said.

The awards ceremony will be held Nov. 23 in St. John's.

Foo Fighters tell McCain to stop using song

NEW YORK - Yet another band is complaining about John McCain's use of their song to promote his campaign. This time, it's the Foo Fighters.

The rockers sent out a missive telling the Republican presidential candidate to stop using "My Hero." They said they learned it was being use through news reports.

"The saddest thing about this is that `My Hero' was written as a celebration of the common man and his extraordinary potential," the band said in a statement. "To have it appropriated without our knowledge and used in a manner that perverts the original sentiment of the lyric just tarnishes the song."

The band noted it's not the first time McCain has been told to stop using a song. John Mellencamp, Heart and Jackson Browne have also complained — Browne even filed a lawsuit.

Soul legend Sam Moore also has asked the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama to stop using "Soul Man."

McCain's campaign did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment.

A Fey-Palin comedy summit? Stay tuned

NEW YORK - It seems like the inevitable comedic summit of this fall's presidential campaign: the real Sarah Palin coming on "Saturday Night Live" to meet her look-alike impersonator, Tina Fey.

"All in good time," said a cagey Lorne Michaels, longtime executive producer of NBC's "Saturday Night Live," which has been rejuvenated this fall by Fey's three skits as the Republican vice presidential candidate.

Michaels said on Wednesday he wasn't actively seeking Palin, but that the McCain campaign called after the first skit, when Fey's Palin appeared with Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton on the show's Sept. 13 season premiere, to say they enjoyed it.

"Saturday Night Live" has a long history of political walk-ons. Michaels prefers keeping this sort of news a surprise until it happens, an opinion reinforced when word leaked that Barack Obama would be on that same show and the Democratic presidential candidate had to cancel at the last minute. "I think we looked stupid," he said.

There are three more first-run "Saturday Night Live" episodes before the election. Starting Thursday, NBC is also airing three prime-time editions of the show at 9:30 p.m. EDT.

Palin told reporters on Tuesday she'd love to appear on the show with Fey.

"I love her, she's a hoot and she's so talented," Palin said. "It would be fun to meet her, imitate her and keep on giving her new material."

From the moment Palin was selected as John McCain's running mate, Michaels said he barely had time to consider the idea of Fey impersonating her. Others did it for him.

"The next day the doorman in my building said, `What a gift, you're going to have so much fun with Tina Fey,'" he said.

Fey needed some convincing, primarily because she was busy with her Emmy Award-winning role as harried late-night show producer on "30 Rock." The day of "SNL's" season premiere, she was shooting an episode of "30 Rock" with Oprah Winfrey as guest.

"There are certainly people here who could have played her and played her well," Michaels said. "But the audience would have been disappointed if it had not been Tina. They cast her."

During that first impersonation, Fey got laughs simply by nailing Palin's accent. She described global warming as "just God hugging us closer."

Michaels knew he wanted Fey back for the Oct. 4 show, two days after the vice presidential debate. But Palin's interview with CBS' Katie Couric was so priceless, they had to write a sketch around that, he said.

In one answer to a question by Couric, played by Poehler, Fey gives a circular response of campaign cliches that reaches a dead end. Asked for specifics on how a McCain administration would spread democracy, Fey's Palin said, "Katie, I'd like to use one of my lifelines."

Through the first three weeks of the season, "Saturday Night Live" has averaged 8.3 million viewers, or 49 percent more than last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. The skits have also drawn tremendous Web traffic, with 9.3 million people watching an online clip of the "Clinton-Palin" segment. The "Couric interview" has been seen by nearly 7 million people, NBC said.

"She's made `Saturday Night Live' look, for the first time in a long time, like it's playing in the same satire league as Comedy Central, said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.

Fey has been off "Saturday Night Live" for two years, but was the guest host last winter in the first show back from the writers strike, where she made a vivid defense of Hillary Clinton.

"With all her years on `Weekend Update' and even more as Liz Lemon on `30 Rock,' she's become someone the audience trusts," Michaels said. "She's credible. And I think none of that would have mattered if her take on Sarah Palin hadn't been fresh and funny."

While the comic impersonation is tough, Fey's character is likable, much like Will Ferrell was in his days talking about "strategery" as George W. Bush, he said.

Richard Greene, a public speaking coach and author of "Words That Shook the World: 100 Years of Unforgettable Speeches and Events," said if he were a Democratic official, he'd be pulling any favor he could to keep Palin off "Saturday Night Live."

"She is so charming and so media savvy," Greene said. "When she has a script, she will completely seduce America."

Michaels is enjoying the ride, letting Fey know that she only has to impersonate Palin through Nov. 4.

But what if she is elected the next vice president?

"I think we'll find somebody else to play Sarah Palin," he said. "I don't think she's going to be playing Sarah Palin for the rest of her life."

Stoker descendant resurrects Dracula for sequel

Drawing from handwritten notes by Bram Stoker, the horror author's great-grandnephew is set to pen a Dracula sequel entitled Dracula: The Un-Dead.

The new project is the first story authorized by the Stoker family and estate since the 1931 film starring Bela Lugosi.

The forthcoming Dracula: The Un-Dead — apparently the title Stoker had intended for his original before an editor changed it — is slated for release in October 2009 in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. Film rights to the new story have also been sold, with production tentatively scheduled to begin in June 2009.

Dacre Stoker, a former Canadian Olympic pentathlon coach who is now based in the U.S., will co-write the new novel with Dracula historian and screenwriter Ian Holt.

Not having read his ancestor's 1897 novel until college, Dacre Stoker told the U.K's Guardian newspaper that he decided to prepare a research paper on the original story and his great-grand-uncle's motivation in writing it.

"Because the novel was so good and had stood up so well over the years, I found it exceedingly sad that all of the trash Hollywood had put out monumentally sullied Bram's and my family's literary legacy," he told the paper.

After meeting Holt, the duo decided to work together "to give both Bram and Dracula back their dignity."

The sequel will be set in 1912 and will chronicle trials faced by Quincey, the son of Stoker's original young hero Jonathan Harker.

Metallica To Emphasize 'Magnetic' On Tour

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich promises that fans will hear "a lot of new songs" from "Death Magnetic" on the group's upcoming tour, which begins production rehearsals Monday in San Francisco and kicks off Oct. 21 in Glendale, Ariz.

"These new songs are a lot of fun to play," Ulrich tells Billboard.com.

"Traditionally I think we've been a little conservative when we've started off with two songs, three songs (from the new album). We're going to hit the ground running here. We're probably gonna learn all of them and play, I hope, at least five a night and probably rotate 'em so we get a lot of new songs in. That's one thing I'm definite about."

Metallica, which has dates booked into August of 2009, will again be playing in the round, though Ulrich says the production will be "a completely different thing than what we've done before." He says that there will be "a big-ass f*ckin' lighting rig above us, and there's some pretty cool stuff up there. There'll be some sh*t that turns on and off and some sh*t that blows up ... the usual stuff.

Ulrich says the group is also similarly enthused about the reception to "Death Magnetic," Metallica's first set of new material since 2003's "St. Anger." The album topped The Billboard 200 for three consecutive weeks and has sold a million copies already in the U.S. and 2.5 million around the world.

"It's just an overwhelming, positive thing," Ulrich notes. "You couldn't have told me a month ago or six months ago that we would have a record that would be this well-received. It seems like it's so universal this time and it's all over the world and everybody's so into it on so many different levels -- the fans, press, the peers ... everybody.

"I'm a little overwhelmed, humbled ... and certainly appreciative. When you put out a record twice a decade, which is kind of what we find ourselves doing these days, you bask in it a little bit."

Pink Floyd's Rick Wright reportedly denied final wish

One of Pink Floyd keyboardist Rick Wright's last wishes was for the group to play at this year's Glastonbury Festival, a request that organizers denied because of logistical issues, according to published reports.

The claim was put forth yesterday by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, who was quoted in London's Guardian newspaper as saying: "One of the last things [Wright] wanted to do, in this last year, was to do a big outdoor festival, such as Glastonbury. We weren't able to do that due for all sorts of strange reasons, which, again, is a sadness."

According to the Guardian report, Glastonbury organizer Emily Eavis responded to Gilmour's comments by telling BBC 6 Music: "We were obviously upset to hear him say that. I think maybe he has been minsinformed by someone that it was some sort of thing about them, but it wasn't at all, it was just purely because we couldn't fit them on anywhere."

Eavis went on to say that Pink Floyd's agents called organizers three weeks before the festival, and that the festival was unable to accomodate their request to play because "we'd already booked three headliners, and there was nothing we could do apart from bump someone off and we've neverdone that before."

"We couldn't just say, 'Sorry, you've now got to play underneath someone because someone bigger has come along," she added.

As reported last month, Wright died at age 65 after a short battle with cancer.

After divorce, Bill Murray looks for renewal

NEW YORK - The deadpan and depressed characters Bill Murray has specialized in portraying as an actor in recent years have always stood in contrast to the life-of-the-party guy he is in real life — whether on a golf course or shuttling people around downtown Stockholm in a golf cart, as he did last year.

But Murray said he identified anew with those characters — like the dour Herman Blume in "Rushmore" — when his wife of nearly 11 years filed for divorce in May. In the papers filed by Jennifer Butler Murray, she alleged that Murray abused her and was addicted to alcohol and marijuana.

"That was devastating," Murray said. "That was the worst thing that ever happened to me in my entire life."

Though the freshness of such a wound would keep many Hollywood stars far away from the press, Murray, 58, came to New York from his home upstate to help publicize "City of Ember," a film opening Friday in which he co-stars along with Saoirse Ronan, the young star of "Atonement," and Tim Robbins.

About a city forged underground because of environmental destruction on the earth's surface, it's a kind of somber, underworld "Jetsons" — and a clear metaphor to contemporary concerns. Murray plays the city's mayor, a lackadaisically corrupt but popular figure.

Though not as substantial as some of Murray's best roles — Bob Harris in "Lost in Translation," Don Johnston in "Broken Flowers," Phil Connors in "Groundhog Day" — it's still a typically lively, self-aware performance; you expect him to wink to the camera at any moment.

The film was shot in Belfast, Ireland, before the divorce, which was made final in June. The months after have been ones of depression for the comedian. The court decided that the couple's four children will live with their mother, while Murray has visitation rights and will pay child support.

In a forthright and emotional conversation, Murray rarely struck a tone of bitterness about the break-up, but rather spoke with watery eyes of a tremendously painful summer trying to reconcile himself to the divorce.

"I was just dead, just broken," he said.

"When you're really in love with someone and this happens — I never had anything like this happen," he said. "It's like your faith in people is destroyed because the person you trusted the most you can no longer trust at all. ... The person you know isn't there anymore."

Murray said his lowest point came a few weeks ago. When friends asked if he wanted to participate in an air show to support the Illinois United Service Organizations (Murray grew up outside Chicago), he accepted the skydiving invitation.

"They asked me on a day I didn't care," said Murray. "I didn't even care if there was a parachute. Of course, by the time I got there I had had a few good days and I thought, `What am I doing?'"

But Murray said he's begun building himself back up, and one of the first steps was coming out to discuss "City of Ember" — and even attend the premiere, "which is a nuisance," he said with characteristic deadpan.

"I've had a great deal of success in life — not just money or fame or anything like that — I just feel like I've done well in many areas of life," said Murray. "I've learned how to live and I think I've learned things about living. It's almost like: `OK, you learned that much, now let's try this. Let's see how you can do if this happens to you.'"

Murray is famously difficult to get in touch with for a film. He doesn't have an agent or a publicist and in the past, filmmakers have had to leave a message on a voice mail, which Murray checked infrequently. He has joked that entire careers have been launched on the parts he's turned down.

"City of Ember" director Gil Kenan ("Monster House") said getting the script to Murray "was not an easy prospect."

"There are so many stories out there, most of them horror stories, about getting (Murray) to work on films or of his on-set demeanor, but I have to say ... he had a real gung-ho attitude," said Kenan.

What drew Murray to the script when he received it was its writer, Caroline Thompson, who adapted Jeane Duprau's book. Murray met Thompson ("Edward Scissorhands") years ago and says "she works on a higher level than the rest."

"From my perspective, he's in a place where he's more open to things than he may have been in the past," said Kenan. "There's a lot in him. We've seen aspects of that on the screen now that he's had a career, but I actually feel like there's a lot more there that hasn't been seen."

Two years ago, Murray said he had taken to Jay-Z's idea of "retirement," meaning people might generally consider him out of the game but he could nevertheless continue to work here and there.

After the divorce, though, he's rallying to dedicate himself more fully.

"I've just come out of a sort of doldrums and I feel like I want to go," he said. "I want to work. I want to get going. I want to do a few things at once. I really want to connect with other people that are going that way and `Let's go'... I want to bounce off like a pinball. Like a pinball, I want to bounce off bumpers that are positive. I want to bounce off people that are positive and hope that'll make me more positive and give me momentum."

Earlier this year, Murray shot his third film with Jim Jarmusch, a thriller filmed in Spain titled "The Limits of Control." He also worked again with Wes Anderson ("Rushmore," "The Royal Tenenbaums") doing a voice for the animated "The Fantastic Mr. Fox."

His "City of Ember" co-star Robbins, who directed Murray in his 1999 film "Cradle Will Rock," recently asked him to be in his latest directorial effort. Said Murray: "I'll throw in."

The writers of "The Office" have been hired to pen a "Ghostbusters III," which Murray thinks could offer a fresh take on the films, the second of which he (and many others) found disappointing.

"If I could get through this in a powerful way, I feel that I have even more potential to do something," said Murray. "I think I'd be working on a higher level. It'd be great to achieve, to do the art that I thought I was always capable of — something that really, really affects people and grabs them and makes them feel and become alive."

"I've tried to lighten it for people. I know how hard it is," said Murray. "There's a lot of goodwill out there for what I've done. And I didn't really appreciate it so much before. I really appreciate it now."

David Cronenberg circling Ludlum thriller

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - David Cronenberg is making his first foray into the big-budget action arena.

The Canadian filmmaker is negotiating to direct "The Matarese Circle," a political thriller that has Denzel Washington attached.

The MGM project is derived from a Robert Ludlum conspiracy novel. In the 1979 book, two rival intelligence agents, one American, one Soviet, find themselves working together to ferret out and vanquish members of a mysterious group of criminals called the Matarese that has infiltrated the highest levels of American government. Ludlum published a sequel to "Circle," "The Matarese Countdown," in 1997, but the studio did not acquire the rights to it.

MGM hopes "The Matarese Circle" will beget a franchise, in much the same way as the "Bourne" trilogy, also derived from Ludlum novels, grossed $945 million theatrically worldwide. A fourth Bourne film is in development at Universal with returning director Paul Greengrass.

Several other Ludlum properties are in development at Paramount ("The Chancellor Manuscript") and Universal ("The Sigma Protocol"). And Summit Entertainment is developing a remake of Ludlum's early work, "The Osterman Weekend," which Sam Peckinpah turned into a film in 1983.

Famed for such edgy releases as "The Fly" and "Crash," Cronenberg most recently directed the Oscar-nominated films "A History of Violence" and "Eastern Promises." The opera he adapted from his remake of "The Fly" opened in September at the Los Angeles Opera.

Esquire crowns Halle Berry 'Sexiest Woman Alive'

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Halle Berry may be a mommy of a certain age, but the men's magazine Esquire says the Oscar-winning actress is still the Sexiest Woman Alive.

In an article posted on Tuesday on the magazine's website (www.esquire.com), Berry poses in a parody of a 2000 cover photograph of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and writes about what she thinks of winning Esquire's annual honor for the first time.

"Well, I don't know exactly what it means but being 42 and having just had a baby, I think I'll take it," Berry wrote.

Esquire said it dressed Berry in a racier version of Clinton's suit jacket and blue tie to recreate an iconic cover for its 75th anniversary celebration.

Berry starred last year in the movie "Things We Lost in the Fire" and is due to star next year in "Frankie and Alice," a film about a woman with multiple personality disorder.

In the Esquire article, Berry describes things she finds sexy. It turns out that spaghetti and wine are major turn-ons.

"Sexy is not about wearing sexy clothes or shaking your booty until you damn near get hip dysplasia; it's about knowing that sexiness is a state of mind -- a comfortable state of being," she said.

Berry won an Oscar in 2002 for her role in the movie "Monster's Ball." She played the wife of an executed murderer who becomes romantically involved with a guard at the prison where her husband had been held.

With the Oscar win, Berry became the first black woman to take home an Academy Award for Best Actress.

Berry gave birth in March to a baby girl. The father is Berry's partner, French-Canadian model Gabriel Aubry, 32.

Berry has been married and divorced twice. Her first marriage was to baseball player David Justice. She adopted the daughter of her second husband, musician Eric Benet, but the couple broke up in 2003.

Sarah McLachlan open in 'Closer'

It's been a rocky year for Sarah McLachlan.

In a recent Billboard interview supporting her new compilation Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan, which comes out today, the singer revealed that she and her husband of 11 years (and longtime drummer) Ashwin Sood split up.

Refusing to get into details, she termed the situation as "pretty gross."

So when asked how she would describe 2008 so far, McLachlan briefly hesitates.

"Lumpy," she says. "But you know with wonderful moments. It's been a really great year too."

And while putting a proverbial glass-half-full outlook on her current life, the two new songs included on Closer seem to somewhat delve into that pain and upheaval, especially the single U Want Me 2.

"When I'm feeling highly emotional I tend to think about things a lot," she says. "When I'm happy I don't tend to analyze it because you'll find fault pretty quickly. At the same time, most of my songs I've written about after the fact as opposed to being in them (in the moment). I've always felt I needed a little bit of objectivity before I could see things clearly.

"With the two recent songs, I sort of bucked that trend and have gone into how I feel and I'm going to write about it right now. Sometimes I feel like I need some space from things. Other times I haven't even known these things existed and something else triggers it. I absolutely write from personal experience but also with every song there's other people's experiences put in there."

After releasing a special deluxe edition of her 1993 album Fumbling Towards Ecstasy earlier this year, McLachlan set about deciding what songs would end up on Closer. But it wasn't as easy as one might suspect.

"There are the obvious choices and favourites, but unfortunately I got halfway through my list and I looked down and I had 35 songs," she says.

'MAKE IT A DOUBLE CD'

"So I had to whittle them down. I said to my manager, 'Please let it be a double CD.' They said no they weren't going to do that so that's why there's a deluxe version."

Although McLachlan, 40, wrote two new songs and finished a third for Closer, she's yet to begin work on a new and proper studio album, the followup to 2003's Afterglow. She hopes to "buckle down and get to it" sometime in January with a release date nowhere close to being nailed down.

"Not at the pace I work," she says when asked if it will be out next year. "I have two small children and it's a luxury that I'm thankful for every day.

"I can go, 'You know I'm going to take two years to put this out.' And in that time I'm going to work at a pace that makes sense for me -- that I can still be the mother that I want to be. It's wonderful to be able to make that choice, to feel okay and be financially stable."

McLachlan is only doing a few promotional appearances in support of Closer the rest of the year. She's also performing with sitar master Ravi Shankar at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall Oct. 18 as part of a special benefit concert for Youth Empowerment Canada.

Just don't expect a world tour in support of the next studio album.

"Not the way I used to tour, not with two children," she says. "My eldest is in Grade 1 now and she really enjoys her routine and structure. It's really a challenge to take her out of that and make her happy. My number one priority is the kids. If they're happy I'm happy.

"I'm out the door at 8 a.m. taking the kids to school and picking her up at 2:30 and I have a little bit of time with her before she has to get into her homework and her piano practise. Then I make dinner and put her to bed, go to bed and pass out at nine o'clock."

While 2008 has had its turmoil, McLachlan is spending these days literally building from the ground up.

"I'm in the process of building a house so I've got lots of decisions in planning and doing all the interior design for that," she says. "It's daunting. I spent 12 hours looking at stone slabs in Seattle yesterday which my head is still spinning from."

Martin memoirs slamming Chrétien leaked ahead of election

About a week before the federal election, a Quebec newspaper has published leaked excerpts from former Liberal prime minister Paul Martin's memoirs detailing his bitter rivalry with Jean Chrétien.

Martin’s autobiography,Hell or High Water, is expected to arrive in bookstores in three weeks, but Le Devoir obtained one of the book's final drafts and published its contents on Monday.

The revelations from Martin, who reportedly has counselled Stéphane Dion during the campaign, are likely to challenge the Liberal leader's assertion that his party is united heading into the Oct. 14 vote.

The paper reports that Martin’s book details his childhood, his climb to the top job at Canada Steamship Lines, his years in politics, and how he and Chrétien disliked each other right to the end.

According to the paper, Martin devotes several chapters to his bid to take over leadership of the party from Chrétien and the two years he served as prime minister, in which he accuses Chrétien of putting their rivalry ahead of the good of the party.

Chrétien’s changes to party financing rules and the way he managed the sponsorship scandal also seriously hurt the Liberal brand, Martin is quoted as writing.

Martin also writes the collateral damage victim of the war between the two men is Dion, as the Liberal party in Quebec is but a shadow of its former self.

Sponsorship report a 'time-bomb'

Martin goes on to write that one of Chrétien’s most inexplicable decisions was to cap donations to political parties at $5,000, which he said hurt a party that was used to generous donations from banks and larger corporations.

Martin also writes that he was furious at Chrétien for proroguing Parliament in November 2003, thus delaying the "time-bomb" of the auditor general’s report into the federal sponsorship program until he took over the leadership of the party.

That meant Chrétien avoided having to deal with the sponsorship scandal and left it squarely in Martin’s hands, he writes. If Chrétien had accepted the report while still in office, that would have shown a sense of responsibility and would have protected the future of his party, Martin wrote.

"We ended up losing the communications battle on the sponsorship question. Honestly, I don't know if it could have been won," the paper quotes him as writing.

But Martin writes he has no regrets doing his national "mad as hell" tour in calling for an inquiry into the sponsorship program.

Zaccardelli slammed income trust probe's handling

Martin also offers scathing words for former RCMP commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli over the Mounties announcing a probe was being launched into the former Liberal government's handling of an income trust taxation decision in the middle of the 2006 federal election.

Some analysts have said news of the investigation contributed to the defeat of Martin's Liberals at the hands of Stephen Harper's Conservatives in January 2006. In the end, the Mounties charged a senior civil servant in the Finance Department with breach of trust.

Martin writes that the only question is whether Zaccardelli's action "can be explained by ineptness or whether it was a premeditated malicious act.

"In my view, no one can be that inept," he writes.

Earlier this year, the Mounties' complaints chair said he found no evidence to suggest Zaccardelli deliberately meddled in the last election, although the former commissioner refused to co-operate with the complaints body or shed any light to his motives for releasing sensitive information during the campaign.

Zaccardelli resigned in late 2006 after admitting he gave misleading testimony to a House of Commons committee into the deportation and imprisonment of Maher Arar.

Shyamalan Mulls Unbreakable Sequel

M. Night Shyamalan said he is considering working on a sequel to his hit Unbreakable, a superhero tale about a man (Bruce Willis) who finds that he is impervious to harm and is called to become a savior.

"I'm a strange creature," the writer/director said in a conference call with reporters last week. "When Unbreakable came out, I was like, 'God, man I'm so excited.' I thought [it] was like comic books. No one has really done comic books like this: reality-based comic books. I really think this is a metaphor for things that people can go crazy over."

Though the film was eventually a hit, the initial reaction was mixed. "When the reaction was mixed, kind of a disappointment, I was pettily hurt, and I was like, 'God, I took so many incredible risks and things like that,'" Shyamalan said.

Because of that, Shyamalan's excitement about a sequel to the movie was muted. "I felt really hurt, and I couldn't bring myself to write," he said. "It's literally like a relationship I have with the audience. ... And then, over the years, as it just grew and grew and grew, and people were like, 'You know, I really like that. That's actually my favorite movie, and I watch that all the time,' and on and on. I'll be on the street, and some kid will run across traffic with it in his backpack--he just is carrying it in his backpack--and he'll be running [saying], 'I can't believe it's you!' Will you sign my Unbreakable DVD?' And quoting the thing and all that stuff."

As a result, Shyamalan said that the sequel idea now haunts him. "How bizarre," he said. "I want to write it right now, but I want to write it for the right reasons. I want a story to pop into my head that is organic and expressive of who I am. You know, these are all kind of journals of where I am emotionally, so it's kind of hard. I'm kind of trying to go back to the journal that existed in 1999 for me. But I know me: As soon as I give up on it is when the idea will come to me. It's just I need to go into therapy; I guess that's the end of that answer to this."

Cop drama "Life on Mars" a trip

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Life on Mars," a British cop show with a twist, has had two extreme makeovers.

The first time, producer David E. Kelley set it in Los Angeles. The second time, a new team of producers relocated the show to New York. Through it all, only Jason O'Mara, who plays Detective Sam Tyler, survived.

In the case of ABC's "Life on Mars," what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Tax incentives aside, the show truly belongs in New York. Also, not only is O'Mara able to carry the drama, but the new cast members are, without exception, well-chosen.

For those who missed the original when it played on BBC America, the show is about a police officer (Tyler) who is hit by a car while chasing down the guy who abducted his work and romantic partner, Maya (guest star Lisa Bonet). The next thing he knows, he is back in 1973. He's still a cop, but nothing -- from fashion to technology -- is the same.

In the British version, Tyler is convinced he is insane, in a coma or time-traveling. The American version spells out other options but deliberately refrains from becoming enmeshed in the science fiction aspect of the story. Tyler does not go back and forth, and no consideration is given to theories about the future impact of his actions in the past.

Part of the pleasure of watching is seeing how much things have changed in a relatively short time. Tyler grabs for his cell phone, asks for his computer and orders a Diet Coke, all to no avail. On a TV screen, William Conrad plays "Cannon." In the streets, wide collars and stripes are everywhere.

Equally stunning are the social attitudes of the day. The commander of Tyler's precinct, Lt. Gene Hunt (Harvey Keitel), has no patience for warrants or Miranda rights. The only woman in the precinct, Annie (Gretchen Mol), tolerates the nickname "No Nuts" to blaze a trail for future female cops.

The premiere mostly sets everything in motion, particularly the relationships between Tyler and the others on the force. The script, from Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec and Scott Rosenberg, is true to the spirit of the original and exciting enough to make you swallow the premise and beg for more.

If it holds its own against the final season of NBC's "ER," "Mars" might be orbiting the schedule for years.

China state TV to air 50-part Bruce Lee biography

BEIJING - Bruce Lee is getting a belated hero's welcome in China, with the country's state broadcaster set to air a 50-part prime-time series on the late kung fu star.

Lee became a chest-thumping source of nationalistic pride to Chinese around the world with his characters who defended the Chinese against oppressors in a series of movies in the early 1970s. But his influence wasn't felt immediately in China, which was then a closed communist country.

Lee's films started surfacing in China on video in the 1980s — years after his death in 1973 from swelling of the brain.

China's official China Central Television hopes to fill the void with the exhaustive 50 million Chinese yuan (US$7.3 million) biography, "The Legend of Bruce Lee" — the country's first movie or TV series on the actor, according to producer Yu Shengli.

Shot in China, Hong Kong, Macau, the U.S., Italy and Thailand over nine months, the series, starting Sunday in prime-time, will air daily on the CCTV's flagship channel, with two episodes airing consecutively every night in a two-hour slot.

Unlike past films about Lee, "The Legend of Bruce Lee" is unusually detailed in tracing Lee's life, from his teenage years in Hong Kong to his move to the U.S., where he studied and taught martial arts, to his movie career and early death at 32, the Hong Kong actor who plays Lee told The Associated Press in an interview Tuesday.

"We've only seen the glorious side of Bruce Lee — he comes out all guns blazing, his films are entertaining. But very few people know what injuries he suffered and what grievances he suffered," Danny Chan said, noting the series even reveals that Lee was afraid of cockroaches.

The 33-year-old actor, whose best known work is Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle" and "Shaolin Soccer," makes up for his lack of star power with his uncanny resemblance to Lee with his thick eyebrows and slender body.

Lee's message of Chinese strength in movies like "The Chinese Connection" and "Return of the Dragon" also matches that of the Chinese government.

"Lee had strength, agility, pride, intelligence, not to mention charisma to burn, which coupled with the pro-Chinese rhetoric in his films have made him a potent symbol for the powerful new China that is now rising," said Michael Berry, a professor in contemporary Chinese cultural studies at the University of California at Santa Barbara.

"He wrote the word 'kung fu' into English dictionaries. He made people aware of China," CCTV official Zhang Xiaohai said at a news conference Tuesday.

Lee is shown bursting with Chinese pride in a trailer shown at the news conference, bellowing "I am Chinese" to spectators after defeating a foreign opponent.

In an apparent effort to boost racial pride, the series was originally scheduled to be aired before the Beijing Olympics in August, but was pushed back in keeping with the period of mourning for the deadly earthquake in China's central Sichuan province on May 12, which killed 70,000 people.

The series was authorized by the Lee family. Producer Yu said Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee Keasler, approved the script and is credited as an executive producer. It's unclear, however, how Lee himself, who spent his time in the U.S. and then-British colony Hong Kong, felt about the communist Chinese regime. The Lee family didn't respond to requests for comment from the AP sent through intermediaries.

Berry said China is also catching up on pop culture that it missed when it was a closed country, such as kung fu films, noting the emergence of martial arts epics in recent years. When Lee died in 1973, China was still in the middle of the ultra-leftist Cultural Revolution, when millions of people suspected of opposing the communist government were persecuted.

Top young director Jia Zhangke told the AP he was one of the Chinese youngsters that belatedly found out about Lee by watching his movies on tape in the early 1980s at "video-watching parlors," which he describes as "a room with 15 or 20 chairs."

"I really liked them. He fights with great style. Boys like violence. There is nationalism in his movies — he's always fighting foreigners. I was very happy watching the movies," he said.

Bob Dylan's leftovers make a fine meal on new CD 'Tell Tale Signs'

There had never been anything quite like Bob Dylan in the 1960s, and there's nothing quite like him today.

Once he burned with revolutionary fervour, songs spilling out of a man in a hurry. Now, at age 67, he's a walking history book of the United States, keeping alive stories and musical styles that might otherwise be forgotten. His work has grace and majesty, and the breadth of his late-career resurgence is better illustrated in this collection than on any of his individual albums.

"Tell Tale Signs" is a two-disc set spanning the years 1989 to 2006, part of the ongoing official "bootleg" series of alternate takes, unreleased tracks, random live recordings and overlooked soundtrack material.

Songs are never quite done with Dylan. They're living organisms, subject to rewriting and recasting. The "Time Out of Mind" rocker "Mississippi" is here in two versions, each dramatically different than the one eventually released - a solo acoustic take and one where the band sounds adrift on a Southern summer afternoon.

Some of the alternate takes sound better than the versions already known, like "Most of the Time," freed from the shackles of a confining producer. Some don't - the rockabilly version doesn't dignify "Dignity." All are fascinating peeks at creativity in progress.

Lyrics often change and for the unreleased songs, sometime appear in later material. They leave you wishing that this well-conceived package included a lyric sheet.

Dylan also leaves you shaking your head at songs somehow left on the cutting room floor, like the gorgeous "Red River Shore" or the adventurous "Dreamin' of You."

The set closes with the stately beauty of "'Cross the Green Mountain," a mostly-forgotten song written for the soundtrack of a Civil War movie. It sends shivers, both for the music and precisely written lyrics true to the times. The song is reminiscent of "Every Grain of Sand," another Dylan hymn tucked away, barely noticed, in his vast catalogue.

For Bob Dylan, these are outtakes. Most musicians would call them their greatest hits.

Check out this track: A live version of "Ring Them Bells" is an example - and there are many - of a Dylan song that improves from the recorded version after time spent with them on the road.

Hot commodity Tina Fey lands book deal

Fresh off recent wins at the Emmy Awards as well as a trio of brilliant cameos on Saturday Night Live, Tina Fey is now set to tackle her first book.

Little, Brown Book Group confirmed on Monday that it has signed a book deal with the award-winning comedian and comedy writer.

Though the publisher did not reveal any financial details, nor the book's subject matter, New York media has been buzzing about the deal for about a week.

Last week, the New York Post had reported that the deal was in excess of $5 million US and that, rather than a memoir, the project was reportedly a non-fiction collection of humour essays.

The 38-year-old SNL alumna is riding a tidal wave of acclaim for her pitch-perfect parodies of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, on the venerable late-night sketch show.

Last month, she and her sitcom 30 Rock — in which Fey stars as the head writer of a sketch comedy show — scored four Emmy Awards, including its second consecutive win for best comedy series, an award for comedy writing and best comedic actress and actor trophies for Fey and Alec Baldwin.

After three weeks portraying Palin in sketches on Saturday Night Live, it's expected that Fey will continue in the role until the U.S. election on Nov. 4.

The new season of 30 Rock begins Oct. 30.

Fey's other credits include writing and appearing in the film Mean Girls and starring in the film Baby Mama.

'Entourage' Earns Another Season

Vinny Chase and his boys will continue living the Hollywood dream for at least one more season.

HBO has picked up "Entourage" for a sixth season, meaning Vince (Adrian Grenier) will have that much more time to rebuild his fallen star image. Production on the new season is scheduled to begin early next year, with episodes scheduled to air during the summer.

"'Entourage' is that rare phenomenon in TV: a smart, sharp comedy series that continues to evolve," HBO Programming Group chief Michael Lombardo says. "[Creator] Doug Ellin and his remarkable team consistently deliver a show that's must-see viewing."

The show has undergone something of a creative revival this season after a fourth year that had a lot of critics down on the show. Early episodes this fall have focused on Vince's efforts to rebuild his career after the disastrous "Medellin," while his friend and manager Eric (Kevin Connolly) tries to expand his business.

Jeremy Piven, who plays Vince's shark agent Ari Gold, recently won his third consecutive Emmy for the role.

"We're thrilled to be back for another season," Ellin says. "HBO has been amazing in allowing the show to grow and mature. I never imagined when we started that we would make it to six seasons."

Is Oasis about to 'Dig Out' another breakthrough?

A dozen years ago, a Rolling Stone cover trumpeted "Oasis have conquered America, and they won't shut up about it."

The British band has lost some U.S. ground since 1995's (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, but they're still mouthing off.

That breakthrough album sold 3.9 million copies, seven times the combined U.S. sales of the group's last three studio albums. The dip is surprising because Oasis is the best rock band on the planet, its singer says.

"I don't say that for the sake of saying it," Liam Gallagher says. "There are other good bands. They're not as good as Oasis."

If seventh effort Dig Out Your Soul, released today, doesn't light up the charts, Oasis will compensate with receipts from a U.S. tour starting Dec. 3 in Oakland.

"It's funny that it seems Oasis is under the radar in the U.S., since they're one of the very few British rock bands able to fill arenas here," says Spin editor Doug Brod. "Oasis will never sell millions of records like they once did, but then very few artists will."

Slumping CD sales inspire artists to test unconventional distribution, yet Oasis, proudly old-school in its artistic approach, is leery. The band did stream Dig on its MySpace page last week, and Liam says he'd consider marketing innovations "as long as it's not selling out, and we don't look like a bunch of desperados."

But the notion of giving away music "doesn't sit right with me," he says, branding Radiohead's tip-jar sale of its In Rainbows download a publicity stunt. "This is my living. It costs me to make it, and it's going to cost you to buy it. If they won't buy it, I don't want them as our fans."

His guitarist brother, Noel, isn't distressed by piracy losses, which he figures siphon 25% off industry profits.

"That's what was spent on Champagne and limos," he says. "It's good when record companies panic. They need to streamline. Just like these big banks going under, and those Wall Street idiots driving Ferraris. What about people who had a hurricane rip apart their community? That's real pressure, my friend."

He prefers to leave business decisions to his manager.

"If he told me to sign with Timbuktu, I'd do it," says Noel, recalling recent business meetings "so mind-numbingly boring that you'd want to kill yourself. I look after choruses. That's my job."

A month ago, Oasis began whipping up excitement with single The Shock of the Lightning and a string of Canadian dates. And suddenly, a different bolt.

"I remember singing the chorus of Morning Glory and then I was in a heap on the floor," says Noel, who'd been assaulted onstage during a Sept. 7 concert in Toronto. "I can't remember seeing the guy. I had a bad pain on the left side of my chest. I couldn't stand up. I thought I'd been stabbed."

Initially treated locally for severely bruised ribs, Noel was diagnosed in London with broken ribs. The tour was halted, and it resumes tonight in Liverpool.

"I'm a bit down in the dumps and pretty spaced out on painkillers," he says. "Two ribs broke at the spine, so it's almost like a broken back. They can't manipulate them into place until they've healed. Another four weeks. It's taken the wind out of my sails."

The attack "freaked me out," says Liam, who attempted to tackle the assailant. He's less sympathetic now. "It could have been a lot worse. He'll live. It's mostly in his head now."

The Gallagher brothers' onstage harmony and offstage bickering have filled England's music press since Definitely Maybe arrived in 1994.

"Liam still takes the rivalry thing a bit seriously," says Noel, 41. "It's real with him. I do tend to annoy him a great deal. I don't mind that. When we get off tour, the last thing I want is to have dinner with Liam, after having dinner with him 365 nights. I've got another life outside Oasis. We're not 21 anymore. We're not The Monkees."

They're in rare accord on this.

"We haven't got a relationship, only musically," says Liam, 36. "I think he's a great musician. He thinks I'm a great singer. Do people want us to hold hands and walk in the park and have little coffees?"

The pair also share a high regard for their seventh studio album, which is earning critical raves, including "the most begrudging positive review I've seen in my life, from a magazine (The Observer) that notoriously despises Oasis," Noel points out.

Though U.S. sales have eroded, the band has maintained a solid reputation for Beatlesque guitar pop and Who-sized hooks and defiance, newly cemented by Dig's melodicism and dense psychedelia.

Oasis "may not have the current artistic cred of, say, Radiohead, but you can't underestimate their appeal as a classic-rock act," Brod says. "Their first two albums are masterpieces and they've recorded songs, such as Live Forever and Wonderwall, that are now part of the rock canon. What shocked me the last time I saw them — headlining Madison Square Garden a couple of years ago — was that the crowd was full of college students who were (kids) during the band's heyday."

An atheist, Noel is at a loss to explain Dig's multiple religious references.

"I don't believe any of the stories in the Bible, but I do like the imagery," he says. "I wish there were people with wings living in the clouds. But I don't see the hand of God anywhere."

Noel, who wrote six of Dig's 11 songs and is sitting on another 30 demos and finished tracks, says he's eager to release a solo album, provided Liam and guitarists Gem Archer and Andy Bell also pursue outside projects. (The band's fifth member, drummer Chris Sharrock, replaced Zak Starkey in May.)

"The others would have to agree, and that's not going to happen," he says. "They cry, you see."

Liam counters: "Let him do one. He's a big boy. It's not in my blood. I want to be in a band. I don't aspire to be a Robbie Williams."

Nor does he compete with Noel's songwriting output. "I write if nothing's on TV," says Liam, who contributed I'm Outta Time, Ain't Got Nothin' and Soldier On to Dig. "I get my kicks singing."

Besides, free time has grown scarce in both households now that parental duties encroach on their rock 'n' roll lifestyles. Liam rises at 6 a.m. for a run before taking his kids to school.

"There are other things in my life besides Oasis, like that big pile of ironing," he says. "But once I'm on that stage, let's go, man. Let's ram that music down people's throats. I haven't changed a bit."

Being a dad "has changed my life outside of the band profoundly," Noel says. "It hasn't changed my work in any way. But when I'm bored in a hotel, I get my videophone out and look at my children and wish I was playing cops and robbers with them.

"I used to listen to music all day every day in my formative years. That time goes out the window. Show me someone who listens to Pink Floyd, I'll show you someone who doesn't have kids."

Though hardly homebody teetotalers, the Gallaghers have calmed down since their feral '90s, when Noel wrote the band's early albums under the influence of cocaine.

"Our lives were very boring," Liam says. "Obviously, if you take drugs to make music, you're an idiot."

These days, the two make more headlines spewing toxins than ingesting them. Noel in particular infamously blasts peers, most recently James Blunt, Mark Ronson, Keane, Bloc Party and Kaiser Chiefs, whom he dubbed "fat idiots."

"I've said worse and lived to tell the tale," he says.

He has been especially vocal lately about troubled Rehab singer Amy Winehouse.

"She's probably dying as we speak," he says. "That girl is a mess, and the people around her are vampires. Solo artists are easy prey. When we were at the height of our drug problem, we had each other to say 'It's gone too far.' She has no one."

Before anyone can accuse him of sympathy, he cracks, "I was never a fan, to be honest."

Bruce Springsteen Inspires Voters With Passionate Acoustic Set at Philadelphia Rally

On Saturday, Bruce Springsteen kicked off three days of Vote For Change concerts on behalf of Barack Obama with a powerful acoustic set that drew estimated 50,000 to the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Cutting a distinctly Woody Guthriesque profile in rolled up flannel, denim and tousled hair, Springsteen stood atop a 30 foot high stage emblazoned with the word “CHANGE” and belted out a seven-song, 45 minute acoustic set as a gift for Obama volunteers and a catalyst for the disengaged to register to vote.

“I’m not Barack Obama, but I’ll do my best,” said Springsteen, before wheezing his harmonica like an angry freight train launching into a tense, jingle-jangle reading of “The Promised Land,” his 1978 affirmation of faith in the ideal American in a time of dwindling opportunity and diminished expectations.

Four songs later — including a like-minded “The Ghost Of Tom Joad,” the obligatory “Thunder Road” and the rarely-heard “Does This Bus Stop At 82nd Street?” — Bruce spoke humbly about why he believes in Barack Obama. “I’ve spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality. The distance between that promise and that reality has never been greater or more painful. I believe Senator Obama has taken the measure of that distance in his own life and in his work. I believe as president, he would work to restore that promise to so many of our fellow citizens who have justifiably lost faith in its meaning.”

After a mournful rendition of Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land,” Springsteen sent the people back out onto the streets with marching orders to take their country back from “those who who would sell it down the river for a quick buck.”

Set List:
“The Promised Land”
“The Ghost of Tom Joad”
“Thunder Road”
“No Surrender”
“Does This Bus Stop at 82nd Street?”
"Speech"
“The Rising”
“This Land Is Your Land”

Bruce Springsteen’s Speech:

“Hello Philly,

“I am glad to be here today for this voter registration drive and for Barack Obama, the next President of the United States.

“I’ve spent 35 years writing about America, its people, and the meaning of the American Promise. The Promise that was handed down to us, right here in this city from our founding fathers, with one instruction: Do your best to make these things real. Opportunity, equality, social and economic justice, a fair shake for all of our citizens, the American idea, as a positive influence, around the world for a more just and peaceful existence. These are the things that give our lives hope, shape, and meaning. They are the ties that bind us together and give us faith in our contract with one another.

“I’ve spent most of my creative life measuring the distance between that American promise and American reality. For many Americans, who are today losing their jobs, their homes, seeing their retirement funds disappear, who have no healthcare, or who have been abandoned in our inner cities. The distance between that promise and that reality has never been greater or more painful.

“I believe Senator Obama has taken the measure of that distance in his own life and in his work. I believe he understands, in his heart, the cost of that distance, in blood and suffering, in the lives of everyday Americans. I believe as president, he would work to restore that promise to so many of our fellow citizens who have justifiably lost faith in its meaning. After the disastrous administration of the past 8 years, we need someone to lead us in an American reclamation project. In my job, I travel the world, and occasionally play big stadiums, just like Senator Obama. I’ve continued to find, wherever I go, America remains a repository of people’s hopes, possibilities, and desires, and that despite the terrible erosion to our standing around the world, accomplished by our recent administration, we remain, for many, a house of dreams. One thousand George Bushes and one thousand Dick Cheneys will never be able to tear that house down.

“They will, however, be leaving office, dropping the national tragedies of Katrina, Iraq, and our financial crisis in our laps. Our sacred house of dreams has been abused, looted, and left in a terrible state of disrepair. It needs care; it needs saving, it needs defending against those who would sell it down the river for power or a quick buck. It needs strong arms, hearts, and minds. It needs someone with Senator Obama’s understanding, temperateness, deliberativeness, maturity, compassion, toughness, and faith, to help us rebuild our house once again. But most importantly, it needs us. You and me. To build that house with the generosity that is at the heart of the American spirit. A house that is truer and big enough to contain the hopes and dreams of all of our fellow citizens. That is where our future lies. We will rise or fall as a people by our ability to accomplish this task. Now I don’t know about you, but I want that dream back, I want my America back, I want my country back.

“So now is the time to stand with Barack Obama and Joe Biden, roll up our sleeves, and come on up for the rising.”

NEWMAN’S OWN

It's difficult to pick out just 10, but here are some of the greatest roles and scenes in Paul Newman's long career:

1 CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF (1958) Newman received his first Oscar nomination playing Brick Pollitt, an alcoholic ex-football player who resists the advances of his beautiful and frustrated wife Maggie while staying at the Mississippi plantation of his dying father, Big Daddy (Burl Ives).

Best scene: Newman's performance manages to suggest Brick's feelings for a deceased former roommate in this heated exchange. Maggie: "You know what I feel like? I feel all the time like a cat on a hot tin roof." Brick: "Then jump off the roof, Maggie. Jump off it. Cats jump off roofs and land uninjured. Do it. Jump."

2 THE HUSTLER (1961) Newman entered the first rank of American actors with his portrayal of pool shark Eddie Felson, who challenges Minnesota Fats (Jackie Gleason). Newman was nominated for Best Actor twice for this role, winning his only acting Oscar for reprising it 26 years later in "The Color of Money."

Best scene: After defeat at the hands of Fats in the Big Apple, Eddie moves to Kentucky, where he hooks up with a sleazy gambler whom he allows to maul his crippled girlfriend (Piper Laurie). One of the most powerful moments comes when Eddie discovers her lifeless body; she's slashed her wrists. Realizing what he's lost, a chastened Eddie returns to New York for a climactic match with Fats.

3 HUD (1963) Newman's charm and appeal to audiences allowed him to go to darker places than earlier Hollywood leading men. He received his third Oscar nomination as the unregenerate heel Hud Bannon, who pursues the flirtatious housekeeper ( Patricia Neal) at the family's ranch.

Best scene: "The only question I ever ask any woman is, 'What time is your husband coming home?' " brags Hud. The scene where he breaks down her door still has the power to shock.

4 HARPER (1966) Newman re-invented the detective movie as an LA private eye. He reprised the role in "The Drowning Pool" 10 years later.

Best scene: Without a line of dialogue, Newman and screenwriter William Goldman establish the character before the opening credits are over. Harper wakes up in his office, where he has fallen asleep with the TV on. Trying to make coffee, he discovers he's out - and fishes used grounds out of the wastebasket. The look on his face as he digests his first cup is priceless.

5 COOL HAND LUKE (1967) In arguably his signature role, Newman copped his fourth Best Actor nod as Luke, a rebellious chain-gang prisoner. His nemesis, The Captain (Strother Martin) is inspired by Luke to utter one of the most famous lines in movie history: "What we've got here is .. . a failure to communicate."

Best scenes: Besides a bare-knuckle fight with another prisoner named Dragline (George Kennedy) and a much-imitated sequence of prisoners watching a woman washing a car, one of the best remembered has Luke eating 50 hard-boiled eggs while the other inmates bet on whether he can.

6 BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969) Newman appeared in a number of Westerns. His most beloved cast him as the 19th-century outlaw Butch Cassidy opposite Robert Redford's Sundance Kid.

Best scene: While the courtship scene with Katharine Ross (scored to "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head") is famous, George Roy Hill's movie is renowned for the scene where after a lengthy chase our heroes are trapped by armed pursuers on a cliff high over a river. When Butch tells the Kid to jump, he protests he can't swim: "Are you crazy?" Butch replies. "The fall will probably kill you."

7 THE STING (1973) Newman's only Best Picture winner was a reunion with Robert Redford. Newman plays master grifter Henry Gondorff in 1936 Chicago, who agrees to help Redford's Johnny Hooker avenge the murder of his mentor by henchmen of racketeer Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw).

Best scene: To get even, they create a bogus horse-racing parlor where Lonnegan puts down a million-dollar bet on a phony race. During a police raid, Gondoff shoots Hooker, who supposedly set him up, and an FBI agent shoots Gondoff. After Lonnegan flees, it's all revealed as a sting to separate him from his money.

8 SLAP SHOT (1977) The most popular of Newman's sports-themed flicks casts him as Reggie Dunlop, the coach of a bush-league hockey team that doesn't taste success until they start getting violent.

Best scene: Most of Newman's dialogue was much stronger than anything being delivered by major movie stars during this era. Among his most printable remarks in heckling players, which got big laughs at the time: "Hey Hanrahan! Hanrahan! Hanrahan! Suzanne sucks p - - - y! Hey Hanrahan she's a dyke! I know, I know! She's a lesbian, a lesbian, a lesbian!"

9 THE VERDICT (1982) Newman aged more gracefully than practically any other star of his generation. He was pushing 60 when he received his first Best Actor nomination in 15 years for playing Frank Galvin, an alcoholic lawyer who grasps at redemption in a malpractice suit against a Catholic hospital.

Best scene: His finest moment comes in the jury summation, written by David Mamet: "In my religion, they say, 'Act as if ye had faith . . . and faith will be given to you.' If we are to have faith in justice, we need only to believe in ourselves. And act with justice. See, I believe there is justice in our hearts."

10 NOBODY'S FOOL (1994) Newman scored his last Best Actor nod (he was nominated again, in support, as a mob boss in "The Road to Perdition," his final on-screen appearance in a feature) as another drinker, a small town ne'er-do-well Sully, who has a reunion with his now-grown son and grandson.

Best scene: This is one of Newman's all time-best performances in a career full of great ones. He's especially charming in scenes with his landlady, played by Jessica Tandy. But the best may be a quiet sequence where he puts his grandson on his lap and takes him for a ride in his old red pickup truck.

New CD Releases, Oct. 7: Oasis, Bob Dylan, The Pretenders and More

Oasis "Dig Out Your Soul" (Reprise)

The British rockers are set to unveil their seventh studio album, which follows 2005's "Don't Believe the Truth." The first single from "Dig Out Your Soul" is the track "The Shock of the Lighting."

Oasis will support "Dig Out Your Soul" during a North American tour. The 11-date trek, which features support from Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, kicks off Dec. 3 in Oakland, CA.

* * *
Bob Dylan "Tell Tale Signs: The Bootleg Series Vol. 8" (Sony)

The eighth installment of Dylan's ongoing Bootleg Series will feature previously unreleased studio recordings and alternate versions spanning the 17-year period from 1989 to 2006.

Previously unreleased songs on "Tell Tale Signs" include "Red River Shore," "Dreamin' of You" and "Marchin' to the City" from the "Time Out of Mind" sessions. The disc also includes "I Can't Escape From You," "Duncan & Brady," "Miss the Mississippi" and Dylan's first release of a Robert Johnson song, "32-20 Blues."

The set will be available as a standard two-disc version, as well as a deluxe, three-CD package, which includes a bonus disc containing 12 additional songs and a hardcover book of artwork from Dylan singles spanning his entire career.

As usual, Dylan will be making the rounds at concert venues this fall. The latest installment of his so-called "Never Ending Tour" is set to begin Oct. 23 in Victoria, British Columbia.

* * *
The Pretenders "Break Up the Concrete" (Shangri-La)

Vocalist Chrissie Hynde and crew return with The Pretenders' ninth studio album. The band's previous outing came with 2002's "Loose Screw."

The group, which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, has seen lineup changes over the years. Present and accounted for on "Break Up the Concrete" are guitarists James Walbourne and Eric Heywood, bassist Nick Wilkinson and drummer Jim Keltner.

* * *
Sarah McLachlan "Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan" (Arista)

The pop singer, who became a huge star as the organizer of the Lilith Fair festivals in the '90s, is ready to drop a greatest-hits set. "Closer: The Best of Sarah McLachlan" features 14 tracks from the vocalist's catalog, as well as two new songs: "Don't Give Up on Us" and "U Want Me 2." The latter was released as a single last month and it managed to break into the Top 20 on Billboard's Triple-A chart.

* * *
Tim McGraw "Greatest Hits Vol. 3" (Curb)

The third installment in the cowboy crooner's best-of series features studio versions of such fan favorites as "Back When," "Do You Want Fries With That," "Angry All the Time" and "Let It Go." It also includes live versions of the songs "Real Good Man" and "If You're Reading This."

* * *
More new releases:
Antony and the Johnsons, "Another World" (Secretly Canadian)
Casting Crowns, "Peace on Earth" (Reunion)
The Clash, "Live at Shea Stadium" (Sony)
Genesis, "Genesis 1970-1975" (EMD)
Jolie Holland, "Living and the Dead" (Anti)
Margot and the Nuclear So and So's, "Not Animal" (Epic)
Jon McLaughlin, "OK Now" (Island)
Gary Moore, "Bad for You Baby" (Eagle)
Rise Against, "Appeal to Reason" (Island)
Marco Antonio Solis, "No Molestar" (Fonovisa)
Tesla, "Forever More" (Tesla Electric Co.)
Armin van Buuren, "A State of Trance 2008" (Ultra)
Various Artists, "WOW Hits 2009" (World Entertainment)
Rachael Yamagata, "Elephants...Teeth Sinking Into Heart" (Warner Bros.)

Coldplay Preps EP With Jay-Z Guest Spot

Coldplay will in November release an eight-song EP, "Prospekt's March," which will include a new version of the song "Lost" featuring rapper Jay-Z. Six of the eight tracks on the EP are new studio recordings, including "Glass of Water," which the band has been performing live of late.

The track list is rounded out by the Jay-Z version of "Lost" and the Osaka Sun remix of "Lovers in Japan."

Coldplay will begin a North American tour Oct. 20 in Ottawa, Ontario, in support of its latest Capitol album, "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends." The set is the second-highest selling U.S. release of 2008, according to Nielsen SoundScan, at 1.77 million copies.

Here is the track list for "Prospekt's March":

"Life In Technicolour II"
"Postcards From Far Away"
"Glass Of Water"
"Rainy Day"
"Prospekt's March / Poppyfields"
"Lost +"
"Lovers in Japan" (Osaka Sun remix)
"Now My Feet Won't Touch The Ground"

ORSON’S 'EVIL’

On Dec. 5, 1957, filmmaker Orson Welles wrote a desperate and heartfelt 58-page memo to executives at Universal Studios, begging them to make specific changes to his film "Touch of Evil," which had been reshot and re-edited without his participation or consent.

This memo - included with the film's new 50th anniversary DVD release - is perhaps the ultimate document of a filmmaker pleading for the maintenance of his artistic vision. After Welles filmed "Touch of Evil," a film noir crime drama starring Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh, he left halfway through the post-production process to try to secure financing for his next film.

As Heston recalls on the DVD extra "Evil Lost and Found," which details the film's restoration process, this was "a big no-no," as studio executives found Welles' version too dark and confusing, and decided to drastically change the picture without his input.

Welles wrote the memo after viewing the end result, which he felt destroyed his intent for the film. The studio ignored his requests, and the episode sank his career. He never made another film in the US.

The DVD includes both the 96-minute version the studio released and a 111-minute restored version constructed in 1998 by editor Walter Murch based on Welles' memo. (There is also an early preview version included in the set.)

Of the 58 pages, Welles spent eight begging for more cross-cutting between Leigh's scenes and Heston's, to establish (as we see in the restored version) a more equal balance between the two characters. As Murch explains, "by trying to make the film simpler, [Universal] complicated things, because the audience was led to believe the film was about Heston," when the reality was more complex.

Comparing the versions is informative, but the memo itself illustrates both the depth of Welles' genius and how the stubbornness that accompanied it doomed his career.

Audiences adopt 'Chihuahua' with $29M weekend

LOS ANGELES - "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" was barking up the right tree with movie-goers, who put the Disney comedy at No. 1 for the weekend with a $29 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Featuring a talking Chihuahua with Drew Barrymore's voice, the family flick about a pampered pooch lost in Mexico led a surge of new movies that boosted Hollywood business, which generally has slumped the last two months.

The top-12 movies hauled in $95.4 million, up 42 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when "The Game Plan" was No. 1 with $16.6 million.

"We had a huge weekend," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Media By Numbers. "That's really due to the little Chihuahua. The little dog made a big difference."

The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, the DreamWorks-Paramount thriller "Eagle Eye," slipped to second-place with $17.7 million, raising its total to $54.6 million.

The PG-rated "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" took advantage of a long drought for movies aimed at families, who found the idea of a chatty Chihuahua irresistible.

"They're so cute, and they seem to have great facial expressions, so that adds to all the fun of the whole thing," said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution.

Hollywood's other new wide releases had fair to poor premieres.

Sony's "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," starring Michael Cera and Kat Dennings as teens who fall for each other on a wild New York City night, had a sturdy No. 3 debut of $12 million.

The Warner Bros. Western "Appaloosa," which had played two weeks in a handful of theaters, expanded solidly to come in at No. 5 with $5 million. "Appaloosa" was directed by Ed Harris, who stars with Viggo Mortensen and Renee Zellweger.

Vivendi Entertainment's "An American Carol," a satire of Hollywood's liberal politics from director David Zucker ("Airplane!"), debuted at No. 9 with $3.8 million. The movie stars Kevin Farley as a Michael Moore-type filmmaker aiming to abolish the Fourth of July holiday.

Universal's "Flash of Genius," starring Greg Kinnear as the engineer who invented intermittent windshield wipers then spent decades suing automakers over the innovation, opened weakly with $2.3 million, finishing at No. 11.

Two other movies, the comedy "How to Lose Friends and Alienate People" and the apocalyptic "Blindness," both bombed.

Miramax's "Blindness," featuring Julianne Moore, Danny Glover and Mark Ruffalo in a nightmare tale about a plague of sightlessness, took in just $2 million, averaging an anemic $1,185 in 1,690 theaters.

"How to Lose Friends and Alienate People," released by MGM and starring Kirsten Dunst and Simon Pegg in a celebrity satire set at a slick magazine, did $1.4 million in 1,750 theaters for a feeble $801 average.

By comparison, "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" averaged $9,020 in 3,215 theaters; "Nick and Norah" pulled in $4,957 in 2,421 locations; "Appaloosa" did $4,799 in 1,045 cinemas; "An American Carol" took in $2,325 in 1,639 sites; and "Flash of Genius" did $2,120 in 1,098 theaters.

In narrower release, Bill Maher's documentary "Religulous" opened well, placing No. 10 with $3.5 million in 502 theaters, averaging $6,972. The Lionsgate release follows Maher as he travels the world to mock one of his favorite topics, organized religion.

Anne Hathaway's "Rachel Getting Married" had a strong start in limited release, taking in $302,934 in nine theaters for a whopping $33,659 average. The Sony Pictures Classics drama stars Hathaway as an addict who leaves rehab to come home for her sister's wedding and forces her family to relive the anguish of past tragedy.

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. "Beverly Hills Chihuahua," $29 million.
2. "Eagle Eye," $17.7 million.
3. "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist," $12 million.
4. "Nights in Rodanthe," $7.4 million.
5. "Appaloosa," $5 million.
6. "Lakeview Terrace," $4.5 million.
7. "Burn After Reading," $4.08 million.
8. "Fireproof," $4.07 million.
9. "An American Carol," $3.8 million.
10. Religulous, $3.5 million.

Harrison Ford Confirms Another Indiana Jones Gaining Momentum

There hasn't been much written about the potential continuation of the Indiana Jones saga because its been such a touchy subject ever since Kingdom of the Crystal Skull hit theaters in May.

Most fans didn't love the fourth film and don't want to see another one at all, but there are also those die hard Indiana Jones fans who do want to see it continue.

Geoff Boucher of the LA Times blog Hero Complex caught up with the legendary Harrison Ford recently. Apparently George Lucas is already hard at work on coming up with a story for a fifth film. Ford says, "It's crazy but great… George is in think mode right now."

The first question most will think when they hear this is: why?

Well, remarkably, Crystal Skull ended up making $317 million domestically and $783 million worldwide, which is more than enough to warrant a sequel.

"It's automatic, really, we did well with the last one and with that having done well and been a positive experience, it's not surprising that some people want to do it again," Ford said.

Of course that makes sense, I guess it's just a matter of really hoping that Lucas doesn't come up with any ideas involving prairie dogs or monkeys or giant waterfalls.

Being a die hard Indiana Jones fan myself, I admit that I'd love to see another, especially with Ford holding onto the reigns (and not passing them off to Shia LaBeouf).

Boucher asked Ford who exactly was bringing up the idea of another sequel. His answer, oddly, doesn't single anyone out, instead, he makes a spiritual comment. "Really, it comes from the ethos, from the ether. It's natural. It's a way of nature, of course, success breeds [sic] opportunities … also we don't stay as closely in contact as have in the last year, that's part of it."

Considering it is Lucas who is working on story ideas, I'm guessing he's the frontrunner. I think it will definitely take a lot for Lucas and Spielberg to recover from the Crystal Skull backlash, but the fans will be there to really help it out.

Won't they...won't you?!

The Couch Potato Report - October 4th, 2008

This week The Couch Potato Report peels TV on DVD, we will forget Sarah Marshall and Iron Man!

It is a Special Sunday edition of the report, and on our weekend of stars, I have several box sets to tell you about, including some well known television stars.

Like Kenny and Spenny!

KENNY VS. SPENNY is a series that originally aired on CBC and in each episode the two best friends and roommates - Kenny and Spenny - face each other in different competitions...many of them quite idiotic!

In SEASON 4 of KENNY VS. SPENNY, as with the other three years, some of the competitions are funny, others are interesting, and there are also several that are so childish or stupid that you will just want to ignore.

Plus, Kenny is a bully who wins almost all of the competitions, and at times you will actually wonder why Spenny puts up with the things he does, including the weekly humiliations as he loses.

But there is something about those shows that makes you keep watching, long after you want to, but...if you are like me...you will be constantly asking yourself "Why am I watching this?!?!"

But I couldn't stop watching, and laughing, and I must admit, I was entertained!

Now due to it's language, anything goes attitude, and content, KENNY VS. SPENNY isn't a show for everyone, but if you are looking for something uniquly stupid, immature, childish and addictively fun..., check this show out, and maybe even have some fun!

Up next is a show that anyone can watch, and I think everyone will enjoy. Truth be told, this is one of my favourite shows of all time, and if you have never heard of it, it is my pleasure to tell you about SPORTS NIGHT.

SPORTS NIGHT was the show that Aaron Sorkin created and aired, before the more successful show THE WEST WING, and many of the things that show became famous for - including the acting walk and talk, devised to get more words into each script - were first developed on SPORTS NIGHT.

The show aired for two seasons from 1998 to 2000 and it is about a fictional sports news show - also called Sports Night - and the people who work there.

We share their friendships, trials, tribulations, love and even some of the ethical issues they face while trying to produce a good show under constant network pressure.

Now how is this for a cast, the show stars Robert Guillaume from BENSON, Felicity Huffman of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, Peter Krause from SIX FEET UNDER and DIRTY SEXY MONEY, and regular guest stars included William H. Macy from FARGO and Brenda Strong, also of DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.

It is a fantastic show, with a spectacular cast, full of people you actually care about.

I love this show, truly love it!

The writing and acting is so good that I am constantly amazed and I still say that even though I have seen every episode of the series at least a dozen times!

And now, the 8-DVD Box Set SPORTS NIGHT - THE COMPLETE SERIES 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION has given me the chance to tell you about this great show, and given the cast and crew - including creator Aaron Sorkin, and star Felicity Huffman - the chance to take a look back at their great show.

SPORTS NIGHT is a fantastic show, I highly recommend it and think you will enjoy it...even if you don't care for sports.

But, if you don't care for action adventure shows or movies, I doubt that you will like CHUCK.

Okay, maybe you will like the character of Chuck, but perhaps not the show with that name.

The television show CHUCK focusses on Charles Irving "Chuck" Bartowski. He is an average guy who is also a computer-whiz and one night he receives an e-mail from his old college nemesis who is now working for the CIA.

The message embeds the only remaining copy of the world's greatest spy secrets into Chuck's brain, and now, the average guy must be protected at all costs - by both the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency.

And they don't always all get along.

CHUCK is a show that has some interesting action scenes and stories, but a show like this lives or dies because of the characters. Most of them are likeable, but I stopped watching it every week because I didn't care for the guy who plays Chuck's best friend, and due to the fact that Chuck seems to have more chemistry with the actress who plays his sister than the potential love interest, Agent Agent "Sarah" Lisa Walker, whose job it also is to protect him.

But that said, I did like the show enough to sit and watch all 13 episodes on DVD, including the ones I had already seen.

If the premise of the show sounds interesting to you, I think that you should check out CHUCK - THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON on DVD.

Up next on this special Sunday edition of The Couch Potato Report os a show that I didn't expect to like at all, but it is just so charming and enjoyable that I did.

Yes, I did enjoy SAMANTHA WHO?

Christina Applegate from MARRIED WITH CHILDREN stars in this very entertaining show as that amnesia victim, a woman who is slowly remembering that she used to be mean, cold and calculating, and is now trying to nice.

Christina Applegate has proven many times in the past that she is a great commedienne, and this show puts her talents to great use.

THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON of SAMANTHA WHO? is witty and well written, and with only a couple of exceptions, I liked the entire cast.

It's a good show, and simply put, I liked it...at least the parts of it I can remember.

The television show SAMANTHA WHO? is about a woman trying to remember parts of her life.

The movie FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL - on the other hand - is about a man trying to forget parts of his...specifically the parts that include a woman named Sarah Marshall.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL is a comedy from some of the same people who gave us the films SUPERBAD, THE 40-YEAR-OLD-VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP.

Kristen Bell - one of the stars of HEROES is Sarah, a television star who breaks up with her musician boyfriend. Jason Segel from the television show HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER is the boyfriend, and he is devastated by the break-up, so he decides to head to Hawaii to try and forget her.

And she just happens to be staying at the exact same hotel, with her new boyrfriend.

The thing that I most enjoyed about FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL is the fact that everyone, all the main cast members are likeable. They aren't perfect, but there is no villain here, and that made the movie better.

It is also very, very funny.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL is a great film, and I highly recommend it, and the summer blockbuster IRON MAN.

IRON MAN is one of the most entertaining films of the year, but it is a movie that should not have even worked. Robert Downey Jr, who plays wealthy wealthy industrialist Tony Stark who is forced to build an armored suit after a life-threatening incident and then he ultimately decides to use its technology to fight against evil, Downey is not the go-to guy for Hollywood action blockbusters, or superhero films based on comic books, and director John Favreau is better known as an actor, and the films that he had directed before this one were comedies or family films...not anything like IRON MAN.

Yet it all works, well.

The filmmakers took a chance with their lead actor and director, and you and I reap all the cinematic rewards.

This is a great movie, with a superb cast that also includes Gwenyth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard, and I think that you will really enjoy it, even if you don't necessarily like movies based on comic books.

And if you hate comic superhero movies...c'mon...take a chance!

The character of Iron Man first appeared in Marvel Comics' "Tales of Suspense Number 39" in March of 1963 and the great movie it is based on is now available on DVD, along with the very funny FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, the first seasons of the entertaining television shows SAMANTHA WHO and CHUCK, the 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION of the spectacular Aaron Sorkin series SPORTS NIGHT, and the goofy fun that is SEASON 4 of KENNY VS. SPENNY.

Coming up on the next Couch Potato Report

I will talk about EVEREST 82, the film based on the true story of the first Canadians to ever make it to the top of the world's tallest and most historic peak; SEASON TWO of the fun TV show MEERKAT MANOR, the interesting movie THE VISITOR, and CHAPTER 27 is an independent film depicting the murder of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman.

I'm Dan Reynish. I'll have more on those, and some other releases, in six days, next Saturday at the regular time of 8:45!

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!

Roy Orbison 4-CD set traces his career

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Twenty years after he died, Roy Orbison still can touch people with his piercing tenor.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, responsible for evergreen hits like "Oh, Pretty Woman," "Only the Lonely" and "Crying," won six Grammys and sold millions of CDs before dying of a heart attack in 1988 at age 52. Now the singer is the subject of a new retrospective, a four-CD box set of his 107 recordings. "The Soul of Rock and Roll" was released this week, and contains all of his hits and 12 previously unreleased tracks.

Barbara Orbison, his widow, says the new project tells "the history of Roy Orbison. They let you know how he evolved to become the artist he was."

Orbison, whose distinctive persona included ever-present sunglasses, dark clothing and an ebony pompadour, had a string of hits in the 1960s. Some of his other hits included "Blue Bayou," "In Dreams," "Dream Baby," "Running Scared" and "Mean Woman Blues."

"Elvis had sensuality and rebellion, but Roy had the depth of emotion not many others had," Jen Gunderman, a senior lecturer at Vanderbilt University who teaches a course on the history of rock 'n' roll, said of the singer.

"There was a kind of mystery and fragility about him — his black leather jacket, and he stood still when he performed," Gunderman said. "There was a vulnerability you didn't see with others."

Gunderman credited Orbison with helping to invent the rock ballad.

"He always conveyed sweeping emotion," Gunderman said of Orbison. "Others had conveyed much emotion in opera, so Roy was called the Pavarotti of rock 'n' roll."

She also said his performances in Europe with the Beatles as they were on their way to becoming the Fab Four helped influence a generation of musicians.

"His tour with the Beatles in 1963 had a huge influence on all of the British invasion acts, and not just with his singing, but with his arrangements," Gunderman said. "He tied together pop and country and rockabilly and British invasion acts in a way that's really unique."

Orbison suffered a career decline and personal tragedies after achieving success: His wife Claudette died in a 1966 motorcycle crash and two sons died in a house fire in 1968.

Orbison's career rebounded in the 1980s. He joined the Eagles on tour, and Van Halen had a hit with his "Oh, Pretty Woman" in 1982. He and k.d. lang did a duet remake of "Crying," winning a Grammy in 1988. Earlier in the decade, the duet "That Lovin' You Feelin' Again" with Emmylou Harris won a Grammy.

In 1987, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bruce Springsteen, a former opening act for Orbison, was the presenter, saying, "nobody sings like Roy Orbison." A year later, he performed with the Traveling Wilburys, joining Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne and George Harrison.

Dozens of Orbison compilation CDs are available online, but none trace his overall career like "The Soul of Rock and Roll." The 12 previously unreleased tracks include "It's All Over" from his final concert Dec. 4, 1988, in Cleveland, two days before he died.

Orbison also toured with the Rolling Stones, and the deference that Barbara Orbison said Roy was given reflects how many rock stars felt about him.

"Keith (Richards) said everyone called him `Keith' and they called Mick (Jagger) `Mick,' but they called him Mr. Orbison."

"Chihuahua" has paws on the box-office prize

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - It's looking like a dog of a weekend at the box office. Disney's dog, to be exact, as the Burbank studio unspools its PG comedy "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" amid expectations that the live-action with talking dogs feature could fetch up to $30 million during its opening weekend.

The film's canines are voiced by Drew Barrymore, Jamie Lee Curtis, Andy Garcia and George Lopez.

Family patrons form the target audience, but Disney executives hope the young-at-heart crowd also will come along for the four-legged romp.

"In all the screenings we've done, we have gotten nothing but wonderful marks from all the audiences who were on hand," Disney distribution president Chuck Viane said. "So there's no question that this is a commercial, family film, but I believe we can expand on that audience."

With "Chihuahua" sure to bow at No. 1, last weekend's top dog -- DreamWorks/Paramount's "Eagle Eye" -- could grab second place, if the Shia LaBeouf/Michelle Monaghan thriller rings up half its $29.2 million opening gross during its sophomore session.

But Sony's young-skewing PG-13 comedy "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" also will compete for the silver-medal position. The musically driven romantic comedy starring Michael Cera ("Superbad") and Kat Dennings ("The 40-Year-Old Virgin") appears safe to open in the teen millions, and a particularly robust weekend could help it soar a bit higher than "Eagle."

Whatever the precise pecking order of the top films, their combined grosses should power the industry to a second consecutive year-over-year weekend uptick after a sluggish start to the fall box-office season. Less than $85 million was registered during the comparable year-ago frame, whose biggest opener was the disappointing $14 million bow by a remake of "The Heartbreak Kid."

This weekend's four other wide openers look likely to max out in the upper single-digit millions.

Miramax's "Blindness" -- starring Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo and Gael Garcia Bernal and directed by Fernando Meirelles -- is getting a wide bow, but the atmospheric thriller likely will need positive word-of-mouth from its first frame to fuel a leggy run toward commercial success. MGM and After Dark's R-rated comedy "How to Lose Friends & Alienate People," starring Simon Pegg ("Hot Fuzz"), should skew a bit older than "Playlist" and gross much lower.

Vivendi's political spoof "An American Carol" skewers liberal sensitivities and is likely to play best with even older audiences. "Carol" represents the first film release for Vivendi, whose next scheduled film is the Mariah Carey-starring "Tennessee" in December.

Spyglass Entertainment's Universal-distributed drama "Flash of Genius" stars Greg Kinnear but has barely registered in prerelease tracking surveys. Based on the true story of Robert Kearns, inventor of the intermittent windshield wiper, "Genius"might find its true road to decent returns in the DVD market.

Universal this weekend also will offer 750 sneak previews of its October 10 pigskin film "The Express," starring Dennis Quaid and Rob Brown.

Stompin' Tom re-records 'Hockey Song'

TORONTO - Canadian country-folk legend Stompin' Tom Connors has re-recorded his beloved sports anthem, "The Hockey Song".

The toe-tapping hockey fan says he finds the original, recorded in the early '70s, "a little thin." Connors revealed the new version to reporters in his southern Ontario home Thursday, tapping along to the beat with his booted foot while the song boomed over a stereo system.

The intimate listening party was a rare gesture by the intensely private musician, discussing each track of his new album while about half of the new disc was played for media in a wood-panelled games room.

Wearing his trademark black cowboy hat, Connors said he doesn't know why "The Hockey Song" song wasn't chosen to be the new theme for CBC-TV's "Hockey Night in Canada."

But he joked he'd have trouble coming up with a French-language version, anyway.

The CBC is currently winding down a nationwide contest to find a new theme song, after losing the rights to its popular anthem earlier this year. At the time, Connors' son said his father was open to licensing "The Hockey Song" to the CBC as a replacement.

"It was a little thin the first time I recorded it way back in '71 or '72," Connors said Thursday as he introduced an updated recording of the Canadian classic.

Later, he suggested that the opportunity to lend the tune to NHL broadcasts was not entirely lost.

"Who knows? Nobody's got a crystal ball," he said while leaning against a curved bar, a cigarette and beer bottle clutched in one hand.

Connors' new album, "The Ballad of Stompin' Tom," is due for release Oct. 28 and takes its name from an autobiographical track that draws from his colourful past and extensive travels.

It also features updated takes on "The Olympic Song" and "My Hockey Mom," and a live version of "Take Me Back To Old Alberta".

Brent Butt to create pilot for new series Hiccups

When Corner Gas wraps up at the end of this season, Brent Butt will have Hiccups.

The star of the popular TV sitcom has agreed to create a pilot for a new half-hour comedy series called Hiccups for CTV and Comedy Central.

He won't be in front of the camera. Instead, the series will star his wife and Corner Gas co-star Nancy Robertson.

She'll play Millie Upton, a children's author who's normally a happy person, but has fits of depression, rage or euphoric highs. She hires an inept life coach to help her overcome this handicap.

Butt is creator, writer, show runner and executive producer for Hiccups. Corner Gas producer David Storey directs.

The pilot starts shooting in Vancouver later this month. Butt announced earlier this year that the 2009 season would be the last for Corner Gas.

Bachman inspires hockey anthem semifinalist

Toronto composer Gerry Mosby was inspired by Randy Bachman to compete in Canada's Hockey Anthem Challenge.

The contest to find new theme music for Hockey Night in Canada was launched June 19 by CBC Sports after it didn't renew the rights to The Hockey Theme, which were subsequently purchased by CTV Inc.

Mosby, a professional writer and musician, heard that Bachman, one of his favourite Canadian artists, planned to submit several entries in the contest, so he followed suit with Ice Warriors.

Mosby's composition was featured Wednesday on The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, who is offering sneak peeks of the five semifinalists each night.

Edmonton's Colin Oberst, with Canadian Gold, and Toronto's Robert Fraser Burke, with Sticks to the Ice, were profiled Monday and Tuesday night, respectively.

Television viewers can enjoy all five semifinalist submissions in their entirety on the Hockey Night In Canada Anthem Challenge, a one-hour special hosted by Ron MacLean and Stroumboulopoulos on Oct. 4 (CBC, 9 p.m. ET local time).

Each of the five semifinalists will be introduced with a recording of their respective entry — produced by Bob Rock, a multiple Juno Award winner, and a full orchestra — played on the show.

The opening round of voting begins immediately following the program, and closes Oct. 7.

Canadians can cast their votes at CBCSports.ca/anthemchallenge, by phone and via SMS on their mobile phones.

The two finalists will be announced during a special Thursday edition of Hockey Night in Canada on Oct. 9, when the Toronto Maple Leafs travel to Detroit and the Calgary Flames visit the Vancouver Canucks.

That is when the second round of voting opens, closing on Oct. 10.

The winning submission will be revealed Oct. 11 on Hockey Night In Canada's traditional Saturday night doubleheader (Montreal Canadiens at Toronto, Vancouver at Calgary).

The winner of Canada's Hockey Anthem Challenge will receive $100,000 in cash and half of the ongoing royalties, with the other half invested in minor hockey.

Report: Cobain's ashes never stolen

Courtney Love's publicist has dismissed reports a German artist has obtained the ashes of late rocker Kurt Cobain - insisting they were never stolen from the former Hole star in the first place.

Cobain's ashes were reportedly taken from his widow Love's Los Angeles home earlier this year, along with thousands of dollars' worth of jewellery.

Love claimed to be "suicidal" over the loss of her husband's remains, saying at the time: "I can't believe anyone would take Kurt's ashes from me. They were all I had left of my husband. Now it feels like I have lost him all over again."

On Wednesday, artist Natascha Stellmach claimed to have "acquired" the ashes and threatened to smoke them as part of a morbid art exhibition.

But Love's representative Alan Nierob has now retracted Love's previous comments, claiming Cobain's remains "were never taken" and that the story of the burglary had been "erroneously reported", according to Gigwise.com.

Yogi, Boo-Boo ready for their close-ups

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - Warner Bros. is taking a trip to Jellystone Park.

The studio is developing a feature version of "Yogi Bear," the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon. "Surf's Up" co-helmer/co-writer Ash Brannon will direct the film.

Joshua Sternin and Jeffrey Ventimilia, who executive produced "That '70s Show" and are writing the feature "Tooth Fairy" for Fox, are penning the screenplay.

The project, culled from Warners' vast library, is planned as a live-action/animated hybrid along the lines of Fox's 2007 hit "Alvin & the Chipmunks." Much of the movie will be live action, but Yogi Bear and sidekick Boo Boo will be done in CG animation.

Yogi Bear first appeared as a supporting character in 1958 in another classic cartoon, "The Huckleberry Hound Show." In 1961, he got his own show, which has aired in reruns frequently over the past half-century.

Yogi's exploits take place in Jellystone Park, where he and Boo Boo get into good-natured mischief and must elude their nemesis, Ranger Smith.

Brannon has worked on such Pixar hits as "Toy Story 2" and "A Bug's Life."

Sam the Record Man sign to be lit up

TORONTO - The iconic Sam the Record Man sign in downtown Toronto will be turned on one last time for the city's Scotiabank Nuit Blanche festival.

For decades, two giant neon spinning records served as a beacon to music lovers shopping on Yonge Street.

But the legendary flagship store closed last year and the site is now owned by Ryerson University.

Ryerson says the sign will be lit Oct. 4 in celebration of Nuit Blanche, an all-night art crawl.

The university plans to build a student learning centre on the site.

It says the sign, which consists of more than 800 lights, will be taken down beginning Oct. 6 and remounted in a new home on the Ryerson campus.