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.