"WORKIN' ON A DREAM" TO PREMIERE ON SUNDAY

Are you ready for some football? Well, even if you're not, you'll probably want to tune in to the Cowboys/Redskins Sunday Night Football game on November 16. As NBC's Al Michaels announced last night: "Next week we'll have the world premiere of Springsteen's new song 'Workin' on a Dream' set to NFL highlights at halftime at next week's game." Springsteen performed an acoustic version of the new song last week in Cleveland; this will be our first chance to hear the studio recording.

Wall-E DVDs To Feature Advanced Definition

Pixar Animation Studios director Andrew Stanton says that the Richmond, CA-based company has gone to extraordinary lengths to preserve precise details in its Blu-ray version of Wall-E, due to be released on November 18.

The Video Business website quoted Stanton as saying, "This is the first time where a format exactly represents how good a film looks in the building here. ... It used to be that you'd only go downhill from here after [creating films in the studio]. We sweat over every pixel."

Pixar's general manager, Jim Morris, suggested that the extra work poured into the Blu-ray edition, was initially a matter of Pixar pride. "This is a filmmaker's dream. They didn't think that anyone cared about that level of technicality as much as they do, and now they are happy that people do."

"Jumanji" director Johnston does `Captain America'

LOS ANGELES – Captain America has a new boss.

Joe Johnston, whose credits include "Jurassic Park III" and "Jumanji," has been signed to direct the comic-book adaptation "The First Avenger: Captain America," Marvel Studios announced Monday.

The movie is scheduled for release May 6, 2011, the same weekend that Marvel scored a blockbuster this year with "Iron Man," starring Robert Downey Jr. "Iron Man 2" comes out May 7, 2010.

Distributed by Paramount Pictures, "Captain America" is based on the Marvel Comics character Steve Rogers, who volunteers for a research program that transforms him into a patriotic super-soldier. The lead role has not yet been cast.

Marvel also is teaming Captain America with Downey's Iron Man, the Incredible Hulk, Thor and other superheroes from the comic-book giant's vaults for "The Avengers," due in theaters July 15, 2011.

Johnston is directing "The Wolf Man," an update of the horror classic starring Benicio Del Toro and Anthony Hopkins that comes out in 2009. His other credits include "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids," "The Rocketeer" and "October Sky."

Superheroes will battle for People's Choice honors

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Superheroes Batman and Iron Man and adventurer Indiana Jones, will battle for top film honors at the upcoming People's Choice Awards which annually bestows honors on favorite celebrities in film, TV and music.

Among nominees named on Monday for People's Choice Awards was pop star Britney Spears who earned a nod as a "scene stealing" guest star on television but was shut out of music categories.

The People's Choice Awards, which will be given out on January 7, are one of Hollywood's earliest shows in its season of honors leading to the Oscars, the film industry's top prizes.

But unlike the more prestigious Oscars or any of the many other honors given out by entertainment groups, People's Choice winners are voted on by movie, TV and music fans.

Australian actor Heath Ledger was nominated with his "The Dark Knight" co-star Christian Bale for best on-screen matchup, as well as in the favorite cast category for the Batman movie released after Ledger's accidental death in January. Ledger played the villainous Joker to Bale's heroic Batman.

"Iron Man" star Robert Downey Jr. and Bale were also nominated for favorite male action star, while "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" will fight it out with "The Dark Knight" and "Iron Man" for the favorite movie and favorite action movie award.

New categories for this year's 35th Annual People's Choice Awards include favorite superhero, favorite TV drama diva, favorite film cast, favorite scene-stealing guest star and favorite star under 35.

Spears, 26, is nominated for her two guest appearances earlier this year in the TV sitcom "How I Met Your Mother" in which she played a sassy office assistant.
But Spears does not appear in the music categories, which are dominated by Rihanna, Alicia Keys and Carrie Underwood on the female side. R&B star Chris Brown had most mentions in the male music sections.

The four singers were also among the favorite under 35 year-old nominees, along with teen favorites Daniel Radcliffe, Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, Chace Crawford, Shia LaBeouf and Justin Timberlake.

The winner will be chosen by a public online vote at the www.pcaVOTE.com Web site from November10 thru December 7. The awards will be handed out in Los Angeles in a live TV broadcast on the CBS broadcast network.

New CD Releases, November 11th: David Archuleta, Enya, Taylor Swift, Tracy Chapman, Seal and more!

David Archuleta "David Archuleta" (Jive)

The second-place finisher on the seventh season of TV's "American Idol" is set to drop his eponymous debut record. The album's first single/video, "Crush," is already a smash hit.

Although he was the runner-up to David Cook on "American Idol," the 17-year-old vocalist certainly has a sizable fan base in place. During the show's finale, Archuleta reportedly received 44 percent of the 97 million votes cast. His ardent fans, who believe Archuleta "wuz robbed" on "Idol," go by the nicknames "Archies" or "Arch Angels."

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Enya "And Winter Came" (Reprise)

Ireland's biggest selling solo artist, who has moved more than 70 million albums worldwide to date, releases her seventh studio effort. "And Winter Came" follows 2005's "Amarantine," a work that has sold some 6 million copies.

Keeping with the season, the 12 tunes on the new album boast a Christmas/winter theme. Ten of the tracks are original compositions, which are all sung in English. She also adds two traditional numbers, one sung in Latin and one in Gaelic.

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Taylor Swift "Fearless" (Big Machine)

The young Grammy-nominated country singer is now ready to make her sophomore outing. "Fearless" follows the artist's self-titled debut of 2006, which has been certified triple platinum.

The 18-year-old Pennsylvania native has quickly risen to become one of country music's top stars. Her debut album spawned five consecutive Top 10 singles on the Billboard country chart, making her the first female solo artist to accomplish that feat.

The first single from "Fearless" is the tune "Love Story."

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Tracy Chapman "Our Bright Future" (Atlantic)

The contemporary folk-rock star issues her eighth studio album, "Our Bright Future." The 11-song set is Chapman's first release since 2005's "Where You Live, " and the singer is just about to launch a 21-date European tour in support of the new set. It's her first solo tour in more than a decade, so fans on this side of the Atlantic are dearly hoping that she soon announces dates in North America.

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Seal "Soul" (Warner Bros.)

The velvety smooth R&B/pop star returns to action with his seventh studio album. "Soul" is an all-covers project that features Seal singing some of the greatest soul songs of all time. Included in the mix are Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come," Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" and Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long."

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More new releases:
Cheap Trick, "Budokan!" (Sony)
Barbara Cook, "Rainbow Round My Shoulder" (DRG)
David Foster and Friends, "Hit Man" (Warner Bros.)
Patti LuPone, "Patti Lupone at Les Mouches" (Razor & Tie)
Mudcrutch, "Live" (Warner Bros.)
New Order, "Low-Life" (Winedark)
New Order, "Power, Corruption and Lies" (Winedark)
New Order, "Technique" (Winedark)
Luciano Pavarotti, "The Duets" (Decca)
The Smiths, "The Sound of the Smiths: The Very Best of the Smiths" (Rhino)
T-Pain, "Thr33 Ringz" (Jive)
Various Artists, "NOW That's What I Call Music 29" (Universal)
Butch Walker, "Sycamore Meadows" (R.E.D.)

Soundtracks and scores:
"Indiana Jones: The Soundtracks Collection" (Concord)

Tim McGraw to host 'SNL'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Tim McGraw's spokeswoman says the singer will host "Saturday Night Live" on Nov. 22, joining a short list of country stars to host the popular show.

Garth Brooks was the last one, and that was back in 1999. Other country singers to host SNL include Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton.

McGraw - who is married to country star Faith Hill - says he isn't exactly known for comedy in his movies but fans who come to his concerts at least know he has a sense of humour.

Hanging out with Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon might help. McGraw appears with them in the holiday comedy "Four Christmases" out later this month.

His many hits include "Live Like You Were Dying," "Where the Green Grass Grows" and his latest, "Let it Go."

Bob Dylan turns up at Neil Young's childhood home for a tour

When you live in the house where a world-famous musician grew up, it's expected to be a bit of a draw.

But John Kiernan, who occupies Neil Young’s former Winnipeg home on Grosvenor Avenue, never imagined another famous musician would show up at his door.

Kiernan told CBC News on Monday that he was looking out the window a week ago Sunday and saw his wife talking with two strangers on the front lawn.

“And I'm looking around, and I realize, this guy having a tuque on has really great boots on, these sort of cowboy, motorcycle boots. And he was wearing really nice leather pants. And I realize I'm staring face-to-face with Bob Dylan.”

After the music legend and his manager were invited into the house, Dylan asked a lot of thoughtful questions, including about Neil Young's old bedroom.

“OK, so this was his view, and this was where he listened to his music. It suddenly dawned on me, when you're looking at Bob Dylan standing in a hallway, that he had a very parallel experience 200 miles to the south, sitting in his room, listening to his music, looking out his window.”

Dylan grew up in Hibbing, Minn., about 500 km southeast of Winnipeg, while Neil Young spent his formative high school years playing in Winnipeg rock band The Squires.

Kiernan said Dylan and his manager visited for a while before heading off to tour other areas of the city.

Dylan then played a concert at Winnipeg's MTS Centre later that night, Nov. 2.

Chris Rock to redo 'Funeral' service

Sidney Kimmel Entertainment and Sony's Screen Gems are partnering with Chris Rock for an urban reworking of the 2007 British comedy "Death at a Funeral."

Rock will produce, star and co-write the script with Aeysha Carr.

The project is inspired by SKE's 2007 feature, which was written by Dean Craig and directed by Frank Oz. That film made for about $9 million and released by MGM in the U.S., grossed $8.5 million stateside and $46.5 million worldwide.

Sidney Kimmel, Share Stallings and Laurence Malkin are returning to produce the new version.

William Horberg, who served as executive producer for the 2007 version, also is on board to produce under the terms of the first-look arrangement he struck with SKE when he left the company as its production chief.

The ensemble comedy will take place in an urban American setting and centers on a funeral ceremony that devolves into a debacle of misplaced cadavers, indecent exposure and family secrets. The cast will be primarily black, supplanting the earlier, England-set version's British cast.

"We've been trying to work with Chris Rock and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment for some time now," Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper said. "It's exciting to us that this film provides the opportunity to work with both."

The producers are looking for a director for the project, which is planned to start production in the spring.

"Chris, who was an unabashed fan of the film, came to us with a hysterical, completely new reimagining of the original concept," said SKE's Jim Tauber, who is serving as an executive producer along with scribe Craig. "Clint and his team loved it and jumped on board right away, and they're bringing their considerable marketing and distribution savvy to the project."

"Funeral" marks the first SKE production since the company announced its plans in the summer to refocus its efforts on films with a more commercial appeal, rather than specialty films it had produced such as "Synecdoche, New York" and "Lars and the Real Girl."

Screen Gems' Scott Strauss is overseeing the project for the studio.

'Lyrics' captures Paul Simon's career

For an iconic songwriter whose words, melodies and rhythms are inextricably linked, a page of lyrics might seem like a chassis in search of an engine. In Paul Simon's case, it's almost impossible to read, and not mentally sing, his familiar lines:

And here's to you, Mrs. Robinson

Jesus loves you more than you will know, wo wo wo

Paul Simon's Lyrics 1964-2008 (Simon & Schuster, $35), out Tuesday, spans his entire career, from Simon & Garfunkel's 1964 debut album through this year's unreleased songs Rewrite and Love and Hard Times.

Illustrated with vintage snapshots, album covers and handwritten notes, the chronological Lyrics "follows my natural evolution as a writer," says Simon, 67. "I'm not somebody who takes a lot of photos. Here are the photos of my life."

In editing the manuscript for typos, Simon resisted succumbing to nostalgia but found himself retracing the stages of his career.

"My lyrics started to get good when I wrote about something I knew," he says. "When I was a young songwriter, that's the least interesting to me. Later on, it gets more complex as characters emerge who are at least partially autobiographical."

The winner of 12 Grammys and the first Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, Simon is highly regarded for a sterling songbook that has drawn parallels to the work of Irving Berlin and Cole Porter.

His songs can be wise, biting, mournful and romantic. But fans of You Can Call Me Al, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover and Pigs, Sheep and Wolves know he's also funny.

"People tend to say that my writing is very serious," Simon says. "Jokes are an essential part, but it's not often talked about."

Simon has resumed writing and recording lately, with four completed songs "and a few sketches" that may surface, though he has no firm plans for an album.

"What's nice about the implosion of the record business is you can find any number of forms to release songs," he says. "I could make a CD, but I don't have to."

After five decades, writing "is intensely enjoyable but also harder, partly because I'm at an age now where every truth seems to contain its opposite," he says. "That's a harder construct, lyrically.

"Musically, I don't want to repeat something I did before. I never think, 'Time to write another Graceland.' It would be impossible, anyway."

Country star Merle Haggard battling lung cancer

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Country singer Merle Haggard, recently diagnosed with lung cancer, had part of a lung removed and is recovering at home, his spokeswoman said on Sunday.

The 71-year-old singer-songwriter underwent surgery on Monday in a Bakersfield, California, hospital.

"I'm feeling good ... better and better each day," Haggard was quoted as saying in a statement. "If not for the love and wisdom of my wife (Theresa), I might not be around today."

Doctors removed the upper lobe of Haggard's right lung after a biopsy revealed that he had non-small cell lung cancer, the statement said. Tests revealed that all the affected tissue was removed.

According to the American Lung Association, non-small cell lung cancer usually spreads to different parts of the body more slowly than the less-common small cell lung cancer.

Lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of men and women in the United States. The expected 5-year survival rate for lung cancer patients is 16 percent, according to the association.

Haggard has been touring and recording since 1965, combining folk, jazz, pop and blues traditions to compose songs that have been covered by the likes of Elvis Costello, the Grateful Dead and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

He is perhaps best known for his anti-hippie anthem "Okie From Muskogee," which topped the charts in 1969. Haggard entered the business following a decade of run-ins with the law, culminating in a stint in California's San Quentin State Prison.

YouTube to post full-length MGM films

NEW YORK (Reuters) – YouTube, the largest video-sharing website, will show full-length television shows and films from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's archives in its latest step to boost advertising revenue by adding professional programing, the company told Reuters on Sunday.

The site, owned by Google Inc, plans to make the announcement about the new partnership on Monday.

MGM Studios will kick off the partnership by posting episodes of its decade-old "American Gladiators" program to YouTube on one channel.

On another channel, MGM will post full-length action films like "Bulletproof Monk" and "The Magnificent Seven" and clips from popular movies like "Legally Blonde." These will be free to watch, with ads running alongside the video.

YouTube in October forged a similar partnership with CBS Corp to run full-length archived shows, including "Star Trek," "Young and the Restless" and "Beverly Hills 90210."

Many TV networks already run short clips on YouTube, which also offers millions of home videos uploaded by users.

But until now, YouTube videos were predominantly short clips of ten minutes or less. The company has been experimenting with full-length shows for some months with Time Warner Inc's HBO and CBS's Showtime cable networks.

The new partnerships put YouTube in more direct competition with Hulu, the online video site owned by News Corp and General Electric's NBC Universal.

Hulu features up-to-date full-length shows from News Corp's Fox networks, NBC and CBS. It also has a YouTube channel which features short-clip versions of its shows.

"Mama Africa" Miriam Makeba dies after concert

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) – South African singer Miriam Makeba, one of Africa's best known voices and a champion of the fight against apartheid during three decades in exile, has died of a heart attack after a concert in Italy. She was 76.

Known as "Mama Africa" and the "Empress of African Song," Makeba was the first black South African musician to gain international fame, winning renown in the 1950s for her sweeping vocals. She was loathed by South Africa's white minority rulers.

Former South African President and anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela paid homage to the singer, calling her "South Africa's first lady of song" and saying her music inspired hope.

"Despite her tremendous sacrifice and the pain she felt to leave behind her beloved family and her country when she went into exile, she continued to make us proud as she used her worldwide fame to focus attention on the abomination of apartheid," Mandela said in a letter released by his foundation.

"It was fitting that her last moments were spent on a stage, enriching the hearts and lives of others -- and again in support of a good cause."

Makeba fell ill after a concert against organized crime in the southern Italian town of Baia Verde late Sunday, her publicist said. She died after being rushed to a clinic in the town of Castel Volturno.

"It was from a heart attack, but she had not been well for some time," publicist Mark Lechat told Reuters. He said Makeba had also been suffering from arthritis.

TRIBUTES

Radio stations across South Africa paid tribute to the singer, reading out text messages in praise of one of the best loved stars in the country and across the continent.

"Throughout her life, Mama Makeba communicated a positive message to the world about the struggle of the people of South Africa and the certainty of victory over the dark forces of apartheid colonialism through the art of song," said Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Makeba spent 31 years in exile after speaking out against apartheid. One of her songs demanded the release of Mandela, who spent 27 years in jail for fighting white-minority rule. She returned home in 1990.

Makeba also always stressed her African pride through her hairstyles and traditional clothes.

She came from humble beginnings in a shantytown near Johannesburg. The former domestic servant first started to sing in her school choir and learned new songs by listening to recordings of American jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald.

Mixing jazz with traditional African sounds, Makeba punctuated some songs with the clicks of her Xhosa language, creating classics such as "The Click Song" and "Pata Pata."

Makeba won attention on the international stage as lead singer for the South African band The Manhattan Brothers. In New York, she worked with Harry Belafonte.

While she won over millions on the stage, Makeba's personal life was marred by tragedy. Makeba had said her first husband often beat her, and she left him after finding him in bed with her sister.

Makeba married American "black power" activist Stokely Carmichael in 1968 and they moved to the West African country of Guinea, but later split. She was divorced four times.