Sakic hangs 'em up And Retires after 20 NHL seasons
DENVER - Stoic Joe Sakic finally cracked, allowing for a rare show of emotion.
Delivering a speech that had kept him up most of the night fretting, the longtime Colorado Avalanche captain broke down, his voice betraying him as he stared into a room packed with family, friends and teammates - even the governor of the state.
Sakic officially hung up his skates Thursday, ending his standout 20-year career. Try as he might, he simply couldn't get through his prepared speech without choking up.
"So many great memories," Sakic said, fighting back tears.
The pride of Burnaby, B.C., Sakic had hoped to play one more season, possibly culminating his career by suiting up for Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
His body simply wouldn't allow it.
Sakic missed most of the 2008-09 season with an aching back that required surgery to repair a herniated disk. He tried to make his way back onto the ice before the end of the season, but couldn't.
That's when he suspected his career was finished.
"I didn't think I could be the player I wanted to be," said the 40-year-old Sakic, who has been the face of the franchise since the team moved to Denver in 1995. "I always said to myself that the minute I thought I'd slipped, and not be the player I wanted to be, it was time for me to go."
Sakic announced his retirement in the same room of a Denver hotel where John Elway did. Only fitting, since both were icons in the Mile High City.
"We can't put into words what he meant to this franchise and to our hockey fans," Avalanche president Pierre Lacroix said.
Sakic's No. 19 sweater will also be retired, getting raised to the Pepsi Centre rafters during a ceremony at the season opener, which is not yet scheduled.
It will be just the third in the 14-year history of the Avalanche, joining Patrick Roy (33) and Ray Bourque (77). The organization also retired four when they were the Quebec Nordiques.
"He's such a great leader. He made the team top-notch," Paul Stastny said.
Sakic once played alongside Paul Stastny's father, Peter, the two on the same power-play unit in Quebec.
"He was a complete player and one of the greatest in history," Peter Stastny said in a statement.
Sakic certainly had an impressive resume.
He wore the captain's "C" for 16 straight seasons and guided the team to Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001, won league MVP honours in 2001, was a 13-time all-star and led Canada to an Olympic gold medal in 2002.
Sakic also won the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for sportsmanship in 2001, showing his true character by handing the Stanley Cup over to Bourque after winning the title and letting the longtime defenseman hoist the trophy.
It was a moment that friend and longtime teammate Adam Foote mentioned in his speech Thursday.
"A humble superstar that you are, you stood back, you let a gray-bearded, 22-year seasoned veteran, who was waiting patiently like a young boy on Christmas morning, hoist his first Stanley Cup," Foote said.
"That class act of yours might go down in history as one of the NHL's most memorable moments that united the entire hockey world."
Foote will remember Sakic as much for his class as his clutch play on the ice.
So will Lacroix, who choked up repeatedly when giving his speech. Sakic waited to announce his retirement until Lacroix was healed following complications from a knee replacement surgery.
"My family and I are privileged to know you. We're better people because of that," Lacroix said. "You make everyone around you so much better."
Known for his lethal wrist shot and precision passing, Sakic leaves the game among the NHL's career scoring leaders. He's eighth in points (1,641), 11th in assists (1,016) and 14th in goals (625).
He was never an intimidating presence - he's only five-foot-11 and 195 pounds - but made up for it with determination and intelligence.
There are only four players in league history that have scored more points with one franchise than Sakic: Gordie Howe (1,809) and Steve Yzerman (1,755) with Detroit, Mario Lemieux with Pittsburgh (1,723) and Wayne Gretzky with Edmonton (1,669).
Sakic was originally taken by Quebec with the 15th pick in the 1987 draft. He made his NHL debut on Oct. 6, 1988, picking up his first assist against the then Hartford Whalers. Two nights later against New Jersey, he scored his first goal.
That would be a familiar occurrence for the quiet superstar.
"I'm sad to see him leave the game," former teammate Peter Forsberg said in a statement. "I'm glad I got the chance to play alongside him for many years ... He's a very classy person and a great team leader."
First Details of Watchmen Ultimate Edition BD Emerge
Early copies of the 'Watchmen: Director's Cut' Blu-ray are surfacing, and the release contains a flier with some early details of the Ultimate Collector's Edition of the movie. It will be released in December and will only be available through June 2010. Over two hours of bonus content will be included.
The movie version in this edition will be the director's cut, augmented with the animated comic 'Tales of the Black Freighter' woven into the narrative. The total length of the cut is not known yet; the theatrical cut was 162 minutes long, whereas the director's cut featured in the first-edition Blu-ray is 186 minutes long. As we reported, Paramount is releasing the theatrical cut in the UK.
The special features will also include the mockumentary 'Under the Hood' (already released as a companion to 'Tales of the Black Freighter') and 'Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic'.
The Ultimate Collector's Edition will not include most of the special features available on the upcoming Director's Cut, such as the "walk-on" Maximum Movie Mode. However, it will include a new audio commentary with Snyder and artist Dave Gibbons.
Get ready to be milked for this, repeatedly!!
Jackson skit officially cut from 'Bruno'
The filmmakers behind Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy Bruno have officially axed scenes featuring La Toya Jackson from the movie's final cut in the wake of her brother Michael Jackson's death.
Jackson made an accidental cameo in the film after British funnyman Cohen convinced her he was an Austrian fashion journalist, called Bruno, for a skit in his new film.
During La Toya's appearance, the comedian jokes about the Thriller hitmaker and attempts to steal his contact details from his sister's cell phone.
Producers omitted the scene when it was screened at the Los Angeles premiere on June 25 - the same day the King of Pop died.
And they've decided to leave it out altogether, fearing its inclusion would be in bad taste.
A spokeswoman for the Bruno movie says, "Out of respect for the Jackson family, the filmmakers have decided to remove a small scene involving La Toya Jackson."
Meanwhile, a similar move has been made by producers of new Bollywood movie Short Kut: The Con Is On - they've removed a scene ridiculing Jackson's dance style after receiving complaints about the sketch.
Disused Corner Gas set becoming eyesore, Rouleau mayor says
The buildings once used to depict the fictional Saskatchewan town of Dog River in the popular television comedy Corner Gas have fallen into a worrisome state of disrepair, says the mayor of Rouleau, where the series was filmed.
The small community about 45 minutes southwest of Regina was the main backdrop for comedian Brent Butt's show, which ran for six seasons on CTV. Its final episode aired in April.
Filming of the last episode wrapped up in fall 2008, and since the production left town, the set has become an eyesore, Rouleau Mayor Allen Kuhlmann told CBC News on Thursday.
Kuhlmann said windows were covered with plywood boards, and untended grass had overgrown the areas around the buildings, including the primary set of the gas station and Ruby's Cafe.
Kuhlmann said it was not a very welcoming site, especially considering the set continues to attract fans of the show.
"We have a lot of tourists that are coming and looking and seeing [that] this set has been allowed to deteriorate," Kuhlmann said. "There's no pumps, there's no signs, there's no maintenance."
Kuhlmann pointed out that the town of Rouleau has been specifically barred from entering the property or resurrecting any of the familiar signs associated with the program.
"We don't own the property," Kuhlmann said, noting that the production company had rented the space from private owners.
Kuhlmann said the town has tried to meet with people associated with the production, to address concerns but have been put off.
"We have a nuisance bylaw," Kuhlmann added, indicating that the town could insist on some action if the property remained neglected.
Ultimately, Kuhlmann said attending to the property would require money.
"Do we need to get together a group called The Friends of Corner Gas?" Kuhlmann mused, suggesting that some sort of fundraising effort might be required. "I guess that would be ideal. And then you could have a tourist attraction that was open, and people could tour between, maybe, the first of May and the September long weekend."
The head of the company that produced Corner Gas told CBC News that a part of the old set would be painted some time this week, but there were no plans to do anything more.
"We're not in the tourism business," said Virginia Thompson, president of Verité Films. "We've been able to raise funds independently to be able to make [the old set] as attractive as possible for our fans, but we can't go beyond that."
Kuhlmann said he does not understand why people associated with the site and the program are not interested in its value as a tourist destination. The town itself does not have the capacity to develop the site, he said.
"It's something to look at and take pictures of," Kuhlmann said, if only the windows were intact and the familiar signs were restored. "Admission could be charged, and people could take a tour and … get information. I'm sure that if we had this in the United States, they would have long since figured out how they were going to keep making money from it."
Kuhlmann is especially bothered because prior to the program ending, the town had been promised that even after the departure of the production, there would be a legacy for the locals. However, he could never get details on what that would be.
"We were constantly stonewalled and told to wait and that there would be a wonderful legacy for Rouleau," Kuhlmann said.
"Since they filmed their last episode, absolutely nothing has been done."
Liability an issue
Thompson told CBC News that it would cost a minimum $250,000 to renovate the site to make it suitable for tourists.
"We've explained that to make it safe for tourists, it has to be rebuilt," Thompson said. "It wasn't built as a tourist destination. It must be safe, and that is expensive."
Thompson was also concerned about liability issues if someone was injured while touring the sets.
"If a fan gets hurt on our premises, that would not be good for Corner Gas," Thompson said. "We're not going to get involved in something unless it's going to be really safe for the public."
“Guitar Hero 5 ” Adds Bob Dylan, Kings of Leon To Eclectic Set List
Activision has revealed two dozen songs from Guitar Hero 5’s massive 85-song on-disc set list, including tracks by Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Coldplay and John Mellencamp. The game will also feature a bunch of newer tracks, like Kings of Leon’s “Sex on Fire,” Beck’s “Gamma Ray” and Wolfmother’s “Back Round,” a fresh tune from the Australian rockers that’s available now as a free download up on the GH5 Website.
Rock Daily took a test drive with GH5 at this year’s E3 convention, trying out new features like the RockFest option and the instrument-swapping Party Mode. Guitar Hero 5 will be released on September 1st, giving it an eight-day head start on Harmonix/MTV Games’ The Beatles: Rock Band. As previously announced, GH5’s eclectic set list will also feature the Rolling Stone’s Sympathy for the Devil, Nirvana’s “Lithium,” the White Stripes’ “Blue Orchid,” TV on the Radio, Kiss and many more. For the latest batch of songs on the GH5 track list, including songs from the Beastie Boys, Tom Petty and Vampire Weekend, keep reading.
Band Of Horses - “Cigarettes, Wedding Bands”
Beastie Boys - “Gratitude”
Beck - “Gamma Ray”
Billy Squier - “Lonely Is The Night”
Blur - “Song 2″
Bob Dylan - “All Along The Watchtower”
Children Of Bodom - “Done With Everything, Die For Nothing”
Coldplay - “In My Place”
Darkest Hour - “Demon(s)”
David Bowie - “Fame”
Deep Purple - “Woman From Tokyo (’99 Remix)”
Elliott Smith - “L.A.”
Iggy Pop - “Lust For Life (Live)”
Jeff Beck - “Scatterbrain (Live)”
John Mellencamp - “Hurts So Good”
Kings Of Leon - “Sex On Fire”
Queens Of The Stone Age - “Make It Wit Chu”
Rose Hill Drive - “Sneak Out”
Santana - “No One To Depend On (Live)”
The Bronx - “Six Days A Week”
Thrice - “Deadbolt”
Tom Petty - “Runnin’ Down A Dream”
Vampire Weekend - “A-Punk”
Wolfmother - “Back Round”
The Swell Season announces new album
Oscar-winning duo The Swell Season will follow its gold-certified 2007 soundtrack "Once" with a new studio album entitled "Strict Joy," which will hit shelves in September.
The pair--Frames frontman Glen Hansard and classically trained Czech vocalist/pianist Marketa Irglova--recorded the majority of the 12-track set last year at producer Peter Katis' Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT.
The new effort's title comes from a piece by Irish poet James Stephens and features members of The Frames--violinist Colm Mac Iomaire, bassist Joe Doyle and guitarist Rob Bochnik--along with guitarist Javier Mas (Leonard Cohen), percussionist Chad Taylor (Chicago Underground Duo), pianist Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) and horn players Steven Bernstein and Clark Gayton from Levon Helm's band.
Hansard and Irglova first collaborated on the 2006 album "The Swell Season," and again in 2007 for the soundtrack to the indie film "Once," which featured the pair acting opposite one another in the lead roles. "Falling Slowly," a song from "The Swell Season" and included on the soundtrack, won an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 2008.
A fall tour of the US is in the works, according to a press release, as well as a documentary about the pair's sold-out world tour behind "Once."
'Maggie May' and more arrive in 'Rod Stewart Sessions'
Every disc tells a story in The Rod Stewart Sessions 1971-1998, a four-CD box set spanning nearly three decades of the rock legend's career in studio tracks, outtakes and ephemera. The set, out Sept. 29 on Warner Bros. for $65 (physical) and $30 (digital), opens with an early, ragged version of Maggie May, the hit that launched his solo career in 1971.
The set boasts unreleased versions of Scottish rocker Frankie Miller's When I'm Away From You and Python Lee Jackson's In a Broken Dream, featuring Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones.
The unfinished Think I'll Pack My Bags, which later resurfaced as Mystifies Me on Ron Wood's solo debut, made the cut, along with alternate takes of Sailing, Tonight's the Night (It's Gonna Be Alright) and You Wear It Well, plus acoustic renditions of You're in My Heart and Rosie.
Rarities from the '80s include unreleased song Thunderbird and a spare Forever Young. The collection closes with such shelved '90s tracks as covers of Bob Dylan and The Band's This Wheel's on Fire, Oasis' Rockin' Chair and Bobby Womack's Looking for a Love.