“The Beatles: Rock Band” Boasts Unheard Lennon, McCartney Audio
“Hello, this is John speaking with his voice. We’re all very happy to be able to talk to you like this …” The voice is John Lennon’s, cheerfully greeting fans from a 1963 Beatles Christmas disc recorded for members of their fan club, and it’s just one of many gems hidden within the upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band game.
New details of the title were released today from MTV Games/Harmonix, which is releasing The Beatles: Rock Band on September 9th (or 9/9/09, a playful nod to the early Beatles tune “One After 909,” among other references). Beyond the 45 songs included in the game, fans will hear things never before released, from Paul McCartney tuning up in the moments before recording “Yellow Submarine” and “Twist and Shout” to studio chatter between the band and producer George Martin.
The Beatles’ first Christmas greeting is just one of the many unlockable rewards of rare video, photographs and audio inside, while “story mode” will provide the vivid back-story to the classic songs being made. There is behind the scenes performance footage, animation and clips of the band in the studio, at home and more that fans can discover between performances. All of it is accessible to players of any difficulty level.
As previously reported, players will be able to download additional Beatles content, including the entire Abbey Road album, and the single version of “All You Need is Love,” an Xbox exclusive with proceeds going to Doctors Without Borders.
Drum lessons will guide fans in recreating the distinctive “Beatle Beats” of Ringo Star, who never played the same fills twice — playable on any Rock Band drum kit (or the new Ludwig set that includes a kick-drum head with the classic Beatles logo). As reported earlier, the game also includes vocal training in the band’s three-part harmonies. “You have to train to be a Beatle,” said John Drake, a Harmonix spokesman. “It turns out it’s not that easy.”
Nirvana's 'Bleach' Turns 20, New Live Recording Coming
Nirvana's first full-length album, "Bleach," is getting a deluxe reissue treatment on the 20th anniversary of its release, the band's original label home, Sub Pop, announced today. The special edition will include a previously unreleased live performance, along with a newly remastered version of the original album and a collection of previously unseen photos of the band. The deluxe package is set for release on Nov. 3.
"Bleach," the band's first album and its only full-length on Sub Pop, was recorded in December, 1988 and January, 1989 and was released in June of 1989. After initially selling more than 40,000 copies and starting the group's ascension to worldwide renown, the album went on to sell more than 1.7 million copies in the United States alone, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
The reissue will include a complete live recording of the band's Feb. 9, 1990 show at the Pine Street Theatre in Portland, Ore. The 11-song show includes a cover of the Vaseline's "Molly's Lips," and has been remixed from the original tapes by "Bleach" producer Jack Endino (who also oversaw the remastering of the original album for the new edition).
The remastered "Bleach" will be released as a single CD and a double LP, pressed on 180 gram white vinyl. More details about the release and and pre-order information can be found on subpop.com.
'District 9' lifts off with No. 1 weekend at $37M
LOS ANGELES – The first-time director and cast of unknowns of the acclaimed sci-fi thriller "District 9" have given Hollywood a late-summer box-office boost.
The Sony release produced by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson led the weekend with a $37 million debut, according to studio estimates Sunday.
"District 9" is the debut feature from commercial and music-video director Neill Blomkamp, who co-wrote the tale about extraterrestrials forced by humans to live in squalor in a ghetto in South Africa.
The movie built audience interest with a clever marketing campaign playing up the theme of prejudice against aliens, including posters instructing citizens to report non-humans and ads on bus benches stating that the seats are for humans only.
"Everybody was like, 'What is this?' There was a big question mark in people's minds," said Rory Bruer, head of distribution for Sony. "It did really pique their interest and drove them to the Internet and elsewhere to discover what's going on."
The previous weekend's No. 1 movie, Paramount's "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," slipped to second place with $22.5 million, raising its 10-day total to $98.8 million.
Another sci-fi tale, the Warner Bros. romance "The Time Traveler's Wife" starring Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams, opened a solid No. 3 with $19.2 million. The film joined the previous weekend's "Julie & Julia" as a choice for women, with females accounting for 76 percent of its audience.
"District 9" and "Time Traveler's Wife" led a wave of five new wide releases for mid-August, when Hollywood's summer output normally is petering out. The rush continues next weekend with another surge of new releases, led by Quentin Tarantino's World War II saga "Inglourious Basterds."
"It's getting very crowded, and it's these films that want to compete in the summer time frame but can't compete in the sweet spot of summer," said Paul Dergarabedian, box-office analyst for Hollywood.com. "Opening 'District 9' against 'Star Trek,' that would not be a good strategy. But to release it now makes sense. August is the month of opportunity for films that in other months of summer would get slaughtered."
The weekend's other debuts: Paramount Vantage's used-car comedy "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," opening at No. 6 with $5.4 million; Disney's animated adventure "Ponyo" from animation master Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away"), coming in at No. 9 with $3.5 million; and Summit Entertainment's teen rock 'n' roll tale "Bandslam," which tanked at No. 13 with just $2.3 million despite a cast that includes Vanessa Hudgens of "High School Musical."
It was Hollywood's second weekend in a row of rising revenues after a monthlong slide compared with summer 2008, when the Batman blockbuster "The Dark Knight" was smashing box-office records.
Overall receipts came in at $142 million, up 14 percent from the same weekend a year ago, when "Tropic Thunder" debuted at No. 1 with $25.8 million.
Revenues since the summer season opened the first weekend of May are at $3.77 billion, just a fraction below where Hollywood was last summer, according to Hollywood.com.
Factoring in higher ticket prices, admissions are off 4 percent compared to summer 2008, though movie attendance remains strong given how "The Dark Knight" dominated a year ago. The biggest blockbuster since "Titanic," "The Dark Knight" topped out with a domestic haul of $531 million.
"Considering we had a movie of that magnitude in the mix, I think this summer has held up very well for itself," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released "The Dark Knight."
Here are the estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Final figures will be released Monday.
1. "District 9," $37 million.
2. "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," $22.5 million.
3. "The Time Traveler's Wife," $19.2 million.
4. "Julie & Julia," $12.4 million.
5. "G-Force," $6.9 million.
6. "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard," $5.4 million.
7. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," $5.2 million.
8. "The Ugly Truth," $4.5 million.
9. "Ponyo," $3.5 million.
10. "500 Days of Summer," $3 million.
Goldeneye, birthplace of 007, eyes $50M expansion
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The luxurious Goldeneye retreat, where British author Ian Fleming created the literary and cinematic super spy James Bond, will undergo a $50 million expansion, the estate's owner said Sunday.
Music and hotel mogul Chris Blackwell said in a statement that 11 beachfront cottages and a restaurant will be built at the sprawling property, which overlooks a harbor in St. Mary parish in eastern Jamaica.
Blackwell — who founded the Island Records label that launched Bob Marley to international stardom and who also owns luxury hotelier Island Outpost — said the work should be completed by 2013.
Fleming bought Goldeneye in the mid-1940s and wrote several books there, including "Casino Royale," the first Bond novel. Fleming died in 1964, and some of his memorabilia are kept at the expanded site.
Several 007 movies including "Live and Let Die" and "Dr. No" were filmed near the estate, and it shares a name with the 1995 Bond film "GoldenEye."
The property was also briefly owned by the late reggae great Marley, who bought Goldeneye in 1976 and sold it the following year to Blackwell.
Producers evict Chima Simone from 'Big Brother 11'
LOS ANGELES – Chima Simone is no longer in the "Big Brother" house.
CBS said producers removed the 33-year-old freelance journalist from the voyeuristic reality series for breaking the show's rules. The network also said Simone will not be part of the jury that selects the $500,000 grand prize winner.
"Chima has been evicted by the producers from the 'Big Brother' house for violating the rules," CBS said in a statement released Saturday. "She will not be part of the show's jury. Her eviction will be addressed on an upcoming broadcast of the show."
A CBS spokeswoman did not immediately return messages seeking further comment.
Simone, from West Hollywood, Calif., was last seen on the show conjuring conspiracy theories after her ally, bodybuilder Jessie Godderz, was spontaneously nominated for eviction Thursday because of the "coup d'etat," a power secretly voted on by viewers that was used to overthrow Simone's nominations.
"Looks like me and the producers need to have a little bit of a talk," she said.
Since entering the "Big Brother 11" house last month, Simone has been one of the season's most outspoken houseguests. When she was nominated for eviction during the first week, CBS censored her live last-plea speech, which referenced derogatory terms used by her competitor.
Seven contestants remain on "Big Brother 11."