007 to Austin Powers: “Laugh While You Can, Baby.”
Secret agent 007 has a not-so-secret message for Austin Powers: laugh all you can now baby, the real thing hits movie theaters this November.
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Springsteen Gives Lauer Hometown Tour
Bruce Springsteen gave “Today” show host Matt Lauer a taste of Asbury Park and briefly performed at a city restaurant as he prepared for his upcoming performance on the NBC morning program.
Lauer and The Boss cruised around the city, Springsteen’s adopted hometown, in a blue Mustang convertible on Wednesday. They were accompanied by cameramen shooting footage to be used Tuesday, when “Today” will broadcast Springsteen’s performance before an invitation-only crowd at Convention Hall.
Lauer also interviewed Springsteen at various locations around the city. Among their stops was the Stone Pony nightclub, where Springsteen has made surprise appearances over the years.
They also stopped at Sonny’s Southern Cuisine, where Springsteen performed “My City of Ruins,” a song of hope for Asbury Park’s revitalization. He performed with a group of gospel singers, then played guitar as they sang the gospel number, “I’ve Got a Feeling (Everything’s Gonna Be All Right).”
A crowd of about 100 people packed the restaurant for the performance, while dozens more waited outside, unable to get in.
“It was like seeing someone on VH1, unplugged,” the restaurant’s owner, Bill “Sonny” Wiley, told The Star-Ledger of Newark for Thursday’s editions. “I tell you, he brought tears to my eyes. You could hear a pin drop in the room.”
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As he should be
Sheen ‘Heartbroken’ Over Lowe Leaving
Martin Sheen said he is heartbroken over the impending departure of “West Wing” co-star Rob Lowe, who is quitting the Emmy-winning NBC series over a salary dispute.
“I was shocked and dismayed, frankly,” Sheen told reporters. “And disappointed, but for selfish reasons because we keep talking about the next four years as the next administration.”
But Sheen, who plays President Josiah Bartlet on the Emmy-winning White House drama, isn’t entirely surprised.
“We saw something coming but we didn’t know it was such as it was, you know. We knew there were some contract disputes, but I never get into that with a fellow actor because frankly it’s none of my business,” he said. “Everyone’s entitled to go for whatever they can get. I did, certainly.”
Sheen recently renegotiated his contract to triple his salary to $300,000 per episode, according to Variety magazine.
But the show’s producers, Warner Brothers, refused to increase Lowe’s reported $75,000-per-episode salary. Lowe told The Associated Press Wednesday that the salary dispute spurred his decision to leave his role as White House communications director Sam Seaborn at the end of next season.
“We’re all heartbroken and a bit concerned because we’ve become so close,” Sheen said. “But with Rob and me in particular, I’ve known him since he was a boy. You know, he grew up with my family and I’ve become kind of a Dutch uncle to him all these years. And to have this last three years together, we’ve gotten extremely close.”
Despite the recent conflict, Sheen believes Lowe’s “West Wing” time will help his career.
“He’s been brilliant on the show. I think it’s the best work he’s ever done. And he’s elevated his image to the public to a great level. I just have to let him go and wish him the best. He’s still young and has a big career in front of him,” he said.
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This could be percieved as sad news
Cocaine Cited in Entwistle’s Death
John Entwistle, the 57-year-old bass player for the rock band The Who, died from a heart attack caused by cocaine use, the Clark County coroner said Thursday.
Coroner Ron Flud ruled the death accidental and said it was not an overdose.
“The heart attack we believe was brought on by the significant amount of cocaine” that was in Entwistle’s system at the time of death, he said.
The exact amount of the drug remains unknown.
“Cocaine is a different animal,” Flud said. “It’s not like alcohol. There’s no way we can put a number on it. You’ve got a lethal drug on board at the time you have a bad heart. That’s a bad combination.”
Entwistle’s body was found in his bed at the Hard Rock Hotel on June 27, one day before the band was scheduled to kick off a three-month nationwide tour at the hotel’s concert hall.
Hotel officials declined comment Thursday, as did a spokeswoman with the band’s record label, MCA/Universal Music Enterprises. District Attorney Stewart Bell said no criminal charges were anticipated.
“From a legal point of view, there isn’t anything to be done because we don’t have anybody else who might be responsible,” he said.
Entwistle was one of the band’s founders. Another original member, drummer Keith Moon, died in 1978 of a drug overdose at the age of 32. Authorities said he took too many pills prescribed to control his alcoholism.
Entwistle’s death was caused when cocaine caused the contraction of coronary arteries that were already damaged by heart disease, Flud said.
After the death, a musician in Entwistle’s own band said he had been on medication for a heart condition.
The Who, founded in London in the early 1960s, was part of the British rock invasion along with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. Their parade of hits included “I Can See For Miles,” “I Can’t Explain,” “Substitute,” “Pinball Wizard,” “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and “Who Are You.”
The group, which includes original members Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, is scheduled to play a show Friday in Mansfield, Mass.
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Booooooo!!
Street date alert!
Bad news for Ed Wood fans…Buena Vista has just announced that the upcoming special edition of Tim Burton’s Academy Award-winning comedy has been postponed until further notice. Originally scheduled for release on 8/13, no new date has been announced, but stay tuned…
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Who is buying these Dave Matthews discs??!?
Matthews’ ‘Stuff’ Right for No. 1 Spot
The Dave Matthews Band arrived once again in a familiar place — the top of the album sales list — as the RCA act’s disc “Busted Stuff” sold nearly 622,000 in the week ended Sunday, according to SoundScan statistics.
The opening numbers are lower than those for “Everyday,” which sold nearly 750,000 copies in its first week last year and also debuted at No. 1. It’s a considerable leap, though, from the band’s two previous studio efforts, 1998’s “Before These Crowded Streets” (422,000 sold) and ’96’s “Crash,” which debuted at No. 2 on sales of 254,000.
The week was a good one for rock ‘n’ roll in general. “Highly Evolved,” from Capitol’s Australian import the Vines, hit No. 11 on sales of 64,000; Robert Plant’s “Dreamland” (Universal) dropped in at No. 40, selling 25,000; and the Flaming Lips’ “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” sold 22,000 to come in at No. 50. Other high-charting debuts were gospel duo Mary Mary at No. 22, selling 43,000 copies of “Incredible” (Columbia), and, one slot lower, country artist Darryl Worley’s “I Miss My Friend” with sales of 42,000.
Last week’s top nine all stayed in the top 10, with Nelly’s “Nellyville” (Universal) dropping to No. 2 on sales of 305,000. The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “By the Way” sold 140,000 plus — almost exactly half of its debut week total.
Warners’ soundtrack to “Austin Powers in Goldmember” made its debut at No. 56 on sales of 20,000.
Mike Myers Gets Star in Hollywood
Comedian Mike Myers of the “Austin Powers” films now has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Wearing a black suit and shirt, the Canadian-born actor displayed his trademark self-deprecating humor Wednesday as he accepted the award in front of an adult gift shop.
“It’s a long way from playing street hockey in Toronto to having a star in front of the International Love Boutique,” he quipped.
Myers, 39, was accompanied by his wife, Robin Ruzan, his mother and two brothers. Celebrity guests included “Austin Powers” cast members Robert Wagner, Mindy Sterling and Seth Green.
The ceremony took place two days before the nationwide release of “Austin Powers in Goldmember,” the third installment of the spy spoof.
A crowd of 350 screaming fans interrupted Myers’ speech several times by yelling “Yeah, baby!” The line is often used by his Austin Powers character.
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“Scrubs” rocks!
Heather Locklear ‘Scrubs’ in for Guest Spot
When he was an executive producer of “Spin City,” Bill Lawrence hired Heather Locklear to be part of the cast. He left the show, however, before her first appearance.
The two will finally work together this fall, when Locklear does a three-episode guest stint on Lawrence’s current show, NBC’s “Scrubs.”
Lawrence casually announced Locklear’s involvement in the show during a session Wednesday (July 24) at the TV Critics Association press tour in Pasadena. Following the session, he elaborated on her role.
She’ll play a “slutty pharmaceutical rep” who gets under the skin of Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley), creating a sort of love triangle with Cox and his ex-wife, Jordan (Christa Miller, Lawrence’s real-life wife). Locklear’s episodes will air during November sweeps.
“She’ll be doing very edgy stuff that I don’t think she’s done before,” Lawrence says. “It should be fun.”
Although their paths never crossed on “Spin City,” Lawrence says he’s gotten to know Locklear in recent years and says “She’s a very sweet lady, and I thought it would be fun” to bring her on the show.
Lawrence also says that Miller may have a bigger role on “Scrubs” this season, as she’s leaving ABC’s “Drew Carey Show” after the first two episodes in the fall.
Remember…”Lower Your Expectations.”
Austin Powers is back, baby!
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It was nice knowing you…
Oh No!
There is a space rock on a collision course with earth.