BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN Is First In Line
Warner Bros. has decided that BATMAN VS. SUPERMAN will be the first out of the gate in a new generation of DC Comics superhero movies. WB is hoping that BVS will reinvigorate the primary two characters so that the market will be open for an McG-directed SUPERMAN film and Darren Aronofsky’s BATMAN: YEAR ONE. Other projects on the plate for WB through 2010 include CATWOMAN, WONDER WOMAN, with George Miller possibly directing, and BATMAN BEYOND.
New On Disc And Tape
I am going to abide by the credo “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all” with today’s releases.
Except in the captions!
Here are the new video and DVD releases for Tuesday, July 23rd, 2002.
UP FIRST, THE “MAJOR” TITLES
The Time Machine- This is the crap remake of the H.G. Wells book. Sadly, it was Wells’ own Grandson who is responsible. (Guy Pierce, Samantha Mumba)
Crossroads- Three woman set out on cross-country trip but there is (sadly) no nudity and (unfortunately) lots of bad acting. (Britney Spears, Anson Mount, Zoe Saldana)
Kung Pow!: Enter The Fist- A spoof on the great Kung Fu movies that is horrible, but its supposed to be. (Steve Oedekerk, Tad Horino, Joon B. Kim)
Comic Book Confidential- Cool comic-book culture, from 1930s to modern day. (Stan Lee, Robert Crumb, Kevin Smith)
M*A*S*H: The Complete Second Season- Do you really need me to write anything about this one?
Tarzan & Jane- The jungle couple from Disney’s animated, and Oscar winning, “Tarzan” exchange anniversary gifts and memories. They also exchange voices as none of the original films cast is back. (Olivia d’Abo (voice), Michael T. Weiss (voice), John O’Hurley (voice))
AND THEN THE REST OF TODAY’S TITLES
Abbot White
Battle Queen 2020
The Best Man In Grass Creek
Betty
The Big Day
Big Red
Black Eyed Dog
The Black Hole (Widescreen)
Blood Theater
Body Parts (Conservative Box Art)
Body Parts (Wild Wrap)
The Brainiacs.com
Carried Away
Chloe In The Afternoon
Claire’s Knee
Con Express
Con Games
A Crack In The Floor
Crackerjack 3
D.R.E.A.M. Team
Dagon
Daughters Of Darkness
Dead Heat
Delirium
Demons Of The Mind
Dirt Boy
Discovery: Raising The Mammoth
Elvis & June: A Love Story
Escaflowne: The Movie
Escaflowne: The Movie (Ultimate Edition)
Fallen Arches
The Florentine
The Fox And The Hound (Gold Collection)
Gleaners & I
Hell’s Gate
High School Terrors
Hitchhike!
Hookers In A Haunted House
The Hunter’s Moon
In The Line Of Duty: Mob Justice
In The Realm Of Passion
In The Realm Of Senses
Jacked Up
Lloyd
Luckytown
Mad Monster Party
Moby Dick
NBA 2002 Championship
Never Cry Wolf
Nosferatu The Vampyre
Orfeu
Paragraph 175
Plymptoons
Poetry In Motion
Pups
Replicant
The Rescuers Down Under (Gold Collection)
Return To Oz
The Saltmen Of Tibet
Seduced: Pretty When You Cry
Seductress
Sexual Chemistry (Unrated)
Sexual Intrigue
The Shark Hunter
Soul Survivors
Spy Kids
Straight On Till Morning
Tex
Thomas: Best Of Percy
Thomas: Cranky Bugs
Thomas: Races, Rescues And Runaways
Tiger Claws III
Twist
Vanaprastham
Vegas In Space
Wild Flowers
Willie Nelson: Willie
Today’s New Releases
Okay, below you will see a list of the new CD’s that are in stores today. But who really cares! Next week, July 30th, will see the release of the new CD “The Rising” from Bruce Springsteen. It is an awesome disc that you must own.
As for today’s discs. Whatever!
See you next Tuesday!
Here are the new CD releases for Tuesday, July 23, 2002:
* ABRA MOORE No Fear (J Records)
* ALEXANDRA SLATE Edge of the Girl (Hollywood/Universal)
* BELLAMY BROTHERS Redneck Girls Forever (Curb)
* BOYZ II MEN Full Circle (Arista)
* BRETT JAMES TBA (Brett James)
* CAPLETON More Fire (VP)
* DANKO JONES Born A Lion (Universal)
* DENNIS BROWN Love And Hate (VP)
* DIAMOND RIO Completely
* DIANA FOX Running On Empty (Isba)
* FOURPLAY Heartfelt (RCA)
* GARNETT SILK 100% Silk (VP)
* HAYDEN Live From Convocation Hall (Hardwood)
* HOLMES BROTHERS Righteous! The Essential Collection
* HOW WE ROCK How We Rock (Burning Heart)
* J-ZONE Pimps Don’t Pay Taxes (Fatbeats)
* JULIAN AUSTIN Bulletproof (Civilian Records)
* JUNIOR KELLY Love So Nice (VP)
* KRAMDENS Quiet Collision (Sextant Records)
* LIL WAYNE 500 Degreez (Cash Money/Universal)
* MACK 10 Presents Da Hood (Navarre)
* MARIO Mario (J Records)
* MARK OLSON December’s Child (Razor & Tie)
* PEPPER SANDS Pepper Sands (Universal)
* PLAY Play (Columbia)
* PUBLIC ENEMY Revolverlution (SlamJamz Records/Koch Entertainment)
* RON CARTER Stardust (Blue Note)
* SAFETY IN NUMBERS Build And Structure (BMG)
* SCHILLER Voyage (Popular)
* SOLOMON BURKE Don’t Give Up On Me (Fat Possum)
* TOBY KEITH Unleashed (DreamWorks)
* TORTOISE TBA (Tortoise) (Thrill Jockey)
Categories
Wednesday at 7 pm, baby! Woo hooo!
HE’S PHRASE-A-DELIC
HERE are some expressions Austin Powers has added to our vocabulary – and what they mean:
Bag: Something you like, as in, “It’s my bag, baby!”
Hop on the good foot and do the bad thing: Shagging
Jubblies: A woman’s chest (one of many such expressions)
S—- and giggles: The only possible explanation for doing something purely for the hell of it
Tops and tails: A full-frontal view of a naked woman
X zip it A: Shut up
Yeah, baby!: Austin’s signature line
English Producer Gus Dudgeon Killed
Veteran English record producer Gus Dudgeon was killed when his Jaguar veered off a motorway and down an embankment in Berkshire, England, last night (July 22). A female passenger in the car, believed to be his wife, was also killed.
Dudgeon, 59, was best known for his productions during the 1970s with Elton John, which yielded such hits as “Your Song,” “Rocket Man,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and “Don’t Let The Sun Go Down on Me.” In a statement, John said he was “devastated” by the news, describing Dudgeon as “an incredibly talented producer and a very dear friend. I will miss him terribly.”
Born in Surrey on September 30, 1942, Dudgeon began his career as a tea boy at Olympic Studios, and by his early 20s was an in-house engineer at Decca Records’ studios in West Hampstead. Early sessions there included recordings for Marianne Faithfull with producer Andrew Loog Oldham and session guitarists Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, later of Led Zeppelin.
The first album on which Dudgeon was listed as producer was rock act Ten Years After’s self-titled set on Deram. In 1969, he produced David Bowie’s first hit, “Space Oddity,” and, later, albums by such artists as Chris Rea, Lindisfarne, and XTC, for whom he oversaw 1992’s “Nonsuch.” He also served as producer for such one-off projects as the tribute set to John and Bernie Taupin, “Two Rooms.”
Billboard contributor David Stark says Dudgeon was enthusing in conversation only last week about a new British band he had been working with called Slinky, and that he’d also done some work on a tribute album to erstwhile musical comedy act the Bonzo Dog Band. Contributions had been recorded for that set some time ago by both Ringo Starr and the late George Harrison.
Categories
More new Weezer tunes are on the way!
Weezer Tangles With ‘The Lion And The Witch’
Weezer is preparing a 7-song EP, titled “The Lion and the Witch,” for limited U.S. release this summer. The disc, for which a release date has not been finalized, is a special promotion from the group’s label Geffen, and will only be available in a limited pressing of 25,000 at select independent retail outlets.
According to Weezer’s official Web site, the tracks for “The Lion and the Witch” were recorded live during the group’s recent Japanese tour. The EP will also include a newly recorded studio version of the group’s latest single, “Keep Fishin’.” While a finalized track list has not been announced, the set will also feature at least one unreleased track which has been known as “Polynesia” on recent set lists, and will appear here as a “hidden” unlisted song.
Weezer art director Francesca Restrepo commissioned artwork and put together special packaging for the EP, which comes on the heels of the group’s fourth album, “Maladroit.” The set debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 last month and has sold 363,000 copies in the U.S. to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan. “Keep Fishin'” is No. 27 on Billboard’s Modern Rock Tracks chart this week.
The group’s Enlightenment tour with Sparta and Dashboard Confessional hits Holmdel, N.J., tomorrow (July 23) and wraps Aug. 10 in Concord, Calif. Afterward, Weezer will on Aug. 23-24 play the U.K.’s Reading and Leeds festivals.
Categories
Bon Jovi is back, baby!
New Bon Jovi Single ‘A Big, Loud Rock Song’
Bon Jovi has set an Oct. 8 release date for its next Island album, “Bounce.” The set will be preceded by the single “Everyday,” described by the band’s official Web site as “a big, loud rock song.” A 30-second clip of the track is running in advertisements for the German TV station ZDF; it is due to hit U.S. radio outlets later this summer.
A video for “Everyday” was recently shot in Socorro, N.M., with the band performing amid the 27 satellites that make up the Very Large Array (VLA) radio observatory (seen in the Jodie Foster film “Contact”). The final aerial shot was jeopardized by a lightning storm, necessitating the evacuation of most of the crew. But the take was completed amid “torrential rain,” according to a statement.
“Bounce” is due Sept. 11 in Japan and Sept. 23 internationally.
Blushing Bride Julia Says ‘Born to Love’ Moder
From “Runaway Bride” to blushing bride, Julia Roberts said on Monday that she was “born to love” her new cameraman husband Danny Moder, calling him “a man among men, unselfish and all-encompassing.”
Roberts, speaking for the first time about her secret midnight wedding on July 4, told ABC television’s Diane Sawyer that she and Moder planned to have children “in due course.”
Roberts has broken off three engagements in the past and her first marriage, to country singer Lyle Lovett, lasted less than two years.
Her love life was so chaotic that she was dubbed the “Runaway Bride” even before making the 1999 movie of the same name.
She married Moder at her ranch in Taos, New Mexico just a year after he divorced his wife, in a ceremony held at midnight to avoid the media. The pair met on the set of “The Mexican.”
“He is formidable. He is a man among men, unselfish and all-encompassing,” Roberts said, blushing with pride. “He stands by the choices he made. He will never blame it on somebody else, and I have never seen anybody else do that.”
Hollywood’s highest paid female star said she and Moder were meant to be together.
“I hope there are some people who agree that I have done some good, some kind things in my life, but to really ultimately stand fully in a moment of realizing that I was born to love and to be the wife of this man,” she said.
Roberts’ romance with Moder began in spring last year, shortly after the end of her four year relationship with actor Benjamin Bratt. Bratt married actress Talisa Soto earlier this year and is expecting a child with her.
Roberts and Bratt have never spoken publicly about the reasons for their split, but Roberts said on Monday that Bratt had made his own choices. “All the better because he was unhappy and he left and moved along and found happiness,” she said.
Eminem, Elliott, P.O.D. Lead MTV Noms
Rappers Eminem and Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott and the rock band P.O.D. lead the nominees for this year’s MTV Video Music Awards with six each, the cable channel announced Monday.
Eminem’s comic book-style clip for “Without Me,” in which he dresses up as a version of Batman’s sidekick, Robin, received nominations including video of the year, best male video and best rap video.
Elliott’s “One Minute Man,” which takes place in a hotel and features rappers Ludacris and Trina, is up for best hip-hop video. It also was nominated in several technical categories including best direction, editing and special effects.
“Alive” by P.O.D., which features an elaborate highway crash, was nominated in categories including video of the year and best group video. The band’s other hit, “Youth of the Nation,” was nominated for best rock video.
Also drawing multiple nominations is Shakira’s “Whenever, Wherever.” The Colombian singer was recognized in four categories, including best female video, best dance video and best pop video.
The garage band The White Stripes also has four nominations for “Fell in Love With a Girl.” The clip, done completely in Lego animation, is up for video of the year, breakthrough video, editing and special effects.
Besides “Without Me” and “Alive,” the other nominees for video of the year are “Gone” by ‘N Sync; “In the End” by Linkin Park; and “One Mic” by Nas.
Jimmy Fallon of “Saturday Night Live” will be the host of the 2002 Video Music Awards ceremony, scheduled for Aug. 29 at Radio City Music Hall. Bruce Springsteen is among the scheduled performers.
‘Road to Perdition’ Tops Box Office
Tom Hanks’ gangster tale “Road to Perdition” took in $15.4 million to win a close race against “Stuart Little 2” for the weekend box-office crown.
“Stuart Little 2,” with Michael J. Fox providing the title character’s voice, grossed $15.1 million.
The two films switched ranks since Sunday, when preliminary estimates had “Stuart Little 2” in the No. 1 spot, slightly ahead of “Road to Perdition.”
The top 20 movies at North American theaters Friday through Sunday, followed by distribution studio, gross, number of theater locations, average receipts per location, total gross and number of weeks in release, as compiled Monday by Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. and Nielsen EDI Inc. are:
1. “Road to Perdition,” DreamWorks, $15.4 million, 2,159 locations, $7,139 average, $47.3 million, two weeks.
2. “Stuart Little 2,” Sony, $15.1 million, 3,255 locations, $4,644 average, $15.1 million, one week.
3. “Men in Black II,” Sony, $14.6 million, 3,641 locations, $3,997 average, $158.1 million, three weeks.
4. “K-19: The Widowmaker,” Paramount, $12.8 million, 2,828 locations, $4,519 average, $12.8 million, one week.
5. “Reign of Fire,” Disney, $7.32 million, 2,629 locations, $2,784 average, $29.2 million, two weeks.
6. “Mr. Deeds,” Sony, $7.3 million, 2,823 locations, $2,590 average, $107.6 million, four weeks.
7. “Eight Legged Freaks,” Warner Bros., $6.5 million, 2,530 locations, $2,563 average, $9.1 million, one week.
8. “Halloween: Resurrection,” Dimension, $5.5 million, 2,094 locations, $2,636 average, $22 million, two weeks.
9. “Lilo & Stitch,” Disney, $5 million, 2,127 locations, $2,338 average, $128.4 million, five weeks.
10. “The Crocodile Hunter: Collision Course,” MGM, $4.7 million, 2,525 locations, $1,849 average, $18.7 million, two weeks.
11. “Minority Report,” Fox, $4.5 million, 1,672 locations, $2,666 average, $118.1 million, five weeks.
12. “Like Mike,” 20th Century Fox, $4.4 million, 1,786 locations, $2,449 average, $41.3 million, three weeks.
13. “The Bourne Identity,” Universal, $3.8 million, 1,629 locations, $2,335 average, $105.7 million, six weeks.
14. “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” IFC Films, $2.5 million, 530 locations, $4,712 average, $30.9 million, 14 weeks.
15. “Scooby-Doo,” Warner Bros., $1.5 million, 1,302 locations, $1,169 average, $148.5 million, six weeks.
16. “Star Wars: Episode II รณ Attack of the Clones,” Fox, $1 million, 562 locations, $1,816 average, $295.6 million, 10 weeks.
17. “The Sum of All Fears,” Paramount, $940,545, 913 locations, $1,030 average, $117 million, eight weeks.
18. “Windtalkers,” MGM, $833,136, 1,285 locations, $648 average, $40.1 million, six weeks.
19. “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” Warner Bros., $768,452, 572 locations, $1,343 average, $66.6 million, seven weeks.
20. “Space Station,” IMAX, $674,941, 61 locations, $11,065 average, $15 million, 14 weeks.