Off The Record...

Beastie Boys

Hello Nasty

Back from a four year break, The Beastie Boys make up for lost time with this 22 track rap and roll offering. Like previous BB CD's, every song offers a new surprise in the direction it takes. From the opening moments of Super Disco Breakin' the listener is wrapped up in a coalition of today's New York street sounds, 60's soul and 70's rock. Who says white boys can't jump.  The Boys can add another breakthrough album to their list of accomplishments.

At The Movies...

Doctor Dolittle

This is the first remake to come along in many a moon that's better than its predecessor.  A profit-obsessed medic gets back in touch with his healing vocation when his long-dormant childhood gift for conversing with animals returns.  It features Eddie Murphy's most mature performance to date, with  a gift for making the most out of material that in other hands might have proved violently unwatchable. Families looking for that rare summer nonblockbuster that isn't going to bore adults or short-circuit the juvenile attention span, this is it.

On Video...

Good Will Hunting

A heart-warming drama about a therapist who tries to reshape the life of a young man who lives an outcast life as a misunderstood and non-productive genius. Matt Damon is disaffected Will Hunting, who performs menial tasks jobs between drinks at the local bar and run-ins with the law. With the help of the therapist (Robin Williams) and a Harvard student (Minnie Driver), Will finds the ability to reach his potential. Academy awards to Damon and Ben Affleck for screenplay, Williams for supporting actor.  Rent it!

The Buzz...

Christopher Reeve will make his return to acting for the first time since he was paralyzed three years ago in the updated version of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window which will air on ABC this fall, playing the lead role, formerly handled by the wheelchair bound Jimmy Stewart.  

After ruling the American box office with two Fourth of July smashes (Independence Day and Men In Black), Warner Bros. is betting that Will Smith can do it again in 1999 with Wild, Wild West, a big-budget special effects comedy from MIB director Barry Sonnenfeld.

Michael Jackson has partnered with Don Barden in a proposal which would bring the Majestic Kingdom, which will feature a Casino, Aquarium, Hotel and the Thriller Theme Park, to Detroit. This hinges on Barden's ability to secure a Casino license, which he has already been denied for once, but will be decided by voters next month..

Bruce Springsteen is in talks with HBO to turn songs from his albums into made-for-cable films.

David Bowie is about to start BowieNet. He has become an internet service provider and is offering fans the latest news, weather, special bonus downloads of his unreleased songs, an in studio camera watching him record and your own e-mail address at davidbowie.com.

Universal Pictures has announced plans to produce a third installment of Jurassic Park, with summer of 2000 as the tentative release date.

NBC has secured contracts with Katie Couric and Jane Pauley, the first signing a $7 million four year deal for her popular morning show, the latter receiving a $5.5 million five year deal to continue as anchor for Dateline.

Trash TV demi-god, Jerry Springer, is taking a bold career turn as author.  But will a book, The Ringmaster, about his TV exploits be popular with a fan base that may or may not be able to read

Warner Bros. currently has no plans to do another Batman movie soon despite speculation that Kurt Russell would be taking over the role of Batman, with Joel Schumacher directing a fifth installment.

Rumors that Mattel has recalled its X-Files set of Ken and Barbie dressed as Agents Mulder and Scully are false, according to the toy manufacturer.

Popular Saturday Night Live character, Mary Katherine Gallagher, will be the next skit turned into a movie.  This will follow a long line of hit and misses including The Blues Brothers, Wayne's World, The Coneheads and the dreadful It's Pat.

New York playwright Mark Dunn has alleged in a lawsuit that Paramount Pictures stole The Truman Show from his 1992 off-off- Broadway play Frank's Story. Dunn is seeking 100 percent of the proceeds from the film, claiming over 100 thematic and plot similarities between the play and the movie.

Billy Idol reunites with Steve Stevens and signs to Java Records. Idol has told the L.A. Times that he has kicked all his bad habits. The album is expected to be released early next year.

Playgirl has reached a settlement with Leonardo DiCaprio over nude photographs of the actor that were rumored to be printed in this months issue.  The long and the short of it, don't hold your breath, the pictures won't be seeing the day of light anytime soon.

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