Off The Record...

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers

Echo

If you could add one item to the certain list of death and taxes, a safe pick would be consistently good Tom Petty albums.  Petty has been at the forefront of the musical landscape for two decades with a laid back approach that seems to catch the listeners ear without even trying.  Not one to follow any trends, Echo is true Petty, guitar fueled classics that will have you singing along. 

At The Movies...

Never Been Kissed

Drew Barrymore stars as a former high school geek who is now a 25-year-old copy editor at a Chicago paper. When she's hired to go undercover as a student, she must battle for popularity and strive to find the love of her life.  Although sometimes predictable and cliché, this coming of age story entertains the insecure teen in all of us.  Barrymore fills the part nicely. 

On Video...

A Bug’s Life

A heartwarming story and fabulous 3-D computer animation made this family feature a smash hit. A group of ants toiling for their grasshopper overlords enlist the aid of out-of-work bug performers from a second-rate flea circus to save their society from oppression. Spirited and goofy, with the voices of Dave Foley, Kevin Spacey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Phyllis Diller, David Hyde Pierce.

The Buzz...

Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor plan to reunite and hope that bassist John Deacon will join them. There's no word on who'll sing with the group, although pop star George Michael reportedly has expressed interest.

The direction of the much-awaited X-Men movie may have to be changed to fit tightening budget restrictions. 20th Century Fox cut the X-Men's budget down to $65 million from about $100 million.

Rob Zombie, the Offspring and Motley Crue are among the artists on the Idle Hands soundtrack, out Tuesday. The Offspring and Blink-182's Tom DeLonge have cameos in the teen horror flick, which hits theaters April 30.

Expect an onrush of Europeans flying over the pond to see the debut of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Because the film opens in North America two months before it reaches England, the travel industry is expecting an onrush of European Star Wars fans buying tickets to the U.S.

Silverchair, Hole, Eve 6, Finger Eleven and Big Wreck are among the bands performing at this summer's EdgeFest in Canada. The tour begins July 1 in Barrie, Ontario, and hits eight cities before wrapping up July 14 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Tom Petty is keeping his ticket prices for his summer tour below $50. "I don't want to wind up just playing to the elite," he says. "I don't think my fans would appreciate it."

Canada's Rock Fest '99, which will feature Sammy Hagar, Def Leppard, Kansas and .38 Special, has moved to a new location. The summer festival was supposed to take place outside Calgary, Alberta, but will now happen outside Edmonton, Alberta. The dates of the event, July 29 to Aug. 1, haven't changed.

Reports on upcoming episodes of Star Trek Voyager reveal that Scott Thompson of The Larry Sanders Show and John Savage of The Deer Hunter will both make guest appearances.

Paul McCartney's net worth of £500 million ($806 million) makes him the wealthiest musician, and the 33rd richest person, in the United Kingdom. Also making London's Sunday Times Rich List are Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Elton John and David Bowie. U2 placed third on the Irish Rich List.

Korn frontman Jonathan Davis wants to "thank the [fans'] parents" for providing him with an audience by screwing up their kids. "They're the ones that did it," he says. "It's like, 'Thanks for making our lives hell. Because of you, we're here.'"

Toy Biz has reportedly canceled the Cyclops, Rogue, Nightcrawler and Magneto Famous Cover 9-inch dolls it had planned. There's no word on the future of the newest set of dolls, according to The Raving Toy Maniac.

Lucy Lawless, star of the hit show Xena: Warrior Princess is pregnant with her second child.

Actress Brooke Shields and tennis star Andre Agassi have thrown in the towel and announced they are divorcing after almost two years of marriage.

KISS in milk moustaches? Believe it or not, the costumed rockers will soon be sporting moo juice residue in forthcoming advertisements for the Got Milk? campaign. "It's hilarious," says Gene Simmons. Look for the ads next month.

Star Trek's George Takei will guest star on the season finale of The Simpsons.

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