Off The Record...

1999 Grammy Nominees

One of the most varied compilation albums ever to hit the market, this disc has a massive range of appeal.  With songs that will please younger fans (Backstreets Back, The Boy is Mine), to country favorites (You’re Still The One, Wide Open Spaces) not to mention some of rocks biggest legends (My Father’s Eyes, Ray Of Light, My Heart Will Go On) it’s easy to see why this release to celebrate the Grammies is flying off the shelves.  

At The Movies...

Payback

Leave it to Mel Gibson to play a heavy you can actually root for.  Our anti-hero is Porter, a harshly professional thief who plots a heist only to be betrayed by his cohorts.  As he goes against the odds to recover his share of the loot, Porter becomes a shining light in an increasingly evil cast of characters.  A brilliantly tense and dark film that has a few comedic moments.  Gibson’s baddest role is one of his most likeable yet.

On Video...

Practical Magic

In this adaptation of the Alice Hoffman novel, Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) are sisters schooled in the family tradition of sorcery by their eccentric New England aunts.  The downside of their supernatural gifts is a long-standing curse on men who fall for them, and Sally resigns herself to a magicless, loveless life with her aunts.  Director Griffin Dunne, delivers a refreshingly tart romantic comedy.

The Buzz...

Twentieth Century Fox has reached an agreement with Marvel Enterprises to extend Fox's rights to Motion Picture projects based on the X-Men, The Fantastic Four and the Silver Surfer.

The coming issue of George magazine reports that Oprah Winfrey allegedly threatened to trash Monica Lewinsky on the air if she didn't agree to do her first interview with her.

Janet Jackson has split from longtime beau, Rene Elizondo, after more than 13 years together.  The couple plan to continue on as friends

Our Lady Peace will be the feature band for a Millennium party at the Corel Center in Ottawa, a great way to ring in the next thousand years for all of you OLP fans out there.

The San Diego Padres have announced that Garth Brooks will attend spring training with the team, fulfilling Brooks’ childhood fantasy. They did make it clear that he is a non-roster player, but he will see action.

The four-disc box set The Life & Crimes of Alice Cooper will include tracks Cooper recorded with Rob Zombie, former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell and members of Guns N' Roses. The set hits stores April 20.

Samuel L. Jackson is in final negotiations to play the title character in a remake of the 1971 action film Shaft.  

An auction of O.J. Simpson's sports memorabilia and other belongings raised a total of $430,000 including $230,000 for the former football hero's Heisman Trophy.

Fox is shelving That '70s Show.  The sitcom will get a premature season finale on March 14, but will return in June with new episodes.  The network also plans to air reruns of King of the Hill and The Simpsons Tuesday nights making for an all-animation primetime lineup.

Eric Clapton is selling 100 of his collection of 150 guitars to raise money for a drink and drug abuse center in Antigua, with hopes to raise $750,000 for the Crossroads Centre that he founded in 1997.

Calvin Klein has pulled an advertising campaign after critics said the ads for children's underwear have gone too far.  The campaign was to be launched with a billboard in Times Square, featuring young boys and girls in underwear jumping on a sofa.

Turner Sports will have the famous voice of Marv Albert for NBA telecasts. Albert, fired by NBC in 1997 when he pleaded guilty to a charge of misdemeanor assault and battery, signed a multi-year deal, which will have him call NBA games on cable stations TNT and TBS.

Tom Shales, Pulitzer Prize-winning critic for The Washington Post, with go thumb to thumb with Roger Ebert, filling in for the recuperating Gene Siskel on the syndicated movie review series Siskel & Ebert.

Creed will begin recording the follow-up to My Own Prison in April. Expect the album this fall. Meanwhile, frontman Scott Stapp foresees Creed headlining a package tour with rock bands of the future, such as Fuel and Days of the New.

Bruce Springsteen has filed a $1 million countersuit against Pony Express Records, which is suing him for blocking the label's release of songs he recorded from 1972 to 1974. Springsteen claims Pony Express obtained fraudulent rights to the songs.

After Black Sabbath's tour ends, Ozzy Osbourne will record a cover of Peter Gabriel's Shock the Monkey with Coal Chamber.

Singer Bruce Dickinson, who left Iron Maiden in 1992, has rejoined the band. Dickinson and Co. will tour this summer and record by the end of the year.

Playmates Toys, manufacturers of Star Trek action figures, will no longer make the 5-inch action figure size, concentrating instead on 12-inch figures in cloth outfits and beefed-up 9-inch figures such as a Klingon and a Borg.

Mick Jagger's soon-to-be-ex-wife, Jerry Hall, has found solace in the arms of millionaire property developer Guy Dellal, who also has a bad-boy reputation.

The Smashing Pumpkins have reinstated drummer Jimmy Chamberlin, who was fired after touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin's 1996 fatal drug overdose.

Marilyn Manson is engaged to actress Rose McGowan, who is now sporting an antique diamond ring on her finger. No date has been set for the nuptials, and no word on who will wear the dress.

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