Off The Record...

Californication

Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Let's keep it real, white boys do not have to be funky; they only have to rock, and that the Red Hot Chili Peppers do quite wickedly, thank you. They've settled down and written a whole album's worth of tunes that tickle the ear, swell the heart and moisten the tear ducts.  While all previous Red Hot projects have been highly spirited, Californication dares to be spiritual, a sign that the Peppers are evolving nicely.

At The Movies...

Lake Placid

This is a summer monster/adventure film that has some camp and comedic aspirations in which a fearsome creature lurks in a lake in Maine. Bridgett Fonda plays the Playmate-of-the-Month paleontologist. She gets shipped off to Lake Placid where a man was bitten in half. Bill Pullman comes on as the leading conspiracy nut from the Federal Fish and Game Department. There is a kindhearted yokel sheriff and finally a wacky, rich professor to round out the ensemble. What a summer film should be, fun!

On Video...

Eight Millimeter

Nicolas Cage plays a skilled surveillance expert hired by the estate of a powerful industrialist to track down the truth behind an apparent pornographic snuff film found among the dead magnate's possessions. The seemingly routine investigation turns nasty when the detective becomes obsessed with the girl and he tracks her and the filmmakers into the sleazy world of sex and sadism in the underbellies of New York and Los Angeles. Be warned, at times this film is crude and violent.

The Buzz...

Will Smith has just nailed down $20 million to star as Muhammad Ali for director Barry Sonnenfeld. This deal marks the first time Smith joins such box-office heavyweights as Jim Carrey, Adam Sandler, and John Travolta in the exclusive $20 million boys-only club, and makes Smith the highest-paid black actor in history.

Ernest Hemingway's hometown is marking the 100th anniversary of his birth with a weeklong celebration, including scholarly discussions, a $250-a-plate dinner and a running of the bulls.

Sony and Time Warner will merge their jointly owned music club Columbia House with online music retailer CDNow forming a new, publicly traded company.

Riding the wave of the World Cup soccer phenomenon, the WNBA invited Mia Hamm, Julie Foudy and Brandi Chastain to attend the league's inaugural All-Star game.

Eric Bischoff, president of WCW, announced that KISS will be appearing and performing live on Nitro, Monday, August 23rd in Las Vegas on the TNT Network.  

Could the Force soon be with Agent Scully? Gillian Anderson is reportedly in talks with Lucasfilm to play a female Jedi in Episode 2.

A previously unpublished cover drawn by the late Jack Kirby will adorn The Villainy of Doctor Doom, a trade paperback compiling the best stories of the Latverian dictator. The book comes out in November.

Jeri Ryan has signed on to play the beautiful Borg, Seven of Nine, on a seventh season of Star Trek Voyager.

Night of the Living Dead legend George Romero begins shooting his first movie in six years this week–Bruiser, the story of a businessman who wakes up one morning and finds his face is gone. With his newfound anonymity he sets out to get revenge on his enemies.

Tom Cruise is reportedly interested in remaking the cult hit Death Race 2000.

Former Savannah actress Jamie Luner will replace Ally Walker as the lead in NBC's Profiler series.

Rob Moritz is spending his own time and cash to register famous names online. He then hands them over to the celebrity, free of charge. Moritz has registered at least 300 names in the interest of keeping them from webmasters who would use the famous monikers for dubious reasons.

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