Off The Record...
Beastie Boys
The Sounds of Science
A dozen-plus years of the Beasties musical evolution have been distilled into the remarkable Sounds of Science anthology, the dynamic shifts of their career, from punk to rap to funky breakbeats, and even bossa nova, all accounted for. The two-CD set goes all the way back to their proto-punk days and ends up with a new song, Alive, which thumps with a big-beat blast. Reflected in the dizzying collection of songs (40 in all) is the Beasties' imaginative ability to work with diverse soundscapes. The Beasties have stretched the boundaries of hip-hop with a versatility that has turned what was once marginal into the new mainstream groove.

At the Movies...
Angela's Ashes
The Commitments director Alan Parker returns to Ireland with this true story of a boy's coming of age in poverty-stricken 1930s Limerick. Between his devoted mother and unemployable, alcoholic father, a young boy grows up as best he can. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir by Frank McCourt, the film takes a child's license to meander and is soaked with sadness, bringing a chill to the bone and spirit. Well acted and convincingly created, this is a somber look at what it's really like to be a have not.

On Video...
Detroit Rock City
Rock on, dudes! This is a coming of age comedy about four Cleveland teenagers, who will do anything and everything to travel to Detroit to attend a 1978 rock concert featuring their idols, KISS. When a bible-thumping mother destroys their tickets, the lads take off on a odyssey to get into the show any way they can. Along the way they trash a car, foil some bad guys, and learn something about love. More energy than content carries the day. Features an appearance by the eponymous band as well as a very lively heavy metal soundtrack.

The Buzz...

Gonna be in LA in February? Then head on over to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandise which will be hosting The Art of Motion Picture Costume Design from February 21st through April 28. The exhibit will feature costumes, film clips and other memorabilia from current and classic films.

Jean Smart is the latest name to sign on for The Kid starring Bruce Willis and Jon Turtletaub. The story, reminiscent of car commercials asking what would happen if the 10 year old you visited the you of today, focuses on Willis, a high-powered image consultant who is visited by the 8 year old version of himself.

When The Consultants debuts next fall, the syndicated action series will feature NBA star Dennis Rodman as a cast member. Shot in Las Vegas, the series will deal with a team of martial arts trained investigators. The cast also includes WWF champ Rena Mero and karate expert Jeff Speakman.

Both The X-Files and Millennium were nominated for The American Society of Cinematographers Outstanding Achievement Award in the episodic series category.

Eidos and Sega have reached an agreement to bring out a version of Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation for the Dreamcast game system. Debuting in March, the game’s features will include environmental mapping, real-time shadowing, and bump-mapping.

According to Pixar Animation, Toy Story 2 has moved into the second spot on the list of the highest grossing animated features ever in domestic release. Toy Story 2's to-date total gross of $220 million is only surpassed by the $312 million earned by 1994's The Lion King.

Stuart Little, the little mouse who is currently busting up the box office, will be showing up on TV. ABC and the Disney Channel forked over at least $20 million to secure the rights to begin broadcasting the family film in May 2002. The deal runs for four years.

Even though Fox promised to bring Futurama back in February, Fry, Leela, and Bender may discover that somebody else has taken their regular spot for good. The premiere of Malcolm in the Middle pulled in the largest audience for the 8:30 timeslot in about eight years.

Though it’s been 12 years since Paul Hogan donned his crocodile tooth-fringed outback hat, and a whole generation knows him better as a Subaru pitchman, he’s reportedly ready to reprise his role as Mick Crocodile Dundee in Crocodile Dundee in Hollywood, the third Dundee film installment.

At next month’s Toy Fair, N2 Toys plans to unveil two new toy lines based on the Crocodile Hunter cable series and the upcoming Heavy Metal FAKK2 video game. Toys in the line will include articulated action figures equipped with voice chips.

Warner Brothers and Village Roadshow are looking to franchise 1987’s The Lost Boys, a cult-favorite film about a roving band of teenage vampires. The next installment will star girls and is tentatively titled The Lost Girls.

Steven Segal will return to Warner Brothers with Exit Wounds, a drama about a white cop who finds himself embroiled in a crime in an inner-city precinct.

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