Off The Record...

The Hurricane

Soundtrack
For the movie about a wrongfully imprisoned boxer Rubin Hurricane Carter, the opening title track, was written by Bob Dylan in the mid-'70s to call attention to the boxer's plight.  The other title track, also called Hurricane, is a new hip-hop song featuring a who’s who list of current artists.  The collaborative effort blends Carter's story with a contemporary sound, and despite the musical facelift, it remains a chilling reminder that many things haven't changed over the past 40 years. All of the music is good and the disparate sounds fit together beautifully, each focusing on a different aspect of the same experience. Together they form a whole picture that complements the story of the Hurricane well.
 

At The Movies...

Play It To The Bone
Struggling (and aging) boxer pals Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas get one last break: a chance to fight for the Welterweight Championship in Vegas.  Catch number one, they have to get there immediately.  Catch  number two, they have to fight each other.  Part road movie and part sports flick, chock full of brutal ring violence, strong sexuality including dialogue, nudity, pervasive language and some drug content.  Yeah baby.
 

On Video...
Bowfinger
A wild comedy about a low-class indie filmmaker (Steve Martin) who schemes to get a big-action star (Eddie Murphy) in his film by following him around and secretly filming him with a bevy of supporting actors.  Unfortunately, all that sneaking around behind his back makes the star paranoid, and he seeks the help of a guru.  Meanwhile and coincidentally Bowfinger discovers the star's dimwitted look-a-like brother (Murphy), whom he uses to stand in for the star such as in a nude scene with the lovely Heather Graham.  There's lots more plot and laughs in store here.
 

The Buzz...

In a move to broaden its audience, the WB network will run a new sketch comedy show developed by the Scott King, Laney Lanier and Terry Sweeney of Fox's Mad TV.  Scheduled to premiere in the fall, Hype will star comedians Michael Roof and Frank Caliendo along with an ensemble cast.

Steven King signed a new extension to his co-publishing contract with Simon & Schuster.  The profit-sharing deal covers three new books by the horror novelist, including the upcoming From a Buick Eight.

New Line Cinema announced that it has found a director for Jason X, the tenth Friday the 13th film.  James Isaac will direct from a script by Todd Farmer.  Set in the far future, the film finds the hockey-masked murderer Jason cryogenically frozen and thawed out in time to wreck horrific havoc on the crew of a spaceship.  Filming on Jason X is scheduled to begin in March in Toronto.

Two longtime friends and Hollywood action stars are looking for a film project that they can work on together.  Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone want to team up in an action film.

In a rare move that has McDonald's offering non-Disney toys with its Happy Meals, the restaurant chain will offer Happy Meal toys based on the Teletubbies later this year.

Paul Reubens (AKA Pee-wee Herman) has parted company with the You Don't Know Jack game show currently in development.  Reubens, who had signed on to appear in the show, which is based on the popular CD-ROM trivia game, dropped out because of schedule conflicts.

Although the members of Canadian hard-rock trio Rush have been laying low for more than two years, singer and bassist Geddy Lee has been working on material which may see release as a solo album.

Although Tom Cruise appears interested in a new WWII film called Fertig, he and Steven Spielberg are said to be still interested in filming the science fiction film Minority Report for 20th Century Fox.

The executive branch of the Motion Picture Academy's Visual Effects Committee shortened the list of special effects Oscar candidates down to seven films: The Martix; The Mummy; Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace; Sleepy Hollow; Stuart Little; Wild, Wild West; and The World Is Not Enough.

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.

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