Off The Record...
Marilyn Manson
Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)
Manson returns to the well once more on Holy Wood, a concept album of sorts that he claims completes the trilogy started with his other two discs and which he hopes to turn into a novel sometime next year and a movie sometime after that. Clocking in at 19 songs, Manson has been speaking of it of late as if it were his own personal White Album. There are some musically powerful moments on the album, notably the eviscerating power chords on The Fight Song and the galloping rhythms of Disposable Teens. So has the new century brought us a kinder, gentler Marilyn Manson? Not by a long shot. Just a more savvy one, whose theater of horrors is still open for business, and business is good.

On Video...
Gladiator
The glory and horror of Rome is depicted in this spectacular epic about a Roman general (Russell Crowe) at the peak of his conquering powers.  The opening scene of warfare has to be one of the most spectacular and gory ever-put on screen. Betrayed by the nasty son of the dying Emperor and ordered executed. Escaping death, he falls into the hands of a slaver, becomes a gladiator, and eventually makes his way back to Rome, where he becomes a hero of the Coliseum to face off against the new Emperor.

At The movies...
The 6th Day
Set in the near future, the movie shows us a world where pets can be cloned and virtual girlfriends can give you a satisfying Saturday night. This new world isn't totally without limits. Human cloning is against the law. People aren't supposed to make people. When Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character, an ordinary family man, returns home one evening, he discovers that he's been replaced. This leads to intrigue, action and everything you'd expect from a Schwarzenegger  movie. Expect everything from its PG-13 rating with strong action violence, brief strong language and some sensuality.  Don’t expect Arnold to move away from his proven forte.

The Buzz...
Paramount Pictures and Scott Rudin Productions will pay Michael Chabon a mid-six-figure sum to write the screen adaptation of his novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay. The book follows the adventures of two boys who write comic books during the 1930s.

Anna Paquin, who played Rogue in the X-Men movie, is ready to go for a second film. Paquin revealed, "If they make one, I'm signed for it and I want to be in it."

King of the Hill creators Greg Daniels and Mike Judge are teaming up with supervising producer Jim Dauterive to create a live-action spinoff of the animated series based on Peggy Hill's favorite soap opera character, Monsignor Martinez.

Dinosaur is now the fourth film Disney this year to reach the $100 million mark in overseas box office receipts. Currently, the animated feature is the top film in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Austria, and Denmark.

Columbia Pictures and Amblin Entertainment will do what was previously thought impossible: get the MIB2 (Men In Black 2) project up and rolling before the impending actor and writer strikes. A June 4 start date is being considered.

TNN has snared the cable repeat rights to the Pamela Anderson action drama V.I.P.. The syndicated series, which is currently in its third season, will begin airing on the cable network in the fall of 2002.

Metallica are asking fans to pick the song they will perform on the VH-1's My Music Awards on November 30^th (where they're nominated for four awards), A poll has been set up at VH1.com

Rosie O'Donnell has been on the fence about whether or not to continue her daytime talk show, but remarks she made on the Today show left little doubt she's going to hang it up when her contract's up in 2002. O'Donnell admitted to host Katie Couric that a renewal of her contract with The Rosie O'Donnell Show was unlikely.

Since John Malkovich apparently couldn't reach an agreement with Columbia Pictures, Willem Dafoe will step into the big-screen adaptation of Spider-Man to play the Green Goblin.

Ozzy Osbourne, along with Pantera, Godsmack, Static-X, and several other acts, filed a $20 million lawsuit over a pay-per-view telecast of a concert they claim was taped for Internet play only. The suit accuses digital music company MCY.com, satellite broadcaster DirecTV, and pay-TV network iNDEMAND of copyright infringement, trademark dilution, and unlawful appropriation of the artists' names and likenesses.

Sally Field's first appearance as the mentally ill mother of ER character Abby Lockhart on last week's episode of the NBC drama drew more viewers than any television show this season.

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