Vol. 8 No. 18
Pick Hits
Toy Box
Classic
Planet of the Apes Japanese Action Figures
When a spaceship crashes on a
distant planet inhabited by intelligent apes, the saga of the Planet of the Apes
began. Five films followed, as well as a TV series, a cartoon, and recently a
remake by Tim Burton. These high-quality figures feature amazing detail
and have never before been available in the U.S. Each figure based on the
characters stands approximately 6” tall, features six points of articulation,
and comes with accessories related to each character. The blister card packages
form a large image when placed together. Choose from: Cornelius, General Ursus,
Lucius, and Soldier Ape. This series contains 18 figures total, all destined to
be collector items.
At The Movies
Spider-Man
Spider-Man started off as shy
high school student Peter Parker, until he was bitten by a genetically-altered
spider, giving him amazing abilities. Over time, he learns that with great
power, comes great responsibility. First, there is his foray into entertainment,
taking on wrestler Bone Saw McGraw. A horrible incident involving his Uncle Ben
soon changes his perception of his powers, and he becomes a superhero. His
abilities are soon challenged, when scientist Norman Osborn is altered himself
in an experiment gone wrong, becoming the Green Goblin, pumpkin bombs, glider,
and all. This is a film that knows exactly what it is doing, that has a
mission, and that accomplishes it with precision strokes. Spider-Man is the
first clear hit film of the summer, so long as you don't mind summer starting
May 3.
On DVD
Star
Trek The Next Generation - Season One
The Next Generation series
finally appears on DVD in a handsome 7 disc boxed set, with all 26 episodes
(over 19 hours) from the inaugural season. The first season introduced a new
crew to the Enterprise, set 75 years after James T. Kirk’s missions. The first
episode, Encounter at Farpoint was a two hour premiere that lets us meet the
crew members and also introduces a recurring villain, Q, who is a thorn in
Captain Jean Luc Picard's side in more than one instalment. All the other
episodes are one hour in length. It is a welcome treat to Trekkies who couldn't
get enough of the original series, with updated special effects, and superior
sound.
The Buzz...
Production is resuming
May 6 on Sex and the City, after it was halted when star Sarah Jessica Parker
announced her pregnancy earlier this month. HBO is cutting back on the
number of episodes produced, from 13 to eight.
Fatboy Slim's Weapon of
Choice was voted the best video of all time in an industry poll conducted by
VH1.
Latin pop singer Marc
Anthony is appearing in a new TV ad for the I Love New York campaign. The
spots, the first to appear in English and Spanish, will feature fans mistaking
Anthony for Ricky Martin.
A federal appeals court has
ruled that Kelsey Grammer and his production company, Grammnet Inc., must
pay more than $2 million in unpaid commissions to a former talent agency.
Creed has cancelled
their remaining dates on its tour after lead singer Scott Stapp was
injured in a car accident.
Donovan Patton is taking
over as host of one of television's most popular children's shows, Nickelodeon's
Blue's Clues, replacing Steve Burns, the show's host since its debut in
December 1996.
About 200 people were arrested
on drug charges during a three-night undercover crackdown at a series of rock
concerts featuring the group Widespread Panic in which one person died of an
apparent overdose.
The cabin made famous in the
1996 movie Fargo was put up for sale on eBay. With literally seconds to go
before the deadline, Lindy Martin of Excelsior, Minnesota submitted the
final bid of $10,000.
Former Happy Days star Henry
Winkler and Michael Levitt are taking over as executive producers of
Hollywood Squares, replacing John Moffitt and Pat Lee Tourk, who
were let go after Whoopi Goldberg announced her departure.
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HULKSTER INJURED
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Hulk Hogan sustained a
few broken ribs during a house show match with Rikishi dating back to
before WrestleMania X-8. He has continued to battle through the pain without
taking any time off.
Steve Bornstein,
president of the troubled ABC television network, has resigned. The announcement
was made by Robert Iger, president of The Walt Disney Co., which owns
ABC.
Recording
Academy
president C. Michael Greene is resigning from his post after the Grammy
organization launched a sexual harassment probe. Greene, whose $2 million pay
check was the highest for a non-profit executive last year, will reportedly get
an $8 million severance buyout.
MSNBC has hired brash former
New York Post Editor Jerry Nachman as the struggling cable news network's
No. 2 executive and host of a late afternoon talk show. Nachman promises to
bring a certain amount of flamboyance to MSNBC, which has trailed the cable news
ratings leaders, Fox News Channel and CNN.
Tim Burton will direct
Columbia Pictures' adventure feature Big Fish for producers Dan Jinks and
Bruce Cohen. Richard D. Zanuck also has come aboard to produce the
project, with production aimed to start in early fall.
ABC will set aside its normal
programming for a full day and evening on Sept. 11 to commemorate the first
anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. |