Vol. 9 No. 12
Pick Hits
Off The Record
Everclear - Slow Motion Daydream
Old punk rockers don't
always die young. Sometimes they grow up, have children, score a few hits, and
attempt to keep rockin' without becoming a parody of themselves. Such is the
case with Everclear. Seven years after hitting it big with Santa Monica (Watch
The World Die), the trio is at the point where they're likely unfamiliar to the
new kids on the rock block. That's unfortunate, because on Slow Motion Daydream
Everclear proves that it's still quite capable of delivering solid, rocking
songs with memorable hooks, and frontman
Art Alexakis still has plenty to say. Whether it's dealing
with the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on The New York Times, a girl
gone-wild-gone-Republican with Volvo Driving Soccer Mom, or the horror of child
abduction in Chrysanthemum, this Daydream may just snap you back to life's harsh
realities. But despite the negative tone, the tunes are really quite good.
At The Movies
The Core
When 17 people suddenly drop
dead within a 10-block radius in Boston, Dr. Josh Keyes (Aaron
Eckhart) and a few other scientists are summoned to
Washington, D.C., to find
out if the deaths are due to a covert enemy electromagnetic weapon. When it's
determined that this was not an act of war, the government breathes a sigh of
relief and the scientists are dismissed. Soon other bizarre natural phenomena
begin occurring worldwide, and Dr. Keyes suspects that earth's electromagnetic
field has been comprised. Working with his team at the University of Illinois,
Keyes discovers that mystery behind the strange occurrences is more frightening
than any act of war. For reasons unknown, the earth's inner core has stopped
rotating, causing the planet's electromagnetic field to rapidly deteriorate. At
the same time, life as we know it begins deteriorating as well. This films
release was pushed back to accommodate the development of some amazing visual
effects.
On Video
White Oleander
After her mother Ingrid (Michelle
Pfeiffer) is sentenced to life in prison for murdering her boyfriend in a fit of
passion, 15-year-old Astrid (Alison Lohman) must learn to survive in the
Los Angeles foster care
system. Forever changed by the loss of her mother, Astrid is forced to confront
the harsh reality of growing up alone in a series of unstable foster homes.
While Astrid struggles to forge an identity of her own in a cold, indifferent
world, Ingrid is determined to maintain control over her daughter's life despite
their separation. As a result, Ingrid's powerful force is the only constant in
Astrid's life for better or for worse.
Pfeiffer delivers
one of her best, if not her best, performances.
The Buzz...
TV producer
Brad Grey
is acting as a mediator between Sopranos star
James Gandolfini
and HBO over a contract dispute, and getting the two sides to consider a deal to
drop their lawsuits and resume contract negotiations.
Lord of the Rings star
Sean Astin
is in talks to co-star with
Adam Sandler
and Drew Barrymore
in Columbia Pictures' 50 First Kisses, about a man who falls in love with a
woman who has short-term memory loss.
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WHO'S NEXT?! |
It appears as though
negotiations between Bill Goldberg and the WWE are beginning to come to a
head. It is looking quite probable that Goldberg will ink a contract sometime
this week, and be involved in the SmackDown! main event for WrestleMania XIX.
Russell Crowe
will celebrate his 39th birthday by tying the knot. He will wed Danielle Spencer
in the family chapel on his property, in New South Wales state.
A jury decided that
Michael Jackson
owes a concert promoter $5.3 million for backing out of two concerts planned to
celebrate the millennium on New Year's Eve 1999.
The competition to name the
star of the next Superman movie has come down to
Brendan Fraser
and soap star Matthew Bomer,
after The Fast and the Furious star
Paul Walker
opted out of the competition.
Warner Bros. has set
Halle
Berry to
play the felonious feline in Catwoman, which French filmmaker Pitof will direct
later this year.
Andrew W.K.
has set Blow Your Bone as the working title for the follow-up to his critically
acclaimed debut, I Get Wet, tentatively due in September through Island DefJam
Records.
Songs from
Nirvana,
Soundgarden
and Sunny Day Real
Estate (featuring
members of Foo
Fighters) are
among those slated to appear on the upcoming Terminal Sales compilation (due
June 3). The two-disc collection, released by Seattle label Sub Pop Records,
will offer both hits and rarities to celebrate the influential imprint's 15th
anniversary.
Britney Spears
filing of a $1.5 million breach of agreement lawsuit against Skechers, claiming
the company failed to adequately pay her for marketing a line of roller skates
and accessories, has been responded with a $10 million lawsuit, accusing the pop
diva of fraud and breach of contract. According to Skechers, Spears refused to
cooperate with designers and marketers in bringing out the products.
Bridget Fonda
is engaged to film composer
Danny Elfman.
Howard Stern
sued ABC, producers of the latest flesh-for-fame reality series Are You Hot?,
for $10 million, alleging they stole the idea from the jock's syndicated radio
show and ruined a TV deal he had in the works.
Jennifer Lopez
may is ready to strut her stuff on screen with
Richard Gere
in Miramax Films' romantic comedy Shall We Dance? Based on the 1996 Japanese
romantic comedy by Masayuki Suo, the sentimental flick is being written by
Audrey Wells and will be helmed by Serendipity’s Peter Chelsom.
Country singers
Vince Gill
and Alan Jackson
are some of the latest additions to the list of performers scheduled to perform
at the 32nd annual Fan Fair June 5-8.
Christopher Walken
is in negotiations to star in Man on Fire for Regency Enterprises, Fox 2000 and
helmer Tony Scott. Walken joins
Denzel Washington
in the project, which is based on the A.J. Quinnell novel and adapted by Brian
Helgeland.
The rumor mill is cranking
hard and strong on this one: a US co-headlining tour with
Iron Maiden
and Judas Priest
with Rob Halford
on vocals!
World's Wildest Police
Videos creator Paul Stojanovich,
47 is feared dead after falling 300 feet from an Oregon cliff into the Pacific
Ocean while hiking with his fiancée. No body has been found.
Rock fans who
enjoyed toasting the holidays with Kurt Cobain's "Journals" and the
book's tales of decadence, self-loathing and rampant drug abuse might want to
reserve a spot on this year's Christmas list for "The Heroin Diaries," a book of
journal entries by Mötley Crüe bassist and songwriter Nikki Sixx.
Nintendo is planned to launch a
next-generation home game console in 2005 or 2006 in a move to restore its clout
in the lucrative home video game market. Industry veteran Nintendo has fallen
well behind leader Sony Play Station 2 and vies with newcomer Microsoft XBOX for
the number two spot in the console market.
Ozzy Osbourne
hosted a special event in Hollywood on Monday to introduce his new bassist,
Jason Newsted (Voivod/ex-Metallica) and give a debut
performance with his new band lineup.
