At the Movies

US retailer Tower Records has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after illegal music downloading and heavy competition hit revenues. Tower has stated it's been unable to cope with competition from digital downloading and file copying. The company closed its UK stores last year, but still has international outlets in the US, Asia, Latin America and Israel.

Mike Reiss, one of the producers of The Simpsons, revealed that the long rumored Simpsons movie is in the works, with an anticipated 2006 release date.

Spirit Mountain in Duluth, MN will host Red Bull Crashed Ice on February 20-21, 2004, featuring 100 adrenaline junkies racing down an intricate downhill ice course featuring whoops, bermed turns and narrow chutes. Each competitor will battle three other skaters at once in bracketed heats. Admission to the event is free.
 

Justin Timberlake has been cast in the movie Edison, where he will play a "small but pivotal" role. Timberlake joins Morgan Freeman, Kevin Spacey, and LL Cool J in this film to be directed by David Burke. "Edison" is a drama about a cop, a criminal and the reporter who keeps the lines of communication between them open.

Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne are set to join the project Assault on Precinct 13 for Focus Features. The film is a remake of the 1976 John Carpenter film.

Lucasfilm and Fox Home Entertainment have announced that the original Star Wars trilogy will be heading to DVD shelves September 21st. The three movies, A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi, will be released together as a set and not separately. The films will be digital remastered and restored utilizing the latest THX technology. A fourth disc will be included with bonus material, such as never-before-seen footage and a brand new documentary chronicling the making of the trilogy.

Producer Mario Kassar revealed that a screenplay for Terminator 4 will be ready within the next year.

Finding Nemo took top honors at the animation industry's 31st annual Annie Awards, earning nine awards, including best theatrical feature, best directing and best voice acting.

Dimension Films will remake The Hills Have Eyes, which was originally written and directed by Wes Craven in 1977. Craven will produce the remake, with Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur penning the screenplay and Aja directing.

Charisma Carpenter says she's interested in doing the Wonder Woman movie. The Warner Bros. modern film adaptation has gone through numerous script and casting changes, including Sandra Bullock as a potential lead at one point.

Jennifer Aniston has already found her first post-Friends project. Aniston will star as a young woman who discovers that her family's darkest secret was the inspiration for the book and the movie The Graduate and that she may have been the biological offspring of that scandal.

Diana Ross has been ordered to spend 48 hours in jail within the next month, after being convicted of driving under the influence in Arizona.

After 11 seasons on the beat, NYPD Blue will turn over its shield next year. ABC announced the show would be picked up through the 2004-05 season, the series' 12th, but left no room for further episodes.

NBC is renewing Donald Trump's contract for a second season of The Apprentice as he searches for yet another junior executive to join his team. Network chief Jeff Zucker announced the pickup and hinted that the Peacock could be in business with Trump and executive producer Mark Burnett for "many years to come." NBC is taking applications for the next installment on its Website, nbc.com.

MTV has decided that pop tart Britney Spears may be a bit too "Toxic" for daytime tastes. The music channel moved six of its racier videos, including Spears' video for her new single, "Toxic," from daytime to late-night rotation, from 10 p.m. until 6 a.m.