WEEKLY Movie & Music News(METALLICA & QUEENSRYCHE NEWS THIS WEEK)

[FanHalen]

Batman & Superman Frontrunner at WB for 2004
Sunday, June 30, 2002 1:57 CDT

Variety talked to Warner Bros. about their plans for 2004, in which there are still three slots for tentpole flicks available. That's in addition to the studio's second installment of Scooby-Doo and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban.

Warner Bros.' president-chief operating officer Alan Horn says that there are four frontrunners for those slots, one of which is Catwoman. Ashley Judd is the frontrunner for that part, but no deal is in place and the film won't get the greenlight until the studio gets the latest draft from John Rogers.

Also in the running is their Hellblazer comic adaptation, Constantine, which hit a wall when The Cell director Tarsem dropped out of the project. Nicolas Cage was to star, but Horn says that the new likely candidate is Keanu Reeves. No deal can be made until a new director is nailed, however.

Horn says that the Batman & Superman project has the best chances for a slot. In the film, the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight join forces against evil. Wolfgang Petersen is attached to produce, develop and possibly direct.

And a fourth candidate is Troy, which is a romance set in the Trojan War, says Horn. It's based on a spec by Michael Tabb that was purchased for the studio two years ago by Mark Canton and Senator Entertainment.

[ July 03, 2002, 03:33 AM: Message edited by: FanHalen ]

[FanHalen]

NEWS - Who Tour Will Go On With New Bassist
06/28/2002



Who Tour Will Go On With New Bassist(6/28/02, 4 p.m. ET) -- A day after John Entwistle was found dead in his Las Vegas hotel room, the Who said its North American tour would go on as planned. A post on singer-guitarist Pete Townshend's official website (petetownshend.com) says, "We are going on. First show Hollywood Bowl. Pray for us, John, wherever you are."

A follow-up note on the site states, "Pete and Roger (Daltrey) have decided that the tour will carry on, commencing with the Hollywood Bowl show on Monday (July 1). Bass player Pino Palladino has been drafted in for the shows."

The message adds that the June 28 show in Las Vegas, Nevada, and the June 29 date in Irvine, California, will be rescheduled at a later date.

The Welsh-born Palladino is no stranger to the Who or its music. The bassist accompanied Daltrey at a pair of 1994 concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York City, which resulted in the album Celebration: The Music Of Pete Townshend And The Who, and he also appeared on the Townshend solo album White City: A Novel.

Palladino, who first rose to prominence in the '80s with British singer Paul Young ("Every Time You Go Away," "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down"), has also played on albums for rock acts including Eric Clapton, Paul Rodgers, David Gilmour, Don Henley, Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, Elton John, David Crosby, Melissa Etheridge, Roxy Music alumni Bryan Ferry and Phil Manzanera, and most of the Genesis camp (Peter Gabriel, Phil Collins, Tony Banks, and Steve Hackett, as well as Mike Rutherford and Paul Carrack via Mike + the Mechanics).

In addition, Palladino's bass playing can be heard on albums from R&B performers such as Oleta Adams, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Chaka Khan, and Tina Turner.

The Who itinerary (subject to change):

July 1 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl

July 3 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre

July 4 - Marysville, CA - Sacramento Valley Amphitheatre

July 5,6 - George, WA - The Gorge

July 26 - Mansfield, MA - Tweeter Center

July 27 - Camden, NJ - Tweeter Center At The Waterfront

July 29 - Hershey, PA - Hersheypark Amphitheatre

July 31 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

August 1,3,4 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden

August 23 - Auburn Hills, MI - Palace Of Auburn Hills

August 24 - Tinley Park, IL - Tweeter Center

August 25 - Noblesville, IN - Verizon Wireless Music Center

August 27 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena

August 28 - Columbus, OH - Polaris Amphitheater

August 30 - Holmdel, NJ - P.N.C. Bank Arts Center

August 31 - Wantagh, NY - Jones Beach Amphitheatre

September 19 - Englewood, CO - Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre

September 21 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center

September 24 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center

September 27 - Cleveland, OH - CSU Convocation Center

-- Bruce Simon, New York

[FanHalen]

McCartney, Ozzy on "Palace"

Track listing finalized for Golden Jubilee concert CD


Paul McCartney, Elton John and Eric Clapton's odes to Queen Elizabeth at the Golden Jubilee concert will be captured on Party at the Palace, a compilation of some of the biggest performances from the June 3rd concert at Buckingham Palace.
The disc, which drops July 2nd, also features Brian Wilson and Spice Girl Emma Bunton's performance of "Good Vibrations," Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi's "Paranoid," Annie Lennox's "Why," and Queen's "We Will Rock You," "Radio Ga Ga" and "We Are the Champions."

The concert celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne; she was crowned in 1952. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the album will go towards the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Trust.

Party at the Palace track listing:

"God Save the Queen," Brian May featuring Roger Taylor and Ray Cooper
"You Can't Hurry Love," Phil Collins
"Dancing in the Street," Atomic Kitten
"Goldfinger," Shirley Bassey
"Everything I Do (I Do It for You)," Bryan Adams
"You Can Leave Your Hat On," Tom Jones, featuring Blue and Keith Airley
"Radio Ga Ga," Queen
"We Will Rock You," Queen, the London Cast of the Musical We Will Rock You
"Why," Annie Lennox
"Move It," Cliff Richard, featuring S Club 7 and Brian May
"Paranoid," Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi
"I Want Love," Elton John
"God Only Knows," Brian Wilson featuring the Corrs
"Good Vibrations," Brian Wilson featuring Emma Bunton and Atomic Kitten
"Layla," Eric Clapton
"Gimme Some Lovin'," Steve Winwood
"With a Little Help From My Friends," Joe Cocker featuring Steve Winwood and Brian May
"Handbags and Gladrags," Rod Stewart featuring J'anna Jacoby
"All You Need Is Love," various artists
"Hey Jude," Paul McCartney and various artists
CHRISTINA SARACENO
(June 28, 2002)

[FanHalen]

Many rumors have been flying recently about Marvel’s favorite Hammer Wielding Thunder God, Thor, taking a trip to the big screen.

E! Online’s Anderson Jones sought out one of the men who controls Thor’s celluloid destiny, Avi Arad, president of Marvel Films. Jones asked Arad about the possibility of a Thor movie. His reply might have Thor searching the Golden Halls of Asgard for spare change. Arad said, “If you find a movie studio willing to put up $400 million.”

[FanHalen]

Puh-leaaze!

Will Smith turned down The Matrix
Monday, July 1, 2002 8:42 CDT

A funny anecdote came out the press junket for Men In Black 2. The Chicago Sun Times reports:

Smith and Jones both have suffered career disappointments. Smith mentions that he turned down the Keanu Reeves lead in "The Matrix" to do the flop "Wild Wild West." "I was like, 'Yeah right, 'The Matrix.' Computers have taken over the world. I think I'd better go off and do that good film 'Wild Wild West.' " Smith shakes his head.

[FanHalen]

Steven Spielberg talks Indiana Jones 4
Monday, July 1, 2002 8:35 CDT

Cindy Pearlman spoke with Steven Spielberg about Indiana Jones 4:

The director of the hit film "Minority Report" says that keeping up with the Joneses isn't easy. Steven Spielberg admits that the upcoming sequel to "Indiana Jones" wasn't first on his "to do" list. "There was a little nagging," he says, laughing about the much-awaited sequel starring Harrison Ford. "George Lucas nagged me a little bit on it. But the deal is that George, Harrison Ford, Kathleen Kennedy and I built a family in the '80s. It was a wonderful family. A nine-year family. We made three films in nine years. Now, I would like to go back and have some fun. I'm kind of saving the candy for the last one," Spielberg says.

Hello, the last one? "Oh, I don't know," Spielberg adds. "Of course, I said the third Indy would be the last one. And obviously it's not. So I can't even comment whether the fourth will be the last one or not." As for plot secrets, Spielberg says, "I'm not looking to redesign the wheel. I just want to continue the saga." The film is due out in 2004. Yes, Spielberg's wife, Kate Capshaw, has a cameo.

[FanHalen]

Dean Devlin talks Independence Day 2
Monday, July 1, 2002 2:05 CDT

Sci Fi reports:

Independence Day producer Dean Devlin told SCI FI Wire that he and partner Roland Emmerich came up with the storyline for a sequel in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. "Since September 11th, [director Emmerich] and I did a lot of reflecting on the movie," Devlin said in an interview while promoting his latest film, Eight Legged Freaks. "It started because people were asking us about images that were fantasy images that then looked so frightening real in the [wake of] horrible events that took place."

The original 1996 film features eerily prophetic scenes of the fiery destruction of Manhattan, as well as the White House and other world landmarks. While those scenes may be difficult to watch after the events of Sept. 11, Devlin pointed out that ID4 also has an inspirational theme and depicts the world's uniting against a common threat. "After the great attack, everyone comes together who had been at odds, and we kind of watched our world do that," he said. "The one good side, I think, of something horrible is how people come together and band together. And through those discussions we started talking about the other parts of Independence Day that we actually liked the most, and that led us to a new story."

[FanHalen]

Movie News
Spielberg ‘nagged’ into doing INDIANA JONES 4
Candid quotes from RAIDERS director

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dateline: Tuesday, July 2, 2002

By: CHRISTOPHER ALLAN SMITH
By: News Editor
Source: Chicago Sun Times

It looks like, despite recent announcements of a joyful return to the INDIANA JONES series, director Steven Spielberg wasn’t so glad to be coming back.

"There was a little nagging," Spielberg told the Chicago Sun Times, admitting, “George Lucas nagged me a little bit on it. But the deal is that George, Harrison Ford, Kathleen Kennedy and I built a family in the '80s. It was a wonderful family. A nine-year family. We made three films in nine years. Now, I would like to go back and have some fun. I'm kind of saving the candy for the last one.”

What the last comment might mean for the series, which many fans though got softer and more broadly comedic as it went on, is unknown.

What’s more interesting is that Spielberg did not close the door to a INDIANA JONES 5.

"Oh, I don't know," Spielberg adds. "Of course, I said the third INDY would be the last one. And obviously it's not. So I can't even comment whether the fourth will be the last one or not. I'm not looking to redesign the wheel. I just want to continue the saga."

He also confirmed, again, wife Kate Capshaw will be returning to the series as Willie Scott of INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM fame.

[FanHalen]

Movie News
CONAN now gets parody treatment with HARV THE BARBARIAN
Or maybe it’s a MONTY PYTHON take

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Dateline: Tuesday, July 2, 2002

By: CHRISTOPHER ALLAN SMITH
By: News Editor
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Rob Schneider is stepping into the shoes of Arnold Schwarzenegger… kind of. The ex SNLer has just signed for the lead in the barbarian movie parody HARV THE BARBARIAN.

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER described the movie as a “MONTY PYTHON-esque tale” (big words, we know) centering on a thug who trudges through the world in a bid to find peace. David Zucker of THE NAKED GUN, BASEKETBALL fame, and writer on the classic AIRPLANE! has signed on to direct. Shooting begins October 1.

[FanHalen]

In an interview with our L.A Correspondent, Paul Fischer, Sigourney Weaver again talked about the chances of a fifth "Alien" film and whether she's tired of answering questions about it. "I have people coming up to me on the street talking to me about when is the next one, I’ve actually spoken to Ridley Scott a number of times. He would like to do five and I have to say that because its six months away from home, I have very mixed feelings about it. I don’t know. Maybe that will change" says Weaver. "You know if I can physically perform her task, or have a very good stuntwoman, I love what happened to Ripley. I love playing an alien" Weaver also talked a bit about the role she is playing in the forthcoming "Holes". "Louis the writer, Louis and I have quite a bit of sympathy for the warden because in fact, she’s also cursed because she’s had to dig as a child, she’s had to dig her whole life for this treasure so her life has never started. So I can really feel how misunderstood she is but she does do some evil things".

[FanHalen]

NEWS - New Pearl Jam Album Set For November
07/01/2002



(7/1/02, 5 p.m. ET) -- Pearl Jam has changed plans surrounding its forthcoming album releases. Eddie Vedder and crew will now release a still-untitled album of all-new original material in November with a B-sides album shelved until sometime early next year.

Adam Kasper produced the new album, and longtime Pearl Jam collaborator Brendan O'Brien mixed the collection. Pearl Jam is currently going over sequencing of the songs, and deciding on artwork and a name for the project.

Vedder's friend, known only as "Boom," plays keyboards, organ, and piano on the forthcoming effort.

Pearl Jam's last studio recording was Binaural. The 2000 release was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies.

-- Darren Davis, New York

[FanHalen]

MÖTLEY CRÜE's NIKKI SIXX To Form New Band? - July 1, 2002

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx is contemplating starting a new band, according to Sixx's latest posting on CRÜE's official message board.

"I'm thinking of starting a new band… 'cause its doesn't look like Tommy, Vince, Nikki and Mars are gonna be on stage anytime too soon together…. NO, this is not the demise of MÖTLEY CRÜE … They say…. that time heals all wounds (but what if time is the wound?) I say this… It's only life…."

In other news, the upcoming MÖTLEY CRÜE box set "is being finalized," according to Sixx. "At the moment it's called Addicted and the packaging is a huge pill bottle. It's pretty bad-ass… We're trying to not have a box set that's in a box. Imagine that…. Ha

"I feel so alive musically this summer. Creativity comes when I detach from the drama… It feels so good to just be taking care of my world.. and not anybody else's… I'm finally building a rehearsal/writing studio on our ranch. That should be the start of some great jam sessions and songwriting… I can't wait… Marshall stacks on 10… Yeah, right in the backyard….

"Been hanging with Mars a lot… He's doing much better…. It's grossly exaggerated how ill he is… For god's sake… It's like people have always predicted our deaths… Can't we just die when its our time? /haha I think it was reported that I died a few months back… Damn, isn't there enough death in the air without all you Nostradamus motherfuckers piping in too…"

[FanHalen]

Jerry Cantrell Missing Lost Friend, Moving On With Trip
07.02.2002 7:52 AM EDT

Although Alice in Chains singer Layne Staley died nearly three months ago, Jerry Cantrell still finds it difficult to come to grips with the loss.

"It's something I'm still dealing with, and I still think like he's here," Cantrell whispered, his eyes lowered. "I miss him tremendously. I love him and have to move on. I'll remember him and respect the memories of what we did together and just enjoy life ... and that's all I'll say about it."

Most memories the former bandmates and songwriting collaborators shared date back much further than that April evening when Staley was found dead of an overdose in his home. As with most of the late singer's friends and acquaintances, as well as those prolific among the closely knit Seattle music scene, it had been a while since the two were as close as they had been when they were recording benchmarks such as Dirt and Jar of Flies during the grunge heyday.

"It's been long time," Cantrell quipped when asked about the last time the two hung out. He looked annoyed at the question outright, as if somehow Staley's untimely demise could have been averted if only Cantrell had asked him out for coffee the week before.

Though Cantrell's latest album, Degradation Trip, released June 18, was completed long before Staley's death, several songs seem eerily prophetic in retrospect — as if Staley had already vacated Cantrell's life long ago, just as he did the lives of many of his other former friends. "Locked On" includes the lines "Faded rock star, push and needle ... / You do your thing, I'll live my life," while "Gone" conjures images of separation. "I caught a flash of your smile, though the fog of a dream ... / I can't be by your side, I'll see you when I sleep/ Now you're gone," Cantrell sings, backed by a backwoods waltz.

Like the disturbed confessionals that were Cantrell's contributions to Alice in Chains and his solo debut, 1998's Boggy Depot, the underlying premise of most songs stems from personal experience. Degradation Trip, is a journey into a disturbed psyche, making stops at self-depreciation ("Solitude"), drug dependency ("Spiderbite," "Mother's Spinning in Her Grave [Glass Di-- Jones]"), and abandonment ("Gone"), among other stations of the crossed. Fans of Alice In Chains can appreciate the tortured pacing of Cantrell's plodding laments, while his steely guitar riffs repeatedly stab at the melodies. The album opens with melancholy moaner "Psychotic Break," an apt forecaster with the chorus "I feel like a psychotic break comin' on," and the LP's first single, "Anger Rising," is a dysfunctional family portrait with a violent hue that revisits themes found in the Alice in Chains hit "Rooster."

"I've always been drawn to music that tells the sadder tale and tells the deeper, truer tale, which at times can be very dark," Cantrell explained. "I've always been a fan of that type of material, before I even became a writer. When I'm happy and feeling good, I go out and ride [roller] coasters and jet bikes and stuff. I go out and have fun. When I've got an issue or something is bugging me, I generally write a song about it. ... I draw from what I see and what I experience, and I only really know how to do it one way."

On the heels of a tour with labelmates Nickelback, which concludes Sunday in Omaha, Nebraska ,Cantrell will have a week to himself before resuming the road work with Creed. While he agrees that it's somewhat ironic for him to be opening for bands that Alice in Chains undoubtedly influenced, set time ain't nothing but a number for Cantrell and his backing band, bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Mike Bordin.

"I'm just really glad I'm out playing," he explained. "In Alice in Chains, we always said we'd play with pretty much anybody. I'm proud of what we do, and it's a strong act, so whoever we play with, I ain't scared of anybody."

—Joe D'Angelo

[FanHalen]

NEWS - Michael Jackson Draws A Laugh in 'Men In Black II'
07/02/2002



(7/2/02, 10 a.m. ET) -- Michael Jackson's many nose jobs and fading skin have long made him the brunt of many freak jokes. In the upcoming film Men In Black II, Jackson gets an opportunity to play on his reputation for freakiness by portraying one of the film's aliens.

Men In Black II star Will Smith warns LAUNCH that Jackson's appearance on screen happens very quickly, so you better pay attention. "In the theatre, people are just so shocked and laughing so much that they don't even really have a chance to listen to what he's saying, which is actually very funny, too," he says. "He plays Michael Jackson, who is an undercover Man In Black (MIB). He's an alien so he only has partial MIB status. He's in on the alien affirmative-action program, so he's only there, you know, for part time, but he's demanding his full MIB status. He thinks he put in enough of his time that he can be a full MIB status but, you know, the Men In Black, we don't do that."

-- Steve Iervolino and Chiam Chad Dougatz, New York

[DLR'sCock]

DIO Passes Torch To TENACIOUS D - July 1, 2002

Ronnie James Dio on the TENACIOUS D song "Dio" and the latter's bizarre request for the diminutive frontman to "pass the torch" to the group as part of a publicity stunt:

"Somebody called me and said, 'You know, this band TENACIOUS D did this song about you, and they want you to retire," said the singer. "I went, 'No, I don't think he'd do that? Would he?' He said, 'Yeah, they want you to stop playing. I guess they don't like you.' 'Nah, couldn't be.' So I listened to it myself. I went, 'Rubbish. They're saying great things about me. They want to be like me. They want to be 'like Mike.' They want to be like me more than anything.'"

"I think it's great, and so I heard it and I thought it was wonderful. And I saw Jack (Black) and he went, 'You weren't mad at the...' 'No, I think that's great.' He said, 'Could you do me a favor?' I said, 'Yeah sure.' and suddenly they pulled this damn torch out, like as big as the one at the Statue of Liberty. And he goes, 'Can we take a photo for our publicity thing with you passing the torch?' 'Of course Jack.' So I did, and they loved that. But, no, I thought it was great. I just love what they do. They're just so intense and so funny. They just absolutely kill me."

A picture of Dio passing the torch can be found at the TENACIOUS D's web site at this location.
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