Busy, Busy, Busy

Even if I was blogging regularly, I couldn't be blogging regularly right now. Yesterday, I saw "Fracture" with Ryan Gosling at 11 a.m., "Disturbia" with Shia LeBeouf at 6:30 p.m. and then I went to see Darren Hayes of Savage Garden perform at Joe's Pub at 11:30 p.m. at night. LOTS of screaming girls there (about 70/30 women, I'd say). The new songs are great of course. My only disappointment is that he didn't perform "Casey," my favorite song off the new album (that I've heard so far). My feature on Darren will appear in the music issue of The Advocate, which I THINK will be the next one out. The most fun of the show was sitting next to Jim, who works behind the scenes in reality TV and handles the business end of Pink Is The New Blog, a gossipy website that is sort of Prez Hilton without the bitchiness. Jim is a huge Darren Hayes fan and it's always more fun to be with/near someone who is completely caught up in the music. Today I want to finish watching Gosling's "Murder By Numbers," watch "The Slaughter Rule" and then listen to some of the director commentary tracks on "Half Nelson" and "The Believer." Then I interview Ryan Gosling at 5 p.m., and then head to the new Athol Fugard play "Exits and Entrances" at 8 p.m. Saturday at 3:30 p.m. I interview Shia. Then at 8 p.m. I head to the revival of August Wilson's "King Hedley II" at 8 p.m. Sunday at 2 p.m. I see the revival of "Moon For The Misbegotten" with Kevin Spacey. Monday at 1 p.m. is opening day at Yankee Stadium. And I have to write all those stories -- Gosling, Shia, Spacey -- as well as rewrite a story on the MacDowell Colony and write a story on Mike White's new film "Year Of The Dog," which I already did the interview for. Aaarrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

"American Idol" -- Results Show For Top 10

Ryan's faux-hawk was the most predictable part of a predictable evening -- predictable, that is, if you read my postings. I got lucky again.

Anyway, the Ford ad had an old West theme and again for some vague reason they seem less embarrassing to me than in season's past. But I still find it unforgivable that the kids act so pleased and happy about shilling for Ford after the ad has aired. And do you think the producers are trying to give a boost to Chris Richardson? They let him perform last when the most people are watching; if he and Chris Sligh had switched slots, it's arguable that Richardson would be the one going home. And then in the Ford ad they made him the outlaw, the most glamorous role, with Jordin -- another yungin' the producers would surely like to see last longer -- as the sheriff.

Then on to the three lowest.

PHIL looked very confident when he was standing up, which made it all the more amusing when he was in the bottom three. I try not to pay too much attention to who is in the bottom from week to week, thinking that your latest performance is really the only one that matters. But Phil should definitely be worried about constantly ranking low.

HALEY looked as if she assumed she would be in the bottom three. It wasn't the least bit surprising to her.

GWEN STEFANI -- she performed "The Sweet Escape" and did a fine chirpy job, though I've never felt the slightest compunction to buy an album of hers. But she's a pro. Akon came on to join her, but it might as well have been me. He was more of a cheerleader than a singer. Is all his solo success due to the big names that seem to appear on every song he does, or does he actually perform? During her performance, we saw a shot of Chris Sligh standing next to Gina. She was having fun; he was BARELY clapping along and was very unhappy indeed.

CHRIS SLIGH surely knew he was in the bottom three when it came down to him and Gina, since Gina had what will probably be her highlight of the season the night before. Sligh, indeed, looked...resigned. Perhaps he'd read my blog?

(And Chris Richardson by the way again got squeals from the girls. But his shirt was another horribly dated affair that only looked good compared to the hideous shirt he had on the night before. The show's costumer should be shot and anyone holding out hope that Richardson was gay would surely give up the ghost by now.)

GOING HOME -- Phil sat back down and then Sligh was sent home. I think just naming the bottom two is a big success. Actually guessing both of them AND the one going home is probably more just luck. I certainly have no tremendous Idol record in that regard but maybe I should go to Vegas. Sligh sang "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" and again sort of lost his breath and wavered on his vocals, but he did give hugs all around and joke to Phil that "You owe me 50 bucks." I liked Sligh and was sorry to see him go before Phil and Sanjaya and Haley, who are all less interesting singers. But at least he'll make the tour (somethng you think the show might emphasize so the people going home aren't painted as losers) and of course at this stage all that matters is getting down to the final three or four that are contenders. In this case, that would be Melinda, LaKisha, Blake and Jordin.

Oprah's Pick: Cormac McCarthy's "The Road"

Oprah Winfrey has always had excellent taste in books and her latest book club pick is just further proof. Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" was one of the most acclaimed books of 2006 and on most every Ten Best list for the year. (It certainly would have been on mine.) I think this just bumped up the possibility of the book being turned into a movie. It'll be fascinating to see what the ornery, private author is like with Oprah on TV (his first TV interview they say, though I thought he was on "60 Minutes" once). And I can't wait to find out what Oprah thought of the ending.

Harry Potter: The Final Book Jacket Art

Here's a look at the book cover art for the final Harry Potter. Scroll down to see the much inferior British version and scroll down to the bottom to see how the artwork wraps around to the back cover of the book. It looks like Harry and Voldemort are engaged in battle, with both of them trying to manipulate something we can't see.

"American Idol" -- The Top 10

Somehow, not a terribly exciting show last night for "Idol." Gwen Stefani seemed kind of sweet but she had one and only one piece of advice for the kids: shut up and sing the melody; none of those damn "runs" and trills, please. Good advice, but a bit one-note. (Pun intended.)

LAKISHA -- Donna Summer's "Last Dance." She looked good and had on some serious boots. The song was a breeze for her and she was a pro. Very fun. Clearly first to get the show off to a good start. And LaKisha is popular enough that the producers aren't worried about having her perform early. (Remember, performing early is always a danger because the audience builds every half hour for "Idol.")

CHRIS SLIGH -- The Police's "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic." He looked fine but Sligh has always been my favorite male until Blake started building steam. Now tonight Sligh has hit a wall. He had a very shaky start (did he begin the song in too high a key?). He was okay on the bridge but the bridge is where all the easy emoting comes in. He seemed absolutely lost and I suddenly wondered why he was still in it. One big difference popped into my head between the front-runners and the people just hoping to stay alive. LaKisha was performing. Chris Sligh was competing. He's in a very dangerous position.

GINA -- The Pretenders' "Stand By You." She looked fun and the boots with those crosses were crazy, helped enormously by fishnet stockings. She was a bit screechy on the high notes and the music overwhelmed her on certain passages, but overall this was a revelation for me. Who knew she could sing? I knew she could sort of rock and had a smart, fun personality, but she actually sang this song with conviction. It was her best performance by far, something I wrote down before Simon said the same thing. Her relief in front of the judges makes her vulnerable in an appealing way, which also helps.

SANJAYA -- No Doubt's "Bathwater." Gwen was as damning as she could be while still staying polite. "It's going to be very difficult for him." Uh, that was before you saw his crazy mohawk. Sanjaya, after a week or two of looking lost and scared and embarrassed that he was getting by when better singers were cut, has relaxed and decided to have fun. He is an entertainer and the air just proves that. The judges didn't even bother mentioning when he forgot the lyrics for a moment and just mumbled. And I'm sure it's my imagination but Sanjaya seemed to stumble and pause a tad every time he had to switch the gender in the song from "You're my kind of man" to "You're my kind of...girl." Perhaps he was used to singing along with the original lyrics? And again, he had a pretty good ending vocally, which is always the first thing on voters' minds and the hair was enjoyably silly. Damned if it wasn't entertaining. I wanna see what he's gonna do next week and so do a lot of other people. Simon was right again when he said, "You are in your own universe. And if people like you, good luck." Why bother critiquing him, indeed?

HALEY -- Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors." Her dress was good and she showed a lot of leg, but the hair and makeup and necklaces were too adult, too busy. She looked like a kid trying to look like a grownup. Just like the song actually. It was dull and had a very bad ending. When Simon nailed her ("Sweet but forgettable") the audience gave almost no reaction, which is always a bad sign. Definitely this week's Stephanie.

PHIL -- The Police's "Every Breath You Take." He looked pretty good, with the cap always a smart idea. Just like Chris Sligh, they added a lot of echo to his voice to sing this Police song. Faint and colorless were the words I wrote down while he was singing. Yes, he picked up a little steam and was a lot more forceful on the bridge ("Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace/I dream at night, I can only see your face") but that's where all the easy energy of the song is. Heck, I emoted the hell out of the song on the bridge when I sang it at karaoke during the Christmas holidays with the family. (And yes, I won.) The background vocalists helped fill in the upper falsetto on "Baby, baby PLEASE" which helped a lot on his ending. Somehow, not even dull enough to be memorably dull like Haley and Sligh. And did Ryan Seacrest really say, "That's the way we roll."? Yes, he did.

MELINDA -- Donna Summer's "Heaven Knows." Thank God it wasn't a show tune! I liked the pattern on Melinda's dress but the combo of the dress and the black tights wasn't appealing. But it was a fun look when the camera was close in (loved the tassle; very Seventies). For a change, she was fun and young and passionate. The curl on her hair was good too. Sailing through.

BLAKE -- The Cure's "Love Song." He looked much cuter in the video clip. On stage, he was wearing some awful 80s looking top with zippers and contrasting patterns that was awfully dated. He even seemed a little...fey, which is fine with me but still not the most aggressive. I philosophically like the fact that he sang the Cure but it was a very reserved song that kept him in check. He made almost no impression vocally and was generally very tentative. Simon said he was the strongest of the guys, but tonight that seemed like faint praise.

JORDIN -- No Doubt's "Hey Baby." Her school girl outfit was cute but made her look a little chunky, I thought. The big earrings were cool. Early in the song, she was getting lost on the low notes, but she picked up steam. After last week's sensational performance (I'm still annoyed none of the judges said they watched the playback and underestimated how great she was), I really wanted Jordin to capitalize. She held steady here and certainly didn't go backwards, but she didn't gain any ground. But fun.

CHRIS RICHARDSON -- No Doubt's "Don't Speak." He had on a goofy jacket and tie combo that looked okay in a dorky/cute way. And in a night where for the first time I felt the men lived down to their reputation as being out-classed by the women, Richardson stayed true to form as the rest of the guys. He was pretty good, but not special and like all of them seemed a bit lost. He was definitely competing, not performing. (Like Randy Johnson, I'm gonna have one idea and keep repeating it.) I'll say this about Chris: he looks EXACTLY like what you would have thought the winners of "American Idol" would look like: a male boy band pinup (or sex bomb a la Britney Spears if you're thinking of girls). And that's exactly the sort of winner the show has NOT produced in its first five seasons. Kelly Clarkson, Ruben Studdard, Clay Aiken, Taylor Hicks, Fantasia -- really, only Carrie Underwood has fit the idea of a star in the making that a record label would pick out of a lineup. America has focused much more on singing and personality instead of sex appeal. That's why Richardson was in the bottom two before and will be again sometime soon.

WHO'S OUT -- Sanjaya is always the wild card. No one would ever be surprised if he were in the bottom two and no one would ever be surprised if he were sent home. But I think he's safe for another week. My initial picks for the bottom two are Chris Sligh and Haley, with Sligh going home. But Phil and Chris Richardson and even Blake are vulnerable too. Sligh just seems more vulnerable because he sang early in the show when viewership is lower by millions and was so...nothing. Bummer, because I've liked him all along and thought last week's "Time Of the Season" was one of his best yet.

Man Found Living With 80 Sheep

He lived upstairs and the sheep lived downstairs. As my brother Chris said when he sent me the link, "In a related story, they also found 500 cartons of cigarettes."

What Is Happening To The Music Industry?

I've been having repeated discussions and debates with friends over the past few months about the music industry. Clearly, massive changes are roiling the business. Album sales for Billboard's Top 10 are down dramatically. Just five or ten years ago, the #1 CD would often sell 300,000 -400,000 copies, especially a new release. Today, if you sell 100,000 copies in a week, you're a blockbuster. Hundreds of record stores - including the iconic Tower Records -- have shuttered. People are buying iPods and digital songs and ringtones for their phones, but is that really making up for the shortfall in CD sales? No. Here's my back-and-forth with a friend at NYCD.com.

Here's a New York Times article from Monday on the same issue.

And here are my thoughts on what's happening with the music industry.

The late 80s to the late 90s featured a bizarre, once-in-a-lifetime spike in sales for the music industry, thanks to the introduction of the compact disc. The CD dramatically changed the business and over a decade the record labels significantly increased the cost of an album from $8-$10 to $18 or more.

They also destroyed the singles format, even though the single was once the lifeblood of the industry, a great way to break new artists and the entry level purchase for kids and teens that got them in the habit of buying music, a habit that would last a lifetime. Why? Because the record labels thought it was clever of them to force people to buy an $18 CD instead of a $2 or $3 single, even if people suspected or knew they didn't really want the whole album or simply couldn't afford it.

Finally, the CD allowed the record industry to convince everyone to replace albums they already owned on LP or cassette or 8-track with a far more expensive copy of the same album on CD. Then they convinced you to buy it AGAIN on CD because the album had been remastered or now included bonus tracks. Imagine the joy of publishers if they had a product that convinced everyone to replace the hundreds of books they owned with more expensive, more profitable versions of the same title. This is what happened in the music business and it was a fluke that led to a bulge in sales that simply could not be maintained.

The CD is often compared to the DVD, but the comparison doesn't hold up. Yes, both formats were far superior to the ones they replaced. But CDs were more expensive than cassettes, while DVDs were far less expensive than most VHS tapes (not to mention laser discs) or at worst the same price but made available far more quickly and with extras that the VHS tape could never begin to match. The DVD solidifed the burgeoning habit of building a film library the way people own libraries of books and music. Yes, some homes had lots of VHS tapes, but except for titles for their kids and, say "Top Gun" and "Beverly Hills Cop," most homes didn't have more than a handful of videos. Nowadays, lots of homes have DVD collections. It's a $20 billion business. Has some of the money that would be spent on CDs gone to DVDs? Absolutely.

Now, the new formats for CDs are hi-def CDs with even better sound quality and digital downloads. No one cares about the next generation of CDs; the sound quality simply isn't that dramatically better to convince people to make the switch. And of course they come with higher prices that the record labels would love to maintain. If the next generation of CDs had vastly better sound quality and more extras for the SAME or less money, record labels would be learning the lessons of DVD. But they're not.

And then there are digital downloads. In almost every way, this format is inferior to the CD. Digital tracks that play on an iPod can't be easily switched to a different machine. Buy a digital track from one company and it won't play on another company's player and certainly not the iPod. Wanna put that song on your phone? Good luck. If your computer crashes, every single digital track you have ever purchased may very well be lost for good. The sound quality isn't even close to a standard CD. The record companies fought digital downloads tooth and nail and still make it extremely difficult and unpleasant for people to use with ease in the ways they could reasonably expect.

And yet, people are spending billions of dollars on them and more "units" (ie digital downloads of singles and ringtone and entire albums, etc) were sold in the digital format than CDs last year. One big reason? After years of being dead, suddenly people can buy singles again. How many times in the 90s did you hear people complaining about buying a $15 (or $16 or $18) CD that only had one or two good songs on it? The record companies forced people to spend more money to get, say, The Fray's "How To Save A Life" when people suspected they would really only want that one song. It worked in the short term as CD sales boomed but it made people very unhappy. It also kept kids from buying music, so they migrated to video games and mangas and other diversions. Now, suddenly, people can again buy a single and for the cheap price of $1. And the one way that digital downloads are far superior to CDs is ease. There's a record store in virtually every single home in America. Yep, there's Amazon.com, which has more albums available than any record store in history. And there's iTunes, with an increasing number of songs available.

There's also the mobile phone. People are spending billions of dollars on ringtones, a market that's much more mature in Europe and Asia and will only get bigger here. People are buying singles and putting them on their phones both to appreciate the music and say, 'This is the person I am; this is the music I love.' Record labels are making billions of dollars off of singles via digital downloads and ringtones, the very format (a cheap song that kids could snap up, play over and over and then move on to the next one) that labels crushed into nothing, despite the worries of radio stations and other observers who knew this was a big, big mistake.

Record labels are going to see a HUGE increase in the next few years in catalog sales for singles. If a song is featured in an ad or on "American Idol" or "Grey's Anatomy," people can go online before the show is even over and purchase that old Tony Bennett gem or the Archie's "Sugar, Sugar" or whatever new song it is that has caught their fancy. Will they spend $18 on a CD that contains that song? Not always. Will the consumer be happy and be encouraged to buy more music by this experience? Yes.

But one thing clearly is NOT going to happen. People are not going to replace their CDs with digital downloads of the album for the obvious reason that they already own it and can rip the music off the (better sounding) CD and put it on their computer or iPod. I doubt we'll see any other format in our lifetimes for movies or music or books that convinces people they need to buy a new copy of something they already own. It was a fluke thanks to CDs that created a huge bump in sales (powered by boomers who wanted CD copies of all their oldies) that we won't see the likes of again.

So album sales were artificially inflated for a decade by the remarkable CD. Sales were goosed by people buying 40 year old albums all over again for more money. That will never return. As the NYTimes says, signing young artists to a one or two or three single deal and seeing what happens is exactly the way the music industry worked for most of its history. Having songs available for sale as a cheap single (or ringtone) is also the way the industry worked for decades. It's definitely a major positive that singles are back.

I haven't even touched on MySpace. Today, if you read about an artist in a story, there's usually a link to a song of theirs so you can immediately hear them and decide if you like them. If there isn't a link, most music consumers know they can type in a band's name and find its MySpace page where three or four songs can be streamed. It's on-demand radio for virtually every artist out there today. Yes, people are file-sharing but iTunes has made it clear that if music is reasonably priced and could be swapped from player to computer to phone back to player again, people will choose not to steal.

And no, the single is not "replacing" the album and the album isn't dead. The single is simply bouncing back where it belongs -- side by side with the album as a format just as important and exciting and fun as a CD. (It's not only 45 minute albums that make people love music. It's also the 3 minute single.) The single won't replace the album any more than a concerto would replace the symphony. They're different and serve different artistic needs.

More music is available more easily to more people than ever before in history. Every home contains its own record store, not to mention its own on-demand radio station via MySpace and artist home pages. Many artists can afford high-quality recording studios and will go the indie route since they can record and distribute their own albums and make a lot more money than via a record label. Young people are snapping up singles again, something they weren't allowed to do for a good decade and which forced them to go underground and file swap. It is a great time to listen to music.

Yes, the music industry is in major upheavals and fat, stupid suit-heavy record labels might be dinosaurs. Why would any artist with deep pockets and name recognition sign with Sony when they can make so much more money on their own? Paul McCartney's new album will be released by Starbucks, for heaven's sake. Clearly something is up. The record label isn't going anywhere; it's just going to have to get nimbler and adjust to lower sales. The album isn't in trouble; it's just going to have to readjust to a world where the single is also a major player and huge seller in the business instead of the bizarre decade when it was shunted aside by stupid record labels. Music stores can't compete on price with Wal-Mart for the top few artists and indie stores can't compete with the range of selection and penny-pinching prices of online sellers. So a lot is changing. It's a very tough, sad time for indie music stores and I have no idea what the future holds for them -- though I can't imagine a world without them. But when you add in ringtones and ringmasters and digital downloads, music sales aren't down so dramatically. When you figure that the sales of the 90s were goosed in a way by catalog sales that can never be reproduced and adjust expectations accordingly, music sales are pretty solid right now and the future looks so bright.... (There's a good example: does anyone need to own an entire album by Timbuk 3 or will they be a lot happier with just that song? And which is better for the industry long-term?) As soon as record labels stop shackling digital downloads and make them easier to use for all players in all formats, they'll be able to combat illegal file-sharing a lot more effectively and make a lot more money in the digital realm.

So anyone who thinks there aren't major changes afoot for record labels and record stores and music fans is clearly dumb and blind. But anyone who thinks music long-term is in "trouble" or that the album is going to disappear or that there aren't any good artists out there or people just don't care about rock and pop and soul and country and jazz and classical and world music anymore, well, they're just deaf.

"Life" And Death

The latest unnecessary iteration of the once iconic Life magazine is dead. I think that makes eight of its nine lives. They're bringing back the name at the end of the year to anchor a website that will contain a huge chunk of their massive archive and make the images available to the public.

"Battlestar: Galactica" Season Finale

SPOILER ALERT -- I'll be discussing the plot twists of the season finale so stop reading if you haven't watched yet. This was a very problematic season of BG for me. A show that just got better and better from its miniseries through seasons one and two suddenly hit a wall in season three. Many episodes felt like simply treading water. The massive upheaval in the plot -- having them colonize a planet they thought was safe and then being taken over by the Cylons -- was dismissed in just a handful of episodes. That situation was ripe with parallels to Iraq, not to mention fascinating and involving. I hate it when shows change EVERYTHING and then dump it all after a few shows and go back to where they were before. Sure, there have been repercussions throughout the season, but not enough to justify throwing such a big changeup and then dropping it just as quickly. I will always regret they didn't spend the entire season on that planet with a resistance and collaborators, etc. It was fertile material. Even worse, suddenly everyone was in a relationship we KNEW wouldn't last (especially Starbuck and Apollo's marriages) that were annoying and a waste of time. I felt like I was watching a soap instead of the smart sci-fi series I had been. Then Starbuck was "killed off" with just a few episodes to go in a manner that made clear she would be back one way or another. Everyone I'm sure expected the final moment of the season to be something like a shot of Starbuck coming out of the birthing goo and realizing she was a Cylon. Instead, in a really enjoyable twist, they outed FOUR main characters as Cylons. (The Dylan song was a truly bizarre touch worthy of "St. Elsewhere." And while the lyrics are wildly impressionistic and vague, they don't seem to relate to being a Cylon in any way shape or form. So why THAT song?) And when Starbuck did return it was in a vaguely uncertain manner that left us not sure what to think. So from a show that was at its best the finest show on TV, I'd have to seriously downgrade this season. But if they explore the many possibilities opened up by the four new Cylons (and it doesn't help that Roslin's asst is simply not a good actress, albeit quite pretty), there's hope they can turn things around. One thing to watch for (in 2008, no less) is how quickly they get Apollo back in uniform. I'm really bored by Adama either yelling at his son or blubbering at him in a sentimental outburst. Their relationship isn't growing; it's just switching back and forth at random. Interestingly, SciFi suddenly re-upped the show for an entire season of 22 episodes after first ordering only 13 episodes. If that means SciFi wants to tout Season Four as the final one, then I hope they do so soon so the writers can prepare a fitting conclusion.

NOTE: In my bid to not blog so much, I haven't been reading so much online. I see that John Aravosis at Americablog was also deeply disappointed in this season.

NOTE: And here's a good post-season finale chat with Roslin, Adama and creator Ron Moore.

The Secret Of "The Secret"

It's very hard not to blog. Don't I need to tell people the weekend box office and express my amazement that "The Last Mimzy" made $10 million? I just couldn't picture anyone other than an eight year old saying, "One for 'The Last Mimzy' please.'" I feel silly even typing it. Watch my astonishment if this poorly reviewed film doesn't drop next weekend. (Why don't people just go see "Bridge To Terabithia" instead?) Don't I need to break down the overnight ratings and tell you that reruns of serialized dramas are dead when even a red-hot show like "Grey's Anatomy" only reached 6.5 million viewers -- about 25% of its typical audience. Dramas running for six months are a thing of the past; networks need to realize that and schedule all of them the way they do "Lost" and "24." That means they need twice as many shows to fill their schedules of course. Oh and the "Grease: You're The One That I Want" finale barely moved the dial -- it reached a typical 6.78 million viewers. I loved how the judges were AMAZED when Max won the role of Danny, even though all three of them pushed for him. Austin just did NOT look like anything remotely resembling Danny and the poor guy's macho, body builder stance (with his arms manfully poised at his side) bespoke someone uncomfortable in their skin (to me). But th most fun of all was Max's beauty queen reaction to winning: his hands flew to his mouth and then he immediately turned to his opponent with a look of sorrow. "Grease" is a show that doesn't need stars, really, in the short term, but without a lot of imagination from director Kathleen Marshall it's gonna be tough not to feel this is a roadshow version.

But I couldn't resist blogging to tell you there's a book deal for a title called "The Secret Of 'The Secret,' " a book about a book that looks at the silly claims of the "The Secret" and wonders if the power of positive thinking really works and whether Einstein et al were really in on The Secret. A book about 'The Da Vinci Code' makes sense; there are lots of historical things to toss around. But why would anyone who hasn't read "The Secret" want to read this? And if they have read "The Secret" and liked it, why would they want it debunked? If they didn't like it, why do they need someone else to tell them what they already know? I may not pay my rent, but at least I don't have to work on foolishness like this.

Just interviewed Kevin Spacey, but in 40 minutes I felt I barely scratched the surface. Definitely looking forward to seeing "Moon For The Misbegotten," though.

The 2007 IRAs -- Official Results

The 2007 IRAs - the grand finale to the awards season -- took place Saturday night from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. It's the 32 year the IRAs have taken place and age took its toll: only eight members were present (the lowest total in memory), with another four providing absentee ballots. Teaching engagements, family crises, living in other parts of the country and more have all taken their toll. After more than a decade of membership, I tentatively brought in a new member, Aaron, aka richboy. His taste was mocked, his entries were belittled, his lack of cinematic knowledge was challenged. In short, he was accepted. Since Aaron has never known a world in which the IRAs didn't exist, hopefully he'll contribute to its continued existence for years to come. All absent members were missed, but the results were excellent nonetheless.

THE 2007 IRA WINNERS

Best Picture -- L'Enfant
Best Director -- Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, L'Enfant
Best Actor -- Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Best Actress -- Maggie Cheung, Clean
Best Supporting Actor -- Anthony Mackie, Half Nelson and We Are Marshall
Best Supporting Actress -- Carmen Maura -- Volver, Free Zone and Queens
Best Screenplay -- (tie) Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, L'Enfant and Guillermo Del Toro, Pan's Labyrinth
Best Cinematography -- Emmanuel Lubezki, Children Of Men
Best Score -- Philip Glass, The Illusionist and Notes On A Scandal
Best Production Design -- Eugenio Caballero, Pan's Labyrinth
Best Costumes -- Sharen Davis, Dreamgirls, The Pursuit Of Happyness, Akeelah and the Bee
Dramamine Award (For A Movie That Makes You Sick) -- Babel
Sominex Award (For A Movie That Puts You To Sleep) -- The Da Vinci Code
Mechanical Actor -- Robert Downey Jr, A Scanner Darkly, A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait Of Diane Arbus, and The Shaggy Dog
Mechanical Actress -- Julianne Moore, Children Of Men, Freedomland


THE 2007 IRA AWARDS -- THE COMPLETE RESULTS IN ORDER OF VOTING

Again, 8 members were present, with 4 more members providing absentee ballots. For each category, we go around the room, naming our top five point selection. Then we go around the room again, naming our five nominees in order (with descending votes of 5 pts, 4 pts. 3 pts. and so on.) A winner is tabulated, a vote to rescind is made (in which a majority of the people voting must reject the first place vote-getter) and a winner is crowned. This takes a remarkably long time.

BEST COSTUMES

Sharen Davis for Dreamgirls, The Pursuit Of Happyness, Akeelah and the Bee -- 35 points
John A. Dunn for The Notorious Bettie Page, Factory Girl, The Return -- 27 points
Chung Man Yee for Curse Of The Golden Flower -- 20 poiints
Ruth Myers for The Painted Veil, Infamous, Monster House -- 12 points
Sabine Daigeler for Volver -- 10 points

The dirty secret of the IRAs is that just like the Oscars it can focus on flashy period films and fantasy tales for the tech awards, rather than, say, exploring the subtle use of costumes to explore character in, of, Half Nelson or the like. So Dreamgirls -- written and directed by one-time IRA voter Bill Condon -- won the first award. It garnered what would be the highest point total of the night. Did this presage a Dreamgirls sweep?

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Eugenio Caballero for Pan's Labyrinth -- 32 points
(tie) John Myhre for Dreamgirls -- 22 points
Jim Clay and Geoffrey Kirkland for Children Of Men -- 22 points
Ann Chakraverty, Pierre Pell and Stephane Rosenbaum for The Science Of Sleep -- 13 points
Gideon Ponte for The Notorious Bettie Page and Nacho Libre -- 9 points

Dreamgirls has another strong showing but it's the flashy, Oscar-winning work of Pan's Labyrinth that triumphs handily. Some grumblings about highlighting a film that already won an Oscar can be heard. But what can you do? Pan's Labyrinth was hardly a typical Oscar winner and it was clearly seen and appreciated by the IRA community.

BEST SCORE

Philip Glass for The Illusionist, Notes On A Scandal, Roving Mars -- 20 points
Alberto Iglesias for Volver -- 18 points
Alexandre Desplat for The Painted Veil and The Queen -- 16 points
Neil Young for Neil Young: Heart Of Gold -- 14 points
Brian Eno, David Roback and Tricky for Clean -- 13 points

Philip Glass, one of my favorite composers and a touchstone throughout my entire journalism career, wins his first IRA award in a tight race. There was some back and forth: some voted for his atypical score for The Illusionist but NOT for his more Glass-ian work in Notes On A Scandal while others preferred their Glass straight up and voted for Scandal instead of The Illusionist but ultimately his body of work for the year was acknowledged. No one had seen Roving Mars, an IMAX film. I was thrilled for Glass, but my first choice was Neil Young's brilliant songs for the terrific concert film Neil Young: Heart Of Gold. And this was probably the first nomination for Brian Eno, another personal favorite.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Emmanuel Lubezki for Children Of Men -- 24 points
Guillermo Navaroo for Pan's Labyrinth, Night At The Museum -- 18 points
(tie) Alain Marcoen for L'Enfant -- 12 points
Tobias Schliesser for Dreamgirls -- 12 points
Gokhan Tiryaki for Climates -- 10 points
Gyula Pados for Fateless, Basic Instinct 2 -- 9 points

Coming into the IRAs, I was most worried about Army Of Shadows, a 1969 film by Jean-Pierre Melville that had played at Film Forum. I liked but didn't love it (I'd take Le Samorai or Bob Le Flambeur any day) and philosophically rejected the film as clearly being a revival, whatever the technical ruling might be. (A film is eligible for an IRA when it is first screened in NYC during a commercial run and that was the case with Army Of Shadows.) But Dreamgirls and Children of Men were two more movies I liked but didn't love that were showing strong support. If Children Of Men deserved any award, it was cinematography for the exciting camerawork (and Dreamgirls getting costumes made perfect sense too). My pick was L'Enfant, another hand-held gem from the Dardennes that I found utterly gripping. And no one could imagine what life must have been like for Pados to go from the grim Holocaust film Fateless to Basic Instinct 2. The mind reels at the weirdness of it.

BEST SCREENPLAY

(tie) Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne for L'Enfant -- 17 points
Guillermo Del Toro for Pan's Labyrinth -- 17 points
Rian Johnson for Brick -- 12 points
(tie) Robin Campillo and Laurent Cantet for Heading South -- 10 points
Bill Condon for Dreamgirls -- 10 points

Another satisfying win for me. Some objected that the script Pan's Labyrinth made no sense and violated its own rules. (Hey, you can't trust a faun, so expecting it to follow its own rules is crazy, I say.) It made perfect dream-sense to me (ie. it felt right) and I'm a sucker for fairy tales. Tell me I've got three tasks to complete and I'm sold. And having L'Enfant tie for the win was very promising. It was one of my ten favorite films of the year, but I didn't think the film would be widely seen enough by the IRA voters (I didn't really recall them touting the Dardennes before) so I started scribbling in that film in the upper categories, hoping it might become a player. And Brick, with the cleverest fake slang since Clueless, was a welcome sight as well. The only surprise was the coming strength of Heading South, a film I'd never even heard about before the IRAs.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Carmen Maura for Volver, Free Zone and Queens -- 23 points
(tie) Simone Signoret for Army Of Shadows -- 14 points
Lily Tomlin for A Prairie Home Companion -- 14 points
Lubna Azabal for Changing Times -- 12 points
Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada and A Prairie Home Companion -- 12 points

A happy for Maura after reuniting with Almodovar in one of my favorite films of the year. I was probably the only one to see the terrible, half-witted Queens so I couldn't get enough attention to have her award designated for the other two but NOT Queens. And everyone was astonished and disbelieving -- had Maura really had a small role in Amos Gitai's Free Zone? Apparently she had. Surely Signoret will never be nominated for another IRA, having been dead for many years. And much bickering over whether Streep was a lead or a supporting role in Prada. Since I strongly believed she was a supporting role (Anne Hathaway is clearly the sole lead), I was glad to see Streep mentioned here.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Anthony Mackie for Half Nelson, We Are Marshall -- 25 points
Nick Nolte for Clean, Over The Hedge, Off The Black, Peaceful Warrior -- 22 points
Mark Wahlberg for The Departed -- 21 points
Sergi Lopez for Pan's Labyrinth -- 12 points
Eddie Murphy for Dreamgirls -- 11 points

Now I'm really excited. Mackie wins best supporting actor in a really tight race? That bodes well for Ryan Gosling, I think, unless the film has just squandered all its good will. In any case, I'm thrilled Mackie beat Nolte out of winning for Clean. He was a fine presence in that film, but I just didn't like it. And though someone said Nolte is always good lately, they clearly hadn't seen the absurdly bad Peaceful Warrior, which is getting a new commercial launch this year after playing for a few weeks in 2006 at Sundance Cinemas.

BEST ACTRESS

Maggie Cheung for Clean -- 27 points
Penelope Cruz for Volver -- 22 points
Maggie Gyllenhaal for Sherrybaby, Stranger Than Fiction, World Trade Center and Monster House -- 14 points
Shareeka Epps for Half Nelson -- 13 points
Charlotte Rampling for Heading South -- 11 points

Well, I wasn't fond of Clean and Maggie Cheung's character was no Marianne Faithfull. (Really, I found the finale almost unbearable and silly.) But she's talented and of course beautiful. If only she hadn't been blocking Cruz, who gave the best performance of her career in the best Almodovar film in a long, long time. Seeing Epps on the list also pleased me; another good sign for Gosling, who I prayed the IRA voters weren't going to dismiss because he'd already received so much attention (including an Oscar nomination) or simply because of The Notebook.

BEST ACTOR

Ryan Gosling for Half Nelson -- 30 points
Jeremy Renier for L'Enfant -- 23 points
Sacha Baron Cohen for Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazahkstan -- 13 points
Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Brick -- 11 points
Melvil Poupaud for Time To Leave -- 10 points

Hurrah! Gosling wins with the biggest point total of any acting category. Well deserved, since it was a remarkable performance that established him as one of the most exciting actors around. And the runner-up was the lead from L'Enfant? Now I'm really thrilled at the possibility of these two films duking it out for Best Picture. More good news: Cohen getting deserved attention for Borat, last year's winner Gordon-Levitt getting a nod for Brick (my favorite film of the year) and Poupaud for Time To Leave, another film on my ten best list. This is shaping into a very good year for me, IRA-wise.

BEST DIRECTOR

Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne for L'Enfant -- 33 points
Pedro Almodovar for Volver -- 25 points
Alfonso Cuaron for Children Of Men -- 18 points
Guillermo Del Toro for Pan's Labyrinth -- 13 points
Lajos Koltai for Fateless -- 8 points

Now L'Enfant is gaining momentum. Half Nelson is nowhere to be seen, but frankly the actors were far better than the script or the direction, so I'm not upset. And yes, Children Of Men is here, but its way behind Volver and L'Enfant in points total, so things are looking good.

BEST PICTURE

L'Enfant -- 27 points
Half Nelson -- 18 points
Volver -- 17 points
Children Of Men -- 14 points
Pan's Labyrinth -- 12 points

Hurrah again! I'm just enthralled by everything the Dardenne brothers do, so I'm thrilled to see them acknowledged at the IRAs. And Half Nelson and Volver and Pan's Labyrinth as well? This might as well be my top ten list. Children Of Men is the only filmI wouldn't include myself, but Cuaron is a major talent and I found the film interesting if not wholly successful and it's only ranked fourth, so I couldn't be happier. The list of my five picks for Best Picture coming into the IRAs (meaning the films I would push for and thought had a chance) were Brick, Volver, Pan's Labyrinth, Borat and Half Nelson. I had L'Enfant way down in my picks for acting and directing, but immediately threw them towards the top once I saw a core group of people voting for it. That's the key to smart voting in a group like this: you've got to adjust your ballot on the fly and encourage people to keep voting for a movie you like, even if it's not your first or second pick. Also, you might even throw in a movie someone else is supporting that doesn't have a chance; just give it a point or two so they'll hear their film mentioned and keep voting for it. Why? To keep them from dumping their favorite and throwing their allegiance to another film that DOES have a chance and you don't want to win. Oh the machinations of the IRAs.

DRAMAMINE (A MOVIE THAT MAKES YOU SICK)

Babel -- 21 points
13 Tzameti -- 14 points
Little Miss Sunshine -- 10 points
Manderlay -- 7 points

Babel -- aka Crash with a passport, as some dubbed it -- was a well-deserved winner here. Despite some decent acting in certain sections, the links between the segments were forced to say the least and the overall structure is a silly, meaningless stunt. How many times will they remake the same film with diminishing returns.

SOMINEX AWARD (A MOVIE THAT PUTS YOU TO SLEEP)

The Da Vinci Code -- 12 points
The History Boys -- 8 points
The Good German Shepherd -- 7 points

Voting is always widely scattered in these negative categories. There are a lot more films that bore you than thrill you. I was happy to bring attention to The Da Vinci Code and get it honored here. I loved the play The History Boys but the film did somehow manage to completely bollocks the transfer from stage to screen. And The Good German Shepherd is a very funny mashup of The Good German and The Good Shepherd. Personally, I thought The Good German was a fun stunt (and Cate Blanchett was terrific) while The Good Shepherd was very interesting and is one I'm eager to see a second time.


MECHANICAL ACTOR

Robert Downey Jr. for A Scanner Darkly, A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, Fur: An Imaginary Portrait Of Diane Arbus, and The Shaggy Dog -- 21 points
Kevin Spacey for Superman Returns -- 11 points
Chazz Palminteri for A Guide To Recognizing Your Saints, Running Scared, Little Man, Arthur and the Invisibles -- 10 points

MECHANICAL ACTRESS

Julianne Moore for Children Of Men -- 19 points
Vera Farmiga for The Departed -- 16 points
(tie) Abigail Breslin for Little Miss Sunshine -- 13 points
Bryce Dallas Howard for Lady in The Water and Manderlay -- 13 points

The Best CDs of 2006

Don't miss my annual Best CDs of 2006 list, along with my favorite boxed sets, singles, reissues and early picks for 2007. Go here to read it all.

Big Changes At Popsurfing

A note from your fearless leader.

This Weekend: The IRAs

No, award season for movies is not over. This weekend is the 30+ annual IRA Awards, a terribly exclusive event in which grumpy movie buffs get together and argue over their favorite (usually obscure) films, mock each other's choices and eat cake. After a decade (can it be?) of attending, I'm bringing Aaron aka richboy aka watchboy into the group as my first invitee. Beyond the need to watch and admire offbeat fare, the central trait of an IRA member has to be the willingness to argue and bicker and attack someone else's opinions with venomous flair. He'll fit in just fine. I'll give you the full rundown of the winners and losers on Sunday.

Not Quite Curtains For "Curtains"

I always feel a certain protectiveness for a show I write about. So I was not terribly surprised to see mixed reviews for the new Kander & Ebb musical "Curtains." (I'm seeing the show Tuesday.) The friendly reviews are pretty modest and even the negative reviews are polite. But I was pleased to see that everone agreed on one point: David Hyde Pierce is a genuine star and holds center stage with ease.

"Ugly Betty" Etc.

I skip through half the show (anything to do with murder and intrigue) but I have to admit I find the tone of the show and the central character Betty winning. Just as they get schmaltzy with a touching letter from the magazine's editor, it's undercut by having Patti LuPone reject the swishy Marc St. James (Michael Urie) when he comes out. And why don't I find Marc annoying the way, say, Jack on "Will & Grace" was annoying? Maybe it's just a matter of time. Jack was pretty funny for a season or two until the supporting characters took over the show. But there's something grounded and genuine about that character -- in the context of a silly, over the top show, of course. And having Marc decide to come out because his mom made mean comments about the super-gay nephew of Betty is just one dividend of the show's creators admitting Justin is gay and would realize it/come out in seasons to come. Sadly, it could BARELY edge out the ,ild game show "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader" and -- bizarrely -- lost to it in the key 18-49 demo I would have expected "Betty" to shine in.

Meanwhile, while "Andy Barker PI" is slipping in the ratings, I found the second episode found a certain gentle rhythm. You've just got to love a show whose hero says "Fudge!" and "Cheese and crackers" when he's frustrated. Go to MediaWeek's Marc Berman for a complete ratings breakdown.

"Doctor Who" Back For A Fourth Season

No word on whether David Tennant will still be playing the good doctor. Remember, they did a great job of revealing him unexpectedly as the new Doctor at the end of Season One. The show has spun off too many other series, but the main one has remained fun family entertainment, a great revival of a classic show and has already launched Billie Piper into a major career as an actress in the UK. So good news in general.

Overnight TV Ratings -- "Friday Night Lights" Struggles

Go to MediaWeek's Marc Berman for a complete ratings breakdown. All I'll mention is that "Idol" seems to have finally plateaued. If the show increases its viewership overall this season, it will be very a very slim margin.

And poor "Friday Night Lights" had another tough week. This show had a rock steady audience whether seen on Tuesdays or Mondays. Then the show was moved again to Wednesdays and actually increased its viewership to the highest levels since the show debuted. So what did NBC do? It panicked when the following week (opposite "Idol," mind you) the show hit a new low of 5+ million, rather than mid 6 million. So they yanked the show for two weeks in favor of Dateline reruns. Last night, after two weeks of being on hiatus, the show rebounded somewhat from February 28th's 5.1 million to last night's 5.4 million. Despite NBC's best efforts to kill the show by moving it twice, airing it opposite "Idol" and then hiding it for a few weeks, the audience might actually find the show again. Typically, it was another terrific episode.

Laverne & Shirley Reuniting?

In an odd bit of news, Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams of "Laverne & Shirley" fame are reportedly reuniting for a scripted series that will air on TVLand. Marshall is easily one of the most successful female film directors of all time, with smash hits "Big" and "Awakenings" and "A League Of Their Own" to her credit. But after that run of movies in 1988, 1990 and 1992, she fell on hard times. "Renaissance Man" in 1994 only hit $25 mil, but did introduce Mark Wahlberg to acting. "The Preacher's Wife" in 1996 hit $50 mil, which had to be solid numbers for that project. And "Riding In Cars With Boys" five years later hit only $30 mil. But again, the budget couldn't have been that big since it was a small-scale female-centric story. But Marshall has done nothing for the past six years and doesn't even seem to have anything in the works as a director. Did she lose interest, waste time on projects that didn't come to fruition or get squeezed out after a few modest missteps?

"Battlestar Galactica" Fourth Season Renewal Increased To Full 22 Episodes

In a rather bizarre unexplained shift, SciFi has changed its mind about "Battlestar Galactica." Initially, the channel had renewed the show for only 13 episodes, the equivalent of about half a season. It's the channel's most expensive series (by far), the ratings had remained relatively modest after moving to Sunday nights and the series was approaching 80 episodes, just about enough for running it nightly in reruns. Obviously, the end of the road for the show was nigh. But just a few weeks later, SciFi has bumped up the number of episodes to a full season of 22 shows. No word on what made them change their mind -- maybe the cost of keeping everyone intact for half a season was so expensive anyway that an extra nine episodes wasn't exactly a doubling of the budget and they figured, why not? In any case, their signature series lives on.

"American Idol" Recap

First, Peter Noone of Herman's Hermits sang. He's a real performer and knows exactly what to do with the modest voice he has left. Never much of a singer, but he works well within his limitations. I loved the shot of Simon ignoring him completely. And the audience cheered when he first came onstage, as if they actually knew and cared about him. Bless 'em.

Ford Ad -- I think the goofy ads the cast does are quite a bit better this season. Certainly this one set in a laundromat was pain free and modestly entertaining. (I did like seeing Melinda do gymnastic twirls down the row of machines, though I can't get it out of my head that some people dubbed her Shrek.) Nonetheless, after the ad we got a group shot and again they seemed way too enthusiastic about having to do a car ad. High fives over an ad? And placing Brad Garrett in among the kids was a new low, even for FOX.

The elimination round -- Phil hooted like a maniac when he was saved and certainly should have -- I thought he'd be in the bottom two. Plus, I like our nickname of Bat Boy for him, but I also saw online that people call him Nosferatu and that's pretty on-target too.

They had a nice bait-and-switch by putting Sanjaya and Haley and Gina together -- I'm sure everyone assumed they'd be the bottom three. It certainly fooled Chris Richardson. You could see him saying "Wow" when he found out they were safe and realized that meant he and Stephanie were the bottom two. I've always thought Blake and Chris Sligh were stronger than Rochardson, but bought into the hype because he was appealing. (Though I did wisely say he belonged more on a CW sitcom or drama than as a singer.) Still, I should have pegged him as vulnerable since he can't sing that well and the arrangement of the song highlighted that. Shame on me.

I loved the bizarre sign we saw quickly in the audience: "Clay Aiken Hurt Me." What could that possibly mean and why in heaven's name did FOX let it get on the air?

LULU -- "To Sir With Love" (the very first -- and noly -- single my sister Leslie ever bought). She was a much better coach than Peter Noone and she did a much more exciting job performing. Even when her voice cracked and wavered she was delivering emotion. Her vocals just have a great quality about them. And she looked pretty darn hot.

Then Chris and Stephanie were front and center (with Chris's shirt artfully semi-untucked, as always. He had the right response to being safe: relief and then properly consoling Stephanie, even getting her to laugh briefly, which looks good. I picked Stephanie to go and I'm not surprised in the least that she did. It was certainly a slap in the face for Chris, who's heard nothing but squeals for a few weeks now.

I was hoping for a comment from the judges -- did they say anything the entire night? It would have been nice to hear if any of them listened to the show again and realized they undersold how sensational Jordin was on Tuesday. Ah well, there's always next week.

ABC Renews "Brothers & Sisters" and "Men In Trees"

You knew "Ugly Betty" was a given, but ABC also just announced they were renewing the on-the-bubble shows "Brothers & Sisters" (which apparently has improved mightily on the creative end since it debuted) and "Men In Trees," another fave of the execs that didn't show much traction in the ratings. "Boston Legal" -- another show that was iffy -- is also back, as are the usual suspects ("Dancing With The Stars," "Desperate Housewives," "Grey's Anatomy" and god help us "The Bachelor"). "Lost" was also a given but unfortunately they didn't announce that season four would be the final season of the show -- that would be the best thing for it creatively and ratings-wise. Here's hoping NBC shows similar faith in "Friday Night Lights."

Big Changes At Popsurfing

I've been popsurfing for about 15 months now. I was itching to continue the habit of blogging I developed when I was contributing modestly but regularly to Americablog in its early days. And of course pop culture is my main beat. It's been fun, but I need to pull back. I was gone for a week and still haven't sorted through all my emails. In a few weeks, I'll be gone for a month again covering the Cannes Film Festival. I've got to devote two weeks -- full time-- to trying to put my taxes in order. Something's gotta give and it's gonna be popsurfing.

If I'd wanted to try and turn this into an actual business, I would have had to focus it on one underserved area -- a successful blog covering all of pop culture has too many major outlets like Entertainment Weekly and Hollywood Reporter and even IMDB and about a million other sites to compete with. (I might still do that down the road with a blog focusing on books; it's almost impossible to find out what's being released each week in bookstores.) To succeed commercially, you need to focus on one genre or even one tv show or a particular style of music and then duke it out with the hundreds of other blogs devoted to the same topic. But I was never interested in doing that. This was all about just having fun.

I'll still blog but it will only be when I've got something to say -- no more daily postings on the overnight TV ratings, or the weekend box office, or the music charts in the US and the UK or the book charts or breaking news or anything of that sort. When I've read a good book or want to talk about a show or CD or simply want to critique some lazy journalism, I'll blog. But for now I'm going to try and step away and not feel driven to post constantly throughout the day. You might check the blog once a day or once a week to see what I'm up to and frankly that's all most anyone has done anyway. There will just be a lot fewer postings for you to read.

Thanks to the tens of people who've visited here on and off and provided comments and feedback (and even a little money in the form of donations). I'll still be here, just without the rabid intensity of before. Maybe I'll miss it and come back full force. (It's been a major effort NOT to post the new Billboard Top Ten CDs article, for example.) Maybe I'll go cold turkey and find I have time to rediscover my wife and play with the kids ("Who are you?" they'll ask when I walk into their room.) and actually get ahead at work. And if anyone wants to donate say $50,000 I'll be glad to keep blogging full-time. Otherwise, thanks for surfing.

Michael

"American Idol" -- The Top 11

I thought bringing on the guy from Herman's Hermits and Lulu were pretty sad choices for British Invasion week. But Peter Noone was okay (at least we could tell who he liked and who he didn't) and Lulu was terrific -- one of the best guest judges ever. Her advice was specific, on-point and enthusiastic.

HALEY -- "Tell Him" -- I would have said this was by the Exciters, an American group from Jamaica, New York. I know the song from the "Big Chill" soundtrack. I've looked in my books, but can't find any earlier version that charted in the US or UK. The Exciters charted in '62. Someone named Billie Davis charted in the UK with the song in '63, his sole Top 10 hit...in that country. So how is this part of the British Invasion? Anyway, it wasn't a great vocal but it was fun and Haley looked cute in a youthful, innocent way. So often, the women think they have to dress for their prom on this show. Her look will get Haley through to the next round and, hey, that's half the job of a pop star. The only caveat is that she performed first when the fewest people are watching and that's always dangerous.

CHRIS RICHARDSON -- "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" -- How telling is it that Chris said, "My goal this week is to finally nail a song." Boy, did he and Peter Noone not get along. How many different ways could Peter make clear he didn't like Chris's singing? He was never this blunt again, but for a moment I thought the Brits were gonna be tearing it up with their tart tongues. I thought it was good of Chris to try and just sing a song this week and the acoustic guitar arrangement was nice. The only problem? It all just highlighted what a weak voice he has. Frankly, it was a little boring. But he had some good moments (especially when he spiced it up) and a nice falsetto at the end. The final closeup had Chris playing too much to the camera and seeming too in love with himself. But he saved it a bit by immediately switching to a disarming smile when the song ended, as if to acknowledge the cheesiness of the moment. Simon didn't know the song? Bizarre. Overall, he was sensitive enough to go through.

STEPHANIE -- "You Don't Have To Say You Loved Me" by Dusty Springfield. Pretty good and she looked cool in the boots. But somehow it was completely forgettable to me. It's better to be great or horrible on this show, frankly. The most dangerous thing you can do is give a performance that is simply unmemorable. That's what she did here.

BLAKE -- "Time of the Season" by the Zombies. Great song choice and Blake had some cool plaid pants on. I thought it was a bit draggy and he was rough on some of the high notes but somehow the overall effect was fun and somehow sexy. Still, the judges overreacted i their praise. I think they realized they were hyping LaKisha and Melinda too much and needed to suport some of the top guys. Not that it's plotted out; just instinctive on their part. Randy said how remarkable it was that the song was 40, 45 years old and Balke made it seem contemporary? Uh, it's timeless, dude. And "Time of the Season" in particular is such a wacky, crazy tune that it would sound completely contemporary as is, if it were released today.

LAKISHA -- "Diamonds Are Forever" by Shirley Bassey (personally, if I'm singing a Bassey Bond tune, it's gonna be "Goldfinger"). I dug Lulu's passion for "You're My World" and given her ultimate performance, LaKisha should have listened to her. Her performance just wasn't as brassy as it should have been; placid is not the word you want coming to mind when singing the hyper-dramatic Bassey. But she looked good and her performance was certainly good enough to go through. LaKisha certainly had the best line of the night: "You take the good with the bad and the ugly," she said when talking about the judges. If Ryan HADN'T made his joke about knowing which one was ugly, I would have taken away his hosting license for good.

PHIL -- "Tobacco Road" by one-hit wonders the Nashville Teens. (And no, I never would have guessed that they were British.) Very Chris Daughtry-like performance from Phil. For me, it was his best performance yet. But he still bores me.

JORDIN -- "I Who Have Nothing" by Shirley Bassey. Again, Lulu seems like a great coach, especially if you consider half of their job being to instill confidence. Jordin had a great night because she came across as adorable in her video with Lulu and chat with Ryan, something that can't be underestimated in the voting. But her performance! I was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by it. I thought her singing was sensational, dramatic, sophisticated in a way I didn't expect from someone so young and generally just thrilling. It was a HUGE leap forward for Jordin, in my mind. The one word I scribbled down while she was singing? Fabulous. At the recap at the end of the night, her performance popped out again at me and I went back and played it again and even taped the damn thing. It was one of the best performances of the season. What stunned me even more was how reserved the judges were. I thought they were gonna heap praise on Jordin and instead their comments were nice but mild. Even Paula didn't go crazy. I have no idea why they didn't hear this properly but the crowd went wild and for a change it wasn't just because of one big dramatic note -- it was because the performance overall was thrilling. She is a contender.

SANJAYA -- "You Really Got Me" by the Kinks. Who knew Sanjaya could sing any louder than a whisper? Frankly, I hope he makes it through to Heavy Metal night because obviously he's got the hair for it. As I suggested before, Sanjaya may have been soft but was almost always on key. Tonight, he was loud but a little flat and off-key in places. But it was silly and fun and he actually seemed to be enjoying himself, which was a relief. And of course it was the first of 700 closeups of the little girl who cried every time anyone appeared on stage because she was so excited to see them. And Sanjaya is a BIG hugger. If India's cult figure Amma (the Hugging Saint) ever retires, Sanjaya could take her place.

GINA -- "Paint It Black" by the Rolling Stones. She had on a cool outfit and it was a cool song but not the right song. "Paint It Black" is pretty flat melodically most of the way through and Gina seemed lost. It was more like wathcing some play a rock and roller than actually hearing one. But she got stronger throughout and had a pretty good finish. I think being the lone rocker might keep her safe (along with the fact that she's very funny and personable during the videos and chats) but it's a dangerous week for her. Lulu again came through with a very specific useful suggestion of a key change.

CHRIS SLIGH -- "She's Not There" by the Zombies. (Is it too much to hope kids will run out and buy the Zombies classic "Odessey and Oracle?" If you don't own it, you should.) I thought this was a great fun and a really good vocal PERFORMANCE by Chris. Strolling through the crowd, playing to the camera, toying with Simon -- I've always thought Chris was a wild card who could get to the finals with his solid vocals and smarts but this is the first time I thought he was an entertainer. Except for that high note on "She's Not There" his vocals were great. And how fun is it that Chris's family and friends were touting a sign that said, "Bringing Chubby Back?" Hilarious. Terrific ending, too.

MELINDA DOOLITTLE -- I've been a big fan of Melinda from the start but one MAJOR problem is reappearing again and again -- her absolutley dreadful song choice. It's British invasion week and she chose "As Long As He Needs Me?" From "Oliver?" Ths is American Idol, not Broadway Idol, Melinda. And coming on top of that song from "The Wiz," she is going show tune crazy. It's just a dull, dull song (and I like musicals, don't get me wrong). But of course Melinda sang it well and even caught me up a bit emotionally at the end. Yep, she'd be terrific onstage, but if she wants to be a pop star, she needs to start singing some pop songs. I';ve always said she could be the first adult to win Idol, an artist that appeals to the Anita Baker crowd rather than the Britney Spears crowd. But that's no excuse. Simon was right on target as usual.


MY BOTTOM TWO -- I'm just going to assume that Sanjaya is safe for another week; his performance was too goofy and fun (plus he got to hug the little girl first). So my bottom two would be Stephanie and Phil, with Stephanie going home because she sang third, when fewer people are watching. My backup pick for the bottom two: Gina.

Adam Sandler Hosting "Letterman" Tonight

Dave is out with a stomach virus, so Adam Sandler will be the host and Don Cheadle one of his guests. (I guess I should have been checking my cell phone earlier.) They both star in "Reign Over Me," a new drama that uses the classic Who song. As monkeyboy said, you just know the movie's gonna suck because they didn't even bother to call it "Reign O'er Me," like the song ("Love, Reign O'er Me"). For God's sake, if you're gonna use a classic song as the linchpin of your film, use it right.

My "Daily Show" Bit

I already know what my first bit will be when I get hired by "The Daily Show" as their gay correspondent. I'll sit next to Jon, he'll introduce me as the newest member of the team, I'll start to speak but my cell phone will ring and I'll take the call and excitedly listen and tell the person "Hell, yes, make the deal!" Then I'll hang up and pause sheepishly. "Gosh, Jon, this is a little awkward. I really appreciate the opportunity to work here, but someone saw me on the show, liked what I was doing and well, I got a sitcom deal with FOX. So I'm gonna have to go now. But it's been great working here."

Bowie's Days As A Record Store Clerk

A sweet reminiscence from David Bowie about his days working as a record store clerk.

A record shop was just about the coolest place one could hang out in back then — perhaps not quite as cool as a coffee bar or the burger-selling innovation known as the Wimpy Bar, but it ran a very close second. People who were “aware” were attracted to record shops.

There really was no bigger thrill than telling somebody who needed impressing, “You really have to hear this”, as I pulled out the latest by Nervous Norvis. I quickly realised that to recommend was an intoxicating power and it’s something that gives me a true buzz to this day.

I fear that someday this will rank alongside memories of working as a blacksmith -- a quaint tale of a lost tradition. But it was fun while it lasted.

"Buffy" Season Eight Begins

In comic book form, that is. Creator Joss Wheedon shares the details with Publishers Weekly.

Dennis Miller Comes To Radio Monday

Personally, I'm intrigued. Sure, Miller tied himself too closely to Bush and still can't admit teh guy is bad for our safety. But his wide-ranging interests and sharp mind seem ideal for talk radio. I'll be listening.

What Keeps "Idol" Humming?

My pal Beth Pinsker writes about the behind-the-scene people that keep "American Idol" the #1 show in the country. The one element I think she missed: the savvy decision by the "Idol" producers to fight FOX tooth and nail and keep "Idol" a once-a-year event that starts in January. FOX begged and pleaded and cursed and threatened in a desire to get two editions of "Idol" going -- one in the fall and one in the winter. I was wrong in thinking "Idol" should remain a summer show but I was definitely right in thinking Fox were idiots for wanting to overload us with "Idol>" The show would already have tailed off dramatically if FOX had had their way.

The Naked Actor

I stole that headline from The Guardian, which has a lovely chat with John Hurt.

Elvis Costello Retires From Recording; Plans On Simply Reissuing His Classic Albums Again and Again Every Three Months

No, Elvis Costello hasn't stopped creating new music. But his almost obsessive and certainly offensive reissuing of his back ctalog has become downright vile. How many different iterations of his classic albums does Costello expect us to buy? They've been put out on Rhino and Rydodisc and of course by his original label and now by Unviersal this May. Fans looking for that odd bonus track have been plagued with never-ending reissues, all just slightly different from each other. Some artists don't take enough care of their catalog. I certainly wish Springsteen would spruce up al his titles. A good rule of thumb is that every ten years you can take another pass at your masters and make major improvements. But Costello just keeps doing it again and again. There's certainly no compelling artistic or sonic reason for all of this; the sad conclusion is that he just keeps switching labels and doesn't mind or care that his fans are being soaked. Sure, no one has to buy them, but when you plonk down hundreds of dollars to buy definitive editions of his classic albums, it is dispiriting -- to say the least -- to see them displaced a year or so later but a newer, MORE definitive edition.

TV Viewers Mock Heather Mills of "Dancing With The Stars"

It's nice to know her disability doesn't stop viewers from treating Heather Mills the way they would treat any other celeb -- if they hate you, they hate you and artificial leg be damned. Check out the nasty comments posted online at ABC.com. Apparently, America does NOT like it when you break up with a Beatle.

Rodrigo Barred From US

Rodrigo Sanchez of Rodrigo Y Gabriela (who made my list of favorite singles of the year) cna't get into the US because of visa problems. Why? Because his name is similar to someone on a terrorist watch list. How hard is it for someone to research his case and solve this problem? Apparently, very.

Broadway Houses: Bring On The Scalping!

Broadway theater owners now want to gut scalping laws. Why? Because they've figured out a way to defeat the scalpers and keep Broadway from turning into opera, a world that stagnates creatively and which only the super-wealthy can afford to attend? Nope. Because they want to get in on the scalping action, too. I knew $110 for a ticket in the second tier towards the back was too good to be true.

Joe Roth Mocks Director Julie Taymor

In a New York Times article about a creative struggle over the new Julie Taymor movie "Across The Universe," producer/director Joe Roth mocks the artist. The movie uses songs by the Beatles to tell a wacky, almost surreal tale of two star-crossed lovers -- it sounds arty and awful, frankly. But Taymor has a 128 minute version and producer Joe Roth went behind her back to cut a 98 minute version and test it with audiences. First, he acts as if it's standard operating procedure for studios to take over a movie and cut out half an hour to produce their own cut. Sure, it happens, but it's hardly a given. Roth acts as if Taymor is an idiot for not knowing this. Taymor doesn't comment for the article, but her people released a very politic, reasonable statement. Roth on the other hand, won't shut up. Then Roth endears himself to women everywhere by saying Taymor is overreacting and refers to her "hysteria," because of course women can't have creative differences without being emotionally unhinged. Frankly, having seen Taymor's movies I'm sure the movie is opaque and arty. What the hell did Roth expect from her? And he's behaving like a prick.

Overnight TV Ratings -- "Dancing" Tops

Personally, I feel ABC shuold have held off on "Dancing With The Stars" til the fall, when "Idol " was resting. Sure the numbers are big and maybe they're hoping reality overkill will dampen "Idol" down the road. But to me, this isn't the smart thing to do long-term for a franchise. Remember "Survivor" -- that used to be big till it wore out its welcome with endless new seasons. I finally caught up with "24" which has its mojo back after the usual mid-season sag. One big plus: the coma for dull as dishwater President Palmer. Another big plus: Ricky Schroeder (no more Rick!) as a real dick. For a complete ratings breakdown, go to MediaWeek's Marc Berman.

8 p.m.

1. Dancing With The Stars -- 20.59 million viewers
2. Deal Or No Deal -- 14.05 million
3. Prison Break -- 8.26 million
4. How I Met Your Mother -- 7.53 million/Old Christine -- 6.86 million
5. Everybody Hates Chris -- 2.66 million/All Of Us -- 2.46 million

9 p.m.

1. Dancing With The Stars -- 22.73 million viewers
2. Deal Or No Deal -- 14.05 million
3. 24 -- 11.88 million
4. Two and a Half Men -- 11.62 million/Rules Of Engagement -- 9.32 million
5. Girlfriends -- 2.11 million/The Game -- 2.14 million

10 p.m.

1. CSI: Miami -- 17.43 million
2. What About Brian -- 7.38 million
3. The Black Donnellys -- 5.83 million

What Up With CD Sales? Popsurfing Vs. NYCD

Here's an email back and forth between myself and Tony, one of the two co-founders of my favorite music store NYCD. I call it a music store, but they shuttered their brick and mortar outlet and now work out of an office, doing most of their business online at Amazon.com and elsewhere. Tony and Sal have a passion for music and they had a great store with a great location (originally) in a boomer neighborhood with no competition for used CDs or indie store customer service. And it just didn't work. Now they're hawking used CDs online. Before, their used copies of say the new Norah Jones had to compete with dozens (even hundred?) of copies located in different stores around the city. Now, anyone can go online and find thousands of copies on sale and the only way to survive is to cut prices. I kept seeing the glass half full, talking about the billions being made in ringtones et al. Tony saw his dream of a career championing new music to music fans slipping away and said I was a schmuck. Here's my longer piece on what's happening to the music biz. Here's our original email debate:


It began with Tony emailing me a Wall Street Journal article from last week that began:

In a dramatic acceleration of the seven-year sales decline that has battered the music industry, compact-disc sales for the first three months of this year plunged 20% from a year earlier, the latest sign of the seismic shift in the way consumers acquire music.

The sharp slide in sales of CDs, which still account for more than 85% of music sold, has far eclipsed the growth in sales of digital downloads, which were supposed to have been the industry's salvation.

MICHAEL: Hmmmm. You look at the sales total of the Top 10 albums and clearly something is up.

But for an article in the Wall Street Journal, this piece is rather bizarrely devoid of hard numbers, mainly dollar amounts. (There's one ref in the middle to digital singles followed by CD units, which are apples and oranges of course.) The only numbers he usually offers are percentage drops from last year. The vaguest number of all was when he said that sales of physical and digital are down 10% this year and even if you include subscription services (a paltry figure, surely), ancillary merchandise (whatever that means -- t-shirts at stores? But not presumably DVDs) and ringtones sales are still down 9%. That means ringtones and ancillary stuff is just 1% of all sales? That is absolutely untrue. Ringtones in 2006 were a billion dollar business. Unless music sales are $100 billion, ie $1 TRILLION dollars, ringtones account for a lot more than 1%. I really find this article unhelpful and unilluminating. What was the annual sales total in 2006? Break it down in dollar figures by CDs, digital singles and albums, ringtones, etc. How does that compare to 2005? Also, is he talking US or worldwide? (Not that worldwide sales aren't in turmoil too, they are.) Does it include music videos on DVD?

In 2005, before ringtones and ringmasters got even bigger, digital singles and ringtones+ were already 8.8% of the business, per the NYTimes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/01/business/01music.html?ei=5090&en=ace9ad90dcea3d72&ex=1301547600&adxnnl=1&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1144037165-ZFWLPuSxcaYNclFDw9qOQA

I assume that figure grew to a conservative 10% in 2006. And the biggest explosion was in ringtones, per Billboard.

Here's a SoundScan-based article about 2006 from an industry newsletter.

http://www.fmqb.com/article.asp?id=328631

It says that SoundScan says music sales were up 19% in 2006 from the moribund 2005 and that online sales were up 65% (which is a slowing in the growth but still growth. 22 songs sold more than 1 million digital copies online (does that include ringtones?) which is a huge jump over the past decade, when singles were basically phased out. The most interesting figure is that 32.6 million "albums" were sold online, as in Van Morrison's Moondance being bought solely in digital form. But only 11 albums sold more than 100,000 copies. That means a LOT of "long tail" sales, you know, the idea that the unlimited availability of titles online means instead of selling 8 million copies of Norah Jones you sell 8000 copies of a hundred different albums.

Half a BILLION digital singles were sold. That's $500 million in sales and doesn't include the 32 million digital albums sold, which is another $300+ million. And that doesn't include ringtones and ringmasters, which are another $1 billion in sales and estimated to grow much more. The music industry destroyed the singles market and now digital sales and ringtones have brought them back. Young people spend $1 to $3 or $4 on a hot single and play it endlessly. That's the way it was for most of the rock n roll era. Labels made that impossible for years. Now it's returning and will be more than 10% of all sales. Digital singles mean catalog albums and songs can be accessed with more ease than ever before. People don't WANT to steal music. As soon as sales can be easily transferred between players (hello, iPod), it'll improve.

But again, that article is very vague and half-assed and even though I've been looking I still can't find hard dollar figures anywhere for the first quarter. But since 2006 was a 20% jump in sales over 2005, then if sales dropped 10% that would still be 10% better than just two years ago. Yep, I'm confused too.

TONY: So if ringtones and digital single sales are saving the music industry, why does the music industry appear to be collapsing? You don't see label execs lighting their Cohibas with $50 bills nowadays, you see them laying off entire departments. Ringtones are wonderful, no doubt, and if you believe that listening to a snippet of a song on your phone is going to make lifelong music fans of the kids today, then God bless ya. But clearly, something isn't adding up. Perhaps the number of digital singles and albums purchased include a large number from subscription services, where a song costs something like 15 cents? I've heard that the labels barely make any money at a buck a song on iTunes, so I can't imagine what kind of revenue stream 15 cent songs produce.

In a nutshell, my guess is that the article is correct -- to make up for the loss of a $15 CD sale, you've got to sell quite a few $1-4 ringtones, even if your margin is higher. And that ain't happening.

My guess is that, eventually, the vast majority of music will be given away, and supported by advertising dollars on the web. Physical CDs will be little more than a merchandising tool to promote the live show, at least for pop music -- I think that jazz and classical fans will want the higher fidelity that physical objects provide. The really interesting question, apart from what kind of work will Sal, Tony and Rob find, is how this will affect the music itself. And on that count, your guess is as good as mine.

Did you read that REVENUES were up in '06 over '05? Or sales? Because, from what I know, '04 has been the only up year this decade, and that was less than a 1% increase. I think revenues have been tanking fairly steadily since 2000. Do you have evidence to the contrary?

MICHAEL: I think you're right about music being given away basically. 90% or more of artists never made money on album sales at major labels anyway -- they made all their profit touring and in merchandising. I think the artist of the future just doesn't need a record label so much. You can make yor music available to the world with MySpace, develop a following there and touring, get placed on a TV soundtrack and so on, or get exposure via a major label and then go independent, etc. etc. etc.

I think it's a great time for the music. I read about an artist and half the time they have a track for me to listen to linked to the online article. Or if I just read about an artist in print, I can go and type in their name and find their myspace page and immediately hear three or four songs from them and see if I want the album, rather than just having to trust a review. It's music on demand and my Best Of list is crowded with all sorts of people. So creatively, I think it'll be just great.MOre music is more available to more people than ever before.

I gave you the links below to the articles I cited. But just like the WSJ article, they were vague with their figures, lacking all sorts of distinctions between wholesale revenue and retail revenue and CDs versus a combo of CDs and digital versus a combo of CDs and digital and ringtones and t-shirts.

I don't dispute that major record labels are becoming dinosaurs and struggling to find out where the money is. But people ARE spending money. Just because Warner bros. isn't making its same margin of profit doesn't mean the money isn't being spent. I've spent five years listening to people say the movie industry is collapsing, that movie budgets are WAY too expensive, that marketing costs are spiralling out of control and that it's insane to think anyone can make any money from movies that cost $100 mil to make and market -- that's the average cost of course, not the $300-$400 mil they'll spend making and marketing say Spiderman 3. Meanwhile, I know that Spiderman 3 will gross $1 bil from straightforward box office and DVD sales worldwide, minimum. They say the sky is falling because the box office drops from say $10.2 billion in 2002 to $9.5 billion in 2003 (I'm making up these numbers), ignoring the fact that movie studios grossed $20 billion on DVD , money they never made before. Who cares if the box office goes down $1 billion, if the trade off is an extra $20 billion in DVD sales? There's also huge growth overseas in DVD and box office. (China and India have barely scratched the surface of screening US movies and that's another 2 billion people ready to see Spider-Man 8. The movie industry has gone - in the US alone -- from a $4-$5 billion business in the early 80s when I first started following the figures to a $40 to $50 billion industry. Almost no articles recognize this simple fact and so they are hopelessly clueless about how much vastly bigger the pie is.

I can't help feeling there is a similar narrowmindedness in the music industry coverage. As an outsider, I don't care if the money is spent on ringtones or digital singles or album sales. The massive sales of the 90s was a fluke when the record industry had a tremendous product and convinced everyone who owned a copy of Dark Sidfe Of The Moon on LP to buy it again at twice the price on CD. That clearly won't be happening again on digital. When you add up all the money, sales are down, but not that much; it's just that the money has migrated from high profit CDs to low profit digital singles and ringtones. But people are still spending money. That doesn't help your business and it certainly doesn't help the major labels but why would anyone with any name recognition stay on a major label? You can make so much more money on a truly indie label or on your own. Paul McCartney just brought his entire catalog to Starbucks and that catalog is incredibly valuable. Obviously, things are changing and major labels have become outmoded. But people are still spending money on music. Just not as much as they were in the 90s, when there was a once in a lifetime fluke that we haven't seen since the LP (and that wasn't so dramatic because people owned a lot fewer 78s and piano rolls). No one buying cassette or eight track felt the need (usually) to buy their LPs all over again in the new format. It was a bizarre, thrillingly lucky moment for the labels when they were printing money by reselling albums again and again.

Oh dear, I've said all this before. I think this WSJ article annoyed me because it was so VAGUE. Percentage drops year to year without any hard dollar figures behind them or historical perspective are pretty useless.

MICHAEL (AGAIN) :

http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=500295

This market analysis by Gartner was covered in Billboard and a lot of other places when it came out six weeks ago. Note that the figures for 2005 and 2006 are hard figures, not estimates.

Music downloaded to cell phones and the like (not digital tracks for iPods) WORLDWIDE (it's a much bigger business in Japan and the rest of Asia, then Europe and then the US in terms of size):

2005 -- $6 billion

2006 -- $9.1 billion

2007 -- estimated $13 billion

and then it goes on to see huge growth. That $9 billion worldwide -- figuring a very high per CD cost of $20 is the equivalent to an extra 450 MILLION CDs worldwide. That is a lot of ground made up in album sales. Yes, the CD as the defining source of revenue may be over. But did that Wall Street Journal add in the $9 BILLION from worldwide ringtone sales to a look at how the business is doing? No, they did not. It's just as dumb as looking only at a movie studio's box office revenue and ignoring the fact that they make twice as much money via DVD sales. Again, if movie box office goes down $2 billion but the trade off is $20 billion in DVD sales,. seeing that as a decline is ludicrous. In music terms, this does ignore the fact that margins are much lower on digital singles, though I'm not as clear as to how it plays out on ringtones.

The NYTimes article on the album by Akon was actually perceptive. No, the album didn't do as huge as it should, but there are a lot of new revenue streams.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/11/business/media/11music.html?ex=1323493200&en=70c358814991bd1b&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

Maybe the album only goes gold because kids bought two of his songs at $3.50 a pop for the ringtones instead of the CD. But it's still money.

An MSNBC article quoting the IFPI says digital tracks and albums (not ringtones) account for $2 billion or 10% of all sales worldwide and they believe in 2007 it will make up for the shortfall of CD sales.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16669376/

Per article:

Kennedy said he now hoped online sales would compensate for the decline of CDs sometime this year.

“There’s nearly the holy grail in three major markets — the United States, Britain and Japan. Next year I would like to be announcing that is the case for around 10 markets,” he said....

Kennedy pointed to mobile music sales as a major area for growth this year, with the launch of Apple’s much anticipated iPhone and the development of music phones by Nokia Corp. and Sony Ericsson. [He's talking about the US of course. It's already huge overseas.]

End quote.

That means the worldwide music sales are $20 billion and that does NOT include the $9 billion spent on ringtones. In other words, music sales were down 3% in a year that grossed $20 billion worldwide. But the total figure when you include ringtones and ringbacks and all that other crap worldwide is more like $29 billion. Guess what? Music sales are UP; it's just that the money isn't going into CDs and isn't going into record label pockets. Seriously, how can you discuss the fortunes of the music industry and not include figures that account for almost 50% of sales? That's exactly what the WSJ did.

TONY: I think the difference between the movie companies and the record labels is that, at the end of the day, the movie companies' bottom lines are fine and they're not crying wolf. If the record companies were merely bitching about CD sales and actually raking in the bucks thanks to ringtones, you'd think they'd be telling their investors about it so their stock would still be performing. And that's simply not the case. Music companies' stocks are plummeting, and investors are headed for the exits. You'd think that if ringtones were the cavalry coming in to save the day, more would be made of this fact on Wall St. I'm not saying that the investors aren't wrong or shortsighted, but it does seem like there are a lot of people who don't agree with your predictions.

(I also think the movie biz is fucked, once computers come along that can do with movies what is currently being done with music. The DVD biz will tank, people will download movies illegally, and those $400 million blockbusters will become money losers. It's just gonna take a few years for that to happen.)

As for the $9 billion number for ringtones -- that would mean that every man, woman and child in America bought ten ringtones last year. Or wait, was that worldwide numbers? That still seems quite inflated, considering that in 2000, the music biz's peak, only about $25 billion worth of music was sold, by my best guess. And again, the bottom line shows that everyone's losing money -- not something the labels want to tell their investors, especially if it's not true.

I do like this spirited conversation, even if we never agree on who's right!

MICHAEL: The $9 billion is a worldwide figure. Only $1 billion comes from the US. The other $8 billion comes from the rest of the world, led by Japan (which has HUGE phone bills thanks to texting, ringtones, etc.) and then followed by Western Europe. The US is way behind in ringtones as a business for lots of reasons, but that just means lots of room to grow.

And movie companies do in fact cry wolf all the time. They love to bitch and moan about the high cost of making movies because they hate paying actors $20 million to appear in films the studios esxpect to gross $300 million worldwide. The film studios also desperately keep info on DVD sales as close to the vest as possible. Unlike weekend box office, they will adamantly refuse to divulge any hard figures on individual DVD titles. It is literally a state secret. In Billboard,. all they do is list titles in order of popularity, with no hint of how much money they're actually pulling in. Once in a while, they'll trumpet the number of copies shipped to stores for a title like, say, Toy Story 2, but again they are ferociously private about sales figures. Once, -- once -- they announced that "XXX," the awful action flick had grossed $100 mil in its first weekend on DVD when you add sales and rentals. I did a story on it and asked everyone why they didn't have a weekly chart for DVD grosses like the weekend box office. Everyone in the DVD divisions said they would love it but that the studios would never let them and in fact they were surprised the company released the figures on "XXX" and said it was kept secret for the very reasons I've mentioned. I've pushed repeatedly and they repeatedly say it's because the studios do NOT want to emphasize that the DVD pie is TWICE as big as the box office pie. They already fight off the biggest stars who want a cut of DVD sales and don't want anyone else beyond Tom Cruise and Speilberg getting any bright ideas. It is a massive cash cow and they like to pretend it doesn't exist. Of course, when they're talking to themselves they can't help admit the business is doing great, like when the MPAA spoke to the theater owners and crowed about the massive growth in audiences over the past 40 years, when ticket sales have increased by more than 50%. In the 70s, 980 million admissions were sold per year on average. In the 80s it was 1.1 billion admissions average per year. In the 90s it was 1.3 billion admissions and the 2000s are so far averaging 1.5 billion admissions per year. That's in the context of an era in which consumers have TRIPLED the amount of money they spend on movies, from X amount of dollars at the box office to 2X amount of dollars on DVD, for a total of 3X. ie. from $10 bil roughly at the box office to $30 bil overall, in the US alone for just admissions and DVD. In the thousands of articles written about the travails of the movie industry and rising film budget and marketing costs, when have you ever heard the two simple facts that movie audiences continue to grow by leaps and bounds AND people leave the theater and buy the movie on DVD.

The easy availability of movie downloads does NOT have to mean people will start stealing bootleg copies of movies. People do NOT want to steal, but if it becomes so difficult to buy a copy and use it any way you want (ie play it on your computer or tv or burn a DVD and use it on your portable laptop or make a second copy to keep in your weekend home etc) then yes people will start stealing just like they do with songs. But it's the fault of the major record labels. They should simply refuse to make their music available to iTunes until iTunes opens up its rights management. More importantly, they should stop putting all sorts of idiotic restrictions on the music, like they did with the Neil Diamond CD. THAT'S why people go to bootlegs. Not because the world is filled with criminals but because record labels make it so hard to be good.

TONY: I will respond to the rest of your email later, because I love this kind of thing. But, personally, I ABHOR paying for downloads. I will do so if I have no other option, like with the Herb Alpert albums that are only available on iTunes. But if I can find it easily enough, I'll steal it every time. If I spend money, I want a physical artifact, not a fucking file on my computer. I have no idea what kind of minority I'm in on this one, but I'd assume there are others like me. And it's not like I want to be a criminal or anything. I'm very happy to spend too much money on a CD. I just don't like paying for downloads, that's all.

MICHAEL: Me too.

TONY: Wait, "me too" you love this kind of argument? Or "me too" you hate paying for downloads?

MICHAEL: BOTH!

TONY: I fear being labeled an old fogey because I've never downloaded a ringtone. Actually, the one time I tried to download a ringtone, my cellphone wasn't compatible or something and I lost $2. Never again, I say. NEVER AGAIN. Do you download ringtones? I will not judge, regardless of what your answer is.


MICHAEL: Ringtones, no. I can't be bothered.

The Top CDs Of 2006

Finally! But who cares what the calendar says? Are "best of" lists just something to do around Christmas and New Year's? No, they're guides, reminding you of music you like but haven't listened to in a while and suggestions for albums you should check out. I sometimes stumble on a "best of" list from years ago and find myself pulling out an album I haven't played in ages or -- just as often -- heading to the store. I hope this list will do the same for you. First you get a list of my 50 favorite CDs of the year, then my favorite boxed sets, my favorite singles and my favorite reissues. And for being so patient, you get a quick look at my early favorites for 2007. That's followed by the same lists all over again, but with notes describing the music, what I like about them and so on. Enjoy. (And remember, if you google a band's name and MySpace, you can usually find a website with three or four songs to sample to see if any artist might appeal to you before buying.)

THE BEST CDS OF 2006

1. Corinne Bailey Rae/Corinne Bailey Rae (tie)
James Hunter/People Gonna Talk
2. My Chemical Romance/The Black Parade
3. Bob Dylan/Modern Times
4. Arctic Monkeys/Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
5. Midlake/The Trials of Van Occupanther
6. Roseanne Cash/Black Cadillac (tie)
Johnny Cash/American V: A Hundred Highways
7. Solomon Burke/Nashville
8. Cat Power/The Greatest
9. Bruce Springsteen/We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions -- American Land Edition
10. Drake Bell/ It's Only Time

11. The La's/BBC In Session
12. Candi Staton/His Hands (tie)
Candi Staton/The Ultimate Gospel Collection
13. Duncan Sheik/White Limousine (tie)
"Spring Awakening" Original Cast Recording
14. Howard Tate/A Portrait Of Howard
15. Various Artists/Tropicalia: A Brazilian Revolution In Sound
16. M. Ward/Post-War
17. Regina Spektor/Begin To Hope
18. Teddy Thompson/Separate Ways (tie)
The Strokes/First Impressions Of Earth
19. Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra/Boulevard De L'Independance
20. Muse/Black Holes and Revelations

21. Ali Farka Toure/Savane
22. The Streets/The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living
23. James Hand/The Truth Will Set You Free
24. Irma Thomas/After The Rain
25. Various Artists/The Rough Guide To Latin-Arabia
26. Vetiver/To Find Me Gone
27. Cassandra Wilson/Thunderbird
28. "Grey Gardens" Original Cast Recording
29. The Raconteurs/Broken Boy Soldiers
30. Larry Levan/Journey Into Paradise...The Larry Levan Story

31. "Billy Elliot" Original Cast Recording
32. Rahim Alhaj/When The Soul Is Settled: Music Of Iraq
33. Wolfmother/Wolfmother
34. Smokey Robinson/Timeless Love
35. Cast King/Saw Mill Man
36. Lupe Fiasco/Food & Liquor (tie)
The Roots/Game Theory
37. Josh Ritter/The Animal Years
38. Mana/Amar Es Combatir
39. "Sweeney Todd" Original Cast Recording (tie)
"Sunday In The Park With George" 2006 London Cast Recording
40. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs/Under The Covers Vol. 1

41. Dixie Chicks/Taking The Long Way
42. Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint/The River In Reverse
43. The Fratellis/Costello Music
44. The Vines/Vision Valley
45. Various Artists/ "Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" Motion Picture Soundtrack
46. Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy/Adieu False Heart
47. Justin Timberlake/Futuresex/LoveSounds
48. Paul Simon/Surprise
49. Beirut/Gulag Orkestar
50. Nellie McKay/Pretty Little Head


THE BEST BOXED SETS OF 2006

1. Tom Waits/Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
2. Various Artists/What It Is! Funky Soul And Rare Grooves
3. Various Artists/Anthems In Eden: An Anthology Of British & Irish Folk 1955-1978
4. Richard Thompson/The Life and Music of Richard Thompson (tie)
Richard Thompson/1000 Years Of Popular Music
5. Frank Sinatra/Vegas

THE BEST SINGLES OF 2006

1. "Crazy"/Gnarls Barkley
2. "Before He Cheats"/Carrie Underwood
3. "Quiet Town"/Josh Rouse
4. "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"/K.T. Tunstall
5. "Young Folks"/Peter Bjorn and John
6. "Last Request"/Paolo Nutini
7. "Leave The Pieces"/The Wreckers
8. "Money Maker"/Ludacris featuring Pharrell
9. "The Heart Of The Matter"/India.Arie
10. "We Used To Vacation"/Cold War Kids
11. "Philosophia"/Guggenheim Grotto
12. "Smile"/Lily Allen
13. "I Don't Feel Like Dancing"/Scissor Sisters
14. "Tamacun"/Rodrigo Y Gabriela
15. "Pull Shapes"/The Pipettes
16. "Year 3000"/Jonas Brothers
17. "Stealing Electricity"/Tom Russell
18. "The Bridge"/Elton John
19. "Ain't No Other Man"/Christina Aguilera
20. "Black Sweat"/Prince

THE BEST REISSUES OF 2006

1. Karen Dalton/In My Own Time
2. Fania Reissues -- Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco/Celia & Johnny
Fania All-Stars/Live At The Cheetah, Vol. 1
Willie Colon/El Malo
3. Thelonius Monk with John Coltrane/The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings
4. Various Artists/Chocolate Star: The Very Best Of Gary Davis
5. Merle Haggard Reissues -- I'm A Lonesome Fugitive/Branded Man
Hag/Someday We'll Look Back
Mama Tried/Pride In What I Am
Sing Me Back Home/The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde
6. Miles Davis Quintet Reissues -- Cookin', Relaxin', Workin' etc.
7. Incredible Bongo Band/Bongo Rock

THE MOST TIMID AND UNNCESSARY BUT GREAT-SOUNDING ALBUM OF THE YEAR

The Beatles/Love

THE MOST DANGEROUS, DOWNRIGHT EVIL (BUT SWINGING) ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Ray Charles + The Count Basie Orchestra/Ray Sings Basie Swings

EARLY FAVORITES FROM 2007 (IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

Arcade Fire/Neon Bible
The Bird and The Bee/The Bird and the Bee
The Feeling/Twelve Steps and Home
Patty Griffin/Children Running Through
John Hammond/Push Comes To Shove
Darren Hayes/This Delicate Thing We've Made (I've only heard 7 tracks of this 25 tgrack, 2 CD opus, but they're terrific)
The Magic Numbers/Those The Brokes
Mika/Life In Cartoon Motion
Ron Sexsmith/This Time
Signal The Escape/Untitled
Richard Swift/Dressed Up For The Letdown
Amy Winehouse/Back To Black
"Company" Original Cast Album

THE BEST CDS OF 2006 -- THE EXPANDED EDITION

1. Corinne Bailey Rae/Corinne Bailey Rae (tie)
James Hunter/People Gonna Talk

What is the best album of the year? Is it one that will prove most lasting, most influential? Is it the most daring? Sure, you look for all of those things. But ultimately, surely the best album of the year should be your favorite album of the year; the one you turned to again and again, the one you gave as presents to friends, the one by people you had to see in concert. In short, the one you played the most. And so it's a tie. Corinne Bailey Rae is obviously a break-out artist of the year. I've seen her in concert three times and she's grown in confidence each time. From the gentle acoustic "Like A Star" to the breathtaking finale "Seasons Change," this is a quietly ambitious CD. Her album is sort of like early Rickie Lee Jones with soul -- very rooted in a specific time and place but universal in its reach. Rae insists -- without boasting -- that she consciously intended this album to be very commercial, which means god knows what for the future, since her success will only make Rae more confident. Her potential seems boundless. Will we be comparing her to Stevie Wonder or Joni Mitchell or countless other artists in years to come? The only thing I know for certain is we'll be hearing from her.

James Hunter is a journeyman soul singer who has toured with Van Morrison and been on the brink of success for a solid decade now. I've seen him in concert three or four times and he's been a blast every time. You'll check the release date once you listen to this CD: if someone told you this was some long lost gem from the Fifties or early Sixties, a Sam Cooke classic, you wouldn't doubt it for a second. Not that this music is retro -- not at all. Hunter is just steeped in classic, adult soul music and delivers it without breaking a sweat. "People Gonna Talk," "Riot In My Heart," "Don't Come Back" -- rock solid tunes delivered with panache and low-key style. The best news is that he still hasn't quite captured his live magic so the CDs should only get better. (Don't worry; the entries will get shorter.)

2. My Chemical Romance/The Black Parade

I'm driving cross country listening to this crazily theatrical, expansive, world-beating album about death and misery and damned if it doesn't sound like a concept album and one wonderfully bleak song after another (bleak in the way that teenagers are completely and utterly and hopelessly bleak) keeps popping up and I'm loving it and wondering why their faux Goth look and mascara kept me from listening to their last album when suddenly in the middle of a song I hear a voice and is that, could it be...Liza Minelli? My mind is officially blown; these guys are too cool. Anthemic.

3. Bob Dylan/Modern Times

It made me smile but that namecheck for Alicia Keys in the first song had me worried. I like my Dylan timless -- if he's gonna namecheck someone, I'm more comfortable if it's Cleopatra or Billy the Kid. Well, I needn't have worried. In the latest remarkable phase of his career, Dylan has released yet another gem. How much fun is this guy having? His satellite radio show is a hoot (he talks just the way he sings), his autobiography was an acclaimed bestseller and he's in the midst of a run of albums not seen by Dylan since his salad days pre-Big Pink. I won't dissect the lyrics, cause he's tired of that, so how about the music? There's the Ryman Auditorium swing of "Spirit On The Water," the nicely stinging blues of "Rollin' and Tumblin'," the quietly fatalistic drumming on "Nettie Moore," the end-of-the-world party guitars of "The Levee's Gonna Break" and above all the music of that voice, which croons and squawks and yelps and mumbles and confides with boundless charm.

4. Arctic Monkeys/Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not

Every damn band in the UK gets hyped. If I released a single there, I'd probably be hyped too. ("Yank with tuneless vocals! Bigger than the Beatles!" predicts NME.) But of course every once in a while they're right. Great song titles ("I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor," "From The Ritz To the Rubble") and the driving rock to back them up. Utterly infectious, but where the Kaiser Chiefs seem like a singles band, the AM's are definitely an album band. Snarling, funny, they'd get along with the Rolling Stones quite nicely, though without the same soaking in blues. Lots of swagger.

5. Midlake/The Trials of Van Occupanther

The first of a number of bands with a vaguely Seventies vibe. Where the hell did they come from exactly? I hadn't heard a word about them all year and suddenly little mentions here and there popped up all over the place. Ugly, ugly cover; stupid album title; hell, I don't even like their name really. But the songs float into my mind, through some hashish-induced haze, not that they're psychedelic, just...vague. I really haven't a clue what the songs are about, but I'm reminded of Fleetwood Mac and The Band (just because they seem so out of step) and maybe Big Star on a quiet day and it's really quite beautiful.

6. Roseanne Cash/Black Cadillac (tie)
Johnny Cash/American V: A Hundred Highways

I really wanted to give Roseanne Cash her own entry. Her album deserves it. It came out to glorious acclaim, loads of press and then completely disappeared. It's not like any radio station was gonna play it, of course. (Certainly not country radio, God forbid.) Sad, accepting, painfully honest -- this album is steeped in death and the belief that music can provide comfort and redemption or at least something to do until your own black Cadillac pulls up ready and waiting. Has any child of a major artist ever delivered more great music than Roseanne Cash? I can't think of anyone even close. But don't get me wrong: this album is stirring and wonderful and far from a downer. "Long after life there is love," indeed. As for her dad, I remember a brief moment when his American albums seemed to have slipped into formula. Then came that monumental boxed set that contained the stuff he hadn't released and it was better than most people's entire careers. And now this gem. I think Cash had learned how to accept and use the limitations of his painfully strained voice by this time, how to conserve himself to deliver power when he needed it, how to explore the crags and whispers when he didn't. "God's Gonna Cut You Down" is chillingly good, "Love's Been Good To Me" just embracing and only Cash could make me pay attention to Gordon Lightfoot's "If You Could read My Mind." I can't believe that producer Rick Rubin has more albums from Cash ready to go. Can't wait.

7. Solomon Burke/Nashville

Hype's a funny thing. The media loves a comeback and Burke had a great one with 2002's Don't Give Up On Me. Personally, I loved the title track most, but found the rest a little spotty. He got stronger with 2005's Make Do With What You Got and people still wrote about him; hey, another album by Burke. But then he releases a stone-cold masterpiece, the album he was clearly building towards his entire career and by now the media has moved on. Heck, we just wrote about him; we can't do another profile. But not since Ray Charles delivered some Modern Sounds has a soul artist embodied country music so completely and wonderfully as here. Just masterful.

8. Cat Power/The Greatest

Hype's a funny thing. It can color (and discolor) your appreciation of an album. (Witness the furor over that classical music scandal of the pianist who plagiarized music from younger artists and reaped the rave reviews they mostly never got.) The hype for Cat Power's latest had the opposite effect on me. Oh yeah, a masterpiece? Dusty in Memphis cool? Oh I don't think so. It didn't help that earlier albums of hers hadn't wooed me sufficiently. And I played it and shrugged and put it aside. And I played it again later, knowing I should wait till I was in the mood to be more receptive. And I shrugged and put it aside. And I waited and played it again later and ohmigod it's terrific, smokey and assured and accomplished. Dusty in Memphis sort of cool. What the hell was I thinking before? To hell with hype.

9. Bruce Springsteen/We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions -- American Land Edition

We review the albums we're given, not the albums we wish they'd released. I could take this 18 track CD, rejigger the order, remove two or three lesser tracks and have an absolute masterpiece. But as is, this is joyous, kick up your heels, burn down the barn and have us a hoedown music. I've been singing "Erie Canal" since I was a little kid and never had a clue it could have power. "O Mary Don't You Weep," "Pay Me My Money Down," "How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live" -- all incredibly rousing. Springsteen did Seeger a huge favor -- he ignored the soap box and focused on the people and the stories, which makes their message ultimately have a much bigger impact. When you get to "Bring 'Em Home," it's not just one more rallying song, one more slogan, it's a plea from people you've come to know and walk beside. And the concert! I saw him at Madison Square Garden and he was as good as he's ever been, which is to say he was just about as good as ANYONE'S ever been. This is his best album since Born In The USA and it'll be fascinating to see how he responds to it in his own work.

10. Drake Bell/ It's Only Time

Yep, the kid from Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh has released his second solo album and he's cheek by jowl with Bruce Springsteen and frankly I'm as surprised as you. Bells' first solo album was an Americana album in the vein of Mellencamp and Springsteen and other rockers; nice first effort, kiddo. But this is a sensational, Beatles-esque celebration of pop music that came out mid-December. I was driving down South for the holidays and the first few songs were so infectious I almost got a speeding ticket. (The better the music, the faster I drive; I can't help it.) Did Drake just tell his lover to "roll over?" Someone's become an adult. No one has paid the album the slightest notice; they've got him pegged as a TV personality. But he's the real deal. Maybe he's working through his influences here; heck, Jeff Lyne did that for his entire career. He namechecks Buddy Holly and Bettie Page in the same song and how can you not love that? And if hand-clapping and hook-heavy songs with unbeatable choruses and gorgeous Beach Boys-like vocals are just a stage, I hope he's stuck in it for at least a few more albums.

11. The La's/BBC In Session

Lee Mavers was barking mad; everyone knows that. He spent his time holed up in the studio, obsessively trying to capture the sound he heard in his head, a not-retro, but timeless sound that would present gems like "There She Goes" in exactly the way they should be, deserved to be, had to be. But despite period mikes and analog equipment and anything and everything he could think of, Mavers never came close to releasing any music until the debut album of The La's was pulled from his grasping hands and released to his immediate disdain that was somewhat overshadowed by rapturous critical acclaim. But my God, he was right. BBC In Session includes live recordings of their songs, with nine of the debut albums 12 tracks here in one or more versions that are unquestionably superior to the album version. I'm bitterly disappointed those last three tracks aren't here because then we could program an ideal version of The La's CD that would be even better than that gem. So why doesn't Mavers just record live? Instead he's reportedly holed up working on a followup that we'll see sometime in the next 40 years.

12. Candi Staton/His Hands (tie)
Candi Staton/The Ultimate Gospel Collection

Staton has been happily preaching and singing in the gospel world for many years. But a reissue of her classic soul sides reminded the world of Staton and reminded Staton that God wanted her to use all her talents. So here's this lovely comeback album, with the remarkable "His Hands" (which moves from the hands of a lover to the hands of an abuser with chilling ease), just the centerpiece of a great album. The two CD gospel collection shows the pagans what they've been missing. Typically, I like my gospel old school but in her case, I'll take the trailblazing "Contemporary" second CD.

13. Duncan Sheik/White Limousine (tie)
"Spring Awakening" Original Cast Recording

What a great year for Duncan Sheik. His latest solo CD is another minor key gem filled with wonderful tunes like "Hymn" and "Nothing Fades" that prove his obsession with Nick Drake was time well spent. Plus, he's got the most exciting musical on Broadway and captured it in an unconventional cast album that recorded the songs like a pop album instead of the "as live" quickie recordings that Broadway shows usually get. "The Song Of Purple Summer" is just pacific in its calm and loveliness.

14. Howard Tate/A Portrait Of Howard

I haven't seen ANYONE writing about this sensational album. Tate has had a comeback and here's he's paired with Steve Weisberg to create this musical autobiography. Great covers of tunes by Randy Newman, Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Lou Reed and others sit side by side with Weisberg originals penned to reflect Tate's hard-earned wisdom and life story. It was recorded with a full orchestra, with great arrangements and Tate singing just brilliantly. Absolutely original, this will be hailed as an undiscovered masterpiece in years to come. Fans of classic soul music shouldn't wait.

15. Various Artists/Tropicalia: A Brazilian Revolution In Sound

I've been waiting literally years for this album, long before the people who compiled it had even thought about putting it out. It's a look at Tropicalia, the Brazilian musical uprising led by Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil, Os Mutantes, Tom Ze and Jorge Ben. I've got a lot of music by all these people, but this CD focuses tightly on the music they put out basically in 1968. It's a lot more psychedelic than I expected, a lot more rock but just as thrilling as I hoped. You also get a terrific 51 page booklet that covers the music, the era, the politics, and everything else you could want to know in loving detail. Essential.

16. M. Ward/Post-War

Some people see an artist reach out to a wider audience and get bummed. Me, I love it when they stay true to their vision and bring more people into their sphere. Watching M. Ward sing the wonderfully loopy but engaging "Chinese Translation" on Letterman was a kick. Seeing him live was even better -- this guy knows he's got the goods and shows it. Besides, if he really wanted to sell out, he wouldn't have given his catchiest song the inexplicable title of "Chinese Translation" in the first place. A series of very good albums and he's only getting better.

17. Regina Spektor/Begin To Hope

Another act that won me over live. She charmed the pants off Conan with "Fidelity" and that song's infectious chorus with its hiccuping vocal line probably made a lot of people look foolish as they sang along with their iPods. A very New York record (think Laura Nyro) by an artist just beginning to discover her possibilities.

18. Teddy Thompson/Separate Ways (tie)
The Strokes/First Impressions of Earth

Two albums that got released so early in January that they were lost in the shuffle come year's end. Teddy's album was a real gem, improving on his fine first album and improving mightily on repeated listens. Witty, piercing and wonderfully perceptive (such as the heartbreaker "Sorry To See Me Go," he really came into his own here. Yep, dad will always be the better guitarist (that's gotta suck). But Teddy's voice is better and he really mines bittersweet with just a dollop more sweet than dad. Comparisons to Crowded House are apt. The Strokes rebounded from their too-quick second album and really brought it. But everyone seemed dissatisfied with more of the same. God knows why; it was great the first time.

19. Toumani Diabate's Symmetric Orchestra/Boulevard De L'Independance

A pan-African band takes the music of Diabate and swings it with fervor and grace. Quite gorgeous and the world music album of the year.

20. Muse/Black Holes and Revelations

Yes, music can be listened to intently on your home stereo. But if we're honest music is also very utilitarian. People use it to smooth over dinner conversation and they jog to it and dance to it and so on. And when you're driving down the highway and need some truly epic, anthemic rock a la Radiohead and Queen or prog-rock gods like ELP to blast out of the speakers, when you want to be swept away and feel you're about to conquer the world, that much is at stake and you must ACT by God, well this is the album you want ready to pop into the CD player. And if Muse pulls over and asks for directions, just point them in the direction of the nearest stadium.

21. Ali Farka Toure/Savane

A final grace note from the legendary guitarist. For all the praise it received after his death, the simple truth is that Toure had reached such an acclaimed plateau, Savane probably would have been equally praised if it had been just another release and we didn't realize we would never get to hear from him again. A giant.

22. The Streets/The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living

His third album is his second album, the one where you rap about the pain of sudden success. And while not quite the winner his first two CDs were, UKer Mike Skinner (who first won me over for good when he explained in rhyme that in the UK they call girls "Birds not bitches") is too funny, too observant to miss the target by too much. "When You Wasn't Famous" is one of the best songs from a genre -- the perils of stardom -- that has precious few worth mentioning.

23. James Hand/The Truth Will Set You Free

I thought Hank Williams was dead. But he lives on in this pure shot of honky tonk delivered by the genuine article. "Baby, Baby, Don't Tell Me That," "In The Corner, At The Table, By The Jukebox," "Just An Old Man With An Old Song." Yep, they're as good as they sound.

24. Irma Thomas/After The Rain

A New Orleans icon raising her voice just a few months after Katrina. Inspiring.

25. Various Artists/The Rough Guide To Latin-Arabia

A great companion piece to "Camelspotting," another terrific world music compilation from 1999. Both contain the impossible-to-resist "Ya Nour El Ein" aka "Habibi." This Rough Guide CD explores the Latin influence on Arabia, with Perez Prado's "Mambo Number 5" just being the most unlikely song to appear. Like all the best compilations, it will send you off in a dozen directions. Perfect for a party with very cool friends who like to dance.

26. Vetiver/To Find Me Gone

Cowboy Junkies and George Harrison are just two of the influences that spring to mind for these San Francisco folkies linked to Devandra Banhart. Mesmerizing and I think I'm gonna regret not placing this higher on my list.

27. Cassandra Wilson/Thunderbird

What a terrible idea, mixing jazz mama Cassandra Wilson with trip-hop effects. But somehow it worked, shaking the singer out of her comfort zone and resulting in her most distinctive album in years. More originals than usual, and all up to snuff, though in a fire I'd grab the greasy, funky cover of Willie Dixon's "I Want To Be Loved" first.

28. "Grey Gardens" Original Cast Recording

This thoughtful, intelligent Broadway musical is dominated by what will clearly be the legendary performance of Christine Ebersole as both Big Eddie and Little Edie. I was certainly fooled by the pastiche numbers in Act One; I actually thoought they were oldies I'd never heard of before. It's all of a piece but two numbers are standouts: the hilarious "The Revolutionary Costume For Today" (probably the number they'll do for the Tonys) and "Another Winter In A Summer Town," a genuine standard.

29. The Raconteurs/Broken Boy Soldiers

It's taken me a while to get my head around this and I still love the White Stripes more. But I know, I know; I don't have to choose. And Brendan Benson has never been better. "Steady As She Goes" is far and away the standout, but this is solid.

30. Larry Levan/Journey Into Paradise...The Larry Levan Story

Any club with a door policy gives me the heebee geebees; I just can't be bothered to wait in line or be judged or take the time to get on a list. And a cover charge to dance? No thank you. So if Studio 54 were operating right now, across the street, I simply wouldn't be bothered. But the disco heaven of Paradise Garage, where everyone mingled easily and openly? That actually sounds appealing, especially if Larry Levan were the dj. This 2 CD set provides a glimpse into the magic Levan would spin nightly at Paradise. With Viny Mania closing its doors (the two were linked inextricably per the excellent liner notes), now is an especially fitting time to say goodbye again to an era and one of its most influential artists. Chaka Khan, Womack & Womack, Lace, all the way up to Yaz and yes, Talking Heads. Irresistible.

31. "Billy Elliot" Original Cast Recording

Elton John has been on a creative roll recently, releasing several of the best albums of his career. That extends to this musical, which is superior to the film it's based on and filled with anthemic gems capturing the workers-of-the-world-unite spirit of the men in the mines who were striking for their livelihood and indeed their lives. The opener "The Stars Look Down" would have been right in place in "Les Miz" and "Merry Christmas Maggie Thatcher" has a venomous bite John rarely employs.

32. Rahim Alhaj/When The Soul Is Settled: Music Of Iraq

It's simple and easy. Buy this CD online with a credit card and you'll be assured of a contemplative, beautiful world music album by an Iraqi-born musician living in the US who has been playing and studying the oud since he was nine AND you'll get put on Bush's terrorist watch list at the same time. QED.

33. Wolfmother/Wolfmother

The Darkness were shtick posing as a band. Wolfmother is the real deal, a bluesy, wailing reincarnation of Led Zep and all the other bands that knew how to wear tight pants and deliver stadium-destroying songs with ferocious passion. Great fun.

34. Smokey Robinson/Timeless Love

I've given up on trying to predict which artists can cover the standards. There seems no rhyme or reason to why, say, Boz Scaggs and the supremely versatile Linda Ronstadt can do it but others like Carly Simon and Rod Stewart are hapless. You would think Smokey could do it; I mean, why not? And indeed, he can, delivering delicate, nuanced, simply lovely versions of "You Go To My Head," "Speak Low" and other gems. What the hell took him so long?

35. Cast King/Saw Mill Man

The musical equivalent of outsider art, with Cast King reluctantly recorded in a tiny town in Alabama. He just hemmed and hawed until Matt Downer just showed up and started picking with the wizened old coot (if you saw the photos of him, you'd know that he simply has to be called an old coot) and then just started recording the songs King would play. All too brief, but filled with rough-hewn country gems that have been classics for forty or fifty years now -- just no one had ever heard them, that's all. If you're an adventurous country or folk fan, this will not disappoint.

36. Lupe Fiasco/Food & Liquor (tie)
The Roots/Game Theory

In a weak year for hip-hop, Lupe Fiasco kept the lights on with this witty, real chronicle of life that has no time for gangsta crap. The Roots must have been listening to a lot of current rap, too -- they seem awfully depressed.

37. Josh Ritter/The Animal Years

Starts out quite delicate and lovely and then it gets a little more forceful and less interesting and then it gets crazily epic with "Thin Blue Flame" and that doesn't really work at all. It's like the album is a tiny boat, just a canoe really, and someone's dropped a massive weight onto one end. But 90% of this is really good and wouldn't you know it animals keep popping up in the lyrics.

38. Mana/Amar Es Combatir

Sometimes listening to music in another language (one you don't speak, that is) can be freeing. Usually it comes with music that is also "foreign," music that sounds like nothing you hear day to day. But Mana could be playing arenas here and the music wouldn't raise an eyebrow; this is rock and you don't even need to say Latin rock. I haven't a clue as to what they're saying, but I believe it.

39. "Sweeney Todd" Original Cast Recording (tie)
"Sunday In The Park With George" 2006 London Cast Recording

Two terrific revivals: "Sweeney Todd" shined with the brooding Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone and "Sunday" -- which was notable especially for its imaginative design -- is shown here to have been nicely sung as well. Everytime I listen to it I hear a new highlight in this show: today, it's "Beautiful," the poignant duet between George and the Old Lady.

40. Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs/Under The Covers Vol. 1

Chemistry -- it's as mysterious in singing as it is in acting but Sweet and Hoffs have it in spades. They combine on groovy covers like the Beatles "And Your Bird Can Sing," The Who's "The Kids Are Alright" and other songs less familiar...until they sing them. A delight.

41. Dixie Chicks/Taking The Long Way

I miss the country twang a little, but this is a determined record, led by "Not Ready To Make Nice," of course, but it's a credit to them that such a good song doesn't dominate everything in its wake. They're in it for the long haul, even if most of their fans exited a while ago.

42. Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint/The River In Reverse

Oh for another week and another chance to listen to this one again. Costello rarely disappoints; if something is lacking in a new record of his, it's usually me, not the record. I haven't been overwhelmed by this yet, but I know it's coming and certainly individual tracks keep pulling me back in.

43. The Fratellis/Costello Music

Dumb, fun rock n roll from the UK, with the album cover of the year to boot. A blast.

44. The Vines/Vision Valley

Their debut album was a scatter-brained gem, changing musical genres the way other bands change groupies. Then the lead singer imploded faster than you could say Pete Doherty, the followup album was uninspired and things seemed dire. Now comes their third CD and it's really good. They still have that anything goes aura that means a Beatlesque number can dissolve into feedback and serious rock swagger. It keeps you off-balanced and ready to be knocked over by a melody-rich tune like "Take Me Back," a tune worthy of Crowded House at their best. They might just survive...and flourish.

45. Various Artists/"Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man" Motion Picture Soundtrack

I didn't like the documentary film this is drawn from: the movie was shoddily, sloppily shot, frankly. So what a relief to have this album where I can avoid the visuals, skip the duff track or two (most everything by Nick Cave, surprisingly) and concentrate on the musical higlights, which include Martha Wainwright on "Tower Of Song," Antony on "If It Be Your Will" and Teddy Thomspon's fragile, worth-the-price-of-admission "Tonight I Will Be Fine."

46. Linda Ronstadt and Ann Savoy/Adieu Flase Heart

It's not widely known -- indeed, it should be MORE widely known -- but Linda Ronstadt can in fact do anything. Pop, rock, country, standards, operetta, rancheros, lullabies and to that list you can add cajun music. I don't go in for gender politics, but if Ronstadt were a man, her genre-hopping agility would have her recognized as one of the great talents and surely the most adventurous, making the likes of Paul Simon and David Byrne seem like homebodies. Dip into any track here for proof, starting perhaps with "Go Away From My Window," with Savoy providing marvelous backing.

47. Justin Timberlake/Futuresex/LoveSounds

It's not a dramatic step down from his solo debut, in fact it's even stronger. But this one ranks much lower for me because I expect greatness from Timberlake, a world-beating album, and he hasn't quite delivered yet. Certainly commercially he's done it and I'll admit "Sexyback" has wormed its way into my mind more than I expected at first. But he's leaning too heavily on beats and rhythmic tracks when the old-school soul of closer "(Another Song) All Over Again" proves he can do it all. Don't just be commercial and contemporary, Justin, and don't just give them what they want, give them what they need.

48. Paul Simon/Surprise

The surprise for me is how initially disappointing this album was. A collaboration between Simon and Brian Eno raised delirious expectations for me and this hasn't met them. Yet. Most every Simon album improves on repeated listening, but I fear this will fall closer to You're The One than Rhythm Of The Saints as time passes But other than "Wartime Prayers," there isn't any song I'd call bad -- it's just that the music hasn't lifted up the dependably clever lyrics as easily as usual. But time will tell and certainly closer "Father and Daughter"is one of his most nakedly sweet songs and opener "How Can You Live In The Northeast?" one of his most wittily probing, so clearly Simon still knows what's what.

49. Beirut/Gulag Orkestar

This is crazy, some kid in Middle America churning out music that sounds like the score to a film by Emir Kusturica. But it's awfully convincing and pretty darn irresistible.

50. Nellie McKay/Pretty Little Head

Oh, she's driving me to drink, this Nellie McKay. I've been trying to interview her for the past year, coming up with one excuse for a story after another. But she can't be bothered. And she fought her record label and left because they wanted to reduce her two CD set to a single disc. Are they crazy? Why mess with an iconoclast like Nellie? But then here comes the album and her production is a little flat, hiding the beauty of some of the numbers. Case in point: the opener "Cupcake." In concert, it was a quirky, delightful highlight. On the album, it's disconcerting and unsatisfying. Too many tunes blend together on the CD, but I know she can stamp them individually given the right arrangements and better (more expensive?) production. Maybe she needs the discipline of a single disc. Maybe she needs the firm hand of a producer. Maybe she doesn't care if the wide world doesn't buy her CDs. But I do. She's a genuine talent and every time I've seen her do a gig in New York, she's been utterly winning. Now if only that came through on this album.

THE BEST BOXED SETS OF 2006

1. Tom Waits/Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards
2. Various Artists/What It Is!Funky Soul And Rare Grooves
3. Various Artists/Anthems In Eden: An Anthology Of British & Irish Folk 1955-1978
4. Richard Thompson/The Life and Music of Richard Thompson (tie)
Richard Thompson/1000 Years Of Popular Music
5. Frank Sinatra/Vegas

THE BEST SINGLES OF 2006

1. "Crazy"/Barkley
2. "Before He Cheats"/Carrie Underwood
3. "Quiet Town"/Josh Rouse
4. "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree"/K.T. Tunstall
5. "Young Folks"/Peter Bjorn and John
6. "Last Request"/Paolo Nutini
7. "Leave The Pieces"/The Wreckers
8. "Money Maker"/Ludacris featuring Pharrell
9. "The Heart Of The Matter"/India.Arie
10. "We Used To Vacation"/Cold War Kids
11. "Philosophia"/Guggenheim Grotto
12. "Smile"/Lily Allen
13. "I Don't Feel Like Dancing"/Scissor Sisters
14. "Tamacun"/Rodrigo Y Gabriela
15. "Pull Shapes"/The Pipettes
16. "Year 3000"/Jonas Brothers
17. "Stealing Electricity"/Tom Russell
18. "The Bridge"/Elton John
19. "Ain't No Other Man"/Christina Aguilera
20. "Black Sweat"/Prince

THE BEST REISSUES OF 2006

1. Karen Dalton/In My Own Time
2. Fania Reissues -- Celia Cruz & Johnny Pacheco/Celia & Johnny
Fania All-Stars/Live At The Cheetah, Vol. 1
Willie Colon/El Malo
3. Thelonius Monk with John Coltrane/The Complete 1957 Riverside Recordings
4. Various Artists/Chocolate Star: The Very Best Of Gary Davis
5. Merle Haggard Reissues -- I'm A Lonesome Fugitive/Branded Man
Hag/Someday We'll Look Back
Mama Tried/Pride In What I Am
Sing Me Back Home/The Legend of Bonnie & Clyde
6. Miles Davis Quintet Reissues -- Cookin', Relaxin', Workin' etc.
7. Incredible Bongo Band/Bongo Rock

THE MOST TIMID AND UNNCESSARY BUT GREAT-SOUNDING ALBUM OF THE YEAR

The Beatles/Love

THE MOST DANGEROUS, DOWNRIGHT EVIL (BUT SWINGING) ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Ray Charles + The Count Basie Orchestra/Ray Sings Basie Swings

Movie Box Office Is Exploding

Hollywood is getting off to a great start at the box office, when Jan through March is usually a dead zone. "300" has grossed $125 million and could hit $175 to $200 million. John Travolta's "Wild Hogs" is over $100 mil and should hit $150 mil. Nicolas Cage's "Ghost Rider" cost a hefty $120 mil, but for a movie they effectively dumped, it's going to make about $125 million and went from an expected flop to a movie that will bring a profit. I'm not sure how the budget works out for "Norbit," but it is just a shade under $100 mil. And "Bridge To Terabithia" is a definite word of mouth hit at $75 mil for a no-stars family flick. "Music and Lyrics" is just at about $50 mil, another movie that opened so-so but had good word of mouth and can now expect to be profitable thanks to a good run and presumably strong DVD sales. So, we've already got three $100 mil+ hits, and break-out indie flick with "Terabithia" and a solid Eddie Murphy grosser. That's a lot of success stories so early in 2007.

It all reminds me of a story that slipped by while I was away. The head of the MPAA addressed ShoWest and banged the drum for how successful movies have been. Don't believe anyone who tells you movies are struggling because of some year-to-year comparison or rising budgets. It doesn't get simpler than this look at admissions:

The 1970s -- 980 million admissions average per year
The 1980s -- 1.1 billion admissions average per year
The 1990s -- 1.3 billion admissions average per year
The 2000s -- 1.5 billion admissions average per year

Did you catch that? Decade by decade, movie admissions have steadily increased, with the 2000s averaging 50% more tickets sold than in the 70s. How can anyone think movies are in trouble? Usually because they're stupid or compare one year to a previous year. Even if the previous year set all sorts of records, they think it's a disaster if the movies don't ALWAYS gross more than the year before. That should be impossible. But the simple truth is that in the long term the business HAS been growing steadily, decade by decade.

Now here's something more to keep in mind. In the 70s, the overseas box office was often far less than the box office here, even for blockbusters, and it was usually an afterthought. In the 70s, Hollywood studios made NOTHING from VHS sales or rentals and sales to cable were just beginning to bring in tiny amounts. Now the studios often make more money overseas than they do at the US with a lot more room for growth in China and elsewhere. Studios also gross TWICE AS MUCH MONEY from DVDs as they do at the US box office. You can also throw in worldwide sales to cable and satellite channels, pay per view, online downloads and on and on. Movies are a MUCH bigger business today than they were in the 70s. People go to the movies more often and spend much more money on them. It's a $50 billion business (easily) rather than the $5 billion annual box office you might have seen in the Seventies. Do movies cost a lot more to make and market? They should: they're bringing in a lot more money.

Movie Roundup

Here's an amusing story about British translators complaining about the outsourcing of their craft to cheapo translators overseas. Naturally, they give numerous examples of idiotic translations, such as "she died in a freak rugby accident" being translated into "she died in a rugby match for people with deformities." Frankly, I'm amazed that Guillermo Del Toro confesses the English translation for "The Devil's Backbone" was terrible. Obviously, not every director can pay attention to every bit of subtitling, but to not pay attention to the English subtitling for your movie seems crazy and frankly negligent. I didn't like "The Devil's Backbone" and so haven't been a fan of Del Toro's till "Pan's Labyrinth." Maybe the subtitling is the reason I was put off.

And director Zhang Yimou discusses his new movie and preparing to work on the opening ceremony for the Olympics when it debuts in Beijing in 2012. I've seen a series of articles about China preparing -- telling people to remove exotic items from their menus because Westerners would be freaked out and insisting that everyone stop spitting on the streets. They are taking the Olympics very seriously. And somehow I'm not quite convinced when Zhang says his movies aren't political, now that they seem to reflect well on the government. Did he insist they weren't political when they were banned by China?

Overnight TV Ratings -- "Grease" Not Picking Up Steam

The reality show "Grease: You're The One That I Want" heads towards it finale next week, but the show is failing to pick up any steam. This doesn't really help or hurt the Broadway revival: that would have to stand or fall on its own since it couldn't really expect more than a month of business from fans who saw the TV series and wanted to see the show. It's down to the final two Dannys and Sandys and I'd vote for Max and Ashley, though all three judges want Max and Laura. It'll be interesting to see if viewers resist their choices. Certainly Austin -- who simply doesn't look like a Danny in any way, shape or form -- didn't look happy after the judges all picked his rival. I glanced at Rob Corddry's "The Winner" but found it unwatchable. The CBS shows ran 45 minutes late; I'm just gonna plop "60 Minutes" into the 8 p.m. slot and so on for the sake of convenience.
For a complete ratings breakdown, go to MediaWeek's Marc Berman.

7 p.m.
1. NCAA Basketball -- 12.67 million viewers
2. America's Funniest Home Videos (r) -- 8.48 million
3. Dateline -- 6.6 million
4. The War At Home (r and original) -- 3.08 million
5. The Pussycat Dolls: The Search For The Next Doll (r) -- 1.66 million

8 p.m.
1. 60 Minutes -- 13.8 million
2. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (r) -- 10.58 million
3. Grease: You're The One That I Want -- 6.59 million
4. The Simpsons (r) -- 6.89/The Winner -- 5.51 million
5. 7th Heaven (r) -- 1.77 million

9 p.m.
1. The Amazing Race All-Stars -- 12.83 million
2. Deal Or No Deal (r) -- 12.04 million
3. Desperate Housewives (r) -- 7.36 million
4. The Family Guy (r) -- 7.02 million/The Winner season finale -- 5.13 million
5. America's Next Top Model (r) -- 2.2 million

10 p.m.
1. Cold case -- 15.35 million
2. The Apprentice: Los Angeles -- 7.23 million
3. Brothers and Sisters -- 5.27 million

10:45 to 11:45

1. Without A Trace -- roughly 14-15 million estimated viewers

Roger Friedman Movie Deal In The Works?

I realy like Roger Friedman of FoxNews.com and even worked with him briefly at New York Magazine. But I have to wonder if he's trying to make a movie deal at New Line Cinemas. I can't think of any other reason why he's bending over backwards for New Line Cinema when he writes about "The Last Mimzy." First of all, he says Chelsea Clinton came to a screening to "see what the hubbub was about." Uh, what hubbub? Over "The Last Mimzy?" I'd guess the movie's title has a recognition factor of about 1% and a want-to-see rating that's even lower. Then he describes it as "a great family film" and "terrific for kids" (which is usually code for "terrible for parents"). He dares to mention it in the same breath as "ET," one of the all-time greats. Then he says it "keeps kids interested but has nothing offensive. It's a relief." Talk about damning with faint praise. What he fails to say is that it was directed by the head of New Line. (That's the bozo who can't make nice with director Peter Jackson so he can make another $1 BILLION DOLLARS in profits by making "The Hobbit.") And that "The Last Mimzy" has one of the worst titles of all time. And now my caveat: I haven't seen "The Last Mimzy" and since I've mocked Friedman about it, I feel obligated to check it out. If it is in fact a good film, I will abase myself appropriately. But I'm pretty safe in saying "The Last Mimzy" is no "Bridge To Terabithia." One thing is clear: with quotes like that, Friedman will definitely be in the print ad. For his sake, I hope he's not the ONLY person quoted.

Ricky Gervais On Comic Relief

Below I mentioned Comic relief -- the UK charity event that is a huge TV special -- as well as Ricky Gervais and "Extras." Now the two stories combine with this clip of Gervais on Comic Relief, which takes the piss out of everyone contributing their time and energy to these charitable events. Quite simply, it would never air on a similar US special. Watch it all. Not over-the-top funny, but wonderfully cynical.

Ant and Dec Coming To US!

For me, this is very fun news: Ant and Dec are doing a game show pilot for ABC called "Wanna Bet?" It's based on a German gameshow and I haven't a clue as to how it's played but Ant and Dec are great fun. They've been a duo since their days on a kids show; now they're close to a national institution. Ant and dec hosted the first "Pop Idol," which is why Ryan Seacrest was paired with Brian Dunkleman when FOX was carefully trying to duplicate the show's formula in the first season of "American Idol." Ant and Dec are very casually funny and have great chemistry; it'll be fun to see how they do over here. UPDATE: MediaWeek says the show combines celebrity interviews and music performances with regular people betting they can pull off a crazy stunt. In other words, it's sort of a variety show.

Minnie Driver Serious About Music

Actress Minnie Driver will hereafter be referred to as "actress/singer" or "singer/actress" because she's very serious about her recording career. Her debut album sold a scant 33,000 CDs in the US, but she did get some polite notices. Her second album, due out this summer, includes contributions from Liz Phair, Ryan Adams and his current collaboraters the Cardinals. So get used to it.

Weekend Box Office -- "300" Still #1

Yes, I was way off on "300," which I expected to out-perform everyone's expectations for a second weekend. But the movie still did tremendous business and has already hit $125 mil and counting. "Bridge To Terabithia" remains a genuine word-of-mouth hit that overcame one of the worst ad campaigns in memory thanks to stellar reviews and happy audiences. The saddest news was for Chris Rock, who hasn't opened a movie since "Down To Earth" and has never starred in a good one, unless you include the animated flick "Madagascar." The Top 10 per Box Office Prophets:

1. 300 -- $31.2 million ($127.5 million total)
2. Wild Hogs -- $18.8 million ($104 million total)
3. Premonition -- $18 million total
4. Dead Silence -- $7.8 million total
5. I Think I Love My Wife -- $5.7 million
6. Bridge To Terabithia -- $5.1 million ($75 million total)
7. Ghost Rider -- $4 million ($110.2 million total)
8. Zodiac -- $3.1 million ($28.9 million total)
9. Norbit -- $2.7 million ($92.4 million total)
10. Music and Lyrics -- $2.2 million ($47.4 million total)

Top CDs Of The Year List Coming Out....Today! Really.

Until it gets posted, enjoy this UK chat with one of the people on it: Regina Spektor.

No Extra "Extras," Please

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant find it hard to say goodbye. They ended "The Office" after two brilliant seasons and 12 pitch-perfect episodes, one of the great sitcoms of all time, alongside "Fawlty Towers" and "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" and anything else you can name. But then they caved and did two more hour long shows -- they had moments of greatness and I'm glad to have seen them, but the lads got all marshmallow-y and undercut the entire point of the series by striving for a happy ending. Now they've called it a day after two seasons of "Extras." Of course, it wasn't as good as "The Office" -- virtually nothing is -- but it had great celberity cameos and got better and better and managed to end on a nicely sweet note that wasn't too sentimental and was well-earned. Best of all, it showcased the hilarious Ashley Jensen, who can also be seen on "Ugly Betty." Unfortunately, now they're going to make just one more episode. Guys, if you don't have enough material to do six more episodes, why make one more? Resist the temptation.

And here's a chat with Ashley, who seems a charmer.

Bestselling Books -- Still No Literary Fiction In Sight

Usually, there's at least SOME serious fiction on the best-seller list. The closest we come this week is the well-reviewed horror title by Joe Hill, who now sheepishly reveals he is the son of Stephen King. Mostly, it's just bargain-basement genre fiction, and not particularly well-considered genre fiction at that. Thank God for the non-fiction list, which proves we haven't completely abandoned serious reading. Mixed in with the Presidential contenders and Oprah's pick (Sidney Poitier), you'll find good books like "A Long Way Gone," about a child soldier in Sierra Leone; the well-reviewed Joh Grisham book about an innocent man on death row; and Thomas L. Friedman's collection of essays.

Hermione Still Not Signed For Final Two Potter Films

Rumours spread that Emma Watson has declined to sign up for the final two Harry Potter films. But Warner Bros. insists that they are super-duper confident she will. Frankly, I'm surprised the kids didn't have to commit to all seven films to appear in the first one. Maybe they were too young or a seven film commitment was just too lengthy to even attempt? But don't think she's holding out for more money or the rumour is baseless: Watson has always been the most resistant to returning each time, the last one to sign up and the first one to suggest maybe they wouldn't or shouldn't do all seven. She was 11 years old when the first film came out and would be 20 when the final film is scheduled to hit theaters in 2010.

UK Music Charts -- Pint-sized Sinatra Tops Charts

The UK equivalent to "American Idol" is "The X Factor," and this season's runner-up was the tiny but pugnacious Ray Quinn, Simon Cowell's personal protege (that's how the show works there, with judges supporting and counseling particular acts) who did swing music and standards, mostly. Now Ray has topped the charts with his debut CD "Doing It My Way." Personally, I can't get enough of Ray -- a child actor and Liverpool lad -- tearing up during "You'll Never Walk Alone," which gets played at a lot of funerals in the UK. Sure he's weak and dodgy at throughout, but he hits the big notes and that's what matters on these shows. And those tears got him to the finals. He recorded his swing album t Capitol studios in Los Angeles, which would be like me writing a play at Shakespeare's desk in Stratford Upon Avon. The "X Factor #3 person was Ben Mills, who charts at #3 fittingly enough. The singles charts includes songs promoted at annual fundraiser Comic Relief, a huge charity TV event in the UK, with a version of "(I'm Going To Be) 500 Miles" prominent. By the way, the winner of "The X Factor" was Leona Lewis, who is widely considered the most talented performer -- by far -- to come out of the series. She's signed a huge deal with Clive Davis in the US and it looks like they're going to take their time with her debut album and launch her as a major artist rather than trying to rush something out to capitalize on the show.

Carol Burnett Sues "Family Guy"

I don't watch "Family Guy" -- I find its pop culture references slapdash and uninteresting, though the baby looking to take over the world is always amusing. The most interesting thing about the show to me is the animosity other writers and animators feel for the show. They just HATE it and don't mind saying so repeatedly and on the record. Now Carol Burnett isn't too thrilled either. Americablog trumped me on a pop culture story (the shame) by pointing me to this story about Burnett suing "Family Guy" for including a parody of her janitor character, claiming Burnett was sweeping up floors in a porn shop. I don't know who her lawyers are, but I can't imagine this even coming to trial -- surely it's clearly parody? But a line at the bottom of the story caught my eye: ""The Carol Burnett Show," combining comedy sketches and musical performances, aired on CBS from 1967 to 1978 and was one of the most popular shows on U.S. television in that era." Hey, I loved the show and watched it every Saturday night with my mom through the 70s. It's certainly one of the most "beloved" shows of that era (a nebulous term), but was it one of the most popular? Hardly. During the show's 11 seasons, it was usually in the Top 30 and no better. (The last two seasons, it didn't even hit the Top 30. Once, in 1969, it hit #13, the show's peak, thanks to the strong lead-ins "Mayberry RFD" (#4 for that year) and "The Doris Day Show" (#10). And that's it. Mostly the show was ranked #27, #25, #23 and so on. The most popular shows of its era were Top 10 hits like "Gunsmoke" and "All in the Family" and "Happy Days" and "MASH" and "Little House On The Prairie" and "The Waltons." More popular variety shows included "Rowan & Martin's Laugh In" and "The Flip Wilson Show." "The carol Burnett Show" was one of my favorites and sadly out of circulation because the music rights are so prohibitive it doesn't get syndicated and doesn't get put out on DVD. But don't confuse beloved with ratings success. It had a great run, but the show was never a ratings smash.

Friday Box Office Numbers -- "300" Not 100%

Okay, so I was a LITTLE off. "300" is a terrific hit -- it grossed $100+ million in just eight days. But it's not a steamroller. With the movie grossing $25 mil during week after its massive opener, I thought the sky was the limit. $38 mil (which was the prediction of Box Office Prophets?) Ha! How about $50 mil? I knew I was in trouble when I went to the movies during the day and saw the movie wasn't sold out -- even in prime time. So instead of $50 mil, it grossed $30 mil, which means it will hit $125 mil by Sunday. Wild Hogs continued to pull undiscerning audiences, Sandra Bullock did okay with $18 mil (but can expect her confusing flick to drop) and Chris Rock continues to struggle at the movies with the DOA "I Think I Love My Wife," which will barely gross more than $5 mil. Too bad. He was on Bill Maher for five minutes and was funnier in those few moments than probably the entire film. He said, "People ask me if Michael Richards is a racist. He yelled 'nigger' in a crowded room. What do you have to do to be considered racist? Shoot Medgar Evers?" Go to Box Office Prophets for the complete Friday numbers analysis.

Premiere Magazine R.I.P.

Premiere Magazine is gone. It's a sad day for me, since so much of my New York career began and still springs from my time at Premiere Magazine. Like many magazines (Spy, 7 Days, Interview) it had its heyday and influenced many others and then became a shadow of its former self.

But I can still remember what a revelation Premiere was in 1987 when it debuted with the Dan Ackroyd remake of "Dragnet" on the cover. Here was a magazine that talked about the movie industry and was smart and fun. Before Premiere, you could go to dusty academic journals for dry essays or just get celebrity profiles. Premiere covered the entire movie business, profiling not just stars but agents and writers and directors and publicity departments and managers. It made the business side of the movies entertaining and it took the entertaining side of the movies as seriously as the Wall Street Journal covered business. People certainly went on the sets of films before Premiere, but it made that journey a mainstay and Premiere didn't just visit the set and take the guided tour -- it COVERED the making of a movie, complete with drama and excitement and battles over budgets and casting and the fights that are a part of any business, all without devolving into gossip. It took the work seriously, it took the artists seriously and it wasn't a puff piece magazine. If you behaved like a jerk on the set, Premiere would make that clear. Today, everyone goes on movie sets all the time and expects to report faithfully what they observe, rather than just provide free publicity for the film. Premiere is a big reason why.

Premiere also did innovative articles like "Shot By Shot," which detailed how the special effects worked. Behind-the-scenes talent like composers and cinematographers and costume and set designers and editors and special effects guys -- the giants of the industry in their fields -- got covered and profiled with as much professionalism and vigor as the stars. And the stars were treated with dignity. Premiere would talk about their private lives but it was always in the context of a meaty profile and how it informed their work; not in the context of wondering who they were sleeping with.

Premiere for a time had a Summer and Fall movie preview that was powerful and prescient. Today, everyone mimicks the Premiere summer movie preview, but does it in a toothless way. Even Premiere became toothless eventually. But at first, Premiere's rankings of the summer movies and descriptions of the buzz and hurdles the movies faced were spot-on. They would champion movies they thought would break-out, call an obvious disaster-in-the-making exactly that and weren't afraid to say when a movie just looked dull. Today, everyone just politely hints at bad buzz or the obvious problems with a movie. Premiere was feared and respected for a while because it reflected the actual talk in the industry about a movie's prospects. Hollywood wasn't used to seeing the conversations they were having reflected in the media, but there it was. Back in the day, if Premiere had to rank which summer blockbuster was going to come first ("Spiderman 3" or "Shrek 3" or "Pirates 3" ) it took that challenge seriously and the studios really, really cared about where they fell on the list. If everyone was talking about "Knocked Up" (the Judd Apatow movie out this June that is getting good buzz), Premiere would let you know. And if an awful "Nancy Drew" remake (out June 16) looked dead in the water, Premiere let its readers know that too -- or even worse, relegated it to a listing of "Also coming out," indicating it wasn't even worth talking about. No, Premiere didn't invent summer or fall previews (heck, I was doing summer previews in high school and college papers before Premiere even existed), but Premiere took them seriously and gave them weight for many years.

Perhaps Premiere's most imitated innovation was The Power List. I'm sure other mags or newspapers must have had a ranking of top people in an industry before. But Premiere's Power List defined the genre and made it spread everywhere, to the point where every industry of any sort has an annual power list compiled by somebody, somewhere. Again, Premiere's Power List mattered because the magazine took it seriously, invested a great deal of time and energy in reporting, talking to industry people, balancing different factions off against each other, all just to compile a list of the most powerful people in Hollywood, whether it was CAA's Michael Ovitz at the top or Steven Spielberg or an actor. People obsessed over their ranking and whether they would move up or down or god forbid not make the list at all. Everyone from Entertainment Weekly to the Widget Makers of America does annual power lists now. Premiere is the reason why.

Most of all, Premiere magazine took movies seriously without taking itself seriously. It had FUN. Movies were fun and Premiere was fun. They proved you didn't have to be Pauline Kael or American Film to talk about a movie in a serious, intelligent manner. They did lengthy pieces about the creation of classic Hollywood films, writing about the making of, say, "Bonnie & Clyde" as if it were coming out next week. And because so much time had passed and because Premiere didn't just speak to the stars but also to the cinematographer and the set designer and the key grip if they could, the stories were juicy and revealing. They celebrated behind the scenes people like Polly Platt. They revolutionized the way people covered and talked about movies.

Today, they've been passed by and so many of their innovations have become standard fare. Entertainment Weekly was always a problem because when it debuted after Premiere it was a lot more nimble on its feet. It could respond to a hit film quickly whereas the monthly Premiere always had to peer into the future and hope that it was right about which movies were going to matter. EW could throw "Borat" on the cover two weeks after it opened. Premiere couldn't throw a hit film on its cover four months after it opened, obviously. And while entertainment coverage has devolved since Premiere's heyday into gossip and facile celebrity profiles instead of meaty coverage not afraid to critique or paint an unflattering picture, that's our fault, not Premiere's.

The minute I saw that first issue of Premiere, I wanted to work there. I called them up to see about summer internships and the woman who answered the phone said, "Hey, we were just sitting around talking about that" and told me to send in some clips and my resume. Nothing. I moved to New York City in 1991 and the first and only place I wanted to work was Premiere. I couldn't even get an interview there, despite a ton of decent clips and some awards. I worked at a deli, trying to get a job somewhere during the height of a recession when even tiny jobs at Rolling Stone would garner 500+ applications of people who'd already worked elsewhere, unlike a former college student like me. Then a bartender I knew who stopped in my deli regularly (and whom I frequented on two-for-one nights) saw a sign I had posted in desperation on my register -- "Will Write For Food." What kind of job are you looking for? he wondered. I wanted to work in entertainment for a newspaper or magazine. He scrunched up his forehead. Would Premiere count as an entertainment magazine, he asked. Uh, yeah. He was having a brunch that Sunday and a friend of his would be there who worked at Premiere and he could introduce us. So I took an extra-long lunch break that Sunday from work, went to the brunch, met someone who actually worked at Premiere and he gave me the name of someone to call about an internship. So I went and I interviewed...and I didn't get the non-paying job. Aargghhh. (The guy, a friend, later admitted he made a mistake.) But he liked me and remembered me and when the photo department needed someone to work 20 hours a week sorting and unsorting photo stills, he called and I jumped. And I was in. I went from the photo department (where my terrific first boss was Charlie, a great gal) to the fact checking department to an actual job in the fact checking department (paying all of $18,000 a year for a full-time job, which meant I still worked at the deli on weekends). I loved it and worked hard and got on well with almost everyone there and made a few monumental mistakes as a fact checker (apparently it DOES matter whether The Last Of the Mohicans" filmed in North Carolina or South Carolina and everyone in both of those states will let you know if you mess that up) and as a conscientious fact checker, each and every one of those mistakes I let get into the magazine haunt me to this day. But I worked really hard and mostly did a good job as a fact checker and slowly but surely I got to write a tiny little item here and there (maybe a laser disc review), I got to go to screenings of movies and speak up in meetings to say that, say, "Rudy" was a delightful film and I even eventually got a semi-regular column on movie music, making me only the third person at the magazine to cover it, with one of the other two being Donald Fagen of Steely Dan. I even got to taste office politics when I had a one-sided feud with an editor who tried to get me fired for years and almost succeeded before I could jump to a full-time writing position at New York magazine.

Some of my closest friends in New York, I met at Premiere magazine. One of them provides most of my freelance work today at the NY Daily News. I'll be meeting another next Saturday at the annual IRAs meeting, where a group of crotchety guys who've known each other mostly since college get together every year for decades now to decide what THEY think are the best movies of the year. Another friend from Premiere comes over almost every night and we watch movies and TV shows together. I'm prouder of working at Premiere in its heyday than I am for any other job I've ever had. (Second place would be my modest contributions to the early days of Americablog -- about the only time I ever felt like what I did actually mattered.) I only wish its tradition of great writing and reporting lived on more strongly in the other newspapers and magazines that have now outlived it.

Goodbye, Premiere. I am missing you already.

Former "Idol" Mario Vazquez Lawsuit Details

Here are the salacious details of the lawsuit against former "Idol" Mario Vazquez, which accuses of him of masturbating in front of an "Idol" employee and trying to engage the man in sex. It ain't pretty.

Weekend Box Office Preview

Box Office Prophets has a rundown of the movies opening this weekend. None of the major releases look interesting -- certainly not Sandra Bullock's movie "Premonitions," which had a trailer so lengthy and detailed it gave away the premise, the twist and then the third act twist as well -- I know virtually the entire plot of the film except for the last ten minutes. Why bother? But BOP is WAY off on "300," which they think is just a silly fanboy flick with limited appeal like "Sin City," which grossed just $75 mil in the US. They should be comparing "300" to "Gladiator," because that's the movie it most resembles. It's a big, brawny, old-fashioned warrior flick. And it's grossed at least $25 mil from Mon through Thursday. BOP predicts "300" will drop mightily and gross (a still terrific) $38 mil. I say, with the amazing midweek numbers, what is clearly exceptional word of mouth and an expansion of screens, the movie will set the record for a second weekend of an R rated movie and gross $50+ mil. Frankly, I wouldn't have been surprised if BOP had predicted the movie to hold stead at such a remarkably high level and $60 mil is possible. But $50 mil is a huge jump over $38 mil, so I'll stay conservatively on that.

Women Hot On Broadway

Michael Riedel of the NY Post gives the skinny on a raft of promising Broadway shows. The women are out-selling the men, with Vanessa Redgrave's "The Year Of Magical Thinking" selling like gangbusters and "Deuces" with Angela Lansbury" doing great. Much slower business for "Inherit The Wind," which seems deserved to me despite the presence of heavyweights Brian Dennehy and Christopher Plummer -- it just feels like a creaky, old-fashioned show more appropriate for a short-run at the Roundabout, despite being bizarrely timely in Kentucky and elsewhere. But the real puzzler is "Frost/Nixon," which has been moribund at the box office despite raves in the UK, a career-defining performance from Frank Langella and some preumsed mojo from "The Queen," which stars Michael Sheen (who plays Frost) and shares the same writer. Why people aren't snatching this up is beyond me, but they will as soon as the reviews come out.

Overnight TV Ratings -- Andy Richter Doesn't Control The Universe

I really liked "Andy Richter Controls The Universe" and I found his new sitcom "Andy Barker, P.I." somewhat amusing. I liked the tone (which works nicely with The Office and Earl) and it was enjoyably offbeat. You've got to like a show where the hero curses by saying "Cheese and crackers!" (It works.) I'll; even watch it again a few times to see if they really find their rhythm. But it was definitely an odd duck and I'm certainly not surprised it opened so-so, on a par with "30 Rock." I also found Richter's appearance on Conan a little sad. They're both clearly friends, but the rapport they had for years didn't come back so easily; or maybe it just seemed odd for Richter to answer pat questions and leave the set, instead of being Conan's sidekick for the evening. Here's a thought: it might seem like going backwards, but when Conan replaces Jay Leno, bringing back Richter after this multi-year break would be great. They've both proven they can succeed without each other (to a degree, in Richter's case) but they're a great, great team. For a complete ratings breakdown, go to MediaWeek's Marc Berman.

8 p.m.
1. Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader -- 12.18 million viewers
2. Ugly Betty -- 10.77 million
3. NCAA Basketball -- 9.59 million
4. The Office (two repeats) -- 6.63 million
5. Smallville -- 4.58 million

9 p.m.
1. Grey's Anatomy -- 22.38 million
2. NCAA Basketball -- 10.68 million
3. Scrubs (r) -- 6.37 million/Andy Barker, P.I. -- 5.84 million
4. Family Guy (two repeats) -- 5.76 million
5. Supernatural -- 3.54 million

10 p.m.
1. October Road -- 14.34 million
2. Raines -- 10.34 million
3. NCAA Basketball -- 8.43 million

Kate Blanchett Joins "Indy IV"

Suddenly, I'm a lot more interested. (Not that I wasn't already, but surely this is a classy, interesting sign that they want to do Indiana Jones right one more time. Sure, Harrison Ford is 26 years older than her, but Blanchett is a woman, full stop, so it doesn't feel like he's trying to pair with a starlet.

The Best (Selling) 200 Albums Of All Time

Thanks to Roger Friedman of FoxNews.com who has been covering the meltdown at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. His column was the first place I read that the voting was rigged for this year's nominees to the Hall -- final voting put the Dave Clark Five into the Hall, but Jann Wenner ignored that, kept them out and put Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five in instead. Now Wenner was right that it was embarassing that the Hall had no hip-hop, but that doesn't mean you cna just ignore the votes. Including six inductees was a very reasonable option but he just ignored it. That makes the Hall a joke. Personally, I don't think the Dave Clark Five belong in the Hall Of Fame, but if they got the votes, they got the votes.

Now Friedman tells me the Hall has shamelessly tied itself to a record store promo on The Definitive 200 best Albums Of All Time, an absurd list created by the National Association of Record Manufacturers. All lists are silly, of course, but this one is so shameless, pretending to be a list of great albums but really only highlighting bestsellers. Among the 200 best albums of all time are dreck like the "Top Gun" soundtrack (really, one of the best albums of all time? It's not even the best soundtrack for a Tom Cruise movie, which would be Risky Business, of course.) I think about the only cast album is "The Phantom of the Opera" but they don't even include the legendary, best-selling double album, they include the single CD "Highlights From...." You've got a couple of Bob Dylan albums (but not Blonde on Blonde) and certainly a lot of the albums are great, but it's just so transparent. Barbra Streisand's "A Star Is Born" instead of one of her truly great (and equally best-selling albums)? And surely this is the only list where Kenny G will be cheek by jowl with NWA. (#107 and 108, respectively.) And it's all so unnecessary. Why didn't NARM just release a list of the 200 Best-selling Albums Of All Time, asking consumers "How Many Do You Own?" Many of these albums would have repeated and it would have been a lot more honest and no one could have mocked them.

"300" Tearing It Up At The Box Office

"300" made massive news when it opened to $70 million last weekend. Now it's gunning for the record for biggest second weekend by an R rated movie. (I believe the record is $50 mil+ by "The Passion of the Christ.") Well, if midweek performance is any indication, "300" will do that easily. It's expanding the number of screens it is on today and no wonder -- it's done bang up business on Monday ($7.6 mil), Tuesday ($6.5 mil) and Wednesday ($5.8). Frankly, a $20 mil opening weekend with holding steady on weekend two would have been good news for "300," which has a no-name cast. Instead, it did that money on Mon-Wed! It's going to be huge this weekend again. It's at about $95 mil and counting.

Simon Cowell On "60 Minutes"

If the tastiest quote they can offer up is that Cowell says he's more important to Sony than Bruce Springsteen (which is certainly true commercially speaking), than the Anderson Cooper interview must be pretty tame.

Book By Madonna's Nanny Killed

The idea that Crown backed out of publishing a book by Madonna's former nanny because it would take longer than they thought to get it out is just silly. You mean, Madonna won't be newsworthy two years from now? Please. But how distasteful is this? Obviously, you don't give up all your rights just because you work for a famous person and I don't know about the legality of demanding people give up all their rights to publish or comment on someone in exchange for getting a job with Oprah or Tom Cruise or Madonna or whomever. (I assume those agreements aren't binding, since people simply CAN'T give up their basic rights and surely freedom of speech -- ie. writing a book -- is one of them.) But I have a great deal of sympathy for the celeb in these cases, even if they're bad bosses. If you don't like working for someone, quit. But surely these people should be able to hire employees without worrying that every moment of their private life is being documented and recorded so the employee can dish a tell-all or run to the tabloids for money. And there's a big difference just in waiting -- writing a memoir some 30 years later (nice or nasty) just feels less like cashing in on your access that churning something out a week after you left them. The people that do this are just vile, in my opinion. Don't they ahve any self-respect?

"The Wind That Shakes The Barley"

Destined to be one of the best films of the year, Ken Loach's new drama opens today. Here are my scribbled thoughts on the movie just after seeing it premiere at Cannes. There was a fair amount of hoo-haw about the movie and its depiction of the British being one-sided or too stereotypical, which is absurd. (I speak as a British subject with Irish roots, a Catholic who despises the IRA.) First, the movie is NOT about the Irish versus the British in Ireland. The British play a very small role. It's really about the horrible cycle of violence, how killing the enemy (the British) leads to killing informers which leads to killing close friends and even your family. It is inevitable and brutal and dismaying, even if every step along the way seems right and reasonable and even necessary. Besides, the bullying treatment by the British, the beating of prisoners and so on is hardly historically inaccurate. And there's a balancing scene where one British soldier speaks bitterly and painfully about the situation they're in that makes you feel empathy for them as well. This is a movie in greys. The New York Times has a nice review by AO Scott.
But how silly is their revamp of the Times website. Nestled in the review was a video link, which I assume contained the trailer or a scene from the film. Instead it contained an AO Scott one-minute condensation of the very review we're reading. What is the point of that? Video should be value-added, not just the story you're reading boiled down in 60 seconds. An interview with the director, a debate on the politics, a glimpse of the movie at Cannes or a scene from the movie would be good. Just rehashing the very article you're looking at is moronic.

"Ocean's 13" To Premiere At Cannes

Now let's hope it's a lot better than "Ocean's 12."

Oddly, Variety talks about how premiering at Cannes hasn't always been a great boost for Hollywood movies. Of course, for many years Hollywood avoided Cannes. What was the point? Cannes was an art exhibit held during the summer, when Hollywood premieres all its mindless blockbusters. And any promotional boost was lost on movies that wouldn't open until the fall and no one in America really follows Cannes anyway. That's all changed, with Hollywood using out of competition slots to boost summer flicks, sneak previews of excerpts to build excitement for fall releases (like "The Lord of the Rings") and so on.

Then they list high profile movies that have premiered recently at Cannes, starting with "The Da Vinci Code," which Variety describes as "panned by jet-lagged critics." Uh, the people who saw it around the world also panned it, so why the jet-lagged tag, as if critics were cranky instead of the movie being a dull mess. And I wasn't jet-lagged; I'd been in Europe for two weeks, and MOST of the critics there live in Europe anyway. But of course, it went on to gross a massive $758 million worldwide.

Then Variety boneheadedly says other films didn't seem to benefit from a Cannes premiere, naming "Marie Antoinette," "Hollywood Ending" and "The Ladykillers." But some movies DID benefit from Cannes, says Variety, such as "Shrek 2" and "X-Men 3." What a puzzle, they seem to be saying. Uh, where's the confusion? The bad movies that premiered at Cannes did poorly around the world. The good movies that premiered at Cannes did great around the world. And some movies -- like "The Da Vinci Code" -- do well no matter how poorly they are received. it's pretty simple, good movies tend to do well and misfires tend to do poorly, whether they debut at Cannes or Venice or just at your local theater. Duh.

Gay Bigot Isaiah Washington Makes Noble Donation

What a coincidence. Isaiah Washington has decided -- just at this very moment -- to make a very public donation to a project that will detail the slave trade. Hmm, this wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that Washington was revealed as an ugly bigot who not only attacked a fellow actor, but then lied about it to the world at the Globes and expected everyone else to play along, would it? And if this isn't the most cynical, shameless attempt to use the historical atrocities of the slave trade to rehabilitate his image, than why the hell did he make it public? Frankly, since Washington dehumanizes other people who are different from them and uses slurs to attack and belittle them, he has a lot more in common with the slave TRADERS than he does with the people who suffered under them. This man has an extremely lucrative job on one of the most popular TV shows in the world, but can't stop himself from calling a co-worker a faggot. And now he wants to link himself to the injustice of people who were seen by others as less than human? He should have been fired. Anyone who used the "n" word with Wahsington most certainly would have been.

Revamped Websites

It seems like every media outlet has been busy revamping their websites, adding all sorts of gizmos where readers can comment and rank the stories and so on -- it's a lot more work reading online than it ever was before. USA Today's is a little odd to me, and their reviews make the star rating so tiny, it's almost impossible to see. The Times of London is a LOT easier to navigate than before. And the NY Daily News -- where I freelance -- is also a big improvement, though their search function is still spotty, just like it is for almost all newspapers online.

Scarlett Johansson To Star In "South Pacific?"

Scarlett Johansson almost starred in the West End revival of "The Sound Of Music," until Andrew Lloyd Webber went the reality show route and found a new star that boosted that show wonderfully. Now Johansson is pegged as the possible lead in a revival of "South Pacific." I certainly don't agree with the NY post's Michael Riedel that the two lead roles are among the greatest ever written -- heck, they're not even the two best lead roles ever written by Rodgers & Hammerstein. (I'd choose "Carousel.") What goes unmentioned is the fact that the book is hoary and dated and needs to be tweaked mightily, something the R&H estate have resisted. Everyone knows the show wouldn't work today as written; that's why it's not had a major revival. And -- just wondering -- can Scarlett sing?

Arctic Monkeys Fight The Scalpers

It's really not that hard to devise ways of frustrating scalpers and ticket brokers. Here's one tactic by Arctic Monkeys. An even easier way: make the people coming to the show bring ID and/or the credit card they used to purchase the ticket. End of story.

Overnight TV Ratings -- "America's Next Top Model" Hot

The biggest hit on the CW -- by far -- is "America's Next Top Model." It's doing blockbuster business, by their standards, reaching more than 5 million people last night and ranking #2 in the all-important 18-49 demo. That's why it was stupid of them to cannibalize their one hit with that Pussycat Dolls reality show, which dropped like a rock in its second week. Nonetheless, the REPEAT of last night's "Pussycat" episode did better following AMTM than it did on its own. "Idol," of course, was big, though it seems to have modestly plateaued now -- the numbers overall are, I think, still higher than last season, but just barely. It won't be helped if they keep touting a finale between Melinda and LaKaisha inevitable. Meanwhile, "Lost" has settled in with about 12 million viewers at 10 p.m. -- that's a far cry from its heyday and it will be beaten every time by new episodes of "CSI: NY," but at least it's not still, tumbling. But fans of "Jericho" should be very worried -- that show has absolutely collapsed since its break. Coming back for a second season is more in doubt. And obviously things don't look good for "Friday Night Lights." They moved it for the third time, ran two episodes and then yanked it in favor of reruns of "Dateline." Go to MediaWeek's Marc Berman for a complete ratings breakdown.

8 p.m.
1. Bones -- 10.21 million viewers
2. Dateline (r) -- 7.94 million
3. Jericho -- 7.76 million
4. George Lopez -- 6.33 million/According To Jim -- 5.96 million
5. America's Next Top Model -- 5.15 million

9 p.m.
1. American Idol -- 25.61 million/'Til Death -- 14.02 mil
2. Criminal Minds (r) -- 10.76 million
3. Crossing Jordan -- 7.42 million
4. According To Jim -- 5.83 million/In Case Of Emergency -- 4.74 million
5. Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search ForThe Next Doll -- 3.53 million

10 p.m.
1. Lost -- 12.12 million
2. CSI: NY (r) -- 10.29 million
3. Medium (r) -- 6.04 million

Fergie (The Duchess, That Is)

Roger Friedman of FoxNews.com must be the only person in the world who would describe Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York as "loyal" to the Queen and the Royal Family. I like Fergie, but there is no love lost among any of them and -- as far as she's concerned -- nor should there be. The Royal Family is wildly out of touch and bizarre -- Diana would describe the feeling of sneaking into her kitchen late at night to get something as if it were a betrayal of the servants; in other words, you were trapped and felt guilty for doing anything. And Fergie's dieting adverts and other mass media forays (she almost did a talk show) hardly add lustre to the Crown, at least certainly not in their eyes. But again, I'd rather hang with Fergie than anyone else in the Royal Family, excepting the heir and the spare, of course.

Maybe That Jim Carrey Movie Was Right

It doesn't get sillier than this: in a Gallup survey, when people were asked if it would bother them to stay on the 13th floor of a hotel, exactly 13% said it would. The Gallup people probably couldn't stop laughing when they spotted that one.

David Duchovny Starring In Showtime Sitcom

David Duchovny has committed to a new sitcom for Showtime. It will be paired with "Weeds" this August. The 12 episodes ordered will center on a writer (Duchovny) who has an ex-wife he still cares for, a 16 year old daughter and a compulsion to be with beautiful women.

Google To Keep Your Searches On File For TWO Years

I understand why Google wants to track searches and see how effective they are and refine their product. What I don't understand is why Google wants to keep everyone's searches grouped and traceable back to their own personal computer. What possible purpose does that serve? Google used to keep this info indefinitely; now Google says it will "only" hold onto your personal searches -- traceable right back to you -- for 18-24 months. Gee, thanks. AOL keeps searches only for 13 months, which is better but still unjustifiable in my mind. Any company that launches a good search engine that promises NEVER to keep records of my searches that can be traced back to me will immediately get my business. I use Google all the time but I don't feel the slightest bit of loyalty to it.

Heather Mills: I'm Not "A Publicity Seeker"

At least she said this BEFORE she began appearing on the reality show "Dancing With The Stars." Mind you, she also says her divorce from Paul McCartney has been amicable. Uh-huh.

Billboard's Top 10 Songs -- Hello, Fergie

The most interesting aspect of the charts this week is its volatility. Fergie's song "Glamorous" has pogoed up and down, depending on its availability as a digital download. And Daughtry's "It's Not Over" has rebounded back into the Top 10. This sort of thing has happened before, but it's becoming a lot more frequent now that digital downloads affect the charts and are so widely available. If an act performs on the Grammys or even just a talk show, their single can bounce up the charts the following week, thanks to viewers seeing them perform and heading right to iTunes. Expect this sort of volatitlity to become standard from here on out. Here are the top 10 singles, per Billboard:

1. "Glamorous" -- fergie featuring Ludacris
2. "This Is Why I'm Hot" -- Mims
3. "Don't Matter" -- Akon
4. "The Sweet Escape" -- Gwen Stefani featuring Akon
5. "Cupid's Chokehold" -- Gym Class Heroes featuring Patrick Stump
6. "This Ain't A Scene, It's An Arms Race" -- Fall Out Boy
7. "It's Not Over" -- Daughtry
8. "What Goes Around...Comes Around" -- Justin Timberlake
9. "Girlfriend" -- Avril Lavigne
10. "Say It Right" -- Nelly Furtado

"American Idol" Recap

Sanjaya lives! Remember, the order in which people leave doesn't really matter in the early rounds. As long as the person who is sent home deserves to go, then it's all good. Brandon certainly fit that bill. He looked poised and professional last night, much more so than when he performed and forgot his words and brought no color or interest to his song. It's also VERY dangerous to perform in that first slot. Why? Because the people performing later will be seen by millions of extra viewers. If people don't see you perform, they're a lot less likely to vote for you. Here's a breakdown of the shows viewers by each half hour, according to MediaWeek's Marc Berman:

American Idol Tuesday March 13:

8:00 p.m. -- 25.76 million viewers
8:30 p.m. -- 29.44 million viewers
9:00 p.m. -- 31.17 million viewers
9:30 p.m. -- 31.18 million viewers

As you can see, viewership jumps significantly in the second half hour and then again at 9. Through no fault of his own, Brandon was seen by 6 million fewer viewers than the people who performed throughout most of the show. The producers are well aware of this. When choosing the order of performances, they want to balance out the most popular with the least popular, create momentum, space out the really good performances and yes, protect or spotlight the contestants they like -- hence the valuable, closing slot for sweet 17 year old Jordin and the unlucky opening slot for likable but bland Brandon. Nothing guarantees anything, of course, but it certainly doesn't help to go first.

GROUP SONG -- A truly atrocious medley of songs by Diana Ross & the Supremes. Non one came off good, I thought, with the guys dancing with each other, the dorky attempt at 'tude when the gals sang and so on. To cap it off, it ended with one of those ludicrous shots into the audience, where we spot celebs and are told we're looking at "The cast of 'War at Home.'" On the other hand, Chris Sligh wisely took Simon's advice and popped the glasses back on. His face simply looks better with them.

FORD AD -- forget the ad, what bothered me was the shot of the final 12 after the ad aired, all of them giggling maniacally as if there was nothing funnier in the world than that ad and they just LOVED filming it. Are they drinking the Kool Aid or just determined to seem good-natured?

DIANA ROSS -- Her voice just isn't what it used to be. I'm glad the judges didn't speak after she finished "More Today Than Yesterday" or they would have had to point out how sharp and harsh it was. But she struck that classic Diana pose, worked the crowd like a trouper and basically acted as if it were 1972. I loved the shots of Paula dancing like the ultimate fan while Simon looked bored, sipping his drink.

GOODBYE BRANDON -- He looked very good tonight and was graceful saying goodbye though his performance certainly didn't make anyone think a miscarriage of justice had occurred. He might in fact be a backup singer -- he can sing and hit notes; he just doesn't have a lot of vocal personality. That's perfect for someone who needs to fill in on choruses and not overshadow the star. Hey, it's more than most people ever accomplish.

SHOT OF THE NIGHT -- Seeing Sanjaya slump back to his seat, looking very unhappy. I think he's been resigned to going home for weeks and knows he doesn't have a chance in hell in winning. All credit to the kid: it's got to be humiliating to hear people in the audience boo when you're saved and know millions of people think you suck and are staying on because of your hair ie your personality. How hard would it be to go on stage if you saw 1/1000th of what's been written about him online?

Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader...Who's Been Given The Answers?

Finally, the bizarre brilliance of the kids on "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader" is revealed. The LA Times has a fine feature on the dumbing-down of TV game shows and how old gems like "21" actually involved, you know, intelligent questions that challenged intelligent people, today's shows are moronic in their simplicity. (I would point out that this isn't true everywhere around the world. In the Uk, their game shows like "QI" -- hosted by Stephen Fry -- are terribly erudite.) They say one adult contestant on "Fifth Grader" actually struggled with the question "What is five times two?" Can that be true? How imbecilic are the adults they find? And then the LA Times explains how remarkably smart the kids are. Per the story, "a disclaimer notes the producers supply the kids with workbooks to help them bone up on material covered during the show." In other words, they feed them the answers. No wonder those kids miss almost nothing.

"Who Watches The Watchmen?"

Soon, it might be us. With the massive success of "300," the long-gestating feature film version of Frank Miller's classic "The Watchmen" might actually come together. Again. But since Darren Aronofsky and Terry Gilliam and Paul Greengrass have come and gone, I won't hold my breath.

Final Harry Potter Book Getting 12 Million Copy First Printing

And they'll almost all be sold within a week, I bet. That's more than the 10.8 million first printing for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." This refers to the US alone, of course. No word yet what the world-wide first printing total will be, but 25 million seems a safe bet. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" comes out July 21 of course.
And not a moment too soon: booksellers report that retail sales have dropped for seven months in a row. (Mind you, they'll discount the book so heavily that they won't make too much money on it anyway. Plus, everyone will line up at midnight to buy it so there won't be much spillover into other titles. People are in line talking about who they think is gonna die, not browsing the aisles to find other books to buy.)

Disney's New Musical "Little Mermaid" Treated Warily

Broadway insiders are wary of getting burned by Disney. They bet heavily on "Tarzan" and "Mary Poppins" and feel a little burned. "Poppins" is grossing more than $1 mil a week, but it's still somehow not seen as a long-term blockbuster. Michael Riedel of the NY Post has the skinny on the first peek at "The Little Mermaid" and the word is encouraging, but not blindly so.

Writers Marquez and Llosa Friends Again?

One of the most famous feuds in literary history may be over. Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Mario Vargas Llosa have apparently reconciled.

Oh well. Maybe Norman Mailer could pick a fight with both of them just to keep things interesting.

Richard Thompson On Anti-War Songs

I covered Richard Thompson's anti-war song before. But any chance to hear from him (Thompson is one of the absolute greats) is welcome. Thompson tells USA Today he hasn't heard any truly great anti-war songs to come out of the Iraq war (I'd include his own in that summation), but that some of Neil Young's songs are strong but with a bland statement. He also claims his new album is not focused on the Iraq war, but war in general, such as domestic war and relationship war. "There's a sweetness to it as well," he says, but Thompson must be joking. The only time you'd use the word "sweet" to describe his music is if you were following the word "bitter."

"The Godfather" Opens Today

35 years ago and at the Loews State Theater, which is now sadly defunct. Here's the original Variety review, which is positive but not an out and out rave.

Bravo Buys TelevisionWithoutPity.com

Yes, websites are hot. Idealistically, Popsurfing.com remains above the fray and has -- so far -- refused all offers for outright purchase or being combined onto someone else's website. Honor above all.

Did Mario Vazquez Sexually Harass Someone?

Roger Friedman of FoxNews.com says Mario Vazquez is a good kid and the idea that he was sexually harrassing someone goes against everything Friedman has seen and heard about him. Fair enough. But there are two other layers to this story. People claim Vazquez might have left Idol because of his behavior, but Friedman says convincingly why did everyone wait till he was virutally off the radar before filing a lawsuit? Then Friedman insists the only reason Vazquez left Idol early was because a lawyer who worked for Clay Aiken told Vazquez horror stories about how hard it is to get out of your Idol contract and he would be beholden to them for seven years. That hardly seems likely since Mario turned around and signed with Clive Davis anyway, the very label he would have been signed to if he'd won the show. Further, it seems crazily cocky and short-sighted to leave a talent show giving you worldwide massive exposure because you're worried that you'll do so well that you'll win a record deal and you don't want the hassle of working with the Idol people -- especially since that means you'll have to lay low for at least a year after the season was over before releasing anything anywhere. It certainly was the wrong decision for Mario, whose solo album has completely flopped, something Friedman is too polite to mention. He also doesn't mention the other reason people assumed Vazquez might have left the show: he was closeted and was afraid it would come out. But Friedman does refer to him as "soft-spoken," which seems like "La Confidential" code for the same thing.

UPDATE: I changed the wording above to reflect the reality that while many of the Idol artists have broken away in one way or another, they're all tied into 19 contractually in one way or another for quite a few years, even if it's only symbolically. I do have the impression with some of them (like Kelly) that 19 gets its cut but she has her own team directing her career and just deals with the financial obligation to them until the contract runs out. But of course, I'm not privvy to all the deals and how they work.

More UK Phone-In Scandals

Okay, here's a bit of catch-up. In the UK, for shows like Big Brother, when people call in to vote they are actually charged serious money for each vote. Sure, 50p or 90 p or whatever might not seem like a lot but when you've got millions of people voting, it really adds up. Why ANYONE would pay to vote or try to get on the air and win a prize is beyond me. I'd never vote for Idol if they tried to charge me. But the practice is extremely widespread in the UK. Morning talk shows akin to The View or Regis & Kelly charge people who want to call in and win a prize. Kiddie shows charge people who call in to win a toy. Quiz shows, talk shows, and on and on and on -- they ALL charge a fee when people call in and it's a huge and growing business. The major networks make HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS from all those phone fees and it's a very important part of their business.

Now the scandal: it seems like virtually every show on the air has been scamming viewers. For the last several weeks, one show after another has been revealed or fessed up to "irregularities" -- people were urged to call in to get on the air when a viewer was already chosen and standing by, people were overcharged in billing by the company handling voting for "Pop Idol," people were even urged to call in to a show that had been pre-taped! Now we find out that even kiddie shows weren't immune. The classic Blue Peter had technical problems and no callers could get through to win a toy. But instead of just telling viewers that, they coached a little girl visiting the set to get on the phone and lie about where she was calling from and gave her the answer to the question they had posed. Lovely.

I noticed "American Idol" last night is charging money to people who text them to enter their silly quiz. But at least they say you can also go online and play for free.

Paul McCartney Signs With Starbucks

Paul McCartney is leaving Capitol Records for Starbucks. Good heavens. Clearly, there are no more rules in the record industry. I recently interviewed Chuck Taylor of Billboard who said, "I just think we’re at a point where the major label machine is broken and when you have an artist who has a background like this and a name and brand recognition – he obviously has the resources to make the album he wants to make and to be able to hire the people to promote it independently. I see no reason why he’s not going to get the music out there."

He was talking about Darren Hayes of Savage Garden going the independent route, but he certainly could say the same thing about McCartney. He's a great fit with Starbucks, but I just HATE it when albums are only available at one store or one chain. Today, albums should be easier than ever to find online or in any store. Instead, you're having to figure out whether Garth Brooks is still signed to Wal-Mart and McCartney's album comes with a free mochachino and so on. It's annoying.

Capitol must be devastated since McCartney is taking his invaluable back catalog with him. But they certainly did a poor job with "Chaos & Creation," Macca's best solo album since "Tug Of War." Still, the Evening Standard implies the main reason McCartney made the jump was to avoid making more of his future income available to his ex-wife in their divorce settlement. That really doesn't make sense since if McCartney didn't want a lump sum upfront, Capitol would have been happy to oblige.

UPDATE: Starbucks says the record label its building will have releases available via other retailers, so perhaps McCartney's new albums won't be for sale only at Starbucks after all.

Dylan Sings Suess

Editor and Publisher pointed me to this link where a parody website has Bob Dylan performing songs based on Dr. Seuss classics like "Green Eggs and Ham" and a 12+ minute long version of "Cat In The Hat." It's probably been around for a while, but dang if it isn't really funny.

Ex-CIA Head Has Memoir Out April 30

George Tenet's memoir about life in the Bush White House -- called "At The Center Of The Storm" - is due out April 30. He's got a lot of scores to settle and if he does it and is honest, April 30 could be another very bad day for Bush.

"High School Musical" -- On Ice

No, you can't make this sort of thing up.

The Daytime Emmy Award Nominations

Here they are. Oprah has, I believe, pulled herself out of the running after winning for years, a la Bill Cosby.

Top soaps:

The Bold and the Beautiful
Guiding Light
One Life To Live
The Young and the Restless

Top talk shows:

Dr. Phil
The Ellen Degeneres Show
Rachael Ray
The Tyra Banks Show
The View

Top gameshows:

Jeopardy
The Price Is Right
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire

And how fun is it to see Luke and Laura nominated for acting awards on "General Hospital?" I don't know whether to pull out the novelty single "General Hospi-tale" by Afternoon Delights or "Think Of Laura" by Christopher Cross.

Billboard Top CDs -- "Notorious" Is B.I.G. Again

Whatever you think of Arcade Fire, it's fun to see them debut at #2, even if sales are still mighty weak overall. The Notorious B.I.G. is #1 with another posthumous album, one of five new releases in the top 10, per Billboard.

1. The Notorious B.I.G. -- Greatest Hits
2. Arcade Fire -- Neon Bible
3. Daughtry -- Daughtry
4. Akon -- Konvicted
5. Gary Allan -- Greatest Hits
6. Relient K -- Five Score And Seven Years Ago
7. Norah Jones -- Not Too Late
8. Fall Out Boy -- Infinity On High
9. Korn -- MTV Unplugged
10. Robin Thicke -- The Evolution Of Robin Thicke

Viacom Sues Google For Stealing

I'm a little late on this (it was announced yesterday). But I can't resist pointing out that Viacom is right. YouTube built a massive business in part by encouraging the pilfering of lengthy clips fo TV shows that went far beyond fair use. In fairness to Google, they are trying to arrange for legit deals that would pay for the usage of clips like moments from the Daily Show. But they're in a bind: settle and everyone else will want money; got to court and they could lose big time.

Author Jonathan Lethem Gives Away Other People's Copyright Protection

Jonathan Lethem gained some attention recently with a Harper's essay on copyright laws and what constituted plagiarism. Frankly, I think Gilberto Gil of Brazil is far more forward-thinking and interesting on the issue of copyrights. (To sum up a complex debate, copyright law in the US has been abused to protect the financial interests of major corporations like Disney instead of working to keep intellectual property as free and available as possible to the people. Books and CDs and movies and music are SUPPOSED to go into the public domain, but the law has been rejiggered to make even fair use (like quoting a line or two) become illegal and suspect. Gil and others are pushing for a whole new way of thinking about intellectual property that encourages creativity and the use of intellectual works as a resource for artists rather than strictly as a never-ending stream of revenue for one company.)

Now Lethem has "boldly" said he's selling the rights to his next novel to anyone with a cool bid, with several telling caveats: he wants 2% of the budget once the film has been bought for distribution and he wants the rights to the movie and that all ancillary rights must go into the public domain five years after it's released. Now 2% of a budget is actually a tidy sum for the rights to an author who has never had a film made of any of his work and whose novels aren't exactly ripe for blockbuster status. A modest Hollywood movie might cost $30 mil (that's VERY modest) and that means Lethem would get $600,000, a darn good chunk of change for the writer of the novel who didn't even do a first draft of the screenplay. But demanding that others give up the ownership of the movie five years later really rubs me the wrong way. I'd be a lot more impressed if Lethem gave up the rights to HIS OWN WORK -- why not demand his publisher make the book available for free online as a download five years after it came out? Why not demand that they not get exclusive right to it as a backlist title and say that anyone could publish it who wanted to? That would be a much bolder stroke than insisting OTHER PEOPLE give up their copyright when Lethem won't do it (or can't do it because of contracts) himself.

Overnight TV Ratings -- "Idol" -atry

Anotehr big night for "American Idol," of course. By the way, "The Black Donnellys" on Monday has been dead on arrival and "The Riches" on FX (with the great Eddie Izzard) has done very well indeed. For a complete ratings breakdown, go to MediaWeek's Marc Berman.

8 p.m
1. American Idol -- 27.6 million viewers
2. NCIS (r) -- 11.49 million
3. Dateline (r) -- 5.63 million
4. America's Funniest Home Videos (r)-- 5.3 million
5. Gilmore Girls (r) -- 2.07 million

9 p.m.
1. American Idol -- 31.18 million
2. The Unit (r) -- 7.7 million
3. Law & Order: Criminal Intent (r) -- 6.81 million
4. Primetime Live: The Outsiders -- 5.57 million
5. Pussycat Dolls Presents: The Search For The Next Doll -- 2.52 million

10 p.m.
1. CSI (r) -- 9.22 million
2. Law & Order: SVU (r) -- 8.17 million
3. Boston Legal (r) -- 5.72 million

"American Idol" -- Top 12 Recap

We're already in the top 12, with the show moving faster than ever, it seems to me. Diana Ross was the guest judge and I'm not sure about her being dubbed THE most successful female artist of all time. Purely on records sold? I don't know if Barbra Streisand tops her. There's also Celine Dion and Aretha Franklin and Mariah Carey all competing in various categories like Top 40 hits, #1 albums, best-selling albums, and so on. But no doubt Miss Ross is a legend. I can't believe she said her mentors like Berry Gordy, Jr. believed in her "even when I didn't believe in myself." Please. Diana Ross has ALWAYS believed in herself. That's one of the things you can't help loving about her. At first, I thought she was a dreadful help, making polite noises for the first few kids. Ultimately, she was more interesting in how she judged them rather than helped them. She clearly didn't like Chris Sligh's arrangement of "Endless Love" and other little comments let you know who Miss Ross did or didn't like. But her suggestions? I could have done better.

BRANDON -- "You Can't Hurry Love." Let's face it, the guy is cute and appealing. He looked good and gave a good wink during the "please vote for me" section. When he forgot the words, he managed to make it look charming rather than a train wreck, smiling and then moving on. His voice was shaky but he ended well, especially after blanking out for a moment.

MELINDA -- "Home" from "The Wiz." Never seen the film so I had never heard this song. Not a great tune, but she did it really, really well. Just great. Simon's comparison to Gladys Knight is a good one. Melinda's wide-eyed, deer in the headlights look is getting a bit old, but I assume it's just the meek way she's gone through life. Any word yet on if she's a sweetheart in real life?

I loved Paula just melting into tears and saying, "I'm just one big goosebump." After the first season, I suggested that Paula be the host, since she was clearly more comfortable mentoring and cheering on the kids rather than critiquing them. I thought Ryan could become the third judge or do secondary interviews and they bring in someone else. Pat myself on the back, Simon responded to my idea by pausing thoughtfully and saying, "That's actually a very interesting idea. I'm going to mention that to the producers." [We'd spoken a number of times that first season by that point.] It didn't happen of course and ultimately they were right not to mess with the formula. Paula's wackiness and non sequiters are a priceless element of the show. She's also been very good at being tougher on the kids this season in her own marshmallow-y way. When she pauses and struggles to find something nice to say, you know you really did terrible. Now if only Randy would stop saying "It wasn't my favorite performance of yours, but...."

Another gay riff by Simon and Ryan, this one actually amusing I thought, when Ryan asked Simon for fashion advice about Melinda's high heels and Simon responded, 'You should know Ryan," and Ryan responded, "Stay out of my closet," (quite funny) and then Simon responded "Come out" and then Ryan responded something about that being Simon's fantasy. It's childish and juvenile but more in the way of the "You know how I know you're gay" riff from "The 40 Year Old Virgin" than in a "ew, gay is gross" way.

CHRIS SLIGH -- "Endless Love." What a bizarre song choice, but when I heard the arrangement Chris was going for I thought it was a pretty ballsy choice and it ALMOST worked. Sure, it smoothed out the melody a bit, but points for rolling the dice. I liked Simon's comment that even the boos when he criticized Chris were light, ie. people agreed with him. And he's 100 percent right about the glasses -- Chris looks better with them on.

GINA -- "Love Child." last week, she looked like the revenge of Ryan Starr with those long gloveless sleeves she was wearing and she looks like herself again this week. She was screaming a bit towards the end, but fun.

SANJAYA -- "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." Sanjaya = Love, according to Miss Ross. I thought, how in God's name could he sing that big song? Even the backup singers sang extra quietly I thought in order to not overshadown him. But it wasn't awful and I wouldn't be surprised to see him stick around another week. He had earrings on both ears and of course the 'fro was fantastic. God bless him for embracing the full potential of his hair. Simon's comment about a wail/whale in Hollywood or Beverly Hills was in fact confusing in a funny way.

HALEY -- "Missing You." Well, she was far better than last week's dreadful "If My heart Had Wings" and she looked as good as she ever has from some angles, though that ribbon/belt was pretty godawful. I wasn't sure if she had forgotten the words, which the judges confirmed, but she ended well and was generally okay. I thought she should have worn a "Hi, My Name Is______" badge for Simon as a joke. But it's telling how far down she is on the list that a "I didn't think it was that bad" moved her to tears. Simon was right, as usual, but it wasn't that much of a compliment. She also gets bonus points for saying "I feel like such a schmuck" for missing the words. You just garnered the Jewish vote, Haley!

PHIL -- "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me." I have no idea why he's still here, since Phil is certainly no dreamboat, has no interesting personality and can't sing decently for an entire song to save his life. He was just flat and AWFUL at the beginning, as he always is, just okay on the chorus and had a decent ending. But you can only coast by on a big note or two for another week or so.

LAKISHA -- "God Bless The Child." And here I part with the judges. She looked good, but I spotted trouble when LaKisha said she'd never heard the song before. It is a very tricky song, emotionally, one that is almost mysterious (to me) in its meaning and tone. And even if I'm a little murky on the actual import of it (just like, say, "Send in the Clowns"), I know when it works and it rarely works for most singers other than Billie Holiday. LaKisha looked good and certainly sounded good, but from the point of view of the song,I thought it was a mess. The lyrics totally lost their meaning, she gave a lot of attitude as if it were some Celine Dion power ballad and at one point she threw in some unnecessary vocal runs that sounded horribly out of place and insecure, the very sort of thing I half-expected from her all the time. I've always been a Melinda fan, but LaKisha was winning me over. Tonight made me believe for the first time that she could eliminated in the Top 4 or Top 3 and not make the finals.

BLAKE -- "You Keep Me Hanging On." Poor Chris Sligh. Blake does the same damn thing he did and gets a lot more cred for it. He looked darn cute (despite the hair) and had some dorkily appealing dance moves. But his arrangement was pretty draggy and the vocals were spottier than he's been in a while. And just like Sligh he smoothed out the melody. But just like Sligh, kudos for rolling out a modern, fun arrangement.

STEPHANIE -- "Love Hangover." A little flat and of course she missed the words. She looked good, though. Like Jared, she might be fatally forgettable.

CHRIS RICHARDSON -- "The Boss." Okay, he's kind of cute, but he's always been a better entertainer than an actual singer. His vocals are always thin and weak and they were again last night. he belongs on a WB drama (I mean, a CW drama) or a sitcom more than onstage as a singer. Besides, he's too similar in some ways to Blake. They'll keep cancelling each other out, so one of them has to go and I say the sooner it's Richardson the better. But it won't be this week, I'm sure.

JORDIN -- "If We Hold On Together." Jordin looked terrific, but remember, she's only 17! If you doubt that, how else to explain her choosing the theme song from "The Land Before Time," a weak animated movie that has spun off an endless stream of straight to DVD sequels and which looms large for the young. It came out in 1988, one or two years before she was born. How else to defend picking such a lame tune with the entire Diana Ross catalog to choose from? But darned if she didn't deliver one of her best performances yet, with some good belting that Idol voters always love to overcome the so-so spots.

To me, the most vulnerable are Phil and Stephanie, though Sanjaya is always a possibility for the bottom two. Brandon and Haley handled themselves too well AFTER their performance to be gone this week, though it's always dangerous to perform early, which means Brandon and Sanjaya should be a little concerned.

"American Idol" -- Last Week

I can't resist commenting on last week's "American Idol" for a moment. Everyone keeps saying how the girls blow the guys away and yes, their bench is deeper. But the people saying all the guys will be gone by the top six or five are wrong talent-wise and certainly don't know how the show works. I'd be surprised if Chris Sligh, Blake Lewis and one other guy (maybe the vocally weak Chris Richardson or back-up singer Brandon) weren't in the top six. Sure, it looks like an all-diva finale, but these guys are definitely in the mix.

I thought Blake Lewis's reggae-ish 311 song was actually pretty cool, though his hairdo is still awful. He is definitely a wild card. In many ways, I thought Sundance was the worst. Sanjaya is inoffensive, whereas Sundance tackled "Jeremy." The song is hardly sacred -- these guys are all tackling famous songs -- but somehow, when you tackle something as personal and iconic as "Jeremy" is for Pearl Jam, butchering that is somehow a lot more annoying than butchering, say, one of a million wonderful Stevie Wonder ballads. Phil aka "Bat Boy" was also just terrible.

And then there's Sanjaya. Sure, he could have been eliminated before. But let me say this, Sanjaya has a very thin voice (or he's just scared onstage) but he is always on-key in his performance. He reminds me of Christopher Cross, who can't sing worth a damn live, but in the studio with lots of double-tracking and good production, he can do some great singles. As small as it is, he does have an okay voice and his performances(despite the hula) to me wasn't nearly as bad as Sundance and Phil and the colorless Jared, all of whom I would have sent home before him. Besides, how the heck did he flatten his hair and get it all poofy and Farrah Fawcett-y for the results show. Paula said Sundance was one of their best vocalists? hardly. He had a good audition and we spent the rest of the series waiting for him to be good again. Mostly he was terrible and he certainly deserved to go.

On the girls side, this was the first week I thought LaKisha was the best, bar none. Her Whitney Houston song was terrific, she sounded and looked great. Melinda, on the other hand, was smooth -- but "I'm A Woman" was I thought a really bad song. Oh she sang it, but I couldn't stop thinking of the TV ad it had been appropriated for. Yes, I think she's an "adult" artist a la Anita Baker (or Simon's good comparison of Gladys Knight), but this tune made her seem old and out of touch, sort of. Stephanie looked great and am I the last person to notice Gina's tongue piercing? Sabrina looked good, but I thought she was very harsh and scream-y, basically anonymous and that's what I wrote down before remembering how she was kicked off.

Certainly Antonella deserved to go, but I loved the close-up of Sabrina and Haley, was it? Sabrina looked extremely emotional before the announcement, but you just know she expected to go through because she had a look of ASTONISHMENT on her face when her name was announced instead of Haley. Ooops. I completely agreed with boring Jared, awful Sundance, anonymous Sabrina and Antonella being sent home.

Best line of the week: Ryan telling Simon, "Let the old man judge; let the young man interview."

Jet Lag, Etc.

Hey, I just collapsed ysterday and slept for ages. Today I had to finish the massive article on Darren Hayes I went to London to interview. As well as write another article for the Daily News, deal with phone calls, emails, etc. I've got 274 more emails to sort, write another News article (a quick one), and go get the truckloads of mail undoubtedly waiting for me at my mailbox. Never fear, tomorrow, I won't be able to resisting the blog after I've watched a new Idol.

Did You Miss Me?

I'm flying back today; a few new posts below.

Weekened Box Office: "300" Is #1

A massive opening weekend for "300," which did better than anyone imagined. It's the third highest R-rated movie EVER -- behind only "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Passion of the Christ." I thought the trailers have looked very cool, Frank Miller has tons of cred and it seemed a lot more fun than the equally visually daring "Sin City" (which I also found interesting), so this isn't a shocker but really satisfying. However lacking in depth the film may be, it was a roll of the dice. Anyone trying to read politics into it, however, is just being silly. "Zodiac" fell hard because it's certainly not a crowd pleaser. But I won't be at all surprised if it's on my best of the year list come next January and I certainly want to see it again before it leaves theaters. "Ghost Rider" hit $100 mil, which looks fine to the accountants but is basically an embarrassment to everyone involved. And "Bridge To Terabithia" is doing great -- imagine what it might have done without that awful, misleading ad campiagn. It's not just the bait and switch of implying this was a fantasy film. The big problem for me was the print and TV ads made it look like such a cheesy fantasy film. I hope they change the artwork for the DVD release. The top 10, per Box Office Prophets:

1. 300 -- $70 million total
2. Wild Hogs -- $28 million ($77.4 million total)
3. Bridge To Terabithia -- $6.9 million ($67 million total)
4. Ghost Rider -- $6.8 million ($104.1 million total)
5. Zodiac -- $6.77 million ($23.7 million total)
6. The Number 23 -- $4.3 million ($30.5 million total)
7. Norbit -- $4.3 million ($88.3 million total)
8. Music and Lyrics -- $3.8 million ($33.8 million total)
9. Breach -- $2.6 million ($29.1 million total)
10. Amazing Grace -- $2.5 million ($11.4 million total)

Dead, Deader, Deadest

Brad Delp, the erstwhile singer for the massive selling basement band Boston was found dead in his home. It looks like natural causes.

Comedian Richard Jeni is dead and the Hollywood Reporter cautiously says it looks like "a possible suicide." Since they also say his girlfriend called the police and told them, "My boyfriend shot himself in the face," I'm gonna go out on a limb and say it's a probable suicide.

And Jeff Buckley has been dead for a while, but the albums keep on coming. Buckley had one studio album. ONE. Plus a live EP and posthumous odds and ends and they've somehow managed to turn all that into a greatest hits CD. Yes, a greatest hits CD for an artist who released ONE album. I just chatted with the former lead singer of Savage Garden who thought it was daft his band had a greatest hits CD when they only released two albums. Ha! That's nothing, obviously. I plan to release a greatest hits CD even though I've never released any music at all.

Twelve New Books On Paperback List

Bob Woodward has finally knocked Barack Obama out of the #1 slot on the nonfiction list. But the most interesting section this week is the paperback list, which is often clogged with titles for months at a time. This week, 12 titles debut on the chart, which has to be close to a record. Most of them are romances and, curiously, a number of THOSE are reprints. Bestsellers like Nora Roberts pair up older titles (like two novels about chefs in love) and repackage them and resell them and people buy them (sometimes, I assume, all over again). Why romance readers would be more willing to buy reprints than others is beyond me, though I assume it's because romance writers typically write so MANY titles that everyone but the most ardent fan can't keep up with them all, so often these titles are new to them. Still, 12 new titles is pretty amazing. It's quicker just to tell you what remained from last week: "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards (on the charts for 37 weeks and at #3 this time), "True Believer" by Nicholas Sparks (on the charts for 9 weeks and at #11 today) and "The Alchemist" by Paolo Coehlo (this edition has been on the charts for 10 weeks and is at #15 and if anyone can explain to me why the umpteenth edition of this 14 year old title has charted -- I suppose it's the paperback version of the gift edition -- I'd be beholden. Personally, I still can't get through "Jonathan Livingston Seagull." But then, I have no heart.)

Will The Last Person To Enter Rehab Please Turn Off The Lights?

Now Eddie Van Halen has entered rehab too. Bizarrely, only Sammy Hagar and other ex-members will be on hand to induct the band into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, which would be like having me on hand to induct the Pet Shop Boys because I've sung some of their songs in the shower.

Omigosh! On The Set Of "High School Musical 2!"

Okay, so I'm a little annoyed because I was pitching "High School Musical" long before it even premiered and then even after it debuted to spectacular numbers and even after it repeated to massive numbers week after week after week, people wouldn't write about it and certainly not the New York Times and even after the soundtrack debuted with an unbelievable number of singles charting at once (setting an all-time record, by far) people STILL wouldn't write about it, but now of course everyone will. The NYTimes was on the set and got some juicy stuff, including this politely catty comment from star Zac Efron:

“Personally, I feel no competition with the cast because I’m not going for the
same things they are,” he said in an interview in which his blue eyes and easy
smile were evocative of a young John Travolta. “A lot of them are doing teen
music things, and tours, various TV deals and other Disney TV movies and Disney
albums. That’s the last thing I want to be doing at the moment.”
“I’m setting my sights a little bit higher,” he added. “I don’t have an album coming out."

"American Idol" Results

Talk to me. Sanjaya? Antonella?

"American idol" Gals Night Recap

Thanks for keeping me up to date on the guys. Now how did the gals do? Did my Melinda keep up her great run? LaKisha still belting? Who else is improving? Will Antonella finally go home? let me know.

"American Idol" Recap

Hello, from merry olde England. I had a terrific interview; now all I have to do is write it. Of course, I can't watch Idol. So talk to me -- what's happened tonight?

NAACP Honors Isaiah Washington

Yes, the NAACP Image Awards honored actor Isaiah Washington of "Grey's Anatomy" as Best Actor in a Drama. Clearly, voting on this award ended LONG after the NAACP was aware of Washington's bigoted comments. But obviously they don't care about that; calling some homo a "faggot" is old news and Washington already apologized and what could be better for the image of the black community than honoring a bigot? What a slap in the face to the black gay community and to the memory of the many gay black activists like Bayard Rustin who fought alongside Dr. Martin Luther King for racial justice and to the memory of Coretta Scott King who died just last year and made clear that she saw gay rights as the latest battleground in the fight to preserve civil rights for all.

It might be one thing for the BET awards or some other organization to say, hey, we're just talking about a TV show, not his private life. I'd still disagree, mind you. But we're talking about the NAACP, a group DEVOTED to fighting for equal justice for blacks, including gay blacks, and for the protection of the civil rights of all Americans. A group DEVOTED to fighting for respect for minorities has just celebrated and honored a man most famous for spewing hate just a few short weeks ago. It would have been nice if the NAACP had criticized Washington. But to honor him? That's shameful.

You can contact the NAACP toll free at 877-622-2798.
You can call the NAACP Image Awards at 323-938-5268
You can email the NAACP Image Awards at imageawards@naacpnet.org

Be polite, but point out the sad irony of a group fighting for the rights of a minority choosing to honor a man best known for spreading hate towards others. Is Washington persona non grata forever? No, if he makes a sincere effort and rehabilitates himself maybe in the future he could be celebrated without making a mockery of everything the NAACP is supposed to stand for. But to give him a top award just weeks after his vicious comments -- the sort of comments that should get a white man fired and rightly so if he said it about a black coworker -- is ridiculous. They should be ashamed and apologize for poor judgment that mocks their own stated goals.

I Lied

Personal affairs (a memorial for the father of a very close friend), numerous stories and preparations for leaving for London) made it impossible for me to even compile a list of my favorite CDs before going away. Perhaps the list doesn't even exist, which is certainly true in an existential way? I have a major interview to do on Tuesday in London and I've had to choose between properly preparing for that and finishing my list. My job, such as it is, won out. Please forgive me and know that I'm packing 30+ CDs for those final listens and double-checks so I can once and for all complete my Best CDs of 2006 (And Some Early Favorites of 2007) when I get back in a week. Cheers!
P.S. My blogging will of course be extremely curtailed if not nonexistent.

The French Surrender

Cahiers Du Cinema is now being published online...in English. Mon Dieu! Somewhere, Jean-Luc Godard can't stop throwing up. (Thanks to George Robinson, author of The Essential Torah, for pointing this out.)

The Birth Of Children's Literature

A well-done review of a bio of author Beatrix Potter in the London Review Of Books (which you must subscribe to in order to read) mentioned the crush of classic children's literature that appeared in the wake of "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland" in 1865. It was almost as if the Victorians invented childhood (a rather new concept) just so they could invent children's literature as well. It was 30+ years after that book that the wave came: Kenneth Grahame's under-appreciated gem "The Golden Age" in 1895, Potter's "Peter Rabbit" in 1902, E. Nesbit's "Five Children and It" also in 1902, JM Barrie's "Peter Pan" onstage in 1904, Nesbit's "The Railway Children" in 1906, Grahame's "The Wind in the Willows" in 1908 (with the final brilliance of AA Milne's "Winnie-the-Pooh" in 1926). Throw in "Treasure Island" from 1893 and you can see what a remarkable 15 years that was.

Tom Cruise, Movie Mogul

A detailed story about Tom Cruise's "firing" from Paramount (his people insist the departure was already in the works when Sumner Redstone fired that broadside) and new deal with the slumbering studio MGM. Yes, Cruise gets to play with the UA logo, and yes, he and Paula Wagner agree the new entity is a "hybrid" between a production deal and a studio. But I still say it's silly to claim Cruise is running a studio. A studio, especially today, makes anywhere from 15-25 major films, as well as owning one or two "indie labels" like Fox Searchlight" that make "smaller" films and probably has a record label for soundtracks and a home DVD division. THAT'S a studio. Cruise and Wagner have a glorified production deal with new ideas of financing and profit participation and ANTICIPATE making 4-6 movies a year. There are independent producers that deliver that many titles to major studios right now and no one claims THEY are running a studio. Still, some of the details are interesting, most notably a drama directed by Robert Redford and starring Redford and Cruise and Meryl Streep. The budget is a tiny $35 mil for "Lions for Lambs" with the three stars deferring an upfront fee AND deferring a cut of the gross revenue in exchange for splitting (three ways?) half of the film's profit with UA. I'd love to know how they're determing "profit" since that debate is exactly why talent demands big money upfront or a cut of the gross, since there's no debate about what that means. Finally, Wagner is a tad defensive about charges their record is spotty for movies that don't star Cruise. She says anyone's record is "spotty" who makes enough movies. Fair enough, but they have precious few hits to claim. (They've made 12 movies in the past 13 years, by the way, far less than making six movies a year.)

Tom Cruise began work as a producer in 1996. His work as an actor on movies he DIDN'T produce has been impressive:

Jerry Maguire
Eyes Wide Shut
Magnolia
Minority Report
Collatteral
War Of The Worlds

All six films are critically acclaimed to one degree or another (Cruise has good taste), with Maguire and Collateral and Minority Report all substantial box office hits and War Of the Worlds Tom Cruise's top grossing film worldwide, with Magnolia a modestly budgeted film (and Cruise in a supporting role) and the Kubrick film in a category of its own.

Tom Cruise's work as an actor in films he's produced since 1996 has also been highly commercial:

Mission Impossible
Mission Impossible II
Vanilla Sky
The Last Samurai
Mission Impossible III

Sure, "Mission Impossible III" declined a bit in box office; that's usually what the second sequel in a franchise does, after all. It still grossed $400 mil worldwide and if the studio made such a dumb deal that they couldn't make a profit off $400 mil at the box office (not counting DVDs of course, which is worth at LEAST another $300 mil), then they deserve to get taken. Vanilla Sky was a critical flop, but it still grossed $200 mil worldwide. And "The Last Samurai" was a massive hit overseas (his biggest until War of the Worlds), grossing $111 mil here and $340 mil overseas.

But then we come to the point at hand: Tom Cruise as a producer of films he DOESN'T star in. How is his track record? Is it "spotty" or just plain weak?

Without Limits
The Others
Narc
Shattered Glass
Elizabethtown
Ask The Dust

Frankly, his work as a producer in films he doesn't star in isn't terribly extensive. He's made two awful films with his friend Robert Towne, one awful and indulgent disaster with his friend Cameron Crowe, one film with his ex-wife Nicole Kidman as the star, one film with director Joe Carnahan that led to Cruise hiring and then firing Carnahan from the "Mission Impossible" franchise and one well-regarded indie flick. I'd almost argue that Cruise hasn't ever really tried to do more than help some friends get their latest films made. He might do a good job at quadrupling his output of films and being involved with four or five a year instead of one, but he's never done it before. And the films he has produced for others have almost all been flops. Towne's movies "Without Limits" and "Ask The Dust" both made less than $1 million at the US box office and were duds on DVD as well. "Narc" made a modest $10.4 million at the US (but only cost $7 mil to make). But Cruise tried to elevate Carnahan to the first ranks and then broke with him very publicly. "Shattered Glass" is the film Cruise might be proudest of: it got great reviews and probably broke even, but it only grossed $2.2 mil in the US on a tiny budget of $6 mil. Elizabethtown grossed $50 mil WORLDWIDE on a budget of $56 mil, so it won't lose any money. But it severely damaged Crowe's tattered rep (after Vanilla Sky) and showed Cruise with a very weak producing hand given the turmoil in screenings and recuts the film endured to no avail. So of the SIX films Cruise has produced but not starred in during the last 11 or so years, only ONE has been a success by Hollywood standards. That's the horror-suspense film "The Others," which cost only $17 mil to make and grossed $200 million worldwide. Unfortunately, it did that to a large degree thanks to the growing starpower of Cruise's ex-wife Nicole Kidman. So his one big success as a producer was really Kidman's coming out as a star in her own right. That year, 2001, she and Cruise announced their separation, got their divorce and Kidman starred in "Moulin Rouge," a musical that grossed $177 mil worldwide and "The Others," which grossed $209 million worldwide. She also got all the sympathy. So even Cruise's one lone success story as a producer and not star has all sorts of caveats that take away from even that credit. The other five films show mostly a star working on pet projects of old friends and trying and failing to develop a new director. Would I want to work with Tom Cruise the movie star? Absolutely. Do I think Tom Cruise is a smart producer who can pick great, commercial projects? I don't know. I don't think he's even tried yet. But his record on six films as a producer isn't spotty. It's disastrous. But what a remarkable success as an actor. Since 1996:

Mission Impossible -- $456 mil worldwide
Jerry Maguire -- $274 mil worldwide
Eyes Wide Shut -- $86 mil worldwide (but it's Kubrick
Magnolia (indie w Cruise in supporting role) -- $48 mil worldwide
Mission Impossible II -- $546 mil worldwide
Vanilla Sky -- $202 mil worldwide
Minority Report -- $358 mil worldwide
The Last Samurai -- $456 mil worldwide
Collateral -- $217 mil worldwide
War Of The Worlds -- $591 mil worldwide
Mission Impossible III -- $395 mil worldwide

Weekend Box Office -- Friday Estimates

Someone get Samuel L. Jackson a good script -- stat! Since "Kill Bill Vol. 2," Jackson has starred in one shaky film after another: the "XXX" sequel/flop "State of the Union;" the final lame "Star Wars" movie; "The Man," a dreadful buddy comedy with Eugene Levy; "Freedomland," a weak Joe Roth drama with Julianne Moore; the terrible Iraqi vets movie "Home of the Brave;" the straight to video spoof "Farce of the Penguins;" and of course the mega-hyped "Snakes On A Plane," which he had a blast promoting. Now' it's "Black Snake Moan," which looks like a fun B movie and got some okay reviews, but failed to meet even the low expectations for its opening weekend. Watchboy aka Aaron saw it in primetime on Saturday night in Washington DC and called me to say the theater was virtually empty. If Jackson can't bring in his core audience on opening weekend, the bad movies are really starting to affect his pull. The only good news he's had is in voice work, where Jackson worked on "The Incredibles" and the smart TV show "Boondocks" (which, unfortunately, seems to have slipped into a black hole). But at least the guy keeps working: Jackson has four movies in the can or filming and two more in the works, including a boxing drama called "Resurrecting The Champ" with Josh Hartnett, a horror flick with John Cusack called "1408," a promising kids' flick called "Jumper" with Hayden Christiansen and Jamie Bell, and a reteaming with Bruce Willis on a cop film. Oh and I was way off on "Zodiac," which did very poorly despite a great cast and great reviews. Word of mouth is gonna be poisonous on it, if the audience I sat with is any guide. By the way, with movies like "Breach" and "Zodiac" doing poorly, Hollywood may never make a film for adults again. Here are the weekend estimates, based on Friday numbers from Box Office Prophets.

1. Wild Hogs -- $35.9 million total
2. Zodiac -- $12.8 million
3. Ghost Rider -- $10.3 million ($93 million total)
4. Bridge To Terabithia -- $8.1 million ($57 million total)
5. The Number 23 -- $6.5 million ($24 million total)
6. Norbit -- $5.7 million ($82 million total)
7. Music and Lyrics -- $4.8 million ($38 million total)
8. Black Snake Moan -- $3.7 million total
9. Reno 911!: Miami" -- $3.6 million ($16 million)
10. Breach -- $3.2 million ($25 million)

Zodiac

Prepare yourself: this movie is deeply unsatisfying in the most satisfying way. It's not just set (mostly) in the Seventies, it also seems to embody the 70s filmmaking ethos. "Zodiac" is intelligent, adult, wonderfully matter-of-fact, seamlessly inhabited by a cast brimming over with talent (I think even the one-line roles are filled by notable faces, without ever distracting) and absolutely true to life. Just know that the real Z