Jim Croce's "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" May Live On As A Movie

Reportedly, Warren Zide who was involved in production for both the AMERICAN PIE and FINAL DESTINATION films has struck a deal with the widow of Jim Croce, Ingrid Croce, to produce a live action comedy based off the famous hit song, "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown".

Zide hopes to create a whole new franchise of films based off the character from the song, Leroy Brown, Who is "the baddest man in the whole damn town".

Writers are currently working on the project in which Jim Croce's widow is excited about.

Jim Croce was only 30 years old when he was killed in a plane crash after a concert in Louisiana, when either human error or else a heart condition caused the pilot to miss a pecan tree at the end of the runway, killing everyone onboard. After Croce's death, his last album I GOT A NAME, which was recorded only eight days before his death was released. Croce had two #1 hits in his career, including "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", which sounded like it was recorded in a music in the round-type atmosphere. It was a fun recording.

Croce actually had created music since 1960, when he graduated from high school. However 1966's FACETs and a 1969 album with his wife Ingrid gained little traction. But when he signed a deal with ABC Records in 1972 to produce three albums, his career finally took off. His first ABC single, "You Don't Mess Around With Jim" which peaked at #8 on the charts was another fun song somewhat like "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown", which became his biggest seller by far. The album sold two million copies. Jim Croce was a hot star with a bright future. But then the accident robbed him of what would likely have been superstardom.

Dolly Parton vs. U.S. Senator Story Takes A Strange Turn

The story reported yesterday by the country western THE BOOT news, took a very strange turn today, as the office of U.S. Senator Bob Corker now claims that the interview of Dolly Parton by WAXO1220AM (Kickin' Country) never took place. Spokesperson for Corker's office, Laura Herzog claimed that the senator's office had checked with the radio station as well as Dolly Parton's representatives, claiming that Dolly Parton wasn't on that station in an interview segment.

Herzog also claimed that it was "categorically false" that the senator carved out any exemption clause for payday loan companies. However, THE NEW YORK TIMES reports just the opposite to be true, claiming that Corker was indeed the driving force to exempt payday loan companies from proposed new consumer law legislation. Further, W. Allan Jones, who owns Checks Into Cash has been a longtime friend and political supporter of Corker. Since 2001, Corker has received $31,000 in political contributions from Jones and other employees of the business.

So far, no official statement has come from Dolly Parton or WAXO radio about the claimed interview. And according to one source, military families are already protected somewhat from higher interest rates by payday loan companies, which are capped at 36% under provisions of the Federal Military Lending Act of 2007.

So, who's telling the truth here? Did Dolly Parton actually do a radio interview tearing into the senator or not yesterday? Why did Corker's office misrepresent his actual involvement and support for provisions exempting the payday loan industry?

A strange entertainment news story grows stranger.

Charlie Sheen's Problems Shorten TWO AND A HALF MEN Season

This year's season for TWO AND A HALF MEN will be two episodes shorter this year because of Charlie Sheen's legal problems which landed him in rehab. Instead of the usual 24 episodes, just 22 will be filmed. But, what will be missing is the big season finale episode because it got cut from the schedule. But, TWO AND A HALF MEN is a really great comedy, so you can still expect a very good episode to wrap up this season.

TWO AND A HALF MEN is the most important comedy that CBS has and the #1 comedy on TV. However, Charlie Sheen's legal and rehab problems this year have caused plenty of problems for the show. The show has maintained it's quality despite all of this and really hasn't witnesses any audience slippage according to the ratings.

Dolly Parton Tears U.S. Senator A New One In A Radio Interview

Dolly Parton is at war with her U.S. senator over his apparent support for payday loan companies that charge U.S. service-person families 400% interest rates. Parton stopped just short of calling U.S. Senator Bob Corker a crook, by accusing him of "behind closed door" efforts to work with the payday loan industry to rip off military families. Parton was a guest on the country western station WAXO-1220AM in Lewisburg, Tenn(Kickin' Country) and decided to tear the senator a new one during what would have been a normal interview about her life and music.

It was a surprising and abrupt political statement from the country music legend, who even called the senator "unAmerican". Corker blocked a move in the U.S. Senate to limit the payday loan industry to 36% maximum interest rates by law. In the last few months, the Senate voted to put new regulations on the credit card industry. However, these regulations had mixed results since the credit card industry had nine months before the law took effect, and then raised interest rates and added new charges while the industry lawyers sought clarification from the Federal Reserve Board about certain provisions. Corker removed language from the bill so that the payday loan industry would be exempt from proposed new rules regulating other money lenders.

Tennessee has 2,700 military families, and these families are highly likely to use payday loans to survive between pay checks for survival.

Dolly Parton added in the radio interview, that "Growing up poor, I know the hardship and tragedy that money matters can cause to a family".

No comment from the senator as of yet what it feels like being torn a new one by the country music legend.

Conflicting Stories Emerge About Possible Divorce For Sandra Bullock

Entertainment sources are reporting conflicting stories about whether Sandra Bullock and her husband are seeking divorce lawyers. ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT claims that a representative of Sandra Bullock has denied that she is seeking a divorce or has hired a divorce attorney at this time. On the other hand, TMZ reports that both Sandra Bullock and her husband Jesse James have been interviewing divorce lawyers.

Both entertainment sources are no doubt getting their information from different sources accounting for the differing stories. This is a developing story that will take some days to play out.

The Shocking Ages Of Rock Stars!

It's absolutely shocking just how old some of the greatest rock stars now are. This isn't for the faint hearted. Read at your own risk!

Ray Manzarek, the the legendary keyboardist for The Doors was born in 1939, and is now 71 years old! Manzarek has continued to produce music since the days of The Doors, including a number of solo and instrumental albums.

Jet Black, the drummer for the punk group, The Stranglers, was born in 1938. He's also 71 years old now. Black was actually a successful businessman in England in the mid70's before deciding to join The Stranglers and to become one of the oldest punk rockers out there.

Mick Jagger, the fantastic front-man for The Rolling Stones is 66, and was born in 1943. Jagger's middle class family background led him to study economics in college, where he kept The Rolling Stones a business for all these years. making the group one of the most successful business ventures ever.

Eric Clapton, long considered to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time is 64 years old, and was born in 1945. Clapton's career spans successful acts such as Blind Faith, Derek And The Dominoes, Cream, The Yardbirds as well his highly successful solo career.

Alvin Lee, the Gibson 335 guitar superman from Ten Years After is 65 now, born in 1944. Allvin Lee continues to record and turn out great solo albums, proving himself to be one of the most enduring ring rock legends of all time.

Jerry Lee Lewis, the original keyboard wildman of the 1950's, was born in 1935, and is now 74 years old. He continues as real legend in both rock and roll and country music.

Chuck Berry, the great pioneering rocker of the 1950's is 83 now, born in 1926. He remains an active legend in rock and roll, and has even performed for President Carter at the White House.

Little Richard, who combined a hard rock sound with R&B, is 77 years old, born in 1932, probably was a great influence to later performers like Elton John for his outrageous stage presence and dress. Little Richard remains one of the biggest influences on music to this day, probably originating a hard rock sound more than any early performer.

Paul McCartney, at age 67, still has plenty of his boyish good looks going for him. He was born in 1942, and remains the most successful of the surviving members of The Beatles.

Ringo Starr, 69, born in 1940, has had a less successful solo career than Paul McCartney, but still remains a beloved music legend by all means. Ringo never thought of himself as a great drummer, but many music disagree and call him great. Further, his vocal style has a "everyman" quality about it that is sort of cute in it's own way.

Carlos Santana, at age 62, born in Mexico in 1947, continues to be one of greatest and most hypnotic guitar legends of all time.

Patti Smith, at 63, born in 1946, is called the "Godmother of punk", by some for her pioneering style in this genre of music. In the late 70's comic actress Gilda Radner based her "Candy Slice" character off of Patti Smith, although the real Patti Smith has always been a very intelligent person and hardly the "burn out case" that the character lampoons.

Bruce Springsteen, "The Boss" turned 60 this year. Born in 1949, Springsteen continues to remain one of the greatest live performers of all time.

Bob Dylan, born in 1941, aged 68, remains a legendary singer and songwriter, and continues to produce some of the best albums of his entire career.

Tom Petty, aged 59, born in 1950, seems like a baby here. Yet, the aging singer- songwriter continues have legions of loyal fans attracted to his own unique rock and roll style.

The Strange Story Behind "Gimme Dat Ding" By The Pipkins

In 1970, a very unusual novelty single, "Gimme Dat Ding" hit the charts and became a top hit both in the UK reaching and in the U.S. But this very unusual single has an even stranger history.

In many ways, "Gimme Dat Ding" was the first rap song ever, using two voices in a strange duet, one very similar to that of legendary radio announcer Wolfman Jack, and another much higher pitched voice. The song also made liberal use of ragtime-era styled music as well. The popular British comedy show, THE BENNY HILL SHOW, often made use of the music from this song which was originally written for a British children's program, OLIVER AND THE OVERLORD.

Tony Burrows, the lead singer on the song actually hit the charts in 1970 using four different act names. With The White Plains, "My Baby Loves Lovin"" was a hit both in the Uk and the U.S., with Edison Lighthouse, "Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes", and with The Brotherhood Of Man, "United We Stand" was also hit both in the UK and the U.S. It was probably the first time in chart history that one singer had four chart hits in one year in both the UK and the the U.S. using four different act names, each with a different style of music. Two other singles by Burrows recorded under the group names Current Kraze and The Naked Truth apparently failed to chart in 1970, otherwise Burrows would have had even more hit singles in a single year. Tony Burrows sang the deeper voice parts, while it was Roger Greenaway who did the falsetto style voice on "Gimme Dat Ding".

Interestingly, since Tony Burrows was a session singer, he wasn't always available, so live show versions of "Gimme Dat Ding" were performed by British singers, Davey Sands and Len Marshall. A few years ago, "Gimme Dat Ding" was rerecorded using new digital recording technology. However, fans of the songs complain that the new version simply lacks the sheer fun of the original recording.

Tony Burrows was sometimes describes as "the human hit machine" because he had an usual knack for picking the right songs to sing that became hits. Burrows also rates in the record books as having the most chart hit singles by any human being ever. Burrows had hit singles recording under his own name, as well as with a huge number of group names. He was also the lead singer of First Class and had the hit "Beach Baby" with them as well.

Incidentally, Albert Hammond who co-wrote "Gimme Dat Ding", with Mike Hazlewood, also wrote the hit song for The Hollies, "The Air That I Breathe". Hammond also had a big hit single with the song, "It Never Rains In Southern California".

A Motorcycle Hearse

A British company, http://www.motorcyclefunerals.com/ , offers a unique motorcycle hearse service that's very popular with rockers, bikers, ton-up boys and other UK motorcycle culture groups. The company offers several very attractive custom built motorcycle hearses including a classic Triumph, a cafe racer styled Triumph, a Suzuki, and custom Harley complete with a nice engine note roar.

What a way to go out....

Jesse James Affair Story Generates New Embarrassments For Sandra Bullock

As if the story of the purported affair between Sandra Bullock's husband, Jesse James, and tattoo model, Michele McGee, hasn't been painful enough for the award winning actress, new embarrassments popped up overnight about the story. Reportedly, TMZ has acquired a picture of Jesse James wearing a Nazi officers hat giving a Nazi salute, and TMZ also uncovered a video of McGee shot about two weeks ago performing onstage at the Pure Platinum strip club.

For Sandra Bullock, the steady drip-drip-drip of awful stories over the last few days must be presenting a terrible public image nightmare. Bullock has always been known for kindness and giving to charity and other good will. But, the reported antics of her husband have to be presenting a serious public relations crisis for the actress, and some way to have some damage control over the situation.

Probably, the marriage is in critical condition right now. Whether it survives all of this is a big question.

Some FOX Affiliates Wary Of Possible New Conan Show

Reportedly, FOX is putting pressure on local stations to set aside the 11:00 pm time slot for a possible new Fall season Conan O'Brien show. However, no financial deal has yet been struck between FOX and O'Brien, which is still a critical issue.

But, some local FOX network affiliates are kicking at the notion of bumping profitable programming such as THE OFFICE reruns in favor of the O'Brien, who badly failed in the 11:35 time slot over at NBC. And sometimes, moving a show cover to another network badly fails in the ratings.

A prime example of moving a show to another network that grossly failed was the mega-disaster $40 million dollar deal that moved FAMILY MATTERS and STEP BY STEP over to CBS from ABC. CBS had hoped to start a new family comedy programming block called the "CBS Block Party", but audiences failed to watch in big numbers, and FAMILY MATTERS was a huge ratings disaster for CBS where the show soon fell out of the top 100 TV shows.

Many local CBS affiliates found the ratings so low that some even aired paid programming infomercials in the 8:00pm FAMILY MATTERS time slot because it made more money than airing the fresh CBS episodes of the show. CBS soon pulled the program from the network lineup, and during the Summer ran the unaired episodes as a sort of dumping ground for all of the money they wasted on this $40 million dollar disaster.

CBS's bid to create a family oriented programming slot on Friday nights failed for several reasons. Part of the problem was that the ratings for FAMILY MATTERS had been on a slow slide ever since the second season of the show where it peaked at #15 among all shows. By season eight on ABC, the show had tumbled down to #50. For the ninth season at CBS, the show was down to #108 among all shows. For CBS to pay $40 million to purchase a declining entity was a very bad business decision.

Another problem for CBS was that with their older demographic of viewers, fewer younger viewers would migrate over to CBS, where many of the viewers tended to be near 50 at the time. Another problem is that there really wasn't as much of an audience for "family programming" as some would think. CBS has done far better in later years by airing dark dramas such as GHOST WHISPERER in this Friday time slot.

What FOX can learn from all of this is that Conan O'Brien has his fans for sure, but he was a ratings disaster for NBC in the 11:35 time slot. And usually moving a show to another network brings along less viewers as well. Further, as local stations find a network show lagging, they're willing to even air paid programming junk at prime-time if they have to to break even. All of this are bad omens for FOX here.

But FOX hopes to buck the trend, and Conan O'Brien will give FOX the best shot that they can at putting together a 11:00 talk show to compete with Leno and Letterman, even if the ratings are much smaller. FOX also hopes that Conan can build an audience as well. FOX looks willing to gamble on O'Brien here, even if many local FOX stations aren't too excited to be onboard for looks like a huge financial risk to them.

The Sporty Rambler That You Never Saw

In the 1960's, when the sporty Dodge Charger fastback was all the rage, little American Motors Corporation wanted to develop their own sports fastback model. One concept car was the Tarpon, a sports fastback based off the small compact Rambler model. Sadly, designers at AMC decided to instead base the actual Marlin production sports fastbacks off of the larger Rambler Classic series of cars because the cars were more similar to the Dodge Charger in size.

Looking back, you just can't help but wonder what a big success some awesome 390 cubic inch powered little fastback sports Rambler could have been. For little AMC, this might have a major missed opportunity.

Pharmacy Cut Off Brittany Murphy's Prescription Drugs

When it was found out by Eddie's Pharmacy in Los Angeles that the late actress Brittany Murphy was using hundreds of prescription pills a month under an alias name, the pharmacy cut her off. Records from the pharmacy show that the late actress was prescribed as many as 400 pills one month for example.

Records also indicate that one of the drugs that the late actress sought were hydrocodone(Vicodin, an opiad analgesic drug, that is used for severe pain relief, but has a very high psychological dependence problem for some persons who abuse this drug). The actress also sought out vicoprofen(which is a combination drug with both vicodin and ibuprofen, prescribed for pain and probably inflammation issues). A third type of drug that the actress sought out were antiaxiety drugs such as clonazepam or Klonopin.

Interestingly, one Dr. Richard Kroop was responsible for all of the prescriptions. including the one's written under the alias name as well. According to a report by TMZ, authorities paid a visit to the medical office run by Dr. Kroop on Friday, which may indicate an ongoing investigation into the causes of death of the late actress.

Octomom Could Lose Home

Octomom, Nadya Suleman, is apparently a victim of one of those bad sub-prime loan arrangements to buy a home. According to one report, she must make a $450,000 balloon payment by Tuesday, or else faces foreclosure. Further, Suleman has fallen behind on a monthly payment of $4139 monthly as well, only complicating her situation.

It further appears that the seller to Suleman couldn't afford the house either, so sold it to her with the outrageous payment arrangements because it was what he owed on the property. What a mess. Lawyers are going to have their work cut out for them here.

Back in January, THE WASHINGTON POST ran this photo of the house and an unidentified woman carrying balloons in for the children.

Heil No! Outrageous New Photo Shoot From Woman Linked To Jesse James

Jesse James sure knows how to pick 'em. One day after the awful news about an affair rocked the marriage of Jesse James and Sandra Bullock, TMZ obtained these outrageous photos of the woman reportedly linked to the affair with James. Reportedly, she even has a swastika on her stomach as well as symbols for "White Power" on her legs.

The outrageous photos have only to be the latest blow to the marriage of Sandra Bullock and her husband, Jesse James. And probably, they leave Sandra Bullock today asking, "Why?"

Michelle McGee, the woman in the photos is a tattoo model. And her husband's lawyers used her interest in the Nazi-era as one basis to seek to seek custody of the children from the failed marriage.

Sandra Bullock & Jesse James Marriage Bombshell Story

The marriage of very popular award winning actress Sandra Bullock and Jesse James has been hit by a huge adultery scandal bombshell story according to TMZ and other news sources. The marriage may even be headed for a split as well.

According to the latest report by TMZ, Jesse James has offered an apology to the actress by way of a message to PEOPLE magazine, claiming that he used "poor judgment" after a woman claimed to be having an affair with popular TV motorcycle and custom car host and manufacturer.

James offered up a very sincere apology statement to his wife and children concerned about the "pain and embarrassment beyond comprehension" and the "grief" his own actions might have caused, while acknowledging that the "vast majority" of the allegations are "untrue and unfounded".

The marriage to Sandra Bullock is the third for the motorcycle enthusiast, who has two children from his first marriage to Karla James, and a daughter with former adult film star, Janine Lindemulder.

Jesse James claims to a descendant of the famous Western outlaw, Jesse James, and has some minor legal brushes of his own, especially as a young man when arrested for stealing cars. James also has had some involvement with motorcycle organizations such as The Hell's Angels and some other "1%" motorcycle clubs. However, as a businessman, James has successfully marketed his "bad boy" outlaw biker image into a massive money-making enterprise and gained a huge following of mainstream popularity.

Tiger Woods' Alleged Mistress Releases Claimed Explicit Text Messages

One of the alleged mistresses of Tiger Woods is causing him new embarrassment after releasing a round of some very explicit and nasty text messages that she claims were from the championship golfer.

Joslyn James, a former adult film star, released a series of claimed text messages from the Tiger, where he expressed an interest in golden showers, oral sex, slapping around, spanking, biting and ATM type sexual activities.

It is the last thing that the Tiger needs right now for such rough and crude text messages to hurt his attempts to revive his career and marriage. The claimed text messages could not have come at a worst time.

The last claimed text message from the Tiger to Joslyn James seemed to involve an angry breakup of the two and claims to James, "that you almost just ruined my whole life".

What emerges from the claimed text messages is an image of the Tiger far different than the squeaky clean image that Nike and the media created of the golf champion. At least, new endorsement deals will be far more difficult to achieve after the release of these messages if they prove to authentic.

Fess Parker, Star of DAVY CROCKETT & DANIEL BOONE Dead At 85

Fess Parker the popular star of the Disney's wildly popular DAVY CROCKETT and TV's DANIEL BOONE , has died at the age of 85 of natural causes. Fess Parker's character became such a hit in the 1950's that Disney was able to market more than $300 million of DAVY CROCKETT merchandise in 1955 such as raccoon skin style "coon skin" hats and other merchandise. Fess Parker's characters were pure marketing gold for Disney, and the largest movie or TV related merchandising bonanzas for that time. Kids in the 50's wanted to own all things DAVY CROCKETT in those days.

Fess Parker's DANIEL BOONE TV series was also a huge hit, and ran six seasons from 1964 until 1970. Popular singer Ed Ames played the Native American sidekick, Mingo, in most of the series. For the Fall 1965 season, the series was broadcast by NBC in their new "living color" system. During the 1969-70 season, former NFL football great, Roosevelt Grier, made a series of regular appearances in the series as a new character.

Fess Parker seemed a natural actor for both the DAVY CROCKETT and DANIEL BOONE roles. He was one of the greatest Western style actors of all time. During the 50's and 60's, Westerns were wildly popular, and Fess Parker's roles as an early pioneering type of Western actor seemed tailor-made for audience tastes in those days.

Life for Fess Parker after DANIEL BOONE involved developing a top-notch family vineyard winery with fine quality wines sold in better wine shops. Fess Parker continued to sell coon skin caps as well.

Interestingly, the real life Daniel Boone actually disliked coon skin caps, and instead wore felt hats. However, coon skin caps were once very popular among White settlers to the United States as hunting caps. Originally, the coon skin cap was a Native American Indian clothing item, however White settlers loved the style and quickly adopted it for themselves.

Happy St. Paddy's Day To Ya!

Well, happy St. Paddy's Day folks.

And, as my yearly tradition goes, here's my old Irish saying that really isn't an old Irish saying.....

"May wee Alan Hale be fat to you in the mornin'"

A happy drinking holiday to you all. Have fun. But be safe.

New MG2 Spy Shots

Since the Chinese company Nanjing Automotive Group purchased the assets and name of the famous British brand of MG cars back in 2005, you knew it would only be a matter of time before the product line would be revamped and re-introduced. Here's a spy shot of the new MG2 which should debut sometime in April around the world after it debuts at the huge Beijing Auto Show.

Some major companies in China such as in the auto industry get help from the government, which views such investment as an important stake in the country's future. When Nanjing Automotive Group and Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation considered a merger, the government actively encouraged the marriage of the two to create a stronger automobile giant that would be able to compete in world markets. The new MG2 is currently being tested in Australia, where it likely might see some serious marketing. In the U.S., the new MG2 might see some distribution by way of the Chilean importer, SKBerge.

Seth Rogen To Star As THE GREEN HORNET Soon

Big news for fans of THE GREEN HORNET is that Seth Rogen will cast as the crime-busting newspaper publisher in the new movie due out soon. The film is scheduled for release somewhere between June 25- December 22, 2010. Black Beauty will be back too, this time as a customized 1960's vintage Imperial with machine guns popping out of the hood. Kato, who was played by martial arts expert Bruce Lee in the 1960's TV series is set to be played Taiwanese actor and singer Jay Chou. Christoph Waltz, who just won the Oscar for best supporting actor, will be cast as the villain in the film.

Since the 1990's there have been some attempts to get a GREEN HORNET film made. One early attempt involved having George Clooney play the lead role.

Seth Rogen will as also co-write the script for the film which started as a radio series in the 1930's. The main character, Brit Reid is a millionaire newspaper publisher disgusted and fed up with crime who roams at night as a vigilante crime fighter. Often, THE GREEN HORNET portrays himself as another criminal to get in the favor of other criminals, but then sets the criminals up for a big fall. Unlike BATMAN or SUPERMAN who is are allies of the police, THE GREEN HORNET is at odds with the police who believe him to be another criminal element as well.

Charlie Sheen Back At Work On TWO AND A HALF MEN

Charlie Sheen is back at work at TWO AND A HALF MEN, working on filming the final four remaining episodes of the season. However, he is driven to work each day by his "sober" coach from the rehab facility that he has been admitted to. In addition, each night after work is done on the set of the long running smash hit TV comedy, Sheen returns back to the facility for the night.

Sheen's lawyer has also attempted to offer a plea bargain deal to the D.A.'s office to plead guilty to a minor misdemeanor with no jail time, however the D.A.'s office turned down the deal for now.

While it's not quite business as usual for Charlie Sheen, he's making attempts to get his life back on track and to pick up the pieces caused by his latest troubles.

Classic MAD Magazine Cover Remembers Those Great Aurora Monster Model Kits

This great 1964 cover of MAD Magazine remembers those great Universal Pictures monster model kits of the 1960's. Aurora issued only a few model kits in those days including The Wolfman, Dracula, The Mummy and Frankenstein's Monster. Aurora also issued the MOD SQUAD's "lead sled" Mercury woody wagon and a few other models such as torture instruments. But sadly, these models disappeared for many years after Aurora left the model market and concentrated on slot cars.

In more recent years, Polar Lights reissued a number of these old 1960's model kits. And at least one beautiful book on Aurora model kits has been published as well.

Sony Music And Michael Jackson's Estate Sign Huge Record Deal

Michael Jackson's estate and Sony Music Entertainment have signed the biggest record deal in the history of music, said to be worth up to $250 million or more. The deal calls for at least 10 projects and albums from Michael Jackson, including compilations and enough left-over and never used material for at least three all new material albums over the next seven years.

Never in the history of recorded music has such a huge record deal been struck. Even after the death of major artists such as Jimi Hendrix where numerous posthumous releases were made, the dollar figure never approached the astronomical figures such as this huge recording deal. This record deal is said to be the largest for any entertainer, living or dead ever struck.

Entertainment is one of the largest exports of the U.S. And Michael Jackson's recordings remain one of the biggest export products for the United States. Roughly 2/3 of all his recording sales are outside the U.S. The amount of foreign royalties was a central issue in the legal negotiations of this deal with the Jackson estate and Sony.

Fans of the pop superstar can look forward to a new release as early as November featuring new unreleased material. Under the new contract terms, Sony will have the rights to distribute the Michael Jackson catalog until at least 2017, when an extension deal will have to be negotiated.

Reportedly, The Beatles' catalog is not part of this huge record deal. Michael Jackson wisely purchased this catalog as an investment deal a few years ago. A separate deal will have to be struck over the distribution rights to that multi-million dollar catalog.

DVD Review:TRIANGLE

TRIANGLE is an amazingly effective and unique little British deja vu psychological horror drama. It's a real gem in so many ways. Yet, this smaller release film here which only grossed just $894,985 in it's British release and lost lots of money compared to the $12 million production budget.

Strangely, this movie is greatly influenced by the Greek mythology tale of Sisyphus, who was forever condemned to roll a great rock up a hill, only to have it roll back down again.

A group of friends set sail on a small sailing ship, but a sudden and unexpected storm overturns the boat and the survivors find that their luck changes once again when a giant cruise ship appears to come their rescue. But the shipwreck survivors soon find the ship empty, and bizarre and strange deja vu incidents begin to repeat themselves. And Jess, the heroine here, attempts over and over again to rescue her friends from death, only to have a similar outcome repeat itself each time.

This is a very good film here, and it will keep your attention for the 99 minute playing time. Well worth a watch or a purchase for your home DVD library.

The Bottom Line: A very good film that deserved a far better box office reception. +++(Three stars out of four, or good).

THE TWILIGHT ZONE'S "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet" Gets The SNL Parody Treatment

SNL became the latest entry to parody the famous 1963 episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE'S "Nightmare At 20,00 Feet" episode last night. This time the gremlin on the wing of the plane was supposedly locked out of the cabin, and was standing on the wing smoking, barbecuing and standing with around the legendary Seattle grunge band, Pearl Jam, waiting to get inside.

Actor Jude Law played the legendary role of William Shatner's character who is terrorized by a gremlin on the wing of the passenger airliner that only he could see. THE SIMPSONS also once lampooned the famous TWILIGHT ZONE episode with their Treehouse Of Terror episode, "Terror At 5 1/2 Feet", where Bart is terrorized by a gremlin on the side of the school bus. In one scene, others on the bus could only see a AMC Gremlin driving along the side of the school bus.

In the original TWILIGHT ZONE episode, William Shatner plays a nervous salesman, Bob Wilson, recovering from a nervous mental breakdown, and on his first trip on a airliner since he was hospitalized. When he cannot convince his wife or any of the airliner crew that a gremlin is on the wing of the plane tampering with the engine, he takes matters into his own own hands and steals a handgun owned by a sleeping policeman and opens an axillary exit and shoots the gremlin rescuing the plane. But, it is not known until after the plane has landed and Wilson is whisked away in a straitjacket that the plane's engine has been clawed by a creature which mechanics will soon find out about, verifying his very strange story.

Actor John Lithgow reprised the role, but renamed John Valentine, in a remake of the famous story for TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE.

But, the funny parody I would have loved to see made would have been William Shatner to reprise his famous role, but to have the Scotty character from old STAR TREK series on the wing of the plane complaining about engine problems just like all the engine problems on the old Star Trek's warp drive. "Aye, Captain. There's a bit of a problem with the warp drive. But I'm giving it all it's got". No one believes Shatner, when he complains that, "There's a Scotsman on the wing of the plane". When the plane lands and Shatner is whisked away to the sanitarium, there's kilt left hanging from the plane's engine, verifying his story.

Meanwhile, next time you fly, you might look to see if "there's something on the wing of the plane.....".

Get Celebrity Autographed Merchandise For As Little As $10

Ginger Lynn Allen, the former girlfriend of Charlie Sheen, TV, B movie actress, and adult film superstar, will sell you an autographed photo for $10, or a DVD for as little as $20. The former 1980's adult superstar has her own website and personally autographs every item purchased. It is a trend among some celebrities with declined popularity to earn some money by selling autographed merchandise through websites they operate.

Ginger Lynn Allen is rated as the seventh most popular adult film actor of all time. And as late as 2009, at the age of 46, made another film in this genre starring with a male lead many years younger than her. But she's also appeared in a cameo role in Rob Zombie's THE DEVIL'S REJECTS and other films such as YOUNG GUNS II, AMERICAN PIE'S BAND CAMP, NATIONAL LAMPOON' VAN WILDER THE RISE OF TAJ, and TV shows such as NYPD BLUE, SKIN and SILK STOCKINGS. In the Metallica music video, "Turn The Page", Allen played a role as well. And in the computer game, Wing Commander III, Heart Of The Tiger, and Wing Commander, Prophecy, she plays the role of Chief Technician Rachel Coriolis. Allen has done pictorials for men's magazines ranging from PLAYBOY to HIGH SOCIETY, CLUB, CHERI and other publications. Allen continue to remain one of the most recognizable stars of adult cinema to this day, as well as having breakthrough roles in mainstream TV and film works as well.

John Kay of Steppenwolf, also offers autographed merchandise for sale through his website as well. Posters and other items autographed by the band are available for sale.

For fans of certain celebrities, these opportunities to get their autographed merchandise is a real bonanza. And it gives some aging celebrities with declined popularity a chance to sell a few items as well and to put a few coins in their pocket, which they deserve for a lifetime of performance work.

The 36 Second Chart Single Hit & The 69 Minute Single

Amazingly, the shortest single ever released to become a charts hit single was "Ladies Bras", a 36 second long hit in the UK by Johny Trunk And Wisbey that hit #70 on the charts, and then re-entered the charts later at #27 after a campaign by BBC1's radio personality, Scott Mills. "Ladies Bras" is a super catchy little ditty that became an audience favorite on radio, leading to an Email campaign to make the song available for sale resulting in the single release in 2007.

Johny Trunk also owns the strange little record label known as Trunk Records which features some strange cult movie soundtracks as diverse as the DEEP THROAT and George Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD soundtracks.

On the long end of things, the GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORDS lists the longest single ever recorded as alternative rock singer, Chris Butler's, "Devil's Glitch". A one minute edited version is also available. The Orbs had a 1992 single, "Blue Room" which was 39 minutes 58 seconds, or just two seconds shy of maximum chart rules for a single length song.

Honorable mentions also go out to Oasis with "All Around The World" at 9 minutes 38 seconds long. But the longest single ever issued as a 7inch vinyl single A side was Grand Funk Railroad's longest single, "Inside Looking Out" came in at 9 minutes 31 seconds.

DVD Review: SORORITY ROW

As much as I love horror genre films, SORORITY ROW, is a very disappointing entry for me. The film should have had all of the elements of a successful trashy slasher epic, such as an unique killer with his own shtick, a great storyline, and especially pretty and sexy girls. But the storyline and the killer were all less than great here. And the movie really wasn't all that sexy as well. Watching SORORITY ROW has all of the fun of coming home from a bad date....alone.

Oh, the slasher killer did have something that looked like a pimped-out four way tire changer converted into a murder weapon. But, beyond that fact, he was an ordinary generic slasher type guy. Don't expect any sequels here. If SORORITY ROW ever sees the light of day, it would be a major surprise.

And even the bonuses section of the DVD took noted that the girls usually die by taking some sort of murder weapon in the mouth, proving some sort of heavy duty oral fixation on the part of the filmmakers. Not at all sexy here. Just real creepy. Just real pathetic.

Usually, slasher films work on a level of watching bad kids get theirs. They're like twisted morality tales. And certainly some of the girls are little brats in this film. But SORORITY ROW just isn't a great slasher film by any means. It's not that creative or different enough to be all that entertaining. It's bad enough as a rental. Far worse if you buy the film.

I certainly expected much better here. So many slasher genre films at least partially work. But on so many levels here, this is a sub-par slasher flick just didn't. Far better films exist in this genre than this piece of crap.

The Bottom Line: Not particularly good on any real level. And disappointing on most levels. +1/2(One and a half stars, or only a little better than poor).

DVD Review: MOON

Critics , overwhelmingly, loved this Sci Fi debut film by new director Duncan Jones. But, I personally found it to be a confusing mess of a story. Astronaut Sam Bell works on Moon station on the far side of the planet, producing some new energy form that provides much of the power for planet Earth. That sets the premise for a deeply confusing tale about loneness, clones, failing health and hallucinations.

However, the film does have many high points such as the fine acting by Sam Rockwell, who proves why he's a great actor. Kevin Spacey provides the voice for the computer, which reminds me of HAL from the great film 2001. In fact, at times the film reminds me of a great Sci Fi classic like 2001. But the bizarre story of the clones, including one who looks to be dying in front of the camera, running around with bloody nose, became a distraction for me. And the storyline became so complicated I began to lose score of what's what at a point.

Bu,t Duncan Jones did certainly prove that he's a promising new talent here. And even though my experience with this film was less than pleasant, I expect this new director to be involved with some great projects in the future. But I just didn't enjoy this film half as much as I had hoped.

The Bottom Line: Although with some particularly good high points for acting, directing and sets, I found this film to be a largely wasted opportunity because of the seriously convoluted story. ++(Two stars. fair, or better luck next time).

NBC May Get New Legal Dramedy Modeled After THE OFFICE

If you like THE OFFICE on NBC, then you might like a new dramedy pilot that producer David E. Kelley is working on. KINDREDS is much like THE OFFICE in many ways, but featuring a team of misfit lawyers operating from a storefront office. If NBC likes the pilot enough, then you might be seeing KINDREDS next season on the "Peacock" network.

Kathy Bates stars as a nasty-spirited former patent attorney, and law firm head, with Brittany Snow and other actors cast as younger lawyers at the firm. Kathy Bates is a fine actress, and David E. Kelley is a fine producer, so this new pilot has some major hope of becoming a real NBC series. Chances look good for this new show.

Richard Belzer's Apple Store Incident Remains Bothersome

LAW AND ORDER SVU actor and comic Richard Belzer has found himself embroiled in a strange little mess recently. For some odd reason, he simply put his hands on the shoulders of a female employee at an Apple store in New York in a friendly manner, and politely asked her for help. But, the female employee instead called 911 claiming the actor choked her, which the store security tapes clearly proven did not happen at all. Police did not arrest the actor because no assault ever took place. For Belzer's part he admitted that he probably used poor judgment and invaded her "personal space". Yet, the store employee is still seeking some sort of action against Belzer such as harassment charges.

This is part of the problem of being a celebrity, the least little bit of bad judgment can result in legal problems or lawsuits. Richard Belzer is a kind and decent man, who himself was a survivor of a very abusive childhood at the hands of a rabbi when he was young. He is highly unlikely to want to victimize others in any way. Yet, this innocent little incident at Apple probably will bothersome to Belzer for days.

Betty White Will Be Mother's Day SNL Host

Comic legend Betty White will guest host the May 8, Mother's Day weekend edition of SNL. At age 88, Betty White probably becomes the oldest guest host of the program ever. Betty White has had a seven decade career in entertainment. She has won seven Emmy Awards as well.

Betty White has hosted parades as well, as was beloved for her funny ditsy role on NBC's GOLDEN GIRLS back when the networks made a serious attempt to offer up fresh and top quality shows on Saturday night, and not just make Saturday evening a dumping ground for canceled TV shows or inexpensive crime story shows.

Conan O'Brien Announces 30 City "Half-Assed" Comedy Tour

It looks like Conan O'Brien has traded in being the TONIGHT SHOW host only to host a self-described, "half-assed" comedy tour. On April 12, in Eugene Oregon(Oregon's largest college city), Conan will kick off a 30 city show tour with comedy and music with his longtime friend Andy Richter. Conan claimed that he either do this comedy show tour or else "helping out around the house".

Conan used the term "half-assed" to describe the show because he didn't want his fans to get their hopes too high that the show would be anywhere near as good as what he did on the TONIGHT SHOW, although die-hard fans likely won't be too disappointed. Conan is prohibited from performing on TV until September according to the terms of his exit deal from NBC, so the official name of the tour is called, "The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour".

Actor Corey Haim Dead

Controversial Canadian born actor Corey Haim is dead at age 38. The actor was pronounced dead after being taken to Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California. The actor had previous problems with drug abuse and had entered rehab before. He was also the co-star of the reality series, THE TWO COREYS on cable tv. Corey Haim and Corey Feldman often had worked together.

For 2010, Haim was in three films, including THE GIRL, and the upcoming films, THE PICK UP and SAD(Standard American Diet). While few of his films were classics by any means, he was a featured actor in numerous films or tv shows. He was always a popular "b" list actor and celebrity.

Joan Jett, A Motorcycle Sissy?

Tough girl rock pioneer, Joan Jett, revealed an interesting tidbit on Jay Leno's TONIGHT SHOW last night. She's actually "scared" of motorcycles. She claimed you could hurt from "one fall"..... Oh, Joan!

For years, Joan Jett has built up a tough girl image, and this might surprise a few of her fans. But Joan still likes to sit on bikes though. And with the new film about her original band, THE RUNAWAYS, coming out very soon, the music of Joan Jett should find a whole new generation of fans of the original tough girl rockers.

Although only an active band from just 1975 into 1979, The Runaways sound of hard rock became a favorite of the punk rock and new wave set. And in Japan, the teenaged band managed to have great success, probably becoming the biggest cult favorite act there since T.Rex.

After the group split up, Joan Jett managed to have the greatest solo career of the band, selling millions of albums and singles. Strangely, Joan Jett sometimes did cover versions of the Gary Glitter hits from the UK which failed to chart in America, such as "Do You Wanna Touch Me. Brownsville Station with the late Cub Koda, also had a hit single with Gary Glitter's, "I'm The Leader Of The Gang" as well.

Joan Jett still continues to be the most successful member of The Runaways, although Lita Ford also managed some major degree of success as well with a number of hard rock hits. One modern band that was greatly influenced by the sound of The Runaways is the The Donnas, who have a sound very similar.

Missing Farrah Fawcett Tribute Spurs Continued Outrage

The bosses at the Oscars offered up a pretty poor excuse why a tribute for the late actress Farrah Fawcett was not offered up during their yearly tribute to deceased entertainers. They claimed that there just wasn't enough room or time, and that they could honor every actor or Hollywood figure that passed away that previous year. Ryan O'Neil, longtime lover of Farrah Fawcett has drafted a complaint letter to the Oscars about the omission of Farrah Fawcett. Even film critic and screen writer Roger Ebert has taken up the cause as well. Actress Jane Fonda was reportedly "shocked" at the omission.

Beyond her brief TV role as the most popular "angel" on CHARLIE'S ANGELS, Farrah Fawcett was a famous pop icon poster queen and acted in roles in films like LOGAN"S RUN, MYRA BRECKENRIDGE, SATURN 3, EXTREMITIES and many more films. Why she was not included in the yearly Oscar tribute will likely remain a controversy for days.

Even With The Help Of Mario Andretti, Benelli Suffers

Even with the star power help of racing legend, Mario Andretti, promoting their line of imported motor scooters, Power Sports Factory, Inc. continues to struggle. Power Sports Factory is the exclusive importer for Benelli brand motor scooters which boast up to 75mpg economy for some models and top speeds ranging up 75mph for other models. Benelli has been a famous name in Italian motorcycles since 1911 when gas engines were first paired with bicycles.

At one time, Montgomery Ward was a major outlet for Benelli products 350cc or less. But as Japan launched entries into the motorcycle market such as Honda, Benelli watched their share of the U.S. market dramatically suffer. A few years back as Benelli once again found itself in serious financial problems, the Chinese company, Qainjiang bought the company out, however maintained the workforce in Pesaro, Italy, where European styled models are still planned. Benelli products are always very high quality products. Yet, their line of motor scooters has sold very poorly in the United States. Some dealers such as PTown Scooters in Portland, Oregon still have some unsold 2008 Benelli models sitting on their showroom floor despite several price cuts or specials.

Power Sports Factory hoped that a August 2009 strategic partnership with Boyesen Engineering, a leader in motor scooter parts, engineering and technology, would keep their company on the cutting edge. However, a few months later a scooter industry online business site reported about the dire financial situation at Power Sports Factory where the company had around $1.6 in assets and around $6 million in liabilities. Power Sports Factory would also like to enter the electric scooter market, yet a spokesman admits that little cash is available for such a move.

Power Sports Factory has proven several things here. For one, motor scooters have yet to gain much traction among American buyers like the way they sell in Asia and Europe. And even with much higher gas mileage and fun potential than automobiles, motor scooters a hard sell in the United States. Further, more restrictive motorcycle licensing laws only work to deter many from seeking out motor scooters as an option in the United States. And some states Oregon have only made things much worse for new motor scooter sales by requiring all riders to eventually pay to enroll in a motorcycle riding education course. This will only deter many from even bothering to think about motor scooters or motorcycles as an option.

I've always liked interesting transportation choices myself, so I guess being one of the first to buy a new Benelli back in 2008 also makes me one of the only persons to be driving one here in Portland. But, of all the vehicles I own, or have owned, the little Benelli is the most fun of them all in many ways.

Oscar Audience Up Sharply; Kathryn Bigelow Breaks The Directing Glass Ceiling

The audience for this year's Oscars was up by a sharp 14% this year to over 41 million viewers. Apparently, the move to nominate more films for best picture paid off handsomely as more viewers wanted to see how their favorite films would do this year. ABC couldn't have been happier.

But, the biggest news from the 82nd Oscars this year was the triumph of female director, Kathryn Bigelow and her film THE HURT LOCKER, which won six awards. Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman ever to win the directing award. Three women had been nominated in the past. And THE HURT LOCKER also became the lowest grossing movie ever to win the best picture category. The film only grossed a little over $14 million at box offices, compared to AVATAR, which was the largest grossing movie ever at over $2 billion for international box office receipts. AVATAR cost a staggering $230 million to produce, while THE HURT LOCKER cost just $11 million. The Oscar win might just give the independently-produced Iraq War drama a major shot in the arm and bring in fresh DVD sales, rentals or even a theater return.

Who's The Man! Who's Your Oscar Daddy?

The last couple of days, just for the fun of it we polled the predictions of Roger Ebert, movie critic extraordinary, the fine Strippers from Rick's Cabaret, and myself to see who would could the closest to picking the Oscar winners. Well, Roger, you're the man! You got all five top winners for best picture, best actors, best supporting actors and director right on the money! Good job!

But, well, the strippers from Rick's Cabaret definitely aren't men, or the man, here. They got just one right. They correctly picked Mo'Nique to win best supporting actress. Maybe they should stick to their day job, which they are definitely very good at.

And as for me, well I did fairly good, with the exception of missing the biggest award, the best picture prize. Even worse, I went with this picture to post.

Roger Ebert's Oscar Predictions

Severe Cancer surgery might have robbed Roger Ebert of his natural voice. But working from his home office, the great film critic continues to write reviews and remains one of the most influential movie critics of all time.

Recently, Roger Ebert put together his Oscar winner prediction list, which he claims can help you to win Oscar office pool contests.

Here's Roger's top picks: Best Picture, THE HURT LOCKER

Best Actor, Jeff Bridges(CRAZY HEART)

Best Actress, Sandra Bullock(THE BLIND SIDE)

Best Supporting Actor, Christopher Waltz

(INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS)

Best Supporting Actress, Mo'Nique(PRECIOUS)

Director, Kathryn Bigelow(THE HURT LOCKER)

Here's to you Roger. Stay healthy and keep writing. You're a legend.

Strippers Pick The Oscar Winners

Howard Stern always manages an odd and funny take on things. This year he decided to pole the pole dancers from Rick's Cabaret. And the girls picked the following winners: Best Picture, AVATAR, Best Actor, George Clooney, Best Actress, Meryl Streep, Best Supporting Actor, Christopher Plummer, Best Supporting Actress, Mo'Nique.

By the way, Rick's Cabaret is a fine upstanding, and I do mean really upstanding, NASDAQ traded company. But are Rick's girls any better than Roger Ebert at picking the Oscar winners?

You Pick The Oscar Winners

Here's your chance to pick the Oscar winners here. Which movie wins best picture? Best Actor? Best Actress? Etc. ----Here's the nominees and my own picks. What do you think?

Best Picture Nominees: AVATAR, THE HURT LOCKER, UP IN THE AIR, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, THE BLIND SIDE, DISTRICT 9, AN EDUCATION, UP, PRECIOUS, A SERIOUS MAN.

My pick is AVATAR to narrowly win over THE HURT LOCKER.

Best Actor Nominees: Jeff Bridges(CRAZY HEART), George Clooney(UP IN THE AIR), Colin Firth(A SINGLE MAN), Morgan Freeman(INVICTUS), Jeremy Renner(THE HURT LOCKER).

My pick to win is Jeff Bridges who might narrowly lead Jeremy Renner's strong performance from THE HURT LOCKER. But, Jeff Bridges put in the best acting performance in his entire life in CRAZY HEART and probably deserves the Oscar voter respect for that fact.

Best Actress Nominees: Sandra Bullock(THE BLIND SIDE), Helen Mirren(THE LAST STATION), Carrey Mulligan(AN EDUCATION), Gabourey Sidibe(PRECIOUS), Meryl Streep(JULIE & JULIA).

My pick to probably win is Sandra Bullock , because she's a sentimental favorite because her role in THE BLIND SIDE is easily her best performance ever. However, Meryl Streep was quite good in JULIE & JULIA as well.

Best Supporting Actor Nominees: Matt Damon(INVICTUS), Woody Harrelson(THE MESSENGER), Christopher Plummer(THE LAST STATION), Stanley Tucci(THE LOVELY BONES), Christopher Waltz(INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS).

My pick for likely winner is Christopher Waltz for his creepy portrayal of a fiendish Nazi officer in INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, however Woody Harrelson could surprise everyone with a upset win.

Best Supporting Actress Nominees: Penelope Cruz(NINE), Vera Farmigo(UP IN THE AIR), Maggie Gyllenhal(CRAZY HEART), Anna Kendrick(UP IN THE AIR), Mo'Nique(PRECIOUS).

My pick to win is heavy favorite Mo'Nique. Her acting and story is too important for Oscar voters to turn down. Maggie Gyllenhal is a distant second in likely Oscar voting. Mo'Nique is the clear leader here.

Best Director Nominees: James Cameron(AVATAR), Kathryn Bigelow(THE HURT LOCKER), Quentin Tarantino(INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS), Lee Daniels(Precious), Jason Reitman(UP IN THE AIR).

My pick would be Kathryn Bigelow. THE HURT LOCKER likely will miss for Best Picture, so expect Oscar voters to make up this by giving some smaller awards like this to the film.

The Bottom Line: Expect AVATAR to do the best at the awards tomorrow, but expect Oscar voters to spread around a few awards to THE HURT LOCKER and INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS to recognize those great films as well. There won't be an clear cut winner this year, but Oscar voters will try to recognize these three favorite films. While UP IN THE AIR is a very good film, it probably won't win many awards this year.

What do you think? Who do you think will win?

Newly Remastered EXILE ON MAIN STREET Due Soon

A newly remastered version of EXILE ON MAIN STREET by The Rolling Stones is due out May 10 with at least 10 additional bonus tracks and deluxe packaging. While the classic rock album has been offered many times before as an Lp, cassette, 8track and Cd, the latest addition of higher quality remastered sound as well as the bonus tracks should give fans of The Stones reason enough to buy the album one more time.

When first released as a double album set in 1972, the album met mixed critical reviews. However, over the years, critics now consider this album to be one of the greatest rock albums of all time. The album had two singles including "Tumbling Dice" and "Happy", with Keith Richards on vocals. The album was also an eclectic mix of songs with rock, blues, country, gospel and soulful influences. The album even included one religious themed song, "I Just Want To See His Face".

Strangely, the album wasn't a conventional album in the sense of STICKY FINGERS or other studio recorded albums, but a collection of leftover material outtakes and other songs that didn't make it to other Stones albums like STICKY FINGERS, recorded between 1968 and 1972. And the odd mix of unrelated tracks with no common themes took some fans and critics by surprise. Yet, over time the album grew in support by both critic and fans.

The new 2010 version of the album with even more songs than the original double Lp looks like a great new item. However, some fans might grow weary if every year a new remastered version of albums replace last years model.

John Travolta Announces That He's Firmly In Quentin Tarantino's Group

John Travolta announced that he's pulling for Quentin Tarantino to win at the upcoming Oscars. John Travolta once starred in the critically acclaimed PULP FICTION for Quentin Tarantino. And as the film catalog grows for the controversial director, his chances of winning top honors also seem to be growing. Right now, it may be a tight race between UP IN THE AIR, AVATAR and INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS for best picture with AVATAR probably the slight favorite of the three films.

Something For The Wee Ones

To help to curb the growing teenage pregnancy rates in Switzerland, health authorities have urged condom manufacturers to make smaller condoms made to be by preteen boys aged as young as age 12. The smaller condoms will be named "Hotshot" and will cost about $7 in packs of six units.

Swiss studies discovered that condom use among the youngest boys was infrequent, as well as most adult sized condoms didn't work, resulting in the call for smaller sizes to be used by younger boys. Studies also indicated increased sexual activity among younger boys than compared to a study in the 1990's.

Sarah Palin's TONIGHT SHOW Appearance Good For Leno Ratings

Jay Leno continues to draw better ratings than the ill-fated Conan O'Brien version of the TONIGHT SHOW. Last night, with the help of Sarah Palin, he pulled in 5 million viewers, besting David Letterman by 1.6 million viewers who had Mitt Romney on. It was rather strange to see these competing GOP hopefuls both on TV last night.

Sarah Palin managed a few good one-liner laughs doing her own version of a monologue as well. You could easily see that she would be well at home hosting her own show. However, it's her greatly oversimplified views of economics and other complex topics that always draw most critics. And even media critics suggest that she continues to remain badly overexposed to public audiences, resulting in a public fatigue factor by many and declining approval numbers, even by many GOP voters. Palin probably didn't advance herself much as a serious political entity last night, yet her fans probably greatly enjoyed her appearance regardless. Then again, Richard Nixon's small comedy guess bit on LAUGH-IN in 1968 did help to soften his image, and helped to set the stage for his 1968 political comeback to win the presidency.

By contrast, Mitt Romney appeared more serious and more substantial in his David Letterman appearance than Sarah Palin who looked like she was attempting to be more entertaining and funny. But no doubt, both Jay Leno and David Letterman were very pleased at this show of political star-power last night, and decent ratings by both prove that audiences were willing to watch.

DVD Review: LAW ABIDING CITIZEN

LAW ABIDING CITIZEN may not be the very best work from the very talented Jamie Foxx, yet it's a pretty enjoyable film as long as you're willing to suspend a little disbelief and just allow yourself to enjoy the story. Jamie Foxx plays a prosecutor who really dissatisfied a husband who's family was killed by two violent home invasion robbers. The husband, played by actor Gerard Butler, is an electronics and weapons wiz in the defense industry and uses his money and power to exact revenge on everyone involved in the case including the killers, the judge and the prosecutor.

While the storyline may border on outright absurdity, the film is still more than enjoyable enough as far as better quality action or crime dramas go. While Jamie Foxx certainly won't winning a best actor award here, yet he's a decent actor here, as is Gerald Butler whose last major film was 300. This movie is certainly entertaining enough to satisfy. Grab a good snack and enjoy this popcorn film.

The Bottom Line: Not high art by any means, but just a decently produced tough and gritty action/crime snack drama that satisfies. ++1/2(Two and a half stars, better than fair, nearly good).

Jay Leno's TONIGHT SHOW Return Draws 6.6 Million Viewers

Jay Leno's TONIGHT SHOW return drew in a staggering 6.6 million viewers, well crushing David Letterman's 3.8 million LATE SHOW viewers last night. During the Winter Olympics, there was heavy promotion for Jay Leno's return to the late night throne. Fortunately, there didn't appear to be any jabs at Conan O'Brien last night from Leno. However, Howard Stern was invited to comment on the CBS EARLY SHOW, and didn't have a kind word for Leno.

Leno managed numerous funny jabs at Toyota and other popular targets. Jamie Fox proved to be an excellent guest as always. mixing in some great comic moments, proving why he's one of America's greatest stars. Olympic women's ski champion, Lindsey Vonn also was a great guest.

Overall, Leno's return to the 11:35 slot seemed flawless. His show seemed to fully recover from the awful effort at prime time quite nicely. But, how well Leno's ratings hold up over the coming weeks is a question that remains to be answered. Has Leno suffered any damage from hurt fans of Conan O'Brien who seem to blame both NBC and Leno for toppling their favorite host.

Abe Lincoln: America's First "Coolster"?

Historians recently came up with a strange little fact. It appears that Abe Lincoln was the first famous person ever to use the word "cool" to describe something. Wow! Many people think that this slang term dates back to the 1950's beatnik era or even the later 60's hippie scene. But no way, Jose. Old Honest Abe is the man. Can you dig it?

No word on whether the great president wore shades around his Oval Office digs, or whether he ended slavery because it just wasn't "cool".

War Films Recruit The Oscar Voter Troops

Strangely, the two war films nominated for best picture this year have friendly forces who have been recruiting the Oscar voter troops. In February, the producer of THE HURT LOCKER, Nicholas Chartier, emailed a number of Oscar voters urging them not to vote for AVATAR(although not quite in those open terms). Over the weekend, the film's producer issued an apology for his very overt attempt to sway Oscar voters.

And as bad as this was, an even stranger attempt by some rabbis to influence the Oscar voting in favor of the Quentin Tarantino film, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, has recently developed. Strangely, a few rabbis feel that the storyline of this odd revenge film is loosely like a retelling of the revenge story of Esther from the Old Testament, in which Hamans's ten sons even swung from the gallows and 75,000 Persians were supposedly killed as the ancient Jews avoided extermination at the hands of the Persians. As the Jewish celebration of Purim takes place on Sunday through Monday, some in the Jewish community are making a sort of push to propel the film by Quentin Tarantino towards the Oscar win.

A number of synagogues even arranged for screenings of the Quentin Tarantino film including a question and answer session at one synagogue with the famous, but controversial, filmmaker. For many Jews, the film which portrays the violent death of Hitler and before he can exact the Holocaust is a great celebration. But for his part, Tarantino claims to not have known about the revenge elements being similar to the Old Testament account of the fall of the Persian Empire before they could liquidate the Jews of the region.

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS does have many memorable moments such as the scene where the female hero, Shoshanna(whose character parallels Esther of the Old Testament) puts on makeup that looks very much like Native American war paint for her final mission to kill the dreaded Nazi officer who murdered her family.

Whether all of this extra effort by some interests to propel their pet films to the top of the Oscar film heap really works yet remains to be seen. The Oscar voting ends tomorrow and the awards ceremony is in a few days.