Off The Record...
MC5
The Big Bang! Best of the MC5
Anyone who knows their rock history can tell you
that the genesis of punk in the 1970s is largely due the influence of the MC5.
This groups' brave, often misunderstood work during the late '60s and early '70s
collectively embodied virtually everything for which punk later became
infamous. The MC5 rarely get the credit they deserve, which makes the
appearance of this terrific and long overdue retrospective such a welcome
event. For this listener, the entire MC5 saga boils down to Fred Smith's solo
on American Ruse where, with a downstroke of his smoking guitar, he nonchalantly
ties together The Battle Hymn of the Republic and Johnny B. Goode. If that
isn't the very definition of the land of the free and the home of the brave, I
don't know what is.
At The Movies...
Snow Day
What's the only thing better than a snow day? How
about a second snow day? That's the plan for ten-year-old Natalie (Zena Grey),
who's ready to do battle against the dreaded Snowplowman to keep the school
closed for an extra 24 hours. But her older brother Hal (Mark Webber) is too
busy chasing the girl of his dreams to help his little sis. Snow Day is a kid's
movie through and through, where adults are either evil or dumb and nothing is
funnier than flatulence. This won't win any awards, but what fun movies do?
On Video...
Stigmata
This chilling thriller stars Patricia Arquette as a
young Philadelphia woman whose mother sends her a package containing the rosary
of a dead priest from a small town in Brazil. Suddenly she starts having
visions and exhibits the symptoms of the stigmata: bleeding from wounds similar
to those inflicted on Christ during his crucifixion. Gabriel Byrne plays a
scientist/priest sent from the Vatican to investigate the events, who
inadvertently uncovers a plot to stifle the discovery of a missing gospel
written by Christ himself. Intelligent and scary.
The Buzz...
The game show bride from the top rated Who Wants
to Marry a Multimillionaire program said on Wednesday she had made a
terrible error in judgement and would get her television marriage annulled.
After a much-publicized leave of absence, David
Letterman got a hearty welcome back to The Late Show on Monday night, with
an estimated 19 million viewers watching all or part of the show.
Gary Oldman and Sean Penn will appear
in the Russo-British production of The Final Journey, a big-budget feature that
will be partially shot on the Mir space station.
Universal Pictures has bumped up the release date of The Flinstones in Viva Rock Vegas to April 28. The live-action sequel to
the 1994 comedy was originally scheduled to premiere May 12.
Tim Burton has emerged as the frontrunner to
direct the remake of the 1968 science fiction classic Planet of the Apes.
The director of Batman and Sleepy Hollow is said to be in final negotiations
with 20th Century Fox for the job.
The Blair Witch Project opened to big
audiences in its Italian premiere. The low-budget thriller earned $4.7 million
in its opening weekend at 430 screens.
Writers are working on a film based on the life of
Ed Gein, the Wisconsin farmer whose erratic behavior during the 1950s inspired
the creation of such horror film characters as Norman Bates, Michael Myers,
Jason, and Hannibal Lector. It was in the 1950s that Wisconsin
police found Gein's farmhouse filled with lampshades made out of human flesh, a
human skull being used for a bowl, and similar atrocities.
The U.S. market for recorded music climbed to $14.6
billion in 1999, up 6.3% from the previous year's $13.7 billion, according to
the Recording Industry Association of America.
Whitney Houston and The Artist Formally
Known as Prince have been selected as Soul Train's Male and Female Artist of
the Decade.
Tour Organizers are hopeful the upcoming KISS
Farewell Tour can parlay into more than $40 million in grosses. The tour, which
begins March 11th, is billed as the last for the four original members. VH1 is
the media sponsor.
ABC and the Miss America Organization have announced
that Donny and Marie Osmond will host the Miss America Pageant
in October, their second appearance on the broadcast.
Stevie Wonder, Eric Clapton and Lauryn
Hill were among friends and fans of the late Curtis Mayfield
attending a two-hour song and prayer service honoring the soul and funk
musician.
Charlie Sheen has agreed to step into Spin
City to replace Michael J. Fox, who is leaving at the end of the
season. |