Off the Record...

Johnny Cash
American III: Solitary Man
On the heels of an important three-CD reissue of his work, gathered around the themes of love, God and murder, comes the third volume of recordings done by Cash with rock and rap producer Rick Rubin. Cash uses his rumbling voice to assert that he won't back down from the gates of hell, that he sees a darkness from which he hopes to be saved, that he has told the truth and he's not afraid to die. The songs gather new depth in Cash's repertoire. Sung with heart, they beg the listener to become engaged by their meaning.
 

At The Movies...
The Yards
This film is a depiction of family relationships in the context of crime and corruption. Leo Handler (Mark Wahlberg) has just been released from jail and dreams only of a decent job and spending time with his sick mother. Shortly after being on the outside Leo is drawn back into the world of corruption to make some quick money. It's downhill from there, as a murder is committed his first night out, the foul deed is pinned on Leo, and he goes on the lam. The story itself is gripping, in a low-key kind of way, from beginning to end. So don't be misled by claims that you've seen this one already. You haven't, and you should.
 

On DVD...
Rosemary's Baby
Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes star as a young couple who encounter trouble when they decide to have a child. Rosemary never knows quite what's happened until the film's final moments, but she does suspect something is very wrong, and when that involves the baby growing in your body, we don't need Aliens-like monster shocks to make things tense. This truly great horror movie features little blood, no guts and gradually building tension that culminates in an intense conclusion.
 
The Buzz...

Christie's auction house in Los Angeles announced that it would be placing the original mold for Mr. Spock's ears on the auction block Nov. 15. Christie's will also be auctioning off two pairs of ears and a plaster life mask of actor William Shatner made for the popular science fiction series.

Warner Bros.' reissue of The Exorcist nearly broke the record held by The Matrix for the biggest opening ever in Spain. The film raked in an impressive $1.7 million, easily grabbing the top spot at the Spanish box office.

Author J.K. Rowling confirmed Monday that she had revealed the name of the next Harry Potter novel to a child in New York last week. The novel, whose name was a closely guarded secret, will apparently be called Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Pee-Wee Herman is returning to television. The former Saturday morning TV star will host You Don't Know Jack, ABC's new game show based on the popular CD-ROM game. The first episode of the Carsey-Warner produced series will air in June.

Unsuspecting buyers of the recently-released Ultimate Toy Box Collector's Edition of Toy Story 2 discovered that some copies of the three DVD set contained an unusual additional feature: a profanity-filled clip from the John Cusack film High Fidelity.

Horror master Stephen King will join with heartland rocker John Mellencamp to make a haunted musical.

Tyler Mane, who portrayed Magneto's henchman Sabretooth in the X-Men movie, has agreed to appear in Black Mask II.

The Cambodian government announced that it would let the producers of the Tomb Raider motion picture to film scenes at the famous Angkor Wat temples.

Later this season, the WB plans to introduce a new spin-off series from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch. The potential series is being described as a mix of Welcome Back Kotter, The Facts of Life and Charmed.

Dimension Films announced plans to make The Crow: Salvation a direct-to-video release. 
 

Cher is coming to visit Will & Grace this season. Apparently the songstress was flattered enough by Jack's obsession with her to grace the show with her personage. The diva shot a guest spot as herself on the sitcom which will air on Nov. 16, which just happens to be during sweeps.

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