Pick Hits...

Play It...

Dead or Alive 2: Hardcore (for PS2)

DOA takes place around a loosely defined fighting tournament, with each fighter entering the tournament for personal reasons- revenge, money, fame, and love. However, this is where it leaves other fighting titles behind. Graphically, DOA is eye candy in the purest sense. The backgrounds are dazzling and interactive. You can knock your opponent through a wall or into a barrier for extra damage. Each character is unique and well made. Their movements in battle are fluid. One of the main features for the title is the fact that as you win with each character, new (and more revealing) outfits are opened up, allowing for a lot of different looks for each character. Each fighter can reverse opponent punches and kicks which makes battle a furious back and forth that is pretty just to watch. If you like fighting games, you'll love DOA2: Hardcore.

At the Movies...
The Mummy Returns
This is a sequel to the 1999 hit The Mummy in which the remains of Imhotep and Anck-su-Numam are brought back to London for a museum. 10 years later the story centers around the 9-year-old son of Fraser and Weisz' characters. This time around the villain isn't Imhotep, but Anck-su-Numam. Dwayne (The Rock) Johnson plays a new villain, The Scorpion King, who is half-scorpion, half-man, and the ruler of all evil, who is brought forth from the Undead. Impressive special effects are back in full force, giant battles take place on giant sets, and the entire starring cast has been reunited. The Rock puts in an over the top effort, which has led to an offer to play the Scorpion King in a feature flick of his own. This will definitly be one of the top action films for 2001.
 

On Video...

Little Nicky

This wacky comedy is based on a wild premise. After a 10,000 year rule, the Devil (Harvey Keitel) calls his three sons together to designate an heir, but, after looking over their sorry state, decides to stay on the throne, causing two of the boys to leave Hell to rule on Earth. This closes the gates between Earth and Hell, stopping the flow of humans down below, and causing dad to lose his body parts. Shambling, speech-slurring, wheezing Little Nicky (Adam Sandler) is dispatched to bring back his brothers, reopen the gates and save his dad's life. But Nicky has problems adjusting to the real world, and his stay on Earth becomes one weird adventure after another. Fun in a weird way, but a must for Sandler fans.

The Buzz...

NIKI TAYLOR IN CRITICAL CONDITION

Supermodel Niki Taylor remains in critical condition with internal injuries after a Sunday car accident.

Ohio plans to put the hammerlock on Stone Cold Steve Austin and other professional wrestlers by tagging a 5 percent tax on pro wrestling events in the state.

Atlantic Records has announced the closing of its Nashville offices, but says it will remain in the country music business.

Craig Kilborn, the comedian and host of The Late Late Show on CBS, will be the guest editor for Gear magazine's Sept. 3 anniversary issue, which hits newsstands on Aug. 7.

How does Jay Leno get some of his guests to open up? By plying them with booze. Stars today tend to be too stiff and over-prepared, so alcohol is one way of getting them to loosen up. Hence, last fall, the big-chinned host requested that there be alcoholic beverages on hand, especially for his female guests.

Tool is shooting a video for the new single Schism with guitarist Adam Jones in the directors’ chair. In addition, the band is scheduled to play the Edgefest in Toronto on July 1st.

The successful Family Values hard-rock tour will resurface this fall with Stone Temple Pilots leading the charge.

The judge in Napster's copyright infringement case gave the service and its users some breathing room in a memorandum.The music industry, not Napster, is responsible for tracking down specific file names used to identify copyrighted songs.
 

Tommy Lee will get to keep the name Methods of Mayhem, thanks to a settlement by his record company. MCA Records settled a lawsuit brought by a Swedish man who had accused Lee of stealing the band name from a 1995 soundtrack CD.

The actors who provide the D'ohs! and the Ay, carambas! for The Simpsons are getting a 43 percent pay hike. As Mr. Burns would say, Excellent!

George Lucas has unleashed another five-minute featurette on Star Wars Episode II. The documentary features Lord Lucas and his design director Doug Chiang talking about the brand new Jedi fighter plane they have designed for the new film.

Scott Bakula has agreed to replace Burt Reynolds as the lead on the troubled CBS comedy pilot Late Boomers.

A small jet carrying Sting skidded off the runway at Florence's airport. He walked away unhurt. Two pilots and a friend were with the former Police frontman aboard the Cessna Citation 5 when it came off the runway through some safety netting before stopping on a grass bank.

Paul McCartney's paulmccartney.com has gone live. The new McCartney site is based on thebeatles.com and is designed to give fans a detailed history of his career with Wings.

UPN has pulled the new paranormal horror show All Souls off their schedule after only two airings.