Off The Record

Gene Loves Jezebel - Exploding Girls

Fronted by the skinny-bodied, high-cheekboned, lipglossed Aston twins Gene Loves Jezebel created one the most unique and compelling sounds of the '80s. Exploding Girls is a fine work of eccentric, foppish, glittery, sexy chamber pop. Songs like the euphoric, attention-grabbing title track and shimmering Downhill Both Ways strike the perfect goth/glam balance that made GLJ's most successful album, 1986's Discover, such a gem, and truly sounds like vintage Gene Loves Jezebel.

At The Movies

Freddie vs Jason

It has been almost 10 years since one of the scariest horror characters of all time, Freddy Krueger, invaded the dreams of a generation to exact his deadly form of revenge and murder. Now, Freddy has entered into the dreams of another master of evil, the unstoppable Jason Voorhees plunging cinema’s two greatest titans of terror into a battle to end all battles. This is well worth seeing if you like this sort of thing. It has a decent plot, the acting is good, the gore scenes are well handled and there are several good gags. As for who wins, you will have to go see it since any previews have omitted the last 60 seconds of the film.

On Video

Cradle 2 the Grave

Tony Fait (DMX) dominates the streets with passionate precision, taking care of his fiercely loyal crew with a dedication surpassed only by his love for his young daughter. But when his daughter is kidnapped and held in exchange for a cache of priceless diamonds, Fait must forge an unlikely alliance with a Taiwanese intelligence officer. Adversaries by code but allied by circumstance, the master thief and the enigmatic agent join forces to wage war on their common enemy. This hip-hop kung fu outing is a classy, fast-paced, exciting example of an Americanized Hong Kong action flick, and pairs Li and DMX to that end.

The Buzz...

Quirky superstar Johnny Depp is so "fascinated" by Ozzy Osbourne he's desperate to play the wild rocker in a biopic. Johnny is currently starring in blockbuster Pirates Of The Caribbean, in which he based his character Captain Jack Sparrow on The Rolling Stones's legendary guitarist Keith Richards. Now he wants to play a rocker for real in the new movie of Ozzy's raucous life, which is currently being developed by the former Black Sabbath frontman's wife Sharon Osbourne.

The German producers behind Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines saying on Saturday there could be another sequel with our without Arnold Schwarzenegger, even if he's elected, as long as they come up with a good story.

Martin Lawrence is signing on to reprise his role as Big Momma in an upcoming sequel to 2000's successful Big Momma's House.

Former hot couple Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake are mulling over a $4.8 million offer to get back together - for a series of TV adverts for fashion store GAP. The singers, whose relationship came to a bitter end last year, are in secret talks together to star in the glossy promotions.

Aside from Britney Spears, Carmen Electra, Dark Angel’s Jessica Alba and Aussie model Megan Gale are in contention to wear the ludicrously short shorts made famous by Catherine Bach in the Warners-based remake of The Dukes of Hazzard.

The big-screen treatment of Avril Lavigne's hit single, Sk8er Boi, which is being developed by Paramount, will not have any input from Lavigne. "The movie has nothing to do with me," Lavigne says. "I don't have any say in it. And no, I won't be in it."

Following in the footsteps of Madonna, Duran Duran, Paul McCartney and Garbage - Mariah Carey is rumoured to be singing the next Bond theme. She also reportedly has met with producers about getting a cameo role in the film. This will be the 21st James Bond film to come to screen and the last for Pierce Bronson.

Matt Damon is in the running to play the title role in Universal's big-screen version of The Sub-Mariner. The project is based on the Marvel Comics character and will be written and directed by David Self (Road to Perdition). Damon previously stated that he wouldn't play a superhero or a comic book character, but perhaps he had a chat with good buddy Ben Affleck – aka Daredevil.

Mike Newell has officially signed on to direct Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The fourth film in the series will begin filming in England in April, overlapping with the third film, which is currently in production. Warner Bros will also have to find a new Harry, as Daniel Radcliffe has stated that he will not return.

The failure of Gigli has enabled director Kevin Smith to rejigger his upcoming Jersey Girl into the kind of movie he had originally conceived -- one that features Ben Affleck as a single father raising a young daughter. Smith has trimmed Jennifer Lopez's scenes so that her character now dies in the movie's first 15 minutes.

The script for Blade III, set to begin filming in September, features an opening sequence in which Blade hunts down some mobile vampires in a high-speed chase that makes “2 Fast 2 Furious look like kids on trikes.”

Aerosmith plans to play three or four songs from their upcoming blues album during their current tour with KISS. They'll likely film these segments for possible inclusion on a DVD that may accompany their new disc, due in January. In addition to covers of songs Broke Down Engine by Blind Willie McTell, Little Walter’s Temperature and Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters’ I'm Ready, the blues album will feature four originals.

Call it Black Friday. The release date for Jay-Z's next, and according to him, final LP, The Black Album, has been set for November 28. The day after Thanksgiving is also the biggest shopping day of the year, and Jay-Z's gonna take advantage by dropping the black version of his signature S. Carter Reebok shoe on the same day.

After 20 years in the making, one of the most long-awaited and eagerly-anticipated events in comic book history is just 3 weeks away, with the release of JLA/Avengers #1, the debut issue of the epic four-issue Prestige Format limited series co-published by Marvel and DC Comics. The Avengers - and the World's Greatest Superheroes - the JLA - facing off against cataclysmic threat that only the team's combined forces can hope to withstand. The 48-page comic is scheduled to go on sale September 3rd.

LucasArts' Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic has flown off store shelves at light speed in its first two weeks of release, selling more than 270,000 units! The game, which debuted July 16, 2003, set a new record for Xbox game sales, selling through initial allocation in its first four days of distribution.

A Mötley Crüe box set will hit stores on November 11, featuring B-sides, outtakes, live recordings and a healthy dose of hits. A DVD video collection will also be released.

Legendary wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage is releasing a Rap CD through Big3 Entertainment that will feature the likes of DJ Kool and Da Raskulls. The first single, Be A Man, is a direct challenge to longtime nemesis Hulk Hogan, who Savage wants to take on at WrestleMania XX.

A two-disc compilation of Rob Zombie's greatest hits, Past, Present & Future, will hit stores on September 23. The king of the dark side is bringing together a CD of 19 digitally remastered cuts with two new songs and a DVD of 10 music videos, three of which are previously unreleased. This set will span the rocker's career from 1992-2003.

P.O.D. vocalist Sonny Sandoval said that Metallica wanted them for this summer's Summer Sanitarium Tour, but the two bands will probably hook up on the road next winter.

Not that Sex and the City needs any help getting spiced up, but Geri Halliwell is adding her name to the list of guest stars populating the last season of the HBO show. The former Ginger Spice’s episode airs on August 24.

Pals of sexy actress Jennifer Garner have confirmed she's secretly dating her Alias co-star Michael Vartan. Garner had been romantically linked to the French hunk since she split from her husband Scott Foley earlier this year.

Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses flick is available on DVD right now through Lion’s Gate. The DVD includes bonus content such as a commentary with Rob Zombie, trailers, screen tests, etc.

Like Hulk before it, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen has exited the box office top 10 in its fifth week in release. The total domestic gross at this point stands at only $62.2 million.

Sony’s PS2 might still dominate the market share for game consoles, but it is quickly becoming a two horse race. XBOX sales saw a 8% increase during the last quarter due to the success of smash hits Halo and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, while Nintendo suspended production of their Game Cube due to inventory backlog caused by poor sales.

Brides of Destruction, the band featuring Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx and L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns split up as a result of their inability to land an American licensing deal for their debut album and Nikki’s on again relationship with the Crüe.