28 days, Return of the King & More"

• I saw a great little horror film today. If you enjoy a good "zombie" flick in the vien [pardon the pun] of "Night of the Living Dead" then you'll love this! "28 days later..." should be seen now not later!
• USAToday ran a picture of the advance poster for "The Return of the King," the next installment in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. The poster can also be seen at theonering.net. Peter Jackson [director] said it was his favorite of the three... I know I'm looking forward to it!
• Chris Tucker is in line for another $20 million-plus payday to co-star in "Rush Hour 3." If he makes the movie it will be his third film since 1998 [with the other two being "Rush Hour" and "Rush Hour 2"]. It's good work if you can get it!
• MESA, Ariz. - City officials in Mesa have mistakenly installed two bus shelters where no buses run. Can't you just imagine some poor soul... "Uh... I'm sure it'll be a long any minute now."
• Singapore unveiled Friday plans for a $114 million, 558-foot Ferris wheel that would swing 114 feet above the current world record holder. "C'mon mom, don't worry about SARS, I just GOTTA ride that Ferris wheel." Yeah, that should bring in the tourists.
• HANOI (Reuters) - A Vietnamese man passed off a lump of iron as valuable black bronze found buyers -- but was paid $64,000 in counterfeit bills. Talk about poetic justice!
• PARIS (AFP) - Bean-lovers, rejoice: the embarrassing side-effect of your favourite food may soon become a distant memory. Big Beatty can go back to eating chilli on his omlettes!
• NEW YORK (AFP) - New York police rescued and then arrested a red-faced burglar after he managed to get himself stuck in the chimney of the restaurant he was trying to burgle. Another criminal mastermind brought to justice!
• BERLIN (Reuters) - A German thief has had to call the police to rescue him after becoming trapped during a bungled break-in. Still another criminal mastermind brought to justice!
• STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Vodka-flavored ice pops won't be available on store shelves in Sweden after regulators said Tuesday they were worried that young kids might eat them. Guess that means no crack flavored cupcakes either!

Ashton, Mac, Jackie & More

• The very popular, Ashton Kutcher, will team up with the very funny, Bernie Mac, in the comedy "The Dinner Party." Kutcher will play a man marrying a black woman whose father [Mac] has difficulty coming to terms with the marriage. Sounds like a comedy version of "Guess Whose Coming to Dinner."
• Lena Olin, who stars as Sydney Bristow's mother on "Alias" has gained a lot of positive exposure from the role. Olin is so good at being bad...
• Eminem and his mentor/producer Dr. Dre share the Number Two position on this year's Forbes' Celebrity 100 list. I'll bet some people will still downplay Eminem's impact...
• Kelsey Grammer has announced that next season will be "Fraiser's" last. "Fraiser" was "must see tv" up until Niles got married... I'll probably tune in for the last episode though.
• A German man was fatally stabbed by his wife of thirty years after they argued about what color to paint the walls of their house. Well, if you feel that strongly maybe you should just speak up.
• A version of Jackie Gleason's 'The Honeymooners' not seen in more than 30 years is returning to tv on the GoodLife TV Network which will broadcast the 42 'Honeymooners' episodes originally presented in color as part of 'The Jackie Gleason Show' that aired during the 1960s. Instead of just running "The Honeymooner's" segments [which weren't as good as the originals], I'd like to see the channel run the entire "Jackie Gleason Show."

Interman, Hellboy & More

• Jeff Parker's The Interman rocks. It is one of the most intelligently written graphic novels that I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Check it out. I'll bet you'll like it too!
• CHUD has a nice interview with Ron "Hellboy" Perlman. Now, this is a comic movie that I can get behind!
• Ashton Kutcher must be living right. He co-stars in "That 70's Show," hosts MTV's "Punk'd." Kutcher is up against Prince William in an online vote for People magazine's top bachelor of the year, and is dating Demi Moore. Wouldn't you think that dating Demi Moore would be enough?
• A woman has claimed that Ozzy Osburne is the father of her six year old child. I guess she didn't know that Ozzy had a vasectomy 17 years ago.
• Seahorses are their own worst enemy. They've been fished to the point of extinction, yet they mate for life and their unwillingness to seek new partners after being separated has done little to improve their chances of survival. Seems the seahorses don't believe until "death do us part."

Movies, Robbers & More

• "The Hulk" earned a little better than $62 million to force "Finding Nemo" into second spot. I'll still bet on the fish in the long run.
• "Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle" opens next Friday. I waited to rent the original, but plan to see this one on the big screen!
• I just finished reading Robbers by Chris Cook. This is his first novel and I'd say that he's going to become a "name" to anyone who enjoys a good crime story!
• One of the scariest movies that I ever saw as a kid, "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," got a little write up today. They're out there!
• Mike Tyson got involved in what is being described as a "street brawl." Even though it appears that Tyson didn't start it, he could get a year in the slammer if convicted. When is"Iron Mike" gonna learn...
• Lennox Lewis kept the title but may have lost his desire to continue. If history tells us anything, he'll fight again though.
• Archaeologists in western China discovered five earthenware jars of 2,000-year-old rice wine in an ancient tomb. "Ah, do you have anything in a 0003 vintage?"
• Anybody else been keeping up with the news about U.S. bounty hunter Duane "Dog" Chapman who was arrested by Mexican authorities while attempting to bring Andrew Luster, the fugitive heir of the Max Factor fortune and convicted rapist back to the USA? This has been my favorite news item this week... it's like something out of a movie -- which I bet it will be.

Monsters, Arnold & More

• The 7th Annual Monster Bash was held this weekend in Pittsburgh. It featured guests [the guy who played the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Boris Karlaff's daughter, etc.] and film showings. I've been in the mood for some good horror movies [last night we watched "Frankenstein," "Donavan's Brain," and "The Invisible Man"]... if I lived near Pittsburgh, I'd have attended the show!
• Arnold told Bob Costas that he feels like he's in the middle of his career. If Arnold does "King Conan" I'll believe him.
• Lisa Marie Presley is getting ready for her first concert tour. Presley will play hour-long sets opening for Chris Isaak but will NOT cover any of her dad's songs. Maybe she can cover some over her ex-husband's songs. That could be a real "Thriller."
• A federal bankruptcy court awarded the billion-dollar Aladdin casino to investors who plan to turn the Las Vegas property into a Planet Hollywood-themed resort! And you just know I love me some Planet Hollywood!

SZ, Lehane & More

• Thanks to Garth at Dark Horizons and ABKing for the tip of their hats to StalloneZone for the Sly item that appears there today! Ya gotta love that!
• Has anybody here read Mystic River by Dennis Lehane? I've been tempted to pick it up [along with Lehane's Shutter Island]. Now that the official movie site has opened, I'm more tempted than ever!
• Jennifer Aniston is the number-one celebrity on this year's Forbes magazine Celebrity 100 which is based on earnings and media exposure. Anyone else surprised by this?
• Nick Nolte has made the news by saying he wasn't using drugs during "The Hulk" shoot. It's pretty bad when it is news that an actor is NOT using drugs!
• Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown are set to star in "Beffy and Charlie" as musicians who are also gangsters. The film will be full of singing, robbing, and stealing. I'll bet the theater will be empty though.
• Mick Jagger had this to say about Justin Timberlake, "I've watched Justin, but every single move he does is stolen." Hmmm... maybe Justin can get a part in "Beffy and Charlie."
• Kelly Clarkson isn't afraid of "The Hulk." Seems her movie opens the same day as the big green guy's movie. Oh... for a minute I thought she was talking about Rueben.
• According to this report the latest trend among teens and 20-somethings who indulge in so-called extreme body modification, is having one's tongue cut down the middle so that it forks like a snake's. And some people used to think that tatoos were extreme.

Media Tidbits

Ah, but it's good to be home. We had a nice little getaway up to the mountains and even to Heroes Con... but now I'm home and back in the ZONE.

• Is anyone else getting tired of seeing promotion for "The Hulk" everywhere? It's starting to get on my nerves.. and you wouldn't want to see me angry.
• Luther Vandross' new album debuted at No. 1 and his condition has improved enough that he has been moved out of intensive care. If good news comes in three's then Luthor is in for a treat!
• Dennis Miller has signed to do a weekly segment on Fox News' "Hannity & Colmes" show. Won't that be spiffy?
• Michael Chiklis' ex-managers have filed a $1 million lawsuit against him for breach of contract and fraud. I hope that this is resolved quickly and quietly.
• NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A man was found dead in his seat at a cinema in the Indian capital after the late-night screening of a horror film which the director has warned could pose a health risk to those of a nervous disposition. And you just KNOW that this will help it at the box office!
• BERLIN (Reuters) - German police are investigating the discovery of a headless body near castle Frankenstein in Germany. And I thought the last item was bizarre!
• NEW YORK - Ever wonder how many hot dogs the Fridge can hold? Well you'll find out this summer as William "The Refrigerator" Perry, the 400-pound-plus ex-NFL star, participates in the annual July 4th hot dog eating contest in Coney Island. It's nice to know that the Fridge hasn't lost his competitive edge.
• A duck living on a lake here isn't letting a dart in its head stop it from eating, swimming, socializing or paddling away from rescue attempts. Next time the animal will know to, uh, duck.

Sly, Luther & Silence

• Sylvester Stallone will write, direct and star in "Rampart Scandal" based on the murders of rap stars Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Stallone will play Detective Russell Poole, the real-life cop who investigated the murders. Filming is expected to begin on September 1st. For full details check out the THIS LINK at Cinescape.com.
• Luther Vandross is showing signs of emerging from a stroke-induced coma.
• An German painter refused to speak for 29 years because his father was against his career in art! I thought you should try to silence your critics, not yourself.

Cruise, Sandler, Cage & More

• Yesterday I told you that Tom Cruise was in talks to play a hitman in Michael Mann's next movie. Can you believe that Adam Sandler is in talks to play the cab driver? Can I have my money back?
• Marvel Comics Luke Cage: Hero for Hire may be coming to the big screen! Sweet Christmas! I loved Luke Cage comics when I was a kid!
• Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones were performing concert in Germany when several pairs of underwear were thrown on the stage. Jagger was used to females doing that but was quoted as saying he did see a few pairs of large men's underpants on the stage. Hmmm... I thought Big Beatty was in Orlando?
• A London judge has ruled that the lyrics of a rap song asking someone to "shizzle my nizzle" did not violate the law. So no ixnay on the shizzlelay.

Incredible Collateral & More

• The folks that brought you "Toy Story" are coming back with "The Incredibles." The trailer is up now and is a hoot! Man, can I relate to that guy! LOL!
• Tom Cruise is in talks to play a hitman in "Collateral," writer-director Michael Mann's next project. Can I buy a ticket now?
• Rocky Balboa not only makes the AFI's "100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains" but cracks the top ten! Take that Luke Skywalker!
• Martin Scorsese is bringing together a great cast which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale and singer Gwen Stefani to star in "Aviator," a Howard Hughes biopic. Surprisingly this doesn't really get me flying.
• Singer/songwriter Barry Manilow walked into a wall in the middle of the night with such force that it broke his nose and left him unconcious for several hours. Anybody want to chip in for some nightlights?
• A German judge fined an ill-tempered pizza delivery man $610 for spitting into a salad order. Everyone knows you NEVER tick off the delivery guy!

Ridley, MTV Awards & More

• John Ridley's Those Who Walk in Darkness is a departure. Usually Ridley's stories are noir tales of a man on a path to possible ruin. Not this one. The lead is female, the tale can best be described as a sci-fi/thriller... but it does have one thing in common with Ridley's other novels... it's excellent! I'll bet there's more to come with this character / storyline.
• "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" won the Best Picture award at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards ceremony held yesterday. We're not even half way through the year and already MTV is handing out awards? I like the idea of a more "hip" awards show but can't we wait until the year is almost over?
• I haven't checked out the tv guide yet, but I have a feeling I'll be waching "44 Minutes" on FX tonight. That whole situation has intrigued me since the day it happened. I'm surprised we haven't seen more robberies like it.
• It's been quite a year for Jennifer Garner who picked up the Female Breakthrough Performance Award at the MTV Awards.
• Doesn't Pink remind you of one of those girls in high school that weren't really your type but you found yourself watching whenever she was around?