MUSIC . . .

Those little girls who once loved the New Kids On The Block are now adults — with disposable income. The band quickly sold out a three-day Caribbean cruise where they'll perform onboard and mingle. The group, which reunited after 14 years for a tour and new album in May 2008, will kick off its summer performance schedule with the concert cruise to the Bahamas. They leave Friday afternoon on the Carnival Imagination. Carnival spokeswoman Cherie Weinstein says about 2,100 people — mostly women in their 20s and 30s — bought tickets to the cruise. She says the trip sold out quickly compared to an average Carnival cruise. The New Kids On The Block Full Service summer tour begins June 4 in Atlanta. (Daily Record)

Sorry, Mexico, no Jonas Brothers show for you! At least, not right now. The boys have postponed their upcoming performance to avoid H1N1 flu (aka swine flu). They are, in fact, our most important trio of Disney stars. We couldn't stand it if they got sick! But, fear not, they'll be back in July, depending on if this thing blows over by then. The venue released this statement: “We know the situation is stabilizing and that many fans travel long distances to live the experience of seeing a Jonas Brothers concert. That is why we hope that your experience and your enjoyment of the concert will be as pleasant as possible." (Perez Hilton)

Why be bogged down by the past? While the future of The Cranberries remains uncertain, the Irish pop-rock band's singer/songwriter is releasing her second solo album, No Baggage, Aug. 25 on Zoe/Rounder. Dolores O'Riordan, who wrote and produced the 11 tracks with Dan Brodbeck, says the tone is confessional and ultimately optimistic, noting in a statement, "I probably haven't worn my heart on my sleeve like this since the second Cranberries album." That was 1994's No Need to Argue, which sold 7 million copies in the USA. Though the band performed new tunes in 2003, it soon went on hiatus and hasn't released a new studio album since 2001's Wake Up and Smell the Coffee. O'Riordan will announce her own U.S. and U.K. tour dates soon. (Daily Record)

Has the swine flu struck American Idol? Well, we hope not, but the Philippines wants to be sure. The country's health bosses are giving David Cook and David Archuleta a rigorous checkup to be certain they haven't got it before they play a concert in a large mall on Saturday. Quarantine officials came knocking on their hotel room doors shortly after they arrived, according to Agence France-Presse. Edgardo Sabitsana, director of the quarantine bureau, told them they could be held, arrested or detained and their concert could be banned if they did not cooperate. Sabitsana claims it took the former rivals nearly three hours to accede, during which time they were on the phone with their attorneys. But in the end, the Davids agreed to the checkup. Their managers vowed to watch for symptoms, including taking their temperature at least twice per day. Despite the seemingly harsh measures, the Philippines has yet to confirm a single case of the H1N1 virus, according to Health Secretary Francisco Duque. At least their show will go on as scheduled, unlike the postponed Jonas Brothers gig and the Mexican premieres of Wolverine, Star Trek, Angels & Demons and Terminator: Salvation. (Eonline)

If it hadn't been for drummer Travis Barker's near-fatal airplane crash last year, Blink-182 might not be touring this summer. But after a five-year hiatus, Blink-182 members Mark Hoppus, Travis Barker and Tom DeLonge will embark on a nearly 50-date North American arena and amphitheater tour, beginning July 24 at the Joint in Las Vegas, and wrapping Oct. 3 at the Borgata Events Center in Atlantic City, N.J. The Live Nation-produced trek will feature support on various dates from Weezer, Fall Out Boy, Panic at the Disco, All-American Rejects, Taking Back Sunday, Asher Roth and Chester French. "My goal was to have name-brand acts all the way," Blink-182 manager Rick Devoe tells Billboard.com. The rock act has also tapped stage designer Martin Phillips to help create "the most ridiculous display of lights and images we can imagine," Hoppus said in a statement. Phillips has worked on tours stage designs for such artists as Kanye West, Daft Punk and Nine Inch Nails, among others. Rumors that Blink-182 could reunite after its messy split in 2005 started last year after Hoppus posted a blog saying that Barker's survival and the death of Blink-182 producer Jerry Finn put the band members back in touch. "Unfortunately it took something catastrophic to do it, but sometimes that's how life is," Devoe says. "These guys got together for the right reasons." Although Blink-182 confirms it is writing new songs, "the word on the street is that this tour is about the hits," says Devoe, who couldn't say when a new album might be released. "As the rehearsals go by, we're hoping to have at least one new song in the repertoire." The manager adds that Blink-182 fans who are short on cash this summer will be happy to learn that amphitheater lawn tickets will be available for $20. "If you have $20, you get in. No fees or anything," he says. Tickets for the tour go on sale May 30 at livenation.com. Presenting sponsors of trek include T-Mobile Sidekick LX, State Farm Insurance and MySpace. Beyond October, Blink-182 has offers to play Australia's Big Day Out and other European music festivals in 2010, according to Devoe. "That's what I'm hoping is going to happen," the manager says. "And in between these tours is when they're going to be working on an album." Blink-182 doesn't plan to route another North American tour until the band releases a new album, Devoe says. He notes that Blink-182 can't work as quickly as it used to because the band members have family obligations and some live in different cities. "Everyone has got full lives," the manager says. "It's a different Blink, in the sense that you have to pick your kids up after school, and one of your kids has dance class and the other kid has this." Blink-182's last tour in 2004 grossed $14.4 million from 42 concerts that drew more than 421,000 fans, according to Billboard Boxscore. The trio's self-titled album in 2003 has sold 2.2 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. 
Here are Blink-182's upcoming tour dates:  (Billboard)
 July 24: Las Vegas (the Joint)
July 28: Vancouver (GM Place)
July 30: Calgary, AB (Saddledome)
July 31: Edmonton, AB (Rexall Place)
Aug. 1: Saskatoon, SK (Credit Union Center)
Aug. 2: Winnipeg, MB (MTS Centre)
Aug. 4: Milwaukee (Marcus Amphitheater)
Aug. 6: Boston (Comcast Center)
Aug. 7 Quebec City, QC (Colisee Pepsi)
Aug. 8: Montreal (Bell Centre)
Aug. 9: Wantagh, N.Y. (Nikon Theater at Jones Beach)
Aug. 12: Hershey, Pa. (the Star Pavilion)
Aug. 13: Cincinnati (Riverbend Music Center)
Aug. 14: Pittsburgh (Post Gazette Pavilion)
Aug. 15: Chicago (First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre)
Aug. 16: Omaha, Neb. (Westfair Amphitheater)
Aug. 18: Minneapolis (Xcel Energy Center)
Aug. 20: Indianapolis (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
Aug. 21: Buffalo, N.Y. (Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center)
Aug. 22: Detroit (DTE Energy Music Theatre)
Aug. 23: Toronto (Molson Amphitheater)
Aug. 25: Holmdel, N.J. (PNC Bank Arts Center)
Aug. 27: Saratoga, N.Y. (Saratoga Performing Arts Center)
Aug. 28: Camden, Pa. (Susquehanna Bank Center)
Aug. 29: Hartford, Conn. (New England Dodge Music Center)
Aug. 30: Washington, D.C. (TBD)
Aug. 31: Wantagh, N.Y. (Nikon Theater at Jones Beach)
Sept. 2: Cleveland (Blossom Music Center)
Sept. 3: St. Louis (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
Sept. 4: Kansas City, Kan. (Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone)
Sept. 6: Denver (Fiddlers Green Amphitheater)
Sept. 7: Salt Lake City (David O. McKay Events Center)
Sept. 10: Seattle (White River Amphitheater)
Sept. 12: Sacramento, Calif. (Sleep Train Amphitheater)
Sept. 13: Mountain View, Calif. (Shoreline Amphitheater)
Sept. 14: Santa Barbara, Calif. (Santa Barbara Bowl)
Sept. 16: San Diego (Cricket Wireless Amphitheater)
Sept. 17: Irvine, Calif. (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
Sept. 19: Phoenix (Tempe Beach Park)
Sept. 21: Albuquerque, N.M. (Journal Pavilion)
Sept. 23: Dallas (Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion)
Sept. 24: Houston (Superpages.com Center)
Sept. 26: West Palm Beach, Fla. (Cruzan Amphitheater)
Sept. 27: Tampa, Fla. (Ford Amphitheater)
Sept. 29: Atlanta (Lakewood Amphitheater)
Oct. 1: Charlotte, N.C. (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
Oct. 2: Virginia Beach, Va. (Verizon Wireless Amphitheater)
Oct. 3: Atlantic City, N.J. (Borgata Events Center)

Wayman Tisdale, the one-time Oklahoma star and NBA player who recorded several jazz albums, died at 44 after a two year battle with cancer, the Associated Press reports. Tisdale, a 6' 9" forward who was an Olympic gold medalist and three-time All-American for Oklahoma, played for the Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, and Phoenix Suns during a 12 season NBA career. A bass player, Tisdale made his jazz recording debut in 1995 with the "Power Forward" album, and released several others, including "In the Zone," "Face to Face," "Hang Time" and "Way Up!"  His most recent album, 2008's "Rebound," features a cover of Barry White's "Never Gonna Give You Up" with country singer Toby Keith on vocals. Tisdale was diagnosed with bone cancer in 2007, and his right leg was amputated last August. (Billboard)

Yung Joc has fighting words for Diddy. The Southern rapper tells Billboard.com that he plans to file a lawsuit against Bad Boy Records and Block Entertainment for a host of contractual discrepancies, including failure to pay royalties and advances for his first two albums and charging "outrageous clearance fees" for his collaborations with other artists. "I haven't been paid any royalties since I've been out, after over a million albums sold," says Yung Joc. "For my first album, they gave me a $25,000 advance when I was supposed to get more...Then I had a million dollar budget for my second album, never even got an advance off of it. For the third one they hit me with another $25,000, like I'm some chump in this shit. And I just got tired of it." While Yung Joc says his main grievance is with Block Entertainment, the company that brought him to Bad Boy Records, he also expressed anger over his label's lack of support. "Diddy said he's got to stay out of it because it's between me and Block Entertainment," Yung Joc explains. "I was never signed to Block Entertainment, but they've been interfering with a lot of my business. I feel like [Bad Boy] isn't doing anything to try to intervene and help the situation." Yung Joc is currently at work on his third LP, "Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood" and said he aims to release the album by the end of 2009, with or without Bad Boy's help. "I'm not gonna let anybody slow me down. I'm just gonna go in and use some independent record promoters to promote my record." The rapper has already hit the studio with Rick Ross, Gucci Mane and Bobby Valentino and producers Jazze Pha and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, among others, and he recently released a single called "Well Damn," featuring the rapper/producer Nitti. While Yung Joc's 2006 debut album, "New Joc City," sold 968,000 copies according to Nielsen SoundScan and its breakout single, "It's Going Down," peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, his sophomore effort, "Hustlenomic$," sold a decidedly lower tally of 210,000. Before Yung Joc and Diddy presumably face off in the courtroom, they'll go head to head with their artists at the upcoming BET Awards. Bad Boy act Day26 was nominated Wednesday for Best Group and will compete for the honors against Yung Joc's artist, GS Boyz, who were signed to the rapper's new imprint Swagg Team Entertainment in December 2008 and reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 with their single, "Stanky Legg." Despite his frustrations, Yung Joc says his lawsuit is all about business and nothing personal. "I'm not even griping; I'm just letting it be known that what's fair is fair, and I haven't been treated fairly. I've been fighting for a year and a half. I'm prepared to weather the storm. So they could kiss my ass, and let's go to court." (Billboard)


MOVIE . . .

Despite tough reviews and less hype than its predecessor, Angels & Demons managed to squeak out a win at the box office this weekend. The follow-up to The Da Vinci Code raked in $48 million, according to studio estimates from box office tracking firm Nielsen EDI. While the debut met most analysts' expectations, it fell well short of Code's 2006 debut of $77 million. That film went on to do $217 million domestically and $758 million worldwide. Of course, Code benefited from its controversial theories about the Catholic church, which prompted protests of — and interest in — the Tom Hanks thriller. Demons, meanwhile, arrived with nary a word from the church. Critics weren't impressed, either: Only 38% of reviewers recommended the film, according to RottenTomatoes.com. Still, legions of fans of the Dan Brown novel helped the movie edge out Star Trek, which held well from last week's debut to do $43 million. The J.J. Abrams movie has done $147 million in 10 days and should become the biggest movie of summer by next weekend. Hugh Jackman's comic-book adaptation X-Men Origins: Wolverine was third with $14.8 million, raising its three-week total to $151.1 million. The Jennifer Garner comedy Ghosts of Girlfriends Past was fourth with $6.9 million, followed by the Beyoncé Knowles thriller Obsessed with $4.6 million. Despite the middling weekend, ticket sales were up 4% over the same weekend last year. (Daily Record)

Lindsay Lohan is leaving her partying lifestyle behind to head back to her acting roots - she's landed the lead role in a new comedy movie. The 22-year-old received acclaim for her performance in 2004's Mean Girls, but subsequent films were panned by critics. She was reprimanded by movie bosses on 2006's Georgia Rule for "irresponsible and unprofessional" behavior and became more famous for her partying and personal life. But Lohan is heading back to the film set after landing the main role in fantasy comedy The Other Side, which tells the story of a graduate science student on a remote island. Director David Michaels tells Daily Variety, "Lindsay's very aware of people's perceptions of her. She's really committed to doing what she has to in order to change that." Filming on the movie, which also stars Woody Harrelson and Alanis Morissette, is slated to begin in October. (Teen Hollywood)

Bond Girl Gemma Arterton and Gossip Girl's Ed Westwick have signed up to star in Wuthering Heights. The pair will play star-crossed lovers, Cathy and Heathcliff, in the movie which will begin filming in the autumn. "We've cast it as written," said producer Robert Burnstein, "Heathcliff's a teen, and the story takes him into his early 20s. Cathy is just as young." Natalie Portman, Sienna Miller and Abbie Cornish reportedly turned down the part but Burnish believes the two actors they have will do a great job. "It's radical because usually actors playing these characters are much older...We're very proud to have British actors," he said. (British Glamour)

The cast of Terminator Salvation— the fourth installment in the sci-fi series — reflected on the history of the franchise on the black carpet at the film's premiere at Grauman's Chinese Theater on Thursday night. For Bryce Dallas Howard, the character she plays, the well-armed Kate Connor, stands out.  "Always at the center of it there's been a really powerful, empowered female played by Linda Hamilton. That's kind of what the franchise is known for: her biceps," said Howard, who worried at first that she would not be buff enough to play hero John Connor's (Christian Bale) wife in the post-apocalyptic film about man versus machine. "I just had a child of my own, and I was like, 'I'm not in action-film shape!' And (director McG) was like, 'That's fine. Your character's eight months pregnant!' “recalled Howard. With all the movie's action scenes, some boo-boos were inevitable. Sam Worthington, who took on the role of Marcus Wright, the part-human robot, said, "Oh, you get bumps and bruises and cuts, but it's the Terminator; it's not Pride and Prejudice. I'm a 32 year-old Aussie — I had to take a hit. It's part of the fun."  Worthington added that Bale, whose John Connor leads the resistance against Skynet and its army of terminators, more than accomplished the task at hand. "Christian Bale is the most dynamic actor of his generation. He's passionate, he's dedicated, and he makes you a better actor," Worthington said. Bale's profanity-laced tirade on the set was leaked earlier this year, but he was jovial at the premiere, accompanied by his wife, Sibi Blazic. Bale views Worthington — who will next star in Avatar directed by James Cameron (who kicked off the Terminator franchise) — as stiff competition. "Sam, you look at how many roles he's done since Terminator— he's taken roles away from me now! He's good." Anton Yelchin, who plays a resistant who turns out to be Connor's father, reminisced about Arnold Schwarzenegger's shooting sprees in the earlier films. "The one-armed shotgun thing, so (bad)!" said Yelchin, who refrained from comparing his skills to those of the California governor.  As for the future of the franchise, McG said, "We've arced out stories for the next two pictures, but I would never be so bold as to say there's going to be any sequels. It's the power of the audience to speak and demand it." After the screening, Eric Dane, Rose McGowan, Mark McGrath and Oliver Stone joined the cast at a party across the street, where a parking lot was transformed into a post-apocalyptic landscape complete with burning barrels, a wrecked helicopter and a remote-controlled Terminator robot. Despite the downer theme, the food (which lately has been kept to a minimum at events) was a bright spot — cheesecake lollipops, mini Hostess cupcakes, an antipasto bar, a steak-carving station, macaroni and cheese, and several other treats at the handful of buffet stations set up around the party. (Daily Record)

So, what happens when the National Air and Space Museum clears out for the night? Why, the celebs come out, of course. Ben Stiller, Robin Williams, Amy Adams, Ricky Gervais, Hank Azaria and Owen Wilson descended upon the nation's capital Thursday night for the premiere of Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, which is about things that go bump in the museum once the lights go off.  The Office creator and star Gervais had his own ideas about what happens when the museum closes for the evening. "People wander around doing crosswords and smoking cigarettes," he joked.  The British comedian looked dapper in a Calvin Klein suit, but earlier in the day suffered a wardrobe malfunction when he was forced to take a tour of the White House in pajamas — seriously — while his suit languished at the dry cleaners. His "black stretchy" pajama pants made him look "like some sort of escaped patient," he admitted, but President Obama wasn't around to see his informal wear. He did, however, write the president after the election, regarding Paris Hilton's desire to shack up in London last fall. "We'll take back Posh Spice if you take back Hilton," he wrote. Williams reprises his role as "radical" President Teddy Roosevelt in the film and was happy to be in Washington. "I just love being in this building," he said wistfully. He said he feels "very well" after undergoing major heart surgery in March. Playing opposite Stiller proved difficult because of all the crack-ups, Williams said. "It was hard to get through it," he said. But it was worth it because Stiller's "got a great laugh." Azaria plays Egyptian pharaoh Kah Mun Rah in the film, who has a mean streak — and a mean lisp. The Simpsons star based the slight speech impediment on horror star Boris Karloff's classic performances as the mummy. But don't look for it to pop up in other places. "Moe don't lisp," he said of the rough-around-the-edges bartender he voices on Simpsons. Wilson, who said he based his fearless cowboy character Jedediah Smith on his brother Luke Wilson because he has a lot of heart, found it hard to keep a straight face with funny guys like Stiller and Williams around, but "the good thing is we get to do a lot of takes." (Daily Record)

This year's Cannes festival and market are both bearing witness to the strength and diversity of the Asian film industry. The main competition includes five Asian-made films and another couple with Asian themes or directors (Ang Lee's "Taking Woodstock," Isabelle Coixtet's "Map of the Sounds of Tokyo"). It could easily have included more if Lee Chang-dong had not been on the jury -- alongside Asian jurors Shu Qi and Sharmila Tagore -- or if the selectors had seen fit to include "City of Life and Death," from China's Lu Chuan or even one representative from the Indian subcontinent, the world's most prolific film industry. The films are even selling well. CJ Entertainment reported a trio of new sales deals on the Park Chan-wook vampire romancer "Thirst” with Lolafilms for Spain, Paris Filmes for Brazil and Avsar for Turkey -- all before last night's official screening. Another Korean seller, Fine Cut, also added a high-profile French deal for Hong Sang-soo's Quinzaine entry "Like You Know It" with CTV International for all French-speaking territories.  While Asian economies, with their manufacturing and export bent, have not completely escaped the global financial crisis, the Far East movie industry continues to show resilience in the face of the global storm. Among other things, this is being driven by the mushrooming of the Chinese film market, creeping integration of the previously separate national film industries and changing tastes around the world, as witnessed by the movement of Japanese games and anime into the global mainstream and the paradigm-shifting success of "Slumdog Millionaire."  The oft-touted globalization of Bollywood may, finally, be taking root in different corners of the world. And Indian companies are responding by behaving less like an industry apart. Where self distribution used to be the norm for Indian groups, third-party sales companies are now being employed to expand reach. This week, Indian Film Co.-Studio 18 appointed Fortissimo to sell its "Road Movie," while UTV is seeing strong business through Madrid's Six Sales for its first-ever English-language film with no Indian angle whatsoever, the Heather Graham and Jennifer Coolidge-starrer "Ex Terminators."  "There are so many new markets for us these days," UTV Motion Pictures CEO Siddharth Kapur said. "In Poland, we used to sell one film per year, now we sell five. Last year, we scored our first-ever sales to Italy and Taiwan and expect more to follow." Two Cannes ago, Chinese companies grabbed the headlines with announcements of high-profile projects and flashy funding schemes. Last year, it was the turn of India's movie majors Reliance and Eros to unveil Hollywood talent and global releasing deals. This year it is almost normal that firms from both developing superpowers are grabbing ink, though the deals are less frothy and perhaps more realistic. A succession of pictures with budgets in the $10 million- $30 million range -- "Bubblegum Crisis," "Future X-Cops," "Iris: The Movie" and "Kung-fu Cyborg" -- have this week come to market through producers in Hong Kong, China and Singapore. Each aims to tap into the mainland China market, which is delivering year-on-year box-office growth in the order of 25%, and creating the basis for a "greater China" market or an Asian regional market, which have a degree of protection from the global "financial tsunami."  Friday, it was the turn of Easternlight Films, the specialty Asian label of L.A.-based sales company Arclight, to unveil an $18 million Chinese picture, "The Long March," an historic action drama with John Hay in the director's chair and the promise of thousands of extras on loan from the People's Liberation Army.  The Asian picture is not all rosy. The Korean film industry is in a painful slowdown after a bout of inflation and the withdrawal of private equity money; the first half of the year is a wipeout for the Indian box-office as a result of a standoff between producers and multiplex owners; and Japan's indie distribution sector is wracked by a quartet of company closures.  But seasoned observers in each country say that companies are using the cover of the global recession to enforce necessary deflationary measures and restore a sense of order to Asia's still heated markets. "Companies need to be properly sized and positioned," said Tom Yoda, who heads both distributor Gaga Communications and the Tokyo festival. "But the strength of our Japanese content is still good." (Hollywood Reporter)

Emilio Ferrari's Entertainment 7 -- which is producing the $30 million feature "Waco," to be directed Rupert Wainwright, and the $10 million feature "Sleepless Beauty" with Berry Hills Films -- has completed a round of sales for "Baby on Board," produced by its production arm, A Plus Prods. The John Corbett/Heather Graham comedy has sold to Entertainment 1 in North America, Telepool in Germany, Free Dolphin in Frace, WEG in India and IDG in China, among other territories. (Hollywood Reporter)


TV . . .

"American Idol" finalists Kris Allen and Adam Lambert will be opening up for a few music legends. Lionel Richie, Carlos Santana, Cyndi Lauper, Queen Latifah, Black Eyed Peas and Keith Urban are among the artists scheduled to perform on Wednesday's finale before either Allen or Lambert is crowned the eight season champion. Previous Idol winners David Cook and Carrie Underwood will also croon on the two-night finale. Underwood will perform on Tuesday's episode, which will feature Lambert, a 27-year-old theater actor from San Diego, and Allen, a 23-year-old college student from Conway, Ark., duking it out for a record contract and the title of American Idol. (Daily Record)

Heidi and Spencer better watch their backs. TV host Janice Dickinson says she can't wait to pounce on fame-hungry newlyweds Heidi Montage and Spencer Pratt in the Costa Rican jungle, where they're all about to film the reality show I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here! In an interview with fellow cast member Stephen Baldwin, Dickinson schemed: "Stephen, we're gonna get 'em. This one's gonna be fun." Dickinson, who's known for her brash, in-your-face personality, said she feels like a cat — and the ball of yarn is Pratt, the resident villain on MTV's The Hills. Meanwhile, Baldwin — an actor, reality-show regular and born-again Christian — feels Pratt might beat him up. The series premieres June 1 on NBC. (Daily Record)

A documentary that shows Farrah Fawcett's battle against cancer in wrenching detail drew an estimated 8.9 million viewers, NBC said. Farrah's Story details the former Charlie's Angels star's treatment and hopes for recovery, following her through chemotherapy and other grueling treatment. Fawcett, 62, was diagnosed in 2006 with anal cancer that has spread to her liver. The film was NBC's most-watched program in its Friday night time slot in more than a year, excluding the Olympics, according to preliminary ratings released Saturday. It was edged out by CBS' airing of the season finale of the crime drama Numb3rs, which drew an estimated 9.6 million viewers. Fawcett's video diary was initially intended for private viewing by family and friends, but was shared with a wider audience after the actress realized her story could inspire others, said her close friend Alana Stewart, a producer on the film. The actress maintains good humor during the film as she faces pain, setbacks and, as the treatments grow harsher, the loss of her trademark lush blond locks. "I do not want to die of this disease. So I say to God, 'It is seriously time for a miracle,'" Fawcett says. Her longtime companion, actor Ryan O'Neal, said in an interview last week that the actress is in a "very rocky place." O'Neal is shown in the documentary as a steady presence as the actress goes through highs and lows, although the two ended their long romantic relationship in the late 1990s. (Daily Record)

You wouldn't know it from watching The Simpsons. But Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie Simpson — or rather, the writers and executives behind the sitcom — are about to face the most important challenge they've seen since the show premiered nearly 20 years ago. They're in a race to turn one of entertainment's most powerful money machines, and 20th Century Fox's (NWS) top revenue-generating property, into a timeless classic. If they succeed, they could surpass pop icons including Mickey Mouse, Snoopy and Bugs Bunny in their ability to mine gold from global sales of T-shirts and licensed merchandise, as well as video games, DVDs, books, fast-food promotions and theme park rides.  But they have to move quickly. Like most programs on broadcast TV, ratings for the Sunday night show on Fox have been sliding. About 6.7 million people tuned in to The Simpsons each week this season, about half as many as the show drew a decade ago, according to Nielsen. "If the ratings go down, then licensing will decline," says Michael Stone, CEO of The Beanstalk Group, a licensing consulting firm. There's a lot at stake. Consumers worldwide spent more than $750 million on Simpsons-related licensed merchandise last year, about half of that coming from the U.S., Fox says. In addition, advertisers spent $314.8 million last year on the prime-time show on Fox and reruns that local stations air, according to research firm TNS Media Intelligence. That's down 16.8% vs. 2007. The creative forces behind the show feel the pressure. "We had a great template in the beginning with really strong characters," says creator Matt Groening. "Now the struggle is to keep amusing and surprising the audience with stories and characters that they've seen for a couple of decades. It's hard." They have to keep the laughs coming. Fox recently renewed The Simpsons for two years, ensuring that it will pass Gunsmoke as television's longest running prime-time series. If the show can stay fresh, Fox executives say that their three-pronged strategy can keep the franchise growing. They're developing products that reflect the gimlet-eyed comic sensibilities of the show's writers. They're carefully targeting different merchandise to different kinds of fans. And they're looking for creative ways to keep The Simpsons in the public eye. "The course we are on now ensures its future as an evergreen," says Elie Dekel, 20th Century Fox's executive vice president for licensing and merchandising. "It's what we call a living classic. We're still expanding." (Daily Record)

So, Izzie and George: Dead or alive? The answer offered Thursday night by ABC's Grey's Anatomy certainly seemed to be "dead," as what had been a casually paced two-hour finale suddenly shifted into shocking twin catastrophes, jolting us out of our pace-induced sense of security. But remember, this is Grey's, where people have often gone into the light only to saunter back out again.  As always with Grey's, we won't know for sure what's happened to Izzie and George until the show — as in showrunner Shonda Rhimes— wants us to. Some will no doubt read finality into that final scene. But from here it played like a cliffhanger, and a great one, at that. We knew of course that Izzie's life was up for grabs, as Katherine Heigl's character has spent much of the season battling cancer. Still, the two-part episode did an excellent job of keeping us guessing as to her fate, making us think first that she would die; then that she would survive but with no short-term memory; and then that she would recover fully.  Then came that last-second spinaround, with Izzie flat lining as her newlywed husband Alex watched in horror. While the doctors struggled to save her, we saw her back in her Season 2 prom dress seemingly meeting on the other side with an also departed George. Still, if Izzie was a surprise, George's brilliantly disguised predicament was the real stunner. At the end of the first hour, T.R. Knight's doctor joined the Army — and then disappeared, as the staff shifted its attention to an unrecognizable man who had heroically thrown himself in front of a bus to save a woman. Just as you were most likely getting annoyed that the show had once again allowed George to vanish (something he did far too regularly this season), Meredith discovered he'd been there all along. He was the hero, and when last we saw him, he appeared to be dying on the operating table. Give credit to the show for pulling off a double feint and leaving us in doubt, something that's hard to do with series regulars. On the other hand, uncertainty is easier to pull off when an actor's commitment to a show, or the show's commitment to an actor, becomes a topic of public discussion. As important as those two life-in-the-balance plot points were, they weren't the only character shifts. Bailey gave up her pediatric fellowship and her husband, pretty much in that order. Cristina decided to take a chance on Owen. And while Derek and Meredith didn't actually get married, they did pledge their love by Post-It, one of those pitch-perfect comic/romantic Grey's scenes that sounds impossible in print but works on screen. Despite the rush provided by those final scenes and the buzz they're certain to provoke, the finale as a whole was not Grey's at its absolute best; for most of the way, it lacked the emotional punch of last week's Izzie/Alex wedding. Even so, it was filled with the kind of lovely, humorous grace notes Grey's does so well: George leading Izzie to the decision she's already made; Cristina forcing herself to tell Owen she loves him; Alex screaming at Izzie, then hoping she'll forget it; and pretty much anything Bailey did. Yet for the show's future health, the best part was seeing Meredith finally happy, looking forward to the future and convinced she should share it with Derek. The will they/won't they dynamic is out of steam; it's time to commit to "they will." Which means next season, we may even get the wedding we missed out on last night. As for whether George and Izzie will attend, we won't know that until the guest list is released. (Daily Record)

Univision Communications reported a narrowed first-quarter loss Friday as the recession dragged down revenue 12%, but the Spanish-language media powerhouse had lower interest expense and a much smaller impairment loss. The quarterly loss of $55.2 million compared with a loss of $166.2 million in the year-ago period. As part of it, Univision recorded a $2.1 million impairment loss for its TV unit, compared to $115.1 million for its TV and radio assets in the year-ago period. Adjusted operating income before depreciation and amortization increased 3.5% to $153.8 million. Revenue declined 12% to $410.3 million. "We continued to aggressively manage through the recessionary market conditions in the first quarter by diligently reducing costs across our business and maximizing efficiencies, while still investing in strategic opportunities that will be key to Univision's long-term success," Univision CEO Joe Uva said. "Given the current environment, we were pleased with our results and that we continued to outperform our English-language peers." He also lauded recent multi-year retransmission agreements with distributors, "which has created an entirely new built-in revenue stream for the company." Discussing the upfront ad market, Uva said he is pleased with feedback from Partnership Forums the company held over the last several weeks. "Our message that the U.S. Hispanic community can be a growth market for advertisers in the current environment is resonating among both new and existing clients, and the fact that the Univision Network continued to see strong audience growth in the first quarter only further underscores our unique positioning." (Hollywood Reporter)