Dominator's Old News and Views

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June 30th : 300th DVD Review online: Rev it up for Drive: Director's Cut on DVD... First released in cinemas in 1996, now available in Director's Cut form with 16 extra minutes of footage, Steve Wang's cool action flick starring Mark Dacascos, Kadeem Hardison and Brittany Murphy, Drive, is online and out on DVD now.

MGM DVD releases for August... Following on from Wednesday's mention for the July 10th release for Stigmata, here are some details for more June and July DVD releases and their extras : August 15th : Desperately Seeking Susan : theatrical trailer, alternate ending F/X : trailer F/X 2: Murder By Illusion: trailer August 28th : Thunderball : Another feature-packed disc containing an audio commentary featuring director Terence Young, "The Making of Thunderball" documentary, "The Thunderball Phenomenon" documentary, Behind the Scenes stills gallery featuring over 150 images, "Inside Thunderball" featurette, original theatrical trailer, TV and radio spots. Stargate Volume 7 : The final two episodes from Season 2 (1969, Out of Mind) and two of the best from Season 1 (Hathor, Thor's Hammer) Bring out yer dead on DVD... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info : Warner Brothers have announced the release of Buena Vista's Bringing Out the Dead for release July 10th. The disk will feature a 11-minute location featurette and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound. There are no details of the picture format but I suspect 2.35:1 anamorphic. Bringing Out the Dead features an outstanding performance from Nicolas Cage and a superb supporting cast includes Patricia Arquette, Ving Rhames and Tom Sizemore. The disk will feature the following subtitles: English SDH, Italian, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic Tomorrow is C-Day in the UK... What is C-Day? Well, Saturday July 1st marks the cut off point for which TV stations in the UK can no longer accept commercials in a format other than anamorphic 16:9 widescreen. This basically means that like normal TV shows filmed this way, the adverts will also be shown in widescreen on digital TV, but will be cropped to 14:9 for analogue TV - you may have spotted that a lot of ads are already appearing as 14:9 slightly-letterboxed versions as a result. Channel 4 and ITV should be showing them properly, but with Sky and Channel 5 still waiting in the wings to test themselves with widescreen material for their mainstream TV output, we'll have to wait and see what they come up with. For more info, check out www.cday.co.uk

June 29th : Fear never travels alone in Kalifornia on DVD... A demonic turn from Brad Pitt leads the cast as he and ex-girlfriend Juliette Lewis star as the weird couple on a road trip with David Duchovny and his girlfriend Michelle Forbes. Kalifornia is online and out on DVD now.

DVD is Better Than Chocolate, but how is this film...? DVDfever reviewer Vanessa Forsythe returns with a review of the Region 1 romantic comedy Better Than Chocolate starring Karen Dwyer and Christina Cox. Better Than Chocolate is online and out on Region 1 DVD now.

Beware. There's a new DVD in town. Its name is Robocop... DVDfever reviewer Tom Anderson follows up his Brazil debut review with Paul Verhoeven's violent masterpiece Robocop, which is online and out on Region 1 DVD now.

Ben Affleck: The new Jack Ryan...? Armageddon star Ben Affleck is top of the heap to play CIA agent Jack Ryan in the next Tom Clancy novel-turned-film Sum of All Fears. Harrison Ford backed out after failing to agree on the script. Bye Bye TFI Friday... No, not the popular fast-food restaurant with The Ritz prices, but the dull and boring Channel 4 show presented by Chris Evans that's well past its sell-by date after 5 years. Its ratings recently slipped as low as 1.3 million. Actor John Cusack, recently on the show to promote his new film High Fidelity, said of the 'over-familiar' host, "I hate to use the word asshole, but he carried on like we were old buddies. The guy obviously has issues." To be honest, I enjoyed it when it began and Chris Evans can do TV that's worth watching, but his best ideas should all be canned after two series if he's to maintain originality. I enjoy earlier series of TFI Friday and the first two series of The Priory, which ended this week, but they should call it a day and think of something new. However, that won't stop Zoe Ball and Jamie Theakston returning for a third series from September.

June 28th : One for Granny: Black Sabbath live on DVD... Tell the old dear that you've just partaken of The Last Supper and she'll thank you for taking an interest in religion, but not when you press play and she gets blown away by... Black Sabbath: The Last Supper, which is online and out on DVD now.

Weird and wonderful: Being John Malkovich on DVD... New DVDfever reviewer Vanessa Forsythe joins with a review of the Region 1 release Being John Malkovich directed by Spike Jonze. Being John Malkovich is online and out on Region 1 DVD now.

Updated cinema listings... Stuck for something to do this weekend? Live in the Manchester area? The list of the films showing at Manchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page. This week's new films are : Chicken Run, Three To Tango and The Best Man. RCA dumps Gary Barlow... After a string of flops, especially for his last solo album, "Twelve Days, Eleven Nights", or something like that, the man who was the lead singer for the UK's answer to New Kids on the Block and the best-selling British band since the Beatles, Take That, has been dumped by his record company. On February 13th 1996, that band split up and Gary's had two No.1 hits, Forever Love and Love Won't Wait, but after it's all gone sour the inevitable has happened for the man once described as "The Elton John of the Nintendo generation". Some of his music hasn't been that bad, and a lot less irritating than Robbie Williams, but I'd lay the blame on Gary Barlow's endless cancelling of concerts, thus pissing off all his fanbase. Another Level call it a day... After being reduced to two members, since Wayne and Bobak (wasn't he in the Star Wars series?) quit last year, the remaining two have put a stop to their pretend pop outfit and singer Dane Bowers has been working with Posh Spice for her debut solo single. Perfect Blue set to have a perfect picture... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info : "I've checked with Palm Pictures and yes, the release version of Perfect Blue on July 10th should be anamorphic." (the Region 1 DVD isn't). "Whilst talking with Palm Pictures I checked with them about their plans for the coming months. They certainly have number of new "Animation" titles on the way including Patlabor 1 & 2 and Ninja Scroll in November. It's also possible that Akira may make an appearance in October along with the extremely weird The Kingdom."

June 27th : It's genetically-modified madness with The Island of Dr. Moreau on DVD... In the week when scientists have discovered how DNA breaks down, giving us a possibility to live forever one day, Marlon Brando just wants to turn animals into humans and humans into gods. Also starring Val Kilmer, Fairuza Balk and David Thewlis, The Island of Dr. Moreau is online and out on DVD now.

June 26th : Get some Friends on DVD... Six Friends and Six series made to date. Here I take an in-depth look at the first disc from series four, spanning the first eight episodes, complete with pictures and soundbites from each episode. Friends Series 4 Disc 1 is online and out on DVD now.

A-Ha: Minor Earth, Major Influence... Regular DVDfever reviewer Jason Maloney returns with a retrospective on the career of Norwegian band A-Ha, a band that, for me, made some of the best music to be heard in the late 80s. A-Ha: Minor Earth, Major Influence is online now.

Brazil: The impossibility of escape from reality on DVD... New DVDfever reviewer Tom Anderson joins with a review of the Region 1 feature-packed fantasy epic directed by Terry Gilliam. Brazil is online and out on DVD now.

COMPETITION TIME: Win Farscape 3 on DVD...! Courtesy of LDA Communications, DVDfever have two copies for Farscape Vol.3 to give away on DVD. Just pay a visit to the COMPETITION PAGE and try your luck.

Who's 'spinning around' at No.1...? To find out the answer - and to see last week's chart - visit my music chart analysis page COMPETITION WINNERS: Men Behaving Badly DVDs... Thanks to all those who entered. The competition winners are as follows : Men Behaving Badly Series 2: Garry J Fraser, Karl Tracey Harry Enfield was the flatmate in the first series. Men Behaving Badly Series 3: Thomas McGowan, Jari Ketola There are four quizzes on each DVD. The names and addresses of the winners will be passed to the respective PR companies for dispatching of prizes. If you didn't win this time, then please keep trying with the other competitions online by clicking on the competition link on the left-hand menu. New DVDs out this week Blue Streak (19.99, Columbia TriStar) The Champions: Episodes 1 & 2 (9.99, Carlton) Charlie Chaplin Vol.4 (18.99, Stonevision) Charlie Chaplin Vol.5 (18.99, Stonevision) Charlie Chaplin Vol.6 (18.99, Stonevision) Danger Man: Episodes 1-4 (9.99, Carlton) Department S: Episodes 1 & 2 (9.99, Carlton) From Russia With Love SE (19.99, MGM) Jason King: Episodes 1 & 2 (9.99, Carlton) K.D. Lang: Harvest of Seven Years (19.99, Warner Music Vision) Lesbian Sex Fever (15.99, Fantasy Blue) Man in a Suitcase: Episodes 1 & 2 (9.99, Carlton) Muppets From Space (19.99, Columbia TriStar) Mystery Men (19.99, Columbia TriStar) Nympho Nurses (15.99, Fantasy Blue) The Persuaders: Episodes 1 & 2 (9.99, Carlton) Return of The Saint: Episodes 1 & 2 (9.99, Carlton) The Saint: Episodes 1 & 2 (9.99, Carlton) The Seventh Sign (19.99, Columbia TriStar) Stargate Series 2: Vol.5 (19.99, MGM) Stargate Series 2: Vol.6 (19.99, MGM) Zombie Holocaust (19.99, Stonevision)

June 25th : 976 Evil 2 on DVD. It's back. Just accept it... And here we have the sequel, again with Spike to the rescue but the scream queen here is one-time Miss USA Debbie James. 976 Evil 2 is online and out on DVD now.

June 24th : Dial your way to hell in 976 Evil on DVD... The first of two films which delve into the horrors of calling premium-rate phone numbers, try not to piss Satan off in 976 Evil, which is online and out on DVD now.

Men In Black: the absolute dogs bollocks... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info : Men in Black has a world wide release on the 4th of September and will come in two versions. "Men in Black Collectors edition" will be a single DVD 9 disk and will be priced at £19.99. "Men in Black Special Limited Edition" will be priced at £24.99 and will come on two disks, one DVD 18 and one DVD 9. The standard collectors edition comes in a black amaray case and features an 8 page booklet. The disk has the following features : Digitally mastered Audio and Anamorphic video supervised by Director Barry Sonnenfeld Widescreen Presentation Visual commentary with on-screen diagrams featuring Barry Sonnenfeld and Tommy Lee Jones Creature animation studies - multi-angle (12 mins) Tunnel scene deconstruction - multi-angle (8 mins) 5 extended and alternate scenes Conceptual art, storyboard, and production photo galleries Storyboard comparisons 6 min original featurette 'The Metamorphosis of Men In Black' - 24 min all new documentary MIB music video with Will Smith & Mikey 4 theatrical trailers, including a sneak preview of Men In Black II 11 talent files The Special limited edition comes in a shiny black Amaray case with silver foiled packaging and a 12 page booklet. The first DVD18 disk contains both the widescreen and the fullscreen presentation along with a Visual Commentary with onscreen diagrams featuring Barry Sonnenfeld and Tommy Lee Jones, a Technical Audio Commentary with Barry Sonnenfeld, Rick Baker & ILM Team and 3 language tracks. Disk 2 has all the features from the Collectors edition plus: Scene Editing Workshop - allows viewers to be the director and construct and manipulate selected scenes from the film Additional Edgar Bug fight deconstruction scene Creatures: Concept to Completion DVD Rom Web Links Additional gallery photos - over 1,000 images of conceptual art and production photos Blade Runner and Casablanca Special Editions... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info : Metrodome have sealed an exclusive contract to release DVD special edition Warner box sets of cult classics. Each box set contains all a film fan could ever need or want on a film. It is a collectors must have. The first two titles that will be released are the awesome director's cut of Blade Runner and the triple academy award winning Casablanca. Both titles are scheduled for release on September 11th and priced £49.99. Titles planned for release later in the year include; 2001, Enter The Dragon, Bullit, Searchers and The Exorcist. The box sets of Blade Runner and Casablance give an idea of the quality of features these special edition box sets will include. BLADE RUNNER DVD Special edition collector set includes: DVD - Directors Cut - The Original cut of the Futuristic Adventure Lobby Cards - 3 Original limited edition lobby card prints Senitype - Exclusive limited edition image made from movie and 35mm film frame Theatrical Poster - Original shooting draft script by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples DVD contains: Interactive Menu Production Notes Cast biographies and film highlights Scene access Aspect Ratio - single layer widescreen 2.35:1 Screen Format - anomorphic - Dolby digital CASABLANCA DVD Special edition collector set includes: Special Edition DVD CD featuring original music from the motion picture 8 Original limited edition Lobby Card prints "Exclusive limited edition Senitype" Image from movie with 35mm film frame. Original one sheet movie poster (27'x40') B&W, 145 minutes pan/scan DVD contains: Digital restored image and cleaned soundtrack Theatrical Trailers Aspect Ratio: (Full Screen) - 1.33:1 "You Must Remeber This", A 36-minute documentary newly updated with recently discovered, unseen out-takes and screen tests Special introduction by screen/stage legend Lauren Bacall, wife of Humphry Bogart Space Precinct on DVD soon... Finally, a mention for some future releases from Digital entertainment. July 10th: Gerry Anderson's Space Precinct. Just two episodes to a DVD with Vol.1 containing a making-of and other extras to feature on future discs. Vol.1 and Vol.2 will also be released as a double-pack. The episodes in the first two volumes are: "Double Duty", "Protect and Survive", "Enforcer" and "Flash". August 7th: First Do No Harm. a Meryl Streep weepie from Odyssey, which is stated to be their DVD debut although they've released a few other films already such as Maurice. Anyway, Channel 5-aholics will still snap it up.

June 23rd : George Clooney leads the Three Kings into battle on DVD... This is the first Region 1 DVD review I've placed online but it's well worth checking out (the DVD, as well as the review :) George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube and Spike Jonze star in the Gulf War actioner Three Kings, which is online and out on Region 1 DVD now.

Updated cinema listings... Stuck for something to do this weekend? Live in the Manchester area? The list of the films showing at Manchester Showcase Cinema can be found on this page. This week's new films are : Chill Factor, Next Best Thing, Big Momma's House and Deception. Columbia's August DVD line-up... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info on Columbia's planned DVDs for August : 7th August The Bone Collector. Commentary by Director, Featurette, A Collection of Stories, Original Trailer, Isolated Soundtrack, filmographies, trailers for Devil in a blue Dress and Girl Interrupted. Released day and date with VHS rental Beethoven Robin Hood, Men in Tights, Featurette, trailer and filmographies 14th August Someone to watch over me, trailer, filmographies and biographies No Mercy Trailers, Filmogrpahies Children of the new Forest My Stepmother is an Alien Filmogrpahies 21th August Baby Geniuses, Special effect feaurette, behind the scenes featurette, trailer, filmographies. Day and Date with VHS Rental. Red Rock West, directors commentary, original UK trailer, filmographies End of the affair Full length commentary by Julianne Moore and Neil Jordan, making of featurette, original trailer, isolated soundtrack and filmographies. The Shadow Double Impact As ever all disks are priced at £19.99.The following disks have been preannounced for September. Remember these dates could change. 25th September, Girl Interrupted. Commentary, deleted scenes, featurette, trailer, filmogrpahies and isolated music score 18th September, Being John Malkovich Special features include American Arts & Culture Presents: John Horatio Malkovich, Dance Despair & Disillusionment, An Intimate Portrait of the Art of Puppeteering, An Intimate Portrait of the Art of Background Driving, Spike Jonze Interview, 71/2 Floor Orientation, Spike's Photo Album, 4 x TV Spots, Trailer & Filmographies 4th SEPT DAWSONS CREEK 4th SEPT MONTY PYTHON 11th SEPT MAD DOG & GLORY 11th SEPT LEGAL EAGLES 11th SEPT GORGEOUS 11th SEPT SEE NO EVIL HEAR NO EVIL 11th SEPT BASKETBALL DIARIES 11th SEPT SCARFACE 25th SEPT SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE COLLECTOR'S EDITION 25th SEPT DICK 25th SEPT THUNDERHEART

June 22nd : Dave and Annie return with Eurythmics: Peacetour on DVD... After a long, successful career, both in tandem and solo, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart returned to the studio having not recorded together for nearly ten years and produced the album Peace. On December 6th, 1999, they performed a concert at London Docklands Arena in aid of Amnesty International and Greenpeace. Eurythmics: Peacetour is online and out on DVD now.

The return of Morph...? After the success of Aardman Animations new film Chicken Run in the USA with its UK date still forthcoming, Nick Park has been in talks with the BBC about a possible "re-morphing" as the plasticine character who used to appear on Take Hart will get his own show once again. Getting Naked: Step 3... Following last year's bare-alls by Steps members H (for Attitude) and Lee (for Cosmopolitan), Lisa Scott Lee is planning to drop the dresses for the camera sometime this year too. Getting Excited: Terminator 3... Not much info on this for now, but Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that he would very much like to make Terminator 3, but the plans are in the early stages for now. VCI's DVD plans for September... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info on VCI's planned DVDs for September : Holy Smoke Directed by Jane Campion and staring Harvey Keitel Ghost Dog Directed by Jim Jarmush and staring Forest Whittaker The Filth & The Fury, the true story of the Sex Pistols Down to You, the follow up to She's All That Expect all these releases to be packed with extras, but VCI are still looking into exactly what they can put on each disk. Freeloader.com to launch "Purefootball Fantasy Manager"... Enterprising online video games developer and publisher Freeloader.com, the world's first free premium computer games download website, today announced the August 2000 launch of their first dedicated online football games portal and its first game, the fantasy football management game - Purefootball Fantasy Manager. Purefootball Fantasy Manager is being hailed as the best online fantasy football game ever launched from the United Kingdom. What's more, it is completely free to play. Competitors can even win cash prizes including up to œ1,000 every month as "Manager of the Month" and œ250 every week as "Manager of the Week". Freeloader.com claim that Purefootball Fantasy Manager is very easy to play and manage, particularly if players are already familiar with fantasy football games that are regularly featured in national newspapers. Freeloader.com have put together their own online football management production team who are constantly monitoring the status of participating players and updating the game with the latest exciting action and footie results and news. In addition to competing in the main competition, Freeloader.com invites online competitors to play against their mates in their very own handpicked private league. If you want to start competing in a fluctuating transfer market, where real life events and the popularity of players affect their value, Purefootball Fantasy Manager is the online football management game to match all your footie requirements. Start getting your free kicks now at www.freeloader.com/purefootball Sega Dreamcast online TV adverts... News just in from Sega's PR dept : From 9th June, ChuChu Rocket!, Sega Europe's first on-line game has been available free to all Dreamcast gamers. To highlight the arrival of online gaming* to Europe's fastest selling games console, Dreamcast is launching a brand new œ5 million Pan-European advertising campaign. This encompasses television, print, poster and ambient media including light projections on Parliament. With a light-hearted look at European rivalry, there are two TV scenarios: the French challenging the "roastbeefs" and the Germans boasting about their strong economy. Not known to resist a challenge, characters from France, Germany UK and Spain take up the challenges from their European neighbours and unite online. Due to air when Euro 2000 will be at an all time high, Dreamcast is making the most of the huge audience figures expected for the televised matches and has bought prime positions within the half time advertising breaks of the England games plus France v Holland. Created by advertising agency Bartle Bogle Hegarty, the 30 second commercials will be shown during the half time commercial breaks of the live matches and during the televised highlights. The campaign breaks 10th June. National press advertising follows the same theme, showing the French, Germans, Spanish and English challenging each other to play online. Sega UK Marketing Director Alison Turner says: "Online gaming is now here, and we intend to tell people about it. The creative route plays on the different nations heritages in a fun way that will make European Dreamcasters challenge each other online." In addition to the online game ChuChu Rocket! (launching 9 June) , the advertising co-incides with the launch of Sega originated titles Zombie Revenge (9 June), Ecco The Dolphin (16 June) and NHL2K (7 July). The television commercials will be on-air for three weeks.

June 21st : SWWS 2000: It's a GOOOOAAL for Sega on Dreamcast... Lots of options, great graphics and chit-chat from three top commentators, I hate football when it's on TV, but I love playing this game. Sega Worldwide Soccer 2000: Euro Edition is online and out on Sega Dreamcast now.

Entering a new dimension on DVD with Farscape... Thanks to Amanda Schwarz at LDA Communications for the following press release : Combining the creative team behind Alien Nation and The Twilight Zone with the effects, puppets, humour and action of Jim Henson's Creature Shop, 'Farscape' is the hit TV sci-fi that boldly goes where Star Trek only feared to tread! Entering a new dimension in home entertainment, the first episodes are now available on DVD from Contender on the Kult TV label. The next volume will be available on July 10 with further volumes of the series being released throughout the year. Farscape is the experimental spacecraft in which astronaut John Crichton begins a test mission before being sucked into a worm hole and swept across time and space into a parallel universe. Catapulted into a raging space battle, Crichton ends up upon Moya, an evolving, living spaceship where he soon encounters new and bizarre enemies and allies including alien fugitives, a captive galactic police officer, a blue but stunningly beautiful priestess and the overthrown Rygel, a hovering 26 inch hairy Henson masterpiece who was once ruler of six billion subjects. For Crichton, however, the adventures have only just begun. All volumes have a 12 certificate and are priced at just £24.99 for the double box set. The remainder of the first series will be released as follows: 10 July 2000: 'Double DVD Box Set 3' Episodes: They've Got A Secret/Till The Blood Runs Clear/The Flax/Rhapsody In Blue/ Jeremiah Crichton Extras: Also contains a behind the scenes cast interview on D'Argo 8 September 2000: 'Double DVD Box Set 4' Episodes: Durka Returns/A Human Reaction/Through The Looking Glass/A Bug's Life Extras: Also contains a behind the scenes cast interview on Rygel, Moya & the pilot 30 October 2000: 'Double DVD Box Set 5' Episodes: Nerve/The Hidden Memory/Bone To Be Wild/Family Ties Extras: Also contains a behind the scenes cast interview on the costumes and the Australian Creature Shop Lookout for a competition online next week. Dolby Announces Pro Logic II Decoding... Thanks to Catherine Unwin at Dolby Laboratories for the following press release : Dolby Laboratories announced yesterday the introduction of Pro Logic II, the next generation of Dolby Surround Pro Logic decoding technology. Pro Logic II brings exciting new features and advanced performance for decoding the many thousands of existing Dolby Surround programmes, making them sound more like a discrete Dolby Digital 5.1-channel version than ever before. The world is rapidly adopting digital delivery formats like DVD, and digital television (DTV), satellite and cable, all of which offer Dolby Digital 5.1 audio capability. The music industry is on the verge of transitioning from stereo to 5.1-channel sound with the new DVD-Audio format. Consumers enthusiastically demand 5.1-channel sound in new programmes of all kinds. But vast numbers of programmes already exist in stereo and Dolby Surround, and many more will continue to arrive in years to come. Pro Logic II lets consumers enjoy these programmes with a convincing "5.1-like" presentation. Pro Logic II is able to decode the thousands of existing Dolby Surround movies and TV shows already on the shelf, compatibly, and with enhanced image stability. The improvements in decoding techniques mean that the discreteness of the sound field elements are better-preserved in the decoding process than was possible with the now universally standard Pro Logic technology, developed in the mid 80s. "The technology in Pro Logic II is the first fundamentally new approach in matrix decoder design since the basic design which is still at the core of every other active matrix surround decoder," said Roger Dressler, Director of Technology Strategy for Dolby Laboratories. "Pro Logic II was designed from the outset to convert conventional stereo music recordings, which will be with us for some time to come, to a natural, believable surround experience. The result is a decoder that can handle a wide range of movie and music programme material with equal skill. Dolby is proud to be handling the licensing and technical support of this exciting new technology." This new system was invented by Jim Fosgate, one of the most prolific developers of surround decoding technologies since the quadraphonic era of the late 1960s. Mr. Fosgate said, "I have spent the past 25 years figuring out how to expose the hidden information in standard two-channel stereo recordings, both new and old. This breakthrough in matrix decoding technology allows users to enjoy all their existing two-channel programmes, whether Dolby Surround encoded or not, with an enhanced level of spatiality and directionality." Pro Logic II also incorporates special features for controlling the overall spatial dimensionality and frontal soundfield imaging that are particularly suited for autosound applications. A standard four-channel Pro Logic decoding mode is also included in the technology package. Dolby Surround Pro Logic II decoding can be implemented economically in either analogue or digital circuitry, making it ideal for use in all traditional home cinema products and in a range of new "music surround" products. About Dolby Laboratories: Dolby Laboratories is the developer of signal processing systems used worldwide in applications that include motion picture sound, consumer entertainment products and media, broadcasting, and music recording. Based in San Francisco with European headquarters in England, the privately held company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo.

June 20th : Vertigo - will it reach your 'high' standards on DVD...? Packed with extras, this 1958 James Stewart film was considered another Hitchcock masterpiece, but did I share the same opinion? Vertigo is online and out on DVD now.

Don Henley releases his "Inside Job" on CD... He used to make songs for The Boys of Summer, then checked out the girls down at the Sunset Grill, before finding that everything can change in a New York Minute. Now with his first studio album in eleven years, Don Henley unleashes his Inside Job on CD and Jason Maloney lends an ear. Don Henley: Inside Job is online now and out on CD.

Chill out with Transambient... Thanks to the DVD Debate for the following info : "DVD UK have let us know of the impending release of the celebrated Channel 4 music special, Transambient. Originally screened in 1998, the Transambient project is a hypnotic blend of music and images - ideal 'chill-out' room material. The audio-visual DVD album contains eight 12 minute AV tracks from the project with tunes by the likes of 808 State, Geraint Hughes, Fructose and DJ Mark Summers (Souvlaki). The producers of the series see DVD as an ideal format for this sort of innovative material. "We decided to produce something like a new millennium Koyaanisqatsi on acid for the dance generation; fusing film-making, club visuals and specially written tunes in equal part ," They explain. "For us DVD is perfect, because it allows this new kind of use." Pop-teen Billie Piper collapses... Billie Piper was been taken to hospital after collapsing in a London bar on Friday night. She was partying with friends in London's Covent Garden district and passed out. She was said to be suffering from a kidney infection is now back home. Nate Dogg has been a naughty boy... The LAPD SWAT Team arrested rapper and man-with-a-stupid-name Nate Dogg on charges of suspected kidnapping, making terrorist threats, Domestic violence and Arson, all linked to his ex-girlfriend. He's been released on $1m bail. A double-hitter for Samuel L Jackson... ...because not only did his Shaft remake coin in $21m in its opening weekend, but the man has also been given a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. BBC vs. ITV - who won...? The BBC did, because they had an audience for the England vs. Germany game of 11.8m viewers, whilst ITV only managed 6.1m even with Des Lynam. Needless to say, I did not watch either channel.

June 19th : Daikatana - The Review You Must Read... Four years in the making, Eidos have finally released John Romero's creation, but was it worth the wait? Daikatana is online and out on PC now.

Geri Halliwell: The truth revealed... Regular DVDfever reviewer Jason Maloney returns with another book review following last week's Suzanne Vega: A Career of Progress & An Eye For Detail. This week it's the turn of the ex-Spice Girl. Geri Halliwell: If Only... is online now and out in paperback and hardback.

COMPETITION TIME: Win Men Behaving Badly on DVD...! There's one week left to go for this competition. Courtesy of LDA Communications, DVDfever have two copies each for series 2 and 3 of Men Behaving Badly to give away on DVD. Just pay a visit to the COMPETITION PAGE and try your luck.

Is that really Barry White at No.1...? To find out the answer - and to see last week's chart - visit my music chart analysis page COMPETITION WINNERS: Three Warner/Buena Vista DVDs... Thanks to all those who entered. The competition winners are as follows : End of Days: Gary Ambrose, Dave Darrall, Tim Dawe Robert Patrick also appeared in Last Action Hero. Mickey Blue Eyes: Dave Foster, Michael Burnham, Stuart Dunlop, Alex Slater, Barbara Coughlan Hugh and Liz's film company is Simian Films. Inspector Gadget: Sarah Walker, John Radford, Dex Kennedy, Thomas McGowan, Jon Burton Gadget's catchprase is "Go, gadget, go!" The names and addresses of the winners will be passed to the respective PR companies for dispatching of prizes. If you didn't win this time, then please keep trying with the other competitions online by clicking on the competition link on the left-hand menu. New DVDs and widescreen videos out this week New DVDs out this week : American Dragon (9.99, MIA) Apex (9.99, MIA) Ben Dover: In Leather (19.99, MIA) The Blacksheep Affair (19.99 sub, Medusa) Blown Away (9.99, Film 2000) Blues Collection: Live at Wilebski's (19.99, Quantum) Chained Heat (9.99, MIA) Clockwork Orgy (15.99, Disc Distribution) Complicity (19.99, Entertainment in Video) The Concrete Jungle (9.99, MIA) Cyborg (19.99, MGM) Death Match (9.99, MIA) Devdas (17.99, Yash Raj) Double Platinum (19.99, Columbia) Drunken Tai Chi (19.99 sub, Eastern Heroes) Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge (17.99, Yash Raj) End of Days (19.99, Buena Vista) Fade To Black (9.99, MIA) Gang Related (19.99, VCI) Glory (19.99, Columbia TriStar) Guyver: Dark Hero (9.99, MIA) Hard Hunted (9.99, MIA) Hold Back the Night (19.99, VCI) Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (14.99, Disc Distribution) Humraaz (17.99, Yash Raj) Illusions of Sin (9.99, Disc Distribution) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (19.99, MGM) Jakob the Liar (19.99, Columbia TriStar) Junior (19.99, Columbia TriStar) Kanoon (17.99, Yash Raj) The Key To Sex (17.99, Medusa) The Larry Sanders Show (19.99, Columbia TriStar) Lord of Illusions (19.99, MGM) Madhumati (17.99, Yash Raj) Mashaal (17.99, Yash Raj) Massacre in Rome (9.99, MIA) Mera Naam Joker (17.99, Yash Raj) Mickey Blue Eyes (15.99, Warner) New Dragon Gate Inn (19.99, Medusa) Phenomena (17.99, Pinnacle) Postmortem (15.99, Film 2000) Prem Rog (17.99, Yash Raj) Profondo Rosso (17.99, Pinnacle) Pusher (15.99, Metrodome) Ring of Steel (9.99, MIA) Sangam (17.99, Yash Raj) Satan Returns (19.99 sub, MIA) Sore Losers (14.99, Disc Distribution) Things (14.99, Disc Distribution) Ulee's Gold (19.99, VCI) New widescreen videos out this week : Gloria (15, 15.99, Entertainment in Video) The Green Berets (9.99, Warner) Heartbreak Ridge (9.99, Warner) Jaws: 25th Anniversary Edition (14.99, Universal) Jaws 2 (14.99, Universal) Jaws 3 (Video and 3D Specs) (14.99, Universal) Jaws 4: The Revenge (14.99, Universal) Kelly's Heroes (9.99, Warner) Memphis Belle (9.99, Warner)

June 18th : When two tribes... - Dogs of War on PC... When two tribes go to war, it's not a point you'll be scoring in this Command and Conquer-clone with Craig Charles using his vocal talents. Dogs of War is online and out on PC now.

June 17th : This Year's Love - one of this year's best DVDs...? Starring Kathy Burke, Jennifer Ehle, Douglas Henshall and Catherine McCormack, this British comedy follows six twenty-somethings and their relationships over the course of three years. This Year's Love is online and out on DVD now.

The Nightmare is complete... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info : After Wednesday's announcement regarding the Nightmare on Elm Street 6-disc box set. Thankfully, VCI have just confirmed that they do intend to release Wes Craven's New Nightmare sometime in August, hopefully with some additional materials. Things are still at an early stage however so the exact features are down to what they can get hold of! There, so by Christmas you should be able to have the complete set of "Nightmares". More upheavals in the movie world... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info : "It looks like there are yet more major upheavals in the corporate world of the Movie Business. It looks like French based company Vivendi is taking over US giant Seagram who owns Universal Studios and what used to be PolyGram Filmed Entertainment. This will mean that for the first time (since a brief period for MGM a few years ago) a major Hollywood studio will be in European control. Exactly what this means for DVD is unclear but I'm wondering just how long the current Universal/Columbia deal has to last. The resulting Paris Based media and communications giant will be known as Vivendi Universal which will enjoy a stock market capitalisation of around $100bn. Although the Paris will own Universal it was made clear yesterday that the day to day running of the Universal Studios would be left to the executives in Hollywood. However there appears to be more to this story than meets the eye. Vivendi owns France's Studio Canal who it is rumoured are in talks with Pathe to establish a UK distribution outlet. The two companies have already joined forces and has a 12 picture three year deal with Mandalay Pictures under the guise of C+P which started with Sleepy Hollow. Interestingly the C+P venture also resulted in Pathe handling Chicken Run . Now I wonder quite where this leaves Dreamworks who handle Chicken Run in the US and have been linked with Universal for some time. Looks like things are going to get really interesting over the next few months. Much of this information comes form articles in Screen Daily and Variety." More MGM DVDs for June and July... Following on from Wednesday's mention for the July 10th release for Stigmata, here are some details for more June and July DVD releases and their extras : June 19th : Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) : trailer, director's commentary, 8-page booklet. Cyborg : trailer, 8-page booklet Lord of Illusions Director's Cut : deleted scenes, Clive Barker audio commentary, 8-page booklet July 24th : WarGames : one of my favourite films of all time and in widescreen but sadly not anamorphic. Director's commentary, new Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, trailer, trivia and production notes The Package : anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen, trailer, trivia and production notes. Geri has no co-star but a new home... Although she can't find a co-star for her forthcoming film, she has spent £1 million on a flat in the South of France in Nice's Millionaire playground of St. Tropez. Not far from her will be Elton John's pink palace, plus George Michale's villa which he calls Chez Nobby. Also look out on Monday for Jason Maloney's review of ex-Spice Girl Geri Haliwell's autobiography, "If Only..." Eminem keeps a low profile... He's out of jail and out on bail over his charge of assault with a dangerous weapon, thanks to the Up in Smoke tour, during which he took an inflatable blow-up Mrs. Eminem and proceeded to throw her about to the tune of The Real Slim Shady. So, obviously trying to keep a low profile after writing lyrics on his last two albums about wanting to kill her... Madonna's Music out sooner than we thought... Madonna has been forced to rush-release her new single Music because it was made available over the internet on Napster.com. The US release will now be July 6th, with the album to follow in August. The UK single release is still pencilled in for the Autumn. Mr. Madonna ticked off... Lock Stock director Guy Ritchie has been formerly cautioned for common assault after allegedly kicking and punching a 20-year-old fan outside Maddie's West London apartment. Chicken Run: biggest-ever UK film in the US...? Chicken Run, Aardman Animations' feature-length outing is released this weekend in the USA over 3000 screens, making it the largest-ever launch for a British film Stateside. As a result, Dreamworks have ploughed another £25 million into promotion. Matthew Perry steps down from the Emmys... Matthew Perry has asked for his name to be withdrawn from the Emmy US TV awards' top-actor category, because of an informal agreement with the other 5 "Friends", in which they will only ever seek nominations for the best-supporting actor prize (!) New films out this weekend... I haven't received a list of the latest films out this weekend at Showcase Cinemas, but the films will include supernatural thriller Frequency starring Dennis Quaid, 28 Days with Sandra Bullock as a pill-popping alcoholic. For the Love of the Game stars Kevin Costner as a baseball player for the third time and finally there's sci-fi nonsense Supernova starring James Spader and Angela Bassett.

June 16th : Robert Redford leads the pack in Sneakers on DVD... The film also stars Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix and Dan Aykroyd. We could tell you what it's about, but then, of course, we would have to kill you. Sneakers is online and out on DVD now.

Sandra and Nicole offer up some Practical Magic on DVD... Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian Owens (Nicole Kidman) are not your average young girls, for they are the latest in a long line of Owens females to be plagued by a curse that dates back hundreds of years. Whenever they find true love, their significant other will bite the dust. In a film also starring E.R.'s Dr. Kovac (Goran Visnjic), Jason Maloney reviews Practical Magic, which is online and out on DVD now. Also look out on Monday for Jason's review of ex-Spice Girl Geri Haliwell's autobiography, "If Only..."

Jaya Ganga: The biggest Indian film in Paris reaches the UK... Thanks to Vijay Singh, director of Jaya Ganga, for this press release regarding his film which is released in the UK shortly and which gets a press screening today in London at Mr. Young's, 14 D'arblay Street, W1V 3FP. After a 49-week run in Paris, Jaya Ganga, a feature film by the Paris-based writer-filmmaker Vijay Singh, is now ready for its UK release. It will open on 23 June concurrently at the ICA cinema, Film World, Feltham, and UCI Trafford Centre (Manchester). Jaya Ganga, an Indo-French co-production based on Vijay Singh's own novel (Penguin 1990), premiered at the World Film Festival, Montreal, where it was shown in the "official competition" category. Helped by the audience and media response, the film has since been shown in twenty countries. Jaya Ganga opened at a renowned arthouse cinema in Paris in 1998 and, thanks to the media response and the word of mouth, it later spread to other cinemas where it played for 12 consecutive months. Jaya Ganga was successfully released in India in 1998. The attached press excerpts might give an idea of how the film was received there. Smriti Mishra, the film's find and lead actress, is today an indisputable star in India. We have a fairly exhaustive site on the internet with more details on the film, the director and the artists (interviews, profiles etc...) The address of the site is: www.chez.com/jayaganga Film Synopsis: Nishant, a young Indian writer living in Paris, is journeying down the Ganges, from its source in the Himalayas to the sea. Haunted by the fantasy, or the memory, of a beautiful Parisian woman called Jaya, he plans to write a book around his voyage. On the banks of the turquoise Ganges, one morning, he chances upon Zehra, an irresistible poetess-dancing girl in the tradition of the great courtesans, who performs in a nearby brothel. Zehra resurrects the memory of Jaya. As love casts its spell once again on Nishant, he asks Zehra to join him on his journey, but her illusory freedom is shadowed by a formidable network of the brothel's spies. Nonetheless, Nishant manages to make Zehra flee from the brothel. and join him on his journey. Romance takes over. A new life begins for Zehra as Nishant would like her to accompany him back to Paris. Half way down the river, at the height of their romance, Nishant receives a telegram. Zehra soon realises how Nishant's fantasy of a half-real half-unreal woman could transform her life into a journey of ambiguous surprises... About the Director... Vijay Singh is an Indian writer living in Paris. After studying History at St Stephen's College, Delhi, and Centre for Historical Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, he moved to Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris, for his doctoral work. While he was still a student in the early eighties, he started contributing articles to the French press and has, since, written extensively for Le Monde, Le Monde Diplomatique, Liberation, Guardian and several other newspapers. Over the years, he bagan to devote more time and energy to literary work, his first love. He is the author of several books that have won wide critical acclaim: Jaya Ganga, In Search of the River Goddess, (Penguin, 1989), La Nuit Poignardee (Flammarion, 1987), Whirpool of Shadows (Jonathan Cape, 1992), The River Goddess (Gallimard Jeunesse/Moonlight, 1994). His books are translated into French and other European languages. Many years after he wrote and directed a play, Waiting for Beckett by Godot (1976), he made Man and Elephant (1989), a 30' film, which has been shown on nearly 40 television channels the world over. Jaya Ganga is his first feature film. He is now working on another film based on his novel, Whirlpool of Shadows. Vijay Singh was awarded the Centre National des Lettres fellowship on two occasions, the Prix Villa Medicis hors les murs for foreign literature in 1990, and the Bourse Leonardo de Vinci in 1994. Radiohead find Meeting People Is Easy... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info : "Radiohead: Meeting people is Easy has no firm date set for it just yet However it doesn't look like it will be before the end of next month. HMV are of course telling it's customers that it was released this week ! Sadly I don't have any more details on the disks features just yet." For the record, my copy of Videolog, the trade tome that details release dates and video and DVD info, also states this week, which is why HMV said the same date. Life's a Beach with Leo on DVD in August... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info : Released in August on rental DVD from Fox, The Beach has been confirmed as containing an anamorphic widescreen picture with Dolby Digital 5.1. All being well, it will be in the original ratio of 2.35:1. The language will be English only with English and will contain English Hard of Hearing subtitles. Soul Legend misses out. 'Trouble' heads for No.1... Courtesy of Anthony Barnes, Showbusiness Correspondent, PA News : "Soul legend Barry White has missed out on a sure-fire number one -- his first for a quarter of a century -- by having his voice removed from the track. The singer's live vocal was originally sampled by Italian producers for the single You See The Trouble With Me on its European release. But White's officials failed to give clearance for his voice to be used on the song, which is set to go to number one on Sunday, and he was taken off the dancefloor hit. Instead, London-based singer Elroy "Spoonface" Powell was drafted in to add his own sound-alike voice to the song, which has been released under the name Black Legend. White himself -- affectionately known as the "walrus of love" -- has not had a number one since 1974 with You're The First, The Last, My Everything and was last in the top ten in 1976. The Black Legend track is poised to knock Sonique from the top of the charts after three weeks, according to midweek sales figures which are a strong indication of the weekend charts. With trance act Darude at number three, the top three will be made up entirely of dance acts. (DVDfever Ed: "Well, there's a surprise (!)" Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy's single Bulldog Nation, which was left off Radio 1's playlist, looks unlikely to make it into the top 40, industry figures show. Tartan's next Arctic DVD release... Thanks to Paul Smith from Tartan for the press release that their next DVD release will be Lovers of the Arctic Circle on July 24th, a film which stars Fele Martinez, Najwa Nimri and Nancho Novo. Retailing at £19.99, the film is presented in the original widescreen ratio of 2.35:1 with Dolby Digital Surround sound. Running for 104 minutes on a single-layer single-sided disc (DVD 5) in the original Spanish language, the disc will contain English subtitles and is region free. The extras on the DVD will be the original theatrical trailer, star and director filmographies, scene selection and a film review and interview. It will also be available to rent or buy on VHS on the same day for £15.99. Sporty Spice to sing for England next Tuesday... Sporty Spice, aka Mel C, is set to sing at the Romania vs. England match next Tuesday. Victoria Posh Spice has been advised to stay home for the remainder of the tournament after hubby David Beckham was cruelly taunted by wankers in the crowd shouting that his wife was a whore and that they hoped "your kid gets cancer". Charming. The BBC retain the rights for the F.A. Cup... How interesting.

June 15th : Ricky Martin is available One Night Only on DVD... Not one but two DVDs has the Latino star released in his short UK career, this one seeing him perform at Liberty State Park. Ricky Martin: One Night Only is online and out on DVD now.

Don't talk about it! It's Fight Club on DVD... It's DVDfever's first Region 1 DVD review online and also the debut for new contributor Kenny Fulton. Reuniting the director and star of Se7en and also starring the excellent Edward Norton, Fight Club is online and out on DVD now.

Football, Football, Football. It's Fifa 2000 on PC... The Euro 2000 season is upon us and although EA Sports have unleashed a Euro 2000 game, Jason Maloney tells us why it's best to give that a miss and try out their previous offering. FIFA 2000 is online and out on PC now.

Football's never coming home to the BBC ever again... The news is out that the BBC have lost the rights to show any premier league football matches, as they couldn't afford it, which rather puts Match of the Day's future in doubt. The football TV rights went to the following for the following three year period : Sky (66 live games) : £1.11 billion NTL (40 PPV games) : £328 million ITV (highlights) : £183 million Sky also paid £22.5 million as a revenue share from interactive TV services. Still, what do I care? I hate football :)

June 14th : The Big Boss lands on DVD in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story... Starring Jason Scott Lee (no relation) in the main role as martial-arts master Bruce Lee, Robert Wagner and Lauren Holly co-star in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, which is online and out on DVD now.

And now it's working again... Don't ask why, don't ask how, but my DVD-ROM drive is working again. Don't breathe on it otherwise it'll get upset again... The return of Shaft... The new Shaft stars Samuel L Jackson as the nephew of Richard Roundtree's original, with the new man as a member of the New York police force and a bad-guy role for Christian Bale too. Director John Singleton (Boyz N The Hood) has reportedly clashed endlessly with Jackson on set during the remaking of the film. Doctor Who: The film...? A big-screen outing for Doctor Who is being rumoured with Stephen Fry in the running as the favourite for the Timelord, after appearing as the same on a BBC Radio show at the moment apparently. Bobby Brown jailed... Mrs. Whitney Houston, Bobby Brown, has been jailed for 75 days after violating his probation on a drink-driving charge and admitting to taking cocaine. Put them back on...! Following Kathleen Turner's nude streak playing Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, Jerry Hall is set to do the same when she takes over the role shortly. Stigmata from MGM next month on DVD... All hell breaks loose when an ordinary young American woman begins to show signs of the Stigmata (the bleeding wounds of Christ) in this controversial supernatural thriller starring Patricia Arquette and Gabriel Byrne. Released to buy on DVD for £19.99 on July 10th, this DVD will contain some Region 2 exclusive extras such as a making-of documentary "The Diving Rites of the Story of Stigmata", plus a director's commentary, five deleted scenes, an alternate ending, Natalie Imbruglia's pop video for the title song, moving menus and the theatrical trailer. Entertainment in Video's forthcoming DVDs... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info which I haven't received yet : EiV have sent out a couple of announcements and some pre-publicity for their Summer and Autumn Schedule. First up is the news that Happiness and Mad Cows have both now been delayed until the 19th of June and that The Legend of 1900 has been put on hold with a release date still to be announced. They have also announced plans for the following titles in August and September: August The Bachelor Body Shots September Next Friday TumbleWeed Pecker Magnolia Also included is glossy brochure with the following titles for October Seven, Boiler Room and American Psycho. Note that although Seven is a two disk set it still appears to be only £19.99. Also promised before the end of 2000 are Nightmare on Elm Street (6 disk boxset), Final Destination, Frequency and U-571. EiV have also announced three titles for June/July , Complicity, The Muse and Rancid Auminium. All three disks will be priced at £19.99. Jonny Lee Miller (from Trainspotting and Plunkett and Macleane) - and someone whose autograph I have although I'd rather have had his - now - ex-girlfriend Natalie Appleton's, stars as a journalist caught up in a deadly cat and mouse game with a serial killer in Complicity based on a book by Iain Banks. The disk is released on June 26th and includes the trailer and a special featurette entitled The Story of a Journalist. The Muse staring Sharon Stone will be released on the 3rd of July, day and date with rental VHS. The Special features of the disk are still to be confirmed but the story does look intriguing. Stone stars as One of the Nine Daughters of Zeus now living in Hollywood and offering her services to an exclusive Hollywood Clientele. Jeff Bridges is a screenwriter whose confidence is severely shaken who turns to Stone to get in touch with his own creativity, only to find out that his life will never be the same again. Look for cameos from Martin Scorsese, James Cameron , Rob Reiner, Cybill Sheperd and Jennifer Tilly. Based on a book by James Hawes, Joseph Fiennes stars in Rancid Aluminium on the 17th of July. Again the extra features are still to be confirmed for this release. Fox's rental DVDs: Something to DVD-Debate about... Thanks to the DVD Debate for the following info : "If you hurry you may still be able to pre-order a copy of the August 12 release of The Beach for a bargain £64.79. If they're all gone, you could be still get hold of a rental copy of Fight Club for only £80.99 from the online video shop, Blackstar. These are, of course, the first two titles in Fox's plans for DVD rental and you have to wonder why they're bothering. With the staggering percentage of players in the UK already codefree or chipped only the ignorant will want to wait for the UK sell through release later in the year. Any one with an ounce of sanity will pick up the region 1 discs for less and far earlier. It's not only consumers who are mad at Fox over this. Retailers are up in arms about it. To them this represents the worst of both worlds - with the US release already out, savvy punters will have bought their copies already and anyone who hasn't will probably have rented te film in the meantime and not want to bother with a purchase. The only winners here are Fox, because the consumer has to wait an additional 4 months for a retail purchase and at a price which will be 40% higher than the equivalent dollar conversion. The news gets worse when you realise that Disney also have plans to follow suit. The industry impression is that these companies are using the UK as a test bed for their plans to re-introduce the rental window on the other side of the pond, something which retailers and the Video Software Dealers Association is keen to avoid. If the US market can't bear the weight of a rental window, what makes them think the smaller, immature UK market?"

June 13th : By Hook or by crook, the Captain's on DVD... Starring Robin Williams, Julia Roberts, Dustin Hoffman and Bob Hoskins, it's a children's fantasy tale and the only Steven Spielberg-directed film available on Region 2 DVD. Hook is online and out on DVD now.

Oh no, not again...! Now, I have five competitions online already, but here's another quiz for you: What's the most likely thing to happen after having reinstalled my new Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM decoder card just under two weeks ago? Yes, after getting the replacement, it packs in! I even went as far as reseating the card, reinstalling the latest drivers from the Creative website (great fun d/ling a 5Mb file during peak time on the phone!) and then trying to reinstall the software, but it refuses to do the latter because it can't find the decoder card! I didn't know these things came with a freaking built-in white stick because it must be blind if it can't spot a card inside the machine!! GRRRRRRR!! I'll phone Creative tomorrow and have some fun waiting in the phone queue. I have a temporary solution - using a software DVD player to display the film on my PC monitor and then patch that through to the TV like the games I play on my Voodoo 3 card. The quality's far from perfect, but it'll stop me pining completely. Roy Chubby Brown - You Fat Smasher...! Roy Chubby Brown has now apparently left the country after showering an audience with glass after he stupidly got pissed off and threw a full glass of water to the side of the stage but it smashed on the way and injured the audience. I suppose he got mad when people realised he wasn't at all funny! Gone in 60 Seconds to the top of the chart... The new Nicolas Cage film, Gone in 60 Seconds, has toppled Mission: Impossible 2 from the top-slot in the US box office chart. Critics have gone all out in their praise of Vinnie Jones' performance, claiming he is a "hulking mute who has no trouble getting his points across". Has Faye quit Steps...? Well, she's failed to turn up to the end-of-world-tour party and has dropped out of going to meet Cyndi Lauper in New York for songwriting sessions. Could five become four? Noel and Liam - no love lost... Noel Gallagher is set to miss the overseas part of Oasis' world tour after Liam branded Noel a "loser" and Noel called Liam "monkey boy" on Chris Moyles Radio 1 show. Corr - another movie star... Following a brief appearance in Alan Parker's song-fests, Evita and The Commitments, Andrea Corr is set to star in a remake of The Four Feathers opposite Jude Law.

June 12th : The World is Not Enough for Pierce Brosnan on DVD... It's the 19th official Bond film to be released and the third to star Pierce Brosnan. Directed by Michael Apted, the film also stars Denise Richards, Sophie Marceau, Robbie Coltrane, Robert Carlyle and marks the final appearance of Q (Desmond Llewelyn). The World is Not Enough is online and out on DVD now.

Suzanne Vega: The Passionate Eye out now... Regular DVDfever reviewer Jason Maloney returns with something a little different - a retrospective of all of Suzanne Vega's albums released to date, plus a look at her new book, The Passionate Eye. Suzanne Vega: A Career of Progress & An Eye For Detail is online now.

COMPETITION TIME: Win Men Behaving Badly on DVD...! Courtesy of LDA Communications, DVDfever have two copies each for series 2 and 3 of Men Behaving Badly to give away on DVD. Just pay a visit to the COMPETITION PAGE and try your luck.

Will Sonique finally get pushed out of the No.1 slot...? To find out the answer - and to see last week's chart - visit my music chart analysis page Also, cover-queen Jane McDonald has a new album out - "Inspiration" (!) Is that an oxymoron, or is she just a moron? COMPETITION WINNERS: Great Entertainment from Fox on DVD... Thanks to all those who entered. The competition winners are as follows : Great Entertainment from Fox (5 DVDs): Sam Cockburn Never Been Kissed DVD: David Dupplaw The names and addresses of the winners will be passed to the respective PR companies for dispatching of prizes. If you didn't win this time, then please keep trying with the other competitions online by clicking on the competition link on the left-hand menu. New DVDs and widescreen videos out this week New DVDs out this week : About Last Night (19.99, Columbia TriStar) The Alamo (19.99, MGM) Alice in Chains: Unplugged (19.99, Sony) The Big Blue (19.99, Fox) Black Sabbath: The Last Supper (19.99, Sony) Bob Marley Tribute (17.99, Palm Pictures) The Commitments (19.99, Fox) Farscape 3 (24.99, Contender) The Full Monty (19.99, Fox) Hang 'Em High (19.99, MGM) Mortal Thoughts (19.99, Columbia TriStar) National Lampoon's Animal House (19.99, Columbia TriStar) October Sky (19.99, Columbia TriStar) Red River (19.99, MGM) St. Elmo's Fire (19.99, Columbia TriStar) Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble: Live at the El Mocambo (19.99, Sony) The Substitute: Winner Takes All (15.99, Mosaic) The Thin Red Line (19.99, Fox) Time Regained (sub) (19.99, Fox) Waking Ned (19.99, Fox) New widescreen videos out this week : Time Regained (sub) (15.99 & rental, Artificial Eye)

June 11th : Sean Connery is the first James Bond in Dr. No on DVD... Stopping a megolomaniac is all in a day's work for the hardest government detective of them all and it has already spawned 18 official sequels. Dr. No is online and out on DVD now.

June 10th : From Russia With Lust - Lana Cox on DVD... It's another Playboy title... Playboy: UK Celebrity Special: Lana Cox is online and out on DVD now.

Celine Dion is up the duff - it's official...! "There's no hiding happiness... This time it's for real - I'm pregnant" were Celine Dion's words when she issued a press statement. Just what the world needs, another female singer with endless anodyne and dull records. I just hope Shania Twain never has kids. Prince Symbol Prince has a go at the teen pop acts... Prince (nee Symbol, nee Prince) has had a go on his website at the men in suits who are "trying to programme the public with their own personal choices" such as Britney, Christina and similar teen pop acts. Yeah, like his music's worth listening to these days (!) Yesterday morning, while driving to work I heard Prince's Cream on the radio. It was a decent, fun pop song. Why hasn't he made anything like it since instead of trying to be so serious all the time? Mariah set to quit Sony... Well, her split from husband and Sony boss Tommy Mottola might have something to do with it, but after her next album, she will be releasing herself from their clutches and going to Arista. Sinead comes out... As if the shaven head and odd dress sense wasn't obvious enough, Sister Bernadette Mary, aka Sinead O'Connor, has declared herself a lesbian. She stated that she has gone out with men most of her life because she wasn't comfortable with being a tuppence licker. Of course her coming out has nothing to do with promoting the fact that her seventh album, Faith and Courage, is released next week.

June 9th : Russell Crowe leads the pack in Romper Stomper on DVD... Tough, brutal and uncompromising. The skinheads are on the rage against the 'Gooks' as Russell Crowe, Daniel Pollock and Deep Blue Sea's Jacqueline McKenzie star in Romper Stomper, which is online and out on DVD now.

The Sega/Motorola Game line up... Following Wednesday's news item on the games appearing on Motorola WAP phones, thanks to Stuart Ledger from Bell-Pottinger PR for the following link to their site which displays picture files showing you what you can expect. Pay a visit to: www.green-moon.co.uk/sega/press.html Braveheart, Naked Gun and more American DVD news... Thanks to Mike Burnham for pointing me in the direction of these DVD articles on news.excite.com Mel Gibson will talk about the making of the Oscar-winning Braveheart on a newly recorded audio track that's part of a DVD special edition of the picture to be released Aug. 29 by Paramount Home Video in the US. It wouldn't have worked to shoot the movie in Gaelic, Gibson says tongue-in-cheek, "because it would have needed a lot of subtitles." He also describes the difficulties recreating the picture's medieval period, noting a bridge that washed away three times. The DVD will also include the 28-minute featurette on the making of the movie that was produced for the special laserdisc edition a few years ago. Separately, director David Zucker will provide reflections on the "Naked Gun" trilogy, which he also wrote and produced, in special DVD editions set for release by Paramount on Aug. 15. Joining Zucker on the audio commentary tracks will be producer Robert K. Weiss. Peter Segal, the director of Naked Gun 33-1/3: The Final Insult, and associate producer Michael Ewing will join Zucker and Weiss for that film's audio commentary. Peter Tilden hosts the audio tracks for the first two films. New audio commentaries will also enhance special DVD editions from Columbia TriStar Home Video, including James Caan and Billy Dee Williams speaking about Brian's Song (Aug. 8); actors Dwayne Hickman and Michael Callan discussing Cat Ballou (Aug. 8); and associate producer Ivan Moffat and production assistant George Stevens Jr. reminiscing about Shane (Aug. 15). Warners is releasing a special edition DVD of Romeo Must Die on Aug. 1 that will include three featurettes, two music videos and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the Aaliyah music video "Try Again." Hitachi, NEC, and Sony Display Dolby Digital Logo on Computers... New programme recognises advances in PC sound systems Dolby Laboratories announced a new licensing programme that allows computer manufacturers to display the Dolby Digital trademark on their products. The programme is limited to manufacturers whose products feature Dolby Digital multichannel audio technology and meet a high set of audio technology standards designed by Dolby. The programme debuts in Japan, with Hitachi, NEC, and Sony as the first companies participating in the landmark programme. The first products carrying the Dolby Digital logo will appear in Q2 of this year. Shoppers will see the Dolby Digital logo displayed on the packaging of featured PC units from Hitachi, NEC, and Sony, marking the beginning of an entirely new commitment to PC audio by both Dolby and computer manufacturers. PC manufacturers wishing to participate in the new programme must submit their products to rigorous testing and certification, placing their PCs in an elite group of products that deliver the highest quality audio possible. By displaying the Dolby Digital logo, the PC manufacturer alerts the customer that its PC products provide Dolby Digital multichannel sound from either an S/PDIF digital or analogue multichannel output. This capability allows the user to experience Dolby Digital multichannel sound technology directly from the PC, while simultaneously encouraging game developers to create more multichannel computer games. "Dolby Digital 5.1-channel sound lets customers experience fantastic multichannel realism, during both movie viewing and game play, right on their computers," said Dennis Staats, Manager, Technology Marketing for Dolby Laboratories. "The Dolby Digital trademark is their assurance that the same high-quality sound they hear at the movies and in their home cinemas can be heard on their PC." Although Dolby Digital technology has been present in PCs since the advent of DVD-ROM, the Dolby Digital logo has not been displayed on those products. The recent establishment of standards and test procedures by Dolby now makes it possible for PC manufacturers to demonstrate their commitment to high-quality audio. About Dolby Digital: Dolby Digital, which debuted in movie theatres in 1992, provides up to five full-range sound channels plus a sixth channel for low-frequency effects. It is currently the most popular digital film sound format, as well as the standard worldwide for both standard and high-definition digital TV (SDTV and HDTV), digital cable systems, and Digital Versatile Disc (DVD). Dolby Digital is also well on its way to becoming the audio standard in Direct Broadcast Satellite (DBS) systems, as well as in PCs and console games. About Dolby Laboratories: Dolby Laboratories is the developer of signal processing systems used worldwide in applications that include motion-picture sound, consumer entertainment products and media, broadcasting, and music recording. Based in San Francisco with European headquarters in England, the privately held company also has offices in New York, Los Angeles, Shanghai, and Tokyo. Poptastic chart chat... Thanks to Nick W for the following info regarding some of my speculations on this week's music chart analysis page. "The Trevor and Simon are not *the* Trevor and Simon but a couple of dance producers. It was a sort of OKish upbeat dance tune, but nothing special. Mary Mary is nothing to do with Fatboy Slim's Praise You but is an identikit dull R n' B tune. It sounds very like that Pink one. If you'd have switched the radio off yesterday between the two when the Top 40 was on, you'd think it was the same track :) " You can check out his Poptastic chart page by clicking HERE ! Eminem and on and on... 27-year-old Eminem has appeared in court on charges of gun crime on two different men in two different incidents, starting with coming out of a car audio shop on Saturday night when he bumped into Douglas Dale from a band I've never heard of, there was an argument, a gun fell out of his trousers and he picked it up to start brandishing it about. Later on he was pistol-whipping a barman and if convicted he could be jailed for 7-9 years. However, it hasn't harmed sales - 800,000 copies of his latest album since the event as a result - taking the total up to over 2 million. The whole thing could go on for 6-8 months before he's judged, but it's stated that it won't affect his two-month tour with Snoop Doggy Dogg and Dr. Dre. Lolo's husband in trouble... When big-titted Eurotrash favourite Lolo Ferrari died three months ago from a drug overdose it wasn't known if it was long-term use or a one-off event that caused her death. However, now her widowed husband, 52-year-old Eric Venier, has been arrested in connection with her death being charged with "non-assistance for a person in danger", however that translates. Bob Hope out and about... Bob Hope has been discharged from hospital a day earlier than expected. I stated on Tuesday that the veteran comedian, aged 97, was critically ill as of last Friday, but thankfully things have improved and he is said to be making good progress. Angelina Jolie in training as Lara Croft... As stated a while back, Hackers and Gone in 60 Seconds actress Angelina Jolie will be playing Lara Croft in the forthcoming Tomb Raider film and she has been taking kick-boxing lessons to get in training for the strenuous role. Hope she doesn't sweat it too much (ahem!)

June 8th : Brendan Fraser has a Blast From The Past on DVD... Fancy being holed up in a bunker for 35 years with a neurotic mother and a mad inventor for a father? No? Well, Brendan Fraser has no option in Blast From The Past, which is online and out on DVD now.

COMPETITIONS: The Men Behaving Badly are on their way... The chances of anything coming from Mars are a million-to-one, but the chances of more competitions appearing on DVDfever.co.uk are 100%. From Monday I'll have yet two more competitions, namely to win Series 2 and 3 of Men Behaving Badly on DVD. Early birds can also catch a Men Behaving Badly competition on Channel 4's Big Breakfast every day this week at about 7.10am. The show itself starts from 7am as usual. Eminem charged with gun crime... As stated on Tuesday and Wednesday, both Eminem aka Marshall Mathers and his wife have been arrested following a fight outside a Detroit bar. Now he has been charged with threatening behaviour with a gun. The trial continues... Queer As Folk USA: The director has been chosen... For HBO's forthcoming remake of Channel 4 gay drama Queer As Folk, director of Highlander and Highlander 2, Russell Mulcahy has been given the job of toning down the sex scenes for the American version. Kathy Burke redubbed for America... In the 'comedy' Kevin and Perry Go Large, apparently it's reckoned that American audiences won't understand her accent, so it will be redubbed by Kathy herself, as if that will make the film any better.

June 7th : Another anime double bill with Plastic Little and Black Magic M-66 on DVD... Another double bill from Kiseki, she's not plastic or little but she's called Plastic Little (make of that what you will!), while the Terminator is revived in Black Magic M-66. Plastic Little / Black Magic M-66 is online and out on DVD now.

COMPETITION TIME: Win 3 DVDs from Warner and Buena Vista...! Courtesy of Ketchum Life, DVDfever have a number of DVDs to give away for June's DVD releases from Warner and Buena Vista, which are day-and-date with their VHS rental counterparts. As stated yesterday, Matthew Broderick's cartoon hero Inspector Gadget is out this week, while mob-comedy Mickey Blue Eyes and Arnie actioner End of Days are released on June 19th. We have FIVE copies each of Inspector Gadget and Mickey Blue Eyes to give away and THREE copies of End of Days up for grabs. Just pay a visit to the COMPETITION PAGE and try your luck.

What DVD? - It's a Matter of Import... Into importing DVDs from abroad? Want to know more about it, blending the pleasures and the pitfalls together? Then go and buy a copy of the June 2000 issue of What DVD and turn to page 80 for some of my wise words...

Tarzan DVD announced in TWO versions... Thanks to the R2 Project for the following info : We have received an announcement of "Tarzan" from Disney for the 4th of September. There will be two editions, a Standard edition and a Collectors edition. the Standard is priced at £22.99 while the collectors edition will be £24.99. Unless I'm mistaken, the Standard version here in the UK contains more features than the standard R1 version. Here's a run down of the special features on each disk: </   Standard Collector’s Trailers     Localized preview trailer Ö Ö Synergy preview trailer   Ö Disnosaur trailer Ö Ö History of ‘Tarzan’     From Burroughs to Disney Ö Ö Early presentation reel   Ö Research trip to Africa   Ö Music of ‘Tarzan’     The making of the music Ö Ö ‘Tarzan Goes International Ö Ö ‘You’ll Be In My Heart’ music video Ö Ö ‘Strangers Like Me ‘music video Ö Ö ‘Trashin’ the camp’ w/Phil Collins & N Syn Ö Ö Original Phil Collins sound demo   Ö Story and editorial     Building the story Ö Ö Storyboard to film comparison Ö Ö Extra sequences:     Introduction Bonnie Arnold Ö Ö 1:Alternate opening Ö Ö 2:Terk discovers human camp Ö Ö 3: Riverboat fight Ö Ö Characters of ‘Tarzan’     Creating Tarzan   Ö Animating Tarzan   Ö Creating Jane and & Porter   Ö Creating Kala & Kerchek   Ö Creating Terk & Tantor   Ö Creating Clayton   Ö Animation     Deep Canvas process   Ö Deep Canvas demonstration   Ö Production Progression demo     Story reel   Ö Rough animation   Ö Cleaned up animation   Ö Final film in colour   Ö Intercontinental film making   Ö Read – Alongs