The Gettysburg Times from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania • Page 57

GETTYSBURG TIMES APRIL 3 9,2004 PAGE 27 'The Prince and Me' is beyond chick flick BY BETSY PICKLE Scripps Howard News Service If you're 10 and already dreaming of white lace and promises, ''The Prince Me" is for you. "The Prince Me" is beyond chick flick. It's chick-flick pox. It's so girlie it will make anyone outside of its target audience itch. Women with any degree of cynicism will experience a gag reflex.

Men brave enough to aceompany female friends or family members deserve hazard pay. Julia Stiles, last seen as a 1950s coed choosing marriage over law school in "Mona Lisa Smile," plays Paige Morgan, the "Me" of the title. Paige is a single-minded Wisconsin college student who already has her life mapped out. She's planning to go to medical school, and all her energy is focused on getting into Johns Hopkins. Luke Mably (''28 Days plays the royal half of the title: Edvard, the crown prince of Denmark.

He's less interested in being groomed as the future monarch than in racing cars and chasing women. Tired of being pursued by European paparazzi and inspired by a late-night commercial, Eddie, as he rechristens himself, decides to attend college in the American Mid- TOP 20 CONCERT TOURS By The Associated Press The Top 20 Concert Tours ranks artists by average box office gross per city and includes the average ticket price for shows in North America. The previous week's ranking is in parentheses. The list is based on data provided to the trade publication Pollstar by concert promoters and venue managers. 1.

(1) Bette Midler; $99.69. 2. (2) Rod Stewart; $77.95. 3. (3) George Strait; $57.87.

4. (New) Metallica; $58.90. 5. (New) Britney Spears; $63.69. 6.

(4) Toby Keith; $49.41. 7. (5) David'Bowie; $63.28. 8. (6) Linkin Park; $33.31.

9. (7) Sarah Brightman; $62.88. 10. (9) Kid Rock; $34.01. 11.

(10) Chris Rock; $47.92. 12. (11) Josh Groban; $57.09. 13. (12) John Mayer; $33.90.

14. (13) Bill Gaither Friends Homecoming; $23.37. 15. (14) Barenaked Ladies; $37.91. 16.

(New) Nickelback; $29.37. 17. (15) Rascal Flatts; $162,011: $31.39. 18. (16) Enrique Iglesias; $51.10.

19. (17) 3 Doors Down; $27.41. 20. (18) Erykah Badu; $42.55. For free upcoming tour information, go to www.Pollstar.com Keys tickets sell out in 16 minutes COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -All of the more than 1,200 tickets for Alicia Keys' concert at Copenhagen's 18th-century Royal Theater were sold in 16 minutes; organizers said Monday.

The 23-year-old RB singer will perform June 16 on the theater's main Old Stage, which dates from 1874. The Royal Theater has said it is the first time ever that a pop star would perform there. Organizers said tickets went on sale online Monday and were sold within 16 minutes. The downtown playhouse dates back to 1770. Its repertoire includes classical drama, ballets, operas and concerts by philharmonic and chamber orchestras.

Earlier this month, tickets for a show by Paul McCartney in western Denmark were sold out in 11 minutes. Keys has been touring the United States with Beyonce and Missy Elliott on the First Ladies Tour. west. His parents, King Haraald (James Fox) and Queen Rosalind (Miranda Richardson), are not amused, but they can't stop him, and they get some peace of mind knowing that Soren (Ben Miller), the prince's butler, is with him. Eddie intends to sow his wild oats in America, but his ego quickly gets a soaking from Paige.

Paige bristles when Eddie is assigned as her lab partner, but as the weeks pass she loosens up and he straightens up and their obvious chemistry elicits a romantic reaction. However, Eddie has not revealed his royal position to Paige, and she feels betrayed when she finds out about it. (Since she's so busy studying, she doesn't have time to watch reality TV to see how much worse it could be.) She recovers. Pageantry ensues. Then the real dilemmas arise.

Martha Coolidge, who once directed distinctive finding-yourself films like "Valley Girl" and "Rambling Rose," does her best with the formulaic script by Jack Amiel, Michael Begler and Katherine Fugate. "The Prince Me" is pure fairy tale, despite its occasional protestations of feminism. It's the Superwoman fantasy reinvented for the under-20 set No more choosing between career and true love you can have your stethoscope and the hunky guy to make your heart flutter, too. Stiles and Mably are cute and likable, and Miller adds a sardonic comic underbite. But "The Prince Me" strikes all the most obvious notes and is predictable enough to synchronize Swatches by.

It will get an A for "aw" from dreamy, undemanding types, a for "cloying" from the generously tolerant and an for "feeble" from those to whom this kind of fluff is equivalent to slipping into a diabetic coma. Rated PG for some sex-related material and language. Two stars (out of five) Works by Tolkien, Dickens, Chaucer auctioned BY JANE WARDELL Associated Press Writer LONDON (AP) Rare volumes of J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy were the centerpiece of an extensive private book collection auctioned Wednesday for a total of $270,000. The Tolkien books, including two signed second editions of the first two installments of the trilogy and an unsigned first edition of the third part, were sold to an anonymous bidder for $3,800.

They were among more than 3,000 rare books sold by Bonham's auction house that belonged to William Adams, an accountant who died last June at age 84. A collection of Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales" containing engravings by Eric Gill attracted the highest bid of $7,500. A 23-volume set of Charles Dickens novels was not far behind with a bid of $7,400. A copy of James Joyce's "Lfiysses," illustrated by Henri Matisse, sold for $2,700. Bids for the collection were made from buyers in France, the United States and Japan, as well as Britain.

Sandy Burnett, a lawyer who handled Adams' will, said he was amazed to find that every room in Adams' Edinburgh house was filled with books. "They were not just on wails, but under the bed, in the cupboards and in drawers," Burnett said. Adams' niece, Rona Hendry, said the family had no idea of the extent of her uncle's book collection. "We knew he loved his books," Hendry, 52, said. "He collected them as long as everyone can remember, but when we saw them all here, we couldn't believe they all got into his house." Adams' family said he never married, choosing instead to devote his time to his love of literature and Wardie Parish Church, where he was an elder for 50 years.

Wednesday's sale represented around four-fifths of Adams" collection. The remaining books will be sold at another auction in August. Nuclear weapons, affirmative action works awarded ATLANTA (AP) -Boston's WGBH-TV won three Peabody awards Wednesday for programs about string theory, one of the nation's most dangerous manufacturing companies and a racially motivated killing and how it mobilized the civil rights movement. NBC News received a Peabody for a Tom Brokaw piece on the controversy surrounding the University of Michigan and its affirmative action policy, while CBS News was cited for a "60 Minutes" report on conflicts of interest and abuses of power by government and military contractors. The Peabodys, considered among the most prestigious and selective prizes in electronic media, recognize excellence and meritorious work by radio and television stations, networks, webcasters, producing organizations and individuals.

The winners were announced Wednesday in Atlanta. The Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia has administered the Peabodys since the program's inception in 1940. "Today" show host Katie Couric will serve as mas- ter of ceremonies for the 63rd annual awards May 17 in New York. The three winners from WGBH-TV all- aired on PBS: "The Elegant Universe," "FRONTLINE: A Dangerous Business" and "The Murder of Emmett Till." Other winners Wednesday included cable TV's Showtime for "Soldier's Girl," a drama portraying a transgender romance with tragic consequences that was based on a true story. "Dora the Explorer" from MTV HBO's "The Wire" and BBC America's "The Office" also received Peabodys.

Bill Moycrs was cited for career achievement, mostly recently his series "NOW with Bill Meyers" and the documentary "Becoming American: The Chinese Experience." Among the radio svinners: "American Mavericks," nesota Public Radio's 13- part series, hosted by Suzanne Vega, that recounts the evolution of distinct American classical music. NEWS TIP? Call 334-1132.