Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 28

1W Winn I C2 TUESDAY, MARCH 16, 2004 CULTURE EDMONTON JOURNAL SPOTLIGHT Straight from the horses mouth Fox plans to remake Mr. Ed 1111 JV'fT 'v'' Sheen Richards THE OTHER ED i ft 0 I fir t) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS An emotional Luciano Pavarotti reacts to one of many curtain calls for his performance in Puccini's Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on Saturday. The 68-year-old tenor said this would be his final night of staged opera. STEPHEN BATTAGLIO NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Saygoodbyeto Ed andhellotoMr.Ed. Yes, it may happen this fall when Fox tries to revive the '60s sitcom about a talking horse (this time with the voice of Sherman Hemsley).

Then again, Mr. Ed may never make it out of the stable. It's pilot season in Hollywood, when Mr. Ed and dozens of other test shows (including a sitcom with MTVs favourite newfywed, Jessica Simpson) are being made with the hope they can replace this year's failures as well as such enduring hits asFriends andFrosi-er, which are headed to rerun heaven. Most of the projects end up in storage closets of the TV studios that make them.

But the pilots already in the pipeline offer a glimpse of what may be ahead in the 2004-05 TV season: Aloha Hawaii hasn't had much exposure in prime time since the days of Hawaii Five-0 and Magnum P.I. But the 50th state could be the backdrop of a new ensemble cop drama on NBC. Fox has Oahu, about staffers and guests at a luxury hotel on the island paradise. The WB is going to Hawaii's North Shore for Rocky Point, aboutayoungwomanwho takes in her estranged father. The Mark Burnett Show The creator and executive producer of the hit reality shows Survivor and The Apprentice is trying his hand at dramas andsitcoms.

HehasasitcomatThe WB about his own experiences as a British military commando turned nanny fora Beverly Hills family. He's also developing a drama for NBC about students in a summer study group marooned on a remote island. Tick, tick, tick With Fox's 24 heading for a fourth season, other networks are trying shows that play out in real time or something close to it ABC has John Stamos in a sitcom that would chronicle a first date over an entire season. The network also has a show about a SWAT team's handling of the last 43 minutes of a crisis which happens to be the length of an hour-long drama after the commercials are taken out. Old faces, new places Networks always turn to proven TV stars in the hope of getting kghtning to Pavarotti takes his final bow From glittery bowling pins and fencing swords to a chicken costume, fans of the cancelled NBC show Erf got a chance to take home their very own piece of fictional Stuckeyville, Ohio.

A converted bowling alley in Northvale, N.J., where the comedy had been filmed was the site of a weekend auction where hundreds of props and set pieces were sold. Companies usually keep those items, said Drew Tidwell, a production co-ordinator for Viacom. But the company decided it would make more sense to auction the items. "To ship all this stuff to Los Angeles or put it in storage costs way too much money," Tidwell told The Sunday Star-Ledger of Newark. Ed starred Tom Cavanagh as New York City lawyer Ed Stevens, who returned to his hometown of Stuckeyville, where he purchased a bowling alley, opened a law practice and pursued the girl he loved in high school.

Maya Saroj, who drove eight hours from Ottawa, paid $130 US for a phone that sat on Ed's desk. But Lisa and Tim Boomershine drove 28 hours from Boulder, only to learn the scoreboard they wanted had been put aside for Cavanagh. strike again. CBS teams Roseanne co-star John Goodman with Designing Woman cast member Jean Smart in a sitcom set in Chicago. Seinfeld alum Jason Alexander tries again with a comedy based on the life ofWashingtonPost sports columnist Tony Kornheiser.

After bombing in the talk-show world, Carolyn Rhea returns to sitcoms as a single woman with romance, career and weight issues. Jennifer Love Hewitt is trying to come back as a sportscast-'; ersingle mom. A Revivals Mr.Ed isn'ttheonryshowthatmaytrot back from TV purgatory. The WB will try to relaunch the '60s sci-fi favourite Lost in Space. ABC has enlisted John Wells executive producer of and The West Wing to resurrect the Goth-' -ic soap Dark Shadows.

Tickets (plus service charges) atTicketmaster. Whenyoubuyyour your name and address will also be col-lected because the Starlite will be a members-only club when it opens. A grand opening date has yet to be announced, I Toronto's Metric, who were also snubbed by the Junos, will perform at the Starlite Room on Tuesday, April 6. The dance punks, who are based in 1 Los Angeles, released their fab debut, Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? last year. atTicketmaster.

Edmonton'sPorNadaandAllPurpose Voltage Heroes will open. I Wide Mouth Mason, who weren't eligible for any Junos, will perform Friday, April 2 at the Urban Lounge. I award, won't be playing during JunoFest. But the Toronto indie rockers willbebackintownforagigattheSide- track on Friday, April 30. Tickets are $10 at Blackbyrd and Freecloud Records.

No Hands and The Wolmote are also on the bill ssperounesthejournal.canwest.com Cavanagh Concert calendar filling up Morissette Gibson Its a girl for Sheen and Richards los angeles Charlie Sheen and his wife, Denise Richards, are co-starring in a new project parenting. Their daughter, Sam Sheen, was born in Los Angeles on March 9, Sheen's publicist, Biana Bianconi, said Monday. The baby weighed seven pounds, three ounces. "They're thrilled," Bianconi said. "Mother and daughter are doing great." Sheen, 38, also has a 19-year-old daughter, Cassandra, from his first marriage.

Sheen and Richards, 33, were married in June 2002. They met while shooting the film Good Advice in 2000. They began dating after Richards did guest spots on Sheen's former TV series, Spin City. Morissette to join Dalai Lama at talk Ottawa Singer Alanis Morisette will join the Dalai Lama when he spreads his message of peace next month at a public talk. A longtime supporter of the Tibetan cause, Ottawa native Morissette will give a brief acoustic performance and introduce the spiritual leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner.

The April 24 appearance at Ottawa's Civic Centre is one of several stops the Dalai Lama, whose name is Tenzin Gyatso, will make next month in Ontario. The Dalai Lama will be visiting Ottawa from April 21-24 to build support for his Tibet China Negotiation Campaign, spearheaded by the Canada Tibet Committee. The group is trying to persuade Prime Minister Paul Martin to help open discussions between the Dalai Lama and the People's Republic of China. Hell then travel to Toronto where hell lead services and speak at Sky-Dome on April 25. Next, the Dalai Lama will be honoured by the University of Toronto for his spiritual leadership and commitment to the non-violent liberation of the Tibetan people.

Rooney takes flak after calling Gibson wacko' new york Andy Rooney certainly knows how to stir the passion in hi viewers. The 60 Minutes curmudgeon said Sunday he got 30,000 pieces of mail and e-mail in response to his Feb. 22 commentary, in which he called The Passion of the Christ filmmaker Mel Gibson a "wacko." It's the biggest viewer response ever to a segment on the CBS newsmagazine, which has been on the air since 1968, a spokesman said. Rooney also called Rev. Pat Robertson a "wacko" for saying he had a conversation with God, but not many people noticed that, he said.

Most of his mail concerned Gibson. "I think the mail was a good indication of how bitterly divided our country is right now," Rooney said on his Sunday 60 Minutes commentary. "I hope Fm not contributing to that even though I'm right and everyone else is wrong." He read some of the mail on the air, including one letter that called him an "asinine, bottom-dwelling, numbskulled, low-life, slimy, sickening, gutless, spineless, ignorant, pot-licking, cowardly pathetic little weasel." Rooney, 85, noted that many of his critics took shots at his age. Even Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly said he was too old. That wasn't nice, Bill" he said.

"I didn't get old on purpose. It just happened. If you're lucky, it could happen to you." Rock dubbed funniest man in America LOS angeles EntertainmentWeekfy has named Chris Rock the funniest man in America and he doesn't even have a TV show anymore. "Watching ock in 2004 21 years into his comedy career is like watching a great prize fighter in peak condition," the magazine said. Comic Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's The Daily Show came in second, and Elf star and new daddy Will Ferrell was third in Entertainment Weekly's top-25 list Tosca performance the The Associated Press NEW YORK The great ones have the hardest time saying goodbye.

For 11 minutes, Luciano Pavarotti soaked up the bravos after Saturday night's performance of Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera. It was his final night of staged opera, the 68-year-old tenor had revealed Friday, the end of a career that began 43 years earlier. He stuck out his arms and he waved to the crowd. He put his hands together and bowed his head in tribute to his fans. He touched his heart and blew kisses.

His face, still stained near his left eye with fake blood from the performance, was filled with emotion. From the grand tier of the Metropolitan Opera hung a huge red banner with white letters: WE LOVE YOU LUCIANO it read, a heart replacing the in LOVE. The ovations could have gone on much longer they stopped only because the hefty Pavarotti seemed to be having so much trouble walking on stage in front of the big gold curtain. There were four solo curtain calls in all, plus two with soprano Carol Vaness and three with the larger cast, including conductor James Levine, who pushed Pavarotti back in front of the curtain for one more appearance after all the others had left. 'I am a lucky man' All night long, Pavarotti appeared to be fighting to keep his emotions under control.

There was a 35-second ovation when he walked on stage in the first act His voice sounded constricted for his first aria, Recondita armonia (Oh hidden harmony), which was barely audible in sections and he kept his eyes closed for much of the time, appearing to revel in the moment. His big third-act (And the stars shone) was followed by another two-minute ovation as flashbulbs popped throughout an auditori icing on a 43-year-career um where photography is forbidden. He even broke character and waved to the crowd. It was the biggest farewell ovation at the Met since soprano Leonie Rysanek said goodbye in January 1996. And, in some ways, this was similar to Leontyne Price's final Aida on Jan.

3, 1985 while the performance wasn't noteworthy for the singing, the singing brought back memories of so many great nights. The normally staid Met printed a special 20-page section in the program that detailed the career of Pavarotti, who was singing his 379th performance with the company since his debut in La Bo-heme on Nov. 23, 1968. Asked Friday why he was retiring from opera he still plans concerts up until his 70th birthday Oct. 12, 2005 Pavarotti said: "I think it's time." This performance, the last in a run of three that began March 6, showed why.

He could keep up at full voice only in the lower half of his register. In the upper half, he lacked power and breath. He needed assistance walking on and off stage and had to sip from cups of water on the set to keep his throat moist. But the Met knew that coming in. Pavarotti's last performances at the Met that were truly noteworthy for the singing were in Turandot during the 1997-98 season.

But he kept on going, figuring Pavarotti at less than full strength was still better than most. After the performance, during an onstage reception, Pavarotti sat on a chair and greeted members of the company and friends. He held a sore wrist and lumbered slowly when he returned to his dressing room. His face was filled with both satisfaction and resignation. He had come a long way from the first professional performance, aLaBoheme at Reggio Emilia, Italy, on April 29, 1961.

"I have a full life, a full, happy life," he said a day earlier. "And I thank God for this, every morning I thank God. I am a lucky man, a lucky person." presented March31 in Ottawa. Each finalist will receive $2,000, double last year's amount, in the event sponsored by CTVInc. the trust is a national charitable organization supporting writers.

The prize honours Cohen, an outspoken and popular MP from Windsor, Ont, who died in 1998. It is awarded annually to a non-fiction book that exhibits outstanding literary merit and enlarges the understanding of contemporary Canadian political and social issues, the writers trust said in a Dallaire Sher statement released Monday. ti SANDRA SPEROUNES Journal Music Writer EDMONTON Lhasa, one of those artists who can't be summed up in less than three words, will be performing at the Folk Fest Shell be joining the final night of the festival Sunday, Aug. 8. Her latest album, The Living Road, is a mix of Spanish balladry, French chanteuse, jazz and English lyrics.

Calexico, an experimental alt-coun-trymariachi outfit, will return to Edmonton on Friday, June 25, according toPollstar.com The group, led by John Convertino and Joey Burns, will play the Sidetrack Cafe as part of Jazz City. Calexico's new album, Convict Pool, will be released April 6. I Don't care about the Junos? Then checkout Moneen atthe Starlite Room on Sunday, April 4 the same night as the awards. The Canadian emo-punks released the best album of their career, Are We Really Happy With Who We Are Right in 2003 but were ignored by Juno voters. Little Green Riding Hood Adapted by Gamer Butler based on Caperucita Verde by Ernesto Raabe Now Playing March 12 -21 in the West bury Theatre TransIta ASS MjM.

Dallaire book on the short list for political writing honours The Canadian Press OTTAWA Thre books are the running for the Writers'Trust of Canada's Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. The books encompass the horrific genocide in Rwanda, the power of the Hells Angels in Canada's underground economy, and one woman's challenge of the justice system after police negligence left her exposed to a serial rapist The authors are: I Retired Lt-Gen. Romeo Dallaire for Shake Hands with theDevit The Feature of Humanity in Rwanda, published by Random House Canada. I Jane Doe for The Story of Jane Doe, published by Random House Canada I JulianSherandWilliamMarsdenfor The Road to HelL How the Biker Gangs Are Conquering Canada, published by Alfred A. Knopf Canada.

This year's winner will receive $15,000, an increase of $5,000, to be Call 448-9000 for tickets Ti Ai iflr i. rft vt a r-i1hn firm..