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Networks rally stars 'round flag
WASHINGTON (Variety) - The Hollywood war effort rumbled forward on Monday, with the six networks all committing to make their own public service announcements (PSAs) featuring a parade of stars rallying behind U.S. troops.

Hobbit looms large in Jackson's lavish spectacle
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Fantasy, color, PG-13, 2:58)

Newcomers make their mark at hip-hop showcase
Women for Hip Hop & Soul (House of Blues; 1,000 capacity; $27.50)

Incubus in triumphant homecoming
Incubus (Universal Amphitheatre; 6,191 capacity; $25 top)

Lane to star in Jackie Gleason pic
NEW YORK (Variety) - Hummina, hummina, hummina.

Squeeze's Tilbrook proudly revisits his past
Glenn Tilbrook (Largo; 135 capacity; $15)

Jackie Chan rides again in ''Highbinders''
LONDON (Variety) - Columbia Pictures has acquired worldwide rights, excluding Asia and France, to the Jackie Chan picture ``Highbinders,'' the most expensive film produced in Hong Kong.

FEATURE-Niche pix hit Yule hitch
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Specialty distributors, which look to the holiday season with visions of kudos dancing in their heads, may find the going a little tricky this year.

UPDATE 1-Decisive week for media biz in D.C.
WASHINGTON (Variety) - The media business is paying rapt attention to Washington this week, where ownership rules and the fate of future consolidation are playing out in major venues from the Supreme Court and Capitol Hill to the Federal Communications Commission.

Eels preview new material at Roxy
Eels (Roxy; 449 capacity; $16.50)

Reuters/Variety Entertainment Reviews -- December 4
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Reuters/Variety Entertainment Report Reviews for December 4.

Daily Variety's Front Page: December 4
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Daily Variety's front page -- December 4.

Comic turns Green with pic deal
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Canadian comic Tom Green has launched his own production company, Bob Green Films, which is developing several film and TV projects.

Sundance to fete Del Toro
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Benicio Del Toro, who won an Academy Award this year for his supporting role in ``Traffic,'' will be honored at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City next month.

Showbiz people briefs
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Kevin Spacey and Drew Barrymore received Star of the Year honors Sunday at the 61st annual Golden Apple Awards luncheon, hosted by the Hollywood Women's Press Club.

Disney plans April ''Trouble''
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Disney's suitcase bomb comedy ``Big Trouble,'' which was pulled from its Sept. 21 slot in the wake of the attacks earlier that month, will be released unchanged on April 5, the studio said Monday.

The Dictators still rule
The Dictators (Bowery Ballroom, New York; 500 capacity; $20)

John Waters to host indie film awards
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Director John Waters will return as master of ceremonies for the IFP/West Independent Spirit Awards, which will be presented March 23 under a tent on Santa Monica beach.

HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Two movies airing outside the clutter of...
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Two movies airing outside the clutter of sweeps -- ABC's ``Brian's Song'' and CBS' ``Jack & the Beanstalk: The Real Story'' -- delivered strong ratings Sunday.

Web researcher Webnoize muted
NEW YORK (Variety) - Webnoize, a Cambridge, Mass.-based media and entertainment research firm that rose to prominence as a sage of the booming Net economy, has fallen victim to that industry's bust.

PARIS (Variety) - Jean-Pierre Jeunet's hit comedy ''Amelie,'' Cannes' most...
PARIS (Variety) - Jean-Pierre Jeunet's hit comedy ``Amelie,'' Cannes' most notable absentee this year and France's official contender for the foreign-language Oscar, was eliminated Monday from a shortlist of movies for a prestigious French critics prize.

''Harry Potter'' beats ''Titanic'' in weekend grosses
SYDNEY (Variety) - Sorry, James Cameron, let's proclaim ``Harry Potter'' as the new king of the world -- at least by one yardstick.

Jim Carrey weighing heavily on ''Mind''
NEW YORK (Variety) - Jim Carrey is in early talks to star in ``Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,'' a picture written by Charlie Kaufman, the quirky brains behind ``Being John Malkovich.''

Nothing merry about ''Widow'' opera
The Merry Widow (Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, L.A. Music Center; 3,098 seats; $165 top)

Wilson, Bello join Crane pic ''Autofocus''
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Rita Wilson and Maria Bello will play the long suffering wives of Bob Crane in ``Autofocus,'' a biopic about the twisted and tragic life of the late ``Hogan's Heroes'' star.

Inside Daily Variety: December 4
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Inside Daily Variety Highlights -- December 4.

Vivendi Universal cuts staff in Net revamp
NEW YORK (Variety) - Vivendi Universal is trimming about 130 jobs, or 20% of total staff, from its Internet music properties as part of a restructuring that will put the company's U.S.-based online assets under one roof at a new unit, Vivendi Universal Net USA.

Rob Nelson yakker set for Fox TV
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Former Fox News Channel personality Rob Nelson is getting his own syndicated talk show on Fox Broadcasting stations next fall.

Western pic helmer Boetticher, 85, dies
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Budd Boetticher, director of a series of celebrated '50s Westerns starring Randolph Scott, died Nov. 29 at his home in Ramona, Calif., after a battle with cancer. He was 85.

E! will give ''Eleven'' an ocean of publicity
NEW YORK (Variety) - The five days of blanket primetime coverage E! Entertainment TV is spreading over ``Ocean's Eleven'' this week represents the model for a shift in the network's programming blueprint.

Audiences march to NBC paradecast
NEW YORK (Variety) - Turkey Day served up tasty ratings for NBC.

Latino, U.S. pix screen at Havana Film Fest
MIAMI (Variety) - The 23rd annual Havana Intl. Film Fest of New Latin American Cinema, featuring pictures from Latin America and Spain, unspools Dec 3-13 in the Cuban capital.

''Harry's'' quick dip cools hopes for a record
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - After a sizable 58% box office slip this weekend, it appears even a boy wizard has his limitations. The bigger question remains: How high can ``Harry'' fly?

Inside Daily Variety: December 3
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Inside Daily Variety Highlights -- December 3.

''Port Charles'' remains open at ABC
NEW YORK (Variety) - ``Port Charles,'' the ABC soap spun off from ``General Hospital'' four years ago, will air on the network for at least two more years, the network said Friday.

Sci Fi sets 2nd ''Dune'' mini to film in Prague
PRAGUE (Variety) - The sequel to the first ``Dune'' miniseries, which aired on the Sci Fi Channel last December, is scheduled to begin shooting next April in Prague.

Showbiz people briefs
NEW YORK (Variety) - Matt Williams is aboard to direct ``Cheaper by the Dozen,'' the 20th Century Fox remake of the 1950 comedy about an efficiency expert who tries to bring his work home to manage his 12 children.

''Talk or Walk,'' ''Power of Attorney'' canceled
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Rookie talk show ``Talk or Walk,'' and sophomore legal series ``Power of Attorney'' were canceled Friday, the first syndication casualties of the TV season.

''Harry'' harvests $153 million overseas
SYDNEY (Variety) - Another weekend, another bonanza for ``Harry Potter'' at the international box office.

Imax in gear for pic on NASCAR racing
NEW YORK (Variety) - Imax has closed a deal with the NASCAR racing circuit to collaborate on a film that will seek to capture in the large-screen format the experience of driving 190 mph in what has become one of the country's fastest-growing sports.

Bloom booked for ''Book''
MONTREAL (Variety) - Veteran British actress Claire Bloom has been tapped to star in ``Book of Eve,'' a drama based on the 1973 novel by Montreal author Constance Beresford Howe.

HBO sticks with ''Arliss''
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - HBO, which last month ordered scripts for a new season of ``Arliss,'' has officially picked up a 10-episode seventh season of the show.

Reuters/Variety Entertainment Reviews -- December 3
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Reuters/Variety Entertainment Report Reviews for December 3.

Good ''Guys''
Knockaround Guys (Crime drama, color, R, 1:33)

Latest Hollywood script deals
NEW YORK (Variety) - Castle Rock has purchased the psychological thriller pitch ``Untraceable'' as a starring vehicle for Ashley Judd.

UPDATE 1-Soldiers shave ''Harry'' legs
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - ``Harry'' bruised its box office legs with a big 58% drop in its third weekend to an estimated $24.1 million.

''Texas Rangers'' misfires
Texas Rangers (Western, color, PG-13, 1:30)

Daily Variety's Front Page: December 3
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Daily Variety's front page -- December 3.