Journal Gazette from Mattoon, Illinois • Page 35

1 ENTERTAINMENT 'Elvis' comes to life in four-hour TV movie LOS ANGELES (AP) When Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers was asked to play American icon Elvis Presley, his first instinct was to reject the role. 'American Masters takes a look at James Dean Highlights (and lowiights) for May 8-14 television "In my head I was saying, 'No, no, because I wasn't quite sure; first, about playing rock'n'roll stars and second, somebody who's so well known to everybody," Rhys Meyers told The Associated Press. "Then I thought to myself, 'Really, how often do you get to be a king? Wouldn't it be just a little bit of fun to be the king of rock'n'roll for eight The result: "Elvis," a four- hour movie airing over two nights on CBS, 9-11 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 8, and 8-10 p.m. Wednesday, May 11.

The cast Meyers suggests, "slightly dangerous and a little bit overtly sexual but still a very pleasant Southern boy who says, 'Yes, 'No, The film depicts Presley's rise, his personal and professional relationships and the start of a pill addiction that some have linked to his 1977 death at age 42 (heart disease was the coroner's official finding). Singing wasn't an issue for Rhys Meyers: the Presley estate allowed access to master recordings for such classics as "Heartbreak Hotel" and "Don't Be Cruel." But there was that foreign accent, apparently not a serious challenge. During a phone interview from New Orleans, where most of the film was shot, he dropped easily into a Southern drawl and, later, a comic impression of Woody Allen. (He's in Allen's next film, "Match An admitted practical joker and a vivid storyteller, he described meeting a social-climber who looked "like he'd walked off a Brooks Brothers poster with the most wonderful set of Gucci teeth." Rhys Meyers claims a desire to star in a big action film mainly for my twisted little ego," he said, cheerfully), but up next is "A Playwright," in which he plays Shakespeare contemporary Christopher Marlowe. "I've been studying Marlowe for a few years.

He's another dangerous boy." "You can relate to that, and having dreams. Having dreams and being successful at what you do and the pressures of that, the loneliness of it." He gained insight into Presley's style and personality from studying his music and moviesand talking to those who knew him. He sought to evoke but not mimic him. "I didn't try to do an Elvis impersonation because there are so many better ones than ma People making a living out of being Elvis Presley." Rhys Meyers also shares with Presley the sort of dramatic good looks including a full, pout-ready mouth that make him a convincing young Elvis. (The movie fol- lows the singer's life from age 18 to 33.) Then there's the actor's bad-boy screen quality, useful when he's playing a man who shook the innocence out of pop music with his sexually charged stage performances.

Although Rhys Meyers softened his image with the soccer romance "Bend It Like Beckham," he's played an assortment of dark and difficult characters in films including "Vanity Fair" and TV's "The Magnificent Ambersons." "People's perception of me was that I was quite a feral character and there was something quite dangerous about me," the actor said. "Then I did 'Beckham' and people said, "Oh, he's actually a sweet boy, too." Presley is a hybrid, Rhys mcludes Camryn Manheun as Presley's mother; Randy Quaid as his manager Colonel Tom Parker and Rose McGowan as actress Ann-Margret. In a mini-Elvis festival timed to the May ratings sweep, CBS also is airing Elvis by the Presleys" (8-10 p.m. EDT Friday, May 13), a special including interviews with Priscilla and Lisa Marie Associated Press Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers portrays Elvis Presley during a performance wearing Elvis' famous gold suit In "Elvis," a four-hour CBS movie airing over two nights, Sunday and Wednesday. Presley and others.

(The marketing bonanza doesn't stop there: a two-CD set and a book, both also titled "Elvis by the Presleys," is out in May.) Rhys Meyers, 27, isn't the first offshore actor to nab the part of a famous American. Other recent TV examples include Kenneth Branagh as Franklin D. Roosevelt in a new HBO film and Jeremy Northam as Dean Martin in a 2002 made-for-TV movie. In this case, Rhys Meyers notes, there are certain parallels between his own life and Presley's. "I was brought up a poor boy from southern Ireland.

He was brought up a poor boy from the south of America," he said. "There's not that much of a difference in being poor TOP AUDIO By FRA2ER MOORE AP Television Writer Shows to look out for: Fewer than 55,000 Americans currently receive treatment in psychiatric hospitals. Meanwhile, almost 10 times that number nearly a half-million mentally ill are serving time in U.S. jails and prisons. As sheriffs and prison wardens become the unexpected and often ill-equipped psychiatric caretakers in a system designed for, security, not treatment, the question arises: Have America's prisons become its new asylums? To find out, PBS' Frontline" goes inside Ohio's state prison system with unprecedented access to prison therapy sessions, mental health treatment meetings, crisis wards and prison disciplinary tribunals.

"The New Asylums" airs at 8 p.m. Tuesday (check local listings). "American Masters" begins its 19th season with the legendary James Dean, whose brief but dazzling career ended with his death at 24 a half-century ago. Evocative of the 1950s era of beatniks, hotrods and a new acting style that Dean helped create, "James Dean: Sense Memories" traces the brief period between the shooting of "East of Eden then "Rebel Without a Cause," and the completion of "Giant," his third and final film. It airs at 8 p.m.

Wednesday on PBS (check local listings). Before this century is over, unmanned space probes equipped with artificial intelligence will be dispatched to search for life on planets beyond our solar system. But what will happen when they find it? "Alien Planet" takes viewers on a virtual mission of the future a trip to a fictional planet known as Darwin 4, a developed ecosystem teeming with diversity of life of all sizes. This two-hour computer-animated special features world-renowned scientists including Stephen W. Hawking, Michio Kaku and J.

Craig Venter, plus "Star Wars" filmmaker George Lucas. They discuss the possibilities of alien life and drawing on the laws of evolution and physics deconstruct the creatures awaiting us on Darwin 4. "Alien Planet" airs at 7 p.m. Saturday on Discovery Channel. Usually, Tracey Ullman portrays other people's stories lots of other people.

But now this chameleonic comic tells her own tale in the autobiographical special "Tracey Ullman Live Exposed." In this performance, taped before an audience at the Henry Ford Theatre in Los Angeles, Ullman covers her life from a lonely childhood in Britain to international stardom. Along the way, she invokes some of her most familiar characters and explains how she came up with them, including Long Island matron Fern Rosenthal, hard-luck actress Linda Granger and gay flight attendant Trevor Ayliss. The special airs at 8:30 p.m Saturday on HBO. 8. "Songs About Me," Trace Adkins.

Capitol. 9. "Making Memories of Us," Keith Urban. Capitol. 10.

"Gone," Montgomery Gentry. Columbia. Top country albums (Compiled from a national sample of sales reports collected, compiled and provided by SoundScan) 1. "Delicious Surprise," Jo Dee Messina. Curb.

2. "The Right to Bare Arms," Larry the Cable Guy. 3. "Be Here," Keith Urban. Capitol.

(Platinum) 4. "Feels Like Today," Rascal Flatts. Lyric Street. (Platinum) 5. "Times Like These," Buddy Jewell.

-Columbia. 6. "Here for the Party," Gretchen Wilson. Epic (Nashville). (Platinum) 7.

"Twice the Speed of Life," Sugar-land. Mercury. 8. "When the Sun Goes Down," Kenny Chesney. BNA.

(Platinum) 9. "Totally Country Vol. 4," Various Artists. Sony BMGWEAUniversalRLG. (Gold) 10.

"Be As You Are: Songs From an Old Blue Chair," Kenny Chesney. BNA. (Platinum) Jones. Swishahouse. 9.

"DDivo," II Divo. SYCO. 10. "LovaAngel.Music.Baby," Gwen Stefani. Interscope.

(Platinum) 11. "Hot Fuss," The Killers. Island. (Platinum). 12.

"American Idiot," Green Day. Reprise. (Platinum) 13. "Songs for Silverman," Ben Folds. Epic.

14. "Breakaway," Kelly Clarkson. RCA. (Platinum) 15. "Goodies," Ciara.

Sho'nuff-MusicLine. (Platinum) Hot country songs (Compiled from a national sample of monitored country radio by Broadcast Data Systems) 1. "My Give a Damn's Busted," Jo Dee Messina. Curb. 2.

"Homewrecker," Gretchen Wilson. Epic. 3. "That's What I Love About Sunday," Craig Morgan. Broken Bow.

4. "It's Getting Better All the Time," Brooks Dunn. Arista Nashville. 5. "If Heaven," Andy Griggs.

RCA. 6. "Anything But Mine," Kenny Chesney. BNA. 7.

"What's a Guy Gotta Do," Joe Nichols. Universal South. Melisma. 10. "Slow Down," Bobby Valentino.

DTP. 11. "Obsession (No Es Amor)," Frankie (feat. Baby Bash)," Columbia. 12.

"1 Thing," Amerie. Rise. 13. "Mr. Brightside," The Killers.

Island. (Gold) 14. "Speed of Sound," Coldplay. Capitol. 15.

"Boulevard of Broken Dreams," Green Day. Reprise. (Gold) Top albums (Compiled from a national sample of sales reports collected, compiled and provided by SoundScan) 1. "Devils Dust," Bruce Springsteen. Columbia.

2. "The Emancipation of Mimi," Mariah Carey. Island. 3. "Disturbing tha Peace Presents Bobby Valentino," Bobby Valentino.

DTP. 4. to Be," Rob Thomas. Melisma. 5.

"Touch," Ameria Columbia. 6. "The Massacre," 50 Cent. Shady. (Platinum) 7.

"Delicious Surprise," Jo Dee Messina. Curb. 8. "Who Is Mike Jones?" Mike By The Associated Press Weekly charts for the nation's best-selling recorded music as they appear in next week's issue of Billboard magazine. Reprinted with permission.

(Platinum signifies more than 1 million copies sold; Gold signifies more than 500,000 copies Top singles (Compiled from a national sample of sales reports collected, compiled and provided by SoundScan; radio playlists; and monitored radio by Broadcast Data Systems) 1. "Hollaback Girl," Gwen Stefani. Interscope. 2. "Hate It or Love It," The Game (feat.

50 Cent). Aftermath. 3. "Oh," Ciara (feat. Ludacris).

Sho'nuff-MusicLine. 4. "Lonely," Akon. SRC. 5.

"Just a Lil Bit," 50 Cent. Shady. 6. "Candy Shop," 50 Cent (feat. Olivia).

Shady. (Gold certified sales of more than 500,000) 7. "We Belong Together," Mariah Carey. Island. 8.

"Since You Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson. RCA. (Platinum certified sales of 1 million units) 9. "Lonely No More," Rob Thomas. MQNL AY LUNCH PI Mother testifies for defense at Jackson trial; she says Neverland estate a happy place BBQ Rib FF Slaw $4.99 TUESDAY LUNCH Spaghetti wMeat Sauce Luncheon Salad Bread Sticks $3.99 TUESDAY 4pm A-U-C-E Spaghetti wMeat Sauce Dinner Salad Bread Sticks $5.99 El W3S in 5 il 7 1 (sum (Kfosto lhopipsrail NOW HEAR THIS Low Interest By The Associated Press Financing SANTA MARIA, Calif.

(AP) A woman whose son repeatedly slept in Michael Jackson's bed at his Neverland ranch testified Friday that she thought of the estate as "the happiest place on Earth" and she never saw anything inappropriate happen there "When you are at Neverland you forget all your problems," said Joy Robson, whose 22-year-old son, Wade, testified Thursday as the defense phase of the trial got under way. Jackson defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. asked what the Robson family did on visits to Neverland. The witness said they watched movies and, in par-ticular, she liked the chimpanzees in Jackson's zoo. The Robsons were among witnesses that Jackson's defense is calling to counter a part of the prosecution case that was intended to show that Jackson has a history of inappropriate behavior with boys.

Wade Robson had testified Thursday that Jackson never molested him and directly contradicted a prosecution witness' account that he and Jackson once showered together. On cross-examination, District Attorney Tom Sneddon questioned the mother Friday about whether she thought Jackson would help her son, who is now a dancer and film director, succeed in show business. son never molested him, "What you're really telling us is that nothing happened when you were awaka" A former Jackson maid, the mother of a boy who got a multimillion-dollar settlement from Jackson in the 1990s after accusing the star of molestation, testified previously that she once saw Jackson showering with Robson. Robson said he had never showered with the singer. The prosecution rested Wednesday after calling more than 80 witnesses in an attempt to prove Jackson fondled a 13-year-old cancer survivor in 2003 and conspired to detain him and his family so they would rebut a damaging documentary by Martin Bashir in which Jackson said he let children sleep in his bed.

The second defense witness, Brett Barnes, said that as a youth he stayed with Jackson at least 10 times. Asked if he had ever been touched inappropriately, Barnes said, "Never. I wouldn't stand for it." While cross-exaniining Robson, Zonen approached the witness stand carrying two books taken from Jackson's home, one showing nude boys and the other showing men in sexual acts. Robson said he did not consider the book about boys to be pornographic, but he appeared to be taken aback when shown the book depicting men in sex acts. "Did you in your mind think that by having a connection and a friendship with Mr.

Jackson that that could help promote your son's career?" Sneddon asked. "You're trying to make me say that that was the basis for our friendship and that's not true," she said. Prosecutors objected to the answer as non-responsive and Judge Rodney S. Melville sustained the objection. Defense attorneys opened their case Thursday after the judge rejected a motion seeking outright acquittal on grounds that the prosecution had failed to prove its allegations.

Such motions are common and are rarely successful. Wade Robson said he has known Jackson since age 5 and stayed at Neverland more than 20 times. He slept in Jackson's bedroom on all but three or four of those visits, he said. Robson said his overnight visits involved talking, watching movies, playing video games, and occasional pillow fights. But he said Jackson never touched him in a sexual way.

"I'm telling you nothing happened," the witness said. Asked if something might have happened while he was asleep, Robson said, "I think something like that would wake me up." In cross-examination, prosecutor Ron Zonen suggested that when Robson said Jack Landscape Lighting "It's as if my character on 'The Daily Show' got promoted. Stephen Colbert, who will star each night in "The Colbert Report," likely to start in September on Comedy llimpjj. mmmmm. II IB I .11.1.1, mm jj i i 1 Free Home Demonstration Lifetime Warranty Central.

'At first it was kind of hard to watch it because it seems like it was just yesterday it's kind of odd not to see myself with if Diana DeGarmo, last season's "American Idol" runner-up, who has kept up with the Fox program this season. "I'm kinda bummed Landscaping I I Lawn ServlMt because I thought 1 had a shot ,217 234-3007 at being named Pope but. this is cool, too. Jimmy Fallon, who will host the 2005 MTV Movie Awards. i 1.