FUN IN THE SUN OR THE SIMPSONS...WHAT A CHOICE

   Well, I'm back!  After spending ten days in Florida, it's great to get home!  Sure, the weather there was beautiful and I woke up every morning to the sound of the ocean tide rolling in, but here I've got my  family, friends and... school.

   Okay, so maybe it's not so great to get home, but it is nice... Oh, who am I kidding?  I want to go back to the beach and bake in the Florida sun!  I guess that's not really an option though as my freshman year of high school has begun, so I guess I'll just have to settle for "The Simpsons."  Whatta
comparison.  The Simpsons

    Playmates Toys will release a "Simpsons" Treehouse Of Horrors playset in October.  Also coming are Treehouse-themed characters like Ned Flanders as the Devil, Mr. Burns as Dracula, Bart as The Fly, Homer as King Kong, and even a Krusty the Clown doll.

    This season of "The Simpsons" is going to be full of celebrity guest voices.  On the Nov. 5. season premiere, classic rockers The Who lend their voices to the episode. Drew Barrymore will be the voice of Krusty the Clown's daughter on the Nov. 12 episode, which will also feature the voices of Stephen King as himself, and Joe Mantegna as Fat Tony.

   This season will also feature the voices of Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Joshua Jackson, Patrick  McGoohan, Leeza Gibbons, Robby Kreiger (ex-Doors), and Kelsey Grammar returning as the voice of Sideshow Bob. Buffy To Bite Britney?

   TV Guide recently quoted Joss Whedon as saying talks are underway to get Juliet Landau to reprise her role as Drusilla on Buffy, The Vampire Slayer and/or Angel this fall. 

   Britney Spears may be guest staring on an episode of Buffy.  Co-executive producer Marti Noxon was quoted as saying "[Britney Spears is] a friend of Sarah Michelle Gellar's, and she loves the show and wants to do an episode."

  Clare Kramer ("Bring It On, Jersey Girls") has signed on to play a major villain in Buffy next season.  Also, Michelle Trachtenberg was cast as the show's newest character, Dawn.


SABRINA'S SCHOOL CHUM?


    A lot of people have been rumored as being considered for the role of Sabrina's college roommate on the upcoming season of "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch." Some are Soleil Moon Frye, Elisa Donovan and the latest rumor places  Trevor Lissauer on the list. I guess we'll see find out when the new season
starts.


MUSIC VIDEO 'PICKS & PANS'...


BEST - Britney Spears,"Lucky". 

    I love the song first of all, and second of all the video is totally stellar!  In the video, Britney plays two parts, herself and a stuck up actress.  As far as money and fame go, her character has everything, but she's still lonely.  I love it.

WORST - Backstreet Boys, "The One".

    I really like the song, but the video makes me dizzy.  The video does not focus on any one Backstreet Boy for more than two seconds.  The video is just a bunch of concert footage clips.  I prefer a video where you can actually focus your eyes on something.


BBMAK TAKES ON WALL STREET...


       That's correct.  BBMak just recently performed on CNBC's "Power Lunch", the weekday stock market talk show.  They were the first ever group to be broadcast live from Wall Street!
 
   Although their appearance was unannounced, over two-hundred young women still managed to find out about it and turned up to the show's set...complete with signs and screams. 

   Once the cameras started rolling, the guys performed "Back Here" their current top 15 single.

    I'm glad to see that Mark, Ste and Christian are finally getting the kind of attention they deserve.  If you haven't turned on to BBMak yet, pick up their debut album and find out why these cuddly Brits are fast becoming the "it" band.  Ummm..just remember that I was the first journalist in Chicago to
write about them...

   By the way... BBMak's offical fan club address is: BBMak Fan Club,  P.O. Box  22580, London, England, W8 6YR


TEEN CHOICE AWARDS...


    The German boy band First Love attended "The Teen Choice Awards" last month and experienced stepping out of a limo and onto their first red carpet ever.  "It was like magic...a giant red carpet ride!" said member Delane.  "We started walking in and fans came up and swamped us from every side, taking pictures and asking for autographs.  We loved the attention!"

    First Love, who wore custom-made suits designed especially for the occasion, mingled backstage with stars such as Hanson, Enrique Iglesias, 98 degrees, No Doubt, and Mandy Moore.

    "It was really cool the way Britney and 'NSync were just talking like friends right up on stage," said Tobi.  Phil was especially happy to see tennis stars, Venus and Serena Williams win a Special Achievement Award.  "Teens should aspire to be the best they can be as individuals and learn to
be team players too," concluded Phil.


THIS 'N' THAT!


    There is talk that Leonardo DiCaprio will play real-life criminal Frank Abagnale in Dreamworks' new movie, "Catch Me If You Can."  Abagnale was the youngest man to ever make the FBI most wanted list, and later wound up working for the bureau.

     Hoku, pop star daughter of Don Ho who landed on the radio charts this summer with the song "Another Dumb Blonde," is going to guest star as herself on The Disney Channel's new series, "In A Heartbeat."  The episode is expected to  air at the end of October.

    That's all for now.  C-ya next month!