'Sopranos' plots a return in March
HOLLYWOOD, July 16 (UPI) -- The top gun at HBO says it looks like "The Sopranos'" fifth season will launch in March.
"It's pretty close to what we think will happen," said Chris Albrecht, chairman and chief executive officer of HBO. "If you had to place bets, I'd put most of my money there," the Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday.
Sopranos creator and writer David Chase was reportedly reluctant to tackle a fifth season, so Albrecht was certain it would be the last.
Earlier this year HBO and series star James Gandolfini, who plays troubled mob boss Tony Soprano, endured contentious contract negotiations that might have scuttled season five. Gandolfini's representatives said he was not being paid fairly compared to other prominent series stars, such as Dennis Franz of NYPD Blue.
The dispute was resolved in March.
Roseanne ventures into reality
HOLLYWOOD, July 16 (UPI) -- Roseanne Barr is back, and the former sitcom star, known for firing writers and tormenting executives promises to be good.
She's also the first to admit that being good isn't easy, the New York Daily News reported Wednesday.
"I'm heavily medicated right now," the newly mellow star told members of the Television Critics Association.
Barr is the latest celebrity to become the subject of a reality show, joining the ranks of notables like Ozzy Osbourne and Anna Nicole Smith.
"The Real Roseanne Show" will air Wednesdays at 9 on ABC, starting Aug. 6. For the past six months, Barr has been trailed by documentary filmmaker R.J. Cutler, best known for the Academy Award-nominated "The War Room," a warts-and-all depiction of the 1992 Clinton presidential campaign.
On "The Real Roseanne Show," Cutler chronicles Barr's efforts to get back into TV with a cooking program described as "a white-trash Martha Stewart" show.
Students targeted in music piracy
CHICAGO, July 16 (UPI) -- The recording industry has subpoenaed records from Loyola University seeking the names of students suspected of pirating music.
University officials said they have complied with the July subpoena from the Recording Industry Association of America and have turned over the names of two students linked to an Internet address listed in the court document. The students, who have not been identified, share a dorm room, school officials told the Chicago Tribune.
"We take these things seriously," said the Rev. Richard Salmi, vice president of student affairs at Loyola.
The subpoena to Loyola is just the latest twist in a long fight waged by the recording industry to protect the work of such artists as Sheryl Crow and Shakira from being pirated off the Internet or local computer networks.
After battling big file-swapping services like Grokster and Kazaa, the industry is now also going after individual users.
Buy.com to launch iTunes PC competition
ALISO VIEJO, Calif., July 16 (UPI) -- The hugely successful Apple iTunes Music Store will soon have competition, with buy.com opening its own music download service next Tuesday.
The San Diego Mercury News reported buy.com will launch a $40 million promotional campaign to hype the new service that seeks to match the success of Apple's iTunes Music Store. The buy.com service will selling individual music tracks without collecting an up-front monthly subscription fee.
The newspaper said the success of the iTunes store, which sold 5 million singles during its first two months, is a turning point in the online music business.
The Mercury News says the Aliso Viejo, Calif.-based buy.com will attempt to sell music downloads to the 97 percent of computer users who don't own a Macintosh and, therefore, can't use the iTunes Music Store.
Apple is said to be working on a Windows version of its music service, but no launch date has been set.
