Corgan wants to reunite Smashing Pumpkins
CHICAGO, June 21 (UPI) -- Chicago rocker Billy Corgan took out a full page newspaper advertisement Tuesday to say he wants to put the Smashing Pumpkins back together.
"For a year now I have walked around with a secret, a secret I chose to keep," Corgan said in the Chicago Tribune ad. "But now I want you to be among the first to know that I have made plans to renew and revive The Smashing Pumpkins.
"I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams," Corgan said in the ad that also promotes his first solo album, "TheFutureEmbrace."
The band, which formed in 1991, split up in 2000 - a breakup Corgan previously blamed on guitarist James Iha.
Angelina Jolie: 'I always fall in love'
HOLLYWOOD, June 21 (UPI) -- Actress Angelina Jolie says she fell in love with Brad Pitt while they filmed "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" but denies she stole Pitt from actress Jennifer Aniston.
"I have always developed deep ties with actors who have played alongside me," Jolie told World Entertainment News Network. "I always fall in love."
Jolie said grueling gun-training sessions for the movie about married assassins brought her close to Pitt.
"If you're armed, you need to trust that person. We developed a good understanding," Jolie said.
The actress, however, denied she stole Pitt from Aniston, who split with Pitt in January and filed for divorce in March.
Summer U.S. box office worst since 2001
HOLLYWOOD, June 21 (UPI) -- The summer movie season in the United States has registered its worst start since 2001 with box office revenue of $1.34 billion after seven weeks.
Last year's numbers were skewed by the hugely popular "Passion of Christ" and its $371 million take at the box office, Variety reported Tuesday.
Last year also had six pictures that grossed more than $100 million while 2005 looks to have five that take in that much -- "Star Wars," "Madagascar," "The Longest Yard," "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and "Batman Begins."
Receipts since the first week of May -- seven weekends into the most lucrative box office season -- stand at $1.34 billion. That's the weakest summer start since 2001.
The $120 million gap between year-to-date totals for 2004 and 2005 demonstrates the hit-and-miss nature of the movie industry, the entertainment industry publication reported.
Clapton completes journey in 'Back Home'
NEW YORK, June 21 (UPI) -- Rock veteran Eric Clapton says "Back Home," his first album of original material since 2001, completes his journey as an itinerant musician.
The 12-song album, scheduled for release Aug. 30, includes longtime collaborator Simon Climie and guests such as Steve Winwood and John Mayer.
The songs were recorded at the same time as the 2004 "Me & Mr. Johnson" covers of Robert Johnson tunes.
"When we got stuck or if it wasn't moving fast enough we'd stop and do a Robert Johnson song," Clapton told Billboard magazine. "That would clear the air and we'd go back and carry on for the new album. As a result, we ended up with a complete Robert Johnson album first."
"'Back Home' completes that cycle in terms of talking about my whole journey as an itinerant musician and where I find myself now, starting a new family," Clapton said.
France kicks off musical fete
PARIS, June 21 (UPI) -- France kicked off summer Tuesday with musical festivities now being replicated worldwide.
Musicians and wannabe musicians were out serenading audiences across the country, marking the 24th annual "Fete de la Musique."
Founded in the early 1980s in France, the "fete" -- or celebration -- is being replicated in some 100 cities scattered across five continents.
Some 5 million French are musicians, Le Figaro reports, although many are amateurs.
And France's love of music appears to be growing. Today, roughly 800,000 students are enrolled in music schools and 10 million French students are enrolled in music classes at school.
