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It's that time of year again when Simpsons' guru Matt Groening and his team pull out all the stops for the show's annual Halloween episode. Staying true to tradition, this year's Treehouse of Horror XIII will feature three separate stories. In the first story, Homer creates clones of himself to do the housework, but one of them lops the head off of Ned Flanders by accident. In the second story Billy the Kid comes back to life to campaign for gun control in an attempt to take over the town. Finally, the third story has Homer discovering The Island of Dr. Hibbert, complete with a half-human, half-animal species. Treehouse of Horror XIII airs Nov. 3 on Fox.
Celebs
Film producer Sidney Pink, considered the father of the feature-length 3-D movie by many, died Saturday at his home in Pompano Beach, Fla., at the age of 86, The Associated Press reports. Pink produced more than 50 films including the 3-D film Bwana Devil, about British railway workers in Kenya who fall prey to two man-eating lions.
Movies
Iranian film director Bahman Qobadi, whose film Marooned in Iraq won the Chicago International Film Festival's Gold Plaque, did not accept the prize to protest the U.S. government's decision not to issue him a visa to collect the award. Qobadi told Reuters Wednesday that art should be respected and not influenced by politics. Earlier this month Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami also failed to obtain a visa to attend the New York Film Festival. Washington has labeled the country as part of an "axis of evil," making it harder for Iranians to obtain visas.
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The WB will pick up a new version of MacGyver produced by Paramount Network Television. The show, according to Variety, will focus on MacGyver's nephew and feature a brand-new cast of characters. The show is set to premiere in 2003.Caroline Rhea, host of The Caroline Rhea Show, is asking viewers to help plan her wedding. Through an interactive news segments, Rhea asks viewers questions such as what color her dress should be, what kind of cake she should serve. Viewers can log on to the show's Web site to vote, and results will be announced the following day.Music
British rock band Muse has won the battle of the names with Celine Dion. Muse had threatened to take legal action against the Canadian singer if she used the word "Muse" to title her three-year, 600-show Las Vegas engagement that starts next March. Dion's publicist Francine Chaloult told Jam! Showbiz that "Muse" was just one of 30 titles considered for the Vegas show but had not been selected as the one they're going with.Simon Fuller's 19 Recordings Limited has signed American Idol finalist Tamyra Gray. Billboard.com reports the label is expected to release Gray's debut single in December, with a full album due next year, before the second season of American Idol. Alternative country musician Ryan Adams is finding out it sucks to have a name similar to '80s rocker Bryan Adams. When an audience member jokingly yelled out a request for the Bryan Adams hit, "Summer of '69" at a recent Ryan Adams concert in Nashville, Tenn., the irate singer swore, ordered the house lights on, paid the concertgoer $30 as a refund for the show and ordered him to leave. But the manager for Ryman Auditorium apologized to the fan on his way out and let him back in--$30 richer.