‘A.I.’: Let the Controversy Begin

It has been described by those who’ve seen it as beguiling, weird and sometimes downright horrific, but no matter what one thinks of Steven Spielberg’s new film, “A.I.,” it is likely to be debated in film schools and scholarly magazines for years to come. Spielberg intends the film to be a lasting tribute to the late Stanley Kubrick, who developed the sci-fi story amid much secrecy before his death in 1999. In the opening credits, the film pays homage to the late director by calling it “an Amblin/Stanley Kubrick Production.” The film, which opens Friday, stars Haley Joel Osment (“The Sixth Sense”) as a robotic boy, the first programmed to love, who is adopted as a test case by humans. Without final acceptance by humans or machines, he embarks on a journey to discover where he truly belongs. The film also features Jude Law, Frances O’Connor, Brendan Gleeson and William Hurt. For weeks, Warner Bros. and DreamWorks have been dribbling out bits and pieces of the movie in cryptic TV spots. Even though commercials might give the impression that this is a movie along the lines of Spielberg’s “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” advance media screenings dispelled the idea as word spread that this movie is inappropriate for young children. The Hollywood trade publication Variety noted in its review that the movie is “gruesome and scary enough to make ‘A.I.’ the source of bad dreams for children.”

Eminem’s Shades of ‘Purple’

Listen to the radio and you find out that Eminem and his buddies in rap group D12 find their thrill on “Purple Hills”--but buy their album “Devil’s Night” and the title of the trippy rap track changes to “Purple Pills,” a far more blatant tip-off to its drug-laced imagery.

“Devil’s Night” looks like a sure bet to debut at No. 1 on this week’s pop charts, and it’s hardly surprising that Interscope Records chose a drug song for the first single--Eminem’s role as poster boy for controversy can only enhance sales. But why change the title if it’s not a profanity?

Changing a touchy title is rare but not unheard of. Last year, for instance, Mystikal had one of the biggest radio hits of the year with “Shake It Fast,” a sanitized version of a song title that began with “Shake Ya” and ended with a slang for one’s rear end. The practice may become more common as content issues swirl around the music world.

The new-look leadership at the FCC jolted the radio industry last month by fining a Colorado station for playing a “clean” version of Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” because, despite the edited profanities, it made “unmistakable offensive sexual references.”

A Maryland mother also filed a lawsuit this month against Atlantic Records for leaving coarse language in a Trick Daddy album that had been edited to avoid a parental advisory sticker.

“There’s no question that increased scrutiny reduces the playing of controversial songs--people get nervous and the airplay decreases,” says Jeff Pollack, a programming consultant for stations across the country.

All the Southland’s a Stage for Bard

Summer has officially arrived, and that means it’s time again for Shakespeare to make a grand entrance on area stages.

Shakespeare Orange County kicks off its season Thursday with “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark” at the Waltmar Theatre at Chapman University in Orange.

Shakespeare by the Sea in San Pedro will present an outdoor production of “As You Like It” at Point Fermin Park. Back indoors, the Sacred Fools Theater begins “The Comedy of Errors” Thursday in Hollywood. Theatergoers will journey to a mythical coastal Brazilian island during present-day Carnaval in this retelling of the comedy of mistaken identities.

In Thousand Oaks, the Kingsmen Shakespeare Festival opens its fifth season Friday on the grounds of California Lutheran University with “Hamlet.” Also outdoors, Shakespeare Festival/LA marks its 17th season, weighing in Friday with “Much Ado About Nothing” at Burton Chace Park in Marina del Rey. And in San Diego on July 7, the Globe Theatres will present “Twelfth Night,” marking the return of Tony-nominated director Jack O’Brien.

The shows join a host of other local Bard productions, including “Much Ado About Nothing” at the Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga, “Henry the Fourth, Part Two” at Knightsbridge Theatre Pasadena and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” the Loud*R*Mouth Theatre Company’s production at Edison Theater in Long Beach.