“M:I-2’s” Plot Line Remains Classified

Why all the mystery surrounding “Mission: Impossible 2”? Ask the publicity staff at Paramount Pictures a simple question like, “What is the movie about?” and they speak in awkward generalities. “Obviously, there is a threat of gigantic proportions that Ethan Hunt [Tom Cruise] needs to solve, uh, to throw himself into,” a studio publicist said last week. “Thandie Newton plays a romantic interest. There are things along the way . . . everything is a clue.” Come again? Even the published press notes dance around the story line. “We are vague about that because we don’t want to spoil it for anybody,” the publicist explains. Could it be that Paramount and Cruise are still stinging from criticism that their 1996 film, “Mission: Impossible,” directed by Brian DePalma, had a plot so dense that it defied explanation? Those who have seen advanced screenings of “M:I-2” say that this plot is fairly straightforward: Cruise and his team are out to prevent bad guys from unleashing a deadly virus on the world. The film, which opens Wednesday, is expected to be one of this summer’s bigger box office draws, because it teams mega-star Cruise, in his first big action role since the first “Mission: Impossible,” with Hong Kong-trained action director John Woo. The look of the movie is vintage Woo. A consummate stylist, Woo has had a dramatic impact on Hollywood and younger directors. “He makes action look almost like ballet,” said Paul Dergarabedian, president of the box office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations Inc. “A guy holds a gun in each hand or two guys are pointing guns at each other at very close range--that is John Woo’s signature.” He has also found box office success in Hollywood. “Hard Target,” starring Jean-Claude Van Damme, grossed only $32.6 million in 1993, but three years later he followed it up with John Travolta and Christian Slater in “Broken Arrow” ($70.8 million), and then with Travolta and Nicolas Cage in 1997’s “Face/Off” ($112.3 million).

Matchbox 20 Plays to Internet Fans

Watch this week for Matchbox 20 to make some minor music history with its new album--and it has nothing to do with the music. That’s because the disc, “Mad Season by Matchbox 20,” arriving in stores Tuesday from Time Warner’s Atlantic Records, will be the first album to bundle its music with two of America Online’s Internet music players, Spinner and WinAmp. It’s now common to see computer programs tucked in with CD songs, but “Mad Season” is different for two reasons: It marks the first music industry synergy between the merging AOL and Time Warner, and it may preview music marketing in the looming Internet Age. The deal has America Online hyping “Mad Season” on its site--potentially viewed by the service’s 22 million subscribers--while fans using the CD software can view singer Rob Thomas and company in a concert video and tap into the band’s online “channel.” “It gives the fan a way to interact with Matchbox 20 the way kids used to do with fan clubs, but at a whole new level,” says the band’s manager, Michael Lippman. “This deal is a first of its kind . . . but the future of this business, or a good portion of it, is the Internet.” The industry hope too is that offering fans cool extras (such as the customized WinAmp player on the CD featuring a Matchbox 20 “skin,” which alters the entire look of the player) will keep them buying CDs instead of fishing for free downloadable music on rogue Web sites such as Napster. “They’re looking at 57% of college students saying they use Napster at least once a week,” says Joanne Marino, chief executive officer and editor of Webnoize, an Internet news and research firm. “The approach with Matchbox 20 is going to be very prevalent down the road because one way to find a customer base is to give them added value, something they are willing to pay extra for--or just pay at all.” Marino also says AOL’s subscription-based success story may serve as a model for the music business future, with fans possibly paying fees to “subscribe” to an act’s newest work or music archive. ‘

Michael J. Fox Will Leave ‘City’ in Style

When ABC unveiled its fall programming to advertisers in New York last week, one of the biggest rounds of applause came for one of the network’s older shows, and for an actor who was not even present. The ovation followed a montage tribute to Michael J. Fox, the star of “Spin City” who will leave the series Wednesday in one of the most highly publicized events of the May ratings sweeps. Fox, who has Parkinson’s disease, wants to spend more time with his family and on programs to find a cure for the disease. This is not be the first time Fox has been involved with an emotional TV farewell. When “Family Ties,” the comedy that made him a star, ended in 1989 after a seven-year run, Fox was the focus of the finale, in which he shared a tearfully comedic scene with each member of the cast. Michael Gross, who played his father on “Family Ties,” will be featured in the “Spin City” season finale. Charlie Sheen has been signed to replace Fox on the series next season, but Fox still plans to make occasional appearances and may even direct a few episodes. For several weeks, ABC has been airing promos for the finale calling Fox one of television’s biggest stars, and featuring his co-stars expressing their affection for him.

The one-hour episode, which starts at 9 p.m., is facing formidable competition, including the season finale of “Law & Order” on NBC.

--Compiled by Times Staff Writers