Read it!

McQueen
Christopher Sandford
Harper Collins, $19.95
Intense, troubled, tormented and ultra-cool. Hollywood tough guy Steve McQueen was all those things and more, as you'll discover in Christopher Sandford's tell-all biography. From his childhood of abuse and isolation, to the raw skill he exhibited at the Actor's Studio, to his problems with drugs and volatile relationships with the women in his life, the reader gets strong insight into what made McQueen tick. The author details McQueen's landmark films including The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, The Thomas Crown Affair and Bullitt, revealing the courage behind the star who insisted on performing his own stunts whenever possible. Sandford chronicles McQueen's agonizing illness and eventual death of cancer at age 50. There are 12 pages of black and white photos, including a look at a poster for the 1958 horror/sci-fi flick The Blob (his first starring role). McQueen took a flat fee of $3,000 U.S. for the film, instead of ten per cent of the gross, as offered. The movie went on to make close to $20 million U.S.



Taste it!

Sprite Ice
Quench your thirst this summer with new Sprite Ice.  The icy-cool soft drink with the blend of lemon and lime has an added hint-of-mint for maximum refreshment.  Too bad for the rest of the world - the new flavor is only available in Canada and Belgium. Enter here for your chance to win some serious summer fun with the Sprite Ice Summer Prize Pack (value $250).

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Trivial Pursuit 20th Anniversary Canadian Edition
Hasbro, $64.99
Just in time for Canada Day, the new 20th Anniversary Trivial Pursuit Canadian edition features 3,600 all-new questions including 1,200 specific to Canada. They're divided into six new categories: Global View, Sound & Screen, News, The Written Word, Innovations and Game Time. Do you know what year the Canadian Loonie was launched -1982, 1985 or 1987? Or what Toronto landmark hosts Canada's Sports Hall of Fame? If you know the answers, you just might get bragging rights on your next games night.


Hear it!

2 Fast 2 Furious
Universal Music
This pulsing rap soundtrack won't disappoint fans of the movie. Overseen by Def Jam Records, the bulk of the disc is anchored by hit-filled singles from Ludacris ("Act a Fool") Trick Daddy ("Represent") and 8 Ball ("Hands in the Air"). Two of the film's stars, Tyrese and Ludacris, team up with R. Kelly on the pumpin' "Pick Up the Phone". Some of the best songs do come from new artists Shawnna ("Block Reincarnated") featuring Canadian Kardinal Offishall and Jin ("Peel Off").

Together
Milan Records/WEA
Chinese director Chen Kaige put together this moving compilation of classical works for his latest film Together. The disc includes music by the great classical composers including Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Paganini and others. Zhao Lin, who tried to write music to complement the work of the masters, composed much of the original score. Since the film's story is about the struggles of a 13-year-old violin prodigy, it was director Kaige's wish that the soundtrack intensify his themes of the importance of life choices, family and the power of music.
Finding Nemo
Disney/Pixar
Thomas Newman (cousin of Randy) is one of the most versatile composers working in Hollywood today. He provided the scores for such diverse features as American Beauty, Scent of a Woman, The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption. Now he's injected his spirited vibe into the lively and colorful tale of Finding Nemo. The disc contains 40 tracks including Robbie Williams' jazzy version of the old tune "Beyond the Sea". Director Andrew Stanton says he wrote the entire screenplay for the film while listening to Newman's scores.