Are They Still Fab After All These Years?

Thirty years after their breakup, the Beatles are here, there and everywhere once again. The question of the week as a new Beatles compilation is poised to arrive in stores Tuesday is whether this collection of 27 No. 1 hits from the No. 1-selling rock act of all time will make it to No. 1. Not likely, at least not in its first week. Capitol-EMI Records’ latest Beatles reissue, simply titled “1,” and pulling together for the first time on a single disc all Fab Four singles that topped the charts in the U.S. or England, will be up against Ricky Martin’s “Sound Loaded” album, which also hits stores Tuesday. “It’s going to be big release for us,” says Scott Levin, director of marketing for the Musicland chain’s 1,347 music and video stores nationwide. “Not as big as Ricky Martin or Backstreet Boys [whose “Black & Blue” album is due Nov. 21] because everything on it has been released before.” Indeed, Capitol and EMI have put out more Beatles compilations since the group disbanded than there were original Beatles studio albums. But even if “1” isn’t expected to hit the kind of numbers the “Anthology 1” double-CD posted in its first week five years ago--855,000--”1” still represents “Good Day Sunshine” for retailers. “We think it will remain a steady seller for a lengthy period of time--probably six, eight or 10 months,” says Levin. Beyond the album, “The Beatles Anthology,” a $60 group history and the first written by its members, is a national bestseller, and two Beatles TV specials are due. ABC’s “The Beatles Revolution,” airs Friday at 8 p.m., a two-hour documentary, done in conjunction with VH1. Then NBC’s TV movie “In His Life: The John Lennon Story,” turns up Dec. 3. Finally, the first authorized Beatles Web site, https://www.the beatles.com, is slated to go online today. Is there a bottom to the pit known as Beatlemania? “This is one of the few bands that does go generation to generation,” says Tower Records buyer Bob Feterl. “One thing I’ve learned over the years: Never underestimate the Beatles. . . . Besides, it’s not like recycling some has-been band. It’s the Beatles. There’s never been a band like it, and there never will be.”

A Big Box Office Test for Paltrow-Affleck

Will “Bounce” get a box office bounce from Ben and Gwyneth? That’s a question Hollywood will be asking this week as Miramax rolls out its new romantic drama starring Ben Affleck and Gwyneth Paltrow on Friday. The film tells the story of a womanizing ad salesman who escapes death when he gives another man his plane ticket--only to later fall in love with the victim’s widow. Moviegoers will also be looking for any sign of on-screen chemistry between the stars, whose off-screen relationship has often fed the gossipy tabloids. Still, although they are two of Hollywood’s hottest younger stars with Oscars on their mantels (hers for best actress, his for best screenplay, with pal Matt Damon), Affleck and Paltrow have yet to prove they are box-office attractions. Affleck was unable to deliver last year when he co-starred with Sandra Bullock in “Forces of Nature,” which grossed $52.9 million, and his latest film, “Reindeer Games,” disappeared after grossing only $23.2 million. He played supporting roles in his three biggest hits--”Good Will Hunting,” “Armageddon” and “Shakespeare in Love.” However, even if “Bounce” should fall flat, he is likely to rebound next year in producer Jerry Bruckenheimer’s World War II action film, “Pearl Harbor.” As for Paltrow, her radiant appearance helped propel “Shakespeare in Love” to blockbuster status and an Oscar for best picture, yet she needs to prove it was not a fluke. Her last film, “Duets,” was a critical and box-office disaster, grossing an anemic $4.7 million. Indeed, she has mostly excelled in period or art-house films like “Emma” or “Sliding Doors.” She did co-star with Michael Douglas in “A Perfect Murder” in 1998, and the film made $67.6 million. She played supporting roles in “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Seven” and “Hook.”

Klatsching Away the Morning in L.A.

ABC’s daytime women’s kaffeeklatsch, “The View,” travels to Los Angeles from New York this week and part of next, and for the occasion, it has taken on a new name, “The View in Los Angeles Sponsored by the Campbell Soup Company.” As part of the sponsorship--something that is more common in the sports world--the show will feature a soup “sip-off” and a segment on the Campbell’s theme song. Otherwise, there’s a lineup of guests that includes lots of stars from ABC prime-time, including Geena Davis, Drew Carey, Norm Macdonald, Billy Campbell and Sela Ward from “Once and Again,” Dennis Franz of “NYPD Blue” and Jenna Elfman and Thomas Gibson from “Dharma & Greg.” But other networks will also be represented, including cast members from CBS’ “Everybody Loves Raymond” and NBC’s “Frasier,” and stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Melanie Griffith (in a fashion show) and Jay Leno, who is a guest today at 10 a.m.

--Compiled by Times Staff Writers