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“Tru Calling’ producer ponders show’s future By KATE O’HARE KRT CAMPUS It’s been a little over a month since Fox announced that it had scaled back A production on the second season of ' “Tru Calling” from 13 episodes to six, and handed over its Nov. 4 premiere date to the summer soap opera “North Shore.” Series producer Jon Harmon Feldman has been working on the post production for the six episodes of the fantasy series starring Eliza Dushku (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) as Tru, a med student and morgue attendant who can go back a day in time to prevent deaths. After Fox had been quick on the trigger finger to cancel such series as “Harsh Realm,” “Lone Gunmen,” “Firefly” and “Wonderfalls,” many were surprised when the low-rated “Tru” not only made it through its first season up against “Survivor” and “Friends,” but looked to be coming back for a second. “There have been rumors flying about (‘Tru’ going to) The WB,” Feldman said, “although, at this point, I believe them to be only rumors, nothing more. They picked us up, as I was told, because they were excited about the direction of the show. They know what a tough time slot we were in, and they really believed that, based on the growth of the show, where we were heading, what we had planned for next season, that they wanted to see more of us. “The only thing I’ve heard is that this decision was a business decision, to allocate money to shows that perhaps they thought had bigger futures or breakout potential. I’m not really sure how to characterize that. Obviously, when you work in network television, you always know these possibilities exist, but the way it went down was somewhat of a surprise.” The addition of Jason Priestley as Tru’s opposite number and rival at the end of last season gave the show a creative boost. “The irony is,” Feldman said, “creatively, they’ve never been happier with the direction we were going. We had Jason as a full-time adversary, and Jason and Eliza’s story had interesting twists. That’s why 1 don’t think this was a creative decision — in fact, I know it wasn’t a creative decision. “If there’s any slight silver lining — although certainly it’s a Pyrrhic victory — is that it was not a creative decision. That is the hollowest of victories.” The first season of “Tru Calling” is set to be released by Fox Home Video on DVD on Nov. 30. Harmon hopes fans will get a chance to see the remaining episodes. “There has been talk of releasing season two, the six episodes, to DVD as well. I hope that happens. It won’t allow us to complete the arc that we were starting, but perhaps if we do release season two to DVD, at least it will give some of the creative people an opportunity to not only show those six episodes but also tell the fans what was going to happen. Those are stories worth hearing, worth telling.” Fox has yet to announce a season premiere date for “Tru.” “The network has not said they won’t air these six,” Harmon said, “but obviously you don’t know what will happen. I am not planning a viewing party at this point.” ■ BOYS Continued from page 10 ^ Boys matured, their street cred and hipster quotient skyrocketed, perhaps topped by their video for “Sabotage,” a delirious send-up of ‘70s TV cop shows directed by Spike Jonze. Today, there are few artists who evoke more of a New York state of mind. The trio’s latest album, “To the 5 Boroughs” — a return to Beastie Boys’ old-school rap roofc after experiments in psychedelia, electro and even techno — is at once a solemn tribute to the Big Apple, an anti-Bush political statement and a raucous celebration of New Yorkers’ irreverent spirit. “There are definitely parts of the record where we’re just joking around and trying to make each other laugh,” says Mike D, “and there’s other times when we’re all here, living in New York, making a record in New York post-9/11, within walking distance from ground zero. And we can’t help but comment on things going on every day. ^ We come into the studio every morning and the front page of The New York Times is talking about whatever actions the Bush administration is taking at that moment. “I think it’d be almost dishonest for us not to have that work its way into what we’re doing,” he continues. “We’d have to purposefully ignore that, block it out.” But as serious as they’ve shown they can be — the “To the 5 Boroughs” cover features a drawing of the New York skyline, complete with the World Trade Center, while the song “An Open Letter to NYC” is a straight-up, loving tribute to their city — it’s not like Beastie Boys are on a crusade to save the world. “Nah — it’s like we couldn’t not speak out,” Mike D explains. “We literally couldn’t help ourselves. We couldn’t leave that bottled up. It’s not like we’re desperately serious people all the time. Most of the time we’re sitting around enjoying ourselves. ... But when something you love so much that’s been such a big part of your life is endangered, of course you’re gonna reflect on it.” As politically outspoken as Beastie Boys have become — on the recent song “In A World Gone ^ Mad,” Mike D attacks President Bush in humorous fashion: “You and Saddam should kick it like back in the day/with the cocaine and the Courvoisier” — no way does Mike D harbor any political aspirations after Beastie Boys pass the mic for the last time. “I encourage people who are ready for it to do it,” he says, “but I don’t think I can live in such a Venomous arena and remain unscathed. “I can be an armchair quarterback,” he says, meaning he can convey his message to the masses without actually entering into the political ring. But whatever Mike D decides to pursue after Beastie Boys are no more won’t be an issue for years. He sees no imminent end to the group. “I really couldn’t put a time thing on it,” he says. “It’s literally as long as we keep wanting to do it. I think if you had asked us 10 years ago if we would still be doing it in 10 years, we’d be like, ‘I have no idea.’ It would almost be unforeseeable to me.” For now, they show no signs of slowing down. Because they can’t/they won’t/and they don’t stop? It’s a sure shot. CD REVIEW Dabbs ‘Quite Often ’ doesn d meet potential “QUITE OFTEN” Trent Dabbs ★★★ out of ☆☆☆☆☆ By MEG MOORE THE GAMECOCK A native of Jackson, Miss., Trent Dabbs has the deep South in his blood. Open roads and rustic portraits drip from his debut, “Quite Often,” coloring his pop-rock tracks with an unpretentious accessibility. Working with producer Dennis Herrin of Counting Crows and Modest Mouse fame, Dabbs has delivered a first record worthy of its down-home origins. Yet, he has trimmed* his coffeehouse tunes with modern effects. Synthesized instruments haunt the soundscape, throwing an original spin on acoustic rock. Occasionally, Dabbs’ background noises obscure his vocal and guitar lines, creating moments more garbled than they are eclectic. While all of the tracks have a unifying, laid-back feel, Dabbs displays vocal diversity, shifting from a slacker drawl on the opening track, “Abigail,” to the sincerity of a country crooner (minus the outrageous accent) on “Worst Fears.” On “TV Jealously” Dabbs evokes Coldplay’s Chris Martin. More Jack Johnson than John Mayer, Dabbs’ less-glossy take on singer-songwriter rock seems to lack energy at times. No track screams radio anthem, but songs such as “It’s Not Like That” sound catchy enough to have airplay potential. Dabbs is at his best, however, when he is musically showcasing his roots. On “Diamonds Don’t Shine” he eschews synthesized percussion and effects for an acoustic guitar line that brings to mind train rides through rural country. Threading a Crayola box of color naming lyrics through a locomotive melody, the tune stands out as the album’s strongest. At times, Dabbs seems torn between crafting radio hits and settling for front porch jam-session songs. His innovative use of effects, while designed to set him apart, often overwhelms his melodies, making them neither modern nor traditional, but simply ineffective. Dabbs may be drawing comparisons to artists like Jack Rouse, but without a more distinctive sound, he will remain an anonymous upstart. It takes more than being Southern born to bridge the gap between quirky and captivating. Comments on this story? 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