Speaking with … Tracy Morgan

Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Tracy Morgan likes Andrew Dice Clay, does a mean impersonation of Oprah Winfrey and more than held his own against camera-hogging guest stars like Britney Spears. He may be gone from the ensemble cast, but the Not Ready for Prime Time Players lost Morgan to prime time. He’s currently working on his own sitcom, “The Tracy Morgan Show” for NBC, which is scheduled to debut this winter.

“Prey for Rock and Roll” spins out of control

There are some musicians who claim fame doesn’t interest them. Jacki, the central character in “Prey for Rock and Roll,” isn’t one of them. She wants to be rich, famous and adored. She wants to be a rock star. But when you’re pushing 40 with a wheelbarrow, and your band has to divvy up the $54 gig fee four ways, stardom is a pipe dream.

Game Zone: EA Sports Rugby 2004, Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo, XIII

“My favorite is ‘NBA Live,’ because I love basketball. It’s very entertaining and realistic. The graphics are great. It’s almost like you’re watching a real basketball game. –DaMarcus Beasley, the Chicago Fire midfielder

‘Returner’ delivers compelling sci-fi action

The year is 2084 and the human race has been isolated to the Tibetan mountains. Threatened by extraterrestrials who are taking over what’s left of Earth, the commanders send a young girl named Milly back in time to stop the aliens and thwart the threat. In Takashi Yamazaki’s stylish “Returner,” we see elements of films we’ve seen before. The slo-mo bullet-dodging shots are dead-on “Matrix.” The baby alien captured and tortured looks like it could be a first cousin to “E.T.” Throw in a little “Terminator” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” and you’ve got the makings of what could have been a lame ripoff.

Game Zone: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, GameDay 2004, Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb

“I have and play video poker, and I still don’t win very often. I have a pinball machine in my basement that I bought when I was 15. My kids play Tiger Woods 2003 and Splinter Cell (on XBox).” -Rick Nielsen, lead guitarist for Cheap Trick

Las Vegas

I’ve never been one of those people enamored of Las Vegas. I’d been here a couple times in the past for business, stayed in crappy hotels and had virtually no time to do anything but work. So I’m the last person you’d think would actually plan a vacation to Vegas. But when my fiance’s birthday rolled around this summer, it was a no-brainer where I would take him–Vegas, baby!

Speaking with….Patterson Hood

Phoning from Athens, Ga., Patterson Hood is a little spacey. Sick and stuffy, the singer/guitarist for Drive-By Truckers was happy for a little diversion from Kleenex and chicken soup. His band will be in Chicago this weekend for a two-night stint at the Abbey Pub (call 773-478-4408) to promote their new CD, “Decoration Day” (New West Records). “We’re a Southern band,” says Hood. “Rock was invented in the South for all practical purposes, but musicians from the South sometimes get a little attitude from Northerners.”