RANDY NEWMAN - STARS SUBMIT WEEDS THEME COVERS TO TV BOSSES

RANDY NEWMAN, THE SHINS, LINKIN PARK and BILLY BOB THORNTON have been selected from the 90 acts who've sent TV bosses a cover of the WEEDS theme tune in the hope of having their submissions played on the show. For the second successive year, Weeds producers at studio Lionsgate have been inundated with recordings of Little Boxes, written in 1962 by folk musician Malvina Reynolds. Although covers by some big name acts have been confirmed to appear, many others are still being considered. Lionsgate boss Jay Faires says, "We have 90-plus submissions so far. The show speaks to artists across all musical genres - hard rock, indie, alternative, folk... Maybe it's the weed thing." The Shins frontman James Mercer explains why he's a fan of the show's theme: "It sounds so quaint, but it's really biting."