Back in 1997, no one was prepared for how deftly comic and dazzling Mike Myers would be as Austin, the swinging, time-traveling Sixties superspy, and as his hair-deprived archrival, Dr. Evil. Now the relentless renting of the first Powers flick has made Austin-and Evil cultists of us all. Fans react to Dr. Evil's cat, Mr. Bigglesworth (the sphinx's real name is Ted Nudegent), with the same fervor that Star Wars freaks reserve for Chewbacca. We are sooo ready for this sequel, in which Austin — in the first film he was defrosted into the Nineties zaps back to the Sixties and meets hottie Heather Graham, as Felicity Shagwell ("Shagwell by name, shag very well by reputation"). Yeah, baby, yeah! Kristen Johnston, of TV's 3rd Rock From the Sun, plays the Russian spy Ivana Humpalot, and Rob Lowe fills in for Robert Wagner as the young Number Two. Give me a frickin' break if you're not hooked. In the season's best trailer, Dr. Evil sits in a spaceship with Mr. Bigglesworth while a voice intones, "If you see only one movie this summer, see Star Wars. But if you see two movies, see Austin Powers." Verdict: Audiences act accordingly. Myers gets the reviews of his life, and the box-office — maybe $200 million.

“Helen Wheels”

A rollicking good-time hard rocker, "Helen Wheels" was not about a woman but about Paul McCartney's Land Rover, the anthemic chorus voicing the vehicle's reckless joy as "she" took to the road. The song was added to the U.S. version of Band on the Run but was issued only as a single in McCartney's native U.K. "I like that because it's a British road song and there's not many of those around," said McCartney. "It's always Route 66. But Carlisle? How many songs have got Carlisle in them?"