Reader Response
Arnold Stang/Arnold Strong
'' Arnold Stang is the short, skinny comedian who stars in the film. Maria's
hubby is billed under his own name. ''
~~ Bruce B.
Bruce --
LOL...I remember Arnold Stang! He did a lot of voice-overs for Disney into the
late 80's. Even remember his appearances on the old 'Superman' series...
Another old fav was Burt Mustin.
But, so far as Arnold Strong, my memory not being what it once was, went to imdb to re-check the 'Arnold Strong/Arnold Schwarzenegger' connection. Here is it:
Ahhrrr-nnnnold
'' Birth name
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger
Date of birth (location)
30 July 1947,
Thal, Styria, Austria
Mini biography -
Growing up in a small, isolated village in Austria, he turned to ... (show more)
Sometimes Credited As:
Arnold Strong ''
After 'Hercules in New York', the next Arnold movie I saw was the underrated 'Stay
Hungry', with Sally Field.
Hey, isn't 'Alois' Hitler's middle name?
Reader Response
Bill Moyers
You forgot to mention that Bill Moyers new weekly news show, Now,
premiers tonight on PBS. If Moyers' past performance is any
indication, this will be the only news show that is not part of
the GOP propaganda machine.
Regards,
-bill
Thanks, Bill! If you hear a 'thunk', it's me hitting myself upside the head for forgetting to include
this series. Check your local PBS station, or www.pbs.org for
local scheduling.
Reader Response
'Did you see this?'
Did you see this?
Jennifer Aniston in car accident.
Also, on Arnie S., you forgot Conan the Destroyer, Red Sonja, Batman and Robin (doesn't he play an eco-terrorist),
and Hercules in New York, (which made me violently ill).
~~ ns
Thanks, ns, for the referral on Jennifer Aniston...I really like it when links are included! But, we caught up with Jennifer on BC Entertainment, Wed, 16 Jan., 2001.
(Scroll down - She's between the 'Sonny Bono Memorial Highway' and 'Ally McBeal Licensing Fees Too High?').
So far as Arnold -- 'Stay Hungry' (1976) is worth renting (if it's available). Maybe, like Sargeant
Shriver, Arnold can become a Kennedy by osmosis...
Reader Recommendation
Court TV
'' I found this article at Court TV's website...here's a couple of excerpts:
'' As of Wednesday, only five days after launching the CleoDate Web site,
Feder already had more than 1,300 subscribers signed on.
Still, the psychic admits to manipulating customers into staying on the
phone. One effective way to keep a caller on the line, he says, is to
reveal a tidbit that piques their curiosity. One failsafe topic: Tell them
their loved one is cheating.
"If you say there is cheating, there are a ton of questions they will want
to ask," the psychic said. ''
Miss Cleo
Hear that grinding sound?That's us grinding to a halt...jeez, are that many
gullible,stupid,desperate or any combination of the latter???
I already knew this stuff was BS, but the article is enlightening and has
an actual "reading" for our enjoyment.
~~ Rob
To check out the headlines, and more, www.COURTTV.COM- TOP NEWS
Thanks, Rob. That Miss Cleo sure missed the boat last September...guess she was waiting for
the Staten Island Ferry to mess with the Statue of Liberty...
Reader Humor
Cows
Feudalism
You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the
milk.
Fascism
You have two cows. The government takes both, hires
you to take care of them and sells you the milk.
Communism
You have two cows. You must take care of them, but
the government takes all the milk.
Capitalism
You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them
and retire on the income.
Enron
You have two cows. You borrow 80% of the forward value
of the two cows from your bank then buy another cow with 5%
down and the rest financed by the seller on a note callable
if your market cap goes below $20B at a rate 2 times prime.
You now sell three cows to your publicly listed company,
using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at a
2nd bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated
general offer so that you get four cows back, with a tax
exemption for five cows. The milk rights of six cows are
transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island company
secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the
rights to seven cows back to your listed company. The annual
report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on
one more and this transaction process is upheld by your
independent auditor and no Balance Sheet provided with the
press release that announces that Enron as a major owner of
cows will begin trading cows via the internet site COW (Cows
On Web).
Larry W
Thanks, Larry....finally something about Enron that makes sense!
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
The 9-year-old resident brought a cold home from school & has managed to infect his parents. Ever feel like you have
a fish bowl on your head?
Meant to watch 'First Monday', but forgot...something about Maverick channeling Scalia that is
as intriguing as a gory car accident...don't want to look, but...
Tonight, Saturday, CBS leaches football into primetime, and kerfuffles the evening.
NBC rolls out 'Anaconda', where John Voight is bigger than the snake, and Jack Black hosts a
fresh Saturday Night Live'.
ABC has 'Mary Poppins', so if you end up there, remember your insulin!
Faux is heavy into its 'crime-fighting' phase, with a fresh 'Cops', and a rerun one.
Followed by a fresh 'America's Most Wanted'.
AMC has 'Young Frankenstein' & 'High Anxiety', for a mini-Mel Brooks celebration.
TCM has 'Sleeper', where steaks & ice cream are good for us, 'Robin & The 7 Hoods',
for the daily requirement of rat packiana, and 'Stage Door' for damn fine writing, acting and
a celebration of uppity women. This is the movie where Katharine Hepburn utters the phrase 'The
calla lillies are in bloom again.'.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Donating $950 To Charity
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday said she would donate her campaign contributions from Enron to a charitable
fund being set up to help employees of the failed energy giant.
Clinton received $950 from Enron employees during her Senate campaign, according to the Center for Responsive
Politics, a Washington-based watchdog group. New York's junior senator also said she would check to see whether
she had received contributions from Enron's accounting firm, Arthur Andersen, and would donate any of those contributions as well.
Clinton joins a growing list of Capitol Hill lawmakers unloading their Enron contributions as questions continue
to arise about Enron's collapse.
Enron's rapid fall from corporate darling to a bankruptcy filing on Dec. 2 wiped out the life savings of some
longtime employees, barred from selling Enron shares from their retirement accounts last fall as the stock price
plunged. At the same time, top executives at the company cashed out more than $1 billion in company stock when it was near its peak.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Updated! (17 January, 2002
Geneva, the official BartCop Astrologer, always has something interesting to read!
The stars say someone is lying!
Taking a look at the chart itself, the first clue I got that something
devious was going on is the appearance of Mars, in Pisces, in an exact square to
the North Node. Interesting thing about the North Node, some astrologers assert
that when it is in the exact degree of another planet, there is something
underhanded going on. In other words, someone is lying. And isn't it just so
fitting that Mars rules the Mid-heaven, the sector of the chart that represents
the Chief Executive. Further, Mars is in the most devious and evasive sign,
Pisces.
Cancelled After 2 Episodes
``Imagine That''
Imagine this: NBC has pulled the plug on the Hank Azaria-led sitcom ``Imagine That'' after just two weeks on the air.
The show bombed with viewers, averaging about 6.8 million viewers during its brief life on Tuesdays at 8 p.m. -- about
the same as canceled time slot predecessor ``Emeril.''
``Imagine That'' was virtually canceled before it premiered. By scheduling a four-week run of episodes in one of NBC's
weakest time slots prior to the start of the Olympics, network brass signaled a major lack of confidence in the series.
Production on the show was also halted after five episodes. While NBC could have rushed the show back into production
had it succeeded, most industry insiders figured ``Imagine That'' was already history. For now, NBC plans to fill
the 8 p.m. Tuesday slot with sitcom reruns.
``Imagine That''
``Imagine That'' - they only aired 2 of the 5 episodes taped...what does that say?
Plug Pulled Abruptly
Talk Magazine
Talk Magazine, the glossy celebrity and culture publication headed by former New Yorker editor Tina Brown,
said on Friday it would shut down after its current February issue, just 2-1/2 years after its high-profile launch.
Talk, an ``upscale general interest magazine'' was launched in August 1999 with an extravagant party with A-list
celebrities such as Madonna and Liz Hurley.
The title headed by Brown, formerly editor at Vanity Fair and The New Yorker, was a joint venture of publisher
Hearst Corp. and Walt Disney Co.'s Miramax Films.
Talk Magazine Folds
Duchovny Returning?
Chris Carter
''X-Files'' star David Duchovny will likely pop up on the show again - now that it's been canceled.
Duchovny, who played Special Agent Fox Mulder for 81/2 seasons, left the show last year - vowing never to
return after settling a long legal dispute with Fox and the show's creator, Chris Carter.
But after Carter decided to end the series late Wednesday night, he spoke to Duchovny who agreed to return
in time for the series finale.
"David was open to it and now the [legal and logistical] complication of trying to get it done comes," Carter
told The Post yesterday. "I just have to make the show as interesting as possible, not just for David but for the fans."
Carter said he decided to end the show for a number of reasons - including slumping ratings and a feeling that
viewers may have been having a hard time embracing the show's two new stars.
Carter said he plans to tie up many of the show's loose ends in the series finale. Some elements he would
carry-over in "X-Files" films.
The series finale - in May - will be "The X-Files' " 201st episode.
Duchovny Returning?
6 More Hour-Long Dramas & More
NBC Fall 2002
NBC virtually wrapped up its fall 2002 drama development Thursday, greenlighting six hourlong contenders, while ordering
additional scripts for three other potential series.
With NBC already in strong shape on the drama front -- thanks to ``ER,'' the ``Law & Order'' franchise and already-renewed
rookie ``Crossing Jordan'' -- the network decided to take a few chances in ordering some unconventional hours, NBC Entertainment
president Jeff Zucker said.
The most daring: ``Kingpin,'' a sweeping epic about the drug trade from scribe David Mills (``Homicide: Life on the Street''),
features a drug lord as its heart and soul.
In addition to ``Kingpin,'' the other winners of the NBC drama development derby include:
- ``War Stories,'' focusing on journos covering overseas conflicts. Jeff Goldblum is expected to star.
- ``Miss American Pie,'' a retro family hour that traces the history of the 1960s through the eyes of a teen who's
a dancer on ``American Bandstand.'' Executive producer Dick Clark will use ``Forrest Gump''-style technology to put
the teen into old clips from his old ``Bandstand'' series.
- ``Young Arthur,'' a look at what Arthur was like before he pulled the sword from the stone -- think ``Smallville''
meets ``Camelot.'' A contender for Sundays at 7 p.m., the show would likely be shot on a lower-than-normal budget.
- ``Mister Sterling,'' a young man ends up a U.S. senator. Although it comes from ``West Wing'' producer Lawrence
O'Donnell, Zucker said he did not think there would be any overlap with the White House drama.
- ``Boomtown,'' a ``Rashomon''-like hour about cops as seen through multiple perspectives. Industry insiders are
dubbing this ``LAPD Blue.''
NBC Fall 2002
Guess Who Kept A Diary?
Bill Wyman
For 40 years, the Rolling Stones have epitomized the drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll life while managing to keep
their more scandalous episodes hidden from public view. But it now emerges that former bandmate Bill Wyman was
keeping a diary and writing down everything the others were too dazed and confused to remember. Now Wyman, who
left the world's greatest rock band in 1993, has completed a book that tells it all in sometimes sordid detail.
Mick and the boys won't thank him for it, even if the book and its candid snapshots do jog their memories about
what it was like to be young, idolized and totally moss-free. Bill's book is due out in Britain in October - at
the height of the Stones world anniversary tour - and may already have been snapped up by a New York publisher.
Bill Wyman
FTC Being Stripped
Bush-Whacked
The Bush administration Thursday put forth a surprise plan to strip the Federal Trade Commission of its power to
approve or nix media and entertainment mergers, giving all antitrust oversight to John Ashcroft's Justice Dept.
Consumer groups decried the maneuver because, while the GOP presently holds a 3-2 majority at the FTC, the two
Democratic commissioners provide some dissension and scrutiny for the White House line. Hollywood lobbyists also
were caught off guard, saying they weren't aware of any push to reverse decades of tradition and take away the
shared merger authority of the FTC and Justice.
Apparently, Bush-appointed FTC chair Timothy Muris and Assistant Attorney General Charles James didn't even tell
the other commissioners, nor lawmakers on Capitol Hill, about their plan until the last minute: a press conference
set to announce the policy Thursday afternoon had reporters waiting for nearly 30 minutes before being abruptly
postponed without explanation.
AND
Overall, the change would certainly have implications for the media and entertainment business, Powell said. Justice
tends to be much more decisive.
Center for Digital Democracy executive director Jeff Chester said the restructuring proposal is dangerous, since
Justice operates more in a vacuum. He also chastised Muris and James for hatching their plan in a ``star chamber,''
and keeping the public and lawmakers deliberately out of the loop.
FTC Stripped
Right off the top, I'd say the 'media' will be able to save big bucks in 1.) knowing which federal department head to
bribe - er, I mean send a lobbyist, and 2.) since there's only one department head to bribe - er, I mean lobby, the bribes -
er, I mean lobbyist donations to re-election campaigns, pacs & soft money will be larger!
The Ever-Fabulous Cindy Adams
Enron End-Run?
Could be Enron made an end-run in terms of George Bush actually becoming president.
A year ago November. Brother Gov. Jeb Bush's state of Florida. Think: The battle of those hanging, dangling, dimpled, crimpled
chads. George not-yet-ready-for-prime-time Bush emptied friendly piggybanks to fund the recount.
Per Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Enron chief Ken Lay gave thousands "to the fund that financed [Bush's] successful legal fight
for Florida's electoral votes."
Steven Weiss, communications director for the Center for Responsive Politics, a bunch that tracks campaign donations, has said: "Ken
Lay and George Bush have 'an extremely close relationship.' "
And: Ken Lay "contributed substantial amounts to Bush's campaigns for governor and president."
And: Ken Lay, who quickly made the economic kitchen cabinet that Bush cooked up before taking office, was "on Bush's advisory transition team."
And: Ken Lay "is known to have Bush's ear."
Craig McDonald, director of Texans for Public Justice, puts it this way: "Enron even had his ear when he was governor."
Integrity, a PAC that tracks political money, states Enron boss Ken Lay counted out $275,000 to the Republican National Committee during the campaign.
Described back then as "one of Bush's staunchest political allies," before the president finally got himself crowned president,
Ken Lay personally came in with $100,000. Enron's chief exec Jeffrey Skilling also tossed in his own $100,000.
Fact: Enron and employees kicked in $113,800 to Bush's presidential sprint. Plus a quarter-million to the GOP convention
host committe. Plus another 300Gs toward his inaugural.
Fact: Enron GAVE MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE to Bush's two hustles for governor, his unsuccessful House run in '78 and his White House race.
Fact: November 2000 Bush campaign chair Don Evans, a Midland oilman, put out an urgent appeal for money to fund the recount.
Ken Lay gave the maximum personal donation allowed - $5,000.
Fact: Bush aides stated, after the recount began, that "the campaign would provide a list later" of the contributions.
Fact: It did not.
Fact: Their answer was that in this particular case of the dimpled, crimpled chads, "the law does not require disclosure."
A recount committee is exempt from campaign finance laws. It is, however, forbidden to receive corporate money.
Campaign watchdogs then bleated that this "provided a way around the contribution limits so that individuals and
groups which have maxed out on their contributions now have another avenue to give."
And: "The interests don't give all this money without some expectation of a payoff and the more opportunities they
have to give, the greater the possibility they're going to get a return at some future point."
In the case of funding the recount, laws did not require disclosure of donors.
Bush's presidential campaign raised $15 million from his and Enron's home territory alone. The amount doubles
that from any other state. A quarter of all Bush campaign money raised came from Texas.
In this case, that sage in bloom does not smell like perfume.
The Ever-Fabulous Cindy Adams
Conspiracy Theory?
Bob Altman
When Bob Altman talked with Bob Spitz for Delta's SKY magazine, he let out old resentments. Altman has 76 films
and TV credits under his belt and his latest, "Gosford Park," is doing great. But what he remembers most is how
Elliott Gould and Donald Sutherland tried to get him fired from the classic hit "M*A*S*H*." He learned of the
conspiracy two years after the film was made. "It's a good thing," says Altman. "I'd have quit."
Bob Altman
Updated (Nearly) Daily!
BartCop TV!
Damn near every show on TV must is listed - days & days worth of great reading.
''Talent Magnet'' At Work
Regis Philbin
Regis Philbin won't be hosting the syndicated version of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
"Regis has been offered the syndicated 'Millionaire' not once, but twice, and has declined," said Philbin's agent,
Jim Griffin.
Buena Vista has yet to pull the trigger on naming a host for the syndicated "Millionaire," even though it will
shop the show to potential buyers next week at the NATPE convention in Las Vegas - one of the TV industry's biggest
dog-and-pony shows. The daytime show is scheduled to debut next fall.
"They may be waiting to see what ABC does with the prime-time version of the show before making any decisions
about who will host the syndicated version," says TV analyst Stacey Lynn Koerner of Inititative Media.
It was thought that perhaps Philbin - who hosts ABC's troubled prime-time "Millionaire" - would be a candidate
to host the syndicated version. He even seemed receptive to the idea last summer when the show was announced.
And Susan Lyne, ABC's new entertainment chief, has made no promises that "Millionaire" will be back in prime time next season.
Regis Philbin
Worth Between $15,000 & $20,000
Grammy 'Goodie Bag'
Britney Spears and Michael Jackson certainly can afford a meal for 10 at a fast-food restaurant. And you know
that Tom Hanks and Cameron Diaz can splurge on a $1,300 watch.
But that doesn't stop awards shows from lavishing gifts on the celebrities who appear at their ceremonies. And
the gifts keep getting gaudier.
``It's just one of those (instances of) the rich get richer,'' joked Steve Stein of Hollywood Connection, a company that puts
together gift bags for awards shows.
The programs' producers consider such largess a way to thank celebrities, since they don't get paid for appearing.
Presenters at Sunday's Golden Globes will get two first-class plane tickets, a $250 bottle stopper, a certificate to a day spa,
a customized sculpture, Microsoft's X-Box game system, and his-and-her luxury watches worth about $1,300 each, among other things.
Stars at next month's Grammys should feel plenty appreciated.
Besides mints and deodorant, they'll get a Blackberry two-way pager, DKNY jeans, a two-night stay at any Ian Schrager hotel,
a 13-inch Philips television, Lalique rings and Casio digital camera watches. The package will be worth $15,000 to $20,000.
At the American Music Awards earlier this month, performers and presenters such as Spears, Jackson and Aerosmith's Steven
Tyler got such items as electric scooters and digital cameras.
Even Ludacris, who brags about owning a Mercedes-Benz and diamond jewelry in his raps, was impressed.
``It's pretty good,'' he told The Associated Press. ``I've been, like, riding around the hotel in my motorized scooter.''
Some luminaries get even more. For example, the AMAs threw in a few extra scooters for Jackson, since they know he
likes toys; for Spears, an admitted Starbucks addict, they created an extra package with Starbucks products in it.
The Grammys also feature tailor-made packages. Last year, some participants got presents for their pets, said Lash
Fary, whose firm Distinctive Assets does the gift bags for the Grammys. ``(And) if we have alcohol, we take into
account whether the person has had a drinking problem, or is underage,'' he said.
Possibly the most valuable gratuity at the AMAs was a year's pass allowing stars and nine members of their entourage
to dine at Baja Fresh, a fast-food Mexican chain. The value, if used every day, at $30,000.
The Academy Awards people refused to detail what goodies they'll give to stars on March 24, but if the recent
past is any indication, the gifts are sure to be lavish.
''Goodie Bags''
Untitled Universal Comedy Halted
Kidman & Carrey
Universal has abruptly halted the untitled comedy that was to star Jim Carrey and Nicole Kidman and begin production in March.
Carrey was to play a widower who begins dating, only to find himself haunted by his deceased wife (Kidman). Universal had
expected to release writer/director Gary Ross' film as its big Christmas offering.
The Universal project came together with much fanfare, as both actors sparked to Ross' script, and it is considered
very possible that they will come back together in the fall to make the picture happen. For now, Carrey is pursuing
other projects for the spring.
Kidman & Carrey
Tomorrow Night
The Golden Globes
The Golden Globes have become more fun than the Oscars.
Liberal Radio !
Erin Hart
Liberal radio - what a concept!
This weekend, taxes and American Taliban on Erin Hart on 710 KIRO, Jan. 19th & 20th, 9 p to 1 a PST
Special Guest on the Sunday show! Join 710 KIRO film critic Tom Tangney and Erin Hart as we take on the Golden Globes!
On the National Front looks like we will talk about John Walker's charges--no treason but conspiring to kill U.S.
Soldiers and support terrorists; the latest on Enron and Arthur Andersen--why won't the White House report
what calls concerned Enron recently?
And look for a visit from NY Vinnie soon to talk Hot Stove stuff about the Mariners. Enjoy your week. Please write
with any suggestions on how to make the show pop and if you like it please feel free to spread the word.
Erin Hart at regulation time (9 pm to 1 am [pst] Sat & Sun ) on www.710kiro.com or www.kiro710.com (It's
a browser thing).
And there's a chatroom, too!
For more details, visit Erin's homepage, http://www.erinistas.com/, or to join her mailing list, drop a
note to erinistas@aol.com
Maybe Catalogs Would Be Better
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder should avoid shopping for a while. The actress, recently busted for boosting, was leaving the Express
store at the Beverly Center in L.A. the other day when the security alarm went off. This time Winona had paid for
her clothes, but the clerk had neglected to remove the security sensor from one of her items. "She went back to
the clerk and had the sensor removed," says our spy. "She was very polite about it, but she was definitely a little embarrassed."
Winona Ryder
Smithsonian Institution Exhibition
Howard Bingham
Howard Bingham says Muhammad Ali never told him to put down his camera.
And in the 40 years they've known each other, Bingham figures he has taken 1 million shots of his friend, the
former heavyweight boxing champion.
The Smithsonian Institution opens an exhibition Saturday of 123 color and black-and-white photos that Bingham
shot in Zaire in September and October 1974, around the time of Ali's storied fight with George Foreman.
The display captures the excitement of the "Rumble in the Jungle," which Ali won by knockout in the eighth round,
and the seemingly boundless potential of Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It was the first major sporting or cultural event in a black African country, Bingham says, and it was intended
to put Zaire on display to the world. "I'd never seen anything so rich, so black," Bingham, a Los Angeles resident,
said following a tour of the exhibit Friday. "It makes me so mad ... to see the country now."
Bingham, 62, wears a gold ring Ali had made for him with the letters A-L-I written in diamonds across its face.
They met in 1962 when Bingham was on assignment for a local newspaper and Ali was in town for a fight. Their
friendship grew easily through the years.
The exhibition runs through March 31 at the Arts and Industries Building. It was previously at the UCLA Fowler
Museum of Cultural History in Los Angeles.
Howard Bingham
www.howardbingham.com
Smithsonian exhibition
Another Law Suit
Steve Bing
Millionaire producer Steve Bing, who has questioned whether he is the father of the baby expected by British
actress Elizabeth Hurley, has filed a libel suit against the English Daily Mail newspaper, his agents said on Thursday.
The lawsuit, filed in London, responds to a Dec. 22 article in the Daily Mail which claimed that Bing had hired a
private investigator to dig up dirt on Hurley with the aim of damaging the actress's reputation.
It was the second lawsuit filed by Bing against a British newspaper in what has become a bitter war of words
over the child Hurley is expecting in April.
Bing said in December he was not sure if he was, as Hurley has publicly stated, the father of the child. Bing said
then that he was not in an exclusive relationship with Hurley when she became pregnant but that he would be an
``involved and responsible parent'' if the child proved to be his.
After his statement, the British Mirror tabloid called Bing a ``sleazeball'' and published his business telephone
number with the suggestion that readers should pass on their opinions direct. Bing later filed a suit claiming
libel and asking for damages against The Mirror.
The lawsuit against the Daily Mail, its publisher and editor, was filed on Jan. 15. Bing claims libel, and seeks
damages and an injunction against the newspaper from republishing its claims.
Steve Bing
''The Little Dreams Foundation''
Phil Collins
British singer and songwriter Phil Collins will perform in Geneva Saturday to raise funds for a charity foundation
he and his Swiss wife Orianne set up to help aspiring entertainers and athletes.
Collins and his third wife, who runs a public relations company, set up the Little Dreams Foundation to provide
professional support and financing for youths aged four to 16 hoping to make a breakthrough in music, cinema, or sport.
``A lot of people don't come from wealthy families... Therefore that talent ends up being unheard,'' Collins said
in an interview with World Radio Geneva.
Former Swiss skier Erika Hess, French actor Christophe Lambert, French tennis players Henri Leconte and Arnaud
Boetsch, Swiss Olympic cyclist Pascal Richard and British round-the-world balloonist Brian Jones are among
the foundation's ``godfathers.''
Phil Collins
BC Entertainment Favorite Link
Self-Portraits From The Old TV Series
''Holy Bat Painting!''
''Batman'' fans will want to wing their way to Webster Hall tonight for an exhibition of self-portraits by the
stars of the original TV series. "Holy Bat Painting!," put together by the nightclub's art curator, Baird Jones,
features portraits of Adam West as Batman, Vincent Price as Egghead, Art Carney as the Archer, Eli Wallach as
Mr. Freeze, Cesar Romero as The Joker and Julie Newmar as Catwoman. Jones picked up the priceless paintings at auction.
''Holy Bat Painting!''
Sony Pictures Entertainment's Fake Movie Reviewer
''David Manning''
Two moviegoers suing Sony Pictures Entertainment for promoting its films with ecstatic review blurbs attributed to a
fictional critic have offered to settle the case for $4.5 million, their lawyer said Thursday.
The two plaintiffs, Omar Rezec of Los Angeles and Ann Belknap of suburban Sierra Madre, claimed they were duped into
seeing the medieval drama ``A Knight's Tale'' by glowing appraisals of the film attributed to Manning.
The Manning blurbs were featured prominently in ads for that film and three others released by Sony-owned Columbia
Pictures -- ``Hollow Man,'' ``Vertical Limit'' and ``The Animal.''
Shortly after the hoax came to light, Columbia formally rebuked and suspended ad executives without pay for their
roles in inventing Manning, who was falsely billed as a reviewer for the Ridgefield Press in Connecticut. A week
later, the studio admitted that two of its employees posed as fans in a television testimonial for another one of its movies.
Under a settlement offer filed in court last week by Rezec and Belknap, Sony would establish a $4.5 million fund
to reimburse film-goers who believe they were misled into seeing any of the four movies touted by the Manning blurbs.
''David Manning''
Don't Check Film At The Airport
Parker Posey
Actress Parker Posey and Tom Beller, a writer, had only one gripe with the new security system in the Salt Lake International Airport.
Riffling through a bag of luggage, they groaned they hadn't known that film was supposed to be removed from any
bag going through computer tomography X-ray machines, which give a detailed analysis of every part of a bag.
``We just lost our whole roll of Big Sur,'' Posey said with agitation. ``They were beautiful pictures. We had two
disposable cameras and another roll.''
They were heading home to New York Wednesday after leaving the Sundance Film Festival. The new security system was
being tested to work out the bugs before Friday's congressionally imposed, nationwide deadline for screening
all checked baggage for explosives.
Parker Posey
2002 Adult Video News Awards
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg's triple-X video, "Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle," took home two trophies at the 2002 Adult Video News Awards,
and the Doggfather and his entourage took over a fellow pornster's hotel room to celebrate.
The rapper's first foray into the porn world won the Best Music award and was named Top Selling Tape of 2001,
according to a spokesperson for the movie's producer, Hustler Video. The flick features 11 previously unreleased
songs by Snoop protégés Tha Eastsidaz. Snoop cast the actors and wrote the score, and he can be seen rapping and
cavorting in several sequences that introduce X-rated scenes.
The Doggfather and some members of his entourage were on hand to accept the honors, which were presented at a
ceremony held at Las Vegas' Venetian Hotel. At a porn-star-studded afterparty, the rapper and nearly 70 of his
closest friends commandeered a penthouse suite bedroom belonging to actor Jason Sechrest, Sechrest said Thursday
(January 17). When Snoop's security denied Sechrest and others from entering the actor's room, citing a "chicks
only, no dudes" rule, hotel security was called to escort Snoop and company from the premises.
2002 Adult Video News Awards
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Snarky Gossip
Helena & Tim
What Gaul! First, director Tim Burton dumps fiancée Lisa Marie for actress Helena Bonham Carter - who appeared
with Lisa in "Planet in the Apes" - and now they parade through Paris, putting their amour on display for all the world to see.
Burton isn't British-born beauty Helena's first "committed" conquest. Her affair with Kenneth Branagh in 1995
effectively ended his marriage to Oscar-winner Emma Thompson.
More Helena & Tim
Stephen King, John Grisham and Pat Conroy
Reader Benefit
Stephen King, John Grisham and Pat Conroy will be among those appearing next month at a benefit for Frank Muller,
an award-winning audio book reader severely injured in a motorcycle crash last November.
Muller's audio book credits include everything from works by King and John le Carre to Shakespeare and Herman
Melville. Conroy has called him a ``prince of language'' and a Chicago Tribune critic labeled him the ``Laurence
Olivier of the (audio book) medium.''
A classically trained actor, Muller has appeared on ``Law and Order,'' ``All My Children'' and other television
programs. He sustained multiple fractures, lacerations and abrasions from his accident, which happened near Los
Angeles, and suffered severe head trauma.
Stephen King, John Grisham and Pat Conroy
The Next Generation
Anoushka Shankar
Anoushka Shankar, daughter of world-renowned sitar maestro Ravi Shankar, performs in Singapore late January 17,
2002. The younger Shankar has no qualms over riding on her father's fame but aspires to be a trailblazer in her generation.
Photo by Aundry Gan
Researching Sir Ernest Shackleton
George Plimpton
He's never been before, so George Plimpton is on his way to Antarctica. The author is researching a book on
legendary British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and trying to finish a second book about birds. "I hope to
see some empire penguins, or a wandering albatross," Plimpton said before setting off to board the Explorer,
an Abercrombie & Kent ship with a strengthened hull and bow thrusters for getting through the pack ice. The
trip will include stops at the Falklands and South Georgia Island, where Shackleton sailed a lifeboat 800
miles to fetch a rescue ship for his stranded men.
George Plimpton
George Plimpton used to host 'Mousterpiece Theater' on the Disney Channel.
Europe's First Brothel For Women
Bankrupt
Europe's first brothel catering for women has gone bankrupt because customers refused to pay up,
German police said Friday.
The brothel owner, whom police named only as Clemens K., 31, was arrested in Germany after he resorted to mugging an
elderly couple with a toy gun.
``He told us his brothel had gone bust. If they'd operated like a normal brothel and made sure they got the money
before the sex, they would have been all right,'' said Peter-Georg Biewald, a police spokesman in Waldshut, southwestern Germany.
``But they didn't ask for money until afterwards and the women only paid for what they thought the service had been worth.''
Clemens ran the brothel with five other male prostitutes in the village of Leibstadt in Switzerland, close
to the German border.
The brothel was called ``Angels'' and occupied a Swiss chalet-style house.
Europe's First Brothel For Women Goes Belly-Up
In Memory
Mike Marmer
Television comedy writer Mike Marmer, who wrote for Ernie Kovacs, Steve Allen and Jack Paar and shared an Emmy
Award for his work on "The Carol Burnett Show," has died. He was 76.
Marmer, who died of cancer Jan. 12, frequently teamed with comedy writer Stan Burns and others on the Carol
Burnett sketch "Went With the Wind," a parody of the classic "Gone With the Wind." The sketch earned them a writing Emmy in 1972.
He wrote for most of the major comedy variety shows during the Golden Age of TV in the late 1950s and 1960s,
including Kovacs, Allen, Paar, the Smothers Brothers, Flip Wilson, Milton Berle and Redd Foxx. He also scripted
at least 20 "Dean Martin Roasts."
Marmer also wrote scripts for "Gilligan's Island," "F Troop," "Get Smart" and "Three's Company."
Married three times, Marmer is survived by son Miles Crakow of Los Angeles; daughter Jennifer Crakow of San
Francisco; and sister Ruth Fishman of Framingham, Mass.
Funeral arrangements weren't disclosed.
Mike Marmer
Still MISSING
Marc Chagall's "Study for 'Over Vitebsk'"
