Reader Review
Your Grandfather's Music
By Dave Romm
One of my favorite things about the digital revolution is mining music from eras past. We really don't appreciate that we have NO recorded sound prior to the invention of the phonograph in 1877 and very little up through the rist of commercial radio in the 1920s. Your grandfather's grandfather heard NO music that wasn't live. Fortunately for us, if the recording exists anywhere, we can still hear it, and probably better than they could at the time.
Al Jolson was the World's Greatest Entertainer, claims his website with much justification. He was the king of pop and the king of Broadway; the Michael Jackson AND the Nathan Lane of his time, which was the 1910s and 20s and beyond into the 50s. Several movies have been made about his life, and he's deservedly famous for launching talkies; despite previous attempts to add sound, the new media didn't take off until Jolson ad libbed dialog between songs (which were on record, trying to match the film speed) in The Jazz Singer (1927). The web site has MIDI files for you to listen to as you ride the wave (I love the net). My father used to sing us songs his mother sang to him, including When the Red, Red Robing Comes Bob-Bob-Bobbin Along, There's A Rainbow Around My Shoulder, Mammy, April Showers and California Here I Come. He's been criticized lately for singing Swanee in blackface, but there's no indication that the black ministral shows he's emulating didn't enjoy it. From all reports, it's clear he could work an audience like no one else and the recordings are a shadow of his legacy. But they're what we have, and we can enjoy them.
The Andrews Sisters are probably best remembered today for their appearances in Abbott and Costello movies, but they had a long and very successful career spanning the 30s and 40s. Three Jewish sisters from Minneapolis worked hard at their sound and hit the bigtime in 1932, recording much with Bing Crosby and other notables until the group broke up in 1954 (with a couple of reunion attempts later). Their superb harmonies stand up past the lo-fi recordings. Their song selection would probably qualify them as World Beat in today's market, though they were playing to a whitebread audience, and are still quite listenable. While Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B was recorded by them many times (and by Bette Midler later), there are times when that note they hit a cappella is magic. Their more famous songs include Bel Mir Bist Du Schon (Means That You're Grand) with some German, The Beer Barrel Polka a Czech song by way of Germany, several tunes loosely based on Yiddish or Russian including Pross-Tchai (Goodbye) and Sha Sha, they journey via the South American Way to Cuanto Le Gusta and helped spark the Calypso trend with Holt Tight! (Want some sea food Mama). You can get many of their recordings here, and I'm not going to recommend a specific one to start with but the Best of collection has several of my favorites and the 3 CD set Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy - Greate looks like a good overview.
Jimmy Durante is an acquired taste. Most of his songs are not so much music as they are little skits and a chance for him to interrupt himself and make comments and jokes. Patter songs. In a way, anticipating rap or perhaps the music video. (Okay, that's a stretch, but what the heck.) He got his start playing ragtime and moved into vaudeville and later into movies and tv. He wasknown as the great Schnozzola, which he marketed with glee. He and Bob Hope sing a duet called The Boys With The Proboscis which sums up their reputation with their most prominent feature. Inda Dinka Doo is his signature song, rarely even attempted by anyone else. He urges you to Start Off Each Day With A Song and asks Who Will Be With You When I'm Far Away. While I have several records, the only CD in my collection is Inka Dinka Doo (that site doesn't have track listings, so I'm unsure if it's the same), which has a neat version of Black Strap Molasses with Jimmy, Groucho Marx, Danny Kaye and Jane Wyman. He was quite a character, but seemed to avoid all the negative things that go with stardom. His marriages lasted until death (the first, Mrs. Calabash, until her death and the second until his).
You can find CDs of early recordings from as far back as 1878 (which I hope to add to my collection someday), but at the time recorded music was a new technology and largely for the idle rich. It didn't become a mass market product until popular music was recorded with higher quality equipment and live radio created an itch that recorded music could scratch. Now, we can listen to Edison tinfoil cylinders that have been digitized. I love living in the future!
Dave Romm is a conceptual artist with a radio show and a web site and a very weird CD collection. He reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E here.
Thanks (again), Dave!
Reader TV Review
''Bless Me Father''
Michelle V
I watched the ABC Special last night, and found the whole to be informative, while failing to address an important question, i.e. the difference between pedophilia and
homosexuality -- in essence treating both as an aberration, rather than being journalistically sound by citing research that clearly shows pedophilia to be a disease, while
homosexuality is an inborn trait.
The clear inference from this oversight is that priests are queer AND child molesters; when all research shows a huge majority of gay men are attracted to other MATURE gay men,
and NOT to vulnerable boys. They failed to help dispel the myth of gays preying on boys .
~~ michelle v.
Thanks, Michelle! Once again, short, sweet & to the point. And very accurate (of course), imho.
April Fool's Prank On LA Radio Station
Charlie Tuna
KBIG's Charlie Tuna and Leigh Ann Adam announced yesterday that the new law banning cell phone usage and smoking while driving
went into effect. Most of the callers they put on the air bought it and they were very upset at the new law. One caller, however, was so pleased
remembering that she voted for the ordinance in the last election. By 9 a.m., the California Highway Patrol called to have the morning team end the
hoax. They had received a number of 911 calls turning in drivers who were talking on their phones or smoking...
Thanks to Radio Froderick!
www.laradio.com
From 'TBH Politoons'
Great Site!
Thanks, again, Tim!
Still Seeking Volunteers
'The Osbournes'
Put up a page night before last night devoted to 'The Osbournes'
BartCop Entertainment has been following 'The Osbournes' since
January 24, 2002, but your input is needed.
C'mon....send your thoughts, your impressions, your views.
Scroll down for lots of addys to pick from.
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Dug up more of the backyard to expand the garden today. Basic roughage grows better than grass here, and it's so much cheaper this way.
Also bought the kid his first computer. Time to get his 'Lego & Steven Spielberg Moviemaker Set' running. Abdul, the-king-of-all-things-tech
will have it ready Friday morning. Abdul rules!
Of course, 'Enterprise' was on in the background. It wasn't too 'Forbidden Planet'-ish at all. No. Not at all. Scroll down for
an opportunity to view the real thing.
'Bernie Mac' is one of the funniest shows available. It won a Peabody Award last week.
Caught most of the 'Peter Jennings: ''Bless Me Father'' Show', and was astounded by some of the numbers. On the other hand, I think I remember reading
somewhere that the Vatican has one of the world's premiere collections of pornography, dating back to antiquity.
Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
Bob Newhart
The Kennedy Center announced on Wednesday that comic Bob Newhart was the recipient of the center's annual Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, named after
one of the world's greatest humorists.
A stand-up comic best known for his television shows in the 1970s and 1980s, Newhart said he was humbled by being chosen as this year's winner.
"Mark Twain once said, 'It is strange the way the ignorant and inexperienced so often and so unreservedly succeed when the informed and experienced fail,'
which is certainly true in this case," Newhart said of the award.
"Like Twain, Newhart looked at the great and the small of American life and found the befuddling lunacy that lurks beneath a deceptive calm," the Kennedy Center said.
Newhart's career began in the 1950s when, as an accountant and advertising copywriter, he supplemented his income by writing and performing comedy
sketches on the radio.
Newhart will receive the Mark Twain prize at a gala celebration at the Kennedy Center on Oct. 29. Previous recipients of the prize were Richard Pryor,
Carl Reiner, Jonathan Winters and Whoopi Goldberg.
Bob Newhart
Also: Bob-Newhart.com
and
Bob Newhart: Stand Up Comedian
'Feeling Extremely Used'
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey fired back at the White House yesterday - saying she felt "extremely used" by the Bush administration for implying that she was too busy to tour
Afghanistan schools on behalf of President Bush.
Winfrey called her pal, "The View" co-host Star Jones, before yesterday's show and told Jones the story "was just not true."
Word first leaked last week that Winfrey declined to make the trip to Afghanistan. In a prepared statement from her office at Chicago-based Harpo Productions,
Winfrey said she had too many other things to do. Some took her refusal as a blatant snub of the president.
"The White House knew she wasn't going to be able to go, but [Bush adviser] Karen Hughes told her they were going anyway," Jones said.
"So Oprah says for the last couple of weeks she thought, 'Oh, they had gone [to Afghanistan]'.
"She said, 'So imagine my surprise, I wake up and read in the newspaper that I'm being cavalier, I'm too busy.'
"She said it didn't happen that way and it really wasn't fair," Jones said of Winfrey. "We all know what kinds of philanthropic things that Oprah does
across the country and across the world so that wasn't fair.
"She did say, 'Star, I felt extremely used by the Bush administration.'
For more details, and wonderful quotes, Oprah Winfrey
Dancing The MSNBC Schedule To Facilitate
Phil Donahue
Veteran talk-show host Phil Donahue is returning to television with a nightly topical program on MSNBC, which hopes his hiring adds a spark
of interest to a struggling network
Terms of the deal, signed early Wednesday, were not immediately disclosed. Donahue's show is expected to launch sometime this summer.
His MSNBC show will air at 8 p.m. ET on weeknights, pitting him against Fox News Channel's powerhouse, "The O'Reilly Factor," and a new show on CNN
led by Connie Chung, which is supposed to debut in late spring or early summer.
Donahue will interview newsmakers, reporters and analysts on the topics of the day. Unlike his syndicated talk show, he will not have a studio audience.
To make room for Donahue, MSNBC is moving its nightly news hour with Brian Williams up to 7 p.m. ET. "Hardball" with Chris Matthews will air at
9 p.m. and be shown exclusively on MSNBC and no longer on CNBC.
Two other shows will be pushed back an hour: Ashleigh Banfield's news report will be at 10 p.m. ET and Alan Keyes' talk show, which has done
poorly since its debut this winter, will be at 11 p.m. ET.
Phil Donahue
'Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron'
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg, head of the U.S. Dreamwork's Animation studio stands with a model of "Spirit" the horse hero in his new film, "Spirit: Stallion of
the Cimarron" at Fox Studios in Sydney, April 3, 2002. John McClane, the hero of "Die Hard" movies, was a chief inspiration for the wild horse who triumphs
over adversity in Dreamworks' new animated film to be released in the U.S. at the end of May.
Photo by Mark Baker
Battered Husband?
Tawny Kitaen
Actress and model Tawny Kitaen, who allegedly kicked her husband, Cleveland Indians pitcher Chuck Finley, with her high heels while he was driving, was
charged on Wednesday with domestic violence.
Kitaen, who starred alongside actor Tom Hanks in the 1984 comedy "Bachelor Party" and in a series of music videos, was ordered released from jail but
ordered to return to court on April 29 to face charges of battery on a spouse.
Authorities said Kitaen, 41, was arrested on Monday by officers responding to an aborted emergency call from the home she shares with Finley.
Police said Kitaen was arguing with Finley as they drove home from a restaurant near their home in Newport Beach, California, about 40 miles south of Los
Angeles, when allegedly she began kicking him with her high heeled shoes.
She also allegedly slammed her foot down on his, on top of the car's accelerator pedal, and twisted his ear, leaving Finley with abrasions and bruises.
Tawny Kitaen
13th Annual
GLAAD Awards
Actress Glenn Close, comic actor Nathan Lane and broadcaster Barbara Walters were among the celebrities honored Monday night at the 13th annual awards handed out
by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation.
Close was saluted with the GLAAD Excellence in Media Award for making a significant difference in promoting equal rights for lesbian, gay and transgender people.
The Vito Russo Award went to Lane for his contribution in combating homophobia. Lane was unable to pick up the award in person.
Walters received a standing ovation along with the prize for TV journalism for a "20/20" segment on gay parenting called "The Children Speak."
The GLAAD Media Awards recognize people and projects in the media that offer fair and inclusive representation of the gay community. Guests and hosts included
Kristen Johnson, Cynthia Nixon, Rue McClanahan and Bea Arthur. More awards will be handed out later this spring at ceremonies in Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Other winners are:
Film, Limited Release: "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" (Fine Line Features)
Television Movie: "What Makes a Family" (Lifetime)
Daytime Drama: "All My Children" (ABC Daytime)
Newspaper Overall Coverage: USA Today
Newspaper Columnist: Leonard Pitts Jr. (Miami Herald)
TV Journalism: "The Children Speak," "20/20" (ABC News)
Magazine Overall Coverage: New York Times Magazine
Advertising/Print: "Absolut GLAAD," Absolut Vodka
New York Theater -- Broadway & Off Broadway: "The Invention of Love"
New York Theater -- Off Off Broadway: "In on It"
GLAAD Awards
Ratings Race Remains Tight
C.S.I.
Although the "Survivor"-vs.-"Friends" ratings race remains interesting, Thursday's real battle continues to be the dramatic rivalry between CBS' "CSI" and NBC's "ER."
Because they don't face off against each other, each series has carved out a dominant niche in the world of TV dramas. And both are still at the top of their game: "ER"
was No. 1 among all series last week in the key demographic of adults aged 18-49 (11.8 rating/31 share), while "CSI" was tops with all viewers (25.2 million).
On the flip side, "ER" was No. 2 with viewers (24.8 million), while "CSI" was third with adults 18-49 (at 9.5/24, behind only "Friends").
For the rest of last weeks ratings, day by day, Ratings Race Remains Tight
Boys Getting Snarky
Vidal & Dunne
Gore Vidal has written Vanity Fair "about as bitchy a letter as I've read in a long time," according to Dominick Dunne. It accuses Dunne of name-dropping
and "climbing about the jungle gym of American society."
Vidal was inspired to pen his letter to the magazine after Dunne wrote in his "Diary" in the March issue about a dinner party thrown by Wendy Stark,
the daughter of movie producer Ray Stark, which both novelists attended.
Vidal responds in the May issue: "As we listened to Diarist [Dunne] tell us in grave, morally outraged tones about the 'crime and criminality
among the rich and very rich' . . . I wondered why he should be so concerned with the doings of people unknown to him . . . What attracts him?
The fact that they are rich or very rich? . . . Diarist is more interested in who got what money and in Celebrity, particularly his own."
Dunne responds to Vidal's letter: "We must stick to the facts of what happened. Remember, I don't drink at those parties, have an excellent memory,
and always carry a green leather notebook . . . to make a few notes."
Vidal & Dunne
In The Role Of 'Wicked Step-Daughter'
Liza Minnelli
The 94-year-old stepmother of Liza Minnelli sued the performer for elder abuse and breach of contract, claiming her stepdaughter has neglected her.
The suit filed Tuesday in Superior Court claims Lee Anderson Minnelli was guaranteed housing in the will of her late husband, Vincente Minnelli. Liza
Minnelli sold the Beverly Hills home and "has instructed her representatives to remove Lee by whatever means necessary," according to the lawsuit.
The suit also claims that Liza Minnelli failed to comply with an agreement to keep the home in habitable condition. The electricity at the home was shut off
March 27 and the gardener and pool man also have been fired, the suit alleges.
The living conditions have caused "extreme stress, humiliation, embarrassment and worry," for Minnelli's stepmother, according to the suit. Lee
Minnelli is seeking a court order requiring her stepdaughter to pay utility and household bills, and seeks unspecified general damages and attorney
fees. She also wants a constructive trust for $1 million be placed on any proceeds from the sale of the house.
Liza Minnelli
8 Wives, 7 Sons, 4 Daughters
Mickey Rooney
He has married eight times and has seven sons, four daughters, and so many grandchildren and great-grandchildren that he's lost count. He has made millions and lost millions — to
alimony, child support, the IRS and bad investments, including the horses.
As a teen-ager he became box-office king and was awarded an honorary Oscar for "bringing to the screen the spirit and personification of youth." He was given another honorary
Academy Award in 1983 for a half-century "of versatility in a variety of memorable film performances."
And in 2002, Mickey Rooney continues doing what he has done for 80 years: entertaining.
Although his film and TV bookings have declined, Rooney and his wife, Jan, often travel to towns big and small to perform their show of song, dance and nostalgia.
For the rest of this lengthy, but fairly informative interview, Mickey Rooney
Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame - Finally
Rowan & Martin
"Laugh-In" hosts Dick Martin and the late Dan Rowan have received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for their irreverent 1960s variety show, famous for
its non sequiturs and psychedelic shtick.
Martin accepted the honor at the Hollywood Boulevard ceremony on Tuesday; Rowan died in 1987 at age 65.
A precursor to "Saturday Night Live," "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" made stars out of Lily Tomlin, Goldie Hawn and Henry Gibson and introduced
such catch phrases as "Sock it to me!" and "You bet your sweet bippy."
Rowan was the straight man to daffy Martin on the sketch comedy show, which aired on NBC from 1968-73.
The 80-year-old Martin was joined Tuesday by show regulars Tomlin, Gibson, Arte Johnson, Ruth Buzzi, Gary Owens and Jo Anne Worley in addition
to comedians Bob Newhart, Don Rickles and Dick Van Dyke.
Rowan & Martin
Not Amused To Be Caught In April Fool's Day Prank
Bill Gates
He may be the world's richest man, but that didn't prevent Bill Gates from falling for an April Fool's Day joke by two Quebec radio comics
pretending to be Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien.
Montreal French-language station CKMF-FM said on Wednesday that staffers Marc-Antoine Audet and Sebastien Trudel had a 10-minute telephone chat
with Microsoft Corp. boss Gates on Monday, April 1. The broadcast was aired in their nightly show on Tuesday and repeated on Wednesday.
Trudel said he and his colleague had already fooled Canadian pop diva Celine Dion and Formula One driver Jacques Villeneuve on their show.
Trudel said they imitated Chretien's heavily accented English, talking about the economy, insulting Microsoft's Windows operating system and inviting
the multibillionaire to visit a well-known Montreal strip joint.
The radio host said that Gates, the founder of software giant Microsoft and reportedly worth more than $40 billion, was not amused by the fake interview.
Bill Gates
Could Do No Right
The Beeb
The BBC apparently could do no right in its coverage of the death of the queen mother over Easter weekend.
Press reports had it that the royal family was outraged by the public broadcaster's low-key treatment of the passing of the 101-year-old royal, so
much so that Prince Charles snubbed the BBC and gave an exclusive interview to ITN, which supplies news to ITV, Channel 4 and Channel 5.
Most contentious was the failure of BBC anchorman Peter Sissons to wear a traditional black tie as he announced the news of the death, particularly
astounding given that broadcasters had been preparing for years for the event.
Sissons' on-air interrogation of the queen mother's niece about her aunt's final moments was also said to have caused considerable offense.
The Beeb
Slot Machines For The Visually Impaired
Ray Charles
Music legend Ray Charles is coming to a casino near you.
The blind entertainer is lending his name to the first series of slot machines for the visually impaired. The Bally Gaming Systems machines, which include
audio cues and a Braille button deck, are being shipped this month.
The slot machine models include an "America the Beautiful"-themed machine featuring the 71-year-old Charles and "The Paylettes." His recording "America
the Beautiful" is 30 years old.
In addition to the slot machines, Charles has been featured in 16 state lottery campaigns. In May, he plans to reprise his legendary version of "Georgia
on My Mind" for the Georgia state lottery.
Ray Charles
Maybe She Just Likes The Color Blue
Elizabeth Hurley
It looks as if Elizabeth Hurley will soon have a new man in her life — or rather a new boy.
Last week, 14 boxes of furniture, clothing and toys were delivered to the "Austin Powers" star's Chelsea home by the posh London boutique Babylist.
The single mom apparently ordered everything from a Moses basket in blue gingham with a blue bow to Christian Dior rompers, cashmere cardigans, a
Dior baby bottle and a Gucci baby bottle carrier, as well as a carved cherrywood changing unit and cot.
Elizabeth Hurley
New Record Label
DMZ Records
The surprise success of the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack has led to a record label deal for its producer, T Bone Burnett, and Joel and
Ethan Coen, the makers of the film.
Columbia Records will distribute the new label, DMZ Records. Its first release will be from 75-year-old country singer Ralph Stanley, who won a
Grammy Award this year for his "O Death" track on the "O Brother" soundtrack. The disc will be released June 11.
"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" won five Grammys, including album of the year, and producer of the year honors for Burnett. The disc of bluegrass,
gospel and traditional country songs has sold more than 4.6 million copies.
The new label's board of advisers will include Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Bono and the Coen brothers.
DMZ Records
Lawsuit Filed
Marilyn Manson
The mother of a woman who died in a car crash last year has sued Marilyn Manson for wrongful death, alleging that the musician gave the woman drugs before the accident.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in Superior Court, claims that Manson was negligent in "instructing the woman to operate a motor vehicle in her incapacitated condition."
Maria St. John is seeking unspecified damages and attorney fees.
The lawsuit alleges that St. John's daughter, 28-year-old Jennifer Syme, was with the singer, whose real name is Brian Warner, and other unnamed
defendants last April. Manson allegedly gave Syme drugs before she was dropped off at her home. She got into her car, with the intent of returning
to Manson's home, according to the lawsuit.
Syme, an actress and former girlfriend of actor Keanu Reeves, later crashed into at least three parked cars and was thrown from her car. She died at the scene.
Marilyn Manson
Artistic Director At NYU Film School
Spike Lee
Director Spike Lee has earned high enough marks as a teacher at New York University's Film School to earn the position of Artistic Director.
Lee graduated from the school and teaches during the spring semesters. During his tenure he has brought in many big-name speakers, like
Martin Scorsese and Joe Pesci.
Lee has been lauded by the chairman of the film department for being an excellent, giving teacher and not letting Hollywood affect him.
Spike Lee
Announcing The Passing
Megadeth
Members of rock band Megadeth, from left: Al Pitrelli, Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson, and Jimmy De Grasso pose for photographers in Jakarta, Indonesia, in this July 30, 2001
file photo. Megadeth is disbanding due to serious injuries to founder Mustaine's left arm and hand that have left him unable to play the guitar. In a statement released Wednesday,
April 3, 2002, Mustaine did not specify how the injury occurred, and his publicist, Chip Adams, said he did not know.
Photo by Achmad Ibrahim
Lawsuit Settled
Kathie Lee
Kathie Lee Gifford has settled a lawsuit with a supermarket tabloid over a story accusing the former "Live With Regis & Kathie Lee" star of turning her son into a brat.
Court records show Palm Beach County Circuit Judge Timothy McCarthy formally dismissed the case last week.
Gifford and her husband, former "Monday Night Football" announcer and NFL star Frank Gifford, reached an out-of-court, confidential settlement with
the Boca Raton-based tabloid National Examiner about three months ago, Deborah Drooz, an attorney for the couple, said Monday.
A February 2000 story, headlined "Kathie Lee Wrecking Cody's Life! Pushy Mom's Creating a Monster," said the boy cried at a record store because it had
no Britney Spears' albums, spit up partially chewed squid at a restaurant, and colored on a pair of pants for sale at an exclusive children's store.
The Examiner published a retraction last August, saying, "We regret any distress or embarrassment that Cody may have experienced."
Kathie Lee
'Air-Rage' Trial Continues
Peter Buck
R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck was accused Wednesday of lying to protect his career after a drunken rampage on a trans-Atlantic flight
Buck, who denies charges of assault, being drunk on an airplane and damaging British Airways crockery, says he suffered a bad reaction to the
combination of a sleeping pill and red wine and has no memory of his alleged actions.
Prosecutors say Buck, 45, acted like a "drunken lout" after consuming 15 glasses of wine on the flight.
They say he overturned a breakfast trolley, mistook a hostess trolley for a CD player, claimed a stranger sitting on the plane was his wife and
tussled with crew members, covering them with yogurt.
Crew members have testified they pulled Buck away from an exit door after he announced he was "going home" mid-flight.
Character witnesses, including R.E.M. band mates Michael Stipe and Mike Mills and U2 frontman Bono, have testified that Buck is a gentle family man who
does not abuse alcohol or drugs.
The trial continues Thursday.
Peter Buck
Woman With An Opinion
Linda Blair
She spewed up green pea soup in "The Exorcist" all those years ago and now Linda Blair is a full-blown vegetarian and animal rights activist. She's
written a book called "Going Vegan" and tells Webster Hall art curator Baird Jones that she's appalled at the way animals are treated. She even has
a jab at Mike Tyson for keeping a tiger as a pet. "I think that's morally horrible," Blair says.
Linda Blair
Lawsuit Filed
Eddie Murphy
A Chicago janitor is suing Eddie Murphy and other producers tied to now-defunct animated series "The PJs," alleging they stole his likeness from an amateur
video for a character on the show.
In a suit filed March 22 in U.S. District Court in Illinois, the plaintiff, Tally Collier, is seeking more than $75,000 in actual damages and more than $10
million in punitive damages from Murphy and other "PJs" producers, including Imagine Entertainment principals Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Tony Krantz.
Other defendants in the suit include Will Vinton Studios, which developed "The PJs"' animation format, and Fox, the first network to air the series.
Collier insists Murphy and others based the show on an amateur documentary he starred in about life in Chicago's housing projects. He believes the defendants
got wind of the film after it was submitted in early 1998 to "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
In addition to Daryl Murphy's video taking place in the projects (of Chicago), the suit cites other similarities, including the allegation that "PJs"
character Sanchez is a carbon copy of Collier. Both men use a electronic voice box to talk and a cane to get around. Collier also believes "PJs" characters
Mrs. Avery, Mrs. Mambo Garcelle (Haiti Lady), Smokey and Juicy were likewise lifted from Daryl Murphy's video.
Eddie Murphy
Lawsuit Filed
Michael Nader
A former soap opera star on "All My Children," the ABC daytime television drama, has filed a lawsuit accusing the network of lying to him and damaging him
emotionally after writing his character out of the show.
Michael Nader, 57, who played the Hungarian Count Dimitri for nearly 10 years is suing ABC for breach of contract.
He is seeking about $32 million -- $1.74 in unpaid wages, $25 million in compensatory damages and $5 million for intentional infliction of emotional distress,
according to court papers.
Nader said in the lawsuit he became ill in February 2001 and required medical treatment. The court papers did not mention that the actor had to undergo drug
treatment after he was arrested in Manhattan's East Village.
The Manhattan district attorney's office confirmed on Wednesday that Nader had pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a controlled substance and was sentenced
on May 22, 2001 to three years probation.
In March 2001, Nadar told ABC that he was "ready, willing and able to return to work," but ABC "encouraged" him to remain on medical leave to treat his
illness, while indicating the network would honor his contract. In September 2001 Nader again told the network he wanted to return to work but was advised
by ABC it "would prevent him from performing." Nader said ABC would not pay him and also refused to release him from his contract so he could work on a rival show.
The lawsuit also said that in April 2000, Nader and ABC signed a four-year contract stating he would be paid a minimum of $436,800 a year or about $1.74 million.
Michael Nader
New Consortium Formed To Set Standards
Digital Cinema
In what could prove to be a milestone for digital moviemaking, Hollywood's seven major film studios on Tuesday said they will form a venture to set open
technology standards for Digital Cinema.
The venture's name and management will be announced in coming weeks, but a spokeswoman said the effort will be funded with equal contributions by each of
the studios: Disney, 20th Century Fox, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Universal Studios and Warner Bros.
Digital Cinema experts outside the studios called the effort a positive move in the still undeveloped arena for Digital Cinema, which can offer consumers
better quality movies and reduce operating costs for studios and theaters.
Independent filmmakers working on shoe-string budgets, too, have been moving forward making movies with inexpensive digital cameras and other equipment.
Yet, when it comes to distributing the films to movie theaters, the indies must use expensive processes to convert their digital movies to film.
For the most part, all their efforts have been hampered because companies that make anything from expensive movie cameras to color mastering equipment
have been making products that, in some cases, use incompatible technologies.
By banding together, the studios hope to steer product manufacturers toward an open set of standards, thereby making it less expensive for industry players
to adopt Digital Cinema. After early wrangling, the studios came together on competing DVD standards, and DVD has proven to be a huge moneymaker.
Digital Cinema
Back To NYC
Grammy Awards
After a four-year West Coast hiatus, the Grammy Awards will return to New York City next year for the 45th annual ceremony, officials announced Wednesday.
The 2003 show will be held Feb. 23 in Madison Square Garden, the site of its last New York date in 1998, said Michael Green, head of the National Academy of
Recording Arts and Sciences. It marks the first time the awards show will be broadcast on a Sunday night.
The Grammys left New York after the 1998 show, when then-Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and Grammys boss Greene engaged in a highly public spat.
Grammy Awards
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In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
