Weekly Review
from Harper's Magazine
WEEKLY REVIEW - a5 January, 2002
The United States Department of Justice appointed a special criminal
task force to investigate the collapse of Enron, the Texas oil
company. Attorney General John Ashcroft recused himself from the
investigation, as did the entire United States Attorney's office in
Houston, because of conflicts of interest. Kenneth L. Lay, Enron's
chairman, who called two different cabinet secretaries last fall
before the company imploded, apparently fishing for a government
bailout, has given more money to President Bush than anyone else --
more than $550,000 to his political campaigns plus $100,000 for his
inaugural committee. In the months before Enron's stock dropped from
$86 to $.70 a share, company executives, including Lay, sold off $1.1
billion worth of stock.
The Bush Administration abandoned a $1.5
billion project to develop high-mileage gas engines for automobiles,
deciding instead to focus on hydrogen fuel-cell technology, which will
not threaten oil industry revenues for at least ten to twenty years.
Vice President Dick Cheney, who also has close ties to Enron, was
still hiding out somewhere.
President Bush appointed a former employee
of the Unocal oil company to be special envoy to Afghanistan.
Karl Rove, a powerful adviser to President Bush, was said to be busy
pondering the past.
It was revealed that the United States government
was selling old declassified reports to the general public with titles
such as "The Stability of Botulinum Toxin in Common Beverages" and
"Development of 'N' for Offensive Use in Biological Warfare." Botulinum
is the most poisonous substance known; "N" was the military code
word for anthrax. The reports go for about $15.
In Alaska, an appeals court ruled that a crazy man who believes that he has a computer chip
in his head must be allowed to carry a gun.
( continued at Weekly Review )
--Roger D. Hodge
Clinton Praises Bush For Reaching Out To Muslims
Classy Big Dog
Former President Clinton said the terrorism that targeted the United States on Sept. 11 was "the dark side of
globalization," and he praised his successor for making it clear to Muslims the U.S. military response is not directed at them.
In a Monday night speech to a capacity crowd at the Universal Amphitheatre, Clinton said he "strongly, strongly
supports" America's anti-terrorism effort. But he also warned that the United States will be judged only after
the world community decides how to support new democracies in the fight against worldwide poverty, disease and ignorance.
He praised President Bush for what the former president called "taking special care" to convince Muslims around
the world that the United States did not go to war in Afghanistan over their religion.
The former president was greeted with a standing ovation from the 6,191 people who paid $100 to $180 to hear his
speech, sponsored by the University of Judaism in the tony Bel-Air area of Los Angeles. During the ovation, someone
yelled, "Run again!" to which Clinton quipped: "Then you'd have to fix the Constitution."
Clinton also said he admires the public service efforts of former President Jimmy Carter, who has been involved
in human rights and anti-poverty projects. Clinton said his aim was to foster "racial and religious reconciliation
and getting young people more involved."
The former president said he has been busy working on his presidential library in Arkansas and is planning a trip
to South Africa for AIDS education work and to support economic development there.
Let's 'Fix' The Constitution
Useful Link
Arctic Refuge
Cindy A. requests that we all go to
www.savearcticrefuge.org, and add one's name - then, pass it on!!!
Thanks, Cindy!
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Ended up watching more of 'Mark Twain' on PBS than intended...not so much that Ken Burns
Doc-Du-Jour was that enticing as what was opposite it bit.
'Frasier' seems to become more strained with each episode, and it's not pretty to watch.
Had 'Dateline/Jane Pauley Show' on in the background, but, don't remember much.
Tonight, Wednesday, CBS is all fresh, with '60 Minutes II',
'Muhammad Ali's 60th Birthday Celebration', and '48 Hours'.
NBC also has an all-fresh night with 'Ed' (Uncle Pussy is married to
Edith Prickley), 'The West Wing', and 'Law & Order'.
ABC is also all-fresh with 'My Wife & Kids', 'Jim', 'Drew Carey',
'The Job' (season premiere), and 'Downtown'.
The WB is also all-fresh with 'Dawson's Creek', and 'Glory Days'.
Faux has a rerun 'That 70's Show', and then fresh episodes of 'Grounded For Life',
'Bernie Mac', and 'Titus'.
UPN finally cranks out a new episode of 'Enterprise'.
AMC has 'Young Frankenstein' on tonight...blow off commercial TV and watch this instead!
TCM has 'Bound For Glory', where David Carradine stars as Woody Guthrie, followed by
'Close Encounters', director's cut.
Anyone have any opinions?
Or reviews?
(See below for addresses)
Fun Link
Mutopia
Mutopia... a place where music is free for everyone! Download it, print it out, and share it with your friends.
Mutopia is similar in spirit to Project Gutenberg - but consists of a growing collection of free sheet music.
http://www.mutopiaproject.org/
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
''World News for Public Television''
Daljit Dhaliwal
Daljit Dhaliwal, the sleek-looking, London-based TV anchor and David Letterman favorite who was named in 2000
as one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," is off the airwaves.
"World News for Public Television," the half-hour international news program created by Britain's Independent
Television Network lost its funding when Virgin Atlantic pulled out as its primary funding source, effective Dec. 31.
At the time of its final local broadcast, it was airing on 95 public television stations around the U.S.
With the elimination of the program, Dhaliwal, 39, resigned from ITN and is considering other career options.
Dhaliwal's future career path could include returning to the BBC, where she worked from 1990 to 1995, or joining
an American television network. Last year, Dhaliwal married American Lee Patrick Sullivan, a journalist who
once worked for Bloomberg Television.
Dhaliwal became a cult favorite in the late 1990s, particularly among international populations in New York City
and Florida, which were markets where her program first started airing. She also soon became a darling of Letterman,
who has had her as a guest on his program several times in the last 18 months and once said Dhaliwal's program
always makes him "just feel better."`
Daljit Dhaliwal
Hosting The Grammys, Again
Jon Stewart
For the second year in a row, comedian Jon Stewart will host the Grammys, the music industry's most
prestigious annual awards show.
CBS will broadcast the 44th annual Grammy Awards ceremony from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Feb. 27.
A New Jersey native, Stewart currently stars on the Comedy Central cable network's ``The Daily Show
With Jon Stewart,'' a half-hour nightly news spoof that won the prestigious Peabody Award for excellence
last year. He previously hosted ``The Jon Stewart Show'' on MTV, which later aired in syndication.
Jon Stewart
'Entertainer Of The Year'
Richard Roeper
"And then, Geraldo Rivera will be here to take us back to the front lines of Afghanistan for a personal look at his hunt for the killers."
--Fox News Channel's Rita Crosby, Jan. 3, 2002.
Forget about David Letterman, Bernie Mac, Regis and Kelly, Oprah or the cast of "Friends." Sure they're good, but as we take our first
baby steps of the year 2002, the frontrunner for entertainer of the year is Geraldo Rivera.
OK, so Rivera made an "honest mistake," as the Fox News Channel termed it, when he reported in early December that he been in Kandahar
and had "walked over the spot where friendly fire took so many of our men. ...It was just ... fried, really, and bits of uniforms and
tattered clothing everywhere. I said the Lord's Prayer and really choked up."
Turns out Rivera had actually filed his dramatic story from Tora Bora, which is a few hundred miles away from where the three American
soldiers were accidentally killed by a U.S. bomb. Oops.
And when the Baltimore Sun's David Folkenflick had the temerity to question Rivera's methods and ethics, Rivera responded like Hugh
Jackman in "Kate & Leopold," saying, "This cannot stand! He has impugned my honor. It is as if he slapped me in the face and challenged
me to a duel. He is going to regret this story for the rest of this career."
Yeah! But who's expecting Geraldo to be a geography expert? This isn't "Win Ben Stein's Money," it's war, dammit! And as Geraldo kept
reminding us for more than a month, he was in the thick of it, courageously risking his life for his country in the name of, well,
in the name of Geraldo Rivera. The guy was out there like a contestant on "Survivor" ("I haven't had a shower in two weeks!") crossed
with Ted Nugent ("I have to defend whether I'm carrying a six-shooter? It's just ridiculous!"), filing reports that made him sound
like the offspring of an unholy one-night threesome between Clint Eastwood, Ernest Hemingway and Janet Reno.
(By the way, with all these quotes, I'm working from transcripts of Fox News programs. That means I'm not making up any of this stuff.)
To read the rest of Richard Roeper's wonderful summation, click here.
Record Child Support Request
Kirk Kerkorian
The ex-wife of billionaire Kirk Kerkorian has asked a Los Angeles court to award her $320,000 a month in child support
for their 3-year-old daughter in what would be a record settlement of its kind in California.
The high-stakes child support case, which pits Kerkorian against his ex-wife Lisa, is being watched as a test case for
the state's wealthiest parents, according to the Los Angeles Times, which obtained a 33-page court filing on the case.
In that declaration filed last week and reported by the newspaper Monday, former tennis pro Lisa Bonder Kerkorian, 36,
claims that since her 1998 divorce from the 84-year-old MGM studio and casino mogul, she has been selling personal
assets in order to pay monthly expenses for her daughter, Kira.
Among Lisa Kerkorian's listed child support needs are $144,000 monthly for travel, $14,000 for parties and play dates,
$7,000 for charity, $102,000 for food, $1,400 for laundry and cleaning, $1,000 for toys, videos and books and $436 for
the care of Kira's pet bunny, the court filing reportedly said.
Kirk Kerkorian
''Talent Magnet'' Still Doesn't Have A Clue
'Regis'
ABC has laid off a number of New York-based staffers from "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire."
ABC confirmed the layoffs, but said the show is "on hiatus" and doesn't need the "below-the-line" staffers
(not on contract) because "Millionaire" has already taped its allotment of episodes for the season.
A network spokesman said the layoffs - first noted on the TV website tvbarn.com - were part of the "natural
cycle" of a show on hiatus.
Susan Lyne, ABC's new entertainment president, said Sunday that the damage to "Millionaire" may be irreparable.
"Programming it less in prime time would not have necessarily extended its life or success," Lyne said.
''Talent Magnet'' Still Doesn't Have A Clue
Please allow me to translate for their ''Talent Magnet''...''damage to 'Millionaire' may be irreparable'' - The show is toast - stick
in the proverbial fork - it's done.
Sadly, 'Millionaire' is more than viable...but, coming from someone who believes that there is a 'natural cycle' (or anything
'natural' on TV) is obviously a dupe, probably gives change for a dollar if her corporate masters are involved, and is proud that she
watches very little TV...
Heading The Jury At 55th Cannes Film Festival
David Lynch
David Lynch will head the jury at the 55th Cannes Film Festival in May, festival officials announced.
``I am filled with excitement, fear and the full meaning of responsibility as I accept this honor,''
Lynch said in a statement last week. ``I will do my best to help continue the festival's great tradition
of spotlighting and celebrating world cinema through friendly competition.''
The festival will run May 15-26.
David Lynch
Columbia Journalism Review
Q&A With Larry Flynt
''Journalists sued the government over press access during the gulf war, and they've done so this time around, too.
Last time it was The Nation, the liberal journal of opinion -- on behalf of a number of publications and highbrow
writers such as E.L. Doctorow and William Styron -- charging that the military unfairly and unconstitutionally barred
reporters from the battlefields. By the time the judge could rule, however, the war was over and the case was moot.
Now, a decade later, another conflict has exploded and another magazine has dragged the government into court. This
time it is the porn publisher Larry Flynt who filed suit against Donald Rumsfeld and the Department of Defense in November
for the right of Hustler correspondents to accompany American troops in Afghanistan.
Flynt is no stranger to seemingly insurmountable legal battles, however. He has weathered obscenity trials and other
challenges to government censorship. He filed suit against the government in 1983 for prohibiting reporters from covering
the initial stages of the United States-led invasion of Grenada. Flynt lost that suit, a case that unfortunately foreshadowed
media coverage of this new war. CJR assistant editor Joshua Lipton interviewed him. ''
For the interview, Q&A With Larry Flynt
The Other Bono...
'Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway'
Rep. Sonny Bono, R-Calif. is shown in this May. 7, 1997 file photo in Washington. Interstate 10 through the
Coachella Valley is now the Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway. "Sonny's energy and vision stretched from one
end of the Coachella Valley to the other, and beyond. It is fitting that the roadway connecting our valley
communities and linking us to the world beyond will now bear his name,'' U.S. Rep. Mary Bono, who remarried
last month, said about her late husband.
Photo by Joe Marquette
Fender Bender Off Sunset
Jennifer Aniston
Actress Jennifer Aniston, who stars on the hit NBC comedy ``Friends,'' suffered minor injuries on Tuesday when
her Jaguar was struck by another car while she was driving through Los Angeles, police said.
Aniston, who is married to Hollywood film star Brad Pitt, complained of pain after the crash but declined treatment
at the scene or at a local hospital, a police spokesman said.
The spokesman said Aniston, 32, was driving on a residential street north of the famed Sunset Boulevard, near
Hollywood, when a Volkswagen apparently backed out of a driveway and into her car.
Both vehicles suffered minor damage, the spokesman said.
Jennifer Aniston
Licensing Fees Too High?
``Ally McBeal''
Psst: Is there any cable network out there that's interested in picking up reruns of ``Ally McBeal?''
That's the sotto-voce line a couple of salespeople at the show's syndicator, Twentieth TV, are whispering to Lifetime,
WE: Women's Entertainment and Oxygen Media, three networks that would be far more appropriate outlets for the quirky
comedy series than its current cable address, FX.
``Ally McBeal,'' which premiered to great fanfare on Twentieth sister company FX last August in a three-hour nightly
block with reruns of ``Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ``The Practice,'' two other Twentieth TV series, never attracted
an audience on the network.
FX paid the strapping license fee of $675,000 an episode for exclusive rerun rights to ``Ally,'' and the network has
now relegated it to the 11 p.m. slot Monday through Friday.
``Ally McBeal''
Updated (Nearly) Daily!
BartCop TV!
Damn near every show on TV must is listed - days & days worth of great reading.
If you have any questions about nearly any tv program, check it out!
Exhibit Pays Homage
Margaret Bourke-White
Dozens of black and white pictures spanning three decades pay homage to the life and work of Margaret
Bourke-White, one of the first women war photographers and the author of Life magazine's first cover photo.
The show inside Palazzo Vecchio, in the heart of Florence, features some of the photos that have made Bourke-White famous
worldwide: Factory workers during the Depression, inmates at the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp, a portrait of
Mohandas Gandhi at his spinning wheel.
Also on display is a picture featuring black victims of a flood in Louisville, Ky., standing on a bread line beneath a
billboard of a smiling white family in a car. The headline on the billboard reads: ``World's Highest Standard of Living.
There's no way like the American Way.''
The photo, taken in 1937, became instantly famous.
The show illustrates her career chronologically. Highlights also include the 1935 picture used as Life's first cover,
featuring Montana's Fort Peck Dam, and a mid-shot of two miners in South Africa during the 1950s, which the photographer
once called her favorite photo.
The first woman accredited by the U.S. Army as a war correspondent, Bourke-White crossed the German border with Gen.
George Patton's troops and became one of the first correspondents to enter concentration camps.
The last section of the exhibit documents her travels to India, South Africa and Mexico.
Margaret Bourke-White
The 'Give Away' Has To Do With Stars' Placement
Fake 50 Euro
Eine besondere Fälschung eines 50-Euro-Scheines, die in einem hessischen Lebensmittelgeschäft auftauchte: Auf der
Vorderseite der Blüte ist eine unbekleidete Frau zu sehen, dafür fehlen auf dem Schein sämtliche Sicherheitsmerkmale
wie Wasserzeichen und Hologramm. Aber auch ungefälscht steht der Euro im Zentrum des Interesses und der Gespräche.
(Bild vom 11.01.2002).
Fake 50 Euro
Loves 'Popeye's Chicken'
Beyonce Knowles
Beyonce Knowles has been forced to forgo her beloved Popeye's Chicken while she's slimming down for her sexpot
role in "Goldmember," the latest "Austin Powers" movie. The Destiny's Child diva is in L.A. preparing for the part,
which stipulates that she have daily workouts with a personal trainer. But Knowles, whose oft-professed love for
Popeye's spurred the fast-food company to issue her a "liftetime membership" card that entitles her to free grub
at any Popeye's worldwide, doesn't trust herself when it comes to fried food. Knowles gave her Popeye's card to
her father to hold until she finishes filming.
Beyonce Knowles
Huey Freeman: American Hero
Aaron McGruder In 'The Nation'
Creator of Huey Freeman, and the BEST strip cartoonist in America today, ''The
Nation'' - John Nichols Interviews Aaron McGruder
`Power of Attorney', `Talk or Walk' & `Card Sharks' Gone, Too
Buh-Bye ``Iyanla''
Freshman syndicated talk show ``Iyanla,'' starring prolific author Iyanla Vanzant, has been canceled.
Production will wrap at the end of this week. Reruns will air in national syndication through the end of March.
``Iyanla'' is one of many syndicated shows to struggle this season. The court show ``Power of Attorney,'' talk
show ``Talk or Walk'' and game show ``Card Sharks'' already have been canceled.
``It would have been great if the show would have worked but it is really ok that it didn't,'' Vanzant said
in a statement blaming the show's demise on the Sept. 11 tragedy. ``I am grateful to have had the opportunity.
Sometimes the climate is not right for what you are doing.''
``Iyanla,'' executive produced by news maven Barbara Walters and her business partner Bill Geddie, lost its
prime 10 a.m. slot in the key Los Angeles market earlier this year.
Buh-Bye ``Iyanla''
''Iyanla'' only lost it's 'prime' 10 am slot in LA a week ago Monday...in an incredibly bone-headed move, they
then placed ''Rosie'' at 10 am, and then 2 half-hour episodes of the 'new' syndicated daytime version of
''Weakest Link'' as the 3 pm lead-in to the local news
Burned out on ''Rosie'' long ago, but, ''Weakest Link'' blows chunks. Giant, putrid bile-covered, maggot-infested, disease-breeding
festering lumps of chunks.
Should see what it's like when I really don't like something... ; )
A Man With An Opinion
John Malkovich
If you're looking for a bleeding-heart celebrity to get you off death row, don't ask John Malkovich. "America's
left wing wants criminals coddled, and no one wants anyone punished," the actor tells the Chicago Tribune. "I
would have no problem pushing the switch while having dinner." Malkovich says his only problem with the death
penalty is its name: "We're all going to die, so it should just be called the early death penalty."
John Malkovich
Guess that's why John lives in France, where there is no death penalty?
Photo Op?
Sen. Jesse Helms
Sen. Jesse Helms better get The Club for his motorized scooter. Some of his Capitol Hill staffers took his wheels
for a drag race last week.
The 80-year-old North Carolina Republican has been using the scooter to get around since his double knee-replacement
surgery a few years ago. But on Thursday, one Helms aide apparently wondered whether his own new scooter was faster than his boss'.
Rollcall.com reports that Helms' staffers took turns riding the senator's scooter up and down Dirksen Building
hallways, then posed for pictures while seated at the controls.
Sen. Jesse Helms
BC Entertainment Favorite Link
Proof Of The Existence Of A Higher Power?
''Cats'' Closing
``Cats,'' dubbed the world's most successful musical after breaking theatrical records around the globe, is to close in London on its 21st birthday.
Producer Cameron Mackintosh announced Tuesday that the curtain will come down on Andrew Lloyd Webber's feline juggernaut
on May 11 after almost 9,000 performances.
Based on T.S. Eliot's ``Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats,'' it has taken over $2 billion at the box office worldwide,
has been seen by 50 million people and performed in 11 languages.
It paved the way for a British invasion of Broadway with blockbusters like ``Miss Saigon'' and ``Les Miserables.''
The original first night had to be postponed when Oscar-winning actress Judi Dench suffered a torn Achilles tendon and
Page took over the part of the disheveled Grizabella.
''Cats'' Closing
Staving Off A Vulture
Olivia Harrison
A lawsuit from widow Olivia Harrison and the estate of her late husband, are suing a couple they've
accused of stealing some of Harrison's possessions and trying to sell them immediately after his death.
The suit, filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, claims Carl Roles (who at one time was the husband of Olivia
Harrison's sister, Linda Arias) and Carol Roles tried to hawk items taken from Harrison's Los Angeles home when Carl
Roles was living there with Linda Arias in the 1970s.
According to the complaint, George and Olivia Harrison allowed Arias and Roles to live at their Los Angeles home in
return for taking care of their property. But after a mudslide destroyed the home in 1980, Harrison's estate claims
Roles took items from the house without permission.
Word of the stolen items didn't get back to Harrison's family until the day after his death, when Roles allegedly
called a reporter in Arizona telling him he "was interested in selling personal property that he had taken from the residence."
Enter celebrity security expert Gavin de Becker, who was with Harrison in his final days and first broke the news
of Harrison's death. Upon hearing about Roles' attempts to sell Harrison's property, de Becker set up an investigation,
enlisting an undercover FBI agent to pose as a memorabilia collector. The complaint claims that, during a meeting
monitored by de Becker, the Roles allegedly showed off 10 boxes filled with Harrison's belongings (one of which was
labeled, appropriately enough, ''GH $tuff'').
Olivia Harrison
Accident On ''8 Mile'' Set
Eminem
Four crew members were injured Sunday night while working on a film involving Detroit hip hop artist Eminem.
A film company representative said that the four people suffered first-degree burns while filming the movie "8
Mile." The film is reportedly based loosely on the Detroit rapper's life.
Imagine Films is producing the film for distribution through Universal Studios.
The film tells the story of a rapper named "Jimmy" and his three friends on Detroit's east side. Eminem, whose
legal name is Marshal Mathers, stars in the film.
Eminem
He's Smokin' Mad
Joe Frazier
Joe Frazier is smokin' mad about how he's portrayed in "Ali," the biopic about the boxing superstar who will overshadow him through history.
Frazier, whose three slugfests with Muhammad Ali in the early 1970s are legendary, says he's upset about
being portrayed in "Ali" by boxer James Toney, whom he dismisses as "an ugly guy who didn't look like me."
Frazier is also fuming about a scene in "Ali" in which he tries to lend Ali some money and Ali refuses to accept it. In
real life, Frazier says, Ali did accept some cash from him in 1970 before they began their bitter blood feud.
As for Will Smith - who pinned his oversize ears back and wore prosthetics to make him look more like Ali - Frazier is less than impressed.
The Ali-Frazier trilogy, which climaxed in the mutual destruction of the "Thrilla in Manila" in 1975, was more than
a clash of personalities and fighting styles. It became an all-out war, inflamed by the media and the politics of race.
Last year, Laila Ali, 22, scored a majority decision over Jacqui Frazier-Lyde, 39, in a toe-to-toe battle that was
reminiscent of the brutal bouts their fathers waged.
Joe Frazier
Golden Globe's Cecil B. DeMille Award Recipient
Harrison Ford
None other than Ben Affleck will present the Cecil B. DeMille Award to that grand star Harrison Ford at the
59th Golden Globe Awards next Sunday in the Beverly Hilton.
Here are two actors who could just as well have been dreamed up from scratch by the novelist Tom Clancy. Ford
portrayed Clancy's super hero, Jack Ryan, in two hits - "Patriot Games" and "Clear and Present Danger." Now,
Affleck will portray Ryan in "The Sum of All Fears," for release this summer by Paramount.
Harrison Ford
A Hero In The City Of Miami
Ben Vereen
Ben Vereen will receive a heroism award from the City of Miami for chasing a suspect after he witnessed a robbery.
Vereen, who's appearing in a production of ``I'm Not Rappaport'' at the Coconut Grove Playhouse, saw a man knock down
a woman pushing a baby stroller to take her purse. The incident occurred on Dec. 27.
Vereen made an emergency call from his cell phone and pursued the man in his pickup truck, but the man got away,
police spokesman Delrish Moss said Monday.
The 55-year-old entertainer won a Tony Award in 1973 for his role in ``Pippin.'' His films include ``Funny Lady''
and ``All That Jazz.'' He played Chicken George on the 1977 miniseries ``Roots.''
Ben Vereen
Geneva, the official BartCop Astrologer, always has something interesting to read!
Juicy New Contract
Larry King
Gravel-voiced talk-show host Larry King has become one of the highest-paid personalities on TV with the signing
of a new, multiyear contract with CNN worth an estimated $56 million plus perks.
Citing unnamed sources, reports that King's contract, signed yesterday, binds the suspender-sporting
talkmeister to CNN for four more years at an annual salary of $14 million.
Among the perks the 68-year-old King won for staying at the AOL Time Warner-owned network are the use of a private
plane for commuting between Washington, New York and Los Angeles, where his prime-time talk show originates. He
will also get a production deal under which he'll develop shows for CNN.
His pay package, a 100 percent increase from the $7 million he reportedly earned under his last contract, puts King
on a par with "Today" co-host Katie Couric.
Larry King
Lost 1989 Porsche Speedster Is Found
Nicolas Cage
Nicolas Cage was "Gone in 60 Seconds" when he stole cars on the big screen, but it took four Missouri men 15
minutes to swipe the star's $100,000 Porsche on Christmas Day, cops said.
Cage's 1989 Porsche Speedster was being transported from California to Philadelphia, when the driver of the
trailer carrying the car stopped to spend Christmas with his parents in Arnold, Mo.
That's where Michael Grambling and three friends, curious about the cargo, pried the trailer open and stole
the first car they saw - the actor's collectible, black convertible, valued at $100,000, police said.
After ripping out the stereo and speakers - which Grambling promptly installed in his own car - the men found
paperwork for the vehicle, identifying its famous owner, and decided to ditch it, probers said.
They dumped it in the Lake of the Ozarks, submerging it in 35 feet of water. In the process, the car flipped,
and lay on its roof for two weeks.
Nicolas Cage
Liz Smith Is Reporting...
Liza May & David
In the mail a very sweet wedding invitation announcing that Liza May Minnelli and David Alan Gest are indeed still
asking us "to share the beginning of our new life together when we exchange marriage vows Saturday, March 16." The
wedding has been switched to the famous Marble Collegiate Church on Fifth Avenue, but the party after will still
take place in the Regent Wall Street.
Liza May & David
He's Not Bitter
Haley Joel Osment
At least one child actor is as sick of "Harry Potter" as any adult. "A.I." star Haley Joel Osment is lashing out
at the blockbuster, saying, "I thought it should have stayed as a book. 'Harry Potter' is 70 percent imagination,
but now it is such a stereotype for kids. When they think of 'Harry Potter,' now they're always going to think of
what was portrayed on the screen." Osment tells the Sydney Telegraph that he's not bitter about Daniel Radcliffe
landing the role, insisting, "I never wanted to do 'Harry Potter.' "
Haley Joel Osment
New Series On Faux
Andy Richter
Former Conan O'Brien sidekick Andy Richter couldn't believe some of the ideas he was pitched when he decided to come
to Hollywood and get involved in a sitcom.
He finally accepted one pitch, the modestly titled ``Andy Richter Controls the Universe,'' which is due to appear on
Fox in a few months. He plays the title character, of course, in a series about an average guy with an active fantasy life.
He joked to reporters about having his name in the title of a sitcom.
``I don't know whether you know it, but much like Xerox or Kleenex, Andy Richter equals hilarity,'' he said.
``My name means comedy to people. When they're having a bad day, they're like, `Man, I could use some Andy Richter.''
Andy Richter
Accused Of Stiffing Lawyer
Ron Silver
Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's divorce lawyer, Raoul Felder, has sued ``The West Wing'' actor Ron Silver for an
alleged unpaid $258,000 legal bill.
Felder represented Silver, 55, in his 1997 divorce from former social worker and Self magazine editor Lynne Miller.
In papers filed Friday in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, Felder claims Silver paid him $128,288 on a bill of
$386,722, leaving a balance of $258,434.
Silver's manager, David Seltzer, said Monday, ``Ron and I are not aware of any lawsuit being filed. If Ron had
received any (legal) papers, I would know it.''
Silver, who co-starred with Madonna on Broadway in ``Speed-the-Plow'' and with Jamie Lee Curtis in the movie ``Blue
Steel,'' plays Bruno Gianelli on the television White House drama ``The West Wing.''
Ron Silver
Stand-In Chimp For J. Fred Muggs
Katie Couric & Jonah
A mischievous diaper-clad chimp "christened" Monday's "Today" show 50th anniversary special.
Jonah, a six-year-old chimpanzee, appeared to fill his diaper while sitting on host Katie Couric's lap - and
then repeatedly got frisky with Matt Lauer and news anchor Ann Curry.
Earlier, in the final moments of "Today" as Couric toasted a group of past and present show staffers, the
chimp tried to pull a glass of wine out of the hands of frizzy-haired contributor Gene Shalit. But when
Shalit refused his advances, Jonah banged a nearby table with his fists.
But Jonah' appearance yesterday's was a nod to the one of "Today's" original co-hosts, J. Fred Muggs, a chimp
who became the trademark of the show from February 1953 until March 1957.
Muggs was paired with original host David Garroway in an effort to boost the ratings. As a result, Muggs became
one of the most popular animals to ever appear on television.
Muggs is now about 52 years old and retired in St. Petersburg, Fla., according to NBC.
Katie Couric & Jonah
Elton John Impersonator
Justin Timberlake
If his 'N Sync gig ever dries up, Justin Timberlake could always get a job as an Elton John impersonator.
The pop music heartthrob looks uncannily like the Grammy-winning singer did in the 1970s in John's new video,
``This Train Don't Stop There Anymore,'' complete with the oversized glasses, receding hairline and gaudy clothes.
Even John was surprised at how much the 'N Sync singer favored him.
``I was so knocked out with this video and so amazed with Justin's performance because he'd obviously done his
homework. It was incredible,'' said John.
Justin Timberlake
Plaque Honoring Actor Instead Has Name of MLK's Killer
James Earl Jones
A plaque intended to honor deep-voiced actor James
Earl Jones at this city's Martin Luther King Jr. celebration instead had
this extremely incorrect message: "Thank you James Earl Ray for keeping the
dream alive."
The plaque, to be presented at Lauderhill's annual King celebration
Saturday, was made by Georgetown, Texas-based Merit Industries at the
request of Adpro, a Lauderhill-based business.
The finished product arrived Monday and, even without seeing it, officials
in this Fort Lauderdale suburb were angry.
"It's a real outrage," Commissioner Margaret Bates told the South Florida
Sun-Sentinel. "To confuse James Earl Jones with James Earl Ray ... Just
think of the significance."
Jones is a Tony-Award winning actor who provided the voice for Darth Vader
from "Star Wars" and Mufasa from "The Lion King."
Merit's owner, Herbert Miller, called the mistake a copy error, not a slur.
"We have a lot of people who don't speak English. Accidentally, one of the
girls who doesn't know James Earl Jones from a man on the moon accidentally
typed James Earl Ray," said Miller, who offered to correct the plaque if
Adpro returns it.
James Earl Jones
Jeez, those Texans really know how to make excuses...
Many thanks to Ed 2E
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Still MISSING
Marc Chagall's "Study for 'Over Vitebsk'"
