Last Saturday Night
A "Slut" Fish?
Saturday night, as the U.S. was making final plans for our first attack against
terrorism, close to 1,000 industry workers and supporters were singing
``God Bless America.''
The singing marked the close of an emotional day/night celebration of the Motion
Picture & Television Fund's 80th Anniversary Commemoration at the Woodland Hills
Country House & Hospital's grounds. The remarkable celebration at the retirement
complex also noted the dedication of the Roddy McDowall Rose Garden (by
Elizabeth Taylor), the dedication by Edie and Lew Wasserman of the Koi pond on
the Wasserman campus, the dedication of the Jeffrey Katzenberg Activity Center
and the completion of the Fran & Ray Stark villas.
Kirk and Michael Douglas, in light/serious repartee, brought in John
Frankenheimer, then Cloris Leachman to tribute Winant, who although
wheelchaired, stood in the audience to express her thanks. Thora Birch and
David Arquette brought on Kevin Spacey, via tape from location, to tell the
need for continuing support. Polly Bergen got a standing ovation for her
appropriate rendition of ``I'm Still Here.'' Lauren Frost sang ``There's No
Business Like Show Business''; many chimed in with her stirring rendition.
Speakers included Ron Meyer, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Ray Kurtzman and Janet Leigh.
Suzanne Pleshette, after serious remarks about the contributions of Edie & Lew
Wasserman, segued into her hysterically funny remarks about Lew W.'s Koi pond
and the ''slut'' Koi he had shipped out to the facility when she'd overpopulated
the Wassermans' Beverly Hills pond.
The Ever-Fabulous Army Archerd
To visit the site of the woman who designed and built the Wasserman's koi ponds,
and also provided the "slut" koi, here is a link to thefishlady.com.
Bon jour, Barbara...
Big Dog Talks
Bill Clinton
Former President Clinton on Tuesday cited at least 15 terrorist attacks thwarted
during his administration and said the keys to preventing others are supporting
President Bush's current efforts and doing "more to reduce the pool of potential terrorists."
"Though neither I nor anyone can tell you there will not be another terrorist
attack on U.S. soil, it will be all right," Clinton told a packed Kennedy Center
concert hall. "They still can't win unless we give them permission. We are not
about to give them permission."
Clinton also confirmed a failed U.S. attempt in 1996 to have Osama bin Laden
arrested in Sudan and placed in Saudi Arabian custody and a CIA-sponsored plan
to have Pakistani commandos hunt him down in 1999, abandoned after a military
coup there.
Bin Laden is the prime suspect in last month's terrorist attacks on New York
and Washington.
Clinton said bin Laden's network will be difficult to disable.
"He's smart, he's rich, he's ruthless, bold," Clinton said. "What bin Laden is
good at is finding the seams in our defenses."
Clinton ticked off a list of thwarted terrorist attacks, including plans to bomb
the Holland Tunnel connecting New York City and New Jersey and a flight from
Los Angeles to the Philippines and to kill the pope. He said that during the
celebrations marking the turn of the century, a dozen terrorist plots were
stopped, including planned attacks in the northeastern and northwestern United
States, at the Los Angeles airport, a hotel in Jordan and a Christian holy
site in the Middle East.
"Terrorists ... feel they can recruit among the dispossessed," Clinton said. "We
must do more to reduce the pool of potential terrorists."
Bill Clinton
Auction News
Jay Leno's Harley
One of Jay Leno's Harley-Davidson motorcycles, autographed by some of the
biggest stars in movies, music, television and sports, is up for auction, with
proceeds going to the victims of last month's terrorist attacks.
The late-night talk show host has been asking celebrities to sign the 2001
Harley during his ``Tonight Show'' on NBC. The black motorcycle with a custom
black leather seat, which Leno bought in July, has only 200 miles on it.
Among the stars who've already signed it: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester
Stallone, Denzel Washington, Nicole Kidman, John Travolta, Nicolas Cage,
Cuba Gooding Jr., Pamela Anderson, Earvin ``Magic'' Johnson, Mira Sorvino,
Terry Bradshaw and Martina McBride. Leno will continue getting signatures
until the auction ends.
Bidding through eBay's Auction for America began Sunday and runs through
Oct. 17. The winning bidder's payment will go to The Twin Towers Fund.
Jay's Harley
One Charge Dismissed
Jenna, Jenna, Jenna
A charge that one of President Bush's twin daughters used someone else's
identification to try to buy a margarita in a restaurant has been dismissed.
The charge was dropped after 19-year-old Jenna Bush showed proof that she
performed community service, attended alcohol awareness classes and paid a
$100 fine, city spokeswoman Linda Rivera said Tuesday.
Jenna Bush, who attends the University of Texas at Austin, and her twin sister,
Barbara, who attends Yale University, were cited after their visit to a Mexican
restaurant in Austin in May.
Jenna Bush was charged with misrepresentation of age by a minor. Her sister was
charged with underage drinking and her case was dismissed in September after she
completed eight hours of community service, attended an alcohol awareness class
and paid $100 in fines.
A separate underage drinking charge in April against Jenna Bush has gone on her
record as a conviction because of the restaurant violation. A judge fined
her $500 and suspended her license.
Jenna Bush's Record
Entertainment News
Alex's Entertainment Report
Alex
The best way for stars to help the World Trade Center rescue effort? Keep
out of Ground Zero.
That's the word from New York City officials who are calling on celebrities
to stop visiting the still-smoldering WTC ruins for fear of distracting
rescue workers engaged in a hazardous clean-up effort.
"We've asked celebrities and people in the entertainment business to please
not go to the site," Richard Sheirer, director of the mayor's Office of
Emergency Management, tells the New York Post. "It's a very dangerous place
to go walking around. When we bring people down there, it's a very
controlled situation. Those people who try to go on their own create
problems."
A steady stream of celebs has poured into the area known as Ground Zero.
Susan Sarandon, Barbara Walters, Rober DeNiro, Chris Rock, James Gandolfini,
Bette Midler, Muhammad Ali, boxing promoter Don King and Miss America Katie
Harman are among those spotted amid the wreckage.
While celebrities have wanted to witness first-hand the utter devastation
caused by the September 11 attacks that leveled the Twin Towers, they've
also wanted to reach out and help those directly connected to the
catastrophe.
Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's office noted that, despite good intentions, the
celebrities' presence could make an unsafe situation even worse.
"They think they're helping," says Sheirer. "In some instances, you
shouldn't be distracting these people. That's a very dangerous construction
site right now."
And given the unimaginable tons of buckled steel, cables and shards of glass
piled up at the scene and the treacherous operation to remove it, Giuliani's
office says it cannot grant the hundreds of requests for access to the site,
especially since it's a crime scene.
There are exceptions, of course. Heads of state, like British Prime Minister
Tony Blair or French President Jacques Chirac, usually receive a personal
tour from hizzoner himself under heavy guard. It's Giuliani's hope that by
seeing the damage up close, they'll help rally support for the burgeoning
war on terrorism and aid the city financially.
As for the famous, slipping through the three main police checkpoints
surrounding the site has been relatively easy. Walters stopped by on
September 16 with two cousins, one of whom lost a nephew in the disaster.
Without obtaining permission, the ABC News personality was allowed access
and toured the area for 15 minutes, even stopping to take a picture with an
ironworker.
By contrast, NBC news anchor Tom Brokaw waited on line in a roped-off area
along with the rest of the media, honoring the city's restriction granting
access only to reporters who are part of a press pool or have special
permission.
That's not to say that the workers, who spend 14-hour days sifting through
the rubble, haven't been uplifted by a visit from Playboy bunnies or New
York Giants and Mets players.
Some stars have heeded the city's call to stay away and opted to help out in
other ways.
Pop legend Elton John and supermodel Heidi Klum recently paid a visit to the
command center and, with relatively little fanfare, doled out food. Others
have joined one of a number of benefits raising money for disaster relief,
such as the record-breaking America: A Tribute to Heroes telethon, the
recent John Lennon tribute or the upcoming Stand Up for New York and Concert
for New York .
~~ Alex
Alex's Site
Weekly Review
from Harper's Magazine
America and Britain fired cruise missiles and dropped bombs on targets
in Afghanistan. Osama bin Laden taunted the United States in a
televised statement and said, "America will not live in peace before
peace reigns in Palestine, and before all the army of infidels depart
the land of Mohammad, peace be upon him." A suicide truck bomb killed
26 people at the Legislative Assembly of Kashmir. Islamic radicals in
Indonesia were roaming around looking for Americans to kill. Islamic
rebels in the Philippines attacked the capital city of the island of
Basilan. Philippine military officials said they had found the
decapitated remains of an American hostage who was abducted by the
rebels in May. A Russian airliner filled with Jews exploded over the
Black Sea. Pentagon sources said the plane was hit by a Ukrainian
surface-to-air missile, apparently by accident, during training
exercises with Russia. A crowded airliner sat on a runway in India for
three hours because pilots believed there were hijackers in the
passenger cabin; passengers believed hijackers were in the cockpit.
France's environmental minister revealed that the fertilizer factory
that blew up in Toulouse last month might have been destroyed by
terrorists. An American was killed by a package bomb in Saudi Arabia.
Abdo Ali Ahmed, an American citizen, was murdered in East Reedley,
California, for being an Arab. Illinois authorities found many bombs
and over 12,000 rounds of ammunition in the camp of the United
Survivalists of America. Barry Bonds set a new record for home runs.
( continued at Weekly Review )
--Roger D. Hodge
Update
Sharon Stone
After undergoing surgery for a brain hemorrhage, Sharon Stone is out of the
hospital and expected to make "a full recovery."
The onetime Oscar nominee was released Sunday from the University of California,
San Francisco, after doctors there treated her for a subarachnoid hemorrhage--or
bleeding into the space between the brain and the middle membrane covering the
brain, her publicist said.
"Sharon Stone is completely intact neurologically and she will have no medical
restrictions on her personal or professional activities," said Dr. Michael
Lawton, chief of cerebrolvascular surgery at UCSF, in a statement.
Added the Basic Instinct star: "I would like to thank my fans for their love and
support and the miraculous power of prayer. I am forever grateful."
Sharon Stone Update
BartCop TV!
Visit the site at BC TV
The 'Vidiot' never seems to rest!
Every show on TV must be listed--days worth of reading there.
For an amazing variety of information on an astounding array of tv programs check out
BC TV!
January Wedding?
Conan O'Brien
Yes, that was ``Late Night'' king - and good Irish-Catholic boy - Conan O'Brien
doing the peace-be-with-you thing at a recent Saturday vigil at St. Patrick's
Church in Lawrence.
Word from our spies in the pews was that the Brookline homey and fiancee, the
lovely Liza Powell, took time out of their weekend visit with the rels to pay a
call on Rev. Paul O'Brien. Who, we are told, will marry the couple in January
in the bride's hometown of Seattle.
And it's not because he's related.
Armed with our info, we rang up the rectory - miraculously St. Patrick's pastor
took our call. But he played his Conan cards close to his vest(ments) even after
we told him that the NBC funnyman coughed up a few deets to us last month.
``You wouldn't lie to me, would you?'' he asked.
To a priest? After our years of Catholic schooling? Nevah evah!
``Yeah, yeah, whatever.''
But Father O'Brien did offer up that he was tapped for wedding duty since he and
Conan grew up together in Brookline, attended the same parish and were
housemates at Harvard. Obviously, they, ah, chose different career paths . . .
2 O'Brien's
Not Going To NYC
"Wheel Of Fortune"
"Wheel of Fortune" will tape a week's worth of shows that pay tribute to New
York City but will not make the trip from Los Angeles.
In the past, "Wheel" has traveled to cities like Las Vegas, Miami and New
Orleans, but the logistics of bringing the show to New York are difficult and
take time to plan, it's executive producer said.
"We love New York," Friedman said. "It's real simple. And this is something that
we can do right away to show our affinity and support for the city"
The shows which will air the week of Dec. 31, will feature prizes ranging from
Broadway show tickets to deluxe New York City vacations, Friedman said. The
shows will be taped during the first week of November.
Wheel Of Cheese
New! Updated!
BartCop Astrology
Check it out at BC Astrology.
"Guitar Greats" is still on hiatus, but, this week, it's a look at 'The Birth of
Aviation', and a relevant USA horoscope courtesy of Marc Penfield.
Very interesting reading!
Picking Up Where BC Left Off...
"Boondocks" (28 Sept 01)
Elopement
Harvey Keitel
Harvey Keitel stunned friends by eloping over the weekend. Just a few days after
we told you that "The Piano" star had fathered a child with a California potter,
he went off and married another woman, Israeli filmmaker Daphna Kastner.
The couple wed on Sunday in Jerusalem on a rooftop overlooking the Old City's
Tower of David. Keitel was in Israel to attend the Haifa Film Festival screening
of his new movie "The Grey Zone," in which he plays a Nazi officer. (While in
the country, he also met with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.) Kastner, 40, wrote
and directed "Spanish Fly" and "French Exit" and acted in "Eden" and "Timecode."
This is the first marriage for the Brooklyn-born Keitel, 62. Let's hope it's
happier than his eight-year relationship with actress Lorraine Bracco. Bracco
left him for actor Edward James Olmos, and waged a long custody battle with him
over their daughter, Stella, 15.
"It's the healthiest thing I ever heard of him doing," says a friend.
Harvey Keitel Elopes
New Season News
First Cancellation - "Danny"
Not even a name change could save the doomed Daniel Stern comedy Danny, which
CBS has pulled from its Friday lineup and now carries the, ahem, "distinction"
of being this fall's first TV casualty.
It took just two episodes for the network to pull the plug on the Big Ticket
Television production, which starred the former City Slicker as a divorced dad
who runs a youth rec center. The series debuted September 28 to a
disappointing 6 million viewers, and then sank to 5.1 million during week two.
Both times, Danny also lost viewers from its already weak Ellen Show lead-in audience.
In becoming the first to drop, Danny managed to outsuck a batch of other shows
already circling the drain, including Fox's soap Pasadena, CBS' eerie dog show
Wolf Lake and NBC's version of Hell's Kitchen, Emeril.
CBS, meanwhile, is hoping its special Survivor preview is not a sign of things
to come. Thursday's Survivor: Countdown to Africa was a distant second place
at 8 p.m., drawing 10 million viewers to Friends' 30 million.
Buh-bye Danny
New!
In The Kitchen With BartCop & Friends
Don't worry about the HTML, just send text, or rich text, or a Word document, photos, video, whatever you have, and Michele will take care of the rest. Don't hesitate to write with any questions you may have and bring on the recipes!
To check out 'Train Station Chicken', and more (like 'Cranberry Autumn Tea'),
In The Kitchen With BartCop
More Auction News
Basketball With Spike Lee
Spike Lee is auctioning off a courtside seat next to him at the New York Knicks'
Oct. 30 opener at Madison Square Garden, where Michael Jordan will return to
basketball as a member of the Washington Wizards after three years of retirement.
The auction, through the NBA and Yahoo, will benefit the UFA Widows and Children
Fund, which the Fire Department of New York established to support the families
of those most affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Bidding began Tuesday and ends on Oct. 23. Lee, the filmmaker who's a fixture at
Knicks games, told New York Daily News columnist Mitchell Fink that the ticket
usually costs $1,500, but he expects it will go for about 10 times that amount.
Lee said the winning bidder ``will sit with me, go into both locker rooms after
the game, see Michael and get autographs. This is going to be a historic night
in basketball. We want to see those big-spending sports fans write those big checks.''
B-Ball With Spike
Fun Link
hypocrites.com
http://hypocrites.com/
Update
Oh, Yes, Yoko
Yoko Ono did too invite Paul, George and Ringo to her "Come Together" tribute to
John Lennon. "We have documentary evidence to prove this position," her lawyers
contend. The Beatle widow states in an accompanying letter she was "hurt" by our
story on Sunday that the event had given short shrift to the three surviving
Beatles and to Lennon's first son, Julian.
"Ringo sent a sweet letter to me explaining how it conflicted with the schedule
of his concert tour . . . Julian sent his apologies to us that he could not
perform because of a medical reason . . . Paul is doing his own show in two
weeks for New York City with a great list of artists. George already had enough
to deal with this year, I'm sure." The guitar god is battling throat cancer. "
In view of the healing each of us has to go through, especially in New York
City, let's create some trust for each other by giving light and clarity now
badly needed," Ono concludes. "Let's not allow blue meanies to divide and
conquer us through confusion. Remember our hearts are one."
Yoko Ono Lennon
American Media, Inc.
Anthrax Update
The supermarket tabloids suddenly had the inside scoop on a bizarre and scary
story, except this one was true: Anthrax Discovered in Newspaper Building!
This time, the tabs weren't just covering the story - they WERE the story.
Anthrax had killed a tabloid editor, turned up on his computer keyboard and
found its way into the nose of mailroom co-worker.
The six-tabloid empire of American Media Inc. became the story last week when
Robert Stevens, 63, a photo editor at The Sun, was diagnosed with inhaled
anthrax, a rare and particularly deadly form of the disease. He died on Friday,
the first such death in the United States since 1976.
"Why would you go after a supposedly crazy outfit like the Enquirer?" asked
senior reporter Bennet Bolton. "If this were a terrorist attack, for God sakes,
why would you go after a bunch of tabloids which are looked down on by the
so-called straight press?"
The story broke too late for the three tabloids most affected to get it into
their next issues, which hit the newsstands Oct. 16, American Media said. The
tabloids' deadline was Monday. "But it will be covered in depth in the
subsequent edition," company spokesman Gerald McKelvey said.
It will take days for the test results to come back. It could take longer to
determine whether the incident was intentional or a fluke.
"Obviously, this is something that none of us ever dreamed that we would even be
facing, and I think it kind of pulls you all together," said Patricia Towle, who
has written for the Enquirer for 22 years. "This is not a fun story to be on
this side of."
American Media, Inc.
American Media, Inc., owns 'The National Enquirer', 'Star', 'Globe', 'Sun', 'Weekly
World News', and 'National Examiner'.
And, yet, no one is asking "Who owns American Media, Inc?"
Is it because it's part of much, much larger, more powerful media kingdom?
Barrymore Reunion
Drew & Jaid
Drew Barrymore, who makes maternal in her upcoming Riding in Cars with Boys, has
announced she's officially patched things up with her long-estranged mom.
The recently married 26-year-old actress, who not-so-coincidentally is making
the rounds promoting her new movie, says she reconciled with her mother, Jaid,
last year after more than a decade of bad blood.
The two decided to meet and work on mother-daughter détente. Escorted by hubby
Tom Green, Barrymore agreed to finally break the ice.
Jaid was a prototypical stage mom who helped Drew land her star-making role in
E.T.. Drew cut ties with her in 1992 and again in 1995 after a brief
reconciliation. Jaid was apparently ready for a reunion, having dedicated her
book, Secrets of World Class Lovers: Erotic Tips & Sensual Stories for a
Lifetime of Sexual Fulfillment, to her famous daughter.
While both mother and daughter have had their ups and downs, Drew's relationship
with her father, John Barrymore Jr., is said to be cool. Her parents got
divorced before she was born.
Barrymore Reunion
Snarky Gossip
Joan Rivers
Nightclub star Monique van Vooren says she knows that tart-tongued Joan Rivers
was referring to her as one of the two "Euro-hookers" who supposedly moved in on
banking heir Orin Lehman after he broke up with Rivers.
"I guess all those face-lifts have gone to her head," a steaming Monique told me
yesterday." She may have once been funny, but now she's just being cruel and
making herself an object of scorn."
(Rivers last week went on Howard Stern's radio show and made tasteless jokes
about her former fiancé and the female company he now keeps. She jeered about
the war hero's advanced age and that of his companions.)
I asked her if she we're considering a libel suit against Rivers over the
"Euro-hookers" crack. "No, I don't think so," she said. "I'll take care of her
in my own way and in my own time."
Joan & Monique
Back In The News
OJ
Prosecutors said Tuesday they will seek a prison sentence if O.J. Simpson is
convicted in his road rage trial, reversing themselves just before the start of
jury selection.
The felony auto burglary and misdemeanor battery charges carry a maximum 16-year
prison term. ``We do in fact intend to seek a sentence within that sentencing
range,'' Assistant State Attorney Paul Mendelson said Tuesday.
Defense attorney Yale Galanter responded that Simpson ``is well aware of'' the
range of possible outcomes.
``Another day in paradise,'' Simpson said as he entered court for jury selection.
Simpson's courtroom past quickly became the focus of jury selection. Simpson was
cleared by a jury in the 1994 slayings of his ex-wife and her friend. A civil
jury later found him liable and he was ordered to pay $33.5 million.
Orenthal James Simpson
First Person Diary
Ray Berry
Ray has temporarily (I hope), suspended 'Bush-Toons'. In its place, he has put
his daily diary of life in Manhattan since Tuesday.
Ray has great observational abilities, and a wonderful way with words.
To visit & read, www.bush-toons.com
In Memory
Herbert 'Herb' Ross
Herbert Ross, a choreographer and director who worked on films including "Funny
Girl" with Barbra Streisand and "Steel Magnolias" with Julia Roberts, died
Tuesday. He was 74.
The cause of death was not immediately released. He had been hospitalized for
the past three months, according to Barbara Wrede, media relations manager for
Lenox Hill Hospital.
Ross began his career as a dancer and started choreographing Broadway shows in
the early 1950s. He was soon directing musical sequences and choreographed his
first film, "Carmen Jones," with Dorothy Dandridge, in 1954.
In the 1970s, Ross directed Woody Allen's "Play it Again Sam" and was a frequent
collaborator with playwright Neil Simon. Ross directed five Simon scripts,
including "The Sunshine Boys," in 1975 "California Suite," in 1978 and 1981's
"I Ought to Be in Pictures."
Ross enjoyed critical and box-office success in the 1980s and 90s with "Pennies
From Heaven," "Soapdish," and "Boys on the Side."
In 1977, Ross returned to his dancing roots with his acclaimed study of the
ballet world, "The Turning Point," with Anne Bancroft, Shirley MacLaine, and
Mikhail Baryshnikov. The film earned numerous Academy Award nominations,
including Best Director and Best Picture.
His first wife, prima ballerina Nora Kaye, died of cancer in 1987.
In 1989, he married Lee Radziwill, the sister of former first lady Jacqueline
Kennedy Onassis. They divorced in 1999.
Some of Ross' other credits include "The Secret of My Success," "The Owl and The
Pussycat," "Footloose," "The Sunshine Boys," and "The Goodbye Girl."
The son of a postal clerk, Ross was born May 13, 1927 in Brooklyn. After his
mother died, when Ross was 9, the family moved to Miami where his father opened
a luncheonette. A chance appearance in a walk-on role with a roadshow company of
Ballet Theatre when he was 15 put Ross on his career path.
Herbert 'Herb' Ross
Still MISSING
Marc Chagall's "Study for 'Over Vitebsk'"
