BITS AND PIECES 11/30 Part 2
PUSSSYKATT
--Producers of the 29th annual American Music Awards say Brooks & Dunn, Kid
Rock, Toby Keith, Lenny Kravitz and Shaggy will perform on the awards telecast
on Jan. 9, 2002. The line-up of performers will also include Cher, performing
the TV debut of her new single "Song For The Lonely," and gospel star Yolanda
Adams.
--Steve Van Zandt, a.k.a. Little Steven -- from HBO's "The Soprano's" and Bruce
Springsteen's E Street Band –- will be in Philadelphia Friday. He'll be
appearing at the 102.9 WMGK Rock Art Show and silent auction, which benefits
the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Van Zandt is one of the more
than 225 contributors to the art show and auction. Others include Jerry Garcia,
Ron Wood (Rolling Stones), John Lennon, John Entwistle (The Who), Phil Collins,
Tom Petty, Grace Slick (Jefferson Airplane), Santana, Tony Bennett, Graham
Nash, R.E.M. and Art Garfunkel. Petty and Stevie Nicks are the honorary
co-chairpersons for the event.
--The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures says it'll give its Billy
Wilder Award for Excellence in Film Direction to Steven Spielberg. The
prestigious organization plans to announce its annual film awards next
Wednesday, kicking off the 2001 movie awards season. The Oscar-winning director
of "Schindler's List," Saving Private Ryan" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial"
will pick up the Wilder award -- named for the Oscar-winning writer-director of
"Some Like It Hot," "The Apartment" and "Sunset Boulevard" -- at the NBR's
awards dinner on Jan. 7, 2002 at Tavern on the Green in New York. In a prepared
statement, the non-profit board said Spielberg is being honored for his
"innovative and extraordinary career spanning almost four decades as one of
America's most gifted filmmakers." Other Wilder award winners include John
Frankenheimer ("Seven Days in May," "The Manchurian Candidate"), Martin
Scorsese ("Raging Bull," "GoodFellas") and Stanley Donen ("Singin' in the
Rain," "On the Town").
--The Producers Guild of America has announced that the movies "Network" and
"The Manchurian Candidate" and the TV shows "Maude" and "Happy Days" will be
inducted into the guild's hall of fame. "Network" won four Oscars in 1976 --
including best actor (Peter Finch), actress (Faye Dunaway), supporting actress
(Beatrice Straight) and original screenplay (Paddy Chayefsky). It was nominated
for best picture and director (Sidney Lumet). John Frankenheimer was nominated
for a Golden Globe and a Directors Guild of America award for best director for
"The Manchurian Candidate," but the picture was largely overlooked at the
Oscars. Angela Lansbury was nominated for supporting actress. "Happy Days" --
starring Ron Howard and Henry Winkler -- ran on ABC from 1974-84. "Maude" -- a
spin-off from "All in the Family" starring Beatrice Arthur, Bill Macy and
Adrienne Barbeau -- ran on CBS from 1972-78. They'll be inducted into the PGA
hall of fame at the guild's annual awards ceremony March 3.
--The 12th Annual City of Hope Celebrity Softball Challenge will be held June
13 at Green Stadium in Nashville. The event -- part of the annual Fan Fair
activities -- raises funds for the City of Hope National Medical Center and the
Beckman Research Institute in the fight against cancer and other
life-threatening diseases. Tickets go on sale this Saturday through
TicketMaster at (615) 255-9600.
--Former host of "Prime Time Country," Gary Chapman, will release a
contemporary Christian album on Feb. 5 on Planet 24/7 Entertainment, a division
of Crowne Music Group. Chapman produced the album as well as wrote all the
songs and played all the instrumental parts. The project will be distributed by
Word Distribution.
--Joe Diffie and friends Ricky Skaggs, Tracy Lawrence and Cledus T. Judd will
step up for First Steps Inc., a Nashville-based organization for the education
and development of children with special needs. The 10th Annual Country Steps
in for First Steps concert is scheduled for Feb. 10 at the Ryman Auditorium in
downtown Nashville. Ticket information will be announced soon.
--With the growing popularity of Christian radio and music services devoted to
such fine-line areas as Southern Gospel music, more and more country artists
are producing songs in that vein. The most recent artist to put out a Christian
album is Gary Chapman. He's a former host of the TNN variety show "Prime Time
Country." The news provider country.com says that Chapman produced the album,
wrote all the songs and even provides all the musical accompaniment. While some
of the songs are said to have a decidedly country tinge, all are suited for
play on Christian radio. By the way, England's first full-time Christian radio
station -- an on-the-Internet service based in London -- has just celebrated
its first birthday. It relies heavily on American-made religious content.
--Rising young violin virtuoso Hilary Hahn is indeed busy these days. Faced
with an increasing number of concert commitments, the young musician also takes
time at every stop along the way to photographically chronicle the city she is
visiting and then puts the "postcards" on her Web site. Now, according to the
Christian Science Monitor, Hahn -- named "America's Best Young Classical
Musician" by Time earlier this year -- has just recorded her fourth major CD
for Sony. The Philadelphia native's latest effort is an interesting compilation
of music by Stravinsky and Brahms. The publication says that Hahn, at age 22,
has already made a mark in the world of international classical music.
--John Knowles leaves behind a legacy that included nearly a half-century of
writings and nine novels, but none matched the success of ``A Separate Peace''
- considered an enduring study of an adolescent's inner conflict. Knowles died
Thursday after a short illness at a convalescent home in a Fort Lauderdale
suburb. He was 75 Written in 1959 and read by millions of students, ``A
Separate Peace'' is considered an American literary classic. FULL STORY:
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20011130/us/obit_knowles_3.html
--Antonio Banderas will be the first recipient of the Anthony Quinn Achievement
Award. The award will be presented at the 10th Annual Latin American Film
Festival slated for late April in downtown Providence. Mayor Vincent A. Cianci
Jr. made the announcement during a news conference Thursday in which he
highlighted the actor's achievements. Banderas was born in Malaga, Spain. His
films include ``Spy Kids,'' ``The Mask of Zorro'' and ``The Mambo Kings'' He
and his wife, Melanie Griffith, have accepted an invitation to attend the
festival, Cianci said. Quinn, who died in June at the age of 86, was born in
Mexico and raised in East Los Angeles. He won his first Oscar for his work in
the 1952 film ``Viva Zapata!'' He picked up his second award for supporting
actor for the 1956 drama ``Lust for Life.'' Quinn moved to Italy and eventually
settled in Rhode Island. He lived in Bristol for the last six years of his
life.
--The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is sticking with its A-B-Cs.
In a joint announcement with Warner Bros. Thursday, television network ABC said
it secured the television rights to the hit movie ``Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone'' and that Warner's has acquired rights to its sequel, ``Harry
Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.'' The sequel is expected to arrive in
theaters next November. Cost of acquiring the movie and TV rights was not
disclosed. '``Harry Potter' is already considered a timeless family classic
that audiences all over the world have embraced in record numbers,'' said Eric
Frankel, president of Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution. ``We think that
ABC, with its multifamily platforms, is a terrific vehicle to showcase this
film.'' ABC said it has a 10-year license to show each film and plans to air
them first on its broadcast network. They will then go to cable, including the
Disney Channel. The Walt Disney Company is ABC's parent.
REUTERS...
--American pop superstar Madonna and British film director Guy Ritchie are to
spend their first wedding anniversary at the Scottish castle where they tied
the knot, the British tabloid The Sun said on Friday. The paper said the
couple, married in the strictest secrecy just before Christmas last year at
Skibo Castle, have invited close friends to relive the moment. It said the
couple have booked every room at the fairytale castle to ensure their privacy.
The world press descended on Scotland for last year's wedding, but the couple
excluded the media from the ceremony and celebrations. Madonna said of her
wedding afterwards: ``It was a truly magical, religious experience. It was very
personal and intimate. We could both feel that everybody was rooting for us and
supporting us. There was so much love.''
VARIETY....
--Danny DeVito has replaced Gregg Mottola as director of ``Duplex,'' a Miramax
comedy starring Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore. Mottola, who has a two-picture
deal with Miramax, exited the project in preproduction earlier this month. His
departure was described as an ``mutual and amicable decision'' by Meryl Poster,
the studio's co-president of production. ``Duplex'' revolves around a New York
couple who dream of moving into a coveted duplex apartment, but must first
murder the kind old woman who lives in it. The script was written by Larry
Doyle, a supervising producer on ``The Simpsons.'' DeVito last directed ``Death
to Smoochy,'' a Warner Bros. picture out in March. DeVito co-stars in
``Smoochy'' with Ed Norton, Robin Williams and Catherine Keener. ``Duplex,'' a
co-production with Stiller's Red Hour and Barrymore's Flower Films, goes into
production in January. Mottola won industry attention with his 1996 feature
``The Daytrippers.'' He has since directed episodes of fledgling Fox hit comedy
``Undeclared.''
--Rob Schneider is not an animal. He's a barbarian. The star of ``The Animal''
and ``Deuce Bigelow'' has committed in principle to making ``Harv the
Barbarian'' his next project, provided financial agreements can be reached. The
comedy, which has been in development for more than six years, is described as
a sardonic, Monty Python-esque tale of a simple barbarian who finds himself on
a voyage of self-discovery. Shooting on the $25 million project is slated for a
June start. DreamWorks Pictures is hammering out a deal with British producer
Winchester Films to co-finance and handle domestic distribution on ``Harv,''
which has come perilously close to civilization over the years at both Miramax
Films and Paramount Pictures, but to no avail. Negotiations have not yet begun
with Scheider. DreamWorks gave ``Harv'' the go-ahead based on both Schneider's
interest as well as the studio's hopes that it could become a franchise.
--Is Adam Sandler setting a course for ``Anger Management?'' Sandler is looking
for his next movie, and sources say he's leaning strongly playing a timid
businessman who is sentenced to an anger management program where he finds
himself tutored by an ultra-aggressive psycho. The comedy took root at
Sony-based Revolution Studios last year. Sandler likes David Dorfman's script,
and if he commits, his Happy Madison banner would come aboard to produce.
Already rumors have been swirling about potential stars who might play the
instructor, with the wish list including the likes of Jack Nicholson, though no
offers have been made. Sandler, who with partner Jack Giarraputo has a deal at
Revolution, recently completed his first starring stint there in the untitled
comedy written and directed by ``Boogie Nights'' writer-helmer Paul Thomas
Anderson. He also starred in ``Deeds,'' the Columbia pic inspired by ``Mr.
Deeds Comes to Town.'' ``Anger Management'' is one of several projects that has
been in Sandler's orbit lately, but it seems to be the closest to be ready for
production. He has been keeping a close eye on ``Fifty First Kisses,'' a
romantic comedy about a man who falls in love with a woman whose short-term
memory disorder means he has to make her fall in love with him all over again,
every day. Sandler and Julia Roberts could work together on that film, which is
based at Sony's Columbia and will be directed by Jay Roach. Roach, however, is
busy directing ``Austin Powers in Goldmember,'' which must be ready for a
summer 2002 release. At the same time, Sandler is said to be circling ``Scared
Guys,'' a Dean Parisot-directed comedy about a man with phobias who attempts to
leave his apartment for the first time in years to stop a contract killing. The
Columbia picture was originally expected to star Robert De Niro until he
dropped out to star in ``Analyze That.''
www.zap2it.com....
--The first season of the hugely popular TV series "M*A*S*H" will be available
on video in early 2002. Fox Home Entertainment will release the first season of
the landmark comedy/drama, following a unit of surgeons and nurses in a mobile
hospital during the Korean War, as a three-disk DVD set on Tuesday, Jan. 8. The
set will also be available on VHS. Each disk will contain eight episodes, with
the option of turning off the show's laugh track. The theatrical version of
"M*A*S*H," released in 1970, will also be available on DVD Jan. 8, featuring a
commentary track by director Robert Altman. The three-DVD set of "M*A*S*H's"
first season will retail for $39.98, with the VHS set selling for $26.98. The
VHS tapes will be available separately for $9.98 each.