Daily Variety articles from March 2004

Daily Variety archives from March 2004

A tolkien of their affection: a long road to Acad's 'Rings' fling.
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- At the beginning of the first "Lord of the Rings" film, a prophetic reference is made to "a time when hobbits will shape the fortunes of all." That time has come for New Line, which as of Sunday saw its payoff for belting on...

Monster day for Newmarket.(Company Profile)
March 1, 2004... New Line wasn't the only company to shine at the Oscars. There's also a relative newcomer named Newmarket. With Charlize Theron's win as best actress for her role in "Monster" and Mel Gibson's "Passion" pulling in crowds at the wickets,...

A tolkien of their affection: New Line's epic ends with sweep.
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Academy voters dressed up in their Sunday best and praised "The Lord" in a big way. At the 76th annual Academy Awards, New Line's "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" entered Oscar's pantheon by nabbing 11 Oscars....

'Passion' ascends at B.O.
March 1, 2004... The first week of "The Passion of the Christ" could only be described as heavenly. Newmarket's Mel Gibson-helmed religious phenom rung up an estimated $117.5 million since its Wednesday bow, $76.3 million of it over the weekend. ...

Mel Gibson: the inadvertent lightning rod: the superstar surely didn't anticipate the firestorm his blockbuster would set off.(The Back Lot)
March 1, 2004... WHEN I FIRST MET MEL GIBSON in 1983, there was nothing in his behavior to suggest that he'd be the sort of pop culture lightning rod he's now become. At the time, he seemed like a standard Aussie cowboy, talented but prickly, who definitely...

The 76th Annual Academy Awards.
March 1, 2004... (Awards show; ABC, Sun. Feb. 29, 5:30 p.m. PST) Broadcast from the Kodak Theater in Hollywood by ABC. Producer, Joe Roth; executive producer, Michael B. Seligman; coordinating producer, Danette Herman; director, Louis J. Horvitz; writers,...

Just for Variety.(The Oscars)
March 1, 2004... IF YOU WERE ON THE OSCAR SHOW--as a presenter or nominee--you made your entrance down the long red carpet. Unlike past years when many a star, super or otherwise, elected to enter the theater (Kodak, Dorothy Chandler, Shrine) via back doors,...

Gotham revelers toast Oscar.(Oscar eve celebrations)
March 1, 2004... On one of the rare occasions when Gotham showbiz types deign to convene a broadcast TV viewing party, Oscar night in the Big Apple proves just how gracious its denizens can be to an event on the left coast. The twin pillars of Gotham's...

Ovitz extravagance a Mouse millstone.
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- The Disney gravy train started for Michael Ovitz as soon as he began his 14-month tenure at the Mouse House, which ended with a $140 million severance deal. According to court documents released last week, Ovitz expensed more...

'Millionaire' in ABC bracket.(Super Millionaire)(American Broadcasting Companies Inc)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- ABC is extending a lifeline to "Super Millionaire," bringing back the revamped Regis Philbin quizzer despite its inconsistent Nielsen performance last week. As expected, "Millionaire" will return to the net's primetime sked...

'Lost' finds IFP gold: focus pic maps out four Spirits; Theron clicks.(Independent Feature Project)(Sofia Coppola)(Lost in Translation)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Focus Features' "Lost in Translation" found indie gold Saturday as the soph effort from director Sofia Coppola won all four of its nommed categories at the Independent Feature Project's 19th annual Independent Spirit Awards in...

Stations lift Ellen talker in soph year.(The Ellen DeGeneres Show)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" will graduate into its sophomore year with renewals in 85% of the country. Along with the reups comes news of more than two dozen upgrades for fall, in markets ranging from Orlando, Fla., to Atlanta, where it will...

Publicists fly 'Pirate' colors at kudofest.(41st annual publicists awards)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Hollywood publicists tapped the publicity team for Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" winner of the Maxwell Weinberg showmanship award for top publicity campaign. "Pirates," which grossed over...

Variety lifts Speier.(Michael Speier)(Daily Variety Ltd)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Michael Speier has been named managing editor of Variety and Daily Variety, it was announced by editor-in-chief Peter Bart. Prior to this promotion, Speier had oversight for Special Reports. In that capacity be developed several new...

'Dreams' deferred: NBC delays bow of Smits' gumshoe series.(City of Dreams project is delayed )(National Broadcasting Company Inc)(Jimmy Smits)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- NBC's high-profile Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama project for thesp Jimmy Smits is on hold. Dubbed "City of Dreams," the hourlong private eye skein from scribe-exec producer David Mills ("Kingpin"), is being pushed back to...

McBride, Reiner get pilot licenses.
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Chi McBride has gone from "Boston Public" principal to SWAT team leader, joining the cast of ABC'S drama pilot "Countdown." McBride was just one of several major castings Friday. Rob Reiner, who will exec produce and direct...

NBCE to wear Mizrahi.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Designer Isaac Mizrahi has signed an overall development deal with NBC Enterprises. Hosting another yakker would make sense for Mizrahi, whose previous TV experience includes three years as host of "The Isaac Mizrahi Show" for Oxygen....

TiVo campaign sees no pause.(TiVo Inc)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- TiVo continues to respond aggressively to increased competition from cable operators, offering a $50 rebate on its digital video recorders less than a month after it cut prices by $50. Move brings the price of the 40-hour TiVo...

Fining on-air talent not fine with AFTRA.
March 1, 2004... AFTRA has a bone to pick with Clear Channel and certain members of Congress. Union, which reps on-air broadcasters and deejays, has slammed new policies Clear Channel announced at a congressional heating Thursday that would place some of...

Cabler Trio logs onto Net.
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Niche digital cable net Trio is looking to make a big splash online, expanding its brand with a broadband initiative dubbed TrioPlus that offers dozens of edgy original animated shorts culled in part from failed dot-com deals. ...

Gemstar, Pioneer settle.(Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc.)(Pioneer/Technologies Group Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Gemstar-TV Guide has ended its five-year-long patent dispute with Pioneer, settling all outstanding litigation between the two companies and signing a multiyear agreement for the consumer electronics manufacturer to license...

Sly Fox.(theater review)(Theater Review)
March 1, 2004... (Shubert Theater Boston; 1,650 seats; $88 top) A Julian Schlossberg, Roy Furman, Ben Sprecher. Michael Gardner, Jim Fantaci, Cheryl Lachowicz, Christine Duncan and Nelle Nugent presentation, by arrangement with Andrew Braunsberg, of a play...

Avoiding Mouse hole: Comcast reassures investors on Disney bid.(news analysis)(Walt Disney Co.)
March 1, 2004... Comcast will not be spreading a whole lot of brotherly love when Disney comes to town for its shareholder showdown this week. In fact, the Philadelphia-based cabler seems eager to refute investor concerns that its bid for the Mouse House...

Stewart charge dropped.(Martha, Stewart)(charge of securities fraud dismissed)(Peter, Baconovic)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Martha Stewart won a big break Friday, as did her company, after a judge threw out the most contentious charge of securities fraud in the month-old trial against the domestic diva and her former Merrill Lynch broker Peter Baconovic. Judge...

CIM acquires Oscar home.(Business)(CIM Group)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Oscar got a new landlord, and just in time for his big night. On Friday, CIM Group, a Hollywood-based real estate investor and operator, closed on its $201 million purchase of the Hollywood & Highland retail and entertainment...

EchoStar, Viacom spin judge's ruling.(Business)(EchoStar Communications Corp)(Viacom Inc)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Viacom and Charlie Ergen's satcaster EchoStar were both claiming victory Friday in their legal tangle over broadcast and cable network carriage terms in a San Francisco district court. A judge granted EchoStar an extra 10-day extension of a...

Showbiz stocks: Friday, February 27, 2004.(Business)(Illustration)
March 1, 2004... SHOWBIZ STOCKS Friday, February 27, 2004 YTD Name Tkr PE Last Chg % Chg AMC AEN ... 14.35 -.10 -5.7 AcmeCm ACME...

Studios Cary'd away: grant DVDs to mark actor's 100th birthday.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- In celebration of the 100th anniversary of Cary Grant's birth, several studios are bowing the actor's movies on DVD. Warner is preparing to release a collection of five Grant films to premiere on DVD June 1: "Mr. Blandings...

MPAA's Valenti honored with AFI's Heston Award.(Motion Picture Association of America)(American Film Institute)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- The American Film Institute's Board of Trustees bestowed the AFI Charlton Heston Award upon Jack Valenti at a private luncheon Thursday at the BevHilton. The chairman and CEO of the Motion Picture Assn. of America was feted...

Zhang collects Coolidge.(Coolidge Award)(Zhang, Yimou becomes the first to receive)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... BOSTON -- Zhang Yimou will be the first recipient of the $10,000 Coolidge Award in May. Created to showcase filmmakers and the restored Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, Mass., honor will be presented at a ceremony at the art deco venue in...

AmfAR fetes Weinstein.(American Foundation for AIDS Research)(Harvey Weinstein)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- The American Foundation for AIDS Research is set to fete Harvey Weinstein with the Arthur B. Krim Award for his contributions to advancing AIDS research. No date has yet been set for the tribute in honor of the Miramax...

Warner keen on Liev: thesp to helm Holocaust drama for indie unit.(American Film Market)(Liev, Schreiber)(Warner Independent Pictures)(Everything Is Illuminated)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA -- Liev Schreiber, starring next in Paramount's upcoming remake of "The Manchurian Candidate," will make his directorial debut with a feature adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer's bestselling novel "Everything Is Illuminated," for...

A winding road for TF1's 'Face'.(American Film Market)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA -- It took three years for writer-director Erin Dignam to find the coin to back her romantic drama set in South Africa, "The Last Face," starring Robin Wright Penn. But before she found the right collection of financiers and...

'Box' tops TLA's slate.(American Film Market)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA -- In a deal that reflects the growing U.S. DVD/video demand for Spanish-lingo titles, specialty distrib TLA has closed North American home entertainment rights on the Sogepaq-sold noirish thriller "Caja 507" (Box 507). The...

Shochiku tries on Brody's 'Jacket'.(American Film Market)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Shochiku has secured Japanese distribution rights to a high-profile package of pics at this year's AFM headed by Mandalay Pictures' thriller "The Jacket," starring Adrien Brody and Keira Knightley, and Pandora Films' "Capa"...

Spanish vet hangs shingle.(American Film Market)(ABL Augusta)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA -- One of Spain's most experienced distrib execs, Adolfo Blanco, has created his own film distribution company, ABL Augusta. Blanco ankled as general manager of Spanish-Italian media giant DeAPlaneta in January. Taking...

Kalin a killer again: Helmer returns to direct Moore in 'Grace'.(American Film Market)(Savage Grace (motion picture))(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Killer Films has announced a July start for long-in-the-works socialite murder story "Savage Grace," which stars Julianne Moore and reps a return to directing after a 12-year absence for Tom Kalin, who helped put the leading Gotham indie banner...

Ladyhawke takes 'Town'.(American Film Market)(Ladyhawke Ventures)(The Town That Forgot How to Breathe)(Catherine Gourdier)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA -- Producer Catherine Gourdier's Canada-based Ladyhawke Ventures has acquired the film fights to novel "The Town That Forgot How to Breathe" by Kenneth J. Harvey for Gourdier to adapt. Novel was published by Raincoast Books. ...

Oscar nom puts wind in doc's sales.(American Film Market)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA -- Rolling off an Academy Award nomination, Spanish sales company Art Mood is licensing Carlos Bosch and Josep M. Domenech's docu "Balseros" to pan-Euro pubcaster Arte. The TV operator, which specializes in upscale cultural...

Summit serves distrib over 'Lock' deal.(American Film Market)(Summit Entertainment)(Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA -- Summit Entertainment has petitioned the Los Angeles Superior Court to hold Bjorg Veland and sales company BV Intl. Pictures responsible for a 2002 AFMA judgment in regards to "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels." Veland...

Pic pair go to Fortissimo.(American Film Market)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA -- Fortissimo Films has come aboard to co-finance two new pics--"Mr. Average" and "Invisible Waves"--both of which will start shooting later this year. Pierre-Paul Renders will direct the French-language satirical romantic...

New Line feels the heat.(American Film Market)(New Line Cinema Corp)(Inferno)(Karz Entertainment)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... SANTA MONICA -- New Line Cinema has bought David Jung and Steve Dandois' action thriller "Inferno" for Karz Entertainment to produce. Story follows a betrayed narcotics officer who resurrects himself as a gang lord to exact revenge. ...

Gov't nixes Chum's bid for Alberta TV.(World News)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... TORONTO -- The battle for Alberta's terrestrial television market is heating up after Canada's broadcast regulator rejected an application by Chum for stations in Calgary and Edmonton. In its decision released Thursday, the Canadian...

Milan film fest moves to March.(Italy)(International Film Festival of Milan)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The Intl. Film Festival of Milan is moving to spring, separating it from its traditional slot before MIFED in October. The next edition will be held March 10-20, 2005. "Now that AFM is moving to November, MIFF'S early spring setting is...

Loonland taps exec.(Germany)(TV Loonland AG)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... German children's programming distributor and producer TV-Loonland has appointed vet sales exec Dominic Mark Rayner director of sales to boost international TV and video/DVD sales. Based in London, Rayner will report to TV-Loonland's...

'Big Bro' adds nets.(Germany)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Pay TV platform Premiere and two more weblets have linked up with RTL II for the fifth season of "Big Brother," starting March 2. Premiere will establish a "Big Brothel' channel that follows the reality show around the clock. After an...

Media fair's diverse.(Hungary)(Serbia broadcasting)(third annual Media Fair)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Serbia closed the doors on its third annual Media Fair on Friday. Three-day event, held in the northern city of Novi Sad, included as many as 110 southern European TV broadcasters, production companies, marketing and advertising agencies and...

U Music adding SUM: venture will boost profile of local artists.(World News)(Universal Music Asia Pacific)(Shanghai Universal Music)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... HONG KONG -- Universal Music Asia Pacific and Shanghai Media Group have joined hands to form music-driven SUM Entertainment. The focus of SUM (Shanghai Universal Music) is to find artists, promote them and make them stars in China and...

Hungarian TV reorients.(World News)(Orszagos Radio Es Televizio Testulet (Hungarian: National Radio and Television Authority; Budapest, Hungary))(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... BUDAPEST -- The terms for the boards of trustees of Hungary's state-owned satellite channel Duna TV and broadcast regulator ORTT were due to expire Sunday, so Socialist Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy named replacements who may bring a...

MCOne twosome take over Teuton vid distrib.(World News)(Media Cooperation One)(Teutonic )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... BERLIN -- Sven Ebeling and Hagen Behring, co-CEOs of Media Cooperation One (MCOne), took over the majority share in the Teutonic home entertainment distributor in a management buyout from former owner DBI, the equity division of Germany's...

Baober in Love.(movie review)(Movie Review)
March 1, 2004... (LIAN'AIZHONGDE BAOBEI) (China) A Beijing Rosat Film & TV Prod. Co., Beijing Vadon Times Investment Co. production. (International sales: Belling Rosat, Beijing.) Produced by Li Xiaowan. Executive producers, Ah Bao, Li. Directed...

Collateral Damages.(movie review)(Movie Review)
March 1, 2004... (Docu) A Turn of the Century Pictures production in association with Emerging Pictures. Produced, directed by Etienne Sauret. Camera (color, DV). Sauret; editor. Emily Gumpel music, Stuart Demptster, Stephen Viticllo; sound, Sauret;...

Shirley Horn.(Concert Review)
March 1, 2004... (Feinstein's at the Cinegrill; 130 seats. $75 top) Presented inhouse. Band: George Mesterhazy. Ed Howard, Steve Williams. Opened Feb. 24, 2004, reviewed Feb. 25. closes Feb. 28. Shirley Horn can always be counted upon to pack more...

A simple twist of fete.(Motion Picture & Television Fund event)
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Hollywood loves sequels, and the second edition of the Night Before proved more boffo than the first. Call it "The Return of the Fling." The dress was casual, the mood was upbeat and the cause was terrific: For the second...

Early Oscar bashes set stage for gold.
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- If the Academy Awards are indeed "the Super Bowl for women," then there's a certain irony to having pigskin bodice-ripper Justin Timberlake headline Oscar weekend's first big event. However, at Thursday's Vanity Fair Amped...

Richard King.(Backstage)(Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World's)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... "I'm just glad 'Lord of the Rings' wasn't nominated in my category," joked "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World's" Oscar-winning sound editor Richard King. When it came to creating the soundscape for the sea epic, King said he...

Tim Robbins.(Backstage opinions of Tim, Robbins)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Supporting actor winner Tim Robbins was unusually decorous backstage, even admitting he was surprised the Academy had granted him an Oscar in spite of his politics. "I never would have imagined it, because of so many negative things being...

Errol Morris.(Backstage)(The Fog of War)(acceptance speech of Errol, Morris)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... When he got backstage, "The Fog of War" helmer Errol Morris was eager to expand on the brief political comments in his acceptance speech. "I find our foreign policy atrocious and appalling. If this movie in some way contributes to the debate of...

Renee Zellweger.(Backstage)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Supporting actress whiner Renee Zellweger was Bridget Jonesian offstage--charmingly jittery, tripping over her dress's train, not quite sure what to say. Asked if it was a "finally" evening for her, she demurred. "No, I didn't think 'finally.'...

Andrew Stanton.(Backstage)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... "Finding Nemo" hyphenate Andrew Stanton, whose Pixar toon won the animated feature Oscar, said he hoped the win will help Pixar to stand on its own, apart from Disney. "It can't hurt," he said. "We've been the same troop over there since 'Toy...

Blake Edwards.(Backstage)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Honorary Oscar recipient and funny man Blake Edwards graciously accepted a chair and playfully volleyed old-age jokes with the press. Asked about the state of contemporary comedy, the "Pink Panther" godfather admitted he didn't always get it....

Sense of normalcy: Kodak settles into a comfortable groove.
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- If such a word can ever be applied to the Academy Awards, this was the year of "normal." For the past two years the Oscars arrivals have had distracting side dramas: First it was whether the Hollywood & Highland locale would...

Always a comedian.
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Honorary Academy Awards recipient Blake Edwards lived up to his rep for broad comedy at Sunday's Oscar ceremonies. Evoking memories of Peter Sellers' Inspector Clouseau character from the "Pink Panther" pics, Edwards sped...

Oscar indeed came into Focus.
March 1, 2004... While there was nothing Sunday night to match the 2003 Oscar upset pulled off by "The Pianist," Focus Features' performance this year with "Lost in Translation" showed the 2-year-old Universal specialty division has become a formidable...

The winners.
March 1, 2004... PICTURE The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King--Barrie M. Osborne, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, producers; a Wingnut Films production (New Line) ACTOR Scan Penn--"Mystic River" (Warner Bros.) ACTRESS Charlize...

Can 'River' B.O. rise? Eastwood pic has best chance for bounce.
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Best pic winner "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" had already hauled in so much loot--a cool $338 million domestically by the time it garnered its 11 noms--that it never was realistic to expect the New Line fantasy to...

A wild, wacky season comes to a close, finally.
March 1, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Was the outcome of the 76th Oscars influenced by the Screener Wars and the abbreviated season? Yes, no, maybe; it depends on who's answering the questions. The "Monster" win indicated screeners were important. On the other...

Mouse making myths: Walden to co-finance Lewis adaptation.(C.S. Lewis'The Chronicles of Narnia pegged for film treatment; Walden Media, C.S. Lewis Co., Walt Disney Studios)
March 2, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Walt Disney Studios has inked a deal with Philip Anschutz's Walden Media to co-finance, produce and distribute a live-action film version of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe," the best known book in C.S. Lewis' series "The...

Battle over Eisner amping up.
March 2, 2004... The battle of the Mouse grew strident Monday with the spin turned to high ahead of Wednesday's annual meeting in Philadelphia. The Ohio Public Employees Retirement System piled onto the oust-Eisner bandwagon Monday, while the Disney...

Televisa says hola to H'wood.
March 2, 2004... Mexican conglom Televisa is setting up a beachhead on two U.S. coasts. While its chairman Emilio Azcarraga Jean and three top execs plan to set up a corporate operations base in Miami, its film arm Televisa Cine is poised to launch a...

'Perfect' reteam for U.(Mark Rosman set to direct Perfect Man, Universal Studios Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Reteaming with Hilary Duff, Mark Rosman will direct "The Perfect Man," which Universal Pictures has greenlit for a late April start. In "Perfect Man," produced by Marc Platt, Duff will play a daughter looking to set up her...

Strike up the Turner brands: reality leads TNT, TBS slate.
March 2, 2004... HOLLYWOOD -- Gilligan, the Skipper and Carrie Bradshaw, too, are getting the reality treatment at TBS as part of the network's June re-launch as a comedy cabler. Turner execs Monday began meeting with advertisers and media buyers to give...

Par, helmer explore 'Mars'.(Paramount Pictures Corp.,)
March 2, 2004... Paramount Pictures has signed Robert Rodriguez to helm sci-fi adventure-actioner "A Princess of Mars," with an eye to developing a tentpole franchise for the studio. Par-based Alphaville Prods., partnered with Rodriguez's Trouble maker...

Good morning after.(Just For Variety)
March 2, 2004... GOOD MORNING AFTER: Anne Bancroft bowed out other role as Tea Leoni's mother and Adam Sandler's mother-in-law in James L. Brooks' "Spanglish" for Columbia. Bancroft underwent minor surgery last week at UCLA. She had completed several weeks on...

The creme de la creme.(Just For Variety)(Obituary)
March 2, 2004... THE CREME DE LA CREME of the biz also convened last weekend--at Ray Stark's home in Holmby Hills. Stark, who died Jan. 17, didn't want any memorials and his funeral was extremely private. But a gathering of friends was totally in order, and the...

Arnold Schwarzenegger is expected to attend Wednesday's preem of Showtinae's "Spinning Boris" at Par.(Just For Variety)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2004... ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER is expected to attend Wednesday's preem of Showtinae's "Spinning Boris" at Par. The pic's about the trio of American political consultants who managed Russian Boris Yeltsin's 1996 successful re-election campaign. Honestly,...

It was obvious from the beginning of the Oscar show, for those of us sitting in the Kodak Theater, that Billy Crystal is a hard act to follow no, impossible to follow.(Just For Variety)
March 2, 2004... IT WAS OBVIOUS FROM the beginning of the Oscar show, for those of us sitting in the Kodak Theater, that Billy Crystal is a hard act to follow no, impossible to follow. The show lumbered along, and it was only when Billy made his few appearances...

Hidalgo.(Movie Review)
March 2, 2004... A Buena Visla release of a Touchstone Pictures presentation of a Casey Silver production. Produced by Silver. Executive producer, Don Zepfel. Co-producer (Morocco), Patricia Carr. Directed by Joe Johnston. Screenplay, John Fusco. Camera...

Brown's movies 101 back in session at NYU.(New York University)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2004... Marking the 35th anniversary of his Movies 101 course, professor Richard Brown will return Wednesdayafter a 30-year absence to the campus of NYU to resume his adult-education film studies program in its original location. After...

'Fiddler' director, scribe get physical over column.(Inside Moves)
March 2, 2004... Broadway turned into Madison Square Garden on fight night last week. New York Post legit reporter Michael Riedel and "'Fiddler on the Roof" director David Leveaux reportedly got physical Thursday evening at the Angus McIndoe restaurant on...

'Ring' zing Oscar ratings.(Academy Awards)(Countdown to the Oscars)
March 2, 2004... One year after tumbling to a record-low audience, a shiny "Ring" helped the Academy Awards on ABC rebound nicely in the Nielsens, with the kudocast again topping 40 million viewers. It all came together for the Alphabet this time around, as...

Public rites for Uta Hagen.(Obituary)
March 2, 2004... The memorial for Uta Hagen is set for 1 p.m. March 25 at the Majestic Theater on West 44th Street. It is open to the public. Robert Callely, managing director of the HB Playwrights Foundation, said the program would include a number of the...

USA 'Along' for ride: net lands 'Polly,' other U fare; NBC gets 'Lost'.(USA Networks Inc.)(Along Came Polly)(Brief Article)
March 2, 2004... The USA Network -- which recently locked up cable rights to high-visibility theatricals "50 First Dates" and "Elf"--engineered another deal Monday, buying the first network play of "Along Came Polly" and three other Universal titles: "Love...

Spring heat puts chill on B'way B.O.(Broadway box office figures drop)
March 2, 2004... If it's not snowstorms, then it's spring temperatures. Sixty-degree weather has sent New Yorkers out of the theaters and into the streets. Box office dropped an unseasonable $2,271,613, or 15.08%, to land at $12,789,057. While those...