Variety articles from August 1998

Variety archives from August 1998

With currency markets roiling, showbiz fears ... globe going neuro over Euro.(Euro currency and the entertainment industry)(Cover Story)(Industry Overview)
August 31, 1998... At a time when the ruble the yen and even the Canadian dollar are in turmoil, there is one shining hope: the Euro. The Euro? On New Year's Day, 11 countries will start to replace local currencies with a common denomination, in the...

Mel preps for Eye surgery.(Mel Kazmarin; CBS spins off Infinity Broadcasting)(Cover Story)(Company Profile)(Interview)
August 31, 1998... NEW Y0RK Boring is better. Television may be the glamour biz to some, but more "mundane" businesses like radio and billboards offer vastly better opportunities to turn a profit. That, at least, seems to be the message of CBS president Mel...

Ted's trail of tears: after five years of ill-fortune in the film business, Ted Turner should have learned enough to stick to cable.(Column)
August 31, 1998... After five years of ill-fortune in the film business, Ted Turner should have learned enough to stick to cable. MEMO TO: Ted Turner FROM: Peter Bart Not long ago, when your news team at CNN retracted its sarin gas story, you remarked...

Venice fails to float boat of U.S. buyers.(U.S. acquisition execs absent from Venice Intl Film Festival)(Inside Moves)(Brief Article)(Column)
August 31, 1998... While much has been made of the massive Hollywood presence expected at this year's Venice Film Festival, one group of U.S. film pros will be notably absent on the Lido: acquisition execs. As key film buyers for U.S. studios and...

Once and for all: Tom Cruise is not gay.(he disputes new book "Open Secret: Gay Hollywood 1928-1998")(Inside Moves)(Brief Article)(Column)
August 31, 1998... Tom Cruise's lawyers have threatened action over an upcoming book about homosexuality in the entertainment industry -- for claims the author and publisher insist the book doesn't make. The lawyers' concerns caught author David...

Venice Fest festers over its loss of 'Innocence'.(U.S. film 'Loss of Sexual Innocence' won't premiere at Venice Intl Film Festival)(Inside Moves)(Brief Article)(Column)
August 31, 1998... A cease-fire has been called in the brief but heated battle between the producers of Mike Figgis' "The Loss of Sexual Innocence" and Venice Intl. Film Festival director Felice Laudadid, who waved a white flag last week by announcing that the...

A dream built on sand.(new DreamWorks Playa Vista/Los Angeles, CA, development still not started)
August 31, 1998... Maybe it was just a dream. When Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen assembled in Howard Hughes' mammoth Spruce Goose hangar on Dec. 13,1995, and announced with great fanfare that they would build their vaunted new...

Hot rocks hit with deep impact o'seas.('98 US films draw crowds overseas)(Cover Story)(Industry Overview)
August 31, 1998... Is Bruce Willis a bigger star overseas than Steven Spielberg? Why didn't the earth move for French audiences when "Deep Impact" landed on their shores? And why has Roland Emmerich's big lizard caused relatively few ripples in...

Alliance of rivals lord over 'Rings'.(odd alliance of producers/filmmakers behind 'The Lord of the Rings')(Film)(Brief Article)
August 31, 1998... HOLLYWOOD When rival mavericks join forces in a spaghetti western, anyone with any sense runs for cover. No surprise, then, that a gang of grizzled vets that comprises Bob Shaye, Michael Lynne, the Weinstein brothers and Saul Zaentz has...

Bigger seems better in Polygram saga.(Film)
August 31, 1998... Roughly 20 years ago, two European record companies tried their luck in Hollywood. One of them financed the multiple Oscar-winning "The Deer Hunter," the other the sleeper hit "Flashdance." But, despite these successes, neither was...

'No' gets a 'yes' at Montreal bow.(Montreal World Film Festival)(Brief Article)
August 31, 1998... MONTREAL Robert Lepage's "No," a light political farce about sex, politics and the atomic bomb, was given a warm reception from the black-tie crowd Aug. 27 at the opening-night gala of the 22nd edition of the Montreal World Film Festival. ...

Spector of Soviets hovers over biz regs.(anti-piracy, economic controls proposed in Russia)
August 31, 1998... MOSCOW As Russia struggles with both a crashing currency and a president who reshuffes his cabinet like a frantic riverboat gambler, the last thing the country needs is the specter of the dark old days of the Soviet thought police. But thanks...

Script surfing safari: the new wave or a wipeout?(web sites help new screenwriters market scripts)(Industry Overview)
August 31, 1998... HOLLYWOOD Forget calling friends at William Morris or sifting through piles of spec scripts -- the hottest new screenplays are now just a click away on your computer. That's what proponents of the growing trend of posting pitches,...

Latin crooners hit high note: tyros poised for mainstream crossover.(Music)(Industry Overview)
August 31, 1998... The music biz seems to have found a winning recipe: a hunk of beef with a dash of salsa. As recently as two years ago, there were only a handful of young, handsome Latin crooners like Luis Miguel and Juan Gabriel releasing albums. ...

Midem raises Latin questions.(Midem Latin American and Caribbean conference discusses Cuba embargo; piracy)(Music)
August 31, 1998... MIAMI Cuba and piracy -- always sure to press hot buttons -- were the recurring themes of Midem's second annual Latin America and Caribbean music convention, which ended Aug. 28 in Miami. Even so, the overall mood of the four-day confab...

Webs swing at vet pitches: top filmmakers trying hands at small screen.(writers, directors)(Television)(Industry Overview)
August 31, 1998... Feature film writers are flocking to network TV like never before. Just weeks after the broadcast webs and studios began taking script pitches for the 1999-2000 season, an unprecedented number of film writers are trying to create for...

Networks eager for boffo studio fare.(feature films and TV)(Television)
August 31, 1998... NEW Y0RK The mid-May Hollywood grapevine was crackling with reports that "Godzilla," scheduled for release May 22, was a far cry from the eye-popping spectacle that TriStar Pictures had spent untold millions hyping. Fearing a deluge of...

Stay tuned to U: Meidel, Biondi and Diller stars in soap-like saga.(Universal Studios- exec turnover; possible return to TV production)(Company Profile)
August 31, 1998... Hollywood As Universal turns: The corporate drama that has engulfed the TV side of Universal Studios over the past year is worthy of a soap opera stowline. Less than a year after Universal stunned showbiz by selling its domestic TV assets...

In a Fox family way: ex-TV Land topper Cronin puts stamp on cabler.(Fox Family Channel; CEO Rich Cronin)(Company Profile)(Interview)
August 31, 1998... NEW YORK Despite setbacks that might have sunk a lesser TV executive, Rich Cronin, the president and CEO of Fox Family Channel, is still smiling. When Cronin decided to leave his job as president of MTV Networks' Nick at Nite and TV Land...

WAMI's whammy: USA's Miami station eyes export for original fare.(Television)(Brief Article)(Company Profile)
August 31, 1998... USA Broadcasting's upstart TV station WAMI Miami is calling in the 4077th to better showcase the station's original programming. WAMI has acquired rights to the evergreen sitcom "MASH" to serve as evening and latenight bookends for...

Teutonic nets miss the ad mark.(Germany)(Television)
August 31, 1998... BERLIN German advertisers are no longer willing to accept large annual price hikes for the privilege of peddling their products on teutonic TV. And in a territory where only four out of 20 private stations are turning a profit, stagnating...

Momentum at Marti: b'cast agency head directs revolution at Cuba.(Radio & TV Marti, Miami, FL; director Herminio San Roman)(Television)(Brief Article)
August 31, 1998... MIAMI Out on the edge of town, someone's spending $23 million per year on a radio-cum-TV operation that has a minuscule audience and no prospect of profit. No, this is not Barry Diller's latest local broadcasting startup. The project's...

The Wild Thornberrys.
August 31, 1998... (ANIMATED CHILDREN'S SERIES; NICKELODEON, TUES. SEPT. 1, 8 P.M.) Filmed in Los Angeles by Nickelodeon Prods. in association with Klasky Csupo. Executive producers, Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo; producer, Christine Ferriter; supervising...

Cousin Skeeter.
August 31, 1998... (FAMILY SITCOM; NICKELODEON, TUES. SEPT. 1, 8:30 P.M.) Filmed in Orlando, Fla., by Tollin/Robbins Prods. in association with Nickelodeon. Executive producers, Brian Robbins, Mike Tollin; co-executive producer, Phil Beauman; producers,...

Animorphs.
August 31, 1998... (FANTASY-ADVENTURE SERIES; NICKELODEON, FRI. SEPT. 4, 8:30 P.M.) Filmed in Toronto by Scholastic Prods. Executive producer, Deborah A. Forte; co-executive producer, Bill Siegler; director, Timothy Bond; writers, Jeffrey Vlaming, Neal...

Return to form.(Venice Film Festival - special section)
August 31, 1998... After last year's dearth of heavyweight fare, A-titles, stars to shine brightly on the Lido ROME When freshly installed Venice Intl. Film Festival chief Felice Laudadio pointed last year to the creative slump in American moviemaking as...

Sidebars reflect tightly edited program.(Venice Film Festival - special section)
August 31, 1998... Laudadio quiets critics by spicing up lineup without compromising beliefs ROME Dominated by high-caliber U.S. features, upcoming Euro directors and A-list celebs, Venice's 55th go-round represents a complete about-face for its...

Man on a tightrope: Laudadio quiets critics by spicing up lineup without compromising beliefs.(Venice Film Festival - special section)(festival director Felice Laudadio)(Interview)
August 31, 1998... ROME While the Venice fest in recent years has become an increasingly out-of-control maze of proliferating sidebars and ponderously titled sub-sections housing everything from U.S. blockbusters to experimentalism to esoteric video fare, this...

Film feast: preems, special screenings and sidebars offer full cinematic repast.(Venice Film Festival - special section)(Directory)(Illustration)
August 31, 1998... Preems, special screenings and sidebars offer full cinematic repast OUT OF COMPETITION FILM DIRECTOR COUNTRY Saving Private Ryan opener Steven Spielberg U.S. Am I Beautiful?...

For U.S. participants it's business as usual.(Venice Film Festival - special section)
August 31, 1998... Hollywood Maybe it's Venice's aura of romance and old-world elegance, or the fact that its festival is geared more to the cineaste than the merchant. But for U.S. film execs who are making the trip for the first time or have made it an...

10 writers to watch.(emerging screenwriters)(Venice Film Festival - special section)
August 31, 1998... From Paris to the Hollywood Hills, these talents tout the write stuff Continuing our series on creatives that was inaugurated with the "New Directors" focus in Daily Variety's 1997 Sundance Film Fest special report (Daily Variety, Jan. 15,...

French kisses: fest continues love affair with U.S. stars and movies.(Deauville Film Festival - special section)
August 31, 1998... PARIS When the first Deauville Festival of American Films was held in 1975, Michael Douglas had just made his debut as a producer with "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," and college student Harvey Weinstein was producing rock concerts and...

Gallic summer sizzle.(US films drawing better in France)(Deauville Film Festival - special section)
August 31, 1998... PARIS It wasn't so long ago that just about every savvy French film exec was predicting that the huge influx of multiplexes in France would hand the domestic theatrical market to Hollywood on a plate. Plexes, so it was said, would be the...

Jewel of the aisle: fest honoree Douglas takes on new U.N. role.(new U.N. peace ambassador/film star Michael Douglas)(Deauville Film Festival - special section)(Interview)
August 31, 1998... Acting might be an embarrassing thing for a grown man of my age to do, but today I am enjoying it more than ever," Michael Douglas told Variety at the recent Karlovy Vary Film Festival, which was recognizing the producer-director's...

Producer credits take varied turns. (Deauville honoree Michael Douglas on producing/directing career)(Deauville Film Festival - special section)(Interview)
August 31, 1998... Michael Douglas' producing career has sometimes featured as much drama and as many unexpected twists as one of his star turns. His producing life has taken him from a storybook beginning through a journey of identity and a return to the...

Savvy siblings revitalize art of the indie deal.(Harvey and Bob Weinstein on producing careers)(Deauville Film Festival - special section)(Interview)
August 31, 1998... NEW YORK It's lunchtime at the Tribeca Grill in downtown Manhattan. At a table in the back of the restaurant, Miramax co-chairman Harvey Weinstein is kibbitzing with Jerry Seinfeld, who's just wrapped his one-man show on Broadway. Is...

Stars shine on eclectic fall sked.(new Miramax releases)(Deauville Film Festival - special section)
August 31, 1998... Screenwriter Brian Koppelman knew he was onto something big after he'd played the first few hands of poker. Koppelman called his writing partner David Levien the next day, Dec. 16,1995. He'd hooked into New York City's underground world of...

French toast pulp fiction queen.(honoree Mary Higgins Clark)(Deauville Film Festival - special section)(Interview)
August 31, 1998... She's a one-woman media conglomerate with a multi-million-dollar television contract, a quarterly magazine and plans to jet to France for the Deauville Film Festival, at which she'll be honored next month. But for all that, Mary Higgins...

54.
August 31, 1998... 54 (DRAMA) A Miramax release of a Redeemable Features/Dollface/Film Colony production. Produced by Richard N. Gladstein, Dolly Hall, Ira Deutchman. Executive producers, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Bobby Cohen, Don...

Simon Birch.
August 31, 1998... SIMON BIRCH (COMEDY-DRAMA) A Buena Vista release of a Hollywood Pictures presentation in association with Caravan Pictures of a Roger Birnbaum/Laurence Mark production. Produced by Mark, Birnbaum. Executive producer, John...

Strike!
August 31, 1998... (COMEDY-DRAMA -- U.S.-CANADIAN) A Miramax presentation of a Redeemable Features production, in association with Alliance Communications. Produced by Ira Deutchman, Peter Newman. Executive producers, Nora Ephron, Robert Lantos, Andras...

Jerome.
August 31, 1998... (DRAMA) A JET Film Co. production. Produced, directed, written, edited by Thomas Johnston, David Elton, Eric Tignini. Executive producer, David Spade. Camera, (color) Gina Degirolamo; production designer, Linette Shore; sound, Keenan...

Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World.
August 31, 1998... (ANIMATED ADVENTURE - DIRECT-TO-VIDEO) A Walt Disney Home Video release. Supervising producer, Alan Zaslove. Co-producer, Jeannine Roussel. Directed by Bradley Raymond, Tom Ellery. Screenplay, Allen Estrin, Cindy Marcus, Flip...

Drama's queen in London: heavyweight autumn season ends tuner domination.(Legit)(Industry Overview)
August 31, 1998... After a summer splashed with musicals, the songs may be somewhat muted this fall in a London theater season dominated by weighty drama, star vehicles (particularly for the women), and sometimes both at once. Arriving on local stages...

Femme troupe on top in Japan.(all-female Takarazuka Revue Co.)(Legit)(Brief Article)
August 31, 1998... TOKYO Forget Kabuki, with its highly stylized exploits. Forget the snail-paced Noh drama with its masks and stiffness. Takarazuka is the theater of choice in Japan. The all-female Takarazuka Revue Co. will at tract about 2 million people...

House.(Bay Street Theater, Sag Harbor, NY)
August 31, 1998... (COMEDY-DRAMA; BAY STREET THEATER; 299 SEATS; $38 TOP) SAG HARBOR, N.Y. A Bay Street Theater presentation of a play in two acts by Jon Robin Baitz and Terrence McNally. Directed by Joe Mantello. Set, Tony Walton; costumes, Jess...

Eleanor: Her Secret Journey.(Westport Country Playhouse, Westport, CT)
August 31, 1998... (SOLO DRAMA; WESTPORT COUNTRY PLAYHOUSE; 706 SEATS; $30 TOP) WESTPORT, Conn. A Connecticut Theater Foundation Inc. presentation of the Theater Guild production of a play in one act by Rhoda Lerman. Directed by, John Tillinger: Set,...

Queen of the Stardust Ballroom.(Lincolnshire Theater, Chicago, IL)
August 31, 1998... (MUSICAL REVIVAL; MARRIOTT'S LINCOLNSHIRE THEATER; 882 SEATS; $38 TOP) CHICAGO A Marriott's Lincolnshire Theater presentation of a musical in two acts with book by Jerome Kass, music by Billy Goldenberg and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn...

Colin Quinn: An Irish Wake.(Helen Hayes Theater, New York, NY)
August 31, 1998... (SOLO; HELEN HAYES THEATER; 499 SEATS; $50 TOP) NEW YORK A DelsenerSlater/Lorne Michaels presentation of a solo play in one act written by Colin Quinn and Lou DiMaggio. Directed by Bobby Moresco. Set, Eugene Lee; lighting, Roger Morgan....

Loot.(Vaudeville Theater, London, England)
August 31, 1998... (COMEDY REVIVAL; VAUDEVILLE; 690 SEATS; 25 [pounds sterling]($41) TOP) LONDON A Paul Farrah presentation of the Chiehester Festival Theater production of a play in two acts by Joe Orton. Directed by David Grindley. Sets and costumes,...

E.G. Marshall.(actor, age 88)(Obituary)(Brief Article)
August 31, 1998... E.G. Marshall, two-time Emmy winner for the TV series "The Defenders," died Aug. 24 at his home in Mount Kisco, N.Y., after a short illness. He was 88. Though he found his greatest success in TV, Marshall enjoyed a long and notable...

Brit pix in post-'Bean' bloat. (British-themed films failing after the success of 'Mr. Bean')(Cover Story)
August 24, 1998... The myth of Cool Britannia was laid to rest Aug. 14, when Warner Bros. let the world see why it was so embarrassed by "The Avengers." Last year the $70 million project seemed the most vivid example of Hollywood's enthusiasm for the Swinging...

Webmeisters feel power outage. (network entertainment presidents wield little programming power)
August 24, 1998... HOLLYWOOD The job of network entertainment president is losing its punch. Last week, CBS exec Nancy Tellem became the second woman to attain that title at a traditional Big Three broadcast network. But in a telling twist, the job...

Rosie readies revamp rollout. (talk show host Rosie O'Donnell makes changes to her show for its third season)(Brief Article)
August 24, 1998... Girl: "Girl, you gotta make some big changes." Rosie O'Donnell: "Am I still the host?" Girl: "Well, for now." How time flies when you're having fun. "The Rosie O'Donnell Show" has cruised along for the past two years as one...

Spyglass focuses rights for Disney. (Disney and Spyglass Entertainment agree to 15-year contract on sharing distribution rights)(includes related information on Spyglass's development deals)
August 24, 1998... The Mouse House is finally taking a nibble at the split rights biz. Disney has signed a five-year, 15-pic pact with Spyglass Entertainment, a new company run by execs Roger Birnbaum and Gary Barber. One reason that Disney has...

Left brain vs. right. (special effects movies try to turn a profit)
August 24, 1998... Visual effects wizards can make anything happen: they can re-sail and re-sink the Titanic and blow up giant insects in outer space; they can realize any vision a director can concoct. But one thing they can't do well -- and have never done...

Net appeal, not B.O. zeal. (popularity of Web sites dedicated to films does not lead to box office success)
August 24, 1998... HOLLYWOOD Publicizing a major pie without an official Website on the Internet is almost unheard of these days. Now part of every studio's marketing game plan, Web site addresses for every major release, from the serious adult film "Saving...

Meteor mashes B.O. cometish. ('Armageddon' pulls in most money in overseas box office)
August 24, 1998... Buena Vista Intl.'s "Armageddon" led the overseas marketplace, grossing close to $22 million, which included chart-topping performances in France and the U.K. and a Thai debut that was an all-time B.O. opener for the territory. The...

Pix flash but sides clash at Oz confab. (Australian box office a success in 1998, but tension grows between independent operators and three dominant chains)
August 24, 1998... GOLD COAST, Queensland The Australian B.O. is headed for another record year, the 11th in a row, after posting a 12.3% hike in receipts in the first six months -- so why were there uneasy under-currents at last week's Australian Movie...

Salles bows San Sebastian. (Brazilian director Walter Salles opens 46th San Sebastian International Film Festival)
August 24, 1998... ROME Brazilian director Walter Salles' "Central Station," which won the Berlin Film Festival's Golden Bear award earlier this year, has been chosen to open the 46th San Sebastian Intl. Film Festival's principal noncompetitive section,...

Pay radio ready for long haul. (future planning for subscription radio service)
August 24, 1998... Two rival satcasting companies are plotting to shake up the $14 billion radio biz in the way that cable changed the TV landscape. Over the next 18 months, the competitors are plotting a multichannel techno coup against the old guard of...

Biz sets bets as Pax TV dusts off oldies. (new network Pax TV offers family and religious programming)
August 24, 1998... WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. When Bud Paxson dreamt up his family-friendly broadcaster Pax TV, he chose as its logo a dove -- specifically a biblical dove, the one that brought the olive twig back to Noah. But to hear many of his peers tell it,...

Scripps tills lush niche cable garden. (Home & Garden Television a successful cable venture for E.W. Scripps)(includes related information on Scripps Howard Library)
August 24, 1998... NEW Y0RK It's almost fitting that Home & Garden Television has gained cable carriage in all of the top 50 TV markets in the U.S. except for one: New York. The E.W. Scripps-owned cable web -- without the benefit of being top-of-mind in the...

Off-net pilfers firstrun hours' piece of the action. (syndicated reruns of network hour-long programs succeed in summer ratings)
August 24, 1998... NEW YORK This summer, the Nielsen syndication ratings have turned "Xena: Warrior Princess" into a marshmallow, "Hercules" into a wimp and the "Star Trek: Deep Space 9" crew into passengers on the economy flight from Cleveland. While these...

'MFN' hit rich number. ('Monday Night Football' increases demographic numbers of upscale viewers)
August 24, 1998... It's crunch time for "Monday Night Football," which enters its 29th season mired in a three-year slump of declining ratings and facing the added pressure of covering record rights fees. Thus, more than ever, ABC must ask not only how...

Rupert goes bird hunting. (Rupert Murdoch attempts to buy out Primestar to join domestic satellite television fray)
August 24, 1998... H0LLYWOOD Rupert Murdoch may soon be back to square one in his frustrated bid to become a player in the domestic satellite TV business. This time last year, Murdoch, chairman of News Corp., seemed resigned to admit defeat in his effort to...

That '70s Show.
August 24, 1998... (SITCOM; FOX, SUN., AUG. 23, 8:30 P.M.) Filmed in Los Angeles by Carsey-Werner Prods. Executive producers, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, Mark Brazill, Marcy Carsey, Tom Werner, Caryn Mandabach; co-executive producers, Josh Sternin,...

The Baby Dance.
August 24, 1998... (TELEPIC DRAMA; SHOWTIME, SUN. AUG. 23, 9 P.M.) Filmed in Vancouver by Egg Pictures, in association with Pacific Motion Pictures, for Showtime. Executive producers, Jodie Foster, Robert Halmi Jr., Tony Allard, Matthew O'Connor;...

Holding the Baby.
August 24, 1998... (SITCOM; FOX, SUN. AUG. 23, 7:30 P.M.) Taped in Los Angeles by Howard J. Morris Prods. and Granada Entertainment USA in association with 20th Century Fox TV. Executive producers, Howard J. Morris, Rosalind Moore; co-executive...

Dead Man on Campus.
August 24, 1998... (COMEDY) A Paramount Pictures release in association with MTV Films of a Pacific Western production. Produced by Gale Ann Hurd. Executive producers, David Gale, Van Toffler. Co-producer, Maggie Malina. Directed by Alan Cohn....

Blade.
August 24, 1998... (ACTION FANTASY) A New Line Cinema release of an Amen Ra Films production in association with Imaginary Forces. Produced by Peter Frankfurt, Wesley Snipes, Robert Engleman. Executive producers, Lynn Harris, Stan Lee, Avi Arad, Joseph...

Wrongfully Accused.
August 24, 1998... (PARODY) A Warner Bros. release of a James G. Robinson presentation of a Morgan Creek production in co-production with Constantin Film. Produced by Robinson, Bernd Eichinger, Pat Proft. Co-producer, Bobby Herbeck. Executive...

A Stranger in the Kingdom.
August 24, 1998... (PERIOD DRAMA) A Whiskeyjack Pictures/Kingdom Come Pictures presentation in association with Northflow Partners II. Produced, directed by Jay Craven. Executive producer, Matt Salinger. Co-producers, Penny Perry, Lyman Orton....

Blindness.
August 24, 1998... (DRAMA) A Park Avenue production. Produced by Karen Koch. Executive producers, Federieo Faggin, Anna Chi. Directed by Anna Chi. Screenplay, Jared Rappaport, Chi. Camera (color), Rico Sands; editors, Brian Johnson, Michael A....

Goreville, U.S.A.
August 24, 1998... (DOCU---B&W) A Leaning Silo production. Produced by James F. Roberts, James T. Volk. Executive producers, Jim Roberts, Robert Gould. Directed by Seth Henrikson, Dave Sarno, Rob Shields. Camera (B&W), Henrikson; editors, Martha...

Concert giant SFX gets leg up on legit. (SFX Entertainment purchases entertainment groups with theater ties)
August 24, 1998... When the Memphis-based Pat Halloran became a Broadway presenter some 20 years ago, he could choose his shows from among the offerings of at least eight different booking agents representing the wares of a good many more producers. ...

Cymbeline. (Delacorte Theater, New York, New York)
August 24, 1998... (SHAKESPEARE ROMANCE; DEIACORTE THEATER; 1,892 SEATS; FREE) NEW YORK A Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival presentation of the play in two acts by William Shakespeare. Directed by Andrei Serban. Sets, Mark Wendland;...

Communicating Doors. (Variety Arts Theater, New York, New York)
August 24, 1998... (COMEDY THRILLER; VARIETY ARTS THEATER; 499 SEATS; $45 TOP) NEW YORK A Harriet Newman Leve and James D. Stern presentation of a play in two acts by Alan Ayckbourn. Directed by Christopher Ashley. Sets, David Gallo; costumes, Jess...

Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. (Joyce Theater, New York, New York)
August 24, 1998... (DANCE; JOYCE THEATER; 600 SEATS; $35 TOP) NEW YORK A Joyce Theater Foundation Inc. presentation of an evening of dance in three acts performed by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. Artistic director, Toby Dobrin. Opened, reviewed...

Phil Leeds. (comedian)(Obituary)(Brief Article)
August 24, 1998... Phil Leeds, a longtime stage comedian and television actor, died of pneumonia Aug. 16 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 82. An entertainer for more than 55 years, Leeds began working as a stand-up comic in the early...

Jim Murray. (sportswriter)(Obituary)(Brief Article)
August 24, 1998... Jim Murray, the Los Angeles Times columnist who won a Pulitzer Prize and filled America's sports pages with heart and humor for nearly four decades, died of cardiac arrest Aug. 16 at his Brentwood, Calif., home. He was 78. Murray, who...

Stuart Regen. (film producer)(Obituary)(Brief Article)
August 24, 1998... "Leaving Las Vegas" movie producer Stuart Regen, who was also a prominent Southern Californian art dealer, has died of cancer. He was 39. Regen died Aug. 18 of non-Hodgkins lymphoma at the U. of Southern Calif./Kenneth Norris Jr....

Jimmy Driftwood. (folk singer-songwriter)(Obituary)(Brief Article)
August 24, 1998... Folk singer-songwriter Jimmy Driftwood, whose penning of the "Battle of New Orleans" vaulted him to fame 40 years ago, died July 12 in Fayetteville, Ark. He was 91. Driftwood suffered a stroke in June and had been recuperating at a...

Sheldon Tromberg. (entertainment personality)(Obituary)(Brief Article)
August 24, 1998... Sheldon Tromberg, a major figure in showbiz circles in D.C. as well as a radio personality, entertainment reporter and film producer, died July 5 of a heart attack in Richmond, Calif. He was 68. Tromberg got his start in the biz in 1953...