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Time - Man of the Year
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Time_Man_of_the_Year_Compact_Publishing_3YX-Disc-1_Compact_Publishing_1993.iso
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1988-12-31
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4KB
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105 lines
GRAPEVINE, Page 17
By SIDNEY URQUHART
Cooling Off on a Hot Property
With hard-core rappers Ice-T and Ice Cube as stars and
plenty of shoot-'em-up, burn-'em-up action, Universal Pictures'
The Looters seemed certain to be one of this summer's
box-office winners. But that was before the Rodney King verdict
brought real flames and gunshots onto the nation's TV screens.
The project, officially described as an "urban suspense
adventure," will eventually be renamed and postponed, a decision
that "didn't take any grand marketing meeting," said one
Universal executive last week. "It was already decided by Monday
morning when we all came back to work. It was also clear that
the name and the stars might make some people misconstrue the
message."
Guilty! Call My Agent!
The Milwaukee judge who sentenced serial killer Jeffrey
Dahmer to 15 consecutive life terms appears to be rushing from
the bench to the word processor. According to a recent ad in
Daily Variety, Laurence Gram's The Jeffrey Dahmer Case: A
Judge's Perspective is in the works. And so is a film script
titled The Jeffrey Dahmer Confessions, to be based on the
judge's book but not written by him. "The judge doesn't want a
horror picture per se," says agent Lew Breyer. "But I have
written in one or two horror scenes that are horrific in
describing one of the murders." While Gram says he will not
pocket any profits from the book, New York University law
professor Stephen Gillers points out that since judges are not
bound by clear ethical guidelines, Gram "could keep every cent."
Gillers, who teaches legal and judicial ethics, is "skeptical"
of a sitting judge who might "view his or her docket as material
for future popular exploitation."
Goooood Morning, Ree-Oh!
It takes a thief to catch a thief. Which is why an
enterprising Rio broadcaster has signed up Ronald Biggs to
dispense travel and safety advice to the thousands of delegates
attending the Earth Summit next month. An alumnus of the
legendary gang that heisted $7.3 million from a Glasgow-London
mail train in 1963, Biggs has been a fugitive in Brazil for more
than 20 years. He plans to counsel listeners on how to avoid the
city's rampant street crime, and he may also throw in some
practical tips to visitors on coddling a queasy stomach or
dealing with recalcitrant taxi drivers. "Some people think it
is in bad taste to allow a crook to do such a thing," said the
former Great Train Robber, who hopes to meet soon with Rio
police to discuss his radio debut on Eco Radio.
How Did This Cookie Crumble?
Before NASA's newest shuttle Endeavour finally lifted off
last week, maintenance technicians had plenty of
troubleshooting to do. The $2 billion ship arrived at the
Kennedy Space Center looking pretty enough, but beneath
Endeavour's sleek exterior lay more than 2,000 problems,
including a defective set of main engines. And wedged among the
tangle of dangling wires, hydraulic pipes and contaminated water
lines was one moldy Oreo cookie.
Kudos
It's commencement season, and members of the greater White
House family are sallying forth onto the nation's college
campuses to speechify. Mark your calendar.
JAMES BAKER
William and Mary; May 10
SAMUEL SKINNER
George Washington U.; May 10
JEB BUSH
Barry U.; May 10
GEORGE BUSH
S.M.U.; May 16
Notre Dame; May 17
Annapolis; May 27
BARBARA BUSH
Louisiana State; May 21
COLIN POWELL
U.S. Merchant Marine Academy; June 15
Spook's Guide
Visitors to Moscow this summer need not worry about
finding their way around. From Northern Cartographic in
Burlington, Vt., comes this user-friendly tourist map that
identifies all rechristened streets and landmarks. It even
directs homesick junk foodies to McDonald's. Where did such
meticulous accuracy come from? From "redrawn" CIA maps.