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For Immediate Release on Entertainment Drive
Released by Beck/Smith
Kelley Shines at PR Awards
Hollywood -- March 25, 1996 -- The annual Publicists Guild
Awards -- one of the foremost pre-Oscar events -- was highlighted
this year by acceptance speeches by David E. Kelley and Sherry
Lansing, who were voted Showman of the Year honors in television
and movies, respectively. Kelley, whose phenominal writing led
to numerous memorable "L.A. Law" episodes, as well as his own
series creations "Picket Fences" and "Chicago Hope," admitted he
was surprised to get such an award. He never thought of himself
as a "showman," and what's more, he was surprised to win a
Publicists Guild award because "I don't have a publicist."
Kelley, who's married to Michelle Pfeiffer, was presented his
award by Dennis Franz of "NYPD Blue." He told an anecdote
about how he and fellow writer-producer Steven Bochco often try
out scripts on one another -- and how, when he read the then-
untitled pilot script for what was to become "NYPD Blue," he
told Bochco he loved it, but the detective who died at the end
was really -- in a strange way -- the most appealing character on
the show and should not be killed off. Bochco told him that
indeed, it had already been decided to make that character --
Franz's Detective Sipowicz -- an ongoing one. "But I like to think I
had something to do with it," Kelley said, as Franz laughed.
Subsequently, he watched as Dennis beat out his own "Picket
Fences" star Tom Skerritt for an Emmy, which he said gave him
quite a feeling in his heart. Then he saw Dennis beat out Mandy
Patinkin -- his "Chicago Hope" star -- for a Screen Actors Guild
Award, and again, remembering how he had helped save Sipowicz's
life, he felt that strange feeling. And then "NYPD Blue"
beat "Picket Fences" in SAG's ensemble acting category. Kelley
says at that point he approached his friend and former "L.A. Law"
colleague Bochco, and told him, "You know, I think I had
something to do with this." And Bochco said, "Absolutely you
did; you write 'Picket Fences'!" Sharon Stone introduced Sherry
Lansing, with a smart, off-kilter speech -- very much a put-on --
in which she talked about power being spelled "B-E-A-U-T-Y" and
the unimportance of accomplishments. She wound up her remarks by
joking that Sherry had been selected because "she's a great
broad -- and we like her best!" The Paramount chief -- whose
studio won best film campaign honors for "Braveheart" (take note,
Oscar handicappers!) -- created a new definition of "Showman,"
saying that showmen are "people who can get audiences
interested enough in a presentation to listen to new ideas."
Other memorable moments included a cellular phone ringing right
in the middle of remarks by Mira Sorvino. She was up to the
occasion. She stopped and said, "Would you like to get
that?...Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Los Angeles." Another
presenter, James Cromwell -- a.k.a. Farmer Hoggett of "Babe" --
drew laughs by saying how pleased he was to be invited, but he
wanted us to know, "I did not eat the chicken." There was also a
moving tribute to the late George Burns. Variety columnist Army
Archered started the honors, recalling the beloved performer's
humanity and selflessness, then presenting the Guild's lifetime
achievement award to Irving Fein, Burns' manager and friend of
decades, who accepted the posthumous honor. Brooke Shields then
gave a heartfelt tribute to her "Just You and Me, Kid" co-star,
Burns, and read a sweet letter Burns had written to her back when
she was 13.
"Rolonda" Survives Talk Show Backlash and Glut
Hollywood -- March 26, 1996 -- Because of the backlash against
talk show sensationalism -- and a market glutted by too many of
its ilk -- many talk shows have ended up nothing more than road
kill on the tube. "Rolonda," however has been picked up for its
fourth season and recently got a major upgrade in New York, where
it moved from WCBS to WPIX, from a late-night to a morning
timeslot. The show's host, Rolonda Watts, says, "I'm real proud we
decided very early on to give up sensationalism for more
compelling stories and to give up conflict for more conflict
resolution. I can still see the skid marks from when we put on
the brakes and said, 'We are not going any further than this [with
sensational topics]. Other talk shows can keep going.' And they
did and fell over the cliff." Watts says that in the 1996-97
season her show will continue to focus on "having a good time.
We're dedicated to families and relationships. We recognize we
all go through difficult situations with people we love and we
hope to at least offer some resolution to people's problems....If
we can't find an answer, we can at least help people start on the
road to better communication and getting along."
"Mr. and Mrs. Loving" Change of Pace for Lela Rochon
Hollywood -- March 27, 1996 -- Lela Rochon, who stars opposite
Timothy Hutton in Showtime's "Mr. & Mrs. Loving" -- which debuts
Sunday, March 31, with chances of a theatrical release ahead --
says making the movie was a totally different experience from
that of "Waiting to Exhale." "I had not had one day off in the
production and the hours were really grueling. Tim Hutton and I
had to carry the piece. And Mildred Loving is such a different
character; in 'Exhale' so much of my role was involved with
physical beauty -- hair and nails and so forth. This was a
different kind of acting. It was really good for me." "Mr. &
Mrs. Loving" is the true story of the couple whose travails
(being arrested by marshals on their wedding night, having to
flee to a state without miscegenation laws...) ultimately led to
the abolition of laws against interracial marriage in the U.S.
Hutton at one point tried to buy rights to the story himself,
intending to produce it. He eventually linked up with producer
Daniel Paulsen, and settled for serving only as leading man.
Lela has great praise for her co-star. "I think Tim should be a
director some day; he was so thoughtful and knowledgeable about
this piece and how it should be played. I think we both really
knew who our characters were as far as being simple, shy people.
There was a lot of collaboration between the director and the two
of us." Rochon admits she's surprised she hadn't heard of the
Loving case (which unfolded between the late 1950s and early
60s) prior to making this movie. "Lawyers have all heard of it,"
she adds. "They all study it in law school."
Mira Sorvino Surprised by Marilyn Monroe Discoveries
Hollywood -- March 28, 1996 -- Mira Sorvino says there were a
few things she was surprised to discover about Marilyn Monroe
after doing extensive research for her portrayal of the icon in
HBO's May 18 "Norma Jean & Marilyn" telepic. "I didn't know the
extent of the incredible number of men in her life, especially
towards the end," says the actress who just won the Best
Supporting Actress Oscar for "Mighty Aphrodite." "She was involved
with like five or six people at the same time and that was really
desperate. She was a functioning pill addict for most of her
career. And something that I discovered and was very surprised
about was the sexual abuse she suffered as a child. Also she had
about 12 abortions, which very few people know about." In the HBO
telepic, Ashley Judd plays Monroe pre-stardom when she was still
Norma Jean Baker and Sorvino plays her after the name change.
Sorvino says, "I did feel I had a responsibility to study Marilyn
because she's an icon and I felt my portrayal had to bear a
resemblance to the real person. I watched all the footage I could
on her offscreen interviews, I listened to radio interviews, I
read everything I could get my hands on, I watched all of her
movies several times over, and I talked to a few people who knew
her." Sorvino says in researching Monroe, "I discovered her own
sparkling wit that she alone possessed. That was not any
publicity gimmick. She had her own ironic witty voice and came
up with amazing impromptu answers to questions. Milton Greene
published a book she'd been working on in the mid-50s, which
sounds very much like the way Marilyn talked, so you know that
she wrote it. It comes out the way that she sounded and the way
she put things together had a real natural, funny ease to it.
That I really enjoyed." Sorvino does make clear, however, that
she's not just doing another impersonation of Marilyn Monroe in
"Norma Jean & Marilyn." "It's not a direct, absolute
impersonation because she is someone who was different offscreen
than the public persona. If you go to a Vegas show you'll see
someone who'll do a perfect Marilyn sort of from 'The Seven Year
Itch' era -- that baby doll with the breathy, sexy voice and
droopy eyelids. Certainly we do some of that in this movie, but
it also tries to show other parts of her personality, her life,
and her inner turmoil, which is dramatized by having the two
different characters -- her old self and her movie-star self --
and the sort of self-hatred that was a result of that duality."
Reynolds Business in Trouble
Hollywood -- March 29, 1996 -- Debbie Reynolds, who has her
first starring role in a major feature film in decades with
Albert Brooks' upcoming "Mother," returned from her acting
assignment to bad news. Her Las Vegas hotel/showroom/museum is
in financial trouble -- a fact her son, Todd Fisher, acknowledged
to this column. Fisher (a.k.a. Carrie's brother and Eddie's son)
took over as CEO of his mother's Vegas enterprises last June --
and it's been difficult to turn the hulking business vessel
around. According to Todd, once he and Debbie -- as he refers to
his mother -- get a new mortgage on their property, they'll be
able to pay off the debts they have to a number of their vendors
and service providers. "I didn't bother her during the making of
'Mother' at all....Now, I talk to her almost daily about issues
that are going on with the company, although I still don't bother
her with trivia. Debbie says she's not a great businesswoman.
Obviously, her strong suit is entertainment. She did 8 or 9 shows a
week at the hotel for 48 weeks last year. Her show of course
sells out; the occupancy is over 100 percent....The four months
she was gone to make the movie mark the longest time she's been
away." Todd also credits his mother for keeping customers coming
into the hotel/showroom/museum (the casino area is closing down
Sunday, until such time as Debbie and Todd can get their own
gaming license and run it themselves, he says). "We have no
budget for advertising, which is brutal. Fortunately, Debbie is
a big name....Sometimes I'll come in and see 100 people in the
lobby, and it's 'Why are they here?' It's a miracle. It turns
out they've just seen Debbie talking about the hotel on some
show." On the plus side, Todd says, "The museum show is on the
upswing," and other talent who've been performing in the showroom
have done well. And perhaps best of all, last week Debbie was
out with the mayor of Las Vegas cutting the ribbon for a new
superhighway -- that goes right by her hotel.
Copyright (c) 1996 Beck/Smith Ent.
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