For Immediate Release on Entertainment Drive
Released by Beck/Smith

'Forrest Gump' Producer Steve Tisch Has Plate Full
Hollywood -- May 27, 1996 -- Producer Steve Tisch has his plate full. He's making "Dear God" with Greg Kinnear and Lauren Holly and "Wild American" with Jonathan Taylor Thomas, plus "Long Kiss Goodnight," with Geena Davis and her director/husband Renny Harlin. But he's still finding time for H.E.L.P. That's the charity that has created a school for Los Angeles area children, "Who are mentally, emotionally and/or physical handicapped, some of them born to drug addicted mothers. "They do a remarkable job," says Tisch of the charity group which honored him for his humanitarian efforts last year. Says Tisch, who on June 11 will chair the Beverly Hilton H.E.L.P luncheon at which Marlee Martlin, Quincy Jones and producer David Salzman will be honored, "The work this group has done is remarkable. It helps children who haven't had the benefit of functional families, makes them realize that there are people out there who care for them -- and want to help." Certainly Tisch does. Recently constructed on the grounds of the school: The Steve Tisch Music and Art Center.

Redford's 'Grand Avenue' Spirit
Hollywood -- May 28, 1996 -- Expect something special when HBO unveils "Grand Avenue" June 30. That's according to Irene Bedard, who is among the stars of the Robert Redford-Dan Sackheim production based on the book "Grand Avenue." Says the actress best-known as the voice of Disney's "Pocahontas," "It's a story about three families of Pomo Indians living in a contemporary, inner-city reservation." Bedard first got to know Redford a few years ago, when she had the opportunity to work on a program at his Sundance Institute. She says that "Grand Avenue" is infused with Redford's presence, even though he produced the movie only. "He is one of the few people in this business who is not about the business," she says. "He's doing this because he wants to tell stories he feels are important and moving, and he's very strong-minded about that. It's an honor to be in the presence of someone like that." Bedard says that "Grand Avenue" is "about cultural identity, what it means to be part of these families. It brings this reality to life. For me, it was a wonderful experience to make."

New Gerald McRaney Series to Feature Old-Fashioned Values
Hollywood -- May 29, 1996 -- Gerald McRaney reports we can expect to see some good old fashioned values showcased in his CBS fall-debuting "Home of the Brave." The "Touched By An Angel" spinoff series has McRaney as the head of a family that goes on the road with a pickup truck and trailer -- after he loses his job via corporate downsizing. The series "reminds me of people who were adults when I was a child," says the former "Major Dad" and "Simon & Simon" star. "No matter how bad off you were, there were always people who were worse off -- and it was upto you to lend a hand whenever you could. Adults from my parents' generation lived through such hard times -- the Depression right into World War II. And yet they refused to stay down for long. That's a quality I think is inherant in Americans, it just needs a little encouragement to re-emerge." McRaney says he feels that enduring those hardships perhaps yielded a better group of people than subsequent generations. Referring to wife Delta Burke, he goes on, "I look at Delta's grandmother and my parents, who are roughly same age. They're very strong human beings, tough people who have lived through an awful lot of hardships -- and they're still the kindest, sweetest people, who would never think of harming their neighbors...As opposed to these days, if someone gets cut off in traffic, they want to kill the sonofabitch who did it."

Thomas Glad to Be in Movie Club
Hollywood -- May 30, 1996 -- Jay Thomas, who has his first starring big-screen role in the indie feature "Dirty Laundry," credits producer and former Paramount Pictures President David Kirkpatrick for steering him into "the movie club." The former "Love & War" star explains that a few years back "My agent and I and David were sitting and talking and I said I really want to figure out how to get into the film business. David said, If I were you I would try to become second or third lead for some really big movie stars so people can see you can handle it until you're ready to star in a film.' And that was exactly the position I got in with Richard Dreyfuss and Mr. Holland's Opus.'" Thomas says after the success of "Mr. Holland's Opus," "We wrote David and said, We did it and you're the one who helped me think of this.'" And Kirkpatrick has come through again. He's exec- producing "A Smile Like Yours," the Lauren Holly film Thomas is skedded to start shooting this month. "This is what I always wanted my career to be like," says Thomas. "Acting for me is trying to do all of it...Rather than trying to be a star. I'm sometimes the lead, sometimes the support, sometimes the bad guy, sometimes the good guy, sometimes I get the girl, sometimes I lose the girl..."

Keaton's 'Multiplicity' Dates
Hollywood -- May 31, 1996 -- Michael Keaton's "Multiplicity" opens on some 2,500 screens July 12, but director Harold Ramis feels that broad a release won't make the difference between its success or failure. As he points out, "Mission: Impossible" has been given the widest release in history -- on between 4,500- 5,000 screens. But, he says, "Analyst says that 90 per cent of Mission: Impossible's revenue is coming from about 1,400 play dates. For instance, you can make more in one night at Century City in L.A. than you can during a week in a small town in Idado." He also makes the point, "There are about 50,000 screens in the U.S. -- so there's really room for everything, even with movies getting wider and wider runs." Will "Multiplicity" be the picture that brings Michael Keaton back to the ranks of top name actors? "He's unbelievable in the picture," says Ramis. "It's a terrific picture." It's a picture that has Keaton playing a man who hatches a bunch of clones. Copyright (c) 1996 Beck/Smith Ent.


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