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For Immediate Release on Entertainment Drive
Released by Beck/Smith
Jane Seymour Scraps Book Plans
Hollywood -- May 6, 1996 -- Sad news for women over the age of 40
who are considering having a baby. Jane Seymour's plans to do a book
"to demystify" the effects of pregnancy on a woman over 40 have been
scrapped. The star of "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman," who gave birth to
twins last November at age 44, had worked on the book with her
husband James Keach last year. "We wanted to explain the exciting and
often mysterious aspects of later-life pregnancy," she said at the
time. "There's so much involved for the woman and the man. It's a
wonderful, wonderful thing. But late-life pregnancy isn't something
you can be casual about." When she first put the idea out, Seymour
says publishers "were all excited and bidding like crazy, but then
the distributors or the people who are responsible for putting books
on bookshelves didn't think our book was such a good idea. They said
there wasn't a market for a book on pregnancy." Obviously, she says,
"they" were all men, because Seymour says women have been approaching
her since last year wanting to know, "'When's the book coming out -- we
can't wait, we can't wait, we can't wait!'" Seymour adds that those
same editors were more interested in an autobiography on her, "but I
told them that wasn't what I was trying to do right now."
Baldwin's "Heaven's Prisoners" Finally Out of the Mire
Hollywood -- May 7, 1996 -- "Heaven's Prisoners" filmmaker Phil
Joanou admits he's had fears about his movie being seen in a negative
light because of its delayed opening. The Alec Baldwin-starrer,
debuting Friday (5/10), could have been released a year ago. It was
bogged down by the financial/corporate restructuring problems of
Savoy Films (New Line is now releasing it). "What was so
frustrating, I always felt this film was something to be very proud
of -- with Alec Baldwin giving one of the most solid and compelling
performances of his career -- but because of the delays, people would
think something was wrong with it," says Joanou. He mentioned his
concern to "Heaven's Prisoners" author James Lee Burke. Burke has
since seen the film and given it a resounding endorsement. Joanou
says his fears are diminishing "as the reviews are coming in. They
seem to be very positive." It was Alec Baldwin who brought the Burke
book/project to Joanou. Baldwin and the director became friendly
when Joanou directed Alec's wife Kim Basinger in "Final Analysis."
"One day, out of the blue, the phone rang and it was Alec, asking if
I'd be interested in directing this. Of course I said yes. There
was an old script....I got a rewrite by Scott Frank, who wrote 'Get
Shorty' and 'Malice' -- which Alec was in, of course. It's a very
small world, because Scott also happens to be my brother-in-law, best
friend, producing partner -- and the guy who turned me on to James
Lee Burke's writing." "Heaven's Prisoners" also stars Mary Stuart
Masterson, Eric Roberts, and a very un-Lois Lane-like Teri Hatcher.
"Beastmaster" Marc Singer Has a Way with Animals
Hollywood -- May 8, 1996 -- Marc Singer has worked with any number
of wild animals as Dar the Beastmaster in the big-screen sagas
"Beastmaster I" and "II," but so far he's come away unscathed. Thanks,
he believes, to his attitude toward the animals. "I know this sounds
a little airy fairy, but whenever I'm on camera with the animals my
approach is, 'You're the star of the show....Let's have you tell the
story of why animals should not be killed off the face of the earth.
I'm here to support the story,'" says Singer, who reprises Dar in the
syndicated telepic "Beastmaster III: The Eye of Braxus" at the end of
May. He says, "I felt honored to be in the company of the first
tiger we used in Beastmaster I.' It was such an enlightened being,
just being around that cat was a religious experience...this cat knew
more about the universe and life than anybody I've ever met." Of
course, he says, sometimes the animals "are just beasts" and you
better look out. Singer reveals he's been this close to danger on more
than one occasion. "In 'Beastmaster I' we were using a bear and on the
very first day of filming they yelled 'Action!' and the bear jumped
out of the bushes and just tore up one of the animal handlers."
During filming of "Beastmaster II," he recalls, "We were in the
middle of the desert and I was in the middle of a corral with a
tiger at 5:00 in the morning. The animal handler was standing next to
me and the tiger and all of a sudden it stood up on its hind legs --
and this thing is nine feet tall -- and bit right through the arm of
the animal handler standing directly to my right side. The last I saw
of him, he was being carted across the desert." Singer says they
asked him to try to work with that same tiger later in the day. "I
said, 'I'll give it a try, but if it doesn't work...' Well, my body
tried to go over to the cat, but my feet said, 'Excuse me, we're
staying right here.' My knees began to sag out from under me and my
feet were rooted to the spot." He adds with a laugh, "You think the
thought process is in the head, but certain decisions are made
elsewhere....The phrase 'Feet don't fail me now!' took on a new meaning
that day." Needless to say, that bad old tiger was replaced.
Williamson Decrys Hollywood Ageism
Hollywood -- May 9, 1996 -- Fred Williamson, whose "Original
Gangstas" picture opens tomorrow (5/10), says he didn't have to go
looking to find his co-stars in the feature -- fellow "blaxploitation"
1970s movie stars Richard Roundtree, Pam Grier, Ron O'Neal, and Jim
Brown. "We're all buddies. We've been in touch all along. They're
all egomaniacs and are vain like me, so it works out fine."
Irrepressible Fred claims that the real reason everyone joined up on
his $6 million movie is, "We want to let the public know how
good we look -- even though we're over 40. It's a shame how
Hollywood stops using its older stars, even though these people have
big followings of their own. You see names who should be starring in
pictures feeling lucky to be the second or third lead, if they're
working at all." Point well taken, Fred -- but we just can't help
pointing out that you're 18 years over 40. Anyway, the former NFL
star is happy to let us know, "This movie has no surprises. It gives
each person what they're going to come for -- everyone gets their
moment the fans will expect."
Easton Focuses on Album
Hollywood -- May 10, 1996 -- Sheena Easton says she's finally going
to settle down in June or July to finish her next album -- and that's
a good thing since her record company is expecting it to be done by
the fall. "I'm supposed to be further along, but things keep cropping
up to distract me," says Easton, who's been doing more acting than
singing lately. She recently finished taping the "Falling Star"
episode of Showtime's "Outer Limits," scheduled to air June 30. The
Scottish-born Grammy winner says she won't be going in any new
directions with the new album. "It's going to be pop. I'm 37 and I'm
too long in the tooth to try and be hip and trendy." What she won't
be doing -- at least Stateside -- is touring for the new album. "I
don't tour per se in the States anymore," says Easton, whose last
couple of albums have been bigger hits overseas than in America. "I
just did a big tour in Asia, and I'll probably have to go back to
Japan when this album is done." Easton says that particularly since
she's the adoptive mother of Jake, 19 months, and Skylar, three months,
"touring is probably my least favorite thing to do, but I love
performing. That's why I go to places like Las Vegas, Tahoe, and
Reno....You can go perform there and still have a life. When you're
doing rock n' roll tours it's really tough on the kids."
Copyright (c) 1996 Beck/Smith Ent.
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