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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