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NATIONAL
NEWS
TRENT LOTT ADDRESSES THE
INDUSTRY IN HOLLYWOOD
Senate majority leader Trent Lott and republican
national committee chairman )im
Nicholson havevisited Hollywood forthe first
time to discuss issues with members of the
entertainment community. Lott made a guest
appearance at the Wednesday Morning Club,
an organization formed by writer Lionel
Chetwynd and David Horowitz to bridge the
gap between Hollywood and Washington.
Topics covered included content neutral regulations,
station ownership caps, free speech,
campaign financing and current foreign policy.
When asked, "How do we get your attention?"
Lott responded, "At events like this. But
even more importantly, have a representative
group from your industry come to Washington
and sit down in a quiet room and let's talk
about it. Let's have a dialogue. I have a lot of
meetings every day as majority leader and I've
learned to 'cut to the chase' as the say i ng goes.
I sit down and say, 'I know your problem. I
don't want to hear it. Tell me the solution.'"
ACNIELSEN ACQUIRES
ENTERTAINMENT DATA INC.
Stamford, Conn. -based ACNielsen Corp.
has bought Entertainment Data Inc. (EDI), the
boxoffice information source located in Beverly
Hills, Calif. EDI provides overnight information
on boxoffice receipts to studios and
exhibitors in the LI.S. It also has operations in
the U.K., Germany, Spain and France. Marcy
Poller, founder of EDI, will serve as president
of the new company, which will be known as
ACNielsenEDI.
API CELEBRATES CENTENNIAL;
PICKS TOP 100 MOVIES
The American Film Institute (AFI) has recruited
more than 1,500 members of the
American film community to help pick the
best 100 American movies of all time.
AFI compiled a short-list of 400 movies and
then mailed ballots to industry leaders nationwide,
asking them to vote for their favorite
100 feature films. Movies were judged on
such factors as critical recognition, awards
they've won, popularity over time, historical
significance and cultural impact.
Winners will be announced during a threehour
prime-time special entitled "AFI's 100
Years... 100 Movies," to air on CBS in June.
This segment wi 1 followed by 1 one-hour
specials broadcast on consecutive weeks on
Turner Network Television (TNT).
This campaign should serve to introduce
classic movies to a new generation. Actor
Chris O'Donnell said at AFI's press conference
for the event, "I grew up watching 'Star
Wars' and the films that were made in the
'70s. My only exposure to older films is when
my mom calls me and says, 'There's this film
you've got to see.' For someone like myself
it's a great opportunity. I'm going to have to
get the final list and make sure I check off as
many of the top 1 00 films as I can."
AFI is planning an outreach program for
movie exhibitors. "We hope very much to
have a touring screening program of 35mm
prints of some of these movies," AFI director
and CEO Jean Picker Firstenberg told
BOXOFFICE.
"We hope to get together a film festival
around the country. This is a national celebration
and we want the whole country, and in
fact the world, to really feel part of it."
HOLLYWOOD UPDATES
French actress Jeanne Moreau has become
the first woman to receive the European
Film Academy's Lifetime Achievement
Award. Earlier honorees include Ingmar
Bergman and Federico Fellini. During her
career, which spans four decades, Moreau
has worked with many famous directors including
Louis Malle ("Frantic," "The Lovers,"
"Viva Maria"), Francois Truffaut ("Jules et
Jim," "The Bride Wore Black"), and Michelangelo
Antonioni ("The Night"). She was
most recently seen in CFP's "I Love You, I
Love You Not," in which she starred with
Claire Danes. Miles Forman has received
the Academy's first European Achievement
in World Cinema award for "The People
vs. Larry Flynt," which starred Woody
Harrelson and Courtney Love.
Universal Pictures has signed a multiyear
production deal with two-time Academy
Award winner Tom Hanks. Under the
agreement. Universal gets a first look at all
motion picture projects developed by
Hanks and his partner, Gary Goetzman.
Hanks made his feature directorial debut in
1 996 with "That Thing You Do!," which he
and Goetzman also produced and in which
he starred. Coetzman's producing credits
include the Academy Award-winning "The
Silence of the Lambs," "Philadelphia," "Devil
in a Blue Dress" and the upcoming "Beloved."
Universal has also acquired distribution
rights in the U.S. and Canada to the romantic
comedy "Kissing a Fool," starring David
Schwimmer ("The Pallbearer"), Bonnie
Hunt ("Jerry Maguire"), Jason Lee ("Chasing
Amy") and Mill Avital("Stargate"). Directed
by Doug Ellin, "Kissing a Fool" was produced
by Tag Mendillo, Andrew Form and
Rick Lashbrook from a screenplay by Ellin
and James Frey.
"Flubber" hit the No. 1 spot over the
Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Its five-day
opening tigurt:—$35,892,0.31—also propeled
it into the record books as the
industry's fourth-biggest opener ever on
Thanksgiving weekend behind "101
Dalmations" ($45.1 million, 1996), "Back
to the Future II" ($43 million, 1989) and
"Toy Story" ($39.1 million, 1995).
"The Little Mermaid" has now grossed
more than $100 million. The Walt Disney
animated classic earned $23,947,879 dur-
CRITICS LOVE L.A.CONFIDENTIAL
"L.A. Confidential" is a strong Oscar contender,
having earned top honors from all the
critics. The Boston Society of Film Critics, the
L.A. Film Critics Association, the New York
Film Critics Circle and the National Board of
Review all voted it Best Picture of 1997 and
its director Curtis Hanson as Best Director.
The film's scripters, Hanson and Brian
Helgel, won the Best Screenplay Award
from Boston, L.A. and New York. Dante
Spinotti won the L.A. Critics award for Best
Cinematography, while Kevin Spacey won
critical acclaim from Boston as Best Supporting
Actor.
ing its 17-day return engagement. The
movie's gross-to-date stands at $1 08,330,742.
United Artists Pictures has acquired
worldwide distribution rights to the film
"Never Say Never Again" from Taliafilm
Inc. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc., United
Artists Pictures' parent company, and Danjaq
LLC now control all rights to the James
Bond film character.
John K. Home has formed a new produc-
company
tion
Home Entertainment
Inc.—to acquire, develop and produce
"feature-length motion pictures, whimsical
television programs, and sports and entertainment-related
books, tapes and discs."
John Home and his partner Rory Holioway
are best known for negotiating Mike
Tyson's second Heavyweight Champion of
the World deal. Located in Beverly Hills,
Home Entertainment is capitalized up to
$250 million.
ON THE MOVE: Bob Wynne has been
promoted to co-president of Sony Pictures
Entertainment(SPE), while remaining chief
of corporate operations. Wynne will run
SPE's day-to-day operations, assist president
and COO John Calley in his overall
leadership and management of the company,
and continue to oversee financial,
legal, risk management, human resources
and studio operations. ..Nadia Bronson has
been appointed president of international
marketing at Universal Pictures. She was
previously executive vice president of international
marketing. Bronson is involved in
the acquisition and co-production of foreign
films, as well as the marketing, promotion
and distribution of American movies
abroad. ..Consolidated Film Industries
(CFI), the motion picture processing and
post-production facility, has appointed Bob
Beitcher as president. Beitcher has held
posts as vice president of business affairs at
Lucasfilm, Ltd., managing director of Jim
Henson Productions, and executive vice
president of Paramount Picture's Motion
Picture Group. He replaces Jerry Virnig at
CFI who assumes the role of company
chairman. ..United Artists Pictures has proiTioted
Jeff Kleeman to executive vice president—
production. He is responsible for
developing and packaging films and overseeing
production from acquisition through
principal photography. Current projects include
"Cold Mountain," to be written and
directed by Anthony Minghella and "Supernova,"
a sci-fi thriller set in outer space.