Boxoffice-November.1997

HOLLYWOOD
UPDATES
Oscar: Mann About Town? Destination
center developer TrizecHahn is in negotiations
with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts
& Sciences to permanently move the Academy
Award ceremony to a site on Hollywood Boulevard.
The proposed 3,300-seat venue would
be located in the 500,000-square-foot entertainment
center TrizecHahn is currently building
next to Mann's Chinese Theatre (see
BoxoFFicE, October 1997). The center, which
will also house 14 new screens to be added
to the Chinese, is part of a major revitalization
of Hollywood and will be completed by
the year 2000. The Academy Awards were
first held in the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel
in 1 929; for the last 30 years, the 3,200-seat
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and the 6,300-
seat Shrine Auditorium have alternated as the
ceremony's venue.
Grammy-winning composer Danny Elfman,
who created unique ambient moods
with his soundtracks for movies like "Batman,"
"Beetlejuice" and "Edward Scissorhands," has
signed a multi-picture agreement with the
Walt Disney Motion Picture Group. Under
the deal, Elfman will make his debut as a
filmmaker by directing, writing and producing
movies on a first-look basis for the studio.
Elfman, former frontman and founder of the
band "Oingo Boingo," is currently composing
the score for Disney's "Flubber."
'Fox'-y Lady: Drew Barrymore, star of Fox's
"Cinderella," has inked a two-year, first-look
production deal with the studio. Barrymore
and production partner Nancy Juvonen will
produce "Born to Shop" for Fox 2000 through
their company Flower Films. Barrymore also
plans to star as a girl who's a shopaholic.
However, when she's suddenly killed by a
bus, her disembodied spirit finds she must
apply her proclivity for purchasing to 'shop'
for new parents before she's reincarnated.
As part of Caravan Pictures' restructuring,
Jonathan Glickman has been named president
of the company, announced Roger
Birnbaum, chairman and CEO of Caravan.
Glickman, who has been with Caravan for
four years, will oversee all aspects of development
and production for the company.
Projects Glickman has been involved with
include "While You Were Sleeping" and
"Grosse Pointe Blank." Caravan's most recent
releases are "Rocket Man," "Washington
Square" and "G.I. )ane"; coming up are
"6 Days, 7 Nights," "Holy Man"; and "A
Small Miracle," an adaptation of John Irving's
novel "A Prayer for Owen Meany."
Actor George Clooney ("The Peacemaker")
and producing partner Robert Lawrence, who
recently signed a three-year, first-look deal
with Warner Bros., have announced a slale of
1 2 pictures. Clooney and Lawrence, who have
renamed their Left Bank Prods. Maysville Pictures,
are reportedly focusing on "thinking
man's character-driven action thrillers." Some
of Maysville's upcoming projects include
"Metal Cod," about a travelling salesman who
moonlights as a singer for a heavy-metal band
that solely covers Judas Priest tunes; "The
Academy Croup," about an elite team of investigators
comprised of former military, law
enforcement and government agents;
"Move!," the true story of a choreographer
who turned a group of delinquents into a
dance troupe; "Zig Zag," which follows the
exploits of a community of Gen X snowboarders;
and "How to Build Your Own Country,"
in which a family tries to start its own
nation after being ostracized by its neighbors.
Miramax Films has entered into a first-look
co-production/distribution agreement with
Los Angeles-based foreign sales and production
company Nulmage.The two companies
will co-produce up to four films annually,
with Miramax distributing domestically and
in all other English-speaking territories except
South Africa. Nu Image was formerly
allied with October Films, though most of the
films under that arrangement were not released
theatrically in North America.
MGM Pictures senior vice president of production
Elisabeth Seldes has left her post to
embark on a new career path as a feature
producer for MGM and United Artists. Seldes
joined MGM in 1993 as VP of production,
moving up to senior vice president two years
later. She oversaw such projects as "Moll Flanders"
and "Mulholland Falls," and has been
involved with "Day After Tomorrow," an action-thriller
that's currently in development.
Carole J.
McGorrian and Frank Salvino
have joined production and international
sales consortium Initial Entertainment
Group as directors of production, announced
lEG president Cindy Cowan.
McGorrian previously held the position of
director of production, finance at LIVE Entertainment;
Salvino, also from LIVE, was director
of post-production. lEG currently has three
feature films in post-production: "Oliver
Stone's Savior," an Oliver Stone/Janet Yang
production starring Dennis Quaid and
Nastassja Kinski; "Family Plan," starring Leslie
Nielsen and Judge Reinhold; and "Montana,"
starring Kyra Sedgwick, Stanley Tucci,
Robbie Coltrane and Robin Tunney.
The Smithsonian's National Air and Space
Museum has opened its "Star Wars: The
Magic of Myth" exhibition, which will run
through October of 1998. The exhibition
examines the impact of the film "Star Wars"
on world culture. "Star Wars: The Magic of
Myth" features more than 200 original
props, models, costumes, characters and
artwork used to create the three films in the
trilogy: "Star Wars" (1977), "The Empire
Strikes Back" (1980) and "Return of the
Jedi"(1983). Included in the display will be
Yoda, Darth Vader, Boba Fett, jabba the
Hutt and Han Solo frozen in carbornite, as
well as production models of X-Wing
spacecrafts, the Millennium Falcon, AT-AT
Walkers, TIE Fighters, and an Imperial Star
Destroyer. "Magic of Myth" sponsor Banlam
Books will publish an illustrated companion
book by Mary Henderson, who
curated the exhibition.
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