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Showbuzz
Web posted on: Friday, December 18, 1998 2:16:11 PM EST
Today's buzz stories:
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Heston
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LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Actor and National Rifle Association president Charlton Heston accused "60 Minutes" of "SWAT-team journalism" after he gave Mike Wallace an interview that is scheduled for broadcast Sunday. In a "Guns & Ammo" magazine essay, Heston said the venerable news show had joined the pattern of "character assassination" he allegedly has had to face since he took over as president of the NRA. "They can reshape the truth, remake it, mask it or eliminate it," the actor wrote. Heston has not yet seen the "60 Minutes" story. Astonished at the actor's criticism, Wallace described the June interview as pleasant and the resulting story as "a pleasantly sensible piece of journalism."
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Clinton
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Monica Lewinsky did not make the cut, but Hillary Rodham Clinton and Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr were selected for People magazine's list of "The 25 Most Intriguing People of 1998." Also making the grade was Internet gossip hound Matt Drudge, whose "Drudge Report" set Washington tongues wagging with reports on President Clinton's affair with the former White House intern. "I got the president of the United States saying (in his grand jury testimony) that I gave him anxiety. Me! Five times!," said Drudge. Others on the intriguing list are slugger Mark McGwire, who hit a record 70 home runs this season, and "Ally McBeal" star Calista Flockhart, who got critics talking about the death of feminism, and viewers speculating about how much weight she had lost. The list in People's December 28 issue also features Leonardo DiCaprio, "Today" host Katie Couric and comedian Chris Rock.
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Baldwin
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Variety reports that an outburst against House Judiciary Chairman Henry Hyde by Alec Baldwin on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" has annoyed members of Congress and Hollywood's top lobbyist, who called the statement "so off base as to boggle the mind." On the show, Baldwin said Hyde and his family would be stoned to death in other countries. "We would stone (Hyde) to death, and we would go to their homes, and we'd kill their wives and their children," said Baldwin, according to a transcript printed in the New York Post. Hyde is the Illinois Republican who chairs the committee that voted to send articles of impeachment against President Clinton to the House of Representatives.
Baldwin's publicist, Lisa Kasteler, said the actor was just joking. "It was parody on the hysteria in this country coming from right-wing fanatics," she said. Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America, which lobbies Congress on behalf of the film and television industry, said he will be calling or writing Baldwin to let him know "to my dismay and sorrow" that his comments were "over the top." Angry members of Congress called Valenti to say that Baldwin's comments were irresponsible.
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The father of singer Michael Jackson (pictured above) is having property seized to pay off debts
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LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- The baby grand piano used to write songs for Michael Jackson's "Thriller" album was among the items seized by U.S. marshalls at his father's home on Thursday. A 1963 Rolls Royce Silver Cloud also was taken from Joe Jackson's home in Encino. The seizures are part of an attempt to collect a $1.3 million judgment entered in 1996 after Jackson Communications Inc. filed bankruptcy. Jackson Communications had agreed to buy Kramer Guitar Co. from HVV Corp. but never paid, according to lawyer Robert Sainburg. "I'm sorry we had to show up on their doorstep with U.S. marshals and a court order, but these people haven't even tried to pay what they owe. They claim they have no money," said Sainburg. A lawyer for the Jackson family said the Rolls and the piano belong to Michael Jackson, not his parents. "Michael wants the piano and the automobile back and he's going to get them back," said Brian Oxman.
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Hasselhoff
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LAS VEGAS (CNN) -- "Baywatch" will soon be a restaurant as well as a television show. David Hasselhoff, star and producer of the popular show featuring scantily clad lifeguards, is working to develop Baywatch Restaurant Cafes and Nightclubs with a group of Las Vegas investors. The first one is expected to open in Miami Beach in late 1999, and other sites are being considered in Las Vegas, Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. The restaurants will offer live music and interactive entertainment, according to John Thall, president and CEO for World Entertainment Ltd. LLC. "We hope all our servers will look like movie stars," says Thall. "One of the unique things is all of the help will have the opportunity to try out for a part on 'Baywatch.'" The seafood-heavy menu will serve a typical dinner for two for about $35 to $40, Thall said.
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