Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation’s press.
POP/ROCK
Documentary Resurfaces: The Museum of Television & Radio in Beverly Hills will screen Bob Dylan’s “Eat the Document,†a documentary about the 1966 European concert tour during which the singer transformed himself from an acoustic folkie to a loud rock ‘n’ roller. The screenings will run Oct. 8 through Nov. 13, coinciding with the Oct. 13 release of the CD “Live 1966: The ‘Royal Albert Hall’ Concert--The Bootleg Series Vol. 4.†Filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker’s documentary--originally made for network TV but then shelved until the early ‘70s, when it was screened only in New York--has not been seen in more than 20 years. The Museum of Television & Radio will show the one-hour film as it was originally edited, with breaks for planned network commercials. Screenings will be Thursdays at 6 p.m. and Fridays through Sundays at 1 p.m.
Bobby Brown Jailed: Singer Bobby Brown reported to a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., jail Monday night to serve a five-day sentence for a drunken driving conviction. Brown, husband of singer Whitney Houston, was sentenced in January to the jail time plus 12 months of probation, during which he must undergo random drug testing. Police said Brown, 31, was speeding when he crashed Houston’s Porsche during the 1996 incident that led to his conviction. He suffered four broken ribs in the accident, and his blood-alcohol level was tested at 0.22, nearly three times the state’s legal limit.
When Doves Fly, and Then Fall: The Artist Formerly Known as Prince has postponed his Oct. 6 Forum concert because of injuries he suffered at a weekend concert in Atlantic City. Though the Artist’s New York representative said the show would be rescheduled for Oct. 15, promoter Avalon Attractions could not confirm that date. The Artist and his opening act, Chaka Khan, both slipped and fell during their respective Atlantic City sets due to excessive condensation from a faulty fog machine. Khan was not injured, but the Artist suffered a pulled ligament.
Travis’ Tragedy: Country singing star Randy Travis had to climb over a limousine seat and stop the car after its driver died at the wheel of an apparent heart attack, Travis’ spokeswoman said. The driver, David Baer, 57, had picked Travis and his wife up at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday morning, and the car was still in the airport area when Baer looked down and the car began drifting into the next lane. Travis’ spokeswoman said that the singer then realized something was wrong and crawled over luggage in the limo’s back seat to turn off the ignition. Paramedics were unable to revive Baer.
TELEVISION
Youthful Magic: Buena Vista Television is at work on an animated prequel to ABC’s Friday night series “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,†with the program set to begin airing next fall on the rival UPN network’s weekday afternoon and Sunday morning kids programming blocks. Melissa Joan Hart, who stars as Sabrina on the ABC series, will do the voices of Sabrina’s aunts, Hilda and Zelda (they’re teenagers in the prequel), for the new animated series. Her younger sister, Emily Hart, will portray the voice of the young Sabrina.
PERFORMING ARTS
Take That, Mark McGwire: Spanish tenor Placido Domingo is on deck to break Enrique Caruso’s nearly 80-year-old record for the most Metropolitan Opera opening night performances. Domingo sang the title role in Saint-Saens’ “Samson et Dalila†Monday night at the New York opera house, tying Caruso’s 1920 record of 17 opening night performances. Following the night’s final curtain, Met General Manager Joe Volpe announced that Domingo, 57, will also star in Leoncavallo’s “I Pagliacci†next fall for opening night No. 18. Monday night’s “Samson,†nationally televised by PBS, also marked the 30th anniversary of Domingo’s Met debut.
‘Fosse’ Date Changes: The opening night of “Fosse†at the Ahmanson Theatre has been postponed from Oct. 14 to Oct. 19. A spokesperson said 10 to 12 minutes are being cut from the version currently on stage in Boston, and the company will arrive in L.A. two days later than previously expected. However, the first preview is still scheduled for Oct. 9. Meanwhile, because the new opening night is a Monday, which was to have been a dark night, the performance on Oct. 21 has been canceled in order to give the company its required day off.
QUICK TAKES
George Lucas has announced the title for his first “Star Wars†prequel: “Star Wars: Episode 1--The Phantom Menace.†The movie is due in theaters on May 21. . . . A fledgling record company says Bruce Springsteen is using “his stature and position†to try to block the release of some songs he sang back when the Boss was just a rock ‘n’ roll working stiff. New Jersey’s Pony Express Records claims in a federal suit that it bought rights to several Springsteen songs recorded before his 1970s stardom, but that Springsteen has been trying to stop the CD, called “Before the Fame.†A Springsteen representative declined comment. . . . Jeff Michael--who has co-anchored KABC-TV Channel 7’s weekend “Eyewitness News†broadcasts since 1996--will join KTTV-TV Channel 11 on Oct. 5 as a weekend “News at 10†anchor. Michael will also work as a weekday reporter and do investigative pieces at KTTV. . . . Rocker John Fogerty will get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday during 11:30 a.m. ceremonies at 7000 Hollywood Blvd. . . . A Joni Mitchell concert taped earlier this year at the Warner Bros. lot will air on pay-per-view Nov. 6. . . . Patrick Warburton, “Seinfeld’s†Puddy, has signed a series development deal with producers Brillstein-Grey Entertainment. . . . NBC has signed a deal to keep its top-rated daytime drama, “Days of Our Lives,†on the network through 2004.
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