Morning Report : ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT REPORTS FROM THE TIMES, NEWS SERVICES AND THE NATION’S PRESS.
TV & MOVIES
News Emmys: PBS took top honors in the annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards held in New York Wednesday night, winning 10 trophies for programs that include “The Living Edens,†“NewsHour With Jim Lehrer†and “Africans in America: America’s Journey Through Slavery.†CBS was second in the tally with six awards, and ABC and NBC tied with five each. CNN’s Larry King won his first Emmy, for best interviewer.
MTV Winners: Lauryn Hill and hip-hop music--the big winners at this year’s Grammys--continued their trophy-collecting Thursday at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards in New York. Hill garnered three statues, including best video, while Will Smith won for male video, TLC for group video, the Beastie Boys for hip-hop video, Jay-Z for rap video and Eminem for new artist. Ricky Martin picked up best pop video and best dance video, and Korn, which had a leading nine nominations, settled for the rock video award.
Music for Latin Teens: In other MTV news, “MTV en Telemundo,†a two-hour weekly pop and rock music series targeting Latino teens, premieres tonight at 11:30, with a replay on Saturday at 11 p.m., on Spanish-language network Telemundo. Produced by MTV Latin America, the music block opens with “Dance Mix†followed by “Top 10 Countdown.â€
Closing ‘Millennium’: Chris Carter, creator of Fox’s “The X-Files,†is bringing back “Millennium,†his less successful Fox series about criminal investigator Frank Black. More accurately, Carter is resurrecting Black’s character, played by Lance Hendriksen, who will appear in an “The X-Files†episode later this season. “Millennium†was canceled after three seasons, but Carter said he wants to wrap up the dark show through the “X-Files†episode.
No Chanting: Chants from the orgy scene in Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut†have been edited out of film versions headed for Europe and South Africa because of complaints from Hindus. A Warner Bros. spokeswoman said that the late Kubrick apparently thought he was using generic chanting music but that the lyric utterances feature highly religious Hindu scripture. The foreign audiences will hear the same music but no words.
THE ARTS
LACMA Staffing: The L.A. County Museum of Art has made several staff shifts to allow President Andrea L. Rich to take over the duties of departing Director Graham W.J. Beal. Melody Kanschat, former vice president for external affairs, has been promoted to senior vice president in charge of the budget and finance office, operations and information systems. Nancy Thomas, curator of ancient and Islamic art, is deputy director for curatorial affairs, in charge of day-to-day curatorial operations. Robert Sobieszek, curator of photography, is deputy director for strategic artistic initiatives, which involves long-term planning for the staff and facilities. In addition, conservator Victoria Blyth-Hill has been appointed head of the conservation department and Katherine De Shaw, former director of development at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, has been named vice president for development.
Supporting Mumia Abu-Jamal: Venues throughout Los Angeles will present a series of performances and art shows on Saturday as part of “Mumia 911,†an effort opposing the planned execution of journalist and political dissident Mumia Abu-Jamal. Events include “ArtSpeaks!,†a noon-to-midnight festival at the Watts Labor Community Action Committee (10950 S. Central Ave.), and “A Matter of Life & Death,†an 8 p.m. reading by celebrities including Edward Asner and Rene Auberjonois, at USC’s Norris Theater. Information: (310) 854-4681.
QUICK TAKES
ABC is cashing in on the Ricky Martin craze by announcing that it will show flashbacks of his 1994-95 “General Hospital†character, Miguel Morez, on the daytime drama on Tuesday. . . . “Pleasantville†was named best feature film and HBO’s prison drama “Oz†was cited as best TV series in the 1999 Literacy in Media Awards, given Wednesday night by the Literacy Network of Greater Los Angeles. The awards honor “excellence in the depiction of literacy issues and the importance of reading and writing.†. . . Lions Gate Films has acquired the North American rights to “Dogma,†Kevin Smith’s controversial film starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon as fallen angels who scheme to reenter Paradise. A fall release is planned. . . . South Coast Repertory will present the West Coast premiere of David Hare’s “Amy’s View†April 14 to May 14. Oscar winner Judi Dench won a Tony for the Broadway production, but no SCR casting has been announced. . . . Buena Vista Social Club member Barbarito Torres’ performance at the Conga Room, originally set for tonight, has been rescheduled for Sept. 17.
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