ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT REPORTS FROM THE TIMES, NEWS SERVICES AND THE NATION’S PRESS.
ARTS
Spoleto Fallout: Twelve days into the Spoleto Arts Festival in Charleston, S.C., festival general director Nigel Redden says the event, which opened May 26, has definitely felt the effects of an NAACP boycott of South Carolina’s $14.5-billion tourist industry, which led to the pullout of several scheduled festival artists: the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, jazz singer Dianne Reeves and the cast of the jazz opera “Running Man.†Redden confirmed Tuesday that ticket sales were off 10% from last year, but added that the cancellation of nine performances of the French circus troupe Les Colporteurs, due to the injury of director Antoine Rigot, also played a significant role. The boycott was called for in January because the Confederate flag still flies on the statehouse dome in Columbia. So far, the boycott remains in place despite an agreement to move the flag on July 1 to a Confederate soldiers’ monument on the capitol grounds. Redden said that the festival added several events to the program addressing racial issues in response to the boycott, and stressed that the artists are boycotting “South Carolina, not the Spoleto Festival.â€
POP/ROCK
Grammy Additions: In 2001, the Grammy Awards will include two new award categories: best Native American music album in the folk field and best pop instrumental album in the pop field--expanding the total number of categories to 100. Trustees of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences approved the new categories at recent meetings, acknowledging the growing prominence of Native American artists and releases and the burgeoning popularity of instrumental pop and orchestral/big band acts. The latter involves a refining of pop categories, converting the best pop album category to best pop vocal album and giving instrumental artists their own profile with the new category.
MOVIES
Saturn Awards: Spotlighting the realms of science fiction, fantasy and horror, the 26th annual Saturn Awards, scheduled to be handed out Tuesday night in Century City, included prizes to “The Matrix†as best science fiction film, “Being John Malkovich†as best fantasy film, “The Sixth Sense†as best horror film and “The Green Mile†as best action-adventure-thriller. Among television programs, prizes were awarded to CBS’ “Now and Again†as best network TV series, Showtime’s “Stargate SG-1†as best cable-syndicated series and ABC’s miniseries “Storm of the Century†as best single TV show. The Saturn Awards are presented by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, a nonprofit organization that recognizes and promotes those genres, with more than 6,000 voting members worldwide.
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More Mods: Following up on the success of last year’s Mods & Rockers festival, American Cinematheque will host a 2000 edition, with screenings of films and television programs that recall the mood and music of the ‘60s. Tickets go on sale today for events scheduled June 30-July 12. Highlights include an opening-night screening of the 1967 film “Smashing Time,†starring Lynn Redgrave, Michael York and Rita Tushingham. A “Magical Monkee Tour†event July 2 will feature the lost 1969 TV special “33 1/3 Revolutions Per Monkee†as well as the never-before-screened original pilot. Also scheduled is a rare Herman’s Hermits movie, “Hold On!,†which screens July 5. All screenings are at the Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Information: (323) 466-3456 or https://www.ModsAndRockers.com.
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Screenwriter Tribute: The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television will honor three legendary writers with lifetime achievement awards at the school’s annual awards ceremony Monday: Ernest Lehman, who wrote “North by Northwest†and “Sabrina,†as well as the screenplays for “The Sound of Music†and “West Side Story,†and the writing team of Madelyn Pugh Davis and Bob Carroll Jr., who worked on 180 episodes of “I Love Lucy.†The latter pair are currently waging a battle in Congress to require networks to pay artists residuals for reruns. Under contracts negotiated by the industry’s guilds years ago, television shows and motion pictures made before 1960 get little or nothing in the way of residuals.
TELEVISION
“Geeks†Send-Off: NBC will offer a “mini-marathon†of the canceled high school drama “Freaks and Geeks†on July 8, running three of the six unaired episodes. The series met with critical acclaim--just earning a Television Critics Assn. nomination as best drama--but failed to catch on ratings-wise. Two other first-year series, “Once and Again†and “The West Wing,†made the critics’ list of drama nominees, along with “The Sopranos,†“Buffy the Vampire Slayer†and “The Practice.†“Malcolm in the Middle†was the lone new sitcom contender, competing with “Everybody Loves Raymond,†“Frasier,†“Sex and the City†and “Will & Grace.â€
QUICK TAKES
Don Mischer will return for a sixth year as executive producer of the Nighttime Emmy Awards. The ceremony will be televised Sept. 10 on ABC, with nominations to be announced July 20. . . . Donato Dalrymple, one of the two men who rescued Elian Gonzalez, and his attorney, Larry Klayman, will appear tonight on “Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,†12:05 a.m. on KABC.
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