Producers at the Gate

Despite frequent hype, few business best sellers make it to the screen. Remember the fuss over the rights to Connie Bruck’s “The Predator’s Ball” on Drexel Burnham Lambert?

One business saga that is an exception, however, is “Barbarians at the Gate.” HBO is scheduled soon to begin shooting the story of the takeover of RJR Nabisco.

James Garner (“The Rockford Files”) plays perk-loving former RJR Nabisco chief Ross Johnson. British actor Jonathan Pryce (“Miss Saigon”) has been cast as leveraged buy-out king Henry Kravis, while Peter Riegert (“Local Hero”) plays former Shearson boss Peter Cohen.

Broken Engagement

It’s not exactly “Liar’s Poker,” but there remains confusion over why the Mortgage Bankers Assn. withdrew a speaking invitation to best-selling author and Salomon Bros. nemesis Michael Lewis. He was to address an association conference in Chicago in May.

Lewis says Salomon and its chairman, Warren E. Buffett, might have been offended after Lewis wrote a critical cover story on Buffett in the New Republic.

Association staff member Mike Taliefero says he made the decision, and acknowledges that he may have told Lewis’ representatives that Lewis might be too controversial. He says he was unaware of the New Republic article when he withdrew the invitation, adding that he decided that he wanted an author with a new book out relevant to the trade group.

The firm that books Lewis’ appearances says there’s no evidence that Buffett or Salomon--an associate member of the trade group--had anything to do with it. A Salomon spokesman said the firm knows nothing about the cancellation, adding that Salomon and Buffett have enough to do cleaning up the Wall Street firm than to worry about where Lewis is speaking.

Dubious Record

Conventional wisdom has it that Los Angeles is losing its competitive edge to other cities in attracting and keeping business. But there’s one industry that has made Los Angeles a clear favorite over its rivals--money laundering.

A report by the Miami-based Money Laundering Alert shows that Los Angeles in 1991 soared past Miami to take the lead in cash surpluses. That means that banks are taking in a lot more cash than needed to cover operations, usually a good indicator of money laundering activity. Last year, the report says, the $7.3 billion surplus in the Los Angeles area set a record, although don’t look for local officials to brag about it.

Briefly . . .

Yo, investors: A 50% stake in the company handling the business of psychic Jacqueline Stallone (Sly’s mother) is for sale for $350,000 . . . The federal Resolution Trust Corp. is advertising Estrella, a 20,000-acre grandiose residential development in Arizona founded by former Lincoln Savings owner Charles H. Keating Jr., as “a Southwestern dream” . . . The 12 million Lockheed shares investor Harold C. Simmons sold a year ago for $486 million to end his battle for the aerospace giant are worth nearly $550 million today.