A Bird. . .a Plane. . .a...

A Bird. . .a Plane. . .a Sequel

Not even death can keep a good sequel down.

Lest anyone think the Superman franchise was killed off for good in DC Comics’ much-hyped “The Death of Superman” series last year, now comes “Superman--The New Movie.”

The film is being touted by the French firm Europex. Officials there won’t disclose any of the details of the film except to list as producer Alexander Salkind, who was behind the first three Superman films, starring Christopher Reeve.

Promotional materials describe the plot only as “the legendary super hero battles the evils of the universe.”

Scientific Discovery

We have earthquakes. We had a drought. Here’s another phenomenon of nature.

“The Crystal Report,” which criticizes executive pay, says it has discovered that “greed has a magnetic attraction for salt water and, more specifically, for the salt water adjacent to New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.”

The newsletter cites two examples: Jerry Sanders of Silicon Valley’s Advanced Micro Devices, dubbed “Pay Abuser Extraordinaire,” and Sanford Weill of New York’s Primerica, whom the newsletter calls “a modern-day Marie Antoinette.”

A Few Bad Books

Don’t let anyone tell you the Pentagon doesn’t pay enough attention to quality.

New copies of the coffee-table book “The Pentagon: The First Fifty Years” were mailed out last week by the Defense Department along with a letter of explanation.

Seems that previously mailed copies had defective bindings, so copies were reprinted. No need to send back the defective books, the letter says.

If You Don’t Like It, Buy It

We couldn’t help but notice an article in the latest Buzz magazine on how the Los Angeles fashion industry gets no respect.

One point made is the lack of fashion press in Los Angeles, and the article takes a special shot at one local magazine.

“L.A. Style, which seeks to fill the gap, offers mainly boosterism rather than serious coverage,” the article says.

That won’t be a problem anymore. Buzz announced last week it is buying L.A. Style from American Express and will soon shut the magazine down.

Briefly . . .

He’s baaaack: Italian financier Giancarlo Parretti, tossed out as head of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio after defaulting on loans, is faxing announcements around the world claiming he’s buying MGM again from French bank Credit Lyonnais. (The studio isn’t taking it seriously) . . . No Range Rovers allowed: “Two Rodeo has agreed to accommodate Ferraris with valet and self-parking,” reads an invitation to a Beverly Hills party marking the introduction of a new Ferrari . . . Motion Pictures Assn. of America Chairman Jack Valenti says during speeches that he “brings greetings from the entertainment capital of the world--Washington, D.C.”