THE ARTSKozberg Promoted, Leaving Arts Council: Arts...

THE ARTS

Kozberg Promoted, Leaving Arts Council: Arts leader Joanne Corday Kozberg will leave her post as executive director of the California Arts Council in December to become secretary of the California State and Consumer Services Agency. Kozberg, a longtime adviser to Gov. Pete Wilson, who appointed her to the new position on Thursday, was named to the CAC’s top administrative post in 1991 after serving on its council for five years, two of those as chair. During her tenure, Kozberg managed to keep all the CAC programs running despite state cuts that slashed the council’s budget from $16 million to its current $13 million. She is credited with establishing new links between arts and education, economic development and tourism, and helped create the California Arts License Plate program, through which California motorists can support the arts. In her new job, Kozberg will manage 11 departments including Consumer Affairs, Fair Employment and Housing and the Franchise Tax Board. She will also oversee the California Museum of Science and Industry. Wilson is expected to appoint a new CAC executive director in the next few weeks to take the post immediately after Kozberg’s departure.

MOVIES

Stone Scouting Panama Film Sites: Film director Oliver Stone was touring Panama on Thursday to plan a movie about former dictator Manuel Noriega. “I’m just looking around, taking a look,” the filmmaker told Reuters outside a Panama City hotel. Stone, who focused on conflicts in El Salvador and Vietnam in his movies “Salvador” and “Platoon,” has spent four days looking at possible film sites and talking to Panamanians about Noriega’s military regime, authorities said. Among those whom Stone has met with is one-time Noriega opponent President Guillermo Endara, who was stripped of victory and beaten unconscious by Noriega’s supporters after winning Panama’s election in 1989. Noriega is now serving a 40-year U.S. jail sentence for drug crimes.

RADIO & TV

Advertiser Ban Suggested: Responding to a recent ban by local radio station KACE-FM (103.9) against songs that glorify violence, drug use or mistreatment of women, an Inglewood assemblyman announced that businesses could face boycotts if they continue to advertise on radio stations that play songs portraying African Americans in a bad light. At a press conference, Democratic Assemblyman Curtis Tucker said, “We are not calling for censorship, but if the advertisers don’t choose to take responsibility, the community . . . will not patronize them.” Officials at KACE-FM said they are not involved in any boycott efforts but simply have refused to play songs that “disrespect people.” “We are a minority radio station serving minority communities and our only plan is to affect them in a positive way,” said program director Rich Guzman.

Savalas Sues for ‘Kojak’ Profits: Former “Kojak” star Telly Savalas has sued Universal Studios for $6.2 million, alleging he has not received his fair share of profits from his role in the 1970s detective series. The Los Angeles Superior Court suit claims “Universal’s promise of profit participation is a sham which has resulted in no profits for Savalas,” even though his contract entitled him to 20% of those profits. The suit alleges that percentage was whittled away as Universal allegedly manipulated its records to charge unrelated items and overcharge for props, film delivery, paint and other services.

AMC Tops Cable Honors: The American Movie Classics channel will receive the Golden CableACE Award, the cable industry’s highest honor, for its First Annual Film Preservation Festival of restored classic movies that aired in March. Other awards, to be presented by the National Academy of Cable Programming and airing on TNT in January, will go to HBO Chairman Michael Fuchs, tapped to receive the Governors Award for his role in bringing acclaimed original programming to HBO; and sports network ESPN, which will get the Creators Award for developing niche programming that “was a cornerstone upon which the cable industry was built.”

POP/ROCK

Madonna Breaks Aboriginal Law: Pop star Madonna, raising eyebrows throughout the world with her tour “The Girlie Show,” has run into trouble again--this time with Australian aboriginal elders angered that she has taken possession of a didgeridoo, a five-foot long, tube-like traditional wind instrument. The instrument was a gift from her Australian promoter, but the aborigines say Madonna should not be “carrying it around,” since tribal law mandates that women can not touch or play the didgeridoo.

QUICK TAKES

The Fab Four are the subject of a Beatles “retrospective” airing at 1 a.m. Saturday on “ABC in Concert.” Highlights include promotional clips of Beatles hits, television footage of live performances and reminiscences from former Beatles manager George Martin.