TELEVISIONSheehan Requests Release: KNBC-TV Channel 4 entertainment...

TELEVISION

Sheehan Requests Release: KNBC-TV Channel 4 entertainment reporter and film critic David Sheehan has asked to be released from his three-year contract that has 2 1/2 years to run because he is no longer allowed to do movie reviews in the prime newscasts at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. Sheehan expressed his frustration in being assigned tabloid entertainment stories over movie reviews in a Dec. 12 memo to Mark Hoffman, who has cut back on film reviewing since taking over as news director 10 months ago. “I just want to be able to do my job, my profession,” said Sheehan on Wednesday. He has been reviewing movies in Los Angeles for 22 years. Sources in the KNBC newsroom say Sheehan’s attorney is now in negotiations with station management, although no outcome is clear. “We do not discuss personnel matters in the press,” said KNBC spokeswoman Regina Miyamoto.

LEGAL FILE

Star Tabloid Ordered to Name Source: Ed McMahon has won a major victory in his $5-million lawsuit against the Star tabloid: Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Reginald A. Dunn ruled that lawyers for Enquirer-Star Inc. must name the source gossip columnist Janet Charlton quoted for her story that alleged McMahon drank so much whiskey during a flight to London that he stumbled off the plane. The Star later retracted the April 13 story, but the suit--for defamation, being shown in a false light, and negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress--was allowed to stand in early July. Lawyers for Enquirer-Star Inc. have until Monday to respond to the ruling. McMahon’s publicist, Charlie Barrett, said, “I can’t think of any case like this where the source has had to be made public.”

Tupac Talks Back: Tupac Shakur had a reply to the press about the coverage of his legal troubles as he entered a New York City courtroom Tuesday for the start of his sodomy trial. “I really want to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” he said to reporters outside the courtroom. “I appreciate your destroying everything I’ve worked for for the past 22 years in just a week. . . . You did your job. I’m out of money. I’m out of all my resources.”

STAGE

Laguna Playhouse Expands: The Laguna Playhouse is purchasing a former bank branch at 32356 Pacific Coast Highway in South Laguna and plans to convert it into a 250-seat theater that will serve as a professional wing of the 74-year-old community theater, supplementing the group’s 418-seat Moulton Theatre in downtown Laguna Beach. Playhouse officials are talking about launching a professional season at the new space as early as next summer. Whenever it begins, the first season will offer four plays and one musical. The Playhouse anticipates having to raise $3 million to pay for the renovations.

MUSIC

Carey Tops Christmastime Charts: Mariah Carey’s “Music Box” album sold an estimated 393,000 copies last week and will continue in the No. 1 position on Billboard’s pop album sales chart when the trade magazine hits the newsstands Saturday. Pearl Jam’s “Vs.,” which sold 330,000 last week, jumps to No. 2 while Long Beach rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg’s “Doggystyle” drops to No. 3 with 297,000 units in sales. Frank Sinatra’s “Duets” sales surged to 286,000 units to take over the No. 4 position in a week where more than $3 billion in albums were sold in the United States.

MOVIES

CineMania Opens at CityWalk: CineMania, a 50-seat theater showing “ride films,” has opened next door to the Cineplex Odeon Universal City 18 Cinemas complex. In the theater, 70mm film is projected in the Showscan process at 60 frames per second--more than twice the rate of regular feature films--and the result is an image that is widely acknowledged to be more realistic. This effect is then augmented by hydraulically driven motion seats whose movements are timed with the action in the film for a thrill-ride sensation. At present there are three, five-minute films showing: “Space Race,” “Devil’s Mine Ride” and “Desert Duel.” Admission is $4 for each movie.

QUICK TAKES

The people at CNN’s “Larry King Live” say that Santa Claus himself will be King’s guest and take viewer calls on tonight’s show at 6 . . . The Super Bowl on Jan. 30 will mix musical styles, with Natalie Cole singing the national anthem, a pre-game show featuring Charlie Daniels, Kriss Kross and the Morehouse College Marching Band, and the halftime show with country music stars Wynonna, Tanya Tucker and Clint Black . . . Perhaps taking a cue from the Christmas carol “Silent Night,” cable’s Sci-Fi Channel has announced a silent day for Christmas, with a slate of seven silent feature film classics including “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1920) with John Barrymore, the vampire original “Nosferatu” (1922) and Fritz Lang’s futuristic dazzler “Metropolis” (1926).