TV & VIDEOTalk-Show Fallout?: A gay man...

TV & VIDEO

Talk-Show Fallout?: A gay man who took his penchant for talk shows to heart and appeared on the “Jenny Jones” show to reveal his secret crush on a heterosexual man has been shot dead, and police said the object of his affection admitted the killing. Jonathan T. Schmitz, 24, was arraigned Friday on charges of the first-degree murder of Scott Amedure, 32, and for using a firearm in a felony. He pleaded innocent and is being held without bail pending an April 4 hearing. Police said Schmitz called them moments after Thursday’s shooting in Orion Township, Mich. He then surrendered, saying his experience on the show had “eaten away” at him, and that the final provocation was an unsigned note he found at his home Thursday that he assumed was left by Amedure. Schmitz told police he agreed to go on the show because producers had told him the suitor was a woman. The show, which was taped Monday in Chicago, is not currently scheduled for broadcast. Jim Paratore, president of Telepictures Productions, the series’ producer, said Friday that “there was no wrongdoing on anyone’s part connected with the show . . . no one was lied to, no one was misled. . . . Our concern now is for the family and friends of the deceased.”

*

O.J. Trial Condensed: Cable’s Court TV said Friday that it will release four one-hour videotapes condensing “the most newsworthy coverage” of the entire O.J. Simpson double murder trial. Volume 1 will feature background and opening statements, Volume 2 will sum up the prosecution case, Volume 3 will summarize the defense case and Volume 4 will focus on the closing statements and verdict--if there is one. The tapes, to be distributed via WarnerVision Entertainment, will sell for $12.95; the first volume is due out March 28. Will L.A. County Supervisor Mike Antonovich, who recently suggested that the media should help pay for the trial, ask for residuals?

POP/ROCK

Arts Support: Warner Bros. recording artists Madonna, R.E.M., David Byrne and Lou Reed have joined the fight to preserve federal funding for the arts. Public service announcements recorded individually by the musicians were sent Thursday to all National Public Radio stations nationwide and will also be sent to any commercial outlets interested in playing them. The spot declares a “crisis,” noting that “Congress intends to eliminate funding for the National Endowment for the Arts. National Public Radio and PBS are next.”

ART

LACMA’s New Furniture: In conjunction with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s exhibition “Common Forms, High Art: Three Centuries of American Furniture,” which opens Sunday, the museum has announced a promised gift of more than 60 pieces of early American furniture from Alice Braunfeld, a longtime LACMA patron. The donation, together with previous gifts from Braunfeld, Max Palevsky and other collectors, gives the museum the most comprehensive public collection of American furniture in the western United States.

QUICK TAKES

Due to the film’s increasing box-office success and the buzz surrounding its seven Academy Awards nominations, Miramax Films has moved back the home video release for “Pulp Fiction” until September. The film, which has grossed more than $2 million per week since last month’s Oscar nominations, was previously scheduled for video release in early summer. . . . A week before singer James Brown’s court date stemming from a December incident in South Carolina in which he allegedly shoved his wife, the Godfather of Soul and Adrienne Brown have reconciled. The domestic violence charge has been dismissed at Mrs. Brown’s request. . . . Moon Zappa is completing a co-starring role in “All Points Between,” an independent film directed by Jude Eberhard and being shot in San Diego. . . . Directors Guild nominees Frank Darabont (“The Shawshank Redemption”), Mike Newell (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”), Quentin Tarantino (“Pulp Fiction”) and Robert Zemeckis (“Forrest Gump”) will speak in a 10:30 a.m. public symposium, today at West Hollywood’s Directors Guild of America. The event precedes the 9 p.m. DGA Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Kudos: Entertainers Ed McMahon, the casts and creators of “Frasier” and “Wings,” and KROQ-FM (106.7) morning deejays Kevin & Bean are among those being honored by the Starlight Foundation for their humanitarian efforts, tonight at the Century Plaza Hotel. . . . The UCLA Theater, Film and Television Alumni Assn. honors “Picket Fences” star Tom Skerritt tonight with its second annual Distinguished Alumni Dinner, in the UCLA Faculty Center. . . . Actress Lynda Carter (“Wonder Woman”) was honored at the Century Plaza Hotel Friday by the UniHealth Foundation for her work as a national spokesperson for breast cancer. . . . The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation will posthumously honor Pedro Zamora, the late AIDS activist who came to public attention on MTV’s “The Real World III: San Francisco,” with the Stephen F. Kolzak Award for outstanding work in combatting homophobia and media stereotypes, on Sunday at the Century Plaza Hotel.