Not Your Stock Response

Press statements are like a box of chocolates: Sometimes they inadvertently get a little messy.

Last week, “Forrest Gump” author Winston Groom issued one after stories surfaced about his questioning how much money he will eventually receive from the Tom Hanks vehicle, which so far has grossed about $660 million worldwide.

In the statement, Groom said: “As someone who not only helped to create the Forrest Gump character shown in the movie, but also as a personal stockholder in Paramount Pictures, I understandably have questions. . . .”

Trouble is, Viacom Inc. bought out Paramount stockholders last year in its $10-billion deal to buy the entertainment concern.

Neither a Paramount spokeswoman nor Groom’s attorney could explain what Groom meant, although both speculated that he probably meant to say that he’s now a Viacom stockholder.

What About With Cheese?

There’s not a lot of meat to the dollar these days, what with its plunging in value compared to some other currencies.

To compare the dollar’s status, the European magazine the Economist has published its latest “Big Mac Index,” which keeps score of the price of the McDonald’s sandwich in various countries.

The conclusion: Although the dollar is clearly undervalued relative to currencies in Japan, Switzerland and Germany, it is overvalued against currencies in Australia, Canada, China and Mexico.

A Big Mac averages $2.32 in the United States, according to the publication, compared to the equivalent of $5.20 in Switzerland, $3.48 in Germany and $4.65 in Japan.

By comparison, the burger is the equivalent of $1.82 in Australia, $1.19 in Canada, $1.05 in China and $1.51 in Mexico.

What It Takes Between Takes

In Hollywood, signs of prestige include having your name above the movie title, the percentage of the gross you command and, most important, the size of the trailer where you spend time during breaks.

Recently published brochures from entertainment industry trailer supplier Movie Movers in Van Nuys show that there is a clear pecking order when it comes to trailers, the size of which are often specified in movie contracts.

For the not-so-famous, there is the “18-foot actor’s trailer,” with such basics as a kitchen, sofa, sink and a stove with burners.

Moving up the scale, there is the 26-foot actor’s trailer with no generator, but a “posh interior” that includes a sofa, table, television and stereo system.

Then there is the more deluxe 31-foot actor’s trailer, which comes with a color TV, VCR, stereo, microwave, refrigerator and generator.

In the superstar category are the $1,500-a-day 40-foot trailers that resemble apartments on wheels.

These trailers are often customized for their big-name users, according to the company.

In one instance, owner Bob Bailey says, Movie Movers installed wood paneling to please an action-genre star, along with a new forest green carpet.