ACT OF PIRACY: Universal Pictures’ “Waterworld” epic...

ACT OF PIRACY: Universal Pictures’ “Waterworld” epic won’t open in U.S. theaters until Friday, but it’s already been seen . . . in Moscow. Well, sort of. A pirated videocassette is selling in Russia under the name “Vodni Mir” (Waterworld). But it’s nothing like the real thing: “It’s a bunch of early scenes edited together out of sequence, with a Russian translator in the background,” a Universal source said Friday. “They even had it on Ukrainian television.” Of course, the source added: “They put anything on television over there.”

$4.50 IN RUBLES: Nevertheless, Universal officials are furious over the hijacking of their high seas adventure . . . “This has been very damaging to us,” a Universal source said. Particularly upsetting is the fact that the video, selling for about $4.50 in Russian rubles, has been labeled a “director’s cut” Said the source: “It’s kind of a fraud on a fraud.”

MOVING ON: After 33 months as leader of the LAPD Van Nuys station, James McMurray, above, is saying goodby . . . Promoted from captain to commander, McMurray will move Downtown Aug. 5 to become the LAPD’s domestic violence coordinator. His replacement will be Capt. Richard Wemmer from the Central Traffic Division. “The community support has been phenomenal,” McMurray said of Van Nuys. “They made the job that much easier.”

TAKEN FOR A RIDE? Limo rides. Tips. Even a tour inside a dormant Hawaiian volcano . . . A new report says these were a few of the favorite things that Burbank Airport commissioners were reimbursed for from airport funds. A Los Angeles County grand jury is investigating the commissioners for alleged misuse of public funds (B1).

SCIENCE PROJECT: Why would 45 Valley high school students spend their summer break tackling chemistry and biology? . . . By attending a Mission College science seminar, they gained hands-on lab experience not offered in high school (B3).