MOVIESFilm Fest Politics: The Chinese government, apparently...

MOVIES

Film Fest Politics: The Chinese government, apparently upset that the New York Film Festival would not heed its request to withdraw a documentary about China’s 1989 crackdown on demonstrators in Beijing’s Tian An Men Square, has barred leading Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou from attending screenings of his film “Shanghai Triad,” which opens the festival Friday. “Mr. Zhang had planned to be with us . . . but representatives of the Chinese government have asked him not to attend our festival due to our programming the documentary ‘The Gate of Heavenly Peace,’ ” the Film Society of the Lincoln Center said. The latter film, an American-made, three-hour investigation of the inner workings of the student protests at Tian An Men and the reasons for their failure, is to be shown Oct. 14. This is not the first time that Zhang, 45, has been affected by Chinese politics. In 1991, he was banned from attending the Academy Awards in Los Angeles, where his film “Ju Dou” was the first Chinese work to be nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

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“Showgirls” Stripped From Some Theaters: A theater owner in Grants Pass, Ore., said he will stop showing the controversial movie “Showgirls” today--one week earlier than planned--because the city attorney said the theater was violating an ordinance that regulates adult entertainment. The decision by Movies 6 theater owner John Schweiger came as theater operators in three Mississippi communities--Hattiesburg, Flowood and Ridgeland--decided to stop showing the NC-17-rated film in response to community complaints.

POP/ROCK

New No. 1 Album: Canadian rocker Alanis Morissette’s “Jagged Little Pill” was the nation’s top album last week, selling 148,000 copies to narrowly move ahead of the “Dangerous Minds” soundtrack, which sold 147,000 copies, according to figures released Wednesday by SoundScan. Slipping from first to third in the chart was Hootie & the Blowfish’s “Cracked Rear View,” which sold 138,000 copies. Tim McGraw’s “All I Want” and Michael Bolton’s “Greatest Hits 1985-1995” made impressive chart debuts, McGraw’s album selling 110,000 copies to place fourth and Bolton’s collection selling 85,000 copies to place fifth. Mariah Carey’s “Fantasy” continues to top the singles chart, selling 216,000 copies during its second week in release.

TV/RADIO

No More Sex Talk: Suzi Landolphi, who began a nightly talk show on sex and relationships on KMPC-AM (710) nearly six months ago, has been fired by the station. Her last show aired Monday night. A KMPC spokesman said she was “let go” because “the show didn’t develop [the way] we had hoped.” He declined to elaborate on what was wanted. Asked whether any specific content in Landolphi’s no-holds-barred approach had anything to do with her dismissal, the spokesman quickly responded, “No, no.” Landolphi could not immediately be reached for comment. Meanwhile, filling the 9 p.m.-to-midnight slot temporarily is a general-subject talk show hosted by Yolanda Gaskins.

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Pennant Fever: With first place on the line in the final week of the baseball season, the Dodgers pulled a larger local audience on KTLA-TV Channel 5 Tuesday night than most of their network competition. The game against the Colorado Rockies averaged a 12.9 rating (representing about 634,000 homes)--the highest that the Los Angeles club has received since KTLA started broadcasting its games in 1993. The telecast beat the programming on the local ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox outlets from 8 to 10 p.m. except for running about even with NBC’s “Frasier” and ABC’s “Home Improvement” from 9 to 9:30.

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Program Notes: Barbara Walters’ exclusive hourlong interview with Christopher Reeve--his first since the Memorial Day weekend horseback riding accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down--will air Friday on ABC News’ “20/20.” Walters will also interview Reeve’s wife, Dana Morosini, and follow Reeve through a day’s activities at the Kessler Institute for Rehabilitation in New Jersey. . . . Paul and Linda McCartney will make an animated guest appearance on the Oct. 15 episode of “The Simpsons.” McCartney becomes the last surviving Beatle to appear on the program--Ringo Starr was a guest voice in 1991 and George Harrison appeared in 1993.

QUICK TAKES

Singer Diana Ross will be at the Wherehouse at Beverly Connection today at 2 p.m. to sign autographs and celebrate her new album, “Take Me Higher.” . . . Tomica Wright, widow of rapper Eric (Eazy-E) Wright, gave birth to the couple’s second child, a daughter named Daijah Nakia, on Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Wright died March 26 of complications from AIDS. . . .The Spin Doctors have filed a $25-million federal lawsuit in Los Angeles against Miller Brewing Co., alleging a TV commercial for Miller Lite Ice Beer violated copyright laws by imitating the rock group’s hit song “Two Princes.”

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Quotable: “The job of musical director, I found out later, was just to kiss the a-- of the host, and I ain’t no a--kisser.”

--Jazz musician Branford Marsalis in Wednesday’s Indianapolis Star and News, talking about his former role as “Tonight Show” bandleader. Also in the interview, Marsalis said that he “despised” “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno and was “not comfortable playing along with the stereotype games” required of the job.