MOVIESPiracy in Russia: Jack Valenti, president of...

MOVIES

Piracy in Russia: Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Assn. of America, is hosting a conference at the 20th Moscow International Film Festival to discuss ways to stamp out rampant video piracy in Russia. Initial meetings were held earlier this month, when festival president, director Sergei Soloviev, and Stas Namin, festival organizer and executive vice president of the Society for Performers’ Rights, were in Los Angeles and New York to discuss the piracy problem. “This is a high priority,” Soloviev said. “Tough new laws against piracy have been enacted this year to rid the country of this very serious problem. It is estimated that 90% of the Russia video market is pirated material.” Namin said there are currently more than 100 cases of video piracy before the Russian courts.

TELEVISION

Critics’ Kudos: NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street” and HBO’s “The Larry Sanders Show” were named best drama and comedy series, respectively, by the Television Critics Assn. “Bastard Out of Carolina,” a controversial project directed by Anjelica Huston--which was produced for TNT but, because of its child-abuse theme, ultimately aired on Showtime--was selected as outstanding made-for-TV movie, while the critics honored CBS’ canceled series “EZ Streets” as program of the year. The annual awards also recognized “Homicide’s” Andre Braugher and David Hyde Pierce, of NBC’s “Frasier,” in acting categories.

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Departure From “Babylon 5”: Claudia Christian, who plays Lt. Cmdr. Susan Ivanova on the science-fiction series “Babylon 5,” has left the show. Producers said Christian failed to accept the contract offer to return for a fifth season on the drama. In a statement issued on the Internet, Christian said, “I did not ‘leave’ the show. I did not ask for more money. I did not create this mess. Perhaps this is a great lack of communication.” “Babylon 5,” which had been in syndication, will start airing this fall on TNT.

CLASSICAL MUSIC

But Is He Off-Key?: Luciano Pavarotti, one of the world’s premier tenors, can’t read music and relies on his ear and his own sign system to learn operatic scores, an Italian newspaper reported. “Yes, it’s true. I don’t read music,” the 61-year-old told the newspaper Corriere della Sera during the Festival of Nations in Citta di Castello, a small town in the Umbria region, over the weekend. “I am not a musician, I don’t go into the technicalities. The score is one thing and the singing part another. If I have the music in mind and sing with my body, then it’s fine.” Pavarotti made the disclosure after Vittorio Gassman, an Italian classical actor, said he discovered the tenor was not referring to the musical score as they prepared for a duet at the festival. “I was shocked. I realized during rehearsals. He was going by ear but not hitting a single wrong note,” Gassman said. Accompanist Leone Magiera said Pavarotti used his ear and marked scores with a pen to help him remember where the operatic aria rises or falls. “Luciano suffers a little bit from this. I realized it because every now and again he has an argument with the musicians,” Magiera said. Pavarotti helped popularize opera with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras, who became known as “The Three Tenors” after an impromptu concert during the 1990 soccer World Cup finals in Italy.

POP/ROCK

Answering Critics: Officials at Island Records are defending their decision to release Insane Clown Posse’s album “The Great Milenko” after the company received calls from Christians who found the lyrics offensive. The track “Hellalujah” portrays a religious leader who preys on the faithful by duping them into filling his coffers. Island Records Executive Vice President Hooman Majd said in a statement, “The song ‘Hellalujah’ is about nothing more than false men of God; those evangelists who prey on the fears of unsuspecting Christians in order to fatten their own wallets.”

QUICK TAKES

ABC will repeat the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield fight, in which Tyson bit the champion’s ears, on Aug. 7 in prime time. CBS had originally been scheduled to rerun the bout, which by now has been seen repeatedly in post-fight news coverage and on pay channel Showtime. . . . “Lilies,” director John Greyson’s highly stylized tragic tale of love and betrayal, won the grand jury award for outstanding narrative feature at Outfest ‘97, the 15th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.