Fox Execs Lower Guard Over ‘Fight Club’

It’s very violent. It’s very bloody. Teeth get knocked out. Heads get beaten to a pulp. It’s men going at each other with bare knuckles just for the thrill of it. So, why isn’t Washington raising a stink about director David Fincher’s new film, “Fight Club”? After months--even years--of being bashed by everyone from presidential candidates to the Religious Right, one would think that 20th Century Fox executives would be hunkered down by now, fending off arrows fired over the ramparts by moral crusaders because of its film. But so far, Fox says it isn’t hearing any such thing. After screening the film repeatedly for journalists, critics and industry crowds, Fox executives are confident that the word is slowly getting out that their movie starring Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter--which debuts Friday--is not your usual Hollywood blood-and-guts action picture. Reaction to the film in screenings has been mixed: Some viewers remain in their seats long after the titles have disappeared discussing the messages the movie imparts; others have been shocked and appalled by it. Both a very dark comedy and a disturbing fantasy, not even the studio believes “Fight Club” is a walk in the park. But executives believe its message--which some are comparing to Susan Faludi’s new book about male lack of empowerment, “Stiffed”--is essentially anti-violence. “It’s really not about violence,” said Jeffrey Gosdick, the studio’s senior vice president for publicity. “It’s about what is happening in our society today that is causing [young men] to express themselves in a violent means. I think a lot of people pick up on that.” Asked if Fox is bracing for a public backlash, he added: “No. We’ve been so open about showing the picture, I would have anticipated [problems] 10 days ago. But we’re not seeing it.” Fox is marketing the film to both men and women, although in recent weeks the movie has been heavily promoted on football TV broadcasts, which largely appeal to male viewers. Fox intends to open the film on about 2,000 screens, focusing on major cities.

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young Set to Carry On

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young will gather in New York on Tuesday to announce that their first tour together in close to three decades will kick off in January, and insiders say the schedule will include an early stop at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. What’s far less certain, however, is whether the venerable folk-rock outfit will take the stage Oct. 30 and 31 at member Neil Young’s 13th annual Bridge School benefit concert at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. A reunion of CSN&Y; was initially slated as the centerpiece of this year’s acoustic shows (which also feature the Who, Pearl Jam, Sheryl Crow, Brian Wilson and Tom Waits), but that performance was yanked from the lineup last month when Graham Nash broke both his legs in a boating accident in Hawaii. But Nash’s recovery has been smooth, so the decision may go down to curtain time for the sold-out shows. “Graham is a real trouper, so it may happen, but the reality is they haven’t rehearsed at all, so even if they did perform it would be something very limited,” says a source close to the group. A new album from CSN&Y;, titled “Looking Forward,” is due from Reprise Records on Oct. 26 and features a veteran backing band--Donald “Duck” Dunn on bass, Joe Vitale on drums and Mike Finnigan playing keyboards--that will also play on the tour.

First Year for ‘Caulfield’ on Prime-Time Beat

Given that Fox has already canceled one of its new dramas, “Manchester Prep,” without airing a single episode, the title of another new entry, “Ryan Caulfield: Year One,” seems a tad optimistic. The new drama, premiering Friday at 8 p.m., stars Sean Maher as Caulfield, a 19-year-old living the baptism-by-fire life of a rookie beat cop in Philadelphia. Originally titled “Ryan Caulfield,” the show then became “The Badland,” so-called because Caulfield works Philly’s Badlands area (the title is not to be confused with “Badlands,” director Terrence Malick’s evocative 1973 film starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek as killers on the run in the 1950s). A month before “The Badland” was to premiere, the title was scrapped. A network spokesperson deemed untrue the rumor that the producers bowed to pressure from Philadelphians concerned that the series might cast the real Badlands in a negative light, saying instead that there were “clearance issues.” At any rate, thus was born “Ryan Caulfield: Year One,” the “Year One” to reflect the fact that this is Caulfield’s first year as a cop. Of course, if the series successfully makes it all the way through the season, next year they can call it anything they want.

--Compiled by Times Staff Writers