MORNING REPORT - News from Aug. 5, 2000

FILM/POLITICS

‘Birth’ Screenings Pulled: Bowing to threats of protests, the Silent Movie Theatre has canceled two screenings of D.W. Griffith’s controversial 1915 Civil War epic, “Birth of a Nation,” which were to take place Aug. 16 and 17 during the Democratic National Convention. Griffith’s 1916 epic, “Intolerance,” will substitute for “Birth of a Nation.” Although “Birth of a Nation” is considered one of the first motion picture epics, its racist depiction of African Americans and glorifying of the Ku Klux Klan have caused heated debate over the decades. Charlie Lustman, owner of the theater, says he wanted to screen the picture because it was a “cultural and artistic monument of the silent screen,” while acknowledging the film’s depiction of blacks as a “shameful stain on the history of our country and its heritage.” Lustman canceled the screenings Thursday after the NAACP warned him of protests. Geraldine R. Washington, president of the NAACP of Los Angeles, says she understands Lustman’s intentions but that the NAACP “can’t see any value in showing this film, especially at a time when hate crimes are on the increase. Los Angeles, with its multicultural population, is trying to come together as a people, and to show this film certainly presents a danger that some persons might be hinted to go out and get involved in some of these racist actions. We certainly don’t want that.”

POP/ROCK

‘One Tour’ Event: Alanis Morissette will give a special acoustic performance at the Museum of Tolerance on Aug. 17 to cap off a tour she’s made of the Middle East and Europe focusing on locales that major artists generally pass by such as Croatia, Turkey and Lebanon. Limited tickets for the event, which also will include a question-and-answer session and multimedia presentation about the tour, are being distributed only via giveaways on the trek’s Web site, https://www.alanis.z.com, with a small amount being auctioned starting Tuesday at Amazon Auctions (https://www.amazon.com/alanis-auction). For the trek, dubbed “the One Tour,” Morissette enlisted local fans as “ambassadors” to guide her through local culture and issues. That experience is being chronicled in a series of video episodes running at the alanis.z.com site, which will also Webcast the Museum of Tolerance event.

TELEVISION

Calling George W. Bush: David Letterman, who invited presidential hopefuls Al Gore and George W. Bush to debate on his show two weeks ago, is vowing to pressure the Republican candidate until he RSVPs. “We can’t get anybody from Bush’s office to return our call,” Letterman said on “The Late Show” this week. “If this is the way they run the campaign, how do you think they’re going to run the country?” At first, Bush press secretary Mindy Tucker did not return phone calls from the show’s executive producer, Maria Pope. On Wednesday night’s show, however, Pope told Letterman she finally received a call back from Tucker, who said the campaign had not made a decision. The Gore campaign accepted the invitation to debate immediately, according to Gore 2000 spokesman Douglas Hattaway.

THE ARTS

Donald Byrd Replaces Jant Bi at Watercourt: Known for such provocative, high-profile modern dance projects as “The Harlem Nutcracker” and “Jazz Train,” Donald Byrd and the Group will replace the previously announced Senegalese modern dance ensemble Jant Bi in free performances at the Watercourt of California Plaza on Aug. 22-23. Jant Bi’s cancellation resulted from miscommunication between Grand Performances (the California Plaza presenters) and the group’s agency, leading to the company being scheduled outside of the U.S. this month.

QUICK TAKES

Actors Helen Hunt and Hank Azaria, who got married last summer, are living apart, her publicist confirmed Friday. “I can confirm that they are separated,” Stephen Huvane said. “They have been for several months. They’re still very good friends.” . . . Chali 2na and other members of Jurassic 5 injured in a Tennessee bus crash are doing well, and complete recoveries are expected, according to Kevin Lyman, the organizer of the Vans Warped Tour. The six members of the Los Angeles rap outfit were injured early Wednesday morning when a bus ferrying them to a Warped date in Texas veered off a Tennessee highway. The most seriously hurt was 2na, who suffered a skull fracture and underwent surgery. . . . Conspiracy aficionados, set your VCRs: Noted JFK assassination theorists Gus Russo, David Lifton and Gerald Posner will debate “Who Shot JFK?” Sunday at 10:30 a.m. on the History Channel. . . . “Banished” “Big Brother” contestant and former exotic dancer Jordan will appear on Monday’s edition of “Late Night With David Letterman.”