‘What Lies Beneath’? A Surprise Ending

Studio marketing departments are often accused of giving everything away when advertising a film, but that isn’t the case with “What Lies Beneath,” the new supernatural thriller by director Robert Zemeckis starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer that opens Friday. DreamWorks has been careful not to divulge too much of the plot for fear that it could spoil the surprise ending. “People have a right to experience this film without preconceptions,” said a source close to the movie. With that in mind, DreamWorks, which is co-producing the film with 20th Century Fox, has not been stressing too many of the plot points. Instead, it has pushed the first-time pairing of Ford and Pfeiffer and their intriguing matchup with Zemeckis, who won an Oscar for “Forrest Gump.” The movie centers on Ford as Dr. Norman Spencer and his wife, Claire (Pfeiffer), who begins hearing strange noises in the house. She then becomes worried about her next-door neighbor’s safety after finding the woman in tears one day and then discovering her bloodied shoe. The tension mounts when Pfeiffer is visited by an apparition--a young, wraithlike image--but her husband dismisses her mounting terror as delusion. For Ford, “What Lies Beneath” marks a stark turning point in his career as he tries to once again break free of his action-adventure persona. Spanning a quarter of a century, films featuring Ford have amassed $3 billion at the box office, his biggest being the “Star Wars” trilogy, the “Indiana Jones” trilogy and “The Fugitive.” However, in the last five years, his only movie to break the $100-million barrier was “Air Force One,” which grossed $173 million. Audiences have had difficulty accepting him in dramatic and comedic roles such as his last outing, the romantic drama “Random Hearts” ($31.3 million) or the 1995 comedy remake, “Sabrina” ($53.7 million).

Limp Bizkit Looking for Durable L.A. Stage

Maybe Fred Durst and his band Limp Bizkit should buy a classified ad: “Wanted: nice rock ‘n’ roll venue in Los Angeles area that seats 3,500; owners must not mind when band incites fans to ‘Break Stuff.’ ” It turns out Bizkit is still looking for a local venue for those free, Napster-sponsored shows they announced last month, and the band’s handlers are hoping to clear it all up this week. At first, word leaked from the group’s camp that the Hollywood Palladium would host three shows in early August, but now promoter Paul Tollet says that’s not the case. The Palladium has a long-standing policy against hosting free shows, especially ones that might create late-night crowd and noise issues for neighbors. “I can tell you this--it won’t be the Palladium,” he said. Tollett declined to discuss any of the other venue candidates or address reports that the Los Angeles visit, which caps the national tour, may be scaled back to one show. Meanwhile, Stephen Dress, who works with Bizkit’s management company, says the shows (or show) will probably be pushed back to mid- or late August. When a venue is selected, don’t expect to hear about it right away. The tour organizers are now keeping a lid on concert sites until 24 to 48 hours before the shows, a tactic to deter fans from camping out too long for the show’s first-come, first-served admission. Some observers have worried about a mad rush at shows or trouble from fans who are turned away, but the “Back to Basics” tour’s first show, in Detroit last week, went off without a hitch. The tour, which also features Cypress Hill, visits New York tonight.

CBS Has News on ‘Survivor,’ ‘Big Brother’

While media response to CBS’ so-called “reality” series “Survivor” and “Big Brother” has been mixed--with some criticizing the shows and most piling on the bandwagon--one element almost uniformly questioned has been the cooperation of CBS News, which has allowed news reader Julie Chen to host a “Big Brother” interview show and is featuring ousted “Survivor” contestants as a regular segment on its low-rated “The Early Show.” The disappearing line between news and entertainment will no doubt be raised with CBS News President Andrew Heyward, who is scheduled to address TV critics from around the country in Pasadena this weekend. Thus far, Heyward and “Early Show” executive producer Steve Friedman have been fairly unabashed about cross-pollination between news and these programs, which included a CBS special about fame--featuring “Survivor” contestants as well as “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?” pinup Darva Conger--after “Big Brother’s” premiere. Critics of media consolidation have warned of such stunts, with vast corporations using their news operations to promote their interests elsewhere. Then again, given the blase attitude toward news ethics, Heyward may not even be the weekend’s biggest draw: His press session will precede a meeting with the first player ejected from the “Big Brother” house.

--Compiled by Times Staff Writers