MORNING REPORT - News from July 22, 2000

MOVIES

Mea Culpa: Construction workers Brian Nelson and Joshua Angel pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges in Prescott Valley, Ariz., Wednesday and were fined $110 each for giving police false information about the June 1 crash of a plane piloted by actor Patrick Swayze. The pair initially told police they didn’t see the accident but later said they helped Swayze remove a half-empty 30-pack of beer and a nearly empty bottle of wine before driving him to a hotel. Swayze’s publicist has denied he had alcohol on his twin-engine Cessna when it suffered a pressurization problem and hit a light pole. Swayze, who was unhurt in the accident, has not been charged with a crime. A third construction worker, Adam Martin, is still facing charges.

TELEVISION

Second Chance: After a rocky start, the “Who Wants to Be a Movie Star” Web site seems to have gotten off the ground. It has raised more than $200,000 in the last month for an untitled movie project that the California Labor Commission temporarily shut down in June for offering acting parts to the highest bidder. State laws make it illegal to demand money to be hired for a job. Founders of the site, which include Blockbuster Inc., the William Morris Co. and Yahoo! Auctions, are now having surrogates bid on the acting gigs, which can then be given to friends or acquaintances. Nine of the 14 acting parts have been cast, with some of the leads selling for more than $50,000. The website has averaged more than 4,000 user sessions a day. “The internet has really made accessible what was previously not attainable to most people,” said producer Dan Hassid. Bidding ends next week and shooting is scheduled for early fall.

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Double Trouble: A second contestant on the CBS hit “Survivor” is in trouble with authorities. Police in Greensboro, N.C., said that Kelly Wiglesworth is wanted on a 5-year-old warrant for allegedly using a stolen credit card to buy a restaurant meal. “If she comes into North Carolina and we find her, we’d arrest her,” Sgt. K.D. Meredith said Thursday. Wiglesworth, 23, who guides river-rafting trips in Nevada, could not be reached for comment. Rhode Island child welfare officials have just ended their inquiry into charges that “Survivor” contestant Richard Hatch abused his son. After returning home, he was charged with second-degree child abuse. His 9-year-old adopted son says Hatch grabbed him around the neck when the boy tired on a run meant to help him lose weight. Hatch said his son concocted the story because he was angry. Earlier this month, Hatch sued the state, claiming the Department of Children, Youth and Families wrongly removed his son from his home. Hatch says he plans to sue the city too for $1.5 million.

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Hot Item: A host of entertainment and production companies have shown interest in the story of the Marine enlisted man and the Bahraini sheika who eloped in defiance of her royal family and fled to the United States, according to independent producer Mary L. Aloe of Proud Mary Entertainment, which owns the rights to the story of Pfc. Jason Johnson and Meriam Al-Khalifa. Among those interested, Aloe said, are Landmark Entertainment, 20th Century Fox, NBC, MGM (Showtime), Nasser Entertainment (Warner Bros. TV), British-based Carlton America, Universal and Jaffe/Braunstein Films. “It’s Romeo and Juliet set against Desert Storm, ‘Runaway Bride’ meets ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ ” said Aloe. Al-Khalifa, who used phony Marine documents to enter the United States, is attempting to avoid deportation by seeking political asylum in a San Diego court. A book and a lecture tour are also under consideration.

STAGE

Comings and Goings: Angela Lansbury has withdrawn from a new Broadway musical, “The Visit,” scheduled to open in April. The star said she is “absolutely shattered” to do so but needs to be with her husband, Peter Shaw, “day-by-day, hour-by-hour,” as he recovers from heart surgery. . . . Locally, Chita Rivera has dropped out of the Reprise! production of “Call Me Madam,” slated for Sept. 13-24 at the Freud Playhouse, and will be replaced by Karen Morrow. Donna McKechnie has joined the cast of the second Reprise! show, “Mack & Mabel,” scheduled for Nov. 8-19. Reprise! also has announced a onetime benefit concert production of “Sunday in the Park With George” on Sept. 18 at the Freud. . . . Anne Gee Byrd will replace Michael Learned in the Pasadena Playhouse production of “The Good Doctor” as of July 30. . . . Gregory Murphy’s “The Countess” has been added to the South Coast Repertory season, filling a Nov. 3-Dec. 3 slot on the Second Stage and moving “Bosoms and Neglect” into 2001. “Kimberly Akimbo,” previously slated for the Second Stage, has been switched to the South Coast main stage, where it will occupy a March 16-April 15 slot. . . . Maxwell Caulfield, David Faustino and Julie Cobb will head the cast of El Portal Center’s West Coast premiere of “Popcorn,” opening Sept. 8.

ART

Painting Recovered: Mexican authorities said Friday they have recovered an 18th century painting by Manuel Arellano that is considered a national treasure. The painting, “Birth of the Virgin Mary,” had been stolen from a church last year. It was found in an art gallery in Mexico City’s touristy Zona Rosa district, the federal attorney general’s office said in a statement.