ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT REPORTS FROM THE TIMES, NEWS SERVICES AND THE NATION’S PRESS.
ENTERTAINMENT
Producers’ Picks: The Producers Guild of America weighed in with its choices for the year’s best movies on Wednesday, nominating the producers of “Almost Famous,” “Billy Elliot,” “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Erin Brockovich” and “Gladiator” for its top honor. Among the television categories, the drama series nominations are NBC’s “ER,” “Law & Order” and “The West Wing,” ABC’s “The Practice” and HBO’s “Oz”; the comedy series nominees are NBC’s “Frasier,” “Friends” and “Will & Grace,” Fox’s “Ally McBeal” and HBO’s “Sex and the City.”
Honoring Jackson: MTV is instituting a new annual tribute show, with Janet Jackson to be the first honoree. The show, mtv-ICON, will honor artists who make “a significant contribution to music, music video and pop culture, while tremendously impacting the MTV generation over their careers.” The initial program, to be taped March 10 for airing at a later date, will feature performances of Jackson’s songs by other yet-to-be-named artists who have been influenced by her, with Jackson herself to perform the show’s finale. Jackson, who on Monday received a career achievement award from the American Music Awards, received the MTV Video Music Awards’s special Video Vanguard Award in 1990.
Rose’s Stalker Charged: A woman who pleaded no contest last month to violating a court order by sending jailhouse letters to Guns N’ Roses singer Axl Rose was charged with a probation violation Wednesday after being arrested again Monday at the rocker’s house in Malibu. Sheriff’s deputies said Karen Jane McNeil, 39, told the responding officer that she knew she was on probation and was supposed to stay away from Rose’s home. McNeil has previously claimed to be Rose’s wife.
Serving His Sentence: Former “Beverly Hills, 90210” star Jason Priestley will serve five days this month at Gateways Community Correction Center, a private work-release program in Los Angeles, for a drunk-driving conviction received last year. His spokeswoman, who said in a statement Wednesday that Priestley “is remorseful about the incident,” added that Priestley will spend the night at the facility but will be able to leave for up to 12 hours during the day to conduct work-related business.
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Quick Takes: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced seven films being considered for this year’s visual effects Oscar: “Cast Away,” “Dinosaur,” “Gladiator, “Hollow Man,” “The Perfect Storm,” “X-Men” and “Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” . . . Singer Britney Spears plans to make her feature acting debut in an untitled coming-of-age story described as “Boys on the Side” meets “Duets.” According to the Hollywood Reporter, Spears’ label, Jive Records, will co-finance and produce the movie, to be directed by Tamra Davis (“Half Baked”). . . . Woody Allen’s father, Martin Konigsberg, died Monday, Allen’s spokesman confirmed Wednesday. Konigsberg, a former restaurant waiter and jewelry engraver, had turned 100 on Christmas Day. . . . A spokesman for Oscar-winning director John Schlesinger, 74, said late Tuesday that the hospitalized “Midnight Cowboy” director was “in full recovery mode” after suffering a recent stroke at his Palm Springs home. Schlesinger underwent quadruple bypass heart surgery last year. . . . Singer Neil Sedaka, 61, was released from a Tennessee hospital Tuesday after undergoing treatment for undisclosed health problems. Sedaka had entered the hospital Saturday after canceling a performance in Knoxville.