Morning Report - News from Aug. 3, 2002

PEOPLE

A Strained Bond Between Voight, Jolie

Two weeks after Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie filed for divorce from husband Billy Bob Thornton, her father revealed that she has split with him too.

In a tearful interview on the TV show “Access Hollywood” Thursday night, actor Jon Voight--who separated from Jolie’s mother when their daughter was an infant--said the actress has “carried a lot of pain” for years--experiencing “very serious symptoms of ... real illness.”

He says he tried to intervene when Jolie was shooting “Girl, Interrupted” in 1999, but she was unresponsive. Though they had a brief rapprochement shooting “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” in 2001, the two haven’t had a meaningful conversation in more than a year, and he has yet to meet the son she adopted, Voight said.

Jolie has spoken candidly about her mental ordeals, including a bout of self-mutilation in her teens. But she’s remaining mum about her dad. “I don’t want to make public the reasons for my bad relationship with my father,” she said. “After all these years, I have determined that it is not healthy for me to be around my father, especially now that I am responsible for my own child.”

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TELEVISION

A Musical in the Future for Two ‘Idol’ Finalists?

The two top finishers in Fox’s talent search series “American Idol” will get more than a recording contract. They may also become movie stars.

Simon Fuller, the creator of the hit summer series, said he is in talks with several film studios to produce a musical starring the two “American Idol” finalists. The film would be released around May or June of next year, in conjunction with the conclusion of the second edition of “American Idol.”

Fuller said the movie would be “a very modern story” revolving around the concept of Gap Year in Britain, the stretch between college graduation and the start of work.

The finals of “American Idol” will take place Sept. 3 and 4 in live broadcasts on Fox.

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THE ARTS

British Museum’s Woes Now Include a Theft

London’s world-famous British Museum, which is suffering funding and staff shortages, reported that a robber had stolen a 2,500-year-old Greek statue from a room without a permanent security guard this week.

Curators and dealers worldwide have been alerted to be on the lookout for the piece, a 5-inch-high marble head with a distinctive damaged nose and face that the venue acquired in 1922. Experts believe it could be worth as much as $38,750.

“Sadly, all museums are vulnerable to theft, and small-scale sculptures are always particularly at risk,” said Neil MacGregor, who took over as director of the museum this week.

Tuesday’s crime highlighted concerns over security and funding at the museum, which will celebrate its 250th anniversary next year. As many as 28 of its nearly 100 galleries are regularly closed for several hours because of staff shortages. And in June, employees staged a one-day strike after management announced it would cut jobs during the next two years to handle an expected budget deficit of $7.3 million in 2004-05.

Outgoing director Robert Anderson told lawmakers last month that the flagship museum was impoverished. What’s to blame? Declining tourism post-Sept. 11, expenses that exceed government funding--and a free admissions policy.

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QUICK TAKES

Oscar winner Denzel Washington will bring “The Antwone Fisher Story,” his directorial debut, to the Toronto International Film Festival in September. He also stars in the movie, playing a psychiatrist.... KABC-TV Channel 7 is shifting its news anchors in the wake of Laura Diaz’s departure. Michelle Tuzee has joined Marc Brown on the 11 p.m. newscast and will continue co-anchoring with him at 4 and 6. Kathy Vara is replacing Ellen Leyva during the 5-7 a.m. slot. Leyva is moving to the 5 p.m. news with David Ono.... In an effort to broaden its collection and show influences on its namesake artist, Amsterdam’s Van Gogh Museum paid nearly $7 million for Manet’s 1869 seascape “Pier at Boulogne,” the New York Times reports.... Comedian Wayne Brady (“Whose Line Is It Anyway?”) will host the Miss America Pageant on Sept. 21, the first black master of ceremonies in the contest’s 81-year history.... Radio talk station KRLA-AM (870) will unveil a new program in the weekday 6-9 a.m. slot Monday, “M&M; in the Morning,” hosted by Mike Larson and Larry Marino.