Morning Report - News from Aug. 13, 2002

THEATER

Lining Up to See ‘The Producers’

The L.A. production of “The Producers,” which doesn’t open until next May, grossed $2 million in single ticket sales in the first week since the box office opened Aug. 5. That contributed to a total of $11 million in advance ticket sales for the production at the Pantages Theatre, which will star Martin Short and Jason Alexander.

The sales breakdown so far, said producer Richard Frankel, also includes $4 million to Broadway/L.A. and Center Theatre Group subscribers, $4 million in group sales, and $1 million via an American Express promotion.

About $300,000 of the sales are for premium-priced tickets available through Broadway Inner Circle, the organization that raised eyebrows last year for charging $480 for tickets to the New York production of “Producers.” In L.A., the Broadway Inner Circle tickets cost $180 or $300. The big spenders get seats in the center of the orchestra section, adjacent parking, a private entrance, souvenir programs and--at the higher price--access to a private bar before the show and during intermission.

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POP/ROCK

Another Dispute in Aaliyah Death

The director of a Bahamian funeral home has charged that Virgin Records--a division of music giant EMI--has reneged on an agreement to pay for preparing and transporting the bodies of R&B; singer Aaliyah and her entourage after their plane crashed last summer in the Caribbean.

Loretta Turrier, of Butler’s Funder Homes and Crematorium in Nassau, said in this week’s issue of Time magazine that she is out $68,000 and has appealed for help to the American Embassy.

“Virgin has indicated to us that they will not honor the agreement. We worked 24/7 to get the bodies out as expeditiously as possible. We had to bring in extra staff. People worked on their day off,” she said, but there has not been “one word of thanks to anyone.”

Robert Spragg, an attorney representing Aaliyah’s parents in a lawsuit against Virgin and others, had a similar experience. Virgin executives told him that they’d be responsible for funeral expenses, he told the magazine, but so far, they’ve received nothing. The executives who allegedly made the promises--former EMI chief Ken Berry and his wife, former Virgin vice president Nancy Berry, have since been dismissed from the company.

Until she’s paid, Turner says, she plans to withhold the nine official death certificates. The papers are needed for the lawsuits to proceed and Aaliyah’s estate to be settled.

“The accident was a terrible tragedy,” said Jeanne Meyer, senior vice president of corporate communications for EMI Recorded Music. “Unfortunately, because of pending litigation, we cannot comment further.”

Mobile Graceland Tour in the Works

Elvis Presley Enterprises has plans for a “Mobile Graceland” tour, bringing the singer’s Army jacket, a letter from President Nixon, a comb and other memorabilia to 31 cities.

The 53-foot truck will be in Memphis on Friday to mark the 25th anniversary of Presley’s death. Among the dates: New York’s Times Square (Sept. 24), Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (Sept. 28), and a San Diego Chargers game (Nov. 17).

The tour, co-sponsored by the Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. casino company and FYE record stores, will be featured primarily in mall parking lots and in casinos owned by Harrah’s.

“We have more artifacts than we have the space or time to display at Graceland,” said Jennifer Burgess, director of marketing for Elvis Presley Enterprises. “It grew out of the desire to share the Elvis experience with all those people who can’t make it to Memphis for one reason or another.”

Graceland itself is said to attract more than 650,000 visitors a year.

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TELEVISION

Move Over, Miss America

ABC is embarking on 13 one-hour episodes of “Supergirl,” from Simon Fuller, the creator of this summer’s “American Idol.”

The series, in which participants compete to become the ultimate American dream girl, will set up a weekly elimination process in which contestants compete in athletic ability, mental agility and beauty. The winner will hold the “Supergirl” title for a year and is expected to earn more than $1,00,000 in contracts.

And producers of “American Idol” have also announced that they’re expanding that franchise. They’ll pit the winners in their U.S. and United Kingdom versions versus those in new start-up shows in Poland, South Africa, Germany, France and the Netherlands. No network has been lined up.

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QUICK TAKES

Nicolas Cage and Lisa Marie Presley were married Saturday in Hawaii. Cage, 38, was previously married to actress Patricia Arquette. This is the third marriage for Presley, 34, whose former husbands include singer Michael Jackson.... HBO has given a go-ahead to a one-hour drama pilot, a western set two weeks after the Battle of Little Bighorn, from David Milch (“NYPD Blue,” “Hill Street Blues”), Variety reports. Tentatively titled “Deadwood,” it will incorporate real-life and fictional characters and be directed by Walter Hill (“48 Hours”)....Stephen Daldry’s “The Hours,” the film adaptation of Michael Cunningham’s bestseller starring Julianne Moore, Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep, has been pulled from competition at the Venice Film Festival by Miramax Films because of post-production delays. It will be replaced by Todd Haynes’ “Far From Heaven.” ... “Christopher Reeve: Courageous Steps,” an ABC special, will air Sept. 18 at 10 p.m. Directed by his son Matthew, it will be narrated by the actor who was paralyzed in a horseback accident in 1995.