Morning Report - News from March 16, 2002

MOVIES

Ethiopians Unhappy With Film Portrayal

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Ethiopian officials have complained that “Beyond Borders,” a movie starring Angelina Jolie being filmed in Namibia, gives a biased portrayal of their country. The film focuses on the 1984 drought and ensuing starvation rather than the progress that has been made since then, they say.

“The portrayal of happenings of 1984 in the film does not reflect the true image of Ethiopia today,” said Tegenaw Goshu, spokesman of the Ethiopian Embassy in South Africa, claiming that producers were unwilling to work with organizations in his country to give the needed context. “The portrayal of negative images about Ethiopia does not help the whole of Africa. The media should strive to include [a] positive image of our continent.”

In the film, Jolie falls in love with a doctor who travels to Cambodia, Chechnya and Ethiopia to help war victims.

The actress, who serves as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, said that she had been wanting to shoot the film for three years, and that the script was one of the best she’s encountered.

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Nash Denies Rumors About His Past

John Nash, the schizophrenic math whiz whose life is portrayed by Russell Crowe in the Oscar-nominated movie “A Beautiful Mind,” says allegations that he is homosexual and anti-Semitic are untrue. Critics have charged that these and other aspects of his life were left out of the movie--including rumors that he had an affair and was lacking as a father.

In an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” airing Sunday, Nash denies any bias against Jews but admits he may have said things while delusional that could convey that impression.

“I did have strange ideas during certain periods of time,” he said, adding that he heard voices then. Nash, 73, and his wife, Alicia Nash, also denied that he is gay. “That’s just not true,” Alicia Nash said. “I should know.”

The mathematician said that he’s now close to his son John Stiers, his child by a previous relationship, and gave him some royalties from the movie.

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SAG Bears Down

on Nonunion Shops

The Screen Actors Guild has instructed members of its San Diego branch not to sign nonunion contracts for Russell Crowe’s “Master and Commander,” Variety reports.

The seafaring drama, adapted by Peter Weir from a Patrick O’Brian book series, is due to begin filming in Baja California this summer. The union has a May 1 deadline for “Global Rule One,” which changes its enforcement of work rules to include disciplining members who work nonunion outside the United States. The movie represents an effort to stem migration of film and TV productions to offshore locations.

SAG spokesman Ilyanne Kichaven said that the union had contacted Twentieth Century Fox, which developed the film, and Miramax Films, which--with Universal Pictures--is investing in it. The union plans to contact Crowe after the Academy Awards ceremony.

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‘Tenenbaums’ Tops Movie-Trailer Awards

“The Royal Tenenbaums” was the big winner at the third annual Golden Trailer Awards, held at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Thursday night, winning the prize for best comedy, best music and best of show. The awards honor movie trailers on artistic merit.

Other winners in the competition, selected by a panel of industry judges that included actor Ben Stiller, director Brett Ratner and producer Kathleen Kennedy: “Memento” (best drama, most original), “Monsters, Inc.” (best animation/family) and “Amelie” (best foreign). And the trashiest? “Series 7--Redband,” which was also voted best independent.

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THE ARTS

The High Cost of Warhol Viewing

The Museum of Contemporary Art is revving up for what it hails as “the first comprehensive exhibition of the work of Andy Warhol to be presented in Los Angeles in 30 years.” And, for the first time in its 21-year history, it’s charging a special ticketed price above its usual admission fee for the right to take a peek.

Adults wanting to see the show at MOCA--the only North American venue in which it’s being presented--will have to fork out $12 on weekdays and $17 on the weekend. For children, the fee is $6 and $8. On top of that, there’s a $5 charge for the audio tour--and $10 for valet parking.

The exhibition, which features 150 works by the artist, runs May 25 through Aug. 18.

The top price is not an all-time high among Los Angeles museums. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art charged adults $17.50 on weekdays and $20 on weekends to get into its Van Gogh masterpieces show. For its Winslow Homer and Picasso exhibits, however, the top price was $15 on weekends.

“We looked at the incredible response to the Warhol show in London and Berlin, and realized we’d have to issue special tickets as a way of controlling the numbers,” said Katherine Lee, MOCA’s acting director of communications. “And given inflation--and the price of other entertainment options--these prices are pretty reasonable. Still, we realize that $50 for a family of four can be a challenge for some. That’s an incentive to buy a $60 annual membership to the museum, which gives you two free Warhol tickets.”

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THEATER

Playhouse Troupe

Is Moving Up

The resident company at the Pasadena Playhouse will take over the building’s upstairs Balcony Theatre in June, following an independent production of “Late Nite Catechism,” which is scheduled to open on April 4 in the 120-seat space.

The theater company had been seeking a larger second space in Old Pasadena but can’t afford it, according to executive director Lyla White. The upstairs space, to be leased from the complex’s new owner, Greg Varon, will be used for readings, workshops, classes and cabaret.

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QUICK TAKES

Yo-Yo Ma, Johnny Cash, Kirk Douglas and Mike Nichols are among those receiving the National Medal of the Arts for 2001. President and Mrs. Bush will present them with their awards at a ceremony in April.... James Cameron will make his TV directing debut on the May 3 season finale of Fox’s “Dark Angel,” of which he’s a co-creator.... Emmy winner James Gandolfini (“The Sopranos”) has filed for divorce from his wife, Marcy, after three years of marriage.... French freelance journalist Mariane Pearl, widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, will be interviewed on “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer” on Monday and on “Larry King Live” on Tuesday.... Madonna will compose and perform the main title song for “Die Another Day,” the newest James Bond adventure ....Joie Chen, anchor of CNN’s weekday afternoon program, has been hired as a Washington-based correspondent for CBS News.... The HBO-Warner Bros. TV Workspace is closing at the end of April. An incubator for emerging comedic talent and a spawning ground for TV projects, it had also recently become the home for the comedy show “Un-Cabaret.”