REEL DEALS Austin Powers has triumphed over Dr. Evil and Fat Bastard, but has he met his match in James Bond? MGM/UA and 007 producers Danjaq Productions have gotten an injunction from the Motion Picture Association of America to force New Line to drop the title ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' from this summer's upcoming spoof, on the grounds that the title infringes on the copyright of the Bond movie ''Goldfinger.''
The Powers people have parodied a Bond title before (''The Spy Who Shagged Me'' was an obvious takeoff on ''The Spy Who Loved Me''), but this time, New Line apparently failed to follow proper MPAA procedure in registering its new title. New Line plans to appeal, but in the meantime, it's been forced to refer to the July release as ''the third installment of 'Austin Powers''' and scrap its website, posters, and other marketing material with the old title. The content of the movie, in which the villainous Goldmember is one of four characters played by Mike Myers, will not change.
MGM is embroiled in another marketing dispute, this one with Universal over print and TV ads for MGM's ''Rollerball.'' Universal objects to the tagline, ''From the filmmakers that brought you 'The Fast and the Furious' and 'Die Hard.''' The reference is to John Pogue, one of the producers of ''F&F'' and an uncredited screenwriter on the movie, who is also one of the two screenwriters of ''Rollerball.'' Universal's complaint is that MGM is trading unfairly on Pogue's ''F&F'' connection, since his creative contribution to that film is arguably inconsequential compared to those of the three credited writers, director Rob Cohen, and veteran teensploitation producer Neal Moritz. MGM, however, does not plan to change the ads, and one exec there suggests that Universal's real problem is that it has a competing movie opening the same day, Feb. 8. The title? ''Big Fat Liar.''
TROPHY TIME Not only is Sidney Poitier picking up an honorary Oscar this year, so is his ''Sneakers'' costar, Robert Redford. The 64-year-old Redford, who won an Oscar in 1980 for his directorial debut, ''Ordinary People,'' and who returned to prominence in recent months with two starring roles (''The Last Castle'' and ''Spy Game''), will be cited as ''actor, director, producer, creator of Sundance, inspiration to independent and innovative filmmakers everywhere.'' He'll grab the golden guy at the Academy Awards ceremony on March 24.
Also picking up a special trophy is director Arthur Hiller, who will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Hiller, who was nominated for an Oscar for ''Love Story'' in 1970 (his other films include ''The In-Laws,'' ''Author! Author!,'' and ''An Alan Smithee Film: Burn, Hollywood, Burn'') will be recognized for his charitable work for such organizations as Amnesty International, Inner City Filmmakers, the Anti-Defamation League, and the Venice Family Clinic. The 78-year-old Hiller also served as president of the Academy from 1996 to 1998.
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