Career Move
Former Laker Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is making a smooth
transition to a new career. He's executive producer of Recruiting
Violations, a drama about the relationship between a white basketball
coach and a top black prospect.
Get a Piece of the Rock
Stuntmen Stephen Santosusso and Todd Champion are suing Sylvester
Stallone and the producers of Rocky V over broken facial bones they
both received during fight scenes with actor Tommy Morrison, a
professional boxer who plays Rocky's protege. The plaintiffs claim
they had been assured they wouldn't get hurt. Yo, did Sly have any
comment? No.
Film Phantom
After bombarding Broadway with shows such as Aspects of Love and
Cats, composer Andrew Lloyd Webber will produce the film of his hit
Phantom of the Opera. Masked man Michael Crawford and Sarah
Brightman (Lloyd Webber's wife) are likely to reprise their stage
roles on-screen.
Cyndi Just Wants to Be a Movie Star
After striking out in Vibes, pop star Cyndi Lauper is
taking another big-screen shot with Moon Over Miami, a
comedy-thriller that just wrapped. The wacky she-bopper plays a
wannabe actress who hooks up with a reclusive golf pro (David Keith)
while working as a singing mermaid at a Miami Beach hotel pool.
Richard Belzer and Anita Morris also star in the adventure, due next
year.
Mall Shopping
Attention shoppers: After perusing more than 100 malls, director
Paul Mazursky has chosen the glossy Stamford Town Center in
Connecticut to shoot Scenes From a Mall, his upcoming comedy-drama
starring Woody Allen and Bette Midler. Picked because of its
similarity to the Beverly Center mall in Beverly Hills (where the
story unfolds), the mall includes such upscale stores as Polo Ralph
Lauren and Saks Fifth Avenue, but a set for a sushi bar will have to
be built elsewhere. Production starts in June. Look for a Christmas
release.
