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Publicists honor Michael Douglas with achievement award
Saturday, March 24, 2001 By Ron Weiskind, Post-Gazette Movie Editor
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Michael Douglas received the lifetime achievement award from the Publicists Guild yesterday. That's some honor for a guy with some tread left on his tires, especially with his father, Hollywood giant Kirk Douglas, in the audience (along with Michael's wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones).
The award proves Michael Douglas has earned a lot of good ink in a career spanning more than three decades. Now, let's see what he can do in that regard for Pittsburgh, where he spent several months in 1999 shooting the movie "Wonder Boys," based on the book by University of Pittsburgh graduate Michael Chabon.
"You guys have to do a little more public relations," he said in a brief chat before the Guild luncheon. "People still have some faraway gone image about steel mills and all of that. It's a great, great place -- great culture and a lot of fun. We had a wonderful time in Pittsburgh."
Among the goodies in the boxes: a half-bottle of champagne and two plastic flutes; small bag of almonds to quell the munchies; cigar; breath mints; handmade, hand-dipped fortune cookies wishing good luck or advising something like "If you see Joan, run"; compact mirror adorned with "You Look Mah-velous!" inside; a pen; stress emergency kit with aspirin, antacid and hand cream; mending kit; and a stress ball, so you can clench and unclench your fist and work off a little anxiety.
And if you'd like to assemble future gift boxes of your own, there also is a card from Fred Hecht & Associates, Creative Product Consultants from West Hills, Calif. -- Barbara Vancheri, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
That came as music to the ears of Pittsburgh Film Office director Dawn Keezer, who was attending the luncheon and eavesdropping nearby. She's been doing some campaigning of her own lately, trying to raise money to keep her organization alive after its county funding dried up.
Without Keezer's office, "Wonder Boys" might not have come to Pittsburgh. But without Douglas agreeing to star in the movie, it might not have been made at all.
" 'Traffic' had a similar situation," he said, speaking of the other movie in which he starred last year. "They needed somewhat of a so-called star to make it happen. At the same time, you take a much reduced salary. But they're two little jewels, both pictures that I was so proud and happy to be a part of."
"Traffic" is nominated for Best Picture at tomorrow night's Oscar ceremony. "Wonder Boys" is not up for the big prize and Douglas was passed over in the Best Actor race. But both films are competing -- against each other, as it turns out -- where it counts, Douglas says.
"It's not coincidental that both 'Wonder Boys' and 'Traffic' are up for best screenplay adaptation. They're great pieces of material. They had two fabulous directors in Curtis Hanson and Steven Soderbergh. And both of them were cast to the hilt. That's what you always hope for, a combination of director, material and cast."
Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald would know about that. Their Dreamworks Pictures team has had the Best Picture favorite at the Academy Awards for three years running now. Although "Saving Private Ryan" lost in an upset to "Shakespeare in Love," Dreamworks got the top prize last year for "American Beauty" and is the favorite to win tomorrow night for "Gladiator." Now that's good publicity.
"We are, however, in a time where we certainly perceive that there's an audience that's very open and perhaps even hungry to be reintroduced to classic genres that have been forgotten for many years," Parkes added. "Right now we're 30 days into production on a remake of 'The Time Machine,' which is a return to the kind of costume/period science fiction that I loved when I was a kid."
That trend might be accelerated if "Gladiator" wins Best Picture -- assuming, of course, that no more accidents occur at the site of tomorrow night's ceremony, the Shrine Auditorium. A scaffolding used for camera equipment collapsed Thursday, injuring several people and reigning debris near the red-carpet area where fans in the bleachers watch the stars arrive.
"It really doesn't impact the show in any way," said Bob Rehme, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, another Guild luncheon guest. "I'm very sorry that somebody was hurt. It's the same way the Academy's done it at the Shrine for years and years and years."
The impact most viewers would like to see with the Oscars is anything that would shorten the show. It has run just over four hours for each of the past two years, negating the half-hour it gained when the starting time moved up to 8:30 p.m. (Eastern time) with the show's move to Sunday night.
You may not want to hold your breath waiting for that to happen.
"Obviously, we'd like it to be shorter for a lot of reasons," Rehme said. "But this is not something we're doing for television. We're giving out the Academy Awards. It's like the Super Bowl. If the Super Bowl gets long, do you cut out the final quarter? No. We're not going to cut anything out of the Academy Awards, either.
All right, maybe now a little curmudgeonry is in order. So let's turn to Ed Asner, the veteran actor, liberal activist and former president of the Screen Actors Guild who is never shy about making his views felt. Let's start with the possible -- some say inevitable -- SAG strike this summer.
"My biggest gripe is that, for far too long, people have been talking strike without even knowing what the issues are. It creates a terrible self-fulfilling prophecy. Granted, conditions are not good. But that kind of talk certainly hasn't helped. Just as George Bush's talk about recession seems to have had a very good effect on bringing it about."
Asner doesn't think a strike is inevitable, but he said, "If it takes place, it will be because management wants it."
And your thoughts on the new president, Mr. Asner?
"I don't sleep easy at night," he said.
It seems not all of the liberals are buying into George W. Bush's public-relations efforts.
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