WB catches pitch for 'Heart and Soul' music

By ANITA M. BUSCH

Warner Bros. picked up the pitch "Heart and Soul," described as a "Pygmalion" for the '90s set in the music world, for producer Jerry Weintraub for what sources said was low- to mid-six figures.

The interracial love story is about a young black female rap artist who is assigned to have an image makeover with a white, jaded makeover consultant; the two fall in love.

Warner Bros. beat out Def Pictures for the pitch from Jan Eliasberg, who started as director on TV's "Sisters," eventually becoming a writer/producer and then a staff writer on the show.

The pitch was brought to the company by senior VP of production John Tomko. WB president of music Gary Le Mel and director of development Ellen Schwartz got involved and Tomko, Le Mel and Schwartz went to president of production Lorenzo Di Boneventura, who stepped up and closed the deal.

Insiders said that Le Mel will act as an executive on the project, which will be used as a vehicle to either launch a new artist or to give an established musical artist a feature film career.

The deal was negotiated by the William Morris Agency's Ramses IsHak and Eliasberg's husband, WMA's Neil Friedman.