Witt to address USC grads

Fox 2000 prexy Ziskin to receive Pickford Award

By NICK MADIGAN

Producer Paul Junger Witt ("Dead Poet's Society") will deliver the commencement address today at the USC School of Cinema-Television graduation ceremonies.

Laura Ziskin, president of Fox 2000 Pictures, will receive the Mary Pickford Award. Former recipients of the award include alumni Robert Zemeckis, Walter Murch, David L. Wolper and Alan Ladd Jr.

The 2:30 p.m. ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium will be broadcast live on high-definition TV from a mobile unit provided by National Mobile Television and Trojan Vision Television.

"Supporting the new creative voices in film and television is vital to the industry, and I'm confident it won't be long before we start seeing these graduates in meetings," said Witt, a member of the school's Television Advisory Council and the Board of Councilors.

Witt, with partners Tony Thomas and Susan Harris, is heavily involved in TV productions. His credits include "Golden Girls," "Beauty and the Beast," "Brian's Song." "Soap," "The John Larroquette Show," "Benson" and "The Rookies."

Witt and Thomas were responsible for several films, including "Dead Poet's Society," "Final Analysis" and "Three Kings."

Ziskin counts among her credits "Pretty Woman," "As Good As It Gets," "To Die For," "No Way Out," "What About Bob?" and "Hero."

At Fox, Ziskin oversaw development of "Courage Under Fire," "One Fine Day," "Soul Food," "The Thin Red Line," "Pushing Tin," and the upcoming "Fight Club" and "Anna and the King."

"I am honored to be in the company of the esteemed past recipients of the Mary Pickford Award," Ziskin said. "And I am especially pleased to receive an award that commemorates the memory of a woman who was a genuine pioneer of the business I love."