GOOD MORNING from New York, where the Intl. Radio & Television Society Foundation honored Rupert Murdoch on Wednesday night at the Waldorf-Astoria with its Gold Medal award. I took the opportunity to ask the multimedia giant his opinion of the imminent change at another studio, namely MCA, of course. Murdoch , never one to mince words, told me, "It's great! It'll shake 'em up -- although they (the people at MCA) are all my good friends." Murdoch went on to tell me he believes Seagram's young Edgar Bronfman Jr. will bring many new ideas with him. Murdoch in his remarks noted, "We are inventing new ways of doing things in over-the-air broadcasting. The best years of over-the-air broadcasting are still ahead." He also accented the responsibility of the media in the future. The Grand Ballroom was packed to capacity to honor Murdoch. Terry Bradshaw made his debut as emcee/host. The ex-athlete showed as much energy in handling the show as he did on the field. Away from the microphones, Bradshaw told me Murdoch is a great boss to work for, and he certainly proved his enthusiasm for sports, now adding rugby to his jocks. Ironically, Bradshaw tapes his own pilot next week for Witt-Thomas, away from his Fox TV alma mater. The program celebrating Murdoch was as creative as his plans. In addition to high-speed bigscreen clips from all the Fox TV series, there was a clever concoction pointing up the involvement of Murdoch in all the products via interactive clips of Murdoch in segments from some of the Fox films, like "Mrs. Doubtfire," "True Lies" and "Speed," and of course "The Simpsons." But the truly futuristic portion of the program was a claimed-to-be satellite transmission from Sri Lanka with Arthur C. Clarke speaking atop the screen on stage in an ethereal globe. Clarke talked about satellite transmissions of the future, as well as "fears of electronic imperialism." He also noted that Murdoch did not have to worry at this awards dinner as Clarke said he did, seated in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, "one quarter of a century ago, clutching an awards speech I never gave." We all assumed it was for the movie "2001." After Murdoch was appropriately plaque'd, by Stephen A. Weiswasser , the audience was treated to a surprise concert by Diana Ross. Afterward the high-powered black-tie audience was invited to dance on the giant Waldorf-Astoria ballroom's dance floor.
TALKING OSCARS, "Forrest Gump's" Steve Tisch arrived in town at the family-owned Regency Hotel for another family affair, this one the bat mitzvah of his niece Emily Sussman, daughter of Laurie and Donald Sussman. The Grammys are again being sought for New York by brother Jonathan Tisch, who already is in confabs with NARAS' Michael Greene and producer Pierre Cossette. Staying here at the Regency is Peter Falk, winding the CBS version of Neil Simon's "The Sunshine Boys." Also here, Leonardo DiCaprio and Hugh Grant, doing PAs for their respective movies ... At the Russian Tea Room, I ran into Whoopi Goldberg, who was having lunch before going to work on "Bogus." Tony Randall, whose National Actors Theater is celebrating its fifth year, was at the next booth. This fall he will star in "Inherit the Wind," in the same role -- H.L. Mencken -- as he did in his youth. Nearby, Stanley Donen was lunching with playwright Peter Stone. Donen is getting ready to make a return to films, to direct "Love Letters" at Universal, with script by A.R. Gurney. And Stone says he's just about finished the script for the feature based on "Romeo and Juliet," to star Michael Jackson. Robby Lantz is en route to Los Angeles next week with Milos Forman to complete deals for two movies, still to be locked in, he said.
I CAUGHT UP WITH Gerard Depardieu, Whoopi's co-star in "Bogus," at the restaurant Cesarina, at a dinner party hosted by LakeComo's Villa d'Este's Jean Salvadore. She and the hotel's chef, Luciano Parolari, are here to fete -- and feed -- diners at the UN delegates' dining room through the month of April. Depardieu told me he hopes to do a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger. And talking about Arnold: At Tuesday's Big Picture conference (co-sponsored by Variety and Wertheim Schroder & Co.), Ted Turner rushed up to Arnold to ask him about a movie he'd like Arnold to star in. Schwarzenegger laughingly told him, "Not yet." Arnold's busy getting in shape -- literally -- for Jim Cameron again, and the Terminator ride at Universal Studios, and told me he has no locked-in plans for "Crusade." Also in town, Gary Smith, who caught "How to Succeed ... ," eyeing it as well as other shows for the Tonys, which he will again produce for television. After-theater Elaine's, as always, was packed. Among those there, Paul Newman's business partner A.E. Hotchner, Joey Heatherton and Dabney Coleman , Bobby Zarem, Kathy Sloane and Mary Meeham ... The Regency Hotel was under tight security Tuesday night as the "Seeds of Peace" group held its dinner in the ballroom with these first ladies as honorees: Egypt's Mrs. Abdul Mubarak, Mrs. Chaim Weizman of Israel, and Queen Noor of Jordan.
Contact Army Archerd at
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