Gotham displays Declaration, film

Lear

GOOD MORNING: A never-ending reminder of the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, will be commemorated next Thursday when an original of the Declaration of Independence, owned by Norman Lear, will be displayed for one day in Time Publishing's Gotham building on the Avenue of the Americas. Norman Lear bought the original copy, only one of 25 remaining from the original group printed on the night of July 4, 1776, and dispatched to the 13 colonies. Lear bought it ($8 million) to travel it around the country to encourage citizens to vote. He reminds that only 39% of the registered voters cast ballots in the last presidential election. Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter co-chair the Declaration of Independence tour, which has already visited 40 cities, where people have been standing in line for as long as 90 minutes to see it. The document is accompanied by a film with an all-star cast reading the Declaration plus an introduction by Morgan Freeman. He and Lear will be on hand for a preview of the Sept. 11 event for dignitaries on Wednesday. David Rockwell designed the setting for the Declaration's presentation that travels in an 18-wheeler. "This is the biggest production of my life," Lear proudly tells me ... Meanwhile, a copy of Showtime's "D.C. 9/11: Time of Crisis " was sent to the White House Wednesday. It airs Sunday. Timothy Bottoms plays President Bush in the nine days following 9/11, but George W. appears in the final scene in his speech before the joint session of Congress. Producer-writer Lionel Chetwynd says the film uniquely combines actual footage integrated (by I Postini) with scenes and thesps for the movie. The process will be useful for Chetwynd's "Eisenhower: Thunder in June," about the 72 hours before D-Day on June 6, 1944. It will air on A&E on the 60th anni. Stephanie Germaine co-exec produces. Integrated with actual footage will be thesps playing Eisenhower, Roosevelt, Churchill, Gens. Bradley, Patton, De Gaulle and Montgomery. Add Chetwynd and Norman Powell's "American Valor," the story of Medal of Honor awardees that will air Nov. 11 on PBS ... Robert Halmi Sr., who exec produced "D.C. 9/11," says he will make no more films "about politics." However, apart from his hefty fictional sked is a biopic of the life of Joe Louis in which he'll again merge reality (footage of Louis' bouts) with live actors portraying Louis' "private life." It will air on the Hallmark Channel.

WHERE'D YOU SPEND your summer vacation? We headed to the Four Seasons Aviara Hotel in Carlsbad, which was a glamorous takeoff-and-return spot from Legoland, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo and Laguna's famous Pageant of the Masters' 70th-anni show ... Does Macy's sell Gimbel's? Well, Sept. 13, Buena Vista Home Entertainment's "Bionicle: Mask of Light" will hold its gala star-studded preem at -- Legoland. "Bionicle" is the hot new boy toy created by the Lego Co. and the movie was originated by the Lego Co., but Miramax Films was excited about the idea, so they jumped into the production, and Buena Vista followed suit in distribution. Miramax's Jeff Tahler tells me Miramax was/is so enthused they're continuing the relationship for a second DVD/video -- as well as a bigscreen feature. He says the trio of Miramax, Legoland and Buena Vista "is a wonderful team." And while "Bionicle" is a boy's world, Tahler says, "Harvey Weinstein is looking for girls' movies, too." Harvey has three daughters ... Meanwhile, Disney's giant weekend at California Adventure features a preview of ABC's primetime shows -- 70 stars to participate in interviews, showcases, screenings, photo ops, Q&As, contests, parades, throughout the park plus a concert by Jim Belushi & the Sacred Hearts.

SHOWBIZ AND MOVIES were also very much alive on another vacation day's drive to Sea World, where the filmed "R.L. Stine's Haunted Lighthouse" in 4-D (!) made its bow this summer. Directed by Joe Dante, it stars Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Michael McKean, Sara Paxton, Matt Weinberg, David Chase with a cameo by Weird Al Yankovic. They, of course, have to relinquish starring honors to -- the superstar of Sea World, Shamu. ... We also caught the 70th-anniversary show of the Pageant of the Masters at Laguna's Festival of the Arts. I've seen it many years and this was the best -- with a cast of 600 volunteers plus the pros. It finale'd with a gala and, sadly, with the resignation of the pageant's director, Steven Brezzo. Next year's show, "Portrait of the Artist," is going ahead full steam. Jane Seymour, who femceed the closer, also graciously loaned some of her art work to the show -- not for sale but to help publicize the nationally known show and pageant. Her paintings are selling around the world -- one gaining most attention there was painted by her at Giverney, Monet's home. She had permission to work there on a day closed to the public. And she's seen on the bridge above the water lily pond. She's now en route to Tahiti -- where she says she'll certainly be influenced by Gauguin.