Morning Report - News from Aug. 1, 2002

MOVIES/TV

Unions Get Help on Age-Bias Claims

Getting old in Hollywood has never been easy. The Screen Actors Guild recently released statistics indicating that only 35% of the roles in film and TV go to people over 40. And two years ago, a group of 28 screenwriters filed a $200-million lawsuit accusing TV networks, studios, production companies and talent agencies of a “systemic pattern” of age discrimination.

Now government is joining the battle. The California Commission on Aging has teamed up with actors’ unions to form the Industry Coalition for Age Equity in the Media. The group is holding its first news conference today.

On hand will be state Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-Santa Clara), who has authored a bill on aging that refers to Hollywood’s obsession with youth. The legislation would require that the state “work with the entertainment industry to change cultural attitudes toward older adults and make the work force more responsive.”

‘Millionaire’ Winner Charged With Cheating

A British army officer who won $1.56 million on the TV quiz show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” in Great Britain last fall was charged Wednesday with deception and conspiracy. Scotland Yard detectives had been investigating claims that he cheated on the program.

Maj. Charles Ingram denied wrongdoing and was released on bail until a court hearing on Aug. 7. His wife, Diana, and Tecwen Whittock, a 52-year-old South Wales college teacher, also face charges of obtaining a reward by deception and conspiring to do so. They were taken into custody in November and released on bail. An unidentified man was arrested in April.

Ingram won the show’s top prize in September but the check was withheld because of suspicions of cheating, and the episode never aired. According to news reports, investigators believed that someone in the audience relayed correct answers to questions by coughing.

Fox News Edges Out CNN and MSNBC

Fox News Channel won the cable news ratings race in July for the seventh-consecutive month, with an average of 640,000 viewers--more than double its audience from a year ago.

CNN was second with 537,000 viewers on average, a jump of 64%. MSNBC, which has overhauled much of its schedule this month, had 277,000 viewers on average, up 21%.

Although still a distant third, MSNBC did make gains percentage-wise in prime time, up 42% thanks to the addition of Phil Donahue and Chris Matthews. CNN, which recently added Connie Chung to its evening lineup, was up 39% in prime-time viewers compared with a year ago. Fox’s evening numbers were up 69%.

QUICK TAKES

Diana Ross has canceled all performances in her coming California tour, including dates at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Aug. 9 and Aug 10. Her agent said that the singer’s health makes it impossible for her to fulfill her commitment, though no details were provided. Refunds: (800) 300-4345.... Comedian Rosie O’Donnell is working on a musical version of her bestseller “Find Me,” a two-woman play in which she’d star, according to USA Today.... Film composer David Raksin, whose credits include the scores for “Laura,” “The Bad and the Beautiful” and “Will Penny,” turns 90 on Sunday, so KCRW-FM (89.9) plans to broadcast an hourlong documentary on his career at 3 p.m. today.