Morning Report - News from May 8, 2002

TELEVISION

Meredith Vieira to Host Syndicated ‘Millionaire’

Spurning advances from CBS, Meredith Vieira has agreed to stay on ABC’s “The View” and become host of the syndicated version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” which will air in the fall. The first two choices for host--Regis Philbin and Rosie O’Donnell--had turned down the job.

Vieira announced the move Tuesday on “The View.” “It’s the first show that my family and I sat together, all of us, to watch. So I’ve been in love with it as a parent,” she said of “Millionaire.”

Though terms of the contract were not disclosed, a source close to the talks said Vieira would earn about $5 million a year--a considerable jump from the reported $500,000 salary she draws from appearing on “The View.”

ABC had reportedly dangled the “Millionaire” job before Vieira when it became clear that CBS was interested in her as a replacement for Bryant Gumbel on “The Early Show.” The network was able to make the complicated deal because it co-produces “The View” and owns Buena Vista Television, which produces “Millionaire.”

CBS had been waiting for Vieira’s decision and now must look elsewhere for Gumbel’s replacement. The timing makes it likely that a permanent host for CBS’ third-rated morning news show won’t be known when Gumbel works his final day on May 17.

MOVIES

DreamWorks Victorious in Lawsuit Over ‘Piece’

A judge has dismissed a $10-million breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by a producer of Barry Levinson’s political comedy “An Everlasting Piece” against the film’s distributor, DreamWorks Pictures.

The suit, filed by Jerome O’Connor in February 2001, claimed that the studio dumped the film--which grossed only $75,000 after opening in a “platform release” on 13 screens--to curry favor with the British government. The 2000 movie was set against religious and political tensions in Belfast.

Judge Harry L. Hupp of the U.S. District Court of Central California wrote that, because the studio had paid for the movie, it had the power “in the poker phrase, not to throw good money after bad in costs of distribution. The producer, while undoubtedly disappointed, has no right under the contract to complain.”

O’Connor’s attorney said he plans to appeal the decision, contending that it allows the studio “to engage in a whole range of bad faith.”

THEATER

A Cadillac on Winter Garden Marquee

Another instance of the uneasy alliance between culture and commerce: Broadway’s historic Winter Garden Theatre, home to hits such as “Cats,” “Mame,” “Funny Girl,” “Wonderful Town” and its present tenant, “Mamma Mia!,” will be renamed the Cadillac Winter Garden Theatre.

The move is part of an agreement between the Shubert Organization, which owns the theater, and General Motors, which makes the luxury automobile. Terms were not disclosed.

Renaming theaters is nothing new on Broadway, although many are named after theater people, such as Richard Rodgers, Neil Simon, Helen Hayes and even critics such as Brooks Atkinson and Walter Kerr. But that has been changing. When two old theaters on 42nd Street were combined into one by Canadian impresario Garth Drabinsky, they were re-christened the Ford Center for the Performing Arts. And the Selwyn was renamed the American Airlines Theatre as part of a 10-year, $8.5-million deal between the nonprofit theater company and the airline.

POP/ROCK

Colosseum to Host

Ray Charles Concert

Rome’s historic Colosseum will host what venue spokesmen say is the first concert in its 2,000-year history. On Saturday, Ray Charles will headline “Time for Life,” an event dedicated to promoting global harmony, the BBC reports.

“This concert is to send a message that we have to seek peace even when it seems impossible,” said the city’s mayor, Walter Vetroni. “That’s why we will have singers from countries who have been at war with one another.”

Charles will be joined by Israeli singer Noa and Palestinian musician Nabil, plus Algeria’s Khaled, Argentina’s Mercedes Sosa and artists from Bosnia and Serbia.

The concert launches a three-day international conference promoting Glocalism--a new initiative aimed at fighting inequity and conflict through a network of local communities.

Jewel Minus Guitar

on European Tour

After suffering a broken collarbone and rib in a horseback riding accident last month, Jewel will miss only the first two dates that had been planned for her European tour. But she won’t be able to play guitar when she hits the road in Germany next week.

“It’s a little weird.... I guess I’ll have to polish up my dance routine,” the 27-year-old singer quipped.

QUICK TAKES

How happy is Sony Pictures Entertainment with the record $114.8 million opening of “Spider-Man” last weekend? So happy that it’s extending the company’s Independence Day weekend--shutting down early on July 3 and giving employees an extra vacation day on July 5, according to Variety....Turner Classic Movies will celebrate director George Sidney, who died Sunday, with a five-film festival today, starting with “Show Boat” at 5 p.m.