Entertainment Today: Showbiz news

GOLDEN SATELLITE AWARDS

"Moulin Rouge," which won three Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, had an even better night at the 6th Annual Golden Satellite Awards -- winning seven trophies, including best comedy or musical motion picture.

"A Beautiful Mind" -- which won four Golden Globes -- picked up only one Golden Satellite. Jennifer Connelly won for best supporting actress in a drama.

The Golden Satellite Awards are presented by the International Press Academy, formed in 1996 by a group of journalists that split with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor were named best actress and actor in a musical or comedy movie for "Moulin Rouge," which also won for best director (Baz Luhrmann), supporting actor in a comedy or musical (Jim Broadbent), original score, original song ("All Love Can Be"), art direction and costume design.

The IPA named "In the Bedroom" best drama movie and honored its star, Sissy Spacek, as best actress in a drama for her portrayal of a woman coping with the tragic death of a son. "In the Bedroom" also won for best-adapted screenplay. Brian Cox was named best actor in a drama for his portrayal of an honorable pedophile in "L.I.E."

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" -- which went away empty-handed at the Golden Globe Awards even though it had four nominations -- fared better at the Golden Satellites, winning four awards, including best motion picture, animated or mixed media. The first of director Peter Jackson's movie adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien's literary trilogy also won for best visual effects, editing and sound.

In the TV categories, the IPA named "24" best TV drama series and "Sex and the City" best comedy series.

(Thanks to UPI Hollywood Reporter Pat Nason)

HANK AZARIA

Funnyman Hank Azaria had big hopes for his first foray into television -- the sitcom "Imagine That." But after only two episodes, the comedy has been pulled from NBC's schedule.

The show featured the Emmy-winning actor, recently seen as a Jewish resistance fighter in the Peacock network's "Uprising," as a TV comedy writer. Early reviews didn't help.

And even though 6.8 million viewers may seem like a ton of people, the aggregate viewership was not enough to please sponsors. Only five episodes were filmed.

Azaria has a near cult following among fans. He is known for his voice characterizations on "The Simpsons," including Moe the bartender, Police Chief Wiggum and Apu, the convenience store clerk.

(Thanks to UPI Feature Reporter Dennis Daily)

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

A New York-based performing arts group has turned songs from Bruce Springsteen into a rock opera titled "Drive All Night."

E! Online reports The Culture Project is expected to preview a rough demo of the two-hour production for The Boss himself in March. If Springsteen gives the thumbs-up, "Drive All Night" could be stage-bound.

"We just thought this would work well," said artistic director Darrell Larson, who thought up the idea about four years ago with partner Stephanie Kerley-Schwartz. "It would be a real addition to music in theater, and his work would particularly lend itself to this treatment."

The "demo version" of the rock opera features snippets from some 29 Springsteen songs in each act, as it tells the story of a working-class guy named Eddie. The show includes well-known Springsteen favorites like "Thunder Road" and "Atlantic City," as well as obscure tunes like "Protection," a Springsteen-penned song that Donna Summer recorded.

Larson -- who directed a 1995 concert version of "The Wizard of Oz," starring Jewel, Jackson Browne, Natalie Cole, Nathan Lane and Roger Daltrey -- first began talking with Springsteen's camp when longtime Bruce producer-engineer Chuck Plotkin worked on Larson's "Wizard of Oz" CD.

"What we're doing here is a demo version, and we're hoping it will be clear enough in how good it is that it will move forward," Larson said. "Then we'll do a fully staged version, try it out in Springsteen country and bring it into New York."