People

BARKER TAPPED TO HOST DAYTIME EMMYS

The steering committee of the Daytime Emmy Awards says it has chosen venerable TV personality Bob Barker -- an Emmy winner himself, many times over -- to host this year's awards. Barker, a fixture in American TV since the 1950s, will be the master of ceremonies for the event, to be held in mid May. Bob is now 78 and has won several of his awards for hosting the popular "The Price is Right" game show. Barker was first introduced to a national audience by TV mega-producer Ralph Edwards, who picked Barker to replace him on the daytime version of the immensely popular game show "Truth or Consequences." Edwards had heard Barker on local Los Angeles radio, called for him to come in, and ... as they say ... the rest is history.

MATTHAU FAMILY SUES OVER MOVIE RIGHTS

Some of the surviving family of the late Walter Matthau have gone to court claiming they are due money from Columbia Pictures from the distribution of the actor's movies. Court records in Los Angeles show that a lawyer for Matthau says that the studio has reneged on some 80 percent of the monies owed for the use of the 1978 movie "California Suite" and 1969's "Cactus Flower." The flap seems to be about payments for use of the movies in the home video market and foreign distribution. The suit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court late last week. As you remember, Matthau died in July 2000 of a heart attack. He was 79 at the time.

SEATTLE SLEW, OLDEST 'CROWN' WINNER, DIES

Many people saw it coming. At last weekend's Kentucky Derby a lot of people were talking about Seattle Slew, the only living Triple Crown Winner. Many knew that after a series of illnesses and recent neck surgery, the thoroughbred was in failing health. Now officials in Lexington, Ky., confirm for the Courier-Journal that Slew has died ... in his sleep. During the past few weeks this column has carried several stories about the horse. Unusual, one would think, for a report dealing with "people." But for many who love animals and horse racing, Seattle Slew was nearly human, enduring many of the same physical problems that plague us all. But, unlike most people, Slew sired more than a 1,000 offspring, one a Derby winner. He made a mint for his julep-drinking owners and trainer, but his real financial worth came when he was put to "work" on a Kentucky stud farm. He died on the 25th anniversary of his win at Churchill Downs. Seattle Slew was 28.

WRESTLERS CHANGE ORGANIZATION'S NAME

Whether you love them or hate them, for years the World Wrestling Federation, WWF, has made tons of money with theatrical presentations featuring vulgar gestures, obscene language and sexuality. Ironically, some of the biggest fans of all of this are in the Bible Belt. Now, possibly bowing to the realization that wrestling has become a soap opera, the WWF has become the WWE -- trading the "F" in "Federation" for an "E" for "Entertainment." The new F-less logo was introduced for the first time this week on the company's weekly "Raw" broadcast, now seen on TNN. One other reason for the change is a recent court action taken by another group using WWF as its initials -- the World Wildlife Fund. So, same old rock-em-sock-em, bikini-laced action. Just a new name.

CLIMBERS WITH M-S TO TACKLE MOUNT DENALI

A group of mountain climbers, each afflicted with multiple sclerosis, is about to challenge the highest peak in North America, Alaska's Mount Denali, more commonly referred to as Mt. McKinley. The summit is at 20,320 feet. The mountain is in a rugged area of the 49th state between Anchorage and Fairbanks. Some of its vertical slopes are steeper than those of Mount Everest. A seven-member team will start the ascent. The group calls itself Climb for the Cause. As part of their training, members of the group have been doing extensive climbing in the Colorado Rockies and have been taking special workouts, all under the supervision of doctors. By the way, even though warmer weather is approaching in Alaska, temperatures on the mountain -- even in the hottest part of summer -- can still drop to 40 below zero at night. For more information check out climbforthecause.com on the Internet.

MANY AMERICANS ARE CLOSET CLASSICAL LOVERS

Ask most people if they think classical music is a huge part of the music scene and you'll likely see a smirk. The popular perception is that only a tiny percentage of people listen to or even tolerate the classics. As a matter of fact, the head of the Los Angeles Philharmonic recently told reporters that the number of people who patronize his orchestra is so small that the music only appeals to what he called a "subculture." Now it would appear that an awful lot of people really like classical music, but are afraid to admit it. The folks at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation polled more than 2,000 Americans at random and found, much to the surprise of many people, that some 27 percent said they listened to classical music "regularly." Additionally, 17 percent said they went to concerts and 18 percent said they had their radio tuned to a classical station quite often. Meanwhile, many orchestras are trying to broaden their appeal by staging concerts with "youthful" themes and even letting the players appear in street clothes. The only stumbling block for many young people would now seem to be high ticket prices.

UPI DAILY SURVEY QUESTION NO. 328

In light of the death of Seattle Slew, today's question: "Are you a follower of horse racing? Ever legally bet on horses? What happened?" Put HORSE in the subject line and send to [email protected] via the Internet.

RESULTS OF QUESTION NO. 323 (LETTERBOX)

Last week we asked your feelings about the letterboxing of movies on video. Well, more than 80 percent of respondents wrote to ask me what I was talking about. So, here goes. Letterboxed home videos are the ones with the black area above and below the picture. It's the only way to show the full width of a movie on a television screen. Unfortunately, even though you actually see MORE than you would in non-letterboxed versions, many people think they are being cheated and seeing less. For example, if you rent the non-letterboxed version of "The Greatest Story Ever Told," at the Last Supper you will see that Jesus only has eight apostles, not 12. Four are missing from the sides of the picture. Rent the letterbox version and you'll see all 12. Among those who understood, VOXEN loves it, but her husband hates it. Our engineer friend, Robert, vehemently hates it. Brenda says it's good for "sweeping vistas" but sometimes the heads get chopped off. One other thing -- to show both sides of a film in non-letter box, when the film is copied to video, engineers either have to pan from side to side, following the action, or actually switch from side to side. Some noted that this "pan and scan" technique destroys the flow of the scene and creates a feeling not planned by the director. TOMORROW: What should retired presidents do? GBA.