Hollywood Digesst

WHOSE AIRWAVES ARE THEY, ANYWAY?

A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation on the amount of air time that TV networks dedicate to public service announcements -- PSAs -- has touched a nerve among TV and advertising executives.

In "Shouting to Be Heard: Public Service Advertising in a New Media Age," Kaiser reported that its survey of the top four broadcast networks and several cable networks showed that, on average, just 15 seconds out of each hour were used for public service announcements.

That works out to or six minutes of each broadcast day, or 0.4 percent of all airtime. By comparison, the study concluded, 25 percent of airtime is bought and paid for by commercial interests.

The study also found that 43 percent of the PSA minutes are relegated to late night -- running between midnight and 6 a.m. -- while just 9 percent of the public service messages showed up during primetime.

The report was based on an analysis of one week's worth of programming from each of 10 broadcast and cable networks in seven different markets, conducted by researchers at the University of Indiana.

The study found that on the major broadcast networks, 25 percent of PSAs served double duty -- promoting network stars even as they promoted some civic value.

The National Association of Broadcasters told the Los Angeles Times that local TV ran $1.8 billion worth of PSAs in 2001. And NAB spokesman Dennis Wharton questioned the conclusion that almost half of PSAs run in the middle of the night.

"Our research has found a pretty even distribution of PSAs throughout the various parts of the day," he said.

The Ad Council, which produces PSAs on crime, education, drunk driving and various health-related issues, told the paper that only 30 percent of its spots run during the middle of the night. Ad Council President Peggy Conlon said the Kaiser study's methodology was "questionable."

OLYMPIC CEREMONY PRODUCER READY FOR A BREAK

It's been a demanding few months for Don Mischer, the executive producer of the opening and closing ceremonies at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

He was working on the show last summer and fall while also putting together the Emmys telecast -- the one that was rescheduled twice following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. He ended up turning the Emmy show over to another producer because he had to go to Salt Lake to whip the Olympic pageants into shape.

The opening ceremony attracted an audience estimated at 45.6 million in the United States and 4 billion around the world. This Sunday's closing ceremony is expected to produce similar numbers.

When it's over, Mischer told UPI, all he wants to do is get some rest.

"I'm looking forward to going home and not answering the phone for a while," he said.

That might be easier said than done. Mischer has been nominated for 31 producing or directing Emmys, and has won 13 times. His resume makes him one of the most in-demand producers in Hollywood.

Sunday's closing ceremony will feature performances by Christina Aguilera, Bon Jovi, Charlotte Church, Harry Connick Jr., Gloria Estefan, Savion Glover, Earth, Wind & Fire, Moby, 'N Sync and Dianne Reeves.

STRANGE BEDFELLOWS AT SAG

The liberal and conservative wings of Hollywood will commingle at the 8th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award when Tom Selleck presents the guild's 38th Life Achievement Award to Edward Asner.

Selleck -- the star of the long-running TV series "Magnum, P.I." and the movie "Three Men and a Baby" -- is regarded as one of the film community's more conservative members. Many still remember his well publicized feud with talk show host Rosie O'Donnell, including their on-air argument about gun control and the NRA.

Asner is one of the best known Hollywood activists on behalf of liberal causes -- including the campaign to get a new trial for convicted cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal.

SAG is honoring Asner -- a former president of the guild -- for "his career achievement and humanitarian accomplishments." Previous Life Achievement Award include Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Sidney Poitier, Kirk Douglas, Elizabeth Taylor, Angela Lansbury, Robert Redford and George Burns.

'CLONES' MUSIC READY TO GO

Oscar-winning composer John Williams has finished recording the musical score for "Star Wars: Episode II -- Attack of the Clones" with the London Symphony Orchestra.

According to a report on the movie's official Web site (starswars.com) producer Rick McCallum said the recording session -- with producer-director George Lucas at Williams's side -- produced an inordinately large amount of music for a movie score.

"There's a massive amount of music, over 125 minutes worth," he said. "That's a lot for a film; the average film has probably about 40."

McCallum said Lucas made only a handful of changes in Williams' score.

Williams, who will serve as musical director at the upcoming 74th Academy Awards, is nominated twice this year for best original score -- for "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" and "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."

CIRQUE DU SOLEIL COMES OUT FOR OSCARS

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday that Cirque du Soleil will perform on the 74th Academy Awards show.

Telecast producer Laura Ziskin said the Montreal-based Cirque will give viewers a "tailor-made" presentation. For the first time, more than 30 artists from the avant-garde troupe's five productions will come together to perform a salute to the music of Benoît Jutras -- who composed the scores for the films "Cirque du Soleil: Journey of Man" (2000), "Cirque du Soleil: Quidam" (1999) and "Algería" (1998).

The Oscars will be presented on March 24 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, in ceremonies to be televised by ABC.

MACAULAY CULKIN'S NEXT

Macaulay Culkin, who hasn't made a movie since "Richie Rich" in 1994, is lined up to play a seriously troubled young man in "Party Monster," co-starring Seth Green ("Rat Race," "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me").

The movie is described as a dark comedy about Michael Alig, who gained local fame in New York as a party promoter in the 1990s and fell from grace when he murdered his drug dealer and got caught because he couldn't help bragging about it.

BIG NAMES HEADED TO SMALL SCREEN

Writer-director Michael Mann ("Ali," "The Insider") is returning to series TV with a pilot for CBS -- a cop show based in Los Angeles.

Mann was behind the long-running NBC crime drama "Miami Vice." He won Emmys in 1989 for outstanding miniseries for "Drug Wars: The Camarena Story" and 1978 for outstanding writing in a limited series or special for "The Jericho Mile."

As the networks continue to develop their 2002-03 primetime schedules, UPN has announced plans to bring "The Twilight Zone" back to TV, and ABC has ordered a pilot for a half-hour comedy series version of Reese Witherspoon 2001 hit "Legally Blonde."

HONORS FOR HARTNETT, WATTS

Josh Hartnett ("Black Hawk Down," "Pearl Harbor") has been named ShoWest 2002 Male Star of Tomorrow. The star of the upcoming youth comedy "40 Days and 40 Nights" will pick up the award at the motion picture industry's annual convention in Las Vegas on March 7.

ShoWest named Naomi Watts ("Mulholland Drive") as its Female Star of Tomorrow. The group previously announced that Will Smith ("Ali," "Men in Black") and Jennifer Lopez ("The Wedding Planner") are this year's Male and Female Stars of the Year, and Nicole Kidman ("Moulin Rogue," "To Die For") will be honored for a decade of distinguished achievement in film.