Hollywood Digest

HONORS FOR HANKS, ANISTON, SPIELBERG

Organizers of the sixth annual Hollywood Film Festival have announced that Steven Spielberg's "Minority Report" will receive this year's Hollywood Movie of the Year Award, Tom Hanks will be honored as Hollywood Actor of the Year and Jennifer Aniston will be honored as Hollywood Actress of the Year Award at the Hollywood Movie Awards Gala Ceremony next Monday in Beverly Hills.

The winners were chosen in an online public vote, with movie fans choosing the movie of the year from a list that included "The Bourne Identity," "Monsoon Wedding," "My Big Fat Greek Wedding," "Road to Perdition" and "Y Tu Mamá También."

Hanks beat out a field that included Matt Damon, Hugh Grant, Paul Newman, Dennis Quaid and Robin Williams. Aniston won out over a list that included Ellen Burstyn, Jodie Foster, Diane Lane, Bebe Neuwirth and Nia Vardalos.

The festival will also feature special awards for Motion Picture Association of American President Jack Valenti, director Martin Scorsese, actress Jodie Foster and producer Jeffrey Katzenberg. Organizers said presenters for the awards ceremony include Drew Barrymore, Halle Berry, Billy Crystal, Benicio Del Toro, Danny DeVito, Cameron Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Spielberg and Elizabeth Taylor.

PLAYERS LINE UP FOR ACADEMY SEMINAR

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced that some of Hollywood's heaviest hitters will participate in "Producers on Producing," a seminar series intended to share their knowledge of the film business with the public and other movie professionals.

Beginning Oct. 23, and running weekly through Nov. 13, the seminar will cover such subjects as "Conquering Development," "Navigating Studio Politics," Maintaining Technological Edge" and "Recruiting Cast and Crew."

Participants will include producer Marc Abraham ("Spy Game") and producers Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher ("Erin Brockovich," "Get Shorty"). Panels will also feature Lindsay Doran ("Sense and Sensibility"), Saul Zaentz ("One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest," "Amadeus," "The English Patient"), Gale Anne Hurd ("Armageddon," "The Terminator"), Mark Johnson ("Rain Man") and James Jacks ("The Mummy Returns").

KILMER WILL PLAY PORN KING

Val Kilmer is reportedly in talks to star as legendary porn king John Holmes in the upcoming movie "Wonderland," described as the story of Holmes' involvement in the Laurel Canyon Murders, a 1981 quadruple homicide that also involved Holmes' teenage lover.

Lisa Kudrow ("Friends"), Josh Lucas ("Sweet Home Alabama") and Kate Bosworth ("Blue Crush") are reportedly in talks to co-star.

Holmes died at 43 in 1988 after contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. He made more than 2,000 hard-core porn movies and -- according to legend -- had sex with more than 10,000 women.

GEARING UP FOR AWARDS SEASON

The movie awards season is starting to take shape, with the announcement that the New York Film Critics Circle will vote for its annual awards Dec. 16.

The organization will announce the results on its Web site (nyfcc.com), and then hand out the honors at an awards dinner on Jan. 12.

Last year, the NYFCC named "Mulholland Drive" as best film of 2001.

'CELEBRITY' RIP-OFF?

CBS brass, concerned that they're being ripped off by ABC, have turned the matter over to the legal department.

An attorney for CBS has advised ABC that its new show "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!" is just a rip-off of CBS' ratings winner "Survivor," and demanded that ABC drop plans to televise the show.

Plans call for the ABC show to feature celebrities competing against one another in a series of physical challenges in the Australian outback. ABC is expected to air the show over 15 consecutive nights during the February sweeps.

CBS claims that ABC's show "blatantly and intentionally" copies "Survivor" by incorporating "essential elements" of the CBS show.

REVIEWS ARE IN -- STREISAND CAN STILL SING

In case Barbra Streisand fans were wondering, eyewitnesses said she sounded terrific at Sunday night's Democratic Party fund-raiser at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

Gossip columnist Liz Smith said Streisand sang in "clear, brilliant tones" and received "rapturous applause" from the Hollywood audience following a 45 minute set that included "My Funny Valentine," "Evergreen" and "God Bless America" as a finale. Daily Variety's Army Archerd said Streisand "made it a convincing night to benefit all Americans."

Streisand -- who announced her retirement from live performing two years ago -- told the audience she made an exception because she would "do anything to help the Democrats win back the House."

When she sang "The Way We Were," the performance featured special lyrics by Marilyn and Alan Bergman, who -- along with composer Marvin Hamlisch -- won an Oscar for the song in 1973. The trick lyrics slammed President Bush and Republican leaders in Congress:

"Scattered pictures of the house we left behind ... Lovely Democratic memories of the way we were.

"Miseries -- seems that's all that fill the news ... Blame the fella in the White House for the way we are.

"So, in November, let's make the congress, a Democratic congress ... the way we were."