Hollywood Digest

DAVID E. KELLEY SLAMS ABC OVER 'PRACTICE' SCHEDULE

In the wake of poor ratings for "The Practice" in its new Monday timeslot, producer-writer David E. Kelley is accusing ABC of intentionally torpedoing the show.

The network moved the Emmy-winning legal drama from its customary Sunday night timeslot, putting it up against stiff competition on Mondays from Fox's reality-based hit "Joe Millionaire," NBC's "Third Watch" and CBS' comedy lineup of "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Still Standing." In its first Monday outing, "The Practice" finished fourth.

Kelley told Daily Variety he never understood the thinking behind the switch, which he said left the cast and crew feeling "tremendously betrayed."

"They've killed it with one fell swoop," Kelley said. "It didn't make any sense when they announced it; it seemed like a death sport. Today, some of us look smarter and some of us don't. I would hope (ABC) would act in their own self-interest and put it back where it was doing well."

Kelley and the show's producers at 20th Century Fox Television have intimated that the scheduling change might have been a ploy by ABC to get more favorable terms for the show when its licensing agreement comes up for renewal next season.

Calling the switch "an act of stunning stupidity, which did all the damage it was meant to do," Kelley now says that if "The Practice" lives on after this season, it will be on another network besides ABC.

ABC Entertainment Television Group Chairman Lloyd Braun denied that the network intentionally sabotaged the show.

A BIG BONUS FOR MICHAEL EISNER

Walt Disney Co. Chief Executive Officer Michael Eisner received a $5 million stock bonus for the company's last fiscal year, even though the company had a pretty bad year.

Eisner -- who did not get a bonus in 2001 -- was rewarded for leading the company "in a difficult economic environment that challenged all of the company's major businesses," according to the company's proxy statement released on Tuesday. The statement also said Eisner has Disney positioned for a comeback.

In a letter to shareholders, Eisner conceded that 2002 was a bad year for Disney. The company's stock lost 17.9 percent.

However, that compared favorably with the 20.5 percent drop experienced by the Standard and Poor's 500 index, and Eisner is getting credit in some quarters for that.

In his letter to shareholders, Eisner reiterated company projections that earnings will grow on the order of 25 percent to 35 percent in 2003 -- largely on the strength of improved performances by ABC TV, the company's theme park business and its ESPN cable sports operation.

The $5 million stock bonus comes on top of Eisner's $1 million base salary. David Davis, a Los Angeles investment banker, told the Los Angeles Times the bonus is not out of line.

"These are relatively modest amounts for guys running a Dow 30 company," said Davis.

In the past, Eisner has collected much fatter paychecks. Five years ago, he got $576 million -- mainly from exercising stock options.

SAG WILL AUCTION GOODIES FOR CHARITIES

Movie and TV fans will be able to bid on celebrity gifts and memorabilia from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, with proceeds going to a variety of charities.

SAG and eBay announced that they will conduct the online auction for the third straight year, offering items from the gift bags that celebrities typically receive for participating in awards shows as nominees and presenters. The auction will also offer autographed memorabilia.

Proceeds will benefit the SAG Foundation -- the guild's charity arm that supports a range of health, education and literacy programs.

The collection of gifts presented to SAG Award nominees -- including products from Absolut, Perry Ellis and a getaway to Vail, Colo. -- will be auctioned during the week of Feb. 27-March 6. SAG Awards presenters get gift packages that include items and services from Wilson¹s Leather and Yves St. Laurent Eyewear by Safilo.

CASTING NOTES

Evan Rachel Wood ("Once and Again," "Profiler") is joining Tommy Lee Jones and Cate Blanchett in the cast of Ron Howard's upcoming Western "The Missing."

The project is based on Thomas Eidson's novel "The Last Ride," about a man (Jones) who leaves his family to live among the Apache Indians in New Mexico in the 1880s. He later reconciles with his grown daughter (Blanchett), only to find that his granddaughter (Wood) has been kidnapped by a band of outcasts -- and he must choose whether to ride against the Indians to get the girl back.

'THE BONADUCES'

The daytime chat show "The Other Half" will exploit the reality-TV craze with a new weekly feature looking into the home life of co-host Danny Bonaduce.

The former star of "The Partridge Family," who gained infamy in his adulthood for over-the-top behavior -- including fighting and substance abuse -- will appear in the new series with his wife Gretchen and their two kids. Plans call for the series to premiere on Thursday, and then run as part of "The Other Half" on Fridays in February.