Web posted on:
Friday, November 20, 1998 4:29:43 PM EST

• ABC, union ready to talk
• Widow blames Sonny Bono's death on prescription drugs
• Mariah Carey hopes cameo will kick off a movie career
• For sale: Kirk Douglas' Palm Springs home

ABC employees in a picket line

NEW YORK (CNN) -- For the first time in six weeks, ABC and a union for behind-the-scenes workers were ready to start talking Friday after a mediator refused to say a network lockout of the 2,000 employees was illegal.

The union, which represents camera operators, producers and editors, has been working without a contract since March 31, 1997. After union members staged a one-day strike over health benefits on November 2, ABC locked union members out of their jobs until they promised to give the network advance warning of future job actions. The union refused and filed a complaint with the New York office of the National Labor Relations Board, but regional director Daniel Silverman ruled that the lockout was legal.

"It just totally vindicates the actions of this company," said ABC spokeswoman Julie Hoover. Union spokesman Tom Donahue said Silverman's decision will be appealed. Vice President Al Gore and celebrities including Whoopi Goldberg, Adam Sandler and Tony Bennett have refused to cross picket lines to appear on ABC shows since the lockout began.

Bono

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Sonny Bono's widow blames his death in a skiing accident last January on his use of prescription drugs. Mary Bono, who has been elected to fill Bono's California congressional seat, told TV Guide that her husband was taking up to 20 pills a day for back and neck problems and that the pills badly impaired his judgment.

Bono died after he hit a tree while skiing in Nevada. His widow said the drugs caused him to have severe mood swings, making their marriage difficult. She also said Cher, Bono's first wife who co-starred with him in the 1970s TV variety show "Sonny and Cher," was very supportive. "She, having been there, was so very comforting. She knew how bad it was."

Carey

ARLINGTON, Virginia (CNN) -- Singer Mariah Carey wants to become an actress. She hopes a movie cameo will help kick-start an acting career, according to USA Today. Carey's representatives told the newspaper that she is considering a number of small roles, including one in "The Bachelor," the story of a single young man who will inherit lots of money if he marries by a certain deadline. Chris O'Donnell and Renee Zellweger are slated to star in the film.

Douglas

PALM SPRINGS, California (CNN) -- Like lots of grandparents, Kirk Douglas and his wife want to be close to their grandchildren. So, Douglas and his wife, Anne, have put their Palm Springs retreat up for sale. The estate, which includes a spa and a guest house, lists for $1.6 million.

They are keeping their Beverly Hills home, the Los Angeles Times reported on Thursday. The goal is to move "closer to our grandchildren," Mrs. Douglas said.

The 81-year-old Douglas has been in Reno, Nevada, playing the role of a stroke victim in the movie "Sundowning." The Academy Award winner suffered a stroke himself two years ago. He lost the ability to speak and regained his voice only after long hours of therapy.

Reuters Limited contributed to this report.