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Showbuzz
Web posted on:
Thursday, January 07, 1999 3:44:42 PM EST
Today's buzz stories:
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"PJs"
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LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Eddie Murphy's new animated TV series debuts Sunday night on Fox, but it's already drawing protests. An African-American group is urging viewers to boycott "The PJs." The group says the show, set in a housing project, reinforces negative stereotypes of African-Americans.
Fox claims "The PJs" can actually help raise important cultural issues, but protesters don't buy that. "We want this show pulled until it can be rewritten," says Najee Ali of Project Islamic H.O.P.E. "And we want to make sure that it's rewritten with some sensitivity. We do not find anything funny about jokes about alcohol, crack, or making light of someone's problems with substance abuse."
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Bob Newhart (center) unveils his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
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LOS ANGELES (CNN) -- Bob Newhart, the comic actor best known for his work in the sitcoms "The Bob Newhart Show" and "Newhart," was honored on Wednesday with his own star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. More than 200 fans gathered on the Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk to witness Wednesday's unveiling of Newhart's star, the 2,127th to be dedicated in the famous walkway. Newhart, 69, launched his career in 1959 with his famous comedy routine utilizing a one-man, two-way telephone conversation, delivered with his trademark deadpan grin.
HOLLYWOOD (CNN) -- Timing is everything. The WB network is working on an ensemble drama about young Washington, D.C. staffers, according to Variety. "DC" (originally called "Interns") explores the lives of several ambitious early-20-somethings entering the work force for the first time in the high-stakes world of Washington politics.
The WB is expected to announce the pickup of a pilot episode Thursday, at the opening session of the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena. Thursday also marks the first day of President Clinton's impeachment trial in the Senate, which was brought on by a sex scandal involving a real-life D.C. intern, Monica Lewinsky.
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James Lars and Hetfield Ulrich of Metallica
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SAN FRANCISCO (CNN) -- The heavy metal band Metallica will perform two concerts with an unlikely accompaniment. The San Francisco Symphony will back the band and composer Michael Kamen for two performances of all-Metallica songs at the Berkeley Community Theater April 21 and 22.
"This is not going to be the easy-listening version of Metallica," Kamen said Wednesday. "The idea is to have Metallica be Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony be the San Francisco Symphony. I think there's more in common than there are differences." Kamen, who has provided orchestration for artists such as David Bowie, Eric Clapton and Pink Floyd, says the Metallica project is no joke and has been in the works for two years.
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Fox
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NEW YORK (CNN) -- Michael J. Fox, who plays a deputy mayor on ABC'S "Spin City," has soaked up some more real City Hall atmosphere. Fox went to City Hall on Tuesday to watch the mayor officiate at a wedding. "He takes it very seriously," Fox was quoted by New York's Daily News as saying. The wedding was for two of Fox's friends, Danelle Black and John Fortenberry. Black is head of Fox's production company, and Fortenberry directs for television.
Reuters Limited contributed to this report.
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