People talk 10/07/02

Lee: Black athletes need to be activists

CLEVELAND -- Filmmaker Spike Lee says he hopes black athletes will see his new documentary "Jim Brown: All American" and be inspired to speak out against social injustice.

Athletes should follow the former NFL star's example and become activists in their communities, Lee said Saturday after the film's premiere at the Cleveland Museum of Art.

"I would love for Jim to sit down with Michael Jordan, with Tiger Woods," Lee said.

The documentary includes interviews with dozens of people and explores the domestic abuse charges for which Brown served jail time.

The documentary also touches on Brown's activism, which can be traced to the 1960s in Cleveland, where he helped found the Negro Industrial Economic Union to help black-owned businesses.

Brown, a former Cleveland Browns running back, said today's players are too blinded by lucrative contracts to care about what's going on in their communities.

"The money is so big," he said. "Most of these individuals have no concept of history, of who opened the door for them."

The film is scheduled for broadcast on HBO in December.

'Alias' star says she hasn't changed

GRANVILLE, Ohio -- Being nominated for an Emmy hasn't changed "Alias" star Jennifer Garner. She's still a procrastinator.

"If I've agreed to give a speech to a million people, I put it off until the plane ride," she said Saturday night in a speech at alma mater Denison University.

"I have nothing to teach you. I'm jealous of all of you. I would love nothing more than to stop time and do college over again."

Jon Farris, head of the Denison theater department, said Garner was the best student he has ever had.

"Not the most talented, but nobody knew how to work the way she knew how to work," Farris said. "We noticed that from the first week she was on campus. ... She had a real aptitude for learning the craft of acting."

Garner plays graduate student/secret agent Sydney Bristow on "Alias," which airs Sunday nights on ABC. The 1994 Denison graduate was asked to speak as part of the school's Provost Alumni Scholar Series.

Keith getting back to his roots with teaching job

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- David Keith has returned to his hometown to teach filmmaking at the university where he got his start in acting.

Keith, a University of Tennessee alumni, will help students at the Clarence Brown Theatre shoot and produce their own short drama.

"I had thought about doing an acting seminar but that idea just spun into something much bigger," he said.

Keith, best known for his role in the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman," got his first taste of acting at his alma mater, playing Uncle Henry in a student production of "The Wizard of Oz."

After auditioning more than 50 students in April, Keith selected 12.

Keith said the short film involves an art gallery owner whose husband is a rich real estate developer trying to tear down the gallery to build a mall.

"The storyline includes all the elements of money laundering, fraud, murder, a trial in court, and the plot just continues to thicken," said Keith, who directed "The Curse" and "The Further Adventures of Tennessee Buck."

Wyle wants to get out of the hospital

RADNOR, Pa. -- "ER" star Noah Wyle sounds ready for a career move.

Wyle, a cast member for eight years, may try something else when his contract expires after the 2003-2004 season.

"I think most actors are born with a drop of gypsy blood, in that they like to be jacks-of-all-trades but masters of none," the 31-year-old actor said in this week's TV Guide. "And I've been sort of a master of this one trade for a very long time. So the need to do something different is definitely growing within me."

Wyle is also disappointed that his character hasn't grown much since being stabbed and developing a drug habit in the sixth season.

"He's been the utility player that you can plug into anybody else's story line as a reactive character or a sympathetic character to allow the audience to see through his eyes," Wyle said. "There have been a lot juicier roles on the show."

Last season, CBS's "CSI" knocked "ER" from its perch as TV's top-rated drama.

-- From wire reports