Schwarzenegger still hinting at political role

BURBANK, Calif. -- Arnold Schwarzenegger won't terminate rumors of a run for governor while promoting his latest movie, joking that: "You haven't seen special effects like this since the California state budget."

The action star's advisers have said he'll decide whether to run after the July 2 release of "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines," and only if it becomes clear that an effort to recall Gov. Gray Davis will qualify for the ballot.

If voters decide to oust Davis, they'd also have to choose a successor.

At Thursday's taping of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" at NBC Studios, the talk show host introduced Schwarzenegger, 55, as "the next governor from the great state of California."

Afterward, the two left for Camp Pendleton in San Diego County, where they surprised 1,300 Marines with an advance screening of "T3," the third film in the "Terminator" series. Schwarzenegger made the special effects quip to Marines, who gave him a boisterous ovation.

During "The Tonight Show" taping, Leno suggested campaign slogans for the Austrian-accented actor, such as: "Who better to represent a state where no one speaks English?" and "Not a good enough actor to fool you on taxes."

Eastwood's latest film to kick off festival

NEW YORK -- Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River" will flow into the New York Film Festival as this year's opening-night film.

The actor's latest directorial effort, which made its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, is a crime thriller starring Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Kevin Bacon. It screens at the festival Oct. 3 and opens in theaters Oct. 10.

"It's always an honor and a pleasure to welcome Clint Eastwood back to the Festival," said Richard Pena, chairman of the New York Film Festival selection committee and program director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. "Watching the film, one is immediately struck by his brilliant yet always subtle control over every aspect of the cinema."

Eastwood, 73, appeared at the 1988 New York Film Festival with "Bird." He also received a career achievement award from the Film Society of Lincoln Center, which runs the festival, in 1996.

Controversial publicist takes gossip reporter job

NEW YORK -- Lizzie Grubman, the publicist who backed her SUV into a crowd of clubgoers in the Hamptons two years ago, says she has a new philosophy on the media: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Grubman plans to begin a new job as a gossip and entertainment reporter for the radio station WNEW-FM, "102.7 Blink." Her first report will be on goings-on in the Hamptons over the Fourth of July weekend.

"Now, I decided that if I can't ... beat the media, I'm joining the media," she told sister station 1010 WINS.

Grubman, whose company promoted singer Britney Spears, rapper Jay-Z and the Backstreet Boys, served 37 days in jail after pleading guilty to assault and leaving the scene of the July 7, 2001, crash outside the Conscience Point Inn that injured at least 16 people.

"So many people were involved, and you know, it breaks my heart every single day," she said. "I still think about it, and it'll never go away."

Messages left for Grubman's lawyer, Stephen Scaring, and Infinity Broadcasting, which operates WNEW, weren't immediately returned.

12 Fuller; LJI101-6 Schwarzenegghorter

NEW YORK -- Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. will begin regular publication of Everyday Food, a recipe magazine, with the September issue, following a six-month test run.

The commitment to Everyday Food, announced Thursday, marks the most visible business initiative since Stewart was indicted June 4 on charges of lying to investigators and deceiving her company's shareholders during a probe into her sale of ImClone Systems stock.

Stewart stepped down as chief executive of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia on the day the indictments were announced, but she has remained at the company as its chief creative officer as well as a member of the board of directors.

Everyday Food is the first magazine published by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia that doesn't bear her name.

The company published the first of four test issues in January. From now on, it will be published 10 times a year and distribution will increase to 900,000 from 750,000 during the trial period.

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NEW YORK -- Wayne Shorter, whose "Footprints Live!" CD was his first all-acoustic album since 1967, swept the top honors at Jazz Awards 2003, winning in four categories.

Shorter, who rose to prominence as a composer and saxophonist in Miles Davis' 1960s quintet and later co-founded the electric jazz fusion band Weather Report, was voted tenor saxophonist and musician of the year.

Shorter's quartet -- with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade -- was selected combo of the year. The album of the year honors went to "Footprints" (Verve), which was Shorter's first live recording as a leader and featured the quartet reinventing some of his best-known compositions spanning his career.

Also receiving multiple awards were Dave Holland for acoustic bass and big band, and Village Voice critic Gary Giddins, honored as jazz writer of the year and with the Jazz Journalism Lifetime Achievement Award.

Other award winners included Alyn Shipton of BBC Radio 3 (Lifetime Achievement in Jazz Broadcasting), Regina Carter (strings player), Russell Malone (guitarist), Kenny Barron (pianist), Dave Douglas (trumpeter), Cassandra Wilson (female vocalist) and Andy Bey (male vocalist).

Cecil Taylor, the groundbreaking free jazz pianist, was presented the award for Lifetime Achievement in Jazz at a ceremony Wednesday at B.B. King's Blues Club and Grill. Pianist Jason Moran was chosen as Up 'n' Coming Musician of the Year in balloting conducted among the 400-strong members of the Jazz Journalists Association.

The awards ceremony, which included performances by trumpeter Wallace Roney's quintet and a duet of vocalist Judi Silvano and pianist James Williams performing a tribute to the late pianist and Billie Holiday accompanist Mal Waldron, was also a benefit for the Jazz Foundation of America, which helps arrange free medical care and other emergency help for veteran jazz artists in need.

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On the Net:

http://www.jazzhouse.org

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WIMBLEDON, England -- Paul Bettany, who stars in the upcoming film "Wimbledon," would rather watch the world-famous tennis tournament than play the game.

Bettany hadn't picked up a racket before starting training six months ago with 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash. "Wimbledon" director Richard Loncraine said Bettany could have been a tennis pro if he'd been trained as a child.

Bettany disagreed.

"I don't think I have the competitive streak," the 32-year-old actor said. "They spend hours and hours and hours a day practicing. I need to do things like drink beer and smoke."

However, he does like to watch videotapes of Wimbledon finals.

"My favorite is either a Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe or, more recently, Goran Ivanisevic-Pat Rafter (final)," he said. "I swap sides every time I watch it. At first I was going for Ivanisevic, but the other day I was shouting for Rafter."

Filming for the feature movie came to the All England Club Thursday. Two scenes were shot, pushing back the scheduled start of play by 30 minutes.

"Wimbledon" is a romantic comedy about an aging British player who goes on a winning streak. Off the court, he tries to win the heart of an up-and-coming American tennis star.

"I'm trying to do for tennis what 'Raging Bull' did for boxing," Loncraine said.

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LONDON (AP) -- Children's author Alan Davidson is suing Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks studio for damages, saying it stole his story for the 2000 animated film "Chicken Run."

Davidson argues that the movie, produced by DreamWorks and animators Peter Lord and Nick Park, infringed on a copyright protecting "Escape From Cold Ditch," his children's tale of a hen that leads an escape from a chicken farm.

The author claims the movie, credited to Lord and Park, infringes on his moral right to be identified as the author.

DreamWorks and Lord's Aardman Animations, based in Bristol, are named as the main defendants in papers filed Tuesday at Lewes County Court in southern England. The papers point to a number of similarities between the film and the book, published in 1995.

"We deny that there is any basis whatsoever for Mr. Davidson's claim and we intend to defend the litigation," said a spokesman for Aardman, where Park animated "Chicken Run" and the "Wallace & Gromit" films.

DreamWorks in Los Angeles did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment Thursday.

Davidson, who lives near Hartfield south of London, refused comment Thursday, but a family spokesman said the lawsuit "is a matter of principle and honesty."

Both stories feature a rebellious hen who leads her clucking friends in a World War II-style breakout across fields and barbed wire.

Davidson's title is a play on Colditz Castle, where the Germans held Allied prisoners during World War II.

"According to Nick Park ... when Park and Lord pitched the idea to DreamWorks in January 1996, 'all we had was this one joke: an escape movie with chickens,"' the court papers assert.

"When the defendants released 'Chicken Run' ... however, they had much more -- they had a story strikingly similar to 'Escape From Cold Ditch,"' the papers say.