GOOD MORNING: Brandon Tartikoff’s cup now really runneth over — he and wife Lilly adopted a baby girl, Elizabeth Justine. Brandon says she has also brought new joy into the life of their 11-year-old daughter, Calla, who, you recall, was seriously injured in a Lake Tahoe car crash New Year’s Day 1991. “She’s taken her over as her baby,” smiles Tartikoff. The family will continue to live in New Orleans for another year as Calla continues to make progress. And Brandon continues to commute from there to N.Y. and L.A. for his innumerable projects. He’s in N.Y. rehearsing “Last Call,” his late-niter syndie’d by MCA, already in 85% of the markets (KCOP here, bowing Sept. 12). And Aug. 22, he starts “Q&E!” for E! Entertainment. He says his association with Ron Perelman “has been a huge adrenalin” with so many ways to diversify in the New World and Fox consortium –“from Perel-man to ‘Spider-man’!” He adds, “Fortunately, I’m with Ron Perelman and Bill Bevins, who are seriously committed to build an empire.” He’s set Louis Teague to direct the four-hour NBC Tom Clancy “Moving Target” in D.C. and L.A. And he’s readying “Without Remorse,” the bigscreen feature for Savoy. As for his participation, in the information superhighway, he laughs, “I’m still a hitchhiker.” Not for long. As for his alma mater Paramount, he congratulates them on their successful summer with “Forrest Gump” and “Clear and Present Danger.” Both projects were in development when he was there — and Tom Hanks was brought into “Gump” during Tartikoff’s regime and, he reminds, after “Bonfire of the Vanities.” “So, you see how times can change.”
SHARON STONE IS NOW SET to co-star with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci in Martin Scorsese’s “Casino” for Universal with Barbara De Fina producing from Nick Pileggi and Scorsese’s script of Vegas 1970-82. “The movie’s about money and wanting power — getting something for nothing,” says DeFina in Vegas for the duration, from September to December. It will be a “mid-budget” pic. The casino scenes will be filmed in the Riviera. As for the look of Vegas 25 years ago, it will be done by computer-generated backgrounds and paintings, admits DeFina. But some of downtown Vegas is still the same. Scorsese, DeNiro and Pileggi toasted Stone’s agreement to star at the Grill Tuesday p.m. in BevHills … Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith are both in Rancho Mirage — but, they are there for family counseling as part of the post-Betty Ford Center stay by Johnson. He continues on his recovery program, has been spending time with his children Jessie (by Patti D’Arbanville) and Dakota (by Griffith) in Aspen. And, Tuesday night, he also brought them to Andre Agassi’s Las Vegas Foundation benefit bash. Agassi was accompanied by Brooke Shields, whom he intro’d as “my girlfriend.” Brooke, one-time date of Michael Jackson, stayed at Agassi’s side throughout the evening. Kenny G performed and the benefit raised $ 40,000 for several Vegas children’s charities … James Woods is the Deauville Fest’s career achievement honoree with a six-pic retro plus the preem of Bruce Beresford’s “Curse of the Starving Class” for Trimark. He takes his mom Martha Dixon to Deauville, then Paris and the Toronto fest screening of “Curse.” And heading to Deauville from her summer home in Ireland is Maureen O’Hara.
JOHNNY CARSON GOT A BIG HAND from Tuesday’s Big Band Night crowd at the Moonlight Tango Cafe when David Steinberg, making his stand-up return, gave a tribute to Carson as “the man who gave me my start — my mentor.” Carson and wife, Alex, were seated at the back of the boite, which was packed with well-wishers including Pat McCormick, who had written for Carson, Robert Hayes, Patrick Wayne, Eric Boardman and Robert Blake. Steinberg said, “When I used to go on David Letterman, he’d whisper to me, ‘Isn’t Johnny Carson awesome’!” It was also Steinberg’s birthday — 50something. Jack Sheldon and his big orch backed Steinberg’s turn. Tango producer Lenetta Kidd follows next Tuesday with Frank Capp’s Juggernaut Big Band and Barbara Morrison … Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy musicvideo their “She Drives Me Crazy” with Fran Drescher playing the studio executive, John Landis, the musicvideo director. Celebs who’ll also participate include Bob and Katie Wagner, Pia Zadora, Vanna White, Sela Ward, Little Richard, Paula Poundstone, Leslie Nielsen, Dick Clark, Casey Kasem, Shari Belafonte, etc. … Jackie Mason made it official: He filed a suit Monday in N.Y.’s Supreme Court against the Tony Awards et al., regarding his “ineligibility.” Total demands from Mason’s four causes for the action: $ 100 million-plus. Meanwhile, he continues on B’way through New Year’s Eve, then is on to Australia and London … Jane March signed with CAA.
ncG1vNJzZmiukae2psDYZ5qopV9mhnqAjq%2BmopuVqHyku8uupKerX6OyuHnBmpmyZZKntqi0056lrGWklr%2B1tcqonZ%2BrXaG2t7HSZmhqaWdtg3OBkm5m