TRISTAR MAKES STATEMENT AGAINST REEBOK SUIT

          TriStar Pictures has "departed from corporate policy"
     to publicly respond to a breach-of-contract lawsuit filed by
     Reebok in December against TriStar for "failing to include"
     a Reebok ad in "Jerry Maguire," according to Kirk Honeycutt
     of the HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.  TriStar's statement said: "A
     perfectly valid and legal creative decision was made not to
     use the Reebok commercial in 'Jerry Maguire.'  Having failed
     to secure a guaranteed product placement on a contractual
     basis, Reebok is now trying to cash in on free publicity
     generated by its lawsuit against our hit movie."   Reebok's
     suit claims it promised "a massive promotional campaign in
     excess of $1.5 million" for "Jerry Maguire" in exchange for
     including Reebok ad in the movie.  The conclusion of the
     statement reads: "This lawsuit is totally baseless"
     (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 2/10).  In N.Y., Stuart Elliott took an
     in-depth look at the Reebok lawsuit.  A hearing on Tristar's
     motion to dismiss is scheduled today (N.Y. TIMES, 2/7).