DON KING was a surprise guest on the "Late Show" Monday
night. While being interviewed by DAVID LETTERMAN, NORM
MCDONALD said that King was his new "manager" and brought
the boxing promoter on stage to promote "The Norm Show" on
ABC. Letterman to King: "Don, shouldn't you be out fixing
fights?" McDonald, on his new show: "It's going to be
tough. We have stiff, stiff competition here on CBS."
Letterman: "Oh yeah? Who do you have?" King: "You don't
have any competition!" McDonald: "Don, we're up against '60
Minutes II.'" King: "'60 Minutes who?'" (CBS, 3/22).
OTHER NAMES: PGA Tour Commissioner TIM FINCHEM was "so
impressed" with ARNOLD PALMER's autobiography, "A GOLFER'S
LIFE," he "contacted the publisher and ordered a copy for
every" PGA, Senior PGA and Nike Tour member (Geoff Russell,
GOLF WORLD, 3/19 issue)....RICK MAJERUS is no longer a
candidate for NOTRE DAME's men's basketball coaching post
after a "shocking rejection" by ND's "leadership" based on
excerpts from Majerus' book, "My Life On A Napkin." Majerus
wrote that it would "be hypocritical for him to discipline
an athlete for academic fraud because of the cheating he had
done as a student at Marquette" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/24)...In
N.Y., Paul Tharp reports that Mets co-Owner FRED WILPON
"struck out on Wall Street" yesterday, after his biotech
company PathoGenesis Corp. "crashed" following management's
announcement that they posted a "significant loss this
quarter." Wilpon lost about $19M "on his personal stake in
the company" (N.Y. POST, 3/24)....The N.Y. State Senate
committed $835,000 yesterday to improvements at the NATIONAL
BASEBALL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM in Cooperstown (Albany
TIMES UNION, 3/24)....ESPN's John Clayton reported that the
"next installment" for Bills QB DOUG FLUTIE "is a movie."
Clayton: "Flutie agreed to a contract this week that will
allow CBS to produce the 'Doug Flutie Movie' for the
television or the big screen. The upfront payment for the
movie rights is close to the $6 million he just received
from the Bills as a signing bonus" (ESPN, 3/24)....MAGIC
JOHNSON will refurbish the historic Loews Kings theater on
Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn. The $30M project will
transform the movie house into a 12-screen multiplex and is
expected to be completed by 2001 (N.Y. TIMES, 3/24).
