Showtime's "THE HOOP LIFE," a new series about the
fictional UBA franchise New England Knights, will debut on
July 4 at 10:00pm ET, and the WALL STREET JOURNAL's BARBARA
PHILLIPS wrote the series, from LEVINSON/FONTANA CO. and
exec producer JOE CACACI, "exposes the moral rot eating at
the heart of team sports" and while it "is not as sharply
barbed as HBO's sports-centered [Arli$$], it has wry touches
of its own that couch a moral lesson in humor" (WALL STREET
JOURNAL, 6/28). Showtime is holding open casting calls for
the series at six locations of UNIVERSAL SPORTS AMERICA's
HOOP-IT-UP. The auditions will take place from June through
August at several Hoop-It-Up events (Showtime)....Turner
Sports President HARVEY SCHILLER, speaking at a Univ. of KY
Sports Marketing Academy dinner, said that he is "troubled
that Americans are watching less TV": "My job is very
straightforward. I don't want you playing with your
children. I don't want you reading books. I don't want you
going to the library. I don't want you jogging. I want you
watching television" (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 6/24).
...OSCAR DE LA HOYA, on his new recording contract: "I'm a
very romantic singer. If you heard me sing, you'd never
guess I'm a fighter" (NEWSWEEK, 7/5 issue)....Horrow Sports
Ventures Founder RICK HORROW is profiled in today's MIAMI
HERALD: "I'm thinking about my business, if not actually on
the phone, 24 hours a day, seven days a week" (MIAMI HERALD,
6/29)....76ers President PAT CROCE is set to be released
from a PA hospital today after undergoing three operations
last week for his broken left leg (PHILA. DAILY NEWS, 6/29).
