To "inspire his staff to use every ounce of energy in
the final days" of the presidential campaign, VP AL GORE
recently rented out a Nashville IMAX theater for a screening
of "MICHAEL JORDAN TO THE MAX." The film was seen by about
150 staffers (Warren & Armour, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/31).
...The N.Y. TIMES' Nicholas Kristof reported that MICKEY
HERSKOWITZ, a Houston Chronicle sportswriter and longtime
friend of TX Gov. GEORGE W. BUSH, was asked to propose a
ghost-written autobiography of Bush. Bush and his aides
agreed, and Bush sat for a "series of interviews." But
sources said that there soon were "collisions" on the
project and, in August, the Bush campaign "took over the
book" duties from Herskowitz (N.Y. TIMES, 10/29).
REDFORD ON GOLF: ROBERT REDFORD follows his sports
films, "THE NATURAL" and "DOWNHILL RACER" with the golf
film, "THE LEGEND OF BAGGER VANCE," which opens Friday.
Redford: "I'm not that interested in the literal translation
of sports, whether it's baseball or golf or anything else.
I've always been interested in using sports as a metaphor
for life, however. I've done it in several movies." But
in N.Y., Jack Matthews wrote that Redford "put an immense
amount of work into the golf detail, hoping to create a
believable milieu for golfers drawn to the film" (N.Y. DAILY
NEWS, 10/29). Redford talked to USA TODAY's Jeannie
Williams: "[The film] gets to the heart of what golf is
about as a metaphor for life. Any golfer is going to
recognize it, and people who don't play golf are going to
recognize it anyway" (USA TODAY, 10/31). Meanwhile, "Vance"
co-star WILL SMITH promoted the film on the "Late Show" last
night. He told CBS' David Letterman that he doesn't "really
watch baseball until the last game," and this year's Subway
Series "was like a big New York thing and I'm from"
Philadelphia. Letterman: "Do they still have Major League
Baseball there?" ("Late Show," 10/30).
LETTERMAN'S SUBWAY SERIES SIGN-OFF: Letterman, on the
end of the Subway Series: "The good thing about this now is
the subway can go back to being a crime-infested hell hole."
Letterman, on the Yankees celebration in the locker room
after winning the World Series: "They sprayed so much
champagne on [Bud Selig's] toupee, a couple of guys had to
walk it around the block to sober it up." Meanwhile,
Letterman played tape of CBS' Biff Henderson, who was on the
field at Shea Stadium during the World Series talking to
several players. Henderson, to Yankees P JASON GRIMSLEY:
"Knock knock." Grimsley: "Who's there?" Henderson:
"STEINBRENNER." Grimsley: "[Steinbrenner who?]" Henderson:
"You better win or Steinbrenner's gonna fire your ass."
Henderson asked NYC Mayor RUDY GIULIANI, "Which team has the
drunkest fans?" Giuliani: "It's very hard to tell."
Henderson told MSG's AL TRAUTWIG he looks "a lot like"
Yankees 3B SCOTT BROSIUS. Henderson said, "I'm often
compared to DEREK JETER." Henderson asked Yankees DH JOSE
CANSECO, "When you were in bed with MADONNA did she ever
accidently say my name?" ("Late Show," CBS, 10/30).
