Names In The News

Johnson Opens Four AIDS Clinics In California And Florida

Basketball HOFer MAGIC JOHNSON, who announced 15 years ago today that he had been diagnosed with HIV, has opened four AIDS clinics — in L.A., S.F., Oakland and Jacksonville — “where victims can obtain information, treatment and other help.” Simon House Program Dir JANET THREATT, who runs a shelter in Detroit for AIDS-infected mothers and kids, said, “Magic’s focus seems to be on New York, Hollywood, where the stars are. We have a critical need for him to be talking about HIV right here in Detroit, but he does not support a single program here in Michigan.” Johnson is a Michigan native (DETROIT NEWS, 11/7).

BOOK SHELF: Former SI writer TIM CROTHERS has written “THE MAN WATCHING,” a biography about Univ. of North Carolina women’s soccer coach ANSON DORRANCE (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 11/7)....KEN SCHULTZ penned “BASS MADNESS,” which “pits ESPN and those amenable to [pro bass fishing] becoming a made-for-TV pageant like pro wresting” and casts a “skeptical, learned eye on how ESPN’s gamble is actually faring” (N.Y. TIMES BOOK REVIEW, 11/5 issue).

NAMES: ICONIX BRAND GROUP agreed to purchase the OCEAN PACIFIC brand from WARNACO GROUP for $54M (BRANDWEEK, 11/6 issue)....Fox is partnering with THOMAS SCHLAMME to develop a U.S. version of the Canadian comedy “THE TOURNAMENT,” which follows a youth baseball team during the season. The Fox version will be exec produced and written by HOWARD BUSGANG, HOWARD NEMETZ and MARTY PUTZ, three of the people behind the original show (DAILY VARIETY, 11/6)....A bidding war between lumber magnate AARON JONES and former NYRA Chair BARRY SCHWARTZ, former co-owners of the three-year-old colt HALF OURS, resulted in Jones paying $6.1M for the horse, a record for a horse in training sold at Keeneland (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 11/7).