Actor Bill Murray will produce and appear in TV ads in which
he announces his retirement from the entertainment industry where
"he has nothing left to prove" in order to "pursue a dream" of
playing NBA basketball. The spots, Murray's spoof on Michael
Jordan, will run on NBC, MTV and ESPN. The league says Murray
will not be paid for the ads. Michael Hiestand predicts, "Good
bet: Murray's made-for-TV odyssey will work its way into pop
culture, becoming a staple in media coverage" (USA TODAY, 11/15).
Richard Sandomir calls the Murray spots "oddly amusing, but not
exactly Orson Welles" (N.Y. TIMES, 11/15)....The Walt Disney Co.
is "keeping alive" its contract to buy more than 2,000 acres of
property near Haymarket, VA, said officials of the development
company that owns the land once slated to become a Disney theme
park (WASHINGTON POST, 11/15)....Jeff Blake t-shirts "are jumping
off the shelves, and the red-hot Bengal quarterback is being
deluged with requests to appear at everything from banquets to
bar mitzvahs." Dave Slyby, who coordinates public appearances
for Bengal players: "I haven't seen anything like this since
Boomer (Esiason) during the Super Bowl year." One local retailer
said he could not print Blake t-shirts fast enough (CINCINNATI
ENQUIRER, 11/15)....Korbel Champagne and Team Dennis Conner will
christen Conner's new America's Cup yacht Stars & Stripes on
November 19 in San Diego. Korbel is supporting Team Dennis
Conner through a variety of creative marketing endeavors (Team
Dennis Conner)....Coors Light concluded its 3rd season as the
WPVA's title sponsor and fifth season overall with the women's
volleyball tour. Other sponsors include Reebok, Foot Action,
Killer Loop by Baush & Lomb, Chevrolet, Brine Volleyballs, Naya
Water, Jag, Dupont, Gatorade and Gold's Gym (WPVA)....The PGA
Tour made a record charitable contribution of $24.7M this year to
over 900 organizations across the U.S. and Canada (PGA).
