Hollywood

The search is on as 1,500 show-business hopefuls audition for parts in "Bandstand," a new movie being filmed here. On Saturday, Richard Logan took his turn in front of the Hollywood moviemakers, who included director and Germantown native Mark Rosenthal (third from right) and casting director David Ruben (second from right). They were at Temple's Conwell Hall, looking for local talent to appear in this romantic comedy about teenagers who reached the national spotlight on a televised dance party during the 1960s.

From the halls of Congress to the shores of south Florida, a 60-year-old city and a world-famous film community fight for the right to call themselves Hollywood. U.S. Rep. Larry Smith, D-Hollywood, Fla., took to the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday to protest the request by Hollywood, Calif., to trademark its name. "If Tinseltown is successful, what next?" Smith asked. "Rome, Georgia, vs. Rome, New York? Portland, Oregon, vs. Portland, Maine? We may have a war between the cities starting on the steps of the U.S. Patent Office.

The NC-17-rated "Showgirls" stumbled out of the starting gate its opening weekend, but Hollywood's steam quotient is still rising. Spike Lee says his upcoming "Girls 6" got an NC-17 but probably will be edited to an R. Greg Araki's "The Doom Generation," with a walk-on by Heidi Fleiss, will go the unrated route, a la "Kids. " Meanwhile the upcoming "Jade" has escaped with an R.

The last 3-D movie the Hit Man saw left a lot to be desired. He was subjected to wearing those silly paper glasses, and the movie seemed out of focus, not three dimensional. He left the theater disgruntled and unhappy. This week you can see a bit of moviedom up close, and you don't have to wear silly paper glasses. The "Hollywood on Tour" exhibit, with memorabilia valued at more than $1 million, is at Willow Grove Park and Mall today through Aug. 28. It features a collection of costumes, props and original posters from some of Hollywood's most famous movies.

SO, IF Hollywood is all "pinko commie leftists," what does that make Bruce Willis, Bo Derek, Ray Romano, Patricia Heaton, Britney Spears, Gene Simmons, the late Johnny Ramone, et al? They're Republican. Many country artists are GOP. Even former actors turned governors - Reagan and Schwarzenegger were/are Republican. Don't think all entertainers are liberal. I have discussions with conservatives who don't resort to name-calling. The venomous tone just feeds into stereotypes that all Republicans are stodgy and incapable of accepting other points of view.

Concerning Michelle Malkin's 11/17/03 OP/ED piece, entitled "Just Another Dumb-Blonde Joke," about Jessica Simpson and other Hollywood "dummies" as poor role models for our children. Aren't conservatives cute when they're self-righteous? I'll be the first to admit that I have never watched Jessica Simpson's show, nor do I plan to, and all I know about it is what I have read in the paper. But as I read Ms. Malkin's "fair and balanced" rant, I thought of some other Hollywood "dummies" that she neglected to mention . . . perhaps intentionally.

Below is Modern Maturity magazine's list of the most powerful people over 50 in Hollywood. The list was compiled by historian Aljean Harmetz. Her definition of "powerful people"? Those who can "(1) get a movie made and (2) get people into the theater, particularly on a movie's critical opening weekend. " 1. Clint Eastwood (67) 2. Harrison Ford (55) 3. Michael Douglas (53) 4. Robert Redford (60) 5. Arnold Schwarzenegger (50) 6. Sean Connery (67) 7. Morgan Freeman (60)

If you just looked at the demographics, at the swimming pools and stunningly landscaped lawns, you might mistake this for Republican country. But as Democrats move from one studio bash to the next, mingling with stars and moguls, it's clear that the party is on home turf. "This is such a Democratic community that I think it's actually hard for a film celebrity to stand up and say they're Republican," said Dan Jinks, coproducer of last year's Oscar-winning film American Beauty.

Hollywood needs to stop marketing sex and violence to our nation's children. I'm young enough to have felt the full force of Hollywood's marketing machine. By the time I entered high school, I had seen countless murders on the screen. I had seen women degraded and family values mocked. And I had heard enough swearing to make even the crudest sailor blush. Only recently was I able to unlearn some of the "lessons" I received. For example, for years I thought zombies were evil flesh-eating creatures who only wanted to destroy the human race.

THE WAR for Hollywood is over, and the geeks have won. So says Simon Pegg, who parlayed a geeky/funny BBC show into a movie career and a recurring role as Scotty in "Star Trek," ascending to a kind of nerd heaven, where he's found himself surrounded by others like him. Their mission: to respectfully go where Gene Roddenberry has gone before. "You're talking about a TV show that is almost 60 years old, and yet remains beloved," Pegg said. "We wanted people to know we're not in any way being post-modern about it. We're not out to parody it or send it up. We're picking up the baton and taking our turn with it. " Pegg became famous for his British comedy hit "Spaced," a slacker sitcom packed with so many pop-culture references, the DVD comes with a "Homage-a-Meter.

Dean Jeffries, 80, a legendary auto customizer who was one of the first hot rodders to chop, channel, and soup-up automobiles during the car-crazy 1950s in Southern California, died May 4. He had been in declining health, and his death was confirmed by his son, Kevin. Mr. Jeffries was an automotive jack-of-all-trades, working as a stuntman, car builder, and race-car painter and pinstriper. Mr. Jeffries' distinctive paint jobs and sculpted bodywork attracted many admirers to his auto shop, including the likes of James Dean, Steve McQueen, and A.J. Foyt.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Unlike the thieves in Ocean's Eleven, it appears that those behind the clockwork-precision, $50 million diamond heist at Brussels Airport may not get a Hollywood ending. After three months of virtual silence, authorities struck this week, detaining at least 31 people in a three-nation sweep and recovering so many diamonds from the loot Antwerp traders lost that they are still figuring out the exact value. Officials said that among the people held in Belgium, France, and Switzerland were some with violent criminal pasts; the one person held in France is believed to have been one of the airport robbers.

"I like Mother's Day," says Katie Couric , 56, of that dread day. "But I also like my daughters to be nice to me all year long," she says of Ellie , 21, and Carrie , 17. Couric tells USA Today she's worked hard to keep her girls out of the media. Until now. All three women pose in the latest "Got Milk?" ad, which premieres Friday on Couric's gabfest, Katie . "I'm really proud of them. I think they've turned into exemplary young women. " Couric, who struggled with bulimia in college, says the milk ads stress "healthy eating and healthy body image.

WEST Philadelphia-born and -raised, Colman Domingo makes no pretense of passing as a prince of Bel-Air. No need to; at 43, he's more a poobah of film and stage. And he's got the credits to prove it, from Steven Spielberg's recent, Oscar-winning "Lincoln" to Spike Lee's "Passing Strange," a 2009 film based on a play that Domingo appeared in and won an off-Broadway Obie Award for. You'll also see him this fall in Lee Daniels' "The Butler," about White House butler Eugene Allen.

HAVING A FLY office is part of the Hollywood game, and Marshall Mitchell's new digs are no exception. He has the requisite sleek, modern couch and wall-mounted flat-screen TV. Animal-skin rugs cover espresso-stained hardwood floors. An antique dining table- turned-desk ties the room together. For Mitchell, who co-founded the Different Drummer agency in 2008 to provide publicity and marketing support for such movies as "The Croods," "Life of Pi," "The Princess and the Frog," "Red Tails" and "Good Hair," the snazzy decor suits his movie-business persona.

MOVIE STUDIOS get sued a lot. They get sued by disgruntled writers ("Hey, you stole my idea!), P.O.'d producers ("Where are my residuals?")Hollywood looks bad in Iranian suit and angry actresses ("My contract says you have to provide private electrolysis for my bikini line!"

    It was supposed to be Lincoln vs. Zero Dark Thirty , Spielberg vs. Bigelow, the Great Emancipator vs. the CIA girl who hunted down bin Laden. But then, on Jan. 10, they actually announced the Oscar nominations. Kathryn Bigelow's name, shockingly, wasn't on the best-director list, and senators and Pentagon-ers had raised flags about the film's depiction of "enhanced interrogation techniques. " Zero Dark Thirty lost its momentum. So Lincoln and Steven Spielberg had it in the bag, right?

American Idol announced its Top 40 Thursday night, and, alas, none is from the immediate Philadelphia area. The most local performer left is Chris Watson, a head-scarf-sporting dude who grew up in Dover, Del., and lives in Central Jersey, near the nexus of the turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. No one else remains from Pennsylvania or those adjacent states. Gone are Taylor Ivy Rand, the Chickie's & Pete's hostess who graduated from Girls High; Courtney Calle, a student at Council Rock North; and Zach Birnbaum, a student at Cherry Hill High School West.

At least five young singers from the Philadelphia area are still alive on Fox's American Idol . The fate of two more might become clear from 8 to 9 tonight, when more showdowns air with guys who passed their original auditions and made it to Hollywood. Last night, two guys-only rounds were shown, and Zach Birnbaum , a student at Cherry Hill High School West, was among those getting the go-ahead. The bangs of his shaggy hair covered his eyes as he performed "Some Kind of Wonderful" with three other guys.