Ross Hawkins

In an effort to highlight West Los Angeles College’s expansion of its cinema class offerings, the Cinema Media Entertainment Arts Dept. will host a 3-day Cinema Festival, Wednesday through Friday, from 10 to 4:30 each day, in the 400-seat Fine Arts Theatre on campus.

[Editor’s Note: A copy of the letter that the disappointed entrepreneur Ross Hawkins, founder of the Backlot Film Festival, sent to patrons last Thursday after he learned the festival’s previously approved dates for next year had been turned down.]

If you look at the producers’ credits on films or television shows today, it seems they go on Forever. There’s Executive Producer, Associate Producer, Line Producer, Supervising Producer and more.

"Just what does a producer do?" asked a young novice director at a recent American Film Institute Seminar. Several answers were given but none seemed satisfactory.

Donald Wayne, former Regional Sales Manager for the Continental Baking Co.’s Hotel and Restaurant Division, who lived and worked among entertainers during World War II, died peacefully in his sleep on May 13. He was just 2 1/2 months shy of his 90th birthday.

During World War II, he served in Special Services in the Army Air Corps, and he attended Officer Training School with Clark Gable.

Have you seen the commercial where the Old Geezer from the AARP peers into the camera and urges in Tuesday’s election, implying that old people living in rent-controlled apartments would be tossed out into the street by greedy landlords.

“Prop. 98 is a landlord scheme that’s bad for renters, homeowners and taxpayers,” concludes the AARP huckster.

I strongly disagree with the newspaper’s position on the Entrada Office Tower Project for several reasons.
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1. Even the City Council members who voted not to bring the matter up again with the new City Council agree that the proposed building is an ugly eyesore.

2. There is a lawsuit to halt the project as it now stands by an organization known as the United Neighbors of the Westside. My understanding is that the Carlyle Group, the parent company of the Entrada’s developers, would pay for any legal expenses incurred by the city involving this development.

I first met Charlton Heston in early December, 1979. I was the line producer for the pilot of the Screen Actors Guild Legacy Series ,and we were getting ready to videotape Henry Fonda’s interview with Heston, who was the host/moderator.

We were taping at the American Film Institute, which was then at the old Doheny estate in Beverly Hills. There was an underground stream that ran beneath the upper parking lot on the premises. No trucks were allowed to park there.

The Backlot Film Festival announced today that the veteran comedy writer, director, actor and producer Carl Reiner will receive the third Thomas Ince Award for outstanding work in the film industry.

Named for the pioneer producer of early filmmaking, Mr. Ince introduced production procedures and quality of standards that set the model and helped mold the distinct image of Hollywood films to this day.

The Tribute and Awards Ceremony will be held Saturday, April 5, at the historic Vets Auditorium in Culver City.

Paul Pitti, one of Culver City’s favorite legendary cowboys, will be appearing with his daughter Pam and son-in-law Randy Turner and the New Westernaires at the 11th annual Cowboy Poetry and Music Festival on Saturday evening at 7 in the South Bay.

The cowboy festival will be hosted at the Empty Saddle Club, 39 Empty Saddle Ln, Rolling Hills Estates, on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

For Angelenos and for veterans, the most important component of a $555 billion spending bill President Bush signed on Dec. 26, is a provision that specifically bans future commercial development or sale of the West Los Angeles Dept. of Veterans Affairs campus.

“It's been a long fight for us," said Keith Jeffreys, president of the Culver City-based Citizens for Veterans' Rights. "This frees us up to concentrate on ensuring that veterans who are supposed to receive services at that hospital are actually getting them.”