Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • 30

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 2001 2D DETROIT FREE PRESS THE WAY WE LIVE THE WAY WE LIVE Vi LE0MRD PITTS p. King had a dream and it wasn't this II 1 If A 1 ViLi niiniHiflu; JOHN SMYNTEK'S WfllES mi cX" i -j i i riiliaMaihMiMi -mi FUCES I confess to being selective in my outrage. When the late Fred Astaire was electronically 14 0 3 He's doing it for art's sake, right? "What drew me back was that I knew it was going to pay real well. That's the best reason to revisit a character." MORGAN freeman, joking about playing psychologist Alex Cross in the "Kiss the Girls" sequel "Along Came a Spider." MALONE NOOTCHEEZ The comedians appear at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday and 8:30 10:30 p.m.

Friday-Saturday at Chaplin's Comedy Club in Clinton Twp. See Comedy listings. Im Channel 62 local news feels like deja viewing TIE LIST YOUR FREE PRESS ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE FOR TODAY 377-3300. "The Tropical Pickle," Jeff Daniels' comedy about office politics and corporate climbing. 2 8 p.m.

8 p.m. Sat, 2 6 p.m. Sun. Through May 31. Gem Theatre, 333 Madison, Detroit.

31 3-963-9800. FILM The inaugural newscast for WWJ-TV (Channel 62) got off the mark 45 minutes late Monday due to the NCAA basketball final, meaning competition with the newscasts on Channel 4 and 7 wasn't an issue on Night One. The Channel 62 news broadcast is essentially a repeat of the 10 p.m. newscast on sister station WKBD-TV (Channel 50), but the later start Monday night seemed to work in its favor. Gone from the late newscast was at least one glaring error from the 10 p.m.

newscast the misidentification of Tigers President John McHale as publicist Tyler Barnes. Otherwise, the 62 news hammered home its "straight to the point" slogan, with stories that were short sometimes skeletal. There was only one bit of bait-and-switch. The 50 newscast shorted a report on a prostitution scandal and said you'd have to watch the 62 newscast to get the full story. The later newscast offered only marginally more info.

The newscasts also had different medical reports. The Channel 50 version did a piece on pregnancy-related diabetes; Channel 62 did one on bifocal contact lenses, perhaps due to CBS62's perceived older audience. The 62 newscast also had a couple of national and world stories unseen on Channel 50. But, if subsequent newscasts are like Monday night's, you won't be missing much if you just watch the Channel 50 newscast. About 80 percent of the content was sufficiently similar to make one glimpse a night all you really need.

By John Smyntek Michael O'Brien, folk, 8 p.m. 25 Pitt, Windsor. 51 9-977-5722. Ron's Fireside Inn: Matt Michaels Trio, with Judy Cochill, Jazz, 8 p.m. 28937 Warren, Westland.

734-762-7756. TJ's Lounge: Detroit Blues Conspiracy, open blues jam, 9 p.m. 26700 Schoenherr, Warren. 810-776-7775. Wood-Ruff's Supper Club: Brian Dishell, jazz, 6 p.m.

21 2 W. Sixth, Royal Oak. 248-586-1519. Zydeco's: Al Hill, blues-jazz, 7-9 p.m. 314 S.

Main, Ann Arbor. 734-995-3600. COMEDY CONCERTS Alkaline Trio, Sweep the Leg Johnny and Capture the Flag, punk-rock, 7 p.m. St. Andrew's Hall, 431 E.

Congress, Detroit. $10. 31 3-961-6358. Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam, classical, 8 p.m. Hill Auditorium, 825 N.

University, Ann Arbor. 734-763-8587. The Figgs, with Red Dye 9, rock, 7 p.m. The Shelter, 431 E. Congress, Detroit.

$6. 313-961-6358. Tantrlc, rock, 8 p.m. Firth Avenue, 25750 Novi Road, Novi. 248-735-4011.

CLUBS IMAX Theatre at Henry Ford Museum Greenfield Village: "Michael Jordan to the Max," "Journey of Man" 3D," "Magic of Flight" and "Wolves." Call for times. 20900 Oakwood, Dearborn. 0.800-747-4629. "Reservoir Dogs," Brew and View movie, 9:30 p.m. The Magic Bag, 22920 Woodward, 248-544-3030.

"How to Marry a Millionaire," with Marilyn Monroe, Betty Grable and Lauren Bacall, 1 p.m. Showcase Cinemas Westland, 6800 N.Wayne Road, West-land. $1 for film, popcorn 8t drink. 734-729-1060. ETC.

p.m. newscast that he won't be going back to Clear Channel's WJLB-FM (97.9), attributing BRIEFLY Scheduled: "Play by Play," Heartlands Theatre's fifth annual marathon of short plays, noon to midnight Saturday at the Varner Studio Theatre, Varner Hall, Oakland University, Auburn Hills. Two dozen plays will be performed, four per hour; each play will be done twice, but not consecutively. Among playwrights whose works have been chosen are David MacGregor, Janet Pound, Kitty Dubin.M.V. Patton and Kim Carney.

Admission at the door is $5 an hour or $20 for the entire 12-hour day. Parking is free. Call 248-988-1 094, extension 1. Expecting: Jodie Foster, her second child, sometime in November. The Oscar-winning actress and director, 38, has a son, Charlie, who will turn 3 in July.

Foster declines to say who the father Is. i Excoriated: Eminem and Britney Spears, who are the most overrated stars in show business and have the worst records ever on the pop charts, says Jane magazine, which asked readers to rate the best and the worst of the celebrity world for its annual entertainment poll. The results appear in the May issue. Mr. Em and Ms.

Spears are reportedly devastated and were last seen crying into their financial statements. 1 Savoring: Actor Paul Reubens, the admiration pf college-age fans who remember him as Pee-wee Herman: "It's like if I were loaded out of my mind on spring break and saw Captain Kangaroo," Rubens, 48, told Time magazine. Reubens has a rdje in the upcoming film j3tow," starring Johnny Depp. During filming in Acapulco, a group of drunken college students Wted Reubens to their hotel party. Clinton wins in landslide With results from Florida finally tabulated, former President Bill Clinton has been voted the Most Foolish American in an April Fool's Day survey, with 85 percent of 1,046 people polled saying he had "done something foolish" in the last year.

The former presi the report to an unidentified source close to Mason. (Curiously, Channel 7 said it did not plan to repeat the report on its 6 or 11 p.m. newscasts, according to executive editor Helen Pasakarnis). Mason has been off the air since resurrected to do a vacuum cleaner commercial, I was awed by the technology that made it possible. When John Wayne and the Cartwrights from "Bonanza" teamed up to sell beer, I was amused by the premise.

Now Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has become a pitchman for Alcatel Americas, a company that builds communications networks. Let's just say that "awed" and "amused" aren't the words I'd use to describe my feelings. The commercial uses foot-pge of the "I Have a Dream" speech King delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in August 1963.

But as the camera pans the scene, we see that the crowd has been electronically scrubbed out. King is completely alone, flinging the great words into a void. "Before you can inspire," says the voice-over, you must first connect." I'd like to connect, all right. My foot with the backside of whoever conceived and approved this piece of historical vandalism. What the heck was his family smoking when it OK'dthis? Some questionable decisions Of course, this wouldn't be the first time someone has questioned the sense and sensibilities of King's widow and children.

There was, for instance, the copyright-infringement lawsuit against USA Today after the paper reprinted "I Have a Dream." And the nasty spat with the National Park Service over the management of the King historical site in Atlanta. And the marketing of King tchotchkes water bottles, tote bags and things like that. And the multimillion-dollar deal with Time Warner to produce King-related material. I have some personal experience in bargaining with the King family. Sixteen years ago, I approached them asking to use "I Have a Dream" and several other speeches in a radio documentary about King's life.

I was shocked to hear that there would be a price $5,000, if I recall correctly. But I got over it. King, who was assassinated 33 years ago today, did not leave his family wealthy and I figured that if his legacy provides them a measure of financial comfort and the means to continue his work, so be it. King was first and foremost a husband and father, I told myself. He belongs to them.

He belongs to us That reasoning served me well right up until Alcatel. That spot is an abrupt reminder that, if it's true King belongs to them, it's also true he belongs to us. His wife and children are stewards of his memory. And in selling "I Have a Dream" in this way, they call the wisdom of their stewardship into doubt. Martin Luther King was the very conscience of this nation.

For my money, "I Have a Dream" is one of the most important orations in our history. The sermon King preached from Lincoln's doorstep is worthy of reverence. Unfortunately, that's a word the nation in general and Madison Avenue in particular can't spell. There's nothing they won't do to sell us hair sprays and breath mints. Commercial culture seeps like dirty water into places it has never been, soiling even that which is worthy of reverence.

Now, a man who once spoke to our highest faith and deepest fears speaks for a glorified phone company instead? I don't think that's the dream he had in mind. LEONARD PITTS JR. appears most Wednesday's and Fridays in the Free Press. Reach him at the Miami Herald, 1 Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132; toll free at 888-251-4407 or at leonardpittsfrmind fjing.com. Mason: Negotiating dent had a 16-point lead over his nearest rival, actor Robert Downey Jr.

(69 percent), who was arrested on drug charges while on probation for a previous drug offense. Others on the list compiled by a Mark Britten, with Greg Warren and Kevin Zeoli, 8 p.m.Wed.-Thu.,$5.8& 10:30 p.m. $12. Joey's Comedy Club (above Kickers), 36071 Plymouth Road, Livonia. 734-261 0555.

Malone Nootcheez, with Ed Hans, 8:30 p.m. $7. 8:308,10:30 p.m. $12, $15. Chaplin's Comedy Club, 34244 Groesbeck, Clinton Twp.

810-792-1902. XX THEATER "Mind Games," Interactive show with mentalist Marc Salem, 1:3047:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.Thu., 8:30 p.m. 5:30 8:30 p.m. 1:308,5:30 p.m.

Sun. Through July 29. Century Theatre, 333 Madison, Detroit. 313-963-9800. "Ragtime," musical, based on the novel by E.L.

Doctorow. 8 p.m. 2 8 p.m. 2 7:30 p.m. Sun.

Through April 15. Fisher Theatre, 3011 W.Grand Detroit. 31 3-872-1000. "The Ride Down Ml Morgan," comedy by Arthur Miller, 8 p.m. 2 6 p.m.

Sat, 2 8, 6:30 p.m. Sun. Through April 15. Meadow Brook Theatre, Oakland University, Auburn Hiils. S24.50-S37.50.

248- Alibi Inn: Leathers Lace, country, 9 p.m. 33025 Gratiot, Clinton Twp. 810-791-3562. Andiamo Italia: Maria Mariotto Ray Battani, standards, 7 p.m. 7096 Fourteen Mile, Warren.

810-268-3200. Baker's Keyboard Lounge: Dr. Teddy Harris, jazz jam session, 8 p.m. 20510 Livernois, Detroit. 31 3-345-6300.

Bird of Paradise: Los Gatos, jazz, 8 p.m. 31 2 S. Main, Ann Arbor. $5. 734-662-8310.

Blue Goose Inn: Spoonful, blues, 9 p.m. 28911 Jefferson, St. Clair Shores. 810-294-0690 Bullfrog Bar: Bizmark, rock, 10 p.m. 1541 4 Telegraph, Redford Twp.

313-533-4477. Club Froggy: Blue Suit, blues, 9:30 p.m. 16420 E. Thirteen Mile, Roseville. 810-777-1570.

Conor O'Neill's Irish Pub: Bill Long, folk, 9 p.m. 31 8 S. Main, Ann Arbor. 734-665-2968. Fox Hounds: Ken Murphy, jazz-blues, 8 p.m.

1560 N. Woodward, Bloomfield Hills. 248-644-4800. Gold Dollar: Cutthroats 9, the Lanternjack and 4, rock, 8 p.m. 3129 Cass, Detroit.

31 3-833-6873. Patrick 0'Ryan's Irish Pub: Clinton: Elected Shrine Circus, with the Flying Wallendas and Blackstone's Magic among the acts, 11 a.m. 7 p.m. p.m. Sat; 1:30 8, 5:30 p.m.

Sun. Through April 15. State Fairgrounds, 8 Mile Woodward, Detroit. 5. 313-366-6200.

BOOKS Diane Wakoski, author of "The Butcher's Apron," 8 p.m. Shaman Drum Bookshop, 31 5 S. State, Ann Arbor. 734-662-7407. Donald Hall, with Jason Shinder, poets, 7 p.m.

Detroit Public Library, 3rd Floor, 5201 Woodward, Detroit. Free. 313-833-1470. Gilbert Saenz, author of "Dreaming of Love," and Jacqueline Sanchez, 6:30 p.m. Macomb Community College, 44575 Garfield Road, Clinton Twp.

81 Friday, using vacation time, a Clear Channel spokesperson said, as talks continue on renewing an expired pact. Channel 7 did not indicate a destination, but the usual suspects would be urban-format competitor Radio One, at either WDMK-FM (102.7) or WDTJ-FM (105.9). Mason's attorney, Henry Baskin, said he couldn't confirm Mason's departure, explaining Tuesday evening that he was still in negotiations with Clear Channel executives on behalf of Mason. Clear Channel Detroit vice president Steve Schram declined comment. Bottom line? The Channel 7 report was premature, but where there's this kind of smoke there's potential for fire usually within a fortnight, contractually speaking.

New York public relations consultant included the Rev. Jesse Jackson (67 percent), who admitted he fathered a child out of wedlock around the time he was counseling Clinton regarding the presidential sex scandal; Sean Combs, the Artist Formerly Known as Puffy (64 percent); Homer Simpson (56 percent), and President George W. Bush (48 percent). Secretary of State Colin Powell (13 percent) was ranked the least foolish American in the survey. The Mason mystery Whither popular Detroit radio personality John Mason? WXYZ-TV (Channel 7) reported Tuesday on its 5 Tlie List! is compiled by Guy Powers and Rachel May.

To get listed, fax your info to 313-223-4726 at least two weeks in advance. More of today 's The List! at www.freep.comentertainmentthelist GU1NDON By Dick Guindon TERRY LAWSON'S HOVE Exit Wounds (R) 15 Minutes (R) Hannibal (R) Heartbreakers(PG-13) The Mexican (R) Save the Last Dance (PG-1 3) Say ft Isn't So (R) Shadow of the Vampire (R) Sweet November (PG-1 3) 3000 Miles to Graceland(R) Too Much Sleep (not rated) Traffic (R) Wedding Planner (PG-1 3) You Can Count on Me (R) I NEWEST FILMS 'Someone Like You' A doggedly unfunny comedy about a brokenhearted New Yorker (Ashley Judd) whose comparison of male and animal behavior is inexplicably considered a revelation. Rated PG-1 sexual themes, language, brief nudity. 'Spy Kids' Pint-sized secret agents bring the action-adventure genre down to size as they attempt to save their international-spy parents from a Willie Wonka wanna-be. Rated PG; cartoon violence, mild profanity.

Tomcats' In this pathetically unfunny gross-out comedy, Jerry 0'Connell stands to collect half a million dollars if he can get a pal married. Rated brief nudity, language. ALSO SHOWING Before Night Falls (R) The Brothers (R) (PG-1 3) (not reviewed) Chocolat(PG-13) Crouching (PG-1 3) Enemy at the Gates (R) 1 For more full reviews, check out the Free Press entertainment Web site, wrww.freep.comentertainmentmovies..