The Ottawa Journal from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada • Page 26

Ottawa Journal Page 26 Friday, May 25. 1979 Best U.S. TV axed called too good WASHINGTON (AP) The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission criticized U.S. commercial television Thursday, saying the best works of television writers and producers may be rejected simply because they are "too good." "Instead of a system that thrives on the rich differences among us, we have chosen a broadcasting system that denies viewers their distinctiveness and your community a chance to create rather than imitate," Charles Ferris said. Ferris, in a speech prepared for the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, painted a dismal picture of current commercial television.

He told Industry writers and producers they have a crucial role in deciding whether TV "will be exploited to dehumanize mankind, or to expand the opportunities of our common humanity." Ferris contended that "William Shakespeare had less influence on his own society than the Fonz has on ours, and certainly his cannot be explained by the relative power of their words or ideas." More watch Fonx "It is rather simply because more people see Happy Dayseach week than have ever seen a live performance of a Shakespeare play In four centuries. Such is the power of television." He complained that "television often seems to imitate an idea, or to repeat it over and Over in a series that clone one another, but seldom to expand on ideas in a meaningful sense." "Your best work may be rejected simply because it is too innovative, too daring In short, too good," he said. Ferris said the FCC will do all It can to encourage innovative programming, but dependence must be placed on the market to elicit what is needed and wanted. "Yet the broadcasting market has had precisely the opposite effect: It has encouraged sameness 'and rewarded caution," Ferris said. "We have asked for Inspiration, and we have received the moral equivalent of Gong Show.

The potentially chilling effect of government regulation Is more than matched In practice by the chilling effect of the Nielsen ratines." Attend The Church of Your Choice This Sunday Move By Fred Schruers Ted Nugent, preparing to play a series of European dates, visited New York recently and jammed on the Doors' Roadhouse Blues with the Blue Oyster Cult In their guise as Soft White Underbelly. The Nuge complained that he kept barking his shins on the Cult's "munchins" as he trod the stag, but he credited guitarist Buck Dharma with proving that "chivalry is not dead in rock roll." Dharma gave Ted his guitar cord after the Motor City Madman blew the guts out of his own amp. Random Notes In Paris on a busman's holiday, caught Nu-gent's concert and the buffet-dinner food fight that followed. A weary Nugent roused himself to gesticulate to every lick on a cassette copy of his new State of Shock LP, which includes George Harrison's I Want to Tell You and a forlorn ballad called Alone. Ted boasted that there's stuff on the record that "Mozart wishes he coulda thought of," pointed out an especially hot three-guitar overtiub.

Nugent said he's already got some tunes written for next year's model, which will be "a response to my new single state." Among the titles slated for that one are Bushwhacker, Red-handed and Tall Gunner. Meanwhile his divorce and custody fight for his two children is still pending. "Yes, I hit him more than once," Lou Reed fessed up to a Los Angeles paper a few days after scuffling with David Bowie in a London restaurant. It seems the two were discussing the prospects of TOP ALBUMS 1. Supertramp (1) Breakfast In America 2.

Blondie (3) Parallel Lines ji: 3. Dooble Bros. (2) Minute By Minute 4. Dire Straits (4) Dire Straits 5. Rickle Lee Jones(7) Rickie Lee Jones 6.

Pointer Sisters (5) Energy 7. Chris De-Burgh (6) Crusader 8. Billy Joel (8) 52nd Street 9. Cheap Trick (10) At Budokan 10. Bee Gees (9) Spirits Having Flown j- Compiled by: Sheryl Nicholson and Brian i Murphy (JENNIFER WELLES IS A SENSATQN! BEST OF THE Zdkf J- (Via-iP-l HIGHEST mifrjYRSI RATING' Wi ji GotomiN fr m.Gptjr tJtmtiPIH'V 1 40 CSUPKKfA IAT.

M. AT MX) 100 K0000 NMNTlVATT'OOaiOO over Mozart Bowie producing Reed's next LP when the tiff started. "It was a private dispute," said Lou, dismissing that Bowie bad asked him to "clean himself up" before any project started. "It had nothing to do with sex, politics or rock roll. I have a New York code of ethics.

Speak unto others as you would have them speak unto you. In other words, watch your mouth." Fittingly enough, the first single from Bowie's new LP, The Lodger, is Boys Keep Swinging. Reed also denied the stories that he had set off a riot that caused a reported $17,000 In damages to a Frankfurt, Germany, rock hall by walking offstage after demanding that all Americans leave the hall. "The problem was a bunch of drunken American soldiers," said Lou. "They wanted to have a riot, and they had one." Reed said he's not going back to Germany, and he doesn't think anything will come of charges local police filed against him.

"They took me to jail alone; how would you like to get Into a van with 12 goose-steppers saying they're going to test your Stevte Wonder made an unannounced appearance at the first annual Duke Ellington tribute held April 27 at UCLA's Royce Hall. He played C-Jam Blues and Sir Duke for the occasion Melissa Manchester's next album, currently being recorded, will contain her own version of the hit she co-wrote with Kenny Logglns, Whenever Call You Friend Lead singer Greg Walker and keyboar- TNs Is and most "Monhotton' ttxxi rtno Vou don "Manhottan' Woody wortc to uproariously dist Chris Rhyne have left San Una. Though group members deny it. It appears long-breeding tensions among the musicians have caused the split Session drummer Scott Matthews and eccentric Ron Nagle who together and indivi Culture "magazine launched: Quebec future the challenge MONTREAL (CP) A new quarterly magazine, called The Montreal Review, Is being launched this week "as a response to the challenge posed by the referendum" oh Quebec's future that is to be held this fall or next spring The magazine, which describes itself as a cultural review, said in Its opening editorial that "the referendum forces the future on us; for no matter how broadly phrased the question the outcome of the referendum is likely to determine the orientation of our future political and social life." The 78-page first issue includes a critical analysis of the report prepared by the Task Force on Canadian Unity, a look at some of the issues raised by the Parti Quebecols proposal for sovereignty-association, a review of a recent novel by Quebec playwright Michel Tremblay and a look at Montreal's jazz and poetry scene. It also includes a report on rugby in Quebec as well as original fiction and poetry.

The magazine, which is published by the Deluge Press of Ste. Anne de Bellevue near Montreal, is receiving a subsidy from three English-language junior colleges. 1 Showcase H18f3iilS Best Actor Jon Voight Best Acress Jane Fonda Best Original Screenplay Waldo Salt A Robert C. Jonas Story by Nancy Dowd Qffrrrrrf Mr to MlKXt iTvuu of oi oi 4 JEROME Ti iHALASHBYm Jane JonVoight Bruce Dern "Coming Home" BB)' Is more endearing and errfertolnlng out of ten other movies on the marquees, have to love Manhattan to Ice Ivtanhotton" Is an extroordnarly tine and fumytlml Alen's most movlriQ and expansive date movie Is hJ ot moments that are tunny and others that are sometimes shattering wart am Naw no Un Wbocts most contro I contrated. most rnetow movie to date.

I cant irge enougn ra see Tviannanan. Jkraeont.acrv A oroceTvJ synthesis of 1 seasoned you strongly Wteody the Funny and Alen the Serious Ns growth In every department lovely to behokT woody auen Diane keaton "MANHATTAN JOCTWOlTWlllllHgi MCHAfLMURPHV MAPIL KMMGWAV mewlstreep annebvdne- 111 for Motor City Madman dually have written tunes for the letterson Starshlp, the Tabes and Barbra Streisand recently formed the Durocs and have set to work In a San Francisco studio to record their first album for Capitol Brian Eno, back from studying anthropology in Southeast Asia is producing the Talking Heads' next album. Four San Francisco Attractions HEU.MAN Fonda Feature Daily at 2:10 4:25 6:45 9:10 W.V.T.V, GEIJSHWN A JACK KUMS CHAWS JOfFEiutebDY AUEN KMRSHAU. BRCKMAN gjffi FEATURE DAILY AT: new Al HUM TV HH 2:15 3:55 5:40 7:25 9:20 underground bands the Residents, Chrome, MX-M Sound and Tuxedo Moon are recording their versions of I Left My Heart in San Francisco for a sampler album due out on Ralph Records this fall. George Cory, who wrote the song In 1951, committed suicide in his Nob Hill apartment in San Francisco a year ago The Dooble Brothers have drafted three sidemen to replace departed guitarist Jeff Baxter and drummer John Hart-man.

The new faces are guitarist John McFee (ex-Clover), drummer Chet McCracken and Cornelius Bumpus. They'll join the Doobies on their summer tour which begins In July. When local promoters had Jerry Lee Lewis Introduce Kentucky's lieutenant gov 93r fc mm urm "RETURN Of THE DRAGONy MM Bank 4 Sunnvslde 234-3403 SHOWCASE bHUWLAM AiTKALTWISS US ATTRACTIONS 11 Jaw 7-t-trT iii mil Wm Suncn Productions PitvnB a Oorjt Hamilion kbm bufnun Production BrTWAi bit I Grargr Hamilton luun Sim (ima Imjjnwi At fro Bite" Shawn Arc JoSraoi iMommmdtd at ADULT INTUTAINMINT TtW ffif OLUVHA AND THE GANG ARE BACK! John Travolta OOBfRT STtO00ilNCAR PSOOUCTBN JOHNTRAVaTA aMA NEWTON JOHN -tSSf AST OHAMmO AROEH H)AW( lOK JOAN KONOEIU EOO SO CAE SA. AXE OHOSTUt D00V000DMAM SHANA.NA..e)ONTE WOOOADD CARR -JM JCOBS VWWKtN CASt RlblAU AT NELSON iV 48Q ernor, Thelma Stovall (a candidate for governor), during a Louisville concert sponsored by the local Fraternal Order of Police, the crowd booed. Lewis, apparently in all seriousness, said, "You can boo If you want to but he seems like a very nice fella to me." Stovall remained In the A BLOTO OF THE IV KUNG FL 6:00 P.M EASTWOOD 30 'Every pj.

VVHiciiWay George C. Jk George C. Scott "Movie Movie" 7:50 P.M. Olivia Newton-John is the word Tonight at 7:00 at 1:30 3:30 wings, so someone up close had to shout to Lewis that the lieutenant governor was. In fact, a woman, Lewis ducked his head in embarrassment.

"Oh, scuze me," he said as the crowd laughed. "It's a woman! Then, hoping to recover he added: "Ain't nothing wrong with that! WWW oTCCH 0:05 Sat a Sun. 8:30 7:30 9:30.