The Spokesman-Review from Spokane, Washington • 60

Spokane, Wash Coeur d'Alene, Idaho Sunday, September 1, 2002 Page F3 movies media television music books SPOTLIGHT tin Kershner Viewers will missUPN premieres IT LOOKS AS IF Inland Northwest TV watchers will be without their UPN for at least a few weeks. The new UPN affiliate in the Inland Northwest, Equity Broadcastings KBGC-24 in 1 Pullman, will not have its transmitter up and running until the end of the year. However, Equity said on Thursday that its close to a deal with Spokanes main cable system, Broadband, to carry the UPN programs on cable before that. But it may take a few weeks to complete the arrangements. It wont be fast enough to avoid a little disruption, said Doug Krile, the Equity Broadcasting spokesman.

Realistically, it will be October sometime. Meanwhile, viewers of Enterprise, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other popular UPN series will probably be out of luck unless Broadband can rush the new station into its lineup sooner than expected. The UPN season debuts in mid-September. Also out of luck will be customers of the many smaller cable systems serving the Inland Northwest. Krile said Equity has not yet talked to any of them about carrying UPN this fall.

Viewers in Coeur dAlene should be better off, since a low-power transmitter is already on the air (or will be within days) on channel 47. However, this signal wont carry much beyond the Coeur dAlene area. The entire problem should be solved by the end of the year when the KBGC transmitter is up and running in Pullman. The signal should cover a great deal of the Inland Northwest, and at that point, all area cable companies will be required to carry the station, too. 1 Jeny Lewis is back in action at the annual MDA telethon after recovmngftmi medical ills that almost drove him to suicide The new WB station KSKN-22 was the regions UPN affiliate until today.

Now, KSKN is changing its name to Spokanes WB22 to reflect the fact that it has become the regions primary WB station. WB shows will be carried in prime time in Spokane from now on. KSKN used to sandwich the WB programs around the UPN lineup. It should be easier to find the WBs shows, which include Gilmore Girls, Smallville, 7th Heaven and Dawsons Creek. KSKN will continue to carry its 10 p.m.

newscast, using the people and resources of KREM-2. However, it has been renamed The Ten 10 News on WB22. annual Telethon 7 KSKN-22 entire beginning File Associated Press Jeriy Lewis appears in a scene from the 1963 film The Nutty Professor." Since the success of Eddie Murphys hit version of the film, studios have bought remake rights to six more Lewis movies. ON STAGE Jerry Lewis biography Born: Joseph Levitch, March 16, 1926, Newark, NJ, Parents: Danny Lewis, comedian and singer; Rae Lewis, radio pianist, music arranger. Education: One year of high school.

Early life: Stayed with relatives while his parents were on the road. Joined the family act at age 5. Entertained on the borscht circuit. As teenager, appeared in record act, mugging to recordings of famous singers. Breakthrough: Combined with casual friend Dean Martin (Dmo Crosetti) in 1946 for an appearance at the 500 Club in Atlantic City.

Memorable quote: "I get paid for doing what children are punished for." recognizes what I did 40 years ago wasn't too bad, Lewis says in a slightly smug reference to his greater recognition abroad especially in France than at home. At 76, Lewis re maims remarkably robust despite a recent bout of severe back pain from years of pratfalls that had him considering suicide. The irrepressible clown, filmmaker and fund-raiser for the Muscular Dystrophy Association just keeps going and going not unlike the pain-blocking batteries implanted near his spine. Lewis has a 20-year contract to entertain at the Orleans Hotel Casino in Las Vegas and occasionally hits the lecture circuit. He has no plans to make any new films, but he does have options to appear in the remakes, as he did in The Nutty Professor.

He also has a $1.5 million contract with Random House for a memoir about his storied and stormy partnership with Dean Martin. He started writing the book in Continued LewisF4 Telethon Jerry airs a.m. to 3:30 in at 6 be seen on orgtelethon. By Bob Thomas TELEVISION Assaulted Picss On his 40th birthday in 1966, Jerry Lewis gave a lavish party for himself at his Bel-Air estate. Although his films had been panned by critics, they made big money for Paramount and all the big shots were there.

Studio chief Barney Balaban announced grandly: Just tell us what you want, and well give it to you. Without blinking, Lewis replied: I would like the negatives of all my pictures alter 30 years. The executives agreed, and on his 70th birthday, the first negative arrived. Since then, six studios no doubt motivated by Eddie Murphys successful version of Lewis 1963 comedy "The Nutty Professor have bought remake rights to Lewis movies: The Bellboy (MGM), The Errand Boy (Disney), Cinderfella (New Line), The Patsy (Fox), The Family Jewels (Paramount) and The Ladies Man (Columbia). "I think its nice that Hollywood MDA The 37th Lewis MDA Monday from p.m.

on Spokane. The telethon, p.m. today, can the Internet at www.mdausa Cher and Cher alike Like, omigod. I think Cher and Cyndi Lauper are coming to the Spokane Arena on Dec. 19.

I cannot be absolutely certain, since the people over at the Spokane Arena will say only that they are working actively with the promoters. However, Pollstar, the Web clearinghouse for concert information, lists the show as hitting the Spokane Arena on that date. Cher's own official Web site, www.cher.com, lists the same date. It also says that tickets will go on sale Sept. 21.

This is billed as Chers Farewell Tour, because she said she wants to concentrate more on directing movies By the way, the tour is already underway and reports from other cities indicate that Cher changes costume 1 1 times. This would actually be somewhat fewer than the last time she came to Spokane, in 1990 at the old Coliseum. Its the kiss of death for new movies Dinner theater canceled The Bear Creek Lodge Dinner Theatre at Mount Spokane has already bitten the dust. All of the remaining shows, including The Star-Spangled Girl and the murder-mystery evenings, have been canceled, according to Frank Sullivan of Express Theatre-Northwest, who was producing the shows. It just didnt work out with the management of the restaurant, said Sullivan.

It certainly wasnt because the shows werent popular. We had very good crowds we ended up extending our first show for six Saturdays, said Sullivan. Were negotiating with another restaurant in town and we hope to have dinner theater soon at a new location. Labor Day weekend has become a dumping gimnd for lackluster film releases By Patrick Goldstein Los Aiiji'les Tunes For a I lollywood filmmaker, nothing stings quite so much as the news that the studio is putting your movie out on Labor Day weekend. In an era when holiday weekends are jammed with splashy new releases that rocket off to box-oflice records, Labor Day has become the industrys toxic waste pit, a dumping ground for the kinds of clunkers that would challenge the skills of the best used-car salesman.

If you're a director and the studio puts your movie on Labor Day, says DreamWorks marketing chief Terry Press, you pretty much know what they think of your movie. Over the past 15 years, less than a handful of Labor Day weekend movies have made more than a paltry $20 million in their entire theatrical runs. I low bad have they been? In 1998, the weekends top-grossing new Warner Bros Pity feardotcom and star Stephen Dorff as it opens this weekend. Continued MoviesF5 Continued SpotllghtF5 Contact the Entertainment editor: (509) 459-5068; fax (509) 459-5098; e-mail featuresspokesman.com Online entertainment news: www.spokesmanreview com i.