Newsday from New York, New York • 10

A10 ttu The latestentertainmentnewppinoreT Judge Block Opening she contributed to the film because she said DreamWorks attorney Bert Fields Chase-Riboud that much of the screenplay was stolen from her book The allegations challenge the reputation of Hollywood's best-known director over a movie Spielberg calls the most important of my are very pleased by the decision and are happy that this movie will be a DreamWorks spokesman said producer Debbie Allen told reporters that as far as she was concerned case is over because the movie DreamWorks insists its movie is an original blend of history and the book published 36 years before of Lions" and whose rights are now owned by DreamWorks In fact DreamWorks said the novelist stole material from Mutiny" in her own work a claim Chase-Riboud denies COMBINED NEWS SERVICES A federal judge yesterday refused to block the release tomorrow of Steven saying that the movie did not appear to steal another work US District Court Judge Audrey Collins in Los Angeles rejected the request by author Barbara Chase-Riboud but allowed her $10-million copyright infringement lawsuit to continue She ruled that DreamWorks studio would be damaged more by not releasing the movie than Chase-Riboud would be damaged by its release Both the film and 1989 novel of are based on a 1839 mutiny by 53 Africans bound for slavery in the United States aboard a Spanish boat Lawyers for both parties met earlier -in the day but failed to settle the dispute wanted her to have a credit We were unwilling to give her a credit that would suggest in any way that The credited screenwriter Da- that Franzoni copied substantial ele-vid Franzoni says he never read Chase- ments of of for the book screenplay Pierce said he hoped to get the attorney said he was confident he case to trial early next year Fields could prove at the plagiarism trial said he planned to file a motion for which will be held at a later date dismissal Jail for Drug-Using Downey COMBINED NEWS SERVICES Malibu Calif Robert Downey Jr was handcuffed and led off to county jail yesterday after a judge rejected the emotional appeal for mercy and sentenced him to 6 months for violating parole going to jail because you used Malibu Municipal Judge Lawrence Mira told Downey 32 The judge could have sentenced Downey to 3 years in prison or allowed him to remain free in a rehabilitation program probation was revoked on Oct 17 when his drug counselor told authorities that the actor violated a court order by using drugs and alcohol Downey told Mira he had been addicted to drugs of some kind since he was 5 years old have no excuses I find myself Downey said But in a 20-minute lecture before sentencing Mira warned Downey that maybe the movie business was the problem and unless he kicked his habits he would die may be the very business you are in that is conducive to you continuing this he said are going to lose your life in this drug-soaked life you choose am running out of ways to rehabili Robert Downey tate you Mira going to incarcerate you and going to incarcerate you in a way very unpleasant for As he left Downey nodded and smiled to supporters in the audience His wife brother and about 10 people had come to court with him The actor was arrested in June 1996 after police stopped him for speeding His pickup truck contained cocaine crack heroin and a pistol A month later he entered a home and passed out on a bed Three days later he was arrested for leaving a recovery center He was sentenced last November to 3 probation after pleading no contest to drug and weapons charges He spent about three months in a live-in rehabilitation program and will return to a live-in program after his jail sentence Downey has worked steadily since his first arrest appearing most recently in Night He has a role in a movie made by his father Robert Downey Sr opening Friday in Manhattan and in two films coming out next year: Gingerbread and Girls and a fit -v QPAVIV Y0SHI0 TANIGUCHI Jr ItlCJ vWInCi MORE DISNEY TV The Walt Disney Co said yesterday it will launch Toon Disney an all-animation companion network to the Disney Channel on April 18 1998 Aimed at 2- to 11-year-olds it will compete with the Cartoon Network Time 5-year-old animation channel that in November was tied with TBS and TNT as the second highest-rated basic cable network (Nickelodeon was first) more than enough room for high-quality said Anne Sweeney executive vice president of the Disney ABC Cable Networks Toon Disney has more than 2200 episodes of animated features in its library The schedule is in flux though some highlights will be Little Bears" Adventures of Winnie the and AP CRAWFORD ROCKS Cindy Crawford will star in a special one-hour episode of Rock from the Sun" airing Super Bowl Sunday (Jan 25 at 9 pm) In the episode 24! 36! a group of beautiful and surprisingly available women suddenly appears in Rutherford and Hairy (French Stewart) is thrilled with his stunning new girlfriend Mascha (Crawford) NEW NSC SITCOM The production company behind the hit NBC sitcom is working on a new comedy that will launch on the network next foil sources said The untitled prqject is about a young single mother who lives with her son and two brothers down the street from their father in the community where they grew up The show has not yet been cast The project is the third NBC series from producer Warner Bros TV and Bright-Kauffman-Crane Productions the creative team behind as well as The deal has a highly unusual component in that NBC has ordered 13 episodes ofthe prqject and has 1 agreed to cover the entire cost of producing the show This means that Wamer Bros TV can maiw the series deficit-free Additionally NBC has guaranteed it will launch the sitcom next foil on one of the two best nights Tuesday or Thursday sources say Variety Box Office Here are the try movies in terms of estimated weekend box office plus their total receipts and the number of weeks in release 1 Rubber Disney $112 mMon 950 miWon 3 weeks 2 Alas IssaiTSCtlM Fox $66 mMon $302 mMon 2 weeks 3 Join Mshaart Tbs Rsbmaksr Paramount $511 mMon $344 mMon 3 weeks 4 Assstssls Fob $5 mMon $379 mMon 4 weeks 5 Tbs Jackal Universal $4 miSon $462 mMon 4 weeks Midnight la Ills Bantaii Warner Bros $29 mMon $178 mMon 3 weeks 7 Mortal KsariMt AnattHatloa New Line $23 mMon $313 mMon 3 weeks I Knew WbsL Sony $1 3 mMon $687 mMon 8 weeks I Rsaa Grammy $13 mMon $433 mMon 8 weeks 10 Starship Troopers Sony $13 million $529 mMon 5 A New Look for MOMA Yoshio Taniguchi an architect responsible for two mqjar museums in his native Japan yesterday was chosen to design a renovation of the Museum of Modern Art including expansion to the east and south and an entrance on West 54th Street The nuyor part of design will rise above an existing museum structure on the West 54th Street side with three setbacks that are in a sense large Manhattan-style terraces each with skylights to bathe the interior spaces with natural light The museum will not ber dosed the expansion will be above space used as offices At a museum news conference Taniguchi said that the most important elements is the new an airy light-filled space Museum director Glenn Lowry said the expansion was necessary because is no room for our collections and they are Anthony Scaduto NEWS DAY TUESDAY DECEMBER 9 1997 9.