The Knoxville News-Sentinel from Knoxville, Tennessee • 135

4 -ar 11 -year-old Knoxville girl signed for fourth major TV film in last year by KEN MINK New Sentinel entertainment editor "Nikki got the role of daughter because producer Chuck McClain liked her work on the said Creswell "Chuck was mav-iat producer of the series with David Wolper When he became producer for the miniseries he found he needed a young girl to play daughter He had fallen in love with Nikki from her work and told the casting agency to sign Nikki for the The "Dream miniseries will be scheduled for airing on CBS later possibly in February The and miniseries was shot this summer in South Carolina Louisiana and elsewhere and opens one week from today with Nikki playing Brett Main as a child (the adult role later tilled by Genie Francis) in the opening scene of the said her dad "Mitchell Ryan plays her Creswell said he andor his wife accompany their daughter on her film trips and she does schoolwork while on the road Nikki who became 11 Saturday is a student at Sterchi School Nikki has traveled to about a half dozen states during the past year or so shooting the four TV projects Her agent is Patsy Bruce of Nashville An 11 -year-old Knoxville girl has accomplished more in one year than thousands of professional actors have during an entire career During the past 12 months little Nikki Creswell has had major roles in the Emmy-winning movie "The Dollmaker" with Jane Fonda with Barbara MandreU in her TV acting debut In the film and is to appear in the ABC-TV 12-hour miniseries and Nov 3-10 And she most recently signed to play actor Richard Chamber daughter in several episodes of the seven-hour CBS-TV miniseries "Dream in which Chamberlain portrays military explorer John Charles Fremont The miniseries will also include Murray Abraham Ben Johnson Rip Tom Fritz Weaver Gayle Hunnicut Anthony Zerbe etc "Nikld has spent several days In Central City Colo shooting scenes with Chamberlain and she is due to get to Richmond Va next month for three weeks of said her father Dick Creswell 5701 Paula Drive in Halls "She win be in several episodes maybe all of New Channel 8 owners claiming pressure are being filed by people "who just see this as an opportunity for them to make money from us But they are going to be surprised We are going to ride this thing out The FCC has demonstrated criticism of frivolous appeals It could cost these groups as much as half a million dollars in legal fees to continue the appeals process an the Bagwell said the legal fees to fight the appeals are befog paid for out of the pockets of his own five-member group "We have been approached by some people who want to buy equity in our organization but we are not interested in anything like that right now" he said Cherry gets a plum: Former well-known Knoxville dancer Nora Cherry McCampbeU recently won a plum of a role in New York Gty landing the principal part of De-meter in the European company of the Broadway hit "Cats" "Tm joining the Vienna die wrote recently "The role calls for lots of dancing acting and two solo songs And well be doing the show in German I only speak English and Spanish so I welcome the chance to learn a third McCampbell beat out about 100 dancers for the role being picked One of the primary persons Involved in the five-person group granted a license for a new television station (Channel 8) for Knoxville says representatives of some losing groups are trying "legalized extortion" in the appeals process Donald Bagwell who works with the TVA Information Systems office and was formerly with a Kingsport TV station says his group has decided to "ride out the storm" of legal appeals by losing groups "We have been approached by some representatives of some losing groups asking us to give them X-dollars to drop their appeals In some cases the amounts sought are up to a million dollars We find this absolutely Bagwell and his group were given approval by the Federal Communications Commission on Sept 5 to operate the new Channel 8 TV station here ending a battle of several years as a dozen groups filed FCC bids for the license The decision however turns out to be only the opening salvo in the legal battle for the station The appeals deadline was Oct 18 and four groups have filed appeals including South Central Broadcasting (which operates WTVK-TV Channel 26) "I want to emphasize though that South Central is not one of the groups making exorbitant demands new Channel 8 would most likely be given the NBC-TV affiliation now served by Channel 26 This would in effect leave Channel 26 operating as an independent station such as WKCH-TV Channel 43 Bagwell said that due to all the delays expected through the appeals process it could be three or four years before Channel 8 actually goes on the air "The appeals deadline was Friday (Oct 18) with the FCC review board due to hear he said "That is expected to take about three months certainly no longer than six Then the appeals could go on to the foil FCC and then to the SL Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court If one of the appeals went the full route it could conceivably take about three years to Sr head of the Cinetel firm and producer of the Nashville Network series "1-40 to come up with about 20 or so of best films Roy and Dale have taped segments introducing the shows giving personal little stories about tilings that happened during the filming and other items of interest about the co-stars directors etc Potpourri: Ron Harper has been named operations manager-deejay at WOKI-FM (Hits 100) radio Shooting is underway on the movie "Karate Kid in Okinawa in which Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio visit a village and become involved in a romance and an old and bitter blood feud (with lots of karate action) Jon Burnett former Knoxville TV newsman recently signed a new three-year contract at KDKA-TV in Pittsburgh where he is a host on the "Pittsburgh II show WATE-TV Channel 6 will present a special show "Promises Profiles of an Alcoholic" at 8 pm Tuesday featuring a true-life drama recreation of booze problems that threatened the future of a drama producer and his wife Diane May win be the host with experts from the Penisula Hospital forming a discussion panel Local actres-Steacher Kit Hoffman-Dittner has accepted a job with the Little Theater of Geneva and wiU be -spending the next kix months in Switzerland She most recently was in the Knoxville Dinner Theater play "Not With My Nora Cherry McCampbell Her husband is an architect by profession but has dabble in show business winning a spot on a music video and an extra in a movie He is also doing modeling work and is "now under consideration as the next Marlboro says McCampbeU Roy back la town: Roy Rogers and his wife Dale Evans have been back in Knoxville for a few days to tape their new syndicated show "Happy at the Cfoetel studios here Roy and Dale have a new show somewhat along the lines of Andy Smalls' (Marshall Andy) "Riders of the Silver Roy and Dale have worked with Ross BagweU Because of this Bagwell said he and his group which also includes Ralph Boston Lewis Cosby Sue Walker and Earl Taylor have not really had any discussion with network officials or made any get to all that he said Bagwell said some of the appeals of said BagwelL "All our contact "willf South Central has 1 1 5 by Gillian Lynne the original choreographer for after a seven-hour audition process $he also has done a national TV: cotsrhercial for Jacques Moret Dance wear and says she is "a strong contender for a role on The Coshy Show" TV series- positive and above South Central would be the most impacted by the addition of a new Channel 8 here For one thing the.