The Paris News from Paris, Texas • Page 41

Spielberg taking unusual acting lessons AR INGEN Texas to" 1 sh on Thursday department put together a Mexican-American school The olav was "Com- HARLINGEN, Texas actor David Spielberg enrolled in unusual acting "lessons" recently for his role as a television news director in the CBS series "Jessica Novak" debuting this fall. Spielberg, a native of Mercedes in the Rio Grande Valley, has spent days watching how news directors at stations in Los Angeles, New York and his native South Texas run their operations. "I've become almost a news freak," the 38-year-old performer said. "But I know 1 couldn't stand to do it for a living." "Jessica a one- hour show on Thursday nights, will star Helen Shaver in the lead role of a beginning television reporter. Spielberg plays her hard-nosed boss, Max Kenyon.

Spielberg has appeared on dozens of television shows, including "Lou Grant," "One Day at a Time," and "Trapper John, M.D." He also starred in the short-running "American Girls," several seasons ago. During a visit to KGBT- TV, the CBS affiliate here, Spielberg talked about the homework he did for the new show. "It was just fascinating," he said of watching a news department put together a newscast from morning to alrtime. "It was almost like putting on a play every night. The closer you get to airtime, it was just like a play.

You could feel the tension." was at a New York station when an important story broke about vandals almost causing Newark, N.J., to lose its water supply. "By the time I left, I was exhausted and I had only been watching," he said. Spielberg returned to Texas recently to visit his father, a Rumanian immigrant who moved to Weslaco and married a Mexican-American school teacher. "I was born in Mercedes because that's where the hospital was," he said Spielberg attended parochial schools and graduated in 1957 from Weslaco High School. During his two years in the Navy, he decided on acting as a career.

"1 was stationed at Norfolk, and ferry across the Cheasapeake Bay one day to get to New York. I got seasick on he ferry," he said. "I went into this theater to get out of the cold and that cinched it. It was my first Broadway play." The play was "Compulsion" starring Roddy McDowell. Spielberg enrolled at the University of Texas after his discharge as a drama major with a minor in business.

"I thought I'd hedge my bets," he said. However, after spending two summers at acting school in New York, he quit college and moved to the Big Apple. Growing up in a town of less than gave htm a naive optimism about breaking into the acting business, he said. "I guess coming from a very small town and not knowing what the odds were was good for me," he said. A series of odd jobs, from waiter to cabbie to elevator operator, kept food on his table.

Spielberg's first feature film was "Man-in-the-Moon- Marigolds," directed by Paul Newman. He was nominated for an Emmy for his role as the prosecutor in "The Lindberg Kidnapping Case," co-starring Anthony Hopkins. But his first love is the stage. EXPERIMENTAL POWER PLANT This aerial view shows the light-gathering panels of an experimental power plant in Kagawa, Japan. The light panels collect the sun's rays which are concentrated at the tower in center, heating water to generate 1,000 kilowatts of power.

The facility, currently being tested, costs approximately $44 million. It could be an important source of energy for Japan in the future. (AP Laserphoto) Field cricket population rises STILLWATER This summer's rains and overall weather pattern have provided almost a "perfect" year for a buildup of field crickets in Oklahoma. "We are- getting reports from several areas of the slate of large numbers of crickets in urban areas where they are attracted by street lights and around homes," said Ken Pinkston, OSU Extension entomologist. During the past 15 years there seems to be evidence of large increases in the populations of crickets when a prolonged period of dry weather is interruped with rains in July and August, Pinkston said.

The pests are black or dark brown and grow to about one inch in length as adults. "FieJd crickets will feed on almost anything, but their major importance to most people is just being a nuisance especially when they enter homes," Pinkston added. To prevent or retard the problems with crickets, the specialist recommended eliminating piles of bricks, stones, wood or other debris around a home which can provide the insects with a daytime hiding place. Weeds and dense vegetation around the foundations of homes are also good places for crickets to spend the day, he said. "Spraying a chemical such as diazinon around foundations and thresholds, and in cracks and crevices where crickets may also will discourage their entry into your home," he said.

Although crickets are not really damaging insects, the buildup in their population this year probably will mean many homeowners across the state will near that "annoying, elusive chirping 'somewhere' in the house one of these nights," he said The parrot is the only bird that yawns. THE FIRST BANK ROXTON, TEXAS ARE ALL BANKS ALIKE? WELL, NOT Sure the dollar is the came the quarters, dimes, nickels, etc are all the same BUT The difference is in the folks inside and the services rendered! We do hope we can add same features that will please. Grady Frailer and the rest of our team WANT YOUR BUSINESSI1 Our added service we are telling you about this month It something vastly different from our competitionl We want good, nice folks moving to our midst. HERE IS OUR SPECIAL ADDITION FOR AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER TO HOME BUYERS 9O percent home financing for qualified home buyers for construction of new homes in Roxton. The loan will be amortized on a SOyear basis.

THE INTEREST RATE WILL BE FIXED AT PERCENT. The builder will pay a commitment fee of 1 Va percent. We welcome your calling us and giving us a chance to approve your credit and to refer you to several builders. We feel that there will be a strong response on this program. Therefore, our funds available for this type of loan will be limited and when our allocation is used up we may have to discontinue this program.

TO BUILDERS For qualified builders for new construction In Roxton one percent below .1 Yi MAKE US BACK UP WHAT WE SAY WE CAN DO FOR YOU! DRIVE A FEW MORE MILES. US MAKE YOU MORE MONEY! BANKING HOURS: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 pjn. Friday, 9 a.m. to p.m.

THE FIRST BANK U3WER ROXTON, TEXAS 75477 MEMBER FMC "I think the purest acting is on the stage. In film you can sort of hide behind the camera but everything is out there on the stage," he said. Spielberg says he hopes to have creative input into material for "Jessica Novak," filmed at Twentieth Century Fox studios. The set was modeled after one at KNXT-TV in Los Angeles. Only one episode of the first 13 was written by Aug.

1, due to the writers guild strike. In the pilot, Jessica gets personally involved in a "childnapping" case. "I don't see how you could succeed (in news) if you tend to get really involved in all your stories," Spielberg said. "All the atrocities, like that guy slashing derelicts' throats in New York, are too much." He would like to see an episode dealing with the problems of Vietnam veterans exposed to the defoliant Agent Orange. "I was one of the lucky ones that fell between Korea and the Vietnam War," he said.

"I was not called to put my body on the line." Some similarities will a newspaper ad saleman in exist between "Jessica an appearance on "Lou Novak" and "Lou Grant" in Grant." that both are one-hour, dramatic series dealing with real issues. Spielberg once portrayed secretary. "He was a guy who sexually harrassed his FAMILY LAW IS OUR BUSINESS AFFORDABLE PROFESSIONAL SERVICE FOR YOUR FAMILY PROBLEMS UNCONTESTED DIVORCE 150. WAIVER NO CHILDREN NO PROPERTY ADOPTIONS NAME CHANGE CONTESTED DIVORCES CONTEMPT SUPPORT WILLS CHILD CUSTODY TEXAS LEGAL SERVICES CLINIC of JACKO.HERRWGTON, ATTORNEY 785-8754 33 N.Maln 9 til 12 1til5 Mon. Fri Abova fMs foes only do Include fWng IMS, etc.

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