Musical tap dances into students' wallets

Arizona Daily Wildcat

University of Arizona students weary of paying the cover fee at O'Malley's might want to catch the entertainment bargain at Music Theatre Arizona's production "Dames at Sea." Although the $15 student rush tickets, sold 15 minutes before the show, don't include beer, mixed drinks or an '80s cover band, the show does promise tap dancing and singing Broadway veterans.

The "Dames at Sea" storyline involves a small town girl, Ruby, trying to break into Broadway. Although the plot may sound familiar, the story also includes an infatuation triangle between sailor/songwriter/boyfriend Dick, jealous co-star Mona crushing on Dick, and sweet little Ruby singing and dancing her heart out.

Shows run April 12, 13, 18, 19 and 20 at 7:30 p.m. and on April 14 and 21 at 2 p.m. Call 293-7880 or Ticketmaster for tickets.

Tucson poised to emerge as next Hollywood

Arizona Daily Wildcat

Tucson's Film Office is buzzing with an increase in local film activity that involves several big-name companies and directors. Bonuses to filming in Tucson include beautiful winter weather, desert and Mexico locations and the close proximity to Los Angeles. Next thing you know Winona Ryder could be shoplifting on Fourth Avenue.

Among the excitement is a Coors Light commercial, shooting for three days this week on local mountain roads. Anticipate hovering helicopters.

Steven Soderbergh, producer of "Traffic," is back to shoot a film in Mexico, and is using the Tucson Film Office to coordinate between working south of the border and staying with his crew to the north.

Head to Florence and Superior to catch Robert Redford's Wildwood Enterprises, shooting an adaptation of Tony Hillerman's "Skinwalkers" for PBS's "Mystery!" TV series. It will be a hometown trip for the film's director, Chris Eyre, a media arts graduate of the University of Arizona. Eyre directed the Sundance Award winner "Smoke Signals."

E.T. extra-terrestrial

Spielberg reworks classic 'E.T.'

Associated Press

Director Steven Spielberg gave E.T., the spindly alien star of "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," a facelift for the movie's 20th anniversary re-release. Spielberg had more than 140 shots reworked and, in some cases, filmed again for the updated version of his high-grossing classic, set to premiere nationwide Friday.

Special effects artists digitally manipulated E.T. to make the alien appear more lifelike.

Even the movie's signature shot of the boy Elliot riding his flying bicycle in front of a full moon was re-shot to replace a figurine used in the original with an actual child.

"What worked in 1982 doesn't quite hold up," said Bill George, who supervised the updated special effects for Industrial Light & Magic.

Miramax eliminates 75 jobs in New York, Los Angeles

Associated Press

LOS ANGELES - Miramax eliminated 75 jobs Friday, or about 15 percent of the movie studio's work force.

The cuts were made across all departments, including publicity, production and marketing, company spokesman Matthew Hiltzik said.

Most of the cuts were midlevel executives and assistants at the company's headquarters in New York, although several people in Los Angeles and overseas were also let go. Some people were fired and some open jobs went unfilled, the company said.

Hiltzik said Miramax - a division of Walt Disney Co. - had increased its staff by 17 percent since October, topping the 500-employee mark. After hiring a new chief financial officer and director of publicity, the company decided to re-evaluate its staffing, he said.

"We grew really quickly over the last few months and needed to take a pause to be sure we were operating as efficiently as possible," he said.

The company did not say how much would be saved by the cuts.

Miramax has several movies in contention for Academy Awards this year, including "In the Bedroom," "Amelie" and "Iris."