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ABC to Air Jacko Show
NEW YORK (AP) -- ABC won a network bidding war to acquire the rights to a documentary on Michael Jackson and immediately scheduled it for prime time on Feb. 7.
The documentary, "Living with Michael Jackson," features "unprecedented and exclusive access to Jackson's private life," ABC promised.
British journalist Martin Bashir spent eight months with Jackson and was with him when Jackson horrified onlookers by dangling his baby from a hotel balcony in Berlin, the network said.
Jackson is no longer, as he calls himself, the king of pop music. But he has a proven track record as a television draw.
Some 25.7 million viewers tuned into "Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special" on CBS in November 2001; viewership increased every half-hour for the program, culled from tapes of a Madison Square Garden tribute concert appearance. Previous interviews with Oprah Winfrey and Diane Sawyer also attracted big audiences.
CBS, NBC and Fox were also reportedly interested in the documentary, which was produced by Britain's Granada Television, but the bidding battle came down to ABC and NBC.
"At some point, the dollars just don't make sense," NBC News spokeswoman Allison Gollust said, "especially when you have stories you report and produce yourself to rely on."
"Dateline NBC" has been producing its own hour about Jackson. That's scheduled to air on Feb. 17, although ABC's announcement of an air date may cause NBC to move it up.
ABC News spokesman Jeffrey Schneider would not say how much the network paid for rights to broadcast the documentary. The New York Daily News, quoting unidentified television executives, estimated ABC paid $4 million to $5 million.
"We have a long history of working with Granada," Schneider said. "They produce excellent documentaries, and ABC News felt this was a win-win situation editorially and it clearly makes financial sense. That's why there was such aggressive bidding on it."
The Jackson interview will air as part of a two-hour edition of "20/20," anchored by Barbara Walters.
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Olsen Twins Web Hoax
CINCINNATI (AP) -- Ohio colleges were inundated with calls after a fake Web site reported that twin teenage actresses Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen had applied for admission.
"We'd be happy to give them a tour if they want to stop by, and we might even buy them lunch," University of Cincinnati spokesman Greg Hand said Wednesday.
"There's no truth to it. They didn't apply. And Britney Spears isn't coming either," said University of Dayton spokeswoman Teri Rizvi
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Spike Lee Criticizes BET
BERMUDA (AP) -- Urging blacks to step into "gatekeeper" roles, Spike Lee criticized Black Entertainment Television, saying it lacks serious entertainment and that rap music promotes ignorance.
The director and producer of such films as "Do the Right Thing," "Malcolm X" and "25th Hour" spoke Thursday to a crowd of about 500 people, including students and Bermuda Premier Jennifer Smith. The lecture was sponsored by Bermuda College.
"I was told BET was big here and I shook my head," Lee said, referring to the cable channel that billionaire Robert Johnson founded in 1980. "If you get everything from BET you are getting the wrong thing."
Spokespeople for the channel were not immediately available for comment Friday.
Lee, 45, said black films were often dumbed down or pigeonholed into comedies or gangster movies. Striving for decision-making positions in the media would give blacks more control, Lee told the mostly black audience.
Bermuda, a British territory, is 62 percent black.
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