DISNEY'S WILLS: ABC is about to get Britain's Prince William -- as the subject of a TV movie. The Hollywood Reporter said the production, tentatively titled "Prince William," is due to premiere on Oct. 13 on ABC's "Wonderful World of Disney" and will begin with the events immediately following the 1997 death of Princess Diana in a Paris car crash. William was then 15. "The way we pitched it (to ABC) was 'James at 15' with the royal family," David Madden, executive vice president of Fox TV Pictures (which is producing the picture), told the trade paper. "We basically took the tack that we were going to do a true coming-of-age of a kid who is going through, in some ways, all of the things that every kid goes through, of dealing with adolescence, coming of sexuality and dealing with your dad."
OPRAH BIZ: Who would have guessed Oprah Winfrey, 48, has insecurities about her role as a media mogul? But in the April 1 edition of Fortune, on whose cover the talk-show host will appear, for a story titled, "The Business of Being Oprah," she admits just that. (Fortune, like PEOPLE, is part of AOL Time Warner.) "I don't think of myself as a businesswoman," she said at the beginning of her four-hour face-to-face with Fortune. "The only time I think about being a businesswoman is now, while I'm talking to you. There's this part of me that's afraid of what will happen if I believe it all." The article is of note because it is Winfrey's first-ever extensive interview with a business publication. In it, she admits, in her typically candid fashion, that she can neither read a balance sheet nor name any corporate role models.
PAM SHOCKER: "V.I.P" star Pamela Anderson, 34, said in a statement on Wednesday that she has contracted the potentially fatal liver disease Hepatitis C by sharing a tattoo needle with ex-husband Tommy Lee. The statement, as reported by Reuters, went on to say that she has been undergoing outpatient treatment for the disease at the University of California, Los Angles Medical Center. "I contracted Hepatitis C while sharing a tattoo needle with my ex-husband Tommy Lee," she said, according to Reuters. "Tommy has the disease and never disclosed it to me during our marriage," said Anderson, who made the revelation in the midst of her bitter custody battle over her two children with Lee, 39, the former drummer for the heavy metal band Motley Crue. Lee was not available for comment.
ROCKIN' HALL: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame happily got "Shaft"-ed Monday night in Manhattan, when inductee Isaac Hayes opened the 17th annual ceremony with a rousing rendition of his 1973 Oscar-winning "Theme from 'Shaft.' " Hayes, 59, best known these days as the basso profundo Chef on Comedy Central's "South Park," told the crowd that he got to the Hall by "never giving up on my dream," reported Reuters. Also among the inductees: The Ramones, Talking Heads, the late Chet Atkins, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and singer-songwriter Gene Pitney. Jewel inducted veteran "American Bandstand" favorite Brenda Lee, 58, who sported a blonde bouffant. Facing reporters backstage, Lee (whose '50s hit "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" remains a holiday staple) called her influence on the younger generation "very cool, isn't it?"
DOWNEY UPSWING: Robert Downey Jr. put in a brief appearance before his parole judge on Tuesday and got a passing grade. In reviewing Downey's progress in drug rehabilitation as presented in a report by the actor's probation officers, Riverside County (Calif.) Superior Court Judge Randall White declared that he is pleased with Downey's progress, reported Reuters. The report stated that Downey, 36, has remained drug-free since being placed in a program last spring, said the news service. Downey, who is poised to resume his film career, is next due before the court in mid-summer, at which time it could be determined that his probation period should conclude. He is currently in a three-year, live-in rehab program as was ordered by the court in January of 2001.
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