The same old Sinatra wows them at brand new Carnegie Hall.
Alice Cooper is back on the road more sinister than ever.
Celebrities go downhill for charity.
Three amigos go downhill for Katie Kelly.
As entertainment tonight explores the depths for Tuesday, December 16th, 1986.
Hi everybody, I'm John Tash.
And I'm Mary Hart.
As the prosecution presses its manslaughter case against director John Landis and four other defendants in Los Angeles,
a Maryland judge is hearing evidence in the manslaughter case against Griffin O'Neill, son of actor Ryan O'Neill.
We have two reports, first Scott Osborne in Los Angeles.
A key witness in the Twilight Zone trial said defendants kept him in the dark about details of the fatal scene
and that he would have closed down filming had he known.
My name is Jack Tice.
Tice was working as a fire safety officer.
He said he had not realized a special effects mortar would explode beneath a mock hut while a helicopter flew overhead.
Would you approve placement of a mortar set to go off at approximately the same time that the helicopter is going to be in that location, under that hut?
I would not approve it.
Why not?
Because it would throw debris up into the air and create a hazard for the helicopter.
The helicopter crash killed actor Vic Morrow and two children.
And Tice said he did not know the two child victims were to be in the scene.
Did anyone, while you were on that set, tell you that children were going to be filmed?
No, they did not.
In fact, Tice is also a film teacher welfare worker who could have closed down filming if he had known the children were in danger.
The prosecution contends the defendants kept the children hidden from him to avoid just that.
While the Twilight Zone trial continues in Los Angeles, another trial involving a Hollywood personality was just beginning in Annapolis, Maryland, as Peter Kwinhakas reports.
Scott, it's a difficult time for Ryan and Griffin O'Neill.
Inside this courthouse, the manslaughter case builds.
The younger O'Neill, somber, hair closely cropped, has waived his right to a jury. Circuit Court Judge Martin Wolf will decide O'Neill's fate.
Prosecutors say and O'Neill no longer denies he was driving this boat when it hit a toll line at high speed, killing Giancarlo Coppola.
A waitress testified the young men had been drinking beer and tequila that afternoon.
Coppola's girlfriend, too pregnant to travel, testified on videotape she asked to get off the boat because of O'Neill's, quote, crazy driving.
O'Neill's attorney says Griffin is guilty of poor judgment but not reckless disregard for human life, not manslaughter.
The state hopes to wrap up its case by tomorrow, and observers say the trial should be over by the end of the week.
If Griffin O'Neill is convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
In Annapolis, Peter Quinhacchis, Entertainment Tonight.
It has been nearly 75 years since the Titanic sank to the bottom of the Atlantic.
What happened has remained a mystery, but now new pictures just being seen by the public for the first time may provide some answers for us all.
Eric Burns is here to explain.
Those pictures are contained in a National Geographic special which is called Secrets of the Titanic, and we have an exclusive look at some of those pictures right now.
Of course, as John just said, it's a story that begins three-quarters of a century ago.
It was the largest movable object ever made by human beings, and it could not sink, could not.
The men who built the Titanic believed this.
So did the relatives of those who went down on it.
They believed this until they could not believe anymore.
It is April of 1912, and this is the last picture of the Titanic above water.
Robert Ballard spent a decade looking for the wreck of the Titanic.
The naked eye wasn't of much use.
These cameras and sonar devices were.
September 1st, 1985.
Ballard and his crew have been checking the monitors for 56 days now, getting closer, hoping more fervently.
It's boiling!
Yes, yes.
Fantastic!
All right!
There was an immediate outpouring of excitement.
Bunch of kids, okay, yelling and screaming, jump on down.
Very unprofessional.
And then the whole force of actually being at the very spot where this tragedy had taken place.
Seeing the ship, it was very, everyone just cracked.
Emotionally, everyone just went down the big trough.
A moment of silence for the Titanic from those who stand over its resting place.
It took more time and more sophisticated equipment to get a better look at the Titanic.
It is a look, both fascinating and tragic, that we all can have soon.
It's a look we can have this weekend, in fact.
On Entertainment This Week, you'll see a lot more from the National Geographic special, Secrets of the Titanic.
And if you can't wait, the home video version is in the stores this week.
Mary?
That is soon, isn't it?
In time for Christmas.
Yeah.
Oh well, as we say.
Repercussions continue in the wake of Geraldo Rivera's live American Vice television special.
A 10-year-old Claremont, California boy turned in his mother and stepfather to police after being inspired by a videotape of the program.
The couple was arrested and released after being given a citation for possessing more than one ounce of marijuana.
We'll talk with Geraldo Rivera tomorrow on Entertainment Tonight.
Rivera will answer questions for the first time about his controversial program.
And I personally look forward to that.
Frank Sinatra and lots more big names help reopen Carnegie Hall.
When Entertainment Tonight returns in a moment.
Fifteen years ago today, Don McLean's pop classic, American Pie, was released. Inspired by the death of Buddy Holly, the 8 1⁄2 minute tune was one of the longest songs ever to make number one.
Also today in history, 216 years ago, the birth of Ludwig von Beethoven.
The legendary composer's music is often heard in New York's Carnegie Hall, but not lately.
The landmark has been closed the last seven months to undergo a $50 million overhaul.
Last night it reopened. On stage, some musical greats who got to Carnegie Hall by practice, practice, practice.
Carnegie Hall sparkled last night as a glittering sold-out crowd showed up anxious to hear just how the renovation would affect the Hall's famous acoustics.
By the time Vladimir Horowitz launched into some Chopin, the verdict was in.
Well, it's always been perfection. If one can improve on perfection, it has been accomplished tonight.
Sounds wonderful, looks wonderful. I think New Yorkers are going to be very proud to have it.
In fact, the whole nation has been proud of Carnegie Hall ever since Tchaikovsky made his American debut on opening night in 1891.
And since then, the world's finest performing artists from Arturo Toscanini to the Beatles to Judy Garland have graced its stage.
Though the Hall barely survived the records ball in the late 50s, this restoration assures it a musical future as brilliant as its past.
We decided to keep the Hall exactly as it was and respect its traditions, to rebuild the shell and the inside so it will last for the next 100 years.
Some of the Hall's most famous alumni return for this special concert, including one whose song seemed to sum up Carnegie Hall's new beginning.
I am about to make a brand new start of it, right there in old New York.
The evening with tickets costing up to $2,500 each raised some $1.4 million for Carnegie Hall.
In other news from the Big Apple, the graduate, the landmark film of 20 years ago which made Dustin Hoffman a star, is Broadway bound.
It will be recreated as a musical by Broadway veteran Bob Merrill, author of Funny Girl.
And Cheers fans, you better get out your hankies, there's going to be a big emotional moment on the series and it's going to be for real.
Jean Wolf has the story inside entertainment.
Yep, Mary, John, lots of decisions for Diane on Cheers and a final decision from Shelley Long.
Shelley will leave Cheers at the end of the season.
It was a tough call because of her loyalty to the cast and producers, but as she told me at this year's Emmys...
There are many things pulling me, one of them a little daughter that I'd really like to have a lot more time with.
And a movie career that I discussed with these producers that I'm very dedicated to and had started before I did Cheers, that's pulling me.
Wanting a little more quiet, silent time.
I could use some of that.
So I'm not quite sure what the balance is, but it has been a wonderful experience, a great opportunity for me and I'll always cherish that.
I got a response from Ted Danson, quote, next year will be a great creative challenge.
A lot of people will miss the Sam-Diane relationship and so will I.
Joan Collins' marriage to Peter Holm is now turning into a bitter divorce.
These court papers reveal that through her attorney Marvin Mitchelson, she's claiming a million dollars is unaccounted for and charges hostile and threatening behavior.
I have Peter Holm's court papers and his attorney Frank Steinschreiber points out that Peter Holm never had check writing privileges.
And in these documents Peter says, quote, I'm still hoping for a reconciliation and I still love her, unquote.
Okay, okay, I do have a happy ending.
Melissa Gilbert and Rob Lowe are engaged.
I've learned that they've talked it over with her family and this weekend they'll meet with his.
Even with all their other very public romances, Melissa and Rob have always declared their best friends.
Melissa has told me she wanted to get married and have babies.
Obviously now, so does Rob.
Congratulations, kids.
And also congratulations.
It'll be here's Mr. and Mrs. Carson.
Johnny has given Alex Mass a ring.
Wait until we hear all those engagement jokes.
I'm Jean Wolf, Inside Entertainment, and that's a wrap.
I don't have an engagement joke to you.
I don't either.
Well, after the show.
Johnny will have the engagement jokes.
I promise you.
You're probably right.
Thanks, Jean.
I'll be right back.
Coming up, Mary Hart in an all-star ski benefit in Canada.
Tomorrow, Steve Winwood sings out about the higher life.
Thursday, Melissa Gilbert marries a gangster for a TV movie.
And Friday, Debbie Harry rocks away and Loretta Young returns to television.
The
Gambling
The Gambling will now have a big enough stake to last a lifetime of poker.
As Jean Wolf reported almost two weeks ago, Kenny Rogers has signed a three-year deal as spokesman for Dole Pineapples.
Well, now we have more details.
That deal, which includes sponsorship of a concert tour, is reported to be worth $17 million.
Mucho da.
Nero is what three amigos are hoping for this holiday season.
And Katie Kelly has a review of this new John Landis movie.
Thanks, John.
And let's talk about Santa Poco.
It's 1916 and we're talking a town in trouble.
Seems El Guapo, El Bendito Terrible, is out to get the whole town, the whole enchilada.
Oh, no.
What to do?
Hey, no problem.
The town hires the three amigos to save them.
Oh, there is one little bitty problem.
Those three amigos, otherwise known as Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Chevy Chase, all actors in bad Hollywood movies.
The town thinks they're real and they think they've been hired to put on a show.
Surprise!
We'll fight like lions because we are the Three Amigos!
I like these guys.
They're funny guys.
Just kill one of them.
And looky here.
In the funniest scene in the movie, they sing each other to sleep.
Oh, is this cute.
Just close your eyes and dream little pal, dream of someone.
Oh, I love that scene.
Hey, this is a lot of fun, buckaroos.
A silly little send-up of all those old cowboy movies some of us grew up on, and the three
amigos, Ned, Dusty and Lucky, they're really nice guys, while the bad guys are a properly
scruffy lot.
I laughed out loud part of the time, grinned a lot of the time, and had a swell time the
rest of the time.
And that's why I'm giving three amigos just that.
Three bow ties out of five.
John?
I love the horse background singers.
Yeah, boom, boom, boom, boom.
That was very good.
Oops.
The location interview with Glenn Close originally scheduled for today will run on Thursday.
But speaking of location shoots, a certain co-anchor of mine did some location shooting
and some shushing this weekend.
Oh, who could you be talking about?
Well, the occasion was the Banff Nakiska Celebrity Ski Invitational, a four-day event where Hollywood
helped kick off the upcoming 1988 Winter Olympics.
Three years ago, Nakiska at Mount Allen in Alberta, Canada was a totally undeveloped
area in the Canadian Rockies.
It's now about to take its place among the top ski areas of the world.
Nakiska has been named the official site of the Alpine events for the 1988 Winter Olympic
Games.
Whew!
And to help unveil the new winter resort, the government of Alberta and the Olympic
organizing committee invited some of the biggest names in the entertainment business to come
frolic in the snow.
It's a beautiful mountain.
Just gorgeous conditions up here.
Oh, it's exhilarating.
It's a beautiful mountain.
Just gorgeous conditions up here.
Oh, it's exhilarating.
It's a beautiful mountain.
Just gorgeous conditions up here.
Oh, it's exhilarating.
It's a beautiful mountain.
Just gorgeous conditions up here.
Oh, it's exhilarating.
I think it's the best word for it.
These mountains are just like no place else in the world for me.
It's wonderful.
The slopes are smooth and clean, and they've got some great snow.
The great snow attracted hardcore skiers such as William Shatner and first-timers like Ben
Breen.
I think it's a frightening experience.
This is stupid.
And everyone I talked to about it said, oh, I love the ski.
I tore out my knee seven times and I still go.
I go.
A celebrity ski event was one of the highlights that took place during the day.
But at night, the near zero-degree weather forced everyone indoors.
This isn't cold.
You people don't know what cold is.
I was in military school in Buffalo and they'd march us naked in the snow.
That was cold.
That's the same dress she wore in Japan.
Handsome, too bad he drinks.
I'm not doing a survey here.
OK.
I hope that those people who have their wives here or their partners, that they're going
to have good sex.
On the last night of the four-day event, a reception and a $125 a plate dinner was held.
$2,000 right there.
Somebody go 25.
Somebody give me 25, 35, 35, 35, 35.
And toward the end of the evening, Marjo Gortner presided over a celebrity benefit auction,
which raised $91,000 for the Canadian and US Olympic ski teams.
Items up for bid included a session with Dr. Ruth Westheimer, which went to a Canadian
couple.
A trip to Deer Valley went to Lorenzo Lamas.
And a one-hour private workout session with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
I can safely say I have never seen Dr. Ruth on skis.
Oh, she's great.
Look, she was our team captain.
Brooke Shields and me and Dr. Ruth, we came in second.
Susan Sullivan's team won.
By the way, John, you're committed.
You have to be committed to lunch because we auctioned off a trip to entertainment tonight.
$5,500.
We've got a nice couple coming down from Canada.
You're taking them to lunch.
Giving away the show here, man.
We'll be right back.
Shock rocker Alice Cooper back in makeup and out on the road.
And next week on Entertainment Tonight, Sally Field, Betty Ford, Ed Asner, and the holiday
treat from Bob Hope.
That's all next week.
Celebrating her birthday today, LA Law and Hill Street Blues co-creator Stephen Botchko
is 43.
CBS News correspondent Leslie Stahl, 45.
Swedish actress and author Lieve Ulman is 47.
And sci-fi author Arthur C. Clarke, best known for 2001, A Space Odyssey, is 69.
In Today's People postscripts, actor David Carradine and his companion of six years,
Gail Jensen have married.
The ceremony was performed in Rome where Carradine's on location.
And Detroit's Vincent Fernier, better known to rock fans and concerned parents as Alice
Cooper, stunned many in the early 70s with his shock rock theatrics and explicit lyrics.
He's been absent from the recording studio on the road for several years, but now he's
back in a way only Alice Cooper could return.
There has never been a rock act quite like Alice Cooper.
Through the 70s, the granddaddy of shock rock entertained and horrified audiences.
At the same time, put together eight gold albums in a row.
After plenty of rehearsal time, Cooper is back with his first tour in five years.
And if any Cooper fans are wondering if he's mellowed with age, well, forget it.
We actually sort of left during the disco things.
We didn't want to cope with it.
We didn't mind though because we had to more or less regroup and put a new thing together
anyway.
I played around with the Alice image a lot also.
I changed the makeup.
I changed everything.
I found out that it was better that everybody pretty much wanted the classic Alice Cooper,
which was the nightmare Cooper.
Cooper began his tour last Halloween with a program that includes some old tricks along
with some new ones.
It's a happy snake.
This show is a lot bloodier than the other shows.
I mean, I'm proud to say the technology is caught up with the imagination.
It used to be we'd say, well, it would be great if we could like have that guy's arm
come off.
Now we can, you know, to music.
Cooper doesn't seem concerned that his show might be too shocking for some younger fans
or their parents.
We stay within the boundaries.
I think on most levels there again, their imagination is going to take it out of bounds.
What we do will keep it within the boundaries.
But, but I'm sure that that's what's going to, what's going to irritate them.
They're going to see a lot of sexual things, a lot of horrible things that didn't really
happen.
I really don't care.
It's rock and roll.
There's nothing they can do about it.
We were the originals and we still do it better than anyone else.
Our object is still to blow everybody off the stage.
Ick.
Tomorrow, an exclusive movie preview of No Mercy starring Kim Basinger and Richard Gere.
Ick.
He's back.
He has recovered from abdominal surgery and returned to his music last night at the reopening
of Carnegie Hall.
Among his songs for the memorable evening was New York, New York.
See you tomorrow.
Take care.
You know I'm going to make it anywhere.
Walter Mathau and his lookalikes share stories of mistaken identities on the next edition
of our magazine.
Tomorrow at four here on WJR Channel 10.