I Was Amelia Earhart' For Director Jean-Jacques Beineix

French director Jean-Jacques Beineix ("Betty Blue") has committed to direct "I Was Amelia Earhart," which mixes history and fiction to chronicle the exploits of the famed aviatrix.

Based on Jane Mendelsohn's 1996 novel, the story leads up to Earhart's final ill-fated attempt to fly around the world, and then veers into a fictional flight pattern, inventing a romance between Earhart and her co-pilot when they land on a deserted island.

About the Author; Jane Mendelsohn was born in New York City, July 4, 1965. She was graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Yale University in 1987, and attended Yale Law School for one year before beginning a career as a writer/journalist.

In 1992, Ms. Mendelsohn spotted an article in The New York Times about the discovery of a piece of a plane believed to have been Amelia Earhart's. The article mentioned that Earhart traveled with a navigator, Fred Noonan, who was with her on her last flight. Intrigued by the dramatic possibilities of two people flying around the world together, crashing, and perhaps surviving, she began researching Earhart's life and disappearance. Shortly after, Ms. Mendelsohn began sketching out a book based on her findings. The first version was a much longer book, told entirely in the third person. "Once I finished it," Ms. Mendelsohn says, "I realized that I had only just figured out the story. Now that I knew what had happened, I had to tell it in Earhart's, and my, voice." The result is I Was Amelia Earhart.

Harper's Bazaar hails I Was Amelia Earhart as "an immediately addicting book, as telegraphic as those of Margaret Duras, and as charged with longing....not to be missed." The New York Times writes, "Ms. Mendelsohn has chosen to use the bare-boned outlines of the aviator's life as an armature for a poetic meditation on freedom and love and flight. I Was Amelia Earhart, like Gabriel Garcia Marquez's General in His Labyrinth, invokes the spirit of a mythic personage, while standing on its own as a powerfully imagined work of fiction." I Was Amelia Earhart is Ms. Mendelsohn's first book and novel.

Ms. Mendelsohn's reviews have appeared in The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Village Voice, The Guardian, The London Review of Books, and Yale Review. She has worked as an assistant to the literary editor at The Village Voice and as a tutor at Yale University. At the moment, Ms. Mendelsohn is writing a horror film. She is also sketching out details for her next novel. Ms. Mendelsohn is married and lives in New York with her husband, filmmaker Nick Davis.

The Fine Line Features drama nearly flew with director Fred Schepisi and Julianne Moore in the role of the famed flier, but was grounded due to scheduling and other matters. Beineix also directed "Diva," and recently scored a hit with "Mortal Transfer."

Life as We Know It, for a mid-six-figure advance To Fox 2000

Fox 2000 has bought the spec script "Life as We Know It" by scribes Ian Deitchman and Kristin Rusk Robinson for a mid-six-figure advance.

The romantic comedy concerns a pair of unattached adults forced to become instant parents when their mutual best friends perish in an accident after naming the two singles as caregivers for their orphaned daughter.

Deitchman and Robinson previously sold the supernatural love story "Wildest Dreams" to MGM for $1 million and set up the pitch "Motor Mouth" at MGM.

Javier Bardem in Nike: A Romance

Spanish actor Javier Bardem, Oscar-nominated last year for his starring role in "Before Night Falls," is attached to play a Greek villager in "Nike: A Romance," a drama based on the novel by Nicholas Flokos.

The project is set up at Landscape Pictures, which will secure a writer or writer-director to adapt the 1998 novel before setting it up with a studio.

In "Nike," Bardem's character sets out to restore his island's pride by stealing the statue of the goddess Nike from the Louvre and returning it to the island. When he travels to Paris, he must choose between his love for the statue and the love he develops for the museum guard who watches over it.

Bardem next will be seen in John Malkovich's directorial debut, "The Dancer Upstairs." He's currently shooting "Mondays in the Sun" for director Fernando Leon.

Gabriel Mann Is Set To Join John Frankenheimer's Exorcist' Film

Gabriel Mann is set to join John Frankenheimer's untitled prequel to "The Exorcist" for Morgan Creek Prods. Shooting begins in the spring in the United Kingdom and Spain.

Mann takes on the role of Father William Francis, which actor Ryan Phillippe previously had been in final negotiations to play. A deal for Phillippe could not be reached, however, because of other commitments.

Mann joins a cast that includes Liam Neeson and Australian actor Billy Crawford in the story of Father Merrin (Neeson) and his first encounter with the devil while doing missionary work in post-World War II Africa. While there, Merrin suffers from the horrors of war and loses his faith in God. When he meets the devil, he has to fight to save his beliefs. Father Francis is a young priest who does not understand how Merrin can lose his faith. Francis later faces the devil, with devastating consequences.

Best-selling author Caleb Carr ("The Alienist") rewrote the script, based on an original screenplay by William Wisher. The "Exorcist" prequel is being produced by Morgan Creek chairman and CEO James Robinson, with production president Jonathan Zimbert executive producing. Warner Bros. will distribute the film domestically, and Warner Bros. and Morgan Creek International will distribute overseas.

Mann is best known for his roles in such films as "High Art," "Josie and the Pussycats," "Summer Catch" and Alison Anders' feature "Things Behind the Sun," which aired on Showtime.

The actor, repped by UTA and manager Michael McConnell, has several projects due out in the next year, including Universal Pictures' "The Life of David Gale" and "The Bourne Identity" as well as Paramount Pictures' "Abandon" and Miramax Films' "Buffalo Soldiers."

Jamie Kennedy Experiment in "Suckaz" for Warner Bros

Jamie Kennedy, star of the WB Network hidden camera/sketch comedy series "JKX: The Jamie Kennedy Experiment," will bring one of his characters from the show, wannabe rapper Brad Gluckman, to the big screen in the comedy feature "Suckaz" for Warner Bros.

Fax Bahr and Adam Small, who work with Kennedy on "JKX," will direct the film, which is aimed to go into production in mid-June.

"Suckaz" will center on Gluckman (Kennedy), a white would-be rap star from Malibu who thinks he is from the ghetto. One day he finds out what being from the ghetto is really like. The film will co-star Nick Swardstrom as Gluckman's sidekick Mocha, who is often featured on "JKX."

Swardstrom and Kennedy came up with the idea for "Suckaz," with Swardstrom writing the script. Warner Bros. optioned the material, and Bahr, Small and Kennedy are rewriting.

"I've always been a huge fan of rap music, and the character of Brad Gluckman just came to me one day," Kennedy said. "When I first moved here from Philly, I'd meet all these white kids from Beverly Hills and they'd be talking like they were from the ghetto. I'd never seen anything like it. It thought it was a cool juxtaposition, and that's what inspired me. These kids would be like, 'Yo man, I'm from Brentwood. I'm down with the Calabasas Crips.' "

"Suckaz" will be produced in association with Big Ticket Studio and Karz Entertainment, which produces "JKX." Mike Karz will produce the film alongside Russell Hollander and Josh Etting.

"Fax and Adam are the perfect people direct this project since it's their baby too," Kennedy said. "All of us, including Nick and Mike, are like family, so it's nice to working on a feature film with all of them."

Warner Bros. executive vp production Jeff Robinov and vp production Greg Silverman are overseeing.

Since its January debut, "JKX" has generated big buzz and solid ratings for the WB in its Sunday 8 p.m. slot.

Kennedy is repped by UTA, Artists Management Group and attorney Mitch Smelkinson. On the big screen, Kennedy is perhaps best known for his role in the Wes Craven-directed blockbuster "Scream." He went on to star in such films as "Three Kings," "Boiler Room" "Bowfinger" and "Max Keeble's Big Move."

Steven Seagal: lama or harmer?

Steven Seagal's former business partner has alleged that the ageing hard-man reneged on a movie deal on the express instruction of his Buddhist spiritual adviser. Producer Julius R. Nasso is now claiming $60m in damages from the 50-year-old actor.

Nasso and Seagal had worked in tandem for fifteen years and established Seagal-Nasso Productions together. But Nasso claims that Seagal walked away from an agreement to star in four action-thrillers after his enigmatic mentor, Mukaru, threatened to revoke the actor's status as a reincarnated lama.

Nasso says that in order to preserve his lama-dom, Seagal has effectively distanced himself from his old friends and family. The suit argues that Mukaru, along with "a clandestine and unorthodox Tibetan sect known as Nying Mo" has forced Seagal to cut his ties with Nasso, along with "his children from two previous marriages, his movie production companies and others".

In recent years Seagal's action movie career has slumped, though he will be seen later this year in the prison thriller Half Past Dead. But Nasso feels that the actor has found it increasingly difficult to reconcile his carnage-heavy screen image with his spiritual Buddhist beliefs. "He should make a choice. Either he should be an action hero and wear black or he should do what the theologians say. He should act the role and not hide behind the robes." Harmer or lama? The choice is Seagal's.

Legal: Oscar-nominated documentary hit by homophobia claims

An Oscar-nominated documentary is embroiled in controversy after allegations that its makers are part of a homophobic organization.

The actor Rosie O' Donnell has asked for her name and voice to be removed from the documentary, Artists and Orphans: A True Drama, which is nominated for an Oscar in the documentary shorts category, after discovering that the film-makers are involved in a group that has been described as a homophobic cult.

O'Donnell, who revealed that she is gay, narrated the film about a New York theatre group which travels to the former Soviet republic of Georgia to help orphaned and abandoned children.

The actor, who has been outspoken in support of gay adoption, agreed to help with the project as she herself has three adopted children. She subsequently discovered that the film-makers are involved with the Fourth Way School, which bans homosexuals from its ranks and believes gays shouldn't be allowed to adopt.

O'Donnell's publicist Cindi Berger said, "If Rosie had known the truth about this organization, she never would have consented to lend her name and voice. Rosie is angry that the background wasn't disclosed to her."

David Goldstein, a lawyer representing the film, told New York's Daily News, "to say that Artists and Orphans is the work of some kind of nefarious cult is completely baseless. The inflammatory accusation that certain people affiliated with the film are involved in an organization that endangers the welfare of children or discriminates against... gays and lesbians... is without foundation."

Black Actors Hope To Win At Oscars

Halle Berry hopes this year's three Academy Award nominations for black actors will be a source of optimism for minorities. Denzel Washington just figures academy voters went for the actors they felt turned in the best performances.

And Will Smith jokes that win or lose, he's already made history: "The first rapper to be nominated for an Oscar. That is cool."

This year's awards present one of the best chances for a black to earn a lead-acting trophy since Sidney Poitier became the only black actor to do so, for 1963's "Lilies of the Field."

Oscar nominations for Berry ("Monster's Ball"), Smith ("Ali") and Washington ("Training Day") mark the first time in 29 years that three blacks have competed in the lead-acting categories.

Best-actress may come down to Sissy Spacek for "In the Bedroom" and Berry, who won the lead-actress prize for "Monster's Ball" this month at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The best-actor race seems to be a dead heat between Russell Crowe for "A Beautiful Mind" and Washington, a five-time nominee who won the supporting-actor Oscar for "Glory."

In addition, two Oscar-winning black actors have major roles at the ceremony Sunday. Poitier receives an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement. And Whoopi Goldberg, a supporting-actress winner for "Ghost," is the show's host.

Only six blacks have won acting Oscars since the awards began in 1929, or 2.2 percent of the winners. The only previous year that produced three black nominees for best actor or actress was 1972: Cicely Tyson and Paul Winfield for "Sounder" and Diana Ross for "Lady Sings the Blues."

"When it happened in 1972, I bet you someone probably said this is a prelude of better things to come, and we found it hasn't happened again for almost 30 years," said Frank Smith Jr., acting board president of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame.

Still, many in Hollywood view this year's nominations as a hint that choicer roles are opening up for blacks in an industry that once relegated minorities largely to comic or caricatured parts.

Of 39 nominations for blacks over the years, 31 have come since 1970, compared with eight in the preceding four decades.

"There's old Hollywood and new Hollywood. Old Hollywood was basically lily-white, with white actors in films generally to the exclusion of other races," said director John Singleton, whose "Boyz N the Hood" established him as the only black filmmaker ever nominated for best director. "New Hollywood seems to realize that to make a hit movie, you need to have a multiplicity of people represented.

"Because of that, American films are becoming more American in the sense that they look more like the whole of America looks."

As actors such as Washington, Smith and Berry find box-office success, some have been able to use their clout to get projects off the ground that showcase their talents in serious, potentially Oscar-worthy roles.

"I don't really know how it will transform the industry, but what I do know is that it will hopefully instill hope in other people of color," Berry said of this year's nominations.

Berry previously won an Emmy for the title role in "Introducing Dorothy Dandridge." Dandridge, who rose to stardom amid Hollywood racism of the 1940s and 1950s, was the first black nominated for a lead-acting Oscar, for 1954's "Carmen Jones."

Four years later, Poitier became the second, for "The Defiant Ones." Washington said he believes the quality of the performances alone resulted in this year's three nominations.

"It's not about race," he said. "This might suggest that they are doing us a favor because we are black." The Oscar recognition, though, "might also suggest that there are better roles for African-Americans," Washington said.

Smith, who joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last year, said greater representation in that group is critical to Oscar success for blacks. The academy provides no demographic breakdown of its 5,700 voting members, but academy executives concede the percentage of minorities is far lower than in the general population.

"The academy is made up ... (mostly) of white Americans, so for the most part, white American films are going to be nominated and white American actors are going to win," said Smith, who urged more blacks to apply for membership. "We all just want to be judged as human beings."

Alicia Keys wins 3 Soul Train Awards

Newcomer Alicia Keys and veteran R&B rockers the Isley Brothers each took home three trophies from the 16th Annual Soul Train Music Awards.

Keys won the best R&B/soul or rap new artist for her hit Fallin, while her Songs in Minor took the best R&B/soul female album honour. She also was named female Entertainer of the Year.

Keys continued her winning ways after scoring five Grammy Awards last month.

The Isley Brothers also won a trio of awards, including best R&B/soul single and album by a group, band or duo. The group, which made a comeback more than 42 years after their first hit single Shout, was named Entertainer of the Year for male artists.

Aaliyah won best R&B/soul single, female for Rock the Boat. She died in a plane crash in August, shortly after completing a video for the song in the Bahamas.

The Soul Train awards honor R&B, soul, hip-hop, rap and gospel performances.

Winners were announced Wednesday, and the programme was taped for a syndicated television broadcast that will air later this month.