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Firefighters who watched the CBS documentary 9/11 on Sunday night said it was an accurate and sensitive account of the events that unfolded in New York City on Sept. 11. The program, hosted by Robert De Niro, featured footage shot by two French filmmakers who were working on a documentary about a New York firehouse when the attack occurred. One firefighter told the Associated Press, "They did a super job of turning it into a story that is pretty right on. Everyone that was home and watching CNN had more information than we did."
In General
John Leguizamo is reaching out to Spanish-speaking families that may not have been included in the Sept. 11 recovery efforts because of language barriers, reports AP. The actor recorded two public service announcements, both in English and in Spanish, for the nonprofit initiative The Gift of New York, which provides free admission to arts, entertainment and sports venues for the families of victims affected by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.Talk-show guru Oprah Winfrey said she plans to bow out of The Oprah Winfrey Show at the end of the 2005-06 season. The show was launched in 1986 and to date has averaged about 26 million viewers a week. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Oprah Winfrey is the highest-grossing first-run show in syndication, raking in more than $300,000 a week from New York and Los Angeles media markets. Jane Kaczmarek is back on the set of Fox's Malcolm in the Middle following a three-week sick leave. The network was forced to cut the Malcolm season short after Kaczmarek walked off the set. Her publicist claims she suffered from severe migraines, but USA Today speculates that the actress was on strike over salary issues.Frankie Muniz of Fox's Malcolm in the Middle will be paid $2 million to star in MGM's upcoming adventure film Agent Cody Banks. According to Variety, the film centers around a teen drafted by the U.S. government for secret military operations entailing small participants. The deal will make Muniz one of the highest-paid child stars since Home Alone's Macaulay Culkin.It has become a war of attrition between ABC and CBS. Diane Sawyer, host of ABC's Good Morning America, canceled a scheduled appearance on CBS' Late Show with David Letterman. Recent reports that ABC is attempting to woo Letterman as a replacement for Nightline has sparked a show of support for host Ted Koppel by the TV journalistic community, People reports.Director Martha Coolidge has become the first female to be elected president of the Directors Guild of America. She'll replace Jack Shea, who announced his resignation Saturday after having served three two-year terms, reports Variety. Coolidge joined the DGA in 1983 and has served as DGA 1st VP for seven years.The multifaceted John McEnroe lost his cool at a tennis match at the Nuveen Champions tournament in Naples, Fla., recently, throwing his racket and hurling a tennis ball over the stands, PageSix.com reports. McEnroe, who was defeated by Aaron Krickstein in two sets, might have been frustrated over the cancellation of his ABC game show The Chair.Warner Bros. and studio-based Section Eight have recruited Monster's Ball screenwriter Milo Addica to write a revenge thriller to be directed by Don Cheadle. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project is based on an original idea by Steven Soderbergh about a man who takes the fall for a crime and seeks revenge after his release from jail. Soderbergh and Section Eight co-founder George Clooney will produce the film.Five years after the death of INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, the final distribution accounts for his estate have been finalized. According to Australia's News.com, Hutchence's will allocated half his wealth to his daughter, Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily, at age 25, and equal shares to his mother, father, half-sister, brother and lover, Paula Yates. But Hutchence stipulated that the first $521,000 of his estate should be split between Greenpeace and Amnesty International, leaving only about $30,000 to family members who believe his worth to be closer to $5 million.Some 15 honorees will be honored into the inaugural Hip-Hop Hall of Fame induction ceremony on March 13, including Notorious B.I.G., Russell Simmons, KRS-One, LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Run-D.M.C., Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa. The ceremony will take place at the Puck Building in Manhattan, New York, during the Hip-Hop Super Conference and Expo 2002, SonicNet Music reports.