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Sports Beat
Before Frank Worth became the Los Angeles Dodgers' first official
photographer, he made a name for himself as one of Hollywood's
first paparazzi. Unlike today's celebrity shutterbugs, Worth got
close to his subjects; he dated Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn
Monroe. He also shot Elizabeth Taylor's first wedding, to Nicky
Hilton. Worth, who died in December 2000 at age 77, worked for
the Dodgers into the 1990s, augmenting his photographer's salary
by selling tickets at Dodger Stadium. Shortly after Worth's
death, a dusty box containing thousands of photos--mostly
never-seen, intimate shots of stars such as Frank Sinatra and
Cary Grant--was found in his apartment. Several of the pictures,
including this shot of Don Drysdale (standing) and Duke Snider
enjoying some dugout cheesecake around 1960, will be on display
from March 20 to 25 at the Beverly Hills Sotheby's in an exhibit
called "Worth Exposing Hollywood: The Diamond Retrospective."
If life imitates art, Steven Spielberg and Gary Ross are going to
be two happy Hollywood moguls. Spielberg, whose Dreamworks studio
is handling international distribution for the upcoming movie
Seabiscuit, and Ross, who is directing the film, were among the
show-business investors who bought a 10% stake in Kentucky Derby
hopeful Atswhatimtalknbout from owner B. Wayne Hughes. The
parties were brought together by Hall of Fame jockey (and new
Santa Anita general manager) Chris McCarron, who was a consultant
on Seabiscuit, which is slated to open on July 25. At Sunday's
San Felipe Stakes the 3-year-old Atswhatimtalknbout--who was
sired by 1992 Horse of the Year A.P. Indy--closed like a shot to
finish second. He's expected to start in the April 5 Santa Anita
Derby and maybe, if all goes well, make a Run for the Roses on
May 3.
The U.S. distributor of Bend It Like Beckham, which opened in the
States to strong reviews last week, thought about changing the
film's name. Beckham's director, Gurinder Chadha, tells SI that
one of the titles Fox Searchlight kicked around was Move It Like
Mia. The reference was to Mia Hamm, whose poster adorns the wall
of the movie's main character, an 18year-old girl who dreams of
playing pro soccer and idolizes the U.S. national team star. "I
didn't have a problem if they changed the name because I know
people don't know David Beckham here," Chadha says. "But as time
went on, Fox decided that they didn't want to change the title
because it was already known around the world."
Now it can be told: Two decades ago Stan Davis, a receivers and
defensive backs coach for the Arena league's Chicago Rush, played
opposite Sean Penn in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. In one
memorable scene Davis freaks out when he and Penn wreck Davis's
brother's car. "We had to scream because we were in a car
accident," says Davis, 36. "Sean was burning his hand with a
cigarette to make his scream seem authentic. I thought he was
crazy." Davis, who also starred in commercials as one of the "I
am stuck on Band-Aid brand 'cause Band-Aid's stuck on me" kids,
played defensive back at Long Beach State and two seasons in the
CFL before coaching. "I just went from acting to another form of
entertainment," he says.
According to reports out of Cleveland, former Browns quarterback
Bernie Kosar has been approached by national Democratic Party
leaders about running for the U.S. Senate in 2004. Todd Rensi,
communications director for the Ohio Democratic Party, says it
hasn't happened yet, but that doesn't mean he wouldn't welcome
Kosar's throwing his helmet into the ring. "We support an open
process," Rensi says, "and name recognition is always good." Said
Kosar, "It's flattering, and it's something you have to consider
seriously." One of Kosar's possible opponents in the race: former
Cincinnati mayor Jerry Springer.
COLOR PHOTO: YOMIURI SHIMBUN,YASUO MITO/AP (SUMOS) PICTURE THIS Next time you're in Japan, watch out for flying sumos. Asashoryu, the sport's first Mongolian yokozuna (or grand champion, right), was bowled out of the ring by a lower-ranked countryman, Kyokutenho, at the Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka. It was the 22-year-old Asashoryu's first loss since becoming a yokozuna earlier this year, and it was an embarrassing one: He ended up landing in the dirt outside the ring.
B/W PHOTO: FRANK WORTH (DON AND DUKE) Dapper Don and Duke
COLOR PHOTO: JEFF HAYNES/AFP (YAO)
THIS WEEK'S SIGN OF THE APOCALYPSE
A sherpa whose grandfather carried supplies on Sir Edmund
Hillary's historic 1953 Everest expedition is planning to build a
cybercafe on the mountain.
THEY SAID IT
YAO MING
Rockets center and media darling, identifying his favorite
English words: "Last question."
