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Show U. CLAWS OUT A WIN ON COUGS’ FLOOR/ B-1 Che Salt LakeGri une Utah’s Independent Voice Since 1871 5 Volume 258 Number 9 rs ©2000, The Salt Lake Triburie fe 143 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, Utah SUNDAY, JANUARY16, 2000 ‘Telephone numbers listed on A-2 At Sundance, the ‘Suits’ Need a Sixth Sense to Avoid Being Taken wil Cleaners The press wants to meet the new film makers. The photographers want to see the movie stars. The volunteers wantto get into the parties. Everybody wants a glimpse of Robert Redford. Forthose people, the Sundance Film Festival — whichbeginsits 2000 edition Thursdaynight in Salt Lak bravanel Hall and then invades Park City for 10 days is an adventure. But for the “suits,” the executives who decide what movies have a future after thefilm festival, Sundanceis a job. “It's the premiere showcase for American independent cinema,” said Paul Federbush, senior vice president for acquisitions at Fine Line Features. “There are moments whenI'm up there, dealing with the crowds andthecold, that I wish it wasn’t.” Executives for seven major film distributors, speakingin phoneinterviews, say they and their counterparts come to Sundanceto 2 shop — but they're not always-shoppingfor the samething. “The worst place in the world to buy a movie is the SundanceFilm Festival,” declared Tom Bernard, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics.“If you get into the acqui- sition game at Sundance, 95 percent [of] the time you end up losing money.” The feeding frenzy of Sundance inflates a film's price, Bernard said. “The hype of the festival, and the publicity that one gets when they pay that huge amount of money for a film, in a bidding war where @ A moving you find distributors exchanging blowsin local restaurants, becomes more ofa story than the movie,” he said. “It becomesnotabout the movies — it's reportedly paid for the Australian comedy “The Castle” in 1998; the $10 million Castle Rock Entertainment spent on “TheSpitfire Grill” in 1996; and the complex deal Miramax made last year for “Happy, Texas” (which, depending on who you asked, was worth between $2 million and $11 million). Even a bargain buy may not pay off: Sony Classics paid $800,000 for last year’s Audience Award-winning docu- mentary “American Movie.” So far, it has made just over $500,000 in limited release — 2 reunion though Sony is banking on an Oscar push. “More than at any of the other festivals, you get caughtin a ‘festival fever’ at Sundance,” Federbush said. “We about the price, and the deal.” Several executives pointed to muchpublicized mega-deals at Sundance that always joke about the altitude being respon- box office: the $6 million Miramax Films See FILM ‘SUITS’, Page A-10 sible for someofthe decisionsthat have been made.” didn’t make back their investments at the ‘The Salt Lake Tribune Director Robert Altman talks to the news media atlast year’s film festival. Politicking? Count On It With crucialstate elections looming, legislative session could be fractious BY DAN HARRIEand JUDY FAHYS THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE The curtain opens Monday on Titah’s 2000 Legislature, But the “pivotal date actuallyfalls after its conclusion in 45 days: March 17, But other pressures are at work that could turn the 2000 Legisla- tureinto a political thriller: More than usual is at od the deadline for candidatestofile foroffice. With all 75 ot the state House seats up fo grabs, half the Senate and the DennyLa/The Salt Lake Tribune Whistle-Stop Trevor Freston of Hyrum enjoys a modeltrain display with his grandsons, Brendan,5,(left) and Dylan, 2. Although Dylantries to waveoff smoke comingfrom thetiny chugging engine,thereis still too much of a smell for Brendan’s nose. The three were among about 10,000 expectedatthe two-day Great American Train Show, which runs through today at the State Fairpark in Salt Lake City. Theevent, including eight massive displays and 40 vendors,is touted as the largest touring modeltrain showin the country. See story, Page C-1. Doping Battle Aims to Win Kids’ Hearts governor’s office, electionyear politics are likely to be a backdrop for AH because the people elected in vemberwill help shape Utah a ernment for years to come. The winners get the once-in-a-decade Legis a many key decisions, including @ Roll Call 2000 those on educa- 1 Capitol improvements? tion funding, anti-crime legislation and gun safety. Leaders of the Republicancontrolled Legislature dismiss the notion that electioneering and campaign warm-up speeches will steal this year’s show on Capitol Hill. They point out that with twoyear terms in the House and four- year stints in the Senate, mostlegislators are up for election every otheryear,so this session hardly is BY CHRISTOPHER SMITH qT LAKE TRIBUNE LAUSANNE,Switzerland — The federal government's fight against drug abuseis spilling onto a new battlefield, expanding from thecocafields of South America to the soccerfields of middle America. jis week, President Clinton will begin assembling a national task force to address the grow- States joined in partnership ing problem of performance- with other nations and interna- enhancing drugs in sport. Keyed by federal drug czar Gen. Barry McCaffrey’s vow to ensure the Salt Lake 2002 Olympics are drug free, the new campaign will strive to discourage a chemical competitive edge from the prosto Little League. tional sport here to effect what Elite athletes who use White House advisers call a “sea change”‘in attitude toward drug-free sport. Now, the United States will launchits own independentathletic drug-testing agency this year in conjunction with the U.S. Olympic Committee andin- muscle-popping or enduranceenhancing drugs to wring more vest $3 million in doping research while helping steer the out of their bodies have domi- new international World Anti- nated the debate over doping», Last week, after a year of bad-* gering the International Olympic Committee, the United Doping Agency (WADA) founded bythe IOC. But the ultimate target for McCaffrey and the White House has alwaysbeen the young people wholookup to professional and Olympic competitorsas role models. “Our priority will be to focus on U.S. nationalathletes, U.S. amateurathletes, with the understanding that our children fare) our primary concern,” he says, “This threatis no longer con- fined to a mere handfulofelite athletes. Children, some as youngas 12 years old, are turning to drugs to gain an upper hand in contests where only a gold-painted plastic trophy is at Sce CLEAR, Page A-6 Fearing -_in Danger, One Chinese City Caught a Killer China's campaigt XIAN,China — On March22, 1998, top police officials in this historic Chinese metropolis held Gov. Mike Leavitt and GOP law- makers has been patched publicly, but deep divisions remain on guns, wilderness and how. to divide the $6.7 billion budget. @A gun-control initiative spearheaded by citizens may be an emergency meeting. At stake, said police chief Liu Ping, was thelife of the presidentof the United States. A killer was ontheloose in Xian, known once as the “city of heavenly peace” but now as the “city of thieves.” In three months, with no ap- parentmotive, he had murdered four people and left a womanin a.coma with a bullet to theface. President Clinton wouldbe visiting the city in June on his first trip to China and was to mingle with people in the streets. The Ministry of Public Security in Beijing had sent Liu an order, he announced; Catch the killer by the end of the month,before a Clinton advance team arrived. The manhuntlasted 100 days and involved pag than 10,000 police officers. As they probed ‘Id of killers, prostitutes, drug ad- filets and pickpockets normally unseen by “a e a foreigners, the case provided a rare look behind See ELECTIONS,Page rey Lawyer: SLOC Board Followed Law In Restricting Sponsor-Deals Access| BY LINDA FANTIN THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE Trustees of the Salt Lake Orga- nizing Committee did not break state law when theyrestricted their own ability to see sponsorship contracts, an attorney for the committee said Saturday. Utah Code section 16-6-41, which governs inspection of records by nonprofit corporations, guarantees all members the right to inspect attorney Kelly Flint. Because SLOC is the type of nonprofit that has no sharehold- ers, that section of the statute does not apply, he said. “Before I gave any advice to the board, I made sure we. complied with the law,”Flint said. Asked on Friday if SLOC may haveviolated state law, Assistant Atty, Gen. Jerrold Jensen said it See ATTORNEY,Page A-9 “all books and records”of the com- pany, The term “members” in that context refers to shareholders, not board members, said SLOC \gainst r 1 Ethics chaitman speaks out C-1 WEATHER the facadeof a surging economic juggerpaut and would-be superpowerthat Chinapresents to the world. It revealed a country with a rising crime Wind,rain across muchofstate. B-10 THE ARTS rate, a society unsettled by 20 years of economic In Utah, Howa is synonymous with construction. Now, try arts. reform anda gaping disparity between rich and poor. ‘The “12-1 Armed Homicide Major Case” — so Ann Landers F-2 Lottery Astrology —_F-20 Movies named because the first killing occurred on Dec. 1, 1997 — is populated by characters worthy of Dickens. There is Huang Xin, a larcenous lover who used women.to set up robberies, then left (et waiting for him to marry them or support ‘ir babies. There is Wang Jiang, a jack of all freaee who would rather jury-rig a pistol than fix bicycles for a buck. Andthere is a gang leader named Dong Lei, a martial arts expert whose See MANHUNT,Page A-17 4 “C4 Ds Reviewsmy) Obituaries Ce ClassifiedsF-9 Pumzles DT Crossword D-7,F-19 ReabEstate Ft ‘Tao Ming/The Assockated Press The Clintons visit the Terracotta Warriors nearXian, China,in 1998, 4 bh statehouse districts. @ Democrats have made the takeover of the state Senate their CA top target in the election. By picking up just four seats, Democrats would have a majority for thefirst timein 22 years, @ Feuding between Republica unusual. New federal task force to tackle problem of performance drugs task of redrawing congressional and f UTAH HOME SALES |
