With applause, hugs and a good dose of teasing, Michael Douglas’ moviemaking pals– actresses Kathleen Turner and Jeanne Tripplehorn, director Milos Forman and producer Saul Zaentz–cheered the actor Saturday in the Sheraton Chicago Hotel for his lifetime achievement award from the Chicago International Film Festival. Douglas was honored, said the festival’s Michael Kutza, for “his risk-taking and dynamic enterprise.” What did dad Kirk think of young Douglas’ lifetime honor? “Not bad–for my younger brother,” quipped Douglas the Elder.
More Michael: Douglas saluted his parents and credited his father with teaching him about passions and dreams. It was his dad’s dream of turning “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” into a movie. It took Michael many years to do it. In 1975, the movie had its sold-out, world premiere at the Chicago festival. Said Douglas, “The support and enthusiasm that night is why we make movies. It gave me the confidence to take chances and make the movies I do.”
Stage light: Get up early if you want to chat with Julie Harris. The actress, busy with Charles Durning in “The Gin Game” at the Royal George Theatre, has her days jampacked. The Renoir exhibit’s on the agenda (“I always see the Impressionists when I’m in Chicago.”) as is the play “Forever Plaid” and a night hearing singer Julie Wilson. And there was a visit to Victory Gardens Theater with Mike Nussbaum for a reading of a new play, “Winter,” by Claudia Allen (“I love her work.”). When “Gin” closes Nov. 16, Harris heads to Florida for “The 1st of May,” a movie with Joe DiMaggio and Charles Nelson Reilly.
Game time: Add Phil Jackson to the notables taking part in the Chicago Humanities Festival next month and themed “Work and Play.” He’ll introduce Pulitzer Prize-winner Garry Wills’ speech (“Chaplin: The Absurdity of Work”) at Symphony Center on Nov. 9.
Pol buzz: Bulletin for Calumet City Mayor Jerry Genova: We don’t care that you fax “Genova for state treasurer” campaign literature to INC. with City of Calumet City cover letters, but local taxpayers may object to contributing to your campaign.
Good moves: Chicago playwright Stuart Flack is busy in California readying his Jeff-nominated work, “Sidney Bechet Killed a Man,” with Tony Roberts at Costa Mesa’s South Coast Repertory Theater. . . . If you loved Blue Island native John Franklin as Cousin It in “The Addams Family” movies, you’ll want to catch him as ghost Dewey Todd in ABC’s “Tower of Terror” on Sunday.
Mag rack: Oprah Winfrey’s at it again, ranking fifth in Entertainment Weekly’s list of powerful people in entertainment and first among women. Steven Spielberg tops the list of 101 power people.
Passages: Sunday birthdays: Hillary Rodham Clinton, 50; Pat Conroy, 52; Bob Hoskins, 55; Jack Mabley, 82; Dylan McDermott, 35; Crystal Melto, 43; Natalie Merchant, 34; Pat Sajak, 51; Jaclyn Smith, 50.
Finally: The Chicago Symphony’s Daniel Barenboim stopped in at Alex Ioannou’s Trio Salon in Chicago Friday for a haircut. When stylist Veronica Garza asked whether he needed anything, he quipped: “Champagne and caviar.” He got the cut–not the bubbly and roe.
