John Landis

'Monsters, Movies and Trailers From Hell!' with filmmakers John Landis and Joe Dante Where: Larry Edmunds Bookshop, 6644 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. When: Saturday, 7 p.m. Price: Free Info: (323) 463-3273; larryedmunds.com

Designing costumes so ingrained in popular culture that they still inspire Halloween disguises 30 years after they were created - Michael Jackson's "Thriller" jacket, Indiana Jones' signature outback slouch look and the unforgettable "College" sweatshirt from "Animal House" among them - would be enough of a career accomplishment for most people. But not for Deborah Nadoolman Landis, who has spent the last decade fighting for respect, recognition and a place in the Hollywood pantheon for film costume designers, establishing herself as the flagbearer for the profession in the process.

On a gray day last week on the Universal Studios back lot, film director John Landis pulled his black Volvo station wagon up to a busy construction site. Dressed in a natty blue suit, he eased through a work area of hard hats and flannel shirts. Landis made his way to the place where his new film "Oscar" was shooting before a devastating blaze in November swept across the back lot, causing $25 million in damage and consuming the New York brownstones Landis was using.

'Monsters, Movies and Trailers From Hell!' with filmmakers John Landis and Joe Dante Where: Larry Edmunds Bookshop, 6644 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. When: Saturday, 7 p.m. Price: Free Info: (323) 463-3273; larryedmunds.com

Rickles on film: John Landis has directed a documentary about comedian Don Rickles, "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project," that will air on HBO on Dec. 2.

Designing costumes so ingrained in popular culture that they still inspire Halloween disguises 30 years after they were created - Michael Jackson's "Thriller" jacket, Indiana Jones' signature outback slouch look and the unforgettable "College" sweatshirt from "Animal House" among them - would be enough of a career accomplishment for most people. But not for Deborah Nadoolman Landis, who has spent the last decade fighting for respect, recognition and a place in the Hollywood pantheon for film costume designers, establishing herself as the flagbearer for the profession in the process.

Landis Lands at Universal TV: Film director John Landis has signed an exclusive production contract with Universal Television to develop series, movies and miniseries. Landis, who is currently producing HBO's "Dream On," also has signed with CBS to make a pilot spun from the Thorne Smith novel, "Topper."

From the crash-and-burn file: Eddie Murphy shows little indication of mending fences with his "Coming to America" director John Landis. Quoth the comedian on "The Arsenio Hall Show" last Friday: "(Landis) has a better chance of working again with Vic Morrow than he does with me."

Writer-director-producer John Landis will deliver the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 11th George Stevens Lecture at 8 p.m. Friday at 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. The lecture was established in 1980 in honor of the Oscar-winning director and past academy president. The evening will include a screening of Stevens' 1935 Oscar-nominated picture "Alice Adams." Tickets are $2 for the general public and free to academy members. Information: (310) 247-3600.

Closing arguments for the defense in the "Twilight Zone" manslaughter trial of director John Landis and four associates did not resume because one of the defense attorneys was ill. Attorney Eugene Trope, who represents helicopter pilot Dorcey Wingo, telephoned the court to say he was feeling dizzy from an ear infection and would not be able to be in court.

From the earliest days of cinema, audiences have loved to be scared. The three-minute film from French cinema pioneer Georges Méliès, "The Haunted Castle," hit screens in 1896 with celluloid skeletons, ghosts, witches and even the devil himself, and our appetite for thrills hasn't abated since. Franchises such as "Saw" and "Paranormal Activity" continue to redefine the horror genre while setting records at the box office. Directors John Landis and Joe Dante know about horror: Their respective films "An American Werewolf in London" and "Gremlins" are classics of the genre (even if they do have elements of humor)

James F. Neal, a formidable lawyer who won noteworthy victories on both sides of the courtroom ? as a prosecutor he sent Teamsters leader Jimmy Hoffa and top Watergate figures to prison, and as a defense attorney he saved film director John Landis and Ford Motor Co. from serious criminal charges ? died Thursday at a Nashville hospital. He was 81. The cause was esophageal cancer, said his longtime law partner, Aubrey B. Harwell. Neal's reputation for tenacity and brilliance in the courtroom began with the 1964 prosecution of Hoffa, who had successfully fended off two dozen indictments until Neal, a stocky, cigar-chomping ex-Marine with a Tennessee drawl, was assigned to his case.

"Thriller" may be headed to Broadway, but first Michael Jackson's song and groundbreaking music video may be headed to court. John Landis, the director who co-wrote the video and shot "Thriller," is suing Jackson, claiming the pop star has failed to pay him royalties for the project for the last four years. Landis' Levitsky Productions Inc. sued Jackson for unspecified damages in Santa Monica last week, days before a Broadway producer announced he had bought the rights to adapt "Thriller" for the stage.

Rickles on film: John Landis has directed a documentary about comedian Don Rickles, "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project," that will air on HBO on Dec. 2.

When John Landis visited the Paramount Pictures lot last year, he was surprised to find himself greeted everywhere with a burst of nostalgic warmth. "When the guard waved me in, he said, 'Good to see you, Mr. Landis, you making a picture here?' " Landis recalled the other day. "As I was walking across the lot, people were leaning out of their windows, saying, 'John, how are you? Are you making a picture here?'

Writer-director-producer John Landis will deliver the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 11th George Stevens Lecture at 8 p.m. Friday at 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. The lecture was established in 1980 in honor of the Oscar-winning director and past academy president. The evening will include a screening of Stevens' 1935 Oscar-nominated picture "Alice Adams." Tickets are $2 for the general public and free to academy members. Information: (310) 247-3600.

"Thriller" may be headed to Broadway, but first Michael Jackson's song and groundbreaking music video may be headed to court. John Landis, the director who co-wrote the video and shot "Thriller," is suing Jackson, claiming the pop star has failed to pay him royalties for the project for the last four years. Landis' Levitsky Productions Inc. sued Jackson for unspecified damages in Santa Monica last week, days before a Broadway producer announced he had bought the rights to adapt "Thriller" for the stage.

Landis Lands at Universal TV: Film director John Landis has signed an exclusive production contract with Universal Television to develop series, movies and miniseries. Landis, who is currently producing HBO's "Dream On," also has signed with CBS to make a pilot spun from the Thorne Smith novel, "Topper."