Tina Sinatra

Tina Sinatra will discuss "My Father's Daughter," her new book about her late father, Frank Sinatra, during a Feb. 8 luncheon presented by the John Wayne Cancer Institute. She will also sign books purchased at the 11:30 a.m. event, which will be at the Four Seasons Hotel, 300 S. Doheny Drive. Tickets are $50. Information: (310) 315-6111.

Actor James Farentino, whose private life was sometimes as dramatic as the roles he played in theater and on television, died Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 73 and had suffered from a lengthy illness, said family spokesman Bob Palmer. Best known for his TV work, Farentino was one of the last contract performers with Universal Studios in the 1960s. His nearly 100 roles included recurring appearances in such series as "The Bold Ones: The Lawyers," "Dynasty," "Blue Thunder" and "Police Story.

Actor James Farentino, whose private life was sometimes as dramatic as the roles he played in theater and on television, died Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 73 and had suffered from a lengthy illness, said family spokesman Bob Palmer. Best known for his TV work, Farentino was one of the last contract performers with Universal Studios in the 1960s. His nearly 100 roles included recurring appearances in such series as "The Bold Ones: The Lawyers," "Dynasty," "Blue Thunder" and "Police Story.

He's already been the subject of a 1992 CBS miniseries and a 1998 HBO movie, but now Universal Pictures says it plans to make a feature film about legendary singer Frank Sinatra, who died 11 years ago today. And lined up to helm the biopic of the country's most famous Italian American singer is the country's most heralded Italian American director: Martin Scorsese. The "Sinatra" script is being written by Phil Alden Robinson ("Field of Dreams," "Sneakers"). Among the executive producers will be the entertainer's youngest daughter, Tina Sinatra, who also was an executive producer of the 1992 miniseries, also called "Sinatra," which starred Philip Casnoff as her father.

He's already been the subject of a 1992 CBS miniseries and a 1998 HBO movie, but now Universal Pictures says it plans to make a feature film about legendary singer Frank Sinatra, who died 11 years ago today. And lined up to helm the biopic of the country's most famous Italian American singer is the country's most heralded Italian American director: Martin Scorsese. The "Sinatra" script is being written by Phil Alden Robinson ("Field of Dreams," "Sneakers"). Among the executive producers will be the entertainer's youngest daughter, Tina Sinatra, who also was an executive producer of the 1992 miniseries, also called "Sinatra," which starred Philip Casnoff as her father.

TV Things: Oscar-winner Olympia Dukakis has just been cast as Frank Sinatra's mother, Dolly, in the upcoming CBS miniseries about Ol' Blue Eyes. Sinatra's daughter, Tina Sinatra, is executive producer of the project for Warner Bros. Philip Casnoff was previously cast as Sinatra. . . . Carol Burnett's long association with CBS will continue under a new agreement that calls for her to develop series and movies for the network. She also may star in some of the programs. . . .

Piercing questions, those raised by Calendar headlines July 26 about the integrity of Frank Sinatra's authorized TV biography ("Is This Really His Life?" by Claudia Puig). It would have been nice to see something beyond testimony of producer-daughter Tina Sinatra and other interested parties and someone's "reading of the script." Maybe a word from one or two of the purported skeptics--straw men never identified or quoted--wouldn't go amiss in a cover story. By the way, how did Rod Steiger squeeze into a lineup of such talent as actors Philip Casnoff and Marcia Gay Harden, writer William Mastrosimone and director Jim Sadwith?

Considering the dozens of albums in the Frank Sinatra bin at most record stores, it's hard to imagine just what material is left for the Artanis Entertainment Group, the record label launched this year in association with the Sinatra family. But the first two releases by Artanis (Sinatra spelled backward) remind us there is one area of the catalog that remains largely untapped: Sinatra live.

Coming soon, from a producer who did not make "Raging Bull," the story of a hot-tempered, wild-brawling, hard-punching Italian-American slugger who rose from the streets to gain fame and wealth, only to have his self-destructive lifestyle destroy his marriage and lead to his downfall. Don't miss. . . . Raging Voice. Just how frank is television's Frank?

Frank Sinatra has always done it his way. But which way did the producers of the upcoming "Sinatra" TV miniseries do it? Did they tell the real story of the performer's long, legendary career, or did they create a sanitized version, minus the Mafia associations, the marital infidelities and the ties to various politicos? With the imprimatur given the project by Sinatra--he cooperated in its production and has sanctioned it as an "official" biography, in lieu of a book--and with the presence of his youngest daughter, Tina, as executive producer, skeptics could be excused for expecting a fawning tale, a whitewashed rendering of the controversial entertainer's life story.

Tina Sinatra will discuss "My Father's Daughter," her new book about her late father, Frank Sinatra, during a Feb. 8 luncheon presented by the John Wayne Cancer Institute. She will also sign books purchased at the 11:30 a.m. event, which will be at the Four Seasons Hotel, 300 S. Doheny Drive. Tickets are $50. Information: (310) 315-6111.

Considering the dozens of albums in the Frank Sinatra bin at most record stores, it's hard to imagine just what material is left for the Artanis Entertainment Group, the record label launched this year in association with the Sinatra family. But the first two releases by Artanis (Sinatra spelled backward) remind us there is one area of the catalog that remains largely untapped: Sinatra live.

It was probably inevitable that Frank Sinatra's three children would follow him into show business, given their father's prominence and the entertainment world's fascination with dynasties. Nancy, 57; Frank Jr., 54; and Tina, 49, are all the product of Sinatra's marriage to Nancy Barbato, which essentially lasted through the 1940s. Nancy and Frank Jr.

Coming soon, from a producer who did not make "Raging Bull," the story of a hot-tempered, wild-brawling, hard-punching Italian-American slugger who rose from the streets to gain fame and wealth, only to have his self-destructive lifestyle destroy his marriage and lead to his downfall. Don't miss. . . . Raging Voice. Just how frank is television's Frank?

Piercing questions, those raised by Calendar headlines July 26 about the integrity of Frank Sinatra's authorized TV biography ("Is This Really His Life?" by Claudia Puig). It would have been nice to see something beyond testimony of producer-daughter Tina Sinatra and other interested parties and someone's "reading of the script." Maybe a word from one or two of the purported skeptics--straw men never identified or quoted--wouldn't go amiss in a cover story. By the way, how did Rod Steiger squeeze into a lineup of such talent as actors Philip Casnoff and Marcia Gay Harden, writer William Mastrosimone and director Jim Sadwith?

Frank Sinatra has always done it his way. But which way did the producers of the upcoming "Sinatra" TV miniseries do it? Did they tell the real story of the performer's long, legendary career, or did they create a sanitized version, minus the Mafia associations, the marital infidelities and the ties to various politicos? With the imprimatur given the project by Sinatra--he cooperated in its production and has sanctioned it as an "official" biography, in lieu of a book--and with the presence of his youngest daughter, Tina, as executive producer, skeptics could be excused for expecting a fawning tale, a whitewashed rendering of the controversial entertainer's life story.

In a major effort put together in recent days, about 100 of the entertainment industry's most powerful names are pledging ongoing support to help victims of AIDS. The individuals aboard so far come from Hollywood's biggest studios, commercial TV networks, several recording companies, entertainment law firms and talent agencies.

It was probably inevitable that Frank Sinatra's three children would follow him into show business, given their father's prominence and the entertainment world's fascination with dynasties. Nancy, 57; Frank Jr., 54; and Tina, 49, are all the product of Sinatra's marriage to Nancy Barbato, which essentially lasted through the 1940s. Nancy and Frank Jr.

TV Things: Oscar-winner Olympia Dukakis has just been cast as Frank Sinatra's mother, Dolly, in the upcoming CBS miniseries about Ol' Blue Eyes. Sinatra's daughter, Tina Sinatra, is executive producer of the project for Warner Bros. Philip Casnoff was previously cast as Sinatra. . . . Carol Burnett's long association with CBS will continue under a new agreement that calls for her to develop series and movies for the network. She also may star in some of the programs. . . .

In a major effort put together in recent days, about 100 of the entertainment industry's most powerful names are pledging ongoing support to help victims of AIDS. The individuals aboard so far come from Hollywood's biggest studios, commercial TV networks, several recording companies, entertainment law firms and talent agencies.