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ARTS &EmB7TANVefr/TTieChariotlePost
LOS ANGELES - Martin
Lawrence says he is being
used as a pawn in "Martin” co-
star Tisha Campbell’s contract
dispute with the television
show’s production company.
In a statement issued
Tuesday, Lawrence denied
that he sexually harassed
Campbell, and that her law
suit against him is a ploy in
ber legal fight with HBO
Independent Productions,
which produces “Martin” for
the Fox network.
“Martin has long been
'Tisha’s champion and protec
tor, and is thus deeply hurt by
these allegations. TTiere is no
merit to the lawsuit and it wiU
vigorously be defended,” the
statement said.
HBO Independent
Productions declined to com
ment on Tuesday because the
lawsuit is pending, said a
spokeswoman.
Campbell played Martin’s
wife Gina on the show, which
is in its fifth season. She last
Is Campbell out on ‘Martin?’
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
appeared on the set on Nov. 22.
Her lawsuit, filed last month
in federal court, claims that
Martin sexually harassed and
sexually battered her, making
conditions on the set “intolera
ble.”
Her last televised episode
aired on Dec. 19. Two others
have been filmed in which her
absence is explained by the
character’s missing the boat
on the eve of a romantic voy
age.
Campbell’s suit was filed
after HBO Independent
Productions tried to force her
to return to work, said her
lawyer, Kurt Peterson.
'The company sued her on
contract violation grounds
after she walked off the set.
The suit is pending.
A federal judge last month
rejected the company’s request
to require that Campbell work
until the American Federation
of Television and Radio
Artists, a performers’ union,
Eirbitrates her sexual harass
ment claim, Peterson said.
Gumbel tours
MSNBC studios
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
REDMOND, Wash.
Departing “Today” show co
host Bryant Gumbel toured
the MSNBC newsroom here
this week and met with
Microsoft Chairman Bill
Gates.
MSNBC is a joint venture of
software giant Microsoft and
NBC, home of “Today.”
The purpose of Gumbel’s
visit “was to get more Internet
savvy and to understand what
we’re doing, both at Microsoft
and at MSNBC,” Merrill
Brown, MSNBC editor in
chief, said Friday at a meeting
of television writers in
Pasadena, Calif
Microsoft spokesman John
Pinette declined to character
ize the nature of the meeting
with Gates. Several publica
tions, including Newsday, said
Gates would like to see
Gumbel play a major role in
the news venture.
Gumbel visited on Thursday.
“It came through 30 Rock
(NBC’s New York headquar
ters) that Bryant, in thinking
about his future, wanted to
understand more than he did
at that moment what was
going on out in Redmond,”
Brown said.
“We did a little demo for him,
we let him sit through the
news meeting and he had
stimulating things to say
about the news and what we
may or may not do about it,” he
said.
Gumbel, who recently ended
a 15-year stint at “Today,” is
considering his next career
move.
Bingo Smith benefit set
for Sunday at Excelsior
Continued from 5B
of members,” Cunningham
said. “We didn’t have time to
bring the idea before the orga
nization, so we’re calling it the
Friends of ECHO.”
A demonstration of the lift
was done 'Tuesday night at the
club. Bingo’s parents, L.C. and
Carol3m Smith, were on hand
for the demonstration. Ken
Whitaker, a representative of
Active Medical Inc., of
Louisburg, N.C., did the
demonstration.
It takes four people to move
Bingo from his bed to a wheel
chair. The hft will allow one or
two persons to do the job.
Bingo is happy about the
whole thing.
“I think it’s a very good idea,”
Bingo said. “It will enable me
to get hfted with less people.
'That’s a problem we run into.
A lot of times I want to get up,
but I don’t have the right
amount of people. Where it
takes four people to lift me,
now it may take two or three.
Since it’s mechanical, it could
be two women or two men.”
L.C. Smith is happy as well,
but a tad skeptical.
“My wife seems to think the
hft will cut down on the num
ber of people needed, but I’ll
just have to wait and see,” he
said. “She thinks it will work
and she ain’t wrong that often.
We’re just trying to move along
and try to make it as comfort
able as we can for him. He’s in
good spirits. He eats well,
watches 'TV and even plays
cards with the fellows now and
then.”
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