The big question among Washington wags is how is Mayor Harold Washington going to raise money for his re-election coffers now that the feds are probing his campaign fund? ”The mayor`s political operation is in a shambles,” said a top mayoral source. ”The government is under siege.” And there are three ways to win an election. Money. Money. Money.
THE DALEY BULLETIN . . .
— INC. hears Cook County State`s Atty. Richard Daley has changed his attitude. ”He`s saying don`t count him out in the mayoral race,” said a Daley source. ”He`s not aggressively out there doing things, but he`s now saying he is interested in the race.” No kidding. Stay tuned.
— Hmmmm. Daley is being asked to investigate alleged forgeries on nominating petitions filed by Cook County Board candidate Bobbie L. Steele, an ally of Ald. Danny Davis (29th). A group of concerned citizens contends that nearly 400 bogus signatures were spotted, but county election officials declined to knock Steele off the ballot. Now the citizens group wants a full investigation.
THE BIG GRIPE . . .
Now that suburban mayors are griping about being shortchanged in Gov. James Thompson`s ”Build Illinois” program, INC. wonders if House Minority Leader Lee Daniels (R., Elmhurst) will end his stalling over the creation of a special legislative committee to investigate Build Illinois? When Chicago Democrats were the only complainers, Daniels thought everything was peachy. Now that his GOP buddies in the suburbs, where there will be few Build Illinois dollars spent, are getting some heat from their constituents, the issue has changed from fruit to vegetable. It now becomes a hot potato.
REEL NEWS . . .
How to succeed in movies without really trying: Put together a project produced by Steven Spielberg, directed by Brian DePalma and written by Robert (”Back to the Future”) Zemeckis and his partner Bob Gale. INC. hears there is such a project, and that it`s called ”Carpool.” . . . It wasn`t enough that the board game Clue found its way to the big screen–with three different endings. Now INC. hears New World Pictures is in the development stage of a movie version of Monopoly. . . . Emilio Estevez will costar with Demi Moore in ”Wisdom,” which he wrote and will direct.
COOKING WITH INC. . . .
INC.`s recent reference to cooking steaks on the manifold of a car reminded a reader, who understandably wishes to remain anonymous, of an old family recipe for Disney World pot roast. Take a medium-size pot roast wrapped in aluminum foil with the requisite carrots, onions and potatoes to Disney World along with the family. Leave the car parked in the lot with the windows rolled up and the pot roast on the dashboard. Take the kids to play in the Magic Kingdom until 5 or 6 p.m. When you return to your car, dinner is ready. Kids, don`t try this at home.
NO BIZ LIKE SHOW BIZ . . .
Susan Lucci`s contract with ”All My Children” expires before too long, and you know how much outside stuff she`s been doing lately. . . . Pierce Brosnan stars in ”Nomad” as a French anthropologist, and a source who has seen the movie says Brosnan`s French accent is ”absolutely dreadful.”
. . . La-La Land waiters have Catharine ”Dynasty” Oxenburg at the top of their Terrible Tippers list. . . . Although ABC-TV dumped ”Diff`rent Strokes,” it`s talking to Gary Coleman about doing a TV movie. And Nancy Reagan, who once was a guest on the show, reportedly is the honorary chairwoman of three National Kidney Foundation tributes–in Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.–honoring Coleman. . . . INC. hears that
”Entertainment Tonight” and Rona Barrett are about to part company.
LETTERS, WE GET LETTERS . . .
”You two are boorish, self-righteous, egotistic and tactless, and I love your column.” . . . ”Your column is sometimes tedious in its phraseology
(`La-La Land`) but always entertaining.” . . . ”Granted there are people who enjoy your brand of `writing.` These are the same ignoramuses who keep the (supermarket tabloids) in business. You are an embarrassment to a fine newspaper.” . . . ”I`ve given up `All My Children` in favor of your column.” . . . ”I usually agree with your opinions, thinly disguised or not.” . . . ”I don`t care much about your childish remarks about the Bears.” . . . ”Love your column! Keep after the phonies!” . . . ”I love to read (your column) and go Oooooooo.” . . . ”Your comment about Mary Lou Retton`s weight was a new low in journalism.” . . . ”Some people term you the `Enquirer of the Trib,` but I like that paper also and feel you are not quite as sensational and more to the point.”
INC.LINGS . . .
Wasn`t that New York Mayor Ed Koch`s bodyguard, Denny Martin, swapping stories with Rory O`Connor and Mike Graney, former Daley/Bilandic/Byrne bodyguards, at Lino`s restaurant? Wouldn`t someone just love to write the book they`d never tell? You betcha. . . . If you love your dog, don`t say it with chocolate on Valentine`s Day. It may be dandy for people, but it`s deadly for dogs. It can cause theobromine poisoning. . . . Mama Mia! The Great Sauce-Off! INC. hears gourmet news nuts Brian Boyer, Don Rose, Rob Warden and 60 former and over-the-hill journalists will vie to win the best spaghetti sauce contest next Sunday. Eat your heart out, Mike Royko! . . . Monday birthdays: Robert Wagner, 56; Roberta Flack, 47; Mark Spitz, 36; and Leontyne Price, 59. . . . That animated commercial for ”Hill Street Blues” was done by former Mt. Prospectite Mike Patterson and Candace Reckinger.
