Madonna Arrives in Rome

Pop singer-turned-actress Madonna arrived in Rome Friday for the Italian premiere of the film musical "Evita" with her baby daughter firmly under wraps. Madonna, wearing dark glasses and a headscarf, held three-month-old Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon in her arms as she emerged from Rome's Ciampino airport into the glare of television lights and photographers' flashes. The child was hidden from view behind a white shawl. Madonna's "Evita" co-star Antonio Banderas arrived in Rome with his wife, actress Melanie Griffith. She carried their daughter, Estela, in her arms. Both Madonna and Banderas said they were dedicating the Rome premiere of "Evita" to Italian screen legend Marcello Mastroianni, who died Thursday.

50 Barred From Tibetan Visits

Film star Brad Pitt is among 50 people barred from visiting Tibet, Chinese officials said Friday. The news of a blacklist comes just weeks after Beijing clashed with Walt Disney over its film "Kundun" on the life of Tibet's exiled god-king, the Dalai Lama. In another movie, called "Seven Years in Tibet," Pitt's character befriends the young Dalai Lama. "Last October, we were verbally informed by the Tibet state security office that those foreigners should not be given an entry permit if they applied to visit Tibet," a tourist official said. The blacklist did not include actor Richard Gere, who has long backed the Tibetan spiritual movement and is an active supporter of the Dalai Lama, the tourism official said.

Elmo Cancels Out on Regis

USA Today reports that the red muppet Elmo, who is at the center of the latest Christmas craze, wasn't tickled by remarks made recently by talk-show host Regis Philbin. Philbin reportedly took a swipe at the hysteria surrounding the "Tickle Me Elmo" doll which is this year's must-have toy. In response, Elmo will not sing on "Live With Regis and Kathie Lee," as previously planned. A statement from the Children's Television Workshop, which produces Sesame Street, said Elmo would be "very uncomfortable" on the show. Live's producer Michael Gelman told USA Today that Children's Television Workshop should "lighten up."

Tributes to Mastroianni

Europe's motion picture fans said farewell to Marcello Mastroianni Friday with a flood of tributes and thanks for 40 years of romance, comedy and soulful charm. Italians, preparing to bury the actor who symbolized both common man and Latin Lover, placed banners and flowers at Rome's Trevi Fountain, where he frolicked with Anita Ekberg in "La Dolce Vita" -- one of the most unforgettable scenes in cinema history. Mastroianni died in Paris Thursday. He will be buried in his family's tomb at the Verrano cemetery Sunday.

Royals on CD-ROM

It's a saga that has thrilled and titillated millions for much of the past century with its romances, weddings, tragedies and divorces. From the reign of Queen Victoria through the abdication of Edward VIII and the doomed marriage of Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Britain's royal family has been front-page news. Now it's all available on CD-ROM. "Fourteen Weddings and a Divorce," a play on the title of the successful British film "Four Weddings and a Funeral," charts the history of the royal family in the 20th century with more than an hour of video clips, archive recordings, print cuttings, dozens of pictures and 10,000 words of text.

D'Onofrio Passes Out on Stage

Variety says an apparently flu-stricken Vincent D'Onofrio passed out during a performance of Sam Shepard's "Tooth of Crime" at an Off Broadway theater this week. The rest of the show was cancelled. Medics were called to the Lucille Lortel Theater in Greenwich Village Wednesday night after the actor collapsed onstage during the middle of the second act. He complained of feeling lightheaded, but declined medical assistance and was driven home.

Kudos For Marion Ross

Variety columnist Army Archerd reports that Ron Howard, Christmas shopping in N.Y., stopped to phone Marion Ross, his Happy Days mom, to congratulate her on her Globe nomination for "The Evening Star." Ross had just come from playing the first of two segments as Drew Carey's TV mom. "I love being characterized as a mother," laughed Ross. As for her bows for Evening Star, she told Archerd, "If I'm good in it, it's because of Shirley (MacLaine)."

O'Toole as Dr. Livingston?

Variety columnist Army Archerd says Robert Halmi has offered Peter O'Toole the role of Dr. Livingston in his version of Stanley & Livingston, which will air on ABC. Halmi just returned from Africa, retracing the trek of Stanley in preparation for his two-hour television movie, the first of six shows with National Geographic.

Naomi's Talk Show Questionable

Variety reports that Rysher Entertainment is considering scrapping its presentation tape for the new talk show starring retired country singer Naomi Judd. No markets have bought the show yet, and the syndicator hopes another pilot will do the trick, sources say. Ira Bernstein, president of Rysher Domestic TV Distribution, said, "We're talking about making some creative changes. We all agree she's very talented." No final decision on the show will be made for another week or two, he said.

Carl Sagan Dies

Astronomer and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sagan, who popularized science through books and television and tirelessly championed the search for life in outer space, died Friday at age 62. Sagan died from pneumonia after a two-year battle with a rare blood disorder that led to cancer, said a spokeswoman for the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Sagan was the author of more than 20 books and articles. But he was best known for his 1980 television series on the workings of the universe, "Cosmos," which became the most popular in the history of public television. He also wrote a novel, "Contact," which is being made into a movie starring Jodie Foster.

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