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Four-time Grammy winner Lenny Kravitz will perform for Sunday’s emotional “In Memoriam” segment on the Oscars 2023 ceremony. While only 40-50 people are generally remembered for the television ceremony hosted by Jimmy Kimmel on ABC, over 200 people will be recognized on the Academy’s webpage starting that evening.

SEEWho is Performing at the Oscars 2023?: Full List of Presenters and Performers

Here is a lengthy list of many contributors to film who died since last year’s Academy Awards ceremony:

Mary Alice (actor)

Gil Alkabetz (animator)

Kirstie Alley (actor)

Burt Bacharach (composer)

Angelo Badalamenti (composer)

Simone Bär (casting director)

Joanna Barnes (actor)

Carl A. Bell (animator)

Jeff Berlin (sound)

David Birney (actor)

Bruce Bisenz (sound)

Robert Blake (actor)

Eliot Bliss (sound)

Nick Bosustow (shorts)

Albert Brenner (production designer)

Tom Bronson (costume designer)

James Caan (actor)

Michael Callan (actor)

Donn Cambern (editor)

Irene Cara (songwriter)

Gary W. Carlson (sound)

Marvin Chomsky...

Donn Cambern, the film editor who used his musical background to help make Easy Rider a masterpiece and 15 years later shared an Oscar nomination for cutting Romancing the Stone, has died. He was 93.

Cambern died Wednesday at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank of complications from a fall three weeks ago, a family spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter.

The Los Angeles native edited Blume in Love (1973), Willie & Phil (1980) and Tempest (1982) for Paul Mazursky, Twins (1988) and Ghostbusters II (1989) for Ivan Reitman and worked on five Burt Reynolds starrers, including Smokey and the Bandit II (1980) and The Cannonball Run (1981).

Cambern also received an editing credit on The Last Picture Show (1971), though Peter Bogdanovich insisted that he was the editor on that.

He was honored with a career achievement award from the American Cinema Editors in 2004, and three years later, he became the first recipient of the Motion Picture Editors Guild’s Fellowship and Service Award.

Donn Cambern, the Oscar-nominated Romancing the Stone film editor whose credits also include Easy Rider, The Last Picture Show and Ghostbusters II and was a longtime president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, died Wednesday, his family told the guild. He was 93.

Born on October 9, 1929, in Los Angeles, Cambern came from a showbiz family. His father was in the music-publishing business, and his mother played harp on movie soundtracks including Top Hat for the Rko Pictures orchestra. He graduated from UCLA in 1952 and landed a gig at Disney as a messenger.

Related Story Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2023: Photo Gallery & Obituaries Related Story 'SNL' Post-Production Workers Form Union Through Motion Picture Editors Guild Related Story ShadowMachine Post-Production Staffers Unionize With Editors Guild

He began his career in 1960s television, serving as music editor for episodes of I Spy, That Girl and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir along with scores of...

Donn Cambern, an Oscar- and Emmy-nominated editor and former president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild, died on Wednesday, his family told Mpeg journal CineMontage. He was 93.

The Guild confirmed Cambern’s death in a Facebook post, writing: “Mpeg mourns the loss of Donn Cambern, Ace, an Oscar-nominated editor and former Guild president who passed this week at age 93. Donn edited ‘Easy Rider’ and co-edited ‘Romancing the Stone.’ He was also a tireless advocate and educator who was fondly recalled by friends and colleagues.”

Cambern received four American Cinema Editors nominations for “The Bob Hope Christmas Special” (1968), “The Hindenburg” (1975), “Hooper” (1978) and “Romancing the Stone” (1984). His work on “The Bob Hope Christmas Special” also earned him an Emmy nomination, and “Romancing the Stone” received an Oscar nomination for best film editing. In 2004, Cambern was awarded the American Cinema Editors career achievement award.

Cambern was born in 1929 in Los Angeles. He graduated...

Jack Nicholson received the first of his 12 Academy Award nominations for his supporting role in "Easy Rider," a film that tapped into the '60s counterculture to become a watershed for the New Hollywood era. Yet despite its cultural significance and impact on Nicholson's career, "Easy Rider" had a notoriously troubled production, much of which was documented in Peter Biskind's book, "Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex-Drugs-and-Rock 'N Roll Generation Saved Hollywood."

Among other things, "Easy Rider" director and star Dennis Hopper famously pulled a steak knife on actor Rip Torn, who was originally supposed to play lawyer George Hanson, the role that went to Nicholson. Hopper and his costar Peter Fonda also got into a dispute over the film's writing credits, which they shared with Terry Southern. In a 1974 interview with Sight and Sound magazine, Nicholson explained that he only stepped in to act after getting involved...

The Motion Picture Editors Guild will honor veteran Ambin and DreamWorks postproduction executive and producer Martin Cohen with its Fellowship and Service Award during a gala in October. The honor recognizes an individual who embodies the values set forth by the guild: professionalism, collaboration, mentorship, generosity of spirit and commitment to the labor movement.

Cohen served as head of postproduction for Amblin Entertainment beginning in 1987 and then for DreamWorks from 1994-2005, before moving to Paramount until 2010. His producer or executive producer credits include The Hunger Games, Mothman, The Seventh Son and Godzilla, and he supervised restorations of the likes of Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather trilogy and Jaws.

“We are delighted to honor Marty with our Fellowship and Service award,” Mpeg president Alan Heim said. “He perfectly exemplifies the values that the guild holds most dear by forging a career in this industry that has served not only the...

The Motion Picture Editors Guild will honor veteran post-production executive and producer Martin Cohen with its Fellowship and Service Award.

Cohen worked at Amblin, DreamWorks and Paramount. He was a co-producer on “The Hunger Games” and supervised the restoration Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather” trilogy and “Jaws.”

The award recognizes an individual who embodies the values set forth by the guild: professionalism, collaboration, mentorship, generosity of spirit and commitment to the labor movement. Cohen will receive the award at a gala in his honor on Oct. 5 at the Sheraton Universal Hotel in Universal City.

Cohen was head of post-production for Amblin Entertainment beginning in 1987 and then for DreamWorks from 1994 to 2005. He then moved to Paramount Pictures where he oversaw all aspects of feature post-production including editorial, sound design, digital intermediates and piracy protection for all the studio’s releases through 2010.

Cohen broke into show business as a production assistant for Ralph Bakshi Productions,...

Veteran worked at Amblin, DreamWorks, Paramount.

The Motion Picture Editors Guild (Mpeg) will honour post-production executive and producer Martin Cohen with its Fellowship and Service Award, it emerged on Thursday (27).

The honour recognises “an individual who embodies the values set forth by the Guild: professionalism, collaboration, mentorship, generosity of spirit and commitment to the labor movement.”

Cohen will receive the award at a gala in his honor on October 5 in Los Angeles. He served as head of post-production at Amblin Entertainment starting in 1987, then at DreamWorks from 1994-2005, before he moved to Paramount Pictures where he oversaw all aspects of feature post-production including editorial,...

I don't know about you, but the idea of seeing Game of Thrones stars Jason Momoa and Peter Dinklage join forces for a remake of Twins sounds like good times to me. Let me make sure and point out right up front here today that this is not in any way official news, this is merely a fun story that occurred the other day. You see what had happened was Momoa was recently speaking at Celebrity Fan Fest, and when a fan pitched the idea of the Twins remake with Peter Dinklage, Momoa answered with this.

"F--kin' tell me where to sign! Absolutely. That'd be amazing. I love that movie."

And boom! There you go. Jason Momoa is more than down for starring in a remake of the classic '80s buddy comedy. Now we just need to have someone track this Peter Dinklage character down and make sure he's just as enthusiastic.

One of the most inventive comedies of all time is director Ivan Reitman's 1988 buddy adventure Twins starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito as - you guessed it - twins separated at birth. The movie is one of the great examples of a killer high-concept idea, and a sequel seemed like a given. But it never happened. That said, is there still a chance another film may come to fruition? Well, while out and about promoting Tim Burton's recent live-action remake of the Disney classic Dumbo co-star Danny DeVito talked a bit about the rumors circling a possible sequel Triplets co-starring Eddie Murphy.

Danny DeVito says this.

"Everybody would be up for it. The main thing is you have to have a screenplay. We're looking. We're figuring it out."

So what could the film be? There have been rumors flying back and forth for years now that a potential...

Keep up with the glitzy awards world with our weekly Awards Roundup column.

– Academy Award winner Goldie Hawn will receive the prestigious “Cinema Icon Award” at CinemaCon, the official convention of The National Association of Theatre Owners (Nato) held March 27 – 30 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Hawn will be presented with this special honor at the “CinemaCon Big Screen Achievement Awards” ceremony Thursday, March 30 hosted by the Coca-Cola Company, the official presenting sponsor of CinemaCon. Previous winners of this esteemed award include Morgan Freeman, Susan Sarandon, Michelle Pfeiffer and Kevin Costner.

“With a career that has spanned roles in more than 30 films Goldie Hawn continues to shine on the big screen as one of the most entertaining, relatable and recognizable actresses of our time,” noted Neuhauser. “With an unforgettable presence and charm both onscreen and off Hawn has entertained audiences of all ages and we are pleased to honor an...

Nicholas Meyer's first directing effort is a classy science fiction thriller best remembered for a charming romantic angle, and for introducing many of us to the marvelous Mary Steenburgen. Clever storytelling pits Malcolm McDowell against fellow time tripper David Warner, in a fourth-dimensional pursuit of none other than Jack the Ripper. Time After Time Blu-ray Warner Archive Collection 1979 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date November 15, 2016 / available through the WBshop / 21.99 Starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner, Mary Steenburgen, Charles Cioffi, Kent Williams, Andonia Katsaros, Patti D'Arbanville, Corey Feldman, Shelley Hack, Clete Roberts. Cinematography Paul Lohman Film Editor Donn Cambern Original Music Miklos Rozsa Written by Nicholas Meyer story by Karl Alexander & Steve Hayes Produced by Herb Jaffe Directed by Nicholas Meyer

Reviewed by Glenn Erickson

Known for his smart scripts -- face it, even Invasion of the Bee Girls is an intelligent script -- Nicholas Meyer broke into the writer-director hyphenate...

The American Film Institute have released their annual list of top ten films “which best advance the art of the moving image; enhance the rich cultural heritage of America’s art form; inspire audiences and artists alike; and/or make a mark on American society”. Which is a quote that basically means Brit made hits like The King’s Speech and Another Year aren’t invited to the dance, but films like Inception and 127 Hours that were made by Brit directors with large non-u.S. crew are ok.

Basically the AFI list only includes those movies made by the American dollar.

Personally, I’m loving the shout-out for The Town, which is one of my personal favourite films of the year and as I’m beginning to put together my list of the year’s best films, it’s certainly in the top three. I hope it can squeeze into...

The American Film Institute has released its annual list of the 10 best movies of the year and 10 best TV programs of the year. If you don't agree with the list, you can blame the jurors this year, and they are (from the Hollywood Reporter):

This year's motion picture jury was chaired by producer Tom Pollock, a member of the AFI board of trustees, and consisted of Jeanine Basinger, Wesleyan University; Donn Cambern, editor; Diablo Cody, writer/producer; Lee Daniels, director/producer; Jane Gaines, Columbia University; Gazzale; Akira Mizuta Lippit, University of Southern California; Leonard Maltin, Entertainment Tonight; Elvis Mitchell, At the Movies; Claudia Puig, USA Today; Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly; and Michael Wood, Princeton University.

Producer Richard Frank of the AFI board of trustees chaired the TV jury, which consisted of Steven Bochco, producer/writer; Gazzale; Marshall Herskovitz, producer/writer/director; Jennifer Love Hewitt, actor/producer; Henry Jenkins, USC; Anna McCarthy,...

(Beverly Hills, CA) A trio of Oscar recipients, director Kathryn Bigelow, film editor Anne Coates and documentarian Michael Moore, make up the year’s first-time electees to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Board of Governors.

Coates received her award for the editing of ‘Lawrence of Arabia,’ Moore won in the Documentary Feature category for ‘Bowling from Columbine,’ and Bigelow received Oscars this year in the Directing category and as one of the producers of ‘The Hurt Locker.’ In addition, nine incumbents were reelected and three other filmmakers will return to the Board after a time away.

The reelected governors are Curt Behlmer, Sound Branch; Rosemary Brandenburg, Art Directors; Richard Edlund, Visual Effects; Leonard Engelman, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists; Charles Fox, Music; Jim Gianopulos, Executives; Hawk Koch, Producers; Marvin Levy, Public Relations; and Frank Pierson, Writers.

Returning to the board after a hiatus are John Bailey, Cinematographers; Ed Begley,...

HollywoodNews.com: Director Kathryn Bigelow, film editor Anne Coates and documentarian Michael Moore have been selected to make up the year’s first-time electees to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors.

Coates received her award for the editing of “Lawrence of Arabia,” Moore won in the Documentary Feature category for “Bowling from Columbine,” and Bigelow received Oscars® this year in the Directing category and as one of the producers of “The Hurt Locker.” In addition, nine incumbents were reelected and three other filmmakers will return to the Board after a time away.

The reelected governors are Curt Behlmer, Sound Branch; Rosemary Brandenburg, Art Directors; Richard Edlund, Visual Effects; Leonard Engelman, Makeup Artists and Hairstylists; Charles Fox, Music; Jim Gianopulos, Executives; Hawk Koch, Producers; Marvin Levy, Public Relations; and Frank Pierson, Writers.

Returning to the board after a hiatus are John Bailey, Cinematographers; Ed Begley, Jr.

Oscar winners Kathryn Bigelow, Michael Moore and Anne Coates have been elected to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' board of governors.

All three are first-time members of the board. Bigelow became the first woman to win the directing Oscar earlier this year when she picked up her trophy for "The Hurt Locker." Moore won in the documentary feature category for 2002's "Bowling for Columbine." Film editor Coates took home the award for her work on 1962's "Lawrence of Arabia."

Additionally, nine incumbents have been reelected and three other filmmakers will return to the board.

The reelected governors are Curt Behlmer, sound branch; Rosemary Brandenburg, art directors; Richard Edlund, visual effects; Leonard Engelman, makeup artists and hairstylists; Charles Fox, music; Jim Gianopulos, executives; Hawk Koch, producers; Marvin Levy, public relations; and Frank Pierson, writers.

Returning to the board after a hiatus are John Bailey, cinematographers; Ed Begley, Jr.

Robert Rehme has been elected president of the Academy Foundation, the educational and cultural arm of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. A past Academy president, Rehme is a governor of the Academy's executive branch.

Actors branch governor Annette Bening was elected vp; film editors branch governor Donn Cambern was re-elected vp; Sid Ganis, a govenor of the public relations branch who just stepped down as president of the Academy, was re-elected treasurer; and executives branch governor and newly elected Academy president Tom Sherak was re-elected secretary. Academy executive director Bruce Davis continues as executive secretary of the Foundation.

The Academy Foundation supports the public film programs that the Academy presents each year as well as its Science and Technology Council programming and exhibitions. It also conducts the annual Student Academy Awards and Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competitions. And it operates the Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive.

Film exec Tom Sherak has been elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences by the organization's board of governors, who met Tuesday evening.

He begins his term of office immediately and succeeds outgoing president Sid Ganis, who has served four consecutive one-year terms, the maximum any Academy member can serve in one office.

Actors branch governor Tom Hanks was elected 1st vp; the producers branch's Kathleen Kennedy and Phil Robinson, of the writers branch, were elected to vp posts; producers branch governor Hawk Koch was elected treasurer; and John Lasseter, governor of the short films and feature animation branch, was elected secretary. Ganis, representing the public relations branch, will serve as immediate past president.

In his new role, Sherak will face challenges on several fronts. At the top of his list will be the job of choosing a producer to oversee the 82nd Academy Awards, set...

After a year's hiatus, Tom Hanks is returning to the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts as a representative of the actors branch.

Four filmmakers who have not previously held slots as governors were chosen by their respective branches in the group's annual elections. They are James D. Bissell, elected by the art directors; Lynne Littman, representing the documentary branch; Robert G. Friedman, co-chairman and CEO of Summit Entertainment, elected by the public relations branch; and Bill Kroyer, who will rep short films and feature animation.

Littman was elected to fill the seat originally held by Michael Apted, who stepped down early because he is directing "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Dawn Treader," which will take him out of the country for much of the year. Littman will serve for two years, the remainder of Apted's term.

The balloting in the directors branch resulted in a...

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, a governor of the public relations branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has been re-elected president of the Academy Foundation.

Isaacs, who will be serving her second term as president of AMPAS' educational and cultural arm, got the vote of confidence at a board of governors meeting Tuesday.

Also reprising their roles with new terms are executives branch governor Robert Rehme and film editors branch governor Donn Cambern, who were re-elected as vp.

Sid Ganis, who is beginning his fourth term as Academy president, was elected treasurer, and executives branch governor Tom Sherak was named secretary.

Academy executive director Bruce Davis remains executive secretary.

The Foundation's trustees are elected annually by the board of governors. Foundation trustees for 2008-09 are Cambern, Ganis, Isaacs, Rehme, Sherak, Annette Bening (actors branch), Jon Bloom (short films and feature animation), James L. Brooks (writers), Caleb Deschanel (cinematographers), Jim Gianopulos (executives), Mark Goldblatt (film editors), Arthur Hamilton (music), Kevin O'Connell (sound), Frank Pierson (writers), Bill Taylor (visual) and Henry Winkler (actors).

Established in 1942, the Foundation supports the Academy's public screening series such as the "Gold Standard," "Great to Be Nominated," "Oscar's Docs" and "Contemporary Documentaries" as well as Academy Tech Council programming, tributes and exhibitions. It also is responsible for conducting the annual Student Academy Awards and Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting competitions. Also, the Margaret Herrick Library and Academy Film Archive operate under its banner.

Annette Bening has become the new face on the board of governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

The actresss -- a three-time Oscar nominee for her performances in "The Grifters," "American Beauty" and "Being Julia" and who next stars as the gossipy Sylvia Fowler in "The Women" -- has been elected as a governor of the actors branch.

As the Academy set about filling three-year terms in 14 of its 15 branches, it also welcomed back five filmmakers who served previous stints on the board but had been away for at least a year, and it re-elected eight incumbent governors.

Those returning to the board after a hiatus are Jeffrey Kurland, in the art directors branch; Martha Coolidge, directors; Arthur Hamilton, music; and Phil Robinson, writers. Don Hall was elected to the sound branch to fill the seat left vacant when J. Paul Huntsman died in February.

Incumbent governors re-elected to another term are Owen Roizman, cinematographers; Michael Apted, documentary; Robert Rehme, executives; Donn Cambern, film editors; Kathleen Kennedy, producers; Sid Ganis, public relations; John Lasseter, short films and feature animation; and Craig Barron, visual effects.

Ganis also serves as the Academy's president.

Fourteen of the Academy's 15 branches are represented by three governors who may serve up to three consecutive three-year terms. Terms are staggered so that each branch elects or re-elects one governor each year. The makeup branch is represented by a single governor, currently Leonard Engelman, whose seat was not part of this election cycle.

Governors who were not up for re-election and who continue on the board are Ed Begley Jr. and Henry Winkler, actors; Rosemary Brandenburg and Jeannine Oppewall, art directors; Caleb Deschanel and Vilmos Zsigmond, cinematographers; Curtis Hanson and Paul Mazursky, directors; Rob Epstein and Richard Pearce, documentary; Jim Gianopulos and Tom Sherak, executives; Dede Allen and Mark Goldblatt, film editors; Bruce Broughton and Charles Fox, music; Mark Johnson and Hawk Koch, producers; Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Marvin Levy, public relations; Carl Bell and Jon Bloom, short films and feature animation; Curt Behlmer and Kevin O'Connell, sound; Richard Edlund and Bill Taylor, visual effects; and James L. Brooks and Frank Pierson, writers.

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, a governor of the public relations branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has been elected president of the Academy Foundation, the Academy's educational and cultural arm. It will be her first term as president.

Other officers chosen this week are executives branch governor Robert Rehme, who was elected vp, and film editors branch governor Donn Cambern, who was re-elected vp. Music branch governor Charles Bernstein was elected treasurer, and current Academy president Sid Ganis was re-elected secretary. Academy exec director Bruce Davis remains executive secretary of the foundation.

Academy Foundation trustees are elected annually by the board of governors. Foundation trustees for 2007–08 are Bernstein, Jon Bloom (short films and feature animation Branch), James L. Brooks (writers), Cambern, Caleb Deschanel (cinematographers), Ganis, Jim Gianopulos (executives), J. Paul Huntsman (sound), Isaacs, Fay Kanin (writers), Kevin O'Connell (sound), Frank Pierson (writers), Rehme, Tom Sherak (executives), Bill Taylor (visual effects) and Henry Winkler (actors).

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday announced the election of five new governors, including three first-timers, to its board to represent their respective branches, with nine incumbent governors getting re-elected The three first-time governors include Alexander Payne, directors branch; John Lasseter, short films and feature animation; and Craig Barron, visual effects, with the two returning governors being Albert Wolsky, art directors, after an absence of three years; and past Academy president Robert Rehme, from the executives branch, who was off the board for one year. Both had left the board after serving the maximum of three consecutive three-year terms Re-elected incumbents are Tom Hanks, actors branch; Owen Roizman, cinematographers; Michael Apted, documentary; Donn Cambern, film editors; Charles Bernstein, music; Kathleen Kennedy, producers; Sid Ganis, public relations; J. Paul Huntsman, sound; and Fay Kanin, writers Three governors represent each of the Academy's branches and are elected for staggered terms, so that each branch elects or re-elects one governor each year.

Fay Kanin, a governor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences from the writers branch, has been re-elected president of the Academy Foundation, the educational and cultural arm of the Academy. Kanin previously served three terms as president, from 1995-98, and has been an officer every year for the past decade, except for 1998-99. In other election news, music branch governor Charles Bernstein was re-elected vp, as was his fellow branch governor Arthur Hamilton. Film editors branch governor Donn Cambern was re-elected secretary, and public relations branch governor Sid Ganis was again named treasurer.

The American Cinema Editors have selected veteran motion picture cutters Donn Cambern and John A. Martinelli to receive the honorary society's annual lifetime career achievement awards. Oscar-nominated Cambern has crafted more than three dozen features. The more noteworthy among them include "Easy Rider", "The Last Picture Show" and "Cannonball Run". Four-time Emmy award winner John A. Martinelli began his editing career at ABC. Among his credits are "The Winds of Kitty Hawk", "The Legend of Lizzie Borden" and the miniseries "World War II, When Lions Roared."...

Not since a dwarf strode to the plate to bat for the White Sox in a promotional gimmick have Chicago fans witnessed a pint-sized baseballer like the one in this fantastic story where the Cubs sign a 12-year-old to pitch them to the pennant.

With this scrappy comedy, 20th Century Fox clearly has a ringer in its summer lineup, a slugger posing as a sleeper. When the dust has cleared on the boxoffice season, score a big H, or hit, for ''Rookie of the Year.''

Twelve-year-old Henry Rowengartner Thomas Ian Nicholas) is just your average, skinny Chicago kid with a single mom (Amy Morton), a couple of good buddies (Robert Gorman, Patrick LaBrecque) and a lot of the typical peer pressures that the modern 12-year old faces.

Athletically, in fact, Henry is a bit of a geek, until he literally stumbles into superstardom. He trips over a baseball, smashes up his shoulder and when it heals, he's got a tightly wound superarm. No longer a benchwarmer, Henry can now clock them over the plate at 100 mph.

The hapless Cubs, mired as usual in late-season doldrums, sign him up as a promo gimmick, to boost attendance. After a wobbly start, Henry finds his rhythm, chiefly through some solid mentoring by the team's chief ace (Gary Busey). Suddenly, the Cubbies are in the pennant race and Henry is the toast of the town. Move over, Michael Jordan.

Lacing the exhilaration of childhood fantasies within a modern-day family story, screenwriter Sam Harper has served up a wonderfully upbeat entertainment. The story bounces along with some terrific ''Major League''-ish comedy with director Daniel Stern keeping ''Rookie'' light and fleet on the story paths. Stern is also a highlight wearing his player's cap, goosing things up with his hilarious, slapstick antics as Henry's hapless pitching coach.

As the kid who stumbles into stardom, Nicholas is a natural, conveying the dreamy gangliness of an everyday boy who comes to stand tall not only on the mound but in real life. Morton as the young fireballer's supportive mom is, perhaps, the cast's strongest player. Her strong and warm performance brings uncommon depth to this type of entertainment. Similarly, Busey delivers as the crusty, shoulder-hurting hurler. Set up a round of tap beers at Harry Caray's for John Candy's uncredited trip to the cinematic plate as the Cubs' overwrought announcer.

Tech credits are big league, especially Bill Conti's rousing, ballpark-flavored score and Jay Hurley's apt and funny costumes.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

20th Century Fox

A Robert Harper Production

A Daniel Stern Film

Producer Robert Harper

Director Daniel Stern

Screenwriter Sam Harper

Executive producers Jack Brodsky, Irby Smith

Director of photography Jack N. Green

Production designer Steven Jordan

Editors Donn Cambern, Raja Gosnell

Music Bill Conti

Costume designer Jay Hurley

Casting Linda Lowy

Sound mixer Scott Smith

Color/Stereo

Henry Rowengartner Thomas Ian Nicholas

Chet Stedman Gary Busey

Martinella Albert Hall

Mary Rowengartner Amy Morton

Larry (Fish) Fisher Dan Hedaya

Jack Bradfield Bruce Altman

Bob Carson Eddie Bracken

Cleark Robert Gorman

George Patrick LaBrecque

Brickma Daniel Stern

Running time -- 105 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG

(c) The Hollywood Reporter...