The King and I

Stefanie is heading for San Diego tomorrow to begin rehearsals for the next run of The King and I.

The King and I - Tallahassee, FL

OCT. 18-19: SUMPTUOUS SIAM: Radiant star of stage, TV and film Stefanie Powers stars in a lavish touring revival of the beloved musical "The King and I," which kicks off the Civic Center's 2005-06 Broadway Series in mid-October. You may remember Powers best as half of the wealthy, globe-trotting mystery-solving spouses of TV's "Hart to Hart." She's also a fervent supporter of wildlife preservation and heads a foundation named for her late lover, the actor William Holden.

'Thin Man' movies released on DVD

I can't imagine a better life than the one lived on "Hart to Hart," a television series from 1979.

I mean, who wouldn't want to be Jonathan Hart (played by Robert Wagner)? You've got a dish of a wife played by Stefanie Powers, and you’ve got a gruff, stogie-chomping manservant played by Lionel Stander. In your free time, between fabulous parties and ski trips to the French Alps, you solve murders.

The only couple that ever had it better than Mr. and Mrs. Hart was Nick and Nora Charles in the "Thin Man" movies.

Nick and Nora, played by William Powell and Myrna Loy, were the prototypes for the Harts -- and they also would have drunk them under the table.

Powell and Loy made six "Thin Man" movies from 1934-1947, and now they're all together in a DVD box set full of gin-and-vermouth benders and rakish, screwball one-liners.

In the 1934 original, "The Thin Man," we learn that Powell’s character used to be a private detective. He gave it up to live the good life with his rich and sassy wife.

But when he bumps into a woman at the bar, she convinces him to look for her missing father -- an eccentric scientist/inventor.

Detective work follows, but it takes a back seat to Nick and Nora’s lightning-quick repartee. Even with their characters’ dueling hangovers, Powell and Loy still outpace the screwball banter of duos like Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn. They might be the best on-screen couple in Hollywood history.

While the 1934 original is the clear standout of the collection, the others have their charms. "After the Thin Man" (1936) stars a young Jimmy Stewart as a nice guy who isn't is as nice as he seems.

Kung Fu: The Complete Third Season on DVD

Kung Fu: The Complete Third Season will be available on DVD August 23, 2005.

Stefanie guest starred in the episode titled "Cry of the Night Beast."

Hart to Hart - When This Show Came to DVD, It Was Murder! (Season 1 Announcement)

When people think of Sidney Sheldon, they think mainly of his thrilling novels (his 18th novel is due to hit the market next month). What surprises people is the number of film scripts and television epsiodes he's written...more than 200 of the latter. He also was the creator of two of the most popular sitcoms of all time: The Patty Duke Show and I Dream of Jeannie. Those were from the '60s. In 1979, Sheldon turned his talents toward creating a TV show that was as full of thrills as his novels were. The result was a show originally called "Double Twist", but which came to broadcast as Hart to Hart.

Starring Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers as Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, it was a show in the murder mystery genre that had the very wealthy husband-and-wife team looking for clues and killers among the well-to-do. But that summary, while on-target, doesn't begin to describe the charm brought to the show by the wonderful relationship that Wagner and Powers had with each other. He was a self-made millionaire, with the strength and determination to see anything through. She was a former journalist, with a nose for finding clues. Always on hand to help was Lionel Stander as Max, their friend and servant with the gruff voice but could be trusted to be there in a pinch. First season guest stars include Dee Wallace, Markie Post, Rene Auberjonois, Tommy Lasorda, Noble Willingham, Juliet Mills, and John Hillerman.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will bring out Hart to Hart - The Complete 1st Season on October 25th, on a 6-DVD set that runs 1139 minutes. List price is $49.95 SRP. Extras have not been announced by the studio yet, but Video Business reports that the set "contains all 23 episodes of the debut season, plus commentary and a featurette with cast and crew interviews." Here's the box art for you:

McCloud Seasons 1 and 2

"There ya' go..." Rustle up some action and adventure as police drama McCloud rides on to DVD for the first time every! Emmy winner Dennis Weaver stars as the brace Deputy Marshal Sam McCloud, the toughest cowboy to ever take on the mean streets of New York - as well as the by-the-book detectives of the NYPD. Despite the demands of his strict supervisor, Chief Peter B. Clifford (J.D. Cannon), McCloud finds himself in an endless showdown with some of the meanest criminals east of the Mississippi. This amazing DVD set from the popular NBC Mystery Movie series features all 11 thrilling episodes of McCloud Seasons 1 and 2 - including the series' pilot! - as well as a gripping bonus episode of the popular McMillan & Wife. Saddle up with entertaining guest stars including Milton Berle, Pat Morita, Stefanie Powers and more in the series that proved that sometimes all you need to solve a crime is a little good ol' country know-how.

NJPAC Season to Include King, Evita, Cats, Chicago, Millie and More

Several award-winning musicals will be presented this season at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark.

The Center's 'Broadway' season begins Nov. 8 with the Tony-winning musical The King and I. Stefanie Powers stars as Anna Leonowens in the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, which will play NJPAC through Nov. 13.

Another Tony-winning musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's Evita will follow, playing Dec. 19-24. Evita, which follows the life and untimely death of Eva Peron, features such tunes as 'Buenos Aires,' 'I'd Be Surprisingly Good for You,' 'Don't Cry for Me Argentina,' 'Rainbow High' and 'High Flying Adored.'

The 25th anniversary tour of Cats will make its way to the Newark venue, playing Jan. 31, 2006-Feb. 5. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, based on the poems of T.S. Eliot, remains the longest-running show in Broadway history, although another Lloyd Webber musical, The Phantom of the Opera, will soon break that record.

John Kander and Fred Ebb's Chicago will follow Cats, playing March 28-April 2 at the Center's Prudential Hall. The revival of Chicago won six 1997 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and features such show-stoppers as 'All That Jazz,' 'Cell Block Tango,' 'Nowadays' and 'Hot Honey Rag.'

The Broadway musical season at NJPAC concludes with the 2002 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie. Millie Dillamount will tap her way onto the Prudential stage June 6-11.

The New Jersey Performing Arts Center is located at One Center Street in Newark, NJ. Tickets are available by calling (888) 466 5722. Visit www.njpac.org for more information.

Hart DVD Announcement Imminent

I just read that Sony Pictures Home Entertainment is expected to release details of the DVD set "Hart to Hart: The Complete First Season" on Monday, August 15, 2005, with a likely release date of October 25, 2005.

Details at present: It's a 6 disc box set, with a suggested price of $49.95.

Obviously, this is subject to change until the official announcement comes, but this sounds about right. Most on-line retailers sell below the suggested price, so don't be scared by that price tag if you don't want to spend that much on DVDs. I'm sure a lot of you would pay more than that, as Hart on DVD has been long awaited. No mention of extras - wait for the official announcement.

'70s Super Sleuths are Back in Action as Three Classic Shows From the NBC Mystery Movie Series Make Their DVD Debuts

McMillan & Wife: Season One
McCloud: Seasons One & Two
Columbo: The Complete Third Season
On the Case August 9, 2005 From Universal Studios Home Entertainment

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., July 29-- A newly installed San Francisco police commissioner and his eccentric but influential wife, a straight-shooting New Mexico cowboy galloping through Manhattan streets, a disheveled police lieutenant with a knack for asking the tough questions -- they don't make TV crime fighters like that any more! That's why this summer Universal Studios Home Entertainment is releasing the three original titles from NBC's classic Mystery Movie Series, McMillan & Wife: Season One, McCloud: Seasons One & Two and Columbo: The Complete Third Season, for the first time ever on DVD. These three NBC shows set a new bar making TV history by being the first to share the same time slot on a rotating basis. Each title is available to own for just $39.98 SRP.

McMillan & Wife: Season One

Starring Golden Globe® winner Rock Hudson and Emmy® nominee Susan Saint James, McMillan & Wife: Season One brings TV's beloved crime-solving couple back on the job. Join San Francisco Police Commissioner Stewart "Mac" McMillan and his quirky but clever wife Sally for 12 captivating TV hours (8 episodes) of the show's complete first season. Written by TV legend Steven Bochco ("NYPD Blue," "Hill Street Blues") the series' first season features guest appearances by Stacey Keach ("Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman"), Emmy® winner Tyne Daly ("Cagney & Lacey") and James Wainright ("Magnum, P.I.").

McCloud: Seasons One & Two

Two-time Emmy® nominee Dennis Weaver stars as Deputy Marshall Sam McCloud, a county sheriff relocated to New York City whose rural ways of catching criminals -- often on horseback -- clash with the by-the-book police officers in the big city. Co-starring Della Reese ("Touched by an Angel"), Diana Muldaur ("Star Trek: The Next Generation"), Teri Garr ("Tootsie") and J.D. Cannon (Cool Hand Luke) with guest appearances by Stefanie Powers ("Hart to Hart"), Pat Morita ("Happy Days"), Milton Berle and more. Saddle up for all 11 hilarious and thrilling episodes of Seasons 1 and 2, including the pilot and a bonus episode of McMillan & Wife. A total of 16 TV hours of content! Produced by Glenn Larson, the prolific producer of such iconic television as Knight Rider, Quincy M.E. and Battlestar Galactica.

Columbo: The Third Season

Winner of the Emmy® for Outstanding Drama Series, Columbo: The Third Season stars the legendary Peter Falk in 15 TV hours (8 episodes) of mystery fun. Guest stars include Martin Sheen ("The West Wing"), Vincent Price (Laura, Edward Scissorhands), Jackie Cooper (Superman, "The Little Rascals"), Katey Sagal ("Married ... with Children"), Robert Culp ("I Spy"), Dana Elcar ("MacGyver") and country music legend Johnny Cash. In the third installment of this landmark series that launched an entire television genre, TV's most beloved gumshoe unravels a host of fascinating new mysteries. As a bonus, this two-disc set includes an episode of Mrs. Columbo, the TV show that starred Kate Mulgrew ("Star Trek: Voyager") as Lt. Columbo's crime-solving spouse!

Synopses

McMillan & Wife: Season One

Attorney Stewart McMillan is the recently named commissioner of the San Francisco police department. With his pretty, but somewhat cooky wife Sally, his hard drinking housekeeper Mildred and his assistant, the slow witted Sgt. Charlie Enright, Mac manages to solve some of The City's most baffling crimes.

McCloud: Seasons One & Two

Sam McCloud is a Deputy U.S. Marshal from Taos, New Mexico who goes to New York to find an escaped criminal. When he falls for reporter Chris Coughlin (Diana Muldaur), she convinces her cousin, the deputy police commissioner, to put Sam on temporary duty with the NYPD. He's assigned to the detective bureau headed by Chief Peter B. Clifford (J.D. Cannon), who is less than thrilled with having McCloud under his command. Nonetheless, McCloud manages to track down killers, drug dealers and other big city criminals using a winning combination of modern police work and good ol' country know-how.

Columbo: The Complete Third Season

Lt. Columbo, a disheveled, cigar-chomping sleuth uses his appearance as an incompetent bumbler to lull murder suspects into a false sense of security. Despite this facade, Columbo is actually the shrewdest, most resourceful homicide detective in the LAPD. In every episode, he carefully and methodically pieces together the minutest clues leading to the true identity of the killer.


DVD TECHNICAL INFORMATION
McMillan and Wife: Season One
Street Date: August 9, 2005
Pre-Order Close: July 5, 2005
Copyright: 2005 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Price: $39.98 SRP
Selection Numbers: 28282
Running Time: 10 Hours 25 Minutes
Discs: 2
Layers: Dual/Dual (Double-Sided)
Aspect Ratio: Full Frame 1.33:1
Rating: Not rated
Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono/Captions; Spanish subtitles

McCloud: Seasons One & Two
Street Date: August 9, 2005
Pre-Order Close: July 5, 2005
Copyright: 2005 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Price: $39.98 SRP
Selection Numbers: 28247
Running Time: 15 Hours 45 Minutes
Discs: 3
Layers: 2 Dual/Dual (Double-Sided)
Aspect Ratio: Full Frame 1.33:1
Rating: Not rated
Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono/Captions; Spanish subtitles

Columbo: The Third Season
Street Date: August 9, 2005
Pre-Order Close: July 5, 2005
Copyright: 2005 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Price: $39.98 SRP
Selection Numbers: 28178
Running Time: 11 Hours 24 Minutes
Discs: 2
Layers: Dual/Dual (Double-Sided)
Aspect Ratio: Full Frame 1.33:1
Rating: Not rated
Technical Info: English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono/Captions; Spanish subtitles

Stefanie on ITV's This Morning in UK

Brian said: Stefanie was on This Morning here in the UK today. I just flicked through the channels when she was half way through her intervew. She was talking about pilates and how she keeps healthy and she told them that she was in the UK on her way to the US for the King and I tour.

At the end of the interview, Philip Schofield said that they did well to do an interview without mentioning Hart to Hart. They asked if she still saw RJ, and she told them that they had just recorded interviews to enhance the Hart to Hart DVD release and said that the first season would be released later this year. No new news, but good to see that the release is being mentioned on TV.

Celeb's book gets to point of Pilates

Powers Pilates

(Fireside Books, $16) by Stefanie Powers and Kathy Corey.

Sadly, there are two immediate marks against this book: It's yet another Pilates book being peddled by yet another celebrity. But don't be fooled by that unfortunate combination. It's actually good. It's concise, plainly written and free of jargon. It sticks with exercise and doesn't try to be an overall health and diet plan, which too often bogs down fitness books. Simple directions and straightforward pictures convey the positions. What's more, Powers looks great. In fact, she looks terrific in a way that not even surgery can produce.

If you have no idea who she is because her hit TV show "Hart to Hart" predates you, that's probably just as well. Powers and Corey wrote the book for women older than 50, focusing on flexibility, posture and alignment.

They divide the book into chapters setting up the program and then clearly outline the different types of exercises. You'll need no more than a mat and a towel. Finally, they suggest a gradual workout plan that you can work into your daily routine. Once you've accomplished this, they believe you can easily commit to a 20-minute daily stretching and maintenance program or switch easily to a full-blown 60-minute workout.

And because it is all presented so simply, you finish the book thinking you can actually do it.

Stars coming out for Broadway in Louisville

Stefanie Powers, Mackenzie Phillips, Hal Linden and Maureen McGovern are among the big names headed to Louisville for PNC Bank Broadway in Louisville's 2005-06 season.

"The King & I" (Nov. 1-6) -- Opposites attract and customs clash in this Rodgers and Hammerstein love story centered on the authoritarian King of Siam, who falls head over heels for a strong-willed governess.

The story is based on the real-life adventures of the English widow Anna Leonowens and the best-selling novel "Anna and the King of Siam." Stefanie Powers of "Hart to Hart" fame will take on the title role in this Tony Award-winning musical.

The King and I - Schedule

September 13 - 18 - Civic Theatre - San Diego, California
September 20 - October 9 - Fifth Avenue Theater - Seattle, Washington
October 25 - 30 - Carr Performing Arts Centre - Orlando, Florida
November 1 - 6 - Kentucky Center for Performing Arts - Louisville, Kentucky
November 8 - 13 - New Jersey Performing Arts Center - Newark, New Jersey

Save the Mustangs

Hollywood comes to Hot Springs - Film star and animal rights activist Stefanie Powers shares horse stories with Dayton O. Hyde, owner of the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, before a press conference announcing the "Save the Mustangs" program.

Save the Mustangs
Actress Stefanie Powers holds court at Sanctuary

HOT SPRINGS - On a flawless Black Hills day, with the pristine prairies and green hills in the background, a group of about 35 people from all walks of life converged upon the Wild Horse Sanctuary to begin a joint effort to save wild mustang herds from slaughter. Recent media attention has attracted Ford Motor Company, the makers of the popular Ford Mustang sports car, who have jumped on the bandwagon with film star and animal activist Stefanie Powers, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Take Pride in America to help save about 2,000 wild mustangs that currently face an uncertain future. "The Ford Mustang is America's iconic sports car and takes its inspiration from the wild mustang, a true icon of American freedom," said Ford's Chairman and CEO Bill Ford.

Last week 32 of the mustangs were delivered to the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary ("WHS"), after being rescued from certain slaughter. While stressed from travel and compromised health, the horses were in stable condition and ready to meet the press Thursday, when the auto maker announced it will provide aid to save the mustang population. "The wild mustang embodies the passion, spirit and heritage that are an integral part of the American experience," said Bill Ford in the company's press release. "We felt compelled to do what we could to help preserve these beautiful, legendary animals," he said. The company was initially contacted by Powers, who learned of the animals' plight. Powers is well known for her work with animal preservation through the William Holden Wildlife Foundation.

To help provide a means for the public to contribute to the ongoing care of the horses in their new habitats, Ford has established the "Save the Mustangs" fund. Contributions to the program will be managed by Take Pride in America and are tax-deductible. Take Pride in America was created in 1985 to preserve and maintain American public lands and historical sites and has evolved to protect places and things that symbolize the American spirit. Through its Wild Horse and Burro Sponsorship Program, which offers a variety of sponsorship levels to assist wild horses that have been placed in holding facilities, Take Pride in America is heavily involved in the effort to preserve wild, free-roaming mustangs and burros.

"This is an example of government partnering with corporate America," said Jon Harmon of the Ford organization, as he introduced the various partners in the Save the Mustangs campaign, including Powers, who said, "we're all in collaboration. This is a good guy story." Powers, who epitomizes Hollywood glam with her movie star cowgirl attire, was every bit the lady on location. As beautiful and charming now as she was 20 years ago, Powers expressed great delight in the scenic attributes of the WHS. "It's so beautiful here," she said as she viewed the expanse of prairie and canyon from the visitors' center. Her love for animals was evident in her inquiries about local wildlife, especially wild turkey. In her opening address to the crowd, she said, "This is a positive answer to a dilemma we have right now of the rescue of these horses," who were in a separate corral enjoying sweet feed before being turned out to pasture. While some of the horses' ribs were showing, they did not appear too scraggly and, according to WHS's Hyde, "mustangs are always lean." The other 19 horses are under quarantine and are expected to arrive next week.

Wild horse lovers can learn more about the issue and can help support the cause by visiting www.savethemustangs.org.

Ford Ramps Up Effort to Rescue Wild Mustangs

HOT SPRINGS, S.D. — Ford Motor Company stepped up its commitment to preserving thousands of wild mustangs on Thursday by providing funding to save 2,000 of the horses, along with setting up a "Save the Mustangs" fund.

Company executives witnessed a symbolic release of 51 horses into a new habitat here, on land that was the setting for the recent action movie Hidalgo. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, along with actress and animal-rights activist Stefanie Powers, participated in the effort.

Powers told Inside Line wild-mustang preservationists wanted schools and urban families to join in "virtual adoptions" of the horses. She urged the public to support companies such as Ford.

"Unless the corporate world can see conservation and preservation making good business sense, it won't happen," said Powers, who said she was not being paid by Ford. "Ford has an altruistic bent, but we can't simply rely on certain leadership in corporations. One day, Bill Ford may not be the CEO of Ford. If their bottom line doesn't look good, the board may say we can't save the mustangs. We have to support these companies by buying their products."

Ford gave $19,000 earlier this spring to save 52 mustangs from slaughter. Congress in December replaced a 34-year-old ban on slaughtering mustangs with a law permitting older and unwanted horses to be sold.

What this means to you: Mustang lovers can visit www.savethemustangs.org to find ways to help head off the demise of these threatened animals, along with Ford.

Ford Motor Co. investing in wild horse sanctuary

HOT SPRINGS, S.D. -- The company that makes the Mustang sports car is investing in the wild horse of the same name.

With the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary as a backdrop, officials from Ford Motor Co. said the company would provide money to help save 2,000 wild mustangs that face an uncertain future and help establish a fund to take public donations to maintain the horses.

The Bureau of Land Management and the Take Pride in America group also are participating in setting up the fund.

Among those on hand for Thursday's press conference at the sanctuary's headquarters on the edge of the Black Hills were actress and animal activist Stefanie Powers, credited with bringing the mustang issue to Ford; BLM director Kathleen Clark; Dayton Hyde, president of the Institute of Range and the American Mustang and the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary; and Ziad Ojakli, group vice president of corporate affairs for Ford.

"The mustang is a symbol that drove a lot of our success," Ojakli said, referring to the sporty Ford Mustang introduced 40 years ago.

He said Ford's commitment to save mustangs is "a small token that we can do to pay back" for the company's success.

He didn't provide a dollar figure for helping save 2,000 mustangs but he said it would easily reach six figures.

Powers said Thursday's announcement showed "there are no good guys and bad guys. We're all in collaboration in the rescuing of these horses that were going to be slaughtered," she said.

A new federal law passed late last year allowed the slaughter of mustangs for the first time since 1971.

Ford officials said the 2,000 wild horses could go to a variety of locations, including American Indian reservations.

Clark said the public-private partnership on behalf of the mustangs "is the kind of effort that will really make a difference."

The BLM oversees some 32,000 mustangs on federal lands in the West and another 22,000 currently in holding facilities.

The Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary, established by Hyde in 1988, has 400 mustangs on 11,000 acres in southwest South Dakota.

The BLM's mustang program drew controversy earlier this year when it was discovered that some horses the agency sold to the Rosebud Sioux Tribe in South Dakota had subsequently been acquired by a broker and shipped to an Illinois plant for slaughter.

Alerted by Powers, Ford purchased the remaining 52 "Rosebud" horses. Thirty-two of them have been moved to the Black Hills Wild Horse Sanctuary. The remaining 20 will also go to the sanctuary after being released from quarantine in Illinois.

The nonprofit sanctuary is not receiving any money from Ford to maintain the Rosebud horses, but it can apply to the new public fund, sanctuary spokeswoman Karla LaRive said.

Ford Saves Wild Mustangs From Slaughter

They're now free. Fifty–two wild mustangs first sold for slaughter are running free in KOTA territory.

“We figure we could get a good jump start on saving mustangs and get them good homes,” said Ziad Ojaki of Ford Motor Company.

The grueling trip ended and now they roam freely in their new home, just south of Hot Springs at the Wild Horse Sanctuary.

“We verify that they have the capacity to take care of these animals and that they have pasture and resources,” said Kathleen Clark of the Bureau of Land Management.

Ford Motor Company actually saved the mustangs from slaughter. They intervened after a South Dakota Indian tribe sold the horses to a broker who sent them to an Illinois processing plant. Ford purchased and donated the mustangs to the non–profit sanctuary.

“A good part of our success has been driven by the mustang, so we saw that as a good opportunity to pay back and pay forward,” said Ojaki.

“These animals were sold and became private property, once they were private property there wasn't anything illegal about the tribe trading them nor was it illegal for the broker to take them to slaughter,” said Clark.

Actress and long–time horse advocate Stefanie Powers brought the matter to Ford's attention and persuaded them to ship the wild mustangs. Ford plans to help save about two–thousand nationwide.

“I'm a great lover of horses. I have 26 of my own so to see this event occur is just good news,” said Powers.

The issue drove the Bureau of Land Management to the three U.S. processing plants begging them to refuse to buy horses sold for slaughter. In December Congress replaced the mustang slaughtering ban with a law permitting older and unwanted wild horses to be sold.

“It's difficult to gentle a horse that hasn't been around people, riding, or through a training program then all of a sudden they are 11 years old and it makes it more difficult,” Tom Dyer of the Bureau of Land Management.

"They're beautiful and they couldn't be in a more beautiful setting,” said Ojaki.

Ford established a save the mustangs fund. If you want to learn more about the issue or support the cause you can log on to www.savethemustangs.org.

U.S. will resume selling wild horses

The federal Bureau of Land Management will announce Thursday it is resuming sales of wild horses with protections to prevent the animals from being sent to slaughter, the agency's director said Wednesday.

The agency suspended the sales last month after discovering that 41 animals rounded up from Western rangeland had been sold to an Illinois slaughterhouse and processed for meat.

In addition, Ford Motor Co. will pay to transport up to 2,000 horses to Indian reservations and locations run by non-profit organizations. The company will also oversee a "Save the Mustangs" fundraising drive to help groups that adopt the horses pay for their care.

Wild horses are "a beautiful symbol of the Wild West" and an "icon" for Ford, said Jon Harmon, a spokesman for the company whose Mustang sports car has been a flagship brand since 1964.

The government's management of wild horses and burros has long been an emotional issue. The herds have no natural predators, so they can double in size every five years. Wild horses hurt ranchers by competing with cattle for grass on federal rangeland. Animal rights groups, such as the Alliance of Wild Horse Advocates, have pushed for greater protection of the 32,000 horses. The horses numbered 2 million a century ago.

In 1971, Congress recognized wild horses and burros as "living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West" and passed legislation to protect and manage them. Since then, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has conducted regular roundups. More than 200,000 animals have been adopted by people after demonstrating they provided humane treatment for a year.

In December, Congress for the first time authorized selling the horses and burros if they are more than 10 years old or have been unsuccessfully put up for adoption three times.

Congress is weighing reversing the law. The House of Representatives could vote on the measure as early as today.

The BLM has sold about 1,000 horses since December. It has 22,500 horses and burros in holding facilities; about a third of them are eligible for sale.

Last month, the BLM found that 41 horses in two separate transactions had been sent to the slaughterhouse despite requirements that the animals be treated humanely.

BLM Director Kathleen Clarke said the agency will now impose tougher requirements on buyers, who will have to sign a bill of sale promising not to sell the animals to anyone who intends to process them for commercial products. The document also notifies buyers they could face criminal penalties.

"We are very committed to assuring that the animals affected are placed in good homes that will provide humane, long-term care," Clarke said.

Last month, Ford paid to save 52 horses about to be slaughtered. Those horses were transferred to a sanctuary in South Dakota. Ford launched its program at the urging of actress Stefanie Powers, a longtime animal-rights activist. "Nothing more symbolizes the move West to us as a nation," Powers said.

Ford shows its heart with move to save wild mustangs from slaughter

With all the scrutiny of its financial challenges these days, Ford Motor Co. didn't need to buy dozens of wild mustang horses last month to save them from a Midwest slaughterhouse.

After all, the automaker scarcely needs added publicity for its popular Mustang car.

Yet, in dramatic fashion, Ford stepped up and rescued 52 animals after getting an emergency call from distraught government officials at the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The horses aren't wandering the grounds at Ford headquarters in Dearborn or at work in photo shoots with Mustang cars.

Ford is seeing to it that they're cared for until they can be transferred to a safe place where they can live out their lives.

Wild mustangs roaming the nation's West have held a special place in American folklore for decades. The creatures symbolize freedom, spirit and wide open spaces -- the same attributes Ford officials say are embodied in the Mustang car.

For 34 years, the horses were protected by law from slaughter, but a provision in the federal spending bill passed in December now allows the sale of older, unwanted mustangs.

Had Ford not responded, the animals -- all at least 11 years old - would have been chopped up for meat and exported overseas.

Ford didn't act because market research showed it would help boost vehicle sales. And Ford officials didn't take an opinion poll before quietly joining with land management officials to develop a new program, to be announced later this week, that will help another 1,000-plus wild mustangs.

This is what a responsible, caring company does, even if some 40 years ago, when Ford's Mustang was named -- after a fighter plane, not the horse -- the automaker never imagined it would be called on in such a way.

In today's cutthroat business world, a lot of corporate managers are tempted to view philanthropy as something that matters only in good times.

Ford Chairman Bill Ford Jr., who got letters about the horses, and the company, which received further information from actress and animal rights activist Stefanie Powers, deserve kudos for resisting that notion.

They also deserve praise for moving so quickly -- within a matter of minutes, I'm told -- to respond to what was a very dire situation at the slaughterhouse.

It's obvious that Ford cares about more "than just making cars," said Jeff Rawson of the land management bureau.

The horses are not an isolated example. Through its Jaguar unit, Ford contributes to jaguar cat conservation efforts in Central America -- an initiative now in its third year despite Jaguar's considerable red ink..

Imagine what the big-hearted automaker could do if it had a more secure financial picture.

McCloud - There Ya' Go! The 'Sagebrush Sherlock Holmes' Is Riding Onto DVD!

We've been telling you for more than a year that McCloud was coming to DVD in 2005, and today Universal has made it official with their announcement of McCloud - Seasons 1 & 2 for release on August 9th in a 3-disc set (each one double-sided). For $39.98 SRP you get 946 minutes containing what ought to be 14 episodes. Why so few for two seasons? Don't forget that McCloud, along with McMillan & Wife and Columbo and sometimes others, were part of a rotating selection of shows that shared a (1.5-2 hour) timeslot under the group name "NBC Sunday Mystery Movie", so each characters' series only appeared every 3rd or 4th week. Prior to that, McCloud was briefly part of NBC's "Four In One" program in the same timeslot, which had the same "rotating shows" concept.

McCloud told the story of one Sam McCloud (played to perfection by Dennis Weaver), a Deputy Marshal from Taos, New Mexico whose pilot episode had him traveling to New York City to transport a prisoner to the NYPD. Later, he stays in the Big Apple to learn law enforcement techniques there (and to be near his lady (Star Trek/ST:TNG's Diana Muldaur), who works for her daddy's NY newspaper), but his down-home style also ends up teaching the big-city cops a thing or two. No only did this classic show work as a great detective story, but there was also lots of humor to be had from the program's fish-out-of-water concept.

Glen A. Larson was one of the Executive Producers of this series, so it's no surprise that you'll find Battlestar Galactica's Terry Carter ("Colonel Tigh") on board as Sgt. Joe Broadhurst, who was friends with McCloud despite Chief Clifford's grouchy manner in respect to Sam's style. Other regular cast seen in the show when appropriate included Teri Garr and Della Reese. The pilot episode (if included on this set) guest stars Julie Newmar and Raul Julia, among others. Throughout the first two seasons you'll also see the likes of Susan Strasberg, Lorraine Gary, Doug McClure, Richard Dawson, Susan St. James, Randolph Mantooth, Sebastian Cabot, Alan Oppenheimer, Elisha Cook Jr., Stefanie Powers, Joan Blondell, Vincent Gardenia, Pat Morita, Burgess Meredith, Gary Collins, Shelley Fabares, Avery Schreiber, Vic Tayback, and the incomparable Milton Berle.

Expect the DVD to present this classic series in the orginal Full Frame video and English Mono audio. English and Spanish subtitles are also going to be included. Stay tuned for box art, plus any updates that may or may not include extras.