News In Brief

WHAT ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY?

Remember the item in this space earlier in the week about Marin Zdravkov, the Bulgarian who won a court's permission to change his name to Manchester United, the British pro soccer team? From Sydney, Australia, comes word that the computer programmer formerly known as Dock Seagle is like-minded. Only, Seagle - now legally called Oxford University - admits his move is aimed at winning a lot of money from the world-famous educational institution. It seems he also was first to register the name as an Internet address, and the school has hired lawyers to persuade him to give it up.

OR, YOU COULD WEAR A WIG

For those of you considering a run for public office, a polling organization in Madrid has this advice: Don't, if your hairline is receding. Sigma 2 interviewed 1,000 Spaniards prior to their national election March 12 and found only 4 percent who said they preferred a balding candidate. Such politicians, respondents said, were less dynamic, attractive, and charismatic.

How moviegoers decide what they will pay to see

Have you seen any of the motion pictures that are up for Academy Awards Sunday night? What made you decide to go: a newspaper ad? word of mouth? previews of coming attractions? an Oscar nomination? If the results of a new survey are accurate, most Americans (just under 60 percent) are hooked by what they learn about a new film on TV. But coming up fast, according to a survey conducted by Wilton, Conn.-based market researcher Greenfield Online and ASI Entertainment of Los Angeles, are the numerous movie sites on the Internet. Forty percent of respondents said they research and read reviews of new releases there. The most frequently checked sites and the percentage of respondents who said they visited each:

Reel.com 37%

Hollywood.com 24%

Eonline.com 21%

Moviefone.com 18%

Film.com 11%

Comingattractions.com 10%

- PR Newswire

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