Contenders battle for Tinseltown mantle.

Contenders battle for Tinseltown mantle

The legendary sign still hovers in the nearby hills, but the glamour of Hollywood long ago faded. Now three regional contenders are fighting a pitched battle for the honor of donning the fallen mantle of entertainment industry king. Century City, Beverly Hills and the Miracle Mile district all lay claim to being the new or future center of the entertainment industry.

"The history of Hollywood is Hollywood. The present day of Hollywood is Century City," said Joel Baker, executive vice president of the Century City Chamber of Commerce.

But Jerry Snyder, founding partner of the J.H. Snyder Co. real estate firm, said the Miracle Mile district "may become the new center of Hollywood."

Meanwhile, Fred Cunningham, a spokesman for Beverly Hills, said that city is the entertainment industry capital of the world. "I don't know one that can match it," Cunningham said.

The ammunition in the battle consists of rosters of tenants. Each region boasts its own.

Aaron Spelling is moving into the Wilshire Courtyard along the "Miracle Mile" on May 15, and Frank Sinatra's accountant is already located across the street in the Museum Square building, said Susan Fiske, director of public relations for the Snyder Co.

Other Miracle Mile tenants include Mark Goodson Productions, the Daily Variety newspaper, Madison Square Garden Television Productions and Miss Universe Inc., Fiske said.

Michael Silverman, publisher of Daily Variety, volunteered some ammunition about the people passing his ground-level office windows.

"I've seen Whoopie Goldberg walking past our window. She was with Taylor Hackford," he recalled. But he refused to call Miracle Mile an entertainment center. "The capital . . . no," he said.

Rather than dubbing the entire Miracle Mile an entertainment complex, Rewa Colette Soltan, a spokesman for Mark Goodson Productions, referred to the Wilshire Courtyard itself as an "entertainment complex."

In comparison, Century City boasts 250 entertainment-allied companies within a radius of less than a mile. These companies specialize in everything from law to video production, according to Baker.

The ABC Entertainment Center is located in the region, along with a dozen movie production companies and just as many talent agencies.

"Within the confines of that geography, there are more entertainment-oriented organizations [in Century City] than in any other similar geography in the world," said Robert Friedman, president of AMC Entertainment International.

Comedian George Burns' accountant has an office in Century City, and Barbara Walters has an office there as well, according to Baker.

However, the talent agencies are located in Beverly Hills. Some of the well-known ones are William Morris Agency Inc. and Creative Artist's Agency Inc., according to Fred Hayman, who owns Fred Hayman Beverly Hills and was also a fashion coordinator for the 62nd Annual Academy Awards.

Amenities are another weapon in the tussle.

"I think you've got the world's best shopping [in Beverly Hills] that you could find," Cunningham said. "Rodeo Drive has the reputation of being a world-renowned street."

Also, Cunningham added, "The Beverly Hills Hotel has always been a mainstay for entertainment executives coming from around the world." And the restaurants, he said, are as competitive as any in the county.

Chasen's and La Scala are some of the favorite lunch spots for members of the entertainment industry, Hayman said.

"The power breakfast in Century City happens in the Garden Pavilion in the [Century Plaza] Hotel," Baker said.

On the other hand, the "Miracle Mile" did not seem as strong in the culinary department. Those in the industry travel to Melrose for lunch at Citrus, Fiske said.

Mark Goodson executives like to entertain their clients at a Middle Eastern restaurant called Alamir that is close to their offices, Soltan said. But the area is not as convenient as the others. "There's no close freeway access," Silverman said.

Century City, however, scored points in the accessibility department. "The geographical location is very convenient to our clients and to the lawyers," said Ed Labowitz, an entertainment lawyer with the firm of Gipson, Hoffman and Pancione.

Century City is close to Bel Air, Trousdale Estates, Holmby Hills, and Beverly Hills, Friedman added.

Even Snyder said tenants of the Miracle Mile "like the proximity to Beverly Hills."

The focus of the industry in Beverly Hills differs from that in Century City. The creative members of the entertainment community are situated in Beverly Hills, Hayman said.

In contrast, Century City is home to the business end of the industry, such as the entertainment lawyers and production companies, Labowitz said.

In the future, Century City will grow by leaps and bounds, according to Friedman. On the other hand, Cunningham foresaw little change in the status of Beverly Hills as an entertainment capital.

And Snyder was confident about the future of the Miracle Mile.

"I think that in the next two years, this is going to be entertainment row," he said.

PHOTO : Stellar constellation: The stars may still shine from the pavement of Hollywood Boulevard but the glitter of their surroundings has dimmed. The entertainment capital banner now is being claimed by diverse competitors