Funding glitch shuts down Pax's millennium special

The Pax TV network had hoped to ring in 2000 with a global telecast every bit the equal of the galas being thrown by ABC, NBC and CBS. Instead, Pax - seen locally on KPXE, Channel 50 - will be airing old movies today as network executives try to get their money back from the producers of "Millennium Live," a worldwide 24-hour event that was supposed to have started at 5 a.m. today. Pax had exclusive U.S. rights to the telecast, which was to be carried in more than 130 countries by the Millennium Television Network. MTN was to telecast from a 90-foot geodesic dome built specially for the event in Los Angeles, and from a dozen other sites around the world. Among the scheduled performers were Aerosmith, Blondie, 'N Sync, Sting and the Spice Girls. Six celebrities were to handle the hosting chores, though the only one recognizable to U.S. viewers was former "Baywatch" star Carmen Electra. When Electra went afoul of the law earlier this month, her name was quietly dropped from the marquee. Then this week, with less than 72 hours until the telecast, MTN told its broadcast partners the show was off. According to Variety, the show business journal, the event's organizers couldn't assemble funding needed for the telecast. Variety also reported that MTN had been missing payments on the show's satellite and production facilities for some time. To reach Aaron Barnhart, phone (816) 234-4790 or visit the TV Barn Web site at www.tvbarn.com