MOVIESTall Order: “Get Shorty” got first place...

MOVIES

Tall Order: “Get Shorty” got first place at the box office for the second weekend in a row. The MGM film, starring John Travolta as a mobster gone Hollywood, took in $10.5 million, according to early industry estimates. Paramount’s horror-comedy “Vampire in Brooklyn,” featuring Eddie Murphy, captured the Halloween crowd with $7.3 million for second place its opening weekend. Disney’s controversial newcomer “Powder” was close behind in third with $7 million. In fourth was yet another new release, Warner Bros.’ “Copycat,” the thriller starring Holly Hunter and Sigourney Weaver which took in $5.1 million. New Line’s “Now and Then” took fifth place with $4.5 million.

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Mighty Unhappy: Woody Allen has adoption advocates up in arms about his latest film. In “Mighty Aphrodite,” Allen plays a sportswriter who seeks out his adopted child’s birth mother and discovers she’s a prostitute. “It’s a very inaccurate portrayal,” says Kathy Legg, executive director of Spence-Chapin, a leading adoption agency in Manhattan. “We find that women who place their children in adoption do so because they cannot provide the stability a child needs. They’re generally thoughtful and caring.” Allen’s publicist said the director declined to comment. But Miramax Films, the movie’s distributor, released a statement saying the movie “is a sweet, good-natured comedy that is not offensive.”

PEOPLE WATCH

Westward Ho: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, both 83, along with their son Roy Rogers Jr., have announced plans for a $45-million Western theme park in Victorville, near their home. RogersDale U.S.A.’s 76 acres, adjacent to Interstate 15, will feature educational facilities and entertainment venues designed to tell the story of the West from 1860 to 1960 and give visitors a chance to “relive the spirit of yesteryear.” But don’t forget the spirit of today’s consumerism: The park will also feature numerous stores and restaurants. RogersDale also aims to celebrate the lives and values of the movie and TV cowboy and his wife. The park’s cornerstone will be the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum, which is undergoing a $1-million renovation. Construction on the theme park will begin in 1996; it’s set to open in 1997.

TELEVISION

Talking About Talk: Members of TV’s talk-show community spent the weekend doing in private what they usually do before an audience of millions: talk. At the closed-door Talk Summit conference Saturday in New York City, talk-show producers, executives and hosts came together to explore how their programs might aim their influence in more socially responsible directions. The get-together also included experts on social and health issues. The session drew on-air personalities Rolonda Watts and Mark Walberg, as well as behind-the-camera principals from “Sally Jessy Raphael,” “Geraldo,” “Jerry Springer” and “Carnie.” Notable non-participants included representatives of “Donahue” and “Oprah Winfrey,” higher-toned shows generally spared the criticism aimed at their counterparts. The summit got under way with a keynote address by Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala, who challenged the talk-show industry to stop showcasing the raunchy and ridiculous.

COMEDY

Night of Laughter: Latino comedians will get together tonight to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with a comedy fest at the Veterans Wadsworth Theatre in Westwood at 8 p.m. The fifth annual Noche de Risa y Susto will be hosted by Jimmy Smits, Kelsey Grammer, Paul Rodriguez and Culture Clash among others, and will showcase the talents of comics Willie Barcena, Debi Gutierrez-Myers, Pablo Francisco, Marilyn Martinez and Rudy Moreno. The event, a benefit for the Latino Theatre Company and the UCLA Chicano Scholarship Fund, kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with a reception at the UCLA Armand Hammer Museum featuring a display of Dia de los Muertos artwork curated by the noted Latino artist Gronk.