Newsday
Originally published: July 2, 2011 6:33 PM
By ANN GIVENS
The Nassau County Courthouse is getting ready for its close-up later this month — when superstars Al Pacino and Bette Midler will arrive in Mineola to film a scene for an upcoming HBO movie about Phil Spector, the music producer serving 19 years to life in prison for murder.
County and court sources say the criminal court building will remain open even as Pacino, who is playing Spector, and Midler, playing his lawyer, film their scene on the south side of the building on July 18 and 19.
To make the courthouse look like the one in Los Angeles where Spector’s first trial took place, set designers are expected to hang the California state seal on the building and display the California state flag on the flagpole, sources confirmed.
Katie Grilli-Robles, a spokeswoman for County Executive Edward Mangano, confirmed the movie shoot but said many of the details were still being ironed out. She said she did not know how much money the county would receive for the shoot.
“The county executive has worked to attract the film and television industry to Nassau County. Having major actors and entertainers working and filming here in Nassau is beneficial to all our residents as they spend significant dollars in our local community,” Grilli-Robles said.
Court spokesman Daniel Bagnuola also confirmed the event, but did not discuss details.
A publicist for HBO could not be reached for comment Friday.
Spector was convicted of second-degree murder in the 2003 fatal shooting of actress Lana Clarkson in his home near Los Angeles.
