SPIKE JOINS ENEMY CAMP

Spike Lee, who recently blasted UPN's bawdy sitcom Girlfriends for promoting racial stereotypes ("Is that the only thing black women can talk about, getting f--ked?"), has signed a deal with Studios USA (Law & Order, Jerry Springer) to develop a drama series as well as comedies. "There's a whole wide world outside of the sitcom, and it seems like African-Americans are ghettoized into [TV sitcoms]," Lee tells Variety. "I don't think sitcoms should be blown off, but I'd love to go in a different direction." Incidentally, Lee's latest film, Bamboozled, is a satire about racism in the TV biz.

TV GuideNews Oct. 20, 2000 at 1:00 a.m. PT